The Charm Offensive (2021) Alison Cochrun I am having a really hard time writing this review. Because I keep diving back into the book and reading passages an getting sucked back in. Charlie Winshaw was forced out of the company he helped found, and now he’s hoping to rehabilitate his image by appearing on a […]
Network Effect (2020) Martha Wells (The Murderbot Diaries) MURDERBOT Murderbot has gone off on a research expedition with several of Dr Mensah’s family members. Thiago: “You trust it that much?” Mensah: “With my life, literally. I know what it will do to protect her, and you, and the rest of the team. Of course, it […]
Making Love (2017) Aidan Wayne Carla is a cupid, and she wants nothing more than to go out into the world and find True Love matches for humans. But as good as her aim is, Carla is terrible at seeing possible chemistry between people. A cupid’s arrow only held the Spark of Interest. It got […]
The Rat-Catcher’s Daughter (2019) KJ Charles (Lilywhite Boys) Set in London in 1893. Christiana is in trouble. She got into debt, then her debt was purchased by Kammy Grizzard, and she failed to follow through on what he wanted. She is surprised when two strange men break into her dressing room before Bad Things start […]
All the Wrong Places (2016) Ann Gallagher (Bluewater Bay) I needed to read an ace romance, and I feel like I’ve reread them all recently, so this one it was. Brennan is a semi-pro skater who has had terrible luck with all his girlfriends and doesn’t understand what’s wrong with him. Zafir is a single […]
Model Exposure (2017) Lissa Kasey (Haven Investigations) This picks up immediately after the end of the previous book. Ollie is healing, but so is Kade. But Kade doesn’t like having to admit that he needs help, and fears that if he needs help, he’ll lose Ollie. “Ollie needs me.” He was healing from a (thing). […]
Model Investigator (2017) Lissa Kasey (Haven Investigations) Back to Ollie, this book takes off after the events of the previous book–which ended on a cliffhanger. First and foremost, this is one of the few mysteries I’ve ever read that actually has characters deal with some of the real-life consequences of repeated concussion. The sparkles around […]
Model Bodyguard (2016) Lissa Kasey (Haven Investigations) The second book in the Haven Investigations series switches from Oliver’s POV to Kade’s POV. Which is fantastic, because Oliver sees Kade as strong and almost perfect, whereas Kade actually? A huge mess. This was the stuff of nightmares— a mental hospital. It wasn’t my first trip. No, […]
Model Citizen (2015) Lissa Kasey (Haven Investigations) Oliver Petroskovic hoped that once he bought the house his life would start to be more settled. Sure, he’d do more modeling gigs, but with the house he was finally able to repay his brother for the years spent raising him. He’d paid for private school and attended […]
The Book of Candlelight (2000) Ellery Adams (Secret, Book, & Scone Society) It feels like it won’t stop raining in Miracle Springs. Although the rain is good for business, Nora’s store is a mess, and she needs more “shelf-enhancers” so she bikes over to the local flea market to search for finds. When she later […]
Pierced Peony (2021) Dahlia Donovan (Motts Cold Case Mystery Series) When an inspector from London comes to visit Motts about a cold case from her childhood, the two unexpectedly discover another body–opening another cold case. “You’ll never guess what I’ve learned.” “Marnie.” Motts was amused at how everyone around her, aside from the policemen in […]
Poisoned Primrose Dahlia Donovan (2020) Poisoned Primrose (Motts Cold Case Mystery) Motts is a 39 year-old asexual, biromantic autistic who is living on her own for the first time in a house left to her by her aunt. Unfortunately, when digging up the untended garden, remains are discovered, which causes no end of problems for […]
Blank Spaces (2016) Cass Lennox (Toronto Connections) Devon took a hefty gulp, then pressed his mouth to Toned’s. Vaughn saw liquid dribble from one corner as the gulp passed from mouth to mouth. His stomach rolled. That couldn’t be hygienic. He couldn’t really say much about Jonah’s clothes, except that they were so tight they […]
Play It Again (2019) Aidan Wayne Dovid had been a pretty typical child. Just that, thanks to medulloepithelioma— a type of incredibly invasive cancer— he grew up missing two parts a typical child possessed, after they were removed in order to get rid of the cancer entirely. But he kept bumping into chairs. The tables […]
Uncommonly Tidy Poltergeists (2017) Angel Martinez “I drove … down to Dover a few weeks ago.” “To the farmer’s market?” Ben said around a mouthful of pie. “Long way to go for strawberries.” Luka gave Ben an odd look. “He didn’t say anything about produce.” “Well, no, but why else go all the way—” Ben […]
That Kind of Guy (2019) Talia Hibbert (Ravenswood) (N)ecessity was the mother of every skill Zach had. Growing up poor with a busy single parent and a missing older brother had led him to learn a lot of practical shit at a very young age. The hard way. And those skills had never been allowed […]
For Better or Worse (2017) R. Cooper Everything looks like friendly teasing if you don’t know what sexual tension is. I get confused.” To this day he could remember the exact feeling of relief at discovering terms like demisexual and gray ace, and his immediate need to know more, and then still, always, that faint […]
Upside Down (2019) N.R. Walker “If you do, I’ll be so embarrassed I’ll be forced to quit and move and join the witness protection program.” Merry stared at me. “Siri, what is an overreaction?” “How do you know? You can’t know. That’s an improbable equation, and you’re just guessing and that makes you a lying […]
The Ex Talk (2021) Rachel Lynn Solomon Shay Goldstein loves radio–especially public radio–and for the most part loves her job as a producer. What she doesn’t love is her co-worker, Dominic Yun, who constantly mentions his master’s degree in journalism. I’d read mixed reviews about this, so my expectations weren’t especially high. So I was […]
Family Matters (2018) Angel Martinez (Brandywine Investigations) My feelings for this book are summed up in just how WONDERFUL this cover is. Because it’s awesome, and so is the book. Plus: Why do you wear a kilt? It’s the tail, isn’t it? Though kilts are cool. As with the previous book, there are three stories: […]
Grumpy Bear (2021) Slade James (Bear Camp) Coleman Sawyer runs a gay clothing optional camp. Luke Cody is headed back to the south after yet another bad relationship, and another failure to launch his career as a singer-songwriter. When he’s told there’s temporary work at Bear Mountain Lodge that might help him land on his […]
Making Love (2017) Aidan Wayne Carla wants to be cupid that finds and brings about True Love. But although her aim is perfect, her ability to figure out who to aim at… is much less so. “Oh,” Carla said, abashed. She’d seen the travel match in both of their profiles and hadn’t dug deeper to […]
Three Stupid Weddings (2018) Ann Gallagher The world is terrible. I wanted something cute to re-read, without any boinking. This fit the bill. Please note that one character is trying to deal with an eating disorder that developed from emotional abuse from his ex-boyfriend, but it’s not heavy. the “you need to gain weight” crowd […]
Blind Faith (2013) N.R. Walker (Blind Faith) Carter Reece has moved to Boston to take a position a veterinary clinic. One of the unexpected things is that the clinic still does house calls for a few people–one of whom is Isaac Brannigan–a man who uses brashness and arrogance to hide his fear of losing those […]
Two Rogues Make a Right (2020) Cat Sebastian (Seducing the Sedgwicks) Set in London ~1817-1818 Will Sedgwick’s best friend, Martin Easterbrook, had been found fevered and somewhat delusional in the attic of Hartley Sedgwick’s home (a home that by rights should have belonged to Martin). So Will stole him away to the country in the […]
How to Be a Normal Person (2014) TJ Klune Gustavo Tiberius lives in Abby, Oregon and is not a a little odd. He doesn’t really mind that much, because he is mostly content with his life. IT WAS seven in the morning when the alarm clock belonging to Gustavo Tiberius rang and he opened his […]
Vincent’s Thanksgiving Date (2014) R. Cooper Vincent has issues with anxiety, and it makes him avoid talking to people–even his super cute neighbor who works at the florist. There was no easy way to explain being a grown man who was terrified of meaningless conversations and meeting new people. Saying small social embarrassments haunted him […]
A Gentleman’s Position (2016) K.J. Charles (Society of Gentlemen) Set in London in 1820 It’s not that this is a bad story, it’s just that I really don’t care that much for Richard, so it’s difficult for me to care about him having a HEA. David Cyprian I do like, but I really don’t understand […]
Upside Down (2019) N.R. Walker Jordan O’Neill is unhappy. Things have been going terribly for him in all of his relationships, so his co-worker convinces him to go to an asexual support group, to see if perhaps that’s what’s going on. I didn’t need another label. I had enough of them. I had enough hang-ups, […]
Blank Spaces (2016) Cass Lennox (Toronto Connections) Vaughn Hargrave is tired of dating. He doesn’t want what every other guy wants, so he’s decided he’ll just stop trying. Devon took a hefty gulp, then pressed his mouth to Toned’s. Vaughn saw liquid dribble from one corner as the gulp passed from mouth to mouth. His […]
Turning Darkness Into Light (2019) Marie Brennan Audrey Camherst, grand-daughter of the famous Lady Trent, is a scholar in her own right. But it’s so hard when I can feel everyone looking at me, waiting to see what I’ll do. Not my family, of course; if I decided I wanted to retire to a country […]
Family Matters (2018) Angel Martinez (Brandywine Investigations) This is two books and a short story. The first story is about Dionysus and Leander (the Minotaur of the cover. (with a KILT. Which is PERFECT.)) The second story is a short story about a young woman stumbling upon Artemis and the muses in the forest. “That’s […]
For Better or Worse (2017) R. Cooper Everyone in town things Javier has a secret lover–because a guy that handsome and fit couldn’t possibly be single. His mother and his aunts called him “choosy.” His sister and cousins thought he was full of himself for not wanting to go out with their friends. The people […]
Play It Again (2019) Aidan Wayne Dovid and his sister Rachel are YouTube stars. They actually make their living from it, first becoming famous after Rachel recorded Dovid ranting about how he hated it when people didn’t pronounce his name correctly. But he also spends time going to schools and talking abut bullying because that’s […]
Merlin in the Library (2018) Ada Maria Soto This is a short story that is a follow-up to His Quiet Agent. It’s a glimpse into Martin’s head, and kind of a reassurance that he is getting help for his trauma and issues. It won’t make much sense if you haven’t read the novella, but if […]
His Quiet Agent (2017) Ada Maria Soto (The Agency) It hasn’t been that long since I read this, but I really wanted to revisit it, and it was actually better than I had remembered, since I picked up more details the second time through. Arthur Drams is an analyst for The Agency. He may have […]
Upside Down (2019) N.R. Walker This was precisely the story I needed to read. I have a ton of books on my TBR, but none of them were pulling me in. Jordan O’Neil is a librarian who is tired of his love life never ever working out. When his co-worker (and best friend) Merry encourages […]
All the Wrong Places (2016) Ann Gallagher (Bluewater Bay) Brennan Cross doesn’t know what’s wrong with him, only that there must be something, since all his girlfriends cheat on him and then dump him. Once was chance. Twice was coincidence. Three times was a goddamn pattern. Zafir Hamady works at a sex shop for the […]
Blank Spaces (2016) Cass Lennox (Toronto Connections) Vaughn Hargrave has friends, a place to live, and a job in an art gallery that allows him to paint. He’s perfectly fine without dating or casual sex–even if everyone around him thinks he requires it. “Mom. I’m fine. Singledom is great. Work is great. I’ll see you […]
Three Stupid Weddings (2018) Ann Gallagher Victor Nelson is still struggling with his breakup–even if everyone (including Vic) knows he is so much better off without Max. So when he find out he has to attend three family weddings over the summer, he’s miserable at the thought of all of his relatives introducing him to […]
The Alpha and His Ace (2015) Ana J. Phoenix This is a cute little potato chip of a story. What it does a very good job of is explaining Ace and that different Aces have different wants and needs, and a general “don’t assume”. There was also some general silliness. ”What are the ups?” ”I […]
Uncommonly Tidy Poltergeists (2017) Angel Martinez Between writing up posts on some of my favorite books and just needing something light and happy to read, I decided I needed to re-read Uncommonly Tidy Poltergeists. This is such an adorable story AND it’s an Ace romance, which is even more lovely. Taro has something to tell […]
Thaw (2017) Elyse Springer (Seasons of Love Book) Dedication: You are not broken. You are not alone. You are perfect exactly the way you are. And you are loved. The first thing to know about Abigail is that she loves her job as a librarian. The second is that she isn’t particularly social, but agrees […]
Play It Again: A Slow Burn Romance (2019) Aidan Wayne Dovid Rosenstein and his sister Rachel run the popular YouTube channel Don’t Look Now, with Rachel behind the camera and Dovid starring in the videos–many of which focus on accessibility and anti-bullying, since Dovid has spent most of his life navigating a sighted world. Dontlooknowdovid: […]
The Rat-Catcher’s Daughter (2019) K.J. Charles (Lilywhite Boys) Set in London in 1893. Miss Christiana is in trouble. She’s all but owned by Kammy Gizzard, and she failed in the task he set out for her, that might have allowed her to buy her way out of debt, so now Kammy is coming to make […]
Merlin in the Library (2018) Ada Maria Soto This is a very short story that follows on the heels of His Quiet Agent. It’s not a full-blown story as much as a peek into Martin’s mind, and a reassurance that he will, eventually, be ok. Martin wanted to reassure Arthur that he was fine and […]
His Quiet Agent (2017) Ada Maria Soto Arthur Drams has worked hard for The Agency and is hoping to move up in the ranks. Unfortunately, that doesn’t seem to be happening. “That’s…” Arthur didn’t want to rock the boat, complain or seem ungrateful, but it had been four years. “A bit more of a lateral […]
For Better or Worse (2017) R. Cooper There are several things that make this story interesting. First, Javier is a gray ace / demisexual. Second, a great deal of the story takes place in the heads of the two men. Thirdly, the problems between the two (specifically their lack of a relationship) is due to […]
That Kind of Guy (2019) Talia Hibbert Zack has lived his life in Ravenswood, and has earned his reputation as a slut. But after his mother’s illness, and his subsequent depression, he’s been reevaluating his life–including why he had so many sexual encounters he didn’t actually want. (N)ecessity was the mother of every skill Zach […]
Uncommonly Tidy Poltergeists (2017) Angel Martinez Taro has to make a confession to his family–and he’s afraid they’re going to freak out. He’s won the biggest power ball in history, and is going to keep it a secret from everyone but them. He is also, after buying his parents a vacation home and setting up […]