Dear Bitches: It is my sad duty to inform you that I cannot review Alexandra Petri’s US History: Important American Documents (I Made Up), a collection of humorous pieces that make brutal and glorious fun of all the stuff that we learned in high school. I want to review it, but I can’t. I can’t because I can’t breathe, and I can’t breathe because the chapter “How to Pose For Your Civil War Photograph” has … Continue reading Alexandra Petri’s US History by Alexandra Petri →
I started this book expecting the usual historical mystery fare just with older leads (42!), but no. From the start, it was clear that this novel was something different entirely. I’m going to try to keep my superlatives under control, but just know that I made Good Book Noise from page 1! This novel is divided into three parts, and each part focuses on a different adventurous rescue mission. One overarching plot ties the three … Continue reading The Benevolent Society of Ill-Mannered Ladies by Alison Goodman →
Dear readers, I would be remiss if I did not point out that Cassandra Khaw’s book The Salt Grows Heavy is about what happens when a horror story version of a mermaid teams up with a version of Frankenstein’s monster to burn it all down. It is, in its own blood-soaked, rage-fuelled way, a romance. There may not be many of us for whom this is our jam, but if it IS your jam, buckle … Continue reading The Salt Grows Heavy by Cassandra Khaw →
This Guest Review is from Brigid F. Brigid is a Queer fantasy and romance reader who believes fantasy and romance make the perfect book cocktail. She reviews at Grimdark Magazine and loves writing fantasy and romance recs for blogs and media sites. They love curses, faeries, cozy witches, and wicked characters. … Here’s the thing. I will read anything with faeries in it. I will take sexy Dungeons & Dragons style fae, but deep down, … Continue reading Emily Wilde’s Encyclopaedia of Faeries by Heather Fawcett →
Tara: A few weeks ago, Sarah slacked me with the following: Tara Season of Love is so good It’s so freaking good. So, I did what any other smart person would do and started reading it. And guess what? She was completely and totally right. Sarah: I do like it when I’m right. Tara: Miriam Blum lives in Charleston with her fiancee, who she loves but is not in love with, and she’s weeks away … Continue reading Season of Love by Helena Greer →
Friends, I have to tell you that Legends and Lattes is absolutely, utterly delightful. It was as comforting as the coffeehouse setting that the protagonist attempts to create. It’s a cinnamon roll of a book which, by the way, contains actual cinnamon rolls. I am in love. Our tale begins with our main character, an orc named Viv, seizing a magical thingamajig that brings luck. She promptly quits her life of breaking heads open for … Continue reading Legends and Lattes by Travis Baldree →
Tara: When this duology was announced two years ago, I was not okay. I’ve been equal parts terrified and thrilled since then, because my favourite fanfic of all time was being turned into original fiction. Could it hold up? Truth and Measure is THE definitive Mirandy (Devil Wears Prada [DWP]) fic in a still-thriving fandom. I’ve probably read it a dozen times in the last 5 years and I’ve often referenced it as one of … Continue reading Keeper Shelf: The Carlisle Series (Truth and Measure & Above All Things) by Roslyn Sinclair →
Midway through A Lady for a Duke, I started to panic. I was so in love with this historical romance and I worried that something would come along and ruin it. So I sighed with relief at the end of the last page. This book is pretty damn close to perfection, bitches. It works on so many levels. This is an exceptionally satisfying friends to lovers story, a queer fairy tale filled with longing and … Continue reading A Lady for a Duke by Alexis Hall →
While I wouldn’t call Spear a romance novel specifically, it is an amazing, detailed historical novel that includes a f/f romance. This book retells the Percival legend from the King Arthur mythos as a feminist queer fantasy story set in sixth-century Britain with elements of Welsh mythology. Nicola Griffith is known for her meticulous research, as seen in her novel Hild as well as in this story. This research lends Spear a grounded feel that … Continue reading Spear by Nicola Griffith →
Oh wow, you guys, The Kaiju Preservation Society is an absolute blast – so much so that it provided me with oodles of entertainment and happiness on a recent drive with my husband, my mother, and 2 teens, the latter of which were crammed into the backseat of the car with me. Believe me when I say that there can be no higher tribute to this book than the fact that I did not murder … Continue reading The Kaiju Preservation Society by John Scalzi →
Content warnings: Loss of a parent, post-partum depression Donut Fall in Love is a funny, flirty, foodie romance which deals with themes of grief and family in a very honest and thoughtful way. I liked the way that it explored serious themes and messy family dynamics while still being a fun, sweet, and often light-hearted read. Ryan Kwok is an actor whose abs regularly trend on Twitter. His most recent film was a flop, and … Continue reading Donut Fall In Love by Jackie Lau →
