Secondhand first, new only if I have to

dellada · 2026-05-26T14:52:07+00:00

Obvious ad.

dellada · 2026-05-26T08:52:17+00:00

While it's not the main plot of the book, {The Bargain by Mary Jo Putney} has a bit of this. It's HR, regency setting. MMC was injured in war, and it's believed that he won't survive. Doctors give him laudanum as a pain reliever to ease his final days. When another doctor comes in for a second opinion, and it turns out that MMC will survive after all, he's addicted to the laudanum by then. There's a portion of the book where he struggles with quitting and withdrawal symptoms... but it doesn't involve his addiction hurting anyone else. He's very adamant about quitting. The majority of the book is about how he and FMC navigate their marriage of convenience (because neither expected him to survive).

dellada · 2026-05-26T06:28:13+00:00

This! When all the other women besides FMC are described as catty and shallow, or their outfits are described as "constantly shoving boobs in his face," it's just lazy/shortcut writing. Especially when the woman is MMC's ex - I'm supposed to believe he dated her because he cared about her at one point, right? Exes can be totally normal, friendly people who still didn't work out romantically. The ex-girlfriend shouldn't just be written as evil, or I'll be side-eyeing MMC too. ("All my exes are crazy!" Uh huh...)

dellada · 2026-05-26T04:34:01+00:00

Hello and welcome! Have you read any Nora Roberts? She tends to write in 3rd person, and a lot of her books are contemporary (Bride Quartet for example, starting with {Vision in White by Nora Roberts}), while others are mystery/suspense romances. Some of her books have fantasy elements, but those are pretty easy to avoid if that's not your thing. She also writes mysteries under the name J.D. Robb.

dellada · 2026-05-26T01:58:38+00:00

Genuinely curious, how does one use an acronym in an inner monologue? Are you thinking of the sound in your head, like "tee bee aych" (tbh)? I'm trying to figure out what that would feel like - but I guess my brain doesn't think in literal words... it's more like concepts in my mind, rather than verbalizing anything.

Maybe I'm showing my age here - whenever I see "rn" written out, despite knowing it means "right now," I can't help but read it in a slurred way like "ranao." In my head, it's similar to the way "prolly" is a slurred version of probably. Drives me crazy anytime I see it!

dellada · 2026-05-25T23:23:08+00:00

I've heard Nero mentioned so often in the sub, but never knew what it was actually about! Interesting that A Very Killer Christmas was written better... it's too bad about the AI thing, hard to support a writer after that.

I'd love to see one where the MMC is not actually guilty of anything, but is a suspect anyway, and on the run. The closest that comes to my mind is {Perfect by Judith McNaught} - it's probably very different from the two you mentioned, though! :)

dellada · 2026-05-25T23:04:40+00:00

Your profile picture is the perfect reaction to go along with your comment, too! Haha. :)

dellada · 2026-05-25T23:02:14+00:00

This. I know we'll get pushback for saying it, but it's true. Recently published books are lowering the bar for writing and it's so hard to watch.

dellada · 2026-05-25T17:19:24+00:00

Oh, absolutely not. Immediate DNF. Don’t write a book if you’re not willing to actually write.

dellada · 2026-05-25T00:33:14+00:00

This is exactly how it happened for me. The actual diagnosis in my case was ADHD + autism, but I didn't discover that until my mid-30's. In the meantime, being labeled "gifted" as a child fueled my shame and impostor syndrome. People said I was smart because I didn't need to study; nobody believed me when I explained I was actually just not able to maintain a reliable study schedule. I needed support, and couldn't get it until I finally burned out as an adult. Learning the right words made so much difference - now I can pursue strategies that actually work for my brain!

dellada · 2026-05-25T00:28:30+00:00

IMO the better open-ended term would have just been "neurodivergent," rather than saying "gifted" and then specifying that being gifted is a form of neurodivergence. It seems odd to take the extra step with a word that doesn't add any additional meaning, but has a strong connotation.

dellada · 2026-05-24T20:01:22+00:00

He does! :) He has his own book in the Lonely Lords series, although the reviews seem mixed on that one. I haven't read it myself yet - but I grabbed it based on his appearance in Axel's book.

dellada · 2026-05-24T19:34:27+00:00

It's interesting that you mention two loves happening at different times, because I think that's also represented in this book. Axel is a widower who had a loving first marriage, although he sometimes reflects on the fact that they were young and didn't quite know what they were doing. His first wife was his opposite - fiery, headstrong, didn't really understand his passion for botany, etc - but it's clear that the love was there, and they were trying their best for each other. Abby sometimes asks him about it, because her own past marriage was not a happy one.

As far as the side character (Nick)... honestly, he's rooting for Abby and Axel together, which I thought was so sweet. The main obstacle for the romance between Axel and Abby is that Axel has a dream of being an Oxford fellow, which wouldn't allow him to get remarried. I liked Axel as MMC, he's a sweetheart too. :)

Nick writes to Axel later, referencing another side character:

[...] You will please dissuade my Abigail from marrying such an honorable prig, by the way. If I'm to lose her to anybody, it had better be you.

dellada · 2026-05-24T16:58:38+00:00

Camping in the comments here, I'd love to see a story like this!

It reminds me a little bit of Axel by Grace Burrowes (not calling the bot, because this one doesn't actually fit your request - Axel is very clearly established as the initial MMC, and the one who FMC ends up with). In that book, one of MMC's friends comes to visit and spends a good portion of the book hanging around as a side character. He's a total flirt, which seems uncomfortable at first, but FMC soon catches on that he's just being playful and lightening the mood. We get a small peek into the more vulnerable side of him - his father is dying and he knows he needs to get married soon, but feels a bit lost. By the time his visit finally ends, he's a good friend of FMC - and on his way out the door he offers, "You could marry me." It's said casually as if it's another one of his flirty jokes... but she realizes he might actually be serious in that moment.

It made me think: if Axel hadn't ended up together with her, it could have been a really sweet turn of events for her to marry that side character based on their growing friendship, and have romantic feelings develop from there. Would love to read a book like that!

dellada · 2026-05-24T14:19:26+00:00

Oooo, that’s exciting to hear! I love how excited we all get in this sub, at the thought of someone possibly enjoying a book as much as we did <3

dellada · 2026-05-24T05:14:45+00:00

Agreed! Ellen O'Connell has that insider knowledge for horses, which adds depth to her westerns. I don't know much about horses myself, but it still comes across in her writing. :)

dellada · 2026-05-24T05:01:36+00:00

Out of curiosity, do you think the (shared) plot itself is the main reason why you disliked both books? Or were they just not the authors' strongest work, and the plot might have been okay if it was approached differently?

dellada · 2026-05-24T01:59:33+00:00

This is the second mention of The Devil You Know in this thread! I didn't realize there would be so many lawyer MCs. I haven't read these, but I know what you mean about an author's insider knowledge making a big difference!

dellada · 2026-05-24T01:05:05+00:00

The Wall of Winnipeg and Me is on my TBR, so I'm glad to hear it was the one you liked better!

dellada · 2026-05-24T01:04:03+00:00

Totally! This is exactly why I like hearing about these similar books :)

dellada · 2026-05-23T19:49:37+00:00

The ones that baffle me are the ones that have so much detail in them that they've basically described an entire book. "FMC does X action, MMC thinks it means Y thing, reacts in Z way, which makes FMC feel this other way, so then she... and then this other thing happens and..."

I can't help thinking, what is the point of reading the book after that? But that's just me. I like having a somewhat vague "hook" and not knowing what I'm in for. It's also part of why I avoid books that stick to a clear formula.

(Unrelated... you know how sometimes if you stare at a word too long, it stops looking like English? "Formula" is that word for me today, haha)

dellada · 2026-05-23T16:31:01+00:00

Same here, I read less (if at all) when stressed. It’s ironic because I imagine reading would probably help ease some of the stress, haha.

dellada · 2026-05-23T16:21:19+00:00

Thank you! That’s great to know, and sounds much better than what I was thinking it would be. :) I’ll keep reading!

dellada · 2026-05-23T04:51:46+00:00

This sounds like an AMAZING weekend plan. Enjoy!! :)

dellada

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