It’s Sunday again, and Sundays are for tea, a sparkling fire and for homemade apple bread (I baked this apple bread with apples from my own garden yesterday, it was super yummy and I recommend it!) And for reading. Always reading! So I thought I’d recommend two great books I’ve read lately, and that were both released by JMS Books yesterday.
Adrian Green’s new next-door neighbor isn’t really a dragon, but he does snarl an awful lot.
The first time Adrian saw Lorcan Walsh, he knew he needed Adrian’s help. Lorcan has a fractured leg and an empty apartment. Luckily, Adrian doesn’t mind helping him fill his lair with gems, and Doris’s second-hand shop has everything a dragon could possibly want.
The problem is, Lorcan doesn’t seem to want his apartment decorated, and sneaking presents past a grumpy dragon isn’t easy.
All Adrian wants is to cheer Lorcan up, but when Lorcan’s ex appears at the door, Adrian fears not even vintage coffee cups will get them their fairy-tale ending. What if the way to a dragon’s heart isn’t lined with treasures?
If you visited my blog yesterday, you probably saw the new release spotlight post for The Dragon Next Door, written by my friend and morning writing buddy Holly Day. I received the post from Holly several days ago, and after I’d scheduled it, I fangirled to her how much I loved the excerpt, so she kindly sent me an ARC. I couldn’t wait to read it, and threw myself into the story when I should’ve been doing something else and I absolutely loved it.
The Dragon Next Door is the epitome of the grumpy/sunshine trope: Adrian is the sunniest of all the sunshiney characters I’ve ever read, cute and quirky and I would hate to have him as my real-life neighbor (because OMG he’s persistent and intense and he decorates Lorcan’s apartment!) but as a fictional neighbor, he’s fabulous. Lorcan is the dragon next door (who’s not really a dragon), and he’s a GRUMP! (for completely valid reasons) who doesn’t stand a chance against the whirlwind that is Adrian.
This book is super cute and funny and I couldn’t put it down. Read it when you need something lighthearted that will make you smile!
A dragon shapeshifter’s moved into Crescent Beach. And everybody knows dragons are dangerous. But Rob’s never met one, and he tries not to believe wild rumors. He’s a good witch, if not the most powerful, and he works hard to keep his quiet beach town welcoming to everyone. He’s hoping to find the dragon, just to talk … but the person he discovers might be everything he’s ever wanted.
Avery knows all the rumors about dragons. After all, he is one, though he’s a bookwyrm who tries hard to be harmless. He’s accepted a librarian position in a town everyone says is a safe haven, and he hopes that’ll be true. But when the local witch shows up unexpectedly, Avery expects the worst … but his story just might have a happy ending.
I pre-ordered Bookwyrm by K.L. Noone a few days ago, and the first thing I did after waking up yesterday morning was downloading my copy. After my morning writing session was over, I made a pot of tea and sat down by the fire to read. I had a wide smile on my face the entire time, so wide my husband asked what I was reading, and I took a (short) break to explain to him the magic that is K.L. Noone’s writing.
“That sounds great,” he said when I finished. “Why aren’t more people reading her books?” I ask myself this question often. Why aren’t more people talking about K.L. Noone, why don’t I see more people recommending her stories? She’s one of my absolute favorite authors, her writing is magical, maybe even more magical than Avery the Bookwyrm, her characters quirky and interesting, and the stories themselves are fantastic. If you’ve never read a K.L. Noone book (despite all my embarrassing fangirling about her), I beg you to give her a try. You won’t regret it.
I’ve yet to meet a K.L. Noone book I didn’t like, and Bookwyrm is no exception. It’s short and delightful, 3669 words of pure joy, and after I’m done writing this blog post, I’m going to make a pot of tea and read it again. ❤️
Nell Iris 