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Riveting British Romances: The Nanny’s Handbook to Magic and Managing Difficult Dukes & Boyfriend Material

8 Oct

The Nanny’s Handbook to Magic and Managing Difficult Dukes
by Amy Rose Bennett
The Nanny’s Handbook to Magic and Managing Difficult Dukes is a sweet historical romance for fans of Mary Poppins. The Parasol Academy trains nannies not only to take care of children but also self defense to foil kidnappers and how to use a little fairy magic to clean up messes. Newly graduated Emmeline Chase is excited to take on her first nanny role. As a young widow with a father in debtor prison she desperately could use the money, but she also seems genuinely excited to spend time with the children. She has a meet cute moment with the Xavier, the Duke of St. Laurence. Bennett described in her author’s note that she used her experience with family members and patrons she worked with who were neurodivergent to create a nuanced depiction of the Duke who is on the autism spectrum along with one of his wards, despite there not being a name for their condition at the time. It was charming to see how Xavier and Emmeline both are able to look past the prejudices of their time to find love with one another. Besides the romance there is an exciting subplot about sabotage of the Duke’s plans for an impressive memorial clock (what in our world is now Big Ben) and I loved the Duke’s witty raven which Emmeline is able to chat with.

Boyfriend Material
by Alexis Hall
Another British romance, though this one set in contemporary times, Boyfriend Material is probably the breakout hit for Alexis Hall, who I have been a long time fan of. It has been great seeing some of his older works getting republished to a wider audience. This novel is terrific example of why I love his writing, clever humor, well written and complex characters who manage to be charming despite being realistically imperfect. Luc is the scandalous son of two rock stars; Oliver is barrister who seems to always follow the rules. They seem to have nothing in common, which means if you love opposite attract stories than you will adore this one. Heartstopper fans should also enjoy this sweet romance. For those wanting more of Luc and Oliver there is also a sequel Husband Material you can check out and Father Material is due out at the beginning of June 2026.

Written by:
Aimee Harris
Information and Digital Services Manager

Tags: ,

Valentine’s Day Picks: Emily Wilde’s Compendium of Lost Tales and Dead Until Dark

12 Feb

With Valentine’s Day right around the corner, here are two romantasies, one a classic and another brand new that I recommend checking out.

Emily Wilde’s Compendium of Lost Tales
by Heather Fawcett
Emily Wilde’s Compendium of Lost Tales is the third and supposedly final in Heather Fawcett’s series about a scholar studying fairies who becomes mixed up in their magic. The books are written as if fairies are a real scholarly subject and Emily is studying them as one would another culture; footnotes to various fairy stories are even included throughout to add to the seeming reality of the stories. However, fairies can be capricious and dangerous. In this novel Emily has the possibility of becoming the queen of a fairy realm if she marries its heir. She has some hesitation though that despite Wendell’s devotion that fairies have been known to tire of their mortal loves. The couple must also overcome a curse put upon the land by Wendell’s half fairy/half human step mother. Fawcett does a great job at creating a strange world that is both beautiful and yet spooky at the same time such as trees that have leaves with eyes and kind brownies with needles for fingers. Beauty can be monstrous and monsters can be kind in the story which also speaks to being aware of ones expectations and prejudices. You can also read my two previous reviews of Fawcett’s books. We are reading the first in the series for this month’s Science Fiction and Fantasy Book Club, if you would like to join us on February 24 at 6 PM at the Main Branch.

Dead Until Dark
by Charlaine Harris
It had been awhile since I had read the first in the Sookie Stackhouse series or watched the HBO show True Blood that it was based upon so I enjoyed rereading it along with the Science Fiction and Fantasy book club last October. This series starts with vampires being revealed to be real after Japanese scientist find a blood alternative that they can survive on. Slowly over the course of the series other supernatural creatures including weretigers, shifters, and fairies also are revealed. We know from the beginning that Sookie is special with her ability to read human’s minds and her irresistible scent when it comes to vampires. Much like with the fairies, vampires are both alluring and yet highly dangerous to people. Sookie struggles in this story to decide if Bill’s charm and the sense of peace she gets from not constantly having his thoughts enter her mind is enough to overlook the more deadly side. Craving more?; you can also read the review of the last book in the series, Dead Ever After, that I had written when it came out as well as a review of the True Blood Cookbook.

Love is in the air! According to the National Retail Federation’s survey those celebrating Valentine’s Day are up from last year with over half those in the US celebrating. Need to get statistics? Access Statista.com while in the library to get statistics and graphs on a variety of topics.

Share your favorite Valentine’s Day Read in our Comments!

Written by:
Aimee Harris
Information and Digital Services Manager

Tags: ,

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