What to Read This Week:
this is a shameless plug and also not
Hello lover,
In this newsletter I’m going to tell you what to read, ok? Ok!
Warning: This list will be short and it will include one of my (new) books
Heated Rivalry by Rachel Reid! Did you think I wouldn’t mention Heated Rivalry, just because I haven’t shut the eff about it on every other platform? Clearly, you don’t know me very well. Seriously, though, I reread this book last week trying to tide myself over in between Heated Rivalry adaptation episode drops and good god it’s just so good. This book is a masterclass in using intimacy as plot. It should be studied, it should be put in the Louvre. If Harlequin ever gets their acts together and gives us tie-in covers I WILL be buying them. And if you’ve already read Heated Rivalry, make sure you read literally every other book in the Game Changers series, please and thank you very much.
Finnikin of the Rock by Melina Marchetta: I reread this book (and the whole series of which there are three books) last month as a bit of worldbuilding research for an upcoming book idea. I was trying to describe this book (and, again, the whole series) to a friend the other day during a writing date and its honestly so hard to express what this book (and series) means to me. It’s painful, honestly. Like you’ll experience pain when you read it, but you’ll say thank you for it. You’ll lean into the bruise. This book (and series) will remind you that the pain means your alive and how lucky that is. The best way I can describe this book, after many attempts is: imagine if Melina Marchetta was an alien and she travelled to Earth to observe us and when we asked her what she found, she wrote this story and said “here, this is you, and you are terrible, the worst, but also you are the most beautiful thing I have ever seen. And by you, I mean humanity. I mean your capacity to hurt and your capacity to hope.” I don’t know what else to say, but please read it.
This Time, Next Year by Ruby Barrett: Hey that’s ME! Yes, my first novella came out on December 9th and it has the best cover ever! Do you know the story of the cover?1 Because it’s absolutely magical. This Time, Next Year is a frenemies to lovers, spicy holiday novella. And I think you’ll really like it if you like: yearning, green flag heroes, 5 increasingly sexy New Year’s Eve kisses over 5 consecutive New Year’s Eves, books that won’t take you more than a day to read, watching two people fall in love over text message, or if you vibe with anything in this graphic:
This Time, Next Year is available in print, e-book, and on KU. If you are not a KU reader, don’t worry! In the new year, I plan to move all of my self-published titles off of KU and take them wide to more platforms!
Anyway, tell me what you’ve been reading (if not these books) OR read one of these books and tell me what you think!
Also, if you decide to read MY book could I awkwardly beg you for a review on the reviewing platform of your choice? I would greatly appreciate it!
xo, Rubes
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