It’s the 15th again, which means it’s time for another Quick Lit post! Modern Mrs Darcy, one of my favorite book blogs, hosts a link up once a month for fellow readers and bloggers to share what they’re reading lately. These quick reviews offer a mid month glimpse into my reading life.
My reading life is off to a promising start this November. I’m enjoying some great books. Here are 4 of the books I’ve read so far. From an alternate reality to contemporary love stories and a young adult graphic novel, each of these picks has at least a touch of romance.
What I’ve Been Reading Lately in November:
American Royals by Katharine McGee
I heard so much about American Royals over the past year but it took me awhile to realize that Katharine McGee was also the author of The Thousandth Floor trilogy. I loved the first book, The Thousandth Floor, when it came out and was so upset to realize the whole series hadn’t been published yet. Even this year, I’ve been following my rule of not starting series until all the books are out or at least a huge backlist amount (like the sixteen Louise Penny books). Anyway I still want to go back and reread McGee’s debut book so I can finish that series.
After realizing I loved this author already I knew I had to pick up this duology. American Royals is set in an alternate America, one where George Washington became king rather than president. Now in present time, Princess Beatrice is preparing to become America’s first queen and her parents make it clear they’d prefer she have the support of a husband before she takes on that role. The other Washington royals, twins Samantha and Jefferson, have just turned 18 and are negotiating their own public roles while balancing their love lives.
As predicted, I flew through this book and loved it! I can’t wait to get my hands on the sequel, Majesty, which just came out in September.
Moonlight Over Manhattan by Sarah Morgan
This was my first Sarah Morgan book. As I’ve delved back into the romance genre, her name pops up a lot, especially for Christmas stories. My best friend recommended Moonlight Over Manhattan to me as a great one to start with. Also I listened to it on audio, something I’m slowly – maybe – getting back into.
Harriet is a shy dog walker who has challenged herself to do one thing a day that scares her from Thanksgiving to Christmas. Ethan is a workaholic doctor, who finds his life turned upside down when he offers to watch his sister’s dog, Madi, so she can go away to deal with an emergency. Harriet is Madi’s regular walker but when she realizes how unhappy Madi is with her new living situation and long hours alone, she wants to foster the dog herself until Ethan’s sister returns. Ethan can’t let his sister down so he proposes a solution. Harriet can move in with him for the holidays to be Madi’s 24 hour sitter. Neither one of them factored in their attraction to the other.
As a dog lover and an introvert Moonlight Over Manhattan was the perfect introduction to Sarah Morgan! I adored Harriet and Madi. It surprised me how much I enjoyed listening to the story on audio. Although it doesn’t go there until nearly the end, the romance did get quite steamy! I enjoyed meeting many of the side characters who have their own stories in this series. I look forward to reading more books by Sarah Morgan.
Feeling Hot by Elle Kennedy
I discovered Elle Kennedy last month through her Out of Uniform series which is currently available through Kindle Unlimited. I read one of the erotic romance novellas, The Heat of the Night, last month. While I enjoyed it, I thought it would be better as a full length novel. In this series the first 6 stories are novellas and then Kennedy switched to full length novels with the last 4. All of them are stand-alones.
Feeling Hot is book 3 and story 7, the first of the full length works. Navy SEAL Cash McCoy is just back from deployment and eager to end his 6 month dry spell. That night at a bar, he stumbles upon a gorgeous woman when they’re both looking for a place to hide from unwanted attention. They’re interrupted before things can get very far and at the end of the night, Cash is devastated to lose her number. He can’t get her out of his head.
Then his commanding officer asks him to keep an eye on his sister for a few weeks while they deal with her stalker ex-boyfriend. Enter Jen Scott, aka the girl from the bar. Cash has strict orders not to touch his CO’s sister but Jen has other ideas. Ideas that involve only a fling since she’s sworn never to date a military man.
This book may be the hottest one I’ve ever read. Feeling Hot was super sexy and steamy but also had lots of funny and tender scenes. I was very happy with the switch to novel length. It had a great storyline with room to develop believable characters. I love this universe that Kennedy’s created especially all the surrounding family and friends, who I’m sure in time will each get their own story.
Page by Paige by Laura Lee Gulledge
Page by Paige is a contemporary young adult graphic novel. It was new to my library via the Libby app. I borrowed a few graphic novels in preparation for NaNoWriMo this month. I thought they’d be easier to focus on when my brain was tired.
In Page by Paige, high schooler Paige Turner has recently moved from Virginia to New York City with her parents. In the beginning the only thing she has for comfort is her notebook which she uses as an art journal to make sense of her life. She eventually makes friends with a few kids at school, all artists in their own ways. They support, inspire, and encourage one another to explore and create. Over time Paige gains the confidence to call herself an artist and share her thoughts and realizations with her parents.
This book was so much deeper than what I was expecting. Paige’s real fears and anxieties are so relatable. I loved how she processes her thoughts and emotions through her artwork. Laura Lee Gulledge’s illustrations were amazing. I loved the level of depth she brought to her black and white drawings. Paige’s group projects around the city were so whimsical and fun. There was also a very sweet first love story that puts this book solidly in the young adult age group rather than middle grade.
What have you been reading lately?
