Need a good historical romance. Other genres too. discussion
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Discussion of HR and other books. And recs.
message 2601:
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Roberta2
(new)
Oct 09, 2023 07:16AM
My husband is still reading Stephen King; he ordered King's new book and has that on his stack of books. King is so prolific, I don't see my husband finishing his books any time soon. lol
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Well, I know it's such a long shot, but I played powerball which is over 1.5 billion. I love to spend the money in my imagination in so many ways. What say you all to a book club meeting of all of us somewhere beautiful? Where would we like to go? Let's dream.In other unrelated news, I bought a light box and have been using it every morning at my desk. I think it is helping with my SAD.
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BJ wrote: "...The Closer is one of my favourite American Cop shows. She was so clever and feisty, and I thought her parents were such good fun."Oh that's right! I'd forgotten about her parents - how could I have forgotten about them? Loved them! Hmmm...might be time for a rewatch
Danker wrote: "Flying home and have half an hour to kill as I wait to board. Must read all your previous posts when I get the chance. Just popping in to say hello. I watched loads of Shetland. The author, Anne Cl..."Wishing you safe travels.
I feel very boring today. For a three day weekend, I didn't get a lot of rest or recreation. I'm almost looking forward to going back to work tomorrow.
HappyBookWorm2020 wrote: "Popping in to say hello."Hi there! Your message was a nice way to start my day - thank yo. It's 11:30am for me in coolish Adelaide, South Australia.
Hi, BJ! And I'm thinking of having an early night. The cat wrestling wore me out. I took two of my cats to the vet today and they kept one of them overnight. I just discovered that the fully grown 5 pound cat is difficult to give any medication even when wrapped in a towel and held tightly. This will be a fun 5 days.
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critters are anxious. They know you love them.
A woman questioned why our county required a dog license, &
not a cat license? Reply: who can force a cat to do anything-
they call the shots. Or some such reply.
Today, my husband and I went leaf peeping, but the color is muted this year, probably because of all the rain and not enough cold nights? But we did have a nice lunch out at an Italian restaurant. It was good to get out of the house, but we always feel guilty about leaving our dog, even though she is fine.
HR-ML wrote: "Cat wrestling. You're a true animal lover to help even when critters are anxious. They know you love them.
A woman questioned why our county required a dog license, &
not a cat license? Reply: ..."
Also, dogs are easy to round up; cats, not so much. Particularly feral ones, and most places don't have leash laws on cats. Fortunately, there are quite a few kind animal lovers who trap/neuter/spay, and then take care of the colonies until they die out. That can take many years.
Roberta2 wrote: "Today, my husband and I went leaf peeping, but the color is muted this year, probably because of all the rain and not enough cold nights? But we did have a nice lunch out at an Italian restaurant. ..."Your dog has you wrapped around his or her little finger.
Our Layla gets gourmet treatment. She is an older dog. Her meals are her kibble, topped by a sprinkling of shredded cheddar cheese, and topped with a nice chunk of cooked chicken breast, shredded.ETA yes, she has us wrapped around her little finger too. Which is as it should be.
For Terry Pratchett fans, some re-discovered tales of his have just been published. I'll wait for a price drop. https://www.amazon.com/Stroke-Pen-Los...
I've just re-read a novella by Carla Kelly, and have another book by her lined up to read. Her story was 'Ellen Found'. The setting was in the new Yellowstone National Park, not yet open to visitors. Ellen was hired to be a cook for the workers at the new hotel that was being build for tourists after the park opened. Ellen was about as down on your luck as you can imagine. A Wyoming Summer
I have been binge watching Unforgotten in the evenings. I feel guilty I haven't read anything the last 3 days. My husband is still working on Stephen King. I don't think he will ever finish all of his books, although he has made a dent in it. Last night, our lab, Roxie, joined me on the couch to watch the finale of Season 4. Roxie chewed her toy and didn't seem all that interested in "who done it". lol
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Welcome!!!
I like kisses-only stories, and some with a spiritual theme (if not too preachy). These authors mostly have traditional roms: Jenny Hambly, Mary Kingswood, M.A. Nicholas
& G.L. Robinson. Sorry if any repeats. Elizabeth Camden books usually have a moral challenge or a tad of mystery, along w/ spiritual references. I have GR reviews on these authors. I also like clever plot twists.
I like sexy books too, but IMO some authors overdue these scenes.
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Has the "100 Best Mystery and Thriller Books of All Time" list. The list is avail online. The books in the mag. are listed by date of publication starting with 1860!!! We recently spoke of mystery books and mystery TV series.
Felicity wrote: "Hello! I just joined this group. I read clean historical romances, preferably with lots of action/adventure/suspense to go with it.Enemies-to-lovers is my favorite trope.
I recently enjoyed [book..."
Hi and welcome. I also find a lot of books are too explicit just because. HR-Ml gave you a pretty good starting list. I particularly like Kingswood's Strangers and Silver Linings series, Both are KU, A lso a favorite author around here is Jayne Fresina. The Bespoke series are mysteries, Others are as quirky as their titles.
Mod
Sally Britton, Nancy Butler, Alicia Cameron, Mimi Matthews.
Historical fiction:
Audrey Blake.
Victorian love story w/ a disabled heroine & a dash of mystery:
A Dangerous Deceit by Alissa Johnson.
Romance w/ mystery, IIRC some have sex scenes, some don't.
Adele Clee stories are not cookie cutter.
I don't expect someone to like a book just b/c I did. I have GR reviews on above authors.
Felicity wrote: "Hello! I just joined this group. I read clean historical romances, preferably with lots of action/adventure/suspense to go with it.Enemies-to-lovers is my favorite trope.
I recently enjoyed [book..."
Welcome, Felicity! I'm not fond of gratuitous sex in my romance books either (none or just one will do fine). I've read books where after a while, I started skipping over the sex scenes to get back to the story.
I had just posted about Carla Kelly, one of my long time favorite authors.
She is still publishing once a year, and has won awards including two Rita awards. You can read all about her and her books here.
https://carlakellyauthor.com
I just read this novella by her, and :happy sigh: - a wonderful peek into the establishment of Yellowstone National Park and an equally wonderful story of a young woman with nothing except a handful of dollar bills, a cat, and the courage to catch a train to Yellowstone and ask for a job as a cook. Loved it so much.
https://www.amazon.com/Wyoming-Summer...
Hi Felicity and welcome. Your name is often the name of the heroine in HRs. I too like HRs with few to no sex scenes, but if it's well written, I will read it. If the scenes go on for pages, I just skip them. Carol, HR-ML, and HappyBookWorm have given you many good suggestions. I would add Stella Riley, Erin Satie, Emma Jensen, and Georgette Heyer.
HR-ML, Thanks for the Time mystery list notice. I will check it out. Last night, I reread a Mimi Matthews. It was perfect for me, because I am getting a little depressed with the shorter days and am not looking forward to the even shorter days after daylight savings time ends in Nov.
Felicity, The Work of Art by Mimi Matthews is free right now. Very enjoy able read.
Mimi Matthews is excellent. I need to re-read her books again. I am now reading another book by Carla Kelly, one I had not read before. I'm happy to report that Wonderland is the beginning of Yellowstone National Park. This is a full length book that is connected to her novella that was in the story collection I had mentioned recently (second link).
Courting Carrie in Wonderland
A Wyoming Summer
Mod
The Measure of Katie Calloway
HR. A woman ran from her abusive spouse and became a
cook for logging co. A clean story. Some spiritual b/c a logger
was an ex-preacher.
HR-ML wrote: "I too like Carla Kelly.The Measure of Katie Calloway
HR. A woman ran from her abusive spouse and became a
cook for logging co. A clean story. Some spiritual b/c a logger
was an e..."
I read a novella and am reading a full length book by Carla Kelly that are both set in Yellowstone, when it was being made into a national park. It sounds similar to those. I'll put it on my list.
Mod
The Measure of Katie Calloway
HR. A woman ran from her abusive spouse and became a
I read the C. Kelly about Yellowstone. I've reviewed 5 of her books on GR.
A contemporary romance I quite enjoyed is on sale for $1.99: Nora Goes Off Script. The author has another more recent book that I am patiently waiting to buy on sale day.
Thanks, OLT. Downloaded Deadly Engagement
Mod
A couple took out a library book somewhere in New York State in 1933 & failed to return the book. The fine was $6+K. But the library now has a max fine of $5. It was unclear
who returned the book whose topic was youth.
HR-ML wrote: "HappyBookWorm2020 wrote: "HR-ML wrote: "I too like Carla Kelly.The Measure of Katie Calloway
HR. A woman ran from her abusive spouse and became a
I read the C. Kelly about Yell..."
I've got the Katie Calloway book. I've sent it to my kindle to read.
HR-ML wrote: "ABC news tonight. A couple took out a library book somewhere in New York State in 1933 & failed to return the book. The fine was $6+K. But the library now has a max fine of $5. It was unclear
wh..."
That's a nice story. A relative could have returned it, or someone who bought it in an estate sale.
This link is to a lot of free fantasy romances with different sub-genres. There are also Pride and Prejudice variations. https://farofeb.com/freebooks/?fbclid...
The Cupcake Witch
Mr. Darcy's Enchantment: A Pride & Prejudice Variation
Dangerous Magic: A Pride and Prejudice Variation
https://www.amazon.com/Bring-Fire-Par...
Not in the group:
The Amish Cookie Club 99 cents
I'm reading The Benevolent Society of Ill-Mannered Ladies. I think someone must have recommended it. I'm about halfway through and I'm really enjoying it, so I'm posting here. I'm listening to it on Libby. Good narrator.
Carol wrote: "I'm reading The Benevolent Society of Ill-Mannered Ladies. I think someone must have recommended it. I'm about halfway through and I'm really enjoying it, so I'm posting here. I'm l..."That sounds good. I'm listening to Flowers from the Storm by Laura Kinsale.
https://www.amazon.com/Flowers-from-S...
Loved Flowers. Benevolent isn't fluff. It tackles serious subjects but has a lot of humor. Good writing. Authentic to the era. Just possibility of love so far.
Sounds good Carol. I will have to see if I can get it from the library.
Roberta2 wrote: "Sounds good Carol. I will have to see if I can get it from the library."My library has the DTB. Libby has the eBook and audio book.
Carol wrote: "Roberta2 wrote: "Sounds good Carol. I will have to see if I can get it from the library."My library has the DTB. Libby has the eBook and audio book."
I just finished the audio book. A little long for an audio book, but worth it. The reader was wonderful as was the story. Those two innocent looking ladies on the cover are not what they appear to be. They are 42 y/o spinster twins out to do right. defying the norms for women of the Regency era. The author tackles some of the awful truths that pervaded Regency England. Although, Benevolent is dark and serious topics, it's tempered with wit and a little romance on the side. Now the wait for book 2.
Most of the HR lately are just okay or repetitious. I'm just so happy when I find a new author I like. I just hope Goodman keeps up the originality she brought to the story.
Carol, Glad you liked it. I have put it on my to read list. Thank you.
Read The Extraordinary Life of Sam Hell for my book club. Meh. It was told in 1st person, which I usually don't like; in this case, it worked okay. I was thinking about the book this morning and realized that I didn't really like the main protagonists which is why I didn't like the book much. That and all the mystical aspects of Catholicism turned me off. Too much have faith and all will be well. Hmmmm.
Roberta2 wrote: "Read The Extraordinary Life of Sam Hell for my book club. Meh. It was told in 1st person, which I usually don't like; in this case, it worked okay. I was thinking about the book thi..."I bought this years ago when it was cheap. DNF
Yay! My library had Benevolent Society of Ill-Mannered Ladies! Looks good - can't wait to read (tho' it'll have to get in line behind a few other books first)Meanwhile, I'm currently reading Lessons in Chemistry. Really enjoying the quirkiness and the characters, especially the dog - think he's probably my favorite character. (view spoiler)
Cath wrote: "Yay! My library had Benevolent Society of Ill-Mannered Ladies! Looks good - can't wait to read (tho' it'll have to get in line behind a few other books first)Meanwhile, I'm currently reading Less..."
I started reading Chemistry and stopped after the rape. I didn't think it was given the importance it should have been given. My girlfriend (Ha! She's older than me.) said it was good so I picked it up again. I ended up loving it. Maybe in the next book, the author will handle a scene like that better. The dog doesn't die.
Need a good historical romance. Other genres too.
Books mentioned in this topic
Dragon Bound (other topics)A Waltz on the Wild Side (other topics)
Someone to Romance (other topics)
Every Summer After (other topics)
One Golden Summer (other topics)
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Authors mentioned in this topic
Allison Goodman (other topics)Allison Goodman (other topics)
Darcy Burke (other topics)
Erin Langston (other topics)
Nancy Bilyeau (other topics)
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