Anticipated releases of the second half of 2024 | TTT

Ten Top Tuesday is a meme hosted by That Artsy Reader Girl, and the topic for this week was our anticipated releases for the second half of 2024. My list is comprised mainly of books by authors I already love and continuations of romance series.

*click on the title of the books to go to the Goodreads page*

The Undermining of Twyla and Frank by Megan Bannen

•  “A heartwarming fantasy with a best friends-to-lovers rom-com twist–When Harry Met Sally, but with dragons!—set in the delightful demigod and donut-filled world of Tanria”
• I loved the first book in the series and When Harry Met Sally is my favorite rom-com, so of course I’m reading this
• Release date: July 2, 2024

Business Casual by B.K. Borison

• “Two opposites will find out if one night together is enough to get each other out of their systems”
• I love the other books in this series of companion novels and I’m sad that this is the last book but so excited to read Nova and Charlie’s story.
• Release date: July 16, 2024

The Seventh Veil of Salome by Silvia Moreno-Garcia

• “A young woman wins the role of a lifetime in a film about a legendary heroine — but the real drama is behind the scenes in this sumptuous historical epic”
• I’m a huge Silvia Moreno-Garcia fan and I will basically read anything she writes.
• Release date: August 6, 2024

A Sorceress Comes to Call by T. Kingfisher

• “A dark retelling of the Brothers Grimm’s Goose Girl, rife with secrets, murder, and forbidden magic”
• I have read and loved so many T. Kingfisher books, can’t wait for the next one
• Release date: August 6, 2024

Haunted Ever After by Jen DeLuca

• “It’s love at first haunting in a seaside town that raises everyone’s spirits”
• I loved a Jen DeLuca book before but I have also disliked one of her books before, so I’m hesitant. But I love the premise of this seaside town known for its ghost tours and lately, I have been enjoying paranormal romance.
• Release date: August 13, 2024

The Cinnamon Bun Bookstore by Laurie Gilmore

• “A treasure hunt leads the local bookstore owner and a fisherman around their small town and their undeniable chemistry might be just as hot as the fresh-out-of-the-oven cinnamon buns the bookstore sells…”
• I enjoyed seeing Noah and Hazel as side characters in the first book of this series, so I can’t wait for their story.
• Release date: August 29, 2024

An Academy for Liars by Alexis Henderson

• “A student will find that the hardest lessons sometimes come outside the classroom in this stunning dark academia novel” 
• I enjoyed Alexis Henderson’s two previous novels, and I want to read more dark academia, so hopefully this one will be as good as her other books.
• Release date: September 12, 2024

We Solve Murders by Richard Osman

• “An iconic new detective duo: a retired investigator and his daughter-in-law who works in private security. And a puzzling new murder to solve…”
• I love The Thursday Murder Club series by Richard Osman and I’m looking forward to his new series
• Release date: September 17, 2024

Sleeping with the Frenemy by Natalie Caña

• “Self-assured firefighter Leo Vega is trying to reignite a flame that’s gone cold and finally bring his secret love affair into the open.”
• I really enjoy this series with the tight-knit Latinx family at its center, and I can’t wait to read about Leo and Sofi’s secret love story.
• Release date: October 29, 2024 

A Witch’s Guide to Magical Innkeeping by Sangu Mandanna

• “An enchanting novel about a witch who has a second chance to get her magical powers—and her life—back on track”
• I loved this author’s last book, it was one of my favorites of last year, so I’m super excited to read another
• Release date: December 24, 2024

What are your most anticipated releases of the second half of 2024? Do you want to read any of the books I mentioned?

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Must-Read Small Town Romances | Top Ten Tuesday

It’s been a while since I participated in Ten Top Tuesday, which is a meme hosted by That Artsy Reader Girl, but I wasn’t sure what to post, and when I checked the topics for this month, this week’s topic “books set in X” really caught my eye. So I decided to make a list of romance books set in small towns that I have read and loved in the last couple of years. I kind of cheated and included books in a series just as one entry on the list, so there are more than 10 books in this list, but I couldn’t pick just 10.

After Hours on Milagro Street and Full Moon over Freedom by Angelina M. Lopez

Both of these books are set in a small town in Kansas and they have a big Mexica-American family at the heart of the story, some paranormal elements, female characters that go through a lot of character growth, and really sweet but steamy romances. In After Hours on Milagro Street, there’s an opposites attract romance with forced proximity. In Full Moon over Freedom, there’s a second chance romance between childhood friends.

Done and Dusted by Lyla Sage

This is set in a small town in Wyoming and if you like cowboy romances, the brother’s best friend trope, two main characters with tons of chemistry, and a reformed bad boy, this book is for you!

Curves for Days by Laura Moher

This book is set in a small town in North Carolina and it’s a slow-burn romance with two plus-size characters, it includes the grumpy/sunshine trope and there’s a big focus on the healing and character growth of the heroine.

Built to Last by Erin Hahn

This is set in a small town in Michigan. It’s a second-chance romance between childhood sweethearts, and it’s a perfect example of a low-angst, low-conflict romance book done right.

Bet On It by Jodie Slaughter

This is set in a small town in South Carolina, and it’s a romance between someone running TO a small town and someone running FROM a small town that has to come back. It’s a friends-with-benefits, interracial romance with a plus-size female main character.

Lovelight Farm, In The Weeds, and Mixed Signals by B.K. Borison

These books are set in small town in Maryland. Lovelight Farms is a friends-to-lovers romance with a fake-dating plot. In The Weeds is a second-chance, grumpy/sunshine romance, with forced proximity. Mixed Signals is a friends-to-lovers, sunshine/sunshine romance with a little fake dating.

Delilah Green Doesn’t Care and Astrid Parker Doesn’t Fail by Ashley Herring Blake

This series is set in a small town in Oregon, both books are sapphic romances and deal with complicated family relationships. Delilah Green includes the sister’s best friend trope and one of the main characters is a single mom, and Astrid Parker is a rivals-to-lovers romance.

Part of Your World by Abby Jimenez

A big part of this is set in a small town in Minnesota. It’s an opposites attract romance where there’s an age gap and the woman is 10 years older than the guy, and it deals with heavy topics such as past abusive relationships.

Book Lovers by Emily Henry

A big part of this book is set in small town in North Carolina and it’s an enemies-to-lovers romance between two people who work in the publishing industry.

All Rhodes Lead Here by Mariana Zapata

Set in a small town in Colorado, and it’s a slow-burn romance, with a grumpy/ sunshine dynamic, a single dad as a protagonist and a bit of forced proximity. It has a very outdoorsy vibe and there’s a lot of hiking.

Is there any particular setting that you love in books, like a specific city or country, large city or small towns, beaches vs snowy places?

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7 Friends to Lovers Romances Books You Need to Read

Friends to lovers is my favorite romance trope, but it had been a while since I read a book that did this trope well. Fortunately, recently I have found some good ones that inspired me to write this post. Here are seven friends-to-lovers romance books that I have read and enjoyed in the last few months:

Would You Rather by Allison Ashley: This is a traditional take on the “friends-to-lovers” trope, where the two main characters have been best friends since childhood and one has been pining for the other for a long time. The main characters end up in a marriage of convenience for health insurance reasons, and the combination of that trope with friends to lovers works perfectly. Also, this does a good job addressing chronic illness and grief.

The Roommate Pact by Allison Ashley: In this version of the trope, two people who have been part of the same group of friends for a long time and get along great become roommates and slowly start falling in love. It also includes the forced proximity and nursing someone back to health tropes. The characters have great chemistry, and the development of the relationship is really organic. Plus, the way the hero confesses his feelings is swoon-worthy. This has a big focus on the death of a loved one and grief.

Set the Record Straight by Hannah Bonam-Young: In this novella, childhood best friends reconnect after some time of not being super close and end up fake dating, which leads to one of them realizing she likes women while she is in her mid-twenties. Since it’s a short book, there’s a bit of insta-love, but it’s a fun read and it gets really steamy. There’s no homophobia on page but one of the main characters was disowned by her family in the past.

Circling Back to You by Julie Tieu: This is a less traditional take on the friends-to-lovers trope because the main characters start as work friends who, throughout the book, become friends outside of work and finally fall in love. The main characters feel like real people and they have great chemistry. This book explores grief and the heroine goes through a lot of character development. Also, for anyone who cares, this is not steamy at all.

Lovelight Farms by B.K. Borison: This is another traditional take on the friends-to-lovers trope. The two main characters have been best friends for ten years, one of them has been pinning for the other and they end up having to fake date. This is set on a Christmas tree farm which gives it a whimsical vibe, the hero is absolutely swoon-worthy, the main characters are super sweet together, and the transition to a romantic relationship is seamless.

Kamila Knows Best by Farah Heron: This is a retelling of Jane Austen’s Emma with Asian versions of Emma and Mr. Knightley who fall in love after being family friends for years. The chemistry and banter between the main characters are spectacular. The angsty moments, the connection and care between them, and the slow admission of their feelings are captivating. Also, this explores mental illness in Asian communities.

Next to You by Hannah Bonam-Young: This recommendation is a bit different because the characters don’t know each other that well at the start of the book, but after a time jump, they have been close friends for a little over a year and there’s some pinning going on between them. The hero is sweet, patient, and a bit too selfless, and the heroine heals and grows so much throughout the story while dealing with grief and guilt. They go from friends to lovers while the hero helps the heroine convert a school bus into a home, which is a cool element, and their relationship is sweet but also really steamy.

Do you have any recommendations for friends-to-lovers romance books?

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My favorite books of 2022

This post is so late and I wish I could say there’s a good reason, but the truth is that I started watching my very first Turkish series, Love is in the Air, and I have watched 60 episodes in one week, which is an absurd number, and honestly I didn’t want to anything else besides watching it, so no posts were written.

But better late than never, here are my favorite books of 2022. I decided to divide this list by genre and the books in each genre are ranked starting with my favorite.

HORROR

1. Catherine House by Elisabeth Thomas: This was atmospheric, unique, and intriguing. I was utterly captivated while reading it. The fact that the plot was so mysterious and we don’t get all the answers worked perfectly for me. The complex and chaotic characters, as well as the found family element, were some of my favorite things about this. Also, the ending had me on the edge of my seat. (Review)

2. Dead Silence by S.A. Barnes: This was so atmospheric, having an abandoned ship in the middle of space as the setting was a perfect choice, and there were some tension-filled, disturbing moments. The interesting and unique concept was executed really well and while the main character in this book is really flawed, it was also easy to root for her. I also enjoyed the little bit of romance that there was in this and I overall was really invested in the story and couldn’t stop reading.

3. What Moves the Dead by T. Kingfisher: This was a short, atmospheric, gothic read. It was engaging from beginning to end and had a really satisfying ending, which is hard to do in short horror books. While it wasn’t a scary story, it had a few very unnerving moments.

4. The Houseguest and Other Stories by Amparo Davila: This book is full of disturbing and fascinating short stories that conveyed feelings of dread and desperation very well. There were a lot of vague or open-ended stories, often there were no answers to what was happening, there was no way of knowing if things were real or not, if the narrators were reliable or not, and this added to the unnerving feeling of the stories, which was the strength of the collection.

5. Comfort Me With Apples by Catherynne M. Valente:  This short book was mindblowing. It’s smart and quietly disturbing and it touches on some powerful themes and includes interesting commentary revolving around religious and feminist ideas. I found it really thought-proving. (Review)

ROMANCE

1. Two Wrongs Make a Right by Chloe Liese: The main characters in this book were so endearing and their romance was cute and heartwarming. I loved how understanding they both were with each other. I appreciated that there was autism and anxiety rep and while that didn’t become the focus of the book, I appreciated that the way it impacted different aspects of their lives, including their relationship, was addressed. There was a mix between a “you’ve got mail” setup and the fake dating trope in this book, and they were executed so well.

2. Lovelight farms by B.K. Borison:  This was an excellent friends-to-lovers romance. I loved how much the main characters cared and were there for each other, and how easily they transitioned to a romantic relationship. Luka was a swoon-worthy hero, he and Stella had such a sweet relationship, and there were also a few good steamy moments.

3. Don’t Go Baking My Heart by N.G. Peltier: This is the best representation of the grumpy/sunshine trope I have read. Throughout the book the character development of the two main characters was outstanding and it ended up being really easy to root for them. The chemistry, tension, and slow development of their relationship were all great. Also, the steamy scenes were fantastic.

MYSTERY

1. Finlay Donovan is Killing It by Elle Cosimano: This cozy mystery was fun, fast-paced, full of twists and turns, and absolutely absurd. It has a main character who was easy to root for and compelling side characters, as well as a plot that was ridiculous but also really entertaining. (Review)

2. The Thursday Murder Club by Richard Osman: This was a charming, quirky and quick read. Seeing a group of old people in a retirement home trying to solve a murder was fun, all the characters are incredibly endearing, and I was interested in the mystery the entire time. 

SFF

1. A Memory Called Empire by Arkady Martine: The political maneuvering and intrigue in this book were fantastic, the characters were so clever and interesting, and the worldbuilding was complex without being hard to understand. I also appreciated that this book went in directions that I wasn’t expecting and there were a couple surprising twists that kept it interesting. My favorite thing about this is definitely the discussion about loving and enjoying a culture that it’s imposing itself on your own culture

2. Payback’s a Witch by Lana Harper: I loved the witchy small town, the magic tournament, the humor, the captivating characters, the lovely sapphic romance, the banter between the two main characters, and the personal journey the main character went through. Overall, a fantastic fantasy romance book. (Review)

3. Witchlings by Claribel Ortega: This was such a sweet book, I don’t really read Middle Grade anymore so I wasn’t expecting to love this as much as I did. The characters in this were so charming, the friendship that developed between the three main characters – who are the most unlikely allies ever – was so sweet, the writing was excellent, the worldbuilding intricate but easy to understand, and I loved the use of Spanish in the magic. 

LITERARY FICTION

1. Kim Ji-Young, Born 1982 by Cho Nam-Joo (4.5 stars): This book was very unique, I sometimes felt like I was reading an academic text or a reportage about the challenges women face in South Korea, thinly veiled as a novel, but at the same time, the story managed to keep me interested. This book covered so many topics, it’s an introduction to the challenges women face, but it doesn’t go too deeply into any of them. Still, by the end of it, especially after reading the last page, it hit me really hard, it made me emotional and I felt a bit hopeless.

2. Happening by Annie Ernaux (4.5 stars): This book is a testament to the power of descriptive writing, Ernaux managed to convey what she was seeing, hearing, feeling, and thinking, accompanied by poignant commentary that makes her experience feel relatable and resonate with women. While the writing in this was beautiful and it was a unique reading experience.

What are the best books you read in 2022? If you posted a list of your best books of the year, leave me a link in the comments, I would love to check it out!

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October 2022 Wrap Up: horror, mystery, and finding a new favorite romance author

I can’t believe October is over! But it was such a great month, my birthday was on the 28th and I had so much fun surrounded by so many people I love. Besides, it was also a great reading month, the first two weeks I read for Latinx Heritage Month and you can see what books I read in my Latinx Book Bingo wrap up. In this post, I’ll talk about the books I read in the last two weeks of the month, which includes 2 five star reads!

Dead Silence by S.A. Barnes (5 stars): I loved this, it was so atmospheric, having an abandoned ship in the middle of space as the setting was a perfect choice, and there were some tension-filled, disturbing moments. The interesting and unique concept was executed so well. The main character in this book is so flawed but I was rooting for her the entire time, I enjoyed the little bit of romance that there’s in this and I overall was really invested in the story and couldn’t stop reading, so I read it in one day which doesn’t happen often anymore.

The Final Girl Support Group by Grady Hendrix (3 stars): I had such a hard time connecting with the main character of this book, I usually like unlikeable characters but I found her so frustrating and it was hard to read from her perspective. But her character growth was actually satisfying and in the end I was rooting for her. For most of this book, the main character was frantically going from one place to another while the plot went nowhere and so much of the plot was so unrealistic even for a horror book. I did like the final part a little bit more and there were some shocking reveals but overall this was just fine.

The Bullet that Missed by Richard Osman (4 stars): It took me a while to get into this, which has not happened with the previous two installments. I think there are too many POVs from the different storylines so it takes a while for the story to get going. I still really enjoyed this, especially the second half where the story picks up and the storylines start to be connected and make sense. The characters are still incredibly loveable and the writing is really good just like in the previous books.

Lovelight farms by B.K. Borison (5 stars): This was an excellent friends-to-lovers romance. I loved how much they cared and were there for each other, and how easily they transitioned to a romantic relationship. Luka was a swoon-worthy hero and Stella and him had such a sweet relationship, and there were also a few steamy moments. My only issue with this is that the conflict at the end felt unnecessary and I felt like Stella was a bit too obtuse, but since it was resolved quickly, I didn’t mind too much

In the Weeds by B.K. Borison (4 stars): This was really good, but I loved it slightly less than the first book. While I really liked the main characters, I felt there was something missing to make the relationship truly compelling. Nonetheless, I still enjoyed seeing them open up to each other and fall in love. Getting to see a little of Beckett’s family and how supportive they are was great, and seeing Evie’s journey to find a life that made her happy was very beautiful. Just like in the previous book, I felt like the conflict at the end was a bit unnecessary.

Mixed Signals by B.K. Borison (4 stars): The couple in this is so sweet and the guy is so swoony. While the reason why the two main characters start to “fake” date didn’t really make sense, I loved their relationship so much that I didn’t care too much about that. The steamy scenes weren’t as good as the scenes from previous books, I didn’t love they were written. Still, I really enjoyed the romance in this and how supportive Caleb was.

In this night, in this world (en esta noche, en este mundo) by Alejandra Pizarnik (3,5 stars): This is a poetry collection in Spanish. As with every poetry collection, there were poems that resonated with me more than others and with this collection in particular there were poems that I simply didn’t get, which it’s definitely on me. But overall I think this is a powerful collection revolving around grief.

What are the best and worst books you have read in October?

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