Behooved is a charming fantasy romance that draws from Beauty and the Beast stories and shifter romances in a creative and sometimes very funny way. It also has a solid representation of life with a chronic illness. While this book wasn’t subtle about its messages, it was heartwarming, exciting, and sweet. Bianca (our narrator) is a princess whose parents teach her to honor duty above all else and to conceal any vulnerability at all cost, … Continue reading Behooved by M. Stevenson →
I absolutely devoured the first two books in this trilogy. I loved the highly original premise and found both stories beyond charming. The third is more of the same, but not quite to the same heights as the first two. I would recommend avoiding this review if you haven’t read the prior two in the trilogy because it’ll be filled with spoilers. For more about Emily Wilde’s Encyclopaedia of Faeries, you can read this guest … Continue reading Emily Wilde’s Compendium of Lost Tales by Heather Fawcett →
Swordheart was originally published in 2018. Luckily for me, Tor is republishing it with a gorgeous cover and pretty green edges, so I have an excuse to review it. I was charmed by the characters and the dialogue, but less so by the fact that the book Would. Not. End. for the longest time. The book opens with Halla, our heroine, a 36-year-old, slightly stout widow, being locked in a room by her relatives, who … Continue reading Swordheart by T. Kingfisher →
CW: Quoted verbatim from the book itself: “Sweet Obsession is an occasionally dark and very spicy book that contains parental abuse (historical, non-graphic), torture (briefly on page, not overly graphic), attempted spousal murder (historical, non-graphic), violence, murder, explicit sex, elements of dubious consent (because of captor/captive power dynamics), and panic attacks (on page, brief)” Truth be told, I am no longer reading this series for each book’s romantic plot. I am reading it to find … Continue reading Sweet Obsession by Katee Robert →
Well this was just delightful. Wooing the Witch Queen revolves around one of my least favorite tropes: The Big Misunderstanding. And yet, it is a delight from beginning to end, with a minimum amount of stupidity and wonderful characters. Here’s the publisher’s description of the plot: Queen Saskia is the wicked sorceress everyone fears. After successfully wrestling the throne from her evil uncle, she only wants one thing: to keep her people safe from the … Continue reading Wooing the Witch Queen by Stephanie Burgis →
First and of most importance: if you decide to read this book, please take the listed Content and Trigger Warnings seriously, because some were big unhappy surprises to me and to other readers. This book started out so strong and then collapsed at the end. After about 65%, I was rage reading. And I can’t discuss any of what went wrong for me without spoilers, so be ye warned – spoilers ahoy. The cover copy … Continue reading Bane Witch by Ava Morgyn →
This guest review comes from Lisa! A longtime romance aficionado and frequent commenter to SBTB, Lisa is a queer Latine critic with a sharp tongue and lots of opinions. She frequently reviews at All About Romance and Women Write About Comics, where she’s on staff, and you can catch her at @thatbouviergirl on Twitter. There, she shares good reviews, bracing industry opinions and thoughtful commentary when she’s not on her grind looking for the next … Continue reading Best Hex Ever by Nadia El-Fassi →
This guest review comes from Lisa! A longtime romance aficionado and frequent commenter to SBTB, Lisa is a queer Latine critic with a sharp tongue and lots of opinions. She frequently reviews at All About Romance and Women Write About Comics, where she’s on staff, and you can catch her at _@thatbouviergirl on Twitter. There, she shares good reviews, bracing industry opinions and thoughtful commentary when she’s not on her grind looking for the next … Continue reading The Nightmare Before Kissmas →
This guest review is from Crystal Anne! Crystal Anne with An E comes to us from a sunny clime, but prefers to remain a pale indoor cat. She enjoys reading, cross-stitching something nerdy, going to see live music, and playing video games. She works as an autism consultant by day, got a degree in information science for fun, and currently serves on her local library advisory board. … So… What a year this month has … Continue reading Heir by Sabaa Tahir →
Josephine recommended this during their interview for our end of year podcast episodes, and I immediately borrowed it, and I later mentioned it in my New York Times round up of 2024 holiday books. The cover copy gives an excellent summary, better than I could do: All Cora wants for Yule is a few more shells for her collection, a cozy book by the fire, and t̶o̶ b̶e̶ s̶p̶o̶i̶l̶e̶d̶ b̶y̶ a̶ m̶i̶n̶o̶t̶a̶u̶r̶ to avoid the … Continue reading A Minotaur Tale: In Prose, Being a Monster Romance for Yuletide →
This guest review is from Danielle Fritz. Danielle is a former librarian who has a special affection for children’s lit and books about the funeral industry. She first cut her criticism teeth as a fanfic writer. A resident of the upper midwest, she’s learned to love beer and tater tot casserole and tolerate long winters. Most nights will find her cuddled up with her pups and wearing out her wrists with yet another crochet project. … Continue reading Peaches and Honey: These Immortal Truths by R. Raeta →
