Bluebird is science fiction that includes the following: a female protagonist, two love stories of which one is f/f and one f/m, a spaceship, smuggling, a bar fight, political intrigue, badass librarians, secret identities, found and biological family, rebellion, a heist, major angst, chase scenes, and jewelry. I could not one-click this thing fast enough, and presumably most of you will not actually read this review because you have also one-clicked and are already reading … Continue reading Bluebird by Ciel Pierlot →
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 →
After the Dragons is a subtle, tender love story set in a near-future Beijing in which dragons are as real as the climate change which has brought drought to the city. Eli, the biracial son of two professors, has come to Beijing as an exchange student, wanting to learn more about the city that his grandmother loved too much to leave, even when faced with a terminal diagnosis. Kai has received the same diagnosis as … Continue reading After the Dragons by Cynthia Zhang →
Goldilocks is not a romance, but it is relevant to the interests of the large subset of Bitches who are both feminist and nerdy. This novel about women who steal a spaceship (!!!) is sciency, thrilling, and female-centric, and squarely aimed at those who stopped reading this review to one-click at the words “women who steal a spaceship.” For the few of you who remain, here’s more about the plot. In the not very distant … Continue reading Goldilocks by Laura Lam →
Hi there, Wednesday! Today is a busy day for me as I’m picking up new glasses, buying booze for this week’s Covers & Cocktails, grabbing some groceries to make some slow cooker Mongolian beef, oh and I joined a gym. So I’ll be getting sweaty and awkward somewhere in that schedule. But I hope you all are having a productive day and if not, that’s totally okay! … I love Kickstarter so much. I’ve backed … Continue reading Links: Ursula Le Guin, Quantum Leap, & Maple Trees →
First of all, you’re welcome. Claimed by The Machine is a sci-fi erotic novella about some aliens who discover human beings, go to a brothel, and have buttsecks. They are not actually machines, but rather they are constructed out of organic material and I know this because machines don’t produce that volume of semen. So anyway, this book takes place in the distant future. Some aliens, who apparently are non corporeal and function like a hive … Continue reading Claimed by The Machine by Emily Tilton →
First of all, Elizabeth Bonesteel is either the best pen name ever or the best real name ever. It’s also the best possible hero last-name. “I’m Dirk, Dirk Bonesteel, and my boner is… steely.” Steely boners aside, The Cold Between is a blend of science fiction, mystery and romance that I found difficult to put down. It is not, however, a romance novel, so I want to warn readers looking for a guaranteed HEA to … Continue reading The Cold Between by Elizabeth Bonesteel →
Welcome to Wednesday Links! As usual, here are some pretty cool things the Bitchery has found around the internet recently. Author Ilona Andrews recently wrote a blog post on the Alphahole trope in romance and it is spreading like wildfire! This construct has less to do with preconceived gender roles and more to do with the story arc. A hero or heroine’s journey must be a climb or a descent, otherwise the story has no … Continue reading Links: Alphaholes, Women in Hollywood, the Love Shack, & Romance in Scifi! →
I Am Ebony Strike has several elements that are pure catnip to me. It’s science fiction that includes multiple races and species, not all of which are humanoid in appearance. The main character is a female martial artist who is not young (she doesn’t state her age, but she makes it clear that she’s much older than her competitors, so I’m guessing she’s middle-aged). As an added bonus, neither protagonist is white, which is a … Continue reading I Am Ebony Strike by KS Augustin →
Local Custom stressed me out so much that I kept skipping to the ending and reading it over and over again just to make sure everything would be OK. I can’t say it was a relaxing read, but it was a far more realistic, and ultimately very rewarding, depiction of a romance between a human and a person who is arguably human in genetic terms but very alien in terms of culture. Local Custom is part … Continue reading Local Custom by Sharon Lee and Steve Miller →
RECOMMENDED: Etiquette & Espionage by Gail Carriger by $1.99! This is the first book in the Finishing School series, which both Carrie and I highly recommend. This is young adult with a steampunk historical setting. And would you look at that cover. Readers loved the creative, whimsical setting, though some expressed difficulty in reading a lot at one time. They had to take breaks every few chapters because of the overwhelming twee-ness. The book has a 3.7-star rating on GoodReads and, if you’re looking to binge read the series, the next two books are also on sale for $1.99. Curtsies & Conspiracies ( A | K | G | AB ) and Waistcoats & Weaponry ( A | K | G | AB | Au ).
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