I really enjoyed this book...up to the final pages, where I just didn't buy the motivation of the murderer. I loved the protagonist's voice, the sense of place, the joy and messiness of family. The author has really grown since she wrote Hollywood Homicide. I'm hoping the next book I read by her sticks the landing.

While I appreciate having a historical romance centered around someone Jewish, Ursula's Jewishness is never really shown as enriching her life, just as being a barrier in the gentile, anti-Semitic society she is trying to move in. And I didn't really connect with the author's writing style.

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What an absolutely glorious surprise @Alwaysbeenaloverofbooks ! Thank you so much! I tried to hold out for my birthday but couldn't wait lol. #litsylove

Absolutely adored my reread for #Pemberlittens! I'd rewatched the Ang Lee movie recently so it was good to refresh my memory of what is actually in the book.

Beautiful writing and wonderful characters (as almost always with Austen).

A number of good, recent contemporary romances seem to have protagonists dealing with past trauma. This is no exception. It's an enemy to lovers story featuring two Texans of Indian descent. Liya is really hard to like, but when you learn her backstory, you understand her much better. Trigger warning for past sexual assault.

Supporting characters are good, though I'd have loved to see them further fleshed out, and the hero is dreamy. 4❤️#romantsy

Reread this since I'd like to see the movie at some point. I still really enjoyed it, but some of the HR things make me shudder now that I'm at a later point in my career!

Another great installment in the Eve Dallas series! This time Eve is racing against a serial killer who has multiple women captive...

If you're looking for great space opera romances, Jessie Mihalik is for you! Hunt the Stars is the start of a new series, with a great cast of characters along with political intrigue. I greatly enjoyed this one and can't wait to read the sequel! 5❤️

This was an amazing cozy mystery that I simply devoured! (See what I did there?!) It avoided everything that turns me off to some cozy mysteries, and was simply charming. The characters drew me in and the description of baked goods was delightful. And the mystery itself was entertaining.

An intriguing set-up, with a true crime podcast framing the investigation into a serial killer cold case. Our protagonist, Elle, has a podcast which looks into cold cases, and the story opens with a new season and a new set of crimes, those of the Countdown Killer. But as Elle gets closer to finding new leads, a series of events happen that make her doubt they are coincidences. And ultimately Elle needs to confront the secrets of her own past.👇

A truly charming middle-grade murder mystery. Taking place at an English boarding school between the wars, this book is narrated by Hazel Wong, recently of Hong Kong. When Hazel finds the body of a dead schoolmistress, she runs for her friend and fellow detective society member Daisy Wells. What follows is an exciting adventure...

I'm looking forward to reading more in the series! The only thing that threw me a bit were some Americanisms.

From the illustrated cover, I thought this was a rom com, which it really wasn't. I'm not even sure it's a romance - the male and female leads don't even meet until halfway through. What it is is an exploration of a woman's move from Jewish secularism to becoming part of a haredi (very orthodox) community in order to find meaning and a better life. I really appreciated the insight into this community, and the balanced view of the beauty and also👇

Oh my, I can see why this book got so much love! I hardly expected to get tears in my eyes from a fictitious election result in a romance book, but this did it. It starts of light and cute and about a third of the way in gets pretty intense (in a good way). There is a coming out story, political intrigue, royals, and finding oneself, all written in a compelling voice. 5❤️ #romantsy

I've enjoyed every Sally Thorne book I've read, and while I didn't enjoy this as much as I remember liking The Hating Game, I still really enjoyed this.

Our heroine has some major scars from her past, giving up her dreams to play it safe working in a retirement community. The community has great characters, including her BFF and the love interest. They get our heroine to venture out of her comfort zone and find love on the way. #romantsy
4❤️

I decided on a reread to refresh my memory of the book after having watched the Netflix series when it came out. I find that Daphne has a lot more depth in the book, and also that the problematic scene is more problematic than I realized when I first read it.

The book is still a mostly very enjoyable read (though that scene moves it to the category of a problematic fav for me and probably overall down to a so-so.) Still a great series!

#romantsy

I will definitely be reading more Kennedy Ryan romances in the future! This was an absorbing story of a love between an actress and director, as well as a story about dealing with a chronic illness while living a full life. I only have two reservations about this specific book. The first is that I wanted a little more about the movie and how it was received at the end of the book. (I couldn't find the second epilogue online.) The second was that👇

A beautifully written, sweeping story from the Spanish Civil War through the fall of Chilean dictator Pinochet. I'd say this is more a story of what happens on the world stage than a story of the individual characters in the book. There isn't as much character development, but rather the characters are a window into what was happening more broadly. The book beautifully sets up the parallels of dictatorship and exile across the world.

More a romance with adventure (running for their lives in Alaska) than a romantic suspense, this book is clearly part of a connected series with overarching plot elements. I think I would have enjoyed it more with more of the wider plot - or if I had read the first book first. This is an insta-love story by its very nature, so of that's not something you like, this book is probably not for you.

A so-so for me, but I can definitely see this👇

Four interconnected historical romance stories about the house party to end all Regency house parties! I appreciated the different couples all being in the same venue. It's a charming conceit!

Unfortunately I still am not a huge fan of short stories and the Eloisa James was the only story I really got into. More the format than a reflection on the authors, I'm sure.

#romantsy

I reread this recently and forgot to post. Woops!

Harry has to help Warden Morgan, of all people. Morgan still doesn't trust Harry's apprentice Molly, of course, which makes saving Morgan that much more complicated. And with a bounty out on Morgan and a skin walker after them, things are complicated enough already.

This was fun! I'd say it's a dependable Julie Anne Long read, and there's nothing wrong with that. Enjoyable characters (both new and old) and a love story between two people of widely differing social class, with a lovely HEA. 4❤️

#romanstsy

I love Sabatini, a historical fiction writer from the 1920s best known for the swashbucklers Captain Blood and Scarmouche. (Errol Flynn, anyone?) And I was delighted to find some 1920s editions in a used bookstore in Providence Rhode Island!

Historical fiction from the 1920s certainly needs to be read with the understanding that there will be problematic themes, attitudes, or statements. The Carolinian is no exception, given that it takes place👇

OMG I just ❤️ Ilona Andrews and this novella did not disappoint! Great world building, great romance, great adventure.

#romantsy

This was so good, and ended...well, let's just say I didn't realize at first that there will be a third book and spent some time sorting through my feelings!

We have our same prickly protagonist who is gradually letting more and more people into her life. Only now how will that impact her group's graduation strategy?!

I can't wait for book3!

A sexy, slightly dark historical second chance romance. I loved that our heroine is part of a secret group that helps other people, in this case investigating the disappearance of some young women from the neighborhood. Of course the expert swordsman hero teaches our MC how to fight and save herself!

I just wish we had gotten a more solid conclusion to the mystery. I suspect the next book in the series will shed more light.

#romantsy

This book was bonkers! And silly and rather charming and entertaining.

It's hard to describe. Victorian lady pirates whose vessels are flying houses get kidnapped by a male scoundrel who believes Bramwell Bronte was a genius and that uppity women should be back in the kitchen. Meanwhile our protagonist falls for a rakish male pirate (who is sadly without a flying house) as they go off to rescue the kidnapped members of the Wisteria Society.

SnowDancer and Dark River mingle even further with a burning hot romance between Mercy and Riley. Mercy is a great protagonist, a really dominant leopard changeling. Only Riley, a wolf, is a dominant enough male to partner her.

The Human Alliance plays an increasing part in the larger world plot, while the romance brings more heat but less emotional development than some of the last books in the series.
@Riveted_Reader_Melissa

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Plots grow more intricate as Summer comes after Dresden while Winter's Queen Mab has commanded him to be her emissary. And the Denarians are back in town to make things even more dangerous...as Dresden finds he needs to help Marcone.

A beautifully written and elegant short novel about race, belonging, identity, and exclusion. How did you interpret the ending?

I really enjoyed this one, though I would have loved to know more about the activities the Duchess's band of activist women gets up to. Maybe that's coming in the next book?

Also, having a heroine called Sesily (with the soubriquet of Sexily) is inspired!
#romantsy

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A truly interesting setting - extremely rural British Colombia after WWII - is the setting for this cozy murder mystery. I didn't really connect with the story, but I am intrigued by the female protagonist's back story of intelligence work during the war.

This felt so much like a Hallmark holiday special (if Hallmark actually had any specials about Hannukah that aren't actually about Christmas). It's cute and cheesey and full of holiday spirit. Despite growing up with family using Yiddish words, I could have used a glossary, so there was definitely some googling of terms.

It's lovely to have a Jewish romance. I liked this one but didn't love it. 3.5💖

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#llfs #LitsyLoveFallSwap joy! I love everything @Wife! Thank you so so much! The hot chocolate is one of my favorites and hard to get where I live. I haven't read any of the books but I've heard good things about them and can't wait to start reading! The Halloween mask is adorable. And I can't wait to send some mail😁 Thank you!!!

@Bookgoil @rsteve388

My before pic. @Wife this #llfs box is so beautifully wrapped!

@Bookgoil @rsteve388

Something is preying on the lesser magical talents of Chicago, and Harry has to figure out the plot behind these apparent suicides before more people die

The series just keeps getting better and better. Good pacing, good plot, great characters.

I thought this was really excellent! Definitely not a rom com, as the MC has to work through A LOT of trauma, but a lovely romance that is a modern take on Austen's Persuasion. Ashna is a chef who suffers from panic attacks if she doesn't cook from only a small set of dishes, and in a series of flashbacks and current scenes, we gradually find out why. Of course, when her high school love comes back into her life as her partner on a cooking 👇

My series reread goes on. The shenanigans in this one result in Harry taking an apprentice.

In the latest addition to the always-enjoyable Bess Crawford series, Bess gets an inside look at the "Irish Trouble" in 1919. With the same vividness used to describe the Front in earlier books, the author brings to life the rifts and unease of Ireland shortly before independence. Bess doesn't know whom she can trust.

(Note: There are some references to Romany/Travellers that are period-appropriate but jarring because of their bigotry.)

My #LLFS arrived from @Wife! Can't wait to open it in a few weeks!

@Bookgoil @rsteve388

This may well be my favorite of the series so far. The world building has been incredible, and the broader story of the Psy Council, the rebellion, and now a third player is central to this book.

We start to see plots hidden under plots. (How has the dynamic between Henry and Shoshanna just changed on the Council? Who are the human players who are getting into the game? What is Kaleb hunting??)

The love story, focusing on family as well as 👇

And it's off! Should arrive around Wednesday @Wife. #LitsyLoveFallSwap @rsteve388 @Bookgoil #LLFS

This is an intriguing set-up and I appreciate the interesting world-building retelling of Persuasion, but I'm thinking I just may not be in the mood for dystopian YA right now. I'm not really connecting with the story. I'm going to bail at least for now and wait for A Recipe for Persuasion.

#PemberLittens

An entertaining romance where a group of men have a romance novel book club to learn to understand women better. Gavin, the male lead, is inducted into the book club by a friend and team member after Gavin's wife asks for a divorce. Gavin learns how to forge a stronger relationship with his wife through the course of the book, leading to our HEA.

A cute premise. 4 ❤️.
#romantsy

Another great addition to the series! No broad plots or conspiracies in this, just a solid murder investigation that might be linked to the discovery of the 40 year old remains of a pregnant Jane Doe.

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Wow, this book was fantastic. But it also goes to some pretty emotional, serious places regarding mental health and caretaking for a loved one, so don't be deceived by the cover. It's much darker in many ways than her first two, and apparently covers some autobiographical elements.
5💖
#romantsy

Julie Anne Long is always charming, and always has at least a couple of laugh-out-loud lines. This third installment of the Grand Palace on the Thames series certainly meets those marks. 4.5❤️

#romantsy
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This felt rather old school romance to me given how alpha male the Hawk is, although that's probably also a factor of being a Renaissance Scottish lord. This book has a twist to the traditional historical romance - our heroine gets sent back in time by the fae! While I enjoyed the story, I didn't love it. 3.5💖

#romantsy
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Necromancers and Sue the Dinosaur. Hard to beat.

Lucy Parker delivers again! This start of a new series might get you in the mood to bake (or eat!) cake as the two protagonists own rival bakeries - across the street from one another. They are also co-judges for a baking show. But slowly they realize they have feelings for each other. What will happen when they compete for a royal commission?

It's an adorable rivals to lovers story. Funny and sweet. 5❤️

#romantsy
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This time, Harry has to protect the actors and production staff at an adult film set from a curse, while getting better acquainted with the White Court and the Raiths. All this while accidentally getting a puppy and learning more about his mother.