Don’t Want You Like a Best Friend is a funny, sweet variation on The Parent Trap. The plot is simple but the characters and their activities are uniformly delightful. This was a fun historical f/f romance with serious stakes that kept me wildly entertained until the last page. It’s the first in the Mischief and Matchmaking series. The plot, as I said, is super simple: Beth, who doesn’t want to get married, has one season … Continue reading Don’t Want You Like a Best Friend by Emma Alban →
Carrie: Ana María and the Fox came out back in April but it has taken lo these many months for Shana and I to manage a review. I’m glad this book made it to the top of my TBR, because I found it to be romantic, educational, and entertaining. But I had problems with some plot stuff. The plot: Ana María and her two sisters, who are the subjects of two upcoming books, are sent … Continue reading Ana María and the Fox by Liana De la Rosa →
I had a crappy, stressful week and I was tired and I don’t care about soccer AND YET I found Cleat Cute to be delightful. Honestly if this book worked for me on this particular week it ought to work for anybody. This Grumpy/Sunshine f/f romance has clear traces to Ted Lasso but not so many as to feel derivative. It’s just a really nice story about two decent human beings falling in love. Grace … Continue reading Cleat Cute by Meryl Wilsner →
Housebroke is a perfectly charming romance that is lighter than air and that has very little active conflict. There is no reason for this couple not to begin registering for wedding gifts by, oh, say, Chapter Three. This is a lovely couple whose problems consist of one of them having too much money. In other words, a non-problem. For goodness sake, Hazel, open the dog shelter of your dreams and get on with the relationship … Continue reading Housebroke by Jaci Burton →
Second Chances in New Port Stephen is a delightful second-chance romance between two men in their forties who reconnect over the Christmas holidays. It’s not overly cutesy, and although a lot of the plot involves my least favorite trope (Poor Communication) and one of the characters is a little too self-centered for my tastes, I really enjoyed this book. Eli and Nick grew up in Florida together and dated in high school, long before Eli … Continue reading Second Chances in New Port Stephen by TJ Alexander →
At this point we’ve reviewed so many Courtney Milan books on this site that the reviews are kind of a foregone conclusion – you know the book is going to get a good grade, the question is just – how good? My answer for The Marquis Who Mustn’t is: Very Good, especially if you are in the mood for pure heartwarming material. Evil is vanquished. Wrongs are righted. Apologies are made. And of course, love … Continue reading The Marquis Who Musn’t by Courtney Milan →
This month we have two Kickass Women: Annie Montague Alexander and her partner, Louise Kellogg. Annie was born in the Kingdom of Hawaii in 1867. Her grandparents were missionaries and her parents were wealthy colonizers.. She went to school in Hawaii, California, and Massachusetts before going to Paris to study painting. Annie fully intended to become a professional artist, but she found that painting for too long gave her horrible headaches. She subsequently had the … Continue reading Kickass Women in History: Annie Montague Alexander and Louise Kellogg →
Slotherhouse has no business being as fun as it is. I would never have dreamed that I’d so very much enjoy watching a puppet murder a bunch of people. With a ton of endearing characters played by actors who fully commit to seeming terrified by a stuffed animal, and a focus on sisterhood in all its possibilities and limitations as well as responsible animal ownership, the messages were heartwarming which, again, I did not expect, … Continue reading Movie Review: Slotherhouse →
My Goodness, what have I become? There was a time when I was positively oozing the milk of human kindness. I was so full of empathy that I couldn’t bear to read about a character losing so much as a drop of blood. And yet, somehow, I’ve turned into a person who reacts to a scene of a character’s face being scoured off by tentacles with teeth by chirping, “Oooh! Carnage!” If this is relatable … Continue reading The Dead Take the A Train by Cassandra Khaw and Richard Kadrey →
The Bookshop and the Barbarian is a sweet, funny fantasy/romance story. It’s advertised as “cozy” and it is. It’s pure comfort and whimsy with a happy ending for all. Even the villain has a cozy side. So, if you like cozy stories then curl yourself up with a cup of tea and enjoy. If not, feel free to take a drink every time I type the word “cozy.” Maribella Waters rides into the town of … Continue reading The Bookshop and the Barbarian by Morgan Stang →
Y’all, I am obsessed with this month’s Kickass Woman, Ynez Enriquetta Julietta Mexia. Born in Mexico, she didn’t become a botanist until she was in her fifties. She traveled all over the U.S., Mexico, and Latin America collecting specimens and discovering new plants and she usually traveled alone, wearing trousers and riding astride. And she did most of this in the 1920s and 1930s. A true badass. Ynez’s father was a Mexican diplomat to the … Continue reading Kickass Women in History: Ynez Enriquetta →
