Julia Ganis
You're never gonna look at mermaids in the same way again after meeting this dark and dangerous morgen! I loved the mix of real fear and menace blended with the dawning of romance and sensual delights. The writing is lush and evocative... I could practically imagine I was on the island myself, searching for the fabled treasure...
I don't often leave written reviews here, and full disclosure: I have worked with Jenny Holiday in the past, though not on this, and have never met her in person. BUT – I just had to because I loved the book that much. This is probably my very favorite type of book for 2018, when the world is a flaming poo-pile. It's fun, it's light, and it's funny but not ridiculous...except then it sneaks up on you and sets your brain on fire with all the EMOTIONS and FEELINGS and UGH I heart it so much.
I really love this author's writing and predict she'll be on the top of the Romancelandia heap some day.
2/21: To fans of this book, FYI author Jeff Sweat is in the ICU with Covid, and his wife and children also have it. We're running a GoFundMe for them: https://www.gofundme.com/f/lets-help-the-sweat-family
Wowee, I loved this book. Sweat does a masterful job of imagining a world so similar to ours...yet after the total breakdown of society as we know it. The book is gripping, scary, adventure-filled, tremendously moving and even funny at times. A great read, whether or not you're a young adult yourself.
(I received an advance copy; this is an honest review.)
I love a historical romance that's not afraid to be about something – and as she did in her last historical, THE MISS MIRREN MISSION, Jenny Holiday deftly weaves a tale that entertains and enlightens. With plenty of heat thrown into the mix!
Trevor and Lucy are old friends who haven't seen each other in years, but while Trevor's now a successful and wealthy businessman, Lucy's path, as a governess agitating for women's rights, has been more difficult. And though it's great that Trevor's around at a moment when Lucy needs rescuing, she's not at all certain she can reconcile her growing desire for him with her dedication to reformation. Add in spies and a murder and it all comes together in a story that is romantic and fun and, dare I say it, educational as well. (Early feminist philosopher Mary Wollstonecraft FTW!)
Though this is the second book in Holiday's Regency Reformer series, it can be read as a stand-alone.
ARC in exchange for an honest review.
What a read!
Charlotte Stein is an incredible writer; her books just keep getting better and better. And SWEET AGONY is a wonderful, heartbreaking, steamy read.
Simultaneously funny, strange, erotic, weird and passionate, it's about two very damaged people whose tentative steps toward each other are marked by equal parts curiosity and fear, pleasures of the flesh, and a scene involving possibly the smuttiest read-aloud of all time. It's delightfully obscene and ridiculously romantic. I'll be rereading it for years to come.
(ARC provided in exchange for an honest review.)
Holy. Moly. Just wanted to read one chapter of this book before bed last night and ended up completely unable to stop turning pages. This is one heck of a dark read, but it's also infused with so much hope and desire and lust and heat and angst and confusion and all-around goodness that make it so, so great and ultimately redemptive, enjoyable and, dare I say it – fun. Charlotte Stein just doesn't hold back, and as a reader I'm grateful.
(I got an ARC in exchange for an honest review.)
Victoria Dahl is a masterful writer whose work keeps getting better and better. With LOOKING FOR TROUBLE she skillfully combines very real, very human characters with multi-layered conflicts and absolutely sizzling hot sex scenes. The result: a book I just couldn't put down.
The conflicts stem from a very dramatic event 25 years ago – Alex's father had an affair with Sophie's mother, with tragic consequences on both sides – and the way these characters have dealt and are now dealing with the fallout is so true to life that it becomes harrowing to read. Dahl truly makes you feel that Alex and Sophie are perfect for each other – except that their very real inner conflicts and patterns of learned behavior are destined to destroy any potential for each of them to live a fulfilled life, let alone have a successful, long-term relationship. And there are no easy fixes. Just like real life, these characters can't grow and change until they can acknowledge the difficulties they face and rise above them. Dahl's incredibly effortless-seeming and entertaining writing means that their journeys, difficult though they may be, are tons of fun to read.
And did I mention the absolutely scorching love scenes? If you love a dirty-talking hero, and a heroine who seems prim and proper but is hiding her scorching-hot side from the world, you're gonna love this one. It's pure filth, and I mean that in the best possible way. And it's not just sexy sexy-times. We get sex-positive sex with real adult characters who do real adult things and aren't afraid to use all the words.
Other key words I should mention: motorcycle, tattoos, shaved head, stockings with garters. There's even a KITTEN. To paraphrase Stefon from SNL: this book has everything.
And when we finally get that happily-ever-after ending it's a beautiful thing. More than any book I've read in a long time, I truly felt like these two are in it for the long haul.
Full disclosure: I received an ARC of this book; it didn't influence my review.
