Happy Bridgerton Eve!
Plus some books I've been absolutely inhaling recently.
Hi, friends! I’ll say this: being unemployed is not totally awesome, BUT it has given me a lot of opportunities to catch up on my reading. When I haven’t been working on a few freelance pieces (some of which will be dropping after this newsletter goes out), I’ve been making a home for myself on my favorite section of our sectional wrapped in a blanket and enjoying the cozy atmosphere of the apartment, drinking coffee and reading by our tiny Charlie Brown-esque Christmas tree that looks a lot less pitiful now that there are actually presents underneath it. Like many, my husband and I chose not to travel for the holidays this year, so this will be our first Christmas just at home together, and while that makes the countdown to December 25 feel even more surreal (honestly, I can barely keep track of what day it is anymore, much less what date), it’ll be nice to have a quiet holiday just the two of us.
Wherever you are, whoever you’re with, however you’re spending it — I hope you have a safe, healthy, and restful holiday. You deserve it.
Romance-related links you might enjoy reading this week:
2020 Books (That Aren’t Political Memoirs) to Gift for the Holidays, Vulture.com; I was asked to recommend some of 2020’s best romance novels to gift your loved ones this holiday season! Like I said on Twitter, I’m really excited for the chance to contribute romances-that-are-ACTUALLY-romances-and-not-romantic-fiction to any outlet’s list this year, but especially Vulture, which has been a goal byline of mine since I first started writing for the internet.
10 of the Best Free Holiday Romance Short Stories You Can Read Online, BookRiot.com
Bridgerton drops on Netflix tomorrow! I genuinely liked it and can’t wait to talk about it with more people, but here are a few spoiler-free reviews from critics I think really Get It (at least in terms of affording the genre the respect it deserves): my fellow former FANGRRLS Romance buddy Kayleigh Donaldson at IGN, Amanda-Rae Prescott at Den of Geek, Kathryn VanArendonk at Vulture, and Meghan O’Keefe at Decider.
A Lady’s Guide to Mischief and Mayhem by Manda Collins
(historical romance/mystery; content warnings for off-page murder, past domestic abuse)
I love it when a book can surprise me with something new, and Collins’ latest, the first in her A Lady’s Guide series (which means more coming!), is one of those historical romances that does something wonderfully different while still adhering to all the familiar tropes to love about the genre. Lady Katherine Bascomb is a widow who inherited her late husband’s ownership in a newspaper, and has since gone on to become one of its most prolific columnists. When a rash of local murders begins to crop up in London, she feels compelled to warn the female population about how best to protect themselves — but when her article leads to the arrest of a suspect, she decides to head to the country to spend time with friends in order to escape her sudden notoriety. But it’s clear right away that the real killer is still out there — and may have followed her — when she stumbles across a body on her first night. It’s up to Katherine, as well as Detective Inspector Andrew Eversham (who already blames her for not only the department’s apprehension of the wrong man but his removal from the case), to catch the person responsible — if they can tolerate each other long enough to put all the clues together. It’s a delightful histrom that balances the tension of its love interests with the tension of a murder mystery, and I can’t wait to read more from Collins soon.
Would I Lie to the Duke by Eva Leigh
(historical romance)
Leigh is rapidly becoming one of my all-time favorites in the realm of historical romance; between her Wicked Quills of London series and this one, titled The Union of the Rakes (which I ADORE), she’s doing things with characters in this Regency-era world that make her stand out to completely memorable effect. Noel, aka the Duke of Rotherby, is one of London’s most notorious albeit generous rakes, but he’s eternally used to people treating him only one way because of his title and secretly wishes for different. Enter the mysterious “Lady Whitfield,” who crosses paths with him on Bond Street and proves to be one of the most beguiling and fascinating women he’s ever met. But “Lady Whitfield” is actually Jessica McGale, a lady’s maid who’s struggling to find a way to keep her family’s soap business afloat. Disguising herself as a recently widowed lady and sneaking into a business bazaar becomes her last-ditch effort to secure financial backing, but she doesn’t plan on matching wits with Noel — or on winning his heart. I love how this book subverts traditional power dynamics, not just in terms of social status but in the bedroom, and all the ways in which Jess discovers she enjoys making Noel kneel for her (not a euphemism!). Bonus points for a sexually submissive hero who very much enjoys taking direction from his love interest!
A Princess for Christmas by Jenny Holiday
(contemporary romance; content warnings for past parental death mentioned on-page)
So I’ll be honest: I don’t often read a lot of holiday romance? Or I haven’t in the past, at least, but this year I decided to really dive in and sprinkle a few appropriately-themed reads in along with everything else I’m trying to catch up on. (My ARC list is a little mad at me right now, but whatever, it’s worth it!) And then I remembered that I had a copy of this book sitting on my shelf thanks to a generous Avon delivery, and after seeing plenty of fellow romance readers gushing about how good it was on Twitter I cracked it open… and finished it in two days. If you love holiday movies on Lifetime or Hallmark this time of year but always wish there was more kissing, more action, more EVERYTHING — this is the romance for you. Leo Ricci is already balancing a lot of stress this close to the holiday season; he’s been taking care of his little sister Gabby since their parents passed away, driving a cab to make ends meet, and working as the super of his apartment building in the Bronx. But when Gabby notices a woman in a gorgeous dress outside of the UN trying to hail a cab ride, she begs her brother to stop and help — which is how Leo ends up giving a ride to a literal princess. One thing leads to another and soon he becomes the driver for Marie, Princess of Eldovia, for the rest of her stay in New York. He doesn’t expect to like her very much at all, and he definitely doesn’t expect her to invite him and Gabby to Eldovia for Christmas either. The woman Leo thinks has had a fairy-tale life isn’t as perfect as she seems, but Marie might be the perfect woman for him.
Kissing Books is a weekly newsletter about, well, exactly what it sounds like, plus other non-romance novels that might have varying levels of smooching in them. Questions? Comments? Reply to this email, or find me on Twitter @carlylane. If you’re reading this on Substack or someone forwarded this email to you, consider clicking that helpful button to become a regular subscriber.