Reading Roundup #89: Leap of Faith

What a great reading week! Not only did I devour some excellent romances, but I continued with the Penric & Desdemona series, which only gets better and better. Did I say I was going to make these last? Ha! I was delusional. Anyway, this week, the commonality is that all our protagonists must meet each other halfway, and sometimes step out in trust first, before they can find happiness together. I’m a romantic but a practical one, so watching people put in the work to build a relationship is one of my favorite things.

In It to Win It by Sharon C. Cooper: After enjoying Business Not as Usual so much earlier this year, I was excited to read Morgan’s story, and it does not disappointment. In It to Win It is just as fun, joyful, and sexy as I could hope. The business subplot didn’t move me in any kind of way (and in some ways brought out the less attractive traits of our male lead), but as a device to throw our leads together, it does its job. I had a great time with this second chance romance — there are plenty of swoons! My thanks to NetGalley and Berkley for providing an eARC in exchange for an honest review.

The Very Secret Society of Irregular Witches by Sangu Mandanna: Contemporary witchy romances can be hit or miss for me, but The Very Secret Society of Irregular Witches is a definite hit. With wry, slightly dark humor, the most endearing found family that ever was found, and heartstopping romantic beats, this book is exactly my type. These characters captured my whole heart, and I was rolling on the floor laughing and blinking tears away by turns. Easily one of my favorite new books this year.

The Regal (A Series of Worthy Young Ladies) by Kate Archer: A lovely conclusion to the series! Isabel and Mr. Vance were great together, and I completely understood her hesitations about being with him while wholeheartedly rooting for him to win her over (and cackling over his shameless methods). And in the end, the conflict was resolved in a satisfying way that allowed them to unite as equals. As always, there are shenanigans with the ladies of the Society of Sponsoring Ladies, and I loved getting to see more of our past couples, too. I’m going to miss this series, so I will definitely be rereading soon. My thanks to NetGalley and Dragonblade Publishing for providing an eARC in exchange for an honest review.

Penric & Desdemona #3-4+6-8 by Lois McMaster Bujold: With this arc, Penric starts putting down roots, and I appreciate how the people who love him provide balance to his unconventional life… and most important, give him something to hold onto when things get dark. One of those people is Nikys, who first appears in Penrics Mission, and not only do I love her to pieces, but I love how thoughtfully LMB writes the development and negotiation of her relationship with Pen. If LMB ever tries her hand at the romance genre, every other romance author can read it and weep because it would be devastatingly perfect.

–b