#annabelles been reading too many romance novels

[summersnow82]

Somethin' Bad: Part 17

Summary: Travis and Sean square off.

Notes: Hello, my lovelies! Thank you for bearing with me on my hiatus - I really appreciate it! I've been enjoying family time, reading some books on my TBR, watching some shows on my TBW, and figuring out the direction I want to take this story in. I've had an ending in mind for awhile now, but I was debating between two different courses, and one has finally won out.

I appreciate your support, your likes, reblogs, and comments so very much, and I apologize if I take a bit too long getting back to y'all. Now… let’s see how Sean and Travis get on. 😏

Not sure what’s going on, but Tumblr keeps cutting off the last paragraph, and it’s kind of important, so here’s a link to the AO3 chapter.

Part 17

Travis felt the shotgun barrel pressing firmly into the small of his back. “Hello, Sheriff,” Sean said, his voice lacking the friendly tone he normally used. “Where’s Annabelle?”

“Sean…,” he began, but Sean pushed the gun into his back harder.

“Hands in the air, please. I’d prefer not to shoot you.” But it’s not off the table. The unspoken words hung heavy in the air. Travis did as told, grinding his teeth together so hard he thought they would break. “To the cell block, please. I think it’s time we had a little chat of our own.”

Under normal circumstances, Travis would’ve considered fighting back. He was strong, lithe, and quick, but after what he’d seen from Annabelle earlier he was hesitant to act just yet. So he allowed himself to be led to the cell block, biding his time. Sean stopped him at the second cell, and Travis felt his chest constrict. Not this cell.

“Cuff yourself to the bars, please,” Sean said, his voice still devoid of any warmth. Travis hesitated, and Sean noticed. “Problem, Sheriff?”

Travis struggled; he didn’t want to display any weakness. But this cell…“Not this cell. Please.” He closed his eyes, ashamed at his display.

Sean, to his credit, didn’t mock or laugh. “My cell, then,” he replied softly. “Slowly.”

It was so tempting for Travis to reach for his service weapon or his taser, but he reached for his cuffs instead. He clasped one cuff to the bars of Sean’s cell, and then secured the other to his wrist. It was only then he got a good look at Sean. Freshly washed, golden curls slicked back, and he was wearing one of Travis’ uniforms.

Travis hated how good it looked on him. Travis was lithe and lean while Sean was broad shouldered, muscular, and fit. Sean was what his mother would’ve called “classically handsome.” She’d never doted on Travis that way, always focusing on his flaws instead, while she heaped praise on Chris and Bobby for their “Hackett charm”.

Sean levied the shotgun at Travis, and there was no hesitation in his movements. “Remove your utility belt. Gently lay it on the ground, please.”

So damn polite, Travis thought through clenched teeth, but he did as he was told. Moving carefully, but deliberately, Sean kicked it out of the way. Swiftly, he took out another pair of cuffs and snapped them to Travis’ remaining wrist and an alternating bar. He checked the cuffs Travis had secured, nodding once he was satisfied. “Happy?” Travis snarled.

Sean shook his head, his expression grim. “Not at all. You’ve been a hospitable host. I’d hoped it would never come to this.” He sighed, stepping back, and shouldering the shotgun. “But here we are.”

Travis glared at him, subtly testing his own restraints. “Here we are,” he growled.

Sean looked unimpressed. “Why did your brother and father come here while you were gone?” Travis’ eyes widened, and a chill ran through him; Sean arched a brow. “You didn’t know?”

Travis ignored him, more concerned with his own question. “Did they see you?”

Sean shook his head. “I look a bit different in daylight, especially without all that blood.” He gestured to his uniform. “I figured I could pass as your new deputy. They never looked at me too closely while they held me prisoner, anyway.” He grimaced at the thought.

“My family… they aren’t the monsters you think they are,” Travis said softly.

“That’s why they came in here with shotguns, right?” Sean sounded more bitter than angry. He leaned back against the wall, gazing at the middle cell. “Why not that cell?” Travis averted his eyes. Would he shoot him if he didn’t talk? He decided to test the theory, but Sean didn’t move or spout out threats: he just waited.

Travis was good at waiting, too.

Sean arched a brow, finally, clucking his tongue. Travis smirked as the younger man broke the silence, but when he spoke it wasn’t to threaten or concede. “You didn’t look at the file before you gave it to us, did you?” Travis’ brow furrowed. What… “The hikers, the journalist, you had clippings of their disappearance in there.” Damn. Sean was studying Travis the way Travis studied a perp as he spoke, and Travis was torn between fury and admiration. “You did a good job of cleaning the blood out of the cell. Must’ve been tricky with all the cracks and groves in the wall.” His blue eyed gaze never wavered. “But you missed a spot. Were you here when it happened, or did they just leave the mess for you to clean up?”

Travis jerked against his restraints. “Shut your damn mouth,” he hissed.

Sean lifted his chin, giving Travis an appraising glance. “I’m truly sorry for the mess you’ve been dragged into, Travis. Really, I am. I’d like to believe you’re a good man trying to do the right thing, but I’m not willing to risk my life or Annabelle’s for that belief. We’ve been burned before.” He drew his mouth into a tight line, glancing down the cell block. “Once I find her – and I always find her - I’ll have someone come unchain you. Thank you for all you did to help us. I’m sorry this couldn’t have ended better.” Sean looked conflicted, but resolved as he began to turn away.

“You promised!” Travis cried, jerking against his chains. “You promised you would help us.”

Sean stopped, turning back to cast him a hard stare. “Consider my attempted murder the cancellation of that promise.”

He turned away again, and Travis felt desperation clawing at his chest. “You can’t go! The curse will follow you wherever you go, whenever you go. No one will be safe from you.” Travis felt cold at the sudden realization. “She’ll never be safe from you.” Sean rolled his shoulders, stretching his neck to either side as he stood, mulling over Travis’ words. He had to get him to stay – he had to. They were his only hope of ending this nightmare. He couldn’t handle the innocent bloodshed, the look in Kaylee’s eyes the morning after each full moon, or the…

The thought swam to the forefront of his mind unwillingly, but once it was there he couldn’t ignore it, and the realization made his chest hurt: he couldn’t handle losing her. Not now. Not before he could explain, apologize, beg for forgiveness, and bury his hands in her long, dark hair one more time. What had he done? His home would feel so empty with her gone.

He had to stop this now.

“They came when I was on a call,” Travis said, nodding to the middle cell. He was fighting the tremble in his voice; he had to speak, but that didn’t make it any easier. “Shot him through the bars like a fish in a barrel. I watched the tape later, saw him plead, try to back far enough away, but it didn’t matter. My brother will do anything my folks ask, and they didn’t ask.” Sean turned slightly, meeting Travis’ stare. “I didn’t know. Not then, not now.”

Sean was silent for a moment, and Travis had a glimmer of hope. “He had a family, you know. The journalist. A wife, three kids.”

Travis closed his eyes, wincing at the knowledge. Of course he knew. He had their names seared into his memory, knew the kid’s birthdays, knew the widow still hadn’t moved on three years later. Travis may have lacked a tech savvy skill set, but he knew how to stalk social media profiles.

“My family… is at the bottom of a well, and I am trying so hard to pull them back up,” he whispered, hanging his head in shame. “Do you have any idea what that feels like?” Travis heard the shuffle of feet, and when he opened his eyes Sean was standing in front of him, his mouth drawn tight.

“Yeah, as a matter of fact, I do.”

—————————-

“Darlene, stop fussing. He’s a grown man.”

“Oh, hush, Frank. No one fusses over that boy, and it shows. Besides, I hate the idea of good food going to waste.”

Annabelle could hear Frank and Darlene through the closed bedroom door, and as kind as they were she wished they would leave, and make this easier for her. She closed her eyes tight, clutching the paperback romance novel in her hands even tighter. This shouldn’t be so difficult: Travis had a crazy family, she’d defended him, and he’d cast her out. She should want to leave, but she was rooted to the spot, sitting on the side of his bed – her bed for the past week or so – wanting nothing more than to curl up, ignore the world around her, and drift off to sleep. Why is this so hard, she asked herself, squeezing her eyes tighter.

But she knew why: he’d kissed her. Unprovoked, without cause. Just a sweet, simple kiss. She’d stopped locking the bedroom door a few nights ago, but he never came in after she resigned for the night. He insisted on doing the dishes, opened her car door for her, and never said a word about her raiding his closet. Each night she woke to his moans and cries, and each morning she found herself carefully placed on the couch, a warm blanket tucked around her. He left Sean and her to chat, but always seemed pleased when they invited him into the conversation. His ears turned a cute shade of pink when she considered his thoughts, listening and reciprocating other concepts or ideas. He was kind to Sean, and unlike many men, didn’t seem bothered by their close relationship.

Annabelle groaned, thrusting the paperback to her face as if it would muffle the sound. Stupid, stupid, stupid girl. Of course she had developed feelings for him - he was precisely her type: a man in need of comfort, love, and reassurance of his worth. A man sidelined for too long, overlooked, but deeply endearing, and deeply, deeply in need of a hug.

Or… perhaps a bit more?

Annabelle shook the thought from her head. Nope. Nope, nope, nope, nope, nope. Too many bodice-rippers, too many roguish pirate captains keeping fiesty noblewomen hostage in their cabins, both too proud to admit their feelings while they ached from sexual tension. No, if Travis were a romance novel character he’d be someone like Daniel in “A True Guardian.” It was one of Travis’ more well-worn novels about an ex-lawman turned lonely rancher who begrudgingly takes in the vulnerable and headstrong Bessie, if only to keep her from the likes of her mysterious and tragic past. Daniel had given up his bed, too, just like Travis. Bessie had ached for him to join her, just like...

“There’s something wrong with me,” Annabelle groaned, tossing herself backwards onto the bed.

She must have been louder than she realized, because a gentle knock came from the bedroom door. “Are you all right in there, dear?” Darlene’s called.

Annabelle thunked the romance novel hard against her forehead, groaning again. “Fine. Just having an existential crisis. That’s all.”

A moment of silence ticked by before Darlene replied, “Ah. Yes, well, those are delightful, but perhaps you could have one on the way to our place? I’d like to have you tucked away safely before Connie gets any wild notions in her head.”

Annabelle perked at the thought, moving quickly to the bedroom door, and leaving the romance novel forgotten on the bed. “Well, actually,” she began, opening the door to meet Darlene’s eyes. “There are a few questions I was hoping you could answer.”

________________________________________________________________________

Travis rubbed his wrists, eyeing Sean cautiously as the younger man hoisted the shotgun over his shoulder. “What is this?” He asked suspiciously, narrowing his eyes just a touch.

“Consider it an act of good will,” the blonde said, tilting his chin back just a hair. “I believe you. You didn’t know about your family’s visit.” He paused, tilting his head to the side. “Either time.”

Travis exhaled slowly, giving Sean the once over before nodding. A silent understanding passed between the two men, and when Travis knelt for his utility belt Sean didn’t stop him. “So what now?” He asked, once the belt was secured and the two pairs of handcuffs were back in his possession.

“Well, I sure as hell can’t sleep in there anymore,” Sean said, nodding towards his cell.

Travis sighed. “No, I don’t suppose you can.” He sucked on his teeth, drawing his mouth into a thin line. “I could use a drink. How ‘bout you?”

Sean’s lips curled up in the slightest hint of a smile. “I could use a cup of coffee.”

The walk back to Travis’ office was silent and awkward, largely because a part of Travis was tempted to tase Sean as payback; the more rational side told him advised against it. Wounded pride aside, Travis needed an ally, and he’d already put his relationship with Annabelle into question.

“I kicked her out of my house,” he admitted, falling into his office chair, and reaching for the bottle of Jim Bean he kept in his bottom desk drawer. “You know. Since you asked where she was, and all.”

Sean stared down at Travis, blinking at the news. “You… you kicked her out?” The disbelief radiated through his words.

Travis took a swig from the bottle, nodding. “Yup.” He clucked his tongue. “Screwed that up real good.”

Sean’s eyes widened, and he blinked before slowly sinking into the chair opposite Travis. “That’s uh… that’s not going to win you any affection. But you know that, right?”

Travis shrugged, taking another swig. Annabelle would be livid with him for drinking this early. He’d call it dinner; she’d call it a poor coping mechanism. “Not sure how much affection I had in the bank anyway.”

Sean’s eyebrows raised, and he exhaled loudly. “However much you had, I can guarantee it’s at a zero balance now, my friend.”

“I’m not your friend,” Travis shot back quickly, regretting the words instantly.

Sean cocked his head to the side, studying the sheriff carefully. “No?”

The bottle was halfway to his lips, but Travis lowered it, narrowing his eyes at the younger man. “No. Thought you were gonna get coffee.”

“This is more interesting,” Sean said, leaning forward to place his elbows on his knees.

Travis’ glare intensified. “I don’t need your psychoanalysis, college boy.”

Sean smirked, maintaining his stare. “What do you need, Travis?” The bottle was interrupted again, and this time Travis placed it on the desk with an audible thunk. “You clearly have an attraction to Annabelle, you seem to be growing closer, and now you throw her out.”

“Shaddup.” The words slurred, and Travis couldn’t tell if it was the alcohol kicking in sooner than expected or the hitch in his emotions that caused it.

Sean tilted his head to the side. “I know what it looks like to push people away, Travis. I’m very good at it myself.”

Travis smirked. “’Cept Belle. You like to keep her close, dontcha?”

“Jealous?” Sean sat back, arching a pale brow.

The sheriff scoffed, reaching for the bottle again. “Please. Jealous of what? It’s clear you aren’t getting any of that.” He wanted it to sound crass, and it did; Sean’s brow arched higher.

“You aren’t jealous about the sex, Sheriff, or the lack thereof,” Sean said simply. “You’re jealous of the affection, the closeness, the trust. You’re jealous,” he said softly, leaning forward, “Because you’ve convinced yourself you don’t deserve to have that with anyone so you push them away.” Sean held Travis’ eyes, and the older man didn’t flinch. “I know,” Sean continued, his tone low and deliberate, “because I do it, too.”

Travis leaned back in his chair, eyeing the younger man carefully. He wasn’t very good at opening up to others, and he didn’t anticipate that changing now, but he was curious where this conversation was headed. So he simply said, “Do you?”

“Who’d you lose?” Sean asked, and Travis pursed his lips. Oh. This was not a road he wanted to travel again. Thankfully, Sean seemed to understand that, and continued, saying, “When I was seven I watched my father kill my brother.” He swung his hand back hard, imitating the motion his father had made all those years ago. “He hit him,” he snapped his fingers, “just right, and he was gone. Just like that. I’ve been pushing people away ever since, so I know the signs.” He leveled his gaze at the older man. “So again, who did you lose, Travis?”

“Who’d you lose?” Sean asked, and Travis pursed his lips. Oh. This was not a road he wanted to travel again. Thankfully, Sean seemed to understand that, and continued, saying, “When I was seven I watched my father kill my brother.” He swung his hand back hard, imitating the motion his father had made all those years ago. “He hit him,” he snapped his fingers, “just right, and he was gone. Just like that. I’ve been pushing people away ever since, so I know the signs.” He leveled his gaze at the older man. “So again, who did you lose, Travis?”

“Who’d you lose?” Sean asked, and Travis pursed his lips. Oh. This was not a road he wanted to travel again. Thankfully, Sean seemed to understand that, and continued, saying, “When I was seven I watched my father kill my brother.” He swung his hand back hard, imitating the motion his father had made all those years ago. “He hit him,” he snapped his fingers, “just right, and he was gone. Just like that. I’ve been pushing people away ever since, so I know the signs.” He leveled his gaze at the older man. “So again, who did you lose, Travis?”

“You aren’t jealous about the sex, Sheriff, or the lack thereof,” Sean said simply. “You’re jealous of the affection, the closeness, the trust. You’re jealous,” he said softly, leaning forward, “Because you’ve convinced yourself you don’t deserve to have that with anyone so you push them away.” Sean held Travis’ eyes, and the older man didn’t flinch. “I know,” Sean continued, his tone low and deliberate, “because I do it, too.”

Travis leaned back in his chair, eyeing the younger man carefully. He wasn’t very good at opening up to others, and he didn’t anticipate that changing now, but he was curious where this conversation was headed. So he simply said, “Do you?”

“Who’d you lose?” Sean asked, and Travis pursed his lips. Oh. This was not a road he wanted to travel again. Thankfully, Sean seemed to understand that, and continued, saying, “When I was seven I watched my father kill my brother.” He swung his hand back hard, imitating the motion his father had made all those years ago. “He hit him,” he snapped his fingers, “just right, and he was gone. Just like that. I’ve been pushing people away ever since, so I know the signs.” He leveled his gaze at the older man. “So again, who did you lose, Travis?”

[damnmmmmmmmmmm]

Shippers, I need you to get a grip. Sebastian said, ‘Annabelle, I love you,’ on live TV, and suddenly anyone not throwing themselves on the floor in tears is ‘jealous’? Please. People declare marriage vows in front of God and their families, and half of them don’t even make it to the first anniversary. Words mean nothing without action, besties.

Oh, he held her hand? Groundbreaking. We’ve been watching them hold hands occasionally for the past three years—this isn’t new, nor is it award-worthy. Oh, they laughed together? Wow, what a showstopper. I’d sure hope they laughed; it would be deeply concerning if they didn’t. What else are you all hyping up that’s apparently so spectacular it overshadows his Golden Globe win ? Oh, right—absolutely nothing.

Be so fucking for real right now. There is nothing about that night, aside from him saying, ‘Annabelle, I love you,’ that wasn’t completely ordinary. They did what any couple—real or fake—would do in that situation. But no, here you are, acting like we just witnessed some iconic, history-making love story. Newsflash: we didn’t.

It’s giving “grumpy billionaire mafia boss fake dates a struggling actress to make her relevant and revive her career.” You all have clearly read one too many dark romance novels and can’t separate fiction from reality. Stop overhyping an underwhelming moment and start focusing on the real story: Sebastian finally winning an award he’s worked his entire career for. Imagine having that kind of milestone reduced to someone else’s Wattpad rom-com subplot. Embarrassing.

[brisownworld]

In 2022, starting largely by accident, I read 356 romance novels (and 3 non-romance novels). I started a spreadsheet to keep track of my ratings of each (out of 5), how many featured queer, autistic, or POC protagonists, and how many sex scenes there were per book. Find those final stats above, then my 5/5 books of the year in the photos below!

I recommend 3 new romance novels a week over on my free newsletter, Forced Proximity, so definitely sign up if you want to read reviews and get curated recommendations every Friday afternoon!

Full list behind the cut!

Part of Your World by Abby Jimenez

Life's Too Short by Abby Jimenez

The Friend Zone by Abby Jimenez

The Happy Ever After Playlist by Abby Jimenez

A Caribbean Heiress in Paris by Adriana Herrera

The Love Hypothesis by Ali Hazelwood

Nora Goes Off Script by Annabel Monaghan

The Flatshare by Beth O'Leary

In a Holidaze by Christina Lauren

Josh and Hazel's Guide To Not Dating by Christina Lauren

Roomies by Christina Lauren

Something Wilder by Christina Lauren

It's Been A Pleasure, Noni Blake by Claire Christian

Beach Read by Emily Henry

Book Lovers by Emily Henry

People We Meet On Vacation by Emily Henry

A Rogue of One's Own by Evie Dunmore

Bringing Down the Duke by Evie Dunmore

The Heart Principle by Helen Hoang

Beginner's Luck by Kate Clayborn

Evvie Drake Starts Over by Linda Holmes

The Duchess Hunt by Lorraine Heath

Battle Royale by Lucy Parker

Seducing Mr. Knightly by Maya Rodale

Don't You Forget About Me by Mhairi McFarlane

If I Never Met You by Mhairi McFarlane

The Wedding Crasher by Mia Sosa

The Ex Talk by Rachel Lynn Solomon

The Hating Game by Sally Thorne

Twice Shy by Sarah Hogle

Nine Rules To Break When Romancing A Rake by Sarah MacLean

The Rogue Not Taken by Sarah MacLean

Wicked and the Wallflower by Sarah MacLean

Heartbreaker by Sarah MacLean

The Duke Buys A Bride by Sophie Jordan

The Duke Goes Down by Sophie Jordan

Get A Life, Chloe Brown by Talia Hibbert

Hook, Line, and Sinker by Tessa Bailey

Tools of Engagement by Tessa Bailey

A Night To Surrender by Tessa Dare

A Week To Be Wicked by Tessa Dare

Get full reviews and more on my weekly free romance novel newsletter!

[a-few-of-my-favorite-mangas]

The Wallflowers Book 4: A Scandal in Spring Kabe no Hana: Haru no ameni nuretemo   Author: Lisa Kleypas Artist: AKINO Nanami

Story  ★★★☆☆  ||  ★★★☆☆  Art

The Wallflower Series

The Wallflower series is a fun set of historical or Victorian-era romance novels with fun characters, romance and humor. The basic premise of the series are four girls for various reasons (poor, americans, painfully shy) are considered unappealing as marriageable prospects and thus are left hugging the walls during social events, ie wallflowers. One evening they decided to help each other find suitable husbands by pooling their strengths to overcome their weaknesses.

The real strength of the novel series is the well-written and richly developed characters - not only in and of themselves but to their world and the people around them. The friendship between the girls is a real highlight - as it is seldom done well, if at all - usually our heroine is on her own or keeps her thoughts/desires private; but these girl are real friends, not just social friends - they talk, encourage, give advice - even help. The boys in the series are also given more than 'hero' duties, they talk business, about women and marriage and what they want/expect from life. I'm not an aficionado on romances, never thought I would ever read one but Jane Austen opened the door - and recommendations from fellow Janites to read Georgette Heyer and Marion Chesney 'regency' novels - and well, I got hooked on the historicals. But when you start reading romances, you tend to notice they are either really good, really bad or just boring - and the really good ones are few and far between... this series is one of the better ones!

I don’t typically read these kinds of manga, but because I was reading The Wallflower manga by Hayakawa Tomoko at the time these would popup up in my recommends as well so I thought I would give them a try. Overall, I'm very pleased with my copies, sure they are ‘adaptions’ and lots of changes had to be made and several events left out - but I do appreciate that even though each book was drawn by a different artist, there was a real effort to maintain consistency of character design though all the books.

Summary

Daisy Bowman is the last wallflower not yet wed and her father is getting impatient; he gives her an ultimatum ... if she can't find an English peer to marry, then she will marry a man of his choosing, his protege Matthew Swift - a man she has always despised as being too like her father. But when Matthew arrives, he has changed so much and perhaps he might just be the man of her dreams.

Review

Daisy lacks the beauty of Annabelle, the sweetness of Evie or the force of personality of her sister, Lillian, she is a whimsical character who loves romance and fantasy. I always found her the best secondary character in the other books, she is funny and insightful and full of enthusiasm... Matthew Swift comes from humble beginnings but through intelligence and hard work is now a wealthy and highly sought after businessman. He has been infatuated with Daisy since he first meet her many years ago, but never felt worthy of her, but now that he has this one chance he utilizes all his charm to try an win Daisy's heart - despite all the odds.

I really didn’t like how Daisy was adapted, not only did they change her looks (she is Lillian’s sister and has brown hair and eyes too), but her looks in general make he look like a child when she is more like 21-22 by the time she gets her love story.  It is just a bit off putting.

[mfackenthal]

Hello loves!  If you’re still following me, may I just say thank you for your patience.  I know it has been too long since I have created one of my review posts.  I can only apologize.  I love you all, but I needed a break.  So I was gone for a while.  When I came back – the fandom had changed.  Mostly, people just changed their names, actually.  But it took me a while to find everyone.  And, of course, new people had joined the fandom – or at least I was introduced to people – so they’re new to me.  

I’m going to organize this by book instead of by love interest because some authors are keeping the pairings a secret and I don’t want to ruin their surprise.

I don’t think I’m back up to reading 80 fics a week … but I do think I’ve read quite a few (too many?) fics this week.  Let’s find out how many, shall we?

A few quick reminders:

(1) If you want to find out what I specifically thought about each chapter, that can be found on my blog.  To more easily search my blog, search the phrase “mfackenthal reviews ________” and fill in the blank with the blog name.  IE “mfackenthal reviews maxattack-powell” to find the work I reblogged specifically by @maxattack-powell.

(2) In case it’s not obvious: I recommend ALL of these fics and ALL of these authors.  I cannot say enough about the fabulousness that is these authors. 

The Royal Romance

Second Wedding (http://mrswalkers-blog.tumblr.com/post/182240871361/book-the-royal-romance-summary-riley-looks) by @mrswalkers-blog Riley is about to walk down the aisle for a second time.  How did she get here?  This short story will help you reflect on your own relationships while warming you heart.

The Road Less Traveled (https://ao719.tumblr.com/post/182583348931/the-road-less-traveled-masterlist-summary-6) by @ao719 This delightful series will also warm you heart with its innocence and anticipation.  It’s made even more delightful by the fact that you get a chapter every day. 

Queen of My Heart (https://walkerismychoice.tumblr.com/post/173032059318/queen-of-my-heart-master-list) by @walkerismychoice This is not a new series by any means – but it’s not over either.  I got caught up because it’s an amazing series and I love it!  If you don’t know it already, this is a retelling of the story that has captured our heart but in a universe in which Liam is making his decision on reality TV.  Madeleine is still the villain and she’s about to get her comeuppance – or so I hope!  Catch up and see what happens next with me!

The Not So Royal Romance series (https://strangerofbraidwood.tumblr.com/post/182742931095/the-not-so-royal-romance-collection) by @strangerofbraidwood  What happens with Olivia and Hana after the events of the story as we know it?  Find out in this intriguing series.

 Something Unexpected (https://hopefulmoonobject.tumblr.com/post/182769220258/something-unexpected) series by @hopefulmoonobject This series follows Liam and Leo as they have fallen in love with two foreigners who don’t yet know they are dating the most powerful men in all of Cordonia.  Will this end in true love?  Or with the “lies by omission” become a problem?  I honestly don’t know yet and can’t wait to find out!  When these couples are romantic – they’re adorable. When they’re feisty, I love that too!

One Handsome Devil (https://onehandsomedevil-trr.tumblr.com/post/182558278027/one-handsome-devil-a-novel-by-katherine) by @onehandsomedevil-trr  Liam is named Nicholas in this series that is starting to hint at more turmoil to come – with Olivia.

Secrets Unwind (https://whenyourheartskipsabeat.tumblr.com/post/182550912733/the-royal-romance) by @whenyourheartskipsabeat  Liam lost Riley.  He has found her.  Everything seems to be falling in to place.  We know it won’t last – but the ride is exquisite!  Come join me in reading this series!

Learning to Love Again (https://likethetailofacomet.tumblr.com/post/178641518985/master-list) by @likethetailofacomet  If you follow me then you know that I binged this whole series this week.  That’s right – all 46 chapters of it!  This series GAVE ME LIFE!  It’s a beautiful telling of the story of Drake, Liam, and Claire (MC) where Liam is immediately supportive of Drake and Claire – like supportive before Drake can even really make a move. The characters in this story are pure, beautiful, supportive, strong, and loving.  I have fallen in love with Liam and with Bastien in this story – and I know with certainty that this wasn’t the author’s intention – but I also know she fully supports falling in love with these characters.  Of course, if you’re a Drake fan (as I am) this series will make you happy also.  It’s not a love triangle and yet I still felt so much of that drama that I love in these stories. This series is drama at it’s BEST.  The drama doesn’t come from misunderstandings but from the plot. It’s not over – but it will be soon.  So catch up!

Going deep into the ruins of Bastien and Annabelle (https://likethetailofacomet.tumblr.com/post/178641518985/master-list) by @likethetailofacomet  A little of how Bastien met the love of his life, Annabelle.  Come meet the woman who captures Bastien’s heart.

My Girl (https://tmarie82.tumblr.com/post/182792805128/pairing-drake-x-mc-emma-warner-walker-book-the) by @tmarie82  Drake and Emma are married, with children, and celebrating Valentine’s Day.  Sit back and enjoy some cuteness in this fluffy fic.

One Night Stand (https://kennaxval.tumblr.com/post/182792808423/one-night-stand-olivia-x-drake-nsfw) by @kennaxval  Olivia puts Drake in his place, saves Drake and others from a car accident, and gets a little something from Drake in the process.  As it turns out, Drake is a lucky guy.

Their First Valentine’s (Part 1) (https://drakewalkerwhipped.tumblr.com/post/182818195966/their-first-valentines-part-1-drake-x-mc-x) by @drakewalkerwhipped  If you haven’t met everyone’s favorite poly couple – you really should look them up as written by @drakewalkerwhipped.  This trio is so supportive of each other, so loving, so tender.  I call them #relationshipgoals.  It’s their first Valentine’s Day where they’re not in hiding and they’ve essentially got the kinks worked out.  This chapter is essentially fluff with a little heat – promising much more heat in whatever comes next.

Brave For You (series) (https://likethetailofacomet.tumblr.com/post/178641518985/master-list) by @likethetailofacomet As I understand it, this was written and helped inspire Learning to Love Again because fans demanded a story where Drake lives.  In this trilogy, Drake does not.  Riley has to learn to live without him.  

Perfect Match

Missing You (https://queerchoicesblog.tumblr.com/post/182657763715/missing-you-pm-alana-x-fmc) by @queerchoicesblog  Long distance relationships are hard, but sometimes the little things you do in such a relationship have deep meaning.  Read about how Alana might be in such a relationship.

The Elementalists

When I Taste Tequila (https://walkerismychoice.tumblr.com/post/182626500588/when-i-taste-tequila) by @walkerismychoice  A delightful A/U with Beckett.  His nerdiness shines and gets our MC to drop her defenses.  Kissing ensues and leaves you wanting more.  If you like The Elementalists and you like Gray’s Anatomy – you should read this fic.

Complicated Series (https://darley1101.tumblr.com/post/182575228193/complicated-part-3-it-couple) by @darley1101  In this series, Beckett and Tatiana (MC) start “dating” (quotes are important).  They date for show. But will they fall in love for real?  This series has a great story crossover, it delves into some difficult situations around bullying, and we’ve just learned that Beckett also has a “real girlfriend.”  I need more @darley1101!!!!  Quit writing the rest and give me more of this ;) 

A Courtesan in Rome

The Words that Went Unsaid (https://wughhumans.tumblr.com/post/182673414478/the-words-that-went-unsaid-marc-antony-x-mc) by @wughhumans  Anthony has enemies and that has disastrous consequences.  I don’t want to say more as it will give it away … so I’ll just say it’s not a fluffy read but it’s worth it and I can’t wait for more!

Warrior (https://tmarie82.tumblr.com/post/182744621008/pairing-mystery-pairing-mc-arin-book-a) by @tmarie82  A dark fic that gave us what many of us really wanted …

The Death of a Monster (https://wughhumans.tumblr.com/post/182774319428/the-death-of-a-monster-lysandra) by @wughhumans  Obviously, many people would like to see Legate Aquila die.  Here’s another fic to show how that could happen.  This one is even darker, more graphic, but amazingly well written!

The Heist: Monaco

Stress (https://mysteli.tumblr.com/post/182707625378/stress-fabien-x-mc) by @mysteli  A bit of an AU – but really just an extension of the story – if the MC took a little break from the masquerade party to join Fabien in the getaway car.  Learn a little more about Fabien in this hot fic!

America’s Most Eligible

Bad As Me (http://choicesfanfic.com/content/bad-as-me/) by @lizeboredom  I’m still shook by the fact that the MC in this story is not named Minah.  They’re all supposed to be named Minah!  (If you don’t know what I mean – read ALL of @lizeboredom’s work!) Despite the author being drunk when she wrote this fic and named her character the wrong name – this is a hot story about a much tougher Minah (Myrah) who is flirting with danger when she flirts with Vince.

Desire and Decorum

Only the First of Many (https://walkerismychoice.tumblr.com/post/182799720138/only-the-first-of-many-ernest-sinclaire-x-mc) by @walkerismychoice  As the author says – this is a retelling of the diamond scene from book 2 chapter 9 but from Ernest’s POV.  This is a sweet, hot, tender, and a beautiful rendition.  If you didn’t buy that chapter – this is a great way to read it. If you did – this is an even better way to relive it.

Red Carpet Diaries

Simply Between Us Series (http://angstymarshmallow.tumblr.com/post/182229096884/simply-between-us-part-6-thomas-hunt-x-mc) by @angstymarshmallow  Hunt and Tatum are just about to say “I love you” when Priya storms back in to Hunt’s life.  Is he truly over her?  What will Hunt do when he’s not the most mature one in his relationship with Tatum?  Come read this beautiful written story of love, heart ache, angst, poor decisions, traffic, and (I hope) love conquering all! 

Bloodbound

Against the Rules (http://choicesbyjade.tumblr.com/post/178304360927/bloodbound-fanfiction) by @choicesbyjade  Adrian is flirting with his own rules.  This drives both Samantha (MC) and himself to some sexual acts.  Will there be consequences?  Read to find out!

Artwork Drake by @maxattack-powell

https://maxattack-powell.tumblr.com/post/182780797714/he-wanted-to-surprise-you-when-you-woke-up-did

Adrian by @maxattack-powell

https://maxattack-powell.tumblr.com/post/182815538556/he-says-youre-all-the-sunshine-he-needs

Oh shit!  I read 89 fics this week!  Granted 46 of them were one series, but I still!  I commented and reblogged 89 fics.  I guess I have to say – I’m back baby!

But seriously – I probably will not be able to maintain this pace.  I have to actually read a book next week.  LOL 

Also, this time around if I read a series – I didn’t include a link to each chapter – I included a link to a masterlist.  I included the masterlist link as often as I could.  If I couldn’t find one, I linked to the last chapter.

I hope you found something you hadn’t read yet.  This community is amazingly talented. 

If you know someone I should be reading – send them my way!  I’m always looking for new authors to highlight while I continue to read everyone I’ve already learned to love.  I’m still behind and catching up with many who I have highlighted in the past – but hit me up if there is something you want me to read ASAP.

So much love to all of you!

~MFack~

PS. Even though she’s not here anymore, big thanks to @drivenbyfantasy for creating the graphic.  

PPS. Last, but not least, on the off chance that I missed a fic that you know I reblogged, my apologies! It was unintentional and is not a reflection on you, but upon my inability to maintain my own blog.  Also, if a link or a tag doesn’t work - I am sorry!

[richincolor]

Interview with Dahlia Adler

When I was a teen, Edgar Allan Poe creeped me out, but in the most delightful way. I can't wait to dive into this new anthology His Hideous Heart. An amazing group of authors have re-imagined his stories and now the collection is out there in the world waiting for readers to experience the chills. Today, the editor and contributing author, Dahlia Adler, is here to share about this intriguing collection and her work in publishing. His Hideous Heart: Thirteen of YA’s most celebrated names reimagine Edgar Allan Poe’s most surprising, unsettling, and popular tales for a new generation. Edgar Allan Poe may be a hundred and fifty years beyond this world, but the themes of his beloved works have much in common with modern young adult fiction. Whether the stories are familiar to readers or discovered for the first time, readers will revel in Edgar Allan Poe’s classic tales, and how they’ve been brought to life in 13 unique and unforgettable ways. Contributors include Kendare Blake (reimagining “Metzengerstein”), Rin Chupeco (“The Murders in the Rue Morge”), Lamar Giles (“The Oval Portrait”), Tessa Gratton (“Annabel Lee”), Tiffany D. Jackson (“The Cask of Amontillado”), Stephanie Kuehn (“The Tell-Tale Heart”), Emily Lloyd-Jones (“The Purloined Letter”), Hillary Monahan (“The Masque of the Red Death”), Marieke Nijkamp (“Hop-Frog”), Caleb Roehrig (“The Pit and the Pendulum”), and Fran Wilde (“The Fall of the House of Usher”).

As a YA author, editor, and blogger with family relationships to maintain, could you share a few things you've learned about balancing many roles? The number one thing I've learned is honestly that balance is kind of a myth. There's no way to do everything perfectly and make everyone happy. What's worked for me is choosing what my priority will be at any given time and then backburnering things as possible. So, for example, when I knew I really wanted to finish writing a novel, I took a hiatus from blogging inasmuch was possible and took advantage of the fact that my in-laws come over every Sunday to see my child and put my butt in the chair for as solid a time block (usually 3-4 hours with of course some interruptions) on Sunday mornings as possible until I was done. When I take on extra blogging, it means writing is gonna get backburnered. Consistency is important and so is being firm on your boundaries. 

What should we be expecting with His Hideous Heart -- mild creepiness, full on terror, or something more in between? It really does run a gamut, in the same way I don't think everyone realizes Poe's story did. In addition to the Gothic horror he's known for, he's also called the father of the modern detective story, and of course some of his works were far more melancholy than terrifying. I think all of his different facets are captured really well in the collection. Certainly, though, even in the ones with happy endings, you're not gonna find sunny beach reads! Why do you think Poe's stories continue to fascinate readers after so many years? Because his themes have never stopped being relevant or interesting. They're so many of the darkest parts of humanity that we don't necessarily get to live out; they're some of our worst fantasies. Getting to live them out through literature, getting to take action against someone who drives us nuts or mourn ourselves into oblivion, is both a safe and satisfying way to explore them. It takes a brave writer to put that out into the world and I think it takes brave writes to adapt them and say, "Here's how we're still feeling those things in our current world."

How did you choose which story you would re-imagine? Well first off, I took a backseat to the others, because they're all masters of dark fantasy or thrillers or horror and I am...not exactly known for any of those things! So I was only selecting from what they did not. And then from there, "Ligeia" was such an easy choice, because I knew I was going to stick my romantic contemporary strengths as best I could, and I saw immediately how that story would play out if I did. It didn't even feel like a selection process; the idea was just...there, waiting for me to grab it.

What were some of the challenges and rewards of editing an anthology? It's always a challenge to corral that many authors, and it's just logistically complicated. There are a lot of contracts and payments and agent negotiations and I don't think people realize that it's very rare for editors not to be responsible for that (as opposed to publishers). So that in itself is a lot of work before you even get to the editing, deadline enforcing, mapping over everyone's copyediting and proofreading corrections, etc. But I have so much natural curiosity about the industry, especially as someone who's been working in it for over a decade, that I really wanted to learn how more things on this side work, so that was actually a big reward for me! As, of course, is getting to read all these amazing stories early and working with such amazing authors. I really could not have asked for better.

What was the process for finding contributors? This actually half happened on Twitter, where the idea arose and people I think are fantastic in these genres chimed in that they'd be interested, and then half happened in email, when I realized this project was actually going to happen and I wanted to make sure it had as many of my favorites as possible. Honestly, creating lineups is my favorite part of anthologies, so I just went straight to the authors I absolutely love who write in Poe's genres and asked them to join up. It was thankfully easy!

Could you share a few books you've been recommending lately? ALWAYS. I've had a lot of reason to recommend By Any Means Necessary by Candice Montgomery, which has the college setting I know a lot of YA readers are looking for, plus a killer voice, great romance, awesome friend group, and covers really relevant topics. Another upcoming favorite is The Last True Poets of the Sea by Julia Drake, which is a Sapphic reimaginging of Twelfth Night that I always pitch as perfect for fans of The Weight of the Stars by K. Ancrum and How to Make a Wish by Ashley Herring Blake, both of which I love. As part of my Patreon for LGBTQReads, I have sort of a "book concierge" service, where I help readers find the perfect queer book for them, and so far Tell Me How You Really Feel by Aminah Mae Safi and Hot Dog Girl by Jennifer Dugan are in the lead over there; all hail the f/f YA Rom Com! And, obviously I've been getting some Horror/Spooky requests too, thanks to both His Hideous Heart and the fall season being upon us, and my standby faves there are The Girl From the Well by Rin Chupeco, Mary by Hillary Monahan, Anna Dressed in Blood by Kendare Blake, As I Descended by Robin Talley, and Wilder Girls by Rory Power.

Just for fun, since you are involved with publishing in a variety of roles, would you share one of your strangest experiences in the industry? Oh man, it's really hard not to respond to this with anything I...shouldn't. But I'll go with an embarrassing one that also involves one of the only times I have ever lied at work. My first job out of college, I was an Editorial Assistant at Simon & Schuster. There was an event for an Entourage book, by which, yes, I do mean a show based on the horrid show I was extremely into once upon a time and that fully influenced the character of Josh Chester in my Daylight Falls duology, but I digress. Anyway, I went to the event, which was about 10-15 blocks away from the office, and I reallllly wanted a signed copy, but I also reallllly didn't want to take more than an hour for lunch because I was terrified of my boss. And since I worked there, I knew the name of the editor on the book, and I maybe used that to pretend I was her assistant so I could skip the whole line and then get my book signed. MAYBE. I cannot confirm or deny.

Thanks so much for sharing with Rich in Color. We look forward to reading these shivery tales. Thank you so much for having me!!

Dahlia Adler is an Associate Editor of mathematics by day, a blogger for B&N Teens and LGBTQ Reads by night, and an author of Young Adult and New Adult novels at every spare moment in between. Her novels include the Daylight Falls duology, Just Visiting, and the Radleigh University trilogy, and she is the editor of the anthologies His Hideous Heart (Flatiron Books, 2019) and That Way Madness Lies (Flatiron Books, 2021). Dahlia lives in New York with her husband, son, and an obscene amount of books, and can be found on Twitter and Instagram at @MissDahlELama.

[essayfunk-blog]

An Interview with Emma Wildes

I am so thrilled to have my friend Emma Wildes joining us today to answer some questions and give away a copy of her latest NAL release: LESSONS FROM A SCARLET LADY. Because I love Emma’s books (and think you will too!), I asked her if she would be so kind as to do an interview for the NobodyWritesItBetter blog. We were delayed a bit during last week’s technological snafus, but we’re here now.

Emma is an award-winning author, writing for NAL’s Signet Eclipse line. Among her many accomplishments are an Eppie win, a Lories Best Published, and a  WisRWA Reader’s Choice Award. She has been a # 1 bestselling author at Fictionwise, Capa nominee, and received several gold star awards from JERR. In a starred review, Publisher’s Weekly said of An Indecent Proposition (Signet, April 2009) that it provides a spectacular and skillfully handled story that stands head and shoulders above the average historical.

Thanks for joining us today, Emma. I’m so excited about your latest novel, LESSONS FROM A SCARLET LADY, which released last week. Can you tell us a little about the novel?

Well, it is interesting (or I hope it is) in that the main characters are married before the story starts. Since I write Regency, many aristocratic marriages were either arranged or the husband and wife didn’t know each other all that well, and I found it interesting to address that aspect of polite society. Since my books tend to be on the sexy side, I loved that my heroine chose to seduce her husband in inventive ways she learned from a forbidden book. A lot of fun to write!

You’re very prolific. How many novels and novellas have you published? Is there one that stands out above the rest for you, a story that was part of your heart more than the others?

Hmm. Lots of books out there, and quite a few short stories in collections too. Over fifty. I love to write. As for a book of my heart…I hate to be like every other author, but honestly, they were all a joy for me. If I had to pick, it would be the mystery, The Summer Bones, set in Indiana. I love the twist at the end.

You got your start with small press/e-publishers and continue to write for SIREN under a different name while writing for NAL. As a writer, what do you enjoy about e-publishing? What about as a reader?

There’s a lot to love about e-publishing. The rules are more flexible. That’s not to say they don’t have acquisition editors and deadlines and ARCs and all the rest of it, but I think innovative storylines are welcomed with open arms, because, quite frankly, the investment isn’t there to the same measure as with large print publishers. They can afford to take bigger chances, and they do. That said, all my books that are from primarily e-publishers are in print, and all my books from NAL are also available in e-book. Times have changed. Those two worlds are colliding slowly but surely.

As a reader I like that I might get something very, very different. You assist both published and aspiring authors as naturally as taking your morning cup of coffee, and I would consider you a mentor of mine. Have you had any mentors along the way that helped you get where you are today?

What a lovely compliment! I have no idea if I am mentor material or not, but if I can answer a question, I will. In my own experience I have been lucky in finding some very wonderful friends making the same journey and that is invaluable. Authors have their own unique set of trials and tribulations–as well as joys–and colleagues who understand just what you are going through are like gold. I’d say my greatest help in moving forward all along have been different editors at different houses. My editor at Samhain directed me to my agent. You write very romantic, very sensual books, and I think your fabulous heroes are key to that formula. As you see it, what makes for an unforgettable hero?

Well, I like them alpha, I like them beta, and in general I just like them, which is odd considering how irritating the average male can be! No, all kidding aside, I think the best hero is a really nice man. Under whatever flaws he has (and they do have them without exception), he’s a decent guy who just happens to be sexy and makes us love him despite his faults. One of the reasons I love writing Regency is that men were required to be gentlemen then by the rules of society, but we all know at heart most would rather be rakes. Built-in conflict right there.

What’s been the best and most unexpected part of your writing career?

I’ve been lucky in several different ways. I hit ebooks at just the right time, though Regencies are an eclectic choice. Historical apparently doesn’t sell well in that venue. especially with more sensual books, but, you see, I had no idea of that going in, which supports the advice to never write for the market <or maybe emphasizes I was too dumb to look at the market>. When the books sold so well, especially at retailers like Fictionwise, I was surprised, and it led to getting an agent and the contracts with NAL. I think one of the heart-stopping moments of my career was when I read an interview with an editor who was asked what she was acquiring in erotic romance, and she said “Most everything but historical. It doesn’t sell.” and then added, ”Unless you’re Emma Wildes”. I had an “Oh, wow, seriously, she mentioned me?” experience to see my name pop up in her comment. <laugh> That’s my entire claim to fame. Besides, I’ve learned to my chagrin that I am not considered all that erotic anyway, so she was right all the way around.

You do a lot of interviews. Is there a question you’re surprised you’ve never been asked?

No one has ever asked me how I came up with the name of Emma Wildes. It’s a good thing, since I have no idea. It just popped into my head.

Can you tell us a little about what we’ll see from you in 2010 and into 2011?

I have five books out in 2010 from NAL’s Signet Eclipse line. As you mentioned, Lessons from a Scarlet Lady; Seducing a Highlander in May, My Lord Scandal in September, Our Wicked Mistake in October, and His Sinful Secret in November. I also have Secrets of a Reckless Princess coming out with Siren (as Annabel Wolfe), and another project in a special line with them, as well as a short story in a British anthology. It’s going to be a busy year.

Like the essay? Have a look at another one about  Kurt Vonnegut

[themimsyborogove]

Tagged by @bytheangell 💖

Rules: List the first line(s) of your last twenty stories. See if you find any patterns. Tag ten authors to pass it along. 

I’m going to count the ficlet collections as one work, otherwise the majority of the list will be from kinktober.

1) Catarina is hit with the smell of spice and peanuts as she lets herself into her and Diana’s small apartment in Bangkok. (Just Keep Walking, Step By Step [prompt fic collection])

2) “Tessa!” The knocking on her door that she’s been ignoring for the past several minutes grows more insistent. “I know you’re in there, open the door before I blow it open!” (Oh, the Weather Outside is Frightful)

3) Tessa glanced at her watch for what felt like the thousandth time in the last hour, anxiously pacing in front of the door. They hadn’t been able to set an exact time to meet, so he wasn’t technically late, but she was starting to worry he had somehow been caught, despite how careful he always was. (We Share the Weary Load)

4) Magnus wakes up later than usual, the sun already high in the sky, which is a rare event with two small children. When he reaches for Alec, he finds himself alone in the bed, but he hears the sounds of muffled giggling and the banging of pots and pans coming from the kitchen. (Look Into Your Eyes and the Sky’s the Limit)

5) “Are you ready for your first Halloween as a Ghostbuster?” Tessa asks, passing Alec a plate of dumplings. (Ain’t Afraid of No Ghost [Ghostbusters AU])

6) Alec will never get used to it, he thinks, dropping his head back against the wall, (All I’ve Ever Heard Are Love Songs [kinktober prompts, all explicit, click at your own risk])

7) Something changes the first time Catarina leans back on Tessa for support, a subtle shift in the nature of their relationship. (For You Are Made of Nebulas and Novas and Night Sky)

8) The sound of waves was the first thing Annabel was aware of. The steady rhythm of the water crashing against the shore, over and over again in a familiar lullaby. (The Devil Calls This Play)

9) Magnus always makes it a point to keep up with mundane pop culture. When he sees the movie poster in May of 2001, he knows what he has to do. (The World is Gonna Roll Me [warlock squad fic collection])

10) The conversation had first come up around a year and a half ago, not long after Tessa and Jem’s daughter, Willa, was born. A silly time travel romance novel set in Scotland that they had read together a few years before had recently been made into a tv show, and Catarina was gleefully planning to force Ragnor to watch it with her and laugh at his endless complaints over the historical inaccuracies. (Dream a Flying Start)

11) The pain was finally gone, but Alec's brain still felt fuzzy. He blinked his eyes open, trying to focus on the figure next to his bed. All his brain could register was a halo of light and an impression of gold. (We Made It Here Through the Storm [Malec fic collection])

12) Once upon a time, the kingdom of New Edom was a dark place. It had been created by the demon Asmodeus, who had clawed his way out of his demon realm in an attempt to grab a foothold in the human world. He sired many warlocks, immortal magic users marked by physical signs of what they were, and sent them out into the world as generals of his armies. (Like a Storybook Story [Princess Bride AU])

13) Catarina originally comes to Idris at the request of Tobias Herondale. His wife, Eva, was ill in the later stages of pregnancy, and he was worried, he had written in his letter. And right to be too, Catarina thinks when she arrives. Eva was showing signs of pre-eclampsia, which could kill her after the birth of the child without intervention. (So Pay No Mind, My Sorrow’s Fine)

14) The apartment is empty when Catarina gets home from her shift at the hospital, which is unusual, but Ragnor had told her that morning that he was dealing with a particularly difficult spell for a client, which probably explains why he isn’t home yet. After her shower, Catarina flops down on the sofa and turns the tv on, flipping through the channels until she finds a marathon of Scrubs reruns. It’s the only medical show she can stand watching, and it never fails to make her laugh. (Take My Love and Never Grow Old [Cat/Ragnor smut collection])

15) “It’s good to see you looking so happy,” a voice, a too familiar voice, says behind her. (Touch Me Again Till I Wake And It’s Real [show!fic collection])

16) Helen can still feel the ghost of Aline’s goodbye kiss on her lips as she steps out of the Portal onto the grounds of the Shadowhunter Academy, and she clings to the memory of its warmth as she meets the cold glare of Freeman Mayhew, the professor whose class she’ll be lecturing, waiting to lead her into the Academy. (Here Comes the Sun)

17) Ragnor tosses Magnus roughly down on the bed in a huff, and Magnus’s limp, sleeping form bounces slightly as he hits the mattress, but he doesn’t wake. Ragnor was strong, but Magnus was nearly as tall as he was, and even though Magnus was thin, Ragnor and Catarina had had to carry him a long way after he had finally passed out, which had made him feel especially heavy. (Everybody Here Has Seams And Scars)

18) The day dawns bright and beautiful. Birds are singing in the crisp, early spring air, the sun is shining through the window, and Magnus Bane is practically quivering with excitement. (Whack Fol the Da O, Dance to Your Partner)

19) After an incident in Turkey that ends in the two of them caught in the middle of a battle between some local vampire clans and werewolf packs, Ragnor Fell declares that he never wants to see Magnus Bane’s obnoxious face or his ridiculously over-styled hair again. He leaves Turkey in a huff, with a vow to never return. Though if he actually refused to return to all of the countries Magnus had gotten them in trouble in, he would run out of places in the world to visit. (When I Wanted Sunshine, I Got Rain)

20) Tessa had been living with Magnus in Paris for a few months now. When Will had died, she hadn’t known where else to go. Without Will by her side, she felt more like a different creature than she had ever had among the Shadowhunters she had lived with nearly her entire life, and she couldn’t stay and watch her children outlive her, but Magnus had always been kind to her. (We Are Falling, But Not Alone)

Tagging anyone who wants to do it!

[believingfairytales]

January Wrap-Up!

I’m trying something new! I don’t know how sustainable it is, but I want to be more active in telling people about the things that I read! So here goes #1! Hope you like it. 

This month I read THREE romance novels. Minor spoilers below! 

Wilde in Love, by Eloisa James

4.5/5 stars 

The Hero, Alaric: a celebrated travel author who comes home to find scores of adoring fangirls following his every move, putting posters of his exploits on walls, and an infamous unauthorized play made about his life (that is definitely not true). 

The Heroine, Willa: witty, sarcastic orphan, skeptical as to the veracity of the author’s exploits (especially in light of the ridiculous play). Toast of the ton, popular and beautiful, always behaves with perfect propriety, never shows her true nature to anyone. Values privacy above all else. (you can see how this would be a problem, with the adoring fangirls mentioned above)

The best part: THE BABY SKUNK. Willa has always wanted a kitten, so when a passing peddler mentions that he has a tiny baby destined to grow up to be a scarf, our Soft-hearted hero buys the BABY SKUNK for the heroine. Hilarity ensues. Fake engagement also a huge bonus!

The worst part: the weird epilogue. No spoilers, but it was just weird and felt forced. 

The Girl with the Make-Believe Husband, by Julia Quinn

3.5/ 5 stars 

Loosely based on the movie While You Were Sleeping (one of my faves!)

The Heroine, Cecilia: Searching for her injured brother in the American Colonies during the Revolutionary War, after her father’s sudden death leaves her in a precarious position. Her only lead is that his best friend is in a coma in the hospital nearby. The hospital staff, however, will only let family visit, so she claims to be his wife to gain access. 

The Hero, Edward: Second son of an earl, Captain in the British Army wakes up from a week-long coma with three months of memories lost and his best friend’s sister for a wife. Understandably confused, he agrees to help her look for her brother, at the same time piecing together what happened to himself. 

The Best Part: the love letters! Cecilia wrote her brother many letters, usually with an addition for Edward, who wrote back. They were half in love with each other before they ever met in person. He recognizes her instantly upon waking from the coma because he’d stolen her picture from her brother’s things many times just to look at her face. Adorable.

The Worst Part: honestly the whole “he thought they were married when they were making love” thing kind of skeeved me out. Like that is some grey area of consent and I’m not really into it. Julia Quinn has had this problem for me before, too. Also she totally could have told him several times that they weren’t married, before it even got to that point. Also the anti-climactic conclusion to the “what happened to her brother” subplot felt really forced and fake. I almost suspect he’s going to turn up later, but who knows?

Much Ado About You, by Eloisa James 

4/5 Stars

Our Heroine, Tess: Tess and her three younger sisters have been recently orphaned by their horse-mad father, who poured all of his wealth into his stables, with very little left for his daughters. They’re left in the care of the Duke of Holbrook (who goes by Rafe), a man of approximately 35, who was definitely not expecting his wards to be (mostly) adult women (he bought them rocking horses, it was hilarious and cute).

Our Hero: Lucius: A good friend of Rafe, shunned by his aristocratic mother for the crime of playing the stock market and making himself the richest man in England. Lucius has no depth of feeling for anything, until he sees Tess. 

Aside: Tess and her sisters’ personalities seem to be possibly modeled after the Dashwood sisters from Sense and Sensibility, except that there’s an extra. Tess is a clear Elinor: oldest, sensible, responsible (thought to be boring by outsiders). Imogen is beautiful, crazy in love, doesn’t care about her reputation, and drives her sisters insane (A clear Marianne). Josie is only 15 and doesn’t have much of a role in the book, but seems spirited and adventurous like Margaret (although she’s CHUBBY and I’m SO EXCITED to read her book in the future). And then there’s the extra: Annabel, pragmatic and completely anti-romance. Her only aspiration is to marry a rich man so she never has to worry about paying the bills again (has anxiety attacks at the thought). 

The best part: The roman bath scene/ initial proposal is pretty funny...and I guess also all the side characters? There isn’t really a clear-cut best part. This is the first book in a series about a family, and a lot of time is spent on sisterly bickering and fleshing out a background for all the characters. That being said they’re all pretty interesting....

The worst part: ...except for Tess and Lucius, who are honestly just a little boring. They kind of have to be, though, because Imogen’s tantrums etc kind of steal the show.  That being said though, this book was still thoroughly enjoyable, and I’m definitely reading the next ones. 

To conclude:

I had a lot of fun with these, and my new TBR system seems to be working pretty well so far because I haven’t hit a slump yet! Stay tuned next month for the next 3 of the Essex Sisters books, and hopefully at least one other!

[charmingyourheart]

Lone Star Princess by Lenora Worth

Rating: ❤❤❤

Genre: Contemporary Romance

Release Date: 4 June 2018

Synopsis: Annabelle Castle is a rebel without a cause…until her stepsister, the head of the glamorous Castle Department store, offers her the chance of a lifetime. Too bad the opportunity to finally play a role in the Castle’s future comes with strings attached—the man who gets under her skin.

Former cop Johnny Darrow is head of security for the Texas-based Castles. He excels at his job and nothing gets to him…except Annabelle. Even as he dragged Annabelle out of many public relations disasters with the paparazzi, he knew there was so much more to her than the headline-grabbing, rich girl. Now that she’s matured and determined to turn over a new leaf, he finds her irresistible. She’s smart, creative, and makes him feel things he hasn’t after a personal tragedy.

When Johnny’s assigned a job as Annabelle’s bodyguard, he must push his feelings aside. Can Johnny keep his focus to protect Annabelle or will his feelings for her put everything at risk?

Lone Star Princess is the second novel in Lenora Worth’s Castles of Dallas series and can be read as a standalone, though I would advise reading the first book, Undercover Princess, before attempting this one.

Annabelle Castle was the rebel of her family – a rebel without a cause really – and now her step-sister has given her the chance to try and prove herself. Creating displays for the Castle Department store, she has now been tasked to put her own stamp on a new store. Anxious to live up to the expectations laid at her feet the last thing she needs is the temptation of her new bodyguard.

Johnny Darrow has always been drawn to Annabelle. Having had his heart broken before, he is unwilling to risk it again. He knows Annabelle inside and out and has seen her at her absolute worst.

The chemistry between this pair was good, the dialogue sharp, and the story was well paced. But it just seemed to be missing something. I wanted more from this book but in the end it sort of just felt generic.

I liked reading Annabelle’s progression from the first book, she was the one, in my view, that had the most potential for her own story and seeing her mature was a delight. Her angst over her self-worth was both heartbreaking and intensely relatable.

I wish had more to say about this book, but really there isn’t much beyond; “it’s a sweet, short read” to say. It was very middle of the road, very non-offensive, and altogether too forgettable. In writing this review I found myself struggling to remember what had happened even though I had only just finished the book.

[maddie-grove]

I was tagged to answer these by @forthegothicheroine, and am tagging @saucespider, @galatea-wannabe, @biorhythmsyo, @secretlyatargaryen, and @charlottemarney. 

1) Diabetes: A very sweet book.

Silas Marner by George Eliot (1861). The title character, a lonely weaver haunted by his sad past, loses his only comfort (a hoard of gold coins) but gains a daughter when an orphaned toddler wanders into his house during a snowstorm. Many scenes follow of Silas flailing around after a mischievous two-year-old and making friends with a sympathetic neighbor lady. It sounds like a Victorian Hallmark Movie, but it works, largely because Silas is so socially awkward, withdrawn, and wary of people that his eventual willingness to accept help and companionship from the basically kind villagers feels like a real victory.

2) Chickenpox: A book that you read once and will not read again.

Leaving aside everything that was just plain bad, Slammerkin by Emma Donoghue (2000). You know that episode of Futurama where Bender drops out of school, joins a gang, takes money from a loan shark, and falls into a spiral of despair, addiction, and discount prostitution, all in one day? Well, that’s essentially what happens to the fourteen-year-old (non-robot) heroine of the Georgian-set Slammerkin, and that’s just the beginning of her troubles. It’s a huge (if lively and beautifully written) bummer.

3) Influenza: A contagious book that spreads like a virus.

The influence of Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland (1865) and Through the Looking Glass (1871) is clear; it’s left its mark on countless stories about young people who leave (or, more often, are forced out of) their well-ordered homes and find themselves in an exciting, troubling world of chaos and, often, cruelty. Even aside from the more obvious examples (subsequent classics of children’s literature like The Wizard of Oz and Peter Pan, clearly intentional parallels in works like Spirited Away and Pan’s Labyrinth),  there’s Mervyn Peake’s Boy in Darkness (in which young Titus Groan leaves his stultifying home and does battle with abominable anthropomorphic animals),  A Series of Unfortunate Events (in which the Baudelaire siblings are thrust into a world of villainous people and misery-inducing absurdity after losing their happy home and kind, intelligent parents), and even Arya Stark’s storyline in A Song of Ice and Fire (in which our girl, both loved and mistreated by her family, ends up taking an identity-bending journey through a landscape of senseless violence and strange magic). I enjoyed the Alice books more at ten (when I thought I was too old for them!) than at twenty-five, but I liked making these connections.

4) The Cycle: A book that you read every month, every year, or very often.

I reread books I enjoyed as a kid fairly often, but it’s been a long time since I repeatedly went back to any one book. My last reread was Madeline L’Engle’s A Wind in the Door (1973), the first sequel to A Wrinkle in Time. I slightly preferred it to the original as a kid (as my falling-apart copy indicates) for a few reasons: the stakes were more immediately clear, Meg is a more active heroine, and the journey-inside-of-the-mitochondria plot appealed to my blossoming hypochondria.  There are several wonderful moments that have stuck in my mind for years: the New England vegetable garden where strange creatures appear, Meg’s confrontation of Mr. Jenkins, the Echthroi who “splits the night,” Calvin’s story about the shoes, Calvin’s other story about his science fair project, and the three Mr. Jenkinses, to name a few. Upon rereading, the more realistic parts of the story (both the world of Meg’s village and the psychology/relationships of the characters) were stronger than their A Wrinkle in Time equivalents; however, the sci-fi/fantasy elements were more beautiful and fully developed in A Wrinkle in Time.

5) Insomnia: A book that kept you up all night.

Long Lankin by Lindsey Barraclough (2012). Inspired by the chilling Child Ballad of the same name, Long Lankin kept me up all night both because it was fascinating and because I didn’t want to fall asleep in the dark, lest its child-hungry, marsh-dwelling villain eat me.

6) Amnesia: A book that’s been forgotten and failed to leave an impression on your life.

Killing Yourself to Live by Chuck Klosterman (2005). I’ve enjoyed both fiction and nonfiction by Klosterman—his novel Downtown Owl was my favorite book that I read in 2012—but I remember exactly two details that are definitely from this unfocused book: he talks about a part of Prozac Nation that he liked, and he expresses a very troubling opinion that I hope he doesn’t hold anymore. He might say something about his fascination with women in New York City who wear gloves/hats/scarves but no coat, but maybe that’s from another book? Also, my records indicate that he talks too much about his relationship troubles and not about whatever the book’s supposed to be about (death?).

7) Asthma: A book that took your breath away.

When I was in tenth grade, I went into a used bookstore after school and picked up Nathanael West’s Miss Lonelyhearts (1933), a novella about a severely troubled advice columnist at the nadir of the Great Depression. Within two pages I was knocked out by the language—I literally felt sick with excitement. I’d gotten that feeling from books before, but I’d never truly realized that an author could make that happen. The revelation changed my approach to writing because I knew I could use phrases and details to provoke that kind of reaction.

8) Malnutrition: A book that lacked food for thought.

Once and for All by Sarah Dessen (2017). While Dessen’s latest is an enjoyable read, it doesn’t feature the thematic richness that usually characterize her work. “Tis better to have loved and lost/than never to have loved at all” is a fine message, but it’s also well-traveled territory and Dessen doesn’t do much new with it. The heroine’s relationships aren’t particularly complex, either. The central romance, although complicated by the heroine’s concealment of her last boyfriend’s death in a national tragedy, mostly consists of “she’s punctual and makes checklists, he shows up an hour late with Starbucks and once accidentally adopted a dog” type of conflicts. (Not that I’m complaining about the scene where he accidentally adopts a dog—it’s hilarious.) Most surprising was the heroine’s lack of conflict with her mother. Dessen has written some truly fascinating moms, and it’s not like they’re all terrible parents, either; Annabelle’s reluctance to upset her gentle, fragile-seeming mother in Just Listen creates an incredible amount of tension.

9) Motion sickness: A book that took you on a journey through time and space.

Wolf Hall by Hilary Mantel (2009). I love historical fiction, and I’ve found the Tudor period fascinating since I was eleven or so. Outside of YA, though, I’m usually disappointed by novels set during that time. The tone is often stiff and/or pretentious, which makes me feel removed from the story. Not so with Wolf Hall (or its sequel, Bringing Up the Bodies). Mantel’s style, both informal and slightly experimental, make Tudor England feel as immediate as the present day despite its differences. I think it’s because it’s written from such a close third-person point-of-view; I feel like I’m reading Thomas Cromwell’s thoughts, and to him Tudor England is the present day.

[paul-tudor-owen]

The Weighing of the Heart by Paul Tudor Owen review: ‘Owen has created a great unreliable narrator and fish out of water in Nick – who, naturally, recalls Gatsby’s Nick Carraway’

An extremely positive review of my novel The Weighing of the Heart from Annabel at AnnaBookBel: 

It’s rare that I accept a direct approach by an author to review their books, but I liked the premise of this book which combined the story of an Englishman in New York with an obsession about ancient Egyptian art, so I said, “yes,” when Paul, a journalist for The Guardian, contacted me. This is his debut novel and was published earlier this year by small indie press Obliterati (love that name). 

It begins:

Sooner or later, everybody comes to New York, and I was no exception. For me, it was art school that brought me over, and I left behind the brash primary colours of late-90s London gladly and without remorse. Here I could reinvent myself, as others had before me, among the shining slabs of a great city that seemed to have scale where others only had size, where history was measured in minutes rather than the centuries, and where each of its ten million inhabitants began their lives anew each morning when they awoke and pulled up the blinds.

Our narrator, Nick Braeburn, is newly single and needing somewhere to live after a sudden break-up with his girlfriend of several years. When his colleague Jeff, whose sofa he’d been sleeping on, told him that his eccentric aunts were looking for a lodger, he’s not sure – but when he heard that they were only there at the huge apartment near the Guggenheim for two days a week, he began to look forward to meeting them. Marie and Rose Peacock turn out to be canny old things and give him a list of instructions about phone calls and unexpected visitors, Marie says, “As I always tell my nephew: the only people you are legally obliged to let into your home are uniformed police.”

Then they tell him about their other lodger, a young Portuguese woman called Lydia, who lives in a separate annex across the roof-garden. And off they go to their other home on Long Island. Nick is left to explore, and admire the many works of art hanging on the sisters’ walls. He also meets Lydia, and they get on really well, especially once their discover each other’s love of ancient Egyptian art – Paul paints his own pictures and Lydia sculpts ‘ba’s (the personality component of your soul). However, it is when Nick is one day invited into Rose’s study which is normally locked, for a family celebration, that an obsession begins…

On the wall is a picture from the 1950s by an artist whose work now fetches hundreds of thousands of dollars. It is his interpretation of the ancient Egyptian myth of ‘the weighing of the heart’ – in which a dead Egyptian’s heart is weighed to determine if his balance of guilt and innocence is lighter than a feather and he can be admitted to the afterlife. If the heart doesn’t pass, it’s given to the creature on the far right, the Devourer, a crocodile-based chimaera. Paul had thought that the the Peacock sisters’ Weighing of the Heart picture was a print, but Lydia tells him it’s an original:

Actually, she said, laughing, they weren’t particularly interested in Ancient Egypt at all; buying the Hazlemere had merely been one of many enviably far-sighted purchasing decisions they had made in the early 1960s.

Obviously, Nick is falling for Lydia big time. When he suggests that they replace the painting with the full-size high quality copy Nick had bought for himself and sell it to fund their own art careers, she is easily persuaded. Lydia’s ex, Hector, has connections – he could arrange the sale for them. You know it’s all going to go very wrong. So this novel which started off as a New York romance takes a rather darker turn and Nick finds himself caught up in a web of obsession. How will his own heart weigh up when judgement comes?

Owen has created a great unreliable narrator and fish out of water in Nick – who, naturally, recalls Gatsby’s Nick Carraway; initially innocent, then knowing and needing distance, except that Owen’s Nick doesn’t get away, he’s in too deep before he realises. He starts out all bright-eyed and bushy-tailed, feeling lucky at landing a great pad and the attention of the girl next door, but then the deed is done and the consequences weigh heavy. Meanwhile, the aunts, always Marie and Rose, not Rose and Marie when together, are full of character. Only the younger, Marie, the business brains of the pair managing their property portfolio, is a spinster whereas Rose, an academic, had been married. Although they are different, their sentences often dovetail each other, having lived together so long – they may be sprightly still, but are in their 70s. They reminded me of various eccentric old ladies in literature, but I can’t put my finger on any particular ones to compare them to.

There’s something about New York as a city made for romance, and when I started reading this book, I was rather surprised at the initial light-hearted feel. NYC can also break you as easily as make you though, and once things started to turn darker, the novel became more as I’d anticipated. A lean novel at 240 pages, the brisk pacing kept me reading it in one sitting, bar popping to Wikipedia to find out a little more about that ancient Egyptian myth; I enjoyed the symbolism built into the text all the more. The Weighing of the Heart is one of the finalists of this year’s People’s Book Prize a literary competition aimed at finding, supporting and promoting new and undiscovered works — decided exclusively by the public, so I wish him luck at the finals next spring, as I enjoyed this book very much.

You can buy The Weighing of the Heart and read its 17 five-star reviews on Amazon here.

It has been shortlisted for the People’s Book Prize 2019 and was longlisted for the Not the Booker Prize 2019.

[cupofteajones]

Fall is just around the corner…and there are exciting highly anticipated new releases that will make you excited for the cooling weather! And this month is perfect to make use of your library card (or sign up for a new one) because of National Libray Card Sign-Up Month.  From highly sought out sequel to an upcoming romance from a popular author, September will be one busy month from book lovers:

The Testaments by Margaret Atwood

Expected Publication: September 10

And so I step up, into the darkness within; or else the light.

When the van door slammed on Offred’s future at the end of The Handmaid’s Tale, readers had no way of telling what lay ahead.

With The Testaments, the wait is over.

Margaret Atwood’s sequel picks up the story 15 years after Offred stepped into the unknown, with the explosive testaments of three female narrators from Gilead.

Home Girl by Alex Wheatle

This isn’t my home. Haven’t had a proper home since . . . This is just somewhere I’ll be resting my bones for a week and maybe a bit. This time next year you’ll forget who I am. I haven’t got a diddly where I’ll be by then. But I’m used to it.

New from the UK-based best-selling black British author and winner of the Guardian Children’s Book Award, Home Girl is the story of Naomi, a teenage girl growing up fast in the foster care system. It is a wholly modern story which sheds a much-needed light on what can be an unsettling life—and the consequences that follow when children are treated like pawns on a family chessboard.

Home Girl is fast-paced and funny, tender, tragic, and full of courage—just like Naomi. It is Alex Wheatle’s most moving and personal novel to date

I’m currently reading this right now and I find it both heartbreaking and entertaining and would be engaging to any reader who is a fan of realistic fiction.

  Bringing Down the Duke by Evie Dunmore

England, 1879. Annabelle Archer, the brilliant but destitute daughter of a country vicar, has earned herself a place among the first cohort of female students at the renowned University of Oxford. In return for her scholarship, she must support the rising women’s suffrage movement. Her charge: recruit men of influence to champion their cause. Her target: Sebastian Devereux, the cold and calculating Duke of Montgomery who steers Britain’s politics at the Queen’s command. Her challenge: not to give in to the powerful attraction she can’t deny for the man who opposes everything she stands for.

Sebastian is appalled to find a suffragist squad has infiltrated his ducal home, but the real threat is his impossible feelings for green-eyed beauty Annabelle. He is looking for a wife of equal standing to secure the legacy he has worked so hard to rebuild, not an outspoken commoner who could never be his duchess. But he wouldn’t be the greatest strategist of the Kingdom if he couldn’t claim this alluring bluestocking without the promise of a ring…or could he?

Locked in a battle with rising passion and a will matching her own, Annabelle will learn just what it takes to topple a duke….(Credit: Berkely) 

Girl by Edna O’Brien

Expected UK & Irish Publication: September 5

Expected US Publication: October 15

I was a girl once, but not any more.

So begins Girl, Edna O’Brien’s harrowing portrayal of the young women abducted by Boko Haram. Set in the deep countryside of northeast Nigeria, this is a brutal story of incarceration, horror, and hunger; a hair-raising escape into the manifold terrors of the forest; and a descent into the labyrinthine bureaucracy and hostility awaiting a victim who returns home with a child blighted by enemy blood. From one of the century’s greatest living authors, Girl is an unforgettable story of one victim’s astonishing survival, and her unflinching faith in the redemption of the human heart. (Credit: Faber Faber)

  Pet by Akwaeke Emezi

Expected Publication Date: September 10

Pet is here to hunt a monster. Are you brave enough to look?

There are no more monsters anymore, or so the children in the city of Lucille are taught. With doting parents and a best friend named Redemption, Jam has grown up with this lesson all her life. But when she meets Pet, a creature made of horns and colours and claws, who emerges from one of her mother’s paintings and a drop of Jam’s blood, she must reconsider what she’s been told. Pet has come to hunt a monster, and the shadow of something grim lurks in Redemption’s house. Jam must fight not only to protect her best friend, but also to uncover the truth, and the answer to the question-How do you save the world from monsters if no one will admit they exist?

In their riveting and timely young adult debut, acclaimed novelist Akwaeke Emezi asks difficult questions about what choices a young person can make when the adults around them are in denial. (Credit: Make Me A World)

The Institute by Stephen King

Expected Publication: September 10

As psychically terrifying as Firestarter, and with the spectacular kid power of It, The Institute is Stephen King’s gut-wrenchingly dramatic story of good vs. evil in a world where the good guys don’t always win. (Credit: Scribner)

Red At The Bone by Jacqueline Woodson

Expected Publication Date: September 17

An unexpected teenage pregnancy pulls together two families from different social classes, and exposes the private hopes, disappointments, and longings that can bind or divide us from each other, from the New York Times-bestselling and National Book Award-winning author of Another Brooklyn and Brown Girl Dreaming. (Credit: Riverhead Books)

Suggested Reading by David Connis

Expected Publication Date: September 17

Clara Evans is horrified when she discovers her principal’s “prohibited media” hit list. The iconic books on the list have been pulled from the library and aren’t allowed anywhere on the school’s premises. Students caught with the contraband will be sternly punished.

Many of these stories have changed Clara’s life, so she’s not going to sit back and watch while her draconian principal abuses his power. She’s going to strike back.

So Clara starts an underground library in her locker, doing a shady trade in titles like Speak and The Chocolate War. But when one of the books she loves most is connected to a tragedy she never saw coming, Clara’s forced to face her role in it.

Will she be able to make peace with her conflicting feelings, or is fighting for this noble cause too tough for her to bear? (Credit: Katherine Tegen Books)

  The Water Dance by Ta-Nehisi Coates

Expected Publication Date: September 24

In his boldly imagined first novel, Ta-Nehisi Coates, the National Book Award–winning author of Between the World and Me, brings home the most intimate evil of enslavement: the cleaving and separation of families. (Credit: OneWorld)

Wayward Son by Rainbow Rowell

Expected Publication: September 24

With Wayward Son, Rainbow Rowell has written a book for everyone who ever wondered what happened to the Chosen One after he saved the day. And a book for everyone who was ever more curious about the second kiss than the first. It’s another helping of sour cherry scones with an absolutely decadent amount of butter.

Come on, Simon Snow. Your hero’s journey might be over – but your life has just begun. (Credit: Pan Macmillan)

Slay by Brittney Morris

Expected Publication: September 24

By day, seventeen-year-old Kiera Johnson is an honors student, a math tutor, and one of the only Black kids at Jefferson Academy. But at home, she joins hundreds of thousands of Black gamers who duel worldwide as Nubian personas in the secret multiplayer online role-playing card game, SLAY. No one knows Kiera is the game developer, not her friends, her family, not even her boyfriend, Malcolm, who believes video games are partially responsible for the “downfall of the Black man.”

But when a teen in Kansas City is murdered over a dispute in the SLAY world, news of the game reaches mainstream media, and SLAY is labeled a racist, exclusionist, violent hub for thugs and criminals. Even worse, an anonymous troll infiltrates the game, threatening to sue Kiera for “anti-white discrimination.”

Driven to save the only world in which she can be herself, Kiera must preserve her secret identity and harness what it means to be unapologetically Black in a world intimidated by Blackness. But can she protect her game without losing herself in the process? (Credit: Simon Pulse)

No Judgements by Meg Cabot

Expected Publication: September 24

When a massive hurricane severs all power and cell service to Little Bridge Island—as well as its connection to the mainland—twenty-five-year-old Bree Beckham isn’t worried . . . at first. She’s already escaped one storm—her emotionally abusive ex—so a hurricane seems like it will be a piece of cake.

But animal-loving Bree does become alarmed when she realizes how many islanders have been cut off from their beloved pets. Now it’s up to her to save as many of Little Bridge’s cats and dogs as she can . . . but to do so, she’s going to need help—help she has no choice but to accept from her boss’s sexy nephew, Drew Hartwell, the Mermaid Café’s most notorious heartbreaker.

But when Bree starts falling for Drew, just as Little Bridge’s power is restored and her penitent ex shows up, she has to ask herself if her island fling was only a result of the stormy weather, or if it could last during clear skies too. (Credit: William Morrow Paperbacks)

            Books to Read This Month: September Edition Fall is just around the corner...and there are exciting highly anticipated new releases that will make you excited for the cooling weather!

[kattahj]

Thoughts on Lord of Shadows:

For the first 200 pages or so, I thought, "Well, this is a letdown after Lady Midnight", but then it picked up pace quite nicely, and while the plot was a bit more muddled than in the previous book, there were several intriguing elements that were woven together in a skillful way and I am curious to see how it all ends up.

There was still an unfortunate amount spent on tedious romantic plots - I have nothing against romantic plots, but these ones are tedious because they could be summarized in ten pages without losing much. We get scene after scene with Julian pining after Emma and vice versa without this telling me much about them either as a couple or separate characters; it's just intermittent repetition of similar stuff as a reminder that yup, this is still an issue.

The fake kiss in Faerie also felt like a rather trite obstacle, but I really liked the rest of the venture into Faerie; the world-building is very skillful.

The Mark-Christina-Kieran love triangle is slightly more palatable than Julian/Emma (just slightly), if only because there seems a decent chance it may actually end in a threesome.

And it looks like Kit may be falling for Ty, which I'm more or less neutral on. They have some semblance of personalities, which is nice, but their scenes are still pretty repetitive.

(I honestly think CC can't write romance, which is unfortunate since she does so much of it. Gideon/Sophie is the only couple of hers I've even remotely shipped.)

On the upside, there's significantly less wanking off to how gorgeous people are than in TID. There are still a bunch of unnecessary descriptions - I think the most bizarre one was when Ty's eyelashes were described as being black as the soot on the streets of London in a Dickens novel. Who on earth would have that as their go-to simile of how black something is? There are times when I lament the lack of an English word for "pekoral". (In Swedish, it means writing that's meant to be beautiful, yet ends up being silly instead. Which is exactly how I feel about a lot of these descriptions. See also, "tousled gold handsomeness". I'm still laughing at that one.) But altogether, there was less of that.

There were also fewer crappy jokes followed by characters laughing at how funny they were, so that's another area that's slowly improving.

Now, Annabel was a fantastic antagonist. I love that she's not evil, that her motives are understandable, and yet she's still a force of chaos simply because she can't play the game that the others are playing (and probably wouldn't want to anyway).

I also loved Malcolm's rotting appearance as he returned (that's a description I can get behind!) and thought it was unfortunate that he was killed off again so quickly. But that's an unfortunate and recurring aspect of these books, that the creepy and threatening bits that are actually interesting get cut short.

Zara I found far too one-dimensional. I think it's too easy to combine the evil ideas she spouts, her cheating and lying in professional terms, and personal nastiness. Yes, people like her exist, but for the most part it's not like that, and that's what's so scary. You can talk to someone who seems perfectly nice, who tells you about their kids or trouble at work, a normal conversation, and then bam, they let slip that they believe in conversion therapy or think Muslims shouldn't be allowed into the country. Evil ideas wouldn't be half as insidious if they were only advocated by unpleasant people.

I was a bit irked to see Jon Cartwright die, since he might have been a more complicated case to throw into that mix, as someone who would be prone to lean towards bigotry but not guaranteed to end up there. He's also one of few characters in these books to have actual development, and it felt like a shame to waste him on a throwaway death.

The deaths at the end didn't bother me at all, though. Robert has never made much of an impression, and neither has Livvy, despite having more scenes in this book than the previous one. I've always thought that there are too many Blackthorns to do justice anyway. CC isn't very good at differentiating her characters in terms of dialogue, mannerisms and so on, and Livvy, Dru and Tavvy never felt to me like more than bit players to be shuffled around the board for a bit when need be.

(Come to think of it, most of the deaths in these books that have properly hit me have been of characters I didn’t like: Jonathan, Jordan, Nate. I think the only “good” character death that made me cry was George, and it’s not like I was all that attached to him, either. So she obviously can write efficient character deaths... but seems to use it mostly on assholes? Curious.)

So altogether a mixed bag but mostly a pleasant read - not as good as Lady Midnight, and I might even rank it lower than TID taken as a whole, but better than TMI. I'd give it 6/10.

[thealliterates-blog1]

April 2019 Book Releases

Being one of those readers who enjoys a large variety of genres, I sometimes find it easy to become overwhelmed with new releases. What should I read next? The paranormal romance about the werebeast? Or the feminist, not-so-fictional story about rape culture? What about the latest installment in an ongoing fantasy series that I’ve been desperately waiting for?

If you’re anything like me, you might find the sheer volume of options daunting, and worry about missing out on awesome, lesser publicized books that might get buried under the hype surrounding the big name bestsellers.

Not to fear, fellow reader! To help us all out, I’ve created this monthly post highlighting the standout releases in several genres, with a special emphasis on representation, diversity, and own voices.

Click on each book title to learn more!

Descendant of the Crane by Joan He Release Date: April 2nd Genre: Young Adult, Fantasy

Princess Hesina of Yan has always been eager to shirk the responsibilities of the crown, dreaming of an unremarkable life. But when her beloved father is found dead, she’s thrust into power, suddenly the queen of a surprisingly unstable kingdom. What’s more, Hesina believes that her father was murdered—and that the killer is someone close to her.

Hesina’s court is packed full of dissemblers and deceivers eager to use the king’s death for political gain, each as plausibly guilty as the next. Her advisers would like her to blame the neighboring kingdom of Kendi’a, whose ruler has been mustering for war. Determined to find her father’s actual killer, Hesina does something desperate: she enlists the aid of a soothsayer—a treasonous act, punishable by death, since magic was outlawed centuries ago.

Using the information provided by the sooth, and uncertain if she can trust her family, Hesina turns to Akira—a brilliant investigator who’s also a convicted criminal with secrets of his own. With the future of Yan at stake, can Hesina find justice for her father? Or will the cost be too high?

The Princess and the Fangirl by Ashley Poston Release Date: April 2nd Genre: Young Adult, Contemporary, Romance, LGBTQ+

The Prince and the Pauper gets a modern makeover in this adorable, witty, and heartwarming young adult novel set in the Geekerella universe by national bestselling author Ashley Poston.

Imogen Lovelace is an ordinary fangirl on an impossible mission: save her favorite character, Princess Amara, from being killed off from her favorite franchise, Starfield. The problem is, Jessica Stone—the actress who plays Princess Amara—wants nothing more than to leave the intense scrutiny of the fandom behind. If this year’s ExcelsiCon isn’t her last, she’ll consider her career derailed.

When a case of mistaken identity throws look-a-likes Imogen and Jess together, they quickly become enemies. But when the script for the Starfield sequel leaks, and all signs point to Jess, she and Imogen must trade places to find the person responsible. That’s easier said than done when the girls step into each other’s shoes and discover new romantic possibilities, as well as the other side of intense fandom. As these “princesses” race to find the script-leaker, they must rescue themselves from their own expectations, and redefine what it means to live happily ever after.

Girls on the Verge by Sharon Biggs Waller Release Date: April 9th Genre: YoungAdult, Contemporary, Feminism

A powerful, timely coming-of-age story about a young woman from Texas who goes on a road trip with two friends to get an abortion, from award-winning author Sharon Biggs Waller.

Camille couldn’t be having a better summer. But on the very night she learns she got into a prestigious theater program, she also finds out she’s pregnant. She definitely can’t tell her parents. And her best friend, Bea, doesn’t agree with the decision Camille has made.

Camille is forced to try to solve her problem alone . . . and the system is very much working against her. At her most vulnerable, Camille reaches out to Annabelle Ponsonby, a girl she only barely knows from the theater. Happily, Annabelle agrees to drive her wherever she needs to go. And in a last-minute change of heart, Bea decides to come with.

Girls on the Verge is an incredibly timely novel about a woman’s right to choose. Sharon Biggs Waller brings to life a narrative that has to continue to fight for its right to be told, and honored.

Lost Roses by Martha Hall Kelly Release Date: April 9th Genre: Historical Fiction

It is 1914 and the world has been on the brink of war so many times, many New Yorker’s treat the subject with only passing interest. Eliza Ferriday is thrilled to be traveling to St. Petersburg with Sofya Streshnayva, a cousin of the Romanov’s. The two met years ago one summer in Paris and became close confidantes. Now Eliza embarks on the trip of a lifetime, home with Sofya to see the splendors of Russia. But when Austria declares war on Serbia and Russia’s Imperial dynasty begins to fall, Eliza escapes back to America, while Sofya and her family flee to their country estate. In need of domestic help, they hire the local fortuneteller’s daughter, Varinka, unknowingly bringing intense danger into their household. On the other side of the Atlantic, Eliza is doing her part to help the White Russian families find safety as they escape the revolution. But when Sofya’s letters suddenly stop coming she fears the worst for her best friend.

From the turbulent streets of St. Petersburg to the avenues of Paris and the society of fallen Russian emigre’s who live there, the lives of Eliza, Sofya, and Varinka will intersect in profound ways, taking readers on a breathtaking ride through a momentous time in history.

When We Left Cuba by Chanel Cleeton Release Date: April 9th Genre: Historical Fiction

Beautiful. Daring. Deadly.

The Cuban Revolution took everything from sugar heiress Beatriz Perez–her family, her people, her country. Recruited by the CIA to infiltrate Fidel Castro’s inner circle and pulled into the dangerous world of espionage, Beatriz is consumed by her quest for revenge and her desire to reclaim the life she lost.

As the Cold War swells like a hurricane over the shores of the Florida Strait, Beatriz is caught between the clash of Cuban American politics and the perils of a forbidden affair with a powerful man driven by ambitions of his own. When the ever-changing tides of history threaten everything she has fought for, she must make a choice between her past and future–but the wrong move could cost Beatriz everything–not just the island she loves, but also the man who has stolen her heart…

Last Girl Lied To by L.E. Flynn Release Date: April 16th Genre: Young Adult, Thriller

Something made him angry that night. Something made her cry. Something made Trixie disappear. What if it was all the same thing? Fiona claims she doesn’t remember anything about the night her best friend left a party early and walked into the ocean. But the truth is, she wishes she could forget.

Trixie’s disappearance is ruled a suicide, but Fiona starts to believe that Trixie isn’t really dead. Piecing together the trail of a girl who doesn’t want to be found leads her to Jasper, Trixie’s former friend with benefits, and Beau—the boy who turned Fiona down, who loved someone else, who might be happy Trixie is gone.

The closer Fiona gets to finding out what happened, and the closer she gets to Jasper and Beau, the more she realizes that the girl she knew better than anyone may have been a carefully constructed lie—and she might have been waiting to disappear the entire time.

Told in alternating chapters between the past and the present, Last Girl Lied To is a gripping emotional thriller.

Normal People by Sally Rooney Release Date: April 16th Genre: Literary Fiction

A wondrous and wise coming-of-age love story from the celebrated author of Conversations with Friends

At school Connell and Marianne pretend not to know each other. He’s popular and well-adjusted, star of the school football team, while she is lonely, proud and intensely private. But when Connell comes to pick his mother up from her job at Marianne’s house, a strange and indelible connection grows between the two teenagers—one they are determined to conceal.

A year later, they’re both studying at Trinity College in Dublin. Marianne has found her feet in a new social world while Connell hangs at the sidelines, shy and uncertain. Throughout their years at university, Marianne and Connell circle one another, straying toward other people and possibilities but always magnetically, irresistibly drawn back together. And as she veers into self-destruction and he begins to search for meaning elsewhere, each must confront how far they are willing to go to save the other. Sally Rooney brings her brilliant psychological acuity and perfectly spare prose to a story that explores the subtleties of class, the electricity of first love, and the complex entanglements of family and friendship.

The Austen Playbook by Lucy Parker Release Date: April 22nd Genre: Contemporary, Romance

Freddy Carlton knows she should be focusing on her lines for The Austen Playbook, a live-action TV event where viewers choose the outcome of each scene, but her concentration’s been blown. The palatial estate housing the endeavor is now run by the rude (brilliant) critic who’s consistently slammed her performances of late. James “Griff” Ford-Griffin has a penchant for sarcasm, a majestic nose and all the sensitivity of a sledgehammer.

She can’t take her eyes off him.

Griff can hardly focus with a contagious joy fairy flitting about near him, especially when Freddy looks at him like that. His only concern right now should be on shutting down his younger brother’s well-intentioned (disastrous) schemes—or at the very least on the production (not this one) that might save his family home from the banks.

Instead all he can think of is soft skin and vibrant curls.

As he’s reluctantly dragged into her quest to rediscover her passion for the stage and Freddy is drawn into his research on a legendary theater star, the adage about appearances being deceiving proves abundantly true. It’s the unlikely start of something enormous…but a single revelation about the past could derail it all.

How (Not) to Ask a Boy to Prom by S.J. Goslee Release Date: April 23rd Genre: Young Adult, Contemporary, Romance, LGBTQ+

Nolan Grant is sixteen, gay, and (definitely) still a virgin. He’s never had a boyfriend, or even been kissed. It’s not like Penn Valley is brimming with prospects. And when his big sister stages an elaborate “prom-posal” so Nolan can ask out his not-so-secret crush, Nolan freezes. He’s saved from further embarrassment by bad boy Bern, who, for his own reasons, offers to fake-date Nolan.

Nolan thinks it’s the perfect way to get Daphne off his back and spend the rest of the year drawing narwhals, tending to plants, and avoiding whatever died under his bed a few weeks ago. What he doesn’t think about is Bern’s ex-girlfriend, who seriously wants to kill him.

If I’m Being Honest by Emily Wibberley & Austin Siegemund-Broka Release Date: April 23rd Genre: Young Adult, Contemporary, Romance, Retellings

High school senior Cameron Bright’s reputation can be summed up in one word: bitch. It’s no surprise she’s queen bee at her private L.A. high school—she’s beautiful, talented, and notorious for her cutting and brutal honesty. So when she puts her foot in her mouth in front of her crush, Andrew, she fears she may have lost him for good.

In an attempt to win him over, Cameron resolves to “tame” herself, much like Katherine in Shakespeare’s The Taming of the Shrew. First, she’ll have to make amends with those she’s wronged, which leads her to Brendan, the guy she labelled with an unfortunate nickname back in the sixth grade. At first, Brendan isn’t all that receptive to Cameron’s ploy. But slowly, he warms up to her when they connect over the computer game he’s developing. Now if only Andrew would notice…

But the closer Cameron gets to Brendan, the more she sees he appreciates her personality—honesty and all—and wonders if she’s compromising who she is for the guy she doesn’t even want.

Cape May by Chip Cheek Release Date: April 30th Genre: Historical Fiction

Late September 1957. Henry and Effie, very young newlyweds from Georgia, arrive in Cape May, New Jersey, for their honeymoon only to find the town is deserted. Feeling shy of each other and isolated, they decide to cut the trip short. But before they leave, they meet a glamorous set of people who sweep them up into their drama. Clara, a beautiful socialite who feels her youth slipping away; Max, a wealthy playboy and Clara’s lover; and Alma, Max’s aloof and mysterious half-sister, to whom Henry is irresistibly drawn.

The empty beach town becomes their playground, and as they sneak into abandoned summer homes, go sailing, walk naked under the stars, make love, and drink a great deal of gin, Henry and Effie slip from innocence into betrayal, with irrevocable consequences.

Erotic and moving, this is a novel about marriage, love and sexuality, and the lifelong repercussions that meeting a group of debauched cosmopolitans has on a new marriage.

A Prince on Paper by Alyssa Cole Release Date: April 30th Genre: Contemporary, Romance

The Reluctant Royals series returns with a good girl searching for the life that’s not too big, and not too small, and the bad boy prince who might be just right for her…

Nya Jerami fled Thesolo for the glitz and glamour of NYC but discovered that her Prince Charming only exists in her virtual dating games. When Nya returns home for a royal wedding, she accidentally finds herself up close and personal—in bed—with the real-life celebrity prince who she loves to hate.

For Johan von Braustein, the red-headed step-prince of Liechtienbourg, acting as paparazzi bait is a ruse that protects his brother—the heir to the throne—and his own heart. When a royal referendum threatens his brother’s future, a fake engagement is the perfect way to keep the cameras on him.

Nya and Johan both have good reasons to avoid love, but as desires are laid bare behind palace doors, they must decide if their fake romance will lead to a happily-ever-after.

Happy reading!

[itunesbooks]

Her Wanton Wager - Grace Callaway

Her Wanton Wager Grace Callaway Genre: Historical Price: $4.99 Publish Date: December 10, 2012 Publisher: Grace Callaway Seller: Grace Callaway A game of seduction. An epic battle of wits. In this steamy enemies to lovers romance, the winner takes all... "Fun, sexy and very enjoyable!"--Five-stars, Love Romance Passion A Wager She Can't Afford to Lose When her brother falls into the clutches of gamester Gavin Hunt, feisty heiress Persephone Fines will do whatever it takes to save him. Hunt offers her an outrageous proposition: he will release her brother… if she can resist six nights of seduction. Can she withstand the scoundrel's wicked charm—and the shocking desire he rouses with each touch? A Bet He's Determined to Win A product of London’s violent stews, Gavin Hunt has clawed his way to success and power. Now he will stop at nothing to achieve his life-long goal: revenge upon the man who betrayed him. He plans to seduce his enemy’s sister… but doesn't count on losing his heart. Will he give up his need for vengeance—or risk forsaking the only woman he’s ever loved? From Six Nights... to Forever As the battle of the sexes rages on and seduction flares into uncontrollable passion, Gavin and Percy must also fight a hidden enemy. Only by trusting one another can they defeat the threats of past and present. In this high-stakes game of love versus sin, what will be the outcome of… Her Wanton Wager ?  Length: Full-length novel Sensuality: Hot and Steamy Her Wanton Wager is the 2nd novel in the Mayhem in Mayfair series, which features hot, sexy romance, fun and feel-good happily ever afters, and intriguing mystery and adventure. While this book can be read as a stand-alone novel, many readers enjoy reading it as part of a series. The chronological order for Grace's series follows below: Mayhem in Mayfair series: Book 1: Her Husband's Harlot (Helena & Nicholas) Book 2: Her Wanton Wager (Percy & Gavin) Book 3: Her Protector's Pleasure (Marianne & Ambrose) Book 4: Her Prodigal Passion (Charity & Paul) Heart of Enquiry (Kent family saga) series: Prequel Novella: The Widow Vanishes (Will & Annabel) Book 1: The Duke Who Knew Too Much (Alaric & Emma) Book 2: M is for Marquess (Gabriel & Thea) Book 3: The Lady Who Came in from the Cold (Marcus & Penny) Book 4: The Viscount Always Knocks Twice (Richard & Violet) Book 5: Never Say Never to an Earl (Sinjin & Polly) Book 6: The Gentleman Who Loved Me (Andrew & Primrose) Game of Dukes series: Book 1: The Duke Identity (Harry & Tessa) Book 2: Enter the Duke (Ransom & Maggie) Book 3: Regarding the Duke (Garrity & Gabby, Preorder now!) Chronicles of Abigail Jones (hot Victorian gothic paranormal romance): Book 1: Abigail Jones About the Author USA Today & International Bestselling Author Grace Callaway writes steamy and adventurous historical romances. Her debut book, Her Husband's Harlot, was a Romance Writers of America Golden Heart® Finalist and a #1 Regency Bestseller, and her subsequent novels have topped national and international bestselling lists. She’s the winner of the Passionate Plume Award for Historical Novel, and her books have been honored as finalists for the National Reader's Choice Awards, the Maggie Award of Excellence, and the Daphne du Maurier Award for Excellence in Mystery and Suspense. A clinical psychologist, she lives with her family in Northern California, where their adventures include remodeling a ramshackle house, exploring the great outdoors, and sampling local artisanal goodies. http://bit.ly/2EK4yWP