Nice work, Julia London! That’s my call after reading the beloved author’s latest contemporary romance, NICE WORK, NORA NOVEMBER. Ms. London has been delighting readers for decades, and her newest book continues her run of providing a great plot to engage the reader’s interest along with characters who immediately grab our hearts. Nora November is a lawyer working at her father’s personal injury firm, but she’s never wanted to be there, and she feels like her life is out of control. She wakes in a hospital after literally dying for a short time during a surfing accident, and her near death experience provides the impetus she needs to finally stand up for her own wants and needs. Before “dying,” she met a man while being held hostage in a store robbery and finding him ends up on her “reverse bucket list.” Throughout the book and amidst interaction with a skillfully drawn array of secondary characters, Nora acknowledges and receives treatment for clinical depression, and the topic is explored with sensitivity and compassion. The minute I finished NICE WORK, NORA NOVEMBER, I had to control my urge to run to my bookshelves and pull out all of Ms. London’s earlier books.
Moving from Julia to Julie, allow me to squee about another favorite author who consistently brings us romances we want to start rereading the moment we’re through. I’m behind by one volume, but HOW TO TAME A WILD ROGUE, by Julie Anne Long, can serve as a perfect introduction to the delicious “Palace of Rogues” series. It’s number six out of seven (number eight comes out in the fall), but readers new to the palace, operating during and shortly after the Napoleonic wars, can dive right in. Lady Daphne Worth has never heard of the idiosyncratic boarding establishment, conveniently located near the river in London, either. She’s running away from a lech, but she can’t run away from her family’s financial ruin and her obligation to find a rich husband. Lorcan’s ship has just docked, and he’s certainly not looking to lose his treasured independence, but to save Daphne’s reputation, he claims to be her husband as they seek shelter at the palace. The intrepid proprietors, their entertaining staff, and the quirky line-up of residents provide the terrific backdrop to this very tender romance. My to-be-read pile is taller than I am, but I’m going to have to slip the next volume, MY SEASON OF SCANDAL, in soon.
Speaking of catching up, I wanted to check out the incomparable Emily Henry’s early work. A MILLION JUNES came out way back in 2017 and was labeled YA. I’m an adult, but it’s been quite a while since anyone called me young, yet the book held me spellbound in its gentle magic. Imagine the Hatfields and McCoys on a beautiful cherry orchard in northern Michigan and throw in two young people determined not to let generations of hate keep them apart. Ms. Henry’s unique skill at creating characters we quickly come to care about was on display even in her early work, and I’m glad I have a print copy of A MILLION JUNES to return to. Readers wanting to keep up with her most recent work, however, will no doubt join me and millions of fans who have fallen in love with FUNNY STORY. A young woman gives up all and moves across the country to appease her wonderful partner, and then that spoiled, overly perfect fiancé turns out to be an untrustworthy rat who reunites with his high school sweetie. Thus begins a sometimes sad, often funny, and brilliantly crafted tale of two betrayed souls coming together in despair and having to depend on each other to move forward.
I continued my dive into authors’ early novels with my first read of Taylor Jenkins Reid’s FOREVER, INTERRUPTED. I say “first read” because this love story is tender, beautiful, and heartbreaking, and I know I will return to it again. Note that I did not say “this romance.” As tragedy is revealed right from the start, it’s not a spoiler to tell you that one half of a couple wildly in love and newly married does not live past chapter two. Elsie’s happily-ever-after is most immutably interrupted, and yet somehow, she has to go on living. The book is Elsie’s story, but it is also a masterful lesson in finding family and love where you least expect it and learning to weather even the darkest of storms.
And finally, the moment you find yourself with an hour to spare that will without fail turn into several hours of not being able to stop, I urge you to dive into Sarina Bowen’s THE FIVE YEAR LIE. I have been a huge fan of Ms. Bowen’s romances for years. I love her Vermont series, and I, who know and/or care nothing about hockey, have voraciously read every single one of her hockey romances. (And I’ve even learned what a hat trick is!) Devoid of her normally smoking-hot will they or won’t they, THE FIVE YEAR LIE is a masterful mystery/thriller about a young woman (Ariel) whose lover disappears and then dies. Why did he leave? Was everything a lie? How could she have been so naïve? And how in the world is a text from Drew coming into Ariel’s phone five years after his death? I inhaled this book, loving every twisted turn and red herring, adoring Ariel’s son Buzz, and rooting desperately for a happy ending that seemed utterly impossible. The moment I came to its glorious conclusion, I wanted to start reading it again. But rest assured, I’m keeping my eye out for security cameras while I do so.
A second round with a great book is always a treasure, and sometimes a first look is a happy “second” as well. Check out all of my “Second” titles and immerse yourself in romance that defies expectations. I’ll be back next month with more great reads.
Meg's friends during her high school years all expected her romance novels to hit the shelves decades ago, but she foolishly allowed "serious pursuits" to get in her way. Now that her beloved children can feed, clothe, and most importantly, support themselves, she's free to turn her attention to her first passion - putting words to paper that capture your attention and make your heart sing in quiet joy. Her stories tell most frequently of second chances--in life, love, and sometimes even at rediscovering a soul-mate from a previous life.
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