Author: Aurora

A Wicked Kind of Husband by Mia Vincy

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Title: A Wicked Kind of Husband
Author: Mia Vincy
Format: eBook
Genre(s): Romance, Historical
Rating: ★★★★☆

One of the most reliable ways to discover new authors you might like, in my experience, is to get recommendations from authors you already love — so when I got a peek at KJ Charles’s TBR pile and spotted a new-to-me name, I immediately grabbed a copy of one of Mia Vincy’s books (the only one of hers at my library).

I was intrigued from the outset: This book has main characters from Warwickshire (a county north of London, which includes industrial Birmingham, rather than the South, which is so commonly a setting for this genre) who have been in a marriage of convenience for two years, yet who literally don’t recognize each other when they meet by chance in London. Cassandra and Joshua are both intelligent and the challenging spark that appears between them develops into a fascinating dynamic as they get to know each other and their histories come to light.

Having a story begin with an already married couple shifts the usual will-they-won’t-they conflict into a question about how they will reconcile their needs and expectations and shape their marriage for the future, and the way it plays out feels consistent to the characters even as they grow over time. This was a witty, emotional, satisfying regency romance and I’m looking forward to reading Vincy’s other Longhope Abbey books.

Love Her or Lose Her by Tessa Bailey

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Title: Love Her or Lose Her
Author: Tessa Bailey
Format: eBook (library)
Genre(s): Romance
Rating: ★★☆☆☆

I picked this up as an easy travel read (for the plane/train) after seeing a friend enjoy a number of Tessa Bailey’s books; sadly, I think her writing isn’t for me.

The book centers on Rosie and Dominic Vega, a married couple that has drifted apart after Dominic returns home from active military duty. I was really excited to see a romance about an established, married couple — I’m always interested in exploring realistic challenges that arise in long-term relationships. But we’re mostly told about their individual backstories and issues rather than shown them, and although they don’t resolve their problems instantly there’s a sense that the only real challenge is to identify what’s wrong in their relationship (as if it doesn’t take time and practice to work through insecurities and communication issues after they’ve been identified). Add to that a fairly plain, repetitive writing style, magically perfect sexual chemistry, and flat supporting characters, and I just couldn’t stay engaged in the story.

The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue by V.E. Schwab

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Title: The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue
Author: V.E. Schwab
Format: eBook (library)
Genre(s): Fantasy
Rating: ★★★★☆

What does it mean to belong to someone else, and what kind of legacy do you want to leave behind? After making a deal with the darkness, Addie finds that her wish to be free makes her something of an outcast — and spends the rest of her unnaturally long life defying the limitations of the deal.

Although at times I got frustrated by the short chapters and shifting timeline of the story (which frequently flips between past and present), I enjoyed how this presented Addie’s many overlapping layers: her young naïve self, her longing for connection, her sense of wonder, her anger and frustration at her circumstances, and her stubborn insistence not to give up or give in. I also appreciated the juxtaposition of the other main characters, Luc and Henry, who are very different and yet very similar — in their looks but also in how Addie is drawn to them while she also struggles with her relationship with each of them.

I loved following Addie’s journey (both internal and external) over the years and found the ending gleefully satisfying while at the same time very open and unfinished, in the best way.

A Marvellous Light by Freya Marske

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Title: A Marvellous Light
Author: Freya Marske
Genre(s): Romance, Historical, Fantasy
Rating: ★★★★☆

I loved this story — on its surface, a historical fantasy romance involving the affable baronet Robin Blythe being shoved into a ministry position that introduces him to the magical world, via the stand-offish magician Edwin Courcey and a magical curse.

Robin and Edwin are captivating characters, both struggling with other people’s expectations for them as well as their desire for each other. But the story goes beyond that, including blatant examples of sexism and racism (hat tip to the fabulous Adelaide Morrissey and Kitty Kaur — all I can say is “woe.”) that cloud the judgment of not only the non-magical Edwardian society but the magical community as well. I enjoyed how these themes were woven together with the plot, how the main characters grew through the story, and the delightful (albeit a bit hand-wavy, pun intended) magical system based on Cat’s Cradle.

I’m definitely looking forward to the upcoming sequel focused on Robin’s sister Maud, A Restless Truth.

The Road Trip by Beth O’Leary

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Title: The Road Trip
Author: Beth O’Leary
Format: Audiobook
Genre(s): Romance
Rating: ★★★★☆

The Road Trip was just the kind of contemporary romance I enjoy: a story with conflict caused by the characters’ values and priorities (not just miscommunication), gradual character growth, and humor alongside dealing with serious issues. The audiobook was recorded with two narrators (for the two leads), which worked well for the way the POV was passed back and forth between them. I also enjoyed the structure, which interspersed the present day timeline — full of unexplained interpersonal tension — with flashbacks that gradually filled in the reader on everyone’s history. I genuinely liked both Addie and Dylan, even when they were making mistakes, and most of the other flawed characters had enough humanity and depth to explain their actions. A really enjoyable read with a humorous literal journey and a moving figurative one.

The Queer Principles of Kit Webb by Cat Sebastian

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Title: The Queer Principles of Kit Webb
Author: Cat Sebastian
Genre(s): Romance, Historical, LGBTQ+
Rating: ★★★☆☆

This is a highly enjoyable romance starring Percy, the foppish son of the (clearly evil) Duke of Clare, and Kit, a former highwayman who Percy tries to hire to steal (from the duke, of course) a book that belonged to his late mother. It has a fairly predictable series of events and I found myself identifying who was really who almost as soon as new characters appeared on the page. But despite that, I enjoyed watching Percy open his eyes to the damage the aristocracy can do and make his own choices based on that knowledge, without having a complete personality transplant. Kit was a charming highwayman-turned-coffeeshop-owner and I adored watching the two fall for each other. I wish we’d seen more of their backstory with their closest friends, Marian and Rob — I especially found it hard to like Marian, who was barely there for Percy — but perhaps the sequel will make them more likable or at least relatable characters.

The Radium Girls by Kate Moore

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Title: The Radium Girls
Author: Kate Moore
Genre(s): Non-fiction
Rating: ★★★★★

This was one of the most captivating non-fiction books I have ever read, with the women and their stories coming to life (including in their own words) in a way that I rarely feel outside of fiction. Not surprising, then, to find out that Moore’s mission was to focus on the women at the center of this radium controversy.

It was deeply disturbing to read what happened to these women — women who contracted radiation poisoning while working with radium-infused paint — and how their suffering was minimized, ignored, or outright lied about in the name of profit. And it was incredibly moving to hear what they were willing to go through to get justice for themselves and for everyone coming afterwards. All in all, this was an enlightening read about an important part of the history of labor rights in the United States, told in a way that is sure to stay with me.

Gallant by V.E. Schwab

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Title: Gallant
Author: V.E. Schwab
Genre(s): Gothic fantasy
Rating: ★★★★☆

This was a beautiful, dark, compelling tale about an orphan girl searching for home and family. It took me a little time to get into it — getting used to the slow pace and Olivia’s internal world — but once I did I was all in. I loved the way Olivia kept returning to her mother’s journal, revealing something new about her story each time. The fantasy aspects of the story were a bit simplistic, but I found I didn’t really mind that since my focus was on Olivia’s experience and the creepy yet captivating setting. I loved seeing the shift in her perspective and her relationship with the people and places (and ghouls) surrounding her.

Love Your Life by Sophie Kinsella (DNF)

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Title: Love Your Life
Author: Sophie Kinsella
Genre(s): Romance
Rating: ★☆☆☆☆

I picked this up from my library as a light-hearted, contemporary romance story I could listen to in audiobook format while doing chores around the house. Sadly, it was a DNF for me. The main character was too naïve, clueless, and melodramatic for me to get interested in her. And the idea that the two characters thought they were in love (rather than just infatuated) having only spent a holiday together in which they refused to share personal details about themselves? I stuck with it long enough to see them get back home and start to learn about each other’s real lives and everyday personalities, and it all just felt so unreal and ridiculous that I couldn’t continue.

Husband Material by Alexis Hall

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Title: Husband Material
Author: Alexis Hall
Genre(s): Romance
Rating: ★★★★☆

There are a few things I adore about Alexis Hall’s romance novels that are well represented in this book: his couples communicate and act like real people, and so don’t end up in conflicts that could be solved with a straightforward explanation, thus inspiring me to yell “just talk to each other already!” (but do still sometimes end up with communication problems because, well, people are complex and sometimes communication is hard); his stories are full of feelings that often are not just about the two main characters, but also portray the benefits and challenges of friendship; and he is interested in looking for satisfying endings that aren’t necessarily the simple marriage and heteronormative HEA or the simplified fall-in-love-and-done story. Luc and Oliver are such interesting characters to me because at this point (heads up if you didn’t know, this book is a sequel to Boyfriend Material!) they are dealing with the kinds of problems that come up when the New Relationship Energy has run out and you’re left with questions about long-term compatibility and values and identity and those conversations that you see turning into arguments but can’t quite stop because the disagreements are well-worn grooves that you just fall into. They feel like such real people in a caring, imperfect long-term relationship. I maybe wasn’t a huge fan of the “Four Weddings and a Funeral” structure, which felt a little too predictable once I realized what was going on (around the end of the second wedding). But I was sucked in to the story, from the serious and loving moments to the hilarious — including the continued failed jokes with Luc’s coworkers and the very satisfying jabs at Tories and religion and the middle/upper classes.