Closing out the year with two romances I read for the Happily Everyone After book club at The Ripped Bodice.
Heart and Hand is an unconventional historical romance with a mail-order bride marrying not one but two husbands. Julie Baptiste wants to escape New York Society. Her Black family is well-respected and who she marries is newspaper fodder. She much rather read a book than go to a party. She agrees to marry two men out in Gold Sky, Montana. It’s a long train ride, but she reminds herself it’s worth it. She will be a much-needed teacher in the small town. She meets mainly one husband through the letters. The other one is shy. After the civil war, Forrest Wickes and William Barnes are inseparable. They had to find a woman who could take them both on. Julie is shy but exhilarated by the idea. As soon as she arrives, the town puts on her wedding and celebrates the nuptials. We meet the town’s inhabitants at the reception. There is one jealous widow who presents herself. She has a thing for Will, the quiet one, and won’t let it go. Julie tries to shake it off and enjoy her good fortune. The thruple fall in love quickly. Will is sweet but rough on the edges. Forrest is the sheriff and already charmed Julie in the letters.
The central conflict is finding their balance and getting over insecurities. The sex scenes are plentiful and break up the plot. It was an easy read. I appreciated the Black representation in the historical setting. The two husbands do tend to manipulate the situation for Julie. I understand that men making decisions for wives was a thing back then, so I forgave this. Will entertains that widow’s crush for far too long. It was frustrating. I loved how Julie eventually found her place in the community. Read this if you want a diverse historical romance with a good dose of smut.
Knot My Type by Evie Mitchell follows Frankie, who hosts a sex podcast. Her show is up for an award and she wants to make a special episode. She tracks down Jay to interview him about rope bondage. Jay is a friend of a friend and agrees to help. Frankie became paralyzed at a young age due to illness. She uses a wheelchair and is self-sufficient. Her bubbly personality charms Jay instantly. It’s not long before they have some steamy rope play. They fail miserably at avoiding a relationship. Jay thinks he isn’t relationship material. He wants to be friends with benefits. Frankie agrees but deep down she is already smitten with him. Over the course of the novel, we learn about their insecurities as they have a ton of sex.
This borders on erotica so make sure you are prepared! A lot of their issues in the final climax could have been solved with a conversation. Jay has some major issues from dating an older woman who introduced him to BDSM. Nothing some therapy couldn’t have helped if he had bothered. Frankie has unrealistic for herself as well. In the end, Frankie’s friends have to give Jay a reality check. Glad she has people who want her to be happy. Jay didn’t exactly earn her back but I like the two of them together. I’m interested in the rest of the series since the friends made an impression. Frankie is a bit manic pixie dream girl in a wheelchair, but I didn’t mind. She charmed me from page one. If you want a ton of sex and disability representation, this is worth a try.