Plot Trysts

Is this novella ridiculous? Yes. Is is Christmasy? Not really. Did we like it? You bet we did.

Tis the season for Christmas novellas. Meg and Laine disagree about how Christmasy this one is, but both thought it was a fun expansion of the London Steampunk universe if you're into sexy baths.

Julia Quinn out does herself with this one. This is both her angstiest and sexiest book in the Bridgertons series. Meg feels this one deeply and Laine has no soul.

Laine and Meg talk about when kids become a trope, the inherent sexiness of celibacy, and Laine fangirls over Julie Andrews.

Laine and Meg are joined by the Lit Wallflowers to dive into The Wallflower Christmas novella! The main couple here is an afterthought, so much so that the heroine isn't even mentioned on the jacket. That said, if you love the wallflowers (especially Marcus and Sebastian) this is a very rewarding trip down memory lane. They even have a proper Christmas tree!

Hoyt's new release is a relatively low-angst, high-lust tale that checks a whole lot of our boxes: married early in the text, competency porn, and baths. We really enjoyed this one!

Colin Bridgerton is the literal best.

Benedict Bridgerton is the literal worst.

Alyssa Cole kicks off a new series in a familiar universe with this fun novel about an ambitious woman and an overburdened and unprepared king. Some things were a bit of a stretch for our imaginations, but when creative hallway sex is included in that you know we're on board.

Only Loretta Chase could convince us waiting until the wedding night can be sexy. His Grace with the Angel Face has to work for it, but the result was the perfect book.

Meg and Laine talk about bee stings and Colin Bridgerton. Meg says "coitus" a lot.

Laine and Meg talk about what a difference 20 years makes, characters who maybe shouldn't have ended up together, and wondering how an adaptation of this will even work.

Meg and Laine debate what makes a Young Adult book and celebrate the moody mentor being treated like the scum he is rather than a romantic hero.

This novella is an exceedingly cute story about childhood companions who have a falling out and resolve it by getting snowed in together. While it doesn't reinvent the wheel, it's extremely adorable. The only negative is a B-plot that takes up half of the pages.

Both of the main characters in this book have a dead parent. Unfortunately, their past trauma takes precedence over the romance. This isn't the fun successor to the first two books in the series we were expecting, but if you're into angst you'll probably like this.

The fifth and final Carsington book. We're both a little sad to be done with the series because it's Just. So. Good. He's an explorer, she's a woman who can't abide by society's rules, and they're stuck in a castle together. It's basically perfect, and very, very sexy.

Laine and Meg like good guys working for corrupt institutions and the women who seek to broaden their world views. We also would have liked some train sex.

Laine and Meg enjoyed this short flashback to how two characters from "Beguiling the Beauty" first met. We were left wanting more, but this is a fun and free add on to a good book.

Meg and Laine both really liked reading about these enemies coming around to one another while forced to attend double weddings and resisting their attraction. Sexy limps are all the rage.

The Widow of Rose House is a gilded age ghost story/romance with a perfect hero. We both had some (different) issues with the ghost plot, but none with the romance unless you count wanting more of it as a problem. We recommend this book, especially if you're looking for a seasonally appropriate romance.

The first third of this book has a rich cast, hilarious duel plot lines, and a flirtatious couple being compromised which was all pretty great. The back end of the book is less interesting and a lot more formulaic. Worth a read if you know you love Quick.

This book mixes the lore of Arthur with the origin of vampires in a very cool way, and has a fun and sexy main couple. The only BIG downer is that she's dying of cancer and you really can't forget it.

Pandora's Bottle is a magical take on the straight-laced guy with a wild side trope with a plot that's mostly spoiled by the book jacket. Cute concepts that could've used some extra pages to develop and an editor catching problematic language.

We continue our Halloween reads with Tangled Dreams, where ghosts enable kinky mind reading sex to facilitate their ability to move on. Too bad consent and consistent characterization were in such short supply.

The fifth meeting of the Lord Ingram appreciation society has officially convened. We do leave room to talk about well crafted mysteries, amazing character development, and the fact that were both (sigh) a little tired of Moriarty.