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Well, I’m back with another deal.

The Soulmate Equation by Christina Lauren is $2.99 today, wherever you find ebooks. ( Amazon | Kobo )

I don’t particularly care for Christina Lauren’s books, but I know a lot of people love them and this is their newest release, so I thought some people might like to know.

The ebook of Seven Days in June by Tia Williams is on sale today--$6.99, down from $13.99.

I know I've seen this one recommended a lot so passing it along in case you don't want to wait for a 27-week library hold to come through. ;)

I noticed Kennedy Ryan's Queen Move was on sale for $1 - thoughts from those who've read it?

https://www.amazon.ca/Queen-Move-All-Kings-Book-ebook/dp/B086R7S4GX

As others have mentioned, Hatoful Boyfriend is a hilarious and well written otome - it really made me love chukar partridges.

In a similar vein, there is also My Horse Prince, which definitely speaks for itself lol

It's too soon for her to write about Midnights, but author LJ Evans' books are all inspired by songs and she's a HUGE Swiftie. Her first book, My Life as a Country Album was inspired by the TS song Begin Again.

Fair warning if you read it though, it's SUPER emotional >!it involves the death of the guy you think is her MMC!<

SALE: $1.99

For anyone looking to pick up Fire Season by KD Casey — an MM baseball romance featuring a two bi MCs, Judaism, roommates/teammates, and mental health/addiction — after it was listed as one of New York Times (aka Olivia Waite’s) best romances of the year, wait no longer.

For anyone whose interest was struck by our covers conversations Tessa Dare’s Romancing the Duke is on sale for $1.99

Falling for the Enemy by Katie Golding is currently free. Per Twitter marketing: you’ve got mail, rival music execs, no third act breakup, high heat with bondage/pegging/ etc

I haven’t read this, but I the first book in the series, The Forever Night Stand, was a 4 star for me. It was fun and sexy, even if it was frustrating in its Chekhov’s sex toys (mentioned loads of fun stuff, but didn’t show all of it!). Fingers crossed this second one doesn’t fall into the same trap.

Two new releases this week I wasn’t expecting and am SUPER excited for!

A Garter as a Lesser Gift by Aster Glenn Grey, which is a WW2-set retelling of Gawain and the Green Knight as an MMF romance??? Yes please.

Simon and the Sasquatch by Daphne Green is the forest-set (standalone) followup to Yuri and the Yeti that I didn’t know I needed.

📣 Mia Vincy’s latest book, A Scandalous Kind of Duke has a release date of Sept 22, 2022 and is now available for pre-order!

A Walrus and a Gentleman by Emmaline strange — one of my absolute favorite SFF romance novellas, between an artist and a Scottish lighthouse keeper/walrus shifter — is currently free. Highly recommend!

US Amazon link

This book is so bonkers, I thought it belonged here:

Conquered by Clippy: An Erotic Short Story by Leonard Delaney

Seems like the main pairing is uh.... a human female with the Microsoft assistant Clippy? Who is named as Clippy? Can Microsoft sue for this?

Here's a sample of the reviews:

One of the dumbest things I've ever purchased, 10/10
It's literally a stupid story about a Lara croft rip-off getting plowed by clippy... It was the single dumbest thing I've ever read. And that's exactly what I expected it to be, I'm guessing the author wrote it in a matter of hours and laughs uncontrollably whenever a copy is sold. Bravo sir, bravo.

Just buy it, you goof.
I feel like this is probably written by a legitimate author who was frustrated with what sells and said, "I could write some Clippy erotica and I bet people would eat it up." It's very funny (and erotic, obviously). I laughed out loud many times. Don't be a tightwad, just buy it and satisfy your curiosity.

Perfect Strangers by J.T. Geissinger She wrote one of my all time favorites (Melt for You), so when this came out and had a bunch of positive reviews I snatched it up, and HATED it.
The story starts of fine, veers a bit in the middle, has a HUGE twist near the end and just when you start to wrap your head around it - BAM - another twist. It's debatable as to whether or not it ends in an HEA too. I vote no, but many people say that it does.
I've never seen anyone who just kinda liked it, it's all either love or hate.

Looks like more Kindle deals are live pre Prime Day! Oasis bundle here - the 8GB is down to about $200 including a cover @lavalampgold

Pretty Pretty Boys (Hazard and Somerset #1) by Gregory Ashe

Free to buy on Amazon. It's the first book in a 6-book series. It's angsty, covers some pretty heavy topics (check CWs) and is a MM romantic suspense. Can't be read as a standalone, so be ready for an addicting (sloooow burn) series! Love Ashe's writing.

Blurb:

After Emery Hazard loses his job as a detective in Saint Louis, he heads back to his hometown--and to the local police force there. Home, though, brings no happy memories, and the ghosts of old pain are very much alive in Wahredua. Hazard’s new partner, John-Henry Somerset, had been one of the worst tormentors, and Hazard still wonders what Somerset’s role was in the death of Jeff Langham, Hazard’s first boyfriend.

When a severely burned body is discovered, Hazard finds himself drawn deeper into the case than he expects. Determining the identity of the dead man proves impossible, and solving the murder grows more and more unlikely. But as the city’s only gay police officer, Hazard is placed at the center of a growing battle between powerful political forces. To his surprise, Hazard finds an unlikely ally in his partner, the former bully. And as they spend more time together, something starts to happen between them, something that Hazard can’t--and doesn’t want--to explain.

The discovery of a second mutilated corpse, though, reveals clues that the two murders are linked, and as Hazard gets closer to answers, he uncovers a conspiracy of murder and betrayal that goes deeper--and closer to home--than he could ever expect.

This journey started with my sourdough smelling like a sour dream and Clair Saffitz's recipe (on youtube). Great crumb, no ear, no sour. Here is where I learned that final prooving for over 2 hours is best. I worked on this recipe for a few loaves, and it's fine. I use white flour, white bread flour and wheat. Sometimes I use yeast as well (gasps - I know!) for the rise because the internet said a lot of bakeries do this anyways? At this point my starter was fed with just white flour.

I moved onto the mixed flour loaf from this cookbook and I like the crumb A LOT but not the rise or the flavor. Got an ear tho! I tried mostly white flour on my second loaf of this one and not as good as more wheat. Still the starter was all white.

We arrive at the High Altitude recipe I've been using for the past couple weeks to the letter. Still using white, wheat, and white bread flour. I've started feeding my starter with half white and half wheat flour last weekish, and the smell has improved to more sourness, and the crumb has been good - not great - and I can't get an ear. This has been my most successful recipe to date (even with adding yeast)!

Enter, this weekend's loaf. No yeast. Mostly wheat and white bread flour. I'll shape it tomorrow morning and bake it tomorrow afternoon/evening but I'm finding that 8 hours is too long to proof with this recipe I think...so maybe 4.

My general baking method is the dutch oven at 450, covered for 25 minutes, uncovered at 425 for another 25 minutes.

I use a dough hook to knead the dough for 10 minutes as well, no matter the recipe at this point.

I think I need too switch over to HR once I finish my current read. Reading contemporaries is messing with my head right now (currently drafting). I've never had this happen to me before, but I'm definitely in my head about writing this summer, which is very much not me!

So far, I've really loved what I've read of Tessa Dare and Lisa Kleypas. I'd love to add some more diverse HR authors to my shelves. Any recs?

Also, I'm teaching creative writing next semester and have been reading a book called The Anti-Racist Writing Workshop and it is SO good and thought provoking. I recommend it not just for writing instructors, but anyone in education (or anyone who writes or reads) or, you know, just anyone.

How to Bang a Billionaire by Alexis Hall is on sale on Amazon in the US for .99, for those who may be interested. Also B&N and Kobo, if you prefer those.

Vibe: vacation starts Friday, just trying to make it through four days of work and make it onto the plane with everything we need!

Reading: I’ve fallen into a historical rabbit hole recently, so I just finished The Perks of Loving a Wallflower and went back to get The Duke Heist from the library. I also just started a KU trial so I’m looking for recommendations - historical, contemporary, I’m open to suggestions!

I want to have some IRL fun where I display absolutely no shame about reading this sort of thing in the break room at work: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Mandy-Tentacle-Monster-Oomons-Book-ebook/dp/B08YD67Y6W

I would say "it's an exploration of cultural differences and dislocation from the familiar" ;-)

Today, I finished "Viking King's Vendetta" by Sky Purington. It was listed as #1 in its series (Viking Ancestors: Rise of the Dragon). The blurb didn't say anything about it being a spin-off series but I'm fairly certain it is.

It drops you into the lore without any introductions, plus the author seems to have a number of other series that are related due to their similar titles.

I could have checked the author page to see if they had spin-off series but I feel like that's something a reader shouldn't have to do. The author should just list that it's a spin-off in the blurb, or maybe even give a reading list of how to work one's way through the different series.

1) Don't care if they mock you - they are lame.

2) I dare you to buy the paperback of this and take it into work and read it with no comment ;-) https://www.amazon.co.uk/Mandy-Tentacle-Monster-Oomons-Book-ebook/dp/B08YD67Y6W

Also the above book - the titular Tentacle Monster is a very present partner and father. And he changes colour with his emotions which is cool.

Last week I learned that one of my dear fandom friends has just put out a new book, which is extremely exciting because I've been reading her fic for years. So I ordered the paperback (I haven't got a Kindle), and it arrived yesterday, and that's when I realized that two other dear fandom friends were involved in the cover design and the cover art!

Idk, I'm just sitting here feeling extremely warm&fuzzy over internet friends all supporting one another. Hooray fandom!! Hooray internet communities!!!

loovvveee The Captain's Lady 🍒🥰✨✨

( u/eros_bittersweet 😘)

also....if you are looking for Dark and dirty....with pirates...try Sea of Ruin by Pam Godwin...there is a Must read chapter/novella pre-quel that is for free to get a taste...(it really is a must read for some character insight) King of Libertines

I'm on a reading upswing at the moment, so I've actually been looking at my BookBub emails instead of deleting them. Authors (or PR people/agents maybe?) PLEASE stop putting how many Goodreads reviews you have in the blurb. I will absolutely not buy your book because of it. I know that's petty, but I hates it, precious.

If anyone is interested in space non-fiction, my favorite space journalist has a great book about the early days of SpaceX and the Kindle edition is only $1.99 at least in the US. It's very well written and although obviously talks a lot about Musk, it focuses more on the team than him. Link

I finally caved and watched Ted Lasso this weekend. It's super charming and one of the relationships is textbook sunshine/grumpy and I love it. I may have to stay subscribed for a couple months to watch the rest of this season.