I’ve been on a damn good reading run. As usual, I’ve read a bunch of books that will come out later in the year, but, in the interest of conversation, I’ll not mention them here.
I’m working my way through The New Yorker‘s collection of short stories from the past century–I’m up to 1995. Thus far my favorites (that I hadn’t read before) have been A Summer’s Reading by Bernard Malamud and Nadine Gordimer’s City Lovers.
For romance, I enjoyed Julianna Keyes’ All The Missing Pieces and Elliot Fletcher’s Scotch on the Rocks, which, if you read my reviews, you already know.
I’m currently reading, and having a hard time putting down, Wild Dark Shore by Charlotte McConaghy. It’s a book with multiple narrators, none of whom are telling the whole story, and the sense of foreboding is intense. Thus, far, I’m loving it.
How about you? What have you read recently that you loved? Disliked? Think EVERYONE should read? Let us know in the comments!
Right now I am completely hooked on Xanthe Walter’s Dark Waters series (I reviewed book one, Crocodile Tears HERE). It’s nail-bitingly good – the plot is complex and twisty (and goes to some dark places), the worldbuilding is excellent (the setting is 60 years from now when much of the world has flooded) and the characters are brilliantly drawn and experience real growth and development as the series progresses. Fortunately, the author is releasing the books fairly close together (the final instalment is out at the beginning of September) otherwise I’d be gnashing my teeth with frustration at wanting to find out what happens next! Books 2 and 3 have been drop-everything-and-hole-up-to-read experiences and have given me a days-long book hangover afterwards. (My review of book 2, Ghost Eye is here for anyone who is interested, and I’ll be putting up a review of the third, The Lost Zone, in the last week of the month.)
I think those are the only books I’ve loved so far this year that I haven’t reviewed here at AAR, and if the finale is as good as the other books, the whole series will be on my Best of 2025 list, and may even be my best read of the year.
About to head out on a road trip/beach vacation and wasn’t that excited about any of the books on my Kindle. Just borrowed the first two in this series via KU. Thanks for the rec!
Excellent! Come back and let me know what you think 🙂
These days, I don’t read much outside the romance genre, so I surprised myself by reading two Catriona Ward horror novels back-to-back: THE LAST HOUSE ON NEEDLESS STREET and LOOKING GLASS SOUND. Both books are extremely well-written with evocative descriptions of the natural world (the Pacific Northwest and coastal Maine, respectively) along with the darker elements of what humans are capable of doing to each other (these are horror novels, after all, and it goes without saying that both books are full of triggers). In NEEDLESS STREET, a woman has spent her entire adult life obsessively searching for the person who abducted her younger sister from a crowded lakeside when they were children. Her search brings her to Needless Street and a reclusive man who lives with his daughter and a cat. In this man’s mind, present & past are always colliding, he forgets things, and objects have a funny way of moving, breaking, and being repaired; his daughter appears even less reliable; only the cat (yes, the cat has an internal monologue) seems in any way factually trustworthy. Twisty & turny in the best ways. By contrast, LOOKING GLASS SOUND initially appears to be a straightforward narrative of a young man remembering two idyllic summers of his teenage years when he and two friends spent their days fishing, swimming, and playing together in the title place. Their golden days are marred only by the specter of the women who have gone missing (presumed drowned) over the years, and a disturbing situation involving Polaroids being taken of sleeping children at night. But then, halfway through the book, the story gets turned on its head…and then again as we get closer to the end. But finally all the pieces come together and the loose ends get tied up in a satisfying if rather melancholy way. I recommend both books, but I can only spend so much time out of the romance bubble—I’m eagerly awaiting Serena Bell’s RUNNING HOTT next week.
I just finished Wild Dark Shore. It is extraordinary. It left me in tears even as it left me so so fiercely glad to be alive and to be able to love. I’ve not read a better book this year.
By whom?
Charlotte McConaghy
Here’s a link.
I was reading the Valor and Doyle series by Nicky James – finished the first 4 books (and the prequel). I love, love, love this series. (Thanks Caz for getting me hooked on these books!)
Right now, a couple of books I requested at the library came in, so I’m now in the middle of Sounds Like Love by Ashley Poston. I’ll be reading It’s a Love Story by Annabel Monaghan after that. And then I’ll go back to the Valor and Doyle series.
Yay – and you’re most welcome! It’s such a great series, and NJ does a fantastic job of maintaining such a high quality through all 8 books.
I love that series! I just did a re-listen to the series in preparation for the latest oe, which I loved.
I’ve been pretty happy with my reading lately after a slump for the first 5 months of the year. BK Borison’s First Time Caller was a slump-buster. I also enjoyed:
Victoria Helen Stone, Bald-Faced Liar
Alexis Daria, Along Came Amor
Alicia Thompson, Never Been Shipped
Ruthie Knox and Annie Mare, Homemaker
Laura Wood, Let’s Make a Scene
I also read a good non-romance book: John Warner, More Than Words: How To Think About Writing in the Age of AI. As an English prof, I’m really rethinking how I teach writing.
I just finished Carley Fortune’s One Golden Summer (five stars!)
I’m working on Anna Campbell’s Untouched (it’s decent) and listening to Rebecca Romney’s Jane Austen’s Bookshelf (riveting!!)
And I recently tore through Kate Canterbary’s In a Jam (5 stars) and In a Rush (3 stars)
I loved Carley Fortune’s One Golden Summer. After I finished that book, I went back and reread Every Summer After so I could enjoy Percy and Sam’s story again (and remember the introduction to Charlie.)
I like Untouched. It’s my favorite of Campbell’s work. I read it when I first started re-reading romance for the first time since high school and it was the first historical romance I read where, initially, the hero was bad in bed. I loved that about it–it felt fresh to me back in the day!
I am still clinging to books that place me in a different world/time. After making my way through the Liaden Universe, I read The Cazalet Chronicles by Elizabeth Jane Howard and I am now deep into A Horseman Riding By trilogy by R.F. Delderfield. I have enjoyed all these books and I would love suggestions for similar reads. None of these series are romances per se, however they are all packed with interesting and diverse romances!
I enjoyed Delderfield’s Swan Family books, Diana and To Serve Them All My Days, which is probably my favourite of his. Winston Graham’s Poldark books are excellent.
I enjoyed a number of Mary Wesley’s books, notably The Chamomile Lawn, A Sensible Life and The Vacillations of Poppy Carew.
I really enjoyed the Cazlet books, too. If I can think of any other titles, I’ll come back and add them to this comment.
Thank you!
You’re welcome – I hope you find something to suit you. I forgot to mention that if you’re into historical fiction, you can’t go wrong with Sharon Penman.
Historical fiction was my gateway to reading romance, so I am definitely into it! I have read all of Sharon Kaye Penman’s Welsh and Plantagenent books and loved them all. I also love Rosemary Sutciff’s books. The Lantern Bearers was one of the saddest books I have ever read. These more recent books are a different era for me. They are such English stories to me. I am currently reading the second book in Delderfield’s trilogy Post of Honor and I am concerned about the plight of farming which appears to be following the same sad decline as American farms. In any case if you think of anything along these lines, please let me know.
Some books that I recall enjoying that delve into English history, esp social changes due to industrialization from mid 1800s through WWII and/or social history/changes taking place:
–Brenda Jagger’s Barforth Women series (which I think you can get on Kindle now). My favorite of hers is Days of Grace, which I don’t think has been digitized, but I think is available at Open Library.
–The Summer Before the War by Helen Simonson (WW1)
–Lissa Evans books that deal with the suffragette movement and WW1-WWII, beginning with Old Baggage
–South Riding by Winifred Holtby, social changes in 1930s Yorkshire
–Random Harvest by James Hilton (end of WW1 – 1939)
–A Moment in Time by HE Bates for the colorful lingo used by the young RAF pilots
Thank you so much for all the suggestions. I have read The Summer Before the War and deeply admired it. I will search out the others!
I’ve been reading F&SF much longer than romances, and many F&SF books have romantic threads.
The dragonriders of Pern series by Anne McCaffrey includes several romances.
The multiple Witch World series by Andre Norton include several romances.
The Warlock In Spite of Himself by Christopher Stasheff is the first book of a long series.
A few stand-alone titles include:
Restoree by Anne McCaffrey
The I Inside by Alan Dean Foster
The Practice Effect by David Brin
Many of my favorites are old enough (1960s-1970s) they might be a challenge to find these days. The most re-read are in a favorites list I worked up a few years ago ( http://www.ccrsdodona.org/markmuse/reading/mostread.html ), though the listed F&SF books are not limited to those with romantic threads.
Delderfield always reminds me of Winston Graham – maybe because they were favorites of my father. Have you read the Poldark books? They aren’t as long as Delderfield, but I enjoyed them just as much. (And, of course, if you like them, there are two TV versions made of them).
I finished the Delderfield trilogy and I loved it and yes they are long! Years ago I read the Poldark books and I enjoyed them. I don’t really watch TV – too many books to read.
Liaden is one of my absolute favourite series, so in that vein have you tried Lois McMaster Bujold? Either her Vorkosigan saga starting with “Shards of Honor” (aka “Cordelia’s Honor”), or one of her fantasy series such as “The Curse of Chalion” or “Penric’s Demon.”
Sharon Shinn has a couple of great fantasy series, start with “Mystic & Rider” or “Troubled Waters”.
The Nine Worlds series by Victoria Goddard is wonderful, also fantasy – start with “The Hands of the Emperor” or “Stargazy Pie”.
Alexandra Rowland has some lovely fantasies including “A Taste of Gold and Iron” and ” Yield Under Great Persuasion” set in her Arthwend world.
I haven’t been reading romance this year. I’ve had concentration issues, and have gone back to read some children’s stories that I either missed or wanted to re-read such as Black Beauty and Jean Craighead George’s Julie of the Wolves series. Just finished and enjoyed an audio read by Ariyon Bakare of Brian Jacques’ first Redwall book and made a note to try more, as I thought it was fun. I also read a couple of Elizabeth Enright’s children’s books about Gone-Away Lake, which I thought were utterly charming.
My mom was a children’s librarian and through her I was fortunate to meet George. She was so lovely–one of the most winsome people I’ve ever met!
And her books are absolutely fabulous.
Yes. I have marvelous memories of Julie of the Wolves and of Island of the Blue Dolphins by Scott O’Dell.
Books I’ve been enjoying recently:
Before I Let Go by Kennedy Ryan
Ready or Not by Cara Bastone
Promise Me Sunshine by Cara Bastone
all interesting CR, which is generally my least favorite sub-genre – but these are almost women’s fiction and may be why I’m enjoying them so much
Reread the Valor and Doyle series, pluse series finale
because one has to finish a favorite series
CS Harris’ St. Cyr series (books 1-4 so far)
historical mysteries, with romantic elements
Have found the romance genre a bit lacking recently – so have been going a through romantasy summer. I find the stories more invested if that makes sense. All entertaining and engrossing reads.
Recent reads:
Metal Slinger by Rachel Schneider
Sheild of Sparrows by Deveney Perry
Crimson Moth duology by Kristen Ciccarelli
Spark The Flame by Ivy Asher
Calamity by Constance Fay
Silver Elite by Dani Francis
Best recent reads for me are:
“A Rogue of One’s Own” by Evie Dunmore – m/f historical romance + suffragettes
“Something Wild & Wonderful” by Anita Kelly – m/m contemporary on the Pacific Crest Trail
“The Duke at Hazard” by KJ Charles – regency m/m romance
“The Devil Comes Courting” by Courtney Milan – m/f historical romance, mostly set in China
“The Happy Ever After Playlist” by Abby Jimenez – m/f contemporary romance
“Whispering Wood” by Sharon Shinn – m/f fantasy romance
You’ve got some great ones on that list!
Of the 157 romance-dedicated bookstores in the American Booksellers Association, more than half opened within the last two years, said Allison Hill, CEO of the trade group for independent sellers.
(from Fans say new romance bookstores and online groups are giving the genre some overdue respect – ABC News)
That is a lot of bookstores! And an average of 3 per state here in the U.S.
I will be interested to see how many are still in business in a few years. It is the zeitgeist right now but it’s unclear to me that enthusiasm will hold.