Not genre romances but with strong romantic elements – either between characters or in the nature of the story or setting. Happy endings not guaranteed.
The Grisha #1 A boy and a girl, orphaned by war, grow up to be best friends. Alina feels something more for Mal but he’s still playing the field. When their military unit is sent forth by The Darkling, a most powerful and unique Grisha who leads the Second Army, to cross the Shadow Fold,… Read More Shadow and Bone by Leigh Bardugo
Shades of Magic #2 Four months after the end of A Darker Shade of Magic, Lila has become part of the crew on what she thinks is a pirate ship, captained by Alucard Emery, a man with just as many secrets as Lila. In Red London, Kell and Rhy struggle with the aftermath of the… Read More A Gathering of Shadows by V.E. Schwab
While this novel reads like literary fiction, the writing contains technical jargon and fantastical, largely-unexplained magic that readers who do not regularly enjoy science fiction or fantasy may find difficult to appreciate. If you can enjoy a story in which you don’t fully understand the fine points, All the Birds in the Sky is a… Read More All the Birds in the Sky by Charlie Jane Anders
#1 in series Though it uses a lot of teen fiction tropes – love triangles, selections of people to fill a certain purpose, caste systems in a new world order – the characters are fun and the dialogue is bearable. The plot moves along quickly and is sensible. And, let’s face it, the covers of the… Read More The Selection by Kiera Cass
I know very little about fanfiction and I have not read Fangirl so all I knew about this book was that characters from Rainbow Rowell’s earlier work reappeared and the story had some connection to the J.K. Rowling’s Harry Potter world. The Potter connection becomes obvious very quickly – a magical school, a platonic boy-girl… Read More Carry On by Rainbow Rowell
After the tragic deaths of Romeo and Juliet, Prince Escalus decides the only way to produce peace in Verona is through the marriage of Benvolio Montague and Rosaline, a cousin of Juliet. Benvolio and Rosaline have no intention of marrying but find themselves united in uncovering who is really stoking the flames of the feuding… Read More Still Star-Crossed by Melinda Taub
Following the assisted suicide of the man she loved, Louisa Clark tries to figure out how to move on in her life, with the help of family and new friends, including a young woman who may be the daughter Will never knew he had.
The Royal Society of Unnatural Philosophers, one of the most respected organizations throughout all of England, has long been tasked with maintaining magic within His Majesty’s lands But lately, the once proper institute has fallen into disgrace, naming an altogether unsuitable gentleman– a freed slave who doesn’t even have a familiar– as their Sorcerer Royal,… Read More Sorcerer to the Crown by Zen Cho
Big Girl Panties: A Novel by Stephanie Evanovich My rating: 1 of 5 stars ****CONTAINS SPOILERS, SORT OF***** The title of this book should have been warning enough but I wanted to read something different than my usual genres. Stephanie Evanovich clearly has the ability to write humorous, sexy romance and I would have give… Read More Review: Big Girl Panties: A Novel
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