Weekly Reads: November 8 to 13, 2022

Mix of fics and books this week, including one audiobook memoir. Remember that I’ll talk about things I’ve read here that I might not post about anywhere else, so I recommend subscribing to not miss out!

Lady Meets Earl by Christy Carlyle (2022)

Historical romance set in Victorian England. Book 2 of the Love on Holiday series, but it doesn’t seem connect to the first book from what I can tell. Our poor guy James is being threatened by a loan shark after losing all his money from his shipping business; he’s inherited and earldom from his estranged uncle but finds that estate in debt with only one property potentially worth selling. In another part of town, Lady Lucy is living her ever-helpful nearly-spinster life and gets invited to visit her feisty aunt for awhile. While traveling to the estate via train, she bumps into James and they make friendly acquaintance with each other. Unfortunately, they soon find out that they’ve ended up in the same destination: Lucy’s aunt is occupying the house that James needs to sell. While it seems like this could be a major conflict, Lucy is mature about the situation and strives for transparency in communication. It’s delightful reading these two open up to each other and communicate.

Advance ebook provided by Avon Books via NetGalley.

Shop this book via Amazon // Bookshop.org // Libro.fm

Grizzly Beard by Cassie Mint (2022)

Contemporary romance novella. Book 1 of the Mail Order Mountain series. Super quick little read. Mail order bride shows up at a mountain cabin that she thinks belongs to her fiance, but finds another gruff and burly man instead. He offers to drive her to the right place, but a downed tree in the road stops them for the night and they have to cuddle for warmth.

Ebook accessed from Kindle Unlimited.

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Beyond the Wand: The Magic and Mayhem of Growing Up a Wizard by Tom Felton (2022)

Nonfiction memoir. It should be no surprise here that I was a fan of the Harry Potter novels and movies. And as my fanfiction reading habits would suggest, I even sympathize with Draco Malfoy at times. Recently, actor Tom Felton, who portrayed Draco in the Harry Potter films published a memoir documenting his childhood, acting jobs, mentors, and life after Potter. I borrowed the audiobook from my library specifically because the book was narrated by Felton himself and it added a lot of emotion to the bits of his life he was sharing. The book ranged from his early childhood all the way up to a fairly recent struggle with alcoholism and rehab. I enjoyed listening to this book and you can hear the deep gratitude and appreciation Felton had for all the people in his life that helped shape who he is today.

Audiobook borrowed from my local library via Libby.

Shop this book via Amazon // Bookshop.org // Libro.fm

Only Enchanting by Mary Balogh (2014)

Historical romance, Regency era England. Book 4 of the Survivors’ Club series. Flavian is a viscount who suffered from a traumatic brain injury with a poor prognosis, and was betrayed by his fiancee and best friend who married each other while he was recovering. Many years later, his ex-fiancee is now a widow and his meddling mother and sister are trying to matchmake. Meanwhile, Flavian has met and danced with Agnes, a neighbor at his friend’s estate. He feels calm and at peace when with her and ultimately offers her marriage. She believes Flavian is a rake and a flirt and tries to avoid his advances, but eventually gives in. The most interesting part of this book is the strange history Flavian has with his ex-fiancee and the gaps in his memory that are slowly uncovered.

Ebook borrowed from my local library via Libby.

Harry Potter Fanfic: When I Kissed the Teacher by SlytherinLovesAGryffindor

Hermione/Severus one-shot, Part 1 of series. Hermione is under the influence of Amortentia fumes and is daydreaming in class. When Snape goes to admonish her, she kisses him.

Read this fic on Archive of Our Own

Harry Potter Fanfic: The Name of the Game by SlytherinLovesAGryffindor

Hermione/Severus one-shot, Part 2 of series. Snape’s point of view from the kiss incident and the resulting detention.

Read this fic on Archive of Our Own

Harry Potter Fanfic: Andante, Andante by SlytherinLovesAGryffindor

Hermione/Severus one-shot, Part 3 of series. After several weeks of detentions, Hermione and Severus plan to consummate their relationship.

Read this fic on Archive of Our Own

Bridgerton Fanfic: I Think I Might Love You by IrishRose30

Anthony/Penelope romance. Follows the events of Season 2 of the series. Kate rejects Anthony at the Featherington Ball at the end of Episode 8. The Bridgertons and Featheringtons see each other at the park during a promenade and Penelope attempts to make Anthony smile. They begin a friendship, flirtation, and eventual courtship. The fic was a little shaky on the rules of Regency-era propriety, but it was still a fun and endearing read.

Read this fic on Archive of Our Own

A Holiday by Gaslight by Mimi Matthews (2018)

Historical romance set in Victorian England. Novella-length. Quick read. Sophie is the eldest daughter of a baronet and has been courting Mr. Edward Sharpe for two months and breaks it off because they seemingly don’t suit. It’s mostly because the courtship was awkward and stilted because he was trying too hard to be a gentleman. She decides to give him another chance with his holiday visit to her family’s house, and this time, he knows he needs to win her over. Super sweet read for the holidays.

Ebook purchased as an ebook deal via Amazon.

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Harry Potter Fanfic: Paradox by olivieblake

Draco/Hermione action-adventure romance. This one was a re-read for me. I had probably initially read this sometime in early 2020 and am in the process of putting together a post with a bunch of olivieblake’s fics. I had forgotten a lot of the details of this story, so I figured it was good to re-read it. In this one, we find Draco and Hermione thrown into a parallel universe and having to team up with their alternate selves. We spend time in both the Potterverse (canon, as we’ve known it) and the Grindelverse (a world where Grindelwald defeats Dumbledore and sets up his militaristic regime) and follow the adventures there separately. This fic is heavy on the plot and light on the smut, but you can tell how witty and clever the writing is. It’s a fun one, but will make your brain spin.

Read this fic on Archive of Our Own

Want more Harry Potter fanfic? Here’s a spreadsheet of my all-time favorites.

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