We’re finally at the end of the road for the Rhodes Pack…at least in main story material (I know Remy has supplemental story material hidden, the minxWe’re finally at the end of the road for the Rhodes Pack…at least in main story material (I know Remy has supplemental story material hidden, the minx). It’s been a wild ride from the moment Nix unknowingly stumbled into that ER for supernaturals way back in the beginning of Threads of Fate. This pack of eight men, hopelessly in love and devoted to one another, captured my heart from the start and have so far refused to let go.
If you thought Darkness Echoes was a wild ride, then buckle the heck up, because Remy was saving the true wildness for the second half of this arc. You’ll truly see the members of this pack come more fully into their own and realize their full potential. This is especially true for Rowan, Leo, and Luca, in my opinion–the three pack members who’ve always struggled with where they belong and who they are.
This book is less about connecting and soothing pack bonds like Darkness Echoes; instead, this book is almost entirely devoted to defending what Jay and the others have built and protecting their future. Dark times are coming if Patrick Carnell gets what he wants, and the time to confront him is coming whether they like it or not. And it’s their bonds that will get them there. 5⭐️
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.
File Under: 5 Star Review/Book Series/Gay Romance/Kindle Unlimited/Kink Friendly/LGBTQ Romance/MM Romance/Omegaverse Romance/Paranormal Romance/Polyamorous Romance/Rock Star Romance/Spice Level 3 ...more
Stop and do not go any further if you haven’t read Remy’s Fated in the Stars trilogy, because you can’t even start Darkness Echoes without reading thaStop and do not go any further if you haven’t read Remy’s Fated in the Stars trilogy, because you can’t even start Darkness Echoes without reading that series. What happens in this duology is entirely informed by that trilogy and you will be lost from page one (and spoiled for the trilogy, to boot).
So, now for those who have read and finished the Fated in the Stars trilogy.
Darkness Echoes picks up about three or so months after the events of Tides of Fate. Life has settled down for the Rhodes Pack…for the most part. One pack member has been kind of absent and a bit secretive, two other pack members have been kind of competitive and a little combative, another pack member has been sad, and another pack member is…disgruntled with everyone.
After the events at the end of Tides of Fate, it was evident that Gideon’s dad, Patrick Carnell, was up to a whole lot of no good–but what kind of no good? What exactly is he after, or who?
I’ll tell you one thing: Remy had to listen to me whine about how icky Carnell is several times while I was editing this book. I don’t even know how many times I complained about his sheer ickiness. He’s a creep. Blech. He’s as slippery and slimy as the oil he probably uses to suntan with. SO GROSS.
The Rhodes Pack leaves Nashville for Florida when it becomes clear that whatever dark deeds Carnell is getting up to is being done in or near Jay and Nix’s hometown of Clearwater. This decision sets off a rapid-fire series of events that keeps this whole pack running and dodging one danger after another, all while trying to keep each other safe and their bonds shining bright with love and care. There are a lot of new discoveries and explosive events before this half of the duology winds down to a rather natural break in the story (thank you, Remy).
If the Fated in the Stars trilogy was about connection, love, and family, then Echoes of Eternity is about what happens after, when your love is tested in the harshest of ways. 5⭐️
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.
Space pirates. I’m not a big fan of pirates when they’re historical and on Earth in the water, but space pirates? I friggin’ love me some space pirateSpace pirates. I’m not a big fan of pirates when they’re historical and on Earth in the water, but space pirates? I friggin’ love me some space pirates.
Space pirates in a space opera with a sapphic romance: That’s a recipe that almost always works for me. The Two Lies of Faven Sythe was good soup.
From the engaging and intriguing beginning chapters all the way through to the cinematic scenes that make up the kaleidoscopic climax of this story, Megan O’Keefe has written a completely enrapturing story that I gladly let swallow me whole and carry me away. 5⭐️
I was provided a copy of this title by the author and publisher via Netgalley. All thoughts, opinions, views, and ideas expressed herein are mine and mine alone. Thank you.
So, I didn’t like the last Cavanaugh book I tried to read, so last night I opened the file for this one up to get a feel for it before I committed to So, I didn’t like the last Cavanaugh book I tried to read, so last night I opened the file for this one up to get a feel for it before I committed to it. Before I knew it, I was 66% of the way through and it was closing in on midnight (which is past my bedtime these days). I spend this morning finishing it up as soon as I was awake enough to get back to it (which is as soon as I finished my first huge tumbler of iced coffee). That’s how invested I was in this book.
For me there was such a nostalgic feel to this book. When I was in my late teens I consumed legal thrillers by the likes of John Grisham like candy, a genre that I started reading because I loved To Kill a Mockingbird (which plays a part in the plot of this book) and the movie A Time to Kill (which came out in 1996, the year I graduated high school). At some point a few years later I was too busy being a new wife and mother to read anything but picture books and fell out of the habit, and The Devil’s Advocate reminds me so much of why I loved reading those legal thrillers so much: the underdog defendants, the real criminals, the men behind the curtain, the dangers inherent to exposing corruption and bringing the truth to light, the drive to tell the truth even if it hurts, the pull to choose to do the right thing even if it’s hard.
Eddie Flynn makes a great main protagonist for his misfit legal team, a man driven by truth and justice because he’s not in any place to make moral judgment calls and the law doesn’t care about morals anyway. In this book he needs to be like Jack with the candlestick, nimble and quick, because the enemy is several steps ahead of him from the start. It’s enough to make you bite your nails. 5⭐️
I was provided a copy of this title by the author and publisher via Netgalley, courtesy of Atria Books’ influencer program. All thoughts, opinions, views, and ideas expressed herein are mine and mine alone. Thank you.
If there’s one book influencer that’s to blame for increasing my TBR more than any other, it’s Mother Horror, and I’m honestly not mad about it at allIf there’s one book influencer that’s to blame for increasing my TBR more than any other, it’s Mother Horror, and I’m honestly not mad about it at all. Not only does Sadie love horror more than any other person I’ve ever seen, but she truly respects it as an art form and as a platform for philosophical and cultural discourse.
Feral and Hysterical is a fantastic and natural follow-up to her first nonfiction tome, 101 Horror Books to Read Before You’re Murdered. I’ve been following Sadie for a couple of years now and have seen her curate this book right before my eyes. As someone who prefers to read books written by women, I’ve been feral to see which books, out of the hundreds I’ve seen Sadie post about on Instagram, would make it into this book and why.
Mother Horror would never expect her readers to sit through a dry book with yet another rote list of books broken up into boring categories, so she chose to break it up into vibes, which is something I appreciate so much. Mood reading is great for genres like romance, but I find that horror is something much more dependent on the vibes of a book. As to be expected from such a dedicated fan, Sadie’s suggestions are completely on point.
The book includes a fantastic introduction/foreword speaking on the topic of the usage of the word “hysterical” when it comes to women over time, a complete list of all books mentioned at the end of the text and before the acknowledgments, a section on how to go about and sustainably build your own home library, and an index (thank goodness). It’s truly a reference book for any lover of horror fiction or for those who love women authors and want to read more horror without reading books by men that are recommended so often. 5⭐️
I was provided a copy of this title by the author and publisher via Netgalley. All thoughts, opinions, views, and ideas expressed herein are mine and mine alone. Thank you.
That’s a lesson Aurelia is going to learn the hard way in this book, and yes that means you’re going toThe road to hell is paved with good intentions.
That’s a lesson Aurelia is going to learn the hard way in this book, and yes that means you’re going to want to pay attention to your TW/CWs before going in. You’re also going to want to make sure knowledge of the previous book is fresh in your mind because this book picks up immediately where book three left off without mercy.
Her Tortured Beasts matches the energy of its title: it’s a beast of a book at 555 pages and because of how much happens in those pages and it’s tortured because Aurelia and her mates all see some truly dark and tortured times. It’s really hard to say anything more without spoiling the book for those who are really going to care about reviews of this book, which are those who already know about this series and have been waiting on tenterhooks for the next installment (like me), but I can tell you Bali hasn’t let us down and this book hits on every level. It’s intense in every way, dark, emotional, painful, and just did everything I wanted and needed it to do. 5⭐️
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.
Oh, to be a fly on the wall in the Rhodes Pack house.
Metaphorically speaking, of course.
A lot has happened in a very short amount of time since thisOh, to be a fly on the wall in the Rhodes Pack house.
Metaphorically speaking, of course.
A lot has happened in a very short amount of time since this series started in the first book, Threads of Fate, which isn’t a fact this book lets slip by, but it’s still amazing to realize just how much the Rhodes Pack has been through in such a short time span, and the events of this series still have yet to come.
If Threads of Fate was about bringing everyone together, introducing us to the members of the pack, showing us how they fit together, and showing us how Phoenix Rena fits into the picture, and Bonds of Fate was about taking the members of this pack and integrating them into a loving and glowing whole while healing so many of their psychological wounds, then Tides of Fate is about making sure that the pack is complete, sealed, and finally safe even as the world around them begins to change and ask more of them.
Threads of Fate beared the burden of exposition and character development because it was the first book in the series and Nix was unconscious for the majority of it, while Bonds of Fate was filled to the brim with spice because of the discovery of Nix’s secondary omega gender and pack bonding. Tides of Fate is a dance of character development (including some great development for Nix, Jay, Finn, and Leo), plot development, the introduction of new characters (we get to meet some parentals), fight scenes, worldbuilding, and some really hot spice scenes (can you say heat?). 5⭐️
I was provided a copy of this title by the author. All thoughts, opinions, views, and ideas expressed herein are mine and mine alone. I will disclose that I was not merely an ARC reader for this book but also partially a beta reader and helped with some edits, so this may bring bias to my review that other readers might not experience. I’m also friends with the author and that may affect my views. Thank you.
That’s what The Watch is. A whole bunch of psychopaths, their neurodivergent handlers, and their amped-up instructorsCaution: Contents Under Pressure.
That’s what The Watch is. A whole bunch of psychopaths, their neurodivergent handlers, and their amped-up instructors all forced into intense forced proximity with one another. Some can go with the flow. Waylon Boone and Payton Skinner? Well, neither one was made to stay put. Not without a little incentive anyway.
The Sin Eater pretty much picks up right where The Bone Collector left off, and you will have to read that book to even understand this book at all. In an attempt to get things back on track and engage the students in something interesting, a timely lesson in disinformation and propaganda is taught. While useful, it doesn’t seem too consequential until the next morning when a deep fake video of one of Payton’s fellow Watch members is shown school-wide, starting a cascade of events that not only take up this book but will lead into the next one.
The plot’s interesting, but in reality it doesn’t affect Payton too badly until later in the book. Mostly it serves as a vehicle not only for Boone and Payton to work closely and spend more time together, but also for Boone to examine what exactly his job is at The Watch and what his priorities in life are and for Payton to think about where he came from, who he is now, who’s in his life, and what he can’t do without should something horrible happen. Payton has a lot of secrets he’s holding onto, and while Boone knows all of them, no one else does.
If you think the spice in this book is hot, then you wouldn’t be wrong. The Watch books so far seem to be kinkier and spicier than Jericho’s Boys. I’d venture to say the spice in The Watch is kinkier than the spice in Necessary Evils but there isn’t more spice, if that makes sense. It’s just that the spice that’s happening is more…deviant. I love that. I love the forbidden aspect of the relationship dynamics in these books. The daddy kink in this book combined with a little professor/student roleplay? I mean, say less. A generous sprinkle of pain play? Oh yes. As always, Onley shows us a good time and we come back begging for more. 5⭐️
What to Expect
Age Gap (10+ years) Graduate school of hormonal psychopaths Forbidden romance Headmaster/student roleplay Daddy kink Androgynous Payton kink Extremism/terrorism discussion Disinformation/propaganda discussion Deep fakes/AI discussion Forced proximity The call is coming from inside the house
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.
This is a haunting, suspenseful, lovingly crafted, absolutely mournful tale of secrets and hidden truths, set in the desolate landscape known as the SThis is a haunting, suspenseful, lovingly crafted, absolutely mournful tale of secrets and hidden truths, set in the desolate landscape known as the Salton Sea. I wanted to read this book because the Salton Sea is a region I studied in university as part of my water rights course and because I’ll read just about anything that speaks to my love of female rage. Let me tell you that Salt Bones is so much more than just female rage and the injustice of the polluted Salton Sea: it’s a fantastic story about intergenerational trauma, racism, colonization, stolen land, parentification, misogyny, greed, the Mexican-American diaspora, and the long-term consequences of factory farming and big agriculture practices.
I know that sounds like a lot to take in, but stick with me. Author Jennifer Givhan has written a rich, complex, diverse tapestry of characters for this novel that help give this story so much depth and dimension. There are families, friends, townspeople, strangers, villains, and all of them have a definite presence on the page, even if they’re only seen for a page or two. When you add the characters to the texture, darkness, and mystery the sea and the Sonoran Desert both lend to the atmosphere, it weaves a mighty spell of a story that edges right up to the line between thriller and horror but doesn’t quite step over. It’s absolutely terrific. 5⭐️
Thanks to the author and Books Forward PR for sending me an advanced copy of this title. All thoughts, opinions, views, and ideas expressed herein are mine and mine alone. Thank you!
The Memory of the Ogisi is the third and final book in Moses Ose Utomi’s debut book series, The Forever Desert, and just like the two previous installThe Memory of the Ogisi is the third and final book in Moses Ose Utomi’s debut book series, The Forever Desert, and just like the two previous installments this book is distilled mythological fantasy genius. All together, the trilogy as a whole is crystallized perfection. I’ve given each book five stars worth of well-deserved praise because every bit is well-deserved.
If you’re wondering if you can read this separately, no you can’t.
If second book in this series (The Truth of the Aleke) took place a nebulous amount of centuries after the events of the first book (The Lies of the Ajungo), then The Memory of the Ogisi takes place an even more nebulous time after the events of The Truth of the Aleke. It could be decades, centuries, maybe even thousands of years. It’s irrelevant, really, because the truth of the matter is those who don’t learn from history are doomed to repeat it and revenge is a dish best served cold.
These books are filled with so many deep philosophical, moral, and ethical quandaries that make you think about what might be right, wrong, or just necessary. These stories are a reminder there’s a difference between need, want, and desire and a stark contrast between expectation and reality. The two main characters in this book, Ethike and Agba, come from two diametrically opposed ways of life and each have to confront truths about their beliefs, their missions, their truths, and how far they’re willing to go in the pursuit of their goals.
If you haven’t picked up this series yet I highly recommend it. Moses Ose Utomi is only getting started and I can’t wait to see what he writes next. 5⭐️
I was provided a copy of this title by the author and publisher via Netgalley. All thoughts, opinions, views, and ideas expressed herein are mine and mine alone. Thank you.
File Under: 5 Star Review/Book Series/Fantasy/Fantasy Series/Folk Fantasy/Historical Fantasy/OwnVoices ...more
There is nothing like the feeling of reading a book by a debut author and having it turn out to be one of the best books you’ve read in its genre in aThere is nothing like the feeling of reading a book by a debut author and having it turn out to be one of the best books you’ve read in its genre in ages.
Glass Girls is about 30% family drama, 30% witch fantasy, 30% ghost horror, and 10% psychological thriller, all crafted into a compelling story that immediately drew me in and truly didn’t let me go until the last page.
I often bemoan books for being too slow or for having uneven pacing, but Danie Shokoohi obviously understood the assignment because this book has a great sense of urgency, of propulsion, in the way the story is told and the manner in which it unfolds. There is a purpose for every inch of page and no filler, making for an immersive and vibrant read. Even though there is some non-linear timeline stuff that happens, it sometimes varies in how it happens and when it happens, which greatly appealed to me as a reader because it made exposition feel more organic and less planned out.
The humanity in these characters and the events that have made up their lives will hurt your heart and make you long for resolution as much as they do. I became deeply invested in what happened to the characters in this book. I highly recommend it. 5⭐️
I was provided a copy of this title by the author and publisher via Netgalley. All thoughts, opinions, views, and ideas expressed herein are mine and mine alone. Thank you.
So, in a relatively short amount of time, you’re whole life has changed: you’re no longer human, your abuser is in jail, you’ve been reunited with theSo, in a relatively short amount of time, you’re whole life has changed: you’re no longer human, your abuser is in jail, you’ve been reunited with the love of your life, you’ve discovered your the fated mate to six other gorgeous men, and now you wake up and you’re in an absolutely lovely house that’s fancier than any you’ve ever stepped foot in before. What’s the first thing you do?
You’ll have to read Bonds of Fate to figure out how Nix Rena handles it.
Bonds of Fate starts immediately after the end of book one in the Fated in the Stars trilogy, Threads of Fate, the morning after the Rhodes Pack finally gets to bring Nix home from the hospital. Everyone thought the ordeal was over, that they could all get right to integrating Nix into the pack and bonding while they waited for Nix’s abuser to go to trial. You know what they say about making plans, though…
Bonds of Fate brings everything to the table that Threads of Fate was missing by virtue of the fact that Nix spent almost the whole book unconscious and it was set almost entirely in the hospital and yet you get even more of those sweet, deep, affectionate polyamory bonds that weave throughout each and every dynamic within the pack. The emotional depth and strength of this pack, along with their deep knowledge of one another, is something wholly necessary and used consistently and often throughout this book as they come across one new development or obstacle after another and have to navigate their way through each one together for the happiness and health of everyone.
Are there slip-ups? Yes. Not everyone’s perfect. Emotions are running high, frustration is getting in the way of instincts, and the urge to protect and sacrifice is strong. That’s the great thing about having so many people around to love you: They’ll catch you when you fall and help you find a better way.
Tides of Fate, the third book, is going to be even more awesome and show more sides of this pack. But for now, enjoy this period where Nix gets to know the Rhodes Pack as they court him and help him find out who he is as a were. Enjoy the huge amount of spice and please make sure to read the front matter and the addendum at the back that Bishop included on secondary gender as it pertains to the Fated in the Stars universe. 5⭐️
Are you already a fan of the Dark Witch Academy books? Then you’ll know right away when the events in this book take place, what happens directly afteAre you already a fan of the Dark Witch Academy books? Then you’ll know right away when the events in this book take place, what happens directly after, and what happens in the near future as a coincidence. If you’re not already a fan and Virgo Queen is your first venture into the Dark Witch Academy world then you’ll be more than a touch confused (but it also may entice you to come to our side, where we have super spicy polyamorous romance and it’s oh-so-hot).
All Good Girl and Apple-Polisher Molly McSnicker wants on her birthday is a real kiss. Since the students at Dark Witch Academy will take advantage of any opportunity they can find to have a party, she’s going to take advantage of the loud music, firelight, pheromones, and alcohol on hand. That’s the plan. So of course it’s thrown off course almost immediately by the chaos reigning at the academy at the moment.
Mallory McSnicker is one of the most beloved supporting characters in the Dark Witch Academy series. She’s a genuinely kind and good person with a steady presence throughout the books, as well as being heavily involved in one of the series subplots. It’s nice (and likely necessary, given where the series is now) to get to know Mallory as an individual and see how she came to be with her mates, which is in as naughty and imperfect a way that it exists in direct opposition to everything anyone would expect from First Girl and Hall Monitor Mallory McSnicker. 5⭐️
I loved this. Loved it. I haven’t read a memoir I felt as compulsively readable as this in a long while.
Hannah Selinger wrote this book to invite us I loved this. Loved it. I haven’t read a memoir I felt as compulsively readable as this in a long while.
Hannah Selinger wrote this book to invite us behind the curtain during the 2000s, when celebrity chefs were everything and the fine dining scene was exploding across the country. A Gen Xer like myself, Selinger thought she would work at night and write by day, because wouldn’t that be the dream? But being single, living in New York, working late nights at busy restaurants, and then going out for drinks with coworkers after shifts isn’t exactly conducive to any kind of morning wake-up call so you can spend some time at the laptop writing. It’s a cycle that sucks you in.
I didn’t need to read this book to know that you can love the restaurant industry all you like but it’ll never love you back; heck, the service industry at large is like that. Heck, being a wife and mother can feel like that. Service of any kind can feel like that. But the pressure of the restaurant industry is a whole different machine. Selinger writes about her experiences with the kind of candor that only comes from someone who either has nothing left to lose or the kind of confidence that only comes from someone who has zero effs to give. I’m betting on the latter.
The writing here is witty, honest, emotional, thought-provoking, and deliciously descriptive. I don’t like wine, but I could read Hannah Selinger writing about it for an entire book, I think. 5⭐️
I was provided a copy of this title by the author and publisher via NetGalley. All thoughts, opinions, views, and ideas expressed herein are mine and mine alone. Thank you.
File Under: 5 Star Review/Autobiography/Memoir ...more
It might shock you to know that people really do sometimes meet someone and think, “That one. Yup. That one is mine. I’m going to marry this person onIt might shock you to know that people really do sometimes meet someone and think, “That one. Yup. That one is mine. I’m going to marry this person one day.” (I did, for the record. It lasted eighteen years).
However, it probably doesn’t come as a shocker to know that some people can talk themselves into believing all sorts of delusions, including that of course they haven’t been dating their best friend since they first met! They sleep in the same bed because cuddles are nice and it’s easier to stay warm. Yeah. Take that.
As always, when it feels like things might be slowing down just a tad around town, something nasty hits the fan. This time it’s the Chinese Triad making moves around the neighborhoods and doing business in ways the boys (and the Mulvaneys) just can’t condone, like kidnapping children to extort women for goods or services. Since the child the Triad attempted to kidnap is one of Mal’s dance students, the case becomes Nico and Mal’s responsibility. Neither one of them feels ready for the responsibility, but they know what it feels like to have no one care about you, and they won’t let this girl or her mother slip through the cracks.
Onley James never disappoints. Her books hit every time. I have a conviction inside of me that the Jericho’s Boys books are pointedly different from the Necessary Evils books not only because we were introduced to these characters as Jericho’s “wards” and as minors but because this story is far more focused on the angst, trauma, and emotional development of the main couples than the many major and interconnected plot lines that lasted throughout the NE series. We’re far more invested in these boys finding their HEA than their vigilantism, even though we have fun watching them deal out punishment to the bad guys while falling in love as much as we did with couples like Jericho and Atticus. For all of this and more, Barbarian deserves 5 stars.
Absolute power corrupts absolutely. It seems to me that immortality should make you realize that anyone but you should be in charge of anyone with a fAbsolute power corrupts absolutely. It seems to me that immortality should make you realize that anyone but you should be in charge of anyone with a finite life span. That there is what we call a power imbalance. That there is what we call privilege. Immortals have both the blessing and curse of time. Give them “magical” powers on top of that? Yeah, no thanks.
The Radiant King couldn’t have come along at a better time for me. I’ve been searching for an epic fantasy series with a lot of action, found family vibes, political intrigue, unique magic, and a large streak of darkness for a while now. I didn’t want a romantasy in any way (I love romantasy, but I do read a huge amount of it) but didn’t mind a minor subplot or two of it, but I did want powerful female characters in the central cast and for the book to be LGBTQ+ friendly. Most of all, I kind of wanted no one to be what one would call morally “good”. I wanted a whole bunch of really messy people in a really messy world.
That’s what I feel David Dalglish delivered here: Six extremely messy (and all insane, to some degree) immortal siblings (I don’t think they’re biologically related–think more spun into existence?) who all have divine powers of a sort and are toxically devoted to one another. There’s nothing one can do that won’t be forgiven, with time. After all, they have a lot of it. What happens, though, when one of them seems to be going too far? How far is too far? Where is the line?
The characters in this book jump off the page, grabbing your attention and holding it as they keep you engaged in this compelling story. I won’t lie and tell you there weren’t a couple of places where the pacing stalled just a bit, but it truly wasn’t enough to put me off when I was so invested in where this book was going, the story it was telling, and what was going to happen to these characters I had gotten to know. Dalglish shows off brilliant world building skills here, creating a deep mythology for this series, intense geography for the plot, and the ingenious broken tower that serves as the most important landmark in the whole book. It’s all vividly rendered and feels wonderfully fantastic. 5⭐️
I was provided a copy of this title by the author and publisher via Netgalley. All thoughts, opinions, views, and ideas expressed herein are mine and mine alone. Thank you.
File Under: 5 Star Review/Action-Adventure/Book Series/Dark Fantasy/Epic Fantasy/Fantasy Series/Political Fantasy
TW: Body horror/lots of blood/lots of violence/animal euthanasia ...more
I feel like I’ve been waiting for the story of Isaac Goode for this entire series. The story of the youngest Goode brother has been the one I was lookI feel like I’ve been waiting for the story of Isaac Goode for this entire series. The story of the youngest Goode brother has been the one I was looking forward to most after the first book in this series because I knew it was going to be hot and heartbreaking. Plus, we’d get to see just how far all of the other Goode Brothers had come in their own journeys (because why name a book The Prodigal Son unless he’s coming home?).
This truly is the best Goode Brothers book since the first one. Sara Cate just has a way with characters. Her people fit together. They feel like people and not caricatures of people. Isaac and Jensen read like fully realized people whose every piece of dialogue just works on some magical level that a great deal of authors never get to. They’re not just hot together–they’re incendiary. They’re not just in love–they’re in adoration. The pain one feels itches at the other like a disease that must be eradicated and they immediately set out to make it right, even to their own detriment. These two men have been so hurt by life and all they want now is to love, and that’s all I wanted for them.
In the background of this tremendous love story is the subplot of Isaac’s first major national tour, which is portrayed in loving detail by an author who I’m sure wasn’t bothered at all by probably attending more than one concert for research purposes; as well as a subplot for Jensen’s younger years in conversion therapy. Ghosts from both of their pasts confront them as they fight for a happier future full of love, but you know in Sara’s books love always wins. 5⭐️
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.
File Under: 5 Star Review/Age-Gap Romance/Book Series/Contemporary Romance/Daddy K*nk/Gay Romance/Kink Friendly/LGBTQ Romance/MM Romance/Rock Star Romance/Spice Level 3 ...more
A little Knives Out, a little Clue, a little House on Haunted Hill, and a whole lot of fun, How to Survive a Horror Story is the perfect Summerween noA little Knives Out, a little Clue, a little House on Haunted Hill, and a whole lot of fun, How to Survive a Horror Story is the perfect Summerween novel and I am so here for it.
This is a gem of a debut novel that’s engaging from the first page to the last, never suffering from any lag in the pacing or filler in the plot. I loved how no one in this book is even an ethical person, all of them compelled and driven to succeed no matter the cost.
In horror novels the antagonist isn’t who, but what, and author Mallory Arnold’s talented writing almost gleefully shows us what happens to those who spit on ethics in order to make it to the top. It’s hard to say they didn’t deserve it. This book is the definition of, “If I’m going down I’m taking you all with me,” in a very literal sense. I loved it. 5⭐️
I was provided a copy of this title by the author and publisher via Netgalley. All thoughts, opinions, views, and ideas expressed herein are mine and mine alone. Thank you.
File Under: 5 Star Review/Horror/Meta Fiction/Psychological Thriller/Supernatural Horror/Supernatural Thriller ...more
This book was absolutely brilliant. I’m just sitting here, bobbing in its wake, floating on that sublime feeling I only get from reading transcendent This book was absolutely brilliant. I’m just sitting here, bobbing in its wake, floating on that sublime feeling I only get from reading transcendent literary fiction.
Books like The Unmapping are why I continue to request books by authors I’ve never heard of and that sound a little crazy. It’s books like these that remind me why I truly love reading: I opened it to see if today was the day I’d read it and was immediately sucked in. I read voraciously throughout the day. I skipped lunch.
Of course this book had to be set in New York. It’s one of the most-photographed cities in the world, with one of the largest populations, has some of the most recognizable landmarks on a global scale, and already has some of the most impressive disaster coordination and response measures in place. What better place to set a novel that plays a screwed-up game of Perfection! with its characters? You’d need a large city that would challenge the reader in the best ways. That’s New York.
In the beginning chapters of this book I said something about how the writing felt like Erin Morgenstern was writing a speculative eco thriller (which would undoubtedly be cool by me), but as I got further and further into the book, this feeling gave way to a more distilled feeling of this book belonging to Robbins alone, with brisk pacing, insightful narrative voices, entertaining dialogue, absolutely delightful worldbuilding, fantastic characters, and we can’t forget the plot (which is a dream for someone like me, who wanted to be a crisis manager at one point and has a degree in urban planning).
It’s diverse, fun, thought-provoking, well-written, and I bet you’ll see it on my best-of list at the end of the year. 5⭐️
I was provided a copy of this title by the author and publisher via Netgalley. All thoughts, opinions, views, and ideas expressed herein are mine and mine alone. Thank you.
File Under: 5 Star Review/Literary Fiction/Speculative Fiction ...more
From the first page to the last, Tantrum takes its readers captive and holds them still until they learn the lesson in its pages: women are not weak oFrom the first page to the last, Tantrum takes its readers captive and holds them still until they learn the lesson in its pages: women are not weak or small, we will not let anyone make us feel that way anymore, we will make a better world for our children, and if you get in our way then you will be devoured.
On the surface, it’s all fine and well and good to just see Tantrum as a book about a monstrous baby and her beleaguered mom. There’s so much else there, though: The neverending pressures and expectations of motherhood, intergenerational cycles of abuse and trauma, division over household labor, honoring what women sacrifice to become stay-at-home moms, the isolation and loneliness that comes with rural living, and the hungry heat of the desert. All of this desolation and desperation give this story an almost-gothic feel, wondering if this family’s New Mexico homestead might be the start of the end of the world. 5⭐️
I was provided a copy of this title by the author and publisher via Netgalley. All thoughts, opinions, views, and ideas expressed herein are mine and mine alone. Thank you.
File Under: 5 Star Review/Feminist Horror/Horror/Novella/Paranormal Horror/Women’s Fiction ...more