Drowned Country is the direct sequel to Silver in the Wood – indeed, it could almost be described as the other half of the story. It shares with it the dense, green atmosphere that feels almost more real than the real world, as well as the charm and humour of the characters. It is also absolutely impossible to discuss without spoiling Silver in the Wood terribly, because it starts where that story ends. Really, do … Continue reading Drowned Country by Emily Tesh →
This is a joint review by Carrie and AJ. Wayward Son is the second book in a spinoff series — you might also want to check out Carrie’s review for the previous book, Carry On, and Sarah’s review for the book that started it all, Fangirl. Carrie: Wayward Son is the sequel to Carry On, by Rainbow Rowell. If you haven’t read Carry On yet, go do that. I’ll try to avoid spoilers for Carry On … Continue reading Wayward Son by Rainbow Rowell →
Caution warnings: In MJ James’ debut Out of the Ashes, Alex Porter loses everything when the bookshop that he rebelled against his wealthy family to build goes up in flames. His overbearing mother insists that a fire marshall be called for, so Matt Fields has to drop everything and devote himself to the case, and Alex. I wanted to like Out of the Ashes. Queer mysteries are my wheelhouse, and I’m always looking for new … Continue reading Out of the Ashes by MJ James →
American Love Story is a difficult book for me to grade. It’s the third book in a series on my to-read list. I decided to jump in here, but I don’t recommend following my lead and reading this as a stand-alone. American Love Story has socially-minded heroes, delightful chosen family, and a dollop of politics. Sadly, a frustrating lead left me struggling to persevere through the first half of the book. Patrice Denis is a … Continue reading American Love Story by Adriana Herrera →
So, you saw those content warnings and you’re feeling concerned? Will it help if I tell you that this is a book where scary plot turns appear to be just around the corner—and the dark backstory of the hero makes bad things feel inevitable—but in the end Relationship Material is just an angsty romance where most of the tension is about falling in love? Evan is a nurse in Portland, Oregon who has been in … Continue reading Relationship Material by Jenya Keefe →
Reading Red, White & Royal Blue is an excellent reminder about why a couple’s chemistry isn’t the only thing that matters in a romance. This book has received positive buzz, and for good reason: the enemies-to-lovers romance is swoonworthy, the banter is witty and laugh-out-loud funny, and the epistolary aspect is a delightful surprise. Despite how much I enjoyed the relationship between Alex (the son of the American president) and Henry (a British prince), there … Continue reading Red, White & Royal Blue by Casey McQuiston →
I picked up Witchmark for my SFF book club and read it without any prior knowledge (I didn’t even read the blurb!). I expected a run-of-the-mill fantasy with magical shenanigans, toppling of the elitist status quo, and interesting worldbuilding. I was right and wrong: Witchmark does have all those things, but it also has a delightful and unexpected romantic relationship at the heart of the story. Okay, you know that feeling when you pick up … Continue reading Witchmark by C.L. Polk →
It has come to my attention that there is a romance series about a kraken shifter and a unicorn shifter. I feel it my responsibility to investigate these things and ask the required questions, such as, “But HOW, tho?” I do it it for you, Bitches, and for the sake of SCIENCE, which isn’t afraid to ask the hard questions. It turns out that this series, the Wriggle and Sparkle series, is extremely adorable. The … Continue reading Wriggle & Sparkle by Megan Derr →
It Takes Two To Tumble is a ridiculously adorable romance very loosely inspired by The Sound of Music. In this Regency m/m romance, a grumpy ship captain comes home as a new widower to find that the only person who can control his three unruly children is a very handsome vicar named Ben. This book is the first book in the Seducing the Sedgewicks Series and it’s a fine standalone as well. Naval Captain Philip Dacre’s wife … Continue reading It Takes Two to Tumble by Cat Sebastian →
Today, we have a guest review of The Ruin of a Rake by the much-recommended Cat Sebastian. This guest review comes from Heather Morris, who you may remember from her great guest write-up of the Hulu series Harlots. Heather Morris is a cyborg librarian living in North Carolina. Her work has appeared in Shimmer, Strange Horizons, and Daily Science Fiction, among other places. She’s on Twitter @NotThatHeatherM and she blogs sporadically at thebastardtitle.wordpress.com. … I discovered Cat Sebastian … Continue reading Guest Review: The Ruin of a Rake by Cat Sebastian →
Bollywood and the Beast by Suleikha Snyder caused me to pull a Bad Decisions Book Club moment at RT…does that mean I leveled up? Is that the Bad-Ass Decisions Book Club? So many questions. As you may have guessed from the title, Bollywood and the Beast is a Beauty and the Beast story set in Bollywood–but it’s so much more than that. It’s a book about a bi-racial heroine not feeling accepted by any cultural … Continue reading Bollywood and the Beast by Suleikha Snyder →
