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.
How have I never heard of this book or author before? Why hasn't this been filmed? Craps all over Mad Max.
So this is brilliant. In a post climate colHow have I never heard of this book or author before? Why hasn't this been filmed? Craps all over Mad Max.
So this is brilliant. In a post climate collapse America, a variety of hardscrabble losers are hanging on by their fingernails and more or less giving up on life. I will not spoil the plot but it involves a psycho bestie, a frippery sibling, mutant powers, plucky lesbians, rabbits, quite a lot of violence, and a really interesting take on the Scary Post Apocalyptic Organisation of Thugs.
The narrative voice is great, striking the rare balance where you believe the hard-nosed pitch black humour is a cover for deep agonising feelings, rather than just someone pressing the 'snark' key. Lovely characters, well developed world, imaginatively expansive, and a fabby f/f romance in a terribly unhealthy way.
Hugely enjoyable and really deserves to be far more widely read....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
This was absolutely fantastic. It's the story of Adelaide, a Black woman homesteader in Montana, where lone women and indeed Black people were allowedThis was absolutely fantastic. It's the story of Adelaide, a Black woman homesteader in Montana, where lone women and indeed Black people were allowed to claim land. Adelaide has a secret (which kicks off on p.1 as she secretly burns her murdered parents' bodies, there's a hell of a way to start a book) but so do all the other women we come across, although hers is more dramatic than most.
Redolent of Western atmosphere--the cold, the distances, the isolation, the way people are both necessary and a terrifying threat. This is in particular underpinned by the relentless racism--the settlers hang together in mutual aid but as soon as there's sufficient white people to throw the other groups under the bus, it starts. Notable is the racism/erasure of Chinese immigrants, and there is also an extremely deliberate vacuum with not a single Native person on page.
Not for the first time, this is a horror novel that says humans are basically more threatening and awful than any supernatural monster. But, equally, that kindness, understanding, acceptance of difference and of flaws is what will save us if anything will.
It's also a super female dominated book, where the men are mostly a goddamn nuisance at best, which I liked. And the ending works wonderfully. A terrific book....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
A standalone horror novel from JLH, yes please. There is a sweet romance element in it but it's very much a subplot. Premise: a pair of con artist broA standalone horror novel from JLH, yes please. There is a sweet romance element in it but it's very much a subplot. Premise: a pair of con artist brothers get caught up in the Klondike gold rush and head up to stake their claim. Unfortunately there's something scary in the woods.
I am absolutely here for something scary in the woods, particularly the element of 'don't answer if something calls your name' which is exquisitely terrifying. But honestly a large part of the terror here is entirely natural. The description of the travel to the Klondike, the physical challenges and mental exhaustion and the life there in a log cabin in sub zero temperatures is...I think I said 'man, fuck this' aloud at least twice. You know what, I don't want gold that much. No thank you.
But we absolutely believe our protags do. The horror is really an externalising of the horrors humans create: greed, selfishness, and the particular expression of those in colonialism: invading, destroying, taking what isn't theirs. The gold-rushers bring their destruction with them; they *are* their own destruction, and the only escape lies in true change. Which is a challenge with the weak, flawed characters of this book. (Not a criticism: the narrator's weakness in particular is horribly plausible in its execution, reminding us you don't have to be an official Bad Person to do bad things: sometimes just going along with stuff is enough.)
Hugely atmospheric, proper spooky, and offers an intelligent, interesting engagement with the historical setting. I wolfed it down.
(I had an ARC from the author, with whom I have co-written. )...more
Murder mystery in Golden Age Hollywood among an Algonquin set type of group of witty, arty, deeply unlikeable people.
This was an interesting read, veMurder mystery in Golden Age Hollywood among an Algonquin set type of group of witty, arty, deeply unlikeable people.
This was an interesting read, very well researched and a well drawn setting, but honestly it had the kind of feeling that I often get from witty Golden Age movies: there's a little bit too much cleverness and not quite enough emotion for it to be entirely satisfying. That's very much a matter of taste, though. ...more
A T4T m/f romance in which newly unemployed trans woman Luna gets into a fake dating thing with super rich French guy JP and must learn to cook a MichA T4T m/f romance in which newly unemployed trans woman Luna gets into a fake dating thing with super rich French guy JP and must learn to cook a Michelin level menu with him in a week when she literally doesn't know how to crack an egg. The TV / cooking / inheritance set-up is wildly improbable but who cares.
There's a huge amount to like here. I loved JP, the frankly absurd French guy (all black clothes and nihilistic remarks), and kind of wish we'd had his POV because it would have been hilarious. Luna is a lively and determined heroine, and the relationship is in many ways great, with much fun had out of the fake dating premise, and a lot of sweetness as well as hotness.
The issue I had is very much a YMMV, and also one I've seen in a few romances recently, which is the book basically takes one character's side. In this case, Luna is pretty much always right in every interaction, and even when she argues with JP because she feels he's doing transness wrong, there's no sense that he's entitled to his feelings, however misguided she might think them. I can absolutely see that a fierce trans woman hero owning everything/everyone around her is going to be a big part of the pleasure of the book for many readers, but a character who isn't ever wrong doesn't really get to grow, and by the end, Luna's determinedly 'small town USian in Paris' approach felt a touch limited to me.
I realise that "a proper American gas station burger is better than a poncy Michelin-starred meal" is a deeply beloved trope of US culture, so again, many people's responses will differ violently. In the end, I wanted her to be open to a wider world, spread her wings, and make the most of having a super rich French boyfriend, but that wasn't what Luna wanted, and it's her book, so there we go. ...more
A very entertaining urban fantasy that should be hoovered up by fans of Jordan L Hawk. 1950s US, with a sinister government organisation dealing with A very entertaining urban fantasy that should be hoovered up by fans of Jordan L Hawk. 1950s US, with a sinister government organisation dealing with otherworldly (tentacular) incursions, a mysterious young lady with unknown powers being held semi captive, a Sinister Secret Occult Organisation, and all the trimmings. Our Nancy Drew team, battling 1950s America as well as the SSOO and the tentacles, ismade up of a young Black woman, a white lesbian, and a part-Lovecraftian-horror trans girl, which is what I call diversity.
Very good fun, enthusiastically paced and with a highly engaging narrative voice. A bit scruffy round the edges at points but fair enough for a first book; I hope there will be more....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 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
Pleasant contemporary romance using an arranged marriage as the spur for a fake-engagement set-up, which makes considerably more sense than most fake-Pleasant contemporary romance using an arranged marriage as the spur for a fake-engagement set-up, which makes considerably more sense than most fake-engagement set-ups. The characters are likeable and good for one another. It didn't really catch fire for me at any point, possibly because both of the characters have most of their conflict and their debates internally rather than with one another: there's a lot of misunderstanding to keep the conflict going rather than direct clashing. Still, a solid debut. ...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
Absolutely terrific, can't believe I haven't read it before except it was published the year my daughter was born so that explains it.
A brilliant looAbsolutely terrific, can't believe I haven't read it before except it was published the year my daughter was born so that explains it.
A brilliant look at the feelings of a Pakistani immigrant who has the good life as a corporate analyst aka job destroyer rolling out for him in the USA, and then September 11th 2001 comes around. Fantastic delve into the complex emotions and feelings, mirrored by his relationship with an American woman so wrapped up in her own pain she doesn't see what she's doing to herself or people around her.
It's brutal and real and difficult and the way it's told is superb: the narrator telling his story to an unnamed American in Lahore as night falls. The creeping menace is spectacular....more
I love Olivia Dade's writing, but I've been havering on this series for a while as I have never seen a single episode of Game of Thrones (yes I know tI love Olivia Dade's writing, but I've been havering on this series for a while as I have never seen a single episode of Game of Thrones (yes I know the average remote mountain tribe will have opinions on the showrunners; I do not) and I don't read fanfiction.
TBH I do think you have to have some acquaintance with those worlds for this to work, in the way of most books written to fit within a very established and developed genre or vibe. I wasn't picking all that up, and had the feeling I was missing a lot of resonances in the way the relationship/romance developed; not to mention being somewhat adrift with the fanfic related stuff. I just don't swim in this book's sea, is what it comes down to, and thus very much a DNF of "it's not you, it's me".
New series next year, which I shall look forward to. ...more
The premise is amazing: the heroine keeps having murders happen around her a la Jessica Fletcher but of course that means everyone either suspects herThe premise is amazing: the heroine keeps having murders happen around her a la Jessica Fletcher but of course that means everyone either suspects her of being a serial killer or avoids her. So she goes to an isolated space station in the hope of not setting off any murders but inevitably a shuttle arrives full of people to whom she has connections and there is murder.
I loved that, and the way the various people were shown to be interconnected, and the eventual explanations were clever. I found the telling pretty chaotic though--we jump around an awful lot and go into a lot of heads. And the Gneiss aliens in particular were really deus ex machina for me: they pretty much did whatever was required to fix the plot. Lots to like, but I just felt it needed another edit to make it all settle into place for the 'well-oiled machine' feeling I want out of this sort of book. (Also if we ever found out who murdered the symbiont, I completely missed it in the flurry of revelations.)...more
Checked the reviews and the intolerable whiny entitled man inexplicably taking up half the book apparently gets a redemption arc rather than a cricketChecked the reviews and the intolerable whiny entitled man inexplicably taking up half the book apparently gets a redemption arc rather than a cricket bat to the head so I'm going to bail. It is a very good portrait of an intolerable whiny entitled man, nothing wrong with it at all, but there is such an oversupply of them in reality and I just can't summon up the energy to care if they live or die....more
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