Tag: romance

April reads, 2026

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Spring started properly early here, but then it slowed down into a stall. What’s that got to do with reading, you ask? Well, only that while we did go on a couple longer strolls with the dogs on some particularly nice days, the outdoors didn’t entice us out and about too much, thus keeping me indoors, reading. I did spend an hour or so maybe twice on our deck, reading in the sun, where my hanging egg-chair is sheltered from the wind.

So anyhow, 18 books, 6125 pages, average book length 340 pages – a mix of quite long ones, a couple of 120-150 page snack books, and everything in between.

  • Kingdom of the Cursed and Kingdom of the Feared (Kingdom of the Wicked 2 and 3), by Kerri Maniscalco – Love, family, demons, witches, and goddesses, a plot twist or two, and every story has two sides, as usual. Delicious, dark, and spicy, but love wins in the battle of power over the circles of Hell. Satisfying reading, great trilogy!
  • Lumenlaulaja, by Emmi Itäranta – A bit of Finnish mythology, the story of the great witch Louhi from Kalevala, told from her point of view, sort of capsizing the entire male-centric pov of Kalevala. Here the female witch is not an evil to be controlled and slain (well, she IS), but rather a strong woman trying to protect her own. And what could be more threatening to men than a woman not in need of one? Fascinating book.
  • Pohjolan jumalattaret, by Karolina Kouvola – Bit of a snack book after Lumenlaulaja, with a short article about the old deities of Finnish mythology. They are legion, many of them overlapping each other, variations of the same in different areas.
  • Adenashire books 1-5, by J. Penner – Five cozy feel-good fantasy romance books, a sixth one will be out in March next year. The books:
    • A Fellowship of Bakers & Magic – Where it all begins, with Arleta and the baking contest that leads her to Theo (or rather, Theo leads her to the contest, but you know), and new friends who all follow her back to Adenashire, each for their own reasons.
    • A Fellowship of Librarians & Dragons – Doli, the Dwarf with a huge heart, the one who originally pulled both Arleta and the reluctant Fennex Jez into their fellowship of hearts, finds her own happy romance in Adenashire.
    • A Fellowship of Games & Fables – When Jez inadvertedly throws herself and the High Elf baker-and-fellow Taenya into a whirlwind of winter games and fake-dating, the world may be frozen by mid-winter, but that doesn’t keep hearts from melting.
    • A Fellowship of Curses & Cats – Theo gets his own book. He has some issues and fears that surface when he’s about to become a father, and then his mother shows up, not helping anything at all. Or… is it, actually? At least Theo has Arleta and the rest of the fellowship for comfort, and don’t forget all them cats!
    • A Fellowship of Academics & Arts – It’s a tense night at the bakery, where the fellowship is waiting for word while Arleta is at the midwife’s, giving birth to her and Theo’s baby. What better way to while away the time than with a story? So, Verdreth is coaxed into recounting the story of how he and Ervash found their love and ended up in Adenashire with Arleta’s family.
  • David Bowie, by Marc Spitz – The life and music of David Bowie, extremely detailed but not. Seemingly crammed with everything the author managed to dig up, but only as far as they interested him, I think, what with skimming through some events and collaborations with barely a mention. Not that good of a bio, imo.
  • The Fox and the Devil, by Kiersten White – The daughter of Van Helsing chasing the woman she believes killed her dad, only to get obsessed and entangled with her and find out the world is full of monsters – but what makes a monster, after all?
  • Love and Friendship, by Jane Austen – A shortie with short stories from Austen’s youth, most of the stories incomplete. Satire and downright farce, I tell you! She was sharp and observant of the society, pouring it into these outlandish stories at first, it seems, then honing her storytelling into what we then have come to know as the style of Jane Austen. Fun snack book!
  • The Impossible Garden of Clara Thorne, by Summer N. England – What happens when a kid is unloved and abused, and what happens when they finally let themself to love and be loved. A story of magic and evil and love being the strongest power of them all. Queer romantacy, loved it!
  • Storm Over Camelot (Morgan le Fay 3), by Sophie Keetch – The conclusion of the saga of Morgan and Arthur, and all those close to them. The entire trilogy is an intense, excellent retelling, from the pov of a(nother) woman deemed an evil witch simply because she would not succumb to the control of men. Long live the once and future king!
  • Trappin perhe (orig. The Story of the Trapp Family Singers), by Maria Augusta von Trapp – The real story of the family von Trapp, written in 1949 by Maria von Trapp herself. Amazing resilience, amazing resourcefulness, just a rather amazing family all in all!
  • The Auction, by Sadie Kincaid – Dark mafia romance that left me with conflicted feelings. I liked (maybe even loved?) it per se, but got annoyed by the amount and extent of sex – felt like the middle third of the book was nothing but. Don’t get me wrong, the smut doesn’t bother me, it just kinda bores me… I want action that takes the stroy forward, not only into the bedroom (or whatever room or not-room, but you get the drift). Still, preordered book 2, for I do need to see the story to its end.
  • The Book Witch, by Meg Shaffer – Sweet and wonderful twisty kind of tale where we get to zip in and out of books with Rainy March and the Duke, where fiction and the real world mix in unexptected ways. I don’t cry with books too easily, but this one had me in tears with this beautiful scene in a library (no, won’t tell you more, read and figure it out for yourself!).
  • The Antiquarian’s Object of Desire (Love’s Academic 3), by India Holton – Ah, Amelia and Caleb and the fake-hating scheme of life-long best friends in this friends to lovers (or is it fake-enemies to lovers?) romance where things literally explode around when emotions run amock. Quirky, witty, funny, trademark Holton. Superb!

April 10, Finished (speed-)reading the bio of David Bowie (by Marc Spitz) today. It’s a highly detailed bio, at least about the parts that interested the author, while skating past many other events with barely a mention. Too much detail about a lot, detours and side-quests to the lives of some related people, barely a mention of others.

The whole book felt like it was as much about the author and their obsession as it was about Bowie himself. Like the author focused all interviews and research on what was meaningful and interesting to them, but didn’t bother with whatever wasn’t. So no, not one of the best bios I’ve ever read, not by far.

April 19, Snack book: Jane Austen’s Love and Friendship, ie. a collection of her unfinished writings from early years (teens, I think). In a very familiar kind of teeny way, she tried her hand at full-blown farce writing before settling on the style that later got her published. Outlandish stuff, quite fun reading 😄

April 25, I have loved The Sound of Music ever since I first saw it as a kid, though back then I always could’ve stopped watching at the point of the wedding – the romantic in me felt like that was the high point, the climax of the story so why bother with the disruptive war stuff, you know, just let them live happily ever after.

Of course I knew even then the story was based on a true one. I’ve had the book The Story of the Trapp Family Singers (in Finnish, “Trapping perhe”) by the mom, Maria Augusta von Trapp, in my library for years (and have no idea where it came from, maybe my grandparents’ library?) but never have I gotten around to reading it, until now.

How much more there is to the von Trapps! I really enjoyed getting to know the real von Trapp family and what their storied life actually was like, especially their time after they left Austria, ie. where the movie left off. I mean, just those ten years or so that the book covers, are full of adventures and escapades and humorous moments, paired with resilient labor to make a life, a good life at that, and not just their own life, but others too, by ways of music and post-war charity and whatnot. What a family!

April 25, The beautiful cover (of the special edition I saw) and intriguing RuNyx-y kind of plot description lead me a bit astray with The Auction (by Sadie Kincaid). It even started promisingly, and held it for almost half the book, but then the plot just kinda became secondary in the storytelling, fading into the background of sex and obsession and violence, but mostly descriptive sex. I mean, I’m not disturbed by descriptive sex and/or violence per se, but when one or the other or both become the main event, eclipsing the plot, I get bored. Obsession isn’t my favorite trope either, really.

So I got a bit annoyed and disappointed. And then everything just had to turn upside down in the last 50 pages or so and end with a crash bang cliffhanger. I had already decided not to continue the series (or rather, duology, as it is), but, hunh. I’m undecided now.

March reads, 2026

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March was a mix of classics and fantasy, mostly. 15 books, 5705 pages of happy reading. Somehow I felt like it was a month of long books, books > 400 pages, but while there were many of those too, apparently there were quite a few rather short ones as well. Funny how these biases go 😄

  • The Herbalist’s Apprentice, by Mabel Maplewood – A sweet cozy mystery in the lines of forgiving yourself and getting past mistakes.
  • A Ghastly Catasrophe (Veronica Speedwell 10), by Deanna Raybourn – Ah, Veronica and Stoker! Danger and drama and danger of drama, and the treat of the guest-starring Lady Julia and Nick Brisbane!
  • Turms kuolematon (Eng. The Etruscan), by Mika Waltari – One of the historical tomes of Waltari, very much classics of Finnish literature. Intriguing read, though a bit long-winded.
  • The Ornithologists Field Guide to Love (Love’s Academic 1), by India Holton – Whimsical and magical as Holton’s books are ever. Full of magical birds and somehow villainy and heroism aren’t exactly clear 😄
  • Villette, by Charlotte Brontë – I guess there’s something akin to Jane Eyre in this story about the teacher and a curmudgeon, and still I liked this one better.
  • The Sun and the Starmaker, by Rachel Griffin – Starcrossed lovers, a fate to be challenged. Romantacy like a Chinese myth.
  • The Geographer’s Map to Romance (Love’s Academic 2), by India Holton – No more birds, now it’s earth rumbling with magic as fey lines fail. And the walls built by our married(!) protagonist couple crumble down too. What a fate – to fall in love with your spouse! Though more like allow them to find out you fell in love long ago.
  • The Violin Maker’s Secret, by Evie Woods – Magical realism. A violin born from love and tragedy, singing the sorrow of the soul bound to it. Coveted by many. Too many.
  • Magic and Mischief at the Wayside Hotel, by Elizabeth Everett – Romantacy in a sentient “hotel” that’s stuck on earth with a guest list including a vampire, the Fate sisters, fairies, a bloodthirsty gnome and whatnot, even a god or two in the mix. And there’s more to come \o/
  • Lady Susan / The Watsons / Sanditon, by Jane Austen – Some less known novellas/short stories by Austen. Lady Susan was a bit meh but obviously completed, whereas The Watsons really should have become a novel, same as Sanditon (which has been completed into one or maybe few versions, one of which I’ve read; probably there’s completed Watsons around too, hmm).
  • Mayhem and the Mortal, by Shanora Williams – D&D meets Wizard of Oz, enemies to lovers romantacy adventure, a wild goose chase with an unexpected ending (and honestly, there NEEDS to be a sequel for this!)
  • The Astral Library, by Kate Quinn – Who wouldn’t want to roam through their favorite (public domain) books? Or live in one for good? As long as the ignorant forces stay away.
  • Get Over It, April Evans (Clover Lake 2), by Ashley Herring Blake – LGBTQ romance, enjoyable read .💜
  • Wayward Souls (Harker & Moriarty 2), by Susan J. Morris – So, Ireland, and Samhain is nigh. Sam and Hel save the day, but Professor Moriarty is still on the loose, so expecting a book 3.
  • Kingdom of the Wicked (Kingdom of the Wicked 1), by Kerri Maniscalco – First in a wicked enemies to lovers trilogy. Someone is murdering youn witches, but is it the demons, or is it your neighbor?

Mar 11, Reading India Holton’s next series (Love’s Academic) now, and I mean, her satire of every (romance) trope! Now inns don’t necessarily have even just one room left (unless such is specifically orchestrated, in which case it is the honeymoon suite), and never mind the matter of a bed. There may be a storage room with seven beds – but they’re all stacked on top of each other. Then again, the innkeeper just might surrender his kids’ rooms with sufficient bribary. And, well, you can’t have sex in a kid’s bed, now can you?

And lo and behold, the issue of holding (or inhaling) your breath! “…releasing a breath she’d not only been holding but had tied up and gagged too.” Take that unconscious breath-holders!

Mar 12, Finished Villette (by Charlotte Brontë) today and I don’t know if I really liked it better than Jane Eyre, or if the latter simply was colored in my eyes by hype (which makes me shy away from even things I might like), but I do claim to have enjoyed it (more? unlike?). I mean it is overly long, and at times boring and boorish, and it reads like a spoken narrative, with narrational styles flipping back and forth sometimes rather annoyingly, and it happily mixes in untranslated French in dialogues (though I do read that to an extent so not entirely lost on me), but the story is quite an agreeable one.

August reads, 2025

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Back to work after summer holidays, and free weekends and even though I wrote a fairytale of my own (The Tale of the Twisted Tree), and did a bit of painting (Swan in Snowfall, Watching the World Burn, Hummingbird on Full Moon), I somehow ended up reading 17 books, just shy of 6000 pages. So, quite some reads to cover here, better get started:

  • Glorious Rivals (book 2 of The Grandest Game trilogy), by Jennifer Lynn Barnes – so much expected, only to (obviously) leave me on another cliffhanger in the end 😅 Such delicious suspence! Devious and clever, and now I’ll just have to wait a year for the finale.
  • A Curse of Crows, by Lauren Dedroog – first book of the A Curse of Crows and Serpents duology and I totally, fully enjoyed the book! The surprises, the secrets, the masks and facades, the fragile and sweet relationship between the protagonist and her love interest, but not void of banter and fun. Book 2 coming in the autumn.
  • George Michael: Elämäkerta (orig. The Life), by Emily Herbert – kinda like a book to read while waiting for an order to arrive 😄 Tragic life, but as a read, the book was mediocre.
  • The Enchanted Greenhouse, by Sarah Beth Durst – back to the world of the Spellshop, connected while not. Took me a while to get into the story, but then it flew and I totally loved it.
  • A Witch’s Guide to Magical Inkeeping, by Sangu Mandanna – so not disappointing! Wonderful, whimsical, heartwarming – a lovestory but also so much more. A story about finding your way Home.
  • The Glimmer Falls trilogy (A Witch’s Guide to Fake Dating a Demon, A Demon’s Guide to Wooing a Witch, A Werewolf’s Guide to Seducing a Vampire), by Sarah Hawley – surprisingly substantial examples of the genre of steamy(ish) romantacy. Mysteries, family issues, and personal growth.
  • The Library at Hellebore, by Cassandra Khaw – uh, I’d rather forget that I read the book. The sole purpose of the book was to showcase gore and disgusting stuff. So much so that I simply grew numb. Thin plot to support the, uh, gore.
  • Koira, joka pelastaa kissoja and Ginny, suurkaupungin enkeli (orig. The Dog Who Rescues Cats, and The Blessing of the Animals), by Philip Gonzales – my palate cleaners after Hellebore, sweet sweet true story that restores one’s faith in humanity. Or doganity. Or both.
  • Regency Secrets, books 1-3 (The Persephone Code, The Elgin Conspiracy, The Wordsworth Key), by Julia Golding – a bit of a Veronica Speedwell meets Robert Langdon but in the Regency era. I loved Dora and Jacob, and can’t hardly wait for book 4 (coming in November).
  • The Last Tale of the Flower Bride, by Roshani Chokshi – a dreamy, ethereal tale with the kind of uglyish undertone as is common for fairytales. Magic is insinuated, but never proven, leaving the reader forever guessing what is “real” and what simply the perception or fancy of the storyteller(s). I loved it.
  • Neverthorn, by Shannon Mayer – some good ole dark academy, book 1 of a duology, and gah I need to wait for a year for book 2! Actually adults (if young), and a proper plot with deception, surprises, and some bits of romance. Oh, and gotta love the frucking potty mouth rune gag!
  • The Baby Dragon Bakery (book 2 of The Baby Dragon Cafe), by A.T. Kureshi – Firends to lovers is not my thing I guess. Too much of this being too scared of ruining things to talk. I mean, I get it, but one pining already is ruining it. So when things start happening, maybe, um, talk? Also, I may be too old for 24yo immaturity (esp. the girl; the guy had shit parents so kinda excused). So, no, I didn’t enjoy this like I did the first book. Maybe book 3 with the enemies to lovers trope is more to my fancies again, I hope, bc I love this baby draggo world.

Aug 11, Every now and then you (or at least I) stumble upon the most bizzarre (I’d like to say disturbing but that would be dishonest and not quite right since I’m not actually DISTURBED at all) thing you’ve read since the previous most bizzarre thing you’ve read since… you know…

Right now that most recent most bizzarre thing is the book I just started: The Library at Hellebore by Cassandra Khaw (pic on the left), which is the most bizzare thing since I read Winterset Hollow by Jonathan Edward Durham (pic on the right) several years ago.

And by bizzarre, I don’t by any means mean bad or not good or not likeable – on the contrary. It’s good to get your mind twisted a bit now and then. So, high expectations for Hellebore – I certainly enjoyed Winterset Hollow!

Aug 16, Update: I’m a bit disappointed. The Library at Hellebore is definitely gory and then some, prolly to the point where it should be disgusting and disturbing – and I’m sure it would be if it was a movie, for the thing is that my brain does not visualize words to a level that would make anything vivid enough to truly bother me.

I find myself more like bored. Kinda like excessive chase or sex scenes bore me. Really, anything that becomes repetitive and goes on too long. The gore upon gore being most of the storyline, paired with complicated interrelational musings(also not something I endure wel), the actual plot seems thin at best, spun for the sole puprpose of offering a stage for the gruesome characters to be gruesome.

Aug 17, So, as a palate cleaner I wanted to read something heartwarming and grounding, which led me to finally reading the two books about Ginny the dog who rescues cats (The Dog Who Rescues Cats, and The Blessing of the Animals, by Philip Gonzales) which I have in Finnish because they used to belong to my grandma. I remember her talking about them and discovered that I actually gave her the other one back in !999, but just hadn’t gotten around to reading them yet. Now I did, and what a wonderful trip that was! Exactly the kind of story I needed, reminding me that there IS love and beauty in this real world ❣️

June reads, 2025

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My June weekends were mostly full of all sorts of things like hosting a birthday (my own, round 50) 🎂, hunting for a fridge (old side-by-side started dying, see A Tale of Two Fridges), shopping with my daughter 💜, and some reno-related stuff I don’t even have the energy to get into. Surprisingly enough, I still seem to have found time to read almost as much as any other month. June reads were a mix of long-awaited sequels and new releases from favorite authors, and some completely new finds.

  • A Letter from the Lonesome Shore, by Sylvie Cathrall – I loved this sequel to A Letter to the Luminous Deep ❣️ The same ethereal ambiance, some twists and turns and a happy ending.
  • Everybody Wants to Rule the World Except Me, by Django Wexler – Sequel to How to Become the Dark Lord and Die Trying. Fun and gamey, but a bit more of a serious undertone as life for Davi is not a game anymore. Mysteries are unraveled and yes, this book too has a happy ending.
  • The Amalfi Curse, by Sarah Penner – A superb witchy realism story where past meets present and romance wins.
  • The Haunted Housekeeping series (4 books), by R.A. Muth – Funky, quirky cozy mysteries with just a touch of supernatural and magic. A bit “easy” reading for my liking.
  • Fearless, by Lauren Roberts – book 3 in the Powerless series (the final one), which was, well in line with the other ones, but liked it somewhat better again than the first one. I think Book 2 was my favorite in this trilogy (series – as it has a book 1.5 which I somehow didn’t feel like reading even though I have it).
  • The Resurrectionist, by A. Rae Dunlap – Historical gothy fiction from a time when autopsies were considered sacrilege, but the more advanced though hushed Parisian syle training, ie. hands on and cutting corpses open, was in need of bodies to work on. Also, forbidden gay romance 💜
  • The Mysterious Bakery on Rue de Paris, by Evie Woods – magical realism romance, sweet and heartwarming, while quite predictable.
  • Bury our Bones in the Midnight Soil, by V.E. Schwab – Three vampire women, destiny tied together in a way that is not entirely guessable in the beginning. Intriguing travels through centuries, stopping here and there for a bit longer to shed light on the evolution of the characters.
  • Phantasma, by Kaylie Smith – Not quite as enchanting as I expected, not quite as ingenious as I hoped. More like a “everything tries to kill you and you just need to survive (though you’re really not up to the task)” kind of a story than witty and puzzly, like I’d prefer. Quite enjoyable none the less, and now I’m a bit past the half mark on the sequel, Enchantra (which is more of the same while different).
  • Enigma, by RuNyx – I absolutely love RuNyx and her way of weaving these dark romance mysteries. Full of twists and turns and secrets to unravel bit by itty bit, clues to tickle your brain and lead you astray, passion, even obsession (which maybe is not my thing, but I can accept it here). Can’t wait to get more RuNyx!

June 1, Finally, finally reading (well, started already yesterday) A Letter from the Lonesome Shore, by Sylvie Cathrall 🤩 I loved the first book, A Letter to the Luminous Deep; this sequel is one my most anticipated reads of the year!

June 14, Started the fourth book of The Haunted Housekeeping, by R.A. Muth, series last night. While the books are kinda funny and quirky – enough to keep me reading through them all, especially when they’re not very long – they are a bit simple to my liking. I realize cozy mystery (even with a paranormal/fantasy/magical realism twist) is just not my cuppa. Things are too easygoing, a bit lame and simple. I want some actual suspense, gory bloody gruesomeness and such. Go figure.

March reads, 2025

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My March weekends were again taxed with reno work at home and some other Life® related stuff, but you can’t keep a reader down 😂 Though ok “only” 11 books read, but some real quality books, most of them! Not that that’s unusual, so.

  • Torinon enkeli, by Taina Latvala, was my first March read. A Finnish book, one I bought some years ago at a book fair where I seemed to buy a lot of books that interested me only mildly. Still I read it, and I guess it was a quite nice story.
  • After that bookstore on my way home from work had done that reno, making English books more visibly displayed, I first found out that The Inheritance Games (by Jennifer Lynn Barnes) acually had a book 4: The Brothers Hawthorne, so I had to get that (in Kindle though), obviously! Loved it!
  • Also loved to discover, upon finishing that, that Jennifer Lynn Barnes has started a new sequal trilogy: The Grandest Game, of which the first book (that’s the name of the book too) is already available and so I got and read that too. Book 2 coming out in July.
  • Perhaps the read of the month, though, was the Belladonna series: Belladonna, Foxglove, and Wisteria, by Adalyn Grace. Maybe. These rating things are hard for me 😂
  • The Village Library Demon Hunting Society, by C.M. Waggoner, on the other hand was a tiny bit of a disappointment, plus the ending puzzled me a touch.
  • The Other Bennet Sister, by Janice Hadlow, was another “read of the month” along with Belladonna and the Hawthornes (no, not the Thorn Grove ones, the other ones)
  • I also absolutely loved Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe (Aristotle and Dante, book 1), by Benjamin Alire Sáenz, and am 4/5 through book 2, so that will be featured in April reads
  • Finally, Evidence of a Folktale (Autopsy of a Fairytale, book 5), by Nicole Scarano! As excellent as expected! Also, book 6 coming out in October, yey!
  • And last but not least, Simon and Milt Bevell and the Sorceress of Oden, by LIsa M Whitehead, which I finished only last night. Maybe not my favorite – I found the story kinda jumpy and sometimes it felt like something had been edited out or changed but not fully edited, and a lot of grammatical errors that occasionally made reading a bit difficult – but I think I’d like a loan arhcer to come and kill my loans with his silver arrows 😝 Fun story, though!

March 15, The Belladonna series by Adalyn Grace – those books I bought at the end of Feb and had an actual conversation about in the book store – they were fabs! They’re right at the top of my best reads so far this year! They’re gothicy, sinister, mysterious, deliciously dark, decadently atmospheric – as Kerri Maniscalco states on the cover of Foxglove, and I can’t put it any better.

Belladonna starts the series, hooking you right up, Foxglove brings it to its peak – definitely the best book of the trilogy, and finally Wisteria brings the storyline to its end. Wisteria started kinda slow, and I didn’t exacly like the ending, but still an excellent read❣️

March 27, Finally, finally! Book 5 of Nicole Scarano’s Autopsy of a Fairytale series, Evidence of a Folktale, was published and dropped into my Kindle on March 21, and just finished it tonight. I didn’t get to it immediately as I was still in the middle of The Other Bennet Sister by Janice Hadlow – the longest read of the year so far with 660 pages or so – at that point, but it was naturally next in line. At the end of book #5 I learned that there’s book #6 to come in October, so another Kindle preorder, another Autopsy book to look forward to still this year!

About that other Bennet sister. It was a wonderful Austen spin-off book, the story of Mary, where we see her bloom and become a charming young lady. It was totally Austenian in the storytelling as well as the ending, and I loved it!