I’ve read most of this series, and it’s among my favorite comfort reads. I’ve mentioned this before, but I started reading this series in Japan, when jet lag would gift me with a hard wake-up at 3am and I’d have no ability to get back to sleep. My memories of these characters are indelibly mixed with being wrapped in a duvet, hiding under the covers so the light from my e-reader wouldn’t wake everyone up. … Continue reading A Stroke of Malice by Anna Lee Huber →
Grumpy Jake by Melissa Blue is a delightful and tightly written novella (with a gorgeous cover!) about a kindergarten teacher developing a relationship with a student’s dad over a time period of about six months. There was actual guffawing coming from my direction and, granted I will acknowledge that I read it while drinking some spiked agua fresca which was more spike than agua fresca (my kingdom for a decent alcoholic agua de jamaica), I’m … Continue reading Grumpy Jake by Melissa Blue →
CW: Homophobia, racism, toxic family, disordered eating Big Girl Pill is the first book I’ve picked up in a long time where I didn’t bother to read the blurb before diving in. Even though the cover doesn’t do it for me, I wasn’t concerned because I’ve enjoyed KD Williamson’s other books (she’s most known for a series where she pairs up doctors and police officers, which is like catnip for many an f/f romance reader). … Continue reading Big Girl Pill by KD Williamson →
Whiteout by Adriana Anders is a romantic suspense novel with elements of survival and espionage. The tropes are 100% Elyse-bait and the author’s ability to sell me on two people falling in love during some really dire circumstances was impressive. Despite this book being the first full book in a series, readers may want to read the prequel novella in Turn the Tide to be fully introduced to the secondary characters. The book opens in … Continue reading Whiteout by Adriana Anders →
At one point in this book, the hero and heroine sip moonshine and slowly grind on the dance floor of a speakeasy, both of them dazed by the attraction that pings between them. The scene is languorous and sexy, and neatly epitomizes what I loved about White Whiskey Bargain. This is a book where heat builds slowly but intensely, featuring an emotionally mature couple who don’t let their fears keep them from exploring a romance. … Continue reading White Whiskey Bargain by Jodie Slaughter →
Daughter of the Sun is the second book in the Tales of Inthya series, but it stands alone, and does not overlap at all with The Queen of Ieflaria. It is a simple, sweet story about the power of kindness to inspire love and change. Orsina is a Paladin of the God Iolar, whose mission is to fight evil and in particular to banish Chaos Gods, who enthrall their worshippers and lead them into destructive … Continue reading Daughter of the Sun by Effie Calvin →
Where should I start with this movie, you guys? Should I start with the acting? The costuming? The structure? The subversion of romance? The female rage? Single moments of brilliance? The warmth and love and humor? The personal note that after I read Little Women as a child I called my own mom “Marmee” for a year which suggests that I am not an impartial viewer? This movie is remarkable. Little Women is the story … Continue reading Movie Review: Little Women (2019) →
I came close to crying more than once when reading A Delicate Deception. Sometimes I think of myself as a jaded reader; many books entertain me, but few impress me, and even fewer really move me. But then I read a book like this one and it turns me into a giant mush-ball and I think maybe my book-reading heart and brain are not so hardened as all that. A Delicate Deception is about Amelia … Continue reading A Delicate Deception by Cat Sebastian →
The Hallowed Ones by Laura Bickle is a YA horror novel set in the Amish community, and it’s one of the most genuinely frightening books I’ve read in a long time. It’s far more scary than some adult horror novels I’ve read, and it doesn’t rely on themes like sexual violence or violence against children to be frightening. It’s also incredibly well-executed and uses the choice of setting (a small Amish community) to amplify the … Continue reading The Hallowed Ones by Laura Bickle →
Susan “Sukey” Lazarus has been a favorite character of mine since I first met her as the sharp-eyed 12-year-old “medium” apprentice in An Unnatural Vice, the second book in the author’s Sins of the Cities series. Adult Susan, who is bisexual, reappeared nearly two decades later as the friend of one of the heroes in Any Old Diamonds, bent on revenge and just as perceptive. Susan was the engine of the riveting plot twist in … Continue reading Gilded Cage by K.J. Charles →
Ignore your first impressions of the cover — yes, I’m already frantically googling that dress for the inevitable closing date of my Gothic mansion, but the cover doesn’t exactly scream romance novel. Rest assured, The Widow of Rose House is 100% a historical romance, complete with charming sequel-bait family members, protagonists smelling like sandalwood (it’s the heroine this time!), sex scenes with protection (more of this in historicals, please), and a central love story that … Continue reading The Widow of Rose House by Diana Biller →
