Reminder/ Caveat/ Disclaimer: This is my (hopefully) monthly list of books I’ve read and enjoyed. These are not reviews, I do not include books I didn’t enjoy because life is too short to speak badly of books!
As is often the case, my reading plans for the past couple of months didn't quite go as planned. I had a stack of books I intended to curl up with over the holidays and then I found myself reading something else. Fortunately for me (and for you?) the novels I picked were totally engrossing and perfect for lazy winter sick days (Yeah, I was struck down by the Great Cruddy Cold of Christmas 2016 - anyone else?).
When Kristan Higgins' If You Only Knew was released, readers and her fellow authors alike raised a brow. A women's fiction novel from one of the queens of contemporary romance?
I am happy to report that there's still plenty of romance in this book, but also a fascinating story about three women who try to put their lives back together after heartbreak, betrayal and loss. There's something in this book for romance fans and women's fiction fans.
Speaking of the blend of romance and women's fiction, The Hating Game was on so many "best of" lists of 2016, including NPR's. This is packaged as a women's fiction or chick lit book but in my opinion, it is a straight up romance/ romantic comedy about how hate and love are two sides of the same coin. I couldn't put it down.
I first heard about A Promise of Fire on Smart Bitches Trashy Books but then, suddenly, it was every-freaking-where. This was another book that got a lot of end-of-year accolades and for good reason. It's a totally unique fantasy romance and I didn't really know what I was reading for the first 20 pages. It was a pseudo-Greek mythological world. People have magic, there are lands and kingdoms, Game of Thrones-style and a romance that sort of reminded me of Curran and Kate in Ilona Andrews' Kate Daniels series (one of my all-time faves.)
I will make one caveat/ warning that I've noticed in a lot of the reviews. For a good portion of the book, the heroine is literally tied to the hero after being kidnapped by him. Yes, it's a magic rope. Yes, he's a benevolent captor. Yes, she can make herself invisible. Still, if such things would bother you, I wanted you to be aware.
Now is a good time to grab this because Breath of Fire (The Kingmaker Chronicles), Book 2 has just been released and the third book is supposed to be released later this year, I believe.
This is another book that someone mentioned in a SBTB podcast (I think? I can't remember and I can't find the episode) and I kept seeing it on people's "OMG Favorite Historical Romance" lists. To continue my trend of atypical historical romances, this is a tale of a widow who essentially hires a playboy neighbor to try to impregnate her so that she can inherit her late husband's estate and save it from her late husband's brother's evil clutches... got that? Even though the plot sounds bananas and over the top, I can't remember the last time a romance felt so intimate and so small. The hero and heroine truly develop and mature through the book. There are (gasp!) conversations, there are real feelings and true, sweet intimacy. If you're tired of wham, bam thank you ma'am stories this one might be a breath of fresh air for you.
So... as always, I'd love to hear what you've read or are reading. Throw those suggestions at me down below or keep in touch on Instagram, Pinterest, Twitter and Facebook. And are you subscribed to my newsletter?
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