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 →
I have been talking about wanting to read D’Vaughn and Kris Plan a Wedding for ages! Tara has been very patient with my desperation to read this book. A lesbian rom com about a wedding reality show? Girl, sign me up! Anticipating a book for years usually leads to crushing disappointment, but this book lived up to the hype for me. It’s so good, y’all! Tara, what did you think? Tara: Patient, *snort*. Shana, you … Continue reading D’Vaughn and Kris Plan a Wedding by Chencia C. Higgins →
Brooke Carston is a country-pop star who’s heading home for the holidays for her first extended visit in almost a decade. Brooke wants to reconnect with her family and spend some time recharging, so romance is the last thing on her mind. And yet, when Brooke sees her childhood best friend, Nicole Livingston, it’s like no time has passed. Nicole also left Mountain Crossing after high school, but she came back after a couple of … Continue reading Silent Night by Lily Seabrooke →
CW: torture Holly’s first 30ish years as a vampire were pretty great, roaming around America with her maker/dreamy boyfriend, Elton. Then it all turned to shit when he got bored and abandoned her at a truck stop. Now, Holly’s alone, compelled to follow Elton from town to town (one of the vampire rules specific to this story), so she’s currently back in her hometown for the first time since 1987. Holly isn’t the only girl … Continue reading The Lost Girls by Sonia Hartl →
Payback’s a Witch was a fun, spooky, sexy way to kick off my autumnal reading. With enjoyable characters with clear development, a sultry queer romance, a delightfully magical setting, and beautiful prose, there’s lots and lots to like here. At the outset of the story, Emmy Harlow is returning to her magical hometown of Thistle Grove after a whopping nine-year absence, during which time she has not seen any of her family or childhood friends … Continue reading Payback’s a Witch by Lana Harper →
After the Dragons is a subtle, tender love story set in a near-future Beijing in which dragons are as real as the climate change which has brought drought to the city. Eli, the biracial son of two professors, has come to Beijing as an exchange student, wanting to learn more about the city that his grandmother loved too much to leave, even when faced with a terminal diagnosis. Kai has received the same diagnosis as … Continue reading After the Dragons by Cynthia Zhang →
Best friends since childhood, Regan and Kylie are inseparable. They work at the same school (Ky in the lunchroom, Regan as a chemistry teacher), meet up weekly for a Netflix night, and have their own adorkable, two-person book club. Everyone who meets them is shocked they’re not in a romantic relationship and all of their friends and family think they should be together. Ky and Regan know the truth: there’s zero chemistry between them. Regan, … Continue reading Chemistry Lessons by Jae →
Any Way the Wind Blows is the conclusion of Rainbow Rowell’s amazing Simon Snow Trilogy. The story began as part of another book, Fangirl. Fangirl was a contemporary novel in which the main character wrote fan fiction about a franchise similar to the Harry Potter franchise, with courageous students at a magical school. Carry On gave us a different version of this same fanfic that stood on its own as a lovely and moving deconstruction … Continue reading Any Way the Wind Blows by Rainbow Rowell →
CW/TW: reference to a historical hate crime against LGBTQ people One Last Stop is the tale of August, a young woman who has recently moved to New York City, and Jane, the mysterious woman that August meets on the subway. When August moves to New York, she intends to do what she’s done her whole life, namely, keep to herself. However, her apartment roommates and neighbors are clearly not going to stand for that. Meanwhile, … Continue reading One Last Stop by Casey McQuiston →
Summer in the City of Roses by Michelle Ruiz Keil is an engaging YA fantasy romance that, while it lovingly flirts with fairy tales and myths, unfortunately gets bogged down in an uneven engagement with magical realism. That situation isn’t helped by the inclusion of a parental figure whose selfish decision making supersedes just about any wicked stepmother out there, and an unfortunate ending that manages to perpetuate harmful tropes that are the opposite of … Continue reading Summer in the City of Roses by Michelle Ruiz Keil →
The Companion came out in April, but I only got around to it now. It’s the best queer historical romance I’ve read in ages. Do not sleep on this erotic love story between three beautiful and wounded people, a trans man, and two trans women. This is a gorgeous little book about finding a soft place to land. It has serious #cottagecore vibes and would be a perfect comfort read for when you want to … Continue reading The Companion by E.E. Ottoman →
