Tag Archives: romance

Reinvention Romances: Violet Thistlewaite is Not a Villain Anymore and Second Chance Romance

26 Nov

Second Chance Romance
by Olivia Dade
I had enjoyed Olivia Dade’s Spoiler Alert so I was curious to checkout her new novel, Second Chance Romance. Karl and Molly were best friends in high school and though they had mutual crushes, never managed to be more than that. Now years later Molly is divorced and working in LA recording audiobooks and Karl is now the baker/owner of the Harlot’s Bay, Maryland Bakery and Coffee Shop that he worked in back in his school days. Each morning he listens to some of the monster romances Molly has done the narrations for. Molly’s feelings are rekindled when a false obituary winds up in Harlot’s Bay’s local paper and she discovers that instead of a funeral, Karl is instead very much still alive. These two kind hearted curmudgeons are clearly meant for each other, but it will take some emotional growth on both their parts to make it work. The book has well developed characters and romance fans will enjoy Dade’s sweet natured pokes at genre tropes, especially those in the monster lovers genre. If you enjoy this novel you will also want to check out At First Spite, the debut novel in the Harlot’s Bay Series.

Violet Thistlewaite is Not a Villain Anymore
by Emily Krempholtz
Violet Thistlewaite is Not a Villain Anymore was not what I expected. There has been a recent trend of novels about villains and former villains, but typically they are often funny stories where the villain is secretly the hero or their deeds are not depicted as particularly horrendous. Although Violet is shown as regretful for her previous actions which she was manipulated into as a child, Krempholtz does not pull any punches that Violet did some very nasty things. Violet is trying to reinvent herself and now is using her thornwitch powers to start a new florist business. She develops feelings for her grumpy landlord who also is suffering from his own guilty past. When a mysterious blight appears in a nearby park the two of them join forces to attempt to stop it. Complex characters and an interesting magical world will appeal to romance and fantasy fans. If you enjoyed The Very Secret Society for Irregular Witches, than this story should also also appeal.

Written by:
Aimee Harris
Information and Digital Services Manager

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Moreish Queer Romances: Direct Descendant and The Pairing

2 Apr

Direct Descendant
by Tanya Huff
Tanya Huff’s fantasies are always enjoyable. I loved her mystery series Blood Ties about a human detective losing her eyesight and a vampire who assists her; the TV show was also lots of fun. I also enjoyed her Gales and Keeper Chronicles fantasy series. This sweet stand alone novel keeps with Huff’s ability to combine interesting likeable characters with humor along with some dark fantasy elements. Direct Descendant is a sweet lesbian romance story about Cassidy Prewitt, a baker, living in a town out of a Lovecraft story where eldritch horrors are ugly cute and children learn to hunt shadows with marshmallow skewers. The basic idea is what if your ancestors made a dark pact, but you just want to sleep in late and not use your power to control the world. When a beautiful women comes to investigate a mysterious disappearance though it will set things in motion that will require Cassidy to find her own inner strength. This is a page turner, a perfect read if you need cheering after the cold, dark winter months. I didn’t want to put it down as I read it over a long weekend.

The Pairing
by Casey McQuiston
I had enjoyed one of Casey McQuiston’s previous novels, One Last Stop, so was curious to check out The Pairing which promised a second chance romance set against a fabulous food travel adventure. Theo and Kit where childhood friends before falling in love and then breaking up right before their big culinary tour of Europe. Of course when they are given vouchers to book the trip at another time, both wait till the last possible moment, which means they will be on the tour together after spending years apart. I like that we are seeing more bi representation in romance and this one takes time to explore it more in depth with its two bisexual/pansexual main characters. I also enjoyed how we see things from first Theo’s and then Kit’s perspective which gives a more complete view of their relationship and feeling for each other. Beyond the romance and friendship, also delightful were the scrumptious description of the food and learning about the different destination they visited. This was another page turner, that was hard to put down.

Written by:
Aimee Harris
Information and Digital Services Manager

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