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I was captivated by Lim's fairy tale of a fantasy novel, particularly the vivid magical realism, Shiori's

In The Awakening, the first book in Nora Roberts's Dragon Heart Legacy series, she set up a romantic fantasy Why not take this fantasy all the way, after all?). , which I'm in favor of in real life, so I understand the obsession here.

Bree's mother dies in an accident, she escapes the painful memories of her childhood home and town in favor

I'm taking a short break from posting--and I hope to read some fantastic books to share with you when I've been rom-comming it up, and you can find lots of my favorite romantic reads on the blog--with a list of recently published favorites to come soon, as well as a Greedy Reading List featuring my favorite I've got these books going at the moment: recently published fantasy-historical fiction, the second in

The first book in Marske's duology is full of Edwardian England detail, gay love, mystery, magic, wonderful dialogue and banter, and plenty of heart. I adored it. A Marvellous Light, the first in Freya Marske's Last Binding duology, starts with a devastating ending (the demise of a character, caused by nefarious magicians) and a less-than-promising beginning (Robin Blyth's first day in his civil service job, for which he doesn't feel remotely qualified nor interested). Robin is trying to keep the household afloat after the deaths of his parents, to support his bright, ambitious younger sister, and to date some handsome men along the way. He soon realizes that (a) magic exists (!), (b) he's mistakenly been assigned the job of liaison to a secret magical society, (c) his office has been ransacked and a curse has been placed on him, (d) his curmudgeonly, book-smart coworker Edwin may be the key to saving them all, and (e) maybe he's falling for Edwin just the tiniest bit, despite himself. Marske offers immersive Edwardian England detail in this adorable, captivating, magical, queer book. Robin and Edwin's love is romantic and sweet and heartbreaking and sexy; the mystery at the heart of the book seems only to be solvable by the biggest book nerd in existence; and the story's magical details are fascinating and odd. I was completely hooked by A Marvellous Light, and I tried to slow down my reading to make it last. The amount of heart in this book was exquisite. Do you have any Bossy thoughts about this book? I didn't see a mention anywhere in the book of a sequel, and some aspects felt tantalizingly unresolved, so I was relieved to find out that another book is coming. The second and final book in Marske's duology, A Restless Truth, is scheduled for publication in November.

Check out this Bossy Greedy Reading List for Six Fantastic Dystopian and Postapocalyptic Novels I loved

ICYMI: My recent review of Natalie Haynes's entertaining A Thousand Ships brought to mind this wonderful title by Madeline Miller that I adored. To protect what she loves most, Circe must summon all her strength and choose, once and for all, whether she belongs with the gods she is born from or the mortals she has come to love. Circe, daughter of Helios, god of the sun and mightiest of the Titans, is an odd child. She's not striking and in fact, she's seemingly without power. But she grows into her glorious witchy wonder, and her abilities to transform her foes are revealed--along with her dangerous potential to threaten the gods. When Zeus, fearful of what she might be capable of, banishes her to a deserted island, Circe perfects her witchy powers, tames beasts, considers the world and her place in it, simmers and plans, and entertains well-known figures from mythology, including Icarus, the Minotaur, Medea, and Odysseus. We are sorry, we are sorry. Sorry you were caught, I said. Sorry that you thought I was weak, but you were wrong. Circe is a wonderfully faulted, curious, powerful witch. I was in for this book hook, line, and sinker. Do you have any Bossy thoughts about this book? I mentioned Circe in the Greedy Reading List Six Wonderfully Witchy Stories to Charm You, and I recently mentioned it again in my review of Natalie Haynes's A Thousand Ships, a woman-centered retelling of events surrounding the Trojan War.

Riley has crafted a middle-grade fantasy book with humor, adventure, characters to root for, and heart In James Riley's middle-grade fantasy book Story Thieves, young introvert Bethany and impulsive Owen I was surprised by the heart and depth in this fantasy book. and their allies, and loved the twists and turns and realizations--as well as the resolutions and the fantastic

The Books I'm Reading Now I'm reading Down Comes the Night, a young adult fantasy story featuring magical 01 Down Comes the Night by Allison Saft I love the setup of Saft's romantic young adult fantasy novel decision-making and astute threat assessment; and retreats from overwhelming interactions to watch its favorite

I adored the romantic setup and seemingly ill-fated attraction in Saft's young adult fantasy-mystery, I loved the setup of Saft's romantic young adult fantasy novel Down Comes the Night. The great young adult fantasy elements are all in place here: magic, healing, a defiant main protagonist Saft is also the author of another romantic young adult fantasy novel, A Far Wilder Magic. I loved her character-building, her balance with the young romance, her fantastic, detailed setting,

irresistible, hardheaded, wonderfully faulted Tess as she breaks from rigid medieval gender roles in favor

The Books I'm Reading Now I'm reading a favorite author's upcoming novella, The Summer War by Naomi Kingfisher novel, the fantasy story and retelling of the Grimm Brothers' Goose Girl , A Sorceress Comes 01 The Summer War by Naomi Novik Naomi Novik is one of my very favorite authors, and I'm excited to read Naomi Novik is the author of richly wrought fantasy novels featuring main protagonists I love: Uprooted Novik has also written the Temeraire series of nine fantastic books about dragons, their riders, their

A Rich Time-Travel Fantasy by a Favorite Author 03 The Everlasting by Alix E. This is the type of romantic fantasy I adore. Other fantasy novels you or your giftee might also enjoy: The Bright Sword by Lev Grossman, Bury Our 06 Silver Elite by Dani Francis While I probably should stop reading "romantasy" because I prefer my fantasy Other great 2025 fantasy novels with some romance that are not swooning romantasy: Shield of Sparrows

The Books I'm Reading Now I'm reading a favorite author's newest novel featuring the wonderfully wrought novel about a boy-band's nostalgic voyage with three thousand of their most dedicated fans, American Fantasy Elizabeth Strout is also the author of Olive Kitteridge. 02 American Fantasy by Emma Straub The American Fantasy ship is headed out on a four-day voyage, and its honored guests are the five-member nineties

The focus on the power of books is fantastic. This is my favorite kind of lighter-tone contemporary fiction. the power of menopausal women and the poignant strength of friendship; supplies satisfying revenge fantasies

Naomi Novik is one of my very favorite authors, and The Summer War is her recently published novella. My Extensive Love for Naomi Novik's Fiction Naomi Novik is the author of richly wrought fantasy novels Novik has also written the Temeraire series of nine fantastic books about dragons, their riders, their

She realizes that the revenge fantasies that have been instilled in her since birth--along with a distrust My favorite science fiction novels examine the Big Issues: What makes us people? Glory examines deep matters in a fascinating chain of events, reflections, unexpected do-overs, and fantastic

This historical fiction novel from Quinn is a departure from much of my favorite Quinn fiction--brave And Quinn's inspiration for the Grace March storyline is a personal favorite; The Americans  is one of my all-time favorite shows. More from Kate Quinn Kate Quinn is the author of the fantastic titles The Diamond Eye , The Huntress

These Bossy favorites from a summer past stand the test of time. And soon I'll post another set of Bossy romantic favorites, this time titles that were published this also like the books on these Greedy Reading Lists: Six Rom-Coms Perfect for Summer Reading Six of My Favorite Light Fictions Reads of the Past Year Six More of My Favorite Light Fiction Reads of the Past Year Six Rom-Com Reads of the Year , and Six More of My Favorite Rom-Com Reads of the Year Have you loved any

“But there are lots of people out there who have created a fantasy existence for themselves...." Gems Patrick Radden Keefe is also the author of the powerful Empire of Pain and Say Nothing, one of my favorite

fake-marriage, tropical-island-set rom-com The Paradise Problem ; I'm listening to Moonbound , Robin Sloan's fantasy-science-fiction Rom-Coms Perfect for Summer Reading , Six More Great Rom-Coms Perfect for Summer Reading , Six of My Favorite Light Fictions Reads of the Past Year , Six More of My Favorite Light Fiction Reads of the Past Year Six More Great Light Fiction Stories . 02 Moonbound by Robin Sloan In Robin Sloan's science-fiction-fantasy

Time It's Real , read it in one rainy afternoon, and included it in my Greedy Reading Lists Six of My Favorite Light Fiction Reads from the Past Year , Six Rom-Coms Perfect for Summer Reading , and My Bossy Favorite rom-com I Hope This Doesn't Find You   here and my review of Liang's young-adult historical fiction fantasy

Here are six of my favorite science fiction reads of last year--with another list to come! Two of these share one of my favorite setups (a ragtag crew with heart has adventures in space; The Long (Check out My Very Favorite Bossy 2022 Reads for all my best-of reads from last year.) You can click here for other science fiction and fantasy books that I've reviewed on Bossy Bookworm. I'd love to hear: what are some of your favorite science fiction reads?

Six More Favorite Contemporary Fiction Reads This is the second of three contemporary fiction lists I'll You can explore the twelve titles on My Very Favorite Bossy 2025 Reads to find out about my overall favorite reads from last year, or you can read about past Bossy contemporary fiction favorites here . What are some of your favorite contemporary fiction reads, whether from the past year or beyond? The Favorites  is heavy on the skating--which I loved.

advance copies of almost all of the titles I list here, so I need to get to work reading and sharing my favorite Some of these upcoming titles are books by favorite authors and others are from authors new to me, but

ICYMI: My favorite Kate Quinn books center around strong young women proving their mettle during wartime I would have been in favor of having the romantic element be tied up without the Eve aspect, or having Kate Quinn is the author of the fantastic titles The Diamond Eye , The Huntress , The Rose Code , and

Time It's Real , read it in one rainy afternoon, and included it in my Greedy Reading Lists Six of My Favorite Light Fiction Reads from the Past Year , Six Rom-Coms Perfect for Summer Reading , and My Bossy Favorite rom-com I Hope This Doesn't Find You   here  and my review of Liang's young-adult historical fiction fantasy

I recently posted about some of my very favorite young adult books, and I just mentally added In the This ticked all of my boxes for a favorite young adult read. Author Jeff Zentner is also the author of Goodbye Days , a book I listed in the Greedy Reading List Six Fantastic

This may be my favorite Ann Patchett novel. This is lovely, poignant, and unexpected--and it's possibly my favorite Ann Patchett novel ever, certainly

I loved Ashley Elston's mystery First Lie Wins  (it was on my December favorites list ; it was one of More Mystery Love I recently published Greedy Reading Lists of favorite mystery reads: Six Four-Star And you can find my favorite mystery reads from the year before here .

Six More Favorite Contemporary Fiction Reads This is the third of three contemporary fiction lists I've put together as I've mined my recent-past reading for my favorite reads of the past year--you can find my first list of contemporary fiction favorite reads from last year here and my second list here . favorite reads from last year, or you can read about past Bossy contemporary fiction favorites here What are some of your favorite contemporary fiction reads, whether from the past year or beyond?

The Revenge Fantasies...and Revenge Enacted Whether it's about righting wrongs, saving face, renegade Do you have any favorite books that involve revenge? the power of menopausal women and the poignant strength of friendship; supplies satisfying revenge fantasies The revenge-fantasy element is particularly satisfying. Echo Wife. 06 The Harpy by Megan Hunter This slim, intriguing book packs a punch, featuring revenge fantasies

Soon I'll be posting about my favorite December reads--and my favorite reads of 2024!

Which witchy books are your favorites? 01 The Once and Future Witches by Alix E. multimillion-copy bestselling book (or the Tony award-winning Broadway musical based upon it, or the fantastic made it even more rich. 04 Serpent & Dove by Shelby Mahurin The first book in Mahurin's young adult fantasy

Six Favorite Contemporary Fiction Reads I love looking over my favorite reads from the past year and considering my favorite 2025 reads in each genre. favorite reads from last year, you can read about past Bossy contemporary fiction favorites here . What are some of your favorite contemporary fiction reads, whether from the past year or beyond? 01 The Correspondent by Virginia Evans This was my favorite read of 2025!

Six More Favorite Bossy Mystery Reads I love looking over my favorite reads from the past twelve months You can explore the twelve titles on My Very Favorite Bossy 2025 Reads to find out about my overall favorite reads from last year, you can read about Six Four-Star Mysteries I Loved Reading Last Year here What are some of your favorite mystery reads, whether from the past year or beyond? memory. 06 Heartwood by Amity Gaige Amity Gaige's Appalachian Trail-set novel offers several of my favorite

The banter is fantastic, and I laughed many times while reading this one. I listened to Funny Story as an audiobook (narrated by the fantastic Julia Whelan) courtesy of Libro.fm Henry's Beach Read was one of my favorite books the year I read it, and it made it onto the Greedy Reading

I love books about dragons (check out some of my favorites). One of my criticisms of the currently popular romantic fantasy Fourth Wing is that I wanted more more

In her second fantastic short-story collection, Curtis Sittenfeld explores middle age, fame, friendship My favorite writing often turns expectations on their heads, and In Show Don't Tell , Sittenfeld draws

dramaaaaatic teen angst, a cutthroat path to becoming a warrior, bucking expectations, a looming war--and, my favorite Fourth Wing is the first in Rebecca Yarros's Empyrean fantasy series, about a war college for dragon Aside from the dragons, my favorite element of the story is Violet's determined coping with and accommodations

Thankful for Five-Star Bossy Favorites I'm always thankful for books and reading, so I wanted to reshare Do you have all-time favorites you always recommend to others? What makes them your favorites? The Autoboyography dialogue is fantastic and witty but feels effortless and like it comes from actual This is fantastic contemporary young adult fiction. I loved this fantastic memoir! Wood's memoir is heartwarming and funny and tragic and vivid.

also check my past Bossy gift idea lists (linked below) for quirky books, perennial classics, modern favorites They have a fantastic selection of titles, staff members offer spot-on recommendations (and sparkling For the Empty Nesters or Grandparents 02 A Meal for Two: Recipes to Treat Your Favorite People by Emily Ocean: A Journey to the Earth's Last Wild Coasts by Peter and Beverly Pickford I was recently at a Favorite

My favorite elements were the action sequences, the opportunities for humor, and the pacing of this 640 characters to be less earnest and more playful and to invoke a little bit of dark humor at times (my favorite One of my favorite dragons is almost completely absent from the book (sleeping for hundreds of pages) Have you read the fantastic Temeraire series by Naomi Novik?

matriarchs are split by a death and then a feud (the impetus of the bitter rift is the making of a family-favorite "Do me a favor. Take this from me." More Love for Allegra Goodman Allegra Goodman is a longtime favorite author for me. Her novel Isola   was one of my favorite reads of 2025.

The Books I'm Reading Now I'm reading a favorite author's most recent historical fiction, The Briar Club Kate Quinn is the author of the fantastic titles The Diamond Eye , The Huntress , The Rose Code , and

The diary's author is a Lutheran pastor who met and was witness to the fantastical, frightening, brutal Jimenez is also the author of Just for the Summer (one of my Favorite Rom-Coms of the Year last year

The fantasy-science-fiction novel Moonbound spans time and splits into several stories, for me never In Robin Sloan's science-fiction-fantasy tale Moonbound , it's eleven thousand years in the future, and

The Summer Favorites These titles aren't classic, light "summer reads," but they were my favorite reads extended family--including a stolid patriarch and matriarch, a free-spirited daughter, a spunky and fantastic Cosby This is a fantastic blend of realistic complications, mistakes, adjustments, and spunk.

Sebastian de Castell's worldbuilding is fascinating, the magic-school setting is a favorite, and the The dark humor is fantastic.

Some Lighter Fiction Favorites What I love about a romantic, rom-com, lighter fiction read is that real I'm due to create another Greedy Reading List of my more recently read light fiction favorites, but meanwhile reviews of Lauren's The Unhoneymooners , In a Holidaze , Love and Other Words , The Soulmate Equation (a favorite ), and Autoboyography (another favorite and a young adult LGBTQ+ gem). 05 Beach Read by Emily Henry She decides that she's in--for a fantastic wardrobe, incredibly awkward moments, scripted romance, and