Caution warnings: Misgendering; references to forced sex work; threats of violence, acid attacks, and torture. The Rat-Catcher’s Daughter is a prequel to KJ Charles’ historical romance Any Old Diamonds. The focus is not on the Lilywhite Boys themselves, although they are an integral part of the story, but on their fence Stan and the music hall performer he admires, Miss Christiana. Their relationship is very sweet, and a stark contrast to the horrible things that … Continue reading The Rat-Catcher’s Daughter by KJ Charles →
All Out: The No-Longer-Secret Stories of Queer Teens throughout the Ages is a fun YA fictional anthology. I enjoyed the variety of the stories and the variety of representation, although I was sorry to see no bisexual representation (if I missed it, let me know!). Multiple ethnic, racial, and cultural backgrounds are represented and there are a couple of asexual stories in addition to the LGBT stories, which I was thrilled about since asexual relationships … Continue reading All Out edited by Saundra Mitchell →
I came close to crying more than once when reading A Delicate Deception. Sometimes I think of myself as a jaded reader; many books entertain me, but few impress me, and even fewer really move me. But then I read a book like this one and it turns me into a giant mush-ball and I think maybe my book-reading heart and brain are not so hardened as all that. A Delicate Deception is about Amelia … Continue reading A Delicate Deception by Cat Sebastian →
Do you like cruises and wish The Love Boat was queer? Do you want to read about two women who are very attracted to one another, but have to sneak around on a ship pretending that they’re strangers? Can you put up with some disrespectful representation of Caribbean countries in order to enjoy these things? I thought I could, but it turns out that I loved the idea of this book more than the actual … Continue reading Not Since You by Fiona Riley →
When I’m having the kind of week where everything sucks and the world is a trash fire, I gravitate towards super fluffy, angst-free romances. Last year, I discovered one of my favourites, Marriage of Unconvenience by Chelsea M. Cameron. I was thoroughly charmed by the friends-to-lovers, marriage-of-convenience situation and smiled my way through it. So, when I heard she had another friends-to-lovers book coming out with a marriage element, I did a little happy dance. … Continue reading Didn’t Stay in Vegas by Chelsea M. Cameron →
I mentioned in my review of Edge of Glory that I love sports romances, despite having zero interest in any sport in real life. Even so, I was a little skeptical when I saw that Rachel Spangler’s latest takes place in the world of curling because, well, it’s curling… (Yes, I know, I’m a bad Canadian. Please don’t take my citizenship away.) I was pleasantly surprised by Fire & Ice, though, and I’m glad I … Continue reading Fire & Ice by Rachel Spangler →
I am a simple human. I like robots. I like tea. I like reading about people falling in love, especially if they’re gay. So when I heard there was an f/f romance about a robot that runs a tea shop, I one-clicked so hard Jeff Bezos got a bruise. The Cybernetic Tea Shop is a novella set in future-ish Seattle. The year is never specified, but it’s mentioned that AI was invented 300 years ago, … Continue reading The Cybernetic Tea Shop by Meredith Katz →
Well this was just…neat! Bloodlust and Bonnets is a graphic novel in which a bloodthirsty Regency ingenue named Lucy teams up with Byron the poet and Sham, a vampire hunter, to fight vampires. The fact that Byron never seems to understand what’s going on, Sham is always lost, and Lucy would actually like to BE a vampire confuses the matter immensely, leading to hijinks and an amazing amount of red ink. At the start of … Continue reading Bloodlust and Bonnets by Emily McGovern →
This YA graphic novel is very sweet and perfect for fall. I’m not sure that much about it will stay with me, but it was a good use of a leisurely autumn lunch break. Mooncakes tells the story of Nova, a teen witch, and her childhood friend Tam, a werewolf, who is back in town after a several-year absence. Tam is trying to defeat a local demon who has possessed a horse (unlike most of … Continue reading Mooncakes by Suzanne Walker and Wendy Xu →
Caution warnings: In MJ James’ debut Out of the Ashes, Alex Porter loses everything when the bookshop that he rebelled against his wealthy family to build goes up in flames. His overbearing mother insists that a fire marshall be called for, so Matt Fields has to drop everything and devote himself to the case, and Alex. I wanted to like Out of the Ashes. Queer mysteries are my wheelhouse, and I’m always looking for new … Continue reading Out of the Ashes by MJ James →
Silver in the Wood by Emily Tesh is a gorgeous novella that feels somewhere between fairy tale and myth, only it’s the kind of myth that is probably true. One comes away from reading it with the feeling that yes, this is what happens in the woods, and also feeling both eager and afraid to go for a walk in the woods and perhaps lose oneself there. It’s very hard to say much about the … Continue reading Silver in the Wood by Emily Tesh →
