Archive | Audiobooks RSS feed for this section

LGBTQ Romances: One Week to Win the Chocolate Maker and Delilah Green Doesn’t Care

28 Jan

If you love our blog, than we have some great news; starting in February new posts will go live twice a week on Tuesdays and Thursdays.

Here are two romances perfect for some Valentine’s Day reading.

One Week to Win the Chocolate Maker
by Timothy Janovsky
One Week to Win the Chocolate Maker is a sweet grownup romance twist on the Willy Wonka story. In this version Charlie is an adult and aspiring tattoo artist though his blue collar family is still poor and desperately in need of cash. His version of a golden ticket comes when he finds an advertisement for a match making contest to win the heart of the scion of a famous Italian chocolatier family, Dario Cotogna. He is one of five contestants (representing a range of genders since Dario is pansexual) who slowly drop off as in the book (and movies) that the story takes its inspiration from. Dario suffers from agoraphobia and his late grandfather set the competition in motion as a way to push him out of his comfort zone and hopefully find a partner. What at first was simply a way for each man to meet their transactional goals becomes much more. It was fun seeing how Janovsky took the material from one of my early childhood favorites and shaped it into something though recognizable was still new and infused with added depth. The story is very much written in Janovsky’s own voice rather than mimicking Dahl’s quirky, but occasionally a bit dark and cynical literary style. Whether you are a fan of the original story or just like a fun romance this should be a treat; you can also check out Janovsky’s other romance novels Never Been Kissed and You’re a Mean One, Matthew Prince and New Adult.

Delilah Green Doesn’t Care
by Ashley Herring Blake
Delilah Green Doesn’t Care is a fun romance between Delilah, a former high school misfit and now successful photographer, and Claire, a single mom who was also one of her step sister’s cool clique. The two meet again during the wedding prep for Delilah’s step sister, Astrid’s wedding. Their meeting brings up some old hurts from their high school days, but also sparks of attraction. The story does a nice job of depicting individuals working through complex family and friendship dynamics. Besides the romance between Claire and Delilah there is also a un-romance plot where they and Astrid’s other friends try and break up the wedding which they are sure will doom Astrid to unhappiness due to her truly horrible fiancé. I thought Kristen DiMercurio did a nice job narrating the audiobook that I enjoyed listening to. If you enjoy this story, you can also borrow several other sapphic romances by Ashley Herring Blake including Astrid Parker Doesn’t Fail, Iris Kelly Doesn’t Date, and Dream On, Ramona Riley.

Written by:
Aimee Harris
Information and Digital Services Manager

Tags: , , ,

Cozy Fantasies: Brigands & Breadknives and The House Witch

12 Nov

Brigands and Breadknives
by Travis Baldree
Travis Baldree’s Legends & Lattes was instrumental in beginning the cozy fantasy wave. I personally find it refreshing to enjoy the lighter side of fantasy with a bit more humor and a bit less darkness than the previous wave of grimdark novels in the early 2000’s brought. The third in the series, Brigands & Breadknives is equally delightful, but definitely still has some very suspenseful moments and some blood is shed. This story instead of focusing on orc Viv, follows her friend Fern, a sweet, but foul mouthed rattkin, who upon having a midlife crisis is ready to find what the next chapter of her life holds. I loved seeing again Potroast her now senior, but still adorable doglike gryphet, but also enjoyed new characters like Zil a goblin, who breeds chaos and is sure to be a fan favorite. This novel like the previous entries will appeal to those who enjoy stories about found family and self-reinvention. Where Baldree excels compared to some other cozy fantasy authors is creating an intriguing and well paced plot to place his charming characters and also giving us something unique in each installment.

The House Witch
by Delemhach
I enjoyed The House Witch (1) by Delemhach as an audiobook. Matthew Wolf does a great job of narrating the story. Finlay Ashowan is the King of Daxaria’s new cook, but he is hiding secrets. The biggest of these is he is a house witch, meaning he is able to do magic associated with the household he lives in and works for. The novel contains likeable characters, a sweet romance, and an endearing kitten, Finlay’s familiar, Kraken (who looks quite a lot like one of my own cats). This novel will appeal to those who don’t mind some modern anachronisms in with their medievalesque setting. There are two more volumes of this romantasy series also available from Hoopla. If you enjoy this novel, I would also recommend checking out T.Kingfisher’s A Wizard’s Guide to Defensive Baking .

Written by:
Aimee Harris
Information and Digital Services Manager

Tags:

← Older Entries