#Amalie Howard Author

[dilawrosas]

[BOOK REVIEW] ARC: Never Met a Duke Like You by Amalie Howard

This Amalie Howard book is AVAILABLE NOW! ✍️✍️✍️✍️✍️ In the latest addition to the TAMING OF THE DUKES series, the heroine is a self-proclaimed matchmaker who isn’t looking for love, but in this book, she finds it with the hero. The hero is looking to revive his family’s fortunes while also realizing that a lot has stayed the same even after his return to England, including the heroine. Then a…

[mermaidsirennikita]

Hi! i’m hoping you might have a recommendation or two for me - It’s my turn to pick a book for my book club and I want to pick a historical romance that’s fun and campy but still easily accessible for readers that don’t have much experience with histros. I think Tessa Dare is an obvious choice but do you have any other authors/books you might recommend to someone reading historical romance for the first time? I think my main concern is them getting bored or tripped up by the language?

I hope it's okay if I publish this! (And in response to your other ask, omg thank you and you're so welcome!)

Tessa Dare is a great choice for sure (and I would do A Week to Be Wicked if you go with her) BUT alternatives...

Julie Anne Long! She writes really lighthearted but emotionally deep historical romances. They're not quite as high heat as Tessa, but they are explicit, and super lovely. I'd recommend What I Did for a Duke or After Dark with the Duke. She also has a new book out on Tuesday, The Beast Takes a Bride, which is GREAT and one I'd recommend.

Sarah MacLean is a great one if you want something approachable and easily translated to the modern age. Nine Rules to Break When Romancing a Rake or One Good Earl Deserves a Lover would by proposals for a book club.

Adriana Herrera's A Caribbean Heiress in Paris is modern and fresh and suuuuper sexy, while at the same time having a lot of the things we love about classic historical romances. I love that book.

The Wicked Wallflower by Tracy Sumner is a fun one—it's frothy and flirty (it's a classic brother's best friend book, with a self-made hero and a heroine pretend to be a wallflower) with a sweet beating heart.

There's also Amalie Howard! Her most recent historical romance series has been retellings of fun romcoms. Always Be My Duchess is a Pretty Woman take, and Never Met a Duke Like You is Clueless.

Alexandra Vasti! Her Halifax Hellions novellas are short, but you COULD do 1-2 together as they sort of tell two sides of the same story (they're about twins, and you know that one of them is pursuing the other when she runs off with a man in the first book... int he second you get the real story lol). Her full length debut Ne'er Duke Well is also good.

[jeanvanjer]

I'll probably delete this later but . . . .

Since it has a largely poc cast, I want to support QCs spinoff show. I do. I'm always hoping the "love cured racism" shit is something they wont go in on and they just stick to hot sex and romance.

However, seeing the book being written and shilled by JQ, who at one time said, and I'm paraphrasing, she never wrote characters of color into her books because their happy endings wouldnt be realistic. She would have to explain why her characters arent racist and it wouldnt be accurate. I get this to an extent, and I do really prefer characters of color be written, no matter how egregious, by authors that are of color themselves.

Amalie Howards using apsara as a term of endearment her white hero uses for his half Indian heroine is something I can forgive because Amalie is of West Indian descent herself.

So yeah, it is quite hard for white authors to write characters of color in HR. It can be done, but you need the tact and talent for it. Julia Quinn by her own words seems to agree that she doesnt have that in her to do a story involving a character of color justice.

But whats the difference now? Why is it easy for you to write and sell a book about Queen Charlotte, which is borderline revisionism, so much that its insulting and hard to find escape in. It's even worse considering none of the characters of color have a hea.

[triviareads]

Do you have favorite tropes that are hr specific?

ooh good question.

Purposeful ruination: It gets the plot moving and I do like this variation on the enemies-to-lovers trope.

Books with this trope: Marquess of Mayhem by Scarlett Scott (he purposely compromises her with the aim of fucking with her war criminal half brother EL CORAZON OSCURO who does get a book of his own), Beyond Scandal and Desire by Lorraine Heath (compromises her to get to his half-brother who is engaged to her), The Chief by Monica McCarty (she gets herself compromised on purpose), Secrets of a Summer Night by Lisa Kleypas (heroine and her friends scheme to engineer a compromise)

Lower-class hero (or a hero of lower-class origins) who hates himself because he thinks he isn't "worthy" of the heroine or whatever and will SULLY her with his FILTHY PAWS

Heroes/books with this trope: Nicholas in Her Husband's Harlot by Grace Callaway, Rhys Winterborne in Marrying Winterborne by Lisa Kleypas, McKenna in Again the Magic by Lisa Kleypas, Dom Kilburn in A Rogue's Rules for Seduction by Eva Leigh

The Repressed Aristocrat: A gentleman in the streets, a freak in the sheets— to clarify, he's either actually repressed, or acts like he is in public.

Heroes/books with this trope: Granby from The Design of Dukes by Kathleen Ayers, Stone from Always Be My Duchess by Amalie Howard, Lockwood from The Duke Gets Even by Joanna Shupe, Harrison from The Truth About Cads and Dukes by Elisa Braden, Westcliff from It Happened One Autumn (how repressed he actually is is debatable but I'm basing this off his "once a week is enough" thing), Carlisle from The Viscount Always Knocks Twice by Grace Callaway

A Knowing Virgin: If she has to be a virgin, then let her be a knowing one. It could be because he had An Education of sorts, or maybe she just has a "natural sensuality" that's inevitably commented upon by the hero. Ultimately, if she breaks the hero simply by performing a middling handjob, she's a winner.

Heroines/Books with this trope: Jess from Lord of Scoundrels by Loretta Chase, Rosalind from A Recipe for a Rogue by Kathleen Ayers (her late rake dad left behind a bunch of dirty books), basically every Grace Callaway heroine who inevitably performs her first blowjob like a champ

Kidnapping: I don't care who does it but if an author writes it well enough I'll love them.

Books with this trope: Outrageous by Minerva Spencer (the heroine kidnaps the hero to make him stop harassing/kidnapping her brother and his wife), The Last Crimes of Peregrine Hinds (m/m, he's soooo down to be kidnapped), Lord Holt Takes a Bride by Vivienne Lorret (her besties kidnap him), The Lady Who Came in from the Cold by Grace Callaway (listen, she needs to set her husband straight somehow), and of course, It Happened One Autumn by Lisa Kleypas.

An immediate, aggressive proposition: When you know, you know, plus again, it moves the romance along

Books with this trope: Surrender to the Devil by Lorraine Heath, I'm pretty? sure The Theory of Earls by Kathleen Ayers has this

Workplace relationships: This might be the one where my feelings differ the most in that my bar is a lot lower in HR than contemporaries (or alternatively, if it's well written, I'll read anything). But idk I'm more fine with powerful men "taking advantage" of The Help in historical than in contemporaries. This is what happens when The Sound of Music imprinted on you early, I think.

Books with this trope: Duke of Depravity by Scarlett Scott, The Duchess Hunt by Lorraine Heath, The Raven Prince by Elizabeth Hoyt, A Nobleman's Guide to Seducing a Scoundrel by K-J Charles, Married by Morning by Lisa Kleypas, Millionaire Marquess by Scarlett Scott

Age gap romances: I just really like these and it goes both ways (I'm forever looking for well-done older women romances)

Books with this trope: The Chasing of Eleanor Vane by Sierra Simone (he's her betrothed's uncle), Wicked Again by Kathleen Ayers (she's 49, he's 40), My Dirty Duke by Joanna Shupe (he's her dad's best friend), What I Did For a Duke by Julie Anne Long (hero is around 20 years older than the heroine), A Recipe for a Rogue by Kathleen Ayers (he's like twice? her age?)

Childhood sweethearts: I just really like the idea of people finding love young but Things keep them apart (maybe it's the Persuasion lover in me). I distinguish it from one party having a childhood crush on the other because that's unrequited and this... very much isn't.

Books with this trope: Again the Magic by Lisa Kleypas, The Legend of Lyon Redmond by Julie Anne Long, Bed Me, Baron by Felicity Niven (okay so they weren't "together" but they had feelings for each other at different points during their youth)

More niche tropes:

That thing where they're having hate/farewell sex but they know she's gonna end up pregnant anyway (ex: Bed Me, Baron by Felicity Niven)

A deranged blond man (ex: Valentine from Duke of Sin by Elizabeth Hoyt, Godric from Outrageous by Minerva Spencer, Nikolas from Prince of Dreams by Lisa Kleypas)

Heroines with objectively dumb schemes and plenty of hubris (ex: Constance in The Earl I Ruined by Scarlett Peckham Lillian Bowman in Secrets of a Summer Night and It Happened One Autumn, Margo and Matilda Halifax in Alexandra Vasti's Halifax Hellion series, Emma Kent in The Duke Who Knew Too Much by Grace Callaway)

Taking about their first sexual experiences..... while having sex (ex: The Rogue Not Taken and Bombshell by Sarah MacLean)

Characters getting turned on via music/instrumental playing (ex: both The Theory of Earls by Kathleen Ayers and M Is For Marquess by Grace Callaway have heroes who deffo get hard watching their heroines play the piano, and there is piano sex stuff, and Always Be My Duchess has a cello-playing duke who also plays her like a cello)

Sad old people (possibly reuniting)

That thing where there's a hot older person living their best life in the background and I frantically look them up on the interwebs to see if they have a book and am usually disappointed that they don't :(

[kingsbridgelibraryteens]

What do all of these spooky books have in common? They're all books by authors who were featured in recent "Summer Scares" webinars!

I watch a lot of Booklist webinars that connect to CR and YA books, but when I'm looking for books that will appeal to reluctant readers (which is basically ALWAYS), I often gravitate towards scary and suspenseful titles. Over the last two months I watched the Summer Scares Middle-Grade, Summer Scares YA, and Prepare For a Summer of Scares panels. While I was listening to those conversations, I started reserving books. This pile contains the holds that have come in so far:

The Nest by Kenneth Oppel, illustrated by Jon Klassen

My Aunt is a Monster by Reimena Yee

Dread Detention by Jennifer Killick

All These Bodies by Kendare Blake

Bumps in the Night by Amalie Howard

Wretched Waterpark (Sinister Summer Book One) by Kiersten White

Four Letter Word by Gretchen McNeil

Fun Fact: It was from watching one of these webinars that I first learned about a cool and spooky Edward Gorey book!

[graysonfamfan2021]

13 books 📚 to get me better

1.unseelie , it’s part of a duology and I loved 🥰 that it was written by an autistic author ✍️ ivelisse housman and featured an enemies to lovers between raze and unseelie and found family and an autistic Fae protagonist as I’m autistic and it’s a fantastic book 📖.

2. the secret 🤫 of service of tea and treason by India 🇮🇳 holton , a autistic author ✍️ and it is part of a trilogy about autistic witches , spies 🕵️‍♀️ and witches in a magical 🧙‍♀️ Victorian world 🌎 and has an enemies to lovers romance 🥰 between Alice and Daniel and it’s an phenomenal book 📖.

3. a duel with the vampire 🧛‍♀️ lord by Elise kova and it is amazing 🤩 book 📖 with the found family trope and an enemies to lovers romance 🥰 between Floriane and Ruvan and it’s an amazing 🤩 book 📖 and a retelling of snow ❄️ white.

4. a taste 👅 of poison ☠️ by tessonja odette is an excellent book 📖 and a wonderful book 📖 featuring Fae in a beautiful 🤩 magical 🧙‍♀️ Victorian inspired world 🌎.

5. court of dragons 🐉 by frost Kay and it’s an epic fantasy romance 🥰 and it’s part of a trilogy and has dragons 🐉, romance 🥰 and elves 🧝‍♀️ and badass ladies .

6. Midnight 🕛 in everwood by m.a kuzniar and it is a wonderful retelling of the nutcracker and has an rivals to lovers story, and LBTQ representation as well as many other representations and relationships as well .

7. A throne of shadows by tessonja odette and it’s part of a trilogy and has unicorns 🦄 and magic and Fae and second chance and enemies to lovers romances respectively between the two different characters, Cora and teryn and larylis and mareleau.

8. These vengeful souls by Kelly Zekas and Tarum shanker and has an LBTQ relationship with the main relationship being enemies to lovers and has villains 🦹‍♀️ and heroes 🦸‍♀️ living in Victorian times and I’m a history buff 💪 and it’s x men meets the Victorian era. It also reminds me of the heroine complex series by Sarah Kuhn and the renegades trilogy by marissa Meyer as well as my favorite 🤩 shows titans and doom patrol and x men evolution.

9. Ana Maria and the fox 🦊 by Liana de la Rosa is a historical romance 🥰 set in the Victorian era in England and has a slow burn 🔥 romance 🥰 between a Mexican heiress Ana Maria who is the sunshine ☀️ to the grumpy African politician, Gideon fox as well and a marriage of convenience and Ana Maria and Gideon’s relationship is amazing 🤩 and I love ❤️ how he knows to speak 🗣️ Spanish and can talk to her and her family in their native language and I’m so excited 😆 to read the next book 📖 in the luna sisters trilogy next year as well as India 🇮🇳 holton and Elise kova and tessonja odettes books 📚 too etc.

10. the moonfire bride 👰‍♀️ by Sylvia Mercedes has Fae , slow burn 🔥romance and combines beauty and the beast with the Greek myth of Eros and psyche and it’s so good 😊 and the protagonist is a seamstress and she can weave dresses 👗 out of moonlight and other things in the Fae world 🌎.

11. Bellegarde by Jamie lilac it’s a retelling of the movie 🍿 she’s all that in 18th century France 🇫🇷 and has two slowburn romances between evie and beau and evie’s best friend Josephine and beau’s cousin , Mia Bellegarde and I love 💕 these two couples and the book 📖 is very well written and phenomenal and it’s awesome 😎.

12. Daughter of the pirate 🏴‍☠️ king 🤴 by Tricia levenseller has an abundance of magic 🪄, sirens 🚨, pirates 🏴‍☠️ and a heart ❤️ pounding enemies to lovers romance 🥰 between riden and alosa and it’s a stellar book 📖 .

13. Queen bee by Amalie Howard is a retelling of the count of monte Cristo by Alexander dumas and takes place in the regency era and has an array of different romances from enemies to lovers and slow burn 🔥 and friends to lovers and LBTQ relationships and representation from the many biracial characters in the book 📖 and it’s a fantastic book 📖

I’m tagging my besties @selinascatnip and @escapism-through-imagination and @not-so-mundane-after-all and @itsjustafia and @majima4587 and @ambelle and @amberpride and @ships-bynoa and @blackloislane and @amberpride and @lady-stirling and @meerakory and @meetmeunderthestarrynight

[builtfromflowersandvines]

Teal Deer: I’m reviewing every historical romance author I’ve read in 2023 so that I can get recommendations.

Never Again:

Amelia Gray - I’ve got zero time for this conservative pick-me-girl bullshit. The male protagonist actually said, “I like a girl with spirit.” You can’t have your protagonist saying the villain line, that’s gross. This shit is for my amusement. If I can tell how you vote by how you write, you’ve got to be voting like me. Did not finish. 

Jillian Hunter - I just can’t care about these assholes. The men are loud, boorish, selfish, clueless. They are a frat boy stereotype dressed in Regency clothes. I don’t remember the female protagonists, I read her a month ago. That’s pretty forgettable. 

Maya Rodale - I don’t mind a little pop culture reference, here and there. However, writing a book that pulls *heavily* from Bridget Jones’ Diary (which is already referencing Pride & Prejudice) and Mean Girls? Really? When I saw the line, “On Wednesdays we wear pink” I threw the book across the room. I like light, effervescent, and fun, but this was dumb. 

Elizabeth Hoyt - Grimdark as historical romance? Nah. If you show me a dark, brooding, bad man as the male protagonist, I’m not going to swoon guys. I find that shit exhausting. “I’m so evil, and a little mean” ok, well I’m bored. I will never find a Pure Woman’s Love Redeeming A Piece Of Shit Dude even a little compelling. Babygirl, he isn’t worth *that* amount of labor. 

Rachael Miles - too boring to finish, too boring to remember. 

Sabrina Jeffries - Her series have a mystery at the heart of them. You learn a little more about the mystery in each book in the series. Unlike Lady Sherlock, which is a Mystery series written by a Romance author, these are romances that have an element of mystery. She can’t always keep my attention. The juxtaposition of light-hearted romance and gritty mystery doesn’t always work. Her characters also run a bit immature. Actually after reading what I wrote, maybe she has disappointed me one too many times. 

Eva Leigh - too boring to finish, too boring to remember.

Undecided:

Jayne Fraiser - Um… the story was alright. It was a little too focused on just the protagonists, the families and friendships are the reason I read these books. To not have many fleshed out characters was disappointing. Also, if you are going to have your protagonist have a career or a hobby, you have to know enough about that career or hobby. The book I read the female protagonist was a modiste. Y’all? I’ve read a fuck ton of these books and I have a degree in history and my history degree is mainly British history. She did not do enough research. That really does count against her. 

Minerva Spencer - Witty. Constantly, exhaustingly witty. Your characters don’t need to cut up at each other all of the time. 

Amalie Howard - I did enjoy this book. But. The characters and the slang are too modern. Progressive is fine. Actually, it is kind of necessary for me. To ignore the milieu, the culture, for the story doesn’t work for me. You cannot tell me that this Not Like Other Girls girl also gets zero flack for not being like other girls. It felt like there should be cell phones and social media and that is not what I’m looking for in a historical romance. 

Olivia Waite - Loved it. But I’ve only read one. I need more information before I can make a determination. As an aside; I skim the sex scenes, they are usually more funny than hot. I want to know if they do/say/feel anything germane to the story while they do the deed. Um, The Lady’s Guide to Celestial Mechanics has some hot scenes. Sophie Irwin - Have only read one. It was good though. The female protagonist is pragmatic and flinty, I enjoyed that. Will have to read a couple more before I can truly determine the ranking

Christina Dodd - She has flashes of good writing. However, I’ve read 3 of them and her male protagonists are interchangeable and so are the female protagonists. All the dudes are high-handed, imperious assholes and all the ladies are *so conflicted* Also, not enough showing us who the characters are. Those flashes of good writing are tempting but…. The downsides are pretty down. 

Shows Promise:

Johanna Lowell - If she fulfills her potential, she will be legend. She has something that not many authors have. How did they get so much story in so few pages?  Terry Pratchett has it. Eloisa James has it. Looking forward to the next one, I really hope it is as good as the 2 I’ve read. 

KJ Charles - Charming. Witty. There is often a mystery contained within the romance. Charles was the first m/m romance I’d ever read. It does approach sex differently than the m/f or w/w romances I’ve read. I was a little shocked at the pacing and the lack of tenderness. The only author that isn’t shelved in Erotica as opposed to romance that Charles reminds me of, is Susan Johnson. Her sex scenes also give me the same kind of whiplash. The story outside of the sex is amazing though. It is really taut, it feels more like mystery than romance. 

Emily Sullivan - She is another author that, if she lives up to her potential, will be amazing. I’ve read 2 and I can’t wait for the third. The characters came alive on the page. She shows the realistic conflict of being progressive in the Victorian era. She doesn’t pretend that things were better than they were. But she also doesn’t feel bitter and hopeless. (one of the reasons it would be very hard for me to write a historical romance is because I wouldn’t be able to have the optimism about the future that the characters do)

Cat Sebastian - I loved one! And I didn’t finish the other. Really, I just need to start another and see where it goes. Their m/m romance was so good. (and had some tenderness, that was missing with KJ Charles)

I Enjoy Them But….

Elizabeth Boyle - She can be amazing, but she isn’t always. She has maybe 4 books that are chef’s kiss no notes good. The rest of them need some notes. There are a few phrases she beats like a dead horse. I understand that language amongst the upper ten thousand was very homogeneous, but not all of your characters should have the same phrases and cadences. Her characters also run a bit immature. 

Kiernan Kramer - She is hit and miss. More hits than misses. The spying for the Home Office plotlines are fun, very fun, not at all believable. Which is fine. I don’t need it to get dark. It is something to keep in mind though because the cavalier way they are doing intelligence work would drive me insane in a more serious genre. These are light and fluffy and fun, she has never made me cry, but she has made me laugh. 

Julia Quinn - this one is gonna be controversial. She is a hits and misses author though, no matter how popular she is. The Duke & I has an infamous scene that makes me rageful. I wish they would just communicate, sex and procreation are BOTH things that have to be consented to. When she is good, oh my word, she is so good. When she is bad, she is boring. (or in that specific instance, offensive) There are books of hers I would highly recommend, but she doesn’t have an entire series that I can recommend. And that is what takes her off of Legend. I want the whole series to be worth recommending and worth re-reading. 

Julie Ann Long - She’s darling. Her books are so cute. They’re practically YA, except they absolutely have semi-graphic sex scenes. There is supposed to be Danger and Adventure, but I just think everyone is so adorable. I’m not sure I’m supposed to though. They aren’t very deep. They give me zero anxiety. I can’t remember any of her characters making me angry, maybe exasperated. Even the books I adore have characters I want to shake until their teeth rattle. Honestly having a good hateable character is key. 

Victoria Alexander - Sometimes she’s charming. Occasionally she has a female protagonist who has not figured out that Independent Woman does not have to equal I Need No One! And that’s exhausting. Sometimes her male protagonists are a bit… dumb. A little dumb and a little ineffectual. Look, I’ve read other authors writing less than brilliant protagonists both male and female. It doesn’t usually feel like a dig. I just want her to expand her idea of what women might find empowering. I don’t need the men in my life to be less than me. 

Liz Carlyle - Good character development. High drama. All the characters are so reactive. Fun to read, but I’m very happy that it isn't my life or my romantic relationship. She has had a few male characters who I just could not hang with. All romances will make you want to shake the protagonists and yell, “just fucking truthfully communicate!” Liz Carlyle has that in spades. You might stroke out from frustration with all the lying and secret keeping. 

Erica Ridley - I’ve only read The Wild Winchesters series. It’s really fucking good though. One of the books in the series is a sapphic love story. I’d love to put her on top tier or legendary status, I just haven’t read enough books by her to know if she is consistent in this kind of quality. 

Evie Dunsmore - I’ve read the 3 books she has published, and I have enjoyed all of them. The characters are complex. There is so much more than just a romance going on. I appreciate a well done subplot. I do expect to reread her. She has the hallmarks of my favorite romance authors; complex characters, the characters have an/a estate/career/hobby/passion, there are subplots, the friendships are almost as fleshed out as the romantic relationship. 

Vivienne Lorret - Light, good, fun, strains my suspension of disbelief at times (yes, even more than usual). I’ve read about 8 or so, they’re like m&ms. I’ve only given up on one of them, those aren’t awful odds actually. Great friendships and sisterhoods. She is another author that feels a little YA other than the graphic sex. 

Mimi Matthews - Lots of promise. Her research does need to get a little tighter, making a historical error really will pull me out of a book. She has not done anything as off-putting as the book that had the egregious error of having Bonnie Prince Charlie in the wrong century, but this is not the genre to write in if you aren’t going to get the details right. Her characters are charming! Her friendships are well-written. There is a lot of potential, the books I’ve read were really good. I just want a little more, something isn’t quite hitting.

Top-Shelf:

Sherry Thomas - Okay, to be fair, I haven’t read any of her romance novels this year. I’ve read her mysteries. She was a romance author first though so I’m including her anyway. The Lady Sherlock series  is the best mystery series I have ever read. And I love a good mystery; historical mysteries, cozy mysteries, I like them. Reading a mystery that was written by a romance author made a perfect pairing. I get all the details about the clothes, food, friendships, gossip, and I get an intelligent mystery along with it! Heaven. I have read her romances but it has been a minute. Go read the Lady Sherlock series, immediately. 

Sarah MacLean - Oh Damn. She is on her way to Legend status. Seriously. No notes. Her legendary status really is just a matter of time. She has been publishing since 2009, I have yet to read a book by her that wasn’t top shelf goods. Now I haven’t read her YA, she does write both. Her books intended for adults do not remind me of  YA. There is a fair amount of darkness. The graphic is pretty graphic. 9 Rules to Break is one of my favorite romance novels of all time.

Lisa Kleypas - See, this breaks my heart a little. If it weren’t for her first few books, Lisa Kleypas would be up on Legend. Those first couple books have genuinely repulsive male leads though. I stopped reading one of them on the fifth page, I was appalled. (I do not need the protagonists to be someone I would be interested in. I do need them to be someone I’d trust with an uncovered drink though). HOWEVER, starting at Again The Magic published in 2004, she has not had a miss. Genuinely she is one of the best! It just took her a decade of publishing to hit her stride. 

LEGENDARY:

Loretta Chase - one of 2 authors that I will read what they published before 1999. Look, when it comes to consent if it is not a “Hell Yes!” it is a “Fuck NO!” if the protagonists aren’t being crystal clear about consent that does not fucking appeal to me. Loretta does not ever have a problem with her male protagonists blowing past consent. That is really important to me. Loretta Chase has likable characters. She can make a character who I would hate in real life and make them an appealing person. I would never want to date any of these characters, but I’d love to be friends with them. Her Dressmakers series is the best example of a realistic idea of what would happen were someone in trade to marry into the upper classes. I’m a huge fan of the Fallen Women duo because of course I am. Her adventures genuinely feel like adventure, some romance authors never quite manage to get the light and dark to balance, Chase does so well at it. She has variety, some authors write the same couple every damn time just giving them different names. That is not a problem here. 

Jo Beverley - The other romance writer that I will read what she wrote before 1999. When it comes to action adventure, James Patterson has nothing on Jo Beverley. I have read every single book in The Malloren World, Company of Rogues, and Three Heroes at least 3 times. Three Heroes and Company of Rogues are linked. The villains are bad to the bone and scary believable. Actually that is why I rarely recommend her to others. Almost all romances will have a trauma to make the character more complex and deeper and such, most of that happens before the book starts. The characters' behaviors and motivations are informed by their trauma. In Jo Beverley books you might be there for the traumatic event. I love having action adventure where I get to know what people are wearing, and eating, and gossiping about. A lot of action adventure is really boring because it is all a lone man up against…. whatever, he is already boring me. In Jo Bev books there are often several people working together, women and men, to fight the good fight and I find that far more compelling. Again, I don’t want to be in any of these tumultuous relationships where the ladies are high spirited and the men are high handed, but damn are they fun to read. I do love these books so fucking much! They are well written, witty, smart, complex, fun, funny, but unless you can handle murder and sexual assault as plot elements I would not recommend them. There are other traumas too, but if you can handle the biggies, I’m not worried about the lesser traumas. Again, she is one of the best, she is one of my favorites, I hope if you read her you love her too. Just head’s up and be aware. 

Mary Balogh - the Queen of hobbit romances! Hobbit romances is a phrase Nathan came up with when I told him some of my favorite romances don’t have a big blow up of a conflict, they have people getting to know one another and figuring out how or if they fit in each others lives, there is usually like hurt feelings and miscommunication but no major dust ups between the protagonists. The trauma is usually something from outside and they face it together. These are my favorite kind of romances, they are the only ones where I maybe… might… put myself in the shoes of the protagonists. When I read I like to be an invisible demigod that is experiencing the story but not participating. Just like almost everything I prefer observation to participation. But the hobbit romances, those I might dip my toe in for.  Not all of her romances are hobbit romances, but most of them are. Her characters are more fully realized than the top of  Maslow’s hierarchy ok? I know them better than I know several of you. I could go gift shopping for these characters, I know them that well. Mary Balogh is a damn genius at fully fleshed out and perfectly formed characters. Her families are my families. I would (and did) start at One Night for Love published in 1999. The Bedwyns, the Dudleys, the Huxtables, the Westcotts, I love these families! They provide all the positive family feels without y’know actually having to interact with family. I also adore the simply series that is four teachers and friends who work together all finding love. I LOVE the Survivor’s Club!! I thought I was going to have to opt out because of my own PTSD issues but no. These are powerful moving books but they do deal with warfare and the aftermath. They weren’t easy to read, and I know this is weird to say about a romance series, but I think it helped me get past some of my own shit. It was hugely cathartic. Vincent and Sophia in The Arrangement, oh that might be one of the best books I’ve ever read. Not just one of the best romances, one of the best books. Mary Balogh is the Queen of hobbit romances and we LOVE her for that. 

Best In Show: Eloisa James

Look, if Mary is a Queen, Eloisa is a Goddess. I own a physical copy of every Eloisa James book. I mainly read historical romance, and I love it. I don’t own physical copies of any other romance author’s books. (I’d like all of my legends, but I made a point to make sure I had Eloisa) I’ve given away so many Eloisa James books. I made her a favorite author when I worked at the book exchange. No one writes like her. I love her characters more, I hate her characters more. She gets so much story into so few pages! She gets more out of me than other authors do. I’m more invested in her stories, I feel them deeper. My very favorite romance ever is between two of her characters, but they don’t have their own book, their story is told as a subplot to the books in her Duchess In Love series. Sebastian and Esmee is my favorite love story and I’m not even sure why, I’ve nothing in common with either character, but I adore their story. (damn, I might have to reread that series.) One of my favorite characters ever is in The Wildes of Lindlow Castle series. Lady Knowe, the Duke of Lindlow's twin sister. She is the maternal presence in the series, but she is not a mother. She is fascinating, she helps her twin run his estate, she is unconventional, but she knows what convention dictates and stays within the appearance of propriety most of the time. One of my favorites characters of all time, I want to be like her when I grow up. Eloisa James has the dubious honor of writing the only female protagonist that has made me seeing red mad at her. Don’t get me wrong, lots of the ladies make me super exasperated. But this was more Bloody Enraged. I think it is the mark of a damn good writer if she can get you seething foaming at the mouth angry at a figment of their imagination. Her side characters are so well fleshed out you guys! There is not one boring character. Reading her books is like being possessed in the best possible way.

[richincolor]

Book Review: Queen Bee

Title: Queen Bee

Author: Amalie Howard

Genres:  Historical Fiction/Romance

Pages: 368 

Publisher: Joy Revolution

Review Copy: ARC by publisher

Availability: Available now

Summary: Lady Ela Dalvi knows the exact moment her life was forever changed—when her best friend, Poppy, betrayed her without qualm over a boy, the son of a duke. She was sent away in disgrace, her reputation ruined.

Nearly three years later, eighteen-year-old Ela is consumed with bitterness and a desire for . . . revenge. Her enemy is quickly joining the crème de la crème of high society while she withers away in the English countryside.

With an audacious plan to get even, Ela disguises herself as a mysterious heiress and infiltrates London’s elite. But when Ela reunites with the only boy she’s ever loved, she begins to question whether vengeance is still her greatest desire.

Review: If you love the Bridgerton show on Netflix, you’ll love this book. It was so much fun! This was another one of those times where I intended to read the book slowly but was so drawn into the drama that I couldn’t put it down. I was smiling all throughout as Howard contrasts Ela’s heart-wrenching betrayal by Poppy and her life immediately after with the implantation and acts of her plans for revenge. The novel is somewhat an “enemies to lovers” trope as Keston Osborn (the duke’s son) somewhat played a role, unwillingly, in in the events that led Ela being sent away by her father. Being that Keston has no clue Ela sees him as an enemy makes for a lovely twist on the trope and great romantic tension.  

I won’t give spoilers as to how Poppy completely ruins Ela’s life (and you will absolutely hate her for it), but after the event Ela is sent away to a strict religious boarding school where, despite the harshness of the headmistresses and their routines, she mends her broken heart through the friendships she makes with other girls who have been sent away, and develop an almost mother-daughter like relationship with a Church, a woman who lived on the grounds. It is also where Ela concocts her plan for getting back at Poppy and ruining her life. With Church she creates her alter ego, Lyra Whitely, and manages to return to London for the summer social season and the Ton. Her plan seems flawless - ingratiate herself into Poppy’s social circle, then bring Poppy down, and restore her own family’s social status. Now you might be wondering, won’t anyone recognize her? I had that thought initially and well, let’s just saw Howard does a great job of explaining Ela/Lyra’s deception. I was so impressed with the detail Ela/Lyra displayed in her plan and was rooting for her to win. And while Ela/Lyra is focused on revenge, she is not a cold-hearted character. As she is enacting her plan and creating friendships with Poppy’s friends, whom Poppy is a typical mean girl too, Ela/Lyra’s conscience forces her to examine her true motivations as she realizes that her revenge would end up hurting more than just Poppy. She finds a sense of community with certain members of the ton and she questions whether or not to continue with her plan. This internal conflict that Howard writes for Ela/Lyra is another reason why I was so drawn to her. The novel really examines whether revenge is truly ever worth it and the power of forgiveness, which Ela/Lyra learns through her newly developed friendships. 

Since this one of Joy Revolution’s first publications, I have to mention the romance between Keston and Ela/Lyra. But…I don’t want to give any spoilers away so I’ll just say that part of Ela/Lyra’s growth towards forgiveness comes from her new relationship with Keston. They had been good friends before  Poppy used him as the catalyst for the betrayal, but when they reconnect, their attraction and chemistry is still just as strong. I loved their scenes, both when they were younger at the sweetness and innocence of it all and when they were older and able to truly challenge each other as young adults. 

Overall, this is a great read if you love historical fiction romance, enemies to lovers, and a good revenge story. I can tell you how much I loved it and what I recommend by this conversation I had with one of my students:

Student: *whispers* Do you have any romance books I could borrow? 

Me: I have just the book for you! *hands her Queen Bee*

Go buy this book! I guarantee you will love it. 

[ash-and-books]

Rating: 3/5

Book Blurb: A teen girl seeking retribution against her backstabbing former best friend finds her plans slightly derailed once she catches the eye of a familiar, handsome marquess. Bestselling author Amalie Howard delivers a delightful, anti-historical Regency-era romp that’s Bridgerton meets The Count of Monte Cristo! Lady Ela Dalvi knows the exact moment her life was forever changed—when her best friend, Poppy, betrayed her without qualm over a boy, the son of a duke. She was sent away in disgrace, her reputation ruined. Nearly three years later, eighteen-year-old Ela is consumed with bitterness and a desire for . . . revenge. Her enemy is quickly joining the crème de la crème of high society while she withers away in the English countryside. With an audacious plan to get even, Ela disguises herself as a mysterious heiress and infiltrates London’s elite. But when Ela reunites with the only boy she’s ever loved, she begins to question whether vengeance is still her greatest desire. In this complicated game of real-life chess, Ela must choose her next move: Finally bring down the queen or capture the king’s heart?

Review:

Bridgerton meets The Count of Monte Cristo in this story about a girl who was betrayed by her friend and now has come back with a new identity and a plan for revenge against her ex best friend and the boy who shunned her. Lady Ela Dalvi had it all: a wealthy life, a great best friend, and a boy who she loved... until her best friend Poppy betrayed her for said boy and then Ela’s life was completely ruined: she was sent away in disgrace and her reputation was left in tatters. Three years later, eighteen year old Ela has a desire for revenge and with the help of some amazing friends and a wealthy guardian she takes on a new identity and returns to infiltrate the inner circle of her ex best friend, destroy her, get her revenge, and break the heart of the boy who broke hers. Yet from the moment Ela runs into said boy she is smitten all over again, she can’t help but forget all the things he did to her, how he shunned her, believed lies about her, and left her to her ruination. She finds herself playing a dangerous game of emotions, toeing the line between what is real and what is fake, as she seeks revenge while rekindling the feelings for the boy she loved. Her lies will catch up to her and she’ll have to figure out if she’s willing to risk it all. This definitely had a similar feeling to the Count of Monte Cristo ( movie version) rather than the classic book, Ela and Kes ( the boy who is the romantic interest) just didn’t work for me. i was  rooting for her the entire time to move on and get over the guy. Seriously she was stewing in her anger and revenge for three years and just one look at the guy and suddenly she is smitten all over again and fixed on his lips the entire book, it was disheartening to say the least. I liked most of the book, I just did not like the second chance romance between Ela and Kes, it just didn’t feel like it worked, and I was really hoping for more for Ela. Overall, it was an okay read that definitely was fun at some moments but bogged down by the romance for me, but definitely give it a go if you like regency young adult stories with a dash of revenge and second chance romance.

*Thanks Netgalley and Random House Children's, Joy Revolution for sending me an arc in exchange for an honest review*

[lavenderlemonrose]

I saw @jadelotusflower do this and thought it looked fun!

The last book I read: I'm in the middle of a CaPri reread, so technically the last book I read was Captive Prince by CS Pacat. Before that, though, I read this really niche middle grade called White Sands, Red Menace by Ellen Klages that was the sequel to one of my favorite ever childhood books - it's a historical fiction about two girls whose parents are atomic scientists in the 1940s and it was fantastic.

A book I recommend: So, so many. I think rn I'm gonna have to say Swordspoint by Ellen Kushner, because I just finally got a copy of my own and I'm dying to reread it. It's blurbed as a "cult classic fantasy of manners", with bonus gay swordsmen, and I love it to death.

A book that I couldn't put down: Most recently, it was Master & Apprentice by Claudia Gray, which I've been meaning to read for years and it did not disappoint. One of the best Star Wars books I've read in ages.

A book I've read twice (or more): I've read Party Shoes by Noel Streatfeild every single summer for probably close to 15 years - it's about a family planning and putting on a pageant that steadily grows in scale as they go, set in 1945 England. It captures the atmosphere of preparing for a show so well, it makes my performer heart happy.

A book from my TBR: Just one?? There are so many (The Sunshine Court, House of Flame and Shadow, and Ghosts of the Shadow Market are a few notable, overdue ones). I am determined to get to the third Locke Lamora book, The Thorn of Emberlain, this summer - even though it'll mean I've caught up on all the Locke books that have been published.

A book I've put down: I'm trying to get better about DNFing, so I don't struggle through books for no good reason. Most recently was The Beast of Beswick by Amalie Howard, a histrom I had heard good things about but which ultimately contained scenes with dubious consent.

A book on my wish list: I'm gonna cheat and pick two - I'm dying to have a copy of Band Sinister by KJ Charles, which I absolutely loved a few months ago, and I cannot wait for Swordcrossed by Freya Marske to be released later this year.

A favorite book from childhood: I think I'd have to say The Penderwicks, by Jeanne Birdsall. It had everything I wanted in a book - an older sister, a rebellious girl, a writer, a mansion, a scene with pretty dresses, and lots of adventures I would never dream of having - and I read it countless times.

A book you would give to a friend: It would depend on the friend! For some reason the one that comes to mind is The Chosen and the Beautiful by Nghi Vo - a slightly magical retelling of The Great Gatsby from a queer female perspective. It was under 300 pages, with a familiar story, but absolutely stunning writing.

The most books you own by a single author: It's probably Sarah J Maas. I have all 8 books in the Throne of Glass series, plus two duplicates, and then five others from various other series.

A nonfiction book you own: Sex Matters by Alyson J McGregor, about the dangers of the male-centric medical and pharmaceutical world.

What I'm currently reading: I've got a couple going rn - Prince's Gambit by CS Pacat, Emma by Jane Austen, and Gods & Monsters by Shelby Mahurin (via audiobook).

What I'm planning to read next: Kings Rising, obviously, and then probably Immortal Longings by Chloe Gong.

I'm not gonna tag anyone, but feel free to do this if you see it!!

[mediaevalmusereads]

The Beast of Beswick. By Amalie Howard. Entangled Publishing, 2019.

Rating: 3/5 stars

Genre: historical romance

Series: Regency Rogues #1

Summary: Lord Nathaniel Harte, the disagreeable Duke of Beswick, spends his days smashing porcelain, antagonizing his servants, and snarling at anyone who gets too close. With a ruined face like his, it's hard to like much about the world. Especially smart-mouthed harpies—with lips better suited to kissing than speaking—who brave his castle with indecent proposals.

But Lady Astrid Everleigh will stop at nothing to see her younger sister safe from a notorious scoundrel, even if it means offering herself up on a silver platter to the forbidding Beast of Beswick himself. And by offer, she means what no highborn lady of sound and sensible mind would ever dream of—a tender of marriage with her as his bride.

***Full review below.***

CONTENT WARNINGS: explicit sexual content

OVERVIEW: I happened upon this book while doing a little research on fairy tale retellings in historical romance. I hadn't read anything by Amalie Howard before, so I took a chance on her Regency Rogues series and zipped through the first installment. Overall, my reactions are a bit mixed. While I think Howard writes fairly well and the first half of this book is rather compelling, I found the second half tedious and disjointed from its setup. I'm not opposed to reading more by this author, but unfortunately, I can't give my first experience more than 3 stars.

WRITING: Howard's writing is fairly good and balances showing and telling in a way I find pleasing in the romance genre. I thought the sentences flowed together well and the trade off between internal and external actions felt natural.

PLOT: The non-romance plot of this book follows Lady Astrid Everleigh and her younger sister Isobel, who seek help from Thane Harte, Duke of Beswick to avoid Isobel's marriage to the Earl of Beaumont. Astrid and Isobel are dependent on their greedy uncle, who aims to marry Isobel off in exchange for a portion of her sizeable dowry. The uncle makes a deal with the Earl of Beaumont - a man who originally wanted to marry Astrid but, when she refused to have premarital sex with him, he broke off the engagement and spread rumors that ruined her reputation. Because Beaumont is an Earl, Astrid proposes a deal to Thane: a marriage of convenience in exchange for the protection of his title. The trouble is: Thane is a recluse because of his extensive war scars, and he's not about to burden a beautiful young bride with his surliness and hideousness.

I do think, however, that parts of this book felt a little repetitive. The hero's various erections, for example, are described over and over again, and there were a few words and phrases that were deployed more than once. It almost felt like Howard wasn't sure how to communicate male desire, so I think a little more variance would have been appreciated.

The first half of this book was engaging. The stakes felt high, with Isobel in danger from her uncle and Beaumont and Astrid felt like she was strategic for proposing a plan that would save her. The dynamics between Astrid and Thane in the first half were also delicious; I liked the way she pushed him and refused to let him indulge in his self-loathing.

The second half, however, felt like a different story as the stakes fell away and Astrid and Thane entered into a sort of holding pattern. At this point in the story, things become rather cyclical and tedious, with more emphasis given to parties, clothing, and domestic affairs than the high stakes established previously, and not even Isobel's arc was compelling enough to feel worthwhile.

CHARACTERS: Astrid, our heroine, was fun to follow for the first half because she was pushy and witty. I liked how she refused to let Thane get the upper hand in any given situation, and her complete devotion to her sister's well-being is commendable. In the second half, it felt like most of those qualities went away and Astrid was a little more stagnant, but I still liked how part of her arc involved learning to let Isobel dictate her own life.

Thane, our hero, is mostly fun to watch because of his banter with Astrid. On his own, he's that sort of self-loathing recluse whose behavior can sometimes be understandable but other times be repetitive. I didn't particularly like Thane in the second half because he seemed to exert much more control over people in ways I found annoying; he didn't seem to grow so much as he simply got over his hang-ups.

Side characters were enjoyable and sometimes rescued the story when the main couple seemed to flounder. Isobel starts off as this sheltered teenager and quickly becomes a calculating member of the ton, and I liked that her success stems in part by having her sister as a role model. Mabel, Thane's aunt, was truly a delight; I loved that she continued to love Thane despite his efforts to push her away, and I especially loved that Mabel was one of those widows who uses her freedom to enjoy the hell out of her life. Every scene with her was a joy.

The antagonists played their parts, though they ceased to feel like real threats halfway through the book. The uncle's greed felt real and Beaumont's persistence felt like an overwhelming problem because of his rank. I do wish more was done in the second half because there was so much room for more cunning manipulation, but I also appreciated that things didn't get too out of hand.

ROMANCE: The romance, much like the plot, was better and more exciting in the first half than it was in the second. In the first half, I loved watching Astrid push Thane's boundaries and I loved the way Thane responded, becoming intrigued by someone who would dare defy the wishes of a Duke. Their banter made for some tense moments that were full of delicious potential, and I liked that the two got to know each other through their verbal sparring.

The second half was incredibly tedious and repetitive. At this point, Astrid and Thane enter their marriage of convenience, and it's a cyclical pattern of Astrid trying to protect her heart, the two sleeping together, then Thane pushing her away. The characters didn't so much grow as a couple as they did decide to just get over themselves; I'm not a big fan of these types of arcs, and frankly, Howard could have used Beaumont to drive some truly interesting development between the two lovers (either by having them bond over their mutual status as social outcasts or by having them play figurative chess with Beaumont over Isobel).

Perhaps the most frustrating thing about their romance is that it didn't feel like Howard knew how to communicate the emotional fulfillment they brought to one another. Their lust is easy to see, and Astrid does prove to Thane that she loves him despite his scars, but Astrid seemed to have too many things that were only fulfilled at the surface-level. Astrid is simultaneously grappling with issues of patriarchy, women's education, being socially outcast, and controlling her sister's life, and because Howard tries to include all of these, it felt like there was no real strong arc that Thane could help Astrid navigate. It would have been more effective if Howard focused on Astrid's ridicule by society, since that would have paralleled Thane's arc, and the stuff with Isobel would have complimented that nicely.

TL;DR: The Beast of Beswick starts out promising, but devolves into cyclical, tedious, back-and-forth indecision about halfway through. Though I enjoyed the wit and banter in the first half, the lack of stakes and the stunting of growth in the second half make for a mixed reading experience.

[mermaidsirennikita]

ARC REVIEW: The Worst Duke in London by Amalie Howard

4/5. Releases 9/24/24.

vibes: 10 Things I Hate About You, weird crunchy heroines, Big virgin heroes, sex deals

Heat Index: 7/10

The rather slimy Lord Huntingdon wishes to court Viola--but Viola can't be courted until her rather odd and aloof sister, Evangeline (sometimes known as Effie) is courted as well. That's where Gage, the completely broke new Duke of Vale, comes in. Huntingdon offers him a deal: if Gage courts Evangeline, Huntingdon will settle the debts Gage's late brother left behind. It seems easy enough. What Gage didn't expect was Evangeline's prickly nature--or, that when she did warm up to him, she'd offer a deal of her own. Sexual exploration with no strings attached? It sounds great to her. But Gage might not be able to keep himself from falling...

Obviously, this is a 10 Things I Hate About You retelling. I actually don't like that movie; after a somewhat more recent rewatch, I realized that it super isn't for me. Fortunately, this book is a lot more fun, with a much more endearing heroine (who is a weirdo, yes, but not an asshole) and a hero who basically falls headlong.

This is very much a romcom--and probably the most antihistorical of this series thus far (more on that later) which isn't a bad thing. It fully embraces its roots while dialing the heat up a good bit and throwing in some rather zany hijinks that you can really only get in a historical romance.

Is it perfect? Not quite--the pacing is a bit off to me, which leads to a pretty rushed finale. There isn't ever any major reason why our hero and heroine can't be together (I mean, at least none that she's aware of). But the book is a solid romp, and it's QUITE sexy. In fact, I would say that the sex is the best part of the novel, which is a compliment. This is a refreshingly sex positive book, and while Gage and Evangeline obviously fall in love (and fall hard) there's never any sense that either of them should feel any type of way about having casual sex for the sake of it. And they're both virgins!

Quick Takes:

--To go back to that antihistorical thing... While I wouldn't say any books in this series have been accurate or cared to be, this one felt less so? That's not a critique. I sincerely don't care about historical accuracy, as long as the writing and story is good. This did push it a bit, to the point that I felt like it was trying a bit hard. But for the most part, I found it funny, and I look forward to the handwringing over everything.

--There's a rather fabulous author's note in which Howard details the history of sexual education and pleasure for women of bygone eras, especially those we typically see depicted as repressed sex haters in certain historical romance novels. I loved every bit of it, and I so appreciate the resources!

--Briar and Lushing have always been the couple I was most excited to see, and the set up we got here has me even more hyped.

--Evangeline is truly an odd girl, and Gage is absolutely about it. Her obsession with animals led to some super funny moments--Gage is covered with kittens and rescues lambs and plays with her dog, and she is so horny she could SCREAM.

--Gage claims to be English versus Scottish (because his dad is English; his mother is very much Scottish, and he loves Scotland) but from the moment we're told that he's Big as Fuck, it's clear that he's a classic Scottish historical romance hero. Evangeline is all too happy to have him in a kilt.

The Sex:

Like I said earlier--the sex scenes in this book, as well as the way sex is discussed, are really the standouts. Gage and Evangeline have great chemistry. There's a real playfulness to their dynamic fairly early on, and this doesn't let up in the bedroom. Both Gage and Evangeline are virgins, and there isn't much dithering or concern over why he's chosen to abstain (somewhat--I mean, he clearly did STUFF). It's just a thing, and it does lead to a first penetrative sex scene that's rather funny, and also rather tender.

You get some stuff we're only now started to see more of in historicals--sex toys! There's some semi-public sex. "I need you now" sex (OOOOOH I LOVED THAT SHIT). An untouched orgasm that made me read the scene twice to ensure I'd read it right. DELIGHTFUL!

If you're looking for a blithe, irreverent, and super sexy historical romcom, this is what you want. It does get a little caught up in the weeds at points, but it stays funny, and it stays hot. Which I'm certainly not mad at, personally!

Thanks to NetGalley and Forever for providing me with a copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

[the-merry-librarian]

Described as an “anti-historical Regency-era romp” by the publishers, Queen Bee is a fun, romantic YA novel following Lady Ela Dalvi as she makes her debut in London high society—disguised as untitled heiress Lyra Whitley, as part of her plot to take revenge. Three years ago, her best friend betrayed her and left her life in ruins, and all over a boy. Ela’s plan is simple: infiltrate the ton, disgrace her former best friend, and break the heart of the boy who broke hers. It’s not long before her past—and the feelings she thought she left behind—start making that plan more difficult, and less desirable, than she counted on.

Genre: Fiction, Romance

Target Age Group:

Ages 12-17

Justification:

I found this novel while browsing the BookRiot Best Books for Teens 2023 list, and was immediately intrigued. My big secret—or maybe not that big—is that I love Regency-era historical fiction, especially nontraditional historical fiction; Queen Bee immediately appealed to me because of that, and since I needed a romance novel to fill out my YA section, I decided it would be the perfect fit.

Evaluation:

For this review, I will be evaluating point of view, characters, and accuracy. The point of view here is interesting; chapters flip back and forth between present and past, indicating present-day chapters as “Lyra’s” point of view and past chapters as “Ela” to reflect the main character’s presented identity. The narrator often thinks of herself as having “killed” Ela to become someone new, and it’s interesting to be able to contrast the new, harder Lyra against the more naïve Ela before her downfall—although in truth they’re not very much different at all. The characters in the novel are unique, interesting and charming; while they appear at first to be a bit tropey, “Lyra” briefly makes light of this by assigning the boys nicknames based on their apparent roles, such as “The Rake” or “The Jester.” All of them are young adults in their late teens—Ela is eighteen in the present day, fifteen in the past—and while they lack a more layered, often politically-motivated depth that I find in adult Regency novels, they are nonetheless appealing and have individual personalities. They do, however, speak with a more modern syntax that is a little jarring. That leads nicely into discussing the accuracy of the novel; Queen Bee markets itself as anti-historical, and Amalie Howard states in her Author’s Note at the back of the book that this is “mostly because it features an entirely diverse cast” (p. 345). She goes on to explain that, while people of color and LGBTQ+ people were present in the Regency era, they were rarely written about; Howard discusses a few women of color who were part of Regency history, such as Princess Catherine Duleep, Sarah Forbes Bonetta, and Princess Sophia Duleep Singh. Aside from the diversity of the cast, however, the novel makes a great effort to be accurate, featuring real-life characters such as Lady Sefton & Lady Jersey and historically accurate settings like Vauxhall Gardens. Howard lists many of this research in her Author’s Note, and it’s impressive to read through it and realize how much effort she put in. While I definitely think I prefer Regency romances geared towards adults (and with more of a queer flavor), I enjoyed Queen Bee a lot. I’d recommend it for teens and perhaps for adults who are just getting into the genre.

References:

Doherty, A. (2023, October 5). The 20 best books for teens: 2023 picks. BOOK RIOT. https://bookriot.com/best-books-for-teens-2023/ Howard, A. (2023). Queen Bee. Random House Childrens Books. Random House Children’s Books. (2023, April 4). Queen Bee: Hardcover. Barnes & Noble. https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/queen-bee-amalie-howard/1141727044 RH Childrens Books. (n.d.). Queen Bee by Amalie Howard. PenguinRandomhouse.com. https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/696842/queen-bee-by-amalie-howard/

[triviareads]

Hello! I’m the anon who asked for recommendations based on Austen couples! I started with Olivia and the Masked Duke because Emma is my fave and I loved it! I loved it so much that I followed up the rest of the series and I have mixed feelings. Olivia and Fiona’s books were spectacular. I disliked Pippa’s and Glory’s I thought it fit somewhere in between. Are all Grace’s series so uneven? I’m really disappointed I didn’t like Glory’s book more because trope-wise, it is my fave. I’m now going to go back to the list, but if you can share more Emma inspired reads 👀👀

Hi! I'm glad to hear you enjoyed Olivia and Fiona's books; they're some of my favorites. I actually think Grace's Lady Charlotte series is her strongest series just based on the initial premise that gets all the heroines together and how they build their sisterhood and ultimately show up for their fearless mentor Charlie once she gets her own book. So I wouldn't say they're uneven.

That being said, I think the series that had multiple books I found mediocre was her Game of Dukes series (my friends and I joke all the time about how Grace keeps trying to make Harry Kent happen by writing some variation of "he's a nerd AND a jock!!" multiple times in multiple books and tbh it does not work; she was far more successful setting up big brother Ambrose and keeping him as a stern but loving presence in the following books— I'm convinced that man is her favorite hero she's written). Grace has a lot of characters that are interconnected or related to prior mcs who end up getting books, and a lot of the characters in the Game of Duke series are ones I just didn't care for (see: Harry Kent, Carlisle's brother Wickham, a random tinker's daughter who only shows up one book prior, etc.), and plot-wise I feel like they were forgettable.

All that being said, I feel like there's a base level of excellence she has as far as her writing goes; you can see in her very first book that while some language was almost too OTT for me, she was already willing to go where a lot of HR authors won't in terms of a) I wouldn't say *darker* plots because there's still a certain levity she brings but it goes beyond your typical ballroom setting and she loves a good murder/mystery b) heroines being unafraid to express themselves sexually in a genre where at the time, a lot of authors were still writing clueless virgins (and most of her heroines are virgins but they're VERY eager to learn, very down and ready) and c) just a general variety in sex stuff, like, her very first hero Nicholas was into butt stuff which is something I still barely see in HR. She has a clear point of view and I appreciate that she has not compromised since she began writing HR, and has only built on what her early books promised.

ANYWAY, some more Emma-inspired recs:

The Earl I Ruined by Scarlett Peckham: I love this one- Constance is a popular lady of the ton who accidentally outs her brother's best friend Lord Althorp as kinky to the papers, and now to make amends she suggests that they pretend to be engaged. Julian has always been in love with Constance so that's kinda rough for him but in a GREAT way. Spoiler: he is kinky, and there is some light D/s stuff in the book.

I didn't recommend these two in the previous ask because they weren't my favorite but if you want romances directly inspired by Emma:

Never Met a Duke Like You by Amalie Howard: Inspired by Clueless; the heroine Lady Vesper is pretty, popular informal matchmaker. The hero Aspen is her childhood friend (so they're the same age) and they basically had a falling-out when they were younger and she's held it against him since. He asks her to help him find his ward (the Harriet of the story basically) a husband, and they end up falling for each other.

Match Me If You Can by Swati Hegde: Basically modern desi Emma; Jia is a rich Mumbaikar who works for a women's magazine and also loves to matchmake; the Harriet of the story is a new village-transplant coworker who she's trying to match with the office lothario, and the Knightley is her childhood friend (so again, same age) Jaiman. The most interesting part of this story is that he did confess his feelings a year prior but when he kissed her she started CRYING and ran lolol. So she's aware of his feelings but still trying to reconcile her own.

[bookcoversonly]

Title: Queen Bee | Author: Amalie Howard | Publisher: Joy Revolution (2023)

[flaviathebibliophile]

Queen Bee by Amelie Howard (Review)

Title: Queen Bee Author: Amalie Howard Type: Fiction Genre: Young Adult, Historical, Romance Publisher: Joy Revolution (Penguin Random House Canada) Date published: April 4, 2023 A complimentary physical copy of this book was kindly provided by the Penguin Reads program bu Penguin Random House Canada in exchange for an honest review. Lady Ela Dalvi knows the exact moment her life was forever…