Friends, #WhatchaReading ? I read Mrs. Milner Gets a Kitchen by Jane Hadley. Ping @SuperWendy -- it's a 1950s historical set in a "from the old country" American neighborhood!

A divorced mother dealing with a lot of social pressure & stigma falls for the sweet and sexy contractor installing her gloriously 1950s kitchen.

I enjoyed it very much. Available for free by subscribing to Hadley's newsletter: https://janehadleywrites.com/

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#WhatchaReading ? I've been catching up on series I previously DNFd. Read Duke of Desire by Hoyt -- still way too emo and icky for me, I should've let it lay. Reading Cross Breed by Leigh -- ehh, she sucked me in.

Also started Expiration Dates by Serle but I'm finding the structure frustrating. I want to know what happens now, not what happened every other time! I suppose it will make sense as a novel, so maybe I should save it for another time.

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Synopsis

When Nar’s non-Armenian boyfriend gets down on one knee and proposes to her in front of a room full of drunk San Francisco tech boys, she realizes it’s time to find someone who shares her idea of romance. Enter her mother: armed with plenty of mom-guilt and a spreadsheet of Facebook-stalked Armenian men, she convinces Nar to attend Explore Armenia, a month-long series of events in the city. But it’s not the mom-approved playboy doctor or wealthy engineer who catches her eye—it’s Erebuni, a woman as equally immersed in the witchy arts as she is in preserving Armenian identity. Suddenly, with Erebuni as her wingwoman, the events feel like far less of a chore, and much more of an adventure. Who knew cooking up kuftes together could be so . . . sexy? Erebuni helps Nar see the beauty of their shared culture and makes her feel understood in a way she never has before. But there’s one teeny problem: Nar’s not exactly out as bisexual. The clock is ticking on Nar’s double life—the closing event banquet is coming up, and her entire extended family will be there, along with Erebuni. Her worlds will inevitably collide, but Nar is determined to be brave, determined to claim her happiness: proudly Armenian, proudly bisexual, and proudly herself for the first time in her life.

My review

Bisexual romance!!

Bisexual romance is special. There’s your good old straight romance, also known as romance with no adjective in front of it. There’s your gay and lesbian romance, sometimes including a painful coming out, with recent examples including Rana Joon and the One and Only Now and The lesbiana’s guide to Catholic school. But bisexual romance? How do you make a character bisexual in the first place if they’re only going to have one romance, huh?

Easy − remind us that they’re bisexual. Remind us that they’re looking to date and don’t really care about the identity of who they’re dating. Make them break up with someone and make up with someone of another gender. Tell us. It’s fine, you know − showing bisexuality can be hard. Telling us « hey by the way, I’m dating you but I also like guys! » is great. And very well done in this novel, too − although there are painful outing and coming out stories because, well, it’s 2024 and queer novels still don’t allow their characters to just be happy.

And speaking of painful coming out stories: this one is based on identity. Like in the two books I quoted above, our narrator, Nar, is a second-generation American. Her Armenian identity is incredibly important in the novel: after breaking up with her very very white boyfriend, Nar allows her mother and auntie to rope her into Armenian-Armenian dating life and commits to trying to find the perfect boyfriend (or girlfriend, she adds silently) at one of the cultural events. Except, of course, 90% of the cultural events are about the genocide, which doesn’t make for great date material.

Nar’s first thought of « I’m so tired of everything being about the genocide » gets revisited several times throughout the novel, with our girl getting closer to her own culture and understanding that history doesn’t have to only be about grief. I love the way she reconciles with her heritage and starts feeling like a real part of « the community», and every single one of the sometimes complicated and painful steps that lead to that.

Also, the book is actually really good − I’m not just impressed with the theme, the romance was really nice and the characters were lovable or hateable or, in some cases, very much both.

#WhatchaReading ? I finished A Love Song for Ricki Wilde by Tia Williams, which reminded me a bit of One Last Stop by Casey McQuiston -- both use a fantastic scenario to engage with some lesser known history.

This was often sweet and funny, and the tributes to 1920s Harlem and Black musicians are lovely, but the tone mixture of goofy romcom and high stakes fated love didn't gel for me.

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I've got a little time before I clock in to work, so let's catch up on some blog reading, shall we? #RomBkBlog toots are incoming @romancebooks a.gup.pe

#WhatchaReading ? Mentioning Erin Satie got me to check and see if she had anything new out, and I found a suspenseful fantasy novella about an imprisoned rebel leader/witch being rescued by friends (or a lover?) she no longer remembers. It's not very well rated, which I hope doesn't mean it has a sad ending or something. :-( Possibly just that it's not her usual genre.

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#WhatchaReading ? I just finished The Oak and the Ash by Annick Trent. I thought the first in the series was good but had plotting issues; no complaints about this one! Realistic portrayal of the lives of 1800s queer working people, with a sweet, slow burn romance. (Hard to have anything else for them!) For a comp I'd give Erin Satie, because of the focus on period technologies and intellectual interests.

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OMG, the mmc of Role Playing by Cathy Yarley uses a fleshlight. That's breaking such a verboten romance rule I hadn't even realized it was a rule.

(He is demi-sexual and not sex-averse and it is such good rep!)

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#WhatchaReading ? I've been having trouble concentrating, so broke out my emergency Cate C. Wells, The Stone Wolf's Rejected Mate, and it's doing the trick.

I like how her romances are kind of old skool -- the drama and angst can be really cathartic -- but without the annoying tropes and outdated writing styles of many older romances. Old skool for the modern reader. 😂

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I #read Finding A Purple Unicorn by Sean Michael (#book 3/Starting Over). This MM single dads #romance is by far my favorite of 2024 so far. It was fun & #reading it went by fast. TW for custody argument, ex drama, & a neglectful parent (not a main character). Also some bdsm/spanking references. No need to read the first 2 #books. 🏳️‍🌈🏳️‍🌈 #romancelandia @romancebooks
https://amzn.to/3OUXqdU

Time to catch up on belated #TBRChallenge toots. This month's optional theme was Furry Friends. #RomBkBlog @romancebooks a.gup.pe

#WhatchaReading ? I started a Mary Burchell, Tell Me My Fortune. Fun cast of characters. So far wondering what on earth he sees in her...

Also started Scrap Metal by Harper Fox but it's a bit heavy for my current state of mind.

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#TBRChallenge Day!

February's Theme: Furry Friends

I read about aggressively horny shapeshifters!

Pack Challenge by Shelly Laurenston https://whiskeyinthejarromance.blogspot.com/2024/02/review-pack-challenge.html

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#WhatchaReading? Betrayal/remorse is my romance catnip and historical My Deceitful Duchess by Aydra Richards is a pretty good one. (Not as OTT as Exit, Pursued by a Baron.) But I was irked by the "romance hero Aspergers" portrayal, partly because it's such a cliche and doesn't go into any of the real issues, and mostly because if you're going to write an autistic love interest, take the opportunity to have him react in different ways!

cont.

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I #read A Masquerade With a Marquess (#book 8/Lords of Temptation). The blurb is a little off - the MMC does marry the FMC knowing she's blind, but also for all the wrong reasons. TW for jealousy and paternal abuse. I may follow up with more from the series, not sure yet. #regency #romance #romancelandia #reading @romancebooks

https://amzn.to/3wdlrX7

#WhatchaReading ? I finished Every Time I fall by Lexi Ryan. TBH, I had intended not to read her again, because the last book was anti-abortion, but I could not resist the gorgeous fat woman on the cover of this. (And I got it from the library.)

Characters have loved each other forever, but each has bad insecurities that make them think the other could never want to be with them. cont.

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#WhatchaReading ? I read the sweetest YA graphic novel romance, Hockey Girl Loves Drama Boy. An insecure hockey player being bullied by her team captain asks a theater kid who's often taunted for being gay for help with dealing. He's actually pan and totally falls for her passion for her sport. There are also parents and best friend problems. Thoughtful & engaging.

I don't love the aesthetic but the art is very effective at conveying emotion and bits of humor.

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I re-#read as #audiobook Four In Hand by Stephanie Laurens. This #regency #romance has very little sex in it & a lot of flirting. It follows 4 sisters in one shorter #book - it was one of her earliest #books. I like this type of writing but I know it's out of date. #romancelandia #romancebooks #reading @romancebooks
https://amzn.to/3Ot9hQk

Read an old Harlequin, Only You, in which the office girls all sneer because the hunky hero's secretary must be 50 and "what a waste!"

That puts her maybe 14 years older than him... a smaller age difference than between him and the *18* year old heroine. 🤢

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Not sure how I missed this, but Candy Hearts, a limited time anthology to benefit the Transgender Law Center and the National Center for Transgender Equality is coming out tomorrow! 16 low-angst Valentine's Day stories by queer authors, including our own @NathanBurgoine

Thanks to @thesmutreport for including this in their recent round-up.

https://apostrophen.wordpress.com/2024/01/17/anthology-announcement-candy-hearts

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I #read Twins for the Wild Orc by Michele Mills (Sweet Monster Treats). If Mills wrote it, I'm probably going to ❤️ it, & I did (even orcs). Besides the title trope of unplanned babies, the #book is a reunion #romance meant for #reading at Halloween. Short & charming. #books #romancelandia #romancebooks @romancebooks
https://amzn.to/49eUXCZ

#WhatchaReading ? I should be doing so many other things, but I can't tear myself away from The Billionaire's Wake-Up-Call Girl. Really fun and... *fans self*. I'm hoping it will justify the arrogant billionaire by having him use his power to completely destroy the FMC's truly evil ex. 😂

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Continuing my Best of 2023 with Favorite Secondary Character, https://whiskeyinthejarromance.blogspot.com/2024/01/the-roms-part-2-favorite-secondary.html

Who or what stole the show from the main characters for you in 2023?
(and yes, a doggy did make the nominees list :)

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#WhatchaReading ? I finished You Say It First by Katie Cotugno, which I seem to have liked rather more than most romance readers. I thought the mix of romance/coming of age was well done and appropriate for YA, and I liked how much the opposite-attract couple grew from being together, even though it was a somewhat fraught relationship.

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My daughter loved How to Excavate a Heart! What sapphic YA romance next?!

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