Readers Down Under may be taking advantage of longer days to steal time in the spring air, but as I write these words in the northern hemisphere, falling leaves, early darkness, and cooler temperatures make curling up with a good book an irresistible treat. How lucky we are to live in a time when good books are readily available all around us!
Have you been swept up in the magic of romantasy? I’m not crazy about the term, but some of the recent work has been terrific. I gushed months ago about FOURTH WING by Rebecca Yarros (IRON FLAME was also great, and I literally stopped typing this sentence to put in my pre-order for ONYX STORM!) but allow me to direct your attention to the absolutely delightful GAMES GODS PLAY by Abigail Owens. I love this book! Think HUNGER GAMES mixed with the PERCY JACKSON books, and then throw in the passion and sizzle of Katee Roberts, all delivered by a heroine, Lyra, whose fierce determination and loyalty will have you rooting for her from the first page to the last. Obviously, the story of a challenge among modern day mortals arranged by the still-very-much alive and feuding Greek gods is riveting, but the writing itself is superb, with every sentence and paragraph perfectly constructed to hold the reader spellbound. And if this author’s version of Hades is even close to real, mortality takes on a whole new and most delicious lightJ Dragons make only a brief appearance, but you’ll fall in love with Cerberus, the three-headed dog we always thought terrifying. I promise!
Switching gears, the title THE LOVE ELIXIR OF AUGUSTA STERN: A NOVEL might also imply a bit of magic and fantasy, but the story, by Lynda Cohen Loigman, is a beautifully rendered work of historical fiction which immerses the reader in prohibition-era New York. Augusta’s father is a pharmacist, and I knew little about the black-market economy run by gangsters, who terrorized pharmacists, rabbis, and others who had legal access to approved levels of alcohol. It is also a touching love story spanning sixty years, and by the end of the book, you, too, will feel like you’ve been treated to a bit of love elixir.
As all of us at this site are readers, and most of us primarily fiction readers, Ashley Poston’s A NOVEL LOVE STORY holds special appeal. Imagine finding yourself in the setting of your favorite fictional series, interacting with all the characters you’ve always felt you knew but never dreamed of actually meeting. That’s what happens when Elsy’s car breaks down in the fictional town of Eloraton. Elsy, like so many fans of the Eloraton world, are deep in mourning at the death of their beloved author. So how can her characters be real? And who is the mysterious bookstore owner who seems at once to be part of the fictional world and an outsider looking in, like Elsy? Poston is uniquely gifted at presenting a situation (and a love story) that your brain keeps insisting cannot possibly work and then somehow bringing us along to a believable, and utterly satisfactory, conclusion.
Last, but most certainly not least, I stumbled over an established author for the first time and wondered how in the world I’d taken so long to find her. NOT ANOTHER LOVE SONG by Julie Soto is both a breath-taking love story and a testimony to the power of music that will have you running to your phone or stereo to cue up any number of classical pieces and desperately wishing the author had included a soundtrack. Gwen is a young, professional violinist, and Xander is a cellist. Those are the facts we start with. But then the story takes off, and as Gwen plays the cello and Xander the violin (yes, you read that right), passion ignites like a bonfire. Had I unlimited time constraints, I would instantly return to the beginning of NOT ANOTHER LOVE SONG—it was that good.
Have only a few “seconds” to read in your busy schedule? Take a moment to read my “Second Chance at Forever” in the CRAVING MY ROOMMATE anthology before it’s taken down at the end of the month.
Finding a roommate should be simple. Easy as pie, right?
The roommates in this steamy collection will discover just how messy things can become.
Not looking for love, but living in close quarters, and with undeniable chemistry, things will get complicated quickly.
They will try and deny their desires as long as they can, but will their cravings for one another win out in the end?
Authors include:
Ashley Zakrzewski
Amanda Shelley
Denise Wells
Ilyse Hartt
Kristin Lee
Regina Frame
Keighley Bradford
Sutton Bishop
Sharon Wray
Emery LeeAnn
Meg Napier
J. Keely Thrall
Julie Halperson
Skye Knight
Susanna Eastman
Dania Voss
Lori Ann Bailey
Laurel Wanrow
Skye Blackburn
Alexis R. Craig
J.T. Bock
Mariah Kingsley
Romance Anthology [Independently Published, On Sale: July 23, 2024, e-Book, / ]
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.
No comments posted.
© 2003-2025 off-the-edge.net
all rights reserved Privacy Policy