3.5 stars, will read the sequel! Heads up, doesn't resolve the way a romance would, ends with things up in the air. A soapy, fun, glamour-filled read.3.5 stars, will read the sequel! Heads up, doesn't resolve the way a romance would, ends with things up in the air. A soapy, fun, glamour-filled read....more
I don't personally love an oldskool clinch cover but you know what? In these days of "let's make everything an A solid installment in a solid series!
I don't personally love an oldskool clinch cover but you know what? In these days of "let's make everything an illustrated cover that gives you no information about what you're getting," I respect it....more
I love Cat Sebastian, but the 20th c historicals haven't hit the emotional notes that grabbed me so hard with the older settings. This one, though - sI love Cat Sebastian, but the 20th c historicals haven't hit the emotional notes that grabbed me so hard with the older settings. This one, though - so phenomenal. I cried. It had the "how will they get to the HEA" tension of grief and emotional barriers to tackle that made it super compelling and satisfying. Loved it....more
Another delightful installment in this fun series! A romp with chronic pain / disability rep front and center. Banter, humor, zany antics. The male MCAnother delightful installment in this fun series! A romp with chronic pain / disability rep front and center. Banter, humor, zany antics. The male MC invents Rube Goldberg machines and is a starry eyed beta hero from the get-go; our prickly, fat, disabled heroine is a bloody-minded chaos muppet. I love a book where the MCs instantly *enjoy* each other -- insta-lust isn't my jam bc it's so hard for me to identify with as a reader, but that pure delight of loving somebody's sense of humor and quirks and clicking with them right away absolutely works for me. They're both so INTO each other in addition to physical attraction... love to see it....more
3.5 stars, rounding down just for the constant uses of "man" and "woman" as adjectives (ie "man-rod", "woman pleasure")... and honestly bc it was a li3.5 stars, rounding down just for the constant uses of "man" and "woman" as adjectives (ie "man-rod", "woman pleasure")... and honestly bc it was a little more reliant on plot than is my particular jam. But loved the setting and the historical context and placement of (many! Not just one!) Black Scots....more
I think my friend Jessica Werner said it all in her review: "She did, in fact, expect the Spanish Inquisition." I think my friend Jessica Werner said it all in her review: "She did, in fact, expect the Spanish Inquisition." ...more
I first read this circa 1994, when I for whatever reason had a weekend to myself because my family was out of town and I somehow read the entire serieI first read this circa 1994, when I for whatever reason had a weekend to myself because my family was out of town and I somehow read the entire series back to back. My standards were not high, my access to queer culture was limited to the shelves of the Radnor Memorial Library, and the PBS series was prob the first queer thing I'd ever seen on TV. (Though I read the books before the show, so that must have been 1993??)
Since then I've come back to it a few times, probably most recently about 20 years ago. I picked it up again yesterday because my friend was heading to SF for a wedding and I rec'd it as perfect plane reading on the way to San Francisco. I did a quick reread just to make sure that it held up, and ooof. I hate to say this, but it really doesn't hold up on a first read in 2024. The casual overt and subtle racism, the weird-ass problematic storylines, the lack of character development... it's really hard to enjoy, like the rocky first season of a dated but beloved geeky tv show.
I read More Tales again right after, and thank goodness that one is a little more on track with what I remember enjoying... with the wacky Episcopalian cannibal cult amnesia storyline (love it) instead of child pornography, a character faking being Black, and the lying about rape. Also just more character development in general instead of a series of "first this happened, then this happened, then these bitchy queens happened." I might consider rereading the rest? But I texted my friend to say to skip this and go straight to book two (or skip them altogether). Though oof, book three has Jonestown......more
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