On the tail end of a five-star book or in the first fifty pages of a one-star book, a reader often takes a slow descent off a cliff and lands in a reading slump shaped pool of quicksand, unable to escape.
Here is a list of four fast-paced reads that are guaranteed to lend you a hand and prevent you from sinking into the slump.
Anatomy
If you think that historical fiction might be up your alley, but you aren’t ready to stray too far from your romance lover roots, you might want to pick up “Anatomy” by Dana Schwartz. The novel straddles the line between gothic romance and historical fiction as it explores the unlikely park between an aspiring surgeon and a grave robber.
Set in 1817, the novel provides a backdrop for the plot that forbids women from practicing surgery, but Lady Hazel Sinnett exudes both interest and natural talent in the field and aims to pursue it as a career by attending lectures at Edinburgh Anatomist’s Society. Much to her dismay, she is dismissed from Dr. Beecham’s anatomy lectures because of her sex, which throws her into an unlikely arrangement with Jack Currer, who practices his own kind of forbidden niche as a “resurrection man.”
As Jack provides Hazel with bodies on which she can perfect her surgical skills, he begins to see her for the intelligent human that she is and romance sparks between them as they uncover an even bigger scandal than either of their own.
The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo
Evelyn Hugo is a Hollywood movie icon. Monique Grant is an amateur magazine reporter who is fresh out of a divorce. Monique Grant has been drafted into writing Evelyn Hugo’s ever so coveted biography, and one must ask why?
Evelyn’s life is a riveting tale full of twists and turns, but mostly marriages and divorces — seven to be exact — and she recounts every single one of them in excruciating detail as Monique begins her task. Monique begins to see beneath the actress’ cold exterior and she feels a sort of empathy for her. She begins to wonder what brought them together, a question that is answered in tragedy.
If you are a reader who enjoys a plot twist, then “The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo“ is the book for you. Taylor Jenkins Reid is an author who ensures that you will never see it coming.
Caraval
Scarlett and Tella have lived their whole lives trapped within the little isle of Trisda. They have lived under the unforgiving fist of their abusive father and observed the magic of “Caraval” from afar.
Caraval is their escape.
Caraval is a once-a-year performance where the audience participates in the show. However, nothing in the game is as it seems, which the sisters soon discover when, after seven years of waiting, they are invited to its gate. While Scarlett is immediately hypnotized by Caraval’s grandiose presence, Tella is kidnapped by the master of the game — Legend. Although Scarlett has been assured that Caraval is only a game and that she should not believe anything that she sees or hears, she is immediately thrust into its grasp as she enters the quest to find her sister before time runs out.
This story is a riveting tale of friendship, familial bonds, and unrequited love woven between wisps of magic. Stephanie Garber has created a world that leaps off the page and surrounds a reader, so if you want to live a life outside of your own, hop into the pages of “Caraval.”
Once Upon a Broken Heart
If you have already devoured the Caraval trilogy, but are craving more of what Stephanie Garber’s writing has to offer, you might be interested in the spinoff that follows the most mysterious side character from the series. “Once Upon a Broken Heart” is a fantasy/romance that follows Jacks, otherwise known as the Prince of Hearts, whose kiss is fatal to anyone apart from his one true love. The novel introduces him in a new light in cohorts with a new protagonist: Evangeline Fox.
Evangeline has always been a believer in happy endings, that is until the love of her life, Luc, was betrothed to her sister instead. Thinking that Luc must be a victim of a trance, Evangeline strikes a deal with the immortal Jacks who agrees to stop the wedding in exchange for three kisses with three people of his choosing.
However, as fantasy readers know, all magic comes with a price. Evangeline soon comes to learn that dealing with immortals is a dangerous game and dealing with Jacks might just be the worst mistake of her life. Or the best.
