Someone Perfect is a slow burn, slowly paced romance that offers a highly emotional secondary conflict. Aside from the plethora of secondary characters who I couldn’t always keep track of, I really enjoyed this book, but you definitely need to be in the mood for a romance that takes time to build. Justin Wiley assumed the role of Earl of Brandon six years ago. In that time his stepsister, Maria, has been living at one … Continue reading Someone Perfect by Mary Balogh →
Nnedi Okorafor is here and she is not here to play. Remote Control is the African futurist story of Sankofa, a young girl in Ghana in the near future who wanders from town to town in search of a lost treasure from the skies, accompanied by a fox and a cat. People call her the Adopted Daughter of Death for her ability to cause the death of anyone in her vicinity through seemingly supernatural powers. … Continue reading Remote Control by Nnedi Okorafor →
TW: child abuse and abandonment, rape (off page), manipulation, bloody violence, the death of a horse (off-page) All of you readers who love feminist, progressive takes on fairy tales will love Little Thieves, a very loose retelling of “The Goose Girl,” a fairy tale made famous by Brothers Grimm. “The Goose Girl ” is one of the more macabre of the Grimm tales, which is saying a lot. In this version,the story of a maid … Continue reading Little Thieves by Margaret Owen →
When I read A Spindle Splintered, I had completely forgotten what it was about. I tore through the whole novella in one night and was blown away. And while I know you’re here to hear all about it, this is one of those few times when I want you to trust me and read this book without knowing anything else because that was a big part of the magic for me. In case I’ve persuaded … Continue reading A Spindle Splintered by Alix E. Harrow →
Feral Creatures is the sequel to one of my favorite books, Hollow Kingdom. I liked Feral Creatures a great deal, but it very much has the feel of a middle book in a series (which it is) given that it relies too much on Hollow Kingdom to work as a stand alone and it has a cliffhanger ending. As a stand alone, it probably is good but not life-changing, but as part of a series … Continue reading Feral Creatures by Kira Jane Buxton →
When I saw that one of my favourite comfort-read authors was writing a story that featured rival pastry chefs baking a royal wedding cake while also being judges on a show that is essentially the Great British Bake Off… well, you guys know me by now. Suffice it to say, Lucy Parker could probably hear my squeeing from across the Tasman Sea (look, it’s not that far from Melbourne to New Zealand, and I am … Continue reading Battle Royal by Lucy Parker →
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 →
TL;DR: if you like science fiction, comforting tales about comfort and care, and stories that are the literary version of warm late afternoon sunshine slanted through leafy branches on a day with perfect temperatures when all the biting insects are on vacation, you’ll like this. Sibling Dex has chosen a new path in life, and with the support of their community (literal support – the community builds Dex build a trailer and provides everything needed) … Continue reading A Psalm for the Wild Built by Becky Chambers →
The Devil and the Heiress by Harper St. George is a tropey historical romance with light conflict. Readers looking for a lot of angst probably won’t enjoy this one, while readers looking for a romance with a lot of action and minimal conflict will be fine. It worked totally for me, but lately I’ve needed less darkness and fewer obstacles for the main characters to overcome in my reading. American heiress Violet Crenshaw is in … Continue reading The Devil and the Heiress by Harper St. George →
I don’t know if you’ve noticed but… *looks both ways* I don’t usually review m/f romances. And that’s because I don’t usually read them either! I made an exception for Hang the Moon because I loved Brendon when I met him in Written in the Stars. Boy howdy, am I glad I did, because this book is ADORABLE. Annie is lonely in Philadelphia, so she leaps at a promotion that will take her to London. … Continue reading Hang the Moon by Alexandria Bellefleur →
The Professor Next Door is the third book in Jackie Lau’s Cider Bar Sisters series, and it stands alone, though it’s a bit more fun if you have already met Nicole’s friends. Like all the other stories in this series, it will make you want to go to Toronto and eat your entire body weight in desserts. Seriously, the food porn in these books is next level. Jackie Lau appears to subscribe to the idea … Continue reading The Professor Next Door by Jackie Lau →
