Last year, Natasha Siegel released her debut novel, Solomon's Crown. While I haven't yet gotten to read that, I was excited to dive into her newest book, The Phoenix Bride. Set in the seventeenth century amidst plague and fires, it follows two grieving people and their impossible fight for love. Special thanks to the publicists... 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 →
Happy publication day to Alexandra Kiley's debut novel, Kilt Trip! This is a book I've been eagerly anticipating for months, and I was so happy to be able to join the ARC team for it. Kilt Trip is a contemporary romance between two workplace rivals, set against a backdrop of scenic Scotland and the tourism... 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 →
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 →
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 →
Next week, K. Lyn Smith releases her fourth Hearts of Cornwall novel, Kissing Kate. Though I haven’t yet read the earlier books in the series, this Regency romance works perfectly as a standalone. It highlights a decade-long friendship between Kate and Ben, and when the two are thrown together in putting on a Shakespeare stage... 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 →
I rarely read memoirs by people I’m not already familiar with. Usually, this means I’m only reading memoirs from musicians I listen to. However, one new memoir that caught my attention is Soundtrack of Silence: Love, Loss, and a Playlist for Life by Matt Hay. It’s about a Midwest man who, in his early 20s,... Continue Reading →
One of my most anticipated romances this year is Don't Want You Like a Best Friend by Emma R. Alban. The first in her Mischief & Matchmaking series, it follows two young women during the London season of 1857. While searching for husbands, the two become friends... then something more. But how can they have a... Continue Reading →
My introduction to Suzanne Allain’s work was with her novel, Mr. Malcolm’s List. I read the book in 2022 and watched the movie adaptation immediately after—I thoroughly enjoyed both! Today she is back with her latest historical romance, The Ladies Rewrite the Rules. When a young widow finds out about an offensive directory meant to... 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 →
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 →
These last couple of years, I've been loving Virginia Heath's Merriwell Sisters series. Following Never Fall for Your Fiancée and Never Rescue a Rogue, the trilogy now ends with the youngest sister in Never Wager with a Wallflower. With just as much wit and heart as the first two, this final installment is equally fun and... Continue Reading →
I’m officially in my paranormal romance era! And my pirates era, too? For months, I’ve been intrigued about Hunt on Dark Waters, the first in Katee Robert’s Crimson Sails series. Equal parts romance and fantasy, it’s set in the magical sea realm of Threshold, connecting many other realms, including one just like our own. It... Continue Reading →
Some months ago, I was on NetGalley when my eyes were drawn to a stunning yellow and red cover. The Sun Sets in Singapore was an equally captivating title. The debut novel by Kehinde Fadipe, it’s about three Nigerian women living in Singapore and the distinct ways their lives are upended when a newcomer, Lani,... Continue Reading →
We’ve all heard the Plain White T’s hit “Hey There Delilah” countless times since its release in 2006. I’ve loved the song all these years, and the lyrics have always made it easy for me to envision the story like a movie. Now, that story has been reimagined into a whole novel: What You Do... Continue Reading →
October is a great time for spooky and Gothic books, and I was excited for Hazardous Spirits by Anbara Salam. Set during the 1920s spiritualist movement in Scotland, it has the right atmosphere... but does it live up to its potential? Eh, somewhat. Special thanks to Tin House and NetGalley for providing me with an ARC of... Continue Reading →
Early last year, I enjoyed Hiro Arikawa's novel, The Travelling Cat Chronicles, about a snarky cat whose loving owner is trying to find a new home for him. It was a beautiful and heartrending book, so I was excited to learn about the author’s new collection of short stories, The Goodbye Cat. Two of the... Continue Reading →
Since discovering a love of historical romance four years ago, I’ve dived deep into this delightful genre. However, I’m reaching the point where I now veer towards stories with something a little different to offer, whether it’s diversity in characters or a less conventional plot. This is what drew me to Jane Dunn’s recent novel,... Continue Reading →
Amanda's Book Corner 