May is AAPI Heritage Month here in the United States and Asian Heritage Month in Canada, so I thought it would be a good time to rec some books by Asian authors. I had a tough time narrowing down the list, and also found a ton of books on my TBR when I was combing through my shelves and Kindle that I absolutely need to read now (I need way more time to read, obviously).

​The Takeover Effect by Nisha Sharma (m/f contemporary romance): In this first book of the Singh Family series, the oldest Singh brother puts his own dreams on hold to come home and try to save the family's company. There, he meets Mina, a smart, confident lawyer sent to work with the company in assessing the potential buyout. Sparks, of course, fly between them. There's also lots of corporate espionage and family drama. I need to get back to this series!

Hold Me by Courtney Milan (cis m/trans f contemporary romance): Courtney Milan has written a ton of fantastic historical romance, and I couldn't decide which to pick, so I went in a different direction! Maria runs an apocalypse-centered blog and is very careful about preserving her online anonymity. She's been interacting with a commenter from her blog in emails and chats for over a year but neither of them knows the other's identity. When she meets Jay, a driven genius, they immediately do not at all hit it off. And they also don't know they've been talking for months. It sets up a fun enemies to lovers romance. There is a lot of casual diversity and intersectionality in this book, which is great. It's the second book in the series, but stands alone well.

Uptown series by Ruby Lang (m/f contemporary romances): This is a series of quick, fun romances set in New York City and dealing with property and neighborhoods intersecting with the characters in different way. Each stands alone well. The first books gives us an impromptu fake boyfriend as Fay (dealing with the end of a marriage) is harassed while on a house tour. Oliver (dealing with family pressure after losing his job) steps in, and the two continue the charade (and continue touring gorgeous houses together)...until, of course, the fake relationship becomes a lot less fake. I really enjoyed the house descriptions too!

Ash by Malinda Lo (YA fantasy with f/f romance): When Ash's father dies, she's left at the mercy of her cruel stepmother, a set-up very much like the original Cinderella tale that this book reimagines. Ash escapes into the stories of fairies her mother told her and dreams of fairies of stealing her away—and thinks her dreams might come true when she meets a fairy. But it's really when she meets the King's Huntress that her life begins to change and she begins to see a life past her grief. There's a lovely f/f romance and a suitably creepy fairy who has laid a claim on Ash that she must escape.

Holidays with the Wongs series by Jackie Lau (m/f contemporary romance): The Holidays with the Wongs is a series of novellas set around different holidays and centering different Wong siblings. In the first novella, the meddling parents and grandparents set up all four siblings with blind dates for Thanksgiving to disastrous results. Each novella is lots of fun—sexy romances, fun tropes, meddling lovable family. Read them any time or save them for their individual holidays.

The Chosen and the Beautiful by Nghi Vo (historical fantasy): The Chosen and the Beautiful is a retelling of The Great Gatsby and it's loyal to the original, only with the addition of mysterious, intriguing magic and a change of narrator to Jordan Baker, a queer, Asian American immigrant adopted and raised in high society by a rich white family. There's still a contemplation of wealth and status and the American dream, but through Jordan's eyes and with exploration of her identity as a Vietnamese American woman in that world. The reimagining is fascinating, and the writing is lush and beautiful.

A Study in Scarlet Women by Sherry Thomas (historical mystery): Sherry Thomas has a bunch of historical romances I could have highlighted here, but her Lady Sherlock series is so good that I had to mention it. This is the first book in the gender-flipped Sherlock Holmes series, and it is extremely enjoyable. Interesting heroine, complex. characters, engaging writing, and lots of set up for the series to come.

Not Your Sidekick by CB Lee (YA fantasy with f/f romance): This first book in the Sidekick Squad introduces us to a world where superheroes are common and where Jess, who comes from a family of them, has no powers of her own. She manages to get a paid internship, which has the perk of letting her work with her secret crush Abby, but then finds out she's actually working for the worst supervillain in town. She keeps the job—to spite her superhero parents—and then finds out that there's an even more dangerous plot afoot. This is such a fun series starter with an interesting world, lovable protagonist, wonderful friends, and a sweet crush.

​Do you have any recs for me (though I shouldn't ask with my massive TBR!)?

I may have gotten up ridiculously early this past weekend to watch a certain coronation and started thinking about my longstanding love for royalty romances. There are obviously lots of problematic things we could discuss about royalty, but there is also something about escaping into the fantasy of a royalty romance, of dashing royalty sweeping commoners off their feet (or maybe clashing with them), of ballgowns and sparkly tiaras. By the way, there was a distressing lack of sparkly tiaras at the coronation, though there was some other beautiful jewelry. The headpiece the Princess of Wales wore was beautiful and very tiara-like and Charlotte's matching one was adorable. Also by the way, Penny Mordaunt's whole coronation outfit was fantastic, and I'm including the massive sword she held up in a very badass way for the whole thing. Anyway.

I've read a ton of royalty romance. I have no idea what I read first, but I know I grabbed the Cordina's Royal Family series by Nora Roberts off my mom's bookshelves back in middle or high school. They're category romances written in the 80s about the siblings in a royal family and I have no idea how they hold up, but I really liked them back when I read them. The second book in the series was always my favorite because of the tension between the heir to the throne and woman who used to have a schoolgirl crush on him. (I'm going to need to reread it, aren't I?) I spent a bunch of time looking through my Kindle and bookcases and Goodreads to decide what to include in this post, and mostly just realized once more that my TBR is massive and has a ton of royalty romance on it and I have to figure out how to live forever so I can get through it all.

A Princess in Theory by Alyssa Cole: And really the whole Reluctant Royals series (I'd include the Runaway Royals series too, but I haven't read them yet—they're on my Kindle in the aforementioned massive TBR). I love the premise of the book: Naledi is an epidemiology grad student who keeps receiving emails saying she's betrothed to an African prince and believes they're a scam. But it turns out they're real. He comes to the US to find her and when she mistakes him for someone who is not a prince, he goes along with it. The whole series is delightful.

His Royal Secret and His Royal Favorite by Lilah Pace: In this duet, the Prince of Wales is gay and keeping it a secret, but then he meets a reporter on an international trip. They have a fling, which, of course, turns into much more. I loved the characters and the relationship between James and Ben, complicated by Ben's past and James's family situation. So good. (I'm going to want to reread all these books, aren't I?)

Red, White & Royal Blue by Casey McQuiston: This book has been kind of everywhere (there's going to be a movie!), but if you haven't heard of it or read it, I am recommending it again. The son of the first female president of the United States has to fake a friendship with a British prince after pictures of them having a confrontation are leaked to the press and relations between the two countries are put in jeopardy. Of course, the fake friendship turns into a real (secret) romance​ just as the president starts her reelection campaign. This book was so fun—sweet, sexy, snarky, uplifting.

The Queen's Game by Carla de Guzman: The scandalous princess and heir to the throne of her small Asian island country returns home when her father dies to ascend the throne and is made to fake date her childhood friend, the quiet prince of the neighboring country. A really lovely story in which a prickly woman is fighting to be her own type of queen and is supported all the way by the cinnamon roll prince who loves her.

The Prince and the Dressmaker by Jen Wang: In 19th century Paris, Prince Sebastian is supposed to be looking for a bride, but he is more worried about keeping his secret—that at night, he puts on fabulous gowns designed by his best friend and brilliant dressmaker Frances and takes Paris by storm. This graphic novel is utterly charming. The art is beautiful, the story is lovely, and the ending made me so happy.

​The High King's Golden Tongue by Megan Derr: Prince Allen has been preparing for years to be consort to the High King. But when he finally meets the man he is supposed to wed in an arranged marriage, the High King dismisses him as a pretty politician and nothing at all that he needs. I love an arranged marriage story, and this fantasy novel is a good one. A wonderful slow burn romance, great world building, and an excellent plot outside the romance.

The Queen of Ieflaria by Effie Calvin: One more fantasy romance for you, with another arranged marriage plot. A marriage was arranged between Princess Esofi and the prince of Ieflaria when they were children, and now that they're adults, it's time for them to wed. But during her months' long journey to her new home, her betrothed dies. Since Ieflaria needs Esofi and her home country's help, she is offered a betrothal to the prince's younger sister, who is now heir to the throne. Only the new heir doesn't want the throne. The romance is very sweet plus there are dragons and unicorns.

Winter's Orbit by Everina Maxwell: And finally (because I have to stop this list somewhere!), a SF romance that I adored. Which also has an arranged marriage. When Imperial Prince Taam suddenly dies, his widower, Jainan, is rushed into another marriage with his husband's cousin Prince Kiem for political reasons. Then, it comes to light that Taam's death might have been murder and Jainin is a suspect. Kiem and Jainin have to learn to trust each other so they can solve the murder and avert an interplanetary war, all while falling in love with each other. 

And if you're looking for some more fantasy romance with royalty, I've written some. You can find them here.

Do you have any favorite royalty romances?

Somehow, it's May already, though it doesn't feel like here. It's chilly and gray and rainy—perfect reading weather, I suppose, though I would really like it to feel more like spring. Especially after the short taste of summer we got during April. *Sigh* I'm sure (I hope) the weather will get it's act together soon. In the meantime, let's talk books. Here are some that I read and enjoyed in April:

Rattling Bone by Jordan L Hawk (cis m/trans m paranormal romance): This second book of the Outfoxing the Paranormal series was just as enjoyable as the first. This one takes us to Oscar's hometown, where he, his boyfriend Nigel, and their ghost team confront family secrets, grudges, and tragedies and the literal ghosts they left behind. The setting is incredibly atmospheric and the ghost story creepy. Oscar and Nigel's relationship is an existing one, so this book focused far more on the paranormal story than the romance. I'm definitely looking forward to more in this series.

Prince of Air and Darkness by MA Grant (fantasy with m/m romance): I really enjoyed this first book in the Darkest Court series (which has been on my TBR for a while now!), but I have to say I was expecting more focus on the romance between fae prince Roark and his human roommate Phineas. I feel that this was much more a fantasy with lots of fae politicking and a prince trying to protect both his people and the human he loves but doesn't believe he can be with. I would've loved more of the romance, only because I enjoyed these two together, but the book was still very good.

Circle the Square series by Sam Burns (m/m fantasy romance): I read the two books in this series (The Elemental Keyes and The Elemental Ruins) back to back, and I'm very glad I did because the first book ends with a cliffhanger. As book one opens, we meet Blaze who is a seer and knows that the world ends tomorrow. Then Elethen, a Robin Hood type thief, falls through a portal from a different world and everything starts to change. The books give us the story of twins Blaze and River and the men they fall in love with, of magic, treachery, and trying to save two worlds. The stories were fast paced and fun, but I loved the characters, both main characters and supporting (the young king is a delight!), most of all.

Emily Wilde's Encyclopedia of Faeries by Heather Fawcett (fantasy with m/f romance): This book was an utter delight. Emily Wilde is a driven scholar who is horrifically bad with people. She travels to a remote area of Scandinavia to study an unknown type of faerie and is immediately followed by her colleague/rival/only friend/love interest Wendell Bambleby, who has secrets of his own. The setting is vivid, the folklore is engrossing, and there is just enough danger but not so much to completely do away with the cozy atmosphere. The characters are really wonderful, especially Emily as she grows close to the villagers and tries to puzzle out these relationships and how they're changing her. The romance between Emily and Wendell is light, but lovely all the same. I'm looking forward to the next book in the series.

The Mysterious and Amazing Blue Billings by Lily Morton (m/m paranormal romance): Another book I've had on my TBR for ages! This one is a mix of creepy ghost story and romance. Levi has inherited a gorgeous old house in York, which he decides to renovate and live in. He doesn't find out until after he moves in that the house is known as the Murder House and it's very much haunted. The description of the malevolent haunting is definitely creepy, though I did figure out some of the mystery of the ghost fairy early. The romance between Levi and Blue is just lovely. They complement each other so well, and I love how Levi is about Blue's past. Very glad I finally read this one, and diving into the second book in series next!

What have you read and loved lately?

Happy April, my darlings! I hope March treated you well and brought you many books you loved. Here's what I read last month:

The Tarot Sequence and The Eidolon by KD Edwards (urban fantasy with m/m romance): This series has been on my radar for a while, and I finally binged through the three books that have been released in the main series plus the first book in the related Magnus Academy series in audio. And loved them. And now must wait as patiently as I can for the next book in the series because I need to know what happens. I don't read much urban fantasy—I'm always looking for more romance and more character development. While I would have loved more page time for the romance in this series (because it's wonderful), I adore the characters and their dynamic with each other and the found family they build through these books. As the series continued, the world building deepened and plot twists popped up, and very much need to know how certain things are going to be resolved!

The Secret Lives of Country Gentlemen by KJ Charles (historical m/m romance): I cannot tell you how excited I was for a new KJ Charles book, and it absolutely lived up to all my expectations. Gareth and Joss had a brief affair in London, which left them both hurt and bitter. Just as it ends, the heartbreakingly lonely Gareth finds out his estranged (and frankly horrible) father has died and left him property and the title of baronet, so he goes out to Romney Marsh to claim it. He doesn't expect to meet Joss again there (and their reunion does not go so well!). Joss is an incredibly overworked smuggler and head of a smuggling family (sort of—everyone is afraid of his mother, who I could not stand, and who asserts her authority to incredibly poor results), who has nothing for himself alone. The romance between the two is lovely and sweet, and the shenanigans and mystery they find themselves involved in are absorbing and twisty.

Legends & Lattes by Travis Baldree (cozy fantasy with f/f romance): I am very excited for this newish (or maybe new to me?) sub-genre of cozy fantasy—low stakes, cozy vibes, fantasy. (I think my The Merchant's Love would count as cozy fantasy, though I didn't know that's what I was writing five years ago!) Anyway, Viv is an orc who has decided to leave behind a life of fighting and adventuring to open the first coffee shop the city of Thune has ever had. And that's what happens. Along the way, she makes connections and creates a lovely found family (and there is a sweet slow burn romance going on mostly in the background) while dealing with some obstacles that pop up in her way. The characters are wonderful (Thimble must be protected at all costs!), and the descriptions of baked good will make you hungry. I adored this book.

Heart Haunt Havoc by Freydis Moon (horror/paranormal with trans m/nonbinary romance): If you know me, you know that horror is very much not my thing. This skirted right up to the line of what works for me and what would make me put the book in the freezer. An exorcist is hired by a witch to cleanse their haunted house of ghouls and ghosts. In the process, Colin uncovers secrets that Bishop, the owner of the house, would prefer remain hidden, and they stumble into a romance. There's a lot packed into this short novel. Examinations of love and grief, complicated relationships with religion. The descriptions were vivid and the writing atmospheric. The romance was almost gentle and soft, and gave the impression that the characters fit perfectly.

​What have you read and loved lately?

February flew by in the haze of writing and revising that was the JeRoWriMo challenge, and while I'm still shocked that it's March already, I'm really happy with the progress I made on the To Love the Dragon King. But that also seems to mean that I started a lot of books but didn't finish many. My brain just couldn't get into most of them, even though I'm excited to read them and will go back to them at some point. Most of what I did read was in audiobook while cooking, cleaning, or exercising. 

Master of Djinn by P. Djeli Clark (fantasy with F/F romance): This alt-historical fantasy is set in 1912 in an Egypt that has become a world power with the help of the djinn and their magic. The world building is fantastic and compelling, as is the plot. Murder, magic, and intrigue twine through the novel, and Agent Fatma (with her incredible suits) of the Ministry of Alchemy, Enchantments, and Supernatural Entities has to solve the mystery and save the world with the help of her girlfriend Siti and her fellow agents. I read a couple of novellas in the series last year, and now I'm going to eagerly await more books about Fatma, Siti, and their friends solving magical mysteries.

Conduit Crisis by Louisa Masters (M/M paranormal romance): This is the much-awaited (for me at least!) third book in the Ghostly Guardians series. It continues the series arc revolving around the historic hotel and its ghosts and gateway to the demon realm, so you should read the first two books to get the most out of this one. For all the demonic threat looming in the background, the romance is extremely low angst—with some fake dating, friends to lovers fun. Daniel and Skye have been friends for a long time. Skye has known he's in love with Daniel; Daniel just took a while to catch up. As with the other books, the found family is wonderful and the estate's ghosts are hilarious. Now, I'm impatiently waiting for book 4, after this book's cliffhanger.

The Very Secret Society of Irregular Witches by Sangu Mandanna (M/F paranormal romance): This book is gorgeous. Cozy and comforting and witchy with a beautiful message, so many found family vibes, and a lovely, quiet romance between lonely witch Mika and grumpy, protective librarian Jamie. In the world of this book, witches are always orphans and are meant to stay separated from each other and hide their magic from the world. Mika receives a mysterious message asking her to come to an isolated house and be a tutor to three witch children. There, she finds an odd assortment of people who have built a strong, loving family for these three little girls, a family Mika soon becomes part of too. This book made me laugh and cry and smile. I'm sure I'll be rereading.

​What have you read and loved lately?

I've always loved fairy tales and fairy tale retellings, so since tomorrow is Tell a Fairy Tale Day, I thought I would recommend a few fairy tale retellings I enjoyed. These are a mix of young adult and adult books, all fantasy/fantasy romance. There are some great contemporary and historical romances that use fairy tales for inspiration without fantasy elements, but I'm focusing on the fantasy ones this time.

Girls Made of Snow and Glass by Melissa Bashardoust (YA, Snow White): In this reimagining of Snow White, the tales of stepmother Mina and stepdaughter Lynet are told in past and present, intertwining. And even though there are two romances in this story—Lynet's f/f romance and Mina's m/f—it's the relationship between Mina and Lynet that drives the story. Mina is the only mother Lynet has ever known, and as in the original tale, their relationships begins to go very wrong, but unlike in the original tale, they can change it.

The Grimrose Girls by Laura Pohl (YA, various): The Grimrose Girls weaves together various fairy tales in the modern settling of an elite boarding school. Three girls have lost their best friend to what the police believe is suicide, but what they believe is murder. When their newest roommate arrives, it sets in motion a series of events in which they confirm that Ariane was murdered, but she wasn't the first murder by far. The fantasy, mystery, and fairy tale elements are all intriguing and well done and just a bit dark, and there is tons of queer rep among the main characters. Also the beginnings of a couple of romances. I have the second book waiting for on my TBR stack.

Beauty: A Retelling of the Story of Beauty and the Beast by Robin McKinley (YA, Beauty and the Beast): I adore this retelling and have since I first read it when I was in middle school. That same paperback—a little battered after so many years and readings—is still on my book shelf. It's a really lovely retelling and a faithful one. The characterization is wonderful, the setting stunning, and writing lovely and perfect for conveying this fairy tale.

Ash by Malinda Lo (YA, Cinderella): When Ash's father dies, she's left at the mercy of her cruel stepmother, a set-up very much like the original tale. In this one, Ash escapes into the stories of fairies her mother told her and dreams of fairies of stealing her away—and thinks her dreams might come true when she meets a fairy. But it's really when she meets the King's Huntress that her life begins to change and she begins to see a life past her grief. There's a lovely f/f romance and a suitably creepy fairy who has laid a claim on Ash to escape as well.

For the Wolf by Hannah Whitten (Adult, Beauty and the Beast): Before I started this book, I thought it was going to be Red Riding Hood inspired, mostly from the cover in which the heroine is wearing a red hooded cloak, the mentions of a wolf, and the heroine's nickname Red. But, it turned out to be a Beauty and the Beast inspired story and a really lovely one. The world building and magic were intriguing, and the romance between Red and the Wolf quiet and gorgeous. The exploration of sisterhood and sacrifice was also compelling. The sequel, For the Throne, finishes the story with a focus on Red's sister and some inspiration from Snow White.

Peter Darling by Austin Chant (Adult, Peter Pan): I'm not sure if Peter Pan counts as a fairy tale, but I had to include Peter Darling anyway because it is a delightful and ingenious retelling. It manages to be a joyful, fun, and funny story while also being thought-provoking throughout, dealing with issues of identity and fantasy and growing up. And there is a lovely love story between Peter and Hook with the absolute perfect ending.

The Girl Who Fell Beneath the Sea by Axie Oh (YA, The Tale of Shim Cheong): I've never read the original Korean folk tale this book is based on, so I can't give you the differences, but I can tell you I adored this book. Mina's village is beset by destructive storms every year. To try to stop them, they through a beautiful young woman into the see each year to serve as the Sea God's bride. They believe that once the true bride is found, the Sea God will stop the storms. This year, the woman Mina's brother loves is chosen and Mina sacrifices herself in her stead. She finds herself brought to the spirit world where she discovers the Sea God is under a spell and sets out to make everything right. The writing and world building are beautiful, and the characters delightful.

Briarley by Aster Glenn Gray (Adult, Beauty and the Beast): This is a really lovely, touching take on Beauty and the Beast set in England during World War II. A parson stumbles into a country house during a storm to find it seemingly empty but a table laid for him. On the way out, he picks a rose for his daughter and the master of the house, under a curse that turned him into a dragon, appears in a rage. What follows is a beautiful story of love and friendship and companionship. 

Cinderella is Dead by Kalynn Bayron (YA, Cinderella): In this young adult fantasy, Cinderella has been dead for two hundred years and her story is now used to oppress women and force all the girls of the kingdom to go to balls where men can choose them as brides. Sophia makes the desperate decision to flee from the ball instead, and while hiding in Cinderella's mausoleum, she meets Constance, the last known descendant of Cinderella's stepsister (the stepsisters were not evil in this one!). They vow to bring down the evil king and bring change to the kingdom. Along the way, they discover there's more to Cinderella's story than is told and that there's more going on in the kingdom as well. An excellent reimagining with a sweet F/F romance and big bring down the patriarchy energy.

Silver in the Wood by Emily Tesh (Adult, Green Man folklore): Silver in the Wood is a gorgeous novella that draws on Green Man folklore for its inspiration (I know, not exactly a fairy tale, but I'm including it anyway because it is delightful). Greenhollow's woods are magical and wild, and Tobias is tethered to them, living a quiet life in his cottage until sweet, curious Henry Silver shows up and the past begins to be dug up. The novella is sweet and dreamlike and lush in its writing. It explores home and roots and freedom, and putting the past to rest. Tobias and Henry's relationship is lovely. I mostly just wanted more (and since there's a sequel...).

Do you enjoy fairy tale retellings? What are some of your favorites?

Since it's Black History Month, I wanted to take the opportunity to recommend some books by Black authors that I've enjoyed. There are so many amazing authors and books that I could've put on this list, and as I was looking through my bookshelves and Goodreads and TBR lists, I was reminded of a ton of books sitting there that I haven't gotten to yet but look amazing and that I am going to have to move up my mountainous to-be-read piles. It's a bit overwhelming really! For this list, I decided to limit myself to some romance and young adult books. I'm sure I'll do another post recommending more at some point because I keep thinking of more books to add here!

Forbidden by Beverly Jenkins: I've enjoyed all the Beverly Jenkins historical romances I've read so far, and the only thing keeping me from bingeing through the ones I haven't read immediately is that right now it feels nice to space them out. Forbidden is one of my favorites and begins an excellent trilogy. Eddy is traveling to San Francisco to start a restaurant, but a series of misfortunes leaves her in Nevada until she can save up some money and continue on. Rhine has been living in that Nevada town, passing for white, and building a life for himself, but meeting Eddy changes everything. (M/F historical romance)

A Princess in Theory by Alyssa Cole: I had a very difficult time choosing which Alyssa Cole book to list! She writes contemporary and historical romance (the first book I read of hers was actually a post-apocalyptic romance, also really good), but I went with the first book in her Reluctant Royals series, a contemporary romance series that is great fun. In this one, an epidemiology grad student keeps receiving emails saying she's betrothed to an African prince and deleting them—turns out it's true. (M/F contemporary romance)

Mangos & Mistletoe by Adriana Herrera: I adored this Christmas novella, so I had to share it, and I don't think you have read it around the holidays. In it, two Dominican bakers competing on a Bake-Off-like show filmed in Scotland have to work together and end up falling into bed and in love. There's a lot of character and relationship development packed into a short novella with an exploration of the differences of the two women, how they view their cultures, how their family and their own ambitions affect them. Plus all the baking descriptions! (F/F contemporary romance)

Mating the Huntress by Talia Hibbert: Talia Hibbert writes mostly contemporary romance, but I had to include this paranormal novella because I'm a big fan of paranormal romance and it was such a fun Halloween-themed romance. It is a sexy, funny, sweet short in which a monster hunter and a werewolf find out they are fated mates. The fated mates trope is handled so well (consent is important here), and so many lines are just laugh-out-loud funny. (M/F paranormal romance)

Let's Talk About Love by Claire Kann: Let's Talk About Love is billed as Young Adult, but Alice is nineteen and in college, so it probably is somewhere on the young adult/new adult line (is New Adult still a thing?). Alice is also asexual and biromantic and her girlfriend just broke up with her because of it. There is a romance here, but the book is also (more?) about Alice coming out to more people and becoming more comfortable with who she is and what she wants and what is all means. (YA M/F contemporary romance)

You Should See Me in a Crown by Leah Johnson: This book is delightful, just adorable and happy-making and delightful. Liz wants out of her small prom-obsessed town because she's never felt like she belongs, and her plan to do it is to go to her dream college and become a doctor. When her financial aid falls through, she is convinced to try for prom queen (which in this town is a whole big competition process) because prom queen comes with a scholarship. Liz's emotions and determination are fierce and wonderful, as are the friendships and romance in this book. And I've just remembered I need to read more by Leah Johnson. (YA F/F contemporary romance)

Cinderella is Dead by Kalynn Bayron: In this young adult fantasy, Cinderella has been dead for two hundred years and her story is now used to oppress women and force all the girls of the kingdom to go to balls where men can choose them as brides. Sophia makes the desperate decision to flee from the ball instead, and while hiding in Cinderella's mausoleum, she meets Constance, the last known descendant of Cinderella's step-sister. They vow to bring down the evil king and bring change to the kingdom. Along the way, they discover there's more to Cinderella's story than is told and that there's more going on in the kingdom as well. An excellent fantasy with an F/F romance and a quest to bring down the patriarchy. (YA F/F fantasy) 

If you've read any of these books/authors, what did you think? And if you have favorites, please rec them to me (though my TBR pile will weep!).

Hello, my darlings! I hope the first month of 2023 was kind to you and brought you many excellent books to read. I started my year with some favorite rereads in audio and also read some wonderful new to me books:

A Restless Truth by Freya Marske: (F/F historical fantasy romance) A Restless Truth is the second book in the Last Binding Trilogy and definitely doesn't stand alone, so read A Marvelous Light first. I adored the first book—it was one of my favorite reads last year, and this book will probably be one of my favorites this year. This second book takes us out of Edwardian England and onto a ship making the journey from the US to England. Maude, sister of Robin from book one, is at the heart of this story, and she is a delight. The story itself is a romp aboard ship as Maude searches for a magical artifact with the allies she's drawn to her and tries to evade the people looking for it, who will do anything—including murder—to get their hands on it. The romance between Maude and Violet felt like a good beginning for them and I would classify it in an unresolved HFN place. My only disappointment is the lack of Robin and Edwin from the first book, though I did love the glimpses of them we got.

The Kiss Curse by Erin Sterling: (M/F paranormal romance) I'm going to say right out that my favorite character was Sir Purrcival the talking cat. He was adorable and made me laugh, and I would like more scenes with him. That said, the rest of the book was great fun as well. This is the sequel to The Ex Hex (which was pitched as Hocus Pocus but they fuck and this continues in that vein), and probably should be read after that one. The Kiss Curse brings us back to Graves Glen for more witchy small town shenanigans. I loved the romance between Gwyn and Wells with their enemies to lovers vibe and excellent banter. The book is funny and sexy, and there's an intriguing, mysterious plot to draw you in as well. 

Back in a Spell by Lana Harper: (F/NB paranormal romance) Another witchy book in another series I've been loving. Back in a Spell is the third book in the Witches of Thistle Grove series. I adore the setting of these books—this magical little town inhabited by witch families and a lot of regular people who have no idea. This book brings us Nina and Morty as main characters. It took me a little while to warm up to Nina, not necessarily because of her, but because her family has been set up as the antagonists since the beginning of the series. But I did warm up to Nina and even enjoyed seeing her older brother begin to redeem himself. Morty was a delight from the very beginning (actually from his brief scene in the first book). He and Nina match on a dating app, and Nina's friend convinces her to go out with him. Their first date does not go well, but Morty suddenly begins developing magic, something he never had or knew existed before. Their romance from there is lovely, and so is Nina's growth as she figures out the origins of all the weird magical stuff happening in town.

Perfectly Imperfect Pixie by MJ May: (M/M paranormal romance) This was a quick cute read. Phil is a home and hearth pixie, but while he has the colorful hair and fluttering wings of other pixies, he's also six feet tall, much larger than normally petite pixies. As such, no one will give him a chance and he hasn't found a home and family to bond to and care for. Until he's hired by a wolf shifter to care for his home and the two children he recently received guardianship of, mostly to make him seem a better bet in the custody battle with the children's horrible grandfather. What follows is a sweet slow burn romance between pixie Phil and shifter Sedrick and a lovely story of building a family. The book could've used a better edit and proofread, but it was still good read.

A Fake Girlfriend for Chinese New Year by Jackie Lau: (M/F contemporary romance) This is the third novella in the Holidays with the Wongs series. After his parents and grandparents set up him and his siblings on blind dates at Thanksgiving (to mostly disastrous results), Zach has decided he needs to bring a fake girlfriend to Chinese New Year to make sure that doesn't happen again. He asks his friend Jo to fake date him leading up to the holiday and attend the family celebration with him. When she agrees, he has no idea that she's already fallen for him.  The novella is a cute, funny friends to lovers, fake dating to real love story. A quick, fun read for any time of year, but especially seasonal around Chinese New Year.

What have you read and loved lately?

I can't believe December is over already (and we're in 2023!)—time is still working in strange ways, at least in my brain. I already put out a list of some of my favorite reads of 2022, but I wanted to close out the year with some books I read for the first time in December. I didn't read as much—or all the books I wanted to—in December (I love holiday romances and I love to binge them at the end of the year), which was indicative of the year as a whole. I'm hoping to get back on track with reading (and writing!) in this new year. For now, here's December's reading:

Pack of Lies by Charlie Adhara: Pack of Lies starts a new series that spins off from Adhara's Big Bad Wolf paranormal romantic suspense series. We get more of the paranormal and more mystery suspense in this book, but with a new romantic pairing. Eli was a supporting character in the original series, and I will admit to having mixed feelings about him. After this book, I really do love him. I also enjoyed his love interest, and I'm interested to see how the relationship develops, as this wasn't much more than the barest beginnings for them, amid the mystery and murder and suspense of the plot. This book probably stands alone, but I would say to read the original series for more context—and also because it is really good.

Masters in the Hall by KJ Charles: I was so excited to hear this surprise new KJ Charles book! And it did not disappoint. It's a part of the Lilywhite Boys series, though sufficiently separate from the earlier books that you could probably read it on its own (again, though, you'd miss out on an excellent historical romance series if you did...). In this book, we have a disgraced hotel detective and the man who caused him to be disgraced at a Christmas house party during which the detective intends to expose this man as a criminal. What actually happens is a lovely second-chance romance and a ridiculously fun plot to expose the real villain.

The Holiday Trap by Roan Parrish: If you've seen the movie The Holiday, the premise of this novel (house swap!) will be familiar. Greta needs to escape her overbearing, boundary-ignoring family, and Truman has just had his heart broken by his awful boyfriend, so a mutual friend suggests they switch houses for the month of December. Greta heads to New Orleans where she falls in love with the city and Carys. Truman flies up to small-town Maine where he falls for florist Ash and finds that his favorite author—whose books he's been reading forever and got him through everything—may have lived in that very same house. Of the two romances, Truman and Ash's was my favorite. It was just so lovely. And I adored his quest to find more about his favorite author. While Greta's romance didn't resonate as much with me, I loved other parts of her journey to find out who she is outside her family and build the life she wanted.

A Little Blessing by R Cooper: A new Familiar Spirits book! Yay! I can just say that, right? Sigh, okay. This series is filled with lovely, cozy, witchy stories, and I adore them all. This one brings us back to town around Yule and introduces us to Robin Blessing, who was raised by older relatives and then spent years caring for them. Now alone, he's running the family business and not taking care of himself—and he collapses at the feet of Lucas, the teenage crush he never got over (though that's understating a complicated relationship). What develops between them as Lucas and his family move in to Robin's home and life to nurse him through both the flu and his grief is warm and cozy and beautiful and develops in the perfect organic way. The only problem is that I need more—there are some interesting things set up here and I want to know what happens next for the Coven. I immediately went back and reread Holly and Oak, the book in the series most related to this one, after I finished (and loved it again). I also need to learn how to knit.

The Sunbearer Trials by Aiden Thomas: This is book one of a Young Adult fantasy duology—be warned that book two isn't out yet (I will be waiting impatiently!). I'd heard this described as Percy Jackson meets the Hunger Games, and it definitely has elements of that. Every ten years, some of the half-human children of the gods are chosen to compete in a series of trials. The winner becomes the next Sunbearer; the loser is sacrificed to replenish the Sun's power and keep the evil Obsidian gods locked away. Teo is son of the Jade goddess of birds is only worried about the trials in relation to his best friend Niya, daughter of a Gold. Only Gods are ever chosen for the trials (and therefore both prepared for it and given far more privilege), until this year when Teo and another Jade are chosen. The world building, based on Mexican mythology, is fantastic, and so is the LGBTQ rep. I loved so many of the characters and their journeys. And the twist at the end! Definitely looking forward to what happens next. 

Hen Fever by Olivia Waite: This f/f Victorian Christmas novella was just delightful. A romance full of depth and feeling between Lydia, a spinster trying to always be on her best behavior (because she knows she is a disappointment to her parents), and Harriet, a soldier's widow trying to get over the absolute worst years of her life with her friends, who have inherited a manor house on the edge of Lydia's village. The lovely romance is contrasted with the approach of the village poultry show, a cutthroat competition that causes both hilarity and conflict. Short, but absolutely satisfying with beautiful writing...and a fantastic cover!

What have you read and loved lately?

Happy New Year, my darlings! I know a lot of authors are doing lists of their writing accomplishments to end the year, but, since I didn't hit my goals this year, I'm generally going to skip that. Mostly, I'm going to say thank you. Thank you for reading and reviewing and talking about my books. Thank you for looking forward to what's coming next (I promise I'm working on it!). Thank you to everyone there for making my first GRL in October so much fun. I was so thrilled to meet you all there.

The past few years have been...well, I don't think I actually need to say. As this year ends, I'm looking forward to the next and hoping for good things in 2023 (without actually trying to predict what will happen!). To Love the Dragon King finally out in the world. More reading, more writing. My second GRL. A little travel and adventure. I wish health and happiness and wonderful things for you in 2023! Lots of love to you.

Some of my favorite reads of the year (not all of them published in 2022, but all of them first read by me this year) mostly in the order in which I read them:

The Missing Page by Cat Sebastian (m/m historical cozy mystery)
A Marvellous Light by Freya Marske (m/m historical fantasy romance)
The Windsor Knot and All the Queen's Men by SJ Bennett (cozy mystery)
The Chosen and the Beautiful by Nghi Vo (historical fantasy)
For the Wolf and For the Throne by Hannah Whitten (m/f fantasy romance)
The Perks of Loving a Wallflower by Erica Ridley (f/f Regency romance)
A Dead Djinn in Cairo by P Djeli Clark (alt-historical fantasy novella) 
The Girl Who Fell Beneath the Sea by Axie Oh (YA fantasy)
In the Ravenous Dark by AM Strickland (queer YA fantasy)
Vespertine by Margaret Rogerson (YA fantasy)
A Rake of His Own by AJ Lancaster (m/m fantasy romance)
A Little Blessing by R Cooper (m/m paranormal romance)
The Sunbearer Trials by Aiden Thomas (queer YA fantasy)

What were some of your favorite reads of the year?