Happy Romantasy Month, everyone! For those of you who don't know, that's a romantic fantasy.
What I'm Reading
February is of course the month of love. But I think that Galentine's Day is just as important as Valentine's Day. Obviously, Galentine's Day is centered around sisterhood love, but I really think it's important to remember the blessings of all types of love. Your parents, siblings, friends who feel like siblings, pets, the whole shebang. That's why one of my go-to romantasies will always be the Caraval series by Stephanie Garber. Why? Because it's just as much about the love between two sisters as it is their perspective love interests, even though one could argue their happy endings are tied to their romantic endings. The two sisters, Scarlett and Della, escape their abusive father to attend the far-away, once-a-year performance where the audience participates in the show - oh, and did I mention there's magic? It's almost like a circus, but way more intense. People die (if temporarily), and the winner gets one wish granted. I may or may not see my sister and myself reflected in these fictional sisters, but the point stands.
(And it's not every day the "other guy" in the love triangle gets his own happily ever after. If you like Caraval, you can then read Once Upon A Broken Heart, a spin-off trilogy that I almost prefer.)
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If you want a break from fantasy, I'd also recommend The White Knight & Black Valentine series. I promise I'm unbiased even though the author is my sister. *wink*wink* This five-book series follows Dave Tel Toro, a retired hero who's happily married—to his former nemesis, Valentina Belmonte, better known as the Black Valentine. The two have settled in sunny Miami and left the past behind them. No more masks, capes or handcuffs. (At least, not outside of the bedroom.) I've mentioned this series before because I may or may not be in the brainstorming stage of a spinoff standalone centering around a villain whose family may or may not have already been mentioned.
But in all seriousness, I really do love this couple. I feel like they both went from "white" and "black" to "grey", and I mean that in the best way. Yes, Dave will kill a villain if there's no other choice. And yes, Val will let someone live even if she really wants to kill them (even if she finds other ways to torture them). And then there's their daughter Elisa, who is just the perfect combination of both of them. I just want this family to be happy, and I love seeing the love between them all as they kick ass. I'd say it's almost like The Incredibles... but add a villain and some kink.
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All in all, I hope everyone had a wonderful Valentine's Day. I hope you were surrounded by love of all kinds & that love only grows as time goes on!
Also, shoutout to all the fictional boyfriends and girlfriends keeping us single folks going.
