what i'm reading right now

Spring is finally here! I had my first outdoor backyard party in quite some time. 75% of the attendees were under six but it was a delight. Here’s what I have read lately:

Sky Ridge Hot Shots (Fight by Sloan St. James, Protect by Paisley Hope, and Honor by Danielle Baker) - This series revolves around a group of wildfire firefighters. I have read a not insignificant amount of romances like this. All three authors make a concerted and well researched effort in terms of the authenticity of their stories. St. James has the best of the bunch mostly because it features a heroine who escaped from a cult and has sex in the back of an ambulance. If that doesn’t intrigue you…what are you doing here with me?

Lights Out and A Love Most Fatal - I don’t read a whole lot of dark romance or mafia romance. When I do, I read like six of these books in quick succession and then burn out for the next 9 months. Both of these are silly and absolutely not that dark. Lights Out features the most neurotic hot mess stalker with a tragic past and a competent ER nurse who fantasizes about being stalked by her favorite erotic instagrammer. Do these two have much in common outside the bedroom? No. Was I still here for it? Yes. The second half of the book includes a murder plot, a mafia plot, more consensual non-consent that you thought could fit in 400 pages. A Love Most Fatal is a heroine mafia don (oh hell yes) and the nerdy math teacher of her godson. There are lots of arranged marriage hijinks, a hot Russian, a psychopath younger sister, and some real “it’s always the quiet ones” energy. I had a blast and will read the sequels to both of these books even if they could have used tighter editing. 

The Bone King and the Starling - Hahahahah. The heart wants what it wants. And sometimes it wants 183 pages of possessive bloodthirsty virginal Viking kings. This is for my Heart of Blood and Ashes hive (it’s just me and Lauren). I love the old school cover. In this case, I wish this book was 200 pages longer I wish I knew if it would be a series. I wish someone would give Elizabeth Stephens a four book fantasy romance publishing deal. Sarah Maclean of Fated Mates would say this book spoke to my id. Let’s not think too hard about what that means. 

Fan Service - My first FIVE FULL STARS in a while. I loved everything about this. This felt like Rosie Danan texted me and asked “what are all the touches I have to hit for a modern day werewolf book in your opinion, Britt?” Oh look here they all are. There is some chasing down in the woods, he can smell her emotions (and her period but not like that!), his inner werewolf is almost an alter ego (love this with Juliette Cross too!), and the heroine is a mean little goth bisexual. This takes place in a small town in Florida! He is an aging CW star of some sort of Teen Wolf/Supernatural combo show and now he is literally turning into a werewolf. . .the only person who will help him/believes him is the woman who runs his fan website. This book is for anyone who ever was active in a fandom or is a millennial, or is a mean woman who doesn’t want to admit feelings for a big silly himbo. I might read it again before 2025 ends. 

Off the Hook - This was a rec from the Tropes & Trifles instagram (hi, Lauren S!) and Peter Pan inspired. What I loved here, as someone who doesn’t really care about Peter Pan, was that Peter is the toxic ex! I am sure he will eventually get his own book (probably with the Tinker Bell character) but he sucks! He is flirty and flighty and almost completely unreliable on an emotional level. This is Wendy as the nanny for grumpy single dad Captain Hook (Peter is her ex and his brother, Drama!!!!). I don’t love a nanny romance though I have read quite a lot of them. You will learn I often say a trope is not my favorite but that seems to have no weight on whether or not I will still read it. I do think this book deftly managed the brother’s ex situation which feels like a close relation to a brother’s best friend situation. We didn’t talk it to death and the brothers had a real conversation about it, as did Wendy! I had fun and I will eagerly wait for shithead Peter to get his story. 

Trans rights readathon recs: Trans Rights Readathon is here! An annual event that encouraged reading (and donating) to trans rights organizations roughly from March 21-31. This includes all genres but I will mostly touch on romance. First, here are some books I have read in the last two years with trans and nonbinary characters that I loved.

A Lady for a Duke - Alexa Hall. Best friends separated by war. He thinks she is dead but really she used her assumed death to become herself. I was so nervous for our grieving MC to find out he was falling in love with his best friend AGAIN but it worked out so well and is a lovely warm hug of a book. 

The Prospects - KT Hoffman. Sunshine x grumpy baseball teammates. Great anxiety rep! 

Unmasked by the Marquess - Cat Sebastian. Cat Sebastian can do no wrong particularly when she is playing with gender and with class. I recommend all her historicals but this is a world class “I love you exactly as you are” book. 

A Shore Thing -  Joanna Lowell. So esoteric. I felt like this book was for all of us grad school nerds in history, in lit, in any humanities really. A well dressed witty rake and a nerdy little science gal embark on a bicycle race and well, you know what happens! So fun. A perfect spring book. 

Love & Other Disasters - Anita Kelly. Previously featured in this newsletter as one of my favorites in recent years. This is basically a Top Chef romance. Just the best. 

I can be truly terrible about reading challenges with specific parameters which is also why I am bad at book clubs. A good example of this in practice is that recently I saw Mila Finelli’s (Joanna Shupe’s) post about her upcoming Mafia romance book which included the detail “Jimmy Ferris vibes IYKYK.” I am no one if not someone who wants to KNOW so I googled him. Jimmy Ferris is the tragically terrible rock band lead singer hero of Kylie Scott’s Lead (book 3 of the Stage Dive series) which I already owned on Kindle likely due to the Fated Mates podcast. So naturally, I started that series too. Sometimes, I really need a red flag man from a slightly dated romance in my life. HOWEVER, I very much plan to read at least two of the following in the next two weeks: A Gentleman’s Gentleman (already started!), Make Room for Love, Rules for Ghosting (see my friend Rebecca’s review below), The Pairing, or Peter Darling: trans Peter Pan story where he falls for HOOK. k I am Peter Pan pilled now. I even bought a copy of the original to read to my son. That sounds like a mighty big adventure!

talk soon,

Britt