As part of my reread of the Earthsinger Chronicles, I’m reading the novellas for the first time. This one is ostenibly set two weeks after the events of the first book. The framing is that Jack is telling a story about when he first became High Commander of the Army to encourage a frustrated Jasminda, now being called “Once Wretched,…
Trigger warnings: OK, first, can we just take a moment and squee over that gorgeous cover? I first read this book back when it came out with a traditional big publisher in 2018 and liked it, and I’m rereading the series in preparation for the third book. It’s interesting to revisit this book, especially knowing more than I did then.…
I’ve been reading Kit Rocha’s books for a long time, and there’s certain things I expect from them: amazing found families, strong and fierce heroines, and a nail-bitingly good plot. So it’s no surprise that their first traditionally published book has all that, plus the sunshine/grumpy trope, a post-apocalyptic road trip, and multiple discussions of whether various characters are psycho…
Content warnings: Come for the teased hair and Cabbage Patch Dolls, stay for the sweet coming-of-age story as a teen spends the summer before college working at the local mall, scouring the mall as part of a treasure hunt and navigating her derailed plans for love and her future. Like the rest of her life, Cassie has her summer all…
Content warnings: I was absolutely blown away by the first book in the series and its angry, hurting characters, and expected more of the same from this book. Instead, I got an achingly sweet second-chance romance with kindhearted characters surrounded by a whole lot of awfulness, and it’s certainly one of the best books I’ll read this year. It takes a…
Content warnings: While at first glance the cover is cute (is that the chocolate bundt cake?), I’m going to point out that since this is an illustrated cover, there is zero excuse for whitewashing the two Korean main characters. I previously read Jayci Lee’s Harlequin debut, Temporary Wife Temptation, and loved it, so I was very excited for this book.…
Content warnings: I am absolute trash for the grumpy/sunshine trope so of course I was very excited to read about the clash between a joyful librarian and a stuffed shirt principal. Unfortunately, this one didn’t quite hit the mark for me. There are things that I find acceptable in a completely made-up context (fantasy, scifi, paranormal) that I’m more likely…
Content warnings: If you follow me on Twitter, you’ve probably seen me flail wildly over this absolutely bananapants scifi erotica series before. It’s absolute bonkers sex planet shenanigans, and it’s hard for me to express how much I love the craziness. And if anything, this book takes the crazy to a whole new level. Niva’s an alien sex goddess with…
Content warnings: You know how some people say something’s a romcom but when you go read it, it’s… just not funny? And it takes itself much too seriously? And then you sit there wondering if, five months into this pandemic, you’re just a soulless husk of a person now? OK, well, this book is not that. This is the laugh-out-loud,…
Content warnings: I have a definite fondness for “wow that’s a big dress!” historical covers, and this one doesn’t disappoint in that aspect. Unfortunately, the rest of it doesn’t quite work for me, with a lot of elements that are good in and of themselves but never quite gel. “Everything you now love will be turned to dust before I take…