1890s f/f with Caribbean and Chilean/English MCs. Worked better for me than the first in the series, I think because the long period of UST gave the c1890s f/f with Caribbean and Chilean/English MCs. Worked better for me than the first in the series, I think because the long period of UST gave the characters and world such terrific space for development (and I just like UST okay). Both heroines have a lot to learn about what they really want (starting from some not entirely sympathetic places, which I loved) and it makes for a very satisfying romance.
And the world building is great. Fabulous and clearly deeply researched depiction of fin de siecle arty-boho and queer Paris, plus a lot of interesting stuff on the struggles of women, especially of colour, in the very white male world of business. A satisfyingly meaty read along with some scorching sex. ...more
There is a lot to like about this. I loved the description of the catching of the mermaid, and the brutal soulless greed of the USian sport fisherman There is a lot to like about this. I loved the description of the catching of the mermaid, and the brutal soulless greed of the USian sport fisherman who wants to sell her and never mind that she's clearly a conscious person. This book is very much about colonialism, greed, the lasting trauma of enslavement, the treating of other people as less than human. It's also a lot about sex (the writing of which is done in a very earthy way), the desire and entitlement of men, the multiple ways that can ruin women. And it's about the forgetting of people's history, the fragility of memory and community. There's a lot there.
I didn't quite feel it came together for me. Possibly that's in the structure, which switches from 1970s present to 2015 reminiscing to the mermaid's thoughts at unspecified times, I assume as a deliberate unmooring effect, but it did make me feel unmoored. And the pacing becomes very slow through the middle after a terrific start. It's really marvellously and vividly imagined, with great atmosphere, and a lot to think about: I just wanted a little more plot. But that's very often magic realism for you, and I am a very plot driven reader, so....more
This is a funny one. Big grumpy sunshine vibes but turned up to like 13. Hero is massive introvert brutally grumpy to the point of torpedoing his relaThis is a funny one. Big grumpy sunshine vibes but turned up to like 13. Hero is massive introvert brutally grumpy to the point of torpedoing his relationships (he seems neurodivergent though the book never says so). Heroine is huge extrovert, all about being loud and bright colours and being the centre of attention. She very reasonably has no truck with people telling her to tone it down or change herself. But her first instinct with hero is to make him change ('get him out of his shell') and we never actually tackle that she's doing to him exactly what she doesn't want done to herself.
It makes for a read that I found difficult for a while. I am Team Just Fuck Off And Leave Devon Alone You Bastards (Reva, his mum, his whole family, his boss, his colleagues, Jesus wept can a man not just have some peace and quiet) and I genuinely did not feel comfortable in the mid section of the book which is basically Reba pushing at him. What's hugely impressive is how the author pulls this off. Devon is capable of more, and has lost things important to him because of his introversion, and Reba has her own issues. Once she drops the Little Miss Neon facade and starts acknowledging her own fears and issues, and Devon faces up to his feelings and acts on them, the book takes flight. By the end I was 100% rooting for them and absolutely believed in their partnership. Terrific work there. Also mad props for taking a tired predictable trope and chucking it into the sun, nice.
Lovely well drawn setting, vibrant cast. There looks to be a f/f book 3 in the series and I look forward to it....more
Fabulous Caribbean magic realism. Hero is a Rasta who is forced by necessaity to take a job in a graveyard, which means breaking his faith. Heroine isFabulous Caribbean magic realism. Hero is a Rasta who is forced by necessaity to take a job in a graveyard, which means breaking his faith. Heroine is a descendant of a line of woman who talk to the dead and walk in storms and are sort of carrion crows. It's very magical and not over explained, but the story is given terrific heft and grounding by the realness--the depiction of the Port of Spain-alike city, the brutal relationships both leads have with their mothers, the writing of grief and bereavement.
A fantastic book in both senses, hugely readable. Big recommend. ...more
This book opens with an absolutely magnificent sequence whereby the heroine is abducted by a bandit, who turnsThe hat on the cover is giving me life.
This book opens with an absolutely magnificent sequence whereby the heroine is abducted by a bandit, who turns out to be some random guy she hired to abduct her in an effort to make her tight fisted and exploitative uncle ransom her. (We never really address what a clearly terrible plan this is, because sssh let people enjoy themselves.) Obviously the hero isn't actually a bandit, and there's some off the charts chemistry and fun in the first half as the alliance unspools.
I didn't enjoy the second half as much because the plot takes a sharp turn into family traumas and betrayals and plots with lots of angst and enmity, all of which are excellent things but I was very much wanting the fun exuberant adventure to continue because that's the mood I was in. Can't have everything. Great setting and period detail, strong writing, vividly drawn characters.
A family saga with a mystery element, about a black American family with black and Chinese Caribbean descent. Family secrets, division, hidden historyA family saga with a mystery element, about a black American family with black and Chinese Caribbean descent. Family secrets, division, hidden history, and a great deal of people feeling betwixt and between - racially, culturally, in sexuality or roots or culture. Extremely involving with strong, well drawn characters (not always likeable) and an intriguing set up with well paced reveals.
Highly readable and well written though it's striking how much smoother it is to read the bits in past tense where you can move around in time without a headache (yes, the curse of the Pointless Present Tense again).
One thing that bothered me: there's an eight year family rift caused by the parents' response to daughter Benny coming out as bisexual. This is not quite grounded in the narrative--the parents' reaction seems both a tad unlikely for their characters, and just not enough to provoke a don't-go-to-your-father's-funeral rift--and tbh it feels a bit like the author wanted a row without wanting any of her characters to be grossly at fault. We've all been there. But given the rift is around Benny's bisexuality, and the book is very much about the need for people who don't have just one single heritage, culture, identity etc to have their own place, it's slightly odd that the book never actually uses the word 'bisexual' as an identity, instead using language that skirts round the subject. I imagine that's intentional but I couldn't see a reason....more
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