Wayward

Book content trigger warnings:

Past and present drug use; character briefly under knife point

I've been struggling to write a review for this book because it's really difficult to describe my take on it.

Okay, so... The Perils of Intimacy is a book unlike others. It quashes a lot of cliches and even has some totally unexpected twists in there. I could tell the author did his research for both the setting and the plotty content. In addition to those things, there were well-developed and interesting side characters, and the writing style was generally easy to read and absorbing. I enjoyed it. I cared about what was happening with these men and their friends.

I was impressed by the realistically written issues the main characters have and their personal growth and increasingly healthy thought processes. It was GOOD to see lifelike characters doing their best to love themselves.

For all of these reasons, I liked the book.

However, there were a few qualms I had about the rest of it.

For starters, there seemed to be these small contradictions throughout. For instance, at one point a character was remembering getting off in 30 minutes. Later, it was remembered as 10 minutes. Stuff like that, strewn throughout, that was odd and felt... forgetful.

Additionally, I really wanted to feel the romance between Marc and Jimmy, and support it, but I cared more about them as people and their growths separately than together.

For one thing, both the few kisses shared and the sex was fade-to-black. No present details. You get a little information by a character thinking back on it, but nothing up and close. No senses drawn.

For another... listen, I read all kinds of romance, including long and short fanfictions with magical soulmates. Yet this takes insta-love to a whole new level. If it had been intense feelings only ("why can't I get enough of you?"), I would absolutely have been THERE for it. But "I love yous"?? Realistically, even if people FEEL that early on, like, way too early on, as they do in this book, hardly anyone is ready to admit that to themselves, let alone their partner. It was just too much, too fast. I couldn't suspend my belief and therefore was taken out of the story. Which was a bummer because I really wanted to care about these two getting a happy ending, but it was hard to believe.

Still, while this book needed some work, I could and can tell that Rick R. Reed has talent, dedication, and loads of potential. If he improves in a few areas, he will excel, and I look forward to seeing what it looks like when he does.

**I received an ARC of this book free courtesy of NetGalley/NineStar Press in exchange for an honest review, which did not affect my opinion

EDIT:

As this author has begun using generative AI covers across many of her books, I'm updating my rating to 1* star and will be removing any books by this author that were on my TBR. I'll also be blacklisting R.A. Steffan in perpetuity. There's no excuse to use genAI slop for your covers, and I won't support authors who do so.

While this book takes a unique spin on style as the entire book is written in letter form, with how much description Gavin puts into his letters it's easy to picture all of the characters and the adventures Gavin gets up to. It's quite a cute romance in a regency setting with a relatable neurodivergent main character.

That being said, it's a pretty slow-moving story that I don't know if I would have gotten through had I not been reading it by audiobook so that I could listen to it while doing something else. It was PERFECT for audiobook, though (with an excellent narrator too). Easy to listen to while performing some other task and entertaining enough in that way.

Surprising to probably no one, this is definitely not a bodice-ripper. It's a charming, heart-warming, and rather wholesome romance with a lot of very gradual character development and growth. If that sounds like it's for you, then check it out. I think it would fit in the "cozy" category quite well. As for me, I have most of the rest of the series on audiobook, so while I'll probably read something else first, I'll likely come back to this series when I'm in the mood again for a charming, light-hearted book of manners.

I've recently re-read Miners of the Mystics, one of my favorite books, and I think I somehow enjoyed it even more this time around.

Miners of the Mystics is just an incredible book and start to a series. If you haven't heard much about it before, I hope you stick around for this review or jump directly into its world because this book is... intensely meaningful, so smart, and something I haven't seen on bookshelves before. Which, do you know how rare that is? A *unique* book? Miners takes themes I love – found family, liminal spaces, magic, monsters, and monster romance, to name a few – and makes them not only exceptional but NEW.

To start with, just one part of what makes Miners so deeply hypnotizing, is the world-building, which is phenomenal. Taking place largely in a mountain and nearby town, this first book easily, gradually, and without info-dumping, lays the groundwork for some of the rules of how this world works (or at least how the characters THINK it does), and then breaks some of those rules in ways both supernatural and profoundly human. It sets up powers I haven't seen done these ways before and multifarious portals to dimensions filled with unheard of creatures. There's unique magic here in the literal AND literary sense, laced with sibylline nuance and dark and unknown threats nipping at the characters' heels.

Which, the plot is just insanely good. It starts out quite gradual here in the first book, with a laundry list of unknowns and characters trying to move towards what they want while being tugged in the direction their morals make them go. I don't want to say much here because there are so many twists and secrets every reader deserves to discover for themself, but suffice to say it KEEPS me on the edge of my seat. And I'll gladly talk about the characters instead.

The cast of characters in this series is FULL. You want to read about found family, with no blood relation, being there for each other no matter what? Friends with unique histories and personalities getting thrown into danger at every turn, and only having each other to stay alive or stay sane? Forbidden love interests sweetly falling for each other and being so fiercely protective they'd RUIN themselves for the other? Yeah, this book has all of that too, and it has it in spades. It's rare I find a romance book so rich in its characters, with beloved side characters featuring almost as much as the mains, one of the many things I love about it!

Oh yeah, and that ROMANCE. in a queer-normative world full of queer characters of many flavors, the only thing any character finds odd about Oliver's infatuation with the Sentinel Tau is that Tau is twice his size, magical, doesn't seem to be human, and also, touching him is completely illegal. And yet...? Touch, they do.

The slow-burn romance in this book is precious. Despite the setting, despite the darkness and monsters and horrors the characters must survive, Tau and Oliver are preciously sweet. There's no other way I can say it. They're curious and tender and kind, yet roughly desperate when they touch, and if you've ever wanted to read a dark fantasy/horror that ALSO makes you blush and kick your feet? You've found that too.

AND and and if you didn't know, included in this catalogue of qualities, Penny Moss, the author, is also an artist who NOT ONLY has made the cover of every book it has written, but ALSO has made chapter art for every. Single. Chapter. Of this series. EVERY SINGLE CHAPTER!!

You want character art? You want to see the love interests' tender moments? The terrifying monsters? The portal to another world? The weird, whimsical, and wonderful in this book? YOU'VE GOT IT. IN THIS FIRST BOOK ALONE, there are twenty-five chapters and twenty-five pieces of human-made artwork rendering EXACTLY what the author intended because the author. Is also. The artist. Aphantasia who?!

Miners of the Mystics is a favorite of mine for so many reasons, not even all of which have been included here. Actually, there's not a single moment Miners has only one thing going for it. Every chapter is rich with smart writing, character development, friendship, mysterious plot, and sweet, swoon-worthy romance. I just... I go on these tangents of this series because it’s so insanely good, and I freaking *love* this book. Suffice to say, I am *obsessed*. I can't recommend this book or this author more highly, and if anything here has piqued your interest, please add Miners of the Mystics to some of your lists. While there IS a bit of a cult following for this indie series and queer author, they both deserve more accolades than they've gotten, and all I can do is scream about them both from the rooftops until they finally find their way into more readers' hands. Check them out!!

I love a novella that has a little bit of everything as this book does! For instance, besides a reunion of ex-boyfriends with a GREAT DEAL of yearning, there’s also a thrilling plot with intrigue, betrayal, and surprises. And for microtropes? This book has snappy dialogue, Christmas themes, secret organizations, spy gadgets, and slutty little glasses. Not to mention, once again, excellent diversity across the characters here from C. Quince.

As I mentioned, I could FEEL the yearning between Arthur and Harun from the moment they set eyes on each other, flashbacks filling in some of the gaps of their history. It was easy to see how much they missed each other, and I so enjoyed watching that fire re-kindle between brushes with danger AND jealousy, giving them a second chance. These two managed to FIND each other again, and it was satisfying to watch.

Meanwhile, the overriding plot was full of intrigue, keeping the characters on their toes and me on the edge of my seat. Old acquaintances, secret organizations, and a crazy, deadly plot set for the Christmas Eve party kept Arthur and Harun busy while trying to figure out whom they could trust. This all created so many unknowns that I felt just as eager as our main characters did to find the answers, and what I loved about it all is that despite the unknowns, Arthur and Harun never doubted EACH OTHER. They knew from the beginning the other was the only one they could 100% trust and doubt never crossed their minds.

Overall, this is an epic novella not only with romance but with PLOT, which I love, SET around Christmas! Give me a Christmas-themed book that has action, suspense, wit, diversity, and queer characters, and I’m a happy reader. I very much enjoyed this. If you’re looking for a spy book, an M/M romance, or Christmas novella, this one will check all of those boxes.