Happy April!
Spring is here in my part of the world, and along with the warmer weather and flowers, this season has also brought some fabulous books into my life. I’ve been prioritizing rom-coms because they inspire the right frame of mind for my own writing, as well as inhaling as much fantasy and suspense as I can.
Speaking of my own writing, I have a new book out! Mallory Bradford is Not Having a Breakdown released into the world today, and I cannot wait for everyone to meet Mallory and Daniel and read their story. If you like banter, secret admirers, office romance, and a cinnamon roll hero, then I hope you’ll check it out! It’s even included on Kindle Unlimited!
Keep scrolling to see what I’ve been reading the last few weeks.
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Just Finished:
Courtney Walsh is an auto-buy author for me. I’ve loved everything I’ve read from her, so I was very excited to receive a NetGalley copy of her latest book, which comes out in June. When actress Rosie desperately accepts the first theatre-related job that is offered to her, she soon discovers just how important it is to read the details in the job listing. She gamely sets out to direct a play cast with senior citizens at a retirement community with no expectations outside a paycheck, but soon discovers she has a lot to learn from the residents—and she doesn’t mind spending time with the handsome on-site physical therapist either. This heartwarming book is rom-com meets women’s fiction with a full cast of quirky characters. You can’t help rooting for Rosie, and I loved the way this story ended. Five stars!
I credit this book with getting me out of a writing slump. I couldn’t figure out why the book I’m working on now was such a slog, and one of the things I realized is that I hadn’t been reading much rom-com. Some authors don’t read in their genre while they’re writing, but I definitely do because it gets me in the right frame of mind to write my own story in a style that meshes with what readers are looking for in a rom-com.
As soon as I realized this, I immediately went looking for a romantic comedy that I was pretty confident I’d like, and I listened to this entire book in two days. It’s a forced proximity romance about down-on-her-luck Jess who comes to crash at her brother’s house and finds that he’s out of town—and he’s gotten a hot new roommate since the last time she visited. Sparks fly as the two fight their attraction to each other, each for their own reasons. There’s fun banter, great side characters, and a hilarious meet-cute. Katie Bailey is so funny! I love her books.
In Progress:
This epic fantasy is by the author of the super popular Red Queen series, which I read and liked. This…is not like that. The world-building is intense and it doesn’t have the YA and dystopian elements that I liked in Red Queen. That said, it’s not a bad book, but I am having trouble getting into it. It’s not short—something like 563 pages? And it took me a good 200 to start caring about the characters and being interested in what they were doing. It’s difficult to describe what this book is about in a few words, but essentially there are several unlikely companions who must work together to save their world from a terrible fate despite betrayal, violence, and injury. There are unexpected allies, and, I hope, some romance.
I’m enjoying this gender-swapped retelling of the Aladdin story with a female jinni named Zahra who has an agenda of her own as she follows Aladdin waiting for his wishes. I’m about 25% in and I’m getting romance vibes between Aladdin and Zahra so we’ll see where this goes, but so far it has kept my attention and seemed to be a good balance of the classic story but with some new twists.
The tagline for this book is “Essie would do anything for her kingdom…even marry an elf prince she just met that morning.” Yes, please! I’m only 6% in but I think this is going to be an action-packed romantic elven adventure and I dying for some time to sit down and really get into this story.
Up Next:
If you’ve never read Becca Kinzer, what is wrong with you? Just kidding, but seriously—she writes the cutest, funniest sweet rom-coms and I am so excited to dive into this one. It just came out today (April 15) and I already have it because I preordered it months ago as a birthday present for myself! This one is about a romance author and an MLB player who get a second chance at love five years after their divorce.
Birthday book number two is a fantasy novel about a Nordic girl who enters into a warrior trial in an attempt to rise up the ranks from her place as a clanless peasant. This story has Viking vibes and it looks like there’s going to be a boy who crosses her path, so I think it will be a winner. I really liked this author’s Mark of the Raven series a few years ago, so I’m excited to try this one.
Tempest at Annabel’s Lighthouse
Oh Jaime Jo Wright, how I love thy books. I am a completist, having read all her books to this point and owning most of them. This is birthday book number three, and I’m dying to start this dual-timeline story about a lighthouse that is rumored to be haunted by a ghost named Annabel. Jaime Jo’s books are always the perfect balance between deliciously creepy and knowing that there won’t really be a ghost in the end. I’m a big chicken, so I need to know that it’s going to turn out alright with that Scooby Doo-type reveal at the end or I won’t sleep while I’m reading it.
As always, you can find more great book talk over at Anne Bogel’s monthly quick lit post, including discussion and more in the comments.
You’ve introduced me to a few new rom-com authors! I don’t really read a lot of rom-com novels, but I don’t know why because I certainly enjoy rom-com movies and the rom-com novels I’ve read I’ve generally enjoyed. Thanks for the tips!