Look Up, Handsome by Jack Strange is a sweet and cosy Christmas read, perfect for when you just want to curl up and not think too hard. While there arLook Up, Handsome by Jack Strange is a sweet and cosy Christmas read, perfect for when you just want to curl up and not think too hard. While there are a few plot holes and tropes that didn’t fully land for me, the festive charm makes it an easy and enjoyable book to relax with. The romance could’ve been a bit stronger, and the one and only sex scene was awkwardly placed, but blissfully over soon. Authors -- not all books need spice. But the overall vibe is sweet and comforting.
If you’re not looking to dig too deep and just want a lighthearted, festive story, this one delivers on that warm holiday feeling. It's the kind of book you can enjoy curled up with a blanket, letting the magical Christmas spirit take over....more
After reading The Last Binding trilogy and absolutely loving it, I was being excited to read Swordcrossed, but, it did mean I had really high expectatAfter reading The Last Binding trilogy and absolutely loving it, I was being excited to read Swordcrossed, but, it did mean I had really high expectations.
I am so happy to be able to say this book lived up to every one of those expectations. The relationship between Matti and Luca grows slowly but blindingly, you feel the pair of them fall in love whilst both weighed down by known and unknown secrets. The way Freya Marske writes the scenes between them is a level of intimacy that I haven't seen rendered in text in a long time. She made the most ordinary things sensual, made my breath catch at the heat and heart in some scenes.
Past the relationship there was the world building which was expertly don't, with deities and guilds and geopolitical histories. But... Nothing was too heavy or too dry, she gave you just the information you needed to enjoy the rich world she had created.
And finally the mystery -- it was just enough to keep the intrigue going, and as a person who is a member of the current guild of Weavers, spinners and dyers, she was about 95% correct with her wool processing knowledge!
This book was so good it's made all my other 5* reviews pale in comparison. Definitely check it out!...more
This was a lovely read, that I snapped up in a few bites. Here we have Cassian, a Duke who suddenly realises he has been very sheltered, and Daizell, This was a lovely read, that I snapped up in a few bites. Here we have Cassian, a Duke who suddenly realises he has been very sheltered, and Daizell, who has been very much been the exact opposite of sheltered.
An indiscretion and a bet bring the two together, and what follows is a really enjoyable adventure with personal growth and a lovely smattering of a redemption arc. Oh, and a few little unexpected kinks thrown in there!
It was a great read, losing half a star only because I think the pacing was the tiniest, tiniest bit off in places, but otherwise a superb read. 4.5*...more
It was hot. It was completely devoid from reality. It was try to do something clever and failed. But it was really hot. So, this sounded really good?
It was hot. It was completely devoid from reality. It was try to do something clever and failed. But it was really hot. Sometimes after an author has a successful book you find that their books get longer. They don't necessarily get better, but they definitely get longer. Look at the Harry Potter series. This book should have been at least 30% shorter.
The main characters are both kinda problematic for different reasons and instead of working on themselves are apparently going to just continue to be co-dependent. The book felt like it was trying to redefine the bisexual slut, and be sex-positive, when one of the characters doesn't really have a healthy relationship with sex AT ALL (it's hard not to spoil, but there are comments about using it to not be alone which is... not healthy). (and as a side note: what kind of slut that sleeps with people with penises isn't carrying condoms with them all the time? as a bisexual slut I can tell you I do, it's only practical! even if you're not looking for penetration, they have other safe-sex related uses!)
It reads like a teenager that's just discovered this new shiny author (you know, Vonnegut or Plath or Kerouac) and it's the most serious thing in the world, but you wouldn't understand because no one has ever been so seen or understood, mum, no one gets me, i'm going to my room, etc, etc. Or an American that's watched too many films about Western Europe.
Honestly, it would be lower but it was pretty hot. ...more
Ezra Friedman sees ghosts, which made growing up in a funeral home a circus, especially with his grandfather's ghost constantly judging his life choicEzra Friedman sees ghosts, which made growing up in a funeral home a circus, especially with his grandfather's ghost constantly judging his life choices. After escaping to avoid the family business, he's pulled back in when his mom drops a bombshell at Passover: she's leaving both her job and marriage for the rabbi's wife.
Now, Ezra's juggling the funeral home, an inconvenient crush on the charming volunteer Jonathan (who's also his new neighbour), and a rogue ghost breaking all the rules.
This was a lovely debut novel from Shelly Jay Shore (although we've definitely got a trend of trans guys call Ezra in books recently!). It was as much a story about families and finding yourself as it was a romance, but the romance was still very much a part of the story. I wouldn't call either a subplot, but I would say they shared equal billing.
The only real criticism I have is that the ghosts and paranormal aspects were so far removed it could as well have been an analogy for all the impact they served on the plot. I was expecting more ghosts and what I got was actually a much different story. It's not a bad story by any means, just not at all what I'd have expected.
It also felt like there was a little more structure around the rules and the ghosting that didn't quite make it through edits, instead focusing on the family set up, I feel like something else could have been cut out (the ex?) instead of that.
But, a good story is a good story, and this was a good story. Definitely check it out! 4*
Kris Ripper's "Settle the Score" is a delightful yet complex rom-com that takes forced proximity to another level. The story centeres on Des Cleary, aKris Ripper's "Settle the Score" is a delightful yet complex rom-com that takes forced proximity to another level. The story centeres on Des Cleary, an ex-journalist who nuked his career by outing soccer star Orion Broderick. Now, Des is stuck in a dead-end marketing job, and guess what? He has to recruit Orion for a Pride campaign. Ouch.
Des heads to Orion's secluded mountain cabin with a plan to keep things strictly business. But Mother Nature, ever the meddler, has other ideas, trapping them together in a snowstorm. As they dig up old wounds and buried feelings, both men are forced to confront their past mistakes and the possibility of a future neither expected.
Ripper does an excellent job of balancing the heavy stuff with snappy dialogue and irreverent humour. Des and Orion are far from perfect, which makes their journey toward understanding and forgiveness all the more engaging. It’s not just a story about romance; it’s about redemption and the messiness of human connections.
For those who appreciate a romantic plot that doesn’t shy away from the messy, real aspects of relationships, "Settle the Score" is a perfect choice....more
"Rip-roaringly romantic, fast-paced, and funny" is so far from an accurate description of this book that I'm not sure if the blurb writer even read th"Rip-roaringly romantic, fast-paced, and funny" is so far from an accurate description of this book that I'm not sure if the blurb writer even read the book! The story follows Mariel, a newly blooded captain of the Merry Men, as she struggles to live up to the legendary legacy of her grandfather, Robin Hood, whilst struggling with some family truths.
Lets look at those three claims one at a time, and to remind you theyare: rip-roaringly romantic, fast-paced and funny
The characters don't kiss until 60% of the way through the book and it comes out of absolutely nowhere. If you told me that this wasn't a romance book I would nod my head and agree with you. But, here it's being touted as one of it's main selling points! If we hadn't been flipping between Clem and Mariel's POVs I wouldn't have had a hint that their relationship was the end game, and being honest it just doesn't develop. There are flashes of a great relationship but it just falls to the side with the constant pieces of plot being through at you.
That brings me onto the next point, 'fast-paced'. As Mariel and Clem navigate the perils of the Greenwood, including the capture of Mariel's father, Jack Hartley, the narrative delves into themes of loyalty, identity, and the true meaning of heroism. Or at least, it really, really tries. The plot is slow to get off the ground, whilst it might be fast-paced in the sense that they're physically moving from one location to another, nothing really happens of note for perhaps the entire first half of the book. There's nothing to grip you and draw you forward through the book, what little mystery and suspense there is doesn't become truly apparently until perhaps 70%. And here's the thing, you need to foreshadow things, otherwise reveals are vastly unsatisying. Readers need to feel like they should have seen something coming, else it becomes a string of, 'oh, I didn't even know this was a thing that could happen'.
And lastly, funny. I mean, of the three I'd say it delivers the most on this, but it feels a little bit like it's trying too hard.
There's a great idea here, but the execution is beyond awful. I'm so disappointed. ...more
So, there are lots of things I find a bit problematic here, however, as a light-level romance it's well written. Secondary characters are a bit flat, So, there are lots of things I find a bit problematic here, however, as a light-level romance it's well written. Secondary characters are a bit flat, etc, etc. But the storytelling is technically good and keeps you in.
This book is an absolute delight. This is a story told from the POV of a 'monster', and she is funny, kind and witty, even if she doesn't quite realisThis book is an absolute delight. This is a story told from the POV of a 'monster', and she is funny, kind and witty, even if she doesn't quite realise she's being all of those things.
I went into this not quite knowing what to expect and what I got was a really touching sapphic, arguably asexual, romance between a fat, not conventionally attractive character, and a shapeshifter. It was full of all the feelings, and, well, a lot of violence and gore. But oddly, less than you might expect? Or more, I guess, depending on your expectations.
Either way, the writing was nuanced and accessible. The book made me laugh, make that weird 'awww' noise, and quickly turn the page because I needed to know what happened next.
If you love a reaffirming romance, with a good touch of black humour, check this out....more
"In this sexy, emotionally satisfying LGBTQIA+ romance..."
Well, it's LGBTQIA+. I'll give them that.
I wouldn't use any of these words to describe this"In this sexy, emotionally satisfying LGBTQIA+ romance..."
Well, it's LGBTQIA+. I'll give them that.
I wouldn't use any of these words to describe this book. It's just... I'd read Greg's story happily, I like the mental health rep for both the MCs. There's something that stops you connecting with both the MCs and their relationship and I think it's definitely in the execution.
There is something fundamentally lacking in this book and that's the ability to make me feel anything. A good romance should have you invested, I wasn't. A spicy book should have you into it, I wasn't. And it's not just because of either of the issues the MCs face, it's because there are sexy ways to write sex and there are... really weirdly awkward ways to write it. This was unfortunately in the second column. This felt kinda like watching a porn star dial it in.
So, if any of the rep really sings out to you, then check this out, otherwise I'd pass it on by. ...more
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