Best Books

Best Books to Read Now - April 2019

Reminder/ Caveat/ Disclaimer: This is my (hopefully) monthly list of books I’ve read and enjoyed. These are not reviews, I do not include books I didn’t enjoy because life is too short to speak badly of books!

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Welcome to the Best Books to Read Now Book Club! My (hopefully) monthly blog featuring my reading list, my TBR pile and the books I think you and your best friends should be reading. 

If you’re not sure whether you’ll agree with  my recommendations, check out my blog post on My Reader Wheels and my podcast, Women With Books . Those should help you decide if you’re going to be into my recommendations.

The best book club recommendations for you and your friends!

The best book club recommendations for you and your friends!

There’s a bit more variety in my fiction choices this month - a contemporary rom com even made the list!

Gimme Some Sugar - Molly Harper
Amazon || Apple Books

I think I’ve read all of Molly Harper’s Southern Eclectic series now and I have to say, I just love Lake Sackett, Georgia. This one features a best friends to lovers storyline and deep fried red velvet cake balls. It’s perfect to satisfy your cravings for small town romance AND sweets.

When We Left Cuba - Chanel Cleeton
Amazon || Apple Books

I featured Chanel Cleeton’s Next Year in Havana last year (and it was a Reese Witherspoon book club pick) and I chatted with Chanel on the Women With Books podcast here.
This continues the story of the Perez family and the Cuban Revolution and focuses on Beatriz. It’s hard for me to say if this is a standalone story, since I read the first one and I think reading the first one really enriches this story because it gives you the whole background of the family in Cuba. So get both books and immerse yourself in 1960 Cuba & Florida!

Too Wilde to Wed - Eloisa James
Amazon || Apple Books

I read the first in this series and really couldn’t wait to see how Eloisa turned a frippy fop with a wig and high heeled shoes into a hero that we could all swoon over and Ms. James totally delivered! I love the Wilde family!

What the Wind Knows - Amy Harmon
Amazon || Apple Books

I devoured this book over road trip to Colorado during Spring Break. I saw it described as “perfect for fans of Outlander” so I knew I had to at least give it a shot. There were some similarities between it and Outlander - this story also involves time travel to the British Isles (Ireland in this case). But there was a unique family twist to this story that made it a little different and the history was much more recent. I turned the pages very quickly trying to find out exactly how Ms. Harmon was going to tie up the huge dangling mystery in this middle of this book.

Agnes Moor’s Wild Knight - Alyssa Cole
Amazon || Apple Books

I’ve had this book for FOREVER and I’ve been saving it for a rainy day. And, well. A gloomy Spring day finally came that could only be cured with an Alyssa Cole book. I have a soft spot in my heart for medieval romances and this is a novella by an author that I know handles lesser trod time periods with graceful prose and well-researched details. The only thing that disappointed me was that now I don’t have another Alyssa Cole medieval romance novella to look forward to.

And yes, there were some books I did not love this month…. I’ll be talking more about those and why I think they didn’t connect with me in my newsletter this month.

Do you like books on sale?
Make sure you’re following me on Facebook because that’s where I post great books on sale!

And what about you?
I’d love to hear what you’ve read and loved lately or what you’re looking forward to reading next!  If you want these book recommendations (and a sneak peek at my TBR list and advanced reading copies) sent straight to your inbox, remember to sign up for my newsletter where I’ll be including all the best book club recommendations throughout 2019!

Best Books to Read Now - March 2019

Reminder/ Caveat/ Disclaimer: This is my (hopefully) monthly list of books I’ve read and enjoyed. These are not reviews, I do not include books I didn’t enjoy because life is too short to speak badly of books!

Best books to read in 2019.png

Welcome to the Best Books to Read Now Book Club! My (hopefully) monthly blog featuring my reading list, my TBR pile and the books I think you and your best friends should be reading. 

If you’re not sure whether you’ll agree with  my recommendations, check out my blog post on My Reader Wheels and my podcast, Women With Books . Those should help you decide if you’re going to be into my recommendations.

The best book club recommendations for you and your friends!

The best book club recommendations for you and your friends!

I just realized that all four of these books are (mostly) historical fiction. Huh. Weird how the subconscious book picker works, right? Let’s see what I read this month!

A Wicked Kind of Husband - Mia Vincy
Amazon

Do you love historical romance? Do you love a marriage of convenience, sharp characters, smart, funny banter and sobbing your guts out at the end of a book? If yes, then you absolutely have to read this DEBUT book from Mia Vincy. You won’t believe it’s her first novel.

32 Likes, 4 Comments - The Royal Runaway; 10/9/18 (@lindsayemory) on Instagram: "I ❤️ this book. A Wicked Kind of Husband by @miavincywrites #amreading #thursdayreads"


Daisy Jones and the Six - Taylor Jenkins Reid
Amazon || Apple Books

This book is everywhere so I’m not the only one shouting about it from the rooftops but I cannot stop thinking about this book. I got an ARC and I’ve been harassing everyone on social media who has a copy because I NEED TO TALK ABOUT THIS BOOK. Get it, read it and then let’s chat.


The Shell Seekers- Rosamunde Pilcher
Amazon || Apple Books

I first read this book… a long time ago. Let’s just say I was in my formative years. I’m sure I re-read it several times, each time swept away by this multi-generational family saga. Recently, the author, Rosamunde Pilcher, passed away and when I heard the news, I immediately went to Amazon and picked up the digital copy of this book because I’m sure the paperback version in my family was falling apart. Sometimes these types of books don’t age well but I can report that The Shell Seekers still is a wonderful read, and if it were repackaged as the WWII books are today, with ladies in hats looking up at the spitfires in the sky, it would fit right in. If you’re loving the recent trend in historical fiction, do yourself a favor and pick this one up again - or for the first time.

The Lieutenant’s Nurse - Sara Ackerman
Amazon || Apple Books

Speaking of women in 1940’s clothing looking up at the sky (LOL at myself), I LOVED this book, the second historical fiction novel by Sara Ackerman. It’s the story of Pearl Harbor, seen through the eyes of a recent arrival to Hawaii and yes, I was SO WORRIED about what was going to happen! If you want to hear all the details about this book, check out my Women With Books podcast episode with Sara Ackerman here.


And yes, there were some books I did not love this month…. I’ll be talking more about those and why I think they didn’t connect with me in my newsletter this month.

Do you like books on sale?
Make sure you’re following me on Facebook because that’s where I post great books on sale!

And what about you?
I’d love to hear what you’ve read and loved lately or what you’re looking forward to reading next!  If you want these book recommendations (and a sneak peek at my TBR list and advanced reading copies) sent straight to your inbox, remember to sign up for my newsletter where I’ll be including all the best book club recommendations throughout 2019!







Best Books to Read Now - February 2019

Reminder/ Caveat/ Disclaimer: This is my (hopefully) monthly list of books I’ve read and enjoyed. These are not reviews, I do not include books I didn’t enjoy because life is too short to speak badly of books!

Best books to read in 2019.png

Welcome to the Best Books to Read Now Book Club! My (hopefully) monthly blog featuring my reading list, my TBR pile and the books I think you and your best friends should be reading. 

If you’re not sure whether you’ll agree with  my recommendations, check out my blog post on My Reader Wheels and my podcast, Women With Books . Those should help you decide if you’re going to be into my recommendations.

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I have fewer books this month that I can talk about because I had to finish up my Rita judging books - and those I cannot talk about! But these are all soooooo good! I can’t wait for you all to snatch them up!

The Woman in the Lake - Nicola Cornick
Amazon || Apple Books

I listed Nicola Cornick’s last book, The Phantom Tree, as one of my favorite books of 2018 and this one also just knocks it out of the park. Something about her writing and her creative genre-blending of English historical fiction, time-traveling mystery and romance seduces me. I’ve been haunted by this book much like The Phantom Tree and I can’t wait to dig deeper into her backlist.

The Psychology of Time Travel - Kate Mascarenhas
Amazon || Apple Books

I saw this book on Netgalley and requested it as soon as I read “Hidden Figures-type story about the female pioneers in time-travel.” UM, YES. And that was a good description but also it was so much more. When I tell you this is a twisty time-travel mystery, it IS but that’s also not doing it justice. There are diverse characters, multiple POVs, multiple time-periods, deeper themes and an exploration of mental illness all smushed together in a page-turning well-written speculative fiction whodunit. Which is ALL my catnip. If you read it, I’d love to know what you think!

For the Duke’s Eyes Only - Lenora Bell
Amazon
|| Apple Books

I picked this one up when I saw Jenny from Wicked Wallflowers posting about it on Instagram. I’ll just quote her - see if you can tell why I instantly one-clicked: “Enemies to lovers, a badass lady archaeologist and witter banter for days.”

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…Right?

It was the best historical that I’ve picked up in a while. LOVED it.

Dear Writer, You Need to Quit - Becca Syme
Amazon
|| Apple Books

Now I know this nonfiction book might not be a book that a lot of you want to read, but if you are a working author, you definitely want to take a look at this. I’ve taken three courses with Becca and I can attest that she’s a fantastic coach with career advice that is down-to-earth yet also inspiring. (Listen to me interview Becca on the Women With Books podcast here.) If you’re interested in other recommendations of books that are about writing / creativity check out my list here: HBIC Creativity Books.

What I’m Reading Next: My real-life book club picked Pretend I’m Dead by Jen Beagin for our next book. I don’t know anything about this and I have no idea if I’ll like it (or if you’ll like it.) But the good thing about book clubs is it exposes us to new things, right?

Do you like books on sale?
Make sure you’re following me on Facebook because that’s where I post great books on sale!

And what about you?
I’d love to hear what you’ve read and loved lately or what you’re looking forward to reading next!  If you want these book recommendations (and a sneak peek at my TBR list and advanced reading copies) sent straight to your inbox, remember to sign up for my newsletter where I’ll be including all the best book club recommendations throughout 2019!





Best Swoony Historical Romance Books!

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In honor of V-Day, I am bound by the ancient romance author code to recommend romance books.  Of course, it’s hard to narrow that down. Romance is a huge genre and has been around since Helen of Troy’s face inspired a slightly emo love triangle.

So I sat down and really thought about what I would like to read on a day devoted to eternal passion and devotion (and chocolate hearts!) and the answers came rather quickly. Passionate, swoony historical romances!  It’s one of my favorite sub-genres and I have re-read all of these at least three or four times.

*UPDATED with my new favorites for 2019 and 2020!!!*

Want to know what to read after Bridgerton on Netflix? Keep Reading!
***

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Almost a Scandal – Elizabeth Essex

Amazon || Apple Books

All of Elizabeth’s heroines are intrepid and all of her heroes are masculine yet not jackhole-y so you could start anywhere in her backlist but this is the one that I got started with and the one that I recommend to anyone who likes a bit of spying, naval warfare and adventure on the high seas with their swoons.

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As You Desire – Connie Brockway

Amazon

I’ve re-read this 4 or five times. The way that Harry loves Desdemona…. The literal definition of S W O O N. This book gets my heart every time but there’s also an Egyptian archaeology sub-plot that will scratch your adventure/ The Mummy itch.

If you’re young and haven’t seen The Mummy yet, it’s on Netflix and why haven’t you?!?

If you’re young and haven’t seen The Mummy yet, it’s on Netflix and why haven’t you?!?

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No Good Duke Goes Unpunished – Sarah MacLean 
Amazon || Apple Books

Everyone has a favorite Sarah MacLean and this one must be mine because I’ve re-read it several times (and not just because of the ENDING!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!)  If you’re new to the series, please start with the 1st (A Rogue by Any Other Name) and then work your way to this one, the third. TRUST ME. I know that’s mean of me to suggest the 3rd book and then tell you to start two books back, but… it’s Valentine’s Day. Treat yourself. (Check out my interview with Sarah on the Women With Books podcast here.)

Treat yo self to 3 (or 4) Sarah MacLean novels!

Treat yo self to 3 (or 4) Sarah MacLean novels!

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A Lady by Midnight – Tessa Dare
Amazon || Apple Books

I have lots of favorite Tessa Dare books too, but this one is the most swoony IMO. Take a grumpy war veteran with PTSD, a sweet puppy, a quirky cast of characters in Spindle Cove and you have a perfect chocolate box of romance. (Check out my interview with Tessa on the Women With Books podcast here.)

Ignore the improbably bold naked chest pose and look at Diana Gabaldon’s cover quote! She is RIGHT about this book (and all things, probably.)

Ignore the improbably bold naked chest pose and look at Diana Gabaldon’s cover quote! She is RIGHT about this book (and all things, probably.)

The Spymaster’s Lady – Joanna Bourne

Amazon || Apple Books

This is the only book on the list that I have NOT re-read, which I just realized makes me a liar but I couldn’t NOT include one of the best historical romances I read last year. Yes, I just got to this classic last year but OMG. It sent me into a bit of a depression, honestly, because I wasn’t sure if I could ever write a love story like this. It’s got an unforgettable voice, twists, a lot of spying and a heroine who is lovably stubborn and imperfect and who has to be dragged kicking and screaming (literally – but for good reasons) into love. (And it’s pretty obvious by now I like spying in my books…isn’t it?)

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Outlander – Diana Gabaldon
Amazon || Apple Books

The first book in this series fits as a historical romance, IMO, even if Ms. Gabaldon doesn’t agree.  If you’ve been living blindfolded under a rock in the middle of a desert island and have not read this book and if you like time travel, hot Scottish men and  plucky modern heroines… well… Happy Valentine’s Day.

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Lord of Scoundrels - Loretta Chase
Amazon
|| Apple Books

What can I say about Jess and Dain and this book that hasn’t been said 1000 times already? This is a romance classic, one where you can instantly find a kindred spirit by just saying the words, “the glove scene!” Or, “the naughty watch!” Or, “then she shoots him!!!”

Crap. I’m going to have to go re-read this now. I love it so much.

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A Lady Awakened - Cecilia Grant
Amazon
|| Apple Books

This is such a unique one, but a delicious, delicate, deliberate exploration of two people falling love. Another classic, it’s a fantastic example of a slow burn romance even though the two main characters have a deal to get the woman pregnant as soon as possible. The fact that Cecilia Grant can put all that together…

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Mr. Impossible - Loretta Chase
Amazon
|| Apple Books

Yes! Another Loretta Chase book! Another book set in Egypt with strong The Mummy vibes. What can I say? I have a type! And I know what I like!

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Destiny’s Captive - Beverly Jenkins
Amazon
|| Apple Books

I’ll never forget the first time I saw this cover (RWA San Antonio). I gasped, loudly. Also… pirates! Rebels! Smugglers! And this tag line: “She stole his ship… and his heart.” I enjoy everything Beverly Jenkins writes because I really love American-historical romances but this one has that adventure and that nautical spirit that I also love (if you can’t tell by now…)

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Unclaimed - Courtney Milan
Amazon
|| Apple Books

I can’t tell you how many times I’ve re-read this one by Courtney Milan. Like the rest of these authors (Sarah Maclean, Tessa Dare, Beverly Jenkins) she’s so prolific and everyone has a favorite and this one is mine. It features a chaste hero and a courtesan heroine and the slow burn… (there’s that phrase again… wow. My reader wheels are fully evident, aren’t they?)

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A Wicked Kind of Husband - Mia Vincy
Amazon || Apple Books

I think I gushed enough about this book throughout 2019 that it deserves to be put on this list. It’s funny, it’s fresh, it made me sob. What more can you want from a romance? Find more about the book (and Mia Vincy!) here: Women With Books Interview.

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Bringing Down the Duke - Evie Dunmore
Amazon || Apple Books

If you are a historical romance reader, do not let this cover confuse you or stop you from picking it up. This is a terrific Victorian romance set amongst the suffrage movement that also made me have all feels and I cannot WAIT until the next one comes out later this year (HINT HINT ARC GODDESSES…)


And for more book recommendations, follow my Best Books tag here!

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Best Books to Read Now - January 2019

Reminder/ Caveat/ Disclaimer: This is my (hopefully) monthly list of books I’ve read and enjoyed. These are not reviews, I do not include books I didn’t enjoy because life is too short to speak badly of books!

Best books to read in 2019.png

Welcome to the Best Books to Read Now Book Club! My (hopefully) monthly blog featuring my reading list, my TBR pile and the books I think you and your best friends should be reading. 

If you’re not sure whether you’ll agree with  my recommendations, check out my blog post on My Reader Wheels and my podcast, Women With Books . Those should help you decide if we’re simpatico con los libros. 

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Scandal Above Stairs - Jennifer Ashley

Amazon || Apple Books

The second book in the Kat Holloway historical mystery series (or 3rd if you count the prequel novella?). I enjoyed going back to the world of Victorian London cook Mrs. Holloway and following along as she helped solve another mystery - this one involving stolen artifacts. 

Becoming - Michelle Obama

Amazon || Apple Books

If you’ve ever day-dreamed about being part of the former FLOTUS’ #girlsquad, this book might be closest you’ll ever come but Mrs. O lets you in to her world, her life and her experiences. The book sounds like one of her speeches, smart, affirming, disarming and no BS. I was thoroughly charmed (and also still a little disturbed by a description of one of her girls’ weekends at Camp David. Morning workouts? Really? I mean, yes Mrs. O. Anything you say! )

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99 Percent Mine - Sally Thorne

Amazon || Apple Books

I had an ARC of this and I’m so excited that it’s finally out in the world and I can talk to people about it! A “warning” to romance readers: Ms. Thorne does NOT follow the typical romance structures. This book - even though it’s romantic - is so much more than that. It’s a story of a friendship, of a family (birth and chosen) and a woman who finally discovers the life she should have been leading. And yes, I’ve mentioned it on the podcast but I cried - HARD - at the end. And I usually avoid books that make me cry. 

Summoned to 13th Grave - Darynda Jones

Amazon || Apple Books

Speaking of crying, don’t cry ‘cause it’s over. The final installment in the Charley Davidson series is hopeful, powerful and leaves LOTS of room for Ms. Jones to continue following the ABQ supe crew as they protect the savior of the world.  This is one of the few long-running series that I’ve ever finished all the way through so I feel like I need to get a medal or something. 

The Light Over London - Julia Kelly

Amazon || Apple Books

Another one I read last year and is FINALLY out there!!!  Yes, Julia Kelly is a dear friend (and she’s been on my podcast HERE and HERE ) but this book is so good. It’s a dual timeline story and follows Cara in the present day as she unravels the history behind a WWII era journal that she discovers. If you want to hear more about it, please listen to the podcast episode and also READ THE BOOK. 

What I’m Reading Next: RITA books! As part of my membership in RWA, I volunteer to judge the books for the Rita awards. So YAY! Free books! The downside? As part of the judging process, I promise to not talk about the books. Boo.  That doesn’t mean I don’t sneak them into recommendations at other times throughout the year though…. Wink wink. So keep reading the blog and hopefully they’ll all be so good I can slip them in and it will be our little secret, okay? 

I’d love to hear what you’ve read and loved lately or what you’re looking forward to reading next!  If you want these book recommendations (and a sneak peek at my TBR list and advanced reading copies) sent straight to your inbox, remember to sign up for my newsletter where I’ll be including all the best book club recommendations throughout 2019!