Well, the year that was January is finally over, and it kind of feels like a while ago already even though we're only a week into February. And I'm not entirely sure what to say about that's happened and is happening, especially since there is so much, so I'll say hang in there and take of yourselves and each other. And escape into a book when you need to recharge. Here are the books I read in January:
The Last Hour Between Worlds by Melissa Caruso (Fantasy with FF romance): This book is going to be on my favorite books of the year list, I can already tell. I could not put it down, and I'm so sad that I have to wait months for the next book! Kembral is a new mom on maternity leave taking a night on her own to go to a New Year's party, but then mysterious things start happening and people begin to be murdered and she has to team up with her rival Rika to save everyone as the who party begins slipping down through ever more dangerous layers of reality. Loved, loved, loved—the characters, the world, the plot.
Swordcrossed by Freya Marske (MM fantasy romance): Did I want the hardcover of this on my shelf partly because of the pretty cover and sprayed edges? Absolutely. But also because I love Freya Marske's books. And I loved this one too. In this standalone fantasy romance, Mattinesh is the dutiful heir to his house entering into an arranged marriage to save his family's struggling business and has to hire an experienced swordsman to act as best man at the wedding. He can afford to hire Luca, an extremely charming conman/swordsman trying to keep his secrets reinvent himself in a new city. As the time until the wedding ticks down, the two draw closer to each other and are drawn into the intrigue that brought Matti's house to the brink of ruin. Another one I couldn't put down.
Prince of Fortune by Lisa Tirreno (MM fantasy romance): For a book that mostly takes place during a war, this story and romance are surprisingly gentle and lovely. Edmund is a shy, anxious prince with powerful magic, who has been foreseen to be a great king again and again and feels the pressure of that destiny keenly. Aubrey is politically insignificant nobleman and a Seer who has been seeing visions of battle for years. When they meet, Aubrey saves Edmund from an attack and the two grow ever closer even as war breaks out and they have to work to find peace for their kingdom and a future together. I listened to the audiobook and would recommend it.
Sanctuary and Guardian by Sam Burns and WM Fawkes (MM fantasy romance): Sanctuary and Guardian are the first two books in the authors' On the Wind series. I always enjoy the work of these two authors, so I was excited to dive into these. In the first book, Paris is in love with his country's prince and plans to spend his life at his side, even though the customs of Urial wouldn't allow them to marry, but the king has other plans. He sends Paris to the neighboring country of Nemeda, a place supposedly ruled by barbarian tribes and from which none of their previous ambassadors have returned alive. When he arrives, nothing is as he anticipated and he finds his place in his new would and with one of the clan chiefs. Definitely read these in order—though there is a new romance in each book, the plot and intrigue carries over.
What have you read and loved lately?
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