What a silly premise. A silly-goose premise, if you will. But what a delightful book. I was sceptical when I picked this one up. Really? A stuffed goose is a huge deal?! But I had enjoyed both of the author’s previous books that I’d picked up so I felt compelled to give this one a go too. And I am so glad I did. First – and this is included in the book, but you … Continue reading Wild Goose Chase by Sarah Adler
This is not a happy book. The cover looks kind of whimsical and the title suggests a fun flirtation. You’d be wrong on both counts. This book is somber. But please, do not let that put you off. It is beautiful as well, in an aching kind of way. Neelu works on a reality TV dating series that’s set in tropical locations. She’s been based in LA since she and her mom moved there when … Continue reading Just a Highland Fling by Naina Kumar
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 Bonnet Brigade by Christy Matheson
Oh man, I had a GREAT time with Fossil Feud! Rich in detail, drenched in chemistry and wonderfully, bitingly smart. Ripley is a private paleontologist. She dropped out of her PhD programme after some seriously nefarious shit by her then-boyfriend, Will, and moved from academia into the private sector. At the start of the story, she’s working on an Indigenous-owned ranch in Montana excavating fossils in a partnership with Cara, the ranch owner’s granddaughter. There … Continue reading Fossil Feud by Maggie North
For the duration of my time with The Cloak and Dagger Club, there was one question which I kept asking myself: Why am I still reading this book? It was the same reason I finish every murder-mystery novel I pick up: I need to know who the killer is. Often this is to my detriment. I have dragged my suffering self through many a terrible novel just to know who killed the victim. It’s okay, … Continue reading The Cloak and Dagger Club by Jackie McMahon
The blurb promised me a Regency Bachelorette (like the TV show). What I found was a bit different, but nonetheless a great time. It has been decreed by the powers that be (yes, I’m being vague on purpose) that Charlotte should marry by the end of the summer. She has her own reasons for marrying and can’t see her way out of this ‘decree’ anyway, so her gran invites a series of eligible suitors to … Continue reading Just for the Season by Rachel Griffiths
When I read the following scene near the start of Big Stick Energy, I knew I was going to have a good time with this hockey romance. The captain, Eric (our hero) describes his teammates getting off the bus by saying “I watch as they file toward the front, a procession of exhausted millionaires griping like toddlers before nap time.” It made me hoot with laughter. I thought, here was a sports romance that a … Continue reading Big Stick Energy by Sarina Bowen
We are here, the end of the series. It’s been a fun time. But did the final climax (i.e. this book) live up to the promised drama suggested in the preceding books? I made a critical error with this installment. I’ve been more active on social media lately and I let myself get swept up by the hype around Shattered Gods so my hopes were impossibly high. It is a very rare story that can … Continue reading Shattered Gods by Katee Robert
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 Bridgerton: Happily Ever After by Julia Quinn
I persisted through this book for one reason: I NEEDED to know who the killer was. That’s it. That’s the only reason. As a mystery, it is compelling, twisty and enjoyable. As a romance, it made me want to throw my e-reader against a wall. So many of the secondary characters are total assholes. Truly. Even our heroine is a selfish dickwad. Across the characters, sometimes that asshole-ness is because they’re just assholes. For example, … Continue reading It Happened One Murder by Liz Lawson
It is no secret. I love. This. Series. With each book that is released, I wonder, can this one reach the same heights as the preceding ones? Each time, I am shown in no uncertain terms that it absolutely can. Gabriel runs a gambling establishment in London. Ginny’s brother loses his entire, newly inherited fortune while gambling at that establishment. As the older sister who stepped into the breach when her parents died, Ginny travels … Continue reading Game of Rogues by Julie Anne Long
