definitely, possibly, maybe

the second book in the albin academy series is just as deeply emotional as the first. just like this  features total opposites rian and damon joining forces to help a struggling student. they are from completely different backgrounds and do not expect to find the common ground and connection they discover as they work together. for a category romance, this novel packs in a lot of depth and feels into the shorter format. the slow burn really allows the love story to develop organically, and you really end up feeling the strength of the connection between the characters.  **just like this will publish on november 24, 2020. i received an advance reader copy courtesy of netgalley/carina press (adores) in exchange with my honest review. 

the thing i enjoy about watson's stories is that they take place outside of the usual historical time periods, this sixteenth century highland tale is a delight. i'm a sucker for an enemies-to-lovers story, and twelfth knight's bride  is just the thing.  set over christmas, james and aileana have to come to terms with their marriage and each other, seriously these two have chemistry in spades. overall this story is sweet and lovely with just the perfect amount of spark.  **twelfth knight's bride will publish on november 17, 2020. i received an advance reader copy courtesy of netgalley/entangled publishing (scandalous) in exchange for an honest review.

the truth about dukes  is the latest installment in the rogues to riches series, and while it stands alone, it really is best read in concert with previous books in the series. our hero, robert rothmere, has epilepsy, or the falling sickness as it was known at the time. institutionalized by his father and forced to undergo so many inhumane treatments, when he is found to be alive by his brother he is brought back to society to take his rightful place as duke of rothhaven. because he is at constant risk of being declared incompetent, he decides he needs to marry a paragon for a wife, and he is drawn to constance wentworth. little does he know that her veneer of placidity hides the fact that they met as teens in the very asylum he was sent to, she was avoiding unpleasant family circumstances. she also harbors a scandalous secret. anyway, they overcome all odds, and it's a romance so everyone lives happily ever after. this lacked some real sparks for me, it's a quiet romance and a...

so while a lady's guide to mischief and mayhem is not solely a mystery, it's more mystery than romance. but in a way that really works for this victorian set novel. the blurb comps it to evie dunmore, but i think this is closer in feel and appeal to the veronica speedwell novels by deanna raybourn. it almost feels like these two main characters could continue to headline the series, though in that regard these books will follow the romance model and focus on a different set of characters for subsequent stories in the series. the main characters here, katherine bascomb and andrew eversham are at odds as a journalist and detective respectively. a series of murders has captured kate's interest and she feels it is her moral duty to warn others, especially women, of the crimes. but in the strait-laced society she inhabits, it is frowned upon for a woman to discuss unpleasant things.  eversham sees her more as a nuisance getting in the way of his investigation, he's not enti...

i'm used to marissa meyer writing more on the science fiction/fantasy spectrum, so i was intrigued by this contemporary story. but instant karma  does have a touch of fantasy. i'm just not sure the concept was executed successfully. one big issue is that the story appropriates indian/hindu culture, going so far as to have an illustrated cover that implies the main characters are persons of color when they're actually as white as can be.  i know there is debate about #ownvoices, but when a white author repeatedly uses diverse perspectives that do not reflect her own experience for her characters' voices that starts to feel exploitative. and maybe if the main character weren't so judgmental and more sympathetic this would all be less problematic, but plotwise it's where the book falls down.  that being said, the narration here is spot on. rebecca soler does a fantastic job voicing a diverse group of characters and does a great job of distinguishing their voices wi...