I am working hard on the second Dragons of Ivria book in this month's JeRoWriMo challenge, but I wanted to sneak in my usual reading post (and then dive right back into writing!). January was a good reading month for me. I did some rereading and also read some fantastic new to me books. Many were continuations of series that I've been enjoying, and most were either fantasy or paranormal romances.
A Power Unbound by Freya Marske (M/M historical fantasy romance): I'm not sure if I'm at the point where I can say anything about this book except excited squealing noises. It was just so good and such a wonderful conclusion to the Last Binding trilogy. The romance, the tension in the plot, the found family elements...it all just worked so well. (And there was something fun for me personally—the author's note at the end said that the gardens where quite a bit of the action happens at the end of the book were based on the gardens on Isola Bella in Italy, which I was fortunate to visit last summer. I didn't see the peacocks that are supposed to be there, though, and I'm still a bit annoyed about that!) Go read the whole series if you haven't yet, starting with A Marvellous Light.
Something Wicked by Lily Morton (M/M paranormal romance): Something Wicked is the latest book in the Black and Blue series, and I was happy to get to revisit these characters and their lives in York. Blue is a psychic who can talk to ghosts and whose powers are expanding and growing in risky ways. In this installment, he's searching for a serial killer with the help of his boyfriend Levi and their friends. The serial killer parts were definitely scarier for me than the ghosts in this one, even though I had an idea who the killer might be fairly early on.
Dionysus in Wisconsin and Old Time Religion by EH Lupton (M/M historical fantasy): A friend recommended the first book in this series a while back, but I only got to it this past month. Which turned out to be a good thing because I could dive right into the second book when it released (of course, now I'm left waiting and hoping for more...). Set in 1969 and 1970, these are really fun, really smart books. The magic system is intriguing and felt real within the stories. I love the characters, and the romance is just perfect too. They're best read in order—though the second book has a new magical mystery, it ties back to the first. There are also some interesting threads still hanging (no actual cliffhangers, though!), so I'm hoping for a third book.
Let Sleeping Foxes Lie by Sam Burns (M/M romance/cozy mystery with paranormal elements): Let Sleeping Foxes Lie is the sequel to Where Foxes Say Goodnight, which I loved. This second book is actually set in the gap between the main action and the epilogue of the first book. In this book, the director of Max's new screenplay has asked him and his boyfriend Gentry to host the actors at their home for a retreat, since the screenplay is based on a true story that occurred there. At the same time, Max is looking for the right way and opportunity to propose to Gentry, but one thing after another keeps getting in the way—including a murder. I guessed the murderer almost immediately, but I didn't realize another big twist, and honestly, it didn't matter anyway: the characters were so fun and I loved visiting with Max and Gentry and their delightful town again. I'm a little sad this is the last book in the series, though it did wrap everything up perfectly.
The Royal Curse by Eliot Grayson (M/M fantasy romance): This is the first in a new series, and I'm excited for the next and to learn more about this world. In this book, we're given many tropes: prince/bodyguard, hurt/comfort, sex or die, fated mates. And all the potential bonkers-ness combined into such a fun story with a great romance. Prince Nikola's magic is a curse. Those born at dawn or twilight must have sex to keep themselves from being in intense pain and be able to control their magic or take a potion that relieves the symptoms but also dulls their magic. Nikola has chosen the potion, but when he and his bodyguard are stranded in a storm and the potion runs out, another solution has to be found.
A Suitable Bodyguard by R Cooper (M/M fantasy romance): Another bodyguard romance! This one is a prequel to A Suitable Consort but can be read on its own. And it has all of R Cooper's trademark pining and obliviousness on the part of the characters. There is chaos in the country as various families fight for the throne, but the corner of it held by Zelli's family is doing all it can to remain at peace and out of the conflict. Since his grandmother is too ill to go, half-fae Zelli decides to journey out into the valley to hear from their people and Tahlen insists on going with him as a bodyguard. Forced proximity plus pining and two lovely characters makes for a wonderful romance in addition to the interesting world and fantasy plot.
Warfire by Sam Burns and WM Fawkes (M/M fantasy romance): This last book in the Sons of Olympus trilogy turned out to be my favorite of the three, mostly because of the main characters—I ended up loving Ares and Adrian—and because it brought back characters from earlier books in this series and the previous series, Lords of the Underworld. It also brings the battle that has been building over the series to a very satisfying close. I'd make sure to read this series in order, and probably read the prior series beforehand as well so you have all the background, but I don't think that would be a hardship—these are fun books world building based on the premise that the Greek gods are real and living in the modern world.
Okay, I'm going back to writing, but while I do, tell me what you've read and loved lately?
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