November’s almost over, as is 2018 (thank Athena), so it’s time for me to be really honest about how writing has been going for me.

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I received this book for free from Library in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.

England, 1883. On the run with the grieving Sebastian Braddock, Evelyn wants two things: to be reunited with her friends, and to get revenge on the evil Captain Goode. Not only has he misused his and Sebastian's powers to rack up a terrible death toll, but he's also completely destroyed any hope of Evelyn or her friends regaining the life they once knew.

Evelyn is determined to make Captain Goode pay for what he's done, but is her revenge worth risking the lives of Sebastian and her friends? Or is it better to flee the city and focus on staying alive? And with the Captain spreading lies about Sebastian in an attempt to flush them out of hiding and turn the populace against them, does she even have a choice at all?

When I talk about this series, I inevitably end up talking about how it’s far and away the absolute best thing ever published by Swoon Reads. While absolutely true, this could also be misleading, so to be super duper clear: These Vicious Masks is great regardless of publisher. These books aren’t just amazing for Swoon Reads; they’re amazing in general. (Also, I know I sound harsh on Swoon Reads, but there are a lot of books and the great ones are the exceptions; I know because I’ve tried most of them.) I’ve now read These Vicious Masks thrice and These Ruthless Deeds twice because my poor memory means that I generally have to reread for each new book that comes out in a series; sometimes I resent that, but here it was a pleasure.

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I received this book for free from Edelweiss in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.

Joanna Shupe returns to New York City’s Gilded Age, where fortunes and reputations are gained and lost with ease—and love can blossom from the most unlikely charade

With the fate of her disgraced family resting on her shoulders, Lady Christina Barclay has arrived in New York City from London to quickly secure a wealthy husband. But when her parents settle on an intolerable suitor, Christina turns to her reclusive neighbor, a darkly handsome and utterly compelling inventor, for help.

Oliver Hawkes reluctantly agrees to a platonic marriage . . . with his own condition: The marriage must end after one year. Not only does Oliver face challenges that are certain to make life as his wife difficult, but more importantly, he refuses to be distracted from his life’s work—the development of a revolutionary device that could transform thousands of lives, including his own.

Much to his surprise, his bride is more beguiling than he imagined. When temptation burns hot between them, they realize they must overcome their own secrets and doubts, and every effort to undermine their marriage, because one year can never be enough.

For years, I’ve wondered why there were no books about girls named Christina. I mean, it’s been a common name in several countries for hundreds of years, since it’s a female name which means “follower of Christ,” which may not thrill me tbh. Well, I finally got a book with a heroine named Christina, and actually it was a little weird reading the name Christina. Not insurmountably weird like reading a book written in second person, but occasionally mildly odd. So that was exciting, as was this book.

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I received this book for free from Library in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.

London, 1887.

After burying her spinster aunt, orphaned Veronica Speedwell is free to resume her world travels in pursuit of scientific inquiry—and the occasional romantic dalliance. As familiar with hunting butterflies as with fending off admirers, Veronica intends to embark upon the journey of a lifetime.

But fate has other plans when Veronica thwarts her own attempted abduction with the help of an enigmatic German baron, who offers her sanctuary in the care of his friend Stoker, a reclusive and bad-tempered natural historian. But before the baron can reveal what he knows of the plot against her, he is found murdered—leaving Veronica and Stoker on the run from an elusive assailant as wary partners in search of the villainous truth.

I know a lot of readers really hate book cover redesigns for series, and I have a lot of sympathy for that struggle. However, if the cover goes from dud to stud, I have absolutely no issue with them redesigning, though sometimes I have an issue with my ugly hardcover. A Curious Beginning entered my radar solely because of the paperback redesign. My interest related wholly to the gorgeous cover. Of course, that meant I was both desperate and terrified to try the series because of how much I wanted to love these books merely so I could display them. So many beautiful covers are traps, and I end up hating them and having to ditch the beautiful book cover. Thankfully, A Curious Beginning is lovely inside and out.

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What I’ve Been Up To:

Blogging:

Just like at the beginning of the year when I was actually writing, I’m finding it super difficult to keep this blog up, even at three posts a week, while also trying to write enough every day to not fall behind on NaNoWriMo. I honestly do not know how writers who blog regularly do it. Once I’ve gotten my words in, the last thing I want to do is write a blog post, which is why this post is going up in the middle of the month instead of the start. Whoops. Also, I may have half-assed this post.

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