Weekly Reads: May 13 to 19, 2024

Mistlefoe by Kimberly Lemming (2021)

Fantasy romance. Novella part of the Mead Mishaps series. Super quick little novella that was a lot of fun. Ruby is the blacksmith’s daughter and all the weapons being forged are cursed into sentient speaking objects that scare away all the customers. Turns out Ruby’s dad stole some ore from a demon, who retaliated with the curse. Ruby goes to find the fox demon and convince him to release the curse, which he will in exchange for her being his fake date mate with benefits to a weeklong Christmas party.

Ebook accessed from Kindle Unlimited.

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More or Less a Countess by Anna Bradley (2018)

Historical romance. Regency-era England. Book 2 of the Somerset Sisters series. This one is a bluestocking-rake story with some mistaken identity thrown in the mix. Violet is semi-heartbroken when the guy she’s pining over marries her friend, but she throws herself into writing a book instead, which contains all sorts of gory London history. Rakish Nick is back in London after his father’s death and inheritance of an earldom, but he’s not aiming to stay for long, except that his aunt is forcing him to marry and work on making an heir. When he sees a lovely young lady playing the piano so beautifully, he decides to court her. He thinks he’s courting the youngest sister Hyacinth, but doesn’t realize that he’s actually been spending time with Violet instead, and actually doesn’t know that Violet exists. She’s tried her best to dissuade Nick, especially with his scandalous reputation, but then realizes that he’s useful for escorting her about town to draw sketches for her book. Things get messy when they both develop feelings for each other and the truth of Violet’s identity comes out. I loved how Nick was actually really supportive of Violet’s book and was impressed by her knowledge and cleverness instead of being put off by it. She’s the one here who needs to make up for her deceit though.

Ebook and audiobook borrowed from my local library via Libby.

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The Prince’s Bride by Charis Michaels (2024)

Historical romance. Regency-era England. Book 2 of the Hidden Royals series. Gabriel is a French prince who’s been hiding away in a cave in the forest for the past fifteen years and basically a hermit. He very much does not want to rescue a lady who he thinks might be a victim of highwaymen, but the screaming finally get to him and he does. Ryan is the daughter of an earl traipsing through the forest to find her long-lost betrothed (Prince Gabriel) because the prince’s horrible cousin has claimed the title and the betrothal for himself and she does not want to marry him. Lucky for her, she’s stumbled right into the man she’s looking for. Except Gabriel is not interested at all in reclaiming his identity or leaving the forest, which leaves Ryan right where she started. The plus side here is that they’re clearly very attracted to each other and Gabriel can’t seem to stay away from Ryan, even as he’s sending her away. This was a lot of fun to read, especially as we slowly see Gabriel leave his comfort zone.

Advance ebook provided by Avon Books via NetGalley.

More or Less a Temptress by Anna Bradley (2018)

Historical romance. Regency-era England. Book 3 of the Somerset Sisters series. Frail and fragile youngest sister Hyacinth sees a brawl at an inn and then accuses the man of being a murderer when he shows up at a ball. Lachlan is not actually a murderer, but the secret brother of a marquess who has brought his younger brother and sister to England after their mother dies in Scotland. Luckily for everyone, the marquess acknowledges his new family members and hopes to smooth their way into society. Except that whole murder accusation is hovering about and Hyacinth is the one who is outcast and deemed to be a hysterical female. While Hyacinth’s family coddles her, Lachlan sees that she’s actually quite cunning and brave, if only she had the chance to show it. We get to see Hyacinth grow a backbone, especially around Lachlan, who does not treat her as delicately. This was a super fun romance to read.

Ebook and audiobook borrowed from my local library via Libby.

Savor It by Tarah DeWitt (2024)

Contemporary romance. Standalone novel. Small town, temporary neighbors, fake dating romance book here. Everyone’s got issues, but luckily everyone’s closer to talking them through over the summer. Fisher is a chef who got fired from his job, is basically flailing, and the newfound guardian to his orphaned niece. He’s shipped off from New York City to small town Oregon to oversee the completion of a new restaurant there. He’s temporarily staying next door to Sage, who doesn’t have much specific going on in her life, aside from dodging her ex-boyfriend and preparing for the annual festival. We get a bunch of small town nosy hijinks here, which leads to Sage and Fisher fake dating, and then actually falling in love. The whole cast of characters involved with this book makes things both funny and more emotional, with Fisher’s relationship with his niece and Sage’s relationship with her brothers. Get ready for all sorts of emotional upheaval as their temporary relationship starts to wind down.

Advance ebook provided by St. Martin’s Press via NetGalley.

The One That Got Away with Murder by Trish Lundy (2024)

Young adult thriller. Standalone novel. Fun and twisty mystery here. Lauren is the new girl in small town Pennsylvania and she’s got her own secrets that caused her and her mother to move from California. Although she’s trying her best to stay out of trouble, she ends up entangled with Robbie, who is suspected of killing his former girlfriend, even though he was never charged with anything. We delve into a web of other characters with unreliable recollections of what happened to who and when. This was such an interesting story and everyone is looking suspicious, so we never know who’s at fault here. Kept me hooked the whole time.

Ebook borrowed from my local library via Libby.

This Marquess of Mine by Sylvie Sinclair (2024)

Historical romance. Regency-era England. Book 2 of the Romancing the Rogue series. For various family dynamic reasons, Griffin is roped into escorting his sister and her best friend to various events this season, and Griffin is totally dreading it because he does not like Olivia. And by not like, I mean, he doesn’t like how he feels around her. Which is attracted to her, despite him believing that she’s a shallow title-hunting flirt. She has her own reasons for seeking a higher title, like impressing her disapproving father, but she covers it up by being the perfect society miss. As they spend more time together, they’re really just bickering most of the time, and totally clueless that the other person is pining for the other. I enjoyed reading about Griffin unwillingly lusting after Olivia, giving into her requests, and finally getting a clue and getting it together.

Advance ebook provided by Sylvie Sinclair.