A Trope Bridge Too Far

I've been reading romance now for 26 years. Not as long as some of you, but a long time. I've seen the genre chew up and spit out trends, I've seen many an online kerfuffle and, this can't be overstated, I've officially hit my Cranky Midlife Sea Hag Era. Undoubtedly the Baby Romance Reader will stumble across my incoming rant, chalk this up to Old Lady Yelling at Clouds, and move on. No shame in that game. I did the same thing back in the day when Old Ladies were yelling about erotic romance turning the genre into porn. But I have to get this off my chest, and it's my blog - so buckle up.

I started reading Fake Dating the Italian Heir by Ally Blake last night. The story centers around Nico, whose family has a winery outside the fictional Australian small town of Vermillion. His family also owns a good chunk of the commercial real estate in town and leases it out to small business owners. Tourists come for the winery, are charmed by the cutesy small town with cutesy businesses - everybody wins. Nico's father died when he was a teenager and since then Nico has strapped on his Superman cape and assumed the role of Big Fish, Small Pond. He's running himself ragged, running the winery, checking in on the business owners, being part of the town's volunteer emergency response team. When he "dates" it's always women who don't live in town and casual hook-ups. Why? Because after his father died, his mother fell apart. He and his younger sister were left emotionally adrift. He responded by throwing himself into the role Town Savior and his sister chose to leave town the minute she could. His mother now seems a bit concerned that Nico didn't "choose" his own life but no matter, she's packing up and moving back to Italy where their father is buried. Probably to throw herself on the man's grave - but whatever.

Our heroine is Laila, a newcomer to town who runs the local romance-only bookstore. She was a Big Shot Crisis Manager in Sydney - the sort of fixer who bails out rich people and politicians. It was a job she was uniquely suited for because of her mother. Mommy was a wide-eyed fairy tale dreamer. The sort who always thought the next guy was Prince Charming. Laila was always bailing her out of one situation or another.  Laila is smart, funny, successful, but guarded to the point of aloof. When guys meet her they think they've hit the jackpot. A woman who isn't clingy, a woman who won't cramp their style - until they realize that even they can't break through that shield of aloofness. This leads to her getting dumped right before her wedding. Not wanting to be "beholden" to her ex (🙄), she takes on the bills of the called off nuptials (because of course she does), packs her car and starts driving. Which is how she ends up in Vermillion, in front of an empty store front, and decides to realize her dream of opening a bookstore. 

These two rub each other in all the wrong ways. Nico with his Big Man on Campus schtick and Laila with her hidden vulnerabilities and secrets. See, she's also sleeping in the back room of the bookstore. A big no-no since the businesses aren't zoned for residential. But when a big bill from the her Not Wedding came in, she couldn't afford both rent on the bookstore and rent on her apartment - so sleeping in the storage room is temporary - until her landlord Nico finds her out. 

For 43% of this book the author builds up the small town, the quirky small town residents, and the Love/Hate Push/Pull between Nico and Laila. Nico shares with Laila the tragedy of his father's death, but at this point Laila still hasn't shared any tidbits from her past - the baggage with her mother (now deceased), her called off wedding etc. There's a lot going on, plenty in the way of conflict, and competent world-building that I'm now sucked into this tiny fictional town. So what happens? A shoe-horned in trope that doesn't have to be there.

Nico finds out Laila is sleeping and living in the bookstore. He lays off their Fight Flirting for a minute and offers to help her out - getting some work done in the bookstore to make it livable, clearing the problem with the zoning. I can think of any number of things that could have happened next - namely, Laila staying in Nico's family home (or on the property) while he fixes up the bookstore so she can live there and that will also help Nico out by making the other women in town who drool over him think he and Laila "might" be an item. But no. Instead we get: Nico needs to fly to San Francisco and go to a Napa Valley winery to check on a project he has there but the guy who runs the place has a daughter who snuck into his bed the last time he was there and it sure would help if Laila would come along and pretend they're a couple to keep her in check because Nico doesn't want to muddy the business deal and he has a feeling his mother and this dude would love him to marry the daughter to form a partnership between our families.

Like, WUT?!

After spending the first 43% of this book setting up the small town, Nico's baggage, and Laila's baggage, we're going to shoehorn in a trip to California, another set of secondary characters, and a fake dating trope. I realize fake dating is right there in the title of the book, but it doesn't change the fact we're leaving behind all the groundwork with the small town angle that was previously laid to head to another continent on Nico's family's private jet (because, of course) to throw another trope log on the fire. Some of you are probably reading this and thinking "What's the big deal Wendy?" but you know what? I was done. 

I have been reading Harlequins for as long as I've been reading romance. I know my way around tropes. I love tropes. What I don't love is the current climate we're experiencing here in Romancelandia, brought down around our heads by influencers, Tiktok, and publishers who have no clue what they're doing (I said what I said).  They have crammed Tropes = Marketing down our collective throats. Tropes are fun. Tropes are great. Tropes should not be your sole source of conflict and tropes are not the totality of what romance is about. Tropes should be the sprinkles, they should not be the whole damn donut. And that's my problem. This book was going along just fine until we take a hard right turn into Trope Conflict Land. There's no need for it. There's plenty of set-up, conflict, and Love/Hate shenanigans going on with the couple to feed a story the size of a Harlequin Romance (less than 200 pages). The author found my current pet peeve, my hot button was pressed, and y'all I'm done. 

I've DNF'ed more egregiously terrible books in my day, but I simply cannot go on. My current reading mood is too fragile and I'm now excessively cranky to the point of unreasonable. This probably doesn't read like a big deal for the outsiders looking in. I'll concede it's probably not. But between Harlequin Romance abandoning all heroes who aren't wealthy tycoons in recent years and the current state of marketing romance, I'm full up. 

 Final Grade = DNF

Making Merry: Unusual Historicals for December 2025

Somehow, someway, we've finally made it to December of the hellscape year that has been 2025. While there were definitely highlights to 2025 (Sisters trip to NYC! Ireland with my Big Sister!), I spent a good chunk of this year with a sour mood and bad attitude - which, not great. I've always been a person who skews towards a positive outlook. I don't like being in a bad mood. I don't like taking to my bed like some tragic Victorian heroine. Which is probably why when anyone tells me historical romance is dead I'm likely to dig in my heels.  And since 2025 has been ::hand waving:: all this? I'm digging those heels in out of spite. Know that I'm drafting this post with a glass of whiskey next to my keyboard and the continued foolhardy sense to charge up Romancelandia Hill to save the genre from itself. Happy Holidays, save a sub genre and read a historical romance. 

A Most Worthy Husband by Faye Delacour

Hannah Williams never wanted a marriage like her parents'. She'd be perfectly happy to spend her life as a spinster and support herself by helping to run her sister-in-law's gambling club. But no matter how many schemes Hannah hatches to repel suitors, her mother won't accept defeat. To wrest back control of her life once and for all, Hannah takes drastic measures. She'll ruin herself with a man so unsuitable that no one will force them to the altar, making her unmarriageable forever. What could possibly go wrong?

Silas Corbyn is nothing but trouble. Disinherited by his family and dishonorably discharged from the Navy, the ton has dismissed him without hearing his side of the story. When an old friend gives him work as a dealer at a lady's gambling club, Silas doesn't intend to repay the favor by compromising the man's little sister on his first night, but Hannah offers him an obscene amount of money for just one kiss—money that he could use to build a new life for himself.

Neither of them counted on Hannah's mother rushing them into a hasty marriage. Now they need to find a way to call off their engagement before it's too late. Unless they lose their hearts first. 

Delacour wraps up her Lucky Ladies of London trilogy with the time honored tradition of a heroine who wants to ruin herself. This girl though, thinks her plan is smart - and in theory, it is. She'll ruin herself with a man so dishonorable, so unsuitable, the ruination will not translate into a shotgun marriage. Um, until it does. I'll be honest, I'm in this one for the hero who sounds like he's fallen low indeed. I'm a sucker for a good redemptive arc and characters who need to "grow up." Count me in.

Viking's Royal Marriage Bargain by Michelle Styles

The maiden he never forgot

Becomes the bride he never expected!

Viking Rand is resolute. He will secure a marriage alliance with the kingdom of Islay. But whilst battle-hardened Rand is prepared for enemy attack, he’s wholly unprepared for the proposal to come from Princess Svanna…his first love, before war ripped their lives apart.

A union with Rand could bring peace to their kingdoms, but it's the last thing that Svanna’s hateful stepfather will allow. Not least because she’s been forced to harbour a royal secret that could throw Islay into chaos. Rand’s kiss is still etched into Svanna’s memory, but can she trust the fierce warrior before her?

A hero looking to secure an alliance via marriage (as you do) who didn't count on that proposal coming from his first love. Torn apart by war, the heroine knows the only way to thwart her stepfather and secure peace is to marry the hero - but complications and a Big Secret loom.  Styles is typically a very solid writer within the Harlequin Historical landscape. I'm looking forward to this one. 

The Maid's Masquerade by Catherine Tinley

Undercover as the Earl’s fiancée…

Looking to settle old scores

On a transatlantic voyage, English maid Marguerite hatches a plan with an American heiress to temporarily trade places when they arrive in England. Since being forced into servitude, this is Marguerite’s chance to re-enter Society, and posing as the betrothed of Benedict, Earl of Linford—the man at fault for her circumstances—is the perfect opportunity for revenge! But her anger is soon replaced by an unsettling attraction. Still, Benedict caused her to lose everything once, so she won’t lose her heart to him now—even when he reveals some unexpected truths…

Tinley gives us The Prince and Pauper but with heroines. An English maid pulls the ol' switcheroo with an American heiress, who conveniently is betrothed to the man who ruined the maid's life. But revenge gets complicated with an unexpected attraction and some truth. Naturally this is a duet. The American heiress' romance is set for April 2026.

Of Dukes and Forbidden Words by Sandra Sookoo

If ancient words don’t land them into scandal, their forbidden attraction in a library after hours surely will.

It’s the Christmastide season of 1816 and more than the weather is uncertain. When Barrington (Barr) Combes-Mead, Duke of Scarborough does some renovations to his London townhouse and unearths a book of erotic, Egyptian prose, he immediately wishes to have it translated. If the book proves valuable, he will certainly sell it, yet part of him hopes the book might inspire him to reclaim the excitement he’s missing in his life… somehow.

Miss Catherine Pickwick used to make her living as a governess, but after whispers of scandals, she changed her focus to that of a librarian, because research and study made her happy. As the daughter of a university professor, she is no stranger to ancient cultures and literature. When a duke of some consequence visits her lending library with the request to have an interesting and quite indecent book translated, she can’t wait to take up the challenge. Knowledge was power… wasn’t it?

Perhaps it is the words within the book or a natural attraction, but as the duke and Catherine spend long hours together because of the text or impromptu Christmas preparations, desire bedevils them. Acting upon it only ramps that delicious thrill, but when a series of troubling incidents arise, they assume the book is cursed. When silly antics on Christmas Eve end in assumed disaster, they each must face truths they’ve been avoiding, and perhaps they might find everything they want… if they’re fortunate.

The start of a new series titled Dashing Rogues and Ruined Librarians. THIS IS NOT A DRILL! RUINED LIBRARIANS! Hero lands on the doorstep of heroine's lending library to have an erotic book of Egyptian prose he stumbled across during home renovations translated. Antics and shenanigans ensue. Is the book cursed? This one is already downloaded on my Kindle. 

Go, Rogue by Kay K. Denner

Lady Catherine West is supposed to marry a future viscount. But she leaves him standing at the altar, instead.

Fleeing both scandal and suffocation, she slips aboard The Elphame, a merchant ship bound for Boston and captained by Andrew McGann, the one man least inclined to offer her safe harbor. Captain McGann—half-Scottish, half-Jamaican, and wholly exasperated by the runaway debutante now disrupting his deck—hasn’t spoken to Catherine since their last explosive encounter months ago.

But when navigational errors give way to sabotage, fire, and a violent attack at sea, Andrew is forced to confront the feelings he’s tried to bury. And when he’s kidnapped and taken to Jamaica, Catherine must rely on his slippery first mate, and her own untested instincts, to track him down.

In a land haunted by Andrew’s past and steeped in Catherine’s fear of what comes next, they must choose who they are—and what they’re willing to risk—for freedom, love, and the chance to chart a course all their own.

Second book in The Mavericks series, she's a runaway bride stowing away on a merchant ship to Boston and the hero is the ship's captain, who is short on sympathy and annoyed by the disruption her appearance is causing. High seas adventure, complete with a role-reversal kidnapping (HE'S KIDNAPPED!).

Irene's Fall by Elizabeth Donne

Pride comes before her fall. Love helps her stand again.

Irene Sangford has willingly cast herself as the villain of her own story. After all, her family has taught her that arrogance and manipulation are suitable qualities in a lady if she’s seeking a husband with a title. Especially when there are so few such men to be had, and she is competing with her own sister to snap one of them up.

Nathaniel Macrae not only has no title, he has immersed himself in low society in his role as a secret investigator. Miss Sangford would never have given him a second glance, but when an attempted murder leads his inquiries right to her door, and a shocking secret from her past threatens to unravel her entire life, Irene discovers that Mr. Macrae is more compelling than any man she has ever met.

As Irene’s world falls apart, and she questions everything she has ever known, Nathaniel becomes her anchor in life’s greatest storm. Except this storm threatens to destroy them both. They will have to challenge everything they know and trust each other if they are to survive and find the love that has eluded them.

Fifth book in the Ladies of Munro series has our heroine trying to land a husband while competing with her own sister, only to become intrigued by our hero who has little money, no title and works for a living as a "secret investigator." He wants answers and she's got secrets. Marriages have been built on less. 

The Widow's Vow by Rachel Brimble

From grieving widow...

1851, England. After her merchant husband saved her from a life of prostitution, Louisa Hill was briefly happy as a housewife in Bristol. But then a constable arrives at her door. Her husband has been found hanged in a Bath hotel room, a note and a key to a property in Bath she knew nothing about the only things she has left of him.

To a new life as a madam…

Knowing the debt collectors will arrive any moment, Louisa must leave everything she knows behind, and move to Bath. But left with no means of income, Louisa knows she has little choice but to return to but her old way of life. But this time, she’ll do it on her own terms – by turning her new home into a brothel for upper class gentleman. And she’s determined the horrors she was forced to endure in the past are not experienced by the girls she saves from the streets.

Enlisting the help of Jacob Jackson, a quiet but feared boxer, to watch over the house, Louisa is about to embark on a life she never envisaged. Can she find the courage to forge this new path?

A word of warning upfront that this one might be "romance adjacent," but I am nothing if not predictable for my love of heroines who have "reputations." A former prostituted rescued from the life by her husband, inherits a property after his death. Desperate and with debts to pay, she decides to open a high-end brothel (as you do). It's the mention of the "feared boxer" she hires to watch over the house and business that intrigues me here. Also, 1851 - which puts us smack dab in the Victorian era (I love me a good Victorian). This is the first in a proposed trilogy.

Obliteration by Kathryn Le Veque

An inheritance that involves… wine, women, and song??

Sir Jareth de Leybourne is the moral compass of the legendary Guard of Six—a noble knight known for honor, logic, and restraint. But when his wealthy uncle dies, Jareth inherits far more than land and coin. He inherits a scandal that could destroy everything he stands for.

Summoned to the bustling medieval city of Bristol, Jareth discovers his uncle’s fortune was built on a discreet but wildly profitable enterprise: Aphrodite’s Feast, an elegant brothel and gambling hell quietly tolerated for its philanthropy. The business funds churches, education, and charity—but its existence threatens Jareth’s reputation as one of England’s most honorable knights.

Running Aphrodite’s Feast is Lady Desdra le Daire, a brilliant, sharp-tongued woman burdened by secrets of her own. Neither a courtesan nor a criminal, Desdra is a spinster by choice, using her education to manage the operation that saved her life. From the moment she and Jareth meet, sparks fly—clashing ideals, forbidden attraction, and undeniable chemistry.

As Jareth struggles to reconcile duty, honor, and inheritance, a deadly truth emerges: his uncle had a powerful enemy who now wants Jareth dead. Worse still, Desdra is caught in the middle—and the man threatening her life is her own father. 

To save Desdra and protect his honor, Jareth must confront betrayal, corruption, and a love that could cost him everything.

Unusual Historicals, come for the browsing, stay for the books featuring brothels. Part of the Guards of Six medieval series, a noble knight inherits more than he bargained for when his wealthy uncle dies - namely the business that supplied that wealth, a brothel. Good God man, he has a reputation to uphold! Complicating matters is the heroine, who runs the operation and her father, who not-so-conveniently wants them both dead. 

A Courtship at Linlithgow by Kate Robbins

A carefully orchestrated plot, or a chance encounter? Their love burns through all doubt.

Marion Baird’s biggest problem is her mother’s greed. Excited to explore King James’s court, Marion wishes to avoid being flaunted in front of future prospects like a prized cow. She would rather explore the lavish castle grounds and library at Linlithgow Palace. That is until she encounters a man straight out of legend she can neither ignore nor deny.

Alexander Campbell, Earl of Argyll has accepted an invitation to the King’s summer tourney. While the exercise is welcome, the society is wrought with drooling mothers and daughters anxious to display their lack of talent and grace. This event will prove no different. He encounters a bewitching lady in the gardens during the masked ball and what follows will be burned onto his soul for all time.

Caught between scandal and prejudice, Marion and Alexander must decide if their passion is real or the product of a carefully orchestrated plot.

A heroine who just wants to enjoy court by exploring the grounds and the library must contend with her mother parading her around like a prized cow at King James' court. Our hero accepts an invitation to participate in a summer tournament, but isn't all that anxious to thwart off matchmaking mamas. Stuff happens, these two have an interlude of sorts, and scandal ensues. The question being, was it orchestrated and by whom?  This is the first book in the Thistle and Rose series. 

A Taste of Gold by Sara Adrien

Her silence protects the man she loves and hides the woman she is.

Miss Maisie Morgenschein is very good at pretending everything is fine. Guardian to an orphaned marquess, she remains calm and protects a dangerous truth: nobody must know her real name—which makes it impossible for her lost love to find her, and that’s what she wants most. She still writes him letters she can’t send, not knowing where he is. A connection to her might lead the villain to him.

Dr. Felix Leafley, Harley Street’s most sought-after dentist, uses an English alias to keep his patients—and the other doctors at the practice—safe. Years ago, he was a medical student with Maisie in his arms. When circumstances tore them apart, they vowed to find each other. But passion refuses to stay polite, and secrets refuse to stay buried.

She can’t use her real name to find him. He can’t use his to be found.

The result? A duel of aliases, near-miss letters, and one dangerously perfect kiss.

But just as Felix and Maisie dare to speak their names, the villain closes in—and the truth may cost them the one thing neither believed possible: a future together.

This is the fifth book in Adrien's Miracles on Harley Street series featuring various medical professionals. She's a guardian to an orphaned marquess and hiding her identity "for reasons." He's a dentist and the one who got away and is also using an alias "for reasons." These two crazy kids were in love and torn apart but now can't find each other because....they're both using aliases "for reasons." Near misses and second chances set against the backdrops of Vienna and London.

This is it, the last Unusual Historical post of 2025. I hope you all enjoyed reading about them, browsing, and hopefully found some new historical romances to try. This feature isn't going anywhere anytime soon. It'll be back for 2026!

#TBRChallenge 2025: Regency Christmas Parties

The Book: Regency Christmas Parties by Annie Burrows, Lara Temple and Joanna Johnson

The Particulars: Regency Historical Romance Anthology, Harlequin Historical #1689, 2022, Out of Print, Available digitally

Why Was It In Wendy's TBR?: Seriously? It's a Harlequin Historical Christmas anthology. The better question would be which ones AREN'T in my TBR? 

The Review: Of course I waited until the last minute to pick out and read something for this month's Celebration! theme. When time is short (typical) I go diving into the cupboard where I horde my stash of print Harlequins and a cursory dig didn't turn up anything inspiring. So to the digital pile I went and immediately stumbled across this anthology that features Christmas parties! I mean, how perfect can you get? And lucky me, this turned out to be a pretty enjoyable anthology overall.

Invitation to a Wedding by Annie Burrows gets us off on the right foot. Clara is a spinster assistant teacher at a boarding school where the students are mainly the children of indigent or decreased clerics, so her former pupil, Isabella "Bella" Fairclough, was a bit of an oddity. Her father being well off and still alive. No, Bella was dumped off at the school because her father remarried and her stepmother didn't want her underfoot, especially after she birthed twin boys. Bella was a handful and Clara was the only teacher who could bring her (somewhat) to heel, although the headmistress is still a bit put out that Clara scored an invitation to Bella's upcoming wedding - to a Duke no less! So off Clara goes, spinning fantasies of her first real Christmas family gathering since her parents died when she was ten.

Lieutenant Hugo Warren meets Clara's carriage and rescues her from the path of an on-coming horse. Naturally Clara is not what he expected, what with her drab clothing, threadbare coat and one small bag. This is the bride's maid of honor? He has reasons for not wanting this marriage to happen, and regardless of what Clara might think, it's not because he's next in line to inherit the title unless Bella spits out a son. No, he's more concerned about the Duke being three times the bride's age and four times her girth. Maybe he can get Clara on his side to talk some sense into Bella? 

Clara is glad she came because obviously Bella needs someone on her side! It doesn't take long to realize it's a nest of vipers around her former student, who is lavishing Clara with a fabulous, albeit "used", wardrobe and making sure she partakes in all the delights the Duke's household has to offer. Bella knows that Clara might feel "out of place" so she's doing everything in her power to make sure she has a great time. This leads to Clara spending more time with Hugo and before you know it, these two are smitten.

This story feels very Traditional Regency with a bit of an edge to it - namely the sour secondary characters and ultimately what we learn about Bella's character and motives. The romance moves along at a good just-kisses clip, and there's plenty of tension to give readers a little sizzle. A very pleasant read.

Grade = B

Snowbound with the Earl by Lara Temple was the highlight of this anthology. Bella (no connection to the Bella in the previous story!) is a poor, orphaned relation living with her "sickly" aunt and her flighty, rebellious, and spoiled cousin, Violet. Violet fancies herself in love with Rupert, who is not yet of age - but no matter they're running away to Gretna Green to elope! Rupert is a nice boy who doesn't deserve to be used by her social climber cousin, and Violet deserves better than a mooncalf mama's boy. Having already set plans in motion to keep Violet at home, Bella arrives at the designated rendezvous site to deal with Rupert - only to find his insufferable cousin, Lord Deverill. Nicholas is also there to thwart the elopement and they both have been trying to break up the couple for months. However, even though they have the same goal they literally cannot stand each other. These two rub each other in all the wrong ways - which we all know what that means.

Circumstances lead to Bella going back to Nicholas' family home to conclude the business at hand but wouldn't you know it? Bella gets snowed in. She'll have to spend the holidays with Nicholas and his family. Gee, whatever shall happen next?

The banter in this story is so delicious. I laughed out loud on a couple of occasions and the tension between these two is thick. Naturally one thing leads to another and they fall in love. My only quibble with this story is the doomed "romance" of Violet and Rupert is dealt with an perfunctory manner and one wonders what those two kids are going to say when Nicholas and Bella 1) end of married and 2) catch wind of what they did to keep them apart. No mistake, I don't feel bad for them. It's pretty obvious it's a "romance" in name only and Violet definitely reads like someone who would move on quickly. 

Grade = B+

A Kiss at the Winter Ball by Joanna Johnson is the last story in the anthology, and also, unfortunately, the weakest. A shame since it's got a very unique premise.

Maria Bartlett is the daughter of a gentleman farmer desperate to get her father to see reason. She's capable of more than just sitting at home doing needlepoint. She wants to work on the farm just like her brother does! So with a bit a subterfuge and the luck of her brother spraining his ankle, she's driving the last remaining Christmas turkeys into the town of Atherby. But, of course, she ends up taking a wrong turn and is rescued by a man who tells her she's on Viscount Stanford's land. With the hour getting late, Alex offers to take her up to Millbrooke Hall for the night. The Viscount would not want a woman traveling alone at night with a storm rolling in. 

We all know where this is going - Alex is, of course, Viscount Stanford and soon the weather turns so nasty that Maria is forced to stay several days at the estate. It's Insta-Love from the jump, which is already not my favorite, but then add in that Alex is engaged to someone else. It's an arrangement agreed upon by his and the bride's parents when they were barely out of diapers. No matter, it doesn't stop him from falling in love with Maria (somehow?) after clamping eyes on her and it doesn't stop Maria from feeling all gooey about him even AFTER she finds out the engagement will announced at an upcoming ball at Millbrooke Hall that of course Alex invites her to attend (my hero, I guess?). 

This just didn't work for me. I get that his impending engagement is not a love match, and his intended isn't crazy about marrying him either (more on that in the story) but it doesn't change the fact that Maria and Alex decide they're in love with each other in about 10 seconds flat.  I understand some folks like Insta-Love stories. I think they're wrong, but to each their own. This was certainly readable and I liked the "walking Christmas turkeys to market" premise - but it was pretty meh otherwise.

Grade = C-

Anthologies are typically mixed bags and even though the final story was my least favorite, the overall reading experience was really solid for me. I've never read Temple before and the strength of that story alone will have me diving into my TBR to see what else turns up. The world-building was strong in every story and left me with the first small glimmer of Christmas cheer I've had this season. I'm calling this one a win.

Overall Final Grade = B

Review: Edge

I should have plowed through Edge by Tracy Clark. I mean, I sort of kind of did? I read it in two sittings. It's just those two sittings were literal weeks apart. Yes, for one of my favorite suspense writers. For a book I broke a nail one-clicking. Y'all 2025 can just suck it. I know part of the problem is that my brain is broken, but I truly need to find the joy in reading again or else 2026 is going to see y'all talking me down off a ledge.

Anyway, this book. It's the fourth book in Clark's Detective Harriet Foster series, following the trials and tribulations of a Black, female, Chicago homicide detective.  Clark has written these books pretty heavy on the series stuff, so even though we're only four books in, they haven't been standing alone well. In fact, when a plot arch that carried over the first three books wrapped up in Book 3 I kind of thought this one would serve as a fresh start. Well, yes and no. Harriet has at least found a good therapist now, so maybe there's hope she's turning a corner on some of her guilt.

The book opens with a bang. It was highly suggested that Harriet take some time off due to events in the previous book, and that's what she's begrudgingly doing. She's taking a lonely, solitary walk in the Chicago rain early one morning when she sees something odd - two people lying out in the open (in the rain!) in a local skate park. Her cop instincts kick in and what she discovers are two young people with symptoms of a drug overdose. It's too late for the young man, he's dead. However the young woman is still alive, but just barely. Harriet's quick thinking saves her life, and it turns out she's the niece of one of the cops that Harriet works with. 

Matt is loaded for bear but it's an overdose, not a homicide and the team has handed off the details to the cops who responded to Harriet's 911 call. Then, another call comes in. A man burning both ends to make ends meet, to support his young family, becomes worried when his wife doesn't answer the phone. He leaves work only to find his young wife, who finally seemed to be pulling out of her postpartum depression, lying in bed, dead. From an overdose of the same drug that killed the two college kids Harriet found on the morning of her lonely walk in the rain. 

As more overdoses pile up time is running out for them to get a handle on what is killing these people. Interspersed between the pages of Harriet and the team running down answers is the tale of a turf war within a gang family. A dead patriarch, a ruthless daughter now running the show, and her ambitious, impulsive and reckless niece who has already lit a fuse. 

A dangerous street drug and a criminal family tearing itself at the seams makes for a compelling story and as always Clark does a great job with the Chicago setting. I also was tickled beyond measure that Clark's other creation, former cop turned PI Cassandra "Cass" Raines shows up in this story. Although, she's more of a cocky bitch here than I ever remembered her being in her own books. Still, I was glad to see her again, although I can't help but think this likely means her series is now officially dead unless Clark decides to meld the two together or can get Amazon to pick it up now that it seems like Kensington has moved on. 

While I enjoyed the plot, I'll admit the characters frustrated me more in this entry - especially with the way they handled Matt's niece who survives her OD. Cops closing ranks and treating "one of their own" with kid gloves? Highly believable. Did it still frustrate the hell out of me that Harriet wasn't rattling cages harder, louder, faster and sooner? Yes. The urgency to the investigation seemed to ebb and flow in this book and I get that police work is 99% tedium, but it sure seemed to take the characters a long time to circle around to talking to some of their "persons of interest" in a timely manner.  Which, come to think of it, is how we get Cass to show up in this book. That's a woman who waits for no one. 

The writing did get a bit overwrought at times, but given her life experiences Harriet is kind of an overwrought person not dealing with her baggage - so really, what am I saying? I don't even know anymore. Again, good plot, I'm still enjoying the characters, but this one isn't quite as good as the first couple of books for me.

Final Grade = B-

Reminder: #TBRChallenge Day is December 17

Our next #TBRChallenge is set for Wednesday, December 17 and this month's optional theme is Celebration! 

This one came out of last year's annual theme suggestion poll and you could spin this a few different ways. Weddings, parties, masquerade balls, holiday gatherings, a new job / promotion, the fact that we're almost through 2025 and this is the last TBR Challenge prompt for the year 😂.  Whatever celebrating can mean to you, run wild through your TBR and see what pops out.  However, remember, the themes are always completely optional. Blindly picking up the first book that tickles your fancy is always perfectly acceptable. 

I want to thank everyone who participated in and followed along with this year's Challenge. Truly, I would not be able to keep this thing chugging along without all the support I've received from you all over the years. 

Sign-ups for the 2026 #TBRChallenge have now begun and we have some GREAT theme suggestions for next year. You can learn more about next year over at this blog post. I hope you'll consider joining in on the fun. 

All Aboard! Sign-Up for the 2026 #TBRChallenge

I want to thank everyone who took the time to fill out my poll soliciting theme suggestions for the 2026 TBR Challenge. All of these themes came from your suggestions and some of these are going to require me to put my thinking cap on. That said, they're all relatively expansive and for those of you who like to stay "on theme" - I think these will provide plenty of options with a little creativity. 

For those of you stumbling across my blog for the first time, you're probably wondering - what is the #TBRChallenge?

Your mission, should you choose to accept it: once a month pull a dormant book out of your TBR pile and read it.  On the 3rd Wednesday of the month, talk about that book.

Participation is as easy as being on social media!

If you're on social media all you need to do is use the #TBRChallenge hashtag - there's no need to sign-up and your participation can vary throughout the year.

You can use this hashtag on any day, at any time - but we're still going to concentrate on the 3rd Wednesday of every month to kick our commentary into high gear.  

The idea is to have at least one day a month where we can always count on there being book chatter.

Want to let your blogging freak flag fly?  If you have a blog and want to post TBR commentary there, drop me a comment on this post with a link to your blog or hit me up on Bluesky, Mastodon or Threads.  I like to post links to the various blogs on my TBR Challenge page so those who follow along can start following you.

Sound good?  Of course it does!  So what are the themes for 2026?  So glad you asked!

January 21 - Still Here (a series you've been neglecting, a book by a favorite author you've been saving for a rainy day, unrequited love, second chance or reunion romance etc.)

February 18 - Vintage (Old School, genre classic, etc.)

March 18 - Tropetastic! (Let your trope freak flag fly!)

April 15 - Fool's Errand (some sort of harebrained/desperate/Hail Mary kind of motivation for one of the main characters, fake relationship/engagement etc.)

May 20 - New Beginnings (Starting over, first book in a series, characters coming off divorce / bad relationship etc.)

June 17 - Pride (LGBTQ+, prideful main character etc.)

July 15 - Freedom! (main character escaping "something," books set during period of political change - pick a war, suffrage, Civil Rights Movement etc.)

August 19 - Backlist Banger (book that's been in your TBR a long time, backlist title by favorite and/or prolific author etc.)

September 16 - Lush Life (some definitions of lush = luxuriant, thriving, prosperous, savory, drunkard, curvaceous. Run with it folks!)

October 21 - The Hunt (thriller, romantic suspense, Gothic, paranormal, fantasy etc.)

November 18 - Wrath (revenge, vengeance, a struggle of some sort, angry characters)

December 16 - Wild Card (unpredictable characters, random "free pick" from your TBR etc.)

I know some of these are going to require a bit of planning on my part, but remember - if it all seems like too much bother - the themes are always optional. The goal of this challenge isn't so much what you read, so long as you're reading something (anything!) out of your TBR.

My hope is always for this Challenge to be low-key, stress-free and fun!  So I hope you'll consider joining this year. Be like me - use this Challenge to delude yourself into thinking you're actually making some progress on your book hoarding 😉.