Happy Star Wars day! Who’s your favorite Star Wars couple? I have a special place in my heart for Ciena and Thayne from Claudia Gray’s Lost Stars, but I totally betrayed them for a few months with aaaalll the Stormpilot (and maybe some of the Jedistormpilot) fanfiction after The Force Awakens came out. Of course I am all about OG Han and Leia, but I like to pretend their story ended in Episode VI. Let me have that.
This week’s newsletter is sponsored by The Noble Servant by Melanie Dickerson.
New York Times bestselling author Melanie Dickerson returns with The Noble Servant, a retelling of the fairtale classic, The Goose Girl. In this medieval tale, Lady Magdalen is on her way to join the Duke of Wolfberg in marriage when her maidservant betrays her, takes her identity, and sends her down to the lowliest household position—tending the geese. But while out in the field, Magdalen encounters a mysterious shepherd who reveals that not all is as it seems in the castle, and it is up to them—the lowest of the low—to regain all that is lost.
(For the uninitiated non-dweebs who read Kissing Books, you can read all about the silliness of May The Fourth Be With You here.)
In other news, how has your reading gone since we last chatted?
Romancelandia has been pretty quiet (they deserve a break from all the drama!), and right now they’re all busy at RT Convention, but there are always books!
Over on Book Riot, we’ve got romances that pass the Bechdel-Wallace test.
Amanda Diehl compiled diverse romances coming out in the next quarter.
And next: book recs!
I finally got around to reading The Thing About Love by Julie James and it was great fun. I’d (gasp!) only read one other Julie James novel before and hadn’t been bowled over the way others seemed to have been, and I discovered I just hadn’t found the right Julie James novel. This one, about two FBI agents with a history that—as with most histories—is remembered very differently by the pair, is fantastic, funny, and frustrating in the best ways. If you want all the interesting undercover work without the angst of a romantic suspense, this is the book for you.
I just (literally just) finished Rebekah Weatherspoon’s Haven and holy gee whiz. You’re gonna want to get your hands on this one immediately. When Shep hears screaming from his remote mountain home, he has no idea what’s going to happen to his life or that of the beautiful woman whose life he saves. Where’s that fire emoji when you need it? This book requires heat-resistant gloves just to turn the pages. And because YMMV, if the name of the series (Beards and Bondage) didn’t give enough of a hint, you’re gonna want to be prepared for bearded heroes. And kink, of course.
Both of these books include a mountain of a man as our hero, neither of whom tries to hide how much of a sweetheart they actually are. So if that’s your thing, you’ll want to mainline these back to back.
And per usual, some books out now and coming soon:
Concourse, Santino Hassell
Necessary Medicine, MK York
Seized by Seduction, Brenda Jackson
To Me I Wed, KM Jackson
The Librarian and the Spy, Susan Mann
Dating the Undead, Juliet Lyons
Bombshell, CD Reiss
Love Me Again, Jaci Burton
Crazy for You, Rina Gray (5/ 8)
Deadmen Walking, Sherrilyn Kenyon (5/9)
The Girl Who Knew Too Much, Amanda Quick (5/9)
Lethal Lies, Rebecca Zanetti (5/16)
Time to get back to reading (not even gonna lie about “getting caught up”). In the meantime, catch me on Twitter @jessisreading or Instagram @jess_is_reading, or send me an email at jessica@riotnewmedia.com if you’ve got feedback or just want to say hi!
Until next time, m’loves!