What We Are Reading—The September Edition!

Andrea here, putting together our monthly feature on What We Are Reading. As usual, there's a wonderful range of intriguing books—so sharpen your pencil and start making a list! And be sure to tell us what YOU have been reading!

Anne: This month I'm recommending a new YA author and some re-reads — one a contemporary rock band series and the other historicals set in Europe in the 1930's and onwards.

The new YA author was recommended to me by a friend.  Sarah Dessen's Just Listen  was the first one I started with. It's about a young woman in her last years of high school. Annabel's life seems pretty perfect, until something devastating happens. She tries to deal with it by blocking it out and withdrawing, avoiding all confrontation. But when school starts up again after summer, her problems all come crashing back. She's lost all her friends and all her confidence. An unlikely friendship with another loner, Owen, shows her the way back. He's a music buff in an anger management program, and he helps her realize the dangers of holding in her emotions. 
I loved this book and went on to read three more of Sarah Dessen's books. When YA books are this well written, they're not just for young adults.

The rock band reread came about from a wench discussion with Christina, when we were talking about our love of Kylie Scott's rock band series, and I suggested she read Karina Bliss. Rise is about Zander, the charismatic, outrageous singer and leader of the incredibly successful rock band Rage. After the old band split up, he's started the band again with new members, taking huge risks to rebuild their popularity in a Resurrection Tour. 
At the same time, he's invited Elizabeth, a prestigious and award-winning academic writer to write his biography — a controversial move for them both. But Zander is hiding secrets, and one that could explode all his efforts to rebuild his band and reputation. 
I read this (and the others in the series) seven years ago and I loved them all over again.

Lastly I pulled out my old Eva Ibbotson books after she was mentioned at the recent Georgette Heyer conference. So naturally I had to pull out the book mentioned and reread it. And oh, how that woman can write — I just sank into the world she created and didn't want to leave. She makes those places, that time and those people come so alive, and she makes me laugh and cry. Just soooo good. I want everyone I know to read her. So now I'm re-reading all her adult books. There are only a handful alas (she wrote lots of children's books too) but like Jane Austen, rereading her only gets better.

It drives me bonkers that her publishers have labelled her adult books as "12 and upwards." What nonsense! They're adult books, romances with adult concerns and while teenagers could read them without harm, there are subtleties they would miss and issues touched on they wouldn't really understand, just as I read Georgette Heyer as a teen, and when I came back to them as an adult, found so much more.

So if you haven't tried Eva Ibbotson, try The Morning Gift, The Secret Countess (aka A Countess Below Stairs), Magic Flutes (aka The Reluctant Heiress), A Song for Summer and see what you've been missing. I did an interview with Eva Ibbotson many years ago. You might want to read it.
Or read this article she wrote in support of public libraries, which will give you a taste of why her books are so good.

Christina:  My recommendations this month are mostly Wench related – first I’d like to add my appreciation of Anne Gracie’s The Scoundrel’s Daughter, which was mentioned by several Wenches last month. I too absolutely loved it and can’t wait for the next book in the series – this was the perfect start and I loved both couples! Then there was Susanna Kearsley’s The Vanished Days, which I talked about in my interview with her and which is wonderful!
 
This week sees the publication of Andrea Penrose’s Murder at the Royal Botanic Gardens, a book I’d eagerly been awaiting. It’s another superb instalment in this brilliant series which kept me enthralled throughout! I’d been looking forward to reading about the wedding of the Earl of Wrexford and Lady Charlotte Sloane, but the murder of a brilliant London scientist occurs beforehand and threatens their plans and their lives. Of course they have to solve this first! The characters felt like old friends that I enjoy spending time with, and for each story the reader becomes more deeply embroiled in their lives. It is fiendishly well plotted, with lots of twists and turns that keep you guessing and I was on tenterhooks, turning the pages to find out how it all fitted together. Alongside the crime solving are the relationships between the various characters which are lovely to follow and give the books such an emotionally satisfying edge. All in all, absolutely loved it and can’t wait for the next one!

Then I read Susan King’s two rereleases – Stealing Sophie and Keeping Kate. They are historical romances set in the Scottish Highlands in the early 18th century and feature Jacobites and a touch of fairy magic. Now I have to admit to an extreme weakness for gorgeous Highlanders in kilts and the heroes of these stories do not disappoint. In Stealing Sophie, the heroine is abducted and forced to marry against her will, then held captive in an old castle ruin which is the hero’s temporary home. Educated in a convent, she’s not prepared for the wild feelings Connor MacPherson stirs up in her. But when it turns out he’d meant to abduct her twin sister and got it wrong, she’s oddly devastated. As for Connor, the last thing he needed was a wife, but he finds that he is rapidly warming to the idea …


Keeping Kate is the tale of Sophie’s more daring twin sister who has been spying for the Jacobites, using her fairy magic which enables her to charm most men and put them under her spell. But when she comes across the one man who seems able to resist her, Captain Alec Fraser, the tables are turned and she’s the one who falls in love. She thinks he’s the enemy, working with the English, and tries to resist the attraction. He, in turn, knows she’s trouble and he should stay well away from her, but she brings out his protective instincts and despite his best efforts, he secretly becomes enchanted with her. Having captured her as a spy, however, he’s been tasked with transporting her to Edinburgh to stand trial. Somehow they have to extricate Kate from her troubles without putting Alec at risk instead. That definitely needs a bit of fairy magic! I loved both these stories and now long to visit the Highlands again.
Finally, I glommed Penny Reid’s ‘Knitting in the City’ series, starting with Neanderthal Seeks Human. I can’t remember which Wench recommended this to me, but I really enjoyed them, especially the first book! Based around the seven members of a knitting group in Chicago, each story features one of these women and how she finds love. The heroine of the first book is extremely unusual and her observations had me laughing out loud. Her brain goes off at a tangent and she comes out with the most incredible (and often irrelevant) facts. Most people don’t understand her, but the hero does and the way he accepted and loved her exactly the way she was really warmed my heart. In the rest of the series, many of the heroes are unusual in different ways – one is a genius hacker, another a professor of robotics for example – and they were a delight to read about. There were a couple of stories I didn’t like as much as the others, but on the whole, I would really recommend this series.

Nicola: It's been a very busy month but last week I grabbed some reading time and
treated myself to Andrea Penrose's latest Wrexford and Sloane mystery, Murder at the Royal Botanic Gardens. Like Wench Christina, I loved re-acquainting
myself with all the characters and diving into another beautifully-written,
complex and engrossing story. I love the way that Andrea mixes in the
scientific background into her stories and particularly enjoyed the
"botanical" themed mystery. The relationship between Charlotte and Wexford
is always a delight with its thoughtfulness and emotional depth, and the
developments in the relationship they have with the urchins adds another
layer of complexity. Crime, mystery, Regency botany, romance and the
complexities of human relationships - it's all there and handled so 
beautifully!




I also picked up The Windsor Knot by SJ Bennett, a recommendation from a
previous month's WWR! I'm halfway through and I love it! I love that the
Queen is the sleuth in the mysteries and that she is so clever and observant
and totally underrated by her top advisors. The writing is charming and
funny and it's very entertaining! 




 The rest of the time I've been reading non-fiction and a book called The
 Lords of Lundy by Myrtle Ternstrom, for a potential future novel. Lundy is
an enchanting small island off the coast of Devon, a proper little fiefdom
that down the centuries, owners have very much treated as their own private
kingdom. From the piratical Marisco family in the 13th century to the
Victorian Heaven family, through civil war and smuggling and importing
wallabies and swans (yes, really!) the overlords of Lundy have set up their
own coinage and postage stamps and set themselves up in a castle and then a
Regency villa, ruling all they surveyed. It's a fascinating book that has
provided me with so much inspiration.


Mary Jo: I was on a light fantasy kick while we took a relaxing cruise on the Ohio River a couple of weeks ago.  I started with The Bright and Breaking Sea, which is set in an alternate Regency world toward the end of this version of the Napoleonic wars.  I've been writing books around the Napoleonic wars more or less forever, so I really got a kick out of the twists that Neill used.  In her world, Britain is the Saxon Isles, France is Gallia, etc.  The tyrannical Gallic French emperor, Gerard Rousseau has recently abdicated and is plotting to regain his throne.  (The emperor's name is much less distinctive than "Napoleon Bonaparte," I thought, but that's just me.)

This world has magic, and some people are attuned to different elements.  The heroine, Kit Brightling is Aligned with the sea.  She can read the magic in the water and use it to travel swiftly and to sense enemies.  That ability has made her a very young but very effective captain in the Queen's navy.  There lots of fun and action, a handsome army officer, and a reluctant attraction between the two of them.  A second book in the series, The Swift and Savage Tide, will be out at the end of November. I look forward to it.
 
I also read Dark Horse (Class 5 Series Book 1) by Michelle Diener. Pat Rice mentioned that she'd read this space-opera-ish book and she's enjoyed it, so I looked it up--and found that I'd bought the e-book in 2017. <G>  Apparently one of the Wenches recommended it for a WWR, I bought it, and forgot it.  (This happens.) Rediscovery was perfect for a vacation read.  
Dark Horse is set in a distant part of space, and Rose Mackenzie is a human who was kidnapped from Earth and taken far, far away.  She's being held prisoner and experimented on by the Tecran people in a vastly powerful space ship called a Class 5.  The ship is run by an artificial intelligence that is basically enslaved by the Tecran--but the AI is gradually gaining consciousness, and it wants to be free.  
Rose frees the AI, and becomes the only being that Sazo, the AI, can trust.  Which makes her a power broker when another race, the Grih, find her and Sazo.  The Grih look just like humans except that they have Tolkien elf ears. <G>  The captain of the ship that finds her is tall, dark, handsome, and enthralled by Rose's melodious human voice. Yes, it's a romance!

Dark Horse turned out to the first of four novels, each featuring different couples and featuring an overall arc of dealing with the Tecrans, the scary-powerful Class 5 warships, and the politics of a five race space community.  The subtitle could be "Earth women are smart!" <G>  Clever and fast moving, the series was a perfect vacation read.

Susan: This has been a busy month and I've been a restless reader, not settling into a book completely, trying several, a chapter here, a couple of chapters there. I've found some frontrunners and I'm looking for more reading time. Meanwhile, I'm currently reading The Invisible Library by Genevieve Cogman, and though I'm still in the midst of it, this is turning out to be a great fantasy-adventure, inventive and intriguing. As a spy for The Library, an omnipresent organization that spans alternate realities and time periods, Irene goes on covert missions - sometimes jumping centuries and in different disguises - to collect and rescue rare books in order to bring them back to the Library. When Kai, her new partner, joins her, together they go in search of a very rare volume of Grimm's fairy tales, only to be thwarted by the forces of chaos determined to stop their effort. Irene and Kai are likable characters with mysterious pasts, and their world is filled with magic and supernatural forces as well as old enemies. Irene has the knack of the Language, the magical use of words that summons just enough power to keep chaotic threats at bay--until a greater threat arrives. There are eight books so far in the series, and I'm very interested in what happens next! 

I've done a lot of driving lately, and that gave me some audiobook time. I listened to a book I've read a few times over the years, and listening to it made it like a whole new story -- Mary Stewart's Wildfire at Midnight, excellently narrated by Lucy Paterson, was well worth the time. When Gianetta Drury takes a much-needed break on the Isle of Skye, she is expecting a quiet getaway at a remote hotel at the foot of a mountain, a place where she can recover from a stressful divorce from a man she deeply loved, though things fell apart. What she doesn't expect is to encounter her ex-husband at the hotel, along with a group of enthusiastic mountain climbers--and a murder mystery already in progress as the unsolved death of a young girl on the mountain has everyone on edge. As Gianetta gets to know the others in the hotel and is at pains to avoid her ex, someone else dies and tensions escalate. The mystery is a very effective variation on the locked-room scenario, a limited cast of characters and several suspects, and though I knew the answer, it was still a very fun and enjoyable journey--especially so because listening can be such a different experience that an old favorite seems new and fresh again. The narrator brings out the taut elements of the story beautifully, the romance is subtle and all the more romantic for it, and Stewart's gorgeous prose is just poetic. Well worth the listening! 

Andrea: Like everyone who reads this monthly feature, I discover so many great reads from the suggestions offered by others. Case in point— I was so intrigued by Nicola’s mention last month of The Silver Collar, Book 4 of Antonia Hodgson’s historical mystery series, that I ran out and got Book 1 in the series, The Devil in the Marshalsea. I, too, just loved the writing. Hodgson skillfully creates the raucous world of Georgian London, and the frightening spider’s web of influence and privilege that can snare a careless young man in a complex plot of greed, vengeance and retribution.
Thomas Hawkins finds himself thrown into the infamous Marshalsea debtors prison after being robbed of the money his good friend has given him to pay off his debts. Now penniless, his chances of survival are slim within the wolf-eat-wolf world. His only chance of getting out is to solve the recent murder of an inmate, but as various people start to offer advice, he doesn’t know whom to to trust . . . And so begins a frightening cat-and-mouse dance as Tom tries to stay alive long enough to win his freedom. Hodgson is a masterful storyteller, and creates compelling characters and a devilishly good mystery. I’ve already snagged the second book.

For potential research, I also reach a fascinating book called Steam Coffin—Captain Moses Rogers and the Steamship Savannah Break the Barrier, (warning—it's very long and perhaps overly detailed, but still fun) which is a sweeping history of the race to build an oceangoing steamship. It’s just the sort of non-fiction narrative history that I love, weaving in personalities, the development od transportation on the east coast of America, and a riveting journey through Britain and the Baltic countries to St. Petersburg.

Now it’s your turn to add to our towering TBR piles! What have you been reading this month? Please share!

Comments

[Kareni]

I've definitely taken note of a few titles above. Thank you all!

Mary Jo, there is also a novella available in the Class 5 series; it's entitled DARK AMBITIONS. It features Rose and Sazo.

[Kareni]

Over the past month, week by week ~

— Nora Roberts’ The Awakening: The Dragon Heart Legacy, Book 1 which I somehow managed to miss last year. I enjoyed it.
— Holdout: A Novel by Jeffrey Kluger; this is a just published science fiction book that I enjoyed.
— Wayward Souls (Souls of the Road Book 1) by Devon Monk; I enjoyed this paranormal novella and hope to read on in the series

— Five Quarters of the Orange by Joanne Harris for my distant book group. I have somewhat mixed feelings about this book — early in the book, the narrator says something to the effect that ‘you are probably wishing I would just get to the point’ and I could identify with that thought. It’s the second book I read recently that centered to a large extent on a child, in this case a nine year old in world war two era France.
— I’m participating in a challenge on another site where I need to read a book by a new to me author; I read four.

Playing the Palace by Paul Rudnick
Featured a romance between Carter, an American assistant event planner and Edgar, crown prince of England. It was entertaining and made me chuckle several times; however, I also considered putting it aside after 100 pages. It takes place in the US and the UK. I’d describe it as an almost closed door romance.
**
Sunshine & Shadows by K.C. Wells
Two men, best friends until age thirteen, meet by chance a dozen years later. Jamie works from home in web design and is a talented artist; when he was 18, a drunk driver caused a spinal injury that has him in a wheel chair. Jamie is the Sunshine in the title. Stephen works as an accountant in a business his father is starting; he has had some bad relationships and carries a lot of Shadows. Jamie offers his guest room while Stephen house hunts and the men reconnect as friends and then more. There is frank discussion of the daily life of someone who deals with paralysis (physically and emotionally) and also of the challenges and rewards associated with intimacy. I enjoyed this book, but I don’t expect to reread it.
**
Heart of Gold: A Summer Olympics Romance by Anna Martin
This book takes place at the (fictional) 2020 Olympics in Tokyo in 2020 in a non pandemic world which was a little jarring. This was a romance between two men (one Canadian, one American) who were just starting a relationship at the 2012 Olympics when one was in an accident that resulted in a spinal injury. They reconnect at the 2020 Olympics where one is competing and the other is a commentator. I liked the emotional connection between the two leads and could imagine rereading this.
**
A Rational Arrangement by L. Rowyn
This lengthy fantasy featuring a polyamorous relationship takes place in a world similar to the regency era (arranged marriages, the season, homosexuality punishable by death), but with differences such as the Blessed (who can heal or build) and sentient talking Greatcats. Our three leads are Lord Nikola (Blessed in mind healing, poor-ish), Lord Justin (wealthy, charming), and Wisteria (intelligent, neurodiverse). When the story begins, the two men have been secretly intimate for years, and Lord Nikola’s family is pressing him to marry a wealthy woman. Throughout the book each character develops a relationship with the others. I REALLY enjoyed this book and plan to read more by the author. (Caution: one violent scene)

[Kareni]

Continuing week by week ~

— for my local book group: The Starless Sea by Erin Morgenstern. This is an interconnecting collection of stories; some take place in our world, others in a place with pirates, keys, a moon who visits the land, books (and more BOOKS), bees, cats, swords, doors of all kinds, and time loops. It’s written in the present tense and the focal character is Zachary who finds an old book in which one of the stories is of his own childhood discovery of a door (a door he did not open but which had disappeared on his return a day later). This isn’t a romance, but a romance develops between Zachary and Dorian. This is a very well regarded book and I have admiration for how the author constructed it; however, it did not speak to me. Perhaps I prefer a more linear approach!
— Further Arrangements (Arranging Paradise Book 2) by L. Rowyn which was an enjoyable follow up to A Rational Arrangement which I read previously. It was a collection of three novellas.

This week’s challenge was to read a book that I’ve owned for more than a year.

Lindira by Ann Somerville (TBR since 2014)
This short (59 pages) fantasy featured three characters who have been cursed by a god — a blind mermaid trapped in human form plus a man and his lover (another god) both in part animal form. I finished it, but this story did not appeal to me.
**
Dog Days (Wolf Winter Book 1) by TA Moore (TBR since 2018)
This story is set in our world where the weather has gone crazy; it’s September and snowing in the UK.The two leads are a wolf/man (not a werewolf though those also figure in the book) and a wolfhound/man. The first, Jack, has just been exiled from his pack by his father, the leader, in favor of his twin brother. Jack is happy to encounter Harry, the second lead, who left the pack years ago for life in the human world. This was a dark story with a fair bit of gore. I didn’t care for Jack though, in his defense, he never claimed to be anything but a wolf. This is the first book of a trilogy so, while not a cliffhanger, the story is unfinished. I don’t plan to read on.
**
When Skies Have Fallen by Debbie McGowan (TBR since 2015)
Arty (British) and Jim (American) meet in 1944 while serving in their respective militaries; the book follows their love story over the next twenty years in the UK, a time when homosexuality was a punishable offense. I’d describe this book as mellow though dark things do occur. The couple have supportive friends and siblings, and they feature strongly in the story.
**
Christmas Homecoming by L. A. Witt (TBR since 2019)
This novella opens in 1939 when childhood friends Roger and Jack kiss as Jack is about to leave their Iowa hometown. The story picks up in late 1945 when the men reunite after their respective wartime service; both have matured and suffered. This was a pleasant story.
**
Slow Heat by Leta Blake (TBR since 2018)
This novel is set in a world without women; men are alphas, omegas, or betas. Alphas and omegas are strongly driven by biology; omegas experience heats and can become pregnant. Frequently, the alpha becomes the wage earner and the omega the homemaker. Alphas and omegas have status; betas do not and can’t have children but otherwise seem to have more mainstream lives. Childbirth is risky, and abortion is illegal. Alphas and omegas either find their match (érosgápe) as new adults or they might make a contract arrangement. Jason (teen alpha) and Vale (35 year old omega college professor who has long given up the idea of finding his match) are érosgápe, an unusual situation. The story was fine but not my cup of tea.

— I stayed up late to finish Swordheart by T. Kingfisher; this was definitely a fun fantasy read with lots of enjoyable banter.

— I did a fair bit of reading for my challenge from another site. This latest challenge was to read something under the LGBTQIA umbrella.

A Psalm for the Wild-Built (Monk & Robot Book 1) by Becky Chambers
This novella is set in Panga (perhaps a wiser future earth?) where some centuries earlier self-aware robots moved into the wilderness and disappeared. The story centers around a tea monk (non-binary) and the robot who arrives on the doorstep of the monk’s caravan to ask what people need. This was a genuinely nice (charming, lovely) story, and I recommend it. It’s the first in a series, and I look forward to reading on.
**
The Only Way Out is In by Lyn Gala
This science fiction story was written for a prompt for the Love Has No Boundaries promotion in 2013.The focal character is Jacqs (heterosexual) who is a gunner on the Candiru; quick to fight, he’s considered a troublemaker. Alex (pansexual) is a new commander on board; he sees the real Jacqs and is attracted to him. During the story, Jacqs considers what attracts him to others and ultimately declares himself stenosexual. I was intrigued by and researched the term and determined that it was created by the author. She defines it as “an individual who is sexually attracted to those who possess particular traits rather than being sexually attracted to a sexuality or gender.” I also learned that the story is the first sixteen chapters of the author’s Turbulence which I’d now like to read!
**
Sharing a Pond by Alex Whitehall
This book had a unique premise. Brent lived his first ten or so years as Brenda being raised by wolves (I couldn’t resist; his parents were shifters). On his first shift, he surprised the pack by shifting to a frog and transitioning to male. At eighteen, he was kicked out of his home and ended up in an abusive relationship. The story begins when he is rescued in a snowstorm by a pair of frog shifters, Corey and Shane, who he had been traveling to see. He met them as a child and believed them to be his mates. I particularly enjoyed the few scenes where the trio were frogs. This was a pleasant story, but I don’t expect to re-read it.
**
Ignite by Nora Phoenix
In the not too distant future, the US has split into several new countries; this story is set in the Conservative United States where homosexuality is illegal and begins at a brutal reintegration camp for young gay men. Tan (imprisoned three years), Austin (imprisoned six months), and Mack (new arrival) escape/join forces when a strange meteor shower takes out the power. The men soon learn that this is the start of an alien invasion. I enjoyed seeing these very different men bond as they worked together. This ends with a ‘to be continued’ and is the start of a completed trilogy.
**
The Year of Soup by Howard Reiss
Tess, age 30, is questioning everything — she’s had three careers and three relationships (two with men, one with a woman) — well, everything except her ability to make soup. When the book begins, she’s just opened a soup restaurant in a college town; soon she befriends Beany, an 80+ year old English professor with whom she shares soup and wine every Thursday night for a year (The Year of Soup) until he commits suicide. He leaves her a stack of letters from WWII to the present, and she reads one weekly. I REALLY enjoyed this book (I’ll admit to having a fondness for books with epistolary content); be prepared to crave soup if you read this!

[Andrea Penrose]

Excuse me while I go faint, Kareni!

Wow, you are amazing. There are SO many intriguing books here. I need a special notebook just to keep track of your monthly recommendations!

[Kareni]

I just noticed that one of Anne's recommendations, Sarah Dessen's Just Listen, is one of today's Kindle deals ~ $2.99 for US readers.

[Mary M.]

I'm reading (and liking a lot) Sherry Thomas's Lady Sherlock series, a retelling of Doyle with a female protagonist, Charlotte Holmes. The first book, A Study in Scarlet Women, introduces some unique women—Charlotte's an original, for sure—and the men they run circles around. The second, A conspiracy in Belgrave, heats up the Moriarty menace and involves some historical code solving. I'm now onto the third in the series; I think there are six in all, and perhaps more to come. I hope so! I love when the period details are lavishly sprinkled on, and also when I learn something, in this case about codes and messaging.

Which reminds me, I want to recommend highly The Rose Code by Kate Quinn, a corker of a fiction-based-on-fact story about women code breakers in England during World War II. A very satisfying and highly interesting read. (Might have found that one here. If so, many thanks to the OP.)

Can't leave out The Scoundrel's Daughter, which lived up to Anne's fun quiz. I lol'd at the end-of-the-ending — so "Anne." I'm saving Mary Jo et al's Christmas book at the top of the TBR pile, holiday substack. Which leads me to ...

... a friend just sent me a cartoon I wish I could share with you, It's a husband trying to make off with part of a stack of books while the wife, reading in bed with the cat, yells, "Don't move those, that's my emotional support pile of unread books!"

[Vicki L]

WOW!! So many suggestions that struck the right note today! I'm still looking for books I noted From July and August.

My reading has been scattered. Mostly rereading because I was too tired at the end of the day to give a new story my proper attention.

Read all of JoAnna Bourne's books - The Spy Masters Lady, The Forbidden Rose, Beauty Like the Night, Black Hawk & Rogue Spy. It all started because I thought of a scene in Rogue Spy. Always enjoyable, loved rereading and meeting old friends.

I was looking on my Kindle for something and found that I had a little Novella from Mary Jo Putney that I hadn't read! Fallen From Grace: Chronicles of Allarde is the prequel to the Dark Mirror series (by the way, it is still free from Amazon). I really enjoyed reading it because it answered quite a few questions and confirmed some of my suppositions of who got sent to Lackland when.

Snow in April by Rosamund Pilcher. Reread because I thought of a scene and so had to read to find it. Sweet Cozy read written in 1972. Uncomplicated characters but definitely her writing style. Enjoyed reading it.

Satan's Coast by Elsie Lee. Also a reread. Written in 1969 as a contemporary. Light romantic suspense. Has all the light, fun, witty banner found in Elsie Lee's books. Love both H/h - chuckles abound.

Nabob's Widow - Elsie Lee. (1976) Reread. Fun, clever & witty. Always enjoy watching how Dianthe and Roxy run their lives and get the husbands they want. Regency era.

Singapore Sapphire - A.M. Stuart. historical murder mystery set in 1910 Singapore I think if was recommended here several months back. It was very enjoyable because of the realistic portrayal of European society and attitudes in Singapore. All kinds of historical tidbits are dropped into the story to flesh out the back story of the characters and the current story.

Vanilla: Travels in Search of the Ice Cream Orchid by Tim Ecott. Reading this for a challenge and it is very interesting. I am keeping a map handy so I can find the various islands and countries mentioned! Lots of interesting history about vanilla, culture of, why it is so expensive, etc. Written in a very readable style.

Lots of other comfort rereads. Dipped into quite a few new books but my mind just wasn't there so quit so I wouldn't spoil the book(s).

[Janice]

The Nabob's Widow is my favorite Elsie Lee. My copy has a great Barbosa cover. Black is so flattering to some ladies :)

I have been reading through a shelf of old Fawcett/Fawcett Coventry titles from the 1970s and 1980s. Now on The Moonless Night by Jennie Gallant, aka Joan Smith - a little more peppery and historical than her usual comedies, but filled with her quirky characters. In this one the heroine's father is obsessed with catching Napoleon trying to escape into England after Waterloo, with or without the help of admirers (of which Nap still had a few).

Before that it was Dark Enchantress by Sylvia Thorpe, a tale of Cromwell's witch-hunting era, unusual because the hero is quite willing to marry for inheritance *and* keep the heroine (the title character) as his mistress *and* she's not unwilling to remain a mistress only. You can't write that sort of heroine now without getting screamed at on the internet :)

I have started The Jane Austen Society by Natalie Jenner, which I have heard many good things about, but am finding it hard to get into. Perhaps I have read too many WW2 set novels over the summer.

Other than that, I finally finished Night Siege by J. Allen Hynek et al., which I have been reading off and on for twenty years. It concerns the Hudson Valley sightings of the 1980s and the cases are fascinating, but what does one do about them? People are still trying to answer that question.

I also read The Scoundrel's Daughter by our own Anne Gracie, and liked it very much. I like the idea of all the houses backing onto a common garden because that's how I live - in a condominium development built when land was still cheap enough in LA to have lawns, gardens, trees, tennis courts, pool and such, instad of being big square boxes with no greenery other than a couple of potted trees outside the entrance door. But a big common garden to stroll in - what a paradise that might be!

[Janice]

I want to know how Kareni does it too. I *sample* many books but at the end of the month, I have nowhere near the number of books actually finsihed - let alone of the astounding variety!

[Andrea Penrose]

Wow! Thanks for the heads-up, Kareni!

[Andrea Penrose]

I loved The Rose Code, Mary. And of course, Anne's wonderful new release.

And LOL on the cartoon!

[Andrea Penrose]

You HAVE been busy reading, Vicki!

I love going back and reading a favorite series all at once. as you really get into the arc of the characters that way. Your mention of Joanna's spymaster series reminds me that would be a perfect one to glom through in the coming winter evenings.

I've been meaning to get to Singapore Sapphire, so glad to hear you enjoyed it. Must must it up the towering pile!

[Andrea Penrose]

What an interesting reading list this month, Janice. The older Fawcetts sound very fun!

[Anne Gracie]

Kareni I'm a fan of Michelle Diener's Class 5 series too, and I don't think I've read that novella. Thanks.

[Anne Gracie]

Glad you enjoyed T Kingfisher's Swordheart, Kareni — it's lots of fun, isn't it?

[Anne Gracie]

Thanks for your kind words about my Scoundrel's Daughter, Mary. Glad you chuckled at the last line too.
Re that cartoon you mentioned -- I saw it too and chuckled.

[Anne Gracie]

Vicki, when I first got to know A.M. Stuart she was living in Singapore where her husband had been posted, and I think that's where she started writing. Glad you enjoyed it.

[Anne Gracie]

Thanks for your kind comments about The Scoundrel's Daughter, Janice. And how interesting that you live in a place with a big communal garden. That's so rare these days with the cost of land. My own parents' lovely large garden got bulldozed and six townhouses were built on it, each with a tiny square of "garden" enough for half a dozen potplants.

I have looked for Elisie Lee books before and it's very sad they don't come on kindle. I pretty much read exclusively on kindle these days.

[Mary Jo Putney]

Kareni, I just read the Class 5 novella. Loved Sweetpea!

[Mary Jo Putney]

Vicki, "Fallen From Grace" is perma-free, though it's also included at the end of my new release of Dark Mirror. The publisher wanted a promo short story, so I had fun with this one.

[Karin]

I too read and enjoyed "Murder at the Royal Botanic Gardens". The romance lover in me wished for more on-page romance, but such is the nature of historical mysteries, the mystery part takes center stage.
I donated a couple of my autographed Rose Lerner books to the Romancelandia fundraiser for Afghan women, but before giving it away I reread "Listen To The Moon", and liked it even better than the first time I read it.
I read Madeline Hunter's "Heiress in Red Silk", which I loved. It had a fairly unusual hero and heroine. She's a thoroughly middle-class milliner who gets a sudden unexpected inheritance, and he is an inventor with absolutely zero social skills or tact. They make an entertaining and ultimately perfect couple.
I am in the middle of "A Pretty Deceit", which I think is the 4th in Anna Lee Huber's post-World War I mystery series. Very atmospheric.
I am still sitting on my copy of "The Scoundrel's Daughter" which I am saving for a special treat-but I'll probably read it as soon as I finish my current book!

[Kareni]

I have the good fortune, Janet, to not be working; I also have a husband who prepares 98% of our dinners. I'm a lucky woman.

[Kareni]

It was indeed, Anne!

[Andrea Penrose]

I know, I know! My problem is I tend to do a lot of my reading at bedtime . . . and fall asleep way sooner than I want to!

[Andrea Penrose]

So glad you enjoyed my book, Karin. It's a delicate balance between the mystery genre and romance. I do try to give readers scenes where the personal emotions of Wrexford and Charlotte are the catalyst and take center stage, but will keep in mind that many of you want more! Look to see more of Wrexford's past being revealed in coming books.

[Quantum]

Some great suggestions here.
The audios of Michelle Diener's space opera books 'Dark Horse' and 'Dark deeds are free on Audible(for members). I'm going to try them.

I would mention two audio fiction books that I have enjoyed this month, both with excellent narration:

Sarina Bowen's 'The year we fell down' was good (and free), involving students with mobility issues. I was really looking for more ice hockey action though, so will now try the 'Brooklyn Bruisers' series as recommended by Christina last time.

Stephanie Laurens's Bastion Club series starting with 'Captain Jack's Woman'. Here the aristocratic hero and heroine meet as leaders of smuggling gangs that decide to merge. The heroine Kat is helping locals survive harsh living conditions by smuggling silk and brandy while the hero Jack is superficially similar but is really working in disguise to intercept spying with Napoleonic France. The book is very entertaining with ultra-hot love scenes reminiscent of the Cynsters. I can definitely recommend this one ... phew!!

Delighted to see that Susan now has some audio books at Audible UK ... I have added 'The Celtic Lairds' series books 1 and 2 to my wish list; would appreciate any comments. I also noticed that Joanna has some audios at Audible UK but alas they are in German ... grrr! Maybe I need to be more patient.

[Christina Courtenay]

One of my all time favourite YA books - just fab!

[Christina Courtenay]

Hope you enjoy the Brooklyn Bruisers, Quantum! Look forward to hearing what you think.

[Margaret]

So many wonderful books described above, some of which I've read, and some which sit in my TBR mountains. I wanted to tell you all about a new author, whose first book was incredible: Windswept, by Annabelle McCormack. It's a romantic suspense/spy thriller involving a British nurse serving in the Sinai during WWI - a time and place I knew little about. I was lucky to get an advance audio copy and was blown away by the story, the narration, and the totally professional package from a new, indie author. I'm now hoping she's got other books stockpiled so it won't be a long wait for a new release.

[Annette N]

Thank you to everyone who has provided me with more authors and books who must be added to my future reading.

Hope everyone is well and safe and happy.

[Jane Nelson]

Between books by Wenches and the recommendations I get here, I will never run out of books to read! I just finished Christina's Whispers of the Runes (it was excellent!), and am about to start Battle Royal by Lucy Parker, a series I heard about here. Also in my TBR pile (along with way too many other books) are Mary Jo's Once A Laird and Anne's The Perfect Kiss. In addition I'm waiting to get Andrea's latest Sloane and Wexford from the library, along with Anne's brand new book. And now you've added even more -- as a knitter I absolutely must try Penny Reid’s ‘Knitting in the City’ series . . .

[Andrea Penrose]

Quantum, the Laurens 'Smugglers' sounds like great fun. I haven' read her in a while, so this sounds like a good time to jump back in.

How odd that Joanna's audiobooks on Audible UK are in German. Go figure!

[Andrea Penrose]

So glad you enjoy our monthly reading round-up, Margaret. And thanks for sharing your book discovery. It sounds fascinating! I have put it on my TBR List!

[Andrea Penrose]

Jane, So glad you are enjoying the Wench books, along with the other recommendations here. I have Battle Royal sitting on my nightstand, and will start as soon as I finish the book I'm reading now.

Hope you have fun with my new release!