Christmas Romances

Merry Christmas everyone!  Since it is the holidays, here is a fun list of some of my favourite Christmas Romances.

I love these stories by Grace Burrowes!  For me, the most memorable was Lady Sophie's Christmas Wish because it isn't often that a duke's daughter is abandoned by her maid with an unwanted child.  I read these all several years ago, but still remember them!

Lydia made a youthful mistake and hates that the local doctor is the only one who knows about it.  In the meantime, Dr. Jonas has feelings for Lydia, but she will not allow him to become closer to her.  At this magical time of year, will they learn to forgive and love together?  A novella that is part of the Brothers Sinister series, this comes after The Duchess War.

When a disheveled man comes crashing through the door to collapse at the feet of Violet Winterbottom, she is the only person who understands him.  She doesn't recognize him, but will they heal together?  A novella that is part of the Spindle Cove series, this comes after A Night To Surrender.

Princess Jacqueline of Sensaire has written desires in her diary that she would never reveal to anyone.  In a moment of boredom, Cam Westfall, Earl of Bedwyr, finds and reads her diary only to find that she is his new muse after years of writer's block.  How will Cam overcome the prejudices of the former Queen of Sensaire and Jacqueline find the courage to defy her duty to a cold-blooded marriage?  Read this book to find out!  The last book in the Prince Catcher series.

I really enjoyed this book!  When the Earl of Cleves returns to his childhood home in order to close the house permanently, he is shocked to arrive during a holiday party!  His childhood friend Thea is now the housekeeper and throws a holiday party annually.  She has been waiting for the Earl to return home in order to heal from scars left by the death of his brother and the abandonment of his father.  She engages in a campaign to get him into the holiday spirit.  Will he learn to live with the ghosts of his past or will they overcome him?  Although this is the third book in the Sutherland Sisters series, it also stands alone.

Romance Author: Anna Bradley

The Sutherland Scandals

I was trying to find library books to read on my kobo because I have a long bus ride coming up.  I saw one of her books was available and I'm always looking out for new authors, so I thought I would give Anna Bradley a shot.

A Wicked Way to Win an Earl is a book about the daughter of a scandal, Delia Somerset.  Although she despises the ton, Delia's sister Lily is desperate to escape the tediousness of their home and so accepts an invitation to a house party thrown by the Earl's sisters.  The Earl of Sutherland, Alec, is desperate to keep his brother Robyn away from this scandalous girl, but when he does, they discover that they have marvelous chemistry together and fall in love with each other.

A Season of Ruin is the story of Robyn Sutherland and Lily Somerset.  Lily Somerset is determined to use this season to find a husband who is steady and safe, but when she accidentally stumbles into Robyn's arms and is reported in a gossip column, all her plans are ruined.  When Robyn tries to help her dreams come true, it turns out that what she wants is different than what she needs.  Lily and Robyn clash so many times until they finally give in and get their HEA.

I would suggest reading these two books first since the sequel series are about the Sutherland Sisters and the rest of the Somerset family.  I'm so glad that I found her!  I really like this author!  She writes wonderful 3D characters who have multiple levels.  I kept thinking my kobo was going to overheat from the chemistry and love scenes they are so hot!  I would suggest this author for people who like steamy stories with strong female characters.

Buy or Borrow: Persona 5

I had no idea what this game was about when I borrowed it from the library.  Some people were talking about it in a chat of a live stream, so I thought I would give it a shot.  Persona 5 is about a person (you!) who is wrongfully accused and convicted of a crime.  While you are on probation, you move out and start attending a new school.  Along the way, you will make some new friends and work on developing your relationship with them.

I would suggest this book for people who enjoy Japanese Role Playing Games.  It is definitely more for a mature audience.  It is an adult game due to the language and subject matter.  I would suggest this for people who have played other JRPGs since it follows the same format.  there is a ton of replayability.  The only thing that drives me crazy is that there are only 16 save slots.  If you decide to start over, then you still only have 16 save slots instead of getting another set of save slots.  I'll have to complete the game first, then replay it again.  Also, it would have been helpful to follow a guide or walkthrough of some kind.

My verdict:  Given the amount of time it will take to play this game and the replayability, I would borrow to start, but buy eventually.

A "Serie"ous Review: The Broken Earth by N.K. Jemisin

I forget how I found this series.  I think it was during a brief period where I had just finished reading a number of romance novels and wanted some fantasy to read.  Once I started reading this series, I was pulled in and just had to read the next one!

The first book, The Fifth Season, is written from Essun's point of view.  It starts in the present with the horrific murder of her son and kidnapping of her daughter by her husband, but as she travels through her destroyed world, she also tells the reader about her past.

The middle book, The Obelisk Gate, is when her past and present collides at what she considers to be her new home.  This is when she discovers that no matter where she goes, politics will always be affecting her.  We also hear from Nassun what happened when her father kidnapped her and afterwards.

In this stunning conclusion of the series, The Stone Sky, it is told in several different voices.  The voice of Hoa, speaks of his and indeed, the earth's past.  Nassun has been forced to grow up all too quickly in this fifth season and we find out what choices she makes when she is pushed to the edge.  Will her mother's love for her win her over or will she decide that everything must be cleansed?

I really liked this fantasy series!  Although I'm not normally into something this gritty, it is nowhere near as gritty as The Game of Thrones.  I thought it was a good balance.  I found the last book a little heavy as she explores several serious topics all at once.  It was fascinating how she used the different voices to intertwine the stories and lessons, so it didn't necessarily come off as heavy handed as it could have.  She also tied up all the loose threads by the end of the book, which was amazing.  I highly suggest this series for all fantasy fans!

Review: Duchess by Design

Duchess by Design by Maya Rodale

The premise is very simple:  The duke of Kingston has come to New York City to find a heiress.  When he runs into a well dressed lady in the lobby of the hotel and sees her entering a room, he believes he has found his heiress.  Miss Adeline Black is a seamstress who wants to create feminine and functional clothing.  When she meets and flirts with the duke on her way to a fitting, she sees it as harmless, but when he finds out who she is and follows her back to her employer's establishment and she is fired because of his carelessness, she assumes that she will never see him again.

This book was amazing! I loved the characters and their very feminist point of views. I also liked that the setting was different because it was set in the Victorian age in New York City. It was really hard to put down because I wanted to see how each situation would resolve. Would she see the Duke again? When? Why? How were they going to resolve their different points of view? The main characters really had wonderful chemistry which resulted in an incredible steamy love scene close to the end. The conversations, including the witty flirty banter, between Adeline and Kingston were also so much fun to read.

I can't wait to read the next one in the series!

Review: The Fifth Season

The Fifth Season by N.K. Jemisin

In a parallel Earth, a cataclysmic event occurs in which the capital city of the Empire is consumed in flames and threatens all life on the Earth. This story is about a woman and her search for her missing daughter after her husband murders their son after this cataclysmic event takes place.

This was an amazing book! It is written so well. I love the characters as they are so complex. I also truly enjoy that there are LGBQT+ characters in this book. I was a little confused at first as to what was happening since the author switches between the past and the present, but as the author approaches present day, I figured out what was happening. The world building is very good as well since you feel like you are somewhere similar, but not our Earth.  Also, when I downloaded the ePub, I was warned it was an ePub3, but I don't feel I missed out on anything by reading it on a "traditional" eReader. I can't wait to read the sequel!

I would suggest this book for anyone who is really into big worlds and don't mind the grittiness of the world.  So, people who enjoyed Game of Thrones, this book is for  you!

No New Blog Post This Week

I've been feeling kind of blah this last week what with being sick and not going to the gym, so I had to take some more personal time than normal.  We'll be back to our regularly scheduled blog posts next week!