Slippers and Thieves is a clever YA urban fantasy retelling of Cinderella. On the whole, I think this is a conceptually clever story, but the characterization isn’t great, and for goodness sake don’t treat it as a stand alone book. Slippers and Thieves is the fourth book in the Fairy Tales of the Magicorum Series. In this series, magic users exist secretly alongside non-magical users in the modern world. Shifters, fairies, and witches are members … Continue reading Slippers and Thieves by Christina Bauer →
I have a real weak spot for sexy vampires. I also have one for fantasy romance, and another one for romance series where each book is about a different couple but there’s a connected plot arc throughout. So I had high hopes for The Black Lily, the first book in a fairy-tale retelling vampire romance series about humans rebelling against corrupt vampire overlords. Unfortunately, my ultimate reaction was pretty mixed and I have not yet … Continue reading The Black Lily by Juliette Cross →
Unwanted Girl deals with serious topics and yet manages to be a sweet, satisfying romance. It’s quite a balancing act in terms of tone. The hero of Unwanted Girl is Nick Dorsey, the writer of a series of bestselling spy novels of the James Bond type. Nick is also a recovering meth addict. When the book starts, he’s been meth-free for eighteen months, although he still drinks alcohol in moderation (N.B.: most recovery programs do not recommend continuing … Continue reading Unwanted Girl by MK Schiller →
The Duchess Deal by Tessa Dare is a fairytale Regency that blends Beauty and the Beast and Cinderella and Batman. Seriously. And it’s amazing. I actually read it twice. The first time I was at home on a Friday night, enjoying a few rum and Cokes and unwinding. Apparently I can have exactly two drinks before I start loving everything and then forgetting I loved it. I woke up the next morning surprised to see … Continue reading The Duchess Deal by Tessa Dare →
Normally I’m pretty cynical about Christmas. I’m not a practicing Christian, and I’ve worked in either retail or logistics long enough that the commercialism and chaos that precedes the holiday season exhausts me (I once worked till 2 a.m. so a shipment of children’s bedsheets that were on sale would hit the store in time for Black Friday–then slept for four hours and went back into work). This year, though, I’m clinging to anything happy and … Continue reading All I Want for Christmas is a Duke by Valerie Bowman, Tiffany Clare, Vivienne Lorret, Ashlyn MacNamara →
Sarah: Recently, Freebird had a really interesting homework assignment. He had to list the things that influenced him from most to least – things like parents, friends, the internet, etc. Then Hubby and I had to do the assignment, too, and list the things that influenced us when we were his age. Of course, when he and I were kids, there was no internet. Both of us listed “books” as the thing that influenced us most When … Continue reading Our Romance Influences →
The classic Disney cartoon comes to life with a 4-inch glass slipper, starring Lily James as Cinderella, Cate Blanchett as Lady Tremaine, Richard Madden as The Prince, Helena Bonham Carter as the Fairy Godmother. It also features Sophie McShera, Holliday Grainger, Hayley Atwell, and Nonso Anozie. Carrie and I went to see it, and we have many many thoughts- some full of glitter, some full of disappoint. CarrieS: SO MUCH GLITTER. Am in a … Continue reading Movie review: Cinderella →
