Now this–this book is the hot stuff. This book was everything I’ve come to expect from Ella and Brooke and their naughty minds. Take one male supermodNow this–this book is the hot stuff. This book was everything I’ve come to expect from Ella and Brooke and their naughty minds. Take one male supermodel and one up-and-coming adult movie star, throw them together in a moment of serendipity, and you have an explosively passionate and dirty romance novel that will warm up some sheets and make you swoon at the same time.
If I could put a theme to this book it would be, “I’m not ashamed of you, I just care that you’re mine.” This goes both ways, too. Donovan may be the uber-rich supermodel in this book, but it’s not unheard of for the character who has money to be the one who has to work hard for affection in a romance novel. Instead, Ella and Brooke worked hard in this novel to put Donovan and “Sin” mostly on the level: neither of them is ashamed of the other. “Sin” mostly doesn’t care that Donovan comes from money and Donovan couldn’t give a crap that Sin comes from none and lives in a shoebox apartment. The thing they care about most is that they belong to each other and with each other. They each feel like they were made for the other and they want to fight to find a way to stay together.
It’s really freaking sweet. They’re really freaking sweet. That is, when they’re not busy having filthy hot spicy scenes. (And believe me, they are H O T.)
The rest of the Park Avenue Princes are around providing advice, comedy, and color commentary, as per usual. It’s unclear which of the Princes are up next for a book, but keep an eye on Donovan’s little brother, because he’s a sullen brat in this book and is definitely going through some stuff.
Overall, I liked this installment more than the first book in this series, so it’s an excellent read and I highly recommend it. You’ll definitely want to start with Infamous Park Avenue Prince, but that’s not a hardship.
I was provided a copy of this title by the authors. All thoughts, opinions, views, and ideas expressed herein are mine and mine alone. This review was written without recompense. Thank you.
I’ve never been so glad to be one of those people who really only likes apples in baked goods. Really.
I’ve also never had an opportunity to flex my gI’ve never been so glad to be one of those people who really only likes apples in baked goods. Really.
I’ve also never had an opportunity to flex my geography degree in regards to Quakers, Pennsylvania, and the apple (yes, geography has a ton to do with the apple–geography has a ton to do with everything) while reading a book so much before.
This book was fabulous. Absolutely, positively, fan-flipping fantastic. Did I have moments when I thought the characters were dumb? Yes. Did I find some parts predictable? Sure. Do I care? Not one bit. This is horror on some kind of quasi-epic scale, because even though the meat of this book doesn’t take place over longer than maybe a traditional school year, the story itself is epic in scale, owing to how far back in time it truly stretches and how pervasive the horror truly is.
If you’re looking for a book that feels like autumn, this book fits the bill: Trees, rushing river, crisp air, leaves falling and gathering on the ground waiting to be blown away into large piles, apples ripe and round on their branches, flies glutting themselves on the last of the rotting summer berries, that feeling of susurration and suspension when the earth is settling down before it goes dormant for winter.
Writing about apples somehow always becomes a partially sensual and sinful endeavor. Wendig writes evocatively when people take bites out of the apples, making sure we know exactly how the juice gushes out, how it runs down their chins, their arms, sometimes further down. How it glistens and coats their skin. He writes about how exactly they take their bite, sometimes revealing their sin: an angry bite, a greedy bite, a lusty bite, etcetera. Not only are these apples cursed with the gift of a certain type of knowledge, but they are sin incarnate, revealing the hidden monsters inside all those who partake.
The characters are so explosively unique and wonderful on both sides of the story. It’s definitely never a story where you want to root for the bad guy or anything, but the antagonists in this book are more than what they seem, and the evil stretches.
I loved the ongoing themes of sin, white supremacy, misogyny, right-wing conservatism, conservation, colonialism, and fallen idols. It’s just a fantastic book and I can’t say anymore or I’ll start spoiling things. I just recommend you give it a try!
I was provided a copy of this title by NetGalley and the author. All thoughts, opinions, views, and ideas expressed herein are mine and mine alone. Thank you.
I’ve never rated an anthology five stars before, because they’ve all been really hit-or-miss for me. They usually end up being either three or four stI’ve never rated an anthology five stars before, because they’ve all been really hit-or-miss for me. They usually end up being either three or four stars, because you’re always going to have some stories that just don’t hit the mark or maybe just find some stories that just read like “dud” to you. Never Whistle at Night has maybe two or three stories out of 27 that I didn’t gel with completely, but it wasn’t because they weren’t well-written; it was just because they weren’t my jam. When the stories in this collection work, they really, really work. This anthology, as a whole, is worth every page. The quality of the work done and the absolutely captivating stories collected for it speak not only to the talent of the authors, but to the editors who pulled this project together as well. It should be no surprise to anyone who knows me that I love that this is an #OwnVoices anthology as well, because no one could or should be writing these stories and profiting off of them but indigenous peoples.
I don’t want to go too deep into what each story means to me because I feel like that’s wrong, since I’m white and these stories aren’t meant for me. I do, however, want to point out the stories I liked best and maybe a few words about why I liked it.
Kushtuka by Mathilda Zeller: Stolen artifacts + objectification of Native American women = Eff around and find out.
White Hills by Rebecca Roanhorse: Eugenics!
Quantum by Nick Medina: Is the worth of being Native American found entirely in DNA?
Hunger by Phoenix Boudreau: Buffy the Vampire Slayer but with a scary possession monster inside of a frat boy.
Snakes Are Born in the Dark by D. H. Trujillo: Deface sacred artifacts and see what happens.
Heart-Shaped Clock by Kelli Jo Ford: Sad story about drug addiction in indigenous communities.
Dead Owls by Mona Susan Power: A ghost story about how there can be layers of tragedies on the same land.
The Prepper by Morgan Talty: Horribly sad story about the mistreatment of mental illness in indigenous communities.
Collections by Amber Blaeser-Wardzala: What kind of bargain would you make for a foot in the door or a leg up in your industry?
I was provided a copy of this title by NetGalley and the editors. All thoughts, opinions, views, and ideas expressed herein are mine and mine alone. Thank you.
File Under: 5 Star Review/Anthology/Horror/Short Stories/Own Voices ...more
Wyatt, James, and Peter were unwillingly brought together by circumstance, stuck together by proximity, but grew together liReal Rating: 3.5 / 5 Stars
Wyatt, James, and Peter were unwillingly brought together by circumstance, stuck together by proximity, but grew together like a trio of birch trees sticking close together for the sake of survival. In a single night the three of them were rather violently ripped apart from one another and it’s five years before any of them sets eyes on the other, and when that happens it’s clear their childhood was built on darkness and lies.
This book is definitely horromance (horror romance) for the YA set. Full of cosmic consequences, eldritch horrors, cryptid monsters, dark cottagecore vibes, a cult full of (of course) old white men, and themes stinking of very poor parenting, this book leans heavily on the ick and the creep instead of the outright violence to convey horror and sticks to dialogue, inner narrative, and clothes-on action to convey sexual attraction. The romance comes from the entire story, including flashbacks to prior events in the characters’ lives.
I truly enjoyed the concept of this story and was really engaged for the first two acts. I was totally into it, 100%. When the third act came, though, I felt the novel started to come apart and never really came back from that. The whole last 30% of the book was rather messy. It almost felt like Andrew knew what the first 60% of the book was definitely going to look like but then either floundered to find a finish they liked or maybe had a different finish in mind at first and decided to change it but it never truly meshed well. Either way, I wasn’t satisfied at the end.
I still recommend it because that first 60% is a compelling and interesting story and you may love that last 30% in a way I couldn’t. This book deserves an audience.
I was provided a copy of this title by NetGalley and the author. All thoughts, opinions, views, and ideas expressed herein are mine and mine alone. Thank you.
This is a very sweet, poignant, small town romance that’s heavier than Cora Rose’s usual books. It’s a change in direction and writing style that didnThis is a very sweet, poignant, small town romance that’s heavier than Cora Rose’s usual books. It’s a change in direction and writing style that didn’t work out perfectly, in my opinion, but it was still a really good read: emotional, angsty, and even a little dark in places. The two MMCs, Wes and Simon, both have some issues to deal with, but Simon is definitely the one who’s hurting the most here.
Small town romances can be hit or miss for me, but Cora Rose just somehow makes them work, usually by drawing attention to the zany parts of small town life (I was born and raised in a small town and had to move back to it after my divorce, so I know small town). In this book the zaniness of small town life is downplayed, though, to match the emotions and moods of Simon and Wes. That’s also a switch for the author, but it’s not a bad one. I have a feeling this book, or maybe even this series, is Rose trying on something new for size. I’m glad she’s experimenting some.
There did seem to be some stiffness, or maybe awkwardness to the book, though. It had some uneven pacing and I thought the story just didn’t flow as easily as her other stories.
The spicy scenes are off the charts fantastic, but that’s never been a problem for Rose. She writes terrific spice, and this book has some of her best spice I’ve seen in a couple of books. I love when characters are desperate for one another, and these two are absolutely ravenous when they come together. It’s hot. So hot.
So while I would’ve liked the story to have flowed a bit smoother and not been so uneven, it was a solid read and I’m really interested in where this series will go.
I was provided a copy of this title by the author. All thoughts, opinions, views, and ideas expressed herein are mine and mine alone. Thank you.
Was this book a great read? No. Was it pretty fun? Yes.
Sun of Blood and Ruin isn’t a book I can recommend with a good conscience, but I’m not going tWas this book a great read? No. Was it pretty fun? Yes.
Sun of Blood and Ruin isn’t a book I can recommend with a good conscience, but I’m not going to sit here and say I totally regret reading it.
The story doesn’t make a whole lot of sense. There is more than one plot hole. There are several points in this book where things happen and I thought, “Wow! How convenient!”
Lares obviously doesn’t care much for cohesive world building, exploring the magic systems or belief systems she’s introducing, or even trying to roughly outline the rich culture she’s embedded her story in.
If I may say: This book reads like Lares just assumes her readers know what Mexico looked like (in all ways) in the 16th century: from the very earth on which they stood to the sky above them. While I don’t like authors who patronize their readers, it wouldn’t have hurt to give readers some clues into what Mexico culture was like in more detail.
It was a popcorn flick in the guise of a book. I wouldn’t buy it, but it was okay.
I was provided a copy of this title by NetGalley and the author. All thoughts, opinions, views, and ideas expressed herein are mine and mine alone. Since this review rated three stars or lower it won’t be appearing on my social media sites. Thank you.
Discovering Damon is the third book in Cora Rose and Nicole Dykes’ immensely enjoyable Behind the Camera series, which features beautiful camboys fallDiscovering Damon is the third book in Cora Rose and Nicole Dykes’ immensely enjoyable Behind the Camera series, which features beautiful camboys falling in love. I really, really enjoy this particular subgenre of romance, whether it’s camgirls or camboys. To be honest, I enjoy any and all romance novels that delve into sex worker subgenres, because I’m sex positive and sex worker positive and believe that visibility helps in the destigmatization of sex workers as a whole.
This time around we have the outgoing, unapologetically femme Damon (gorgeous and fabulous from head to toe every day, thank you very much) who is house/dog sitting for Carter’s moms (in case you need a memory check, Carter is one of the MMCs from the first book in this series, Reaching Reed) and is lusting after their neighbor, a hunky mechanic named Tomas. Alas, Tomas is straight (because of course he is) but he’s also very nice. Damon is a smitten kitten but knows that even if Tomas gets a little…curious…that he probably should keep his distance because curious men have a tendency to break hearts.
Yes, this is a bi-awakening book with a more gay-for-you vibe, but I am honestly a sucker for anything Cora Rose writes and for this writing duo when paired together. It helps that I love a good mechanic character who’s secure in his masculinity enough to do face masks and let someone do exfoliating treatments on him. Tomas may be blue collar with calloused hands and more used to drinking cheap beer than champagne, but he’ll try just about anything for Damon, because Damon absolutely fascinates him. Revelations can come at any point in our lives, and that’s part of the appeal of bi-awkening and gay-awakening novels.
Tomas and Damon are so sweet and sexy together, all desperation and hunger in bed and cuddles out of it. The spice is on point and the fluff is cute as heck. I loved it.
I was provided a copy of this title by the author. All thoughts, opinions, views, and ideas expressed herein are mine and mine alone. Thank you.
I have a theory that being an atheist takes a lot of shock and terror out of reading religion-themes horror novels and watchReal Rating: 3.5 / 5 Stars
I have a theory that being an atheist takes a lot of shock and terror out of reading religion-themes horror novels and watching movies in the same vein. All my life I’ve never had a single issue watching horror movies or reading horror novels with religious themes because I’m an atheist. My mom is terrified of The Exorcist. Me? Not even a tiny grimace. I get more terrified of things like The Purge, because that actually feels like something that could happen.
That’s what I think happened while I was reading The House of Last Resort. If I was in any way scared of demons or interested in the concept of evil as anything else but a moral subjective then maybe this book would have rated higher for me. But I’m me, and I’m the type of person who says, “Evil is morally subjective and therefore doesn’t exist”.
The concept is definitely more high-concept than some horror novels and I actually really enjoyed it: I can’t say my kids and I haven’t seen those videos and articles online where you can move to isolated villages in France or Italy and purchase a home for x amount of dollars or even for free as long as you fulfill x amount of conditions and not thought, “That might actually be a great thing to do,” for some of the exact same reasons the characters in this book did it. I also enjoyed the general flow of the book, the dialogue, and the world-building.
In the end, it’s only me that’s got me not liking the book so much, and it’s just because we didn’t vibe well. I still say give it go if you like demons, ghosts, the evils of organized religion (especially the Catholic Church), and poorly-timed earthquakes.
I was provided a copy of this title by NetGalley and the author. All thoughts, opinions, views, and ideas expressed herein are mine and mine alone. Thank you.
Despite loving the movie “Sliding Doors”, I haven’t read many books employing the same plot device before now. I loved the bReal Rating: 3.5 / 5 Stars
Despite loving the movie “Sliding Doors”, I haven’t read many books employing the same plot device before now. I loved the butterfly effect feeling of it: One mundane action leading to a split sequence of events and we get to read as they play out for better or for worse.
For all that I love split sequence novels (some call them sliding door novels), this one just didn’t enthrall me all that much. The inciting event is compelling, the story is interesting enough, but the execution of that story is lacking in both skill and originality.
We’ve got two self-absorbed siblings, a philandering father, and a sick mother. It’s one screwed up family I sure wouldn’t want to be a part of. I found it hard to identify with Jane, our protagonist, which meant I spent most of the time reading this novel sighing and rolling my eyes at her.
I didn’t enjoy Frick’s writing style much, which also affected my enjoyment of the novel. I suspect if you’re already a Frick fan, then you’ll likely enjoy this novel more than I did.
I was provided a copy of this title by NetGalley and the author. All thoughts, opinions, views, and ideas expressed herein are mine and mine alone. Thank you.
Witches versus witch hunters. Some rivalries never grow old for me, and this is one of them. When people speak of enemies to lovers, this is what comeWitches versus witch hunters. Some rivalries never grow old for me, and this is one of them. When people speak of enemies to lovers, this is what comes up in my mind. This is the type of rivalry that makes the enemies to lovers trope absolutely shine with brilliance.
It also generally just makes for great stories.
Heartless Hunter isn’t lacking in a great story, even if it isn’t breaking too much new ground. Heck, this book even has a nominal (keep that word in your mind) love triangle and I wasn’t hating it too much (and I hate love triangles).
I read Ciccarelli’s Edgewood when it came out and was heavily impressed with her world building and magic system. It’s the same here: Ciccarelli has a great creative talent and it makes her world building glimmer from the costuming to the very ground on which the characters stand, yet she isn’t tempted to let all that sumptuous world building leak through her prose, for which I’m very grateful. We get what we need in the important moments, when the costumes and imagery are important, but our author knows when these details need to take a backseat. The magic system is clever too, with the unique witch marks, the kind of blood spilled for each spell, and the fact each witch leaves behind a unique cast mark when the spell is done.
The book could’ve been an absolute delight if I had liked either one of the main characters. I didn’t feel like we really knew the whole measure of either of them. I didn’t feel connected to them. I didn’t like how either of them went about what they were doing and I really didn’t like Gideon near the end. I can’t agree with a lot of choices either of them made. It’s a little hard to fully enjoy a novel when you don’t connect with it fully.
I bet I’ll end up reading the next book because I need to know how this ends, but I don’t know if I’m going to need to own this series. I do recommend the read though, because it’s pretty good.
I was provided a copy of this title by NetGalley and the author. All thoughts, opinions, views, and ideas expressed herein are mine and mine alone. Thank you.
File Under: Book Series/Fantasy/Romantasy/Fantasy Series/YA Fantasy/YA Romantasy ...more
By the time I was 10% into this book I was seriously feeling sorry for Anna, the protagonist of this story, because if I had a family like hers I woulBy the time I was 10% into this book I was seriously feeling sorry for Anna, the protagonist of this story, because if I had a family like hers I would never voluntarily go on a trip to Italy with them (even if they were paying for the whole thing). I love my family and we’re very close, but we would be tested to travel to Europe together and even pretend to try and stay civil. The family in this book? Let’s say they’ve got denial down to an art. Wow.
By 45% I remembered a secret only stays a secret if you never tell anyone…and I wished Anna had a family with a scintilla of tact. I also realized Anna and I had a lot of things in common: Being used to taking the blame for the bad things that happen to our family, apologizing constantly to our family members for things that aren’t our fault, keeping our mouths shut when we want to say something because we know it’s either going to upset someone or no one’s going to believe us, and making sure to dumb ourselves down around our loved ones lest they accuse us of “acting smarter” than everyone else (or “showing off”).
AKA: Both Anna and I are the black sheep of our families.
This book is an absolute blast to read: Engaging, compelling, intriguing, intelligent, fierce, creepy, insightful, sometimes funny, and sometimes sad. It has lovely (in that haunting, bloody way) nightmare sequences, creepy daytime scenes inside the house that might be hard for those with squeamish stomachs, truly scary calls involving Anna’s family, and lots of fascinating Italian art history information that not only worked well into the story of the book but was also just plain cool to read. This book shines its brightest when it focuses on Anna, especially in the last 20% of the book, but also anywhere else in the book. All in all, it’s just a fantastic read.
I was provided a copy of this title by NetGalley and the author. All thoughts, opinions, views, and ideas expressed herein are mine and mine alone. Thank you.
Fifty Beasts to Break Your Heart is a stellar collection of 13 stories (and one incredible bestiary–more on that later) from the spectacularly creativFifty Beasts to Break Your Heart is a stellar collection of 13 stories (and one incredible bestiary–more on that later) from the spectacularly creative and brilliant mind of GennaRose Nethercott, who wrote the equally spectacular novel Thistlefoot.
I don’t think I’ve read a collection by a single author where I loved so many stories to the extent I loved the stories in this one. With one exception (Fox Jaw), I ate every story in this book up with a really sharp grapefruit spoon and then licked the bowl clean.
A quick summary of my thoughts on the remaining stories:
Sundown at the Eternal Staircase - Spectacularly eerie, fascinating, and great symbolism on how some people are just heading in different directions in life.
A Diviner’s Abecedarian - Tween girls can be mean as hell when not in possession of the sight. Give them the sight and that’s just horrifying.
The Thread Boy - Poignant, emotional, and magical story about a life well-lived even though there was pain.
The War of Fog - I read in a book coming out soon that war is a place, not a time. This story reminds me of that. War is endless and eternal and you’re stuck there.
Drowning Lessons - Cynical, sad, but neat story about what it’s like to be responsible for a sibling’s well-being.
The Autumn Kill - This one is angry, visceral, and vengeful. I loved the ending.
A Lily is a Lily - This one is hard to sum up in little words. Let’s just say it’s a haunting story about what can happen when we build people up in our minds so much they take up our entire existence.
Dear Henrietta - Provocative, creepy, and downright wicked. Dude, this one is good.
Possessions - Don’t mess around with sketchy witchcraft books you find at thrift stores. This one is hard to describe but it’s beautifully written.
Homebody - Awful to read, awful to describe, awful to think about. It’s sad and tense and made me want to punch something.
A Haunted Calendar - Funny, horrific, and imaginative.
The Plums at the End of the World - This was incredible. It’s heartbreaking, evocative, and all about how people fear anything different.
My last note is on the titular “story”, Fifty Beasts to Break Your Heart. It isn’t a story so much as a bestiary and it’s the crown jewel of this collection. Complete with eerie, creep-tastic sketches, each beast is named and described with short, incredible paragraphs. They’re utterly fantastic in every way. I couldn’t get enough of them. The bestiary is practically worth the price of admission.
This collection isn’t to be missed.
I was provided a copy of this title by NetGalley and the author. All thoughts, opinions, views, and ideas expressed herein are mine and mine alone. Thank you.
I’m among the few that didn’t really enjoy What Moves the Dead that much when it was released. I found it to be underwhelming when I reviewed it, but I’m among the few that didn’t really enjoy What Moves the Dead that much when it was released. I found it to be underwhelming when I reviewed it, but I like Kingfisher so much I decided to read the sequel anyway and I’m glad I did because I loved What Feasts at Night so much better than What Moves the Dead.
I think what threw me off with What Moves the Dead was the inevitable comparison with Poe’s The Fall of the House of Usher. I just couldn’t let it go and I think that may have compromised my ability to enjoy that story. With What Feasts at Night, we’re removed from the Usher household and on a new journey with Alex Easton. There’s no prior story association for me to be hung up on and so I got to enjoy this story just as it’s presented.
What I loved the most about this book was the dry witticism of Alex Easton. Alex’s voice is strong and clear and so funny to me. I laughed so many times reading this book because my sense of humor is skewed much the same way. Alex is a genuine character and one I loved reading. I could read an entire novel in Alex’s voice, but if Kingfisher wants to keep writing novellas featuring Alex Easton in creepy gothic occult horrors then I’ll totally keep reading them just to laugh the way this book made me laugh.
It was lovely to see the esteemed Miss Potter and the besotted Angus again, as well as meeting new supporting characters that made for a colorful and entertaining cast.
The world building and story in this installment were so much more my speed this time around. Some nice moth core (it’s a thing) aesthetics, nightmare lore, superstitions, folk treatments, and musings on PTSD. It’s well-constructed, even if I felt the writing could’ve been better in a few places. The imagery was top-tier though.
It’s a great sequel to What Moves the Dead. I totally recommend it.
I was provided a copy of this title by NetGalley and the author. All thoughts, opinions, views, and ideas expressed herein are mine and mine alone. Thank you.
It’s nice to see a new fantasy series meet what I consider the level of epic: Epic in story, epic in scale, and epic in feel. You can’t just call a faIt’s nice to see a new fantasy series meet what I consider the level of epic: Epic in story, epic in scale, and epic in feel. You can’t just call a fantasy book or series epic and call it a day. “Epic” means something: Spanning time, lands, battles, revelations, marriage, deaths, betrayals, and more. Epic means gods, monsters, humans, magic, and a greater sense of purpose are involved for everyone in the story. A Fate Inked in Blood may be a spicy (but not too spicy, and definitely not smutty) Viking romantasy, but it’s also the start of a very good epic fantasy series.
Danielle L. Jensen isn’t an unknown name for me, though I’ve never read her books before. The cover, title, and author name of this book all caught my attention when I saw it on NetGalley. Even though I’m usually not down for Viking fantasy, I was intrigued enough to request it. I’m so glad I did, because this was well worth the read (sadly, I’m still not converted on the Viking thing).
The best thing about this book is our FMC, Freya, who has a mercurial temper mixed with a compassionate nature. The second best thing about this book is Freya’s relationship with Bjorn, the son of her husband. Bjorn is Freya’s constant and the one willing to risk her ire when her compassion risks her own safety. Their chemistry is insane from the moment they meet on the page and every time they are alone together their banter is a delight to read.
Jensen has done a wondrous job writing a Viking fantasy world that’s robust with well-explored magic, rich mythology, expressive world building, and fascinating characters. The storytelling is artful and the writing is compelling. I’m definitely looking forward to the next installment!
I was provided a copy of this title by NetGalley and the author. All thoughts, opinions, views, and ideas expressed herein are mine and mine alone. Thank you.
This is the type of book that’s exactly in my niche: a weird book that doesn’t fit into any sort of box that I just couldn’t put down. Imagine you’re This is the type of book that’s exactly in my niche: a weird book that doesn’t fit into any sort of box that I just couldn’t put down. Imagine you’re a mom living in the suburbs and you hate it (I can sympathize. I hate the suburbs). Your husband wants you to go with him to a dinner “soiree” (the amount of time and emphasis the cast of characters put on this word throughout the book is infinitely enjoyable) two of the most influential members of the neighborhood (and the influential is literal, seeing as the wife has an Instagram following of nearly 100K followers) are putting on and you don’t want to go. You have stuff to do and you don’t even like these people! The sitter that was recommended to you turns out to only be 11, but your husband is basically guilting you into going to this dinner party because he’s feeling like you’re not even trying to fit into the life you’ve built together. So you go.
It’s awkward as soon as you get in the door, but as you’re sitting down and contemplating the first course and your cell phone at the same time, the news gets weirder and weirder. No one can get through to the UK. Airports in the northeast are closing. What’s happening?
Imagine if the Glow Cloud from Welcome to Nightvale (all hail the Glow Cloud) became some kind of evil Eldritch horror that somehow targets technology? Or…at least that’s maybe, possibly the working theory? And now you’re trapped at the dinner soiree from hell with people you can’t stand while your kids are at home with only an 11 year old to care for them and you don’t know when or if you’ll get back to them.
This is what I love about writing, creativity, and about innovative writers: the ability to pick up pieces of inspiration from different genres and then throw them together into a plot blender and come out with a book like With Regrets, where technothriller meets domestic thriller meets post-apocalyptic science fiction meets suspense. Heck, you can even chuck in a touch of horror if you want. Just a smidge, though.
This book was engaging from the start and had an interesting plot, but the book as whole is definitely character-driven. For the most part, that’s great. For the majority of the book the characters are intriguing and you want to know more about them. You want to find out what makes them tick and ferret out their secrets. Sadly, somewhere around the beginning of the third act some of the characters start to break down into caricatures or even stereotypes, and the book falls flat for just long enough to lose some of the momentum. It’s not long enough to ruin the book, but it is long enough to affect the overall enjoyment level a little. Otherwise, this is a great read that’s a little out of the box.
I was provided a copy of this title by NetGalley and the author. All thoughts, opinions, views, and ideas expressed herein are mine and mine alone. Thank you.
If you’re looking for a literary epiphany you won’t find it in this book, but you will still find a very solid first entry into a fantasy series with If you’re looking for a literary epiphany you won’t find it in this book, but you will still find a very solid first entry into a fantasy series with great world building and atmosphere.
To Kill a Shadow is the first book in (from what I can find) author Katherine Quinn’s Mistlands series, which reminds me of such series as Defy the Night by Brigid Kemmerer and a touch of Shadow and Bone by Leigh Bardugo. The blurb makes this book seem a lot darker than it actually is with all of its horror references, since the allusions to both The Mist and The Evil Dead are both mostly glancing askance instead of embracing the horror wholly.
I found this book a touch confusing at first because I thought it might be an age-gap romantasy and I just missed the memo, but it’s not. (Though that would’ve been a cool surprise had it not taken the book entirely out of the YA genre). I did love our two MCs, Jude and Kiara. They have a natural chemistry on page, with terrific dialogue that snaps and crackles with emotion. While their relationship evolves rather fast compared to other romantasy series of the same genre, I didn’t mind it because I’m not a lover of slow-burn. This series makes a huge point of Kiara being a woman who knows her own mind and that both she and Jude know how fleeting life can be in their world, so maybe it’s not too hard to imagine when someone reaches a hand out you take it.
The plot? Well, it’s rather transparent. That’s the thin point here. The plot is rather derivative of several other YA romantasy series and is very predictable (at least it is to me). The saving grace to this book is the comfort feel of a solid fantasy read, the characters, the dialogue, and the world building.
A good first entry into a new series, so I recommend reading this if you’re looking to get into a new series.
I was provided a copy of this title by NetGalley and the author. All thoughts, opinions, views, and ideas expressed herein are mine and mine alone. This review was written without compensation. Thank you.
File Under: Book Series/Dark Fantasy/Fantasy Series/LGBTQ Fiction/Supernatural Fantasy/YA Fantasy/YA Romantasy...more
I love hiking, but I didn’t like this book. I thought the premise was neat, but the way it was carried out was absolutely ridiculous and required me tI love hiking, but I didn’t like this book. I thought the premise was neat, but the way it was carried out was absolutely ridiculous and required me to suspend too much disbelief.
Instead of the female friendships coming across as sincere and heartfelt, their bonds felt contrived and shallow. The book was predictable and absolutely dry.
I can’t say I recommend it at all.
I was provided a copy of this title by NetGalley and the author. All thoughts, opinions, views, and ideas expressed herein are mine and mine alone. Personal policy dictates that since this title received a rating of three stars or lower it will not appear on social media or bookseller websites. ...more
Laura’s is Carmilla, even though Laura never set out to have a nemesis at all and certainly never meant it to be Carmilla“Everybody’s got a nemesis”.
Laura’s is Carmilla, even though Laura never set out to have a nemesis at all and certainly never meant it to be Carmilla, a girl who burns with incandescence and whom Laura wants with an obscene passion. Every time Carmilla sneers at her Laura only wants to pin her to a wall and see her become pliant.
Carmilla’s nemesis is definitely Laura and she’ll tell you so. Laura’s been her nemesis since the very first evening she walked into Ms. De Lafontaine’s poetry seminar and showed her up. Carmilla’s used to enemies and backstabbing, though. She doesn’t know what to do with, or about, Laura.
And Ms. De Lafontaine? Well, she’s electric, enigmatic, enthralling, and possessive.
These are the most basic facts at the heart of An Education of Malice, and if the book just stopped there I would’ve loved it. But author S. T. Gibson took this concept of power imbalance between a possessive lecturer and her talented poetry students, a needy and obsessive student with no mother and an absentee father, and a earnest but erotic freshman student with a way with words and elevated it. Ms. De Lafonatine becomes a parasite, feeding on the lifeblood and youth of her needy student who longs for a mother figure of any kind. The needy and obsessive Carmilla is pushed and pulled between her admiration and thrall for Ms. De Lafontaine and her passion and fascination for the erotic and earnest Laura. Laura is torn between her all-consuming erotic desire for Carmilla and her pursuit of becoming a member of the Episcopalian clergy. Steadily events spiral and spin out of control.
This book gripped me from page one, with its late 1960s all-women’s small liberal arts college setting (my favorite fashion era, btw), sapphic gothic novella retelling cellular structure, original poetry excerpts, quoted poetry excerpts, and the almost cultish fervor that follows elite lecturers and the most brilliant darlings of smaller college campuses. The word choices are sublime, the imagery is gorgeous, and the sentence structure is immaculate. I enjoyed every single page. Best book I’ve read so far this year.
I was provided a copy of this title by NetGalley and the author. All thoughts, opinions, views, and ideas expressed herein are mine and mine alone. Thank you.
This is book five of the Puckboys series, and I think this is the first time I’ve given a book in this series less than five stars. For some reason, tThis is book five of the Puckboys series, and I think this is the first time I’ve given a book in this series less than five stars. For some reason, this entry just didn’t gel for me as well as the others: it was a combination of not liking one of the MMCs too much, the two MMCs not having as much chemistry as I wanted, and not having the amount of spice I was expecting that threw me off, I think.
Of course, the formidable writing duo that is Eden and Saxon didn’t fail me in the writing department, though. The plot is solid, their effortless humor is there, and our beloved Queer Collective makes a few cameo appearances. Asher, Quinn’s teammate, made my day almost every time he was on page.
Minor annoyances aside, any entry in the Sadenverse is a good entry. Eden and Saxon don’t write bad books, in my opinion. This is just a little less of a good book than all their other absolutely excellent books, that’s all.
I was provided a copy of this title by the authors. All thoughts, opinions, views, and ideas expressed herein are mine and mine alone. Thank you.
First, had I known this was going to be a series I wouldn’t have requested it. I wasn’t looking to get inveI’m going to be upfront about a few things:
First, had I known this was going to be a series I wouldn’t have requested it. I wasn’t looking to get invested in a new series and there was no indication this was book one in a series (or duology? IDK) when I requested it. Point of fact: There’s still no indication on NetGalley, Amazon, BookBub, or Goodreads. So if you were interested in this book because you thought it was a standalone (like I did), it’s not (or, if it is, I’m very confused).
Second: I can’t pinpoint exactly why I liked this book so much…but I did. I liked it a lot.
Since the plot of this book is complex and it’s not a standalone as I initially thought, this review is going to be on the shorter side. This also has to do with the fact (see above) that I can’t really hone in on why I liked it so much, so all I can do is tell you I was resonating with this book on a whole frequency that let most of the flaws I saw in it slide on by with little notice until I finished and sat with it for a minute (most of this “minute” was largely spent being very confused about how I didn’t know this wasn’t a standalone).
The blurb for this book waxes eloquent about the romantasy element of this book, but if you’re looking for a romantasy-heavy book this isn’t it. The romantasy element really only comes into play in the third act and it’s all very chaste and proper (partially due to the FMC’s beliefs and partially due to constant changes in circumstances). What’s more important in this book is the complex feelings and responsibilities regarding family, very quick and shuffling political intrigues, the evils of colonization, and complex moral dilemmas.
So yes, it has its issues, but it was very enjoyable nonetheless. If you’re looking to get into a new series I highly recommend it.
I was provided a copy of this title by NetGalley and the author. All thoughts, opinions, views, and ideas expressed herein are mine and mine alone. Thank you.
File Under: Book Series/Fantasy/Romantasy/Fantasy Series/Forbidden Romance ...more
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