The Shadow in the Glass is marketed as a Gothic Cinderella story, which is totally my jam, but in reality what I got was a Faustian morality tale with some Cinderella themes. It was a depressing read overall and, this is a big spoiler but an important one: Even if I meant to read this as a Faustian morality tale, it still left some questions unanswered at the end of the novel, and not in … Continue reading The Shadow in the Glass by J.J.A. Harwood →
About a quarter of the way into When a Rogue Meets His Match, I realized the book was probably not going to be a particularly successful villain redemption or enemies-to-lovers romance. About three-quarters of the way in, I started to wonder what, exactly, the intended message of this book was, because it was verging in a startlingly uncomfortable way on emotional abuse apologia. Everything after that felt like too little, too late in terms of … Continue reading When a Rogue Meets his Match by Elizabeth Hoyt →
This is a painful, difficult review to write, as I have to face the uncomfortable truth that I was initially too focused on the book’s glittery bits (amplified by my own excitement around the history of the women’s suffrage movement) to question, deeply or fast enough, its many hurtful messages. A Rogue of One’s Own held my attention, and that is to say a lot these days. I was happy to return to the early … Continue reading A Rogue of One’s Own by Evie Dunmore →
Many of The Bitches were ardent fans of Miss Fisher’s Murder Mysteries, an Australian show which ran from 2012 – 2015. We loved it for the clothes, the characters, the clever writing, and the chemistry. Maya, Aarya, and I (CarrieS) waited for the movie Miss Fisher and the Crypt of Tears with great excitement, only to find that it was simply awful. The clothes, the characters, the chemistry, the humor – all vanished. Seldom has … Continue reading Movie Review: Miss Fisher and the Crypt of Tears →
Before you guys read this review I want to flag that the review includes discussion of: I honestly found this book very hard to read and hard to write about, especially with what’s in the news these days. I’m sorry if this is upsetting for you guys to read. I thought about not reviewing it but I think there is a worthwhile discussion to be had about what it means that a book like this … Continue reading War by Laura Thalassa →
The Shape of Night by Tess Gerritsen is a ridiculous book. I had hoped that it would transcend into glorious F+ territory, but sadly, despite all of its WTFery, it doesn’t. I also thought it might be romantic suspense, but it’s not. The Shape of Night is a thriller with erotic and paranormal elements (BDSM ghost sex, for real) but it fails to stick the landing on the thriller portion, it isn’t particularly erotic, and … Continue reading The Shape of Night by Tess Gerritsen →
Sorry friends, unfortunately this is not going to be the kind of F grade review where we all get to giggle over an especially prodigious number of tentacles or the shared discovery that shifter Rudolph’s nose is cold and wet in his human form, too. Bound in Flame by Katherine Kayne is grounded in imperialist tropes that are deeply distressing, especially because it is dressed up as a book written to celebrate Hawaii and its … Continue reading Bound in Flame by Katherine Kayne →
This review was very, very difficult for me to write. I’ve spent most of the past day wondering if I overreacted or was being too sensitive. Hours later, I’ve come to three conclusions: My feelings are 100% valid. The content is harmful enough that I feel obligated to rant and warn readers about it. One Wicked Winter Night contains racist drivel that should’ve never been cleared for publication. The premise is… you know what, the … Continue reading One Wicked Winter Night by Mary Jo Putney →
An Inconvenient Marriage by Susanna Malcolm is a Regency marriage of convenience novel, which is normally my jam. Unfortunately the hero spends so much time with his head up his own ass that I can only assume it would take a team of highly trained medical professionals to get it back out again (Paging Dr. Nips, Dr. Nips to Proctology….). Honora Botham is an heiress of no small fortune, which means she can marry pretty much … Continue reading An Inconvenient Match by Susanna Malcolm →
(TW/CW: dubious consent, statutory rape, coercion) Way back when, I started the Masters Unleashed series by Sparrow Beckett. The first book, Finding Master Right, got a B+ grade. I went on to read the next two books, which follow the initial hero’s two best friends. Each book was less enjoyable than the last. When I saw that the co-writing Beckett team would be returning to Masters Unleashed, I felt this was a great opportunity to … Continue reading Master in Shining Armor by Sparrow Beckett →
The Fire Within is a historical romance set in Pompeii right before the eruption of Mount Vesuvius. Now, I don’t typically gravitate toward historical romances, but the unconventional setting won me over. I’ll also add that I was reading this for a romance book club and I was determined to finally attend a meeting since my summer travel was over. Unfortunately, my reading experience can be boiled down to several frustrating, eye-rolling, Kindle-throwing moments while … Continue reading The Fire Within by Carmela Dolce →
