Sunday, June 30, 2024

Leather & Lark

      



Title: Leather & Lark
Series: The Ruinous Love Trilogy #2
Author: Brynne Weaver
Publisher: Zando, June 4, 2024
Pages: 409
Genre: Dark Romance

Contract killer Lachlan Kane wants a quiet life working in his leather studio and forgetting all about his traumatic past. But when he botches a job for his boss’s biggest client, Lachlan knows he’ll never claw his way out of the underworld. At least, not until songbird Lark Montague offers him a deal: use his skills to hunt down a killer and she’ll find a way to secure his freedom. The catch? He has to marry her first.

And they can’t stand each other.

Indie singer-songwriter Lark is the sunshine and glitter that burns through every cloud and clings to every crevice that Lachlan Kane tries to hide inside. The surly older brother of her best friend’s soulmate, Lachlan thinks she’s just a privileged princess, but Lark has plenty of secrets hiding in the shadows of her bright light. With her formidable family in a tailspin and her best friend’s happiness on the line, she’s willing to make a vow to the man she’s determined to hate, no matter how tempting the broody assassin might be.

As Lachlan and Lark navigate the dark world that binds them together, it becomes impossible to discern their fake marriage from a real one. But it’s not just familiar dangers that haunt them.

There’s another phantom lurking on their doorstep.

And this one has come for blood.

I love a good fake engagement / marriage of convenience. And then you mix marriage of convenience with enemies to lovers? So many treats in one book. 

If you read Butcher & Blackbird you know that Sloane is not exactly stable. One could infer that her bestie is probably also a little unhinged. But the level of crazy inside Lark is AMAZING. Truly, this woman is not well. And again, the trauma makes it understandable, but she does not mess around. Or more precisely, she messes around too much. 

I was a little surprised that the main big bad in this book happened so early. I kind of thought she was setting him up to be in the background through the whole trilogy. Which makes me wonder what's going to happen in the third book. I guess I do have to wait a year to find out, but I have a feeling I'm really going to like it. If these two are any indication. 

Ratings
Stars: 4/5
Spice: 4/5

Butcher & Blackbird

     



Title: Butcher & Blackbird
Series: The Ruinous Love Trilogy #1
Author: Brynne Weaver
Publisher: Blue Nose Publishing, August 15, 2023
Pages: 360
Genre: Dark Romance

A friends-to-lovers dark romantic comedy full of murder, chaos, and spice, unlike anything you’ve heard before.

Every serial killer needs a friend. Every game must have a winner.

When a chance encounter sparks an unlikely bond between rival murderers Sloane and Rowan, the two find something elusive—the friendship of a like-minded, pitch-black soul. From small-town West Virginia to upscale California, from downtown Boston to rural Texas, the two hunters collide in an annual game of blood and suffering, one that pits them against the most dangerous monsters in the country.

But as their friendship develops into something more, the restless ghosts left in their wake are only a few steps behind, ready to claim more than just their newfound love.

Can Rowan and Sloane dig themselves out of a game of graves?

Or have they finally met their match?

I am honestly so annoyed that I enjoyed this as much as I did. It's so popular on booktok and social media and stuff. Alas, I understand the hype. It's certainly sensational in many ways.

Ultimately it was fun. Rowan is hot, Sloane is kind of self-righteous, but also hot. They're funny. They're absolutely oblivious. Especially when it comes to each other. I did quite like this book. But they barely mention the police. These are two very specific serial killers who leave calling cards and all kinds of stuff. And the most they have to say about the police is that they can't figure out Sloane's messages. I would also read a book about the FBI agents chasing after Rowan and Sloane's hijinks. Workplace romance, anyone??

This book is dark. It's funny, but there is quite a lot of gore and killing, so keep that in mind. Also, Rowan and Sloane have been through quite a lot of trauma. Which is understandable considering what they've chosen to do with their lives, but they do discuss that past trauma quite a bit as well. 

Ratings
Stars: 4/5
Spice: 4/5

Thursday, June 27, 2024

The Hunter

        


Title: The Hunter
Series: Cal Hooper #2
Author: Tana French
Publisher: Penguin Audio, March 5, 2024
Pages: 474
Genre: Suspense

It’s a blazing summer when two men arrive in a small village in the West of Ireland. One of them is coming home. Both of them are coming to get rich. One of them is coming to die.

Cal Hooper took early retirement from Chicago PD and moved to rural Ireland looking for peace. He’s found it, more or less: he’s built a relationship with a local woman, Lena, and he’s gradually turning Trey Reddy from a half-feral teenager into a good kid going good places. But then Trey’s long-absent father reappears, bringing along an English millionaire and a scheme to find gold in the townland, and suddenly everything the three of them have been building is under threat. Cal and Lena are both ready to do whatever it takes to protect Trey, but Trey doesn’t want protecting. What she wants is revenge.

Tana French is an auto-buy for me. She just writes a dang good book. 

Cal is just trying to live in this little life he's managed to build for himself in Ireland. He had a rocky start in Ardnakelty, but he's managed to smooth the edges and polish things up to a pretty good shine. He's got a good house, a small garden, an independent girlfriend, and Trey. He's practically adopted Trey after working the case for her when he moved to Ireland. 

But Trey's father is back in town, and stirring the pot. And Trey is keeping secrets, Cal is keeping secrets. Things are really shaking up for this sleepy village. And everyone else is more than ready for some shaking up. I do feel like it's wild that Cal stayed in town after everything that happened in the last book, but I'm glad he did. It's fun drama to read about.

Ratings
Stars: 5/5

Tuesday, June 25, 2024

10 Things That Never Happened

    


Title: 10 Things That Never Happened
Series: Material World #1
Author: Alexis Hall
Publisher: Sourcebooks Casablanca, October 17, 2023
Pages: 391
Genre: LGBTQ Contemporary Romance

FAKE AMNESIA. REAL FEELINGS? REAL PROBLEMS.

Sam Becker loves—or, okay, likes—his job. Sure, managing a bed and bath retailer isn't exactly glamorous, but it's good work and he gets on well with the band of misfits who keep the store running. He could see himself being content here for the long haul. Too bad, then, that the owner is an infuriating git.

Jonathan Forest should never have hired Sam. It was a sentimental decision, and Jonathan didn't get where he is by following his heart. Determined to set things right, Jonathan orders Sam down to London for a difficult talk…only for a panicking Sam to trip, bump his head, and maybe accidentally imply he doesn't remember anything?

Faking amnesia seemed like a good idea when Sam was afraid he was getting sacked, but now he has to deal with the reality of Jonathan's guilt—as well as the unsettling fact that his surly boss might have a softer side to him. There's an unexpected freedom in getting a second shot at a first impression…but as Sam and Jonathan grow closer, can Sam really bring himself to tell the truth, or will their future be built entirely on one impulsive lie?

Sam Becker doesn't take much seriously. Jonathan Forest takes everything, including himself, way too seriously. To be fair, owning your own business gives you a bit of a right to take it seriously. Jonathan takes it to another level, but we get there in the end.

Sam is just trying to meet his quotas, keep his staff employed, and his boss happy. Which seems nearly impossible. Until Sam gets a head injury at work, and attempts to make a joke that everyone takes a little too seriously. This comedy of errors quickly snowballs out of control and it's pretty stressful. But I mean, still a comedy so hilarious.

It hit all of the beats. Bumbling employee and uptight boss. It made me laugh, it made my cry. Honestly, it did make me cry. That third act breakup HIT. But then Gollum the cat saved the day. I mean, it wasn't that dramatic, but I love a good dually literary pet.

Ratings
Stars: 5/5
Spice: 1/5

A Polar Expedition: And Other Stimulating Research Opportunities

       



Title: A Polar Expedition: And Other Stimulating Research Opportunities
Series: The Shades of Sanctuary #1
Author: Kass O'Shire
Publisher: June 16, 2023
Pages: 296
Genre: Fantasy Romance

She has everything she needs for a solo trek through the Arctic: a sledge heaped with supplies, a little magic, and evidently, the eye of a polar bear shifter–who shouldn't even exist

Sirin is determined to find the source of magic, and nothing is going to stop her. Not expulsion from her guild, not their warnings about her “certain death,” and certainly not the damned polar bear stalking her through the taiga.

Berne is a simple bear. He likes spending time shifted, a good meal, and apparently, round little scientists. When his duty to protect a thousand-year-old secret is tested against the strange pull he feels toward her, Berne can't help but sink his teeth into the one solution that might let him keep his adorable prey.

I think that I built this one up a bit in my head. I had really high hopes, and this was VERY good. But it wasn't what I was expecting.

I love the footnotes. I love that Siri is this sassy little thing! She's so oblivious. It's pretty adorable.  She's so smart, and she's so good at research and field observations. But then she has to interact with people, and she has got nothing. Except some pretty cute snarks in the footnotes.

Berne is also really funny. Such a gentleman. I'm looking forward to the next one! Here's hoping Berne's sister is just as cute as her kids!

Ratings
Stars: 3/5
Spice: 4/5

Putting Out for a Hero

      



Title: Putting Out for a Hero
Series: The Villainous Things #3
Author: C. Rochelle
Publisher: July 13, 2023
Pages: 460
Genre: LGBTQ Action Adventure Romance

Baltasar

It’s time for me to start pulling my weight in the Suarez clan—to prove I’m worth more than the plays I make on the field or the dirt I dig up on rival families. I want to make Wolfy proud.

And not get unalived by Simon.

So I volunteered what I had to offer, knowing my infamous genes could be used for uniting two powerful clans in marriage. After all, I’m the only not-gay one in my family, so that alone should entice the super-babes looking to get busy with baby-making.

I mean, as long as they don’t ask me to do math or anything.

But the last supe I expected Wolfy to match me with was the ice queen hero herself, Dahlia Salah. She's not bad, but her brother is my former Deathball rival, and the only one on the planet who can make me Hulk out with a single snarky word.

All I have to do is keep my eye on the prize and ignore this weird tension between Zion and me.

I’ve totally got this.

Zion

I never would have guessed Baltasar Suarez would be the man to lock down my sister.

But shady business deals are what make our world go ‘round, and Dahlia sealed her fate when she went up against the leaders of his clan—as if she were destined for our legendary throne instead of me.

Not that I've been interested in wearing the crown.

Not after everything that happened.

Without Deathball to distract me, I spend most of my time keeping my daughter safe and happy, even though her mother is gone and my parents treat her like an outcast.

Otherwise, I’ve just been… existing. Until Baltasar showed up, as tempting as ever—reminding me of all I’ve lost, and everything I’ve ever wanted. Everything I can never have.

Or can I?

My beast—my true supe form—has already decided the villain is ours, so why not remind my backstabbing family that everything under this roof is destined to belong to me?

Starting with him.

I thought for sure that Baltasar was going to be my favorite Suarez, and so far that stands!! I have a feeling the twins are going to give him a run for his money. But it would definitely take the both of them, because Balty is awesome!

I am also a big ol' sucker for a sports rivalry. Are you joking? Sport rivals who are also "super" rivals? Who have been pining for each other the whole time?! WHAT'S NOT TO LOVE?

And then of course there's Daisy. Who's basically going to be scarier than Simon when she grows up. I love her so much. 

Ratings
Stars: 4/5
Spice: 5/5

Saturday, June 1, 2024

How You Get the Girl

           


Title: How You Get the Girl
Author: Anita Kelly
Publisher: Forever, February 13, 2024
Pages: 372
Genre: LGBTQ+ Contemporary Romance

When a smart-mouthed junior joins East Nashville High’s basketball team, Coach Julie Parker’s ready for the challenge. What she’s not prepared for is the teen’s new foster parent, a super-hot ex-WNBA baller and star of Julie’s fantasies. Julie knows the cool and confident Elle Cochrane is way out of her league. But despite being completely tongue-tied around her, somehow Julie persuades Elle to step in as her assistant coach. 

Elle has not been on a court since her career-ending injury, but she can’t seem to resist Julie, who is just as adorable as her nervous babbling. Maybe because being around her makes Elle feel sparks for the first time in
 long while—which is why she offers to help when Julie reveals her lifelong insecurity about dating and how she wishes she could practice at it…like sports. As Elle helps Julie navigate dating life, lines grow increasingly blurred, and the two must decide whether they’ll stay on the sidelines—or finally take their shot.

What a good finish to this little family's love stories. Don't get me wrong, I would ABSOLUTELY read Hank's book if Anita Kelly wants to give it to us. But this definitely had all of the bits of a series ender that you want to see. Including the continuation of your previous books HEAs. <3

This was absolutely wild. Julie meets her idol and then turns her into her assistant high school basketball. Elle meets an old fan, but she's also just agreed to foster her cousin's teenaged daughter. And now she's coaching basketball? The. Drama.

As someone who has extensively considered fostering, this was very interesting to read. It contained all of the bits that keep me from taking the leap into the system. At least Elle was family with her foster, and they get to stay in each other's lives. Which is better than some people get out of the system. It was lovely to read it.

I also really enjoy stories with Demi/ace representation. It's not something that I relate to, so getting to read about it is really nice. 

Ratings

Stars: 5/5
Spice: 2/5

Salt Houses

           

Title: Salt Houses
Author: Hala Alyan
Publisher: Harper, May 2, 2017
Pages: 338
Genre: Cultural Heritage Fiction

On the eve of her daughter Alia’s wedding, Salma reads the girl’s future in a cup of coffee dregs. She sees an unsettled life for Alia and her children; she also sees travel and luck. While she chooses to keep her predictions to herself that day, they will all soon come to pass when the family is uprooted in the wake of the Six-Day War of 1967.  

Salma is forced to leave her home in Nablus; Alia’s brother gets pulled into a politically militarized world he can’t escape; and Alia and her gentle-spirited husband move to Kuwait City, where they reluctantly build a life with their three children. When Saddam Hussein invades Kuwait in 1990, Alia and her family once again lose their home and their land, scattering to Beirut, Paris, Boston, and beyond. Soon Alia’s children begin families of their own, once again navigating the burdens (and blessings) of assimilation in foreign cities.  

This was my second read of this book. And it was just as beautiful as before. I cried, maybe not in exactly the same places, potentially more times. But I love this book and this family.

The book features 5 generations of this Palestinian family. You meet them just before the Six-Day War, and then you move through about 50 years of their lives together. You see how the instability of the region throughout these years has impacted this family. 

Even with all of the moves, their ties to one another remain strong. They fight and bicker. They have their varying levels of faith. It's hard to call this slice of life, but that's how it feels. It's a collection of slice of life vignettes from different people in this one family. I wish I could convince every person in my life to read this book. I just think it's a really important and really beautiful book. 

Ratings
Stars: 5/5

Funny Story

          



Title: Funny Story
Author: Emily Henry
Publisher: Berkley, April 23, 2024
Pages: 395
Genre: Contemporary Romance

Daphne always loved the way her fiancé Peter told their story. How they met (on a blustery day), fell in love (over an errant hat), and moved back to his lakeside hometown to begin their life together. He really was good at telling it…right up until the moment he realized he was actually in love with his childhood best friend Petra.

Which is how Daphne begins her new story: Stranded in beautiful Waning Bay, Michigan, without friends or family but with a dream job as a children’s librarian (that barely pays the bills), and proposing to be roommates with the only person who could possibly understand her predicament: Petra’s ex, Miles Nowak.

Scruffy and chaotic—with a penchant for taking solace in the sounds of heart break love ballads—Miles is exactly the opposite of practical, buttoned up Daphne, whose coworkers know so little about her they have a running bet that she’s either FBI or in witness protection. The roommates mainly avoid one another, until one day, while drowning their sorrows, they form a tenuous friendship and a plan. If said plan also involves posting deliberately misleading photos of their summer adventures together, well, who could blame them?

But it’s all just for show, of course, because there’s no way Daphne would actually start her new chapter by falling in love with her ex-fiancé’s new fiancée’s ex…right?


Perhaps reading this book in the wake of my proposal wasn't the wisest choice. But when the library gods say it's time for your borrowed book to be read, one must read it or get back on the hold list for weeks! 

As you can imagine, reading a story about a jilted fiancé not 2 weeks into my own engagement was....something. Something of a nightmare! And yet. I couldn't put it down. As has happened with all of Emily Henry's books. They're very compelling. Even in the face of one's own tears.

You've got to love a good story about a librarian. Especially a librarian who found her dream job, thought she was going to have to leave because of the butt head who left her, and managed to find her own joy anyway. I don't think I can get much else out about it right now. This was an absolutely bananas meet-cute. And somehow the most unbelievable part was that Peter and Petra tried to be in a couple for a little while. Insanity!

Ratings
Stars: 5/5
Spice: 2/5

Something Wild and Wonderful

          


Title: Something Wild & Wonderful
Series: Nashville Love #2
Author: Anita Kelly
Publisher: Forever, March 7, 2023
Pages: 385
Genre: LGBTQ+ Contemporary Romance

Alexei Lebedev’s journey on the Pacific Crest Trail begins with a single snake. And it is angling for the hot stranger who seemed to have appeared out of thin air. Lex is prepared for rattlesnakes, blisters, and months of solitude. What he isn’t prepared for is Ben Caravalho. But somehow—on a 2,500-mile trail—Alexei keeps running into the outgoing and charismatic hiker with golden-brown eyes, again and again. It might be coincidence. Then again, maybe there’s a reason the trail keeps bringing them together . . .

Ben has made his fair share of bad decisions, and almost 
all of them involved beautiful men. And yet there’s something about the gorgeous and quietly nerdy Alexei that Ben can’t just walk away from. Surely a bad decision can’t be this cute and smart. And there are worse things than falling in love during the biggest adventure of your life. But when their plans for the future are turned upside down, Ben and Alexei begin to wonder if it’s possible to hold on to something this wild and wonderful.

Do I want to drop every single one of my responsibilities and go hike the PCT or the Appalachian? No. Do I wish that I had done that in my 20s? Also, no. Does this book make it seem like a really freaking cool thing to do? Absolutely. What a privilege to feel safe enough to do a massive hike by yourself. 

Lex has gone to the PCT to figure out how to live his life as a gay man with some pretty massive religious trauma. He has to come to terms with his parents' reactions, and how he feels about his own faith in the face of their hate. Hiking by oneself seems like a pretty good place to figure some of those things out to be sure. Then there's Ben who is just taking a break between finishing his degree and starting his career. And they can't seem to get enough of each other. 

I loved the everyday magic that this book lives with. That was the best part, the part that makes hiking cross country sound like something that I could actually get down with it. I don't even like birds, but I was halfway interested in birding while Lex was talking about his wildlife encounters. That's real magic right there.

Little bit of a spoiler, I love a grand gesture, and this was a spectacular grand gesture. I think the best part of it was that it wasn't only romantic. Don't get it twisted, it WAS romantic. But it was full up and I loved it. 

Ratings

Stars: 5/5
Spice: 2/5

Here We Go Again

                                


Title: Here We Go Again
Author: Alison Cochrun
Published: Atria Books, April 2, 2024
Pages: 364
Genre: LGBT Romance

A long time ago, Logan Maletis and Rosemary Hale used to be friends. They spent their childhood summers running through the woods, rebelling against their conservative small town, and dreaming of escaping. But then an incident the summer before high school turned them into bitter rivals. After graduation, they went ten years without speaking.

Now in their thirties, Logan and Rosemary find they aren’t quite living the lives of adventure they imagined for themselves. Still in their small town and working as teachers at their alma mater, they’re both stuck in old patterns. Uptight Rosemary chooses security and stability over all else, working constantly, and her most stable relationship is with her label maker. Chaotic and impulsive Logan has a long list of misguided ex-lovers and an apathetic shrug she uses to protect herself from anything real. And as hard as they try to avoid each other—and their complicated past—they keep crashing into each other. Including with their cars.

But when their beloved former English teacher and lifelong mentor tells them he has only a few months to live, they’re forced together once and for all to fulfill his last wish: a cross-country road trip. Stuffed into the gayest van west of the Mississippi, the three embark on a life-changing summer trip—from Washington state to the Grand Canyon, from the Gulf Coast to coastal Maine—that will chart a new future and perhaps lead them back to one another.

Be extra sure to check your content and trigger warnings on this one. The whole point of this road trip is a one last adventure for a parental figure to both of these women. So you really have to be ready to sit with some grief to make it through this one.

For a book about a death road trip, there were a shocking number of additionally heavy themes. Addiction and sobriety, coming out, being gay in various parts of the United States of America, parental neglect and abandonment, parental death, anxiety and abandonment issues, etc. All of these things are touched on. And every single one of them made me sit with it and feel things about it. Rude.

In saying that, it's lovely. Their entire adventure is incredible. The idea that they loved this man enough to drive him from Oregon to Maine while he's using a wheel chair and adult diapers is pretty powerful. The care that they show one another, even in the midst of "hating" the other, is pretty great too. 

I love a good physical journey to represent the internal journey our characters are facing. Progress being made, backslides to contend with, unplanned detours and road bumps along the way. We love a good metaphor around here. You just really have to be in a solid place emotionally, and willing to feel some big feelings, to get through this one. But it's a beautiful story.

Ratings
Stars: 4/5
Spice: 2/5