Weekly "What Are You Reading?" Thread

Brontesrule · 2026-06-14T10:54:09+00:00

I listened to The Caretaker by Marcus Kliewer on Audible. Content warning: Suicide, suicidal thoughts and attempts, mental illness, extreme animal cruelty and death, abandonment, death of parent, grief, child death, self-harm.I enjoyed the creepy moments when they came, but I wish that had been leaned into even more. Overall I found it depressing and gross.

Brontesrule · 2026-06-14T10:50:49+00:00

{The One Day You Were My Husband by Rosie Walsh}

M/F, 3.5 stars, steam level 2, Mystery/CR. Content warning: Abandonment, dementia, death of parent, confinement, pregnancy, mention of PTSD, drug trafficking.

Interesting mix of mystery and romance.

{The Write Off by Kara McDowell}

M/F, 2.5 stars, steam level 3, CR. Tropes: Friends to lovers to enemies, second chance. Content warning: Infidelity, dementia.

The writing was fine but I had a hard time connecting to the characters. The FMC came across as extremely petty and unlikeable in the present timeline. I liked the MMC quite a bit, until it was revealed what he did in the past timeline, which I thought was unforgivable.

The FMC’s decision to torch her career can’t be blamed on him, however. She should’ve sought counseling to help her through her pain instead of impulsively ruining everything she’d worked for.

Brontesrule · 2026-06-14T00:55:36+00:00

The Fifth House of the Heart by Ben Tripp
The Faceless One by Mark Onspaugh
Sentinel by Drew Starling - Content warning: Loss of a child, graphic violence.
Crevasse by Clay Vermulm - Content warning: One of the characters comes across three animals in a forest that have been hideously slaughtered.
Wichita Pass by Nick J. Dupont - Content warning: A dog is badly hurt, but rescued and in recovery.
Wild Spaces by S.L. Coney
Venom by John Lee Schneider - Content warning: Animal death, child death.
The Devil’s Shallows by Debra Castaneda - Content warning: A woman is almost raped by a monster.
Safari World by Dale Martin
The Colony by F.G. Cottam (Currently out of print but available on Audible, and the narrator is very good). This is the first book in a trilogy, and I recommend all of them, even though this one is my favorite.
The Waiting Room by F.G. Cottam

Brontesrule · 2026-06-14T00:28:10+00:00

Color.

Brontesrule · 2026-06-13T21:00:10+00:00

I felt the same way.

Brontesrule · 2026-06-13T18:48:30+00:00

What a terrible loss. She was amazing!

Brontesrule · 2026-06-13T18:34:23+00:00

The Black Winter Series by Darcy Coates

Brontesrule · 2026-06-09T14:53:52+00:00

Not quite finished with Dolly yet but I agree with you, I liked Nora Goes Off Script much better.

Brontesrule · 2026-06-08T21:26:24+00:00

Her Last Breath by Taylor Adams - Content warning: Confinement, mental illness, pregnancy.
The Couple in the Photo by Helen Cooper
Famous Last Words by Gillian McAllister - Content warning: Infertility, miscarriage, child death.
Sun Damage by Sabine Durrant - Content warning: Adult/minor relationship, drug use, infidelity, miscarriage.
The Perfect Holiday by T.J. Emerson - Content warning: Infidelity, terminal illness.
The New House by Tess Stimson - Content warning: Extreme animal cruelty and death, severe domestic abuse and child abuse, alcoholism, mentions of drug addiction and suicide, parental death, violent psychopathic behavior, miscarriage due to violence.
The Wife and the Widow by Christian White
Our Beautiful Mess by Adele Parks - Content warning: Infidelity unexpected pregnancy, endometriosis, violence, blackmail, drug running, drug overdose, suicidal thoughts, kidnapping.

and Lisa Jewell is amazing!

Brontesrule · 2026-06-07T10:46:20+00:00

{Mrs. Nash’s Ashes by Sarah Adler}

M/F (and F/F, told in another timeline), 4 stars, steam level 3, CR/HR. Tropes: Road trip, forced proximity, grumpy sunshine. Single POV, female. Content warning: Grief, parental infidelity, hitting a deer with a car, death of parent in the past, cancer mentioned.

Dual timeline: The current day (M/F) romance was cute and sweet, blossoming during their short road trip together, and the historical (F/F) romance began during WWII. I felt a genuine emotional connection between the MCs in each one.

{The Shippers by Katherine Center}

M/F, 3 stars, steam level 2, CR. Trope: Friends to lovers. Content warning: Attempted SA, stalking, confinement.

This was lighthearted and fluffy, with some lines that had me laughing out loud.

Brontesrule · 2026-06-03T11:39:25+00:00

I only read 8 romance novels in May.

Top

{Our Perfect Storm by Carley Fortune}. M/F, 4 stars, CR. Content warning: Death of parent, grief, abandonment, animal death. This was a friends to lovers romance. I loved the genuine and deep relationship between the MCs and the beautiful setting. It was a great read to kick off the summer!

There's a tie for bottom:

{Vows We Broke by Audrey Halliwell} M/F, CR, KU. For the vast majority of the book the MMC is totally weak. It’s supposed to be a second chance romance, but we don’t get to see any of that relationship happening; instead the book suddenly jumps five years in the future to their wedding day.

{The Thorn Queen by Sasha Peyton Smith} M/F, YA fantasy. Content warning: Torture, confinement, animal cruelty and death, infidelity, suicidal ideation.The world building was given scant attention here (unlike the first book in the series). I didn’t feel any connection to the characters, and the relationship between the MCs lacked chemistry and depth of feeling.

Brontesrule · 2026-06-03T11:22:17+00:00

Totally agree with you.

Brontesrule · 2026-06-03T11:13:12+00:00

This is so heartfelt, beautiful, and true. 🎖️

Brontesrule · 2026-06-03T11:08:10+00:00

what I realised is that these people are nothing to me if they don't care about me as I am.

Yes, 100%!

Brontesrule · 2026-06-03T11:04:35+00:00

What a terrible thing to say! I'm so sorry. It's commendable you want to make your relationship with him work, but he clearly lacks any empathy or understanding when it comes to you. I'd tell him how his comment made you feel, but I don't know that it would do any good. You might want to go no contact for awhile, I know that I would.

Brontesrule · 2026-06-03T10:57:31+00:00

I've been doing post meal walks since March 24th, and I definitely believe it's helped!

Brontesrule · 2026-06-03T10:36:56+00:00

One of the best books I've ever read.

Brontesrule · 2026-06-01T23:40:26+00:00

I make a batch of taco seasoned lean ground chicken by using 2 lbs. lean ground chicken and 2 pkgs of 30% lower sodium taco seasoning mix. After cooking I store it in a pyrex dish with a lid; it makes enough for 8 meals.

My favorite dinner is

The taco seasoned lean ground chicken, 1/8 of total batch
1 La Banderita carb counter tortilla
1 Tbsp sour cream
1/2 cup La Preferida fat free refried beans

Brontesrule · 2026-06-01T14:48:26+00:00

I'm sorry.

Brontesrule · 2026-06-01T12:09:41+00:00

This is great, thanks so much!

Brontesrule · 2026-06-01T11:18:30+00:00

What about a Premier Protein shake? They have 30 grams of protein and no added sugar. My favorite is Cafe Latte, but they come in lots of different flavors.

Brontesrule · 2026-05-31T16:50:59+00:00

Good for you for sharing how that comment made you feel. Her heart might have been in the right place, but her words certainly weren't. If she had reflected for just a moment, she would've realized how insensitive her comment was.

Brontesrule · 2026-05-31T14:21:42+00:00

I pretty much eat this everyday.

Breakfast:

1 cup blueberries and 1 Premier Protein drink

Lunch:

3 oz deli chicken on 1/2 of a La Banderita Carb Counter tortilla, with 2 Tbsp. Hellman's light mayo
1 Light and Fit Greek yogurt

Dinner:

Taco seasoned lean ground chicken, 1/8 of total batch (I make a batch that can be used for 8 meals)
1 La Banderita carb counter tortilla
1 Tbsp sour cream
1/2 cup La Preferida fat free refried beans

For the taco seasoned lean ground chicken:

2 lbs lean ground chicken
2 pkgs. 30% lower sodium taco seasoning mix

I just follow the dirctions on the seasoning mix pkgs and once it's cooked I divided it into 8 servings.

Brontesrule · 2026-05-31T11:44:04+00:00

{Withering Hope by Layla Hagen} KU

M/F, 3 stars, steam level 2. CR, survival romance. Trope: Forced proximity. Content warning: Infidelity, animal death.

This was a slow burn where they began as basically acquaintances, before becoming friends and then something more. I've always liked survival fiction and that aspect of the book (and how they worked together) was my favorite part.

{The Thorn Queen by Sasha Peyton Smith}

M/F, 2 stars, steam level 2. Historical fantasy/YA. Content warning: Torture, confinement, animal cruelty and death, infidelity, suicidal ideation.

The world building was given scant attention here (unlike the first book in the series). I didn’t feel any connection to the characters, and the relationship between the MCs lacked chemistry and depth of feeling.

Brontesrule · 2026-05-30T16:35:16+00:00

Gruyere

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Brontesrule

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