The Kiss Quotient by Helen Huang (★★★★☆)
Print • Owned (Book of the Month) • Contemporary Romance • 2018
Short synopsis: Stella, a brilliant econometrician with Asperger’s, hires Michael, an escort, to teach her about relationships, only to discover that their practical arrangement blossoms into an unexpected love story.
This book has lived on my “favorite romances” shelf for years, and I decided it was time for a reread. What I remembered most was how this novel made me feel—how much I loved Stella and Michael and watching their relationship blossom. Thankfully, that feeling held true on this reread. While the reader I am today wouldn’t give it five stars (as you can see, I bumped it down to four), I completely understand why I loved this novel so much. Stella is such a wonderful character. She’s unapologetically herself while also understanding that the world doesn’t always appreciate how blunt and literal she can be. Michael is carrying the weight of the world on his shoulders and has chosen sex work to help pay his mom’s medical bills. It’s a sweet romance with a lot of heart, and the neurodivergent representation is fantastic.
A Witch’s Guide to Magical Innkeeping by Sangu Mandanna (★★★★☆)
Print • Owned (Barnes & Noble) • Fantasy/Romance • 2025
Short synopsis: After losing her magic, a grumpy witch joins forces with a handsome historian to restore her powers.
I adored Mandanna’s 2022 release, The Very Secret Society of Irregular Witches, so I was excited to discover she’d already written another witchy fantasy in the same vein. (The books aren’t connected, but they exist in the same magical world.) While this one didn’t quite capture the magic (heh) of her earlier novel, I still had a wonderful time with it and am now desperate for another book from this author! The story follows Sera, who lost her magic after resurrecting her great-aunt and now runs an eccentric inn with an unforgettable cast of characters, including a talking fox and a man who works as a knight at the local medieval fair and never takes off his armor. Desperate to get her powers back, Sera’s fortunes begin to change when Luke, a magical historian, books a stay at the inn with his autistic sister and may finally be able to help her reclaim her magic. I fell in love with almost every character in this story (okay, maybe not the talking fox because she’s rather annoying) and thoroughly enjoyed stepping into this magical world.
The Unselected Journals of Emma M. Lion, Vol. 6 by Beth Brower (★★★★★)
Audiobook • Hoopla • Historical Fiction • 2022
Short synopsis: The Year is 1884 and Emma M. Lion has, at long last, gained her majority. Entering a golden age of friendship with Pierce, Islington, and Hawkes, Emma is confident she will manage whatever comes her way.
I don’t know what I will do with myself when I finish the last book in the Emma M. Lion series. At least there are more coming? I just adore Emma and this found family she has collected. After learning that some readers are shipping Emma and Hawkes, I am watching their interactions much more closely. I’m still on Team Pierce, but I can see the appeal with Hawkes. Once again, this book made me giggle and sigh with happiness and get really, really sad when the audiobook was over. Beth Brower, you have done this world a service with this series.
What are you reading?
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