Reading List by Rose for October/November
Sweet Disorder by Rose Lerner
When I reviewed Lerner’s In for a Penny, comments were pretty much split between readers who liked that one best and those who preferred Sweet Disorder. Having now read both, I definitely prefer In for a Penny. I appreciate Lerner’s focus on people outside the nobility and her ability to come up with ideas and settings that seem fresh and unique, but I just didn’t like Sweet Disorder all that much – the story seemed a bit too meandering and I felt that some of the characterizations were inconsistent. In addition, the descriptions of Phoebe’s figure and how attractive it was to men eventually began to grate; it felt like (unnecessary) reassurance that a curvy woman can be attractive. C+.
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Afternoon Delight by Anne Calhoun
I usually like Calhoun’s books and was looking forward to this one. I think I might have enjoyed Afternoon Delight more if it were my first Calhoun novel: there’s a likable heroine, an interesting hero and it’s sex-positive and pretty fun. The problem is that some of the characters really reminded me of those in earlier books (especially Liberating Lacey) and it lacked the intensity I’ve come to expect from Calhoun. So not bad, just not up to expectations. B-
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Escape by Carylon Jessop and Laura Plamer
I think I picked this up after it was featured in a daily deals post. Jessop has quite a story – growing up in the FLDS, being married at 18 to a man older than her father, and life in a polygamous marriage before she took her eight children and broke away. It’s not written in the most exciting way, but her story doesn’t really need it to be interesting. B.
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Indecent Proposal by Molly O’Keefe
It can be difficult to come up with a compelling reason for characters to have a marriage of convenience in a contemporary, but O’Keefe managed it: I’m not sure most politicians would marry someone they’d hooked up with, but it made sense for Harrison, who is concerned about his image, about not being like his father, and about doing the right thing. I did feel that the conflict was dragged out a bit artificially – Harrison and Ryan (a fantastic heroine) were mature enough to communicate and settle matters without resorting to a grovel scene straight out of an SEP romance. I really could have done without that ending to what was otherwise an enjoyable read. B.
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Understatement of the Year by Sarina Bowen
I was on the fence about reading Bowen’s latest entry in the Ivy League series, as I don’t read a lot of m/m. But I figured that she hadn’t failed me yet, and gave it a shot. I loved this book. It is my favorite in the series and one of my favorite romances from the past year. Johnny Rikker is an adorable hero, yet I could sympathize with Michael Graham and his difficulty in acknowledging – even to himself – that they belonged together. While I’m not sure an out athlete would experience quite as much overt homophobia as Rikker did, just about everything else seemed spot on. I can’t wait for Bella’s book next. A-
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Breathe, Annie, Breathe by Miranda Kenneally
I reviewed Breathe, Annie, Breathe and gave it a B.
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Wild by Jill Sorenson
Setting a romance novel in a zoo after an earthquake is certainly original (Lions! Snakes! Honey badgers!), and I don’t believe there have been many elephant keepers in the genre, either. I liked that Helena was sometimes prickly and not all that good in social situations. I did become frustrated with her inability to acknowledge that Josh was a lot more than a flirt and a lightweight despite all available evidence. Josh was great, and I enjoyed the secondary romance as well. I mentioned in my review of Sorenson’s Backwoods that her writing seems to have gotten rather staccato and that the short, choppy sentences can make the characters and their thoughts sound too much alike. In a book with three POVs, this is a problem. B-
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The Duke of Dark Desires by Miranda Neville
I’ll have a joint review with Janine closer to the publication date. The short version: Neville writes consistently good romances and this is among the better ones.
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Summer Chaparral by Genevieve Turner
This was mentioned on Twitter and I couldn’t resist: it’s set in California in the late 19th century, there’s a cowboy hero and a heroine from an old California Spanish family, plus it was only 0.99 on Amazon. Sold! There was a lot to like in terms of the settings and characters, including some wonderful secondary ones, but the main romance actually didn’t grab me as much as I thought it would. Still, this is a series to keep an eye on. B-/B.
The Jill Sorenson and Genevieve Turner books are in the immediate TBR pile. I’m getting really behind on Sorenson (I still need to read Backwoods!) and the Turner is simmering until I’m in the mood for a western again.
Thanks for reminding me about Escape. I’ve been on an audiobook kick lately, but my go-to genre for listening (mystery/suspense) has been falling a little flat for me, of late. I’m finding myself intrigued by biographies and non-fiction and am looking back through the last couple of years to those titles I *knew* about at the time, but didn’t get around to. Viva la library!
I was eyeing Summer Chaparral when it was mentioned … somewhere … can’t remember right now. I think I’ll return it to the back burner for now.
I have Sweet Disorder and Indecent Proposal on my TBR. And now I have my eye on Sorenson’s and Turner’s. Escape also sounds really interesting.
I did enjoy Wild, despite my issues with the writing style – if only for the original setup. Sorenson seems to be doing something of a hybrid between disaster stories and suspense at the moment, and I like it more than a lot of what’s being published as romantic suspense.
As for Summer Chaparral, I’d say that even at the regular price, it’s worth a look at some point.
@SuperWendy: Audiobooks aren’t really my thing, but a narrative like the one in Escape could work well in that format.
I pre-ordered The Duke of Dark Desires. Miranda Neville is an auto-buy for me. I’m delighted to hear that this is one of her better ones, because I’ve really been looking forward to it.
@Elinor Aspen: I hope it’ll live up to your expectations! Janine and I both liked it very much.