Tag: Romance

Something Spectacular by Alexis Hall

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Title: Something Spectacular
Author: Alexis Hall
Format: ebook (ARC)
Genre(s): Romance, Historical
Rating: ★★★★☆

This delightful sequel to Something Fabulous tells Peggy Delancey’s story as she learns to let go of her longstanding love for Arabella Tarleton and falls (literally, at first!) for the opera singer Orfeo. Prepare yourself for anachronisms (explained in the opening author’s note), flamboyant humor, journeys of self-discovery, and a well-crafted (and sometimes steamy) romance as Alexis Hall delivers another whimsical yet touching romantic comedy.

It’s satisfying to watch Peggy define not just who she is and how she wants to show up in the world, but also what matters to her — including her struggle with whether it’s legitimate to make seemingly traditional life choices without accepting the entire framework that society insists comes with them. And although the narrative focuses on Peggy’s perspective, Orfeo has their own growth arc as they learn to ask for and embrace possibilities they haven’t previously let themself imagine for their life.

This is a lovely, funny romance but also an exploration of what it means to care for someone — whether a friend, a partner, or yourself.

(Addendum: I’m dying to know what happened to Sir Horley and can only hope that the next book will be about him!)

Thank you to NetGalley and Montlake for providing an advanced reader copy of this novel in exchange for an honest review. Something Spectacular comes out on April 11, 2023.

The Secret Life of Albert Entwistle by Matt Cain

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Title: The Secret Life of Albert Entwistle
Author: Matt Cain
Format: ebook
Genre(s): Romance
Rating: ★★★★☆

This is a seriously sweet, heartwarming story about Albert Entwistle, a closeted postman on the verge of retirement who is pushed into reevaluating his solitary lifestyle and searching for the young love he lost many years before.

We see flashbacks to Albert’s past, and without dwelling on the trauma we’re given a very real glimpse of the fears and challenges of young gay men growing up in small town England at the time. This is juxtaposed with present-day Albert getting to know some of his coworkers and neighbors, including a young single mother, a lonely retired woman, and a gay couple who are new to town.

I loved the portrayal of the North, including a walk through Manchester’s Gay Village, and I enjoyed seeing Albert grow as he ventured farther out of his comfort zone both physically and emotionally. The way things ended felt a bit too perfect and easy, but it fit with the spirit of the story and left me with a lingering sense of joy and hope.

One Moment by Becky Hunter

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Title: One Moment
Author: Becky Hunter
Format: ebook (ARC)
Genre(s): Fiction, Magical realism, Romance
Rating: ★★☆☆☆

This debut novel is a bittersweet story about the value of friendship and the power of individual moments to change our lives, with a key feature: it begins after Scarlett’s death and is told from the perspective of her best friend and roommate Evie — but also by Scarlett herself, narrating as she watches over the aftermath and remembers her past.

The premise of this story is compelling, but I found myself frustrated as (especially during Scarlett’s narration) the message was spelled out repeatedly for me rather than trusting me to figure it out for myself. The dual perspective, although valuable for showing the backstory and full picture, also gave away so much that I never really got to feel surprised; the events played out just as I expected they would.

I wish Hunter had held back a bit more, but I do tend to prefer stories that leave more open to interpretation (and, in that vein, would have loved a more open-ended conclusion). This is a sweet story exploring how sadness and happiness can be intertwined, and if you’re looking for a straightforward celebration of friendship and love, this might be the right book for you.

Thank you to NetGalley and Corvus (Altantic Books) for providing an advanced reader copy of this novel in exchange for an honest review. One Moment comes out on March 2, 2023.

A Restless Truth by Freya Marske

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Title: A Restless Truth
Author: Freya Marske
Format: ebook
Genre(s): Romance, Historical, Fantasy
Rating: ★★★☆☆

This is the sequel to A Marvellous Light, following Maud Blythe as she tries to solve a magical murder mystery while traveling on a ship back to England from New York — it is, as Marske calls it, “a bubbly Wodehousian romp.”

Unfortunately, the first book didn’t set me up for this one to be a romp, and I found myself jarred by the change in tone as well as the lack of intimacy-building between Maud and Violet, a striking actress who Maud recognizes from Robin’s earlier visions about the journey. The romance storyline is mainly about Maud’s self-discovery as she is captivated by Violet, whereas Violet plays the fairly predictable part of the more worldly, guarded flirt, creating a frustratingly insurmountable emotional distance between the two (although that does come across as more realistic in the end than a whirlwind romance). The magic/mystery storyline also fell flat for me, not offering enough new substance about magic and magical society aside from the revelation about Maud, and exasperating me when they make an enormous and completely avoidable blunder as the crisis is coming to a head.

The word that most describes this book for me is claustrophobic: I felt stuck on the ship, wishing for the end of the journey and a change in cast or setting, and ultimately left hoping that the next installment (perhaps following Alan Ross and Lord Hawthorn, who I loved seeing more sides of, although I’d be thrilled to get more of Adelaide Morrissey) will bring a breath of fresh air and some added depth to the series.

The Holiday Trap by Roan Parrish

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Title: The Holiday Trap
Author: Roan Parrish
Format: ebook
Genre(s): Romance
Rating: ★★★☆☆

This is a cute rom-com that’s essentially a queer version of The Holiday: Greta in Maine and Truman in New Orleans are both in need of a change; when a mutual friend encourages them to swap houses around the holidays, they both find an opportunity for love and new adventures.

I finished this book with all the warm fuzzies I’d expect from a romantic comedy, mostly driven by Truman and Ash’s adorable storyline and their respective insecurities and challenges. I felt less connected to Greta and Carys’s story, possibly because the conflict and growth mostly happened on Greta’s end whereas Carys’s growth was part of her backstory rather than on the page. I also found the sheer number of side characters challenging — I was surprised and disappointed that some of them (including characters who had close relationships with the main characters as well as others who felt like fully fleshed-out personalities) appeared only once or twice, but I also can’t imagine weaving them into the story more fully while also juggling both storylines.

If you don’t mind some slightly heavier topics alongside the fluff (heads up that there is family conflict and past cheating), I’d recommend this as a fun escape from real-life stress for a quick weekend or holiday read.

Magic in Manhattan series by Allie Therin

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Title: Magic in Manhattan series: Spellbound, Starcrossed, and Wonderstruck
Author: Allie Therin
Format: ebook
Genre(s): Fantasy, Romance, Historical
Rating: ★★★★☆

This series took my favorite fiction genres and wrapped them up in a fast-paced, entertaining, touching story with a diverse cast of characters who are dealing with magical conundrums in New York. Although many interesting characters play a role, the books are definitely centered on Rory — a feisty young man who’s scraping by and trying to stay under the radar to hide his magic — and Arthur — a slightly older, rich congressman’s son who is mundane but wrapped up in the magical world — as they try to address the challenges both between them and around them.

There are so many things to enjoy in these books: witty dialogue, but not to the point of being outlandish; some characters who defy categorization as heroes or villains; many instances of people facing and working through issues of class, race, language, nationality, gender, and sexuality; the way prohibition, World War I, and other historical notes play a role in the plot; and a story that blends action and romance. It does have flaws here and there (like some pretty heavy exposition to get some of the backstory in the first book, a bit of a quick transition in the romance, and the use of some very fiendish, one-dimensional villains) but they didn’t get in the way of me gleefully devouring the series. It may not be the most sophisticated story I’ve read this year, but it was great fun!

Paris Daillencourt is About to Crumble by Alexis Hall

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Title: Paris Daillencourt is About to Crumble
Author: Alexis Hall
Format: ebook
Genre(s): Romance, Comedy
Rating: ★★★★☆

I was lucky enough to nab this book — the second in a series about a fictional baking competition — from the library almost immediately after it came out, and then (as I do with Alexis Hall’s novels) zipped right through it, cackling all the way.

Although ostensibly a rom-com about two of the competitors, Paris and Tariq, a huge part of the story is about Paris’s anxiety and his journey as he recognizes it, accepts it, and learns how to deal with it. So it’s not all fun and baked goods: I felt sucked into Paris’s anxiety and frustrated by the repetitive, negative cycles he went through, especially in moments where he lacked empathy for the people around him and sabotaged his relationships. But that meant his growth also felt fairly realistic, and it was well balanced with genuinely cute moments and lots of laughing about the competition.

If you like Hall’s style of humor, miss the early seasons of GBBO, don’t mind the open-endedness of an HFN ending (which is more about the main character’s ability to be in a relationship than about this particular relationship, per se), and enjoy when your romances come with a strong helping of Serious Issues, you might find this story as lovely as I did.

The Visitors by Caroline Scott

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Title: The Visitors
Author: Caroline Scott
Format: eBook
Genre(s): Historical, Romance
Rating: ★★★★☆

This was a gorgeous post-World War I story about Esme Nicholls, a war widow and housekeeper who visits Cornwall with her employer for the summer and discovers a beautiful landscape, an eclectic group of veterans, and a possible future for herself.

I was initially drawn to the story by the immersive descriptions of the Cornish landscape, flora, and fauna — all things that blew me away when I did a walk along the coastal path from St. Ives to Penzance, the area where this book takes place. As the chapters went on I became fascinated with the characters and their stories, especially Esme’s struggle between her past and her future and Rory’s reflections on his time in the war.

There’s a twist that comes about halfway through the story, and even though I saw it coming I still felt the impact. This is definitely a character-driven story (where Cornwall feels like another member of the cast of characters) full of self-discovery and the journeys we take to overcome grief and embrace life.

The Physician’s Daughter by Martha Conway

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Title: The Physician’s Daughter
Author: Martha Conway
Format: eBook
Genre(s): Historical, Romance
Rating: ★★★☆☆

This was primarily historical fiction — the story of Vita, a young woman after the U.S. Civil War who dreams of becoming a doctor — with a bit of romance that develops as Vita grapples with the expectation that she should set aside her career ambitions and become a wife and mother.

My interest in historical fiction began with books like this: books with intelligent, strong young women in different tumultuous periods of U.S. history trying to discover themselves while also dealing with what was happening in the world around them. I loved all of details that arose from the research that Conway clearly put into this book, and both Vita’s and Jacob’s experiences felt real and compelling (my only research-related criticism being the epigraphs, which repeatedly pulled me out of the story by including texts published after the time when the story took place and even a fake publication).

I was a bit put off by the moments where the perspective shifted mid-scene (maybe just personal preference), and I felt the balance of the story was maybe heavier on the self-doubt than it needed to be, with a lot of time spent on Vita’s worrying and not as much time as I’d have liked on her growing confidence (and the challenges faced) after she fully committed to her path. That said, I loved the way the story slowly layered on scene after scene of struggle to help me empathize with Vita and Jacob’s journeys, from their doubts and fears to the sense of hope and triumph at the end.

Talk Bookish to Me by Kate Bromley

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Title: Talk Bookish to Me
Author: Kate Bromley
Format: eBook
Genre(s): Romance
Rating: ★☆☆☆☆

This was the kind of debut novel that started out surprisingly well and then turned into a bit of a nightmare for me. I wanted to rate the author higher for her potential, for how the book started (multi-faceted characters, engaging style, enough detail to feel real without bogging down the plot), but I was too disturbed by the way everything played out to recommend this book.

Kara’s backstory gave me a stomachache, but in the sense that it felt very real and well-described — I empathized with her and Ryan’s past a little too much for comfort, and was eager to see how they handled it. Unfortunately, I didn’t feel like that past was really handled at all, with Kara and Ryan seeming to forgive and forget too easily until the final conflict when everything blew up … and then was patched up after a long period of self-reflection and with a sort of “we’re meant for each other” attitude that I felt was both unrealistic and kind of gross given their history. I would have much preferred to see a romance where Kara had this backstory and then worked through her hangups with a new love interest, rather than a second-chance romance with someone who I didn’t feel earned his second chance.