February: the shortest month of the year that always feels like the longest because hot takes on the romance genre - AMIRITE Y’ALL?!  I’ve been neck deep in contest judging which has meant less time online (and aggravated), but that doesn’t mean I haven’t been scouring around for unusual historicals.  Wild horses couldn’t keep me away from that. Here’s what looks enticing for February:

Possibly my favorite trope or character in historical romance is the science-y bluestocking. I will read all of these books because they totally play into my science vanity, not that any hot lords or ladies have sought me out for discussing groundwater flow or vapor intrusion models in public. This is not to say that I love every science-y heroine book, but I will read all of them. Before you think “she hated this one too?” I need you to know that I really enjoyed Lady Claire Is All That.

We made it to 1,000 followers on Twitter! Wheeee!

I read queer romance, I read interracial romance, I read romance with disabled and fat characters… and I read books that I should put down long before I do because they physically and emotionally hurt to read. In the last few months, I’ve read scores of romance novels featuring characters with various experiences with marginalization. One of the most surprising things I’ve found is how often the very books that are meant to be empowering are, in fact, quite hurtful to the reader.

Duchess by Design is pretty much what it says on the tin - an impoverished young Duke mistakes a young New York City dressmaker for her wealthy client and is immediately "enchanted" by her. What follows is a Gilded Age romance heavy on the feminism and lighter on the romance. If you enjoy reading about fashion, like in Loretta Chase's Dressmaker series, you'll enjoy this one. 

 To start, this is a short and sweet story, and #ownvoices when it comes to transgender representation as the author himself is trans.

This book was a delight. I've been sitting here wondering how to describe something that hit all of my happy buttons... So let me tell you about the buttons!

Button #1: Neighbors/Roommates
I adore this trope. It's forced proximity, which means that the two protagonists must deal with each other. AND it means that if they want to bang, they're frequently tempted. Author Rebecca Brooks takes it even further by adding in some of those early morning "let's make breakfast together" moments. The result is both filthy and sweet.

Button #2: Enemies to Lovers/Best Friend's Brother
Now that I'm listing them out, this book is just hella tropey?! The hero is taking over a sublet for his sister, who is the heroine's best friend for decades. This means that there's plenty of history, and in this case? It's not great. When Jessie was a shy teenager, her friends had crushes on Shawn, Talia's older brother. Unfortunately... Shawn slept with one of those friends. Then dumped her. And slept with the other one. Talia and Jessie remained friends, but there's always been a very clear line - DO NOT SLEEP WITH SHAWN.

Button #3: A Hot Mess Trying to Turn His Life Around
But now, Shawn is a grownup. He's been disappointing employers and partners, himself and his family for years. And now he's ready to make a change. He has a real job, with real responsibilities and a future. He might even be able to have a real relationship with Jessie, assuming Talia doesn't find out...

Button #4: Mature Adults Talk About Things
Thank goodness the bleak moment only lasts a chapter or two. Because we knew Talia was going to find out, right? And we knew she was going to be angry and everything would blow up. But we didn't know that Talia would *spoiler* and then everything would work out. (It's a romance, we knew about the HEA.)

Button #5: Scorching Sexytimes
All this angst and drama is glued together by some really well-written sex. There's a scene with a toy and it's *flames emoji.* There's a scene in a stairwell that is get-fired-and-not-care hot.

Here's how much I loved this book - I finished it at around 1:00 am and then went to the internet to find and buy Brooks' previous books.

I received a copy of this book from the publisher for review via NetGalley.

Author Jackie Lau (also Laura Jardine) wrote one of my favorite romances of 2018, Mr. Hotshot CEO. Her books are styled as rom-coms, but they balance the funny with heartfelt depictions of biracial identity, depression, and complicated family dynamics. They're pretty much everything... in a good way. With everything from a T-Rex costume to a clinically depressed heroine teaching a CEO how to have fun, Lau's books have something for everyone. And it doesn't hurt that she shares photos of food all over her social media.

When taking a break from her practise, violinist Ava Wellington runs into a very attractive woman. The two form an instant connection and the woman – Bianca – talks about her wife who died in a plane crash. Ava then has to continue her concert tour and never hears from Bianca again, but she can never forget that meeting. Two years later her manager ambushes her with the announcement that he has hired someone to write Ava’s biography, even though she has repeatedly stated that she doesn’t want that to happen. When the writer turns out to be Bianca, Ava is torn between happiness about seeing her again and fear that she will uncover the secret that’s the reason Ava doesn’t want anybody to know.