What We’ve Been Reading

The Collection

Explore our full library of honest reviews and literary recommendations.

Untouched

There’s a certain satisfaction in finding a romance novel that’s fully aware of its contradictions. Maisey Yates’ Untouched is one of those books that pulls you in, even as you…

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Written on Your Skin

Meredith Duran, whose absence from the world of historical romance feels like a gaping wound in the genre, is one of the finest writers to ever pen a love story….

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The Woodsmoke Women’s Book of Spells

Rachel Greenlaw’s The Woodsmoke Women’s Book of Spells opens with intrigue but fizzles before it can fully cast its spell. I had high hopes—her previous novel, Compass and Blade, was…

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The Finest Print

Looking for a well-written historical romance that also delves into Victorian-era newspaper taxes? The Finest Print offers both. You’ll also learn about penny bloods—now called penny dreadfuls—the era’s available birth…

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Creation Lake

Rachel Kushner’s Creation Lake has been met with rapturous praise. It’s vital and profound, it consolidates Kushner’s status as one of finest novelists working in the English language, and daring,…

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Midnight Man

This book’s boinking is bonkers. The first time the two leads have sex, a day after they first meet, it’s against a wall and the hero is clinging so tightly…

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Protecting What’s His

This was Tessa Bailey’s debut, published in 2013–and, back in the day, I loved it. I recently re-read it and, again, it made me laugh. It has an extremely alpha…

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It’s In His Kiss

Jill Shalvis’ It’s in His Kiss returns us to Lucky Harbor—a place that, by this point in the long-running series, is as much a character as the people who populate…

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Sugar Creek

Destiny, Ohio, isn’t exactly where Rachel Farris imagined herself returning, but when her grandmother needs help with the family apple orchard, she finds herself back in the small town she…

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Till Death Do Us Part

I stayed up past my absurdly early bedtime to finish Till Death Do Us Part–it’s a page turner that you HAVE TO KNOW WHAT HAPPENED and I couldn’t put it…

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The Invitation

Ah, romance novels. When they’re brilliant, they offer a sublime respite from the world. When they’re predictable, they’re… fine. The Invitation is fine. It’s the sort of romance where hot…

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Nothing Less Than Magic

Just one year ago, Chelsea Knight was living the life she’d always wanted. Marriage to the perfect guy, a thriving career, and a gorgeous condo overlooking San Francisco Bay. Then…

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