What I’m reading: If the Villainess and Villain Met and Fell in Love (Light Novel), Vol. 1 by Harunadon SOMETIMES FIRE AND ICE ARE PERFECT FOR EACH OTHER. Brigitte Meidell belongs to a noble family, which means high expectations were placed upon her spirit contract. However, her bonded spirit turned out to be a weak no-name, and ever since, she has been a source of shame to her family. She thought her engagement to the prince would turn her life around, but when he publicly breaks off their relationship, she finds herself alone again. After her haughty, villainous behavior as the prince’s bride-to-be, no one shows her much sympathy―except for the duke’s son Yuri, who attends the same magic academy. Yuri is feared for his incredible abilities and icy personality, but with him on her side, her fortunes might have changed... I read this book last month but forgot to post about it. I absolutely love this series! The heroine has such a deep backstory and a plausible reason for her previ...

At the moment, I’m reading the Chinese fantasy series, A Thousand Li by Tao Wong, set in a version of historical China. It’s what’s called a “Cultivation” novel where the character does some woo-woo stuff and moves energy around in his body and eventually is able to do some cool magic. I didn’t expect to like this series so much! The first book is a little weaker compared to the next several volumes, but it’s still very enjoyable, and I was hooked pretty easily. I’m listening to it on audiobook, and the narrator, Travis Baldree, is AMAZING! He does the Chinese names really well, and the different voices are fantastic. What are you reading today?

Have you read any good books lately? I feel like I’ve hit a reading slump. I read a book that was okay, but not good enough to keep reading the series, and I read the latest volumes in a few series I had previously enjoyed, but the plots were becoming tedious and uninteresting, and I’m not sure if I’ll keep reading the series. Right now I’m reading the Witcher series by Andrzej Sapkowski (I hope I spelled that right), and while the prose can be quite beautiful at times, I’m not nuts about his tendency to tell the story by flipping back and forth in time. Maybe I’m just getting old, but it’s hard to keep track of what’s happening. Plus it’s extremely violent, and while I’m pretty tolerant of that kind of stuff, it’s right on the edge of my comfort level. So what are you reading? Comment below.

Young Lady Albert Is Courting Disaster: Volume 1 Currently I’m re-reading this volume because volume 2 just released, and it’s just as funny the second time around! The book often has hilarious one-liners that make me burst out laughing. Mary Albert herself is a kook and despite the fact she’s trying to be a villainess, she keeps doing nice things for the air-headed heroine. Her relationship with her servant is full of sniping (like two siblings) and at times rather sweet. It’s set in an alternate world, so it’s not really historical, but the story is like a fantasy aristocratic setting. What are you reading today?

Accel World by Reki Kawahara I’m re-reading this light novel series since the next volume comes out next month. The same author wrote the series Sword Art Online , and even though I like that series a lot, I didn’t immediately start reading this one because the hero didn’t sound all that interesting. But one day after devouring the latest Sword Art Online volume and needing to wait for the next installment, I decided to start on Accel World since I enjoy the author’s writing style. I was pleasantly surprised to find that the hero was absolutely adorable! He’s incredibly kind and brave despite his low self-esteem, and he has a very positive mentality that makes him admirable. I gobbled this series up. I wish the author would write in this series faster than he does. (There is some cussing in this series.) Is there a book you enjoyed reading recently?

I admit this isn’t a Regency romance, but if you like fantasy with your historical romance, you might like this series. It’s about a woman from modern day Japan who is reincarnated as a noblewoman in a fantasy world with magic and monsters. She’s sent into a “white marriage” that will be annulled in 2 years, but her intelligence and modern sensibilities cause her to make more of an impact on the king than he expected. Since he’s used to being on guard for poison, he has lost any pleasure in food, but her culinary delights bring him surprising enjoyment. Book 5 in the series came out a few weeks ago, but I decided to re-read the earlier books since it’s been a year since the last volume. It’s a sweet and fluffy read, and I thoroughly enjoy it. Since I Was Abandoned After Reincarnating, I Will Cook With My Fluffy Friends: The Figurehead Queen Is Strongest At Her Own Pace, Vol.1 Have you read anything good lately?

Now that I’ve been preparing for the release of Lady Wynwood’s Spies, volume 6: Martyr this week, I’ve had more time for reading. What good books have you read lately? My recommendation is The Challengers by Grace Livingston Hill. I actually re-read this book a while ago and always intended to blog about it, but forgot until now. I had enjoyed this book before but didn’t remember the plot line, so I read it again and enjoyed it just as much, if not more. The book is set in the late 1920s (or thereabouts) so the writing style and the setting is America after World War I and before World War II begins. I loved the growth of the characters and how they overcame intense hardships, and how God worked miracles in their lives in response to prayer. It’s a sort of Cinderella story, with the entire family as “Cinderella.” You can read it for free on Archive.org . If you want to buy it, I’m disappointed that the Barbour Books edition isn’t available on Amazon anymore, but it’s still ...

What are you reading today? Today I’m actually listening to an audiobook, He Who Fights With Monsters book 8 , because book 9 came out today and I’m refreshing my memory before diving into the new book. I was pleasantly surprised when I took a chance on this series and thoroughly enjoyed it. It’s LitRPG but not quite as numbers-heavy as other LitRPG series, and the characters are absolutely wonderful. The hero is a funny, decent guy who encounters intense conflict as his adventures take massive twists and turns. He becomes a little bit of an anti-hero as a result of how he is betrayed in later books, but the story never becomes too dark. This is also one of those series where the audiobook is ten times better than just the ebook. The narrator, Heath Miller, really makes the characters come alive, and the dialogue is so much funnier when spoken in his native Australian accent. There isn’t any graphic sex but there is cussing. If you don’t mind that, the story really pulls you i...

What are you reading today? I’m reading the latest volume in the Japanese light novel series (translated into English), Infinite Dendrogram by Sakon Kaidou . It’s a LitRPG or Gamelit series, and if you enjoyed Sword Art Online, you might like this series. The story is about a college student in a full-dive virtual reality role-playing game, and there’s nothing deadly about the game itself, but it soon becomes obvious that the game world is not what it seems. The hero is just an overall nice guy, which makes me root for him. What are you reading?

Talk of the Town by Joan Smith Daphne Ingleside’s visit to her Aunt Effie in London was meant to add a little spark to her placid country life. And it did—once the two women decided to write Effie’s memoirs. For Effie, a faded divorcée, had been the beauty of London in her day, and many of the ton feared their misbehavior would be disclosed. The Duke of St. Felix, misinterpreting their project as a means of blackmailing his family, antagonized the sharp-witted, beautiful Daphne to his peril. Regency Romance by Joan Smith; originally published by Fawcett *** I first read this Regency romance years ago in mass market paperback and remember liking it. But when I saw that the author released it on ebook, I found that I didn’t remember the story at all, so I decided to re-read it. It was just as enjoyable the second time around. This story is full of witty banter and is a light, cute comedy of manners. I like how forthright the heroine is, although her tongue is at times a trifle...

There are several light novel series where I’m always anxiously awaiting the next volume to come out, and one of them is this series, Ascendance of a Bookworm by Miya Kazuki. As of right now, this is my #1 favorite series across all genres that I read, and since I read so much, I think that’s saying a lot. This is a fantasy isekai story, where the consciousness of a modern Japanese woman is transferred to a girl in a fantasy world with monsters and magic. Here’s the back cover description of book 1: A certain college girl who's loved books ever since she was a little girl dies in an accident and is reborn in another world she knows nothing about. She is now Myne, the sickly five-year-old daughter of a poor soldier. To make things worse, the world she's been reborn in has a very low literacy rate and books mostly don't exist. She'd have to pay an enormous amount of money to buy one. Myne resolves herself: If there aren't any books, she'll just have to make...

I just read this really delightful Regency romance and wanted to share about it, especially because it’s available to read for free online at Archive.org. Here’s the back cover blurb: The Varleigh Medallion by Sylvia Thorpe When little Theodore Mallory inherited Garth House from an aged and distant relative, it seemed to his eldest sister, Dione, the answer to many problems. Against all advice, she persuaded her widowed mother to remove the family from the luxurious London home where they were living on the charity of rich reltaions and to set up house at their newly acquired property in the country. But Garth House was not quite what Dione had expected. And though she possessed a happy facility for making the best of things, she would have found it difficult without the encouragement and advice fo their neighbor, Sir Greydon Varleigh, with whom she struck up a prompt and satisfying friendship. Sir Greydon, however, had problems of his own, not the least of which were a matchm...

I’m going to say it: this is one of my absolute favorite series of all time. It ranks up there with Dragonsong and Dragonsinger , when I thought there couldn’t ever be a book I liked as well as those two. I’m not sure exactly why I love this series so much, but maybe because I like the hero (Geary) and heroine (Desjani) quite a bit. The story conflict is also compelling and makes me root for him all the more, and there are moments of humor to lighten the mood. Here’s the back cover blurb for The Lost Fleet: Dauntless , book 1 in the series: The Alliance has been fighting the Syndics for a century, and losing badly. Now its fleet is crippled and stranded in enemy territory. Their only hope is a man who has emerged from a century-long hibernation to find he has been heroically idealized beyond belief. Captain John "Black Jack" Geary's legendary exploits are known to every schoolchild. Revered for his heroic "last stand" in the early days of the war, he wa...

This is a fantasy light novel series that has become one of my current favorite series. Here’s the back cover description for book 1: Berserk of Gluttony (Light Novel) Vol. 1 Fate Graphite is one of the forsaken. Cursed with the skill "Gluttony," he is ever starving, never sated...until the day he kills a dying thief and devours the man's strength--and his soul. The true hunger of Fate's Gluttony has awakened, and if he can learn to control his power, he will at last be the master of his own destiny. *** I absolutely loved this from the moment I first read the sample because it showed a weak hero who does the right thing and as a consequence overcomes his obstacles. I loved how, although he was so weak and bullied, he made the decision to help the heroine despite the fact it was dangerous, and thus he was able to activate his secret skill and become super-strong (although not all at once). He’s also fundamentally a really nice person—too often in these type...

This is a light novel fantasy romance series that I absolutely LOVE and I wish it would come out with volumes sooner! The Saint's Magic Power is Omnipotent (Light Novel) Vol. 1 This is Not the Saint You're Looking For Could workaholic office lady Sei be a legendary Saint? Not according to the crown prince of another world who summoned her and quickly declared a different girl was the real Saint! That suits Sei just fine--she would much rather spend her days quietly helping people with her unbelievably powerful magic. But how long can Sei live her ideal life of leisure before her true nature is revealed? Camy: When I first picked this book up, it was because of a recommendation on Kobo, and I’m SO glad I did! I read the sample and was completely hooked. I bought the first book and absolutely devoured it. I then bought books 2 and 3 the same day I finished book 1. I really love how the heroine is extremely pragmatic. She’s a working women (in Japan they call them “offi...

I have to confess, I’m a HUGE sucker for fantasy romance light novels. They’re fantasy novels that tend to not take themselves seriously (as opposed to more serious fantasy like Brandon Sanderson or Game of Thrones), and the romance is light, fluffy, and frothy (if it were possible for romance to be all three at once). One such fantasy romance light novel series (which has been translated into English) is  The Emperor’s Lady-in-Waiting Is Wanted as a Bride: Volume 1 by Kanata Satsuki. There’s only 2 books in the series so far, but I really enjoyed them a lot. Here’s the back cover description for book 1 in the series: Qatora was once a valiant knight of the Razanate Empire who gave her life to protect a young imperial noble. The tragedy cast her into the primordial Light of Origin, which not only revealed to her a dangerous secret... but also reincarnated her! She now lives as Lyse Winslette, the humble daughter of a poor baron in a neighboring country, who is doing everything i...

I had a lot of health issues for almost all of August and about half of September, and I’m still struggling with IBS. The only thing I could do to get my mind off the pain and nausea was to read, so I ended up reading a bunch of books on my TBR pile. I read a lot of really excellent books and thought I’d blog about them (since I wasn’t getting any work done while I was sick). Today I’m blogging about The Apothecary Diaries: Volume 1 (Light Novel) , the first book in a light novel series. I actually read the first book in this series a while ago, but the 3rd volume just came out and I pretty much devoured it. This has become one of my favorite series lately. It’s a novel series set in historical China, but since it’s a light novel series, it’s not the same tone as a typical English-language novel set in historical China. It’s actually rather light-hearted at times and with a kind of magical atmosphere to the story that sucks you in. Here’s the back cover description for book 1: ...

The Black Midnight (True Colors Book 7) Two Series of Murders Seem Mysteriously Connected Step into True Colors -- a series of Historical Stories of Romance and American Crime Could a series of murders in London in 1889 be related to unsolved murders in Austin, Texas, 1884? Queen Victoria wants to know and asks her granddaughter—who left the queen’s good graces by going off to America to become a Pinkerton agent—to quietly look for any connection. The catch is the queen doesn’t want her to do it alone. Alice Anne must find her former Pinkerton agent partner—now an attorney in Austin—and enlist him in the hunt. As the pair get closer to finding their suspect, their lives become endangered, but they refuse to be intimidated. Can this case be solved? Camy here: I have to admit upfront, I'm a huge fan of Kathleen Y'Barbo. There's something about her writing style that always completely engages me from the first page. This book was no different. She hooked me as soon...

A Portrait of Loyalty (The Codebreakers Book 3) Zivon Marin was one of Russia's top cryptographers, until the October Revolution tore apart his world. Forced to flee after speaking out against Lenin and separated from his brother along the way, he arrives in England driven by a growing anger and determined to offer his services to the Brits. Lily Blackwell sees the world best through the lens of a camera--and possesses unsurpassed skill when it comes to retouching and recreating photographs. With her father's connections in propaganda, she's recruited to the intelligence division, even though her mother would disapprove. After Captain Blackwell invites Zivon to dinner one evening, a friendship blooms between him and Lily. He sees patterns in what she deems chaos; she sees beauty in a world he thought destroyed. But both have secrets they're unwilling to share. When her photographs reveal that someone has been following Zivon, his loyalties are called into question...

The London Restoration In post-World War II London, determined to save their marriage and the city they love, two people divided by World War II's secrets rebuild their lives, their love, and their world. London, Fall 1945. Architectural historian Diana Somerville's experience as a codebreaker at Bletchley Park and her knowledge of London's churches intersect in MI6's pursuit of a Russian agent named Eternity. Diana wants nothing more than to begin again with her husband Brent after their separation during the war, but her signing of the Official Secrets Act keeps him at a distance. Brent Somerville, professor of theology at King's College, hopes aiding his wife with her church consultations will help him better understand why she disappeared when he needed her most. But he must find a way to reconcile his traumatic experiences as a stretcher bearer on the European front with her obvious lies about her wartime activities and whereabouts. Camy here: This wa...