Hey Reader Friends!
Due to “the horrors,” I have had no desire to write or post things. However, if the horrors are going to persist, then so shall I! (Thanks to whichever person on the internet said that first.) I have two historical reads to share with you today–one is definitely romance, and the other is more romance-adjacent. My goal this year is to promote more historical novels, and I’m so excited to talk about these too. As an added bonus, both have fantasy elements!
Confounding Oaths by Alexis Hall
Thanks to Netgalley and Ballantine for a free digital copy in exchange for an honest review. This book is available now!
I LOVE Alexis Hall’s books. I’ve adored every single one I have read, and Confounding Oaths is no exception. This novel takes place after the events of Hall’s Mortal Follies (one of my favorite books of 2024), and while you could probably get away with reading this one first, I will always recommend reading the books in order. Oaths is a MM romance filled with magic, stress, pining, more magic, fairy bargains, and the best narrator of them all: our mischievous Puck of A Midsummer’s Night Dream fame.
Our main character is Mr. John Caesar, and his growth throughout the book is one of my favorite things. He’s dealing with a lot, and even when he manages to muck things up, I love that his love and devotion to his family always comes through.
I recommend it for readers of romance, historical romance, fantasy, etc!
Strange Beasts by Susan J. Morris
Thanks to NetGalley and Bindery Books for this free digital copy in exchange for an honest review. This book is available now!
Okay, so this book is cool. Imagine the worlds of Sherlock Holmes and Dracula are real and overlap. Then imagine that the daughter of Mina and Johnathan Harker and the daughter of the notorious Professor Moriarty had to team up to uncover the person or creature behind horrific murders in Paris. Add in some alchemy, sapphic tension, monsters, and some not-so-secret societies, and you have…Strange Beasts.
I thoroughly enjoyed this novel. It was engaging from start to finish, and the setting of early 1900s Paris was amazing, particularly because I read this after visiting Paris! Samantha Harker and Helena Moriarty are fascinating, and the mystery kept me guessing all the way through.
I really hope there is at least one more book to come because I would love to be immersed in their world again! I know I titled this post as “Historical Romance” but this one definitely has more hints of romance rather than it being a main aspect of the story. Just FYI!
That’s it for today, friends! I’m hoping to be back with some more book talk later this week!
The Bookish Bird 