June 2021 Reading Roundup

A Wolf in Duke's Clothing by Susanna Allen ☆ ☆ ☆ ☆ ☆

I had heard great things about this book, though I personally found it to be a middling romance. The premise was fun, supernatural romances are my jam, but all together I found the book to be a little slow. Much time was spent explaining details that could have been hand-waved away via the mythos, while the plot was still conveniently rushed.

The Duke Heist by Erica Ridley ☆ ☆ ☆ ☆ ☆

This one was a solid enemies to lovers romance that weaves in some spy vs. spy action quite deftly. As a premise for the series, the Wynchesters offer many great opportunities for equally great books. I am excited to read more in this series.

A Highlander Walks Into a Bar by Laura Trentham ☆ ☆ ☆ ☆ ☆

An enjoyable contemporary romance that hits all the high notes that romance readers enjoy.  My major critique is that the conflict doesn't actually create any plot development.  The resolution could have happened without devoting time to the behind-the scenes secrets and angst. 

This Earl of Mine by Kate Bateman ☆ ☆ ☆ ☆ ☆

Now this is what I mean when I say I love the romance genre. A ll the delicious tropes, strong women, hot heroes, humor and happily ever afters. If I gush too much there will be spoilers, but suffice to say, this was a great read!

Neon Gods by Katee Robert ☆ ☆ ☆ ☆ ☆

Another book that received rave reviews and was heralded as "like the smuttiest smut that ever smutted" that didn't hit the mark for me. I liked the world that was built and the framework that was set up for the series, but the main relationship just wasn't that interesting. I feel like this one falls into the "50 Shades" phenomenon in that many readers know so little about the kink community that even the most bland of sex feels racy when you label someone a dom. I will however stick with this series since I think it has some real potential and is a solid fantasy romance if you just ignore the perception that it is edgy.

The Lady and the Orc by Finley Fenn ☆ ☆ ☆ ☆ ☆

TickTok readers got a hold of Ice Planet Barbarians by Ruby Dixon and suddenly the recommendations for "monster fucker" literature have flooded the airways. This series was mentioned many times so off I went. It was just not great. The main characters were both lackluster, 95% of the conflict got hand-waved away by the mythical orc-appeal (so why have it? I don't know.) and the remaining plot failed to be super interesting despite an impressive effort made in the world building re: the mountain world of the Orcs.