The Nightborn is just a whole heap of fun, and was precisely what I was in the mood for this week. It straddles the genres of high fantasy and romance, and balances these elements beautifully, providing both a satisfying romance and a nicely twisty high fantasy plot. Branwyn is a Sentinel, a magically-enhanced warrior bound to a spirit sword and tasked with fighting demons and other monsters. She is sent on an errand of diplomacy … Continue reading The Nightborn by Isabel Cooper →
If you follow video games at all, you’ve almost certainly heard of Hades. It was named Game of the Year by many people and publications, and for good reason. It’s impeccably written, has interesting characters, and it’s fun as hell (heh) to play, making it a seriously compelling game. And it’s addictive! So much so, that it’s directly responsible for my buying a Nintendo Switch Lite, so I didn’t have to fight with my kids … Continue reading Game Review: Hades →
Content warning: attempted sexual assault of the heroine Heiress in Red Silk is a book that hooked right into my emotions and gave me what I wanted and needed from a story right now. While it was by no means a flawless romance, I adored the heroine, and there was one scene that hit me straight in the heart. This is the second book in the Duke’s Heiress series, but you really don’t need to … Continue reading Heiress in Red Silk by Madeline Hunter →
I like heists and capers, and I really like art theft stories in particular because sometimes the art itself becomes a massive McGuffin. In a really satisfying art heist story, the interpersonal relationships become more interesting than the priceless whatsit being stolen, and the people and their reasons for heisting provide the narrative momentum. That shift from “steal the thing” to “why are we stealing the thing” can make for a terrific story. With It … Continue reading It Takes a Thief by Sloane Steele →
I have barely ever mentioned the Murderbot series in the past year, so it may have escaped your notice. I definitely cannot adequately transcribe the noise I made when I received an ARC of Fugitive Telemetry, the newest in the Murderbot Diaries. I was in the midst of yet another re-read of the series, and having a brand-new Murderbot story was a delight. And now everyone gets brand new Murderbot to read! In October 2020, … Continue reading Fugitive Telemetry by Martha Wells →
Usually when I fall in love with a book, I devour it in one giant gulp and at one sitting, and only come back to savour it on a second reading. So Book of Love was unusual for me, in that I loved it, but also kept putting it down because I wanted to make it last longer. The quality of the writing and the sweetness not just of the central relationship, but of the … Continue reading Book of Love by Erin Satie →
Claudia and Shana both love historical romances, but Shana loves Milan’s prickly heroines and puns, while Claudia’s catnip is the cozy charm of Balogh’s love stories, the fewer puns the better. Shana convinced Claudia that To Love and To Loathe’s “enemies to hookup to lovers” storyline would pull us out of our reading slump. She now owes Claudia a million lemon bars because this book was a tropeopcalypse. So much potential, but so poorly executed. … Continue reading To Love and To Loathe by Martha Waters →
I should know better by now than to start a Courtney Milan novel in the evening before I have to work in the morning. I renew my membership of the Bad Decisions Book Club every single time. The Devil Comes Courting was no exception to this rule. Grayson Hunter wants to build a telegraph from Shanghai to the USA, but to do this he will need someone to invent a Chinese telegraphic code. He comes … Continue reading The Devil Comes Courting by Courtney Milan →
Romance fans, there is a version The Bachelor that isn’t terrible! Let’s visit New Zealand, where at least one man will fall for you when a koala poops in your belly button. My reading took a nosedive as we hit the March pandemic anniversaries, so I turned to television. Every season I try to enjoy The Bachelor, and most years I angrily give up midway and read Elyse’s recaps instead. I want my dating shows … Continue reading Squee: Bachelor New Zealand →
The Library Book by Susan Orlean is a gripping piece of nonfiction. Using the 1986 Los Angeles Library Fire as a framing device, Orlean explores the mystery of how and by whom the fire was started as well as the history of the Los Angeles Public Library and how libraries today are changing to meet modern needs. Orlean goes into detail about the fire itself, which makes for agonizing, informative, and emotionally gripping reading. The … Continue reading The Library Book by Susan Orlean →
Miranda is a burnt-out forensic photographer who has escaped to Lost Beach to shoot photographs for a birding calendar. Lost Beach, a small island just off the coast of Texas, has a small police department staffed with capable, if stretched police officers. Joel is one of those detectives. Right off the bat, we know that something happened in San Antonio that made Miranda run, but what is it? While out in her canoe shooting photographs … Continue reading Flight by Laura Griffin →
