So far up my street it could be my house. An English-set contemporary fantasy (rural, as opposed to urban) in which a dryad's son encounters all sortsSo far up my street it could be my house. An English-set contemporary fantasy (rural, as opposed to urban) in which a dryad's son encounters all sorts of creatures from myth including a wodewose (massively creepy) and a proper Lambton type wyrm. Gorgeous feel, very readable, and fantastic use of myth in a grimy modern setting. The plot kind of falls into two halves which I wished had been a bit more integrated in the book, but which definitely sets up a sense of a serial and adventures to come so yay. More please!
Merged review:
So far up my street it could be my house. An English-set contemporary fantasy (rural, as opposed to urban) in which a dryad's son encounters all sorts of creatures from myth including a wodewose (massively creepy) and a proper Lambton type wyrm. Gorgeous feel, very readable, and fantastic use of myth in a grimy modern setting. The plot kind of falls into two halves which I wished had been a bit more integrated in the book, but which definitely sets up a sense of a serial and adventures to come so yay. More please!...more
A well-written romance about a woman who feels aimless and a man with a past.
The conflict is very much located in the protagonists' heads. Georgie isA well-written romance about a woman who feels aimless and a man with a past.
The conflict is very much located in the protagonists' heads. Georgie is a highly successful Hollywood PA, returned to small town to help her heavily pregnant bestie. She's convinced she is a failure because her job came to an end for reasons of her boss leaving the industry. She's been fully and gainfully employed, got connections, got savings, but has a huge feeling of inadequacy because she hasn't made lots of plans for the future in her late 20s. (I will admit this part never quite came into focus for me: she appears confident, capable, happy, and professionally successful, and I just couldn't quite understand why she still cared about teachers and teenage dreams from high school, or why she was down on herself because a PA job came to a natural end on good terms.)
Levi does have issues: horrible parents, teenage misbehaviour, sent to one of those evil boot camp places, lots of trauma. He's had his head down ever since working to prove he's a good person, and he needs to see a lot more sun in his life. They're well matched, Georgie really stands up for both herself and Levi, and Levi values Georgie and works to change himself once he understands what he needs to change. If you like internal conflict and heroes who are angsty without being arseholes about it (rare and precious), this is the book for you. ...more
An enemies to lovers story set in backwoods small town USA. He's a chef who's wandered the world and come home, she's a high-school high achiever who An enemies to lovers story set in backwoods small town USA. He's a chef who's wandered the world and come home, she's a high-school high achiever who never managed to get out of the trailer she grew up in, and they both work at the same swanky wedding venue. They also have a massive high-school hate thing going on.
I will admit to struggling with high-school hate as a plot driver in 30yo adults, but I have read many far less plausible romance plot drivers, and it comes across with absolute emotional reality. Plus I really liked the way they both grow up: there's a lot of places I was braced for someone doing a rom-com silliness and instead they act with thought and maturity and understanding, and that broadened and deepened the romance to great effect. Very well handled.
I didn't feel we quite got to grips with why Violet had never managed to leave town and her backstory, or whether she was ever going to get to leave now. Possibly that's more about my feelings as to being stuck in your home town forever than the heroine's.
Jaunty writing, high heat, nicely sketched in supporting cast/sequel bait, and mostly, a romance that feels properly real as it develops. ...more
Very sweet sapphic neurodivergent romance between ADHD chaos bunny artist and autistic flower-grower. The conflict is really very much in their respecVery sweet sapphic neurodivergent romance between ADHD chaos bunny artist and autistic flower-grower. The conflict is really very much in their respective heads: Opal struggles with impulse control, emotional lability, and self esteem, while Pepper is conscious of not fitting in a neurotypical world, as well as profoundly traumatised by abusive parenting and abandonment.
Obviously that's fairly heavy stuff, so the decision to make the plot and conflict around them as light as possible is the right one: they have enough on their plates just with coming to understand one another. It's also lovely to see how they learn to play off one another's strengths: Opal is great with change and emergencies, where Pepper is good at stability and getting things done properly.
Loved this fantasy/cyberpunk take on the Arab Spring. Profoundly human, hugely readable, brutally political, bursting with hope even when people reallLoved this fantasy/cyberpunk take on the Arab Spring. Profoundly human, hugely readable, brutally political, bursting with hope even when people really suck. Which they do. Alif starts off a really fairly exasperating, self-pitying young man but his character growth is fantastic. the deployment of Middle Eastern myth is terrific, and the cultural elements, atmosphere and setting all sing. Don't know why I've never read this before. ...more
DNF. The structure, plot and characterisation really need a development edit, and it's full of errors and missing words. The hell's going on at M&B? DNF. The structure, plot and characterisation really need a development edit, and it's full of errors and missing words. The hell's going on at M&B? ...more
A M&B Medical with sapphic couple, and a lovely clinch cover. It doesn't feel that long since I was on the Medical team but wow, things do sometimes cA M&B Medical with sapphic couple, and a lovely clinch cover. It doesn't feel that long since I was on the Medical team but wow, things do sometimes change.
This is a very soft, moderately hot second chance/baby/wealth gap story (the baby plot is neither traumatic nor cringe), with lots of love expressed in action. A fine category romance, and a welcome addition to the list. ...more
Sapphic relationship with two Armenian diaspora heroines. For me, this landed more as I guess women's fiction than romance, in that there's a lot abouSapphic relationship with two Armenian diaspora heroines. For me, this landed more as I guess women's fiction than romance, in that there's a lot about Armenian identity and prejudice, parents relationships, jobs, cooking competitions etc, and I didn't really get a lot of sense as Vanya as an individual, rather than another element in Nazeli's life (or, tbh, a sense of what she saw in Nazeli). That can work very well in its own right, obv, but my tastebuds were set to romance. If you're looking for a wider-ranging story, this may well work for you, I'm incredibly grumpy and wanted more romance. ...more
A debut romance with Canadian Muslim MCs: she's going back to Pakistan to get arranged-married, but a sequence of travel disasters bring her closer toA debut romance with Canadian Muslim MCs: she's going back to Pakistan to get arranged-married, but a sequence of travel disasters bring her closer to the annoying guy she ends up travelling with.
A mixed reading experience for me, primarily because of the heroine, who bangs on about being cursed because of her bad luck (a habit which to be fair the hero also found exasperating), but whose misfortune seemed to me mostly to come down to having some of the worst judgement I have ever seen in a fictional character. (From the first few chapters: She eats oysters in a tourist restaurant *in a famously landlocked country ffs* and is astonished to become violently unwell. She then randomly agrees to share the hotel room of the man she was seated next to on a plane, like JFC, *we* know he's the hero but *you* don't. And so on.)
That aside there's lots to like in here. The heroine is secure in her faith and her practice of it, which is heartfelt but not hugely traditional/observant; the hero is genuinely grumpy (at times genuinely shitty in a depressing but realistic manner) but has hidden depths; and the 'love triangle' element seemed well handled--the discardable fiance is actually super nice and deserves his own story. I honestly feel like it might have worked better with a bit less in the way of romcom tropes, and the author trusting her actual story more, and letting the characters develop accordingly. (TBH I often feel that about tropes and their tendency to overtake a perfectly good story.) Still, an assured debut, and a really interesting new voice....more
Very relatable, contemporary British f-f romcom which is actually a romcom, unlike literally every other book described as a romcom that I have read tVery relatable, contemporary British f-f romcom which is actually a romcom, unlike literally every other book described as a romcom that I have read this year.
This is partly a story about an aimless late 20something looking for more in her life, and partly a story about a group of friends moving to a dilapidated house in a village to found a queer commune, and also a f-f super slow burn romance where the narrator has a long lasting crush on one of the people she moves with.
It's well written, lots of fun, and highly readable but, perhaps because it's trying to be three books, it wasn't completely satisfying as any of them. I would have loved more on the house restoration and living together because that was really fun, I'd have liked more soapy group drama. And I wanted more out of the romance, which...after 200pp of the narrator pining for Ray, I actually really wanted her to hit it off with one of the other cute girls she meets because Ray's obliviousness began to grate, and I never quite pulled that back. Basically I wanted the book to do lots more of the things it's doing, which is no bad thing....more
A very striking story. Renee Goh is the daughter of a mega rich businessman, in constant battle with her two brothers for their father's approval--CraA very striking story. Renee Goh is the daughter of a mega rich businessman, in constant battle with her two brothers for their father's approval--Crazy Rich Asians meets Succession, sort of thing. She fell in love with Yap Ket Siong at college. He's a talented musician whose family lost everything when they came up against a dangerous case of corruption and Ket Siong's elder brother's activist boyfriend (Stephen) was kidnapped and probably murdered. The Yap family had to flee to London where Ket Siong is scraping a living. He bumps into Renee at an event where she's schmoozing for business advantage and he's trying to force a rich guy into admitting what happened to Stephen, and we go from there.
The first half of the book is pretty dark and quite stressful. The impact of Stephen's disappearing on the family is brutal, and Ket Siong's life feels fairly bleak, with a strong sense of threat. Renee has all the privilege but is living a tense, joyless life, tied into a vicious family, forced to put up with gross sexism for financial/familial gain. We really see the harm done by rampant capitalism, and the ghastliness of its perpetrators--and Renee's complicity in the system is absolutely an issue. Their reunion is intense and physical, but there's unquestionably too much baggage and too much unspoken on both sides for it to work initially.
With all that, it's something of a triumph that the author shifts gears to make this really work as a contemporary romance. The plot pivots impressively and takes the mood with it, opening out into people reaching for joy and self-respect in a way that doesn't deny the pain of the first half. This isn't a book that pretends everything's OK globally, or that the millionaire fantasy is other than horrifically problematic, but it is a book that says you can fight to make things better for at least some other people, and that doing so is worth more than scrabbling for the next million for yourself. It is in fact a super-rich person romance that doesn't shy away from the reality of what super-rich means, with a level of honesty we rarely get, and I'm absolutely here for it.
We also see that Renee has the drive but is in desperate need of unconditional love and warmth in her life; Ket Siong is quiet and caring and needs a push to achieve what he's capable of. We end the book genuinely believing they will be good for each other.
It's a compelling read, doing something distinctly different in the romance field. The title is bafflingly inappropriate, though. Wtf publisher.
A sweet, fun novella about workaholic sitcom star and ultra-chilled old school friend meeting by chance. I realAbsolutely lovely cover, good heavens.
A sweet, fun novella about workaholic sitcom star and ultra-chilled old school friend meeting by chance. I really like how Adrian is a bit of a slacker--he doesn't want a high powered job, he works to live only, and that's fine. Fun worldbuilding with the fictional comedy show. Maddie and Adrian's conflict mostly takes place in their respective heads rather than between them, which works at the short length. A thoroughly entertaining read that ate up a tiresome journey effortlessly, what more do you want?...more
Great premise (the leads are rival professors at a university but Harper also has a side gig doing phone sex, Macy is her most devoted caller, and neiGreat premise (the leads are rival professors at a university but Harper also has a side gig doing phone sex, Macy is her most devoted caller, and neither of them has ever recognised the other's voice because romance shut up).
Took the bold decision to make one of the leads an absolute tool. Macy is a trust fund baby, a vicious undermining jerk who repeatedly attacks the only other female at her level and at one point publicly mocks Harper for her stutter. I wasn't clear if she was also meant to be an alcoholic (the drinking in this book is wild, in a way that rather suggests the author doesn't drink). Not a great start for Macy, then. The story does a good job of showing her remorse and a convincing self improvement arc, so if you can get over the bad impression, it works out well. Disappointing editing from a press, though....more
A hugely absorbing romance between two 40yo Indian women, one a head teacher in Bangalore (bi, widowed, teenage son, dealing with demanding parents) aA hugely absorbing romance between two 40yo Indian women, one a head teacher in Bangalore (bi, widowed, teenage son, dealing with demanding parents) and one a peripatetic IT person. Very much one of those romances that's a picture of a life: Leela deals with a lot of stuff that's not related to Nandini in any way and the conflict in the romance is basically the women, especially Leela, finding a way to fit their lives together.
Mature characters, great sex, well drawn setting, and enough incident and conflict to keep you thoroughly absorbed in both the romance and life parts. This is the second f/f romance I've read from this author and I will hope for more. ...more
Jeevani Charika is one of the most reliable, relatable, not to mention delectable romance authors out there. Her books revel in classic romance tropesJeevani Charika is one of the most reliable, relatable, not to mention delectable romance authors out there. Her books revel in classic romance tropes (this one has the woman runs bakery / rivalry with cafe opposite set up) but the characters have a realness to them that grounds the stories and gives them a lot of emotional heft. We really care about Elodie's wobbles and her bakery and her crappy family because she feels like a person, not a heroine, and it doesn't have to devolve into high drama because the small problems feel quite big enough.
Mal is a lovely, gentle hero who makes me sympathise with a keto-eating gym bro, which shouldn't really have been possible. Really interesting backstory on the keto stuff, too.
A thoroughly engaging contemporary romance, I enjoyed every minute, but in the name of God stop giving me Abba earworms.
A longer m/f contemporary with desi leads. I love Mona Shroff's Harlequins; this one didn't land quite so well for me. Riya is a great, determined, soA longer m/f contemporary with desi leads. I love Mona Shroff's Harlequins; this one didn't land quite so well for me. Riya is a great, determined, somewhat bullheaded heroine, but Dhillon was just a bit too controlling for me. Couldn't fault his feelings about his sister and love-of-his-life being firefighters, but very much could fault his belief he had a say in the matter. This is doubtless a cultural thing in that my expectation of my siblings having an opinion on my life, or vice versa, is a number that makes zero look big, and I suspect Dhillon will seem a lot more reasonable to people with a different starting point. Really enjoyed the firefighting elements and everything about Riya.
Romance with woman who owns a haunted B&B and ex high school crush now working on a Most Haunted type TV show. The haunting bits are great, with a verRomance with woman who owns a haunted B&B and ex high school crush now working on a Most Haunted type TV show. The haunting bits are great, with a very spooky ghost and some proper scary sections. There is basically no conflict in the romance: they are both solid people, strongly attracted and supportive with nothing to keep them apart, so if you're looking for a read where all the stress is in the external plot, this may float your boat. ...more
Oooh I have been looking forward to this for ages! Second in the series about the all girl rock band The Lillys, this time featuring drummer Kayla.
I Oooh I have been looking forward to this for ages! Second in the series about the all girl rock band The Lillys, this time featuring drummer Kayla.
I think it's fair to say this is at least as much about the Lillys as it is about the romance. Ty and Kayla are a sweet couple, very slow burn romance, and pretty much no conflict once they get together. They both have a lot going on in their lives with the rock band drama and Ty's wrongful conviction and family issues so there's plenty of events, but the romance is just one thread in the story. Which is absolutely fine, I just had other expectations going in so the pacing felt odd until I ajdusted my head.
A long book with a lot of detail, engaged me throughout in a satisfyingly soap operatic way. I really now very much want Jordan and ?Tiff's story please, and I'm guessing Lilly and Cindy??? Thoroughly enjoyable. ...more
Women's fiction/chick lit quite reminiscent of Queenie, which I suspect will work like magic for a lot of readers but with which I'm just not clickingWomen's fiction/chick lit quite reminiscent of Queenie, which I suspect will work like magic for a lot of readers but with which I'm just not clicking at all: I find books about women desperate for men and worrying about their weight and jobs and body hair etc chokingly frustrating and uncomfortable. This may be because I'm 50 and joyously done with that shit, but tbh I hated Bridget Jones's Diary at the time, so maybe it's just me.
If you did like Queenie/Bridget Jones, you will love this, as it's well written and well observed. Just not for me. ...more
Contemporary romance about a Black Jewish woman and a Korean Jewish man (both mixed race) reunited many years after a summer camp romance went wrong. Contemporary romance about a Black Jewish woman and a Korean Jewish man (both mixed race) reunited many years after a summer camp romance went wrong. This is, weirdly, the second US Jewish 'summer camp romance went wrong, characters still seething with resentment decades later' romance I have read. Is this a thing?
Liyah's summer camp resentment kicks off an 'enemies to lovers' framing that for me didn't quite fit the characters/situation. Liyah is prickly, defensive, and deeply scarred after a bad college experience (dealt with extremely well, both by Daniel and by the author.) But Daniel didn't do anything wrong at 13, and is now kind, courteous, loving, giving and generally contorts himself to make Liyah happy throughout, which means that Liyah's ongoing hostility kind of feels like it's for the sake of the trope, and makes her seem pretty unreasonable. (Props to the supportive best friend who actually calls her out eventually.) Daniel is a really lovely, vulnerable, caring hero, and Liyah has many moments of being a marvellous heroine, and there's a terrific and diverse supporting cast as well as the strong Jewish feel. I guess I'm saying the author could have trusted the characters to stand alone: they're strong enough.
A strong and enjoyable debut overall. Could have done without the casual 'you're Irish, your grandfather was in the IRA' comment (??), and the present tense added nothing for me to make up for its awkwardness, but it so rarely does. ...more
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