Gosh I love these covers so much! Lillian Lark is truly a triple threat author, being able to create them herself.
This book was fun - I mean, it's monGosh I love these covers so much! Lillian Lark is truly a triple threat author, being able to create them herself.
This book was fun - I mean, it's monsters, it's matchmaking, it's MMF, there's a curse... what more do you want from a monster romance?
Ultimately there was a little something extra missing from this book that set it apart from "OMG I LOVE IT" - but I still enjoyed reading it, would recommend it, and will likely buy a physical copy. My fav is still book 1 in the series, Stalked by the Kraken! ...more
"She huffs, stomping her little boot atop the ice. She's pouting with her pink little lip sticking out. She looLet me sum up this book with one quote:
"She huffs, stomping her little boot atop the ice. She's pouting with her pink little lip sticking out. She looks like a man's wet dream, and I shouldn't be watching her this way."
I downloaded because, hello, monsters... and the cute cover. But this kind of writing is a no.
Also the hero has a legit candy cane cock. ...more
This book had so many things I love - childhood friends, brothers best friend, smalltown, former athlete...
And don't get me wrong, I liked it. I readThis book had so many things I love - childhood friends, brothers best friend, smalltown, former athlete...
And don't get me wrong, I liked it. I read it in a day! But it didn't hit all the usual markers of a new favorite, I just couldn't 100% click with it the way I did with My Killer Vacation or the next book in this series, Love Her or Lose Her.
Maybe it was Travis? He's a former major league baseball player who was sidelined with an injury, but we have to hear over and over again about what a stud he was. Since high school! I get it - everyone has a past... but the discrepancy between him and Georgie, who's a literal virgin and has never really left their town, was so stark. It gave me major historical romance vibes, where the heroine is pure and learns from the rake.
Maybe he just wasn't my fav!
But I guess Georgie wasn't my fav either. She's a clown and throughout this book I pictured her as a classic 90s clown - white face paint, curly red wig. It wasn't until after I read and posted that on my Instagram Story that someone pointed out there are "cute female clowns" who dress and wear more trendy makeup. But it was too late. Georgie has been cast in my head as Bobo the Clown. ...more
While nothing will ever take the place of Lola and the Millionaires as my favorite Kathryn Moon book ever (it's just perfect), this is a VERY close seWhile nothing will ever take the place of Lola and the Millionaires as my favorite Kathryn Moon book ever (it's just perfect), this is a VERY close second.
From the opening scenario I knew I was going to love this book. Sunny, the heroine, is so REAL. She's a human equal parts enthralled and concerned by her potential proclivities, most (all) of which she's never acted on.
Enter, the Monster Smashing Agency. Like matchmaking but only for your naughty bits.
I'm always conflicted about sex work in romance books, because I feel like sometimes it doesn't come across well. There's usually a power imbalance, or consent issues, or sometimes if there are other customers I feel sad for the other MC. But it was done really, really well here (in my opinion!).
They talk a lot about consent and safety for the heroine, and the dynamic of Khell'ar as a sex worker wasn't one that felt unequal, or shameful, or awkward. Maybe I'm not expressing this correctly BUT overall, I really liked the set up of the MSA and it made me super excited for future books.
This is high heat and fast burn, obviously. Girlfriend pays for 5 days of fantasies with a, ahem, professional. It had me blushing. Sunny perfectly articulated why orcs are hot. I mean… the power. C'mon.
Loved every bit of this book from the 5 days to the aftermath to the ending.
*This is an arc, it'll be out next week but will not be on KU! Preorder now! ...more
My first book of 2023! I'm starting a bookshelf for every PHYSICAL copy I read in 2023, off my bookshelf, as a little extra added pat on the back. BecMy first book of 2023! I'm starting a bookshelf for every PHYSICAL copy I read in 2023, off my bookshelf, as a little extra added pat on the back. Because yes… I've had a copy of this book SINCE IT CAME OUT. Which feels like forever ago because of all the drama surrounding its cover?? (BTW, a new cover is coming out because it's being printed by Avon and it's 10x better and I'll need to buy that too, unfortunately. Is it wrong this is my least fav of the - what, 4 iterations??)
Okay onto the book.
It's the Tessa Bailey spice you know and love, mixed in with a murder mystery. I saw some negative reviews on Goodreads when I logged I had started reading it, but I don't get it! Tessa just WORKS FOR ME.
She has this wonderful way of writing heroes who are… what's the word… hot masculine alpha SIMPs. They're instantly hooked by the heroine and it's SO FUN. Her books are like sunshine incarnate. Also, she writes dirty talk so dang good.
Sure, every once in a while the dirty talk gets so, ahem, thorough… that I get just a whiff of cringey. But most of the time? 97.5% of the time? Top notch. And those are really good rates. You know how most authors do something vague like, "he told her how good she felt"? No, Tessa will SPELL IT OUT FOR YOU. And I appreciate that.
The story itself was fun. Taylor is a scaredy cat who stumbles on a dead body and into a bounty hunter's murder investigation. It was like True Crime Lite. I always forget I enjoy romantic suspense - I used to read mystery (pre-romance) and getting one swept into a romance is a fun change of pace.
Myles is hot. SO FREAKING HOT. His POVs had me sweating. I was getting blue balls. Did he beat out Fox for my favorite Tessa hero???? MAYBE. There's something so addicting about good girl / bad boy, I blame X-Men: The Animated Series because I've loved it since Lance and Kitty got paired up. When he described how she drove him wild? I screamed. When he complimented her "normal clothes"? I squee'd. I JUST LOVE HIM.
I must know… is Jude getting a book?? He has to be getting a book, right? Is Tessa writing MM??...more
I've had this book checked out on KU since the beginning of September 2022, thinking "eh, maybe one day it'll catch my interest." Cue to: UGH, why didI've had this book checked out on KU since the beginning of September 2022, thinking "eh, maybe one day it'll catch my interest." Cue to: UGH, why didn't I start this sooner???
When there's a series with 4+ books on the same character, especially when it's a romance, you're going to get one of three things: 1. Constant drama and angst and breakups between the MCs 2. Fluffy and unnecessary word count (I'm looking at you, Ruthless Boys of the Zodiac series) 3. A fun and well plotted romp with little adventures per book that feels fresh
I'm currently on book 4 (of 9!) for this series and am going back to write reviews (dang, it's hard when the books are short and in omnibus form because I just want to binge and write one review) and I can confirm it feels like a glorious #3.
Adeline Boo Pond is a succubus with a problem: she doesn't like to feed from or hurt humans. She doesn't have a great support system (she has her lazy mentor, Landon, who's basically a video game couch potato, and her selfish cousin Julian, an incubus), isn't very powerful, and is caught in a web of three ultra-powerful demons who decide she should be THEIR succubus.
A few chapters in I posted to my Instagram story (shameless plug: @virgoreader) that I was hoping it was turning into an insta-enemies to lovers story and… spoiler alert… it does. Adeline is a rare succubus who doesn't want to fall into immediate lust and she tries to keep boundaries up over the guys, who (try to) treat her with a heavy hand of control. But Adeline Boo Pond will not be defeated!! I snap back to reality. Adeline Boo Pond will not be owned. Even by such scrumptious man candy.Arms lifting, I pop my middle fingers up at them in the universal sign language of Not today, assholes.Kicking off my high heels, I chuck them at the security guy's head, then climb onto the narrow ledge of the DJ booth and swan dive into the crowd below.
This series is FUNNY. So many little tidbits and one liners made me chuckle and break out the blue highlighter (if you don't use the blue highlighter for LOLs on Kindle… what are you doing). Here's just one example of a scenario that made me chuckle:
One of the demons steals all her clothes and replaces them with a super tiny hot pink top and sweatpants - with "YES" in gold sequins across the chest and butt. They do this the day of her interview at the bank with another on the demons, because she wants a loan. She Sharpie's the top to say "Say YES to Boo's Boutique Bakery" and the butt…
Confident, I turn and walk toward the door, putting an extra sway in my step to shake the gold YES on my ass at him. Beneath it, in sharpie, I'd changed it to read Say, YES, to one more bite. COME ON.
Each book also feels fresh - they're short and weave easily from one to the next… each one is around 200 pages (the omnibus of 1-3 is 619 pages) so they're a bit hard to differentiate, but easy to binge.
I'm giving these a 5 because the joy I have while reading them?? Unparalleled. ...more
This story took me a little while to get into. I read it immediately after the first two in the series, so the Violet + Nico foreshadowing was fresh iThis story took me a little while to get into. I read it immediately after the first two in the series, so the Violet + Nico foreshadowing was fresh in my mind. I liked the flashbacks we saw at the beginning of the book explaining their first meeting and leading up to "present day". I didn't love him trying to make her jealous… but that's just because I don't love "other woman" drama, mild as it might be. See, Nico wants Violet. But Violet doesn't want a hook up with someone who's a family friend (his cousin is with her sister). So, she's been pushing him away for well over a year. And when she gets jealous over little things, he doesn't reassure her because, well, he wants her to sweat.
A big theme in this book is prejudice - specifically, in the supernatural community. Nico is a werewolf, and the origins of werewolves in this world is that a witch being hunted curses the hunter as she dies that all his male descendants would be cursed with the werewolf. It can cause violent outbursts and fear of lost control.
I don't fully know how I feel about the entire plot surrounding this prejudice, or the conclusion. On the surface, it's the cutesy subplot of a romance: witch helps promote werewolf equality. Maybe I'm having bad flashbacks of JK Rowling comparing lycanthropy to AIDS (ugh) - Juliette Cross did no such thing so I'm not comparing the two… it's just like, hard to make a sweeping statement like "I fell in love with a werewolf and realized werewolf prejudice is wrong so I'm going to fix it". Do you know what I mean? Maybe I'm talking out of my ass here.
I'm a little too tired right now to do the mental gymnastics of trying to analyze this book, so here's the thing: I enjoyed the story, the writing, the characters. I'm so excited for Clara's book I don't know how I'm supposed to wait for May 2023 (most of my highlights in this book were interactions between Clara and her Grim). Violet and Nico wound up growing on me. And I love werewolves....more
I started this book immediately after finishing Wolf Gone Wild, despite the fact that it was nearly my bedtime (hey, I have to get up early). THEN, I I started this book immediately after finishing Wolf Gone Wild, despite the fact that it was nearly my bedtime (hey, I have to get up early). THEN, I woke up 35 minutes before my alarm and instead of taking a little snooze, I decided to read until I had to get up. And then I found myself reading paragraphs while doing my makeup and eating breakfast.
All this to say… yeah, I loved this book.
When I instantly click with one of the leads, it's pretty much guaranteed I will love the book. And I CLICKED with Isadora.
She's sweet and awkward, and compares herself to Mr. Darcy from Pride and Prejudice. She likes privacy and a quiet life and being alone - gardening, hanging out with her sisters or best friend (a small trusted circle), bicycling (she's scared of cars/driving). Enter Devraj - the traveling, powerful, famous former actor, glamorous vampire, who's in town to help solve the mystery of missing girls.
There was something so instantly compelling about Isadora. I loved her as a person, of course, but also paired with Devraj. He tried out all his flirty charm with her, and while she wasn’t unaffected, she rebuffed him - because she's practical. And dang, I can appreciate that. (And, it was hilarious.)
Seeing Isadora through his eyes was also wonderful.
She wore no masks of any kind and a no-nonsense attitude with pride. There was no artifice to her at all. Living in a world where everyone around me had mastered the art of deception, I couldn't help but find her compelling. A strange creature I hadn't met before. One whose forthright and honest outlook made me want to stop and take note. To look. And linger.
I just loved their love. This line made me get teary eyed:
Her magic in my name. When I got home, I pulled the paper out and traced her handwriting with my fingers before pressing it to my lips. Isadora cared so deeply for me, and I knew it from the powerful punch of magic that pulsed from my six-letter name. It screamed from the scrap of parchment - deep, possessive feelings of longing and want. And more. But I couldn’t think about it too much because it made my chest ache....more
It took me a second to realize what book this was and where it fell on the timeline of Katee's monster romance series. This book follows Ramanu, who wIt took me a second to realize what book this was and where it fell on the timeline of Katee's monster romance series. This book follows Ramanu, who works for Azazael (the bargainer who signs all the humans up for their 7 year contracts), after they are summoned by a witch in need.
The monster series books all happen in parallel - they are what happens after the monsters take their humans and leave Azazael's land. So this book happens around the same time as well, with reference to Ramanu befriending Briar (from book 1), and I noted that in The Kraken's Sacrifice they had told Catalina they would be indisposed / gone for a few weeks… turns out, with Lenora.
I thought it was a fun twist to add a book for the mysterious Ramanu, and I'm glad they got a fun cover.
I'm still not 100% sure what Ramanu looks like - they have a set of horns on their head, and another set where their eyes should be… so they see auras/colors, not clear people? I think?
I really enjoyed Lenora as a character. She's a powerful and capable witch, and I liked that Ramanu saw that, enjoyed that, and wasn't intimidated by that.
The steam was hot. There was pegging! The plot, to me, took a definitive backseat (I didn't care). I wish we learned a little more about the possible "Celestial blood"/history Lenora had… maybe it'll pop up in another human's book? Wishful thinking....more
Sometimes when a book is really popular (at least in my corner of the internet), I have a hard time picking it up because I worry I won't enjoy it. MySometimes when a book is really popular (at least in my corner of the internet), I have a hard time picking it up because I worry I won't enjoy it. My introduction to Delilah Green Doesn't Care was seeing rave after rave about it from online friends... then buying the Illumicrate special edition (I will never get over how terrible their adult romance "special editions" are)... and finally, purchasing myself the original lavendar paperback version.
I read this book over two lunches at work and I was tickled pink the entire time I was reading it.
While not particularly steamy (something I feel the need to put a disclaimer for since a lot of my followers enjoy a raunchy romance), it was a great romance, great writing, great characters, great story.
It's hard to put my finger on exactly what made this book so GOOD. So lets just do a list! 1. First of all, the unique setup. Delilah was orphaned after her mother died when she was 4 and her father died when she was 10, and she lived with her cold step-mother and social, perfect step-sister. She escaped their Oregon small town right after graduation and never looked back - until now, when she's being strongarmed into photographing her step-sisters wedding. Reading about the antagonistic relationship between Delilah and her step-sister Astrid was ... I don't want to use the word *fun*, but it provided so much color to the story. As did the loneliness Delilah felt as a child and being the odd one out among Astrid and her "coven" of friends. Their childhood was undeniably sad and traumatic, but it didn't weigh down the book the way it sometimes does in a dark romance, filled with angst. 2. As someone who loves a good makeover scene in a movie, OF COURSE I loved that Delilah grew out of her awkwardness and learned to tame her curls, coming back to her small town a graceful, tattooed swan. She's so unrecognizable that her step-sister's best friend (clumsily) tries to pick her up in a bar. 3. I liked that despite their pasts, Claire was never malicious to Delilah - as kids or adults. She quickly sees through the careless exterior Delilah puts up and wants to know more about her. Also, no ex drama. Nice. 4. That there was never a "you're right, you're wrong" type line. Delilah and Astrid were both victims of circumstance, wrong in their own ways, justified in their hurt in other ways. While I would have liked even more of this, I understood the reasoning why it was left mainly off-page... Delilah and Astrid aren't the main couple of this book, there weren't enough pages, and hey, Astrid's book is next so maybe we'll get more! 5. The writing. I don't know if I'd call the writing like... poetic or earth-shaking (think Kennedy Ryan emotional prose - ugh) - but it was so, so satisfying. It was smart and snappy and made you want more. I just vibed!
If you enjoyed Count Your Lucky Stars, this had a similar vibe, and not just because they're both sapphic.
Finally, I'm really wondering... will Iris wind up with her current boyfriend, or will she get her own book and wind up with a lady love too??...more
If you're looking for a low angst, Hallmark-style monster romance, this is the series for you. Monster romances tend to be dark, angsty, and high smutIf you're looking for a low angst, Hallmark-style monster romance, this is the series for you. Monster romances tend to be dark, angsty, and high smut - and this series is like, what if it's just a normal small town romance and one of the leads is also a monster? The covers in this series? Stunning. The drawings really bring the characters to life and are a testament to the powers of good marketing.
While sugary sweet, I felt like this book suffered because each of the leads didn't really have a defined personality. Reece has prejudices against monsters because of his past, but literally resolves them within a chapter by internally reflecting on it. He's machismo (apparently, according to Cyrus' impression of him), but I never got that vibe. He's highly sensitive, awkward, shy… just like Cyrus is. They really had very similar personalities and although the mood of the story is low angst, I felt there could have been some differences for a little more plot/spice between them.
CW for abusive parent. I wish we would have gotten a little more around this actually - because in the prologue we see a monster *scare* Reece... but I took it as, the monster was warning him away for his own safety...more
Despite the fact that this book features maybe my least favorite trope EVER*, this was my favorite of the series.
I love a childhood friends to adult lDespite the fact that this book features maybe my least favorite trope EVER*, this was my favorite of the series.
I love a childhood friends to adult lovers story and when you tie in a steamy beginning, losing touch, and forced proximity via roommates of convenience? … Oh, heck yeah.
Also, this is probably the hottest sapphic story I've ever read. It wasn't particularly smutty, but it was so sexy. The way Margot was talking… the way they KNEW each other backwards and forwards… the teasing. I was BLUSHING. It was INTENSE.
Don't ask me about the flaws of this book because I overlooked them purposefully. It was just such a joy to read.
*That trope is miscommunication - ugh. Actually, it's not as bad as cheating, but I wouldn't call that a trope. Miscommunication is tied with unnecessary other woman drama....more
I read book 1 in this series (Written in the Stars) forever ago and while I really liked it, I was never super motivated to pick up book 2 in the seriI read book 1 in this series (Written in the Stars) forever ago and while I really liked it, I was never super motivated to pick up book 2 in the series. Weird, because I love a ton of the tropes in it: childhood friends to adult lovers... friends to lovers... best friends sibling... older woman (2 years, but still)... long standing crush...
Once I jumped in, it was easy to fall back into the world and the story. Annie is jaded, practical, and doesn't believe in love; Brendan thinks everyone deserves a HEA. She shows him how little things add up to being what matters, he proclaims his love of grand gestures.
The problem? She's just in town to visit her best friend (his sister) for 2 weeks before moving across the world to London.
I liked a lot of this book. The characters and their friendship group, the easy and fun hangouts between them. Similar to Written in the Stars, I felt the third act conflict was just a tad too late, and the epilogue left me cringing just slightly. Still, it's a cute contemporary I wouldn't hesitate to recommend....more
This book has been sitting on my shelf for so long and I'm so glad I finally picked it up!
This is a queer male / male romance that takes place on the This book has been sitting on my shelf for so long and I'm so glad I finally picked it up!
This is a queer male / male romance that takes place on the set of a reality show. There's disability rep as one of the heroes has OCD and anxiety, the other has depression. The cast of side characters are wonderfully diverse and at times wonderfully awful (see: Maureen, who I pictured as Kelly Cutrone from The City).
I love the idea of a TV show, especially a reality TV show, as the set of a book. (I read Kiss the Sky, the first Calloway Sisters book, and it has this set up and I think a few of the others do too so I need to get back to that series.) But the addition of filming scenes was so fun.
I loved the characters - Dev, Parisa, Jules, Skylar... but my favorite was definitely Charlie. There was something about him that really spoke to me and I found myself underlining so many of his lines - spoken words and thoughts.
This book is fade to black, and while I am always down to clown smut I didn't mind this at all. It really worked with the book and I found I didn't "miss it" at all.
This was a third act conflict I actually really liked, especially with the inclusion of the time bump/schedule. Every part of it down to what happened at the live finale felt real, like I was watching it play out on cable (even though I've never watched an episode of The Bachelor).
I do wish we were getting book 2 with you-know-who as the lead since the epilogue was so great but I don't see this listed as book 1 in a series... sad face. ...more
LOVED this book! Maybe narrowly beating out Sem as my favorite of the series… I’m still undecided.
This book was genuinely funny. There’s something so LOVED this book! Maybe narrowly beating out Sem as my favorite of the series… I’m still undecided.
This book was genuinely funny. There’s something so good about the starchy lead + the wild lead as they bounce off one another, I found myself continuously highlighting the book.
When Luke bullies Elliot into giving him his number: Elliot sighs, his shoulders slumping even farther. “If I give this to you, you will not be texting me at all hours. I have boundaries.” I sit up and rub my hands together. “Oh, fuck. I love boundaries.” Elliot stares at me. “Why don’t I believe that?” “I love trespassing,” I add with a smirk. “Can’t do that without boundaries.”
When Elliot’s sisters are coming over to encroach on their alone time: ”Fine. We better order in then,” I mutter. I am never getting laid ever again. I will die miserable and horny for him. “Nah. No need. They’re bringing food—something called a chartreuse board, whatever the fuck that is. Maybe it’s all yellowish green foods? And Jane’s bringing Prosecco and says I need to try it with pomegranate juice. Dunno, man. Sounds like I’m going to have the shits tomorrow.”
When Luke’s explaining that he’s sticking with Elliot:”Oh, Eli. I’m going to teach you so much. Let me see, how do I put this in terms you’ll understand? … I’ve grown on you like a cyst. A benign cyst filled with joy and excitement and sexy times.” “That’s a revolting analogy. And you need to clean yourself up.”
Basically, this book was FUN. SWEET. SEXY. ROMANTIC. I’m obsessed.
Elliot is the prim and proper doctor who proclaims he hates people and is done with friends and love. Luke is the wild hillbilly-type who he meets at Starbucks (while Luke is bleeding profusely from a head wound) and then runs over with his Tesla (just his foot, don’t worry). Luke stalks him, Elliot tries to resist… it is futile.
Seeing them come together in every way was just wonderful. Elliot comes out of his shell as he realizes he is worthy of friendship and kindness and love. There was a wonderful moment where Luke defends him from his sisters loving teases, saying he can be fun and Eli’s smiles make him feel like he won the lottery, and I melted.
Luke provides the uncomplicated and non-judgmental love that Eli is scared to crave, after he was rejected by his parents when he came out at trans and after the abusive mocking and derision from his last partner.
After Sam's book I was really excited to get to this one, because for so long Daisy has been teased as a sort of frivolouLike a 2.5 but I'll round up
After Sam's book I was really excited to get to this one, because for so long Daisy has been teased as a sort of frivolous character and I wanted to see the hidden depths to her and give her some character development. Unfortunately this book kind of fell flat - BUT!! it was still highly enjoyable and I'm so happy to be back on Icehome. I feel like Ruby could give me a book of the Not Hoth people just sitting around a fire and I'd devour it.
Because so much time has passed since the beginning of the Icehome series (I think it must be like 4 or 5 years since Lauren's Barbarian, and 12 years since the original Ice Planet Barbarian book), the characters feel a bit disjointed. Like, in earlier books in this series everyone was kind of in the same boat. Hanging with friends, starting resonance, pregnancy. Now you have a few couples who haven't resonated, and others who have pre-teens or adolescents. It just feels a bit different.
I was a little disappointed in the direction Daisy and O'jek went. I've been rooting for them as a couple since the beginning and I really liked the *idea* of O'jek as a grumpy hero - but he really wasn't one, to Daisy. It felt like he always enabled her. He was her friend but he never pushed to know WHY she was the way she was, or to help her see she didn't need to be a "doll"/trophy wife anymore, UNTIL the plot got going.
Daisy, to me, wasn't super likable. And I know, not all heroines need to be likable. And I sympathize with her because she had been a slave for basically 10 years, since she was 16, and had been told everyday she was just there to look pretty. She was lonely and unwanted. But I don't feel like she grew that much in this book. She wound up learning to do basic chores and that's great but... it was for O'jek, not for herself.
Anyway, I was happy to return to Icehome regardless. And I'm STOKED for the next 2 books even though I'm surprised at how the pairings panned out. Please say we'll get them asap Ruby... please....more
I read this book after Sem, even though its book 1 in the series, but I think each works as a standalone. I’m actually kind of glad I read book 2 firsI read this book after Sem, even though its book 1 in the series, but I think each works as a standalone. I’m actually kind of glad I read book 2 first because the Magnus in this book is so different than the Magnus in book 2.
All in all? I loved this one too. Sem is still my favorite of the two, probably just because I loved Sem as a character, but this book has so much to love too.
The main narrator Caleb is… a big muscle-y redneck type. He moves in with prim, proper, quiet Whit and is immediately flustered by him. But Caleb is straight, so he figures he’s just… intrigued by someone so different than him.
Them falling into cuddling and friendship and *something more* was just fun. I loved that although Caleb had some (many) moments of “…but I’m not gay…” - his cousins (who are basically his brothers) never gave him shit for it. I mean, they teased him in the way you do with your siblings/best friends when they’re dating someone new, but there wasn’t homophobic remarks. I think the closest was Caleb’s uncle, who said he didn’t realize Caleb was gay/liked men and that he didn’t understand but was happy for him. His aunt, on the other hand, was over the moon.
This felt a bit different than other MM romances because it was a character who is “straight” … but also, the way it was handled didn’t FEEL like a typical “okay I’m straight what is happening I’m so confused about my feelings and labels”. Caleb didn’t feel the need to label himself - he knew he liked Whit and that was that.
DREAMY.
CW: past familial abuse, past self harm, past suicide attempts, suicidal thoughts / self harm thoughts (present), homophobia, violence, hospitals...more
Oh my gosh, I loved this book. While the “stalking” itself was tame (Sem basically had a crush on Magnus and followed him around to keep an eye on himOh my gosh, I loved this book. While the “stalking” itself was tame (Sem basically had a crush on Magnus and followed him around to keep an eye on him), I didn’t care. I forgot that I was reading this because I got it as a stalking rec. I just devoured it.
This is technically book 2 in a standalone series but it works on its own.
Magnus aka Mag aka Maggie, as Sem calls him, is a recent grad getting his teaching certificate. He’s also the unwilling object of Sem’s awkward affections. Mag is a petite guy with a funky sense of style, and Sem is a seemingly straight redneck. Mag is friends with Caleb (a hero from book 1) so he knows a bit about Sem but mainly finds him frustrating.
Then one day… Sem shows up in his apartment.
The reasoning behind them pairing up the first (and second) times is equal parts ridiculous and hilarious. Personally? I loved it. Because the backbone of this antagonistic relationship between the two of them is there, where Mag is small but fiery, and Sem is huge but kind - like major golden retriever energy.
The concept of “sexuality” or gay vs straight isn’t really talked about in this book. Sem has always been with and attracted to women, but the first time he met Mag he just… liked him. That’s it. He’s his.
I loved their dynamic, and I loved the few POVs we get from Sem. IMMEDIATELY, you root for him. It was funny because I loved being in Mag’s head and normally, you side with the person whose POV you get but… as soon as we got into Sem’s head I couldn’t help but be entirely on his side. My heart was breaking like - you’re not stupid! You’re lovable! Mag, be nice to him!!
I read Archer's Voice years ago and remember LOVING it - Archer was an amazing, adorable, cinnamon roll hero and I loved him and Bree as much as I hatI read Archer's Voice years ago and remember LOVING it - Archer was an amazing, adorable, cinnamon roll hero and I loved him and Bree as much as I hated Travis Hale. So imagine my surprise to finding out there's a spin-off book all about Travis, reading it, and loving it.
Maybe it's because its been years since I read Archer's Voice so I forgot how much of a dick Travis was in it... because my hatred isn't as fresh. Also, since the start of this book is almost seven years after Archer's Voice, while the wounds between Travis and Archer aren't fully healed, they're getting there. He dotes on his nephews and is trying to have a relationship with Archer, Bree, and his new niece.
Travis is not the same character he was in Archer's Voice. He had a fall from grace and has spent time reflecting on why he was always so cruel to people, especially Archer. He doesn't make excuses but acknowledges his childhood trauma. Several times in this book he shares things he did to Archer to torment him, including mocking his voice as teens. He does it matter-of-factly, because he knows he was 100% in the wrong for it and is trying to figure out how to move past it.
I thought Haven (from California) was a perfect foil for Travis. She's immediately described as "not the typical girl he dates"... she likes dirt and plants, isn't in-your-face hot... and she genuinely wants to be his friend. The whole plot with her brother was a good touch, too.
I don't know if I'm properly describing this book and my thoughts, but lets just say I couldn't put it down, and the entire time I was reading it, I was happy. Not only did we get to see Archer and Bree again, but we got to visit Pelion Lake again (PLEASE say we get more books, Mia Sheridan). Travis is finally a good guy and even Haven's messy brother got a happy ending.
CW: parent with a drug addiction, death of a parent, house fire, bullying...more
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