The Secret Lives of Country Gentlemen by K.J. Charles (★★★★☆)
Print • Owned (romance bookstore) • Historical Romance • 2023
Short synopsis: A prickly new baronet and the smuggler he once had a secret affair with become unwilling allies on the dangerous Romney Marsh when blackmail, family loyalty, and lingering desire force them back into each other’s lives.
I loved this queer historical romance! I picked it up as a “Blind Date with a Book” from a local romance bookstore, which is always risky, but this one was a wonderful surprise. The writing was sharp, the characters felt fully realized, and the story pulled me in right away. Gareth and Joss were so easy to root for, and I especially loved the tenderness between them. The way they cared for and protected each other was so beautiful! While this book was not a light, breezy historical romance (it could be quite tense at times), that made it feel fresh and compelling. I’m excited to read more from this author!
After I Do by Taylor Jenkins Reid (★★★★★)
Print • Owned (Amazon) • Contemporary Fiction • 2014
Short synopsis: When their marriage reaches a breaking point, Lauren and Ryan agree to spend a year apart with no contact—an experiment that forces Lauren to confront her beliefs about love, commitment, and what it truly means to stay married.
As a longtime fan of Taylor Jenkins Reid, After I Do is the last of her books I hadn’t read. Stories about a marriage in peril isn’t usually my favorite, but I should have trusted that TJR would make me deeply care about these characters. Lauren and Ryan are wonderfully complex: likable and frustrating, flawed yet charming, and so fully realized that I genuinely didn’t know what I was hoping for by the end—reconciliation or a clean break. I especially appreciated that Lauren’s year of separation isn’t some dramatic, Eat, Pray, Love-style reinvention; instead, she continues living her ordinary life—going to work, spending time with friends and family, and slowly untangling what she believes about marriage, sex, and commitment. It’s a thoughtful, emotionally honest story about love after the spark fades, and it reminded me once again why Taylor Jenkins Reid is such an exceptional storyteller.
The Death of Bees by Lisa O’Donnell (★★★★☆)
Audiobook • Hoopla • Contemporary Fiction • 2013
Synopsis: Two sisters secretly bury their parents in the backyard and spend the next year desperately maintaining the lie — until the questions start closing in.
What a strange little book! It’s not the sort of story I would normally pick up, but something about it pulled me in. Maybe it was the narrator’s terrific Scottish accent, which gave the audiobook such a strong voice and sense of place, or maybe it was simply Marnie and Nelly—two young girls trying to survive on their own after their parents die. The novel balances a surprising amount of dark humor (I laughed out loud several times) with some very heavy themes, including sexual abuse, teenage girls being preyed upon by much older men, hard drug use, and negligent parenting. Because of that, it’s a difficult book to recommend. You have to be willing to sit with some very dark material. But for me, it was a fascinating, unsettling, and ultimately very satisfying listening experience. (Recommendation source: Sarah’s Bookshelves Live.)
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