The Thief

        

Title: The Thief

Series: The Queen's Thief #1

Author: Megan Whalen Turner

Publisher: Greenwillow Books, September 10, 2009

Pages: 236

Genre: YA Mythology

Eugenides, the queen’s thief, can steal anything—or so he says. When his boasting lands him in prison and the king’s magus invites him on a quest to steal a legendary object, he’s in no position to refuse. The magus thinks he has the right tool for the job, but Gen has plans of his own.

I started this book with fairly low hopes. I thought it was just going to be a placeholder book. I did get sidetracked by a podcast for nearly two weeks while trying to listen to this book. But I loved the audio production for sure.

I thought I had the whole book figured out in the first 15%. I did, but man did she manage to convince me that it couldn't possible be right for the biggest chunk! My tiny two-week hiatus may have had a bit to do with losing some of the nitty-gritties but we got there in the end, Gen and I!

The best part of this book was the mythology for sure. We got to hear all about this world's creation myth and we were introduced to their main pantheon lineup. I thought it was a really fun device to use the magus quizzing and teaching his apprentices to make room for so much exposition in the narrative. And they told the entire myths by way of bedtime stories during their long journey. It was really fun. I wasn't sure how attached to this series I would be, but I'm in it. I want to know what other kind of shenanigans Eugenides is going to get into.

Ratings

Stars: 4/5

Rut Bar

           

Title: Rut Bar

Series: Heatverse #2

Author: Alexis B. Osborne

Publisher: Dark Moon Publishing, February 1, 2024

Pages: 608

Genre: Omegaverse

Welcome to Rut, where your pleasure is our business.

Gorgeous, chiseled alpha dancers. Specialty drinks on demand prepared by flirty bartenders. Omega-only member hours.

Veronica has cracked the code for omega-focused entertainment. A bar where omegas like her can let loose without worrying about creepy, predatory alphas.

But Rut is more than just sizzle and sleaze: there’s something else going on beneath all the body oil and glitter. Something IRS agent Brenden Hall is getting dangerously close to uncovering during the bar's audit.

Unfortunately for her, the unassuming agent is starting to smell like temptation, just like two of her also-off-limits employees. There's Anthony, her bratty tattooed bartender with a smile full of sinful promise, and Jamie, the lovesick himbo alpha dancer who tempts her one dance at a time.

Vee can’t allow herself to give in to an indulgence that could cost her the bar. There's also the matter of that stubborn dominant streak that makes her a less-than-ideal example of her designation. What pack would want an omega with Domme tendencies, anyway?

While Vee worries about getting Rut through the tax audit, the boys worry if they'll be able to survive her stubbornness. Can these four wildcards come together and admit their deepest desires, or will they all keep dancing around it forever?

I have to start this by saying the first 75% of this book was so good. I LOVE the idea of Rut Bar. Especially in this context specifically. Even just the entertainment aspect before you ever introduce the nonprofit idea. And the nonprofit idea is SO GOOD. I won't even spoil it because I can't endanger them like that!

I find it mildly hilarious that this is the second book that I've read this year (it's only February) that centers an IRS audit as one of the plot points. I'm hoping it doesn't sneak its way too firmly into my algorithm. Sexy IRS audits are not really something I feel like I need more of at this point. But  it worked well here. 

This book did have everything going for it. I love the relationship/kink dynamics that we explored. This is maybe one of the first times that a Daddy Dom didn't totally squick me out. But ONLY the daddy aspect specifically. I thought it was pretty funny actually, considering Brendan was Right There and is actually Daddy. 

There was some stuff about Anthony did squick me out though. Specifically the non-con cum smoothies. It was almost enough to DNF. I think I would have if I weren't reading this for the podcast. The author has an excellent content guide. And after reading Heat Clinic, I thought I knew what the author was referring to as non-con cum eating. I did not. I was not ready.

But. Jamie is the shining star in this book. He is the sweetest dumb baby angel ever! I love that Veronica has turned everything she went through into this awesome entrepreneurial venture! I love that she and Jamie subvert the expectations of what it means to be alpha and omega. That part was so well done. I still have so much more to say, holy moly. 

Ratings

Stars: 3/5

Spice: 4/5

Heat Clinic

          

Title: Heat Clinic

Series: Heatverse #1

Author: Alexis B. Osborne

Publisher: Dark Moon Publishing, March 15, 2023

Pages: 430

Genre: Omegaverse

She checked in at the free use heat clinic for some relief and found a pack instead.

Emily has had one lousy heat after another and is finally ready to break that cycle of hope and disappointment. When she goes to the nearby free-use clinic, she’s not sure what to expect. Breeding waivers, group activities, and restraints? Maybe this is all she’s destined for. What pack wants a thirty-six year old omega who might be past her breeding prime?

But then she meets her handsome heat minder, Sam. Young, flirty, and fun, the beta makes her feel a spark of something more. In the treatment room, her worries fade as her temperature climbs. There’s no faces, no names, just heavenly relief. Until an alpha named Marcus walks in and changes everything.

Money can buy everything but a scent-matched pack.

Marcus and his bonded beta Tom have been relentlessly sniffing out the rest of their pack for all their adult lives. It’s been a long and disappointing journey, but finally, there’s hope they haven’t missed their chance.

One thing’s for certain, this little omega and beta smell like pack. But how do they convince them of that? Because this omega thinks she’s too old and this beta thinks he’s not destined for forever. Their pack isn’t going to make it easy to woo them.

And woo they do. In bed, in the car, in public. Marcus and Tom are determined to show their new packmates how much they’re loved and wanted, body and soul, no matter how many times they have to pound that lesson home.

I love the world building here. I like the more animalistic view of these alphas and omegas, and all of that worked really well. I liked the idea of the free-use clinic and the mentions of the rut bars and Heat Buddy app. It was really well thought out and fun, and a side of omega verse I haven't seen in exactly that way yet. 

I love the pack, and I really enjoyed them getting together. I WANT this to be a higher star rating. And most of what I'm about to mention IS covered in the content guide at the beginning of the book. So again, I knew what I was getting myself into. 

However, the fluid play? I could never have prepared myself for the sheer volume (hehe) of fluid play in this book. As someone who has read a good bit of omega verse....that's saying something. Kind of their whole thing is the slick and the breeding kinks. But DANG. It was definitely the "nutritious" aspect to the fluid play that really toed the limit line for me. 

My other big issue was the length of the book. I love a long book. This isn't even that long, but this is porn with no plot essentially. So like, why is it so long? I get that when you're dealing with a polycule of any sort, you want to give all of the interconnected relationships within the bigger pack their time to shine. But it didn't hit for me. And there was no real conflict aside from some throwaway insecurity and familial strife. Which I somehow wanted more of? Like I wanted Marcus to absolutely READ Emily's mother. 

But don't let this fool you. I had a good time and I'm pumped to read Rut Bar. I am fascinated with these omega verse business models!!

Ratings

Stars: 3/5

Spice: 4/5

They Ain't Proper

      

Title: They Ain't Proper

Author: M.B. Guel

Publisher: Bella Books, June 2, 2023

Pages: 324

Genre: LGBT Historical Romance

1880s, The Wild West.

An easy, solitary life on the outskirts of Ghosthallow is all Lou Ramirez wants. They want to buy some house plans, build a home, and live their quiet life far from townsfolk’s prying eyes. But somehow instead of house plans, a housewife is delivered to their door.

Clementine Castellanos desperately needs a way out from under her family debt, and it seems as though selling her services as a wife is the only way to do it. Expecting a rough, harsh man to be her new husband, Clementine is pleasantly surprised to instead be dropped off at the ranch of an equally surprised Lou.

Lou would rather Clementine leave them to their lonely existence, but Clementine is too charmed by the quiet and mysterious rancher to give up. She may have come into Lou’s life easily, but she certainly isn’t planning to leave that way. Undeterred by Lou’s prickly demeanor, Clementine is determined to get her reluctant spouse to open up to her.

When the past comes back to haunt the pair, the fight for their independence—and their love—may become more deadly than either of them ever expected.

I have had this book on my TBR since before its release. I was nervous to start it because I had such high hopes for it. I was trying to manage my own expectations, and it worked to some extent. 

This is not my usual cup of tea. So that was part of managing my own expectations. I was excited for the representation in this story, but historicals and westerns and not necessarily my jam. This did exceed my expectations in that way. I really enjoyed Ghosthallow as a town. I was very interested in the little saloon in town, and would totally read Juanita's and/or Veronica's books. West World probably helped me there..

Lou was perfect. Clementine was so patient. Shockingly patient. This was much darker than I expected. Which is silly. It's the Wild West. Of course there were small minded people and everyone solved everything with the threat of a gun shot. But when this book got dark, it was really dark. It's also the slowest of burns. You get a few daydream scenes to whet your thirst along the way. But oh my goodness gracious do they make you freaking wait for it! After we were getting pecks on the corner of the mouth at a first meeting, I was NOT expecting so much slow burning. But here we are.

Now, I will say, the choices for Lou's accent/dialogue were a lot. It was meant to kind of submerse me into the world, but it kept throwing me all of the way out because I couldn't nail down their accent in my head. And then there was the handling of the binding. I loved that we saw binding at all, and I get that it's the 1800s and we're working with what we have. But it really stressed me out any time the binding was mentioned because it was just an ace bandage that they put on in the morning and didn't take off until the end of the day when they were getting ready for bed. I am so concerned for their osteo and pulmonary health!

Ratings

Stars: 4/5

Spice: 3/5

Bad Fat Black Girl

      

Title: Bad Fat Black Girl: Notes from a Trap Feminist

Author: Sesali Bowen

Publisher: Amistad, October 5, 2021

Pages: 272

Genre: Memoir

Growing up on the south side of Chicago, Sesali Bowen learned early on how to hustle, stay on her toes, and champion other Black women and femmes as she navigated Blackness, queerness, fatness, friendship, poverty, sex work, and self-love. 

Her love of trap music led her to the top of hip-hop journalism, profiling game-changing artists like Megan Thee Stallion, Lizzo, and Janelle Monae. But despite all the beauty, complexity, and general badassery she saw, Bowen found none of that nuance represented in mainstream feminism. Thus, she coined Trap Feminism, a contemporary framework that interrogates where feminism meets today's hip-hop.

Bad Fat Black Girl offers a new, inclusive feminism for the modern world. Weaving together searing personal essay and cultural commentary, Bowen interrogates sexism, fatphobia, and capitalism all within the context of race and hip-hop. In the process, she continues a Black feminist legacy of unmatched sheer determination and creative resilience.

Bad bitches: this one’s for you.

One of my favorite types of audiobook is a memoir that's narrated by the author. It's so fun, and it just really feels like you're having a chat with them about their lives. This one was no different.

Sesali Bowen talks about her life, ideals, morals, and love through the lens of trap music. It was empowering and inspiring and funny. I loved it.

Ratings

Stars: 5/5

The Nanny

     

Title: The Nanny

Author: Lana Ferguson

Publisher: Berkley, April 11, 2023

Pages: 429

Genre: Contemporary Romance

Suddenly unemployed and on the brink of eviction, Cassie Evans is left with two choices: get a new job (and fast) or fire up her long-untouched OnlyFans account. But the job market is terrible, and as for OnlyFans. . . . Well, there are reasons she can’t go back. Just when all hope seems lost, an ad for a live-in nanny position seems like the solution to all her problems. It’s almost too perfect—until she meets her would-be employer.
 
Aiden Reid, executive chef and DILF extraordinaire, is far from the stuffy single dad Cassie was imagining. He shocks her when he tells her she’s the most qualified applicant he’s met in weeks, practically begging her to take the job. With hands that make her hindbrain howl and eyes that scream sex, the idea of living under the same roof as Aiden feels dangerous, but with no other option, she decides to stay with him and his adorably tenacious daughter, Sophie.
 
Cassie soon discovers that Aiden is not a stranger at all, but instead someone who is very familiar with her—or at least, her body. Given that he doesn’t remember her, Cassie is faced with what feels like an impossible situation. As their relationship heats to temperatures hotter than any kitchen Aiden has ever worked in, Cassie struggles with telling Aiden the truth, and the more terrifying possibility—losing the best chance at happiness she’s ever had.

If angst is your thing, this book is definitely for you. Cassie needs a job to get her through the last stretch of her occupational therapy degree. Aiden is a chef and a single father looking for a live in nanny. 

Very quickly, things get awkward at the Reid house because they are both so attracted to one another. And they know it's inappropriate, but they can't keep from running into one another in the middle of the night with one or the other half dressed. 

Aiden's daughter, Sophie, and Cassie's neighbor and best friend, Wanda, really made this book for me. Aiden and Cassie are great. But the will they/won't they, they will no they won't no they will was a lot. There was never really a celebration of the two of them together until the very very end, but I wanted a bit more joy for them. This was a surprise second chance romance, and I wanted them to be able to enjoy finding one another and they did a bit, but I don't know. 

And the reasons that they don't have that celebration make total sense. That doesn't mean I wasn't missing it. And shoot, if you're looking for a good cry? Pick this one up. The pining and the angst and all of that had me fighting tears toward the end. 

Ratings

Stars: 3/5

Spice: 3/5

Royal Valentine

         

Title: Royal Valentine

Series: The Improbable Meet-Cute #6

Author: Sariah Wilson

Publisher: January 23, 2024

Pages: 71

Genre: Contemporary Romance Novella

Valentine’s Day becomes a Roman holiday for a princess in disguise in a dizzyingly romantic short story about making wishes come true by the USA Today bestselling author of The Chemistry of Love.

Princess Ilaria has had it up to her tiara with the paparazzi, her own wild reputation, and the public eye. Trading places with her assistant, Ilaria wants just one blissfully ordinary weekend. Then a handsome photographer with a sexy Scottish burr offers to be her guide. Sparks fly, but how long can they last? Ilaria’s secret has to come out—and it could ruin a perfectly serendipitous romance.

This was the least believable of the bunch. Maybe because it involved fictional places? Though I'm fine with a bit of fantasy in my fiction! But I do love Ilaria's love affair with her sexy Scot! (or Dune? something like that.) I love the idea that they got this perfect day together. And a full on Princess Ball!

Ratings

Stars: 3/5

With Any Luck

        

Title: With Any Luck

Series: The Improbable Meet-Cute #5

Author: Ashley Poston

Publisher: January 23, 2024

Pages: 43

Genre: Contemporary Romance Novella

Every person she kisses finds their true love, and it’s never her—until now, in this funny and magically romantic short story by the New York Times bestselling author of The Dead Romantics.

Audrey Love is cursed to be the person before you find your soulmate, the girl you dump for your true love. So when her best friend disappears hours before his Valentine’s Day wedding, Audrey fears that she did the unthinkable and kissed him at last night’s bachelor party. With help from the best man, she retraces her steps to find the missing groom and, with any luck, a true love of her own.

I did love this. It was very My Best Friend's Wedding, minus the unrequited love between best friends. But Audrey is a hot mess, and not in a good way? Her whinging took up a lot of air. But she does sound like she'd be a blast to plan your bachelor/ette party!

Ratings

Stars: 3/5

Drop, Cover, and Hold On

       

Title: Drop, Cover, and Hold On

Series: The Improbable Meet-Cute #4

Author: Jasmine Guillory

Publisher: January 23, 2024

Pages: 40

Genre: Contemporary Romance Novella

It takes nothing less than a fateful natural disaster to throw two opposites together in a ground-shakingly charming short story by the New York Times bestselling author of Drunk on Love.

This Valentine’s Day, Daisy Murray has her heart set on binge-watching rom-coms. Instead, an earthquake traps her inside a bakery with its impossibly rude and insufferably handsome owner and head baker. They already have a history: she’s always smiled, he’s always scowled. Where better to finally get to know each other than amid the disaster? Then again, they have no choice. Besides, it could have its sweet, undeniable, and unpredictable perks.

I love the idea that this man was trying to flirt with her, and she was missing it the whole time. So much so that she thought he hated her. That is completely hilarious to me. But she wins in the end! He owns a bakery!!!

Ratings

Stars: 3/5

Rosie and the Dreamboat

      

Title: Rosie and the Dreamboat

Series: The Improbable Meet-Cute #3

Author: Sally Thorne

Publisher: January 23, 2024

Pages: 43

Genre: Contemporary Romance Novella

Rosie Whittaker and her sister are up for some Galentine’s pampering at a day spa. Getting locked inside a flotation tank is so Rosie. Enter a firefighter hero determined to pry this luckless pearl out of her high-tech shell. All Rosie has to go on is a dreamy voice and a flirty sense of humor. Remain calm, Rosie. This could be what you’ve been waiting for. Is this the man she’s waited for her whole life?

Wow, this book was shockingly scary! I mean, taking your sister for a spa day sounds like a dream. Getting locked inside a sensory deprivation tank? A freaking nightmare! But, aside from that? Rosie and her dreamboat are a delight.

Ratings

Stars: 3/5

The Exception to the Rule

     

Title: The Exception to the Rule

Series: The Improbable Meet-Cute #1

Author: Christina Lauren

Publisher: January 23, 2024

Pages: 101

Genre: Contemporary Romance Novella

On February 14, an accidental email to a stranger opens the door to an unexpected relationship in a captivating short story by the New York Times bestselling authors of The Unhoneymooners.

One typo, and a boy and girl connect by chance. Wishing each other a happy Valentine’s Day isn’t the end. In fact, it becomes a friendly annual tradition—with rules: no pics, no real names, nothing too personal. As years pass, the rules for their email “dates” are breaking, and they’re sharing more than they imagined—including the urge to ask…what if we actually met?

The concept of the improbable meet-cute is so perfect. I love it! I think the only thing about this one that didn't sit right with me is that they managed to wait so long before they decided to exchange information. I would have lasted all of 3 seconds. But it was adorable!

Ratings

Stars: 3/5

Worst Wingman Ever

     

Title: Worst Wingman Ever

Series: The Improbable Meet-Cute #2

Author: Abby Jimenez

Publisher: January 23, 2024

Pages: 61

Genre: Contemporary Romance Novella

They’re falling in love, yet they’ve never met. Maybe fate can intervene in a heartwarming “what-if” short story about new beginnings by the New York Times bestselling author of Yours Truly.

Holly is dealing with the impending death of her grandmother and still reeling from a bad breakup. One bright spot: a Valentine’s Day card on Holly’s windshield—even if it wasn’t meant for her. An amusing mistake soon turns into a lovely exchange of anonymous notes, little acts of kindness, and a growing affection between two strangers. What happens when one of them has to say goodbye?

I'm obsessed with this series. This was the first book that I read in it because I didn't bother to look at the order of things. But the premise of this one might be my favorite. Epistolary with some really excellent dramatic irony!

Ratings

Stars: 3/5

Rhapsodic

    

Title: Rhapsodic

Series: The Bargainer #1

Author: Laura Thalassa

Publisher: Bloom Books, September 6, 2022

Pages: 402

Genre: Contemporary Fantasy Romance

Callypso Lillis is a siren with a very big problem, one that stretches up her arm and far into her past.

For the last seven years Callie has been wearing a bracelet of black beads up her wrist, magical IOUs for favors she once received. Only death or repayment will fulfill her obligations.

Everyone knows that if you need a favor, you go to the Bargainer to make it happen. He's a man who can get you anything you want … at a price. And everyone knows that sooner or later he always collects. But for Callie, he's never asked for repayment. Not until now. 

When Callie finds the Bargainer in her room, a grin on his lips and a twinkle in his eye, she knows things are about to change. At first it's admitting a truth—a single bead's worth—acknowledging the attraction between them. But the Bargainer is after more than just rekindling their connection. Something is happening in the Otherworld. Fae warriors are going missing one by one, and only the women are returned, each in a glass casket, a child clutched to her breast. 

For the Bargainer to save his people, he'll need the help of the siren he spurned long ago. If she can forgive him.

I was not prepared for how dark this book got. I don't know why I wasn't ready, but I was not. 

The first time Callie reached out to the Bargainer was rough. But he helped her out, free of charge. After that though, she started racking up debt. She was lonely, and he didn't seem to want anything from her except the nebulous favors that weren't yet real to her. Well, only real to her in the sense that they were baubles on her wrist. Eventually, the Bargainer calls in his favors. And when he does, Callie gets drug into this mystery in the Otherworld. 

I look forward to seeing exactly how that mystery gets wrapped up. I think this book fell into that category of first books in series that kind of fall flat for world building. But The Bargainer sounds like he looks like Henry Cavill in distressed jeans with his Witcher wig, so like, into it!

Ratings

Stars: 3/5

Spice: 2/5

Howl for the Gargoyle

   

Title: Howl for the Gargoyle

Series: Monster Smash Agency #2

Author: Kathryn Moon

Publisher: December 5, 2023

Pages: 291

Genre: Contemporary Fantasy Romance

Hannah never wanted to be a werewolf. After over thirty years as a human, she finds her new life on the other side of the species line too full of sudden changes. Especially when those changes risk her band's chance at a world tour. Desperate for a way to slake the cravings and soothe the restless anger that arrives every month like clockwork, Hannah takes the advice of a friend and books a night with the Monster Smash Agency. In spite of being made of stone, Rafe is losing his touch. After years of rough work, he's starting to feel the grind. Sturdy and nearly indestructible, gargoyles can take a lot, but Rafe is pretty sure he can't take losing any more of his clients. Not if he wants to keep his job with MSA. Hannah and Rafe's partnership ought to be practical, but their chemistry carves a new path. This werewolf is unlike any client Rafe has worked with yet, and he's determined to make her howl his name.

Wow. After how light and fluffy Sunny and Khell'ar's story was, this really surprised me. Everything between Hannah and Rafe was wonderfully cozy and sweet. Everything else? Phew. A lot.

Hannah is a recently turned werewolf. She spends the full moons in a sterile, sad "hotel" that's essentially a fortified cage. There isn't even a real window. She spends the time between the full moons practicing with her band (though she can't go on tour with them) and attending a werewolf support group. Her sponsor in the support group is Theo, and his mate, Natalie, recommends that she check out the Monster Smash Agency. You see, the closer to the full moon it is, the more uncontrollable the werewolf becomes. Hannah's lust and aggression get turned up to 11 and she's not coping well. But at Monster Smash Agency, they have ways of accommodating those urges.

One of those is Rafe, a handsome gargoyle. Rafe is less than thrilled with his role in the Monster Smash Agency these days. Gargoyles can't be harmed, but that doesn't mean he doesn't feel anything. What used to be new and exciting, just isn't anymore. But then he meets Hannah. 

I love everything about this series. And I can't wait to read about Elias and his puzzle of a love story! And one more thing before I wrap this up. The lore that Kathryn Moon uses for her gargoyles is masterful. They are very, very cool monsters!

Ratings

Stars: 5/5

Spice: 5/5

Role Playing

                     

Title: Role Playing

Author: Cathy Yardley

Published: Montlake, July 1, 2023

Pages: 331

Genre: LGBTQ Contemporary Romance

Maggie is an unapologetically grumpy forty-eight-year-old hermit. But when her college-aged son makes her a deal—he’ll be more social if she does the same—she can’t refuse. She joins a new online gaming guild led by a friendly healer named Otter. So that nobody gets the wrong idea, she calls herself Bogwitch.

Otter is Aiden, a fifty-year-old optimist using the guild as an emotional outlet from his family drama caring for his aging mother while his brother plays house with Aiden’s ex-fiancée.

Bogwitch and Otter become fast virtual friends, but there’s a catch. Bogwitch thinks Otter is a college student. Otter assumes Bogwitch is an octogenarian.

When they finally meet face to face—after a rocky, shocking start—the unlikely pair of sunshine and stormy personalities grow tentatively closer. But Maggie’s previous relationships have left her bitter, and Aiden’s got a complicated past of his own.

Everything’s easier online. Can they make it work in real life?

Maggie Le is goals. She is an editor who works from home and tries to stay at home as much as possible. But her son is off for college, and she wants him to make the most of it. So they make a deal that he will go out and socialize if she will as well. In her efforts to get out and socialize, she finds herself in a new online gaming guild. Her name is Bogwitch, and everyone in the guild assumes she's in her 80s. She assumes everyone in the guild is in their late teens and early 20s. Hilarity ensues.

Some of the socializing that Maggie does is to appease Deb. Her son's best friend's mother. Deb is recently divorced, and also a new empty-nester. You would think that they would get on great. Maggie keeps going to events planned by Deb. Book club, a football party, etc. She realizes pretty quickly that they're not her cup of tea, but she's made this deal. 

When one of her guild-mates breaks his foot, she offers to bring him some soup. Maybe she's missing having a motherly responsibility, or maybe she just enjoys Otter's company, and needs out of the house. She brings some homemade pho to the home of someone she assumes is going to be a struggling 20-something. She finds a very attractive 50-something man named Aiden. They're already essentially best friends, and now they both know that they find one another attractive. 

I could not put this book down. Or stop listening, technically. Regardless, I loved everything about this. And I really do believe that Maggie Le is everything I'd like to be when I grow up. You know, in like 10 years. Minus the video games, I'll always be crap at gaming. But I can do other nerd stuff! 

Ratings

Stars: 5/5

Spice: 5/5

Shots and Barbs

                    

Title: Shots and Barbs

Series: Deep Earth Dating #2

Author: Lily Mayne

Published: January 5, 2025

Pages: 517

Genre: Fantasy Romance

Nuni
Look, I’m an extremely busy, handsome, charming guy. I am a paragon of physical perfection, I run a wildly successful architecture firm, and I take care of my family. I don’t have time to organise a ten-year anniversary party for my business, so it just makes sense to hire someone else to do the work.

Except as soon as I see my new event planner, Anita Chaudhary, with her dark eyes and no-nonsense attitude and sensible shoes, I decide maybe I should be involved in the process. Just, you know, for the sake of being thorough.

But mainly so I can keep butting heads with her. She’s competitive and cool-headed and infuriatingly competent, all of which I begrudgingly find attractive. And those sensible shoes of hers drive me wild.

But she’s also human. And we all know that humans and demiurgus don’t exactly mix…

Anita
Nuni var Rorik is arrogant, pompous, egotistical, vain, bullheaded… need I go on?

He’s a frat boy in an expensive suit. A know-it-all. A big, muscular demiurgus with perfect hair and flawless skin and a distractingly beautiful face. He rankles me like no one else.

But I can’t stay away from him.

Which is definitely not good. I’m his event planner, and my boss is extremely strict when it comes to… ahem… client relations.

When our barbed words and competitive needling explode into something hotter than it has any right being, my job and reputation are on the line. I can’t stand the thought of being seen as irresponsible or less than the best, but I can’t stop myself when it comes to him.

So we just have to keep it a secret.

Full disclosure, I was nervous going into this book. I LOVED Berries and Greed, I had full faith in Lily Mayne. But Nuni, from Beryl's and Greid's perspectives, was such a butthead. I was not expecting him to be one of the main characters of book 2, but of course he was. And of course, I'm now fully obsessed with him! 

Nuni is a founding partner of an architectural firm with his best friend. They've been at it for 10 years and they're planning a big anniversary party to celebrate their success. They're going with a party planner, and from the moment Anita walks into the meeting with her boss, Nuni and Anita can't seem to get one another off of their minds. 

Nuni is a gym bro. He is dramatic and outrageous and hilarious. And somehow his heart of gold bleeds through his entire inner monologue, even when he's being a total bro about it. I just love that he's so in tune with his body, but so oblivious of his feelings, that he equates liking someone to having indigestion and needing to consult his nutritionist. It's hysterical. And Anita isn't much better. 

They know they shouldn't get together, but they can't keep their hands off of one another. I love an enemies to lovers where the chemistry is this intense! These two are completely ravenous for one another. I like that the reason they feel like they can't be together makes total sense. But it's also not so serious that you can't understand why they were able to push it to the side to get together.

As I said earlier, I was nervous for this book, specifically because of the way Nuni looks from Greid's POV. But the brotherly redemption is so very good. And of course we get more of the var Rorik clan! I can't wait for all 6 of their remaining books. And if Lily wanted to give us a Mama var Rorik novella, I would read that too!!!

Ratings

Stars: 5/5

Spice: 5/5