It’s only the beginning of February and I already have several 5 stars reads under my belt for 2023. I’ll have reviews closer to release dates, but I wanted to give y’all a heads-up so you can put them all on your TBR.
The Secret Lives of Country Gentlemen by KJ Charles- 3/7
I just finished this yesterday and couldn’t help but gush about it for hours to friends and fellow readers. It’s just so damn good. I mean all of KJ Charles’s books are fantastic, but this one just hit me right in the feels.
The MCs are total opposites- one is a charming smuggler with a big family to support and lots of experience being in charge, and the other is a man with little family who doesn’t have any close relationships until he inherits an estate from his estanged father.
Here’s a snippet of my upcoming review:
The main plot arc was highly original and well done. There are several villains here, all working together and Joss and Gareth are caught in the middle. The setting of the marsh, full of country gentry and smugglers just trying to make a living during the hostility with France, was fascinating to me. Throw in some quiet, contemplative walkabouts with our MCs looking for beetles and newts while getting to know each other, then falling quite in love and I was a goner. The HEA for this couple was just about perfect. I can’t wait to read the next book in the series, especially after learning who will be one of the main characters.
Make sure this one is on your TBR.
Happy Place by Emily Henry- 4/25
I loved this second chance, close proximity, found family romance. Emily Henry is always on my must-read list after her last several releases, but I really feel like this is one of my favorites that she’s written. This is the story about a couple who both end up on a friends group vacation having to pretend to still be together so as to not ruin this special trip.
But it’s really about so much more.
Here’s a snippet of my review:
Ultimately, this is not just a novel about romantic love, but about friendship. And this author writes those relationships so well. There are so many beautiful moments. It is also about growing apart, finding your way back to each other, and breaking out of the shell you’ve encased yourself in to discover your true happiness, regardless of how you were raised or the traumas of your past. There are some deeper themes, but quite a few fun, lighter moments as well.
Did I mention this is her sexiest novel to date? So much sexual tension, omg.
The Carnivale of Curiosities by Amiee Gibb- 7/11
This book completely took me by surprise. This historical fantasy, by a debut author no less, is full of complex themes and worldbuilding, a fabulous cast of nuanced characters, magic, intrigue, and murder. Amiee Gibbs knocked it out of the park. I haven’t written my review yet, I’m still thinking about how to do so without gushing over and over about how much I loved it.
Check out the blurb:
A dazzling gothic tale of Faustian bargains, jealousy, and murder set in a spectacular circus, where star-crossed lovers’ destinies are forged at an unexpected price, for readers of V. E. Schwab’s The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue.
In Victorian London, where traveling sideshows are the very pinnacle of entertainment, there is no more coveted ticket than Ashe and Pretorius’ Carnivale of Curiosities. Each performance is a limited engagement, and London’s elite boldly dare the dangerous streets of Southwark to witness the Carnivale’s astounding assemblage of marvels. For a select few, however, the real show begins behind the curtain. Rumors abound that the show’s proprietor, Aurelius Ashe, is more than an average magician. It’s said that for the right price, he can make any wish come true. No one knows the truth of this claim better than Lucien the Lucifer, the Carnivale’s star attraction. Born with the ability to create fire, he’s dazzled spectators since he was a boy.
When Odilon Rose, one of the most notorious men in London, comes calling with a proposition regarding his young and beautiful charge, Charlotte, Ashe is tempted to refuse. After revealing, however, that Rose holds a secret that threatens the security of the troupe’s most vulnerable members, Ashe has no choice but to sign an insidious contract.
The stakes grow higher as Lucien finds himself drawn to Charlotte and her to him, an attraction that spurs a perilous course of events. Grave secrets, recovered horrors, and what it means to be family come to a head in this vividly imagined spectacle—with the lives of all those involved suspended in the balance.
I absolutely loved it.
Wow, thanks for this. These all look delightful.
What a great idea! Thank you for the heads up.
Some very tempting choices, Angela! Thank you.