I’ve been a reading machine of late – here’s what I’ve grabbed off the library bookshelves for myself!
–Marissa
When a Scot Ties the Knot by Tessa Dare is going to be a purchase for me. I read the library copy the MINUTE it came in, and loved it so much, I knew I needed to OWN it myself. That’s high praise for this librarian. 😉 Madeline is shy and awkward, but a wizard with drawings and writing letters. Logan is a strapping Scottish captain just out of the Army trying to find his rightful home. How they meet is just so meet-cute I can’t spoil it, except to say that no less than five times I LAUGHED OUT LOUD at this novel, swooned at the romance-y, sexy bits, and cheered for the happy ending. I love a Regency romance that is smart, sexy, funny, imaginative, and darn good fun. I loved every word! This further solidifies my belief that Tessa Dare and I should be best friends. This is part of the fantastic Castles Ever After series…go. read. now. 🙂
Fates and Furies by Lauren Groff left me…conflicted. I hate it when authors have to try SO hard to make themselves sound worldly and literary and awe-inspiring and filled with complex metaphors, when instead I just find it cloying and bogs down the narrative that I’m trying to get into. This is the story of a marriage between Lotto and Mathilde – the first half told from Lotto’s point of view and the second from Mathilde’s. I’ll be honest, I thought about just straight up giving up about halfway through Lotto’s section, but I soldiered on…and glad I did, because Mathilde’s section is pretty explosive and imminently more readable! I think this will be a pretty divisive novel – you’ll either love it or hate it. For me, I’m at least glad I read it!
After You by JoJo Moyes was a tough one for me to commit to reading. I SO adored Me Before You, and this is the sequel to that story…a sequel I wasn’t sure I wanted to know about. Ultimately, I’m glad I read it (no spoilers, I promise!) to see where Lou went after the previous tale, but I found the novel didn’t have the same spark, the same energy, the same sense of urgency that Me Before You had, just by the nature of that tale. Still, a worthy addition to the story of Lou…
Movie Star by Lizzie Pepper by Hilary Liftin was BIG fun – a (very) thinly veiled retelling of the Tom Cruise/Katie Holmes romance. If you love a gossip mag or love dishing on movie stars, this is FABULOUS!
I just finished Only a Kiss by Mary Balogh, the latest in the Survivor’s Club series – another worthy addition to the series!
I also recently read Need Me by Tessa Bailey, the first in the Broke and Beautiful series. A college sophomore and her professor, steamy sex, and inevitable conflict. Need I say more? 🙂
I also reread The Storied Life of AJ Fikry by Gabrielle Zevin – swoon.
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