Fiction Friday

Wow, what a tease I am. I've done something that I hate in the books I read (automatic 1 star deduction), I've left you on a cliffhanger.

Where were we? Ah, yes...

It was time to break the book slump.And there was one book I wanted to read knowing that the author would be at the UK Meet, and that I had owned for some time. And it was at the other end of the alphabet completely!

What was it? Well, it was delightful. And I'll tell you the title in part two of this post.

Of course I never got around to writing part two of the post. So, what was the book?

Widdershins by Jordan L Hawk. Massive 5 stars. This is not a cutesy love story. Alt historical with monsters, magic, death, and destruction. With a side order of betrayal. But at the heart, under all the blood and dark magic, is a glorious love story and a satisfying HEA. I've downloaded the next book ready for my next reading slump.

As you may remember I was reading my Kindle in alphabetical order. Back to the A's.

Worth a mention because it's free, Academic Interest by Jane Davitt. A short spanking fic. Available on AO3.

Then there were three pretty dismal reads, two which I deleted straight off my Kindle (this is very rare so shows you how bad they were) and the third, which was meh, okay, but was riddled with proofing and editing errors. This especially miffed me because in the author's bio she claimed to be a professional editor. Let me tell you, I wouldn't even send a manuscript to an editor in that state, I certainly would be annoyed if I got it back from a professional like that. Any how I digress...

Is three books a slump? Was it time to break out the next Whyborne & Griffin?
Yes, I guess, but no, I didn't. And wasn't the next book a gem.

When Dreamspinner launched their Dreamspun Desire line I side-eyed with caution. Embracing the tropes that underline romance? Never a m/f Mills and Boon (Harlequin) reader in the past I wondered if I could enjoy the stories on offer. Stories that made no excuses for themselves as anything other than cliche ridden pleasures.

Ace in the Hole (Wild Cards #1) by Ava Drake - If this is a sample of the range then sign me up for it. Trope ridden ridiculousness that I absolutely adored.

A-Muse-Ing by Willa Okati - Whoa, this book was originally published in 2008, and as such it is hock full of sex. Probably too much for me. Had it been published now I suspect it would have had half as many sex scenes. But the story, well, that was a tale of impossible love; funny, as the title implies, but sad in places too.

Afflicted (Afflicted #1) by Brandon Shire - My GR reviews starts with 'OMG Hunter is Matt Murdoch'. Make of that what you will :)

Against A Wounded Landscape by Vivien Dean - A stoic knight, a rescued prince, sexual tension, denial. This book was formerly with Amber. I have no idea if the author intends to reissue it. It would be a shame if it disappeared forever.

Aiden's Angel by Aundrea Singer - Demons. Angels. Possession. Magic. True Love. Betrayal. Tears (mine). HEA. Honestly, I sobbed my way through the last 25% of this book.

Alaska (Heartwarming) by Kim Fielding -  God damn you Kim Fielding. Beautifully broken. Cried through pretty much the entire story.

I took a break from the As to proof/beta read Clare London's Sweet Summer Sweat. See what I though of it here. *fans self*

Then I shifted over to a series I started recently. The Sci-Regency series by JL Langley. I found book 2, The Englor Affair, much more enjoyable than the first story. I think I liked the MCs more in this one and the overaching plot is starting to make more sense. I have one more book to go. I hope the main storyline is wrapped up in the next book as I've noticed this was the last book published by this author and that was back in 2012.

All About Trust by D.P. Denman. Another free read, this time from the 2015's Don't Read in the Closet. This has some major trigger warnings going in but if you can face them it is a beautiful story of learning to trust at the most basic level.

I don't know how many more books make up the A section of my Kindle or even how many more I'll read before I get bored with this system. I think I'll try to keep this up until October and then make October a favourite author month.