Librarians' Top Reads for 2020: Fiction About Relationships

Call them Romance, Chick Lit, Family Stories or even Domestic Fiction (ugh!). Whatever you want to call them, here are some of the novels we particularly enjoyed this year that deal with the human heart.

From Miss Moneypenny:

The Peacock Summer by Hannah Richell. A beautiful English country estate in the 1950s can’t stop Lillian from being deeply unhappy with both her marriage and her life. Skip forward sixty years and her runaway granddaughter Maggie, returns to nurse the now very frail Lillian and to sort out their very much decaying estate. A clever interweaving of the two love stories and a good amount of intrigue builds up to an unexpected conclusion. 

 

The Juniper Gin Joint by Lizzie Lovell. Jennifer’s had a bit of rough year (and this was before covid!). Husband’s left her for a younger woman, children grown up and left the coop, an in resident father and now it looks like her job is going to disappear. Enter friends, work colleagues and a raft of English villagers and a new venture is formed. Light, easy breezy read with a healthy drop of humour. I found myself cheering for Jennifer. 

The View from Alameda Island by Robyn Carr. Another story with a 50 plus woman divorcing her husband after the children have left home. The difference between this story and The Juniper gin joint is although there is romance in each this is not a feel good read. The ex husband is abusive and although both woman suffer angst as they come to terms with their new life as a single woman, this story revolves more around the difficulties of the separation and rebuilding a life. There is also developing tension as the ex-husband fights to get his wife back. Another story where I am encouraging the main character to makes good decisions and have a happy life.

A Chance of Stormy Weather by Tricia Stringer. Tricia Stringer is one of a growing number of Australians writing rural romances. Here we have newly wed farmer Dan and his bride Paula straight from wedding reception to the farm. Paula has grand ideas about living on a farm including doing up the old farmstead. None of her dreams include an out on the farm all hours of the day and night husband leaving her stranded alone in a mouse filled house. This is the best way to enjoy Aussie farm life without fighting flies, mice, and serious weather events.

From JAM:

On Turpentine Lane by Elinor Lipman

Faith Frankel writes thank you letters to benefactors at her old school for a living, while her fiance is on a crowded-funded tour to find himself. But mostly he finds photo opportunities with attractive women. Yet that could be the least of Faith's problems, which include a father who thinks he's Chagall and creepy things found in the attic of her new house. Luckily her workmate/flatmate, Nick, is there to lend a hand. I loved this audiobook which is lively, witty and full of interesting characters.

Reading in Bed by Sue Gee

This book looks like light-hearted chick-lit with its squiggly, hand-drawn cover, but Sue Gee writes intelligently about relationships with believable characters to rival Joanna Trollope. Dido and Georgia have been friends since university and even though they live in different cities, they still meet up and talk about family. But both have problems that are hard to share - Georgia still grieving for her late husband and worried about her ditsy daughter; Dido worries about her dislike for her son's partner and also fears her husband is seeing someone else. Some brilliant minor characters add to this warm and engrossing novel about family, love and friendship.

Twenty-one Truths about Love by Matthew Green is a different kind of novel, written, believe it or not, in lists. Dan has the dream job - he owns his own bookshop - and he is devoted to Jill his wife. But Dan's shop is failing and he doesn't know how to tell Jill, who wants to give up work to have a child. Maybe Dan will have to turn to crime to keep both shop and wife. Just as well he learned that keeping lists was a good way to manage stress. Good for the reader too as the lists are funny and oddly meaningful, and the pages just fly by.

Love Wins in the End - Two Top Romance Reads

True Love by Jude Deveraux

With more than forty romance novels to her name Jude Deveraux knows how to write a good love story.

In this the first of the Nantucket Brides trilogy, architecture student Alex Madsen has been left the use of a house on Nantucket, the isolated island off the coast of Cape Cod, Massachusetts. For one year she has the use of an historical house with the proviso she locates an old journal with the hope she will be able to solve a two hundred year old mystery.

Tall, dark and handsome architect legend Jared Montgomery Kingsley is the owner of the Nantucket house and although reluctant to stay on the island he finds himself attempting to keep a platonic eye over Alex.

Enter one good looking grandfather ghost and the scene is set for a contemporary romance with a historical twist. For those around in the 70s, it is reminiscent of the television series The Ghost and Mrs Muir.

If you are willing to suspend disbelief for a romance novel with strong female characters, you won’t be disappointed. Twenty-two of Jude Deveraux novels are available as ebooks with the audio of True Love available to download.

Refining Felicity by M C Beaton

The reluctantly unmarried and impoverished Tribble sisters, Amy and Effy, are in need of an income. Having ruled out the position of courtesans (they are women of a certain age), they set themselves up to refine wild and undisciplined daughters of the Ton. Their first assignment is self-styled tomboy Lady Felicity Vane.

Despite their best efforts (and the assistance of the very desirable Marquess of Ravenswood), Felicity insists on remaining unrefined and boisterous and the sisters’ new venture, the School for Manners, will end in financial ruin.

M C Beaton (the pen name of the late Marion Chesney) is the prolific author of both romance and mystery novels. Two of her more famous characters, Agatha Raisin and Hamish Macbeth, star in their own television series.

With a selection of over 40 titles ready to download from the ebook collection you are guaranteed a good medley of reading.

Posted by Miss Moneypenny

The homecoming by Rosie Howard

Looking for something with a sip of romance, a slug of friendship and a bevy of interesting characters? Welcome to the Sussex market town of Havenbury. In this the first in a new series; Maddy returns to the village to help her old friend Patrick recover from a heart attack and run his pub.

Maddy is quickly drawn into village life when she becomes involved in setting up a bespoke consortium for the local artisans. Throw in the love interest with local psychologist Ben and you have all the makings of contemporary cosy novel. A most satisfying read.

Reviewed by Veronica

Catalogue link: The Homecoming

Ocean Light by Nalini Singh

Have you discovered the phenomenon that is Nalini Singh? This prolific writer has written over 16 books in the Psy-Changeling series and because she was raised in New Zealand we can call her one of our own.

Ocean Light (number 2 in her Psy-Changeling Trinity series) is the latest offering from Nalini. The story and takes place in an alternate future where Humans, Changelings (shifters) and Psy (people with varying psychic powers) live together after a tenuous peace accord has been reached.

Bowen Knight wakes up from a coma after being shot by a bullet meant for his sister. The ‘Consortium’ which he is the head of has a traitor in its midst and it is up to him to try and get to the bottom of the mystery. So far, this could be any ‘who-dun-it story but the reality is far different. When Bowen wakes, he is not in some city hospital, but instead in Ryujin, the deep underwater base / habitat of the Black Sea Shifters.

This is his story of coming to terms with the fact that he has a ticking time bomb in his head and the experimental surgery he has offered to be a part of has a 50% chance of either killing him or leaving him brain dead.

This is also the story of Kaia, a scientist turned cook who is a member of the Black sea shifters and whose blossoming relationship with Bowen is central to the story. Kaia has no time for humans who have caused her much heartache, and the last thing she wants to do is to fall prey to the dangerous charm of a human who is a dead man walking, but she simply cannot stay away from Bowen.

When Kaia is taken by those who mean her harm Bowen will do anything to get her back even if it means striking a devil’s bargain and giving up his mind to the enemy.

If you haven’t read other books in the Psy-Changeling series by Nalini, this may not be the best place to start, as her storylines and characters all intertwine to create a totally satisfying reading experience, however for fans of her book, you will not be disappointed in this latest offering.

Reviewed by Fiona Frost

Catalogue link:  Ocean Light

Under a Pole Star by Stef Penney

When the weather is hot, I often like to read a book set in ice and snow, so of course I picked up the latest Stef Penney, whose debut novel The Tenderness of Wolves won the Costa Award. Under a Pole Star is about Arctic explorers Flora Mackie, the daughter of a Scottish whaler, and New York geologist Jakob de Beyn.

As a child, Flora visited Greenland with her father so often she can speak the native language of the Inuit she befriended there. A journalist discovers her story and she becomes known as The Snow Queen. She will require an education and sponsorship if she wants to return as a scientist, which means making some difficult decisions. Who will want to fund or join an expedition led by a woman? This is the late 1800s after all.

Jakob is fascinated by ice, and glaciers in particular. He joins an expedition led by polar explorer, Lester Armitage, a difficult man whose obsession with fame verges on madness and leads to a terrible accident. But through this Jakob meets Flora and their immediate connection drives much of the plot.

The story see-saws between the viewpoints of Flora and Jakob, both of whom are immensely likeable characters. But the novel starts out in 1948 with a reporter interviewing Flora about the old days and we learn that Jakob and Armitage had long ago mysteriously disappeared. This was potentially a problem for me – the risk of developing empathy with a central character you know is doomed before you even meet him.

My other problem with the book is its length. At 600 pages, I felt a little judicious editing, especially of the lengthy graphic sex scenes, might have produced a tighter plot-line, and given more prominence to the interesting themes around exploration, colonisation and women’s place in society that affect the fate of the protagonists.

Stef Penney is a terrific writer with a gift for creating amazing settings and powerful characters. Under a Pole Star is well worth reading, though you might like to skim a few chapters here and there.

Posted by JAM

Catalogue link: Under a Pole Star

A Secret Garden by Katie Fforde

“Lorna, a talented gardener and Philly a young Irish plantswoman come together through their love of plants and gardens to work in the grounds of a beautiful manor house in the Cotswolds. For both of them finding love has been unsuccessful.”
So starts the blurb for this the latest from the prolific romance author Katie Fforde. Romance is not my normal fiction of choice, but the covers of her book are whimsically appealing and almost beg to be picked up and perused. However, reading this book was a bit like watching the TV series Married at First Sight. I seemed to spend my time alternately wanting to shake Philly and Lorna and throttle the male characters for beating about the bush so much. Does no-one know how to communicate with anyone these days?
As a romance novel, the path to finding and holding onto love figures highly throughout the book. We follow the journey of these two characters as they come to grips with attraction, frustration, troublesome parents and children, a reminder of a past life and a seemingly overwhelming inability to be able to make decisions about their lives.
‘What I want to know is what lies behind those ash trees at back of the garden’ (Lorna).
I loved the idea of the secret garden and having lived in a house that had its own walled garden I know they can be wonderful mysterious, mystical places especially when they are hidden away. The answer seemed a long time coming. I waited and waited for the garden to materialise, especially given that it is in the title of the book and also the blurb. In fact the garden is so secret that it isn’t discovered until quite a lot of the story has been read, and even then it seems almost to be tacked on at the end of the story as an afterthought. I am also amazed that someone who called herself a gardener by vocation could not know that there was a garden hidden away on the property she worked on, even when it was a large sprawling property.
Despite everything written above, I do understand why Katie Fforde is so popular. Her books are easy to read, take us out of the humdrum of our own lives and allow us if only for an instant, to be onlookers in a society populated by people named Lucien, Philomena (Philly) and Seamus and where the message being shouted out loud is that people can find and keep love at any age, young, middle or old and that there is somebody out there for everyone.

Reviewed by Fiona

Catalogue link:  The Secret Garden

When Dimple Met Rishi by Sandhya Menon

This particular story follows Dimple, an 18 year old girl who just finished high school and is preparing for college. She wants nothing more than to work in web design, and spend all her time coding. She doesn’t want the distraction of romance, and hates that all her mother’s spare time seems to be dedicated to finding her the I.I.H (Ideal Indian Husband). While Dimple's family is Indian, she was born and raised in America, and is trying to escape what she considers the ‘misogynistic’ ideals of Indian marriage.

Rishi was also born and raised in America to Indian parents, but he is very proud of his heritage, wants nothing more than to please his parents, who sacrificed much for him to have a better life. He is happy to have his marriage arranged by his parents. When he is given Dimple's photo, and is told to meet her in San Francisco, he trusts their judgement and starts imagining their life together. There is just one problem, Dimple has no idea who he is!

At times this novel could have come across as far too cheesy and forced, but the main characters are so lovable that I wanted nothing more than for them to both be happy. At times Dimple can be stubborn and a bit of a wet blanket, and Rishi has trouble trying to admit his true dreams (because it may mean disappointing his parents) but I still loved them both, flaws and all. This story was a fun summer read that I will be recommending to a lot of people.

Posted by Sas

Catalogue link: When Dimple Met Rishi

Close Enough to Touch by Colleen Oakley

Close Enough to Touch is what you might call a not-so-simple love story. The two main characters have problems, big problems, and while it is chance that throws them together, their apparently insurmountable difficulties make any chance of a relationship highly unlikely.

Jubilee Jenkins is a recluse due to her terrible health problem – she is allergic to human touch. After Donavan Kingsley kissed her for a bet at school and she nearly died of anaphylactic shock (and of shame), Jubilee refused to leave the house. When her mother marries and moves away, Jubilee becomes adept at managing her life - educating herself, buying groceries, managing the garden - all with the help of the Internet. The story picks up when Jubilee’s mother dies, and to make ends meet, Jubilee finds work at the library.

Eric is divorced when he takes on a temporary assignment in New York, bringing with him his ten-year-old adopted son, Aja. The boy has never quite managed to grieve for the parents who died two years before. Instead he practises telekinesis, which gets him into trouble time and time again. Meanwhile, Eric’s daughter Ellie refuses to speak to him, but somehow her school reading journal winds up among the boxes Eric takes away with him. To find out more about the daughter he misses Eric decides to read the books Ellie loves most. This takes him to the library, where he meets Jubilee.

Colleen Oakley has written a poignant and engrossing comedy/drama, with characters who are quirky and so heart-breakingly vulnerable, you can’t help but feel their pain and want the best for them. We follow their journey as Eric attempts to reconnect with his daughter and keep Aja safe, and Jubilee develops the courage she will need to explore the world outside, accepting help when she needs to. While they deal with big problems, the humorous tone of the writing and the offbeat turn of events create a light and engrossing read. I found Close Enough to Touch a warm-hearted novel, which is surprisingly hard to put down.

Posted by JAM

Catalogue link: Close Enough to Touch

Heartless by Marissa Meyer

The Queen of Hearts has always been such an easy character to hate in children’s fiction. She was (at least until Tim Burton came along) always portrayed as an overweight, unappealing looking woman who was quick to anger and had a habit of yelling ‘off with their heads’. But she was so comical, or at the very least such an incredibly unlikeable character, that I never wondered how or why she became like that? How did someone so obviously mean win the affections of the dopey and bumbling, but sweet, King of Hearts?

Well, much like Gregory Maguire’s 1995 novel Wicked gave us the sympathetic backstory of the Wicked Witch of the West, Marissa Meyer’s 2016 novel Heartless tells us the story of Lady Catherine Pinkerton, who, if her parents and the King get their way, will be the next Queen of Hearts.

However what Cath wants is a simple life. She dreams of running her own bakery with her friend (and maid) Mary Ann, and maybe one day marrying the mysterious and handsome court jester (the not so originally named ‘Jest’).

What starts off as a fluffy romance novel (set in a Victorian London inspired Wonderland) quickly becomes a dark and twisted tale about love, betrayal, and hard choices.

Posted by Sas

Catalogue link: Heartless

The Lunar Chronicles by Marissa Meyer

A futuristic retelling of the Cinderella story where she’s a cyborg living in New Beijing? Yes please! Oh, and she’s one of the best mechanics in the Eastern commonwealth? Even better! She has a mysterious past and unexplained powers? I’m down for that.

I didn’t have too high hopes for this series, only deciding to read it because it’s been so popular lately, but man was I an idiot to put it off for so long!

It’s fun, fast paced, and while it’s a tad predictable at times (but hey, what fairy-tale retelling isn’t?), I loved every moment! The evil Queen wanting to take over the whole planet, check. The charming Prince who falls in love with Cinder before finding out her true identity, check. The fun sidekick (Iko the android who is probably my favourite character in the book), check. This book had all the Cinderella elements required, while also offering a fresh, new perspective to the old tale.

Then in the next three books, while also continuing with Cinder's story, we meet Scarlett (with the red hoodie and a love interest named Wolf), Cress (with the long, blonde hair, locked away by the evil Queen in a satellite in the middle of nowhere), and Winter (beautiful step-daughter to the evil Queen, with dark hair and lips as red as rubies), all of whom work with Cinder to help defeat the Queen.

Is it aimed towards teenage girls? Definitely. And there is A LOT of romance. But it is an exciting story about smart, strong teenage girls trying to save the world. Do they make mistakes? Of course. But they are all interesting characters and it was definitely a fast paced, feel good read!

Posted by Sas

Catalogue link: The Lunar Chronicles, 1: Cinder

To All the Boys I've Loved Before by Jenny Han

“To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before is the story of Lara Jean, who has never openly admitted her crushes, but instead wrote each boy a letter about how she felt, sealed it, and hid it in a box under her bed. But one day Lara Jean discovers that somehow her secret box of letters has been mailed, causing all her crushes from her past to confront her about the letters: her first kiss, the boy from summer camp, even her sister's ex-boyfriend, Josh. As she learns to deal with her past loves face to face, Lara Jean discovers that something good may come out of these letters after all.” – Goodreads Blurb.

Okay. So I loved this book and read it all in one sitting. But it is full of obnoxious teens screwing up their lives because of misunderstandings and half-truths. If everybody had just owned up to their feelings at any point of the book then none of the craziness would have happened. Then again that’s the case with most YA books so I can’t really judge it too harshly for that.

Lara Jean is a sweet, nerdy, awkward, pretty (but doesn’t realise how pretty she is) kind of teenager (once again sounds like most YA books out there). But this book is a charming look at a bi-racial American teen just trying to get through the day without majorly embarrassing herself. Half-Korean, Lara Jean is raised by her white American dad (her mother died when she was a child) who has nothing but the best intentions (there is a delightful scene where he tries to cook some of their favourite Korean foods, but fails miserably) but he just doesn’t seem to be around enough. He’s a busy doctor, so most of the chores, cooking, shopping, and childcare are done by the oldest child, Margot. Then when she moves out the responsibility becomes Lara Jean's.

Laura Jean seems quite immature (or sheltered) for her age, so I recommend the book for younger YA readers. However while there are no sex scenes, it does mention sex, and even though Lara Jean is incredibly G-rated some of the other characters aren’t, so probably keep it 13+.

Posted by Sas

Catalogue link: To All the Boys I've Loved Before

The Glittering Court by Richelle Mead

While most of my recommendations have been contemporary fiction, I will admit that fantasy (especially period fantasy) is my first love when it comes to reading. Vampire Academy author Richelle Meads' latest book is everything that I love about that particular genre.

The Glittering Court follows Adelaide, who may belong to the upper-class and spends her time at fabulous parties being waited on hand and foot, but she finds the uptight rules of her life, and of her expected marriage, to be too much to handle. Instead she runs away to the Glittering Court, and a chance to re-invent her life in the wild, newly conquered country of Adoria.

I will admit that this is very much a romance story, set in a world similar to the upper classes of England, with Adoria being their version of the newly colonized America. But it is a very enjoyable romance, with a strong female lead who knows her mind and what she wants, and refuses to let people stand in her way. She finds love, and makes close friends, and even meets a couple of pirates along the way. The only thing about the book that I didn’t like was that it is the first in a series, so now I have to wait who knows how long to find out what happens next.

Posted by Sas

Catalogue link: The Glittering Court

The Italian Wife by Kate Furnivall

Described by the author’s own website as “sweeping romance” this is most definitely not something you would normally catch me reading, nor is it a guilty pleasure in which I indulge if there’s no one looking (I reserve that honour solely for the old Point Horror series I loved as a teenager, but don’t tell anyone).

Lounging around on the deck after a sumptuous Christmas Dinner, I started to regret my decision not to bring a book with me on my visit to family on the South Island. My aunt announced she had two books with her that her own mother had pressed into her hands before she left the UK, and I died a little inside expecting a couple of Mills and Boon-esque swooning, flowery pink paperbacks. I was not disappointed as my aunt offered me a choice of two, in my view, soppy romances for middle-aged women (although not of the Grey variety, sadly). I deigned to choose what I thought to be the lesser of two evils.

Having never actually read anything of this genre, I don’t know if the setting of Mussolini’s Italy and choice of intelligent, educated female central character are typical fodder for this type of book. However, I found both concepts inspiring and intriguing. I’ve read a reasonable chunk of WWI and II literature and loved it so this element of the book, with its faint echoes of Captain Correlli’s Mandolin, helped me to warm to the story. I’m also a feminist in the modern sense and I liked the strong female lead, Isabella the architect.

The author’s depiction of some unpleasant events was gripping and real, and the romantic elements were not too saccharine for my taste. I enjoyed the development of Isabella’s character arc as she experiences the abuse, treachery and violence of the Fascist regime first-hand, having been a proud, self-declared Fascisti helping to build one of Italy’s new towns at the start of the book. Her love affair with Roberto, the government-employed town photographer, was fun to read and believable, and the other characters throughout the book were given enough depth to keep them interesting without distracting from the main romance. The initial plot device which sets the story in motion (the abandonment of a child and the mother’s apparent suicide) had me hooked and desperate to learn more.

Unexpected, enjoyable and satisfying, The Italian Wife is an agreeable way to spend a few lazy summer afternoons in the garden or on the beach. Will I read another ‘sweeping romance’? Probably not, but I’m glad I gave it a go.

Catalogue link: The Italian Wife

Posted by RJB