This book knocked me sideways with its charm, but nuts and bolts were falling apart for me from the second half. By the end I was infuriated with how some things were mishandled and other fucked up things were shoehorned in. A lot of what’s good about this book was really good, but the things that didn’t work for me downgraded my experience a lot. Matzah Ball Surprise is about Gaby and Levi who both … Continue reading Matzah Ball Surprise by Laura Brown →
If I Never Met You is a sweet, but very angsty, fake-relationship romance that is let down terribly by its advertising and blurb: If faking love is this easy… how do you know when it’s real? When her partner of over a decade suddenly ends things, Laurie is left reeling—not only because they work at the same law firm and she has to see him every day. Her once perfect life is in shambles and … Continue reading If I Never Met You by Mhairi McFarlane →
I used to write a column for The Bitches called ‘Real Life Romance.’ Due to time constraints, that column is on indefinite hold, but those who miss it may want to check out the historical love stories books by Gill Paul. World War I Love Stories: Real-Life Romances From the War that Shook the World is a documentation of history made personal, marred by an inexcusable lack of inclusion. The same series contains the books … Continue reading World War I Love Stories by Gill Paul →
This is a historical romance adventure with a mystery to solve and a touch of the paranormal, and while there are parts of the book that drove me scatty (more on that soon), I really did love the lead characters (In short, they’re ADORABLE!). Desmond Harrison, the son of a criminal banished to a penal colony, has ‘made good.’ The vicar in his Dorset village tutored him and introduced him to his mentor, Professor Gordon. … Continue reading Her Scandalous Pursuit by Candace Camp →
Romancelandia is awash in dukes behaving badly, and the hero in Never Kiss a Duke by Megan Frampton, Sebastian de Silva, was a wonderful departure from that trope. Sebastian handles conflict with maturity and faces adversity with a sense of positivity. It was such a relief to see a duke wearing his grownup breeches for once. Even with a hero I adored, the conflict fizzled at the end and I struggled with the heroine, affecting … Continue reading Never Kiss a Duke by Megan Frampton →
Do you like cruises and wish The Love Boat was queer? Do you want to read about two women who are very attracted to one another, but have to sneak around on a ship pretending that they’re strangers? Can you put up with some disrespectful representation of Caribbean countries in order to enjoy these things? I thought I could, but it turns out that I loved the idea of this book more than the actual … Continue reading Not Since You by Fiona Riley →
This intrepid comics correspondent has been trying to fill the void left by Midnight Secretary (which I read thanks to this very site!) for lo these many years. I am sorry to report that Bride of the Water God does not fill that void. How hard is it to find a romance comic with beautiful art, a winning heroine, both humor and high-stakes over-the-top soap-style drama, and a surly supernatural hero with a heart of … Continue reading Bride of the Water God by Mi-Kyung Yun →
I adore Christmas, which might seem odd considering my family doesn’t celebrate the holiday. I have no connection to the religious aspect, but the reason I love Christmas so much is because I felt isolated and miserable when I first moved to the United States as a child. Seattle seemed gloomy, dark, and wet compared to Singapore, and I hated everything about the city. Until December, when the city suddenly transformed into a magical place … Continue reading A Snowy Little Christmas by Fern Michaels, Tara Sheets, and Kate Clayborn →
The Infinite Noise is a YA love story and also a superhero origin story. It’s also a story in which nothing much happens. If you like m/m romance with angsty teens, this is fine, but because of the superpower angle I expected more plot and none is forthcoming. The entire book reads like a very slow prequel that never pays off. Caleb and Adam are both sixteen. Caleb wears sports gear/Adam wears Emo shirts/Caleb plays football/Adam’s … Continue reading The Infinite Noise by Lauren Shippen →
I am not in the mood for Christmas yet. Generally speaking, I’m not in the mood for Christmas on December 23rd even, but mid-fall is WAY too early. That said, my brain has been pretty tired lately and some Regency novellas sounded like the perfect way to unwind without investing in a full length novel. Since How the Duke Stole Christmas includes novellas by some of my favorite authors, I was willing to set aside … Continue reading How the Dukes Stole Christmas by Tessa Dare, Sarah MacLean, Sophie Jordan and Joanna Shupe →
A Treason of Thorns has beautiful writing and an excitingly original concept. Sadly, the quality of the pace and the characters doesn’t match the quality of the concept, and the book raises questions that are not fully answered. This has a romance in it, although it’s more of a fantasy that includes a romance than a romance novel, per se. The dominant relationship is not that between people but rather that between a person and a … Continue reading A Treason of Thorns by Laura E. Weymouth →
