I’m enjoying these more informal reading wrap-up posts so here’s my November reading recap. Overall I’d say I had a pretty good reading month (and got through half of my Ten Before the End books). I did NaNoWriMo this month (just a half nano, 25K), but I still read a decent amount and got a handful of reviews written too. My favorite book this month, hands down, is The Darkness Outside Us by Eliot Schrefer. I’ll say more about it later, but it’s such an amazing book.
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November Reading Recap — Novels and Novellas
Monster Romance
The Fall of the Orc by Finley Fenn was a highly anticipated read, part two of her Orc Forged series. I just can’t get enough of Olarr and his human lieutenant love interest. The enemies-to-lovers romance is fantastic, and the battle scenes are top-notch. Check out my review. (Also, isn’t this art to die for?)
The Fall of the Orc by Finley Fenn (Orc Forged 2)
I also received an ARC of Yuled by the Orcs by Finley Fenn, a sweet and spicy MMF holiday romance novella featuring middle-aged characters. There’s Tryg, a sly silver fox Santa, Lydia, a widowed washerwoman, and Ezog, an orc gifted to Lydia by Tryg, who’s dressed in nothing but a bow. You can find my full review here. (You’ll want to check out the art for Santa Tryg and all three of them.
Yuled by the Orcs by Finley Fenn (Orc Sworn 7.5)
Keeping in theme with orcs, I read books two and three in Dominic Ashen’s Steel & Thunder series. Storms & Sacrifices continues where Steel & Thunder left off. There is trouble brewing in town, a mystery, and David needs to come to terms with his feelings for his orc Daddy Khazak, and the fact that he and his friends are leaving at the end of two months. While I’m posting book three, Secrets & Spires, here to keep the books together, I wouldn’t consider it a romance. It’s more of a fantasy adventure with a romantic subplot. This time we get Khazak’s POV for the story, and David’s brother shows up (David’s not ‘out’ to his family) which creates conflict within the relationship. There are many quests and I’m curious to see what happens next in book four.
Storms & Sacrifice by Dominic Ashen (Steel & Thunder Book 2)Secrets & Spires by Dominic Ashen (Steel & Thunder Book 3)
A Fangsgiving to Remember by Kate McDarris is a MF holiday pairing between an incubus and a human barista (with plenty of fancy equipment to go around). It’s a short and fun read.
A Fangsgiving to Remember by Kate McDarris
Mail Order Minotaur by Lilith Stone (Motham City Monsters book one) has been on my TBR since preorders opened, and I’m glad I finally read it. The world-building is fantastic and I loved the fluffy romance between straight-laced Ivy and minotaur escort Bryn. It’s a high heat, low angst romance with a twist I didn’t see coming. You can find my full review here. I can’t wait to read more in this series.
Mail Order Minotaur by Lilith Stone (Motham City Monsters Book 1)
Contemporary Romance
Cleat Cute by Meryl Wilsner is a FF sports romance set mostly in New Orleans and featuring an ‘opposites attract’ ‘rivals to lovers’ pairing between Grace, the soccer team captain, and Phoebe, the new recruit. I really loved the premise of this one but unfortunately, it wasn’t for me. But I’m still excited to read more from this author. I bought Mistakes Were Made (aka the MILF book) a little while back and I’m looking forward to it.
I’ve been curious about New Adult by Timothy Janovsky for a while now and am glad I got the chance to read it. The first half was kinda hard for me to read (it’s a ‘me thing,’ I find it difficult to watch people take the beautiful things in their lives for granted and throw them all away). But I enjoyed the pining between MC Nolan and his roommate Drew. The second half was amazing. I’m a sucker for a redemption arc. Nolan coming to terms with his future self, the choices he’s made, and the bridges he’s burned is beautiful, as is his relationship with Drew. I was shipping these two so hard. (Also, cackling that the New Age company was called Doop (love the play on words and how it sounds like a certain other New Age business…)).
I read the first three books of Sara Cate’s Salacious Players’ Club this summer, and then it got put on hold while I read tentacles, orc, and spooky reads in October. But I finally read Mercy, and it was fabulous. Business partner Maggie finally takes the quiz and much to her surprise finds out she’s a Domme. And she gets matched with her associate’s son. There’s something special about two “vanilla” lovers discovering BDSM together, and a woman coming into her power. Full review here.
Mercy by Sara Cate (Salacious Players’ Club Book 4)
All the Others (Sci-Fi, Fantasy, Thriller)
The Darkness Outside Us by Eliot Schrefer has been on my TBR ever since I saw Venessa Kelley’s gorgeous art of Kodiak and Ambrose. It drew me in and I knew I just had to read this book. I would have been satisfied with a sweet romance in space. This book was so much more. It blew me away and has lived rent-free in my brain ever since. Check out my full review. I’m definitely going to have to read more from Schrefer.
The Darkness Outside Us by Eliot Schrefer
Last month I read Hollow by Karina Halle, book one in the Gothic Shade of Romance duet. Legend picks up where Hollow left off and completes the tale. I loved the dark academia vibes and the complex nature of Crane and Brom’s relationship (now why did I think they would easily transition into an MMF relationship with Kat?).
Legend by Karina Halle (Gothic Shade of Romance Book 2)
Your Lonely Nights Are Over by Adam Sass (YA Horror / Thriller, LGBTQ) is a fun, fast-paced read that I shotgunned in less than a day. Part Scream, part Clueless, and part Mean Girls. The killer is clever, the evidence keeps pointing to our MC’s, Cole and Dearie, and unless they can convince the police of their innocence, they might be next. Read my review here.
Your Lonely Nights are Over by Adam Sass
Writing Craft Book of the Month
I bought and read Jennifer Hilt’s Trope Thesaurus when it first came out. I have her Horror Trope Thesaurus (but haven’t had a chance to finish reading it yet). Her Romance Trope Thesaurus recently came out and I eagerly dove in. I liked how for each entry she has a section reminding writers to make sure they do [X,Y,Z] to get the full effect of the trope. In the final section of the book, she goes through how to use tropes when plotting your own romance novel, and then does a deep dive into ten popular romance subgenres. She’s got a fourth book planned in this series about Science Fiction and Fantasy tropes and I can’t wait.
Romance Trope Thesaurus by Jennifer HiltThe Trope Thesaurus by Jennifer HiltHorror Trope Thesaurus by Jennifer Hilt
November Reading Recap — Final Thoughts:
I had a great reading month. I’m a bit torn about December’s reading line-up. While part of me wants to finish off my Ten Before the End list, I’m also craving holiday-themed romance books. I just picked my library hold for Lev Rosen’s The Bell in the Fog (the sequel to Lavender House), so I’ll read that one for sure. But then I may just lean into the holidays. Maybe I’ll finish off the last four books on the list between Christmas and New Year. We shall see.
Happy Reading.
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