Hi Reader,

My April reading was quite delightful.

I started with M. L. Buchman's Hold the West Line: a military romantic suspense (Night Stalkers Reload Book 2). Great romantic suspense has to fulfill two separate promises: the romance part for the romance and the thriller part for the suspense. That might sound obvious, but it's quite challenging to do right to satisfy the reader. Buchman always satisfies me.

The suspense starts with the kidnapping of Miss Watson (an octogenarian ex-spy who still has what it takes) and the people who go to find and rescue her. The leaders of that mission are Abby Rose, the Nightstalker helicopter pilot, and Derek Kylie, part of Delta Force, who find their way to romance. I don't want to spoil the book for you, so I won't say anything else, except that I loved it.

Then, I read a medieval Amanda Quick romance, Mystique. Lady Alice, a medieval woman way ahead of her time, and Hugh the Relentless become betrothed. She's holding out for love. He's not willing to wait. And, there's danger! Intrigue! Betrayal!

Lots of great comic banter, a believable plot, and a satisfying romance. (I think, but am not sure, that medieval women were much more advanced in terms of their autonomy than Regency or Victorian women were. Alice reflects that fact.)

The next fiction book I read was The Muse of Maiden Lane (Belles of London, #4) by Mimi Matthews. Stella Hobhouse is accustomed to being overlooked, mostly because of her fully gray hair. (It went gray when she was sixteen.) She desperately wants to escape her too-pious brother's house, especially since her future sister-in-law is a nasty excuse for a human.

By chance, she met Teddy Hayes, an artist, at a museum. He's in a wheeled chair because of a particularly bad case of scarlet fever. They navigate other people's—and their own—expectations of a possible marriage with a happily ever after.

I recommend the entire series. Unique heroines and heroes, and unusual circumstances for each romance. Delightful.

My final fiction book was a romantic suspense, InstiGATOR (Strike Force #3) by Fiona Quinn. Along with Buchman, Quinn is a master of romantic suspense. Recruited by the CIA, Christen Davidsen, a Nightstalker helicopter pilot, is supposed to spy on her family during a family weekend.

Gator Rochambeau, now with the private security firm, Iniquus, is supposed to keep everyone safe. Christen and Gator fall hard for each other. There's a ton of action, including an attempted kidnapping, murder, and an unanticipated typhoon. I enjoyed both the romance and the suspense.

I normally do not tell you about the nonfiction I read. (I read a lot of nonfiction.) But this month, I read two extraordinary books that you also might enjoy.

The first is Cancer Curated: My Public Face-Off with Multiple Myeloma, by prolific writer Tracy Cooper-Posey. I've been reading Tracy's romance series' (yes, multiple series!) for decades. And I'd been following her on Facebook through her cancer journey.

While yes, this book is about cancer, it's about how to live with cancer. I appreciated Tracy's honesty about her physical and emotional challenges through her cancer journey. This is not just a memoir about cancer. It's also about how to live. Very inspiring.

My final recommendation this month is Malcolm Gladwell's David and Goliath: Underdogs, Misfits, and the Art of Battling Giants. As a short person, I have always identified with the underdog. (Yes, I am old enough that I enjoyed the Underdog comic series on Saturday morning cartoons.)

We have sayings about obvious power, such as "Might makes right." It was clear to me as a small child that I was not going to be one of the traditionally powerful people. I would have to make and reinforce my own power. This book is full of stories that might offer you inspiration to make and claim your power and eventual success.

Where to Find Me

Please do follow me on BookBub. If you want to see what I'm reading, follow me on Goodreads. (That's almost real-time, unless I'm in a hotel and have insufficient wifi. In this day and age? Yes. Sigh.)

These links are all universal book links and include my affiliate codes.

If you know of a book I should read, let me know. Have a great May and read on,

Johanna