1. Babel-17 by Samuel R. Delany, 311p: This is a book ahead of its time, with a strong and intelligent main female character. It's weird and bizarre, with psychedelic vibes. It's full of interesting ideas: neurolinguistic programming, language being used as weapon, polyamorous ship navigators, discorporate people, pilots good at wrestling. It's queer-norm, it is cyberpunk before cyberpunk was a thing. It has an anti-war message, illustrated brilliantly in the weapons gallery scene (if you know, you know). Also, that dinner party scene: I never read something so intense and vivid. This book feels remarkably new and modern even though it was written in 1966. I missed some more character development and more information about the Invaders. The writing style was not exactly my cup of tea, it had highs and lows for me.

2. The Brush of Black Wings (Master of Crows #2) by Grace Draven, 135p: I wanted to read this novella because it's the sequel of a book that I love: Master of Crows. But this novella did not measure up to the previous book. The mystery plot was not interesting enough, and it was too easy to predict the ending.

3. Diplomatic Immunity (Vorkosigan Saga (Publication Order) #13) by Lois McMaster Bujold, 320p: We start with an older Miles and Ekaterin, in their honeymoon, getting into a messy investigation of a man disappearance in the Quaddiespace. Also: scary biological weapons, station lockdowns and mysteries unravelled. We meet again Bel Thorne, former pilot in the Dendarii Free Mercenaries and our favourite hermaphrodite. I liked the contrast of the different cultures: the quaddies focus on work and the Barrayarans focused on honour. The stakes are high, I wasn't prepared for all the tension! Another book with excellent pacing and good climax.

4. The Thursday Murder Club (A Thursday Murder Club Mystery #1) by Richard Osman, 388p: I was very curious to read this book. I was intrigued by the premise of a group of retirees investigating murders. I don't read a lot of mystery nowadays, and this book didn't work for me. I thought it started well, but it gets convoluted in the middle with so many new characters being introduced to the story. It has a unique sense of humour that worked most of the time. The chapters were super short, and the writing style felt choppy to me. It alternates different points of view in each chapter and I found it hard to track which characters were active. I didn't like that the plot was clearly manipulating me and steering my attention away from the real clues. I could see when the author was meandering just to fool me. It was not my type of mystery.

#readinglist #books #reading

Thoughts? Discuss... if you have a Write.as account or Reply by email

---

By Noisy Deadlines Minimalist in progress, nerdy, introvert, skeptic. I don't leave without my e-reader.

1. The Just City (Thessaly #1) by Jo Walton, 368p: This novel begins with an interesting premise: Apollo, trying to understand consent after Daphne escapes him by turning into a tree, joins Athena’s experiment to build Plato’s Just City and chooses to live there as a powerless human child. The philosophical discussions about agency, sentience, and whether robots are slaves are thought-provoking, and Socrates questioning the status of the workers was the highlight for me. In the end, I didn’t really love it. The ideas are interesting, but the whole thing just left me feeling uncomfortable. The sexual assault parts weren’t handled in a way that felt properly addressed, which is especially weird in a story that’s supposed to be about justice and consent. The society often seemed oddly unquestioning and cult-like, I couldn't connect with any of the characters. Overall, it felt more depressing than thought-provoking, and it just didn’t click for me.

2. Persepolis Rising (The Expanse #7) by James S.A. Corey, 622p: It opens with a time jump, where the Rocinante’s crew are older and even beginning to think about retirement. The pacing was excellent, and it kicks off a new arc in the story, introducing a new military force determined to dominate everyone else, as they tend to do. This book has some great action scenes and great character development. The military occupation is somewhat quiet and brutal, very passive-aggressive style, which makes it even more violent. It employs all the fascist propaganda methods of oppression, which makes it unsettling and real. I definitely want to know what happens next.

3. Dreamweaver's Dilemma (Vorkosigan Saga (Publication Order) #9.1) by Lois McMaster Bujold, 26p: This was an interesting short story in the Vorkosigan universe. As per the author's note, it is her first draft of what has become the “Vorkosiverse” or the “Vorkosigan Saga”. It takes place around 600 years before the first in the series Cordelia's Honor. It's about a “feelie-dream” composer who is asked to compose a particularly bizarre dream from a mysterious and eccentric client, who is offering a big sum of money for it. The “feelie-dream” is a kind of 3D-sensory-virtual reality experience that people plug-in to experience, kinda like a very immersive Virtual Reality experience. The story is mysterious and exciting, with noir-like tension in the way the composer tries to understand who this man really is and why he wants this particular dream created.

4. Falling Free (Vorkosigan Saga (Publication Order) #4) by Lois McMaster Bujold, 237p: I loved that this book if full of engineers problem-solving with whatever resources and tools they have available. There are fun references to typical engineer quirks. But on top of that, it deals with genetically altered humans subjected to a big corporation's greed. It takes place 200 years before Miles Vorkosigan was born. The “Quaddies” are genetically modified people who have four arms: instead of legs, they have a second pair of hands, which makes them very efficient in zero gravity. However, the Quaddies are legally considered corporate assets, used as space labor, and we see their struggles for autonomy and recognition. I read this after finishing the Brothers in Arms / Mirror Dance / Memory / A Civil Campaign sequence. It's a nice addition to the Vorkosigan Saga world-building, especially since the Quaddies are referenced again in the next book in the series, Diplomatic Immunity.

5. Do You Want to Start a Scandal (Castles Ever After #4) by Tessa Dare, 384p: This one was a funny and light read. The mother's sex education dialogue was hilarious, I'll remember it every time I see aubergines and peaches from now on. I liked that there was a bit of a mystery to the story and Charlotte was playing amateur detective with Piers. The mystery resolution was nothing extraordinary, and I missed some more spy action from Piers.

—

#readinglist #books #reading

Thoughts? Discuss... if you have a Write.as account or Reply by email

---

By Noisy Deadlines Minimalist in progress, nerdy, introvert, skeptic. I don't leave without my e-reader.

1. The Left Hand of Darkness (Hainish Cycle #4) by Ursula K. Le Guin, 364p: This is a classic sci-fi book that doesn't hold your hand at the beginning, with lots of world building terms being mentioned without too much explanation. But the world is rich, and eventually we understand pieces of it by reading further and making our own connections. This was not a plot heavy book for me, it shines on character building. It explores the clash between two different societies, one which is traditional gender binary and another (the Gethenians) which is essentially genderless and sexless, except during a mating season. It was a slow read for me, but it pays off when the two main characters have to team up and go on a long journey, trekking a cold and snowed-in landscape together. It is a great though-experiment on gender, cultural oppression and colonization. Having been written in the 60s, this book paved the way for future sci-fi gender conversations by daring to imagine a world where gender isn’t a constant and can be fluid, contextual, and socially constructed.

2. Enshittification: Why Everything Suddenly Got Worse and What to Do About It by Cory Doctorow [audio] 10h17min: This book lays down all the foundation and reasoning behind the phenomenon that is the systematic decay of services everywhere. The author coined the term “Enshittification”, and he presents various examples of the mechanism happening in services like Meta, Amazon, Uber, etc. I enjoyed the audio version, narrated by the author himself. Cory Doctorow uses sarcasm and he is often funny. But at the same time, the sad reality of capitalism exploitation is distilled in great detail. There is also a final section where he offers solutions. Very informative and timely read in our current moment (I read it in early 2026). After finishing it, it’s hard not to notice enshittification everywhere.

3. Winterfair Gifts (Vorkosigan Saga #13.5) by Lois McMaster Bujold, 90p: A nice novella where we can see Miles and Ekaterin's wedding! But we actually see it through the eyes of Roic, a Vorkosigan House guardsman who we met in the previous book, A Civil Campaign. We also get a chance to see Sergeant Taura again, which was great in this story. There's a bit of a mystery, but nothing complex.

4. A Week to Be Wicked (Spindle Cove #2) by Tessa Dare, 384p: The first time I tried this book, I didn’t like either of the characters from the first scene. I gave this book a second chance, and it was okay. The trope is the smart, bookish girl (Minerva) who really doesn't want to get married because she wants to be a geologist and the unrepentant rake (Colin). It's a road trip novel, with the two faking an elopement so that Minerva can travel to Scotland and present her findings in a Royal Geological Society Symposium. It's a light, funny read.

—

#readinglist #books #reading

Thoughts? Discuss... if you have a Write.as account or Reply by email

---

By Noisy Deadlines Minimalist in progress, nerdy, introvert, skeptic. I don't leave without my e-reader.

• Tress of the Emerald Sea (Secret Projects #1) by Brandon Sanderson, 442p: This book has fascinating world building with a sea made of deadly spores, instead of water. I liked the whimsical, fairy tale tone and the independent female character. It plays with the trope of the damsel-in-distress trope by flipping it: the male protagonist is imprisoned and needs to be saved by the woman. I had some issues with the narrative voice. It was fine at the beginning, even with the forth-wall-breaking bits, but it felt strange that the narrator (Hoid, a character who appears in other Cosmere books) seems omnipresent even during events he couldn't have witnessed, and then recounts them anyway. That bothered me. Also, his mismatched-clothing jokes get old pretty fast. The villains (including the dragon) were weak overall. I think the best “villain” in the book is the sea spores themselves, they are terrifying! The plot twist was cool! It was a light read and fun read, but I wasn't very invested in the characters.

• Komarr (Vorkosigan Saga (Publication Order) #11) by Lois McMaster Bujold, 384p: This is the first book with Miles Vorkosigan fully steps into his role as Imperial Auditor. We get to see this other planet, Komarr, with its domes and an ongoing terraforming project. It's an investigative procedural that builds toward bigger political implications for the next book in the series. This one is the book where Miles starts to fall in love. Some new characters are introduced!

• A Civil Campaign (Vorkosigan Saga (Publication Order) #12) by Lois McMaster Bujold, 534p: What an amazing read! This book happens around the time of Emperor Gregor's wedding, and there is a lot going on. It's full of juicy political intrigue and romance shenanigans. It's a great reunion of characters on Barrayar: we get Miles, Ivan, Aral and Cordelia, Koudelkas, Ilyan, Mark, Kareen, the whole gang. It's super fun! I laughed out loud several times while reading this one. There are engineered bugs for the food industry, but also gardening, multiple romantic entanglements, internal politics and an awesome transgender man who defies all traditional Barrayaran beliefs. In summary, fantastic! This series doesn't stop to get better.

#readinglist #books #reading

Thoughts? Discuss... if you have a Write.as account or Reply by email

---

By Noisy Deadlines Minimalist in progress, nerdy, introvert, skeptic. I don't leave without my e-reader.

1. First (After the End #1) by Ali Hazelwood, 155p: This novella was the darkest story I've read from Ali Hazelwood. I'm a fan of everything she writes, and I enjoyed 80% of this book. There was powerful enemies-to-lovers tension build-up. But the final part was way more unhinged than what I was prepared for. The end scene was way out of my comfort zone, since I'm not a fan of dark romance at all. The dubious consent also troubled me. So, I guess this was not for me.

2. Mate by Ali Hazelwood, 448p: This is Ali Hazelwood’s second paranormal romance, and her writing hooked me like always. It’s a slow-burn werewolf story with the fated mate trope.  Honestly, that trope isn’t usually my thing, but she added a little twist that kept it interesting.  There’s also a lot of werewolf–vampire–human politics going on, and I’m not sure if I’m still into that part of the world building. Even so, Hazelwood’s style makes it fun enough that I stuck with it.

3. Snow Crash by Neal Stephenson, 576p: Snow Crash was a mixed bag for me. I enjoyed all the technology predictions in the book: the Earth program (Google Earth), the metaverse (VR experience), avatars, the Library (chatGPT), digital currency, and even the creepy surveillance vibe in corporate offices.  On the other hand, the book itself was tough to get through, with way too much exposition, clunky action outside the Metaverse, some xenophobic world building, and that infamous sex scene between a 15-year-old girl and an older man. Even the neurolinguistic hacking plot with old Sumerian mythology origins was not that interesting to me. Some ideas were cool and ahead of their time, the actual storytelling didn’t really land for me.

4. Memory (Vorkosigan Saga #10) by Lois McMaster Bujold, 509p: I was so glad to get back in the Vorkosigan universe. I had no idea what this book was about, and  “Memory” surprised me in the best way.  Here we see Miles Vorkosigan facing the fact that he’s getting older, and the story takes him on a really interesting journey of self-discovery. As always, Bujold’s writing is fantastic and there is so much emotion and empathy bleeding through the pages. In the beginning, it feels different from the earlier ones, with less fast-paced action and more reflection and character growth. It deals with health challenges, professional and personal friendships and also a mystery with some police procedural action.  It’s definitely a turning point in Miles’s and Simon Illyan's story, setting up the next stage of the series really well. I’m excited to see where things go from here.

—

#readinglist #books #reading

Thoughts? Discuss... if you have a Write.as account or Reply by email

---

By Noisy Deadlines Minimalist in progress, nerdy, introvert, skeptic. I don't leave without my e-reader.

So many audiobooks this month!

1. The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy by Douglas Adams [audio 5h 51min]: This was the first time I've listened to the audiobook version narrated by Stephen Fry. All I can say is that it’s excellent! I've read this a couple of times before (years ago now) and I truly enjoyed the audiobook experience.

2. His Secret Illuminations (The Warrior's Guild #1) by Scarlett Gale, 442p: Such a cool change for a romance novel: the female protagonist is a big and experienced warrior while the male protagonist is a sheltered, innocent monk. The POV is from the monk, Lucien, and he absolutely adores Glory (also known as the “She-Wolf”) in the few chances he had to look at her while at the monastery. It's a sweet, slow-burn romance with emphasis on consent and respecting boundaries. With Glory, Lucien goes out of the monastery and sees the outside world for the first time. He feels overwhelmed at first, but Glory is always there to help him. Lucien is a scribe, and he has some cool magic abilities that are useful for them to track down some missing manuscripts. It was a nice, refreshing read.

3. The Restaurant at the End of the Universe (Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy #2) by Douglas Adams [audio 5h 47min]: This was the first time I've listened to the audiobook narrated by Martin Freeman. It’s impressive how Freeman voices all the characters so distinctly.  It’s excellent! Highly recommended!

4. The Rook (The Checquy Files #1) by Daniel O'Malley, 512p: Definitely a page turner! It's an amnesia/mystery/special powers/secret organization plot with a female lead character. I enjoyed the pace of the book: it kept me interested until the end. The sense of humour is delicious and reminded me of Dr. Who. I still don't know how to say the lead character name, Myfawny Thomas, but I really liked her! It was interesting to get to know her by the letters she wrote to herself. But you gotta have an open mind and turn on your “suspension of disbelief” mode at full power. Lots of crazy things happen and the characters have all kinds of unimaginable powers.

5. Technofeudalism: What Killed Capitalism by Yanis Varoufakis [audio 7h 39min]: Interesting read exploring how our global economy is changing with the rise of tech giants. The author presents his theory of how Capitalism has been turned into Technofeudalism, where powerful tech companies act like feudal lords, controlling digital platforms and data instead of land. Users and smaller businesses are like “serfs” who provide data and labour, often for free, to gain access to these platforms, which then extract value from them. I'll admit that I didn't grasp all the economic concepts, but Varoufakis makes the subject accessible through his conversational approach. The book is framed as if he's explaining these ideas to his father, which helps break down complex theories into more digestible pieces.

6. Two Can Play by Ali Hazelwood [audio 4h 24min]: This was a nice cozy novella with nerdy protagonists working in the video game industry. The story centers on team members from rival gaming companies who are unexpectedly forced to collaborate during a wintery team-building retreat. The novella leans into the miscommunication trope, with nice banter and book loving nerdery. It’s a quick read with low-stakes drama and high levels of geeky chemistry.

7. Neuromancer (Sprawl #1) by William Gibson, 271p: I first read this book 12 years ago, and honestly, I remember finding it confusing. This time around I think I'm grasping more of it, but still, I don't know what exactly is going on half of the time. I can see how this book is a cultural reference to the whole cyberpunk genre, but, wow, it is a strange ride. It's gritty, it's dark and, honestly, the writing style doesn't capture me too much.

#readinglist #books #reading

Thoughts? Discuss... if you have a Write.as account or Reply by email

---

By Noisy Deadlines Minimalist in progress, nerdy, introvert, skeptic. I don't leave without my e-reader.

1. Mirror Dance (Vorkosigan Saga (Publication Order) #8) by Lois McMaster Bujold, 600p: This book dives into some really intense stuff, and while I usually shy away from stories involving torture and body horror, I felt like Bujold handled it with a lot of emotional nuances. That being said, it was an amazing read! Both Miles and Mark go through horrible experiences, and we see them overcoming all sorts of challenges. The pace is excellent and the suspense with the dual POV was great (even though Miles is absent for most of the book). There is lots of trauma in this book, but it is used as character transformation, it's not gratuitous. Mark's pain isn't romanticized, and yet his journey toward healing feels earned.  Watching him confront the legacy of being a clone, a tool, a shadow of someone else, and then slowly carve out his own space in the world was incredibly moving. Bujold's writing doesn’t flinch from the darkness, but she also doesn’t wallow in it. There are hope and resilience and it's probably the best book in the series so far for me.

2. The Girl Who Could Move Sh*t with Her Mind (The Frost Files #1) by Jackson Ford, 496p: This was one of my local book club's picks.  It starts strong with a high-intensity action scene, and the premise is intriguing.  However, I felt it lacked deeper character development.  It opens as a murder mystery but loses momentum midway through. The villain, who gets his own chapters and point of view, felt flat and underdeveloped. The main character is Teagan Frost, a young lady with telekinetic powers working for the government in covert operations alongside a team of former criminals and outlaws. Her powers only work on inorganic matter.  It bothered me a bit that Teagans' explanation was that she couldn't move anything containing carbon or hydrogen molecules, which does not quite translate to “organic matter” in a scientific sense. I found spelling errors and typos in the text which pulled me out of the story. Overall, it wasn’t really my cup of tea, but the fast-paced action kept me reading.

3. The Leopard Prince (Princes #2) by Elizabeth Hoyt, 255p: Lady Georgina Maitland (or George), an aristocrat who refuses to marry just because society expects it (I love an unconventional heroine), meets her new land steward, Harry Pye, and finds him quite dashing.  When sheep begin mysteriously dying in the area, George teams up with Harry to uncover the truth. Harry is a broody type with a big heart, deeply connected to the land and nature. I especially enjoyed how his mysterious past was gradually revealed throughout the story. Another nice touch is George’s retelling of a wild fairy tale about a Leopard Prince, and it becomes a charming inside joke between the couple. The story blends a well-crafted cross-class romance with a strong heroine, a compelling mystery, and a hint of fairy tale magic.

4. Start Where You Are: A Guide to Compassionate Living by Pema Chödrön, 151p: This book introduces Tibetan Buddhist wisdom through the lens of lojong slogans, which are brief, thought-provoking phrases designed to encourage reflection and shift habitual patterns.  Many of the slogans center on cultivating compassion in daily life. It's written in a conversational tone with some light humour making it more approachable. I thought the number of slogans was a bit overwhelming and felt repetitive after a while. But beneath that, the book offers a powerful and timely reminder: to be less judgmental of ourselves and others, and to practice the art of letting go.

#readinglist #books #reading

Thoughts? Discuss... if you have a Write.as account or Reply by email

---

By Noisy Deadlines Minimalist in progress, nerdy, introvert, skeptic. I don't leave without my e-reader.

1. The Bullet Journal Method: Track Your Past, Order Your Present, Plan Your Future by Ryder Carroll, 336p: I finally read this book, and I appreciate the system it describes. I love the idea of the rapid logging key, and I've been using it for years whenever I'm taking notes. I understand the argument of reengaging with our lists by doing regular migrations. The routine of doing AM and PM reflections is also extremely beneficial. The migration filter (C.A.R.E.) reminds me of the “Clarify” step in GTD. So, it's a well-rounded system to manage obligations and goals in a simple notebook. I like that! I would adopt it fully it my world wasn't so ingrained with digital information.

2. Ethan of Athos (Vorkosigan Saga (Publication Order) #3) by Lois McMaster Bujold, 237p: Such an interesting premise: a planet only inhabited by gay males with their own system of beliefs and childbearing using uterine replicators. Something goes wrong with the planet's source of genetic material and Doctor Ethan is forced to leave and go off-planet to figure out a solution to their problem. It is delightful and funny to see Ethan being horrified when he sees a woman for the first time. He interacts a lot with Ellie Quinn, the Dendarii mercenary we know from other books in the series. I found it very compelling, and I liked the mystery. It lays ground for future major developments in the universe. This series continues to be one of my sci-fi favorites.

3. Brothers in Arms (Vorkosigan Saga (Publication Order) #5) by Lois McMaster Bujold, 338p: Another great read! It introduces a new element to Mile's story which I was not prepared for, and it delivers! It deals with human cloning and all the ethical issues that comes with it. And we get a chance to visit Earth and see how things are going in there. Miles is in his usual state of trying to solve problems the best way he can without too much damage. And we can see again Miles’ unwavering sense of humanity and acceptance of differences. He is such a great character with a big heart. I had to jump right into the next book (Mirror Dance) because I needed to know what's next.

4. Sinner (Priest #2) by Sierra Simone, 386p: I didn't like this one as much as the first one in the series. It has the age-gap difference trope with an older man (Sean Bell) and a younger lady (Zenobia) who wants to become a nun. But before she takes her vows, she wants to have a chance to explore her sexuality. So, an arrangement with a deadline is set between the two. It was a bit over the top for me. I guess romance mixed with religious shenanigans is not really my cup of tea.

—-

Post 99/100 of 100DaysToOffload challenge (Round 2)!

#100DaysToOffload #100Days #readinglist #books #reading

Thoughts? Discuss... if you have a Write.as account or Reply by email

---

By Noisy Deadlines Minimalist in progress, nerdy, introvert, skeptic. I don't leave without my e-reader.

• Drunk on All Your Strange New Words by Eddie Robson, 299p: It starts with a murder mystery with an interesting setting: post first contact with aliens called the Logi. The communication between aliens and humans is only possible through telepathy which causes intoxication to human interpreters, they basically get physiologically drunk. Lydia is the main character who works as an interpreter to an Alien representative. It is a plausible near future speculative fiction. It's interesting that there is a cost to the communication between humans and aliens. In a world that everything is automated, I thought it was cool that Lydia was the only one around who could actually drive a car manually (and that played a role in the plot, giving us a cool action scene).
• Problematic Summer Romance by Ali Hazelwood, 402p: This is a contemporary age-gap romance set in Italy with flashbacks and with a friends-to-lovers trope. It was funny, with a slow burn romance that explores the controversy of a relationship between Maya (20-year-old woman) and Conor (35-year-old grumpy man). Also, charming dogs, a volcano eruption, and a beautiful setting. This one is definitely a rom-com with cheesy situations and funny banter. It wasn't my favorite Ali Hazelwood book, I think I missed a more STEM focused environment.
• Between Two Thorns (The Split Worlds #1) by Emma Newman, 375p: Urban fantasy with mirrored worlds: Modern London (Mundanus) and the magical Nether (a Victorian-style realm) and the Fae lands. Cathy (the protagonist) rebels against the traditional expectations of her aristocratic family in the Nether, and manages to escape to Mundanus for a while, until she is found and forced to get back to the Nether. Cathy suffers from emotional and physical abuse from her family, and she seeks autonomy. There is a bit of a mystery going on with Arbiters (a type of Nether police) and missing people. There is also a sarcastic animated gargoyle who was infused with an Arbiter soul. Anyway, it was okay, but I didn't want to continue reading the series.

—-

Post 96/100 of 100DaysToOffload challenge (Round 2)!

#100DaysToOffload #100Days #readinglist #books #reading

Thoughts? Discuss... if you have a Write.as account or Reply by email

---

By Noisy Deadlines Minimalist in progress, nerdy, introvert, skeptic. I don't leave without my e-reader.

1. The Day the World Stops Shopping: How Ending Consumerism Saves the Environment and Ourselves by J.B. MacKinnon, 384p: I loved the questions this book raised. It is a fascinating look at what might happen if people stopped buying things. I really liked the way it asks deep questions about our world today: how we’re using more energy-efficient technologies but still consuming so much that global carbon emissions keep rising. The book covers topics like planned obsolescence and simple living and offers some ideas for change. But it also shows that many of these solutions are tough to apply on your own. It’s a thoughtful and important read that makes you think differently about the way we live. And it made me feel even more confident about the minimalist choices I’ve already made in my own life.

2. How to Do Things: Productivity for the Productivity-Challenged by David Cain, 50p: A concise and practical guide inspired by the Pomodoro Technique.  This simplified approach makes it easy to dive in and get started, especially for anyone feeling overwhelmed by productivity systems.  Rather than focusing on organizing tasks, it emphasizes taking action, making it an ideal add-on to any method you're already using. I've always loved the Pomodoro Technique, and I appreciated the fresh perspective this book brings. 

3. Any Duke in a Storm (Daring Dukes #4) by Amalie Howard, 402p: This was a fun ride. I loved the main character: a divorced countess-turned-British-spy hiding in plain sight as the infamous smuggler called “Bonnie Bess”. She’s bold, mature, and full of surprises. The mix of mystery, travel, and adventure kept things exciting, and I totally enjoyed seeing her navigate life on the high seas. I also appreciated the diverse cast: the hero (Raphael) has Caribbean and French heritage, with roots in Trinidad and Tobago, and Lisbeth is demiromantic and pansexual. 

4. The Princess Stakes (Daring Dukes #1) by Amalie Howard, 329p: This one just wasn’t for me. It mixes second-chance romance with an enemies-to-lovers twist, and that combo didn’t quite click for me. While the cast is diverse the story didn’t hold my interest the way I hoped. I read this one because I loved the #4 in the series (which I read first) and I thought I would try out the other books in this series.

—

Post 92/100 of 100DaysToOffload challenge (Round 2)!

#100DaysToOffload #100Days #readinglist #books #reading

Thoughts? Discuss... if you have a Write.as account or Reply by email

---

By Noisy Deadlines Minimalist in progress, nerdy, introvert, skeptic. I don't leave without my e-reader.