How Publishers Continue To Be Wrong About Libraries and Ebooks

Dear Publishing Industry,

Why? Why must you make it so hard for me to actually like you? I love books. I love authors. Heck, I want to love publishers.  After all libraries + publishers should be a peaceful symbiotic relationship.  It shouldn't be this hard.  And yet?  You continue to willingly cast yourselves in a villainous role.  After spending the entirety of the annual Romance Writers America conference last week in a state of low-level, barely contained rage, I have decided I'm done being nice.

My current (or in their case, continued...) ire is with the news that Macmillan Publishing is expanding their "experimental" Tor/Forge imprint embargo to include all their imprints.  The details of the embargo are as follows:

• Libraries will be allowed to purchase one (yes, one) copy of new Macmillan titles that will be perpetual access.  Libraries can only order one (yes, one) copy at this license level in the first eight-weeks from publication date. 

• After eight weeks is up, libraries will no longer be able to purchase a perpetual access copy.  Instead, we can then purchase additional copies at metered access (52 check-outs or 2 years, whichever comes first) at full library digital list price (typically, $60)

This situation might be OK for small libraries (assuming they can afford to purchase ebooks in the first place...) but for larger libraries?  Like say, New York, Brooklyn, Boston, Philadelphia, Los Angeles, Seattle and any other major metropolitan area?  That won't frustrate patrons at all.  Only one lonely copy in the digital collection for 2 months while wait lists get out of control and we can't do anything about it.  Like, say, purchasing more copies in a timely fashion.

Despite sharing zero data to support this move, Macmillan feels that libraries are undercutting their bottom line.  They're losing money because people aren't buying retail in favor of libraries.  Libraries are making it too easy. 

In the memo, Sargent asserted that 45% of Macmillan’s U.S. “e-book reads” were now “being borrowed for free” from libraries," a trend he attributed to a mix of factors, including the lack of "friction" in e-lending compared to physical book lending, the "active marketing by various parties to turn purchasers into borrowers," and unnamed apps "supporting e-book lending regardless of residence, including borrowing from libraries in different states and countries."

Libraries are funded by tax dollars.  Tax dollars paid by the constituents in the areas where we provide service.  I can assure you, we're pretty fanatical about making sure users meet the residency requirements.  And "lack of friction?" What does he consider long wait lists and charging libraries more for the same ebook file they're selling retail via Amazon?  Never mind our budgets have largely remained stagnant and we're buying multiple formats of the Exact. Same. Book. that they published (print, Large Print, audio on CD, e-audio, ebook, and a partridge in a pear tree...)

I hate to break it to Mr. Sargent, but libraries are not the reason why his bottom line has been undercut.  I'm not an economist (nor do I play one on TV) - but I can give you a few reasons why publishing is in the state it's in right now. It doesn't take a genius economic mastermind. It just takes a basic understanding of history and a willingness to pay attention.

• Remember when ebooks first became "a thing?"  Remember when they really took off?  Remember how traditional publishing buried their heads in the sand, acted like cranky old men who feared change, were slow to adapt, and allowed Amazon to get a stranglehold on the market with the power to dictate pricing?  Which they, predictably, did. Yeah, that. The Big 5 refused to see the writing on the wall until it was too late and now we have the Monolithic Giant Amazon Elephant in the room. 

• Writers realized that they now had options to get their stories out there and avoid the "gatekeepers" that stood in their way for too long.  Authors told for years that their stories wouldn't sell because "nobody will read that" or "we can't market it" turned to self-publishing and started doing well.  It can also not be dismissed that many, many, many POC tired of banging their heads against the wall of New York went this route. Readers desperate to see themselves represented in books have gravitated towards these writers and self-publishing - leaving New York behind and playing catch-up.

• The Retail Apocalypse has not only meant the shrinking of physical retail spaces for books, but it also is signalling that we may be on the cusp of another potential economic downturn.  Fewer options has meant publishers are selling their souls to appease Amazon and Walmart.  Retail consumers have fewer places to buy books and, assuming we are headed towards another downturn, are already tightening their belts.  Books are awesome but so is being able to pay your rent and buy food.  

• Consumers have realized that when they "buy" an ebook - they aren't buying that book.  They're buying a license to view the book, a license that, in theory, could be yanked at any moment.  There is no First Sale Doctrine for ebooks.  Some people don't want to pay $12.99 for an ebook that they don't own, can't do a darn thing with after they're done reading it or lose access to should their retailer of choice deem it so.  Also, publishers refuse to explain the logic of charging more (in some instances) for an ebook copy than a physical copy.  Physical copies mean cost of paper, printing, distribution, etc. while ebooks don't have any of that so why the heck are you charging us more?  I personally know some readers who have stopped buying any Big 5 published book unless it's on sale and the rest of their dollars?  Moving to self-published authors.

• Rumors are circulating that Amazon is driving the narrative that libraries are the problem, although, predictably, Amazon is denying this.  Look, I don't know if they are or not - but publishers? Really?  If Amazon is telling you this...YOU'RE REALLY THAT STUPID TO BELIEVE THEM?  The same SkyNet monolith that has just signed Dean Koontz, Patricia Cornwell and Sylvia Day away from you?  AMAZON IS NOW YOUR DIRECT COMPETITION! THEY HAVE A VESTED INTEREST IN YOUR DOWNFALL!  And your answer?  Make things more difficult for those of us who aren't Amazon.  Smooth move.

Look, libraries are not unreasonable.  Most of us are agreeable to metered access.  We're not agreeable to price gouging and embargoes.  Ultimately what you are doing is cutting off your nose to spite your face.  Because what libraries are playing is the long game.  In a nutshell?  We frickin' build and create your consumer base.  Without us out here fostering the love of reading and giving access to people of all ages (especially children...), your business is not sustainable.

Libraries buy books. We buy a lot of books.  Some of us have budgets in the millions of dollars that we allocate every year.  One would think that publishers would want a piece of that. You may think we're powerless in light of your maneuverings.  You may think you're safe from a boycott since our core mission is to provide access to information. You've got us on that one.  But never mistake that for libraries being powerless.  We're not.  We can hold you accountable in the court of public opinion and you've been enjoying the fruits of our free publicity machine for years.  When the chickens come home to roost, you'll have nobody to blame but yourselves.

Review: A Debutante in Disguise

Is there anything better than when a book comes along that restores your faith in a sub genre?  I love historical romance. I would dare to say it's my first love in the genre. But either I've changed or historical romance has changed (or both) and while I still enjoy historical romance, the ones I love seem to be fewer and farther between. Then along comes a book like A Debutante in Disguise by Eleanor Webster, a romance about an unconventional heroine, one ahead of her time, and it doesn't completely disregard the Regency era in which she's living in. 

Lettuce "Letty" Barton is living a double-life. Before his death, her father indulged her curious mind and interest in science. But then her father passed and her mother is much less indulgent. Letty's mother "married up" and has the same desire for her daughter.  So Letty is put into dresses with a proliferation of ruffles, told to not wear her spectacles, and for heaven's sake, talk about normal things like the weather and not cow pox!  Through a series of events, and with the aid of her brother's name and her sister-in-law's subterfuge, Letty attends and graduates medical school - disguised as a male, of course.  Women not being permitted to practice medicine at the time.  She now lives in the country, taking care of the ailments of the local (and poorer) population and delivering babies.  She lives in one cottage as Miss Barton, and the neighboring cottage is the home of the male, powdered wig wearing, "Dr. Hatfield."

Lord Anthony "Tony" Ashcroft is a younger son and having no interest in the clergy, decided on a military career.  When Napoleon happened, he joined the fight - along with his older brother and best friend.  Tony comes home, with a bullet lodged in his ribs and scars, his older brother and best friend do not.  When their father found out his oldest son and heir was dead?  He dropped dead of a heart attack.  And the best friend who died on the battlefield? Was married to Tony's sister, who only recently learned that she's pregnant.  Tony, drinking heavily as a coping mechanism, with a heaping amount of PTSD and survivor's guilt, agrees to go to his sister's country house where she can ride out the rest of her pregnancy.  But there are complications and the local doctor has to be called - the local doctor being "Dr. Hatfield."

The complication is that years ago, before Tony went off to war, when he was a young, rascally playboy, met Letty at a house party.  She was hiding out in the library reading a medical text.  Their conversation is one neither of them has forgotten.  At first Tony has no inkling that Letty is the same person as "Dr. Hatfield," and naturally when he makes the discovery?  He thinks very differently of the woman he had pegged for being so honest and forthright. A woman who was making him feel something other than empty.

Letty is a marvelous heroine. A heroine with dreams and ambition hemmed in by what society deems is "acceptable" for a lady. When her Big Secret is revealed, Tony's reaction is very typical for what one would expect of men in this time period. "But WHY would you ever want to expose yourself to death and disease? WHY as a lady would you want to do such a thing?"  Frankly, he's a jackass when he finds out.  But half the joy in this romance is watching him come around.

But he could not limit her. He could not take her purpose, but must find his own. He had survived hell. For some reason, he’d lived. He had not asked for life and at times during his recovery he’d wished for death and still felt the heaviness of guilt that he could see and feel and breathe while others could not. He had lived. And he must ensure that he was worthy of this life.

Other conflict comes into play with Tony coming to terms with now being the heir (no longer the spare) and his fear over his sister's health, complicated pregnancy, and health of the unborn child.  Frankly it's a marvelous, grown-up, adult romance with tangible conflict. A heroine who is "unconventional" but does not disregard the societal mores that she is forced to operate in.  If her identity is exposed? Her dreams not only die but the scandal would be irreparable for not only her, but those closest to her.

Which begs the question, how does the author work in a happy ending without having the heroine give up her dreams?  Ah, dear reader, you'll just have to read the book to find out.  In short. I think the author does a marvelous job of it. Neither Letty or Tony give up anything - instead, they become partners.  And if that isn't romance, I'm not sure what is.

Final Grade = A

Unusual Historical Best Bets for July 2019

July in the United States means heat, humidity, and large swaths of the population shooting off fireworks for a solid month terrorizing animals and keeping me up at night. It’s also my busiest time of year at The Day Job, with a variety of budget-related tasks and conference season hitting full swing. This year I’ll be soaking up some of that heat and humidity in New York attending RWA. Yes, I’ll be there - as will some of the Love in Panels crew. If you see us milling about, be sure to say hello! So what books look good for potential reading on my long (loooong) flight to the Big Apple? This month self-publishing takes front and center!

The Clothier’s Daughter by Bronwyn Parry

In the unusually wet summer of 1816, Emma Braithwaite struggles to keep her family’s traditional wool cloth manufacturing company afloat. Her father has died, her brother is missing, and the new cotton factories are spreading, rendering the fine worsted fabrics the Braithwaites have made for generations, expensive and unfashionable. Being a woman in a man’s world of trade is challenging enough, but when her warehouse catches fire it brings her only a step away from financial ruin and debtor’s prison.  

After eight years of war, Major Adam Caldwell is returning for the first time to his family home, Rengarth Castle, when he stops to assist at a warehouse fire … and comes face-to-face with the woman he once loved and lost. Despite all his efforts to forget her, in truth she’s never been far from his thoughts. He was unworthy of her then, and even more so now.  

But as the threats against Emma escalate, they discover that someone wants control of Emma’s family company and is prepared to murder anyone in the way of getting it - including Emma. 

Parry is an Australian writer known for her award winning romantic suspense. This is her first ever historical romance featuring a heroine desperate to save the family business, a hero returned from war, and nary a Duke in sight.

Bold Seduction by Karyn Gerrard

A Fascinating Proposition  

As owner of The Starling Club, one of London’s more popular brothels, Philomena McGrattan has seen and heard it all. There is little that surprises her anymore, and even less that interests her. When she is presented an opportunity at a tempting and bold seduction, she can’t help but rise to the challenge. A virgin son of a duke? How could she refuse?  

An Improbable Encounter  

Quiet and set in his ways, Lord Spencer Hornsby is a brilliant eccentric who prefers solitude and researching ancient civilizations. Alone in the Welsh countryside, with only his two wolfhounds for company, Spencer has little time or patience for the pleasures of society. But when an unexpected guest arrives at his isolated hunting lodge, Spencer cannot help but be irresistibly intrigued by the presence of this beautiful woman.  

Philomena is shocked to discover that the odd professor stirs up feelings she thought long dead. Spencer, ever the man of research, is eager to learn all he can. Will they find deeper emotions are in play as they take their journey of discovery? 

Delayed by other publishing obligations from writing the third book in this series, when Kensington passed on it, the author decided it would be best to have the entire series under her control. Kensington agreed, and this first book, originally published under the Lyrical banner has been revised and re-edited. I’m a sucker for a heroine with a “reputation” and virgin heroes, so of course I pre-ordered this. I’m shocked I missed it the first time around.

Secrets of a Highland Warrior by Nicole Locke

The key to his past…  

…lies with the enemy sharing his bed!  

Part of The Lochmore Legacy: a Scottish castle through the ages! Rory Lochmore had expected to wage battle, to claim land and finally secure his standing within his clan… Instead he won a wife. A McCrieff wife. Their convenient marriage could unite the two long-feuding clans forever. But can a political alliance give way to a passion strong enough to stand the secrets of the past? 

The final book in Harlequin’s The Lochmore Legacy miniseries is the medieval entry and provides more background on the Lochmore and McCrieff feud. Previous books, written by three other Harlequin Historical writers, covered the Victorian, Regency and Tudor eras, with various secrets hidden behind the castle’s walls revealed along the way.

Joe’s Wife by Cheryl St. John

After Meg Telford's husband dies in the war and is lauded as a hero, she must face the fact that she can't keep the ranch without a man to shoulder the workload. Nothing will stop her from saving Joe's dream. The war has taken nearly all the able-bodied men--and a devilishly handsome bad boy seems her only choice.  

Town pariah, Tye Hatcher has a reputation as a hell-raiser, but he's looking to prove himself and has his own plans for the land. Meg's proposal might be too good to be true, but he's willing to take the risk, even if the risk is his heart.  

Struggling with guilt and the rejection of the townspeople, Meg must learn that her convenient husband is a man who takes risks and does what's right for the sake of others. Her vulnerable dreams and their hard work will be for naught unless she and Tye reveal their secrets and face what they're both coming to understand--they can't change the past, but the future is in their hands. 

Originally published by Harlequin Historical in 1999, this is another self-published reprint that has me itching to do a reread. How long has it been since I’ve read this book? Well, I’ve been blogging for 16 years and I read it pre-blogging days. I loved it back then, and it’s a favorite of many in my personal Romancelandia clan. A widowed heroine desperate to save her farm marries the hero, a man who is constantly reminded by everyone in town (other than the heroine) that he’s “trash.”

What unusual historicals are you looking forward to reading this month?

#TBRChallenge 2019: Losing to Win

The Book: Losing to Win by Michele Grant

The Particulars: Contemporary romance, 2013, Kensington Dafina, still in print (although stock number shaky at time of this posting), available in digital.

Why Was It In Wendy's TBR?:  I impulsively picked it up at the one and only RT convention I went to (in Las Vegas - whatever year that was...).  It was up for grabs, the model on the cover caught my eye, and the back cover blurb intrigued.

The Review: I watch very little reality television, finding the majority of it pretty gross.  But when used for the backdrop of a romance novel?  I'm all in.  It's ready made conflict (in the form of competition) for the hero and heroine and oftentimes it requires them to work as a team.  It also means they're thrown together a lot and if the author plays their cards right?  It can be a great way to start building tension.

Losing to Win is an amalgamation of contemporary romance, chick lit and women's fiction. Let me explain.  Carissa Wayne lives in tiny Belle Haven, Louisiana, an area still reeling from Hurricane Katrina and the Gulf Oil Spill.  Belle Haven is a small town, with limited resources, and frankly just the type of place that was largely forgotten in the wake of the devastation in larger, glitzy, flashier, New Orleans.  It's the last day at the school where she teaches.  She's kind of grungy from cleaning out her classroom when she's called into the gymnasium.  What does she find waiting for her?  A camera crew.  A cheesy TV host.  Her family and friends.  Yeah, they've blindsided her with the "opportunity" to go on a reality TV weight loss show called Losing to Win.  Lose some of those pounds she's packed on over the years and a chance to win a pile of money while doing it.  Carissa is hot though.  Really not happy.  Until she learns the finer details.  The show will film in her home town.  Publicity.  Dollars.  Opportunities for the local businesses (she's friends with many of them) to make some cash.  Literally she can't say no.

But she almost reconsiders when she finds out her ex-fiance', Malachi "Mal" Knight, will be her partner on the show.  Mal was a star athlete that made it all the way to the NFL.  He and Carissa were an item since junior high.  But then he got into professional football and started believing his own hype.  Carissa was expected to wait at home and be the good little woman.  One day, sick of being treated like crap, she left.  Taking Mal's brand new BMW with her.  Her heart broken, his heart broken, both single ever since.  And now here he is - on the show with her.  Along with other folks from her past and present (her BFF, a former friend from college, her high school nemesis etc.).

Written in dueling first person point of view from Carissa's and Mal's perspectives, the tone and vibe of this book reminded me a lot of chick lit from back in the day.  Carissa is funny, sassy, and self-deprecating.  It's also a bit women's fiction - with Carissa still smarting over her failed relationship with Mal, but also being her own woman, knowing her own mind, and having her own dreams.  Carissa wants what she wants and frankly?  Mal treated her badly, taking her for granted, steamrolling and disregarding her dreams in favor of his own.  In other words, he was a selfish ass taking her for granted and she left.

Mal sees the show as his ticket back.  A knee injury sidelined him after Carissa left and those two events led to a downward spiral.  He packed on the pounds and while he's lost some, he's go about 40 more to go to get back into playing shape.  He's not ready to give up on his NFL dream just yet, but he's a 33-year-old wide receiver (ancient in NFL terms).  His agent has gotten him a try-out with a team, but he's got a lot to prove.  And there stands Carissa.  The woman he can't forget and wants back.  But damn, what will happen when she finds out why he's doing the show?  Will she feel railroaded all over again?

I liked the humor, I liked the authorial voice and the tone of the story - but that said?  It's not perfect.  This reads very Small Town Romance most of the time which means there are eleventy billion characters.  No, not just the show's contestants, but also the people working on the show, local townspeople not on the show, various family members etc.  I felt like a lot of this fat could have been trimmed (ha!).  Also, Mal flat-out did Carissa wrong and for a while I wasn't sure I wanted him to win her back.  I mean, girlfriend had a legit beef.  The author does do a good job of showing Mal "growing up" but then a new problem comes in...Carissa.

One of the contestants on the show is a guy Carissa knew in college.  He had a thing for her back then, but she was with Mal.  Well, now Carissa is no longer with Mal and he's divorced.  He's going to make a run at her.  Carissa still has the hots for Mal, but recognizes that Jordy is a nice guy.  They also share a steamy kiss that has her intrigued.  So what does she do?  Strings Jordy along with the ol' "I Need Time" argument and knocks boots with Mal because they can't keep their hands off each other.  She's not fooling around with Jordy (she's monogamous with Mal) but damn - SHE'S STRINGING THIS GUY ALONG!!!!  And for real, he's a NICE guy.  The kind of guy you'd want to take home to meet Mom.

Between this and some minor pacing issues I had (it sags a bit in the middle) - this makes the book a B-.  I get it.  Carissa was badly burned by Mal.  So she doesn't want to close the door on Jordy and she's still running a little scared.  But then The Black Moment comes and by that point I was just so disgusted with her.  Again, I was with her for a while - but over the course of the story Mal was saying all the right things.  He was doing all the supportive things.  And then this chapter happened and ugh!!!!!!  The only saving grace (and I mean ONLY) is that the author doesn't drag out Carissa's boneheaded move.  It's all pretty well resolved before the next chapter ends.  But still.  Girl, get yourself together.

And just like that?  What was a B- read slipped down to a C- read.  There was a lot I liked here, the voice, the plot, even the "small town" vibe plays well if you gravitate towards those types of stories.  But Carissa's running scared move at the end of the book that basically further drags Nice Guy Jordy under the bus AND completely disregards the positive steps Mal has made to repair their relationship?  I wanted to slap her into next Tuesday.  Even more insulting?  She needs her BFF to clue her in to what an idiot she is after said BFF eavesdrops on a conversation.  Not sorry I read it but disappointed it didn't work better for me.

Final Grade = C-

Mini-Review: Her Other Secret

It's time to play everyone's favorite game - Do You Think Like a Romance Heroine!

You live on a remote (and fictional) island off the coast of Washington state.  For the past couple of days you've noticed a yacht, that looks disabled, from the shore.  What do you do?

1) You live on an island! You call the Coast Guard and report what you've seen.

2) Hmmm, that boat looks in trouble.  You call the local cop, he's the only law enforcement on the island.

3) You call the local handyman who is hot as hell, but has the personality of a bear you woke up from hibernation even though you've barely been civil to each other ever since you first met.

If you picked #1 or #2 please go to the back of the line.  You have a problem with thinking logically ergo no way in heck you could possibly be a romance heroine.  At least not the heroine in Her Other Secret by HelenKay Dimon.  The improbable set-up of this romance only gets worse when a mystery man, dressed in a suit, walks out of the water without a backward glance at the hero and heroine standing on the shore.

Tessa Jenkins moved to remote Whitaker Island to outrun a scandal not of her making.  Hansen Rye is the local handyman with a surly personality laying low after his life imploded back east.  Then the man who walks out of the water turns up dead and Hansen starts looking guilty as heck given the man was tied to Hansen's mysterious past.

And there's the rub.  Hansen looks VERY guilty.  I mean, I know he's not guilty because he's the romance hero but...NOBODY ELSE IN THIS STORY KNOWS THAT!  They all immediately jump to his defense even though Hansen has kept everyone at arm's length and has a barely housebroken personality.  They just all immediately KNOW he's innocent.  The word "trust" is thrown around a lot but I'm never convinced on WHY they trust him.  He's tight-lipped and slow to share the truth - I mean, that warrants at least a tinch of suspicion in my opinion.

The further I got away from the improbable set-up, the better the story got.  I got wrapped up in the mystery.  Although with the small population on the island, this reads like a locked room mystery where it really can only be ONE person - you just have to wait to have the motive unraveled.

Dimon does a great job of creating a small town atmosphere with her island world-building, which is also a slight issue since I was often times way more interested in the secondary characters (OMG - Ben the cop!) than the main romantic couple.  To say I'm a little disappointed that the next book in this series is about Hansen's brother (who never appears on the page in this book) is a disappointment.  Jury still out if I'll make the pit stop with him, or just set this series aside until, hopefully, Ben's romance finally appears.

YMMV

Final Grade = C

Reminder: #TBRChallenge Day is July 17

Hey, hey, hey!  For those participating in the 2019 #TBRChallenge, a reminder that your commentary is "due"on Wednesday, June 17.  This month's theme is Contemporary!

This theme is pretty basic.  Any romance that was "contemporary" at the time it was published.  So if you want to read that Harlequin Temptation from 1995 you'll still be on theme!

But what if you feel "Wendy, you will pry historicals out of my cold dead hands?" Or maybe you're just not in the mood to read a contemporary this month?  Hey, no problem! A reminder that, as always, the themes are completely optional.    The goal is to read something, anything, that has been languishing in your TBR.

If you're participating on social media, please remember to use the #TBRChallenge hashtag so people can follow along.

And it's not too late to sign up!  Simply leave a comment on this reminder post.

You can learn about the challenge and check out the full list of blogging participants on the information page.

Review: Summer Escape with the Tycoon

There's a kismet that can happen in reading - when the right book finds you at exactly the right time.  After finishing a dumpster fire of a book that had more annoying over-the-top drama to fuel a nightmare soap opera for a decade, Summer Escape with the Tycoon by Donna Alward was just what the doctor ordered.  It's a quiet romance, between two people suffering from their own identity crisis, and realistic baggage that supplies conflict.  Some readers would probably label that boring.  I am not "some readers."

Molly Quinn has always done what is expected of her.  Her older brother was tragically killed by a drunk driver and from that day forward every hope and dream that their parents had for Jack transferred to Molly.   She was the smartest girl in school.  Graduated from Harvard Law.  Specialized in family law (yes, a divorce lawyer), joined her father's firm, and became partner.  But it's starting to get to her.  The grind of the job of dissolving marriages.  Of dividing up lives. Over seeing couples, no longer in love, squabbling over everything from the wedding china to the family pet to their own children.  She's attending a charity function when something in her finally snaps.  She bids in the silent auction on an outdoor adventure-style vacation package.  Snorkeling, kayaking, zip-lining, that kind of thing.  And she wins it.

The trip gets off to a rocky start thanks to a hotel room mix-up, and that's how she meets Eric Chambault - a business tycoon from Montreal who specializes in corporate takeovers.  Basically he buys up struggling companies, trims the fat, sometimes dismantles whole sections, and makes a bunch of money doing it.  He's also just gone through a messy divorce with his wife's lawyer squeezing $30 million out of him.  So finding out Molly, who he thinks is in his room by mistake (it's vice versa), is a divorce lawyer means best first impressions are not made.

Now anyone who has read more than one romance novel in their day would assume that this would be the start of an adversarial relationship where the two characters would spend the next 200+ pages bickering at each other.  And that's where you'd be wrong.  Because despite bad first impressions, despite sometimes putting a foot in their mouth, these are two adult characters who apologize, say "hey, let's start over" and they miraculously do.  They open up about their fears, their pasts, and the complicated relationships they have with their respective families.  In short, you get to read about two people getting to know each other, finding out who they really are, and falling in love.

Alas, it's a "vacation fling" though - so when an external bit of conflict arrives in the final third both Molly and Eric fall back into bad habits (as you do) and have to find their way back to each other.  What's refreshing here?  Is that they recognize that they're BOTH at fault for the blow-up.  She realizes she could have done better and he realizes that he completely over-reacted.

Look, I love over-the-top angst as much as the next reader.  I like plenty of books with outrageous sounding plots and conflict that strains the seams of credulity.  But when all that goes horribly awry and I find myself word vomiting my feelings all over my blog in Ranty McRanty Pants fashion?  To have a book like this come along that shows me the exact opposite?  It restores my faith in the genre a bit.  Sure, Eric is a tycoon and Molly isn't exactly hurting for money either - but we all got problems. And generally speaking?  Most of our baggage is pretty basic.  Strained relationships with family members.  Dissatisfaction with life choices.  And it's nice to read a romance about two people with normal baggage finding each other and falling in love.  Because isn't that what we hope for our ourselves?

Final Grade = B

Epic Ranty Spoiler Review: The Witch of Willow Hall

Buckle in kiddies, Auntie Wendy is about to unload on The Witch of Willow Hall by Hester Fox. If the title of this blog post hasn't clued you in, there is no way I can talk about this book without giving ALL the spoilers, including trigger warnings.

I cut my reading teeth on Gothics, loving mysteries and female protagonists as I do.  And while I'm happy to see more Gothic stories offered of late, for the love of all that is holy can we lay off the incest subplots?  Because this is the second Gothic I've read in the past month with incest in it.  Consider that trigger warning #1.

Lydia Montrose's family leaves Boston to settle in backwater New Oldbury in 1821 thanks to rumors surrounding her family.  Those rumors, as we find out later, involve her beyond vile older sister Catherine and their brother, Charles, having an incestuous relationship.  Spoiler alert: they did and it was consensual.  Anyway, Charles has been shipped off somewhere and if you think there's going to be a big showdown with him at some point in the story you are mistaken.  He firmly stays off the page and we never know what really happens to him other than he writes Catherine to say he's in lurve with a dancer.  Because of course he is.

Anyway, the Montrose family is made up of Lydia the middle daughter with "powers" she doesn't realize she has because her idiot mother won't tell her about them even though said "powers" run in the family.  There have been past episodes in Lydia's life (like when she hurt a bully who murdered her pet kitten - consider that trigger warning #2) but she's such a dolt she conveniently keeps blocking out the memories. Catherine is literal trash who does everything in her power over the course of the story to make Lydia's life miserable.  There's the plot moppet younger sister, Emeline, who is the very reason why the term "plot moppet" was coined - but never fear...she dies.  Consider that trigger warning #3.  But she's so freakin' annoying you'll be glad she's dead. (Yeah, I said it).  Mommy Dearest walks around in a denial-ridden depressed haze and Daddy Dearest is All Business All The Time and had the house built in New Oldbury to be a country home.  Well, now they're living in it and he's got a new business partner, John Barrett, who Lydia is smitten with, he's smitten with her but because this book is already highly annoying the conflict between them is basically one Big Misunderstanding after another because THEY JUST WON'T TALK TO EACH OTHER!

Lydia is the protagonist and is not only in denial about who she is, but she's the type of self-sacrificing heroine who will bend over backwards to "protect" those she loves.  Why she loves any of these vile people is beyond me, but she spends 99% of the book protecting Catherine from herself because, surprise!  Catherine is pregnant with their brother's child.  Consider this trigger warning #4.  So Catherine is literally throwing herself at every man with a pulse to get a proposal (not easy in New Oldbury), including John Barrett, and just being the worst sort of toxic person you can imagine.  And yet?  LYDIA KEEPS HELPING THIS SACK OF HUMAN GARBAGE!  There's a bunch of nonsense about protecting her frail mother as well - but seriously?  The woman who willfully closes her eyes to the sack of garbage one daughter is and does nothing to help her other daughter understand the "powers" she inherited?  Sorry if I fail to understand the need to protect Mommy Dearest.

If you're thinking that Catherine will eventually see the error of her ways or that Lydia will grow a spine - let me assure you: they do not.  Catherine goes on to miscarry the baby (consider that trigger warning #5) and begs Lydia to "take care of it" - which she does.  Then Catherine recalls a previous moment with Lydia offered her tea - only to act strangely and spill it on the carpet before Catherine can take a sip.  Yes, Lydia concocted a tea with herbs that can "take care of such things" but chickened out at the last minute.  Catherine then thinks that Lydia murdered her precious love child, which she conceived WITH THEIR BROTHER (!!!!) and ramps up her campaign to make Lydia's life miserable.  And Lydia continues to ineffectually wring her hands from the sidelines.

Look, I get it.  It's 1821.  Women didn't have a lot of agency.  But what women could and did do was find ways to manipulate the societal mores of the time to get where they wanted/needed to go.  Lydia is nothing more than a reactionary heroine who refuses to take proactive action towards making her own life better.  Instead she coddles a plot moppet younger sister and distant mother, cleans up messes left behind by her VILE older sister, and pines after John Barrett. Then to have her willfully ignore the unexplained episodes in her life (her "powers") is just...OMG, can she just die already?  Because I can't.

Since I've already spoiled everything, why not the ending?  Lydia and John do end up together.  The villain (no, not brother Charles or Catherine - it's Lydia's former fiance' and Daddy's former business partner's son!) is vanquished, and Catherine leaves the country to take her vile act on the road but that's OK because Lydia muses that she hopes her sister finds happiness (!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!).  And Charles, the brother who likes to have sex with his own sister and leave her to deal with consequences?  Well we don't ever find out since he never appears on page but my guess is he probably married the dancer and is living his best life - because nobody else gets what they truly deserve in this book, so why would he?

Stick a fork in me, I'm done.

Final Grade = D-

Review: Wanted: Billionaire's Wife

I picked up Wanted: Billionaire's Wife by Susannah Erwin mainly because, once upon a time, she was a local author for me.  I've seen her kicking around at various conferences and when I heard she sold her debut to the Desire line?  I was all in.  I love reading debut authors, especially in category.  It was only after finishing this book that I realized she also won the 2017 Golden Heart for best unpublished manuscript in Contemporary Romance: Short...for this very book.  Which goes a long way in explaining why I enjoyed it so much.  Folks, this is a good one.

Danica Novak is an assistant at a small boutique executive recruitment firm in Silicon Valley. She's just returned from a trip home to visit her brother, who had a freak accident while playing football.  Doctors are recommending an experimental treatment for him, one that insurance isn't going to cover and her parents cannot afford.  So needless to say Danica is distracted when she literally runs into Luke Dallas, the latest tech CEO wunderkind, devastatingly gorgeous and looking for her boss.  They're both in a for a shock however, because the boss?  Yeah, has literally emptied out the office and left a Dear Danica "got an amazing offer sorry to light out while you've been dealing with family stuff for the past 2 weeks" letter.

This is not great news for Luke either.  His company needs an influx of cash to expand and he thought he found the perfect partner in the Stavros Group.  But just as he's about the sign the papers they pull the rug out from under him and things go sideways.  How sideways?  He's at the recruiting firm to convince his old college friend (Danica's dearly departed boss) to take on a new job...find him a wife.  A wife will, for reasons eventually explained, solve the issue with the business deal gone south.  Well, in for a penny, in for a pound - he convinces Danica to take the wife finding job by throwing a fair amount of money her way and, what he doesn't know?  She needs that money for medical bills so says yes.  Never mind she wants to lick Luke like an ice cream cone on a hot summer's day.

I read across most category romance lines but I'll be blunt: I don't necessarily read Harlequin Presents or Harlequin Desire (at least today's Desire...) for realism.  Some of the plots can get patently absurd and this one strains the seams.  I mean, anytime you get the ol' "have to marry for XYZ reason" trope you know that as the reader you just need to roll with it.  It boils down to how well the author sells the absurdity, and Erwin sells it well.

It helps that I felt like she knew northern California.  That she had at least some passing familiarity with the tech industry and with the field of executive recruitment.  I can't say with certainty that it's 100% authentic (not everything is in fiction - which is why they call it "fiction") - but she gets the feel of it right and I appreciated that.

I also liked that while Luke is a bit of a cold fish, thanks to his parents because OF COURSE!, he's not a complete jackhole and honestly?  His parents really are a piece of work.  By contrast Danica had the best example of a happy-ever-after in her parents - eastern European refugees who fled with nothing but their love for each other and scraped together a new life in the United States.  Danica is hopeful to Luke's cynical and it's a nice contrast.

Of course the thing standing in the way of Danica's mission to find Luke a wife is their attraction to each other.  Besides their different temperaments, Luke is a man raised in privilege (dysfunctional, but privileged) while Danica is a woman who has learned the hard way that trusting anyone outside the family unit can get you burned.  This past is reinforced when circumstances end up altering their original agreement.

This is a strong debut and a well-done category romance.  I enjoyed it a lot and inhaled it in a couple of sittings.  I'm definitely going to pick up Erwin's next book which, hopefully, Harlequin will have the brains to publish.

Final Grade = B