Making Merry: Unusual Historicals for December 2025

Somehow, someway, we've finally made it to December of the hellscape year that has been 2025. While there were definitely highlights to 2025 (Sisters trip to NYC! Ireland with my Big Sister!), I spent a good chunk of this year with a sour mood and bad attitude - which, not great. I've always been a person who skews towards a positive outlook. I don't like being in a bad mood. I don't like taking to my bed like some tragic Victorian heroine. Which is probably why when anyone tells me historical romance is dead I'm likely to dig in my heels.  And since 2025 has been ::hand waving:: all this? I'm digging those heels in out of spite. Know that I'm drafting this post with a glass of whiskey next to my keyboard and the continued foolhardy sense to charge up Romancelandia Hill to save the genre from itself. Happy Holidays, save a sub genre and read a historical romance. 

A Most Worthy Husband by Faye Delacour

Hannah Williams never wanted a marriage like her parents'. She'd be perfectly happy to spend her life as a spinster and support herself by helping to run her sister-in-law's gambling club. But no matter how many schemes Hannah hatches to repel suitors, her mother won't accept defeat. To wrest back control of her life once and for all, Hannah takes drastic measures. She'll ruin herself with a man so unsuitable that no one will force them to the altar, making her unmarriageable forever. What could possibly go wrong?

Silas Corbyn is nothing but trouble. Disinherited by his family and dishonorably discharged from the Navy, the ton has dismissed him without hearing his side of the story. When an old friend gives him work as a dealer at a lady's gambling club, Silas doesn't intend to repay the favor by compromising the man's little sister on his first night, but Hannah offers him an obscene amount of money for just one kiss—money that he could use to build a new life for himself.

Neither of them counted on Hannah's mother rushing them into a hasty marriage. Now they need to find a way to call off their engagement before it's too late. Unless they lose their hearts first. 

Delacour wraps up her Lucky Ladies of London trilogy with the time honored tradition of a heroine who wants to ruin herself. This girl though, thinks her plan is smart - and in theory, it is. She'll ruin herself with a man so dishonorable, so unsuitable, the ruination will not translate into a shotgun marriage. Um, until it does. I'll be honest, I'm in this one for the hero who sounds like he's fallen low indeed. I'm a sucker for a good redemptive arc and characters who need to "grow up." Count me in.

Viking's Royal Marriage Bargain by Michelle Styles

The maiden he never forgot

Becomes the bride he never expected!

Viking Rand is resolute. He will secure a marriage alliance with the kingdom of Islay. But whilst battle-hardened Rand is prepared for enemy attack, he’s wholly unprepared for the proposal to come from Princess Svanna…his first love, before war ripped their lives apart.

A union with Rand could bring peace to their kingdoms, but it's the last thing that Svanna’s hateful stepfather will allow. Not least because she’s been forced to harbour a royal secret that could throw Islay into chaos. Rand’s kiss is still etched into Svanna’s memory, but can she trust the fierce warrior before her?

A hero looking to secure an alliance via marriage (as you do) who didn't count on that proposal coming from his first love. Torn apart by war, the heroine knows the only way to thwart her stepfather and secure peace is to marry the hero - but complications and a Big Secret loom.  Styles is typically a very solid writer within the Harlequin Historical landscape. I'm looking forward to this one. 

The Maid's Masquerade by Catherine Tinley

Undercover as the Earl’s fiancée…

Looking to settle old scores

On a transatlantic voyage, English maid Marguerite hatches a plan with an American heiress to temporarily trade places when they arrive in England. Since being forced into servitude, this is Marguerite’s chance to re-enter Society, and posing as the betrothed of Benedict, Earl of Linford—the man at fault for her circumstances—is the perfect opportunity for revenge! But her anger is soon replaced by an unsettling attraction. Still, Benedict caused her to lose everything once, so she won’t lose her heart to him now—even when he reveals some unexpected truths…

Tinley gives us The Prince and Pauper but with heroines. An English maid pulls the ol' switcheroo with an American heiress, who conveniently is betrothed to the man who ruined the maid's life. But revenge gets complicated with an unexpected attraction and some truth. Naturally this is a duet. The American heiress' romance is set for April 2026.

Of Dukes and Forbidden Words by Sandra Sookoo

If ancient words don’t land them into scandal, their forbidden attraction in a library after hours surely will.

It’s the Christmastide season of 1816 and more than the weather is uncertain. When Barrington (Barr) Combes-Mead, Duke of Scarborough does some renovations to his London townhouse and unearths a book of erotic, Egyptian prose, he immediately wishes to have it translated. If the book proves valuable, he will certainly sell it, yet part of him hopes the book might inspire him to reclaim the excitement he’s missing in his life… somehow.

Miss Catherine Pickwick used to make her living as a governess, but after whispers of scandals, she changed her focus to that of a librarian, because research and study made her happy. As the daughter of a university professor, she is no stranger to ancient cultures and literature. When a duke of some consequence visits her lending library with the request to have an interesting and quite indecent book translated, she can’t wait to take up the challenge. Knowledge was power… wasn’t it?

Perhaps it is the words within the book or a natural attraction, but as the duke and Catherine spend long hours together because of the text or impromptu Christmas preparations, desire bedevils them. Acting upon it only ramps that delicious thrill, but when a series of troubling incidents arise, they assume the book is cursed. When silly antics on Christmas Eve end in assumed disaster, they each must face truths they’ve been avoiding, and perhaps they might find everything they want… if they’re fortunate.

The start of a new series titled Dashing Rogues and Ruined Librarians. THIS IS NOT A DRILL! RUINED LIBRARIANS! Hero lands on the doorstep of heroine's lending library to have an erotic book of Egyptian prose he stumbled across during home renovations translated. Antics and shenanigans ensue. Is the book cursed? This one is already downloaded on my Kindle. 

Go, Rogue by Kay K. Denner

Lady Catherine West is supposed to marry a future viscount. But she leaves him standing at the altar, instead.

Fleeing both scandal and suffocation, she slips aboard The Elphame, a merchant ship bound for Boston and captained by Andrew McGann, the one man least inclined to offer her safe harbor. Captain McGann—half-Scottish, half-Jamaican, and wholly exasperated by the runaway debutante now disrupting his deck—hasn’t spoken to Catherine since their last explosive encounter months ago.

But when navigational errors give way to sabotage, fire, and a violent attack at sea, Andrew is forced to confront the feelings he’s tried to bury. And when he’s kidnapped and taken to Jamaica, Catherine must rely on his slippery first mate, and her own untested instincts, to track him down.

In a land haunted by Andrew’s past and steeped in Catherine’s fear of what comes next, they must choose who they are—and what they’re willing to risk—for freedom, love, and the chance to chart a course all their own.

Second book in The Mavericks series, she's a runaway bride stowing away on a merchant ship to Boston and the hero is the ship's captain, who is short on sympathy and annoyed by the disruption her appearance is causing. High seas adventure, complete with a role-reversal kidnapping (HE'S KIDNAPPED!).

Irene's Fall by Elizabeth Donne

Pride comes before her fall. Love helps her stand again.

Irene Sangford has willingly cast herself as the villain of her own story. After all, her family has taught her that arrogance and manipulation are suitable qualities in a lady if she’s seeking a husband with a title. Especially when there are so few such men to be had, and she is competing with her own sister to snap one of them up.

Nathaniel Macrae not only has no title, he has immersed himself in low society in his role as a secret investigator. Miss Sangford would never have given him a second glance, but when an attempted murder leads his inquiries right to her door, and a shocking secret from her past threatens to unravel her entire life, Irene discovers that Mr. Macrae is more compelling than any man she has ever met.

As Irene’s world falls apart, and she questions everything she has ever known, Nathaniel becomes her anchor in life’s greatest storm. Except this storm threatens to destroy them both. They will have to challenge everything they know and trust each other if they are to survive and find the love that has eluded them.

Fifth book in the Ladies of Munro series has our heroine trying to land a husband while competing with her own sister, only to become intrigued by our hero who has little money, no title and works for a living as a "secret investigator." He wants answers and she's got secrets. Marriages have been built on less. 

The Widow's Vow by Rachel Brimble

From grieving widow...

1851, England. After her merchant husband saved her from a life of prostitution, Louisa Hill was briefly happy as a housewife in Bristol. But then a constable arrives at her door. Her husband has been found hanged in a Bath hotel room, a note and a key to a property in Bath she knew nothing about the only things she has left of him.

To a new life as a madam…

Knowing the debt collectors will arrive any moment, Louisa must leave everything she knows behind, and move to Bath. But left with no means of income, Louisa knows she has little choice but to return to but her old way of life. But this time, she’ll do it on her own terms – by turning her new home into a brothel for upper class gentleman. And she’s determined the horrors she was forced to endure in the past are not experienced by the girls she saves from the streets.

Enlisting the help of Jacob Jackson, a quiet but feared boxer, to watch over the house, Louisa is about to embark on a life she never envisaged. Can she find the courage to forge this new path?

A word of warning upfront that this one might be "romance adjacent," but I am nothing if not predictable for my love of heroines who have "reputations." A former prostituted rescued from the life by her husband, inherits a property after his death. Desperate and with debts to pay, she decides to open a high-end brothel (as you do). It's the mention of the "feared boxer" she hires to watch over the house and business that intrigues me here. Also, 1851 - which puts us smack dab in the Victorian era (I love me a good Victorian). This is the first in a proposed trilogy.

Obliteration by Kathryn Le Veque

An inheritance that involves… wine, women, and song??

Sir Jareth de Leybourne is the moral compass of the legendary Guard of Six—a noble knight known for honor, logic, and restraint. But when his wealthy uncle dies, Jareth inherits far more than land and coin. He inherits a scandal that could destroy everything he stands for.

Summoned to the bustling medieval city of Bristol, Jareth discovers his uncle’s fortune was built on a discreet but wildly profitable enterprise: Aphrodite’s Feast, an elegant brothel and gambling hell quietly tolerated for its philanthropy. The business funds churches, education, and charity—but its existence threatens Jareth’s reputation as one of England’s most honorable knights.

Running Aphrodite’s Feast is Lady Desdra le Daire, a brilliant, sharp-tongued woman burdened by secrets of her own. Neither a courtesan nor a criminal, Desdra is a spinster by choice, using her education to manage the operation that saved her life. From the moment she and Jareth meet, sparks fly—clashing ideals, forbidden attraction, and undeniable chemistry.

As Jareth struggles to reconcile duty, honor, and inheritance, a deadly truth emerges: his uncle had a powerful enemy who now wants Jareth dead. Worse still, Desdra is caught in the middle—and the man threatening her life is her own father. 

To save Desdra and protect his honor, Jareth must confront betrayal, corruption, and a love that could cost him everything.

Unusual Historicals, come for the browsing, stay for the books featuring brothels. Part of the Guards of Six medieval series, a noble knight inherits more than he bargained for when his wealthy uncle dies - namely the business that supplied that wealth, a brothel. Good God man, he has a reputation to uphold! Complicating matters is the heroine, who runs the operation and her father, who not-so-conveniently wants them both dead. 

A Courtship at Linlithgow by Kate Robbins

A carefully orchestrated plot, or a chance encounter? Their love burns through all doubt.

Marion Baird’s biggest problem is her mother’s greed. Excited to explore King James’s court, Marion wishes to avoid being flaunted in front of future prospects like a prized cow. She would rather explore the lavish castle grounds and library at Linlithgow Palace. That is until she encounters a man straight out of legend she can neither ignore nor deny.

Alexander Campbell, Earl of Argyll has accepted an invitation to the King’s summer tourney. While the exercise is welcome, the society is wrought with drooling mothers and daughters anxious to display their lack of talent and grace. This event will prove no different. He encounters a bewitching lady in the gardens during the masked ball and what follows will be burned onto his soul for all time.

Caught between scandal and prejudice, Marion and Alexander must decide if their passion is real or the product of a carefully orchestrated plot.

A heroine who just wants to enjoy court by exploring the grounds and the library must contend with her mother parading her around like a prized cow at King James' court. Our hero accepts an invitation to participate in a summer tournament, but isn't all that anxious to thwart off matchmaking mamas. Stuff happens, these two have an interlude of sorts, and scandal ensues. The question being, was it orchestrated and by whom?  This is the first book in the Thistle and Rose series. 

A Taste of Gold by Sara Adrien

Her silence protects the man she loves and hides the woman she is.

Miss Maisie Morgenschein is very good at pretending everything is fine. Guardian to an orphaned marquess, she remains calm and protects a dangerous truth: nobody must know her real name—which makes it impossible for her lost love to find her, and that’s what she wants most. She still writes him letters she can’t send, not knowing where he is. A connection to her might lead the villain to him.

Dr. Felix Leafley, Harley Street’s most sought-after dentist, uses an English alias to keep his patients—and the other doctors at the practice—safe. Years ago, he was a medical student with Maisie in his arms. When circumstances tore them apart, they vowed to find each other. But passion refuses to stay polite, and secrets refuse to stay buried.

She can’t use her real name to find him. He can’t use his to be found.

The result? A duel of aliases, near-miss letters, and one dangerously perfect kiss.

But just as Felix and Maisie dare to speak their names, the villain closes in—and the truth may cost them the one thing neither believed possible: a future together.

This is the fifth book in Adrien's Miracles on Harley Street series featuring various medical professionals. She's a guardian to an orphaned marquess and hiding her identity "for reasons." He's a dentist and the one who got away and is also using an alias "for reasons." These two crazy kids were in love and torn apart but now can't find each other because....they're both using aliases "for reasons." Near misses and second chances set against the backdrops of Vienna and London.

This is it, the last Unusual Historical post of 2025. I hope you all enjoyed reading about them, browsing, and hopefully found some new historical romances to try. This feature isn't going anywhere anytime soon. It'll be back for 2026!

#TBRChallenge 2025: Regency Christmas Parties

The Book: Regency Christmas Parties by Annie Burrows, Lara Temple and Joanna Johnson

The Particulars: Regency Historical Romance Anthology, Harlequin Historical #1689, 2022, Out of Print, Available digitally

Why Was It In Wendy's TBR?: Seriously? It's a Harlequin Historical Christmas anthology. The better question would be which ones AREN'T in my TBR? 

The Review: Of course I waited until the last minute to pick out and read something for this month's Celebration! theme. When time is short (typical) I go diving into the cupboard where I horde my stash of print Harlequins and a cursory dig didn't turn up anything inspiring. So to the digital pile I went and immediately stumbled across this anthology that features Christmas parties! I mean, how perfect can you get? And lucky me, this turned out to be a pretty enjoyable anthology overall.

Invitation to a Wedding by Annie Burrows gets us off on the right foot. Clara is a spinster assistant teacher at a boarding school where the students are mainly the children of indigent or decreased clerics, so her former pupil, Isabella "Bella" Fairclough, was a bit of an oddity. Her father being well off and still alive. No, Bella was dumped off at the school because her father remarried and her stepmother didn't want her underfoot, especially after she birthed twin boys. Bella was a handful and Clara was the only teacher who could bring her (somewhat) to heel, although the headmistress is still a bit put out that Clara scored an invitation to Bella's upcoming wedding - to a Duke no less! So off Clara goes, spinning fantasies of her first real Christmas family gathering since her parents died when she was ten.

Lieutenant Hugo Warren meets Clara's carriage and rescues her from the path of an on-coming horse. Naturally Clara is not what he expected, what with her drab clothing, threadbare coat and one small bag. This is the bride's maid of honor? He has reasons for not wanting this marriage to happen, and regardless of what Clara might think, it's not because he's next in line to inherit the title unless Bella spits out a son. No, he's more concerned about the Duke being three times the bride's age and four times her girth. Maybe he can get Clara on his side to talk some sense into Bella? 

Clara is glad she came because obviously Bella needs someone on her side! It doesn't take long to realize it's a nest of vipers around her former student, who is lavishing Clara with a fabulous, albeit "used", wardrobe and making sure she partakes in all the delights the Duke's household has to offer. Bella knows that Clara might feel "out of place" so she's doing everything in her power to make sure she has a great time. This leads to Clara spending more time with Hugo and before you know it, these two are smitten.

This story feels very Traditional Regency with a bit of an edge to it - namely the sour secondary characters and ultimately what we learn about Bella's character and motives. The romance moves along at a good just-kisses clip, and there's plenty of tension to give readers a little sizzle. A very pleasant read.

Grade = B

Snowbound with the Earl by Lara Temple was the highlight of this anthology. Bella (no connection to the Bella in the previous story!) is a poor, orphaned relation living with her "sickly" aunt and her flighty, rebellious, and spoiled cousin, Violet. Violet fancies herself in love with Rupert, who is not yet of age - but no matter they're running away to Gretna Green to elope! Rupert is a nice boy who doesn't deserve to be used by her social climber cousin, and Violet deserves better than a mooncalf mama's boy. Having already set plans in motion to keep Violet at home, Bella arrives at the designated rendezvous site to deal with Rupert - only to find his insufferable cousin, Lord Deverill. Nicholas is also there to thwart the elopement and they both have been trying to break up the couple for months. However, even though they have the same goal they literally cannot stand each other. These two rub each other in all the wrong ways - which we all know what that means.

Circumstances lead to Bella going back to Nicholas' family home to conclude the business at hand but wouldn't you know it? Bella gets snowed in. She'll have to spend the holidays with Nicholas and his family. Gee, whatever shall happen next?

The banter in this story is so delicious. I laughed out loud on a couple of occasions and the tension between these two is thick. Naturally one thing leads to another and they fall in love. My only quibble with this story is the doomed "romance" of Violet and Rupert is dealt with an perfunctory manner and one wonders what those two kids are going to say when Nicholas and Bella 1) end of married and 2) catch wind of what they did to keep them apart. No mistake, I don't feel bad for them. It's pretty obvious it's a "romance" in name only and Violet definitely reads like someone who would move on quickly. 

Grade = B+

A Kiss at the Winter Ball by Joanna Johnson is the last story in the anthology, and also, unfortunately, the weakest. A shame since it's got a very unique premise.

Maria Bartlett is the daughter of a gentleman farmer desperate to get her father to see reason. She's capable of more than just sitting at home doing needlepoint. She wants to work on the farm just like her brother does! So with a bit a subterfuge and the luck of her brother spraining his ankle, she's driving the last remaining Christmas turkeys into the town of Atherby. But, of course, she ends up taking a wrong turn and is rescued by a man who tells her she's on Viscount Stanford's land. With the hour getting late, Alex offers to take her up to Millbrooke Hall for the night. The Viscount would not want a woman traveling alone at night with a storm rolling in. 

We all know where this is going - Alex is, of course, Viscount Stanford and soon the weather turns so nasty that Maria is forced to stay several days at the estate. It's Insta-Love from the jump, which is already not my favorite, but then add in that Alex is engaged to someone else. It's an arrangement agreed upon by his and the bride's parents when they were barely out of diapers. No matter, it doesn't stop him from falling in love with Maria (somehow?) after clamping eyes on her and it doesn't stop Maria from feeling all gooey about him even AFTER she finds out the engagement will announced at an upcoming ball at Millbrooke Hall that of course Alex invites her to attend (my hero, I guess?). 

This just didn't work for me. I get that his impending engagement is not a love match, and his intended isn't crazy about marrying him either (more on that in the story) but it doesn't change the fact that Maria and Alex decide they're in love with each other in about 10 seconds flat.  I understand some folks like Insta-Love stories. I think they're wrong, but to each their own. This was certainly readable and I liked the "walking Christmas turkeys to market" premise - but it was pretty meh otherwise.

Grade = C-

Anthologies are typically mixed bags and even though the final story was my least favorite, the overall reading experience was really solid for me. I've never read Temple before and the strength of that story alone will have me diving into my TBR to see what else turns up. The world-building was strong in every story and left me with the first small glimmer of Christmas cheer I've had this season. I'm calling this one a win.

Overall Final Grade = B

Review: Edge

I should have plowed through Edge by Tracy Clark. I mean, I sort of kind of did? I read it in two sittings. It's just those two sittings were literal weeks apart. Yes, for one of my favorite suspense writers. For a book I broke a nail one-clicking. Y'all 2025 can just suck it. I know part of the problem is that my brain is broken, but I truly need to find the joy in reading again or else 2026 is going to see y'all talking me down off a ledge.

Anyway, this book. It's the fourth book in Clark's Detective Harriet Foster series, following the trials and tribulations of a Black, female, Chicago homicide detective.  Clark has written these books pretty heavy on the series stuff, so even though we're only four books in, they haven't been standing alone well. In fact, when a plot arch that carried over the first three books wrapped up in Book 3 I kind of thought this one would serve as a fresh start. Well, yes and no. Harriet has at least found a good therapist now, so maybe there's hope she's turning a corner on some of her guilt.

The book opens with a bang. It was highly suggested that Harriet take some time off due to events in the previous book, and that's what she's begrudgingly doing. She's taking a lonely, solitary walk in the Chicago rain early one morning when she sees something odd - two people lying out in the open (in the rain!) in a local skate park. Her cop instincts kick in and what she discovers are two young people with symptoms of a drug overdose. It's too late for the young man, he's dead. However the young woman is still alive, but just barely. Harriet's quick thinking saves her life, and it turns out she's the niece of one of the cops that Harriet works with. 

Matt is loaded for bear but it's an overdose, not a homicide and the team has handed off the details to the cops who responded to Harriet's 911 call. Then, another call comes in. A man burning both ends to make ends meet, to support his young family, becomes worried when his wife doesn't answer the phone. He leaves work only to find his young wife, who finally seemed to be pulling out of her postpartum depression, lying in bed, dead. From an overdose of the same drug that killed the two college kids Harriet found on the morning of her lonely walk in the rain. 

As more overdoses pile up time is running out for them to get a handle on what is killing these people. Interspersed between the pages of Harriet and the team running down answers is the tale of a turf war within a gang family. A dead patriarch, a ruthless daughter now running the show, and her ambitious, impulsive and reckless niece who has already lit a fuse. 

A dangerous street drug and a criminal family tearing itself at the seams makes for a compelling story and as always Clark does a great job with the Chicago setting. I also was tickled beyond measure that Clark's other creation, former cop turned PI Cassandra "Cass" Raines shows up in this story. Although, she's more of a cocky bitch here than I ever remembered her being in her own books. Still, I was glad to see her again, although I can't help but think this likely means her series is now officially dead unless Clark decides to meld the two together or can get Amazon to pick it up now that it seems like Kensington has moved on. 

While I enjoyed the plot, I'll admit the characters frustrated me more in this entry - especially with the way they handled Matt's niece who survives her OD. Cops closing ranks and treating "one of their own" with kid gloves? Highly believable. Did it still frustrate the hell out of me that Harriet wasn't rattling cages harder, louder, faster and sooner? Yes. The urgency to the investigation seemed to ebb and flow in this book and I get that police work is 99% tedium, but it sure seemed to take the characters a long time to circle around to talking to some of their "persons of interest" in a timely manner.  Which, come to think of it, is how we get Cass to show up in this book. That's a woman who waits for no one. 

The writing did get a bit overwrought at times, but given her life experiences Harriet is kind of an overwrought person not dealing with her baggage - so really, what am I saying? I don't even know anymore. Again, good plot, I'm still enjoying the characters, but this one isn't quite as good as the first couple of books for me.

Final Grade = B-

Reminder: #TBRChallenge Day is December 17

Our next #TBRChallenge is set for Wednesday, December 17 and this month's optional theme is Celebration! 

This one came out of last year's annual theme suggestion poll and you could spin this a few different ways. Weddings, parties, masquerade balls, holiday gatherings, a new job / promotion, the fact that we're almost through 2025 and this is the last TBR Challenge prompt for the year 😂.  Whatever celebrating can mean to you, run wild through your TBR and see what pops out.  However, remember, the themes are always completely optional. Blindly picking up the first book that tickles your fancy is always perfectly acceptable. 

I want to thank everyone who participated in and followed along with this year's Challenge. Truly, I would not be able to keep this thing chugging along without all the support I've received from you all over the years. 

Sign-ups for the 2026 #TBRChallenge have now begun and we have some GREAT theme suggestions for next year. You can learn more about next year over at this blog post. I hope you'll consider joining in on the fun. 

All Aboard! Sign-Up for the 2026 #TBRChallenge

I want to thank everyone who took the time to fill out my poll soliciting theme suggestions for the 2026 TBR Challenge. All of these themes came from your suggestions and some of these are going to require me to put my thinking cap on. That said, they're all relatively expansive and for those of you who like to stay "on theme" - I think these will provide plenty of options with a little creativity. 

For those of you stumbling across my blog for the first time, you're probably wondering - what is the #TBRChallenge?

Your mission, should you choose to accept it: once a month pull a dormant book out of your TBR pile and read it.  On the 3rd Wednesday of the month, talk about that book.

Participation is as easy as being on social media!

If you're on social media all you need to do is use the #TBRChallenge hashtag - there's no need to sign-up and your participation can vary throughout the year.

You can use this hashtag on any day, at any time - but we're still going to concentrate on the 3rd Wednesday of every month to kick our commentary into high gear.  

The idea is to have at least one day a month where we can always count on there being book chatter.

Want to let your blogging freak flag fly?  If you have a blog and want to post TBR commentary there, drop me a comment on this post with a link to your blog or hit me up on Bluesky, Mastodon or Threads.  I like to post links to the various blogs on my TBR Challenge page so those who follow along can start following you.

Sound good?  Of course it does!  So what are the themes for 2026?  So glad you asked!

January 21 - Still Here (a series you've been neglecting, a book by a favorite author you've been saving for a rainy day, unrequited love, second chance or reunion romance etc.)

February 18 - Vintage (Old School, genre classic, etc.)

March 18 - Tropetastic! (Let your trope freak flag fly!)

April 15 - Fool's Errand (some sort of harebrained/desperate/Hail Mary kind of motivation for one of the main characters, fake relationship/engagement etc.)

May 20 - New Beginnings (Starting over, first book in a series, characters coming off divorce / bad relationship etc.)

June 17 - Pride (LGBTQ+, prideful main character etc.)

July 15 - Freedom! (main character escaping "something," books set during period of political change - pick a war, suffrage, Civil Rights Movement etc.)

August 19 - Backlist Banger (book that's been in your TBR a long time, backlist title by favorite and/or prolific author etc.)

September 16 - Lush Life (some definitions of lush = luxuriant, thriving, prosperous, savory, drunkard, curvaceous. Run with it folks!)

October 21 - The Hunt (thriller, romantic suspense, Gothic, paranormal, fantasy etc.)

November 18 - Wrath (revenge, vengeance, a struggle of some sort, angry characters)

December 16 - Wild Card (unpredictable characters, random "free pick" from your TBR etc.)

I know some of these are going to require a bit of planning on my part, but remember - if it all seems like too much bother - the themes are always optional. The goal of this challenge isn't so much what you read, so long as you're reading something (anything!) out of your TBR.

My hope is always for this Challenge to be low-key, stress-free and fun!  So I hope you'll consider joining this year. Be like me - use this Challenge to delude yourself into thinking you're actually making some progress on your book hoarding 😉.

Giving Thanks: Unusual Historicals for November 2025

Just in time for American Thanksgiving, November's cornucopia of Unusual Historicals takes center stage here at the Bat Cave. Enjoy this bounty of thirteen titles now, because December, a notoriously slow month of publishing, is likely to feel like Diet Unusual Historicals in comparison. So have yourself another slice of pumpkin pie and happy browsing. Everyone knows the best kind of Black Friday shopping in book shopping. 

After Hours at Dooryard Books by Cat Sebastian

1968 New York City

News about the war might be keeping Patrick up at night--news in general might be keeping Patrick up at night--but he's doing fine. He's sure of it. He gets to spend his days selling books in the gayest neighborhood on the East Coast and his nights merrily sleeping his way through the rare book community. But when he takes in a drifter who seems to be hiding something, and his best friend and her newborn move into the apartment upstairs, his life gets turned on its head.

A sleepy little bookstore should be the perfect place for Nathaniel to lie low, waiting for his past to catch up with him, but it turns out Dooryard Books is full of political radicals and anti-war agitators. If the FBI isn't actively surveilling this place, it will be. Nathaniel should go anywhere else. The last thing he expects is to like these subversives. There's a grieving folk musician and her baby--a demon of a child who will only sleep if Nathaniel, of all people, holds her. There's a pair of rabble-rousing teenagers who, upsettingly, seem to be right about everything. And then there's Patrick, who can't walk past anyone who needs his help--and who is perplexingly determined to help Nathaniel.

As the world balances on the precipice of something new and scary and maybe even hopeful, Patrick needs to decide what he's willing to risk for this chaotic new community he's accidentally created. And Nathaniel needs to figure out whether he has a place in this messy, flawed world--and whether he can believe he deserves it.

My apologies to anyone who remembers 1968, but I'm counting this as historical. Hey, the shoe will be on the other foot in 2050 when some author writes a historical romance about two kids falling in love at Lollapalooza. Anyway, I'm digging the found family vibe of this blurb and I can't say no to a New York City setting, especially against the social upheaval of the Vietnam War era. On the pile it goes!

A Literary Liaison by Mihwa Lee

Edgar Marshal Albury, Duke of Lancaster, lives a double life—notorious rake by day, secret romance novelist by night. When the vicious critic E. Lovelace shreds his latest work, he strikes back as "Aengus Steele," launching a literary war that captivates London. But then he meets Elisha Linde, a fierce reformer whose sharp mind and hidden fire make him forget other women exist. He's falling hard for two women—never dreaming they're the same person. When he discovers Elisha's treasonous activities could get her hanged, this pampered duke will risk his title, his fortune, and his neck to save the woman who's made him love again.

Elisha Linde clawed her way from the workhouse to respectability, hiding behind the pen name E. Lovelace to savage London's literary pretensions. Her public feud with pompous author Aengus Steele is delicious revenge against the privileged—until the sinfully handsome Duke of Lancaster unveils the passion she didn’t know she possessed. She should resist his notorious charm, but their verbal sparring ignites something dangerous in her blood. Now her secret life writing seditious pamphlets threatens to destroy everything, and she must choose between her fight for reform or her own happiness.

He's a rake with a secret identity as a novelist and she's the critic with a secret identity for writing seditious pamphlets who has been shredding his work in the press. As the verbal sparring ignites into passion, they have to worry about their mutual secrets bringing everything down around their ears. This is the second book in Lee's The Daring Damsels series and all her books sound amazing. I really need to unearth what I have waiting in my TBR.

The Daring Times of Fern Adair by Cara Devlin

Scarred long ago in a deadly house fire, a sheltered young woman becomes entangled with a dangerous mobster in the electrifying time of 1925 Chicago.

Fern Adair has spent most of her life tucked away in her family’s Chicago home. There, she’s protected from startled stares and uncomfortable questions about the scarred half of her face. But when her parents begin to host elaborate weekly dinners to socialize Fern—and to find her a husband—the refuge of her sheltered life fractures.

Despite her wealth, and her father’s power as a district court judge, no potential suitor looks her way twice. Until one evening, a mysterious stranger takes a seat at the Adair's dinner table.

Calvin Rosetti, older brother and enforcer to one of the city's most dangerous criminal kingpins, doesn't have honorable intentions when it comes to the judge’s scarred daughter. He wants revenge against Fern’s brother, who recently wronged the Rosetti family in an unforgivable way, and Cal plans to use Fern to even the score.

Drawn out of her reclusive life and into Cal's illicit underworld, Fern discovers a side of herself she's never known, proving she is much more than just a pawn to be played. Slowly, she and Cal realize what it is to love someone they shouldn't— and it comes with violent consequences. With Cal's scheme falling apart, and a crucial choice set before them, Fern will come to know what she's capable of, scars and all.

Definite Dark Romance vibes with a scarred heroine playing "princess in the tower" and an enforcer for a crime syndicate looking for revenge against her brother. This one sounds Messy AF but it's also set in 1925 Chicago and I'm just intrigued enough to kind of hate myself.

The Disgraced Knight's Redemption by Ella Matthews

A disgraced warrior…

Torn between duty and desire!

Sir Tristan must win back his honor. His orders from King Edward are simple: seek out the leader of Pwll Du Castle—the unmarried Lady Catrin—and demand she leaves. As Tristan is renowned for his lethal charm and handsome looks, how can she resist? But when the beautiful Welshwoman comes under siege from her covetous neighbor, Tristan finds himself fighting for her! Yet, is it a losing battle? For securing the castle and fulfilling his knightly duty will mean letting Catrin go…

Matthews wraps up her Knights' Missions trilogy with this final book featuring a hero with a mission to evict the heroine from her castle, only to turn around and help her protect her home when a villainous neighbor decides it's time for a siege. I mean, I'm sure all of this will greatly please King Edward...

The Cowboy's Convenient Wife by Carol Arens

A cowboy in London

…and a deal at the altar?

When his English business partner dies, Montana rancher Boone Rawlins becomes guardian of the man’s little girl, and heir to their family property in London. So when a storm destroys the ranch, they cross the Atlantic to start a new life!

Penniless Lady Ambrin is stunned when a real-life cowboy arrives on her doorstep. But she quickly comes to her senses when she discovers her dear brother has left Boone her house—and that he wants to sell it to fund a new farm! Ambrin’s determined to keep her home and her precious niece. Will a convenient marriage be the solution…or a whole new predicament?

Traditional publishers can't give us actual westerns, so instead we apparently need to settle for Americans going across the pond to muck around with those hoity-toity English. At least this time our American is a cowboy hero who heads to England to take over the guardianship of his dead partner's daughter and his property - only to run into the complication of the child's aunt, who isn't all that happy about being evicted from her family home. I mean, some women AMIRITE?!

The Hart's Rest by Sophia Nye

Conan O’Conor has never been more excited about burning bridges. His king’s rivals recently finished construction on a causeway meant to act as a blockade. The mission is simple: create a cover, infiltrate the town, destroy the bridge. Simple. Until Conan lays eyes on the bold and beautiful Alannah.

Alannah nic Lorcan lives to protect her sister. On their own from a young age, she’s had no choice but to guard Emer as they manage their inn–The Hart’s Rest. Men are constantly after Emer, looking to take advantage of her sweet disposition. Fading into the background as she stands guard over Emer, Alannah is rarely a target of their affections. Until a handsome bard comes to stay at the inn.

When the charming Conan propositions her for just one night, Emer pushes Alannah to take advantage of the opportunity and have a little fun. What harm could come of it from one night?

A lot, as it turns out. The longer the bards stay at The Hart’s Rest, the more difficult it becomes to keep Conan at arm’s length. And the more suspicious she becomes of his true purpose in town.

As Conan grows closer to Alannah, he realizes three things. First, he’s falling fast for the brave and clever owner of The Hart’s Rest. Second, keeping his identity a secret is a lot harder when he’s involved with her. And third, if she discovers his plans to destroy the bridge that’s holding up her business, she’ll never forgive him.

This is the fifth book in a series, and I'm super intrigued by this premise. He's posing as a traveling bard with a mission to burn an actual bridge. She's the overlooked proprietress of the local inn whose sole mission is to protect her beautiful and gorgeous younger sister. And yet, this handsome traveling bard is making eyes at her - I mean, what the wha?! What will happen when she finds out he wants to destroy the bridge that's keeping her business afloat?

These Violet Delights by Madeleine Roux

Violet Arden is a burgeoning painter who insists on a life of passion, but scandal is heaped on humiliation at her artistic debut in London. It would be one thing to withstand withering critiques, but the night goes from bad to worse when an illicit affair with her art instructor is exposed. She flees the London limelight to her cousin Emilia Graddock’s country estate, where she plans to leave all thoughts of love in the past where they belong . . . until she comes face-to-face with the man who scorned her paintings in front of her friends and family, Alasdair Kerr.

Alasdair has recently set aside his life of travel to return to his family’s estate— the site of a tragic fire that claimed his cherished father’s life. He’s finally ready to rebuild the home that was lost and step into his role as man of the house. But his rakish younger brother Freddie can’t seem to leave the off-limits Graddock woman alone, and his mother has brought an overbearing clergyman into their home who appears keen to stick around.

Violet is determined to ignore Alasdair, which shouldn’t be difficult considering that their families have been in a long-standing feud . . . if only their attempts to end Emilia and Freddie’s secret relationship would stop bringing them together. And when new fires threaten their safety, Violet and Alasdair reluctantly join forces to uncover the identity of the arsonist. But can they ignore the feelings kindling between them, which are but an ember away from igniting into a full blaze?

She's a painter whose debut goes up in flames more so for the affair she's having with her instructor as opposed to the damning reviews of her work. So off our heroine goes to the country, only to run into our hero who scorned her paintings so openly. He's there to rebuild his family's estate and they both want to thwart the burgeoning relationship between his brother and her cousin. Oh, and arson is afoot. How can they possibly resist each other if they keep getting thrown together? The answer is, of course, they can't. 

How to Court Your Wife by Amanda McCabe

Falling for her husband

…all over again!

When Sandrine was forced to give up her dressmaking dreams to wed Alain, Comte d’Alency, she never expected to fall for her convenient husband at first sight! Only, her hopes were dashed after their wedding night, when she discovered Alain loved another, so she fled…

Years later, Alain encounters his wife again! Now a successful modiste, Sandrine no longer needs him. To make amends and reclaim his runaway wife, he’s determined to give her the courtship they never had. But Alain’s not the only one with a past to reconcile—Sandrine’s also been keeping a little secret…

Exiled thanks to the Revolution, we have a French modiste and the husband who broke her heart, never mind it was an arranged marriage. Anyone want to place odds on if her little secret is a child conceived during their one night together? Or is that the definition of a sucker's bet...

For a Viking's Heart by Laura Strickland 

At the hall of a Scottish chief deep in the western Highlands, a bard sings and plays on his harp, spinning tales to the gathered company. The hour grows late indeed, but his listeners, caught deep in the enchantment woven this night, beg for one more tale. From his heart he tells of a woman so brave and strong that his words, however beautiful, can scarcely do her justice.

Hulda Elvarsdottir is a woman striving to make her way in a man’s world. Devoted to the idea that no man should ever give up his life to defend hers, she has learned to fight and battle in her own right. But when her beloved brother dies while raiding on a Scottish shore, she sets her sights on revenge.

Quarrie MacMurtray’s ancestors have held the settlement on Scotland’s western coast for generations uncounted. He knows his duty is to follow in his father’s footsteps as chief. For him, that means watching the horizon for black sails and spending his life against the Norse, if necessary.

The last thing he expects when he meets the woman who’s come seeking vengeance is to feel an irresistible pull toward her.

Fourth book in a series with the framework of a traveling bard telling stories. This story centers around a beautiful shieldmaiden who sets her sights on revenge against those who killed her brother. That turns out to be the hero, the heir apparent chief of a settlement on Scotland's western coast.

Bedding the Marquess by Kelsey Swanson

Gideon Bray, Marquess of Swanleigh, has always been a rake—a reckless, charming scoundrel never meant for happily-ever-afters. Yet, behind his careless smile lies a man scarred by neglect, and desperate for the family he was denied. Only one woman has ever seen past the mask: Caroline Wells, his dearest friend and the lone female in his notorious circle of comrades.

Cast out by both her family and Society after a youthful scandal, Caroline long ago learned to live by her own rules. Gideon stood by her, offering his loyalty when the rest of the world turned its back. But when one night of unbridled passion shatters this boundary between them, Gideon shocks them both with an offer of marriage, though neither of them knows quite how to transform years of friendship into the intimacy of husband and wife.

As they navigate a marriage of fiery attraction, Gideon locates Oliver, the half-brother he’s sought for decades. At last, the dream of family feels within his reach. But shadows cling to Oliver’s past…and enemies soon strike at the women the brothers cherish most.

Third book in the Spy Society series and THE HEROINE IS RUINED! At least she better be truly ruined. I can't handle another "ruined" heroine who is still somehow magically a virgin because her "ruination" was all just some silly misunderstanding. The hero is one of her only true friends, and imagine the shock when one night of passion leads to him...proposing marriage? What the deuce?

When He Was a Duke by Tess Thompson

Once, Sebastian Ashford was a duke's son—until his father's hanging stripped him of his name, his home, and his future. Branded by scandal and hardened by war, Sebastian returns to England with a single mission: uncover the truth behind his family's ruin. Disguised as a humble gardener, he infiltrates the estate of the very man he suspects of orchestrating it all.

Lady Rose Wentworth knows her place in Society—but that place is a prison. Raised in luxury yet suffocated by duty, she dreams of a life beyond her father's control. Now, she's being forced into marriage with a ruthless baron twenty years her senior—a match designed to secure power, not happiness. When she meets the new gardener, she's drawn to his quiet strength and piercing gaze—unaware that he's the enemy her family helped create.

As their forbidden romance deepens, Sebastian and Rose must choose between loyalty and desire, vengeance and redemption. But in a world where titles define worth and secrets can destroy everything, loving him could cost them their lives.

A Regency romance of slow-burn longing, forbidden attraction, hidden identities, and the intoxicating thrill of enemies becoming lovers.

A Duke's son who lost everything when his Daddy met the wrong end of a hangman's noose. Now he's back home, disguising himself as a gardener, to dig up dirt (ha!) on the man he thinks is responsibility. Instead he falls for the man's sheltered daughter, desperate to escape her father's gilded case. 

Snowbound Regency Christmas by Carla Kelly, Joanna Johnson and Samantha Hastings

Three snow-kissed Regency romances

In one festive volume!

In A Christmas Houseguest by Carla Kelly, when a snowstorm stops their mailcoach, Rosie offers a fellow passenger sanctuary at her farm. War-weary from the navy, Andy will find his Christmas angel hard to leave…

In Their Yuletide Reunion by Joanna Johnson, rejecting Lieutenant Fitzjames’s proposal is Jane’s greatest regret. Now, her future is in peril. Until an unexpected Christmas invitation leads to a second chance!

In The Christmas Husband Charade by Samantha Hastings, Devin finds himself snowed in with Julia—the woman who jilted his brother! When he is forced to masquerade as her husband, their mutual hatred evolves into an irresistible connection…

I know, the Regency era is typically not "unusual" but this one makes the cut thanks to two military heroes - one of which is written by Carla Kelly. This looks like a great option for a little Chistmas Eve reading.

Twelve Days to Win a Count by Alessandra Alma

After her father’s death, Esperanza discovers her inheritance rests in the hands of an elusive Spanish count. Desperate for money, she leaves a war torn Puerto Rico to claim what is hers. But when she arrives in Spain on Christmas Day, she’s given an impossible condition: she must marry by her twenty-first birthday, which falls on Three Kings Day, or become a nun. With only twelve days to find a husband, Esperanza is urged by her mother to charm the count. In her efforts to seduce him, she works as his secretary. Esperanza’s plans are complicated when he hires a matchmaker, forcing her to choose between following her heart or securing a practical match.

With his mother gone to Barcelona and no one to manage the estate, Don Pedro is under pressure to either hire a capable housekeeper or marry his mother’s choice for a bride. Determined to avoid an unwanted match, he hires a matchmaker. He is caught off guard when a beautiful sugar heiress arrives at his doorstep… and somehow ends up in his care. Can he find a suitable bride without falling for his spirited new secretary? Or will thematchmaker arrange a match before time runs out and she marries someone else?

Every month there's usually at least one book written by an author I know nothing about, and here we are. A heroine who leaves Puerto Rico to travel to Spain to claim an inheritance that has a complicated provision attached to it. Amazon has this listed at just over 200 pages and this blurb has a lot going on in it - but I'm definitely intrigue enough to read a sample.

What Unusual Historicals are you looking forward to this month?

Library Loot Review: A Murderous Business

I cut my reading teeth on mystery and suspense novels. While other girls were reading about those pretty Sweet Valley High bitches, I was thwarting bad guys with Nancy Drew. From there I graduated to Mary Higgins Clark, Victoria Holt and Barbara Michaels. But my true loves? Sue Grafton and Marcia Muller. To this day I am utter trash for lady private detectives and the more competent they are? The harder I fall. So when I read Azteclady's recent review for A Murderous Business by Cathy Pegau, I leveraged my library card and snapped it right up.

It's New York City in 1912. The Titanic disaster is all over the newspapers and everyone seems to agree that ladies have no business running companies. Such is the life of Margot Baxter Harriman, who took over the running of the family business, B&H Foods, after her father died. Between her father's well-meaning associates (now her employees) and the board of directors, Margot spends just as much time trying to convince them of her worth, skill and knowledge as she does in the actual running of the company. And running the company is what she's doing when she shows up at the office early one morning to collect some documents, only to find Mrs. Gilroy, her father's long-time devoted and former assistant, dead.  Next to Mrs. Gilroy's body? A half finished note, addressed to Margot, implying that there are shenanigans happening at the company - shenanigans that are hurting people and that Mrs. Gilroy's conscience can't take it any more. The company and Margot's good name would be lost if these vague allegations are true. The scandal would be too much. So she pockets the note before calling the police, who rule Mrs. Gilroy's death as natural causes, although the whole thing seems hinky enough to them that they start sniffing around.  What Margot needs is a private investigator, a very discreet one.

Who she gets is Loretta "Rett" Mancini, a young woman running (and covering) for her father who has gotten increasingly agitated and forgetful of late. When Margot offers her the job of investigating B&H Foods, Rett jumps at the offer.

Readers say all the time they love competent characters, but what I've noticed over the years is that they're not easy to write. Authors can sometimes confuse competent with perfect - and y'all perfect is boring as hell. Nobody wants to read about perfect, it makes for a dull story. Neither Margot nor Rett are perfect in the sense that they have challenges. Besides being women running businesses, they're both lesbians. 1912 is not safe for them by any stretch of the imagination. They have very few rights as women (hell, they can't even vote yet), and homosexuality is a crime. But these women are smart and intuitive without being insufferably perfect know-it-alls. They're the type of women I'd want to be friends with. 

The other great thing about this book? The mystery. Y'all I have been out here in these suspense streets for many years and while I read all manner of books within the genre, I'll admit I do get burnt out on serial killers and violence against women. The shenanigans that Mrs. Gilroy's half-finished note implies are directly tied to the Pure Food and Drug Act of 1906 and the increased enforcement of that law. The implication being that B&H Foods is cutting corners and that people are getting sick. The question being, who what and how. That's what Margot and Rett need to find out before a scandal erupts and Margot loses everything. 

There is a faint whiff of romance in this story, but not between Rett and Margot. Rett's in a committed relationship and Margot has a dalliance (will it turn into something more in future books?) with an acquaintance of Rett's who helps them out while on the case. 

This read like a breath of fresh air to me. Dynamic, interesting and competent heroines, a well-drawn setting, and a well-thought out compelling mystery that didn't feel like a tired retread of plots we've seen a million times before. I sank right into this and am crossing my fingers we get more Harriman and Mancini adventures.

Final Grade = B