Kirstie / Roo

Bored 

 “She was beautiful in a way that overwhelmed me, though it wasn't just her face, her body. She was a sunbeam through a storm cloud.”
Synopsis
Elementary school teacher Shay's life implodes - she gets jilted at the alter then her step-grandma dies and leaves her the family tulip farm. Grandma's will has a catch - Shay has to live on the farm and operate it for a year and be married before she can inherit it fully. She takes the opportunity to take a break from life and visit the farm and small town she spent her teenage years on. In the years since she left, her high-school friend Noah has also moved back, inherited the farm next door and become the lone guardian to his swearing, pirate-obsessed niece. He offers to help Shay fulfil the ‘be married' part of the will in exchange for her tutoring his niece and an interest in her land. No other reasons, honest.

“The marriage was fake. The attraction to my future husband...that was all too real.”
Tropes & Themes

• Marriage of convenience
• Friends-to-lovers
• Forced proximity
• He falls first
• He falls harder
• It's always been you
• Single-parent/guardian
• Grumpy x sunshine

“I felt like I'd been waiting a very long time for someone who knew how to shatter me and also wanted to pick up all the pieces. And I felt an unpleasant sense of relief in discovering that person was my husband.”

Diversity & Representation

• Plus-sized protagonist
• Neurodivergent supporting character (child)
• Bisexual & poly supporting character

“It was awesome to get everything I'd ever wanted only for my wife to remind me on a daily basis that it wasn't real and wouldn't last. Fucking awesome.”

My Thoughts

• Everything I have ever wanted in a contemporary romance novel. My top romance tropes are tied together with a respectful but filthy cinnamon-roll man who worships the FMC (it's always the quiet ones).
• Maybe it's because of my husband, but nothing melts my heart more than the guy that's been quietly in love with the FMC for years but not in the toxic Nice Guy™ way.
• Is the the-will-says-you-have-to-marry clause a bit ridiculous and unbelievable? Sure, and even the MMC acknowledges this but is happy to go along with it.
• Noah Barden, yes please.
• If you love the Chestnut Springs series (especially Heartless), I am confident you will love this also.
• Shay is plus-sized, but aside from maybe two brief, off-hand mentions of dieting for her wedding to her ex, her size is only referred to positively or neutrally and never a plotline - this is the sort of plus-size rep we need and want!
• Lovely healthy, non-toxic friendships and romantic relationship.
• Lots of slice-of-life small-town, farm and farmer's market moments.
• I died in a puddle of melted feels at not only the realisation Noah kept every note she wrote him in school but that he named his business after the way she signed her name and her nickname for him 😍

“I was half hard and fully obsessed with her.”

 “Look like a hooker or look like a hooker. I went with the latter.”
Synopsis
Gaby has just finished graduate school and broken up with her boyfriend. With no job prospects and not even a vague inkling about what she might like to do for a career, she is moping at her parent's place. Gaby's twin brother, Eli, is touring with his band and another, and they just fired their merch guy, so he invites her to join them on their tour of the US, Europe and Australia selling merch. On her first night she hears the lead singer of the other band and decides she is in love.

“Apparently, she had gobbled up the information like a hooker would a penis.”
Content & Trigger Warnings

• Transphobic language
• Homophobic language
• Internalised misogyny
• Slut-shaming

“You know who else is high class? Hookers. Hookers are high class.”

Sacha didn't even miss a beat. He blinked those clear gray eyes at me and asked very seriously, “Do you know from experience?”

Tropes and Themes

• Rockstar romance
• Love triange (kinda)
• Not-like-other-girls
• Instalove
• Forced proximity

“Why are you holding men's shampoo?” A smirk covered his mouth a second later. “You finally decided to go through with that surgery, huh?”

My Thoughts

• I've seen a lot of hype over various Mariana Zapata books, though admittedly not this one, so I had reasonably positive expectations. If this is representative of the quality and content of her other books, I'll be removing them from my TBR.
  
  
• The characters are supposed to be in their mid-to-late 20s but I've encountered teenagers who act more maturely.
  
  
• FMC Gaby has a lot of internalised misogyny and gives massive not-like-other-girls energy. Any time she sees a female fan of the band or the MMC Sacha's friend and ex, she is calling them sluts, whores etc in her internal monologue.
  
  
• Gaby's brother and their mutual friends constantly insult her. Constantly. This is presented as friendly banter, but all of the banter and ‘jokes' revolve around homophobic, transphobic, gendered and sex-based insults, with the exception of those that are about her weight (see, they never call her by her name, always Flabby or Flabs). This is presented as evidence of their love.
  
  
• Sacha (MMC) is so bland. He doesn't participate in any of the homophobic or transphobic ‘banter' and is possibly the only person in the book that isn't mean to Gaby, but that's his most defining positive feature. Other than the tattoos, I guess?
  
  
• Most of the book, Sacha is stringing both his ex, Liz, who wants to get back together, and Gaby along. And then when Gaby finally speaks to him about what they are to each other, he's like “oh, you're my girl, didn't you know?” How could she, you've never spoken about it?!
  
  
• On that note, Gaby never actually expresses her feelings or desires either, then gets in a snit and gives Sacha a week of silent treatment because she saw him sat next to a girl and talking to her. Childish doesn't even begin to cover it.
  
  
• I enjoy a slow-burn, and I appreciated there not being a big third act conflict, but the plot and pacing of this story was just... absent and I didn't feel any chemistry between Gaby and Sacha.
  
  
• So many random things that made little to no sense. Why have a scene of Gaby discovering about 3/4s through the book that Sacha is diabetic when it has no relevance to the plot and is never mentioned again? Also, the whole UK tour section of the book made me think the author did no research about the logistics of touring the UK - they seem to be there a few weeks but only have two named UK dates almost as far away from each other as you can get in the UK days apart, so what were they doing all the rest of the time there? Presumably travelling to the next town or city they were playing in that would only have been a few hours away (so why the upgraded tour bus, which they then abandon to traverse the rest of Europe, where a bus you can sleep in might be useful if you are going country to country, in a van?).
  
  
• I switch between reading the book and listening to the audio. There is a discrepancy in the text of the two that makes me think the Kindle version I read has been edited post-release but the audiobook hasn't been. Gaby is wishing misfortune on her ex, and in the audiobook she wishes for him to “hook up with a transvestite” whereas the book she wishes for him to “hook up with someone with syphilis”. Good that it's been changed I guess but it leaves a bad taste for me that it was ever there, and I feel Zapata is a-OK with transphobia due to all the other instances being left in.
  
  
• In short, there was nothing that redeemed this book for me and I don't know why I didn't DNF it.

“But more than ever, I wanted Brandon's ass torn up by a dozen hung porn stars.”

 “Being immortal doesn't let you grow. All it does is let you lose pieces of yourself.”
Synopsis Ava's mother, a talented magician, was killed by a vampire, leaving Ava with a burning desire for vengeance. One night she finds a hidden club where she witnesses magic tricks that are impossible. The magicians reveal they are part of a society of real magic users who hunt vampires. They offer to take her on as an apprentice, but to join the society she will have to compete in a series of games for one of the limited places available to this year's apprentices.
“I feel sick and powerful all at once - like I could explode and have everything I've ever wanted.”
Tropes & Themes

• Magic
• Vampires
• Found family
• Love triange
• Secret society

“My mind is a scattered mess of revenge and death and pain and lust and some kind of matching brokenness between us.”

Content & Trigger Warnings

• Death
• Blood

“Killing him wouldn't make me forget how much I wanted his lips against mine. If it would, I might actually do it.

My Thoughts

• Interesting cast of characters
• Interesting world building and magic system
• Plot was interesting but there was a lot going on in the latter part of the book, could have been a bit longer and explored some of the reveals and history of the magicians and vampires more.
• I appreciated Ava's character arc, especially as concerns her issues and trauma surrounding family and belonging.
• The romance aspect is there but is not a major theme. The society and it's secrets, and Ava's journey to mastering her magic and surviving the games, is far and away the focus of the narrative.

It makes my guilt a living thing that grows like thorned vines inside me.

“I've officially designated him my gym-nemesis.”
Synopsis
Crystal is a plus-sized fitness influencer on Instagram and a personal trainer. A new guy joins the gym she works out of and in their first interactions she is annoyed at him for violating gym etiquette. They trade barbs for a few months, leading to a very sexually charged situation. After which, they bump into each other outside of the gym for the first time - at their grandparent's engagement dinner (his grandad, her grandma).

They soon become friends and admit their mutual attraction, but Crystal is concerned about the potential fallout on their joining families if things don't work out.

“‘If I don't kiss you in five seconds, I'm gonna lose it,' he tells me in a low whisper.”
Tropes & Themes

• Forced proximity
• Delayed gratification
• He falls first
• Body image & self-esteem

“Scott's cult-leader-level charisma makes me want to drink all his Kool-Aid and bend some rules.”

Diversity & Representation

• Biracial protagonist
• Plus-sized protagonist

“I still have days where I don't love everything about myself. It's normal.”

My Thoughts

• I've seen this touted as enemies-to-lovers, but it's not really. Crystal considers Scott her nemesis for the first few chapters but the attraction is instant & mutual, they become friends very quickly and once they are friendly the MMC makes his interest in a relationship very clear, so it's more delayed gratification and forced proximity IMO.
• I liked the curvy-girl rep, Crystal's journey from body positivity to more balanced body acceptance and the acknowledgement that positivity culture (especially on social media) can be toxic and unhelpful just like body shaming can be. The book doesn't go too deep on this as it's ultimately a light romance, but it is discussed.
• Scott is possibly a little too perfect/good. Despite clearly being modelled on the beautiful Chris Evans (no secret is made of this, it's hinted at quite clearly several times), he was missing something for me. He wasn't objectionable in any way, but he was missing that extra something for me to make him into one of those memorable book boyfriends (IYKYK).
• I loved Grandma Flo, she was a riot, and definitely my favourite character.
• The third-act conflict was, I felt, mostly Crystal's fault and as with many romance novel third-act conflicts could have been prevented by just talking honestly (and listening) to each other.
• I often find grand gestures and declarations in order to win someone back cringy and cheesy, but this one I thought was quite sweet.

“ ‘By the way, this wasn't a date in any way, shape or form,” I remind him. ‘It's simply an apology sorbet outing between two former strangers, turned nemeses, turned acquaintances whose grandparents are getting married. A truce.' ”

“He's constantly trying to blend into the background, but even when he's hiding, I see him.”
Synopsis
Jasper and Sloane have been friends ever since he was first taken it by her cousins, the Eatons of Chestnut Springs, and Sloane has been in love with him just as long. Jasper considers Sloane his best friend, so when she decides to jilt her fiance at the altar, he offers to be her getaway driver. In the aftermath, she needs some time away from her father and ex in the city, so she joins Jasper on a road trip he takes to visit his sister.

“I've seen all the darkest parts of you and I'm still here. I still want more. Stop trying to scare me away. It isn't going to work.”
Tropes and Themes

• Small town
• Road trip
• Grumpy/Sunshine
• Friends-to-lovers
• Only one bed
• Found family

“It's like she and I are tethered together, but she's the strong one. The pillar. And when troubled waters wash me downstream, all I have to do is follow the rope that ties me back to her. It always leads me back to her.”

My Thoughts

• My favourite of the Chestnut Springs series so far!
• I adore friends-to-lovers with a long history of mutual pining, and this book has so many of my preferred tropes and executes them well.
• Great smut scenes, Jasper has a soft-Dom vibe going on.
• Really enjoyed all the slice-of-life scenes with the Eaton family.
• I want more Beau, I missed him in this one, and I hope he gets his own book soon.
• Harvey was once again both hilarious and insightful, he's a wonderful dad figure.
• Winter and Theo's first meeting seemed promising!

“I'm not scared anymore. You're not my fucking friend. You're just mine.”

“I didn't have main character energy. I was more of the quirky, cute best friend with all the sage advice.”
Synopsis
College footballer Clay needs a fake girlfriend to make his ex jealous and want him back. Fellow student and PR co-ordinator on the team Giana wants to get the attention of her crush, and maybe learn a bit about seduction too. So they fake-date.

“You don't want to be someone's muse, you want to be someone's undoing. And let me tell you, Kitten... You're mine.”
Tropes and Themes

• Sports romance (college football)
• Fake dating
• First time

“The more I pretended like she was mine to tease like that, the more it felt like she really was.”

My Thoughts

• Clay and Giana are supposed to be college students (around 19 years old I think) but the act and read as older. It felt like this book could have just as easily been set within an NFL team and the characters would have fit better.
• Cute romance - the fake dating and third act conflict go as you would expect and the end is cheesy but it felt accurate to the characters and nicely done. You know what you're getting with this book and enjoy getting there. Personally, I'd have preferred it without the third act (view spoiler) conflict, but that's my view most of the time with these things.
• Good chemistry between Clay and Giana and a healthy relationship with a positive approach to and portrayal of sexuality.
• Giana is a genre-savvy reader of spicy romance books. I loved how Clay read her tabbed books to learn what she likes - great book boyfriend energy!

“Another tip you picked up from my books?”

“Those things are like a treasure map. Just follow the tabs and highlights to find the pot of gold.”

“Sometimes the point is to be sad, August. Sometimes you just have to feel it because it deserves to be felt.”
Synopsis
August has a massive crush on the tall, butch lesbian she sees on the Q train, but the course of love never did run smooth, and it turns out Jane is displaced in time from the 1970s and trapped on the train with no memory of her life or how she became trapped. August resolves to help Jane remember and send her home, despite wanting her to stay the more she learns about her.

“August has the sexual prowess of a goldfinch and the emotional vocabulary to match.”
Tropes and Themes

• LGBTQIA+ identity and history
• Found family
• Time travel (kind of)

My Thoughts

• A very cute meet-cute and heart-warming romance
• This is as much a love story to the queer community as it is a love story between August and Jane. August learning from Jane and reflecting upon the hardships endured and fight given by the queer community of the past that led to the freedoms we have today was touching and thought-provoking.
• I loved August's dedication to helping Jane, even if it meant heartbreak for her.
• At times the plot felt a bit overly contrived, but this was only a minor complaint and didn't detract much from my enjoyment.

 “Power does not transform you, it only reveals you.”
Synopsis
Since Ancient Greece, a handful of mortal bloodlines have participated in a game called the Agon. Every seven years, the gods and goddesses of Olympus become mortal for a week and if a mortal kills them, they will gain their power and godly status. At least until the next games. Lore was raised for this life and to compete in these games, but after her family was killed by a rival bloodline she swore to have nothing more to do with it. Now the Agon is on again and Lore is being pulled back in.

“Anger was like a disease to the soul and no aspect of it was more contagious than violence.”
Tropes & Themes
- Deadly competition
- Gods & Demigods
- Greek Mythology
- Vengeance

“I was born knowing how to do three things - how to breathe, how to dream, and how to love you.”
Content Warnings
- Descriptions of murder of children
- Violence

“The exceptional among mortals will always stand alone, for no one in the world was made for their task. Take confidence in that, and let it be poison to your fear.”
My Thoughts
- I found this book gripping from the intrigue of what happened in Lore's past, where the aegis, what happened to Castor and who could be trusted, even as the not-knowing sometimes frustrated me.
- Some of the flashback scenes were hard to read, especially those concerning the deaths of Lore's family.
- Overall the book is quite fast-paced, but although the flashbacks provided the necessary back story and exposition, they interrupted and slowed the pace of the narrative in a way I sometimes found frustrating.
- I enjoyed Cassian & Lore's past and evolving relationship. I appreciated how it wasn't a primary focus of the narrative and it didn't feel misplaced or emphasised over the main plot, which was focused on the Agon and the bloodlines.
- Miles and Van's attraction to each other was very clearly spelt out so I'm not sure why the other characters in the book were so surprised!

“An oath was, after all, a curse you placed on yourself.” 

 “He's a challenge and look at me, I love a challenge.”
Synopsis
Cade Easton, grumpy single-dad, is struggling to find a nanny for his adorable kid Luke. His future sister-in-law Summer has a solution - her best friend Willa is in need of a summer job while the bar she manages is being renovated.

“Willa might be a bit of a psycho - after all, she did just push a child into the pool - but the more time I spend with her, the more I feel like she's my psycho.”
Tropes and Themes

• Single-parent
• Age gap
• Sunshine/Grumpy
• Small Town
• Cowboy/rancher
• Accidental pregnancy

“If Willa is the playground, I want to play.”

My Thoughts

• Brilliant meet cute!
• Cade and Willa have great banter and sexual chemistry
• A+ smut scenes, possibly my favourite BJ scene ever.
• I loved how sassy and petty Willa can be, while also fiercely loving and loyal. Can't blame Cade for falling for her.
• Marked down a star due to the surprise pregnancy - it's a trope that really spoils my enjoyment currently, although I did enjoy Harvey's reaction to it. Luckily this is right at the end though so I didn't have to read much of it. 

“If I weren't so irritated by how attracted I am to her, I'd be cheering her on.”

Synopsis
Elise is the sister of an NHL player. She's also a virgin. At a party he hosts, she falls into bed with his teammate, Justin. The next morning they both think the other has too drunk to remember.

Tropes & Themes

• Sports romance (ice hockey)
•  Sibling's friend
• Secret relationship

My Thoughts

• Not much depth to the characters
• A big deal is made of Elise's virginity. Personally, I'm on the virginity-is-a-social-construct bandwagon, but seeing as Justin knew it was a big deal to Elise, it feels really sketchy that when he thinks she doesn't remember the sex he (as far as he knows) keeps it from her.
• I don't like the way the puck bunnies are referred to or thought of by the characters - very I'm-not-like-other girls and shaming vibes.
• Elise and Justin have supposedly known each other since childhood, but I didn't get a friends-t0-lovers vibe from them. In fact, I didn't sense much chemistry at all.
• Very heavy-handed hinting at which characters will be paired up in future stories, felt like there was nearly as much development of that relationship as the one the book is ostensibly about. 

 “He's a shadow in this world, ever present, and with my mother by his side there will never be enough light to cast him out.”
Synopsis:
Selestra Somniatis is the heir to the King's Witch. If she touches anyone she will foresee their death. Her destiny is to succeed to her mother's position and aid the King in harvesting souls to maintain his immortality. She lives a sheltered and solitary life in a palace tower.

Nox Laederic is a soldier in the King's Last Army. Following his father's death at the King's hand he has sworn himself to vengeance.

When Selestra is tasked with foretelling Nox's death as part of an annual ritual, she witnesses hers also. Fearing her death and fate is tied to his, she makes it her mission to save his life, repeatedly.

“There's nothing stronger than a dream that wants to live, and I've been dreaming of touch, of conversation, my whole life.”
My Thoughts:

• This is a stand alone novel set in the same world as To Kill a Kingdom and expands upon it's world building.
• The friendship dynamic between Selestra, Irenya, Nox and Micah is great.
• Brilliant banter, both of the flirty type between Selestra and Nox and of the friendship type between other characters.
• The Rapunzel and Greek mythology references/nods were occassionally a bit on the nose, but otherwise this is a rather loose retelling - more an ‘inspired by' than a straight retelling.
• Really sweet (clean) romance.
• A fun, kids-on-a-world-saving-quest YA fantasy. I really enjoyed it.

“She's made of dark magic and I can't ever forget it - if she let's it, it'll burn through the world.”

 Synopsis: John Logan, hockey player, has been enjoying college life to the full but is getting increasingly despondent about what life after graduation has in store for him. A chance encounter with freshman Grace, with whom he has an instant connection, seems like an ideal distraction until Logan handles a situation between them badly and Grace no longer wants anything to do with him.
“I love you, you stupid jackass!”
Thoughts:

• I was pleasantly surprised that the win-her-back part of the story wasn't overly drawn out or disturbingly stalkery - very refreshing!
• Great character exploration and growth for both Logan and Grace
• Positive masculinity through Logan and his friendships with his team mates, and how he bonded with his apparent rival for Grace's affections.
• When Logan realises he has been a selfish lover and that Grace didn't enjoy an encounter he does do some work to rectify this by his own initiative, I loved that.
• In terms of negatives, there is some perpetuating of myths about virginity and the hymen. I would have liked to see the concept of virginity and Grace's insecurity about this addressed in a more progressive and feminist manner.
• I did think a lot of Logan's angst about his family situation and post-university plans could have been solved by just talking to his brother and dad.
• A nice balance of plot, character development and smut. I enjoyed the pacing and writing.

TW:

discussions of alcoholism and addiction. 

 “I want to murder him in his sleep, A. No, I want to murder him when he's awake so he can see the joy on my face when I do it.”
Synopsis: Hannah has a major crush on a university football star. Garrett, hockey team captain, needs to get his grades up in order to keep his place on the team. They make a deal - Hannah will tutor Garrett and in exchange he will pretend to date her to make her crush jealous.
“Sometimes people sneak up on you and suddenly you don't know how you ever lived without them.”
Thoughts:

• I felt uncomfortable with Garrett in the beginning with his persistence re: Hannah tutoring him and pestering her, as well as deleting music from her iPod because he didn't like it. He did redeem himself and make me fall in love with him later, but then he lost some points again when he warns every guy on campus off of her when Hannah wanted to try dating others. Definitely a controlling streak there I didn't like. Happily, Hannah laid into him over that.
• Hannah & Garrett had good chemistry and banter.
• The sex scenes occasionally had language that made me cringe, but overall were good. They focus on mutual pleasure and are explicitly consensual, and Garrett genuinely enjoys pleasuring women, all things that are a solid plus for me.
• I enjoyed the writing overall, found it very engrossing with a good, large, world - it felt believable as a real place filled with real people.
• Good balance of smut, plot and character development
• TW for discussions of past SA.

“How did I go so long without noticing you, damn it? Why did it take seeing a stupid A on your midterm to make me notice?”

 “I wish he would stop making me love him more... It's annoying.”
Synopsis:
Bree is a ballet teacher and the best friend of Nathan, a star NFL quarterback. They have been best friends since high school. When a viral video from a drunken night out draws offers of sponsorship deals that would save her ballet studio, Bree and Nathan agree to fake a relationship for the media.

“It's painful having to look at something so beautiful and never touch it.”
Thoughts:
- I liked Bree's habit of gifting trinkets to her friends, that was a cute personality quirk
- Bree's reluctance to let Nathan help her out financially was frustrating. You don't like him for his money, we get it.
- It could have had greater depth, but I was looking for a palate cleanser and this certainly fulfilled that.
- Nathan was adorably head-over-heels. Bree must be the most oblivious woman in the world as everyone else could clearly see it.

“Your soul is my favourite in the entire world.” 

“You can trust yourself to fall in love.” He pulled her closer. “You can trust me to catch you.”
Synopsis:
A collection of nine romance-themed short stories, as follows:

1. Midnights YA friends-to-lovers set across a series of New Year's Eve parties
2. Kindred Spirits YA grumpy/sunshine, teens camping out for a Star Wars premiere
3. Winter Songs for Summer grieving the end of a college relationship and eventually moving on, with mix CDs
4. The Snow Ball YA friends-to-lovers, getting ready for a school dance
5. If the Fates Allow Adult, guy-next-door during pandemic quarantine, with Reagan from Fangirl
6. The Prince & the Troll mortal from a hinted at dystopia falls in love with a bridge troll
7. Mixed Messages mostly text-message based, adult, concerning changing phases of life/relationships, with Beth and Jennifer from Attachments
8. Snow for Christmas Simon and Baz from Carry On etc spend Christmas day with Baz's family.
9. In Waiting speculative and conceptual romance between unfinished characters.

“Don't tell me we shouldn't. Tell me you don't want to or that you're not ready, but don't tell me we shouldn't.”

Thoughts

• A pleasant and easy read that had me smiling.
• My faves were Winter Songs for Summer and the Prince and the Troll, which was much sweeter than I expected, although I'd love to have known more about the road and wider world setting.
• My least fave was Mixed Messages, possibly because I am not familiar with the characters having not read Attachments? Also, the discussion of conception and infertility is a bit close to home for me at the moment. It wasn't bad, I just didn't enjoy it as much as the others.
• In Waiting was odd but intriguing. I liked that the ending was left ambiguous.

He knew she was still swimming in a sea of misery - he'd written the soundtrack.

 “Revolution is, in fact, always unimaginable. It shatters the world you know.”
Synopsis:
Oxford in 1836 is the centre of all knowledge and progress, and also home to Babel aka the Royal Institute of Translators. The work done there is key to the power of the British Empire and their use of magic silver bars to power their technology and industry.

Robin was an orphan from Canton who was brought to England by a secretive guardian, a Babel scholar. He was raised to view Babel as a paradise and his destiny, moulded into the ideal candidate by tutors and his guardian. Once Robin is there however he begins to question the truth behind the Empire, the nature of colonialism and the purpose of Babel.

“This is how colonialism works. It convinces us that the fallout from resistance is entirely our fault, that the immoral choice is resistance itself rather than the circumstances that demanded it.”
Thoughts:

• At first, I was intimidated by Babel and thought it might be hard work, but this couldn't be farther from the truth. I was gripped and interested throughout and although the subject matter at times felt uncomfortable (as a white Brit who has undoubtedly benefitted from the actions of the British Empire) and at times horrifying (the realisation that a character was purposively conceiving children with poor ‘foreigners' in order to have ideal translators to create silver bars), it was thought-provoking and I wanted always to read more.
• The acquisition of languages (and their native speakers) for the creation of the silver bars that power the Empire works really well as a device through which to examine the consequences of colonisation and the theft or destruction of cultural artefacts and is completely believable within the historical context of the British Empire.
• Robin's journey from wanting to try to affect change from the inside to feeling that violence eas necessary to be heard or make change was shown so well.
• If this isn't a modern classic I don't know what is. It absolutely ought to be on school curricula.
• I imagine this is a book that will stand up well to multiple readings, I'm sure there will be things that hit differently or I notice more on a second read-through.
• This is a book that stays with you. Days and weeks later I'm still thinking about it.

“Translation means doing violence upon the original, it means warping and distorting it for foreign, unintended eyes. So, where does that leave us? How can we conclude except by acknowledging that an act of translation is always an act of betrayal?”

 Serpent & Dove by Shelby Mahurin

“Wicked are the ways of women—and especially a witch. Their guile knows no bounds.”

Synopsis:

“ If she was destined to burn in Hell, I would burn with her.”

My Thoughts:

• The world-building was interesting but felt incomplete. There is a heavy French influence, which makes a change from the vaguely mediaeval England default of much fantasy, but it was hard to determine the differences between the setting of the story & historical France. The religious institution, which has a heavy presence in the story, appeared to be a direct copy of the Catholic church with the addition of the Chasseurs.
• The characters would often say something in French and then translate it, which struck me as odd, because why were they translating their native language to themselves, in their thoughts, or their fellow native speakers? 
• The main crux of the book is the enemies-to-lovers element between Lou & Reid, and the danger of Lou's situation. I would have preferred more build-up of the romance & more UST. They married, spent a few nights sniping & sleeping separately, then they were in love.
• The magic system seemed interesting - the Dammes Blanches see ‘patterns' they can manipulate. This is somehow different from what the Dammes Rouges do, who use blood. I wanted to know more about this but that's all we learn.
• I wasn't clear on why there was a persecution of the witches by the Church, aside from misogyny perhaps, how long this conflict had been in place & it if was the same the world over - there isn't a sense of the world outside of Cesarine & surrounding villages/towns.
• Overall, it was pleasant enough book but I didn't feel it lived up to it's potential.

“I knew who you were. I knew what you believed... and I fell in love with you anyway.”

The Atlas Six by Olivie Blake

“The problem with knowledge, is its inexhaustible craving. The more of it you have, the less you feel you know.”

Synopsis:

“Funny how that worked; the innocent fragility of being human. There were so many ways to break and so few of them heroic or noble.”

My Thoughts:

• A slow-paced, introspective and reflective read.
• The prose was at times complex - not a light or easy read if that's what you are in the mood for.
• This book is much more focused on character exploration than plot, with long sections exploring their histories, motivations and experiences. The book is told from multiple POVs so you spend time in each character's head.
• More plot action happens in the last section than the whole rest of the book combined, which gives it a sudden pace change. Whether this is good or bad is likely personal preference.
• I found this interesting and intriguing, though not gripping until toward the end. I'm interested enough to know where it goes to read the next instalment. 
• If you like a plot that moves along at a steady pace and has a degree of resolution, this is not the book for you.

“The moral of this story is: Beware the man who faces you unarmed. If in his eyes you are not the target, then you can be sure you are the weapon.”

Synopsis: Twins Wren & Rose were separated at birth. Wren was raised by her grandmother in the camp of the witch's resistance, aware of her sister and prepared to one day take back the throne for her people. Rose was raised as a princess under the close guardianship of the King's Breath, unaware of her twin and sure of her future as monarch. Now the twins are about to come of age and both are determined to claim the throne and their birthright.
My Thoughts:

• I found this book a lot of fun right from the off. 
• It's well-paced, with an interesting magic system.
• Two great romantic pairings, one with brilliant enemies-to-lovers energy and another with great sexual tension.
• Things are presented as quite black and white / good v evil between the King's Breath and the witches, perhaps with future books there will be some shades of grey or development of the King's Breath as he is quite a 2d villain at present
• Rose is described throughout the book as a princess, but surely she would have become Queen at the moment of her father's death, albeit one with a regent or council of regents until she was of age? That's generally the way monarchy works but it seems that she can't be Queen here until she is ‘of age'?
• Overall, the book has a really joyful feel without being overly light-hearted. It was lots of fun to read and really absorbing.

 Spells for Forgetting by Adrienne Young

“There are spells for breaking and spells for mending. But there are no spells for forgetting.”

Synopsis:

“I've lived enough years now to know that there were some ghosts that haunted you forever. Saoirse had secrets, yes. But so did we.”

My Thoughts:

• Deliciously atmospheric, perfect autumn vibes
• Captivating story and prose
• Quite slow-paced, with the story interspersed with flashbacks to lead up to the fire and Lily's death interspersed well throughout.
• Multiple POVs, primarily Emery & August, but also other islanders and even the island at one point
• There is a palpable sense of longing between August & Emery
• Great supporting cast of islanders.
• The magic/fantasy aspect is very low-key and understated. More of a mystery with thriller vibes and a second chance romance aspect.

“This pain inside me was like broken glass clutched in a fist. I knew it was drawing blood. Bleeding me out, all day, every day. But still, I couldn't just open my fingers and let it go. Because this wasn't that kind of love.”

 "Who are you to decide who is a monster?"

What it's about:
A retelling of the Medusa myth from a more female-centred perspective via multiple POVs of gods, mortals and demigods involved.

“I'm wondering if you still think of her as a monster. I suppose it depends on what you think that word means. Monsters are, what? Ugly? Terrifying? Gorgons are both these things, certainly, although Medusa wasn't always. Can a monster be beautiful if it is still terrifying? Perhaps it depends on how you experience fear and judge beauty.”

My thoughts:

• Not quite what I expected as it has a wider focus than just Medusa's story. Not a bad thing, just I was expecting more Medusa and less everyone else.
• As expected, female perspectives are given more time and prominence than in more traditional tellings.
• Shows how Medusa and other mortals are victims of the squabbles and disputes between the gods.
• I enjoyed the characterisation of the wide and varied cast. The author did a great job of giving them distinct personalities in very few words.

“Vengeful and cruel, always blaming women for what men do to them. She has always been like this. You know she has.” 

"Honestly, if she hadn't begun to like him so much, she would find his excessive handsomeness extremely aggravating."

What it's about:
April is a plus-sized geologist who spends her spare time cosplaying, reading and writing fanfiction for her favourite book series turned TV series, ‘Gods of the Gates' (a thinly veiled ‘Game of Thrones' reference).

Marcus is the hunky lead actor in ‘Gods of the Gates' who to all the world appears to be a complete himbo. In his free time, he has taken to writing fanfiction to channel his frustrations with how the show-runners deviate from the source material and contradict characterisation. 

When Marcus is tagged in a Twitter thread of April's cosplay get-up by a man body shaming her, Marcus comes to her public defence and invites her on a date in an attempt to prove to the trolls and haters that April is not unattractive. Here, Marcus discovers April's fanfic penname and realises that she is his anonymous fandom bestie and beta-reader. Of course, instead of confessing his secret fandom identity to her he conceals it but continues to date her, giving us one of the main conflicts of the novel.

Themes present in this story include:

• Marcus feels stifled by his public persona but afraid to let the real him show
• Body-shaming and body-positivity, April's past experiences dating as a fat woman and her insecurities and fatphobia within fandom
• Toxic parenting and strained parent/child relations - Marcus' parents are snobby & pretentious, ashamed of his lack of academic achievement and dyslexia; April's father is embarrassed by her size and her mother constantly undermines April and body-shames her
• Dual POV from both Marcus and April
• Marcus concealing their previous connection from April while pursuing a relationship with her

“I'm not looking to be fixed. I want to be loved and liked and desired not because of my size, not despite my size, but because I'm ME. My character, my choices, my words.”

What I thought:

• My first time reading a book by Olivia Dade and I enjoyed it enough that I now have most of the other things she's written on my wishlist!
• There were fanfic self-insert vibes, but I felt it was a well-written one and, perhaps due to being a lover of fanfic, I didn't mind it.
• I related to April's insecurities regarding letting the nerdier aspects of her personality and interests show at work and other non-fandom places.
• I was glad that Marcus was called out on how unfair and uneven his knowing April's online persona and their prior friendship and keeping this from her was, this wasn't glossed over and was treated as the massive betrayal and manipulation it absolutely is.
• Enjoyed the supporting cast of characters, although I do agree with previous reviewers that an actor in a major franchise happily admitting he writes pegging fanfic about said franchise (Marcus' colleague who jumps into the fanfic scene after Marcus confides in him) requires some suspension of disbelief because it does seem very unlikely!
• The Red Riding Hood role-play was seriously cringe and unsexy, glad that ended there!

“If those lines in the script contradicted seasons' worth of character development, not to mention the books that had inspired the series, he wouldn't dwell on that. Not now.”

 Bi: The Hidden Culture, History and Science of Bisexuality by Julia Shaw

“To exclude bisexuality from discussions of history, culture, or science is to belittle the human capacity for love and attraction. It also means that people with bisexual desires are often left abandoned in their search for a place in the world.”

Synopsis:

“ ‘Hetero' comes from the Greek heteros which means another, while ‘homos' means same, and both are melded with the Latin word ‘sexus'. Not long after this, ‘bi', or two, started to be used to refer to people who had both homosexual and heterosexual desires. A way that bisexual researchers often talk about this is that the ‘bi' in bisexual means two, but the two are not ‘men' and ‘women', they are ‘same' and ‘other'.”

My Thoughts:

• As a bisexual person who often feels a sense of not-belonging to either heterosexual or queer culture, I related to this book a lot and felt very seen by this.
• The author is also a bisexual woman who draws on her own experiences as well as current and historical scientific and psychological discourse.
• The book looks at how heterosexuality is treated as default & why bisexuality is often considered code for ‘closeted homosexual' or ‘promiscuous woman'.
• Shaw seeks to identify what, if any, is the ‘bisexual identity' and combat bi-erasure. She discusses the pervasiveness of bi-erasure is even (or especially) in LBGTQIA+ spaces.
• I would have liked the book to contain more and go into more depth. This may not be a fault on the part of the author though, more the limitations of the available research and discourse she is drawing on. Shaw presents a review of available literature and her commentary on it but has not engaged on any further study herself (although she is a working psychologist, her specialism lies outside of this field of study).
• Overall, a good overview but not terribly in-depth. Provides a good and accessible starting point.

“Many of our queer elders fought for their lives, and for our rights, and only some survived to tell the tale.”

 What It's About:

• Hart is a marshal who patrols the dangerous land of Tanria. Any corpses he finds (or creates by the slaying of zombie-like drudges) he has to deliver to an undertaker. 
• Mercy is single-handedly keeping her family's business Birdsall and Sons Undertakers running. 
• Mercy and Hart have never hit it off and every exchange they have is more trading of barbs than civil conversation. After a bad day and a run-in with Mercy, Hart pens an anonymous letter he addresses to a friend and posts it. Mercy mysteriously receives it, not knowing who it is from, and the two start up an anonymous correspondence.

“It annoyed Mercy to no end that after years of putting up with that insufferable marshal, some primal inner instinct continued to think he looked good enough to eat.”

My Thoughts:

• Content warning: This book contains depictions and discussions of death and grief.
• I felt like I warmed to Hart much more than Mercy – I'm not sure if this is because he was more loveable or because he felt more developed, I felt we saw a lot more of Hart's inner world than Mercy's, despite them both being POV characters.
• I adored Hart's apprentice Pen, and I liked the development of his dynamic with Hart. He was good for him.
• (Trying to word this carefully to avoid spoilers) – Hart spends the whole book convinced he is alone and friendless when we see that he is not at all. This is shown most clearly following a certain plot event toward the end of the book. I felt it was an accurate depiction of how self-esteem and mental health struggles can warp how we perceive our relationships with and value to others.
• At the start of the book it took me a while to get to grips with the fantasy setting & I'm still not entirely sure I understand the history and lore of Tanria and the old gods. In the beginning the fantasy elements & romance plot felt disconnected to me which had me wondering why it wasn't just a contemporary romance novel. This changed and the fantasy elements were integrated into the wider plot and romance plot further into the book, it just took me a while to get.
• On that note, I was a bit thrown by some of the fantasy terms used – maybe I was too distracted while I was reading the parts where these things were introduced and I missed some descriptions but it was a while before it was clear these weren't just weird fantasy names for cars, horses etc. Also, I was never quite sure if the land I should be picturing was supposed to be swampy marshland or Venice-like canals or what, but there was definitely water and lots of docks everywhere.
• The pantheon of gods and different names for days of the week confused me, especially when given as a reference to the passage of time, as I had no idea whether two days were supposed to have passed or six. These let it down overall for me, as I really enjoyed the romance plot and characters but I was often jarred out of the narrative by puzzling over these things.
• -A lovely romance that is definitely worth reading, although be warned I did sob heavily through the third act!

“I don't want to hear ‘I'm sorry, Mercy' or ‘I don't deserve you, Mercy' or ‘I hope you find someone else, Mercy'! I want to hear ‘I love you, Mercy'!”