CW/TW: self-harm, discussion of previous suicide attempt by a side character After 11 years of college, Grace Porter finally has her PhD in astronomy. Grace is the very best of the best, so every door should be open to her. Grace drowns her sorrows in way too much alcohol during a post-graduation trip to Las Vegas. When she wakes up alone, Grace finds a wedding ring on her finger, a photo of herself with a … Continue reading Honey Girl by Morgan Rogers
CW/TW: brief discussions of unidentified eating disorders and depression I cannot emphasize enough how hungry this book will make you. Accidentally Engaged might be my top pick for “don’t read while hungry.” Between our heroine Reena’s bread baking (there’s rye, there’s challah, there’s an ongoing battle with a sourdough starter) and her Indian and East African cooking, I was craving a feast pretty much the whole time I was reading this book. Reena is a … Continue reading Accidentally Engaged by Farah Heron
TW: child abuse, drug abuse, addiction and recovery Fans of Jane Austen’s novel Pride and Prejudice might recall meeting Anne de Bourgh for a hot minute and also hearing her referred to incessantly by her domineering mother, Lady Catherine. The Heiress tells Anne’s story from her point of view, beginning in early childhood and extending through the entirety of her life. This book was not what I expected, but I loved it once I adjusted … Continue reading The Heiress by Molly Greeley
TW/CW for the book and this review: discussions of infertility, death in childbirth. Have you ever thought to yourself, “I wish I could read a Western that has a queer girl gang”? Well, guess what? I have great news. While I don’t typically read Westerns, I was drawn in by the blurb for Outlawed: The day of her wedding, 17 year old Ada’s life looks good; she loves her husband, and she loves working as … Continue reading Outlawed by Anna North
When I was seven or eight years old, one of the highlights of my week was laying on the floor in my living room and watching Dolly Parton’s variety show, Dolly. I was absolutely rapt and thought she was the most beautiful woman in the world, with the very best, biggest hair ever. So you can understand why the hair was such a big deal to me, here’s a promo shot of Dolly from the … Continue reading Songteller: My Life in Lyrics by Dolly Parton
CW: transphobia experienced by a character I recently got a Nintendo Switch Lite and my husband started sliding me links for games he thought I might like. One was for a dating sim with elderly people called Later Daters. I thought it sounded cute, bought it, and promptly forgot all about it for a month because I was addicted to Hades at the time. Holy smacks, was I ever right about it being cute, and … Continue reading Game Review: Later Daters
I was initially skeptical of the newest installment in Rai’s Modern Love series. The main character, Jia, is a social media influencer who creates videos about make-up. I tend to avoid novels about models, and wasn’t sure that I was millennial enough to appreciate this romance. But First Comes Like might be my perfect pandemic read. It has a more lighthearted, fluffier tone than Girl Gone Viral, with a heroine whose thirstiness made me smile, … Continue reading First Comes Like by Alisha Rai
Bitchery, I feel personally attacked by how good Winter’s Orbit was. I feel that this book could only be the result of someone, somewhere, telepathically spying on me and then tailoring a book directly to my personal interests. I mean, this is a bona fide queer science fiction slow-burn romance with an arranged political marriage, interplanetary political intrigues, a murder mystery, and a creepy and mystical intergalactic bureaucracy that must be placated. This book manages … Continue reading Winters Orbit by Everina Maxwell
When I first told Sarah I wanted to review The Heiress Gets a Duke, her response was, “But that’s a historical romance.” Yes, correct. Spot on. And, having worked with her for nearly a decade now (whoa!) it’s a fair point. I’ve been open about my aversion to historical romances. It’s not for any personal reasons, but often the tone isn’t for me and I overindulged when I first started in the genre. It’s rare … Continue reading The Heiress Gets a Duke by Harper St. George
This seems to be the year of great romances between fabulous fat women and Hollywood heartthrobs. If The Boot Fits continued the party Olivia Dade’s Spoiler Alert started for me. This second book in Weatherspoon’s Cowboys of California series returns to a luxury SoCal ranch setting, with two characters who are stuck in their Hollywood careers. Sam Pleasant is a movie star who just won an Oscar for a film he’s ambivalent about, and is … Continue reading If the Boot Fits by Rebekah Weatherspoon
Our Tarot: A Guidebook and Deck Featuring Notable Women in History is a gorgeous tarot deck accompanied by a thorough book. My first impression was that this deck is pretty but maybe not very user-friendly. However, the more I use it, the more I realize how well it is organized, how well the book complements the cards and makes readings easier, and how beautifully each card is constructed. As a bonus, the book contains full-page … Continue reading Our Tarot by Sarah Shipman
