Her Magical Pet is a collection of SFF short stories featuring women in love and their magical pets. It was put together as a fundraiser for OutRight Action International, an organisation that fights for the rights of LGBTIQA people worldwide. It is a collection of gentle, low-tension stories about women in love with women, or women falling in love with women, featuring cute magical pets and happy ever afters. About half the stories are traditional … Continue reading Her Magical Pet, edited by Rachel Manija Brown →
CW/TW: abortion consideration, biphobia from parent Finn is out of prison, building a new life for herself far away in Austin. When she visits a low-income clinic to get a prescription for migraine meds, Finn runs into the one person she least expects to see: Vivi, the nurse Finn worked alongside for two years at the prison’s pharmacy. Finn was devastated eight months ago when Vivi stopped showing up for work one day with no … Continue reading Get It Right by Skye Kilaen →
CW: gruesome violence, discussion of rape and slavery I DEVOURED The Blacksmith Queen, the first book in this series. I’ve read it and reread it and will probably read it again. So it was with VERY grabby hands that I reached for this sequel. I present for your edification and delight (hopefully!) 5 Steps to Loving The Princess Knight. Step 1: Get Ready for Some Violence This book is brutal in its portrayal of violence. … Continue reading The Princess Knight by G. A. Aiken →
I struggled with how to grade Song of Blood and Stone. I feel like the book did a few things unusually and phenomenally well, and I definitely enjoyed it (especially the latter half when the plot really picks up). However, I was left unsatisfied by some of the relationships and characters. While Song of Blood and Stone is not explicitly a fantasy romance, the romance element is such a major part of the plot that … Continue reading Song of Blood and Stone by L. Penelope →
The Secret Ingredient’s premise appealed to me because it has two chefs falling in love in a small town. I expected a fun comfort read and was pleasantly surprised when it delivered more than that, especially through one of the leads, Adah. Adah Campbell’s excited for a fresh start with her son, Pete, in South Bay, Maine. After working her way up from greasy spoons to fine dining restaurants in Chicago over the last decade, … Continue reading The Secret Ingredient by KD Fisher →
With its brooding hero, numerous ghosts, a charming-yet-haunted old house, multiple historical murder mysteries, and the beautiful but dangerous moors of England, A Stitch in Time was a fun and engaging book to start out my spooky season reading. Was it somewhat derivative and convoluted? Yes. But it was also delightfully atmospheric and endearingly quirky in its delivery of a number of gothic and paranormal romance tropes. It sort of reminded me of Crimson Peak … Continue reading A Stitch In Time by Kelley Armstrong →
I reviewed the first book in this series, Poppy Redfern and the Midnight Murders, and when I received an email from the book’s publicist that book two was available, I leaped on it. While there were some elements about the first book that were present in the sequel and just as annoying as they were the first time, I really enjoyed visiting Poppy again. Tagging along as she and her merry band of mammals (her dog, Bess), … Continue reading Poppy Redfern and the Fatal Flyers by Tessa Arlen →
Eventide is an atmospheric story with an unusual setting and plot complications that I did not see coming. This book is simply but descriptively written and the hinted supernatural element is suitably creepy, but the plot doesn’t quite hang together and some threads are resolved too easily. I’m getting cranky about books that promise me a haunt and end up pulling a Scooby Doo instead, so here’s a quick spoiler as to whether the book … Continue reading Eventide by Sarah Goodman →
Vera “Nick” Nicholson is an underpaid and overworked lawyer. After nearly seven years, she’s still at the bottom of the ladder at Turner, Witherspoon, Anders, and Tyler, PA. (*slow clap* for the initialism of her employer’s name, which is the first sign that this romcom often has its tongue planted firmly in its cheek.) One day, Nick is given a weird job: tracking down a missing Mercedes-Maybach S560 belonging to one of the firm’s top … Continue reading The Big Tow by Ann McMan →
A Princess for Christmas is the literary equivalent of a cozy sweater, a warm hug, and a rich cup of cocoa. It is funny, sweet, and comforting without being overly cutesy. I was almost ridiculously charmed by this book which brought me so much joy in mid-pandemic meltdown. It’s December in New York City, where Leo Ricci is the superintendent of the apartment building where he lives with his eleven-year-old sister, Gabby. He’s been taking … Continue reading A Princess For Christmas by Jenny Holiday →
With thanks to Tara. The Love Study is a romance between Declan, who swore off romance after leaving his boyfriend at the altar six years ago, and Sidney, who has no interest in dating, but who does have a YouTube channel called ‘Your Spinster Uncle’ where they provide relationship advice. (Sidney is gender nonconforming and prefers they/them pronouns). Declan might be commitment-phobic, but he is also 29 and beginning to wonder if he would, in … Continue reading The Love Study by Kris Ripper →
