On the Shelf: September 2024

I had some disappointing DNFs in both August and September and it sent me running right back to the comfort of backlist titles—but then I got lucky with a few excellent new reads! All was not lost! Honestly, all five of them were bangers (not literally—only two had sex in them 😂), satisfying different parts of my brain. Erin Langston is still one of the freshest voices in historical romance. In The Finest Print, she sets Belle and Ethan's love story amidst the early days of print news publishing and penny dreadfuls. Every time I expected a predictable plot turn, Langston surprised me. I love it when that happens. (Side note: this Belle reminded me a lot of Belle from The Artful Dodger, whom I adore.)

Speaking of surprises, am I the last person to know that Meg Shaffer is a pen name for Tiffany Reisz? It wasn't until I finished The Lost Story and read the acknowledgements that the lightbulb went on. It's no shock that her foray into contemporary/cozy fantasy is as well-written as the steamier books in her catalog. Further to my missing things, I didn't get to Will They or Won't They by Ava Wilder when it dropped last year, and I'm so glad I caught up! It's a second-chance romance for two actors on a popular X-Files-Supernatural type TV show and it really worked for me. I'm very particular about celebrity/media romances (barring my own, because they're ridiculous) and Wilder's felt true to the industry and how actors navigate it. I was all-in on Lilah and Shane.

The Reading Rundown
The Lake House by Sarah Beth Durst (young adult horror)
Blood Betrayal by Ausma Zehanat Khan (suspense, thriller, mystery)
The Finest Print by Erin Langston (historical romance)
The Lost Story by Meg Shaffer (contemporary fantasy)
Will They or Won't They by Ava Wilder (contemporary romance)

Backlist titles & rereads: I kicked off the month finishing Something Like Love by Beverly Jenkins. I'll never get tired of shenanigans involving the Julys, the Blakes, Preacher, Dix and their ladyloves. After that I dove into rereads of At Your Pleasure and Wicked Becomes You by Meredith Duran, The Lily Brand by Sandra Schwab, Not Quite a Husband by Sherry Thomas and The Shadow and the Star by Laura Kinsale. Unfortunately, that last one didn't age so well. I love other Kinsale titles, but there's just too much Orientalism threaded through TSATS. I moved to my physical bookshelf for longtime favorites, A Swiftly Tilting Planet and Many Waters, by Madeleine L'Engle before wandering back to digital historicals. I snagged Lisa Kleypas's Then Came You from the library and reread Suddenly You (no relation! lol!). And then the paranormal cheese stands alone—Angel of Darkness by Cynthia Eden was a fun diversion from my historical path!

Currently reading: Your Wicked Heart by Meredith Duran.

On the TBR/wish list
One Kiss to Desire by Grace Callaway
The Wishing Game by Meg Shaffer
Ne'er Duke Well by Alexandra Vasti