Reading update, part 1
Paris Daillencourt is About to Crumble by Alexis Hall - 4/5 stars
The problem with this book was that I liked Paris and Tariq, but god, it was rough to read. I also felt—and I'm going to be honest, this is an issue I've been noticing increasingly with Hall's newer novels—a little like I was reading like, the Perfect And Unproblematic Way To Date. There's this sort of preachy, social media I-don't-know-who-needs-to-hear-this quality to a lot of the dialogue. It was also just hard to read at times. But I still rated it 4 stars, so I guess I didn't hate it.
Rattlesnake by Kim Fielding - 5/5 stars
This book is about a drifter who ends up in a town because a hitchhiker dies in his car (sounds grimmer than it is!), and the hitchhiker was trying to get to said town to see his estranged son. If you said to yourself, I bet the drifter falls in love with the estranged son, you would be exactly right. This book was so poignant and sad, so the HEA was amazing.
Gold Wings Rising by Alex London - 5/5 stars
This is the last book of The Skybound Saga and it was an excellent ending.
Heart of the Steal by Avon Gale and Roan Parrish - 3.75/5 stars
I told a friend the other day that I would die for Roan Parrish, but I should have told her not to pick up this book. It wasn't awful, but...it wasn't great, either.
Rag and Bone by KJ Charles - 4/5 stars
The Reanimator's Heart by Kara Jorgensen - 4/5 stars
The Half Life of Valery K by Natasha Pulley - 5/5 stars
Look. Guys. I've raved about every Natasha Pulley book I've read, yeah? And this is no exception. I need you all to read this. Like, I'm not sure you're all taking me seriously out there. But if you read anything I've recommended, it needs to be Natasha Pulley's books. I can only rate up to 5 stars on Storygraph, so yeah, maybe it looks like I loved this book the same as I loved Rattlesnake by Kim Fielding. No. This book lives in my heart and my mind. This book is part of my soul. All of her books are. I love and hate her for A) making me feel SO MUCH and B) being a better writer than I will ever be.
I know I've said nothing about the book, but like. You just have to trust me. Read her books.
Oh yeah, this one is about a nuclear disaster in the USSR that was covered up for decades.
You & Me by Tal Bauer - 4.5/5 stars
Teddy Spenser Isn't Looking for Love by Kim Fielding - 3.25/5 stars
Man, I wanted to like this one? It felt really phoned in, though. The characters all felt very surface level.
The Whispering Dark by Kelly Andrew - 4/5 stars
Subtle Blood by KJ Charles - 5/5 stars
How did this series just keep getting better? I'm so bummed that this was the last in the trilogy, because I totally could keep reading about Will and Kim and their adventures.
Firestarter by Tara Sim - 5/5 stars
Also the last in a trilogy, and also a worthy wrap-up.
The Mayor and the Mystery Man by AJ Truman - 4.25/5 stars
Fence, Vol 5: Rise by CS Pacat with Johanna the Mad - 5/5 stars
Cattle Stop by Kit Oliver - 5/5 stars
AHHHHHHHHHH. God. This book! Looks like a romcom but will stab you in the heart repeatedly. Oliver has a gorgeous way with words and captures the dynamic between two people who have no idea how to talk to each other so well. There's something the dialogue in Oliver's books that just speaks to me.
Rookie Move by Riley Hart and Neve Wilder - 2.75/5 stars
Boyfriend Goals by Riley Hart - DNF
Please note here that it seems like I don't like Riley Hart's writing. Unfortunately I still have like 3 of her books in my TBR pile.
The Gentleman's Book of Vices by Jess Everlee - 4.75/5 stars
Even Though I Knew the End by CL Polk - 4.5/5 stars
I feel a little meh about this one, despite the rating I gave it. Like, the world was cool, the writing was excellent. I've seen this book hyped so much, though, and it was like...yeah it was fine. Definitely the best over-hyped Sapphic book I've read lately, so there's that.
Nothing Like Paris by Amy Jo Cousins - 4.5/5 stars
Necropolis by Jordan L Hawk - 4.25/5 stars
Roommate Arrangement by Saxon James - DNF
The Place Between by Kit Oliver - 5/5 stars
Yeah this Kit Oliver book was really good too. It's about academics instead of farmers but it will still stab you in the heart a bunch of times. Oh and it's fake dating.
A Dash of Salt and Pepper by Kosoko Jackson - DNF
I didn't love Kosoko Jackson's debut—there were waaaaay too many pop culture references, many of which I didn't understand, but even when I did, I found it obnoxious. But it was readable. This was...not. I hated the main character so much, and I barely even met the love interest, but I didn't like him, either.
Level Hands by Amy Jo Cousins - 4.25/5 stars
The Secret Casebook of Simon Feximal by KJ Charles - 4.25/5 stars
How to Bite Your Neighbor and Win a Wager by DN Bryn - 5/5 stars
I looooooved this book, omg. I'm not really a vampire person, but this was so cute. I guess it was kind of cozy fantasy? Sort of? With a backdrop of homelessness, medical experimentation, and bereavement.
Rule of Wolves by Leigh Bardugo - 1/5 stars
Catch me never reading a Leigh Bardugo novel again. Oof. This woman wrote Six of Crows and Crooked Kingdom? I wasn't too impressed by King of Scars but that was better than this, even though the Crows actually appear in this book.
The Barkeep and the Bro by AJ Truman - 3/5 stars
Heartbreak Boys by Simon James Green - 4.5/5 stars
I don't usually laugh out loud when I read, but this book made me cackle. Obnoxious self-referential bit aside (yeah Simon James Green, I did catch you slipping a reference to your previous book into this one), this was very cute and very funny. I even got my wife to read this, despite her dislike of romance and YA, and she liked it!
Part 2 (because tumblr cut me off at 30 images)
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Title: Teddy Spenser Isn’t Looking for Love
Author: Kim Fielding
Series or standalone: standalone
Publication year: 2020
Genres: fiction, romance, contemporary, LGBT+
Blurb: Teddy Spenser spends his days selling design ideas to higher-ups, living or dying on each new pitch. Stodgy engineer types like Romeo Blue, his nemesis - if you can call someone who barely talks to you a nemesis - are a necessary evil...a cute necessary evil. Working together is bad enough, but when their boss puts them both on a new high-stakes project, working together suddenly means sitting uncomfortably close on the same plane, staying in the same hotel room (with only one bed), and spending every waking minute together. Turns out, Mr Starched Shirt has some hidden depths, and it’s getting harder to ignore the spark Teddy feels with every brush of their hands, with every knowing glance. He might not have been looking for this connection with Romeo...but will he ever be ready to let him go?
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