Welcome back to Wednesday Links! Two out of my three June weddings to attend are complete! Only one more to go next week and I am thankful to have a casual weekend in between. ‘Tis the season! Did any of my fellow cozy gamers catch the latest Wholesome Direct? I was traveling and haven’t gotten around to watching it, but if you did, I want to know if you saw anything worth wishlisting! … REMINDER: Tara is moderating a virtual panel on queer romance TODAY Wednesday, June 12 at 6:30pm eastern. Tara will be joined by authors Alyssa Cole, Dominic Lim, Cat Sebastian and Rebekah Weatherspoon. … Acco ..read more

Pride, Prejudice, and Other Flavors Pride, Prejudice, and Other Flavors by Sonali Dev is $1.99! Carrie reviewed this one and gave it a B-: Sonali Dev is an amazing creator of character and I suspect that this book with be A grade stuff for many readers. I enjoyed the conversations around class, race, and disability (in Emma’s case). However, the book left me stressed out instead of happy Award-winning author Sonali Dev launches a new series about the Rajes, an immigrant Indian family descended from royalty, who have built their lives in San Francisco—a compelling, heartwarming  ..read more

B+ Thrive Where You’re Planted by Andrea Debbink February 6, 2024 · Quirk Books Nonfiction I started working at a local nature center about a year ago, and since then I’ve delighted in being more aware of the nature that inhabits my yard, fills apartment window boxes, and struggles through sidewalk cracks. Thrive Where You’re Planted: A Guided Journal to Help You Connect with the Natural Wonders in Your Neighborhood is a lovely exercise book for those of us who want to become more aware of the natural world around whether we live in the city, the suburbs, or a yurt in the woods. The jo ..read more

An Education in Malice An Education in Malice by S.T. Gibson is $2.99! This was released in February and we mentioned it on Hide Your Wallet. It’s a Sapphic, gothic romance with a dark academia setting. Sumptuous and addictive, An Education in Malice is a dark academia tale of blood, secrets and insatiable hungers from S.T. Gibson, author of the cult hit A Dowry of Blood.  Deep in the forgotten hills of Massachusetts stands Saint Perpetua’s College. Isolated and ancient, it is not a place for timid girls. Here, secrets are currency, ambition is lifeblood, and strange ..read more

This HaBO is from Kay, who really wants to know how this book shakes out: It begins at a class reunion where wife has retired to a hotel room, and husband comes to the same room with a past girlfriend, who tries to seduce him. He’s ambivalent as his wife hears all this unbeknownst to the maybe lovers. It doesn’t get better for the wife who is a teacher (husband is coach at same school). They have several children; it may have been a shotgun wedding. Coach is pretty dismissive of wife and is recruited to coach at a professional level (Football?) out of state. This requires him to move, and he i ..read more

Happy Tuesday! We have a crop of brand new book releases, from some buzzy titles to self-published and novella length reads. There is lots of variety this week! What books are you excited for? Let us know in the comments! Books & Broadswords, Volume One Author: Jessie Mihalik Released: June 11, 2024 by NYLA Genre: Fantasy/Fairy Tale Romance, Novella, Romance, Science Fiction/Fantasy This novella-length volume includes two romantic fantasy stories set in a shared world, each with a guaranteed happily ever after, plus a new bonus epilogue. Books & Broadswords The only thing Feora like ..read more

The Black Lily The Black Lily by Juliette Cross is 99c! This is a Cinderella-esque vampire romance and the rest of the series has fairy tale influences. I really enjoyed this book, but Ellen wound up reviewing it and liked it less, giving it a C. Cinderella like you’ve never seen before… With the threat of the vampire monarchy becoming stronger every day, the Black Lily must take drastic measures. As the leader of the underground resistance, Arabelle concocts the perfect idea to gain the attention of the Glass Tower. Her plan? Attend the vampire prince’s blood ball and kill him. Fortunately f ..read more

Happy Monday, Cover Snarkers! From Melodie: There is just something about his meticulously quilted pecs and the ab window that I find more giggle-worthy than seductive. Sarah: METICULOUSLY QUILTED PECS. I am deceased. I cannot. Omg. Oh, gosh, LKBookLover sent me this cover too. Quilted pecs for all! Amanda: In fairness, drinking whiskey can lead to lots of troubles. (Upon reading the book description, Whiskey is the family surname on which the entire series is based. Huh.) Elyse: I have questions: Is that tattoo supposed to be the state of California? What is his pelvis resting on? Maya: F ..read more

Bridgerton season 3 is here! My plan was to leisurely watch one episode a week over the month between the first episodes dropping and the June 13 arrival of the final four episodes. Instead, I devoured all the available episodes in one night and have been soothing myself with Bridgerton thirst memes while I wait for the finale. Anyone else counting down the days? In the meantime, I’ve been rewatching the series, yet again. I liked season 3 of Bridgerton on my first watch, but I adored it when I took a second look, for five reasons. #1 The show is better than the book Past seasons of Bridgerton ..read more

Welcome back, everyone! This one is heavy on the nonfiction. We have a memoir, some true crime, and food history. I’ve also thrown in an upcoming speculative novel with some truly amazing writing. Get any good book recommendations lately? Tell me all about them in the comments! Down with the System As a metalhead and someone who admires Serj Tankian’s activism, I highly recommend this memoir, especially to those who have similar interests. THE *INSTANT* NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER USA TODAY BESTSELLER An exhilarating, thoughtful, and beautifully written memoir by musician, songwr ..read more