The Change is a flawed novel, but by golly it sure cheered me up at times. This book is about three women in their late forties who develop magical powers and use them to avenge murdered young women. I’m forty-nine-and-a-half and my only perimenopausal superpower so far is the ability to give progressively less of a shit, and this book fit right in with my current mood. Unfortunately, the book was somewhat superficial and problematic … Continue reading The Change by Kirsten Miller →
The Spare Man is most frequently described as The Thin Man in space, and the cover copy does a better job of summarizing than I could: Tesla Crane, a brilliant inventor and an heiress, is on her honeymoon on an interplanetary space liner, cruising between the Moon and Mars. She’s traveling incognito and is reveling in her anonymity. Then someone is murdered and the festering chowderheads who run security have the audacity to arrest her … Continue reading The Spare Man by Mary Robinette Kowal →
This guest review is from Aidee. Aidee recently graduated from law school, where romance novels provided a much needed break from reading court opinions. She started reading romance in high school, but isn’t quite sure which was her first romance read—Jean M. Auel, Fern Michaels, or something that she has completely forgotten by now. She loves reading, writing, chocolate, tea, and listening to music, although not necessarily in that order. The books she keeps thinking … Continue reading Guest Review: Ruby Fever by Ilona Andrews →
Crystal Anne With An E comes to us from a sunny clime, though she is an indoor cat that prefers to remain pale. She is an autism consultant by day, and recently completed a degree in information science, mostly because she could and it was fun. She likes to read (obviously), watch TV while cross-stitching something geeky, play video games, beg her plants not to die in the hell heat of summer, and walk while … Continue reading Guest Review: The Princess and the Scoundrel by Beth Revis →
CW: Death/Murder, Bugs, a scene where a character is deadnamed The minute I saw this cover (we featured it on Cover Awe!) and heard the series name was Midsolar Murders, I was sold. Honestly, I didn’t need to know anything else. In the most succinct genre description, it’s a sci-fi cozy murder mystery. While that definition holds true, it’s also a chaotic blend of world-building, an inventive cast of aliens, and serendipity. For as long … Continue reading Station Eternity by Mur Lafferty →
I’d never heard of a space opera before. Having just read my first, I’m not sure that I’m qualified to define it, but I can tell you that I absolutely love it! This is 429 pages of reading joy. That this is book one in a series fills me with delight – so many happy reading hours ahead! As I see it, a space opera seems to be part romance, part space adventure. Let’s dive … Continue reading Only Bad Options by Jennifer Estep →
How to Date a Superhero (And Not Die Trying) is a surprisingly intense book about a young woman’s efforts not only to survive dating a superhero, but also her efforts to overcome the trauma that she experienced as collateral damage in a fight between a different superhero and a supervillain. Even though the story revolves around Astrid’s love for her superhero boyfriend, Max, it’s not a romance so much as it’s an exploration of trauma, … Continue reading How to Date a Superhero (And Not Die Trying) by Cristina Fernandez →
This is a book about loneliness, about living a life when constantly dealing with death, and about being seen and heard and understood. If you like grumpy, taciturn characters with squishy, gooey insides, characters who struggle to become who they are or be recognized for who they are, and, above all, you like a major epistolary element to your stories (I have raised all my hands to that list) you will really like this. Hart … Continue reading The Undertaking of Hart and Mercy by Megan Bannen →
This book is a magical heist set in DC in the 20s. For those folks who just headed over to find a copy, I hope you like it! For those who need a bit more detail: I started this book on a chaotic morning when there was a lot of noise in my house and a lot of barking because of the noise, and despite all that, I could not put it down. Each chapter … Continue reading The Monsters We Defy by Leslye Penelope →
Oh my gosh, this was such a tender m/m fantasy romance, steeped in narratives about healing, acceptance, and love. It’s also a mystery about a series of bloody, brutal killings (including, I regret to inform you, the death of a horse). And it’s a political thriller. There’s a lot happening here and fortunately the novel takes its time with all the pieces although it doesn’t quite stick the landing. While the book involves a lot … Continue reading A Strange and Stubborn Endurance by Foz Meadows →
This review is from Marion, who is a college student, a very amateur short story writer, and a proud nerd, who got into romances and found SBTB over COVID. … I’m a bit of a map geek, and picked up The Cartographers expecting a decent thriller plot with a little information about old maps woven in. It turned out rather differently than I’d expected, but I was happy about that. The plot setup: Nell Young … Continue reading The Cartographers by Peng Shepherd →
