Amanda
I read this in about two days - like my placeholder review said, it's Edwardian-era lesbians in a country-house murder mystery, which is several different flavors of my catnip all rolled into one. This isn't five stars only because the plots are really separate and I wish they'd been more intertwined; as it is, this is almost like two books in one, first the romance and then the murder mystery, especially since no one turns up dead until over halfway through the book. I just wish there'd been more slow burn on the romance and maybe a little more mystery to the mystery - though I really liked Pat, Fen, and Bill teaming up to solve it, it was all wrapped up pretty quickly. All that aside, though, this was such a fun book to read and I've thoroughly enjoyed my little three-book detour into KJ Charles. I'll definitely be reading more from her in the future!
I wanted a little bit of a slower burn here (or a little more flashback/backstory about the relationship), but this is a super-hot dark romance that's basically a Disney AU. So good and very high heat level. But pay attention to the content warnings on the author's site.
Pretty average historical romance (mid-Victorian), nothing too offensive, nothing too outstanding. A ton of appearances from the leads in previous books in the series, not surprisingly, since this is the sixth book in the series and everyone is related. Could've done with a little less Plot Moppet, and was a little surprised by the seemingly hanging thread of Tom's relationship with his family - when he put it in the "contract," I thought surely it would come up again, but not so much. Anyway. The only real nitpick I have here is that Cassandra is described in the text of the book as being bigger and the cover model, while definitely beautiful, is not plus at all. I enjoyed this, because Lisa Kleypas is wonderful, but it might not stick with me for long.
This book felt like homework. Well-written homework, but still. I didn't ever really feel like Ida Mae was in danger of being outed, except for the one hardware store scene, which was well-done and kind of scary/ominous. I didn't ever really connect with any of the characters, except maybe Patsy, who I wanted to know more about. (And this isn't to say that Ida Mae's story wasn't interesting, because it was, but I'd never even heard of wing-walkers before this.) Also totally didn't buy the romance - it felt really thrown in, like someone was worried that people wouldn't be interested in the story without it. Ending seemed a little abrupt as well.
It was fine? It's possible I'm just not a big fan of novellas (novellae?) if the characters don't already have a prior connection to draw on (like in [b:Once Ghosted, Twice Shy 42128976 Once Ghosted, Twice Shy (Reluctant Royals, #2.5) Alyssa Cole https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1541510712l/42128976.SY75.jpg 65725346], which I did like). Mrs. Martin was a very fun character and all the various schemes she employed to get rid of the Terrible Nephew were hilarious. I just didn't quite buy the insta-love, though I'm still glad I read this. Hooray for older characters and queer historicals!(2019 summer romance bingo: “both leads over 50”; could also count for “title includes character's name” or a very loose interpretation of “sassy grandparent.”)
I really enjoyed this - it's sort of Bridget Jones-ish, but less self-destructive and more finally dealing with trauma and getting your life together? That makes it sound pretty heavy, and there are CWs for sexual assault, death of a parent, and a possibly abusive relationship, but this is the furthest thing from dark or grim. Georgina is a great narrator and a fun main character, and I liked her friends as well, though I do wish they were a bit more fleshed out. This was a lot of fun and I definitely want to read more by this author now!
Loved this, loved Chloe and her sisters, loved just how prickly Chloe was on bad pain days - I don't have fibromyalgia, but I have endometriosis, another chronic pain condition, and when it flares, I'm not fun to be around. I really just enjoyed this book a whole lot, honestly; the MCs' problems and insecurities made a lot of sense and were worked through in a realistic way, and I also liked that there was no last-minute appearance from the evil ex (on either side, really, but I mostly meant Pippa), which can sometimes be effective but is usually not my favorite trope. I'm so happy this is going to be a series, and I would also like to respectfully request a flashback novella or something about Gigi, who is awesome and needed to be in this book even more.
Fascinating and heartbreaking and infuriating. Would be darkly funny at times if not for the terrible human cost this almost unimaginably callous and self-interested family inflicted on millions of innocent people.
I loved this SO HARD the first time I read it, but it doesn't hold up as well to later readings for me. I identify like crazy with being a big fish in a small pond and then moving to a much bigger pond and having to adjust accordingly. I liked how the book dealt with the race/gender/sexuality issues without making it Very Special Episode-ish or changing the focus of the book. I don't think this one displaces [b:The Disreputable History of Frankie Landau-Banks 1629601 The Disreputable History of Frankie Landau-Banks E. Lockhart http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1313980820s/1629601.jpg 1623714] or the Ruby Oliver books in my heart, but I definitely identify with it more. Added w/reread July 2012: I still adore this book. And the epilogue.
Honestly, when I read [b:Tempest 35068495 Tempest (Old West, #3) Beverly Jenkins https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1501935222l/35068495.SY75.jpg 56363953], the book where Spring makes her first appearance, I thought she was a lesbian or possibly asexual, but overall very much not interested in men, and I was more than cool with that. But I'm happy to be wrong in this instance - as the author notes in her comments at the end, Garrett is very much a cinnamon roll hero and just what the grumpy (with good reason) Spring needs, I think. Content warnings: gun violence, survival sex work (off-page), abuse by parental figure (off-page), slut-shaming/misogyny. I love the connections to previous books by this author, and I always feel like I've come away learning something from her historical romances. She does the work and it shows in every page.
Not bad, just ... basic? I'm not sure what I wanted it to be instead, maybe deeper instead of so broad, but this didn't quite hit the spot for me like I was hoping it would, unfortunately.
Meh. I wanted more of a bigger picture about Black parenting and adoption in America, and this was mostly just the author's experiences (which I know is what a memoir is, but a little more perspective about how other people go through this would've been good). Also, for someone who talks constantly about feeling judged or looked down on by others for adopting, she sure spends a lot of time judging other people, especially her children's birth mother and other foster parents, so much so that she decides their adoptions should be closed - no contact with their older siblings or mother, because she disapproves of the foster homes the older kids are in. That decision was mind-boggling to me and I really considered DNF-ing the book at that point. The writing is fine, and the story is interesting enough, but sad to say, I just didn't really like the author enough to enjoy this book. I don't have to agree with all your decisions when I'm reading a memoir, but I should at least like you as a person, I think.
So damn delightful and exactly what I needed right now! Not wholly a romance - I mean, it definitely ticks the boxes of the genre, but it's almost as much about Emily rebuilding the relationship with her sister and niece, making friends, and restarting her life after a bad breakup as it is about the romance with Simon. That's not to say I didn't like the romance, because I absolutely did (though I read a tweet from the author comparing Simon and Mitch's energy to that of Chris and Brad from the Bon Appetit Test Kitchen videos, and that was a little bit distracting, because it changed my mental image of Simon to Chris Morocco, which isn't all that far off from the character description, but the pirate outfit in Faire was ... yeah, a lot.) I really liked this world, though it was a little bit white and straight for my tastes, but a nice, low-conflict, low-drama romance was perfect in these “challenging times,” as every email I've gotten from a company phrases it. Very excited to read the next book in this series!
(Content warnings from author here: https://itsrorypower.com/books/wilder-girls/. Hard agree on the body horror warning in particular.)
This isn't usually my thing and I'm not quite sure how to review it - I enjoyed it but I wanted more answers, and I wish the ending had been a little less abrupt. The writing was excellent and I enjoyed the slow reveal of what was going on with all the girls and the Tox (by the way, this is quite a book to read in the second year of a pandemic, though the Tox is very different than Covid-19). I tend to prefer lighter works, but this was compelling and I had to know what was going to happen.
A loose adaptation of Pride and Prejudice to a modern-day Muslim community in Toronto. I loved the author's writing style and wanted to spend more time with these characters, especially Ayesha (of course). The whole mistaken identity at the mosque meeting that leads to Khalid being engaged to Ayesha's cousin was kind of silly, and I don't know why it would have persisted for that long, but I'll chalk that up to romance novel. Khalid's mother was a little one-dimensional and I would've liked for her to have an extra layer or two, but the rest of the major characters were so well-developed and seemed like real people. I'm excited to read whatever Jalaluddin writes next!
Two minor notes:
1) Cover LOVE - it's so gorgeous with the gold and purple and then that little pop of lipstick.
2) Re Clara: I don't quite know who she and her boyfriend were supposed to be in the P&P adaptation. Clearly Hafsa is Lydia and Tarik is Wickham and Khalid's mom is Lady Catherine, but I guess maybe Clara is Jane? Anyway, her boyfriend is a scrub and not worthy of her.
(2019 summer romance bingo: “title includes character's name”; could also count for “heroine smells like a flower.”)
A perfectly charming historical romance - set in the Georgian era, which is a little earlier time period than most of the historicals I read, so it was a bit of an adjustment to envision the characters with powdered wigs and panniers, but that's not too big of a deal. This is the fifth in a series and I haven't read any of the others, but I don't think I really lost out on anything despite that. This was just a pleasant world to escape to for a few hours, with mostly likable characters who mostly like each other, and no huge drama or conflict. Even the Big Secret is kind of silly and resolved in one conversation, so this is what you'd call a low-conflict book, which I enjoy very much in These Uncertain Times.
(2020 summer romance bingo: “their nose was broken once but it only makes them more handsome.” Could work for “set on island,” technically, since it's in England, or “meddling matchmakers,” but the ball in this book is in April, so sadly no midsummer ball.)
Cute and extremely silly Halloween romance novella, kind of exactly what KU was made for - I enjoyed this but I would've been annoyed to pay a full e-book price for it, since it's pure nonsense fluff and barely over 100 pages. I did end up enjoying it quite a bit, even though I usually like books to be somewhat longer.
(2022 Summer Romance Bingo: Halloween. Would also work for amnesia, maybe dance, definitely ghost.)
Cute and pretty enjoyable overall - good beach-read type romance. I wanted Amy and Ethan to be a little more developed as characters, especially Amy, since so much of the story is about those two relationships. I didn't think the plot thread about Olive being unsatisfied with her job and wanting something new really went anywhere, though I did like the scene with her supposed new boss and his wife in Hawaii. All in all, fun summer read.
(2022 Summer Romance Bingo: Hawaii. Would also work for mistaken identity.)
A little light on plot, but it is a novella, so. Likotsi was one of my favorite characters in [b:A Princess in Theory 35271238 A Princess in Theory (Reluctant Royals, #1) Alyssa Cole https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1501702014s/35271238.jpg 56629976] and it was so great to see her get a happy ending! This entire series is just wonderful and I can't wait for the next book.
Ughhh this was so delightful and sweet and exactly what I needed right now. I'm so glad this is going to be a series.
Really liked the style of the book - it's told mostly via diary/journal entries (in the guise of it being a school project) with other things like letters/transcripts/texts throughout as well. Alaine has such a clear, fun voice and I loved how it really came through in the writing. Three stars because there was just too much plot and everything was really overstuffed - between her mother's Alzheimer's and the embezzlement at the nonprofit and the romance with the other intern and the family curse and voudou, it was just a lot, even for a 400+ page book, and I think a couple of the subplots could have been dropped or reduced to focus more on Alaine and her experience in Haiti, which was the part I was most interested in (and I think the strongest part of the book).
Still wanted more kink but this one was much more enjoyable than [b:The Duke I Tempted 40019357 The Duke I Tempted (Secrets of Charlotte Street, #1) Scarlett Peckham https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1525996814l/40019357.SY75.jpg 61977414]. There was still a good amount of angst/drama/etc, but Constance and Julian were much more enjoyable as POV characters, especially Constance. Not sure I'll read the third book in this series, but I'm definitely keeping an eye on this author!
Absolutely delightful high-heat, low-conflict fluff. There's some mild angst, and this is an employer/employee romance, but I think it's handled well, all things considered. Turn your brain off (in a good way) and relax into reading about a tall, tattooed, ginger-bearded caregiver and a brilliant cardiac surgeon falling in love.