Weekly Reads: January 6 to 12, 2025

Out of the Woods by Hannah Bonam-Young (2025)

Contemporary romance. Standalone novel. Sarah and Caleb were high school sweethearts and have been married since the age of 19. And Sarah is feeling all sorts of aimless as a wealthy housewife, wanting to build some independence and something of herself to be proud of. And as sweet and caring as Caleb is, he’s always swooping in to save the day, making Sarah continue to feel inadequate. Things come to a head at a charity event that does not go well, and it turns into a huge fight with all sorts of resentment and unhappiness bubbling up to the surface. And so, Sarah and Caleb are on a couples retreat in the woods to work out their relationship and communication issues. The humor factor here is that they’re both indoor people with no physical endurance whatsoever. But the emotional angst is ever-present. We get some flashback chapters to the past with how their relationship developed and how it intertwined with Sarah’s mom being ill and her career ambitions. This whole book is a heart punch and I enjoyed the supportive cast of characters present during the retreat. Loved it.

Advance ebook provided by Dell via NetGalley. Advance audiobook provided by Penguin Random House Audio.

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Remember When by Mary Balogh (2025)

Historical romance. Regency-era England. Book 4 of the Ravenswood series. We have another slow and sweet character-driven romance from Mary Balogh. We start with a not-very-tragic prologue for childhood friends Clarissa and Matthew, who have been friends and neighbors for years, but their lives are about to change because Clarissa is expecting a proposal the next day from a handsome and charming earl. And despite Matthew’s feelings for Clarissa, he knows that he is not a suitable match for her as a second son with no income. And so, they must part ways. Jump forward 33 years and Clarissa is widowed with grown children and re-evaluating her purpose in life. She’s decided to spend the summer alone at the family estate to find some solitude to think and plan. One of those plans involves renewing her friendship with Matthew, who just so happens to be the village carpenter for the past 20 years. They’ve interacted briefly and casually throughout the years, but maintaining their distance since their social stations are so different now. But of course, once they start truly talking again, the friendship sparks back to life, along with something more. Such a lovely comforting story to read. There’s still plenty of drama with Matthew’s backstory and his family, but in true Balogh fashion, everything resolves neatly.

Ebook and audiobook borrowed from my local library via Libby.

A Lady Would Know Better by Emma Theriault (2025)

Historical romance. Victorian-era England. Standalone novel. For having a brightly colored illustrated cover, we sure do start the story in lots of tragedy. Jasper is an earl who has been in mourning for over a year because his village was ravaged by scarlet fever and he lost his fiancee, parents, and older brother to the illness. He’s doing his best to keep it all together, even if that means he’s a stern and grumpy bastard to his remaining family. And then they find an injured and unconscious woman down the lane and bring her to the safety of their manor house. Waking up with no memory of herself or how she was injured, the family have named the woman Jane. And Jasper and Jane have almost instant chemistry with some flirty bickering. It’s a bit of a mystery to figure out her identity, and we mostly spend the book with a push-and-pull of Jasper’s emotions. See, he’s trying his best to stay away from Jane, but it’s not working, so then he feels conflicted and guilty. I did enjoy his slew of meddling sisters and how they instantly become attached to Jane during her stay. A nice mix of angst and drama here.

Advance ebook provided by Entangled Publishing via NetGalley.

A Monsoon Rising by Thea Guanzon (2024)

Fantasy romance. Book 2 of the Hurricane Wars series. We continue the story of the enemies, Alaric and Talasyn, who were arranged to marry for political purposes. They actually are true enemies though, having fought on opposites side of a war and also having opposing types of magic. This book finds them continuing to plot their betrayal towards each other, along with them learning to merge their magic to fight an oncoming natural disaster, and them finally giving in to their physical attraction. Lots of politics and fighting, but the angst and longing in this one is good. Plus, the banter is delightfully funny and entertaining. This one ends on a cliffhanger, with no publication date of Book 3 in sight yet.

Advance ebook provided by Harper Voyager via NetGalley. Advance audiobook provided by Libro.fm.

A Beastly Kind of Earl by Mia Vincy (2019)

Historical romance. Regency-era England. Prequel to the Longhope Abbey series. Thea has been banished from her home and lives a pretty lonely existence, ever since she was accused of some scandalous behavior (that she really didn’t do). And then her younger sister Helen needs some help eloping with her beau Beau, and Thea is on the case. Thea and Helen swap places temporarily so that Helen can get away and Thea’s supposed to just be spending time at her friend’s house party. And then the beastly earl Rafe shows up to do a favor in exchange for some orchids: keep Helen away from the old man’s son. So Rafe shows up with a marriage license ready to marry Helen herself to keep her occupied. And Thea has to go along with it, but she knows the marriage won’t be real. She doesn’t realize that Rafe knows it’s been Thea this whole time and he also knows the marriage won’t be real, but he’ll secure his money that’s been in a trust in the meantime. These two have the best banter and bickering and understanding of each other, even as they’re both lying to each other. We have the perfect blend of humor and emotional turmoil here and I’m excited to read more of this series.

Ebook borrowed from my local library via Libby. Audiobook accessed from Audible.