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Best Books of 2024 So Far
Episode 111 • 9th August 2024 • Reading Under the Covers: A Romance Novel Podcast • Under the Covers Book Blog
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In this episode of Reading Under the Covers, a romance novel podcast, Francesca and Under the Covers Book Blog guest reviewers Mariya, Liz and Jen share their favorite books of 2024 so far. Come and check out a big variety of book recommendations across multiple genres, not just romance, and find your next favorite read.

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Transcripts

Francesca:

Welcome to reading under the covers a romance novel podcast.

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I'm Francesca from under

the covers book blog.

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And today I am doing our favorites

of the year so far in:

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If you are also subscribed to the extra

bite podcast I recently did earlier this

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week a mid-year, check-in where I went

over every single book that I read this

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year so far, I shared all the ratings.

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And also my stats from story graph.

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So if you are subscribed to that,

be sure to tune into our extra bite

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episode with all of that information.

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But here, we're going to

talk about our favorites.

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And I also have some favorites

from our guest reviewers to

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share with you guys today.

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I'm really excited about that.

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So let's just jump right into the books

and give you all the recommendations.

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And I'm going to actually start

with my five-star reads of the year.

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I do have three, five star reads for

:

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kind of surprising because I don't

give out too many, five stars, and

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sometimes there can be a whole year

and I don't have more than one or two.

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So super excited about that.

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And one of them is american

demon by Kim Harrison, which

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is part of the hollows series.

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But technically when this book was

released, it was meant to be a spinoff.

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I think of the hollows, but it then

completely went right into the hollows

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series and it is the right thing to do.

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It does follow straight

with the storyline.

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So I don't think it's as book that you

could pick up if you haven't read the

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previous books in the hollows series,

but it is a series that I consider.

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It's a must read for

fans of urban fantasy.

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The main character in the

series is Rachel Morgan.

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She is a witch and she is

basically a flawed character.

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I love that about her.

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She doesn't always get it right.

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She makes tons of mistakes.

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And to me that feels very relatable

and I'm always rooting for her even

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as she's making the worst decisions.

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And one of the reasons why it's a little

bit hard to talk about some of the things

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in this book, it's because I would say

the first 13 books, basically in the

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series, 12, 13 books in the series.

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There's always doubt as to who is

Rachel Morgan going to end up with

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romantically throughout the series.

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There are definitely lots of options.

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There are more than three people

that could be the love interests.

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And it is such a wonderful

point of tension.

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As you're reading the series

to try to figure out which one

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you want her to end up with.

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I know for me, that was one of the

things that I loved to be part of the

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community as we were getting those

books released and kind of try to

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figure out if there were any clues or.

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Being irritated at who

she was with at the time.

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So I think that that's definitely

one of the reasons why you have

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to read the books, in order.

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Because by the time you

reach American demon.

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She is with the person that

she's going to be with.

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At the same time where Rachel

Morgan starts out in book one it's

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miles and miles away from where she

ends up as a character in book 14.

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And in book 14 now she's so much stronger.

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She's gone through some stuff

some of it not so great.

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And she's learned from that

she's gone through tragedy.

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She's been hurt.

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She's had to face also some dark magic.

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She's learned things about herself.

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So when I started American demon and when

we finally got into the story, I really

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loved the depth of her character in this

book because you can really feel all of

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that growth that she's bringing with her.

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And maybe that has to do with the fact

that I've been along for the ride.

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And so deeply love her as a character.

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But I was just fascinated with her

character development and her character

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growth that she's shown in this book.

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The storyline is really

intense, very high stakes.

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And we get to see one of my

favorite characters as well.

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And I feel like if I say the name of

that character, it may give away that

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she's not ending up with that person.

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So I will not give it away,

but there's definitely lots

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of magic and magical battles.

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And push and pull for power.

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We see some of our

favorites from the past.

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Also some are not so favorites

creeping back up as well.

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So, if you are reading the hollows

series, and you haven't picked up

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American demon or those new books after

she had basically said that the series

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was over, then definitely pick it up.

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It's amazing.

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And I can't wait to keep

diving into the hollows series.

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I do plan to read more of it

in the second half of the year.

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So I am sure I will have more

five stars to share with you.

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And on that same vein but also a Kim

Harrison book, I do recommend you pick

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up three kinds of lucky by Kim Harrison.

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It's the first in a new series by her.

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I gave it four stars, not five, but

in a sense, it felt very similar

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to Rachel Morgan as a character.

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Except in this first book of this

series, it's a lot more polished.

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The storylines a lot tighter.

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And it's almost as if we're starting

over with a similar, magical story

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and a similar, magical character.

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Except that it does feel more put

together a little bit less flawed.

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And if anything may be even

a little bit more modern

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So in case you haven't read the hollows

and you don't want to make that commitment

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of reading 14 books, but you would

still like to get a taste of it, then

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definitely pick up three kinds of lucky.

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I think it's amazing urban fantasy.

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And this one does have a bigger

dose of romance in it than

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the first book of the hollows.

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So there's that as well.

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Now, before I give you more of

my recommendations, I'm going to

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bring in a recommendation from one

of our guest reviewers, Mariya.

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So let's see what Mariya.

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has to recommend for you guys.

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Mariya: If you're looking for your

next beach read, you can definitely

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pick up Funny Story by Emily Henry.

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This book follows Daphne and Miles,

who have just been dumped, and to get

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back at the two people who dumped them

and decided to rub salt into the wound.

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by inviting Miles and

Daphne to their wedding.

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These two decide they're gonna pretend

they're dating each other, but what

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starts out as a fake romance, actually.

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begins to sizzle with some real heat.

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This book was really witty,

sometimes over the top, but not

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in a way where it felt ridiculous.

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And I think readers, and my fellow

introverts will definitely relate to

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Daphne's struggles of trying to figure

out who is she now that she's out of this

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long term relationship, and also just

the struggle of, you know, It's making

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adult friends when you're an introvert,

and Miles has a lot of baggage and is

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still figuring out how to deal with

it, , but just, their escapades will

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make you laugh, their baggage will make

you cry, and it's just, it's a fun book.

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It's a fun book to experience.

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Francesca: And that was the recommendation

from Mariya, our guest reviewer.

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You can follow Mariya on Instagram

at miss Bookworld M S book world.

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Especially if you're a fan of fantasy,

dark fantasy, you will find lots

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of recommendations on her page.

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So head on over there

and give her a follow.

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You can also find her

reviews on under the covers.

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And I will leave a link to

her review page on under the

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covers in the show notes below.

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I know that a lot of you are fans of

Emily Henry, and I'm always curious

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when it comes to authors that I

haven't read that are super popular.

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Which one is your favorite?

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Emily Henry book.

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So be sure to get back to us, let

us know which one is your favorite.

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Emily Henry book.

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I'm going to give you a historical romance

recommendation that I absolutely loved.

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And it is a series.

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I read both books this year.

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One came out this year and one came out, I

think either last year or the year before.

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I'm not sure.

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And that series is the Luna

sisters by Liana De La Rosa.

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The first book is Ana Maria and the Fox.

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And the second book is

Isabel and the rogue.

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Now I'll be honest.

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I enjoyed the first book more than the

second book, but both of them are really,

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really good and also very different when

it comes to historical romance, which

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is something that I have been craving.

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I've been trying to find historical

romances that are not like we're

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reading the same story, just

swapping out the characters.

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And if that is you, and you're also

looking for that, then this series is

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going to deliver exactly that because

we're still set in society London.

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But our two main heroines in these

two books are Mexican heiresses and

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they're basically hiding out in London.

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They do both feel that there is an

obligation that they have to their

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country and to help out the cause.

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And our heroine is basically engaged

or promise in marriage to someone.

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She meets the hero, who is the grandson of

a slave woman and also has been fighting

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in the house of Lords to actually get

slavery abolished without much success,

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but he's still fighting the good fight.

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And he's kind of a beta hero,

which I really loved because we

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don't get to see enough of these

understated, more quiet kind of heroes.

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He's just out there putting in the good

work, but at the same time, he's not loud.

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And.

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The guy that maybe everybody looks

when he enters a room, he doesn't

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have that kind of impressive presence.

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But he is solid and stoic, and I

really, really enjoyed his character.

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Our heroine is complete opposite of him.

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She is more.

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Spirited and feisty and loud,

and she has a ton of personality.

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And I think that exuberance from her

and the more quiet demeanor from the

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hero really matched well and made for an

excellent dynamic between the two of them.

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They complimented each other so

nicely it was really enjoyable to

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see their relationship develop.

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Especially as we also see a good

sense of community in that first book,

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now in the second book, Isabel, in

the rogue, it's the younger sister

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and she's definitely a feisty one.

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She has been trying to prove that.

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She's doing something

of worth and helping.

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And sort of being a spy.

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And our hero is also kind

of a spy for the crown.

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Now he knows that there's something

going on with her, but he can't

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put his finger quite on what it is.

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But they end up running into each

other and he's definitely intrigued.

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Especially as she keeps getting

in trouble all the time.

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This one, I would say is perfect.

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If you like those kinds of

feisty heroines, it is still

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an opposites attract novel.

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And it's also still a lot of fun, but the

personalities are completely different

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in both of these main characters.

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And overall, I just really enjoy them.

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I can't wait for the

book of the third sister.

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So I'm definitely on the lookout for that.

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I'm not really sure when that one's

coming out, but it is going on my TBR

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as soon as I can get my hands on it.

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I think this is going

to be a perfect read.

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If you're looking for historical

romance, like I said, that is not

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your traditional historical romance.

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Although in terms of plot, I feel like

both of these storylines could be things

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that we have heard about or seen before,

but they are done in such a completely

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new way through a completely different

lens that they were fresh and new.

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And I just couldn't put them down

so highly recommend that if you're

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looking for a historical romance,

another one that took me by surprise.

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And I know that this is super popular.

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So I'm sure you guys have already

heard about it, but, I'm, joining the

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bandwagon a little bit late and it's

butcher and Blackbird by Brynne Weaver.

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I still have to read book two, but it's on

my TBR for this second half of the year.

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And I gave this four stars.

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It was such a fun read.

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I read this probably in one sitting.

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I was so scared to read this book

because when I hear a serial killer

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romance and humor mixed together,

I didn't know what to expect.

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I mean, don't get me wrong.

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I love a good serial killer romance.

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I'm a huge fan of the mind.

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Fuck series by St.

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Abby.

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Will recommend that to

anybody that will listen.

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In fact, if you want to read my review

for the mindfuck series and why you

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need to be reading it, I'll leave a

link to my mini series review and series

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guide in the show notes down below.

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I do love serial killer romances, but I

tend to relate that to a more dark tone.

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Now, when I say this has humor, it

doesn't mean that it's not a little gory.

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So if you're squeamish about a

little bit of gore and blood and

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things like that, then maybe you

may want to stay away from it.

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However, all of those scenes were done

so well at the same time with some humor,

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I don't know how to explain it well,

but they were just entertaining to read

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and it didn't make me feel uneasy about

what was happening, which I think is

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basically a job well done by the author.

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So I will recommend this serial killer

romance now to anybody that will listen.

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Both of the main characters are serial

killers and they have a, standing sort

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of date where they go hunting together.

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They only kill though people

that have done something bad.

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So they're not out here killing

good people they're just basically

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getting rid of the riff-raff.

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In a weird way.

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It's almost like they're superheroes.

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Their methods are just a little

bit more bloody and they do

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enjoy what they're doing.

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So that being said, I think that

if you're not too squeamish.

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You'll definitely need to read this one.

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It was so entertaining.

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I had a lot of fun reading it.

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And I can't wait to read book too,

like I said, so I'll be reporting

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back very soon on what I think of it.

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Next, I'm going to leave you with

our guest reviewer, Liz, who also has

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some recommendations for you guys.

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So let's take it away.

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Liz.

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Liz: Hi, this is Liz, and I have a couple

of books I want to recommend that I

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really enjoyed . First off is a sci fi,

which is Ocean's Godori by Elaine U Cho.

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This is a debut space opera, and it's

just so rich with world building.

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It's about two Korean corporations

essentially competing across the universe.

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As they work through

betrayal and politics.

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It's very interesting and I look

forward to seeing the remainder

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of the series once it's released.

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The other recommendation I

have is Resisting You by E.

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M.

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Lindsay.

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This is a male male contemporary romance.

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Frey is a single father and a nurse.

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And he thinks that the new Dr.

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Renato really hates him.

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And so he starts out pranking him at work.

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But once they start to connect a little

bit more and some things happen, it

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turns into a really emotional story that

I think is really good and enjoyable.

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I want to recommend Here We

Go Again by Alison Cochrum.

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This book is all about Logan and

Rosemary who grew up as best friends,

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but then everything fell apart one

day and now they're enemies while they

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are both teachers at the same school.

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Their English teacher from high school,

who's their lifelong mentor for both

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of them, is dying and he asks them

to Take one last road trip across the

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country to Maine where he wants to die.

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And so they spend the summer taking this

road trip, and of course, things happen.

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This book, as you might expect, is

super emotional, but it is so worth it,

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and I love all of the character growth

and the emotions that go through it.

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Definitely content warnings on

grief, but very worth it for sure.

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If you want to ever connect with me, you

can find me on YouTube at Creative Life

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of Liz for all things paper planning.

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And if you ever want to talk books, I'm

also on Instagram at Creative Life of Liz.

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Francesca: Thank you Liz

for recommending those.

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There's definitely some there that

I haven't read or heard about.

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So I'm taking notes as we speak.

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And continuing with some of my

recommendations for the year.

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I actually have a book that hasn't

come out yet, actually comes out

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in October, but I have already read

it and I cannot not put it here.

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And it is the house at watch hill by

Karen Marie Moning, which is the first

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book in the house of watch hill series.

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I think this is going to be a

trilogy if I'm not mistaken and

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it is an urban fantasy, it has a

Gothic vibe, Gothic mansion setting.

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It's set in a small Southern

town so you'll definitely also

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get Southern vibes from it.

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I think the best way that I could

describe the vibe of this book

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would be a Charlaine Harris.

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Sookie Stackhouse.

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And the fever series by Karen Marie.

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Moning had a baby.

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In a lot of ways.

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Our main heroine reminded me of Sookie.

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Especially as she's starting to

discover this paranormal world.

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So this book is basically

setting all of that up.

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She's not thrown right in the middle

of it right from the beginning.

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There is a slow development of

us learning about the paranormal

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world with our heroine, which I

really appreciated and enjoyed.

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If you love Gothic stories,

definitely check this one out.

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It's got a great Gothic vibe.

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I know that some people have asked me on

social media, if it is an urban fantasy

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and there is a paranormal element,

the answer is yes, you will feel it

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a little bit less in this first book,

because like I said, the heroine is

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discovering the world as we go along.

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That progression slows down some of that

paranormal element it's always there

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and it's always present, but she's just

starting to see it peeking through.

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I personally love discovering that element

with our heroine our heroine has had to

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make a lot of sacrifices in her life.

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She was taking care of her mother who

was very ill and they were struggling to

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make ends meet and pay for her mother's

medical care basically all alone.

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And at the beginning of the book, the

heroine finds out that her house burned

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to the ground and her mother was in it.

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So her mother dies and

shortly thereafter, she gets.

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a notification that there is a family

member who has died and who has left her,

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what she believes to be a small house

and she has to travel to this small town

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in the south and claim that inheritance.

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But when she gets there, it turns out

is the biggest mansion in the town.

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And taking that inheritance does come

with a lot of rules and regulations.

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So there's a lot of things that she's

going to have to go through in order to

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claim that inheritance even part of it.

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So she has to decide whether she's willing

to go through with that but definitely

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the offer is incredibly tempting.

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Now, once she's in the house, she

has to discover everything about

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the house itself about the town.

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And about her own heritage, because

there's so many things even about

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herself that she didn't know, and

her mother was hiding from her.

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So that's all I'm going

to say to you guys.

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It was super fun.

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I love reading this book and I can't

wait for the next one to come out,

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which actually that makes me sad

because I have to wait even longer.

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Because this book doesn't

come out until October.

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So who knows when I'll get

to read the second book?

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So definitely add it to your TBR.

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I think it's going to be a great

series by Karen Marie Moning.

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It does feel a little bit

different from the fever series.

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So like I said, it's kind of like a

cross between that and Sookie Stackhouse.

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And if you love urban fantasy, I think

this is going to be one to watch out for

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especially if you love that slower vibe

in an urban fantasy, as opposed to really

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high stakes, at least for this book.

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And continuing the fantasy vibe.

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I actually have a fantasy book that

I read and it's a new series a new

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author that I hadn't read before.

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And I definitely will be looking

at more books by this author.

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So I'm going to recommend it again here.

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I've already talked about it on the

podcast and social media, but it's a

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rivalry of hearts by Tessonja Odette.

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This is the first in the fae

flings and corset strings series.

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If I remember correctly, this is actually

a spinoff of another series, but you don't

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have to read that one to read this one.

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It's basically just set in the same world.

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However, that has left me super

excited, because that means there's

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even more books for me to dive

into because I love this one and

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I love the world-building in it.

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So I definitely will be reading more.

362

:

And I think that writing style from

tessonja odette was really nice.

363

:

It really flowed and it

was super easy to read.

364

:

So definitely one to watch out

for, especially if you love fae,

365

:

romances and enemies to lovers.

366

:

Without being like super

fae, if that makes sense.

367

:

Now both of our main characters

in this one are writers.

368

:

The heroine writes fae smut

and the hero writes poetry.

369

:

And they're going on this tour

together of basically the fae world.

370

:

The heroine is not from there,

but she's very popular there.

371

:

So she's coming over.

372

:

She's kind of like the big name

author, supposedly on this tour.

373

:

But when she gets there and she realizes

that she's not the only one on the tour.

374

:

The hero's also there he is fae

and his poetry is well-known.

375

:

So he does have all of these people

coming to the signings to meet him.

376

:

And they find out that there's

going to be a competition

377

:

between them from the publisher.

378

:

Whoever sells the most books during

this tour will get a, contract

379

:

for them to be able to publish

the next few books that they want.

380

:

Which from a financial standpoint is

something that both of them really need.

381

:

However, when the tour started, he was

the one that was bringing in the lines

382

:

of people to meet him and buy books.

383

:

And she basically has

nobody coming to see her.

384

:

So she starts to get a little worried and

decides to make a bet with him that they

385

:

will each seduce somebody at the end of

each night and whoever seduces the most

386

:

people and proves that they know the art

of seduction will actually have to forfeit

387

:

the contract at the end of the tour.

388

:

Now she thinks that this will be great

in her favor because she thinks that

389

:

he's going to win on the basis of sales.

390

:

Except she's not that experienced.

391

:

And she's just basically been

pretending through her smut.

392

:

This is another fun kind of forced

proximity road trip romance.

393

:

I really enjoy going through this book in

this kind of a trip because we got to see

394

:

all these different parts of the world.

395

:

And I think that that was one of

the things that I really enjoyed and

396

:

it's left me really wanting to read

the other spinoffs because they are

397

:

set in some of these parts as well.

398

:

Also, I found it really intriguing that

our hero is a type of fae that I haven't

399

:

really read before he is a flower fae.

400

:

Which was really neat.

401

:

And I definitely want

to read more about now.

402

:

And it's also left me super excited

for the second book that's going to

403

:

be coming out in the series, which

is nicely set up in this one as well.

404

:

So definitely lots of reading with

Tessonja Odette that I have looking

405

:

ahead and looking back as well.

406

:

Now another series that I really

gobbled up and I'm obsessed with is the

407

:

forbidden wishes series by Whitney G.

408

:

There are three kind of shorter

length books in this series.

409

:

And I've read two of them so far

this year with one coming out at

410

:

the end of August, which I'm going

to read as soon as it comes out.

411

:

But I really enjoyed them.

412

:

I actually started reading book two

first and then I read book one book 2.

413

:

I picked up on a whim only because

it was a student teacher romance and

414

:

I was kind of in the mood for that.

415

:

So I just picked that up

and I really enjoyed it.

416

:

But then I also read the first book

recently because I saw that the author had

417

:

posted on social media and the premise was

just something that I could not pass up.

418

:

In the first one, the hero is star

quarterback at the high school, and he

419

:

is the heroine's twin sister's boyfriend.

420

:

If you're looking for something

that's toxic romance, taboo romance.

421

:

Definitely.

422

:

This is the series for you.

423

:

It's got all the angst.

424

:

So if you want an angsty read.

425

:

Definitely check out the series.

426

:

Super good.

427

:

I also told you I was going to

give you all of my five stars.

428

:

So another five star that I

read this year is the Poisoner's

429

:

ring by Kelley Armstrong.

430

:

This is a historical mystery novel, and

it's the second book in a rip through time

431

:

now with Kelley Armstrong and

anything that has to do through time.

432

:

There are two separate series.

433

:

That involves time travel.

434

:

And this is the one that's more historical

mystery, but there is another one that is

435

:

more of a historical romance time travel.

436

:

So they both have a similar name.

437

:

The Romance one is a stitch in time.

438

:

And this one is a rip through time.

439

:

Not sure why they chose to name

them so similar, but I've had so

440

:

many people ask me about this.

441

:

And.

442

:

They are two separate

series in the romance.

443

:

A stitch in time.

444

:

You do get an HEA at the end of each book.

445

:

And in this mystery one so

far, there's been no romance.

446

:

Although the hint of it is there.

447

:

The premise of the series is

that a cop from modern day

448

:

gets transported back in time.

449

:

And she basically ends up working

with the coroner kind of, of the

450

:

time and once she reveals that she

is from the future, they're using

451

:

her to conduct investigations.

452

:

So in this second book, they're

already set up for that.

453

:

And they're just solving a case basically,

there are some men that are dropping dead

454

:

from a powerful poison and all signs.

455

:

Point to the grieving widows.

456

:

Dr.

457

:

Grayson, our hero ends up right smack

in the middle of the investigation,

458

:

because one of those dead men

is his brother-in-law and under

459

:

suspicion is his oldest sister.

460

:

So this one, our heroine Mallory has

to help Grayson solve these crimes

461

:

try to find this 19th century killer,

and also try to find a way back home.

462

:

I really enjoyed this one.

463

:

I can't recommend this series enough.

464

:

I read all three books and

two of them were this year.

465

:

And if you're into historical mysteries,

then this series is a must read.

466

:

It's set in Victorian Scotland,

18 hundreds, Edinburg.

467

:

And I mean, what could be more fun than

to see a small chance of a romance develop

468

:

between a modern day homicide detective?

469

:

Working as an Undertaker's

assistant and her boss.

470

:

Now also, if you like historical

mysteries and this one with this slight

471

:

little bit more romance, I will also

suggest that you check out a daughter,

472

:

of fair Verona by Christina Dodd.

473

:

This is going to be also a series.

474

:

So it's the first one in the series.

475

:

Our heroine is basically the daughter

of Romeo and Juliet, because

476

:

in this story, they didn't die.

477

:

And they went on to have

a brood of seven children.

478

:

The heroine of this story

is Rosie Montague herself.

479

:

And this book was pitched as

knives out meets bridgerton.

480

:

It is set in Verona.

481

:

And I will say that it did give me a

little bit of those vibes, but it does

482

:

have a slightly more humorous and slightly

little bit more romantic tone than the

483

:

previous story that I just told you about.

484

:

Rosie has been to a.

485

:

Man that is known for

possibly killing his wives.

486

:

Although she would certainly

prefer to marry for love.

487

:

Now as luck would have it, she ends

up stumbling on the body of her

488

:

betrothed with a dagger in his chest.

489

:

What needs to be determined

is who killed him.

490

:

Was it his late wives, families, his

relatives, his mistress, his servants,

491

:

half of Verona had a motive to kill him.

492

:

And our heroine.

493

:

Rosie has to be the amateur

sleuth and investigate.

494

:

especially when everyone around

the duke begins dying, disappearing

495

:

or descending into madness.

496

:

I had a lot of fun reading this book.

497

:

It was super enjoyable, a

really fast read as well.

498

:

There's plenty of humor

to keep you entertained.

499

:

And it was just an all around good time.

500

:

And now I do have one more guest

reviewer that I'm going to bring

501

:

on and give you recommendations.

502

:

I'm going to welcome our guest reviewer

Jen to recommend some of her favorites.

503

:

Jen: Hey, it's Jen, and here are

some of my recent favorite reads.

504

:

If you're currently in your hockey

romance era, you don't want to miss

505

:

The Game Changer by Lana Ferguson.

506

:

We get brother's best friend vibes,

a childhood crush that turns into

507

:

something more, a big hockey player

that gives off viking vibes, and

508

:

definitely enough steam to melt the ice.

509

:

If music is more of your thing, you

have to read Julie Soto's newest

510

:

romance, Not Another Love Song.

511

:

I loved Forget Me Not, but Soto really

outdid herself with Gwen and Xander's

512

:

string instrument infused romance.

513

:

It was beautiful and passionate,

and there's definitely a cello scene

514

:

that will give you feelings for days.

515

:

And if you're looking for something to

inspire wanderlust, My Turkish Fling

516

:

by indie author Eni Amanda will take

you from New Zealand to Istanbul with

517

:

a stoic Turk who's always been in his

famous brother's shadow and the 40 plus

518

:

year old divorcee who sees the real him.

519

:

This is the second book in the

Love in Istanbul series and is

520

:

available on Kindle Unlimited.

521

:

You can find more of my recent reads

and recommendations on Instagram,

522

:

Threads, and X at BooksJenRecs.

523

:

Francesca: Those sounds so good.

524

:

And I definitely have some of

those marked on my TBR to read.

525

:

And I thank Jen for those

amazing recommendations

526

:

now to close it out, I do have a

couple more that I am going to

527

:

give you the last of the five star

recommendations that I had for this year.

528

:

That is legacy of

temptation by Larissa ione

529

:

This is book one in the

demonica birthright series.

530

:

It is a next generation

paranormal romance.

531

:

It does follow one of the kids of the

demonica series, or I should say also

532

:

the Lords of deliverance, which is

another spin off of the demonica series.

533

:

However, I kind of recommend that

you do go back and read the whole

534

:

demonica series, and it does go

demonica Lords of deliverance back to

535

:

demonica and now demonica birthright.

536

:

I know it's a little bit confusing

to follow the series and I'm

537

:

going to be working on a series

guide for the series because it

538

:

is one of my absolute favorites.

539

:

And if you're a paranormal romance

reader, you have to read the series.

540

:

It's one of those that I consider

it's a must read in the genre.

541

:

However, that being said, legacy of

temptation can be read as a standalone.

542

:

I think that the author did an amazing job

at starting with a fresh clean start with

543

:

this new generation and giving you enough

of the world that you don't have to read

544

:

the rest of them, if you don't want to.

545

:

I am recommending that you do,

because it's such an amazing series

546

:

and it is one of those pillars of the

genre that I see in my opinion, but

547

:

I don't think that you have to read

it in order to understand this book.

548

:

Which is great, especially for all of you

guys that I know you don't want to make

549

:

the huge commitment to read so many books

in order to catch up and read a new one.

550

:

So in this book, we have Ava who works for

the Aegis, and she basically hates demons.

551

:

is kind of in her job description.

552

:

She is the deputy spokesperson for the

global demon slaying organization Aegis.

553

:

And she's also really excited to be

in the running for chief spokesperson

554

:

in order to achieve that, all she

has to do is not screw up a two week

555

:

exchange program that the Aegis has

with their rival agency, which is the

556

:

demon activity, response team or dart.

557

:

What they don't know is that

they're basically working and

558

:

training with demons because the

dart team is packed full of them.

559

:

Of course until things go horribly

wrong and murder turns her into

560

:

a fugitive from justice and puts

a demonic target on her back.

561

:

She has to work with her

dart demon counterparts in

562

:

order to come out of it alive.

563

:

Now, on the other hand, we have the

hero who is Logan, he's the son of the

564

:

horseman of the apocalypse known as death.

565

:

Like I said, Lords of deliverance series.

566

:

I think that his father's

book is book three.

567

:

If I'm not mistaken.

568

:

in that series.

569

:

And his relationship with the

Aegis agency is not so great.

570

:

Basically from the moment that

he was conceived and born, the

571

:

Aegis has made it their mission to

chase down this baby and kill him.

572

:

just for being the son of death.

573

:

He has dedicated his life to

fighting demons alongside his

574

:

colleagues at dart, because there

are also good demons and bad demons.

575

:

He loves fighting.

576

:

He loves women and he loves

his pet hell hound, Cujo.

577

:

So now he's tasked with protecting the

Aegis, guardian, that's responsible

578

:

for the death of his friends.

579

:

And as you can imagine,

he's not very happy.

580

:

There's also plenty of drama

with his grandmother Lilith.

581

:

some overall supernatural world politics

and hierarchy that are in the balance,

582

:

especially when it comes to angels.

583

:

And just all around some

impressive high stakes action.

584

:

And sacrifice that has to happen.

585

:

When I say that I love this book.

586

:

I absolutely love this book so much.

587

:

It delivered all that old school

paranormal romance that I absolutely

588

:

adore it had an action packed plot.

589

:

Nothing was easy, not the

relationship, not the romance.

590

:

Not their plot, not the

storyline, not the danger.

591

:

Everything was just so good.

592

:

It was like watching an amazing

action movie, except that

593

:

it was demons and angels.

594

:

And also it had plenty of steamy

romance that just made sense as well.

595

:

It didn't feel gratuitous.

596

:

It wasn't thrown in just because we have

to add some spice or some sexy scenes.

597

:

So I think that this particular book

is a great example of what I love

598

:

about the paranormal romance genre.

599

:

And I just can't recommend it enough.

600

:

So definitely if you have to pick up a

paranormal romance, pick up this one.

601

:

And then I do want to close out

with going over real quick two cozy

602

:

mysteries I read that I really enjoyed.

603

:

It is not a genre that I read

too often, but I felt that I was

604

:

in the mood for it this year.

605

:

So I do want to mention them here.

606

:

The first one is Gator queen by Tara lush.

607

:

It's the first in the

critters and criminal series.

608

:

I picked it up because

a, the cover is luscious.

609

:

I absolutely love it 2, I had to

read all about the Gator queen.

610

:

I mean, I live in Florida, so

Florida man is a real thing and I

611

:

just had to read all about that.

612

:

And three I saw Spencer from intentionally

bookish talking about it when it came out.

613

:

So I just had to add it to my

TBR and I'm happy to report back

614

:

that it was a lot of fun to read.

615

:

It was definitely a lot of Florida, but

it was also really an entertaining read.

616

:

The heroine is yes, the Gator queen.

617

:

She is trying to keep running

the Gator hunting business that

618

:

her father had founded and built.

619

:

And after he passed away, her and

her sister basically took over.

620

:

So they are two females running this

Gator hunting business and there

621

:

was only one other company in town

that is basically their competition.

622

:

What they really want though, is to

open a romance bookstore together.

623

:

So they're in the middle of doing that,

and there's a bit of a wrench thrown in

624

:

their plan when their competitor ends

up dead shot in the back of the head.

625

:

And our heroine is the one

that discovers the body.

626

:

When she gets an anonymous gator call.

627

:

Now to make matters worse, not

only did she have to report the

628

:

murder and the body of her biggest

business and work competitor.

629

:

But the gun that was used to kill

him is actually her sister's gun.

630

:

So she has to go on this amateur sleuth

investigation to try and clean up

631

:

her sister's name so she doesn't end

up involved in the murder and paying

632

:

for something that she didn't do.

633

:

Like I said so much fun.

634

:

It was so much Florida.

635

:

So besides Gators, there's also

calls for lizards in toilets

636

:

and all kinds of crazy things.

637

:

It's definitely a cozy mystery

series that promises a great time.

638

:

I'm going to be following up

and reading more in it as well.

639

:

I can't wait for her sister's book.

640

:

And the second cozy mystery that I

have for you guys that I really enjoyed

641

:

is dead to rights by Jasmine webb.

642

:

This is the first book in the

McKenzie Owens mystery series.

643

:

Our heroine gets notified that her

estranged father has left her a

644

:

house and a bookstore in Cornwall.

645

:

And she decides to basically sell

everything she owns and just move

646

:

there because it just sounds amazing.

647

:

It's like every millennial's

dream to just live in a small

648

:

quaint town and own a bookstore.

649

:

Except the dream is not so simple.

650

:

And as it turns out her father's

lawyer then tells her when she gets

651

:

there, that she's not a hundred percent

owner of that house or that bookstore.

652

:

She's 50 50 with her grandmother

a grandmother that also

653

:

didn't know she even existed.

654

:

And they basically have to try

and live together because that's

655

:

all they can do for right now.

656

:

And to make matters worse when

our heroine first goes into the

657

:

bookstore, because she was very

excited to see what she's working with.

658

:

She finds a dead body

and it is a small town.

659

:

They want to solve the

crime fast and easy.

660

:

And the principal suspects are

obviously her and her grandmother

661

:

because they own the store.

662

:

The only solution is for the two of them

to team up and do some amateur sleuthing

663

:

and find out who actually killed this guy.

664

:

I love the setting.

665

:

It is a small town has a funny quirky

grandma that you'll fall in love with.

666

:

Great humor.

667

:

A little bit of a hint of romance,

not too much, and definitely a series

668

:

that I am looking forward to reading

more of, and same with this author.

669

:

So those are all the books that we

have for our favorites of the year.

670

:

So far in 2024, hopefully with this nice

variety of books and genres, you have

671

:

found something that you want to give it

a try if you haven't read them before.

672

:

And if you have, I would love to hear

if you have enjoyed any of the books

673

:

that we talked about on this list.

674

:

I also want to thank our guest

reviewers for jumping on and sharing

675

:

some of their recommendations with us.

676

:

Be sure to follow their socials.

677

:

I'll leave all of the details in the show

notes down below as well as links to their

678

:

review pages here at under the covers.

679

:

So you can check out more

of their book reviews.

680

:

And we would also love to include you

in an upcoming recommendation episodes.

681

:

So if you want to send us your

recommendation as a voice note, we do

682

:

have a link where you can submit any

recommendations or any notes that you

683

:

want us to include on the podcast.

684

:

So be sure to check the link in the

show notes down below and send those

685

:

recommendations our way we are welcoming

you guys to do that at any time.

686

:

And you may just listen to

yourself right here on our podcast.

687

:

As always, don't forget to follow the blog

at under the covers book, blog.com, where

688

:

we have tons more of book recommendations

for you guys, sign up for our newsletter.

689

:

We'll be in your inbox every single

Sunday with all of the latest.

690

:

Come find us on social media.

691

:

It's at UTC book blog and under

the covers book blog on Facebook.

692

:

And for our last announcement,

we did just recently switch our

693

:

community to the substack platform.

694

:

And we're very excited about the move.

695

:

We'll be able to bring you even more

amazing content that we have planned

696

:

so be sure to come and follow us there.

697

:

It is underthecoverscommunity.com there

is a free plan where we will try to share

698

:

some community free content in there.

699

:

And you'll be able to get that

by email, if you subscribe for

700

:

free and there is also a launch.

701

:

Special offer for our

paid community members.

702

:

It is going to be 20% off.

703

:

Of your lifetime membership.

704

:

So it will always remain at that

introductory rate of 20% off.

705

:

As long as you stay subscribed.

706

:

So it's a great promotion

that we're running between

707

:

now and the end of the year.

708

:

I hope you come and join us there.

709

:

And can't wait to chat

books with all of you guys.

710

:

Thanks so much for tuning in guys, and

we'll see you again in the next one.

711

:

Bye.

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