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Competitive Romances: Raiders of the Lost Heart and Love & Other Disasters

29 Nov

Raiders of the Lost Heart
by Jo Segura
Raiders of the Lost Heart is a new romance novel by Jo Segura coming out next Tuesday, December 5! Archaeologist Dr. Socorro Mejia aka Corrie is a renowned expert on the Chimalli, an Aztec warrior, who also is claimed to be one of Corrie’s ancestors. When a expedition is planned for the Mexican Jungle to find Aztec artifacts from Chimalli, she jumps at the chance even if the organizer is shrouded in mystery. When she discovers the expedition is being lead by Dr. Ford Matthews, a rival since her grad school days, she thinks her big break, might instead be a big mistake. Despite the feud between the two, there is simmering heat from the novel’s start and for readers who are drawn to friend to lovers romantic storylines this will be a funny, spicy treat. Also as a fan of the Indiana Jones and Tomb Raider series I enjoyed the exciting adventure aspect of the story (Ford Matthews gets his name from Harrison Ford). The fact that Corrie has ties to the culture that she is exploring and the author herself is of Mexican descent, helped with the negative cultural associations that can arise from this type of archeology adventures feeling exploitative.

Love and Other Disasters
by Anita Kelly
I was curious to check out Love and Other Disasters when I saw one of my colleagues was reading it with one of HPL’s Book Clubs a few months back. I’ve read several other romance books set during the recordings of reality cooking competitions and was curious to see how this one compared. This book focuses on the romance between two contestants on the show London and Dahlia. Dahlia is getting over a divorce and London is still getting comfortable with their non-binary identity so neither is necessarily looking for love, but they both feel an attraction when they are placed at nearby stations during the show taping. I thought the romance was sweet and both London and Dahlia were charming. I also liked that beyond the romance the novel also had added family complications that both London and Dahlia need to resolve and the novel would be a good read for those looking for stories of new adults working on finding themselves and solidifying their identities. My one qualm with the story was the way in which there is much discussion about London’s identity as a non-binary person, Dahlia’s identity as a queer sis-woman is never really explored and felt a bit glossed over. On the whole though I thought this was a positive portrayal for the LGBTQ community and would recommend it to fans of foodie romances.

For reviews of two romances and one mystery set during the holiday season checkout next Wednesdays post!

Written by:
Aimee Harris
Information and Digital Services Manager

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Holiday Reads (without the Romance)

21 Dec

There are lots of holiday romance books and movies, but sometimes I want books with a festive theme or wintry backdrop but with a little mystery, fantasy, or memoir instead. These were my three Christmas picks, I enjoyed this holiday season.

Blackmail and Bibingka
by Mia P. Mananasala
I’ve become of fan of Mia P. Mananasala’s Tita Rosie’s Kitchen Mystery Series so was excited that her newest, Blackmail and Bibingka was set during the holiday season. Lila Macapagal and her family and friends are busy with the weeks leading up to Christmas preparing lots of delicious sounding treats including Bibingka. Bibingka is a slightly sweet and soft rice cake that Filipino families often make and eat around Christmas; if you are curious to try them, there is a recipe for Bibingka as well as other yummy treats mentioned through out the novel at the end. Added to the holiday hubbub, Lila’s estranged cousin Ronnie has recently returned and is attempting to start a winery centered around exotic fruits. When one of Ronnie’s investors passes away under mystery circumstances, Lila investigates to prove her cousin’s innocence. Like any good cozy, the Tita Rosie’s Kitchen Mysteries are filled with charming and quirky characters, but the diversity of backgrounds represented adds depth. You can also read my review of the first in the series Arsenic and Adobo. If you are looking for more Christmas mysteries, check out my recent review of Donna Andrew’s Dashing Through the Snowbirds.

Immoveable Feast: A Paris Christmas
by John Baxter
My father was born in Paris so for me Christmas isn’t Christmas without a Bouche de Noel (log cake) and other French delicacies. As a child I would need to explain to anyone new to our celebrations that it was a marathon and not a sprint so they would be prepared for a meal that could be sometimes 6 or 7 courses; I couldn’t resist therefore John Baxter’s, Immoveable Feast about an Australian man’s quest to prepare himself to prove to his Parisian in-laws that he was up to the challenge of creating a Noel dinner worthy of their family. His stories about sourcing ingredients were frequently filled with humor. The memoir also mixes bits of his experience living in Australia as a child, as well as a sprinkling of his career writing about the movie industry (some big names are dropped) with his adventures in France with his wife, daughter, and in-laws. Some of his wife’s families traditions differed from my own, but many aspects resonated with me and I enjoyed learning about how Christmas is celebrated in Summer in Australia. Baxter has written several other books about Paris for those who are Francophiles, including Paris at the End of the World.

A Scandal in Battersea
by Mercedes Lackey
A Scandal in Battersea is the the 12th in Mercedes Lackey’s Elemental Masters Series. We picked it for this year’s December book discussion for our Science Fiction and Fantasy Book Discussion Group at the Library. The story starts out strong with a perfect Victorian Christmas with afternoon tea, pantomimes, and sleigh rides, but darkness is lurking as a brash, foolhardy would-be-magician attempts to summon a powerful being that he thinks will make his dreams come true. It is, however, a penny dreadful nightmare when the young women, whom he brings the creature, return from the other dimension zombie like, unable to respond but to follow basic commands. The book alternates between the efforts of the magician and the protagonists, a group of psychically and magically gifted original characters along with with Sherlock Holmes and Watson. The book brings in a lot of diverse elements which sometimes felt like they could be developed more and I wish the holiday trappings had continued throughout rather than being dropped towards the end, but overall I enjoyed this fast paced fantasy read with some clever plot twists. Some of the books in the series incorporate fairytales like Reserved for the Cat, a personal favorite of mine that I highly recommend.

You can also read previous posts about some unexpected Holiday Movie picks. For those who prefer holiday romance check out this post about the Dash and Lily series and next month I’ll be reviewing Wintery Paranormal Romances, Back in a Spell and Emily Wilde’s Encyclopaedia of Faeries.

Do you have a favorite December Holiday or Winter Read; share it in our comment section!

Written by:
Aimee Harris
Information and Digital Services Manager

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