Alexandra Vasti has quickly become a go-to author for historical romances, and I was excited for her latest, Scandal of the Summer, the first in her Flirty Rotten Scoundrels series. After four seasons, heiress Ruby is tired of trying to find a husband who can appreciate her depth of knowledge on "masculine" subjects like art... Continue Reading →
First released in 2015, the new English translation of Someone Like You, by Catalan-Spanish author Xavier Bosch, just came out yesterday. It's divided between two timelines. In 1981, Paulina Homs travels from Barcelona to Paris for her cousin's wedding weekend... and proceeds to fall in love with a French art gallery owner, Jean-Pierre Zanardi. More... Continue Reading →
Iceland is a country that keeps pulling me back in, so I'm always on the hunt for more books set there. This made Freyja by Margrét Ann Thors one of my most anticipated books this year. This dual timeline thriller brings Iceland—and its folklore—to vivid life. When Unnar was just eleven, her aunt (and legal... Continue Reading →
Ever since I saw that stunning cover, I've been looking forward to C.D. Major's debut novel, The Residency. Ginny is a single mother to six-year-old Isla, and every day brings ever more challenges. Broke, needing a change from London, and wanting to restart her art career, Ginny accepts a paid art residency on a remote... Continue Reading →
Last week I read Shannon Morgan's 2025 book, Grimdark, and I was excited to get into her brand new book, A Penance for Crows. This Gothic thriller takes place on a remote Irish island, Beanna Dubh, where 62-year-old Grizela has always been treated like an outsider. Not only is she Scottish, but she also spends... Continue Reading →
I always love a romance set in Scotland, so I couldn't miss Naina Kumar's new book, Just a Highland Fling. Neelu has barely seen her dad since her parents separated when she was a kid. But now her dad is remarrying, so she goes to Aberdeen, Scotland to attend the wedding. While in town she... Continue Reading →
Last year Shannon Morgan released her third novel, Grimdark. With her fourth book just around the corner, I wanted to catch up on this one first. Grimdark starts off when Cló's husband, Jude, unexpectedly inherits his estranged family's estate in Norfolk. The couple travel there to oversee the new ownership, but Jude's cruel, much older... Continue Reading →
Charlotte Cross's debut novel, The Brides, just came out this week. This is for all the Dracula fans out there: In this retelling, we get accounts from Mafalda Lowell, Lucy North, schoolfriend Eliza, and lady’s maid Alice from their travels to Budapest and Transylvania in 1884. Twenty years later, Dr. John Seward is a psychiatric... Continue Reading →
In a few months, Charlotte B. Plumb will release her debut novel, Reap & Sow, via the new crossover imprint, Berkley XO. This imprint is meant to have appeal for both Adult and Young Adult audiences. Reap & Sow is a slow-burn romantasy about Eda, a young woman forced to make a pact with a... Continue Reading →
These past few years, I've been enjoying Felicia Grossman's Once Upon the East End series. Each story centers Jewish characters finding love in 1830s London, and each is a gender-flipped fairytale retelling. The latest release is Dearest Beast, inspired by Beauty and the Beast. When Rebecca Adler's home and business gets blown up by an... Continue Reading →
One of my all-time favorite novels is Jane Eyre, and I always enjoy reading retellings of it. And so I couldn't resist reading Marian Yee's debut, 4 Janes. This book is divided into four reimaginings of Jane, two continuing from Charlotte Brontë's established storytelling, and two drawing up entirely new versions of the titular character.... Continue Reading →
Alicia Thompson released one of my most anticipated books this week: In Every Possible Way. This contemporary romance is infused with magical realism and plenty of love towards the Cranberries. (Hence the book's title!) Jess celebrates her 37th birthday by going on a first date with an Irish expat name Niall. The date ends up... Continue Reading →
I've been enjoying Isabel Ibañez's books since Woven in Moonlight in 2020. This year she released her first adult novel: Graceless Heart, part of her new series, the Spellbound History Quartet. Set mainly in 1478 in Florence, Italy, this romantasy blends together a wide palette of themes. Magic vs. Catholicism, art and beauty vs. machinery... Continue Reading →
Happy book birthday to You Won't Forget Me by Mazey Eddings! This was one of my most anticipated romances this year. It's my first time reading this author, but I always love a book with music at its core. Here, Cubby Clark is the frontwoman for an up-and-coming band, but they're off to a rough... Continue Reading →
Between 2012 and 2013, I lived in Valencia, Spain while pursuing my master's degree. Someday I'll live in Spain again, but until then, I'm always chasing that feeling through books. This led me straight to The Valencia Expat Club by June Patrick, set exactly in my "home" city. Thirty-year-old Dahlia has just gotten divorced, and... Continue Reading →
I've been looking forward to Keshe Chow's adult debut, Strange Familiars, which just came out a couple weeks ago. The first in the Seamere College Duology, it's set in a magical version of our world at a London university, where two veterinary science majors are competing for the top spot upon graduation. Gwendolynne Chan and... Continue Reading →
Happy book birthday to Harper St. George's The Dove and the Rogue! This is the final novel in her Doves of New York trilogy, set up so brilliantly in the previous book, Eliza and the Duke. I was sad when Berkley didn’t pick up the third story in the trilogy. (Traditional publishing's general move away... Continue Reading →
I adored the first two books in Harper St. George's Doves of New York series, but despite some truly excellent setup for middle sister, Jenny, I was disappointed when Berkley didn't pick up the final story in the trilogy. Thankfully, the author chose to self-publish this last installment, making fans like me oh so happy.... Continue Reading →
After loving KJ Charles's All of Us Murderers last year, I've been excited to read more from her. Today she releases her new Regency romance, How to Fake It in Society, and it is a treat. Titus Pilcrow is a poor shopkeeper selling paints, but his luck unexpectedly turns when a bitter old woman on... Continue Reading →
I've been looking forward to Gabrielle Sher's debut novel, Odessa. Set in 1905 during the pogroms in Russia, it focuses on a Jewish family fighting for their safety. Yetta is a teenager, engaged and ready to embark on her future. But then her Jewish community is attacked, and she's one of the many killed. Her... Continue Reading →
I loved Diana Quincy's historical romance The Duke Gets Desperate, and I've been excited to continue the series. The second Sirens in Silk book is The Earl That Got Away, a retelling of Jane Austen's Persuasion. It turns out that Raya's sister and Strick's close friend knew each other years ago, and they've both been... Continue Reading →
Olesya Salnikova Gilmore is an author I've been wanting to read since her debut, The Witch and the Tsar. Now her third novel is out: The Fortune Tellers of Rue Daru takes place in 1924 Paris, where a Russian immigrant family is haunted (literally!) by the past. With a decades-old murder mystery or two, out-of-control... Continue Reading →
Jessica George's debut, Maame, was one of my favorite books of 2023, so I've been excited for her follow-up. Her second novel, Love by the Book, is out today, and though it's different in scope, it's equally compelling. It focuses on two seemingly opposite women who are both at a crossroads and just need a... Continue Reading →
Susanna Clarke's Piranesi has been on my shelf since it came out in 2020, and I don't know why it took me so long to finally read it, but now was the right time for me. It's told from the journals of Piranesi, one of only two living people in the world they inhabit. Their... Continue Reading →
Amanda's Book Corner 