swim through the fires to stay in this world

Based on grav_ity’s recommendation and this post, I went out and bought Cruel Beauty. I really enjoyed it, and I think the author definitely succeeded in making a heroine who was brave and bold and smart but very much Not Nice.

I’m also re-reading A Gentlemen Undone. Never has there been such an excellent historical romance with such an exquisite heroine, her soul made of clockwork and mathematics and sexual experience. That book is just so freaking wonderful and angsty and sexy. I've started on Down London Road by Samathan Young, which hasn't wowed me yet, but is froathy and enjoyable.

Up next: A whole bunch of WWII nonfiction and fiction. Between a random textbook I pulled off my roommate’s bookshelf and musesfool’s recent post, I have about six related-to-WWII books I want to read.

So, I read A Woman Entangled, Cecilia Grant's latest, and like everyone predicted, it was such a let-down.

Seriously, I so wanted the heroine to just marry for wealth and position like she wanted, and then just have an extra martial affair with the hero. Instead she fell in love and married the less well-off hero, yawn. Also, she was a virgin, so we didn't get a sex scene until the very, very end of the book. *eyerolls*

Also, I finished up World War Z a while back, (still haven't seen the movie yet) and I actually think that reading the book first was a mistake. Because there were a couple stories that really stuck out at me, that I know are not even going to get a mention in the movie. Those were:
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callmeonetrack recommended Cecelia Grant's romantic novels here, and I completely second that recommendation. I've read A Lady Awakened and A Gentleman Undone (each took me about a day and a half) and I greatly enjoyed both.

Read them if you like:

-determined ladies who drive the narrative
-heroines who are allowed to be broken and flawed and fucked up (especially the lead in A Gentleman Undone)
-actually hot, actually explicit, in-character sex scenes
-LADIES WHO KNOW ABOUT SEX, KNOW HOW TO GET THEMSELVES OFF/USE SEX TO KILL EMOTIONAL PAIN
-romantic leads who are actually romantic leads

I only have a couple quibbles,
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