Y’all, this book is kinda bananas, but I also think it will definitely be some people’s catnip, so I have to Alert the Bitchery. I mentioned Velvet in Watcha Reading a while ago (like, a really long while ago before I was sucked into the vortex that was nursing school). I described it as having fanfiction vibes then, and I stand by that assessment. Like, it’s not obviously veiled fanfiction of anything in particular; it … Continue reading Velvet by Lisette Marshall →
Maid for the Musketeer would have gotten a higher grade from me if it hadn’t taken a sharp tonal turn at the last minute. For the most part, I enjoyed this feminist romance between childhood friends who are forced by Cardinal Richelieu to become spies in France in the mid-1600s. The introduction warns us that the book, like The Three Musketeers by Dumas, is “not historical fiction, it’s more accurately described as historical fanfiction.” With … Continue reading Maid for the Musketeer by Anna Klein →
Beauty Like the Night is the first book by Joanna Bourne that I’ve read, but it definitely won’t be the last. (Somewhere, in Scotland, Redheadedgirl just sat up and went “what?” and isn’t sure why). This book was so good. It’s got a bad-ass heroine, a richly developed world, an element of mystery, and a delicious slow-burn romance. For me, hands down, the best part of this story was the heroine, Severine de Cabrillac. She … Continue reading Beauty Like the Night by Joanna Bourne →
When I first started seeing the previews for Atomic Blonde (Charlize Theron IS Jason Bourne!) there was a collective question of, “Is this super male gaze-y or not? I can’t tell from these two minutes but I think I’m gonna watch the shit out of this.” This is a spy thriller set in Berlin around the week the Berlin Wall came down in 1989. Every intelligence agency in the world has people in Berlin, and … Continue reading Movie Review: Atomic Blonde →
Never Trust a Pirate does not include a single iota of historical accuracy, but it sure is a lot of fun. This Regency romance by Valerie Bowman is about spies, a map, derring-do, disguises, how to fix one’s hair in the latest French style, and the importance of knowing how to swim. This book takes place after The Irresistible Rogue, in which Captain Rafferty Cavendish wooed his wife Daphne while the two of them engaged … Continue reading Never Trust a Pirate by Valerie Bowman →
This review could easily end up being 6500 words long. I don’t think it will, but holy smokes is there SO MUCH TO SAY. First, yes, you should absolutely read this book immediately, if you haven’t already. There is so much happening in the conflict within each of the protagonists, between the protagonists, and around them and their allies and enemies, I can’t possibly discuss all of it, but please know: if you are a … Continue reading An Extraordinary Union by Alyssa Cole →
Help A Bitch Out - SOLVED!
This HaBO is from Pamela, who is looking for a series she started – but didn’t finish. And she can’t remember it so she can buy the next one. That’s a problem! Ok, so I read a lot. A LOT. I’m a really fast reader, I can knock out a book in a couple of hours. Those reading times on Amazon are total bull. Anyway, I love coming across a series I enjoy, because, well, … Continue reading HaBO: Spies and Wives and Historical Series →