Several months ago, before the cover had even been unveiled, I was intrigued about The Emperor and the Endless Palace by Justinian Huang. Spanning three disparate timelines, spotlighting gay Chinese men, and infusing it all with a theme of rebirth and fate, this is a fantasy debut I knew could not be missed. Special thanks... Continue Reading →
I was perusing NetGalley a few months ago when I came across Manila Takes Manhattan by Carla de Guzman. It combines so many elements that excite me as a reader: a strong theme of music, a romantic plot, and diverse characters, in this case, Filipino celebrities. I was excited to read about two people torn... Continue Reading →
Last week, Cristina Henríquez released her new novel, The Great Divide. Set in 1907 in Panama, it highlights the various working class people who were part of the building of the Panama Canal and those who were affected by it. Special thanks to Harper Audio, Ecco, and NetGalley for providing me with an ARC of this book!... Continue Reading →
Last summer, I adored Delphine Ross's The Poetics of Passion, the first in her Muses of Scandal series. Now the series continues with The Dance of Desire, following the middle Bartham sister, Angela, and a friends-to-enemies-to-lovers romance with Sunny. It's a Beauty and the Beast retelling and a marriage of convenience, all rolled into one... Continue Reading →
Early last year, I absolutely loved Before I Let Go by Kennedy Ryan. The first in her Skyland trilogy, I was left eager to continue the series (and to read more from this author in general!). This week, the Skyland series continues with This Could Be Us, offering a hard-earned happily ever after for Soledad.... Continue Reading →
For many months, I've been excited for the release of Lindsay Hameroff's debut novel, Till There Was You. I'll admit, that delicious cover is what first caught my attention (who doesn't love blueberry pancakes?), but I was also intrigued by the music industry aspect of it, too. This is a charming and heartwarming contemporary romance... Continue Reading →
In late 2022, I enjoyed Rachel Kapelke-Dale’s sophomore novel, The Ingenue. This week, she published her third book, The Fortune Seller, about the clash of classes at Yale and in New York City finance. With dark academia vibes, horses, tarot cards, and complicated friendships, this book is part drama, part thriller. Special thanks to St.... Continue Reading →
Between her first two novels, I’ve become a big fan of Yangsze Choo. Now she’s back with her third novel, The Fox Wife, and I was thrilled to get an early read of it. Like her previous two books, this one combines historical fiction, fantasy, and mystery together, along with Asian settings and mythologies. This... Continue Reading →
Three years ago, I adored The Girl with Stars in Her Eyes by Xio Axelrod. The first in her Lillys series, it introduced an all-girl rock band starting to gain traction before releasing their first album. It was an incredible work of music fiction as well as contemporary romance, and I was eager to continue... Continue Reading →
For the past few years, I've been loving the Regency Vows series by Martha Waters. Today, the series has reached its fifth and final installment with To Woo and to Wed, giving readers the long-awaited HEA between West and Sophie. It's bittersweet to end the series, but this final love story was worth the wait.... Continue Reading →
Like so many romance readers out there, I've become a fan of Ali Hazelwood ever since her debut novel, The Love Hypothesis. Up until recently, she'd focused on adult STEMinist romances, but now she's branching out a bit more. Following her first young adult novel last November, she is now offering up her first taste... Continue Reading →
These past two years, Mimi Matthews has become one of my favorite authors. I’ve loved her Belles of London series, which is now back with its third installment, The Lily of Ludgate Hill. Lady Anne Deveril and her nemesis Felix Hartford get their happily ever after, but it’s hard-earned and will take them some time... Continue Reading →
The Djinn Waits a Hundred Years is Shubnum Khan's first novel available in the United States. This is one of those cases where the cover completely captured my attention; it is gorgeous and evocative. I also have a growing interest in djinn, so I was excited to read a new book in which they feature.... Continue Reading →
C. J. Cooke is an author I've been wanting to read for a few years now, so I've started with The Lighthouse Witches. Scotland, dual timelines, a theme of witches... it has all the makings of a great work of Gothic fiction. Summary In the 1990s, Liv has few options as a single mother of... Continue Reading →
Over the past several years, I've collected a few books by Jennifer McMahon, and there are so many more on my 'wanted' list! Now felt like the right time to finally dive into some of her books, and I decided to start with the novel I've had the longest: The Winter People. It's also perfect... Continue Reading →
One of my most anticipated books this year was The Writing Retreat, the debut novel by Julia Bartz. A psychological thriller combining an isolated setting with a theme about books, and I'm sold. Though I got this book back when it came out, I didn't get a chance to read it. But I couldn't let... Continue Reading →
Though I don't read many holiday romances, I had to read Amor Actually, a short-story collection centering Latina characters. So many of my favorite authors contributed to this anthology, with all their stories interconnecting by the end. Leading up to one Nochebuena party among friends, nine different partnerships (couples and throuples alike!) will get their... Continue Reading →
Since first reading Bringing Down the Duke in late 2019, Evie Dunmore has been one of my favorite authors. I've been loving her League of Extraordinary Women series, and now the fourth and final book has arrived: The Gentleman's Gambit, starring Catriona Campbell and a new character, Elias Khoury. I got my copy from Book... Continue Reading →
Months ago, I saw Melissa Rivero’s Flores and Miss Paula on NetGalley and was instantly intrigued. About an immigrant mother and her adult daughter, it describes their difficult relationship in the aftermath of a family loss, honoring their Peruvian culture while living in New York City, and navigating their future together. My husband is Peruvian,... Continue Reading →
The Fairytale Life of Dorothy Gale by Virginia Kantra wasn’t on my radar, but when I was invited to review it, its synopsis captured my heart. It’s set in Ireland at Trinity College Dublin, where the main character is pursuing a master’s degree. Well, my sister earned her master’s from Trinity and is still living... Continue Reading →
In the past couple of years, I've been loving getting into Mimi Matthews's books. While she normally writes historical romances, her one work of Gothic fiction also appealed to me: John Eyre, a gender-flipped retelling of Jane Eyre and another creepy classic. Summary In 1843, schoolmaster John Eyre is hired to tutor two strange boys... Continue Reading →
Although I had November reading plans lined up, all that got derailed when I saw this month's Amazon First Reads selections. Salt & Broom by Sharon Lynn Fisher was compared to one of my favorite novels, Jane Eyre, and I was helpless to resist. And after having some health issues lately, I was in need... Continue Reading →
A few years ago, I absolutely loved Constance Sayers’s debut novel, A Witch in Time. Now she’s back with her third release, The Star and the Strange Moon. Like her previous work, this one combines fantasy and horror seamlessly. It’s about a 1960s actress who goes missing, the cult horror film left behind and the... Continue Reading →
Early this summer, I enjoyed reading Amalie Howard’s Always Be My Duchess, the first in her Taming of the Dukes series. Now the series continues with Never Met a Duke Like You. It stars returning character Lady Vesper Lyndhurst and a newcomer, Aspen Drake, Duke of Greydon. It’s a childhood friends to enemies to lovers... Continue Reading →
