Lightning Reviews
Lightning Review

The Birds of California by Katie Cotugno

Birds of California

The Birds of California is a celebrity romance which is totally my jam, but there was a big problem with the book’s ending. Specifically we learn about a trauma the heroine has survived at the very end of the novel, which gave me as a reader no time to process that trauma (even if the heroine already had). There’s no way to review this without being spoilery, so I’ve put more specifics in the spoiler … Continue reading The Birds of California by Katie Cotugno

Lightning Review

Spear by Nicola Griffith

Spear

While I wouldn’t call Spear a romance novel specifically, it is an amazing, detailed historical novel that includes a f/f romance. This book retells the Percival legend from the King Arthur mythos as a feminist queer fantasy story set in sixth-century Britain with elements of Welsh mythology. Nicola Griffith is known for her meticulous research, as seen in her novel Hild as well as in this story. This research lends Spear a grounded feel that … Continue reading Spear by Nicola Griffith

Lightning Review

From Hollywood With Love by Scott Meslow

From Hollywood with Love

Fans of the romantic comedy genre will no doubt enjoy the nonfiction book, From Hollywood With Love: The Rise and Fall (And Rise Again) Of The Romantic Comedy. This book is a history of the “modern” rom-com in film starting with When Harry Met Sally (1989) and ending with To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before (2018). Along the way it discusses what a rom-com is and isn’t, why some work and some don’t, the … Continue reading From Hollywood With Love by Scott Meslow

Lightning Review

The Paris Apartment by Lucy Foley

The Paris Apartment

At the risk of sounding conceited, when you read as many thrillers as I do, at some point it becomes easy to predict the twist. It’s fairly uncommon for me to be completely surprised by the ending of a psychological thriller, but Lucy Foley does it every time. The Paris Apartment is no different. The Paris Apartment is told from multiple points of view, with the heroine being Jess, a barmaid from England. Jess is … Continue reading The Paris Apartment by Lucy Foley

Lightning Review

I Married My Best Friend to Shut My Parents Up by Kodama Naoko

I Married My Best Friend to Shut My Parents Up

Machi has been going along with what other people want for as long as she can remember, but she’s so sick of her parents nagging her to find a husband that she’s ready to marry someone they’d hate to spite them. She wasn’t expecting her best friend Hana to volunteer for the role though! Yep, we’re skipping the fake dating and going straight to marriage. That’s how we roll here.   I Married My Best … Continue reading I Married My Best Friend to Shut My Parents Up by Kodama Naoko

Lightning Review

The Kaiju Preservation Society by John Scalzi

The Kaiju Preservation Society

Oh wow, you guys, The Kaiju Preservation Society is an absolute blast – so much so that it provided me with oodles of entertainment and happiness on a recent drive with my husband, my mother, and 2 teens, the latter of which were crammed into the backseat of the car with me. Believe me when I say that there can be no higher tribute to this book than the fact that I did not murder … Continue reading The Kaiju Preservation Society by John Scalzi

Lightning Review

The Rake Gets Ravished by Sophie Jordan

The Rake Gets Ravished

I could practically hear Luisa’s song from Encanto (Surface Pressure) playing in my head as I read this book about an older sister who shoulders all of her family’s burdens. Mercy Kittinger raised her younger sister, Grace, after their mother’s death fifteen years ago. She’s managed the family farm, the household staff, and kept her family afloat even though that job was supposed to fall to her older brother, Bede. Bede is more interested in … Continue reading The Rake Gets Ravished by Sophie Jordan

Other Media Review

Movie Review: Book of Love

Unsuccessful English writer Henry’s novel sells to no one. But when his book is suddenly a surprise hit in Mexico, his publicist insists he travel there on a promotional tour. Upon arrival, a confused Henry discovers the reason behind his novel’s popularity – Mexican translator Maria has rewritten his dull book into a steamy erotic novel. As tempers flare between them, the sparks begin to fly. … I have a teensy crush on Sam Claflin … Continue reading Movie Review: Book of Love

Lightning Review

The Demon Equilibrium by Cathy Pegau

The Demon Equilibrium

Grace Carter is a magic “source.” Maggie Mulvaney is her “catalyst,” helping Grace harness the magic so that, together, they can take out demons. Maggie is also the love of Grace’s life and Grace has been searching for her for nine months after a forced separation. When Grace finds Maggie, Maggie doesn’t remember her or their life together in the demon-hunting Order of Saint Teresa, where they were the strongest duo the Order had seen … Continue reading The Demon Equilibrium by Cathy Pegau

Lightning Review

The Dating Dilemma by Mariah Ankenman

The Dating Dilemma

The Dating Dilemma is a fun, sexy contemporary romantic comedy about learning to ask for the things you need in life. Lexi is on a six month break from dating, because her boyfriends always take advantage of her giving personality. But when a hot fireman turns up to perform a safety inspection at the youth centre where she is the Assistant Director…well, even if one isn’t dating, one can enjoy looking. Dylan, the hot fireman … Continue reading The Dating Dilemma by Mariah Ankenman

Lightning Review

John Eyre by Mimi Matthews

John Eyre

Y’all know how much I love Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte, so it’s no surprise that when someone mentioned a gender-bent version I was intrigued. John Eyre doesn’t match up for me as a version of Jane Eyre, but it is an atmospheric, compelling Gothic – low on heat and character development, but with enough chills to be fun for a stormy winter’s night. John Eyre: A Tale of Darkness and Shadow tells the tale … Continue reading John Eyre by Mimi Matthews

↑ Back to Top