This week, it's beasts and bromances and pirates
AKA more of what every reader needs in their library.
Happy Thursday, friends! It’s confession time: I sort of lost track of what day it was this week? I blame the fact that we’re already working on end-of-year lists over at my day job (I’m a contributing editor for SYFY WIRE’s FANGRRLS vertical, allow me to self-plug a little bit and mention that if you’re not following over there, get on that immediately), but lo and behold, I woke up this morning and realized with no shortage of dismay that it was That Time Again and yours truly hadn’t even made headway on this week’s newsletter! There’s no excuse for my tardiness, really, but I hope the recs below will make up for my unfortunate mindslip.
The Beast of Beswick by Amalie Howard
(historical romance)
Sometimes, there’s no better way to recommend a book than letting the book recommend itself, so I present to you this exchange from The Beast of Beswick that legit had me needing to pause in order to experience a decent chuckle, because THE REPARTEE IN THIS IS SO GOOD:
I’ve got a weakness for Beauty and the Beast retellings in general, but when I heard this one technically pairs with elements from The Taming of the Shrew, I knew I had to add this one to my pre-order list so I could have it on my Kindle the second it dropped. Lady Astrid Everleigh needs to save her younger sister from a potentially disastrous marriage to a known scoundrel — even if that means offering herself up in marriage to an even worse prospect. Lord Nathaniel Harte, referred to among society circles as the Beast of Beswick, was horribly wounded on the battlefield and has since acquired a reputation for being the last duke anyone would ever want to be married to. When Astrid literally shows up on his doorstep with a seemingly indecent proposal — for him to make her his bride — his first instinct is to send her away immediately, but of course, it’s not that simple for either of them to dismiss a hint of deeper feelings. The snarking in this book is next-level, offering the kind of fun argumentative tension that only leads to the inevitable, but it’s in spending more and more time with each other that Astrid and Thane slowly open up to one another about their submerged fears and worries. (And yes, in case you’re wondering, they do kiss moments after that exchange above.)
The Bromance Book Club by Lyssa Kay Adams
(contemporary romance)
Gavin Scott’s marriage is in trouble. Not only has his relationship with his wife Thea been distant for a while, but it finally reaches a new breaking point when she divulges a secret: she’s always been faking it in bed. Desperate to salvage things, Gavin finds help from an unlikely source: a secret romance book club consisting of some of his best guy friends, who inform him that reading romance novels helped them navigate the oft-confusing dynamic of their own relationships. With a Regency romance in his back pocket and some words of wisdom from his bros, Gavin’s seemingly equipped with all the tools he needs to win back his wife and convince her that their marriage is worth fighting for — but it might take more than a grand gesture and wooing words to make Thea come around. Adams’ book is the first in a planned series about this bromance book club, and it’s a delightful love letter to everything positive and healing about the genre itself. Obviously, a romance novel can’t fix everything in a marriage, but there are important lessons to be learned within the pages about consent and boundaries and attentiveness — and it’s great fun following along with Gavin as he learns how to romance his wife the right way.
Well Met by Jen DeLuca
(contemporary romance)
THIS BOOK. As someone who grew up in Maryland, I have a lot of personal attachment to the area and was catapulted there immediately by Jen DeLuca’s debut, which follows a woman named Emily who relocates to the small town of Willow Creek to help her family after her sister’s car accident. She doesn’t plan on getting pulled into volunteering for the local Renaissance Faire, but her niece needs an adult chaperone to sign up with her and, well, there are worse things to do with your summer, right? She’s not so sure about that jerk of a teacher, Simon, who’s in charge of all the volunteers; he seems like he’s got a real bug up his butt, but she also can’t stop thinking about him either. The Ren Faire is Simon’s family legacy, and he takes it very seriously, almost too seriously — but once they’re immersed in their roles, he transforms into a dashing, flirty rogue, and the difference is so stark that it’s giving Emily some emotional whiplash. Is their attraction real, or is it all part of the fantasy they’re supposed to be projecting for the summer? This book is sweet, funny, and super romantic, with just the right mix of angst, and I couldn’t put it down.
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.