What We're Reading in January

by Mary Jo

Here is the monthly round up of books Word Wenches have enjoyed recently.  I hope you find some new reads you'd enjoy!

Pat Rice here:

Rainy Day Sisters by Kate Hewitt is women’s fiction of the philosophical, emotional sort, except a lot more original than most. There’s a couple of up-and-down romances to keep the stakes high, but the real focus is on the development of a relationship between half-sisters who barely know each other. The younger grew up in the US, the older in the UK, and their only common ground really is their fury at their narcissistic mother. I enjoyed watching their lives grow as their relationship grows. There were a lot of loose threads at the end, obviously leaving room for more stories in the series. This is a well-written, quieter novel you can sink into, enjoy getting to know the people of the small Cumbrian town, and watch the sisters open up and become stronger.

Susan King weighs in:

So it's the middle of winter, and I just read a story set in the endless snow and ice of Antarctica, and loved it. Whiteout by Adriana Anders is a thriller-romance that's fast, clever, full of tension and heart, and compelling. Angel Smith is spending a few weeks as a cook at a research base in Antarctica and becomes equally curious and irritated with enigmatic, tough, gorgeous scientist Ford Cooper.

When the base is violently taken over, Angel and Ford are soon on the run in a truly threatening, dangerous, spectacular environment. To get to the next outpost, they must work together to survive as they encounter their worst fears and face tremendous challenges, both physical and emotional--and Anders goes all out on every part of that. It's as much a thriller--baddies and danger abound--as it is an intensely emotional love story, and it kept me riveted. The authenticity in setting, science, survival tactics, and the depth of character and story are impressive and fascinating, leading to the next book in the series, which will be out next summer, and I'll be looking for it! 

Christina here:

 I am fast turning into Sarah Morgan’s biggest fan – having read One More for Christmas I went looking for more of her books and found A Wedding in December, yet another fantastic story which I read in one sitting. Just couldn’t put it down. When Rosie White impulsively decides to get married at Christmas in Aspen, Colorado, rather than celebrate the holidays with her UK family as usual, she surprises everyone – and not in a good way. Her parents are heading for a divorce, but haven’t told their daughters yet, and her mother had been looking forward to a traditional family Christmas (plus she’s terrified of flying).  They try to keep it together for Rosie’s sake and decide to pretend they’re still a couple, but they dread the wedding.

Older sister Katie isn’t happy either and worries that Rosie is making a huge mistake. She’s determined to save her from herself, but the incredibly good-looking best man Jordan starts to interfere … It all turns into a Christmas none of them will ever forget – and me neither! The characters were so real (Jordan is a truly delicious hero!) and I couldn’t wait to see what would happen. I loved the setting as well – Colorado in the snow, how much more Christmassy can you get? And the ending was everything I’d hoped for. Going off to find even more of this author’s books now!

I too read Whiteout by Adriana Anders and loved it so can only add my recommendation for this book. I was on tenterhooks the entire time, hoping the main characters would beat the bad guys and get home in one piece with no frozen limbs. Just want to add one warning – do not read the epilogue because you’ll be given a cliffhanger for the next book in this series, Uncharted, which isn’t out till August!

And while we’re talking about Adriana Anders, can I recommend an older book of hers which I read back in 2017 – Under Her Skin. It was a very dark romance, featuring themes of domestic violence and sexual abuse, but I found it ultimately extremely satisfying. It is not for the squeamish and there is a lot of sex, but if you don’t mind that, I would highly recommend it.

Uma is in hiding from a very abusive ex and has been running for six months, trying to stay one step ahead of him. She comes to a small rural town for a specific purpose (can’t say what as that’s a spoiler) and ends up working for an agoraphobic old woman. At first it seems like a disaster, but the woman has an enigmatic neighbour called Ivan, with a dark past of his own. Once he and Uma meet, sparks fly, and watching these two damaged and lonely people finding each other was simply wonderful.

Jo Bourne: Here 'tis:

 I’ve read some of Seanan McGuire’s work and find it interesting. The most recent one I’ve opened is the novella-length Young Adult., LGBT story, In An Absent Dream.  Lundy, a solitary, book-loving teen, can open doors into the Goblin Market — a country she likes better than the stifling loneliness of the real world. Much good world-building. Many life choices involving friendship, loyalty, and dealing with imperfect worlds. The prose is lyric and the story avoids the usual YA stereotypes. It's a standalone in the Wayward Children series that won the Hugo, Nebula, Alex, and Locus Awards. Job

Anne Gracie's turn:

Like the rest of the world, I've been watching Bridgerton on TV, but I've also been reading a lot, as is my habit. This month I've read quite a bit  of "mainstream" fiction that nevertheless had a romance at its heart.

Two were wenchly recommendations from our December reading column — The Library of Lost and Found by Phaedra Patrick, which Pat recommended, and Beach Read by Emily Henry, which was Susan's choice.

I enjoyed both.

Hunting and Gathering  by Anna Gavalda  This is a French book, with a beautifully eccentric cast of characters. Camille is slowly fading away—she barely eats, she lives at the top of an old apartment building in a freezing little attic, and she's in a bad way. Downstairs lives Philibert, a desperately shy man in a huge, ornate apartment, owned by his noble family. One freezing night he discovers Camille unconscious, brings her downstairs and begins to look after her. He shares his flat with Franck, a foul-mouthed passionate chef, who is also trying to care for his elderly grandmother, who lives in the country and loves her garden. It's a lovely story, about how these four very different characters connect, and grow. I first saw it as a movie, starring Audrey Tautou, which I loved. I've had the book sitting on my TBR pile for ages, and finally pulled it out. Highly recommended.

I also read and liked This Time Next Year by Sophie Cousens which is about a man and a woman born on new year's day, one minute apart in the same hospital, who accidentally meet up thirty years later. He is successful, she is . . . not. But the connection keeps happening, and soon all kinds of connections are made, and their worlds begin to change. An enjoyable read.

Andrea now: 

I really enjoyed Jennifer Robson's The Gown, a wonderful dual-timeline novel about one of the women who did the elaborate embroidery on Queen Elizabeth’s wedding dress, and the secrets her granddaughter discovers about her life.

So I snapped up her new book, Our Darkest Night, which is a novel about Italy in WWII . Two longtime friends, a Jewish doctor in Venice and rural Catholic priest, see the danger building for Jews in Nazi-occupied Italy, and come up with a plan to protect the doctor's daughter, a cultured, educated young woman who serves as her father’s medical assistant. A friend of the priest, a young farmer who does clandestine work with the partisans, offers a “sham” marriage to take the daughter to his family’s farm in the countryside where she’ll be safe.

Forced to leave all she knows, Nina is thrown into a totally alien world, and must cope with learning how to scrub floors, wash clothes  and fit into the rhythms of country life. It’s a task made even more daunting because she and Nico can’t share her dangerous secret with anyone—even his family. That Nico is a kind, honorable and caring man is her one lifeline, and as Nina slowly finds her place in his family, the two them form a friendship that slowly deepens into true love.

However, a local Nazi officer turns out to be an old nemesis of Nico, and begins probing into the backstory of Nico's new mysterious wife, forcing both of them to make some heartrending decisions about how to protect the people they love. It’s an incredibly powerfully emotional story about love and sacrifice—be warned there are some very intense scenes of the evil man does to his fellow man. But it’s also ultimately a very redemptive story about the power of love, hope and family.

From Mary Jo:

The Sweeney Sisters by Lian Dolan

The three red-headed Sweeney sisters grew up in Southport, Connecticut with a loving mother who died too young, and a father, William Sweeney, who is a famous and beloved writer of the 'self-absorbed white guy who drinks too much and behaves badly because he's a writer" school of literature.  His sudden death from a heart attack brings all three sisters home to Southport to hold a grand Irish wake, deal with his estate, look for his missing unpublished memoir, and decide what to do with the house.  They're very different, but they understand each other, laugh together, and always have each other's backs.

And then due to the power of DNA testing, another Southport girl shows up as a half sister because of one of Daddy's flings.  Can a blonde connect with three bonded redheads? The complications of learning how to deal with each other and their father's complicated legacy cause ripples of change and unexpected outcomes.  This is smart, often funny women's fiction, and I thoroughly enjoyed it. 

Leap of Faith by Trisha Ashley

Several of the Wenches are fans of Trisha Ashley's smart, funny chicklit novels.  This is an early book, originally titled The Urge to Jump, and it's very enjoyable.  The heroine, Sappho Jones, writes fantasy novels and the Right Man and the Wrong Man in real life seem to be merging with characters in her fantasy saga.  The story has the very adventurous Sappho Jones returning to the village in Wales where she lived as a girl, and having to sort old friends, get rid of her ex, deal with the weird cat a friend gives her, and maybe find the right man to be a sperm donor--or perhaps something more? Fun!

So here you are. Happy reading in February!

Mary Jo

 

Comments

[Beverly Abney]

I usually get quite a lot of good suggestions from your reading choices, but not this time. Maybe winter has made you all more serious. I have been reading Trisha Ashley for a long time, so maybe I have read that one. I will have to look it up and see.

Thank you all for all the past suggestions that I have enjoyed.

[Kareni]

Since last time ~

— The first book I finished this year was a reread. My husband and I were talking about this series on New Year’s Eve thus my interest was piqued. Written In Red (A Novel of the Others Book 1) by Anne Bishop.
— Then I reread Where the Crawdads Sing by Delia Owens for a meeting with my old nineties era book group that is now meeting on Zoom.
— Good Mail Day: A Primer for Making Eye-Popping Postal Art by Hinchcliff and Wheeler was a fun book to browse through.
— a number of m/m stories and novellas; some I liked and others were ho-hum. Some favorites were: Winter Term by Neil S. Plakcy, Enthralled by A. H. Lee, and The Last Text by Alice Winters.
— read with pleasure A Wizard’s Guide To Defensive Baking by T. Kingfisher. This book is appropriate for teen readers as well as adults.

-- a reread of SK Dunstall's Linesman which I enjoyed once again.
-- Wild Sky by Zaya Feli is a rather lengthy m/m fantasy which I quite enjoyed. I'll be looking with interest at what else this author might write.
-- In a Holidaze by Christina Lauren. I found this contemporary romance to be a really fun read; I did a lot of laughing.
-- Stray and Lab Rat One by Andrea K. Höst are books one and two in the Touchstone series. (Stray is currently FREE for Kindle readers.) This science fiction series was recommended to me long ago; in fact, I've owned it since mid-2014. It's a fine read for teens as well as adults. The books are written in diary format.

— I enjoyed Michelle Diener’s Class 5 story “Dark Ambitions” which is in a 1499 page anthology, Pets in Space 5.
— I very much enjoyed a recently published collection of works in one of my favorite series: Kensho (Claimings) by Lyn Gala.
— The Address: A Novel by Fiona Davis which I read for my local book group. I mostly enjoyed it (there were times of dread); however, there were a number of elements that strained credulity.
— Caszandra (Touchstone Book 3) by Andrea K Höst which I enjoyed. Because this series is written in diary form with short entries, it’s dangerously easy to keep “one more chaptering” until it’s nearly midnight. Ask me how I know!
— then Gratuitous Epilogue (Touchstone Book 4) by Andrea K Höst. While the first three books covered one year in near daily diary entries, this book spanned one year in monthly diary entries. I enjoyed it.
— In Arcadia (Touchstone Book 5) by Andrea K Höst: unlike the first four books which were written in diary format, this book was written in the third person and focused on a new character. It could stand alone; however, I think it is best read after the other books. I enjoyed it.

-- the last week of the month, I reread books one through five of the Touchstone series by Andrea Höst. I think these may become new comfort reads!
-- also read Snow Day (Touchstone Book 6) by Andrea K Höst.

[Jeanne Behnke]

I feel like I've been reading ho-hum books for a month. I'm not sure why - but I've really been looking forward to What We're Reading because of it. The Gown by Jennifer Robson is on my TBR pile so that's a done deal. I immediately ordered Whiteout and will let my husband read it first. It's on Kindle Unlimited right now. I also started The Deadly Hours by Susanna Kearsley, C.S. Harris, Anna Lee Huber & Christine Trent. Oh yeah - finally I'm out of Ho-Hum!

[Jeanne Behnke]

Hi Kareni - I was posting my note at almost the same time as you since it wasn't there when I wrote it. Ho-Hum is our word of the day. :)

[Alice]

I have read the Thomas Hawkins series by Antonia Hodgson. Set in 1720s London which was simultaneously fascinating and pretty grim. The Ragged Edge of Night by Olivia Hawker was a very moving story set in wartime Germany. I am looking forward to seeing the film of News of the World by Paulette Jiles, although it probably won’t be in the cinema

[Vicki L]

Ho-hum sums up the last few books I read this month! Which I won't mention. I have however read several that are worth mentioning.

The Truth about Dukes by Grace Burrowes. Very good book with Fascinating plot twists and turns to reach a HEA. Not like her usual type of books it had a tighter, slightly more urgent feel to it.

All The Colors of the Night - Jayne Anne Krentz - This book is very like her last few Arcane books. It is set in the present. She is building a very complicated world so its best to start with the 1st book of the series - The Vanishing. Totally paranormal world.

Lady Osbaldestone and the Missing Christmas Carols - Stephanie Laurens. Gentle romance, gentle mystery. Lovely characters. Left a smile on my face

Creature Comforts - Trisha Ashley. This was the last one in my stash that I hadn't read. Very much enjoyed it.

10-lb Penalty by Dick Francis. Listening to it as a audio book. It was very interesting listening to it and hearing George Juliard's philosophy on Politics and witnessing the last 2 weeks of Trump's term of office. Two totally different schools of thought.

The Lady by Anne McCaffrey. This was a contemporary set in 1970 Ireland I believe. An adult book but the main character is a 13 year old girl. I always enjoy this book because there is so much character growth plus there are two background romances. Horses are at the heart of the book.

This Gun for Hire by Jo Goodman. A lovely western romance set in the laste 1880's. Features a US marshal (male) and a bounty hunter (female) allied to protect a mine owner and his daughter.

Midnight Crystal and Obsidian Prey by Jayne Castle. Both set in the future on Harmony. Re-reads because I got to thinking about them.

Venetia by Georgette Heyer. What I'm currently reading for my Family Reading challenge. I always find a GH to fit one of the categories!

Luckily for me, the library has The Sweeney Sister's so I'll be reading that in Feb when it arrives at my branch library.

[Kareni]

That is a funny coincidence, Jeanne!

[Quantum]

I occasionally like to dip into the dark side of historical romance and also find it hard to resist a bargain, so back in Dec I bought the audio version of Victoria Vale's Villain Duology series at a bargain price. I felt quite uncomfortable with several scenes involving violence to women but somehow felt an empathy with the hard done by heroine and compelled to find out how it all ended. suffice it to say that justice was meted out and HEA's were eventually achieved. Overall an absorbing listen.

I would also mention Barbara Erskine's 'Midnight is a Lonely Place' about malicious ghosts freed from a Roman coastal burial site which is uncovered by tidal forces. A gripping listen (previously recommended here I think). I will be trying more audios by this author.

Another compelling listen was Nicholas Evans's 'The Horse Whisperer'. After a collision with a truck both horse and rider are badly injured. A trip across the continent takes them to a 'whisperer' and lives are changed forever. Another author that I will read again.

Finally I would mention the audios of Anne's Merridew series and MJP's Silk trilogy. These authors are the gold standard by which I judge others ... stunning listens!

I like the sound of Adriana Anders and will investigate further. 😊

[Christina Courtenay]

Do hope you enjoy Whiteout, Jeanne - it got me out of a 'ho-hum' period (and made me go back and re-read Under Her Skin). I've got The Deadly Hours on my TBR pile too!

[Christina Courtenay]

Midnight is a Lonely Place is one of my all-time favourite reads, Quantum! So glad you enjoyed it too. It is very spooky though and I was afraid to read it when alone in the house (I'm a scaredy-cat obviously :-D)

[Janice Jacobson]

I think virus fog has set in because I don't remember much of anything I read recently, but there were a few notable books.

I read Blackmoore by Juliana Donaldson, which I would recommend as artfully written, not over the top, and rather reminiscent (to me) of Rebecca. It prompted me to order her other book, Edenbrooke.

I have also caught up on Michael Connelly's Bosch/Ballard series with The Night Fire. I am a big Bosch/Haller fan but Renee Ballard, not so much; I don't find her lifestyle at all credible, and either she's psychologically crippled or she doesn't think much like a woman. But the books are worth reading for the sense of LA alone.

I read Earl's Well That Ends Well by Jane Ashford, the last in that series, in which the Earl of Macklin, a widower, finds that he still has it in him to love again. It was a nice wrap-up of the series.

With nothing else to do during lockdown, I have been going through my keeper boxes, freeing up some space. I have been collecting regency paperbacks for decades and I find that in some respects my taste has changed a lot - I find I don't much care anymore for most regency historicals but I like the trads even better than before; I put it down to the difference in writing style.

Some authors are being weeded out for trade or sale, but others still draw me in and I'm keeping them. I hope to be looking down at my heir when he first checks the bedroom closet and finds sixteen plastic suitcases and blanket boxes stuffed with books that he would never read.

Right now I'm reading The Contentious Countess by Irene Saunders, and maybe I'll pull a Sheila Walsh after that. My review colleague is feeling better lately and I owe her some new entries.

On audiobook I've been listening to all the Georgette Heyers I bought to listen to at night instead of the constant virus & politix on the radio. I have found that some that I dislike, such as Frederica, sound a little less annoying on audio, and some others that I really do like, such as Black Sheep, are rendered awful by horrible acting. But I am grateful for my cd library of old favorites; they've been a much needed escape these past months.

I had been plowing through War and Peace (the Oxford translation), which is a regency, sort of, and I have concluded it's a stiff. Maybe it's too Russian, maybe it's a dull translation, maybe I would have had to be raised in that culture to appreciate it -- but, it's a stiff. It's in its highest & best use now, anchoring my collection of The Griffith Observer magazines. It's a good flattener.

[Annette N]

Y'all are killing me. I keep getting more books. But, that story is for another time.

I already had some of these books, and just got a few others.

I want to thank you for introducing me to so many stories.

I hope everyone is taking care and staying well.

[Karin]

It was not a big reading month for me, but I did watch Bridgerton on Netflix. So much fun!
I am currently reading Andrea's 2nd Wrexford & Sloane book, "Murder at Half Moon Gate". I just love the weasels!
And like Janice, I have boxes and shopping bags of books in my closet, including old Signet Regencies I never got around to reading. So I pulled one out, "The Lonely Earl" by Vanessa Gray. It's a very typical Signet, and very soothing.

Prior to that, I read "What a Lady Most Desires", by Lecia Cornwall, which I highly recommend. The heroine is vastly underestimated by everyone, including the hero. She really saves the day and the villain of the story thoroughly gets his comeuppance.

For the Adriana Anders fans, you can pick up an anthology called "Turn the Tide" for free on Kindle. It includes a novella by Anders called "Deep Blue", which is a prequel to "Whiteout". The hero is the brother of the hero in "Whiteout". I enjoyed it very much.

[Mary Jo Putney]

Beverly, you're right, a lot of this month's suggestions (except mine) are on the dark side. It's worth checking out the Trisha Ashley--I have most things she's written but hadn't seen this early book before, and it's delightful.

[Mary Jo Putney]

Kareni, as always your reading list leaves me AWED! Plus there are several here I need to check out. Thank you.

[Mary Jo Putney]

Jeanne, I'm glad you're out of Ho-Hum mode! It's a terrible thing when we readers can't find anything want to read. Eventually this passes.

[Mary Jo Putney]

ALice, probably you're right that NEWS OF THE WORLD won't be in theaters, given the state of the world. I hope you have good streaming access.

[Mary Jo Putney]

Vicki L, Lots of good choices there, a good number of which I've read. I just read JAK's ALL THE COLORS OF NIGHT, and entirely enjoyed it.

[Mary Jo Putney]

Quantum, bargains are always good. *G* I'm glad you're enjoying Anne's Merridew sisters and my Silk books!

[Mary Jo Putney]

Janice--WAR AND PEACE??? You're a braver woman than I am! I'm glad you're find some pretty good variety--and I can't see any sign that the virus is slowly you down. *G*

[Mary Jo Putney]

Annette, I'm so glad you enjoy our monthly book buffet! Believe me, we Wenches find lots of goodies from each other as well. *G*

[Mary Jo Putney]

Karin--I find it very soothing to have a closet or three full of books to keep us going in these challenging times!

[Pamela DG]

This month several friends who are independently published asked me to review their books. The one I enjoyed most was Jess Austen's "Deadly Memory," A romantic thriller. Here's the review I wrote...Sam King, of Lexington, KY, is on vacation with her best friend in London. When she screws up her courage to visit a pub she meets with a nice hot Brit and engages in flirting. Just when she thinks he's as into her as she is him, he's spooked, spills their drinks, and is nowhere. Just her dumb luck! The next day she discovers he had been brutally murdered.

Tom Bridges is a special agent for the civilian branch of MI 5. The murdered man is his protege. He meets Sam in an interrogation room and treats her like a suspect when she is doing her civic duty and reporting what she has witnessed. He's taken aback when this Rubenesque beauty sizes him up and takes him down a couple of notches. They are instantly attracted and sparks fly.

Enter a diabolical villain and we have the makings of a classic spy thriller with a large helping of romance.

[Anne Gracie]

Beverly, I just finished reading Pat's suggestion of Rainy Day Sisters and thoroughly enjoyed it.
Hope you find something good to read. I'm missing good new romance reads too.

[Anne Gracie]

"A Wizard’s Guide To Defensive Baking by T. Kingfisher" It's good, isn't it, Kareni? I've been really enjoying T. Kingfisher.

Thanks for the Andrea Höst recommendation — I'll try her.

[Anne Gracie]

Thanks for the very kind mention of my Merridew Sisters books, Quantum. MJP's Silk trilogy was one of the first of hers that I read and I loved them.

Isn't it interesting how so many of us have gone for "dark" and "gripping" reads recently?

[Anne Gracie]

Vicki I have all of Dick Francis's books, but haven't read them for ages. Might be time for a reread.

[Andrea Penrose]

Am heading to the fainting couch, Kareni! (And bringing my TBR list and a pencil to make some notes! The Andrea Host books sound particularly interesting.)

[Andrea Penrose]

I really enjoyed The Gown, and hope you do, too.

[Andrea Penrose]

Yes, We Wenches, get a preview of the WWR, and are always madly copying down each other's favs of the month. And it's wonderful to get these recommendations for all our readers!

[Andrea Penrose]

Thanks so much, Karin. So glad to hear you're enjoying the series. I have such fun writing the Weasels. (I've been threatened with bodily harm if I ever let ANYTHING happen to them!)

[Quantum]

"Isn't it interesting how so many of us have gone for "dark" and "gripping" reads recently?"

Sounds like a good subject for another post! If reading inclinations follow mood that is certainly dark at the moment. Vaccinations are well under way here in the UK however, so moods are becoming brighter ... I expect this to be reflected in the next WWR, at least from this side of the globe.

A pity there is no edit facility. In my post 'These authors' should have been 'Wenchly authors' ... you are all rays of sunshine in this gloom. 😊

[Minna Puustinen]

I made the mistake of reading a couple of books by Victoria Holt. Let's just say revisiting old favorites isn't always a good idea. Now I'm in serious need of brain bleach and I really can't wait to read the new in Death by J.D. Robb.

[Anne Gracie]

Thanks for that Wenchly compliment, Quantum.
As for seasonal gloom spilling over into our reading, it's summer downunder, and here in Melbourne, we seem to have the virus pretty well under control with several severe lockdown periods early on, so I'm sending all of you in the Northern hemisphere sunshine and best wishes for good health. Let's hope the vaccinations roll out quickly and work well.

I don't think it's that that's affecting my reading mood. I'm just finding it hard to discover new romances that please me, so I'm wandering into other pastures. Or rereading old favourites. I've just reread Heyer's The Talisman Ring which I hadn't read in years. So funny and clever. It was a breath of fresh air.

[Vicki L]

Victoria Holt and Phyllis Whitney did not age well. I tried rereading several that I had really liked previously. I found I couldn't stand them this time around. It is interesting which authors stand the test of time and which don't. That or I've changed.

[Katja]

I was so proud of myself: No books added to TBR pile from this month recommendations. And then I just had to read the comments and now I am the proud owner of Deadly Memory. And the other two books in that trilogy are out already as well. Oh dear.
As for reading in January:
Ilona Andrews' Blood Heir is the start of a new series/trilogy/whatever in the Kate Daniels world that follows Kate's ward Julie. Recommended if you like urban fantasy and especially for KD fans.
I am still catching up on Honor Raconteur's backlist, Kingslayer 1 I liked at lot, Kingslayer 2 is a bit repetitive.
The Arrows trilogy has some interesting concepts, but overall was a quick read with not much to it.
I did really like Call to Quarters and wish there were more books in that series.
I too picked up some T. Kingfisher books and would second the recommendation for the Wizard's Guide to Defensive Baking.
Some of her fairy tale retellings were interesting, but I got stuck in the Seventh Bride, which somehow I do not care for at all.
Then there was Elizabeth Hunter's 2nd book in the Moonstone Cove trilogy (contemporary paranormal). I still prefer the books in the first paranormal trilogy, but I liked, that the male love interest is younger than the female in this one (probably because I am 5 years older than my husband ;)
And then I reread some favourites, because I read fast and there were not enough new books to get into. Ho-Hum seems to be a motto all around.