“Bound by your Touch” by Meredith Duran

I read a lot of romance novels as a teenager, and then took a break for a while because a friend helpfully suggested that they might be giving me “unrealistic expectations” – which was nonsense, but what did I know? I went a read a lot of SFF instead, which gave me different unrealistic expectations (where is my flying car, y’all. I’ve been waiting!).

When I finally got back into romance, it was largely thanks to the Smart Bitches Trashy Books’ website and their large backlist of recommended authors, and some seriously stellar new authors who were coming out at the time. Meredith Duran was one of them, and “Bound by her Touch” is a bluestocking spinster meets rogue story that is just so much more.  I read her debut novel when it came out, and didn’t think I could love the next book as much, but I actually loved it more.

It has Egyptology! It has period-appropriate discussions about archaeology! The hero aspires to be as interesting to the heroine as “Canadian Rubbish!” It’s very angsty and over-the-top, but the hero’s sense of humor about himself always wins out. I also love it that the hero is pulled in by the heroine’s interesting-ness, and doesn’t much care what she looks like – her brain so engaging, it makes her beautiful. Is that unrealistic? I don’t think so, because it’s exactly what happens to me when I fall in love – a person’s inner self becomes a part of how I see them, and lends them a shine that physical beauty can’t achieve on its own.

https://www.overdrive.com/media/71569...

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