#WhatchaReading ? I didn't love the style and tropiness of Eight Dates and Nights, but I did love reading a Hanukkah book that was really focused on Hanukkah. And it's really cool to read about Jewish history in a rural area of Texas.
Favorite moment: It's not a queer romance, but the MMC has a bumper sticker with a Pride flag and the words "Shalom Y'All Means Y'All."
#WhatchaReading ? I finished the most waste of time old Harlequin, The Wild Side by Diana Hamilton. One of those awful misogynistic old skool books that's pretty fun if you're in the right mood -- but then there's the most lukewarm ending! Why did I suffer through all that angst?! Where is my payoff?!
@willaful I finished “How to train your Alpha” by M M Farmer (The first in the Bangers & Mash series - I really liked it; Alpha - Omega; forced proximity; steamy); I’m currently reading “Naughty Elf” (Omega Christmas Elves book one) by the same author as part of my #SeasonalReading; and up next will probably be something holiday themed again…
Sounds good! I've read a lot of MM Farmer's books. Currently, I'm slowly working my way through her After the War series in between reading other books.
Some of the #mmromance holiday books I've been reading lately are:
An Heiress for Christmas by @samanthasorelle
Daddy Christmas by Cara Dee
The Christmas Summons by Kelly Fox
Stocking Stuffer by Loralei Hart
Masters in This Hall by KJ Charles
Currently, I'm reading Can We Keep Him for Christmas by Leigh Lennon
#WhatchaReading? On my third try, I finally finished The Wake Up Call. I liked it fairly well by the end, but I don't read Beth O'Leary for tropiness and this was all trope all the time. And I'm just not that fond of the "she's a childish pain in the ass and somehow he loves her for it" relationship dynamic. There was some nice tenderness and angst... the supposedly stoic MMC really gets punched in the gut, poor sweet baby.
#WhatchaReading ? I finished Evvie Drake Starts Over and am so glad I gave it a chance. (I had read it was NOT a romance, which made me very nervous. 😂 But any book with such great banter between the leads and a happy ending is romance enough for me!)
Also read Let it Snow by three YA authors and... meh. It has not aged at all well, is kinda racist, and I only really liked Maureen Johnson's story anyway.
#WhatchaReading ? I read the lovely Agents of Winter by Ada Marie Soto. Third in a series and you should really read them in order; also you want to read them all. 😁 (Unless you are very agin gentle and/or asexual romance.)
#WhatchaReading ? My last two romances were Lies and Lullabies and Love at First Spite and they were prefectly cromulent ways to pass the time but I don't have much to say about them. (Except the MMC has a rather unusual disability in LaFS. And it irked me that we don't see any decision process when the FMC gets pregnant in L&L.)
Also listening to Evvie Drake Starts Over, which is thoughtful and funny. Wonderful narration by Julia Whelan, as usual.
#WhatchaReading ? I just finished Seeing Blind by Poppy Dale, a very sweet, sort of "shop around the corner" romance which is my catnip. Part epistolary, which is also my catnip. Kisses only. Kiss only, really. 😁
One character has prosopagnosia, which is a significant disability for him. Can't say if it's an accurate portrayal but it was very interesting.
Slightly disconcerting that it's set in Manhattan and CA but the author is quite obviously British. 😁
#WhatchaReading ? I just finished Dionysus in Wisconsin and I'd feel a little delicate about mentioning it since the author is on this instance, but fortunately I loved it. 😁 It's kind of like if Neil Gaiman and Cat Sebastian collaborated on a m/m historical fantasy romance. Magic, myths, high stakes, true love.
#WhatchaReading ? I listened to With Love, From Cold World and just like with Love in the Time of Serial Killers, I almost DNF'd because I found the FMC so obnoxious, but kept on and loved it by the end. Maybe her theme is even really obnoxious women deserve love? 😁 Score for me!
Liked how queer the book is for an m/f pairing, especially since it's set in Florida. (MMC is bisexual.) More red state queer books please! (Sensitive readers should note the CWs.)
#WhatchaReading ? I finished Thrown to the Wolves, the third in Charlie Adhara's series, and it just gets better and better. Real change and growth for the characters.
#WhatchaReading ? I'm reading Upside Down by N.R. Walker and am confused, because there is so much kvelling about its asexual rep. And so far, in a support group for asexual and aromantic people, the leader/MMC has only talked about people not wanting to have sex, which as I understand it isn't even true of all ace people and is certainly not true of all aromantic people. Perhaps more nuance will appear later in the book?
@willaful Reading Vanessa Riley's first Lady Worthing mystery, Murder in Westminster; I'm compelled to keep reading, even though the narration sometimes feels a bit stream-of-consciousness (first person, part tense), in what feels like an established universe I've just been dropped into without warning.
#WhatchaReading ? I just finished a very soft, sweet romance called Kit & Basie, which I was lucky enough to snag for free. (It's no longer free but is on KU.) It's m/m cottagecore whimsy but somehow manages not to be twee. Also about grief and may be iffy for disabled readers, so check the CWs. Kisses only.
#WhatchaReading ? I finished The Culmination of Everything by Christina Jones. (KU) Two grieving main characters, one highly grumpy. (Sensitive readers should check for trigger warnings.) It's got possibly the most non-commital ending I've ever encountered in a romance -- a true HFN -- but it works. I mostly liked it except for one very recurrent author tic.
#WhatchaReading ? There's nothing like a really good audiobook for making my work get done. Two loads of laundry and a lot of gardening done, thanks to 10 Things That Never Happened. The narrator is just fantastic, such distinct voices and accents. And you can really hear the emotions growing between the characters.
(But now I have nothing to listen to, so I guess housework is done for the day!)
#WhatchaReading ? If "too much sex" reviews make you perk, you'll want to check out Her Halloween Treat by Reisz. Nothing but sex and banter, often at the same time. Way too much of both for me.
Also DNF'd The Road to Roswell, second Willis DNF in a row for me. To paraphrase my husband, I'm tired of her shtick.
#WhatchaReading ? I read The Amazing Alpha Tau Boyfriend Project by Lisa Henry, which was very fun, but also made me uncomfortable in a way I find hard to define. Maybe the glorification of the "good" frat house, maybe the familiar humor that sounds more like my friends online than college boys. I'll probably read the next book though. On KU.
#WhatchaReading ? I read Return to Monte Carlo by Cate Wells. (KU) It's dedicated to Lucy Monroe and well, IYKYK. 😁 Basically it's an updated, subverted, and pretty kinky version of the classic "withdrawn Italian husband with horrible family" Harlequin Presents and I was here for it! Though the ending was a bit abrupt. It's set in the 80s for extra descriptive fun. (Just like an old HP!)
#WhatchaReading ? I finished A Nobleman's Guide to Seducing a Scoundrel. Too much page time to horrible speeches from horrible people, but the ending is extremely satisfying and has one of the best declarations of love ever.
#WhatchaReading ? I listened to Codename Charming, which I liked a fair bit more than Battle Royal, although I don't think the audiobook did it a lot of favors. (It was good enough to keep listening to, but the MMC's voice wasn't great.) The hero is a Mountain, which I always love.
Also read Ten Things I Hate About the Duke, which I thought had some plotting issues, but Chase always does such great relationships and interactions.
#WhatchaReading ? I DNF'd His Improper Proposal by Aydra Richards; really didn't like the uneven power dynamic between the two main characters, and the whole set-up was pretty ridiculous. This was her first book and she got much, much better.
#WhatchaReading? I #AmReading His Forgotten Bride by Aydra Richards, an amnesia story, yay!. My third by her and I'm really enjoying them; nice to be able to read historical romance again. She's kind of old fashioned but not Old Skool, if that makes sense.