​Summer really flew by, and now we're in September. And honestly, I'm not mad about it. Autumn is my favorite season, and I'm looking forward to some lovely weather and changing leaves and pumpkin everything. But for now, I'll wrap up summer with August's reads. August was not a great reading month for me. I mostly reread some favorites in audio. Other than that, I started several books—a few I'll return to when I'm in the right mood for them and a few just weren't for me—and I read two books for the first time:

Faithless in Death by JD Robb: I'm still reading this series over fifty books in and still enjoying every visit with Eve, Roarke, and the family (if some installments more than others). You can tell the pandemic has messed up my reading habits, though, because I used to read these quickly after they released, and this one came out back in February. But I read it just in time for the new one!

Fluke and the Faultline Fiasco by Sam Burns: I'm really enjoying the Fantastic Fluke series, and this is another great installment. I love how the characters are growing and the storyline is deepening and expanding. And Fluke the fox familiar is all kinds of adorable. Start reading at the beginning of this series to get the most out of it, and then you can join me in awaiting the next book.

What have you read and loved lately?

Happy August, everyone! The world is still a mess and time is passing way too quickly somehow, but it's my birthday month and I'm looking forward to a visit from a dear friend I haven't seen since pre-pandemic times, so it isn't all bad. For now, let's talk books. July was a pretty good reading month for me:

Winter's Orbit by Everina Maxwell: I listened to the audiobook and didn't love the narration, but otherwise, I really enjoyed this sci-fi romance with it's arranged marriage trope and political intrigue. The main characters were both wonderful, and I loved watching them grow individually and together. Fingers crossed there will be more in this world and of these characters.

Lost and Bound by Eliot Grayson: I enjoyed this latest book in the Mismatched Mates series much more than the previous one. It brings Jared, presumed-dead cousin to the main characters of the first two books, back home and lets us know what really happened to him. Jared and  were both a bit oblivious when it came to their relationship, but I really liked them together, and I'm looking forward to more in the series. I'd start with the first book if you're beginning the series—while each book has a different couple/romance, there's an overarching plot that keeps deepening.

Cinderella is Dead by Kaylynn Bayron: The premise of this f/f YA fantasy is that the Cinderella story is real and has been used to oppress the people of the kingdom. Sophia doesn't want to go along with what she and the other women of the kingdom are being forced into, so she runs from the ball and encounters the last descendant of Cinderella, Constance. Together, they learn what the real story of Cinderella is and set about to change things. (And how gorgeous is that cover?!)

The Wolf Moon Rising series by Sam Burns and WM Fawkes: I binged through the currently published books in this series pretty fast, and I'm no experiencing that phenomenon in which I can't really separate which is which in my mind! I'm really enjoying this shifter series about a wolf pack dealing with a mysterious illness that has been sickening some wolves for the last twenty years or so. Each book is about a different couple, but the overall plot carries over through the series, so start at the beginning with this one. I will sit here and wait for the next book to see what it brings.

The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo by Taylor Jenkins Reid: I've seen a lot of reviews describe this book as light beach reading about the glamour of old Hollywood, but I feel like it's much more than that. Evelyn is a bisexual Cuban woman who reinvents herself and does whatever she has to from the time she's a teenager to become a Hollywood star. She tells the story of the seven men she married and the woman she loved and considered her wife to a journalist she handpicked for reasons that are only revealed at the end of the book. My favorite part was the found family she created with Harry, a producer and gay man who became her best friend.

​What have you read and loved lately?

​June has flown by! So it's time for another mostly reading update. I've continued to listen to a lot of audiobooks, often the only type of reading my brain will focus on (someday, this pandemic-induced reaction will fade...right?), including some rereads: Spectred Isle by KJ Charles, Salt Magic Skin Magic by Lee Welch, and Not Dead Yet by Jenn Burke. I also read some new to me books this month:

Peregrine by Piper Scott and Virginia Kelly: From the beginning of the Forbidden Desires series, Perry has been my favorite character, and I was so excited to read his story. It did not disappoint! Perry and Sebastian have been together and long time, and this weaves together their past and present to give us the story of their romance and push the plot of the series farther in interesting ways. I came out of it adoring Perry even more and loving Sebastian too. I'm not sure how the authors are going to redeem the main characters of the next book after what we learned in this one, but I'm interested to find out.

The Prince and the Dressmaker by Jen Wang: This was a charming, sweet graphic novel with lovely art that enhances the fairy tale feel of the story in which Frances, a dressmaker, gets the opportunity to make gowns for royalty—Prince Sebastian. The characters are both wonderful and so is their relationship and how they help each other be the best versions of themselves. Discussions of gender identity are handled so well, and the end made me happy. I read this on my Kindle, and it worked well enough, but I think I'd love to see the art in print.

Finding the Wolf by Mell Eight: I had an ARC of Finding the Wolf, which was rereleased by NineStar in June. I mostly enjoyed this story. The main characters basically fall in love at first sight, though it might be a magical mate thing (between the dragon shifter and the wolf shifter). My main complaint with the romance is that I wanted more of it! They were very cute together, but I wanted more development. There isn't a lot of focus on the relationship once the book shifts to the fantasy plot. I did enjoy the world building, especially the dragons and their hoards.

The Vanishing Half by Brit Bennett: A friend read this for her book club and recommended it to me, so I grabbed it from the library (well, I put a hold in and waited for it to appear on my Kindle!). This book is a beautifully written complex family drama that spans years. It begins with twin girls in the town of Mallard where all the residents are Black but so light they might be mistaken for white. The girls run away, and from there, their paths diverge when one sister vanishes into the world to pass for white. The stories twine back together when their daughters meet by chance. Just an excellent, thought-provoking book that deals with so many issues—like racism, colorism, and identity.

Subtle Blood by KJ Charles: I'm not certain I'm at the point where I can do anything except shriek in delight at this book, but I'll try. This is the final book in the Will Darling Adventures (and also an extended world that includes the Think of England books), so don't dive in here—go back to the beginning to understand and appreciate what's going on. I loved every little bit of this (except that it ended!). Will and Kim's relationship development was perfect and gorgeous and so was their character development, as Will finally realized that no, he wasn't as okay as he thought. Everything—relationship, plot of the series, even some reference to characters from past books—wrapped up beautifully. 

The Queer Principles of Kit Webb by Cat Sebastian: This fun, sparkling historical romance is now one of my favorites of Cat Sebastian's. In it, we have a grumpy ex-highwayman getting talked into one last job by a duke's son who looks lovely in the intricate fashions of the 1750s (the highwayman thinks so as well). The duke's son is grappling with family secrets and revelations and looking for justice. And there's plenty of discussion of privilege and classism as well. I'm definitely looking forward to the next book in the series because I still have questions!

​What have you read and loved lately?

I had planned to post an LGBTQ book on social media day in June for Pride Month—and hope I could remember to do it every day!—but I didn't even manage to get started. I decided to do a blog post with some favorite books instead. This was supposed to go up a couple of weeks ago...but my blog seems to have made the post I put together disappear. I almost gave it up until next year, but I decided to try one more time to share some books you might want to add to your TBR. In absolutely no particular order (and certainly not the order I'd written them in last time):

Charm of Magpies series by KJ Charles: I had a lot of trouble deciding which KJ Charles to put on this list—since she is a favorite author and I didn't want to just list all her books—but I adore Lucien and Stephen and the world she created in these historical fantasies, so I went with these. 
Proper English by KJ Charles: I'm adding this one too because this Edwardian country house murder mystery plus f/f romance was delightful, and it starts a series of interconnected books that are all delightful too.
Cemetery Boys by Aiden Thomas: YA in which a Latinx trans boy wants to prove he's a brujo to his family but summons the wrong ghost...and falls in love with him. 
You Should See Me in a Crown by Leah Johnson: Another YA, this one a contemporary f/f romance in which a Black girl is competing to be prom queen (because of the scholarship that comes with it) and falls for a competitor.
Widdershins by Jordan L Hawk: A longtime favorite of mine. Historical paranormal in which an introverted comparative philologist and an extroverted private detective fall in love and build a life in this series, surrounded by magic and mystery and monsters. Plus found family, including a wonderful lady archeologist, and a town I'd love to live in (despite the monsters).
Boyfriend Material by Alexis Hall: A lovely rom com with lots of depth in which two guys decide to start fake dating and it becomes very real. My other favorite by this author is Waiting for the Flood, which is shorter and has a very different tone but lovely as well.
Hither, Page by Cat Sebastian: Post World War II cozy mystery set in an English village with an m/m romance between a country doctor and a spy.
The Care and Feeding of Waspish Widows by Olivia Waite: And the first book in the series, The Lady's Guide to Celestial Mechanics, as well. Both fantastic f/f historicals. (The third in the series is out, but I haven't read it yet.)
Peter Darling by Austin Chant: A really lovely Peter Pan retelling in which Peter is a trans boy who escapes back to Neverland.
A Little Familiar by R Cooper: Set around Halloween, this is warm and cozy and autumnal and witchy and full of pining. This is my favorite in the series, but the other two books are lovely too. 

I think I listed three times as many books in the original post, but unfortunately, I don't have time to reconstruct it all this time around. I hope you find something new for your TBR, and if you're looking for any of my books, they're 50% off with code PRIDE2021 at NineStar Press through today and will be 50% off at Smashwords in July if you miss the first sale. Happy Pride and Happy Reading!

I meant to write this post a couple of days ago, but the end of May snuck up on me...and I still keep forgetting it's June. I'm sure my brain will catch up one of these days! May was not a great month for me as regards reading new to me books. I reread a bunch in audiobook, starting with a favorite Proper English by KJ Charles, then continuing on through Think of England and the first two books in the Will Darling Adventures because they're all set in the same world and all delightful. (The final book in the Will Darling series releases at the end of this month, so as a bonus, I'm ready for that as well.) Then I binged my way through SJ Himes's Necromancer of Boston series. Audiobooks have been keeping my pandemic brain in stories and occupying me on walks and while cleaning. I read a few books in ebook in May:

Not Your Sidekick by CB Lee: This YA book as been on my Kindle for a while, and I'm happy I finally read it. I could've wished for more world building at times to explain a bit more about this post-apocalyptic world in which some people have superpowers. But generally, I really enjoyed it. The romance between Jess and her crush Abby was adorable, the friend group they belonged to great, and their discoveries about lies in the world they live in interesting. I'll definitely read the rest of the series.

The Frogman and the Spy by Irene Preston and Liv Rancourt: Apparently, it was a month of books about people with superpowers for me? This was a fun addition to the Royal Powers series, with a combination of romance, spies and intrigue, and superpowers. Most books in this series seem to stand alone, so you can jump in here. I haven't read all of the series yet, though I'm sure I'll go back and catch up.

The Alpha Experiment by Eliot Grayson: This book wasn't my favorite of the Mismatched Mates series, but I did still enjoy it. I think Newton was just a little too clueless for a little too long for my taste, and I really wish we'd gotten Colin's point of view—I liked him in previous books and would've liked to have gotten to know him a bit better. That said, I did enjoy this installment of the series, and the end was sweet. I'll definitely be reading the next book in this shifter series (which, I believe, just came out). I'd say start at the beginning of this series to enjoy it the most.

What did you read and love in May?

I feel like May came out of nowhere, and here I am doing my monthly reading post. My attention span and ability to get into a book continues to vary widely, and I didn't read as much as I wanted to in April. I've been listening to audiobooks still, mostly rereading favorites there. But I did read a few books for the first time that I really enjoyed last month (continuing to read paranormal/historical/fantasy romances for maximum escapism):

Unhallowed by Jordan L Hawk: This book has been sitting on my Kindle for far too long (I will blame my previously mentioned lack of ability to settle into a book) because Jordan L Hawk is a favorite author and the Whyborne & Griffin series, from which this is a spin off, is one of my favorite series. I wasn't certain how I'd feel about returning to the world of Widdershins without the characters I love, but I fell in love with new characters in this book, and I adored all the little references to the events of the previous series and seeing where the town is ten years later. I'll be very excited for more books in this new series. (I think you could probably jump in here without being lost, though you'd miss some of the delightful references to the Whyborne & Griffin series.)

Hijinks with a Hellhound by Louisa Masters: I've been enjoying this series, though sometimes the main characters feel a little immature to me—especially for paranormal creatures who've been around long enough to be grown ups! But this installment was lots of fun, and I've enjoyed the deepening world building throughout. I'm definitely looking forward to the next book—the romance has already been set up, I think, and it seems like the overarching plot will be wrapped up. Start with the first book in the series with these—the romances wrap up in each book, but there's a mystery that carries through all of them.

The Prince of Secrets and The Court of Mortals by AJ Lancaster: I read the first book in this series back in March, and I had planned to stretch out reading the next two (because the final book doesn't come out until summer!)...but I ended up reading these two books back to back. And now I'm very upset I'll have to wait for the last book in this fantasy romance quartet! These books pick up quite soon after the previous. Hetta is learning to be Lord of Stariel, and the romance between her and Win is deepening. (I really do love these two together.) The world building is also deepening, and I'm very much enjoying everything we're learning about the world of the fae. I'm also hoping for maybe a romance between Hetta's brother and Win's brother...

Have you read anything you loved lately?

March was a pretty good reading month for me—I hit kind of a slump at the end, which hopefully won't last too long in April, but I did read some great books last month.

An Echo in the Sorrow by Hailey Turner: I can't say too much about this book without major spoilers, but I will say the series keeps getting better and more exciting as it goes along (and I love the relationship between Patrick and Jono so much too). Definitely start this series from the beginning.

Frost Bite by J Emery: A vampire and a (ex) monster hunter get snowed in together in a cabin in the woods. This was tropey and sweet and delightful. I loved Ezra and Morgan, and I really hope there will be more in this series.

The Gentle Art of Fortune Hunting by KJ Charles: I generally love KJ Charles's books, and this one was no exception. Robin and Marianne (the fortune hunters of the title) are everything you want in siblings, and Robin and Hart's romance was lovely. It was a delight to read and left me so happy at the end. 

The Lord of Stariel by AJ Lancaster: I loved the world building in this alt-historical somewhat steampunk fantasy romance in which the estate of Stariel chooses its next lord when the old one dies. Hetta, the daughter who left years ago, assumes it won't be her and just wants to get through the funeral so she can leave again. But there's a plot afoot and a threat from the fae. This is the first book in a series of four, I believe, of which the first three are out already. 

King's Ex by EJ Russell: Every book I've read in the Royal Powers series has been a lot of fun (and I really need to catch up and read the rest—I've been jumping around, which has worked fine since they each seem to stand alone, but like I said, they're fun). Bastien and Nico were both in a couple of earlier books, and I liked them then, so grabbed up their book. It's a fake relationship story with some intrigue thrown in.

Shadows in Death by JD Robb: Fifty-one books in to the In Death series and I'm still reading and enjoying them. Mostly, I have to admit, because of the characters and the family they built.

Wicked Fox by Kate Cho: This YA fantasy was really interesting to me because of its reliance on Korean folklore (I haven't watched any K-drama yet, but the author apparently pulled a lot of tropes from it as well). I'm definitely going to have to read the next book.

​What have you read and loved lately?

Somehow it's March (already? again? still? I have no idea—time is strange and I'm still coming to terms with last March). I had high hopes for my reading plans in February, but they didn't come to pass. My lack of ability to focus on reading struck again. There were days I didn't read at all and others when I started books (books I really want to read that I know are going to be so good!) but couldn't finish them. It's very frustrating, and if you're in the same situation, I feel for you. I did read a couple of books I want to share with you:

Cry Wolf by Charlie Adhara: I really enjoyed this latest book in the Big Bad Wolf series. I figured out the mystery fairly early on, but the deepening shifter world building is interesting and Cooper and Oliver's relationship continues to be wonderful. Start at the beginning of the series with these—they build on each other.

Fluke and the Faithless Father by Sam Burns: This is the direct sequel to The Fantastic Fluke, which I adored. This second book was super fun too. I continue to love the characters and seeing their bonds—of family, of friendship, of romance—grow. The deepening mystery/magic is interesting as well, and I'm very much looking forward to more in this series. 

Fingers crossed I have more to share with you in my next reading post. Until then, what have you read and loved lately?

I meant to post this a few days ago, but the week got away from me (or maybe all my plans and schedules got buried under all the snow we had earlier in the week—seriously, there's so much snow). I've still been finding it difficult to focus on reading (*sob*), but I did rereads of The Book of Life by Deborah Harkness and KJ Charles's Magpie trilogy in audio. And I did finish a few things I enjoyed, even though I started and put aside too many other books that I'm sure I would love if I could just focus on them (anyone else having this problem still, or is it just me?). Here are a few books I enjoyed last month:

The Fairest by Sam Burns: This novella inspired by Snow White—no dwarves or evil stepmother, which was just fine, but the inspiration is easy to see—was delightful with its romance between the prince and the huntsman. A short and lovely wintry read.

The Care and Feeding of Waspish Widows by Olivia Waite: This is the second book in the author's Feminine Pursuits series, but it can be read as a standalone. It's a super slow burn f/f romance with a fantastic grounding in history and well-developed characters/relationship that I loved. The beekeeping was also interesting, though I am terrified of bees and still slightly traumatized by the infestation of yellow jackets at the apartment I moved out of a few months ago, so it took a bit to get into that!

Mismatched Mates series by Eliot Grayson: I read the first book in this series, The Alpha's Warlock, last year, and last month, I finally got around to the second book, Captive Mate, plus the two novellas that follow it, and I'm so glad I did. I enjoyed the second book even more than the first, and the novellas were a lot of fun too. Start with the first book in this paranormal romance series to get the most out of it as a lot carries over even though the main characters in the two novels are different.


What books have you read and loved lately?

I didn't do my usual reading posts for November and December because I wasn't reading much—2020 really was horrible for my focus (on anything!) and ability to get lost in a book. I did a fair amount of rereading last year, especially on audiobook, but I did read some new-to-me books that I loved, so I wanted to do a favorite books of 2020 list. (I mean to have it up last week, but...*gestures at state of the world*) However, before I list some favorites, I did want to highlight a few books I enjoyed in November and December:

Best Laid Plaids by Ella Stainton: 1920s Scotland, romance, and ghosts.

Treasured by SJ Himes: A sweet novella about a storm dragon and the clairvoyant who will be his treasure.

The Dark Tide by Alicia Jasinska: A gorgeous and atmospheric dark f/f fantasy with witches.

​
Merry Measure by Lily Morton: A funny, sweet m/m holiday romance set in Amsterdam with the older brother's best friend trope.


And now, some favorite books I read in 2020, in no particular order:

​What are some of your favorite reads of 2020?