June Reading Recap

Sagas, spies, and seaside romances

June has always marked the full, glorious start of summer for me: evening strolls to get ice cream, roses blooming extravagantly, the sheer bliss of sitting in an air-conditioned theater and watching a movie star do movie star things. And even if the weather in New York City didn’t always cooperate, I found myself gravitating towards books that exuded summer. I was also lucky enough to experience some truly great vacation reading this month, on trains, planes, and one particularly gorgeous stretch of beach in Spain. (Reminder that if you’re looking for my reviews of Can’t Get Enough by Kennedy Ryan and One Golden Summer by Carley Fortune, they can be found here and here as part of my Summer Romance series.)

My June reading categories were:

• Three queer romances in different subgenres (contemporary, historical, and paranormal/fantasy): Dream On, Ramona Riley by Ashley Herring Blake, A Shore Thing by Joanna Lowell, and Longshadow by Olivia Atwater

• One romance classic: These Old Shades by Georgette Heyer

• Two books recommended in summer reading guides: Prodigal Summer by Barbara Kingsolver, Evenings and Weekends by Oisín McKenna

In July, I want to read:

• Two books that have been on my shelves for over a year

• Two anticipated releases from the first half of 2025

• One book that feels like summer

• And one romance published at least fifteen years ago

Favorite of the month

Prodigal Summer by Barbara Kingsolver

Three lives come together in unexpected ways over the course of one Appalachian summer. I loved this lush, expansive, generous, and beautifully written book. There was a sentence or turn of phrase on almost every other page that I had to stop and admire. Kingsolver's prose is just incredible: vivid, surprising, and indelible. This book drips with summer and has some of the most beautiful and atmospheric nature writing I've read in a long time. But it's more than the prose--the characters are wonderfully drawn too. I could have spent hundreds more pages with these people. Kingsolver makes an often-stereotyped region of the country come to life in all its complexity and by the end, I was deeply attached to these fictional creations in all their flawed glory.

Really liked

Longshadow by Olivia Atwater (Regency Faerie Tales #3)

Magician Miss Abigail Wilder teams up with the enigmatic Mercy to investigate why the marriageable young ladies of London are mysteriously dying in this downright enchanting queer fantasy romance set during a magical version of the Regency. I wholeheartedly love Atwater's whimsical style. Something about the rhythm and forthrightness of her prose gives her books that fairy-tale feel that I'm always looking for in fantasy romance. I also enjoyed how well this series is attuned to the injustices of Regency society and Abigail and Mercy's defiantly triumphant happy ending. Surprising, charming, and magical. (Kissing only.)

Dream On, Ramona Riley by Ashley Herring Blake

A sweet, grounded celebrity-normal person romance between a waitress with dreams of becoming a costume designer and a wild-child actress, set in an adorable small town with serious rom-com vibes. Blake writes romances with people who often have a lot of growing to do and I enjoy the slow, tangled process of watching her characters sort themselves out. She also tends to write conflict in a way where you can see exactly how the protagonists' flaws will lead to the third act break-up, which I really like because it gives that break-up real stakes and emotional weight. (But it's definitely not for everyone!) There's also a thoughtful exploration of how you can choose to move forward with family and when it's time to let go woven throughout the book. (Open door, high steam.)

Slow Horses by Mick Herron (Slough House #1)

A group of disgraced spies see a chance to redeem themselves when a young man is kidnapped and his abductors threaten to broadcast his beheading live online. This was an excellent modern spy thriller, filled with twists and memorable characters and written in a propulsive, blackly funny style. There's something deeply satisfying about the way the hidden depths of each character are revealed and how each piece of the plot clicks into place, like a uniquely enjoyable jigsaw. I went through a huge John le Carre phase a while ago and this feels like a more modern take on his cynical, clever version of the classic spy novel.

Days of Light by Megan Hunter

This slim, luminous novel chronicles six crucial days across six decades of the life of a woman searching for meaning after a tragedy forever marks her bohemian family. As short as this is, it never feels sparse. The characters are wonderfully full and real, the prose shimmers, and Hunter dips in and out of Ivy’s life effortlessly, capturing both her and England’s many transformations. I found Hunter’s style to be captivating and was particularly interested in the inspiration she took from the Bloomsbury Group. Highly recommended if you want a literary summer read.

Paladin’s Grace by T. Kingfisher

Paladin without a god Stephen and perfumer Grace meet when he comes to her rescue in an alleyway and are swept up a web of poison, intrigue, and danger in this funny, dark yet cozy, and eminently practical yet deeply romantic fantasy romance. Kingfisher has a talent for unlikely heroes and writing romances built on acts of care both big and small. (Stephen's sock-knitting is one of the most endearing traits that I've read in a romance hero recently.) I also loved many of the secondary characters, especially the other paladins and mysterious spy Marguerite. The banter is witty, the stakes real, and the charm abundant. (Open door, medium steam.)

A Shore Thing by Joanna Lowell

This queer romance between a trans artist and a botanist who team up for a bicycle race was my first from Lowell but I suspect won't be my last. It's slower paced and deliberate in a way that I found very satisfying, as Kit and Muriel slowly unfold themselves to each other while they cycle along the Cornish coast. There's wit, interesting historical details, a tender love story, a well developed cast of secondary characters, and some really lovely friendships. (I especially liked James and Muriel's bond.) Definitely read the author's note. (Open door, medium steam.)

Evenings and Weekends by Oisín McKenna

The secrets, entanglements, and hidden desires of a cast of friends, lovers, and family all come to the surface during a scorching hot summer weekend in London. I really enjoyed both the portrayal of a London pulsing with life and the quiet moments of connection and understanding between these characters. McKenna has a talent for capturing what it's like to be caught inside your own head, going in endless loops of anxiety, and the little ways people hurt and help each other. The moments when two characters truly break through their internal narratives and connect are some of the most affecting in the book. Especially recommended for fans of Sally Rooney.

Tommy Cabot Was Here and Peter Cabot Gets Lost by Cat Sebastian (The Cabots #1 and #2)

Two novellas about two different generations of a powerful political family, one a second-chance romance between two men who fell in love as teenagers and one an opposites attract road-trip romance. The way Cat Sebastian writes people caring for each other is just unfairly good. Her romances are often about the small moments and the unsaid things--one character buttering a biscuit for another or two men offering to take a photo of another two who they recognize as a couple--and she has a true gift for making those small moments mean everything. A true triumph of no plot, just vibes and plenty of longing. (Open door, high steam.)

Minor quibbles, but still really liked and would heartily recommend

Four Squares by Bobby Finger

Lonely writer Artie Anderson finds a new community when an injury lands him at GALS, the local queer senior center. There's a few moments where the book spells out it's characters' nuances and flaws instead of letting the reader discover them but when this story hits, it hits. It's a powerful reflection on the grief that still colors modern queer life and on the gift and curse of being a survivor. The portrayal of friendship and the way Artie's friendships continue to shape his life even while his friends are no longer alive is so lovely. Finger also has a sharp eye for the nuances of a changing New York City and crafts a vivid portrait of the West Village both today and in the 90's.

Jane Austen's Bookshelf by Rebecca Romney

Part look into the life stories and work of the women writers who preceded, influenced, and inspired Austen and part an account of a rare book dealer's quest to assemble a collection of their works and reflections on reading them. I was particularly interested in the details of these women's lives, and how they fell out of or remained a part of the literary canon, and this made me want to explore more forgotten women writers. I do think this might be a good title to dip in and out of a chapter at a time--I found myself flagging when I was reading it straight through--but it's an engaging blend of literary history and peek into the rare-book trade.

Two up-and-down but worthwhile reading experiences

The House of the Spirits by Isabel Allende

I was completely immersed in parts of this sweeping family saga and found my attention dragging at other parts. Allende writes in a very straightforward style, telling you exactly who these people are and using a hefty dose of foreshadowing, and it took me a minute to get used to the matter-of-fact way she writes about tragedy. However, I was fascinated by the world of the supernatural that clairvoyant Clara builds around herself and the way that these three generations of women hold each other up through devastating things. I also liked the layers of stories within stories and how Allende manages a richly drawn, lively cast with deft skill.

Private Rites by Julia Armfield

In the wake of their father's death, three sisters find themselves reckoning with the ghosts of their childhood in a drowning city. This is very much a vibes-based book and there's some plot elements that felt a little underdeveloped but I love Armfield's strange and striking use of language. Her use of figurative language is surprising and feels fresh and original without being "wait, what does this even mean?" bizarre. (The image of someone sitting on the floor like a spilled drink is still lingering with me.) It's an eerie, frighteningly plausible vision of the future and one that explores how life goes on even in the midst of slow-rolling disaster. Definitely an uneven book but I think the parts that stuck with me--the city slowly sliding into the water, the tangled thicket of relationships between these sisters--will stick with me for a long time.

A fun read that I had some structural quibbles with

Love in Focus by Lyla Lee

Two exes are brought back together when asked to collaborate on a project photographing and interviewing couples in different stages of their love stories. This was an engaging, quick read with palpable chemistry between its main characters, a second chance romance where the initial breakup really makes sense, and some lovely reflection on the importance of queer elders and representation. What I didn't love was the structure: about 75% is told through Gemma's POV in first person and the remaining 25% through Celeste's POV in third person. The book feels much more like Gemma's story as a result and I found myself either wanting more of Celeste or to be fully immersed in Gemma's mind. (Open door, high steam.)

I cared about the swashbuckling but not the romance

These Old Shades by Georgette Heyer

The debauched Duke of Avon sees an opportunity to enact his long-awaited revenge when he meets the orphan Leonie…but is unprepared for her effect on his heart. Somehow, I deeply enjoyed Heyer’s prose and plotting while not being invested in the love story at all. I’ve read other Heyer novels that have much more compelling central couples but I just could not get behind a couple where the hero calls the heroine “infant” for the entirety of the book. I did really like feisty, dramatic Leonie and thought she deserved a more fun love story. It is witty and plotty and sparkling and there's some great side characters, a lot of historical detail, and a zesty sense of adventure. Not the Heyer I would recommend but an interesting look at how she helped shape the modern historical romance. (Kissing only.)

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Currently reading: Dancer from the Dance by Andew Holleran, the FictionMatters book club pick, and Chasing Beauty, a hefty biography of Isabella Stewart Gardner.

Recommendations, miscellany, and little bits of joy:

• Materialists, the new film from Celine Song and the subject of much online discourse. I didn’t think it was perfect but I think it had some perfect moments and that it’s incredibly worth seeing and discussing.

• The absolutely gorgeous renovated Frick, which you must go see if you happen to be in New York anytime soon. There’s a masterpiece on practically every wall.

• I Quit, the new album from Haim that I’ve been listening to on repeat since it first came out.