Connie Willis and Cynthia Felice, Promised Land

Delanna’s mother has just died, so she’s returned from her fancy education in the big city to her home planet to claim her inheritance. To her dismay, she learns that under the planet’s laws, she has to live on her property for one year before she’s allowed to sell. Moreover, she’s legally married to Sonny Tanner, the man who owns the neighboring property. Delanna is furious to be stuck in what she considers a backwater full of ignorant yokels, but the longer she remains on this planet, the more she grows to like her surroundings—and Sonny. Though there are some sci-fi trappings, this novel reads more like a Western, as the main characters rough it on a frontier planet with few luxuries. Delanna is quite a spoiled brat initially but changes for the better as she gets to know Sonny and the other locals better. This book isn’t as unique or interesting as Willis’s solo work, but I did enjoy it and would recommend it to fans of the premise.

Jill Bearup, Just Stab Me Now

Caroline is writing a novel, which she imagines as a tropey, enemies-to-lovers romantasy complete with smoldering glances and flirty banter. Unfortunately, her characters have other ideas. The heroine, Rosamund, is a widow still grieving for her dead husband, and she’s laser-focused on the diplomatic mission she’s supposed to carry out. The hero, Leo, is quiet and kind, not the cocky charmer Caroline had envisioned. As Rosamund and Leo navigate the complicated politics of their world together, Caroline occasionally pops in with questions and advice—all while navigating her own real-life romance with her persnickety editor.

This book apparently started as a YouTube series called The Fantasy Heroine, and I’m glad I didn’t know that beforehand, because I might never have read this book, which would have been a real shame. The fantasy book-within-a-book is genuinely entertaining, and I liked how the narrative gleefully skewers a lot of romance tropes (“Only one bed? No problem, I’ll sleep on the floor!”). The contemporary story is pretty thin—I didn’t care about Caroline’s work woes at all—but otherwise, I really liked this one! I may even go back and watch the web series now…

Mary Balogh, The Plumed Bonnet

Alistair Munro, the duke of Bridgwater, is handsome, rich, and bored out of his mind. So when he spots a bedraggled young woman while traveling, he impulsively offers her a ride. She’s dressed in gaudy attire that leads him to believe she’s a prostitute. But Stephanie Gray is actually a respectable young woman who worked as a governess until inheriting an unexpected fortune, which she’s on her way to claim. Alistair doesn’t believe her farfetched story, but when he learns the truth, he realizes he’s compromised a lady and promptly offers to marry her. Stephanie accepts, but she’s horrified to discover that he’s a duke and she’ll need to learn how to act like a duchess. Can they build a workable marriage, and perhaps even find love, after such a bad beginning? I was in the mood for a Balogh novel and decided to revisit this one, which I first read about five years ago. It’s not a top-tier Balogh for me, but I liked that both of the characters truly grow and change throughout the story. Overall, a pleasant read that I finished in a single day.