I'm writing this as snow falls and while I always look forward to spring, I'm enjoying the snow. As the climate crisis deepens and winter changes, I find myself appreciating even the slushy mess at the end of the driveway. (Most of the time.)
Harper Collins and the HCP Union reached an agreement after a three month strike. That means increased pay and union benefits for the staff and the return of Harper Collins content to LiP!
I hope you have a great month of reading and hope you'll share here or find me on Instagram or in Discord to tell me all about it.
This post contains affiliate links.
The Secret Lives of Country Gentlemen, by K.J. Charles - March 7
Gothic scandal meets Bridgerton intrigue in this swashbuckling Regency romance from celebrated author KJ Charles.
Abandoned by his father, Gareth Inglis grew up lonely, prickly, and well-used to disappointment. Still, he longs for a connection. When he meets a charming stranger, he falls head over heels—until everything goes wrong and he's left alone again. Then Gareth's father dies, turning the shabby London clerk into Sir Gareth, with a grand house on the remote Romney Marsh and a family he doesn't know.
The Marsh is another world, a strange, empty place notorious for its ruthless gangs of smugglers. And one of them is dangerously familiar…
Joss Doomsday has run the Doomsday smuggling clan since he was a boy. When the new baronet—his old lover—agrees to testify against Joss's sister, Joss acts fast to stop him. Their reunion is anything but happy, yet after the dust settles, neither can stay away. Soon, all Joss and Gareth want is the chance to be together. But the bleak, bare Marsh holds deadly secrets. And when Gareth finds himself threatened from every side, the gentleman and the smuggler must trust one another not just with their hearts, but with their lives.
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Why I Want to Read It - K.J. Charles! "Gothic scandal"! Smuggling!
Buy a copy: Amazon ◊ Kobo ◊ Libro.fm
Something Wild & Wonderful, by Anita Kelly - March 7
Alexei Lebedev’s journey on the Pacific Crest Trail begins with a single snake. And it is angling for the hot stranger who seemed to have appeared out of thin air. Lex is prepared for rattlesnakes, blisters, and months of solitude. What he isn’t prepared for is Ben Caravalho. But somehow—on a 2,500-mile trail—Alexei keeps running into the outgoing and charismatic hiker with golden-brown eyes, again and again. It might be coincidence. Then again, maybe there’s a reason the trail keeps bringing them together . . .
Ben has made his fair share of bad decisions, and almost all of them involved beautiful men. And yet there’s something about the gorgeous and quietly nerdy Alexei that Ben can’t just walk away from. Surely a bad decision can’t be this cute and smart. And there are worse things than falling in love during the biggest adventure of your life. But when their plans for the future are turned upside down, Ben and Alexei begin to wonder if it’s possible to hold on to something this wild and wonderful.
***Why I Want to Read It - Even though I was absolutely burned out on cooking and reality tv books, I loved Love & Other Disasters. Kelly really nails characterization and writes with a... I don't know... wholesomeness? What's the word for when you love the characters so much you want to be their best friends and also cheer for them to get their stuff together and make each other happy for the rest of time? Whatever that is, they write it exceptionally well.
Buy a copy: Amazon ◊ Kobo ◊ Libro.fm
Hotel of Secrets, by Diana Biller - March 28
Diana Biller's Hotel of Secrets is chock full of banter-filled shenanigans, must-have-you kisses, and romance certain to light a fire in the hearts of readers everywhere.
During ball season, anything can happen— even love.
It’s ball season in Vienna, and Maria Wallner only wants one thing: to restore her family’s hotel, the Hotel Wallner, to its former glory. She’s not going to let anything get in her way - not her parents’ three-decade-long affair; not seemingly-random attacks by masked assassins; and especially not the broad-shouldered American foreign agent who’s saved her life two times already. No matter how luscious his mouth is.
Eli Whittaker also only wants one thing: to find out who is selling American secret codes across Europe, arrest them, and go home to his sensible life in Washington, DC. He has one lead - a letter the culprit sent from a Viennese hotel. But when he arrives in Vienna, he is immediately swept up into a chaotic whirlwind of balls, spies, waltzes, and beautiful hotelkeepers who seem to constantly find themselves in danger. He disapproves of all of it! But his disapproval is tested as he slowly falls deeper into the chaos - and as his attraction to said hotelkeeper grows.
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Why I Want to Read It - Diana Biller has a way with emotion and setting that makes her one of very few historical romance authors I'm reading these days. I cannot say enough good things about these immersive, banter-filled, character-driven novels.
Lone Women, by Victor LaValle - March 7
Blue skies, empty land—and enough wide-open space to hide a horrifying secret. A woman with a past, a mysterious trunk, a town on the edge of nowhere, and a bracing new vision of the American West, from the award-winning author of The Changeling.
Adelaide Henry carries an enormous steamer trunk with her wherever she goes. It’s locked at all times. Because when the trunk opens, people around Adelaide start to disappear.
The year is 1915, and Adelaide is in trouble. Her secret sin killed her parents, forcing her to flee California in a hellfire rush and make her way to Montana as a homesteader. Dragging the trunk with her at every stop, she will become one of the “lone women” taking advantage of the government’s offer of free land for those who can tame it—except that Adelaide isn’t alone. And the secret she’s tried so desperately to lock away might be the only thing that will help her survive the harsh territory.
Crafted by a modern master of magical suspense, Lone Women blends shimmering prose, an unforgettable cast of adventurers who find horror and sisterhood in a brutal landscape, and a portrait of early-twentieth-century America like you’ve never seen. And at its heart is the gripping story of a woman desperate to bury her past—or redeem it.
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Why I Want to Read It - This is a horror Western with a Black FMC and it's giving me The Hacienda vibes. Historical, spooky stuff, maybe I shouldn't read it at night... you get the idea. I have a review copy I've just started but I also picked it as my Book of the Month this month. (If you want to sign up and use this link, I'll get a free credit.)
Buy a copy: Amazon ◊ Kobo ◊ Libro.fm
Books I've Read Early:
Disclosure: I received copies of these books from the publisher for review.
The Love Wager, by Lynn Painter - Lynn Painter's humor works for me and I found this dating bet plus fake dating romance absolutely charming. I read it as a mix of print and audio (thank you Berkley and PRH Audio) and I think the humor works better in audio. If you want something fluffy and diverting (with a bit of crappy ex-boyfriend stuff), this is a great pick.
The Foxglove King, by Hannah Whitten - First in a new series with necromancy and poison and political intrigue and an unhealthy intermixing of religion and monarchy. I wish there had been more femme characters in the book as it's mostly focused on the FMC and two MMCs, but I do love me a love triangle and this magic system was creepy/gross/very cool. (CWs for lots of murdery stuff including dead child.)
Bitter Medicine, by Mia Tsai - If you ever loved urban fantasy, this is a must-read. Taiwanese magical calligrapher FMC, French half-elf "fixer" MMC and lots of cool magic. Some of the scenes are easy to picture in a xianxia film, the central relationship is romantic and full of pining (with payoff) and the family angst is top notch. CW for true-name compulsion. Did I mention it's queer? It very much is.
Also out this month (beware, not all are romance!):
All titles in red are links to Amazon. Check out the full list here.
March 7 - Mr. & Mrs. Witch, by Gwenda Bond
March 7 - Conquer the Kingdom (Gargoyle Queen #3), by Jennifer Estep
March 7 - The Portrait of a Duchess (Society of Sirens, #2), by Scarlett Peckham
March 7 - Off the Map, by Trish Doller
March 7 - Monsters in Love: Wicked Tales and Monstrous Ever Afters (Anthology)
March 7 - The Golden Spoon, by Jessa Maxwell (suspense)
March 7 - The Faithless (Magic of the Lost, #2), by C.L. Clark
March 7 - The Queen's Price (Black Jewels #12), by Anne Bishop
March 7 - Mountains Made of Glass (Fairy Tale Retelling #1), by Scarlett St. Clair
March 7 - A Witch's Guide to Fake-Dating a Demon, by Sarah Hawley
March 7 - My Dear Henry: A Jekyll & Hyde Remix, by Kalynn Bayron
March 7 - The Adventures of Amina Al-Sirafi, by Shannon Chakraborty
March 9 - In Memoriam, by Alice Winn
March 17 - The Mimicking of Known Successes, by Malka Ann Older
March 14 - Solomon's Crown, by Natasha Siegel
March 14 - The Heiress at Sea, by Christi Caldwell
March 14 - Love and Other Flight Delays, by Denise Williams
March 14 - Flowerheart, by Catherine Bakewell
March 16 - Strictly Friends, by Frances Mensah Williams
March 21 - Infamous, by Lex Croucher
March 21 - Jane & Edward: A Modern Reimagining of Jane Eyre, by Melodie Edwards
March 21 - The Lies of the Ajungo (The Forever Desert #1), by Moses Ose Utomi
March 21 - While You Were Dreaming, by Alisha Rai
March 21 - Lucha of the Night Forest, by Tehlor Kay Mejia
March 21 - The Witch and the Vampire, by Francesca Flores
March 28 - Stars and Smoke, by Marie Lu
March 28 - Chaos & Flame, by Tessa Gratton and Justina Ireland
March 28 - The Fairy Bargains of Prospect Hill, by Rowenna Miller
March 28 - A Spinster's Guide to Danger and Dukes (Ladies Most Scandalous #3), by Manda Collins
March 28 - The Gargoyle's Captive (A Deal With a Demon #3), by Katee Robert
March 28 - Heated Rivalry (Game Changers, #2), by Rachel Reid (Mass market paperback release)
March 28 - No Rings Attached (Once Upon a Wedding #3), by Mona Shroff
Reminder: all of these books are collected in a list over at Amazon for your convenience.
What are you reading this month?
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