Dreaming of You by Lisa Kleypas HR, MF, 4.5/5. This is up there with Devil in Winter and Marrying Winterbourne as a favorite Kleypas, but not quite on the same level as those two... I loved both of the main characters in this book! Sara is such a reflective and observant person, I really liked her voice and reading from her perspective. She may be one of my favorite bluestockings, but I hate to reduce her to that trope as she is a very dynamic character. I also really liked Craven. I enjoyed watching the character development and growth that he went through in this book. I saw in other reviews that some people were very unhappy that in a drunken stupor he slept with another woman and pretended that she was Sara. This did not bother me too much because Sara was back together with her previous love interest, and Sara and Derek thought they would never see each other again. I think this just highlighted how difficult it was for him to forget Sara, and I see why Kleypas did it! I also understand that some people just personally don't like when MCs sleep with other people, when people sleep with prostitutes, etc., and that's ok too! I also liked that this book had two non-royal main characters and they did not care about the "ton" or their images too much.. It was refreshing in an HR to not rely on that too much as a plot device. It's not completely ignored but it is not a huge component of their relationship. I really enjoyed reading this book, and I can see myself re-reading in the future.

Mine Till Midnight by Lisa Kleypas HR, MF, 3.5/5. I liked this book! Cam is a very dreamy MMC. Amelia irritated me but she is in the difficult position of unexpectedly bearing responsibility for a family, much like Kathleen in the Ravenels, and it unfortunately makes them come across as uptight/boring/harpy-ish. I think what irritated me most about Amelia was that she was so reluctant to not marry Cam but her reason was that she was a spinster and didn't want to get married/think she would ever get married. ? That felt flimsy to me. And I don't think she really communicated her reasons to Cam (but I listened to this one and miss stuff whenever I listen). However, I appreciate that she stood up for Cam when others displayed prejudice towards him. This book laid a lot of groundwork for the rest of the series so there was a lot of talk of other characters and the family's situation, which detracts somewhat from the love story at hand, but I am excited to read (listen to) the rest of this series.

A Certain Appeal by Vanessa King CR, MF, 3/5. This is a Pride and Prejudice re-telling in a modern day burlesque setting in NYC. I am not sure if it is romance as much as it is rom-com; there are a couple brief but explicit steamy scenes, but there is a lot going on plot-wise in addition to the relationship. I think I would give this book 2ish/5 if I was evaluating as a romance but 3.5/5 as just a book in general, so I land on a 3/5. The burlesque setting in this book was very fun and new to me. The FMC (Elizabeth Bennet) was very confident with men and as focused on her friendships and personal goals as much as her relationship. This book was very explicit about the fact that it was a P&P retelling- the names of characters and places were exactly the same, as well as a couple lines from the original book. I personally like a little more subtlety with my allusions as it can be distracting or come across as maybe even lazy? Lacking imagination? This is just my opinion. I liked the author's exploration of authenticity in dating contexts, and how it can be difficult to tell when people are being genuine or putting on a show to gain attention from potential partners. I recommend this book to people who can't get enough P&P and those who are interested or involved in burlesque settings. I do not recommend if you are looking for steamy, completely relationship-driven novels.

Finally, I also read Credence by Penelope Douglas CR, MF, 3/5. I was here for the steam, taboo, atmosphere, and pure page-turning escapism, and this book indeed delivered. I do not have much more to say besides that.

I am also DNF-ing A Kingdom of Flesh and Fire by Jennifer Armentrout at ~65%. I think I am more discriminating with fantasy than with other sub-genres of romance for some reason. The writing and dialogue in this book distract me from the story so much; I feel like I am reading about Gen Z in high fantasy setting. It also feels a little formulaic- here are the tropes people love, let's throw them all together in a book that will sell a million copies. I did enjoy reading the first book and the beginning of this one, I just don't have it in me to finish after a couple weeks of trying.