I try not to pigeonhole myself too much as a reader. While cosy as a descriptor in general tends to make me feral with irritation, there are exceptions and this book is definitely an exception. I was delighted when my library hold for this book arrived, even though I couldn’t remember what led me to place that hold. Perhaps it’s the combination of sci fi, mystery, and cosy that made me curious. Dorothy Gentleman is … Continue reading Murder by Memory by Olivia Waite →
I am always delighted to find new-to-me historical romance authors and this one is a treat. I started mid-series, which isn’t ideal, but I followed the story with glee. I will, however, be going back and starting with the first book because this series has so much Lara catnip. You all know I’m a bit of a blurb hater at this point, but this one did a good job, so I’ll share it here: Ivy … Continue reading Never Spar With a Viscount by Lindsay Lovise →
CW: Self-harm (historical), violence, death of secondary characters. AJ reviewed the first book in the series, Slippery Creatures and enjoyed it and so did I. There is a simple reason for this being a review of the next two books together rather than one: when I finished The Sugared Game I was in agony, desperate for the rest of Will and Kim’s story in Subtle Blood. This is the second time I’ve read this trilogy. It … Continue reading The Sugared Game and Subtle Blood by KJ Charles →
This book is exemplary. It can literally be held up as an actual example of what a romance novel should be. I am in awe. But before I wax lyrical about the many ways in which this book is excellent, let’s set the scene. Simon and Charlie are co-stars on a sci-fi TV series and for the seven years that the show has been running, they’ve been fighting, squabbling, and disagreeing. Simon is considering leaving … Continue reading Star Shipped by Cat Sebastian →
I’m not even going to pretend that I picked this book up by chance. I had meant to read it last year when it came out, but didn’t. I don’t know why. I don’t have a good reason. Post-Heated Rivalry TV show obsession, I remembered I had this novel waiting for me on my Kindle. I started it last night when I got in bed. I read it while I was pumping milk in the … Continue reading The Shots You Take by Rachel Reid →
When I sat down to write this piece, I had no idea it would turn into a rant, but it did. My head swirled with thoughts and all of them were burning a hole in my stomach, desperate to be let loose. Release the Kraken! I shouldn’t have read this book. It irritated me MULTIPLE TIMES. It’s irritated me so much that I can’t even bring myself to do a recap of the premise like … Continue reading And Now, Back to You by BK Borison →
I’m a big KJ Charles fan so it was inevitable that I would read this book one day. I read it this weekend and I had a great time, with a couple caveats. Aaron is a police detective in London in the 1920s. He is told about a graphologist, Joel, who can decipher people’s personalities from their handwriting with impossible accuracy. Aaron is sure that Joel is a charlatan or a con artist of some … Continue reading Copper Script by KJ Charles →
Prairie Nightingale has formally opened her detective agency with the people who helped her solve her last case and the book begins with the four of them having a multilayered, multidirectional disagreement. Since each of them are unflinching, stubborn, sometimes prickly women, they get on each other’s nerves, even as Prairie reminds herself and them not to “flatten [someone] to the most annoying aspect of [their] personality.” Then a wealthy, iconoclastic woman walks in with … Continue reading Trailbreaker by Ruthie Knox and Annie Mare →
I’m still using my TBR game board and landed on Historical. I prefer my books on the spicier side, so I took to Reddit for recs and found this book in the comments. Lucky for me, it was in the “available now” section on my library app. The short of it: the heroine Jane is “ruined” by a man she assumes is a friend. The reality was that her humiliation was the result of a … Continue reading The Truth About Cads and Dukes by Elisa Braden →
Meet the Newmans is a novel set in 1964 that follows a real-life family playing a TV family. It’s about our authentic selves versus our public selves within the framework of the rise of second wave feminism. It also deals with queer identity. The Newmans, father Del, mother Dinah, and sons Guy and Shep, are a real life family who also play a sanitized version of themselves on TV. They are the perfect White, middle … Continue reading Meet the Newmans by Jennifer Niven →
I picked this book up for a ridiculous reason: a misreading of the title. I read Dom-Con – a convention of doms and I found that idea hilarious. That notion was quickly dispelled when I read the cover again followed shortly by the blurb. I’m thankful for that silly mistake of mine because I had a lot of fun. Rae is a total newbie to the BDSM world when she rocks up to a BDSM … Continue reading Dom-Com by Adriana Anders →
