Prince of Lust by Lucien Burr

I went into this book expecting cheerfully blasphemous smut about a demon and a priest, and I got that, but I also got a surprisingly bittersweet and tragic story about a man who has been attracted to men his whole life and forced to hide it, who unsuccessfully sublimated his feelings first into petty crime and then, into religion.

When he impulsively summons Asmodeus, the Prince of Lust, Alessandro feels like he has become his true self for the first time in his life. This book features degredation kink, corruption kink, blood play, and tail fucking, and is one of the more intense and graphic erotica I have read in a while, but it helps that the hero is completely into it, and that even the Prince of Lust believes (perhaps mockingly) in consent. 

PRINCE OF LUST doesn't have any pretenses about what it purports to be, and was a rather hilariously ironic thing to read on a Sunday evening. Lucien Burr is a new-to-me author but I'll definitely be checking out more of their work based on the writing in this one.

3.5 out of 5 stars

Currency in Flesh by Heather Nix

I devoured CURRENCY IN FLESH in less than 24 hours. It's the story of Grace, a thirty-five-year-old woman who's spent most of her adult life in a relationship with her abusive husband, Sean. When he takes her to a bar called Pluto, she's unenthusiastic and reluctant. But the situation quickly gets worse than she could have ever imagined: as it turns out, all of her husbands success and riches were the result of a deal with the devil, and too cowardly to sell his own soul, Sean brought Grace to the bar with him to try to pledge hers instead.

Sean and Grace are both taken to the underworld which is how Grace meets this gender-reversed Hades: Lady Cora, who rules the underworld in its many lawyers, and decided to take Grace as her plaything. From here, the book definitely follows the traditional dark romance formula. There is dub-con, but Cora is attentive to Grace's limits and history of abuse, and never pushes her further than she is willing to go. Consent plays a big role in the story, and so does the healing power of BDSM when it comes to reclaiming pain and enjoying debasement when it comes from someone who cherishes you.

CURRENCY IN FLESH also leans heavily into feminine rage. When Grace is offered the chance for revenge, she's hesitant, but she takes it, and a big part of her character arc is discovering the extent of her husband's treachery and abuse, and realizing that she is so much more than the person he tried to reduce her to. It's got a surprisingly heartfelt and thoughtful message, and I loved all the discussions about what it meant to be a good person versus a bad one. I'll be thinking about this story and its characters for a while and will absolutely be checking out more work from this author.

4 to 4.5 out of 5 stars

The King of Spring by Collette Carmon

THE KING OF SPRING begins with a deceased Homer pleading his case before the gods of the underworld, hoping to be granted paradise. However, he quickly realizes he's made a terrible, possibly fate-screwing mistake: the woman he assumed was Persephone is actually Hades, and her consort, Persephone, is a man named Kore.

I loved this story so much and cannot believe it's as underrated as it is, because for me, it felt like a cross between Lore Olympus and Kaos. Carmon perfectly captures the machinations and pettiness of the gods, while also giving them a fresh new spin that keeps her story from feeling derivative or trite. It's also incredibly feminist: part of the reason everyone assumes Hades is a man is because, as the book puts it, nobody would ever believe a woman has dominion over life and death. The gods are inherently sexist: it's part of the reason Zeus demands that Hades marry. How could a woman possibly manage that much power without a man to hold her in check?

Kore's story is even sadder. His mother hates men-- largely because of the internlized misogyny of the gods-- and resents her son for being born male instead of female. The Persephone myth as we know it is a lie that borders on deadnaming: she has created a false shadow daughter, an alter-self where her son, named Persephone, is the shining beacon of femininity and life-giving power that she craves, even as she abuses and neglects her real child. He relates to Hades on a deeply personal level, seeing her as a fellow ostracized soul who isn't appreciated for her power, which deepens into a true understanding when he sees the sympathy with which she runs her realm.

I think it's hard to write a simpy himbo character who doesn't feel too fake or one-dimensional but Kore was such a great love interest-- particularly because Carmon allows him to be vicious and ferocious at times (deadly vines, anyone?). I also liked how even though he submits to Hades as ruler of her own kingdom, they subvert their roles in the bedroom. It was just such a beautiful, sexy, action-packed story with such great characters, and I seriously can't wait for the sequel. Bravo.

5 out of 5 stars

Exquisite Ruin by AdriAnne May

EXQUISITE RUIN took a while to get moving but once it got started, I couldn't put it down. I love the Greek mythology vibes of this book: a Labyrinth that is clearly inspired by the story of the Minotaur, especially with the horned demon love interest, and a witchy heroine who gets her powers (and her sexual enjoyment) from pain. When she awakes in a stone labyrinth with no memories, and only her ex-lover to serve as her guide, she immediately suspects treachery.

The maze is a dangerous place, and the only way out is down. From sentient statues to sinister water, this story reminded me a lot of the surreal dreamcore aesthetics I see from artists on TikTok, with a dash of the dark whimsy in Hayao Miyazaki movies, and the morally grey and dangerous love interest a la L.J. Smith's The Forbidden Game trilogy or Labyrinth. Even though this is a contemporary fantasy work, there's something so retro-feeling about it, like I could have sneaked it as a teenage girl and become precociously enchanted with the story and the hot-but-dangerous hero.

It even kind of has the aesthetics of a teen girl fantasy, but all grown up and kinky, which is maybe why I loved it so much. There's even a pig-dog-lion chimera that looks like a winged pug. Like, even if the charm of Daesra and Sadare weren't enough, with all of their retro high fantasy chic, how could you not fall in love with Pogli the pug? Plus, this book has one of the BEST M. Night Shyamalan-esque twists I've encountered in a while. I literally gasped. HOLY FORESHADOWING, BATMAN. You know a twist is good when it makes you want to immediately reread a book and look for all the clues that were quietly waiting to shatter your whole fucking world.

I loved this author's other book, BEYOND THE BLACK DOOR, which was an asexual fantasy love story. I was delighted when she reached out to offer me an ARC of her spicy romantasy novel, EXQUISITE RUIN, which is a completely different story from BtBD, but still retains so many of the elements that made me fall in love with her writing for the first time. Can't wait to see what she does next.

Thanks to the author/publisher for sending me a copy!

4.5 out of 5 stars

House of Hunger by Alexis Henderson

HOUSE OF HUNGER is one of those books where it's so well-written and the vibes are so immaculate that I really didn't question anything too deeply, even when things didn't fully make sense. By the end of the book, I still wasn't 100% sure how bleeding worked, or what made the Northerners drink blood, but did I care? No. The sapphic horror was sapphicking, and the gothic atmosphere was SO GOOD.

Marion lives in Fake England with a brother who is addicted to Fake Laudanum. By day she scrubs floors with piss (ammonia, y'all) and by night, she basically makes sure her drug addict brother doesn't choke on his own vom when he passes out after spending all of her hard-earned coin. Life in Fake England suuuucks, so when she sees an advert in the paper inviting young women of a certain age to volunteer to be Bloodmaids (basically vampire food cum concubines), she's tempted. Especially when her brother threatens to drag her right down to the slums with him if she dares to look too highly at at the stars.

Spoiler: she escapes from Fake England and goes to Fake Europe, to be a Bloodmaid at the House of Hunger which is presided over by a mysterious and reclusive countess named Lisavet Bathory. Uh-oh. While living in relative luxury, Marion is exposed to the cruel games that the rich-- and their servants-- like to play at one another's expense whilst currying favor and playing for power that Marion still doesn't quite fully understand.

This reminded me of a slightly less violent and way less sexual THE WICKED AND THE WILLING by Lianyu Tan. Both stories use vampirism as an allegory for the parasitization of marginalized groups. In TWatW, vampirism is an allegory for how colonial powers prey on and destroy the native cultures they conquer, whereas HOUSE OF HUNGER seems to be more of an examination of plutocracies where the ruling class drain (in this case, somewhat literally) the poor class for power, wealth, and resources. It's a timely read, especially now, when many people can barely survive paycheck to paycheck. Many people feel as if they're only a step removed from paying in blood, and in Alexis Henderson's world, the Bloodmaids do, buying into a rose-colored Horatio Alger myth of easy living that may not be true.

My only complaint is that I feel like this book went so heavy on the vibes that it left a lot of other things unexplained. But honestly, I had such a good time, that I don't really care. 

3.5 to 4 out of 5 stars

We Are Inevitable by Gayle Forman

When I picked up WE ARE INEVITABLE, I thought it was going to be a tongue-in-cheek apocalyptic romance because of the comets raining down from the sky. But I was mistaken, and confused by the blurb: the comets are actually a metaphor for how, when things go wrong, they tend to all go wrong at once.

Aaron is a nineteen-year-old slacker fossilizing in the metaphorical tar pit of his shitty life: he hasn't gone on to college or gotten a good job and his older brother died of a drug addiction several years ago, which caused his mom to jump ship from the family. Now he lives with his dad, in a failing, rotting bookstore that is quite literally falling apart. His father is emotionally shutting down and living his life in a brain fog, which means that Aaron is shouldering all of the financial and emotional labor. When one of the other business owners in town makes him a deal for the store, it only seems rational to sell.

There's a big community focus on this book and the manic pixie dreamgirl love interest makes this feel like it could be one of those Michael Cera indie moves from 2011. I liked how the town sort of rallied around Aaron and his dad; it's sort of the Horatio Alger vision of small town Americana, where sense of community overcomes any and all differences. I also liked how this was a love story to story-telling at its core, and it had some genuinely moving and beautiful passages about what it means to be human.

This book was difficult to read in the sense that most of the people in it were not very easy to like, and I'm not sure that was always intentional. Aaron was relatable and a good example of how grief can cause people to shield themselves with anger, but it was still very hard to watch him treat people the way that he did. And Chad was an interesting character, in that he used to be a bully before having an accident that required him to use a wheelchair, which then caused him to rethink his priorities in life and the effect he was having on the world, but I did ask myself a couple times if it felt like his accident was used to "punish" him and set him on a redemption arc. I'm always a little leery of stories where it feels like the bad things that happened to people can be allegories for quasi-religious redemption arcs. Particularly when characters who are portrayed as wholesome in the text, like Ira, kind of wallow in their own obliviousness.

The romance itself was okay. The twist with Hannah was unexpected, and I think it kind of saved her from being too manic pixie and explained why she behaved the way she did, and I always appreciate any attempts an author makes to subvert a tired trope. I didn't actually think that Aaron and Hannah had much chemistry; he was so damaged and cut off that it didn't feel like he was ready for a relationship, even by the end. But the author sort of made it work. I'm not mad at the story. But WE ARE INEVITABLE did end up like a lot of bits and pieces that had been cobbled together into a big experimental piece that didn't quite work.

Boy Toy by Barry Lyga

This was the most difficult book I've read in a while, because the subjects it deals with are so intense and heavy. BOY TOY is about a senior in high school who is still dealing with intense psychological trauma from being sexually molested by his female teacher at twelve years old. Because of the way our society discourages men from expressing their feelings, Josh has sublimated his guilt, shame, and anxiety into anger, lashing out at "safe" authority figures to prove he has agency, even as he is unable to have healthy physical relationships with kids his own age.

The portions describing the abuse happen both in flashbacks and in very descriptive on-page scenes. I saw another reviewer saying that they seemed "sexualized" but that would imply that they were done for titillation and I don't think that was the author's intent. It felt like it was intended to show how grooming works, and how insidiously the abuser chooses and manipulates their victims, and how a child's curiosity and innocence are corrupted and exploited by a predator. Josh's hypersexuality and anger and terror of intimacy were a byproduct of abuse and it's easy to see why, with the context given.

The only book that made me feel this disgusted without actually making me throw the book down in disgust was TAMING THE BEAST by Emily Maguire, which also depicts an abusive student/teacher relationship in graphic detail. It's a hard line to tread, I think, wanting to show the insidiousness of abuse without being too graphic-- you don't want to sexualize children as an author, but you also do want to create literature that is relatable for victims of CSA to show that they shouldn't feel shame and that they're not alone. I think Barry Lyga achieved that with BOY TOY but the content is VERY disturbing and upsetting and you should exercise caution when picking up this book and protect your own mental health.

I'm not sure who I would recommend this book too, since it's a very depressing read, but as a work of young adult literature it certainly tells its story while navigating the subject matter deftly.

3.5 to 4 out of 5 stars

In the Care of Magic by Robin Jo Margaret

IN THE CARE OF MAGIC is a spicy queer cottagecore erotica featuring a bisexual witch and an aromatic agender demon who uses the neopronouns xe/xyr. I'm surprised that people were saying this book wasn't queer, because the heroine is attracted to all genders and Lyle, the demon, can assume any form as a sex demon and change xyr physical anatomy.Some people might not be used to neopronouns but they really are a thing, and they're pretty common in queer communities.

Jillian is a witch for her village but people are working her to exhaustion with their constant demands, and after coming to the unpleasant realization that they don't see her as a person so much as a means to an end, she decides to take a vacation for her own mental health. At her cabin, she comes across a spell book with sex spells and while performing one, she ends up summoning the sex demon, Lyle.

The idea of having an "aromantic" sex demon was really interesting to me, but it makes sense that someone who does sex for work might be disenchanted with it, and be more interested in a "platonic friendship-based relationship" rather than something with romantic feelings.

This book is all spice, and goes hard on the consent, which is great. The sex scenes were creative and I loved the message that it's important to establish healthy boundaries, although part of me was kind of disappointed when the heroine ended up returning back to her awful village in the end.

3 out of 5 stars

The Queen's Blade by Evelyn Ward

THE QUEEN'S BLADE by Evelyn Ward is exactly what I was hoping for but did not get with Sarah J. Maas's HOUSE OF EARTH AND BLOOD. This fantasy story is unique in that it's set in a futuristic Earth rather than a pseudo-medieval or Victorian environment, and it features one of my favorite tropes: a tentative peace fractured by political unrest between dissenting factions of various races.

The heroine, Fey, is one part of a group of female enforcers known as The Queen's Blades. They are kind of like secret police crossed with assassins: when they are handed envelopes by their handler, delivered from the queen, they either gather information or kill. Things get complicated, however, when Fey discovers that the powers that be haven't been entirely truthful with them about some things, like a mysterious drug epidemic plaguing the city, and the mysterious death of one of their sisters-slash-friends, Alice.

It did take me a little while to get used to the writing style, but once I warmed up to it, I knew I was going to enjoy this book simply from the depth of characterization and the intricate plotting. The best problem as a reader is having to ask yourself, do I like this book? Or do I love it? After finally getting to the end, after being battered by twist after well-placed twist, I think I have to round up to a five star rating simply because this was such a great blend of action, mystery, and spice, and any book that made me gasp as many times as this one did deserves some extra credit. Speaking of extra credit, did I mention the hot vampire shadow daddy who goes both ways and is amenable to sharing? HOT.

I'm kicking myself for not getting on this train sooner with the rest of this author's deservedly rabid fanbase, but at least now I don't have to wait for the sequel like the rest of you suckers haha. If you liked-- or were disappointed by-- HOUSE OF EARTH AND BLOOD, this should absolutely be your next read. It's fantasy romance in the vein of some of the greats, like Maria V. Snyder and Mercedes Lackey, and definitely scratches that kickass heroine itch.

4.5 out of 5 stars

Beautiful Malice by Rebecca James

After reading IN HER SKIN by Kim Savage, I was kind of craving another toxic best frenemies sort of book, and BEAUTIFUL MALICE was exactly it. It's got Mr. Ripley and Saltburn vibes, and it's told in a way that I've never seen in a YA book: parts of this story are narrated from the heroine, Katherine, as an adult who's a mother, and parts are narrated as her as a teenager, leading up to two inciting incidents that ended up changing her future and setting her on the path she is now.

Katherine's younger sister was murdered and she feels like she's to blame. The papers in her old town did too, which is why she lives in a new town with her aunt, going to school under a new name. When the school's resident "pretty popular girl," Alice, reaches out to befriend her, Katherine senses a trick. But Alice completely sucks her into her glowing orbit, and even though she's a small planet revolving around a blinding star, suddenly she feels alive again for the first time since her sister was murdered. But the closer she gets to Alice, the more she begins to realize that Alice can be cruel. Very, very cruel.

And there's not a lot she won't do once she's been crossed.

This is definitely a trainwreck of a book and part of what kept me turning pages was waiting to see what evil, sinister things Alice might do next. I'm not sure whether she's supposed to be a sociopath or a narcissist or both (probably both), but the portrayal of narcissistic rage and narcissistic gaslighting were brilliantly done, and I thought the author did a great job making this feel like a twisted psychodrama while still keeping it mostly PG-13. I actually wondered if this would be published today because there's quite a lot of "adult" content in this for a YA title and I feel like people might bitch about that now, but it deals with a lot of super relatable subjects that teens do deal with (sex, teen pregnancy, assault, alcohol use, toxic friends), so this feels more "cautionary tale" than encouragement. 

I would read more from this author in a heartbeat. She manages to capture the teen voice perfectly while navigating the grey lines of what it means to be a good person who sometimes does bad things.

4 to 4.5 out of 5 stars

The Christmas He Claimed the Secretary by Caitlin Crews

This is the first Caitlin Crews book that hasn't been my cup of tea. It's not a bad book-- there are some things about it that are hallmarks of what I love about her writing, like her banter, her strong heroines, and her "caring alpha" heroes-- but THE CHRISTMAS HE CLAIMED THE SECRETARY felt very boring and didn't have the tight plotting and stakes I normally expect from her work.

I'm still going to read everything else she puts out, obviously, but this just won't be one I recommend to others.

2 out of 5 stars

Exit, Pursued by a Bear by E.K. Johnston

To say that EXIT, PURSUED BY A BEAR is a book about rape severely undermines what this book is about. Hermione is a cheerleader in Ontario, Canada. The book starts out with her at a cheerleading camp, completely in her element, as she navigates her friendships and her stormy relationship with her boyfriend, Leo. Then at a party, everything goes wrong-- someone drugs and rapes her.

I loved the way the author handled this subject and was honestly surprised that this was published in the 2000s because it feels so progressive. The way that Hermione processes her rape and starts to heal from it, her support network, her therapy, and the chilling realization that her rapist might be someone she knows-- might even be the boyfriend who is now avoiding her-- were all handled with extreme care. I also liked how Johnston portrayed the fishbowl dynamic of high school, and how Hermione's rape put her in the spotlight of the student body in the absolute worst way. The author was never too specific about details and didn't linger over things, but she still managed to convey how people victim-blame and slut-shame and gossip and speculate, to the point where it begins to feel very dehumanizing in a way that adds to the already-extant trauma, and I think that's an important message.

My favorite thing about this book was probably Hermione's relationships with her friends, especially her best friend, Polly. At the end of the book, it's revealed that she is a lesbian, and again, considering that this was published in the 2000s, it felt super progressive. There weren't any icky jokes, Hermione just full-heartedly embraces her friend's coming out without asking any invasive questions; it was so respectful and loving, and ended up serving as a wonderful callback to the many times that Polly supported Hermione through her traumas. The support that these girls had for each other was so real, and it's rare to see such healthy and non-toxic friendships portrayed so convincingly and compellingly in YA (sadly).

It's weird to call a book that focuses on SA joyful, but EXIT, PURSUED BY A BEAR is; it's a story of a girl who seizes her life back when someone tries to take it, and who, in the end, gets vindication through love, empowerment, and vengeance. I fucking loved that for her. This is the sort of book that needs to be in libraries, because I could totally seeing this being THE BOOK for a teen feeling wounded and alone.

4 to 4.5 out of 5 stars

Gorgeous Gruesome Faces by Linda Cheng

GORGEOUS GRUESOME FACES is like a cross between Suspiria, Jennifer's Body and The Grudge. Sapphic K-pop horror with a paranormal twist, this story took a little while to get rolling, but once it started, it was all a downhill speedrun of twisted romance, morally grey baddies, and lots and lots of body horror.

Sunny used to be part of a successful K-pop trio but then she was struck by what seems like massive bad luck: she stole another girl's boyfriend, watched one of her bandmates, Mina, commit suicide in front of her eyes, and had a falling out with the remaining girl, Candie, who she has an extreme love-hate relationship with and can't stop obsessing over all these years later. When she sees that Candie is trying to revitalize her career by training as an idol at a sort of idol bootcamp, Sunny signs up too, desperate for closure-- and a return.

I just loved this book so much. The female rage, the viciousness of teen girls, the sapphic dark romance (soooo well done), the horror elements-- this felt like it had the pacing of an excellent movie. And as a certified horror wuss, I felt like it struck the perfect balance between making me super uncomfortable but unable to look away. That ending montage was just *chef's kiss*.

In addition to all of the good stuff, there's also a lot of really great commentary in here about how the entertainment industry chews up young women and then spits them out, and how fucking brutal it is to be a teen girl working in an industry filled with adults who want to adultify you and make you grow up too fast while also turning a blind eye to you when you desperately need an adult's help.

Absolutely obsessed and cannot wait for the sequel.

4.5 out of 5 stars

Companion to the Count by Melissa Kendall

I got this during Dragonblade publishing's big sale. COMPANION TO THE COUNT was so satisfying: it's got the rake-with-the-heart-of-gold trope and some of the most relatable anxiety rep I've encountered in a while. Saffron and her younger sister, Angelica, are in dire straits since their brother's disappearance and possible death: their estate and money have gone to a distant relative who doesn't have much interest in their keep, so all of their hopes are being poured onto Angelica, the beauty, who has to make a marriage that will be their salvation.

One day, at a party, Saffron has a run-in with Leo, catching him in what appears to be in flagrante delicto. At first, she thinks he's a disreputable cad, but he's got his share of tragedies too: a sister who painted under a male pseudonym. Someone appears to be trying to steal all of his sister's work and he's doing his best to flush out the potential thief, by hosting an auction with the "last" of her work.

I enjoyed this so much. Kendall's work reminds me of Amanda Grange's: a strong but realistically flawed heroine, a dashing and slightly brooding hero, and action blended with angst and romance. There's a much gentler, tamer similarity to Elizabeth Hoyt's Maiden Lane series, too. I wouldn't call this a mystery, exactly, but it's got mystery as part of the story, and I'm excited to read the sequel.

3.5 to 4 out of 5 stars

The Lesbiana's Guide to Catholic School by Sonora Reyes

THE LESBIANA'S GUIDE TO CATHOLIC SCHOOL was so cute and made me feel literally all the emotions. After Yami is outed at her old school by her ex-best friend (and crush) and starts getting bullied, she and her brother decide to start anew at Catholic school. The only problem is, unlike her old school, it's mostly white, and she feels like she doesn't get to be her whole authentic self living in the closet.

One thing I loved about this book was all the nuance. Exploring one's cultural identity when one feels isolated from it. The conflict when faith turns to sanctimony. Loving your parents but being afraid that they won't love you for who you are. The adultification of children of color, and the very real fear of what happens when you get kicked out of your home. Mean girls. Redemption stories. The discussion of how "coming out" is a privilege and isn't always safe. Depression and suicide. Rejection and acceptance. And love, in so many forms.

Sonora Reyes totally outdid themselves with this book, okay? I felt like I was reading a real Latina girl's diary. I laughed, I cried, and felt real anger on behalf of this girl, who I got to know over the course of the 300-or-so pages of this book. I loved Cesar, and her mother. I loved Bo, and the gay joy of her existence. I loved Bo's parents. I loved how Latinx culture was inserted into the book and colored the heroine's world. I loved this book.

I see complaints about how YA these days seems too afraid to tackle the tough stuff. If you've been complaining about that, too, you need to read this book. In a sea of YA where the young characters feel like a mouthpiece for their adult authors, Yami feels like an authentic teenage voice.

4.5 to 5 out of 5 stars

Home Is Where the Bodies Are by Jeneva Rose

Jeneva Rose is one of my autobuy authors when it comes to mysteries. Her books are like potato chips; they're super easy to consume, and by the time you get to the bottom of the bag, you still kind of want more. HOME IS WHERE THE BODIES ARE might actually be my new favorite of hers, even more so than YOU SHOULDN'T HAVE COME HERE. She absolutely nails the bickering sibling vibe, and the pacing had me paging until the end, with a twist that was *chef's kiss.*

This book is about three adult children: Beth, Nicole, and Michael. Beth is a single mother, Nicole is a heroin addict, and Michael is the success story of the family. When their mother dies of a terminal illness, they're forced to put their differences aside as they come together to mourn their mother's death. While dividing up her assets and cleaning up the house, they come across a box of old family video tapes and decide to watch one from the summer of 1999. But what should be a bittersweet exercise in fond reminiscence ends up becoming dark, fast, when they see evidence of what appears to be the cover-up of a murder on one of the tapes.

I saw some reviews complaining about the pacing and I do think that the focus of the story is on the interpersonal relationships as much as it the whodunnitry. We get to know Beth, Nichole, and Michael as people, and how they view each other and their very troubled relationship with their parents, and it's meant to set the stage for the suspicion and paranoia that will come next, and how being products of their various upbringings will affect how they respond to fear and pressure. Every time I read one of the different POVs, I found my loyalties shifting, which just shows the power of a compelling narrator; sometimes they can trick you into thinking that they're reliable when they're not.

4 to 4.5 out of 5 stars

His Darkest Craving by Tiffany Roberts

Tiffany Roberts needs to make me stop falling in love with weird monsters. They're seriously putting human men to shame.

Also, I am shocked at the number of reviews criticizing this book-- which is about a horned forest lord by the way-- for not being The Domestic Abuse Survivor's Handbook of Good Decision Making. Was it stupid that Sophie fled into the woods from her abuser, in a place that has poor cell phone reception, without giving an exact address? Probably. Do we all panic and make poor decisions sometimes, especially if we're characters in a book with a plot that's gotta move?

I mean...

HIS DARKEST CRAVING is a cottagecore monster romance with a darker edge that keeps it from being too light. It has a similar vibe to I'M IN LOVE WITH MOTHMAN by Paige Lavoie and GIVEN TO THE GHOUL by Desiree M. Niccoli. I do think I liked their spider centaur romance more because it had a better balance of character development and world-building to plot, but this was still a fun read.

3 out of 5 stars

The Cinnamon Bun Book Store by Laurie Gilmore

I preordered this all the way back when it was still called THE BLUEBELL BOOKSTORE. I can see why the title changed; I'm sure after the success of the first book, the publisher thought the food/seasonal theme would make the series feel more cohesive. But unlike the previous book, this one is set during summer. Given some of the reviews and the ratings, it seems like some people bought this expecting more autumnal goodness and were angry that it was a beach read (which seems silly, but people, you know?).

Personally, I thought THE CINNAMON BUN BOOKSTORE was a better book than THE PUMPKIN SPICE CAFE. Both Hazel and Noah have more depth as characters and the sex scenes had actual chemistry. Even the mystery element was fun, although like TPSC, this is a mystery only in the most rudimentary sense of the word. Someone is hiding secret messages inside books that are prompting the introverted Hazel to step outside of her shell and go on "risky" adventures. It's a mystery the way P.S. I Love You is a mystery, in that it's basically not.

Mostly, this is a book about people who aren't sure if they're worthy of love discovering that they are, after breaking free from the societal cage of expectations that they've been placed in. Hazel learns that she's not boring, and that growing up means stepping out of the neat circle of your everyday life sometimes. And Noah learns that success takes many different forms and may not look like the sort of success your parents envisioned for you, and that growing up for him means stability.

Also, we love a reverse age-gap where she's the older one. Although they sure made turning thirty sound like it turns you into the Crypt Keeper.

2.5 out of 5 stars

Witch Soul by Morgan Dante

One of the more unusual set-ups for a sequel I've encountered, WITCH SOUL takes place almost one hundred years in the future after A FLAME IN THE NIGHT. It's about Millie, a witch, who has been arrested for vigilante distributioning of free magical medicine-- because obviously anyone who's handing out cures willy nilly in a capitalist society must be suspect. *rolls eyes*

She's freed from jail by her two exes, but not wanting to implicate them, she runs away-- and ends up in the same town that is occupied by the vampire thruple from the previous book: Claire, Leon, and Matthias. She and Matthias hit it off at a bar, but are chased by a rogue vampire, and end up trapped in a cave, where they have a deep conversation that echoes the one that Leon had with Matthias in book one while he was still human.

I did not like WITCH SOUL nearly as much as I liked book one. I think part of that is because it tried to do too many things in too short amount of space. Book one is about two sex workers soothing their PTSD in a post-war society who end up getting revenge on the people who hurt them the most. Book two is about identity, sort of, and possibly also a metaphor for queer awakening and overcoming internalized homophobia. The idea of a witch soul was fascinating-- as a witch, Millie carries a sort of fallen angel/demon inside of her with its own separate gender identity, but because her mother was such a bigot, she never wanted to fully embrace that witchy side of herself.

This is something that I wish had been more fully explored because I think it was a really interesting take on what it meant to be a witch. I think the book also suffered a little because the historical setting was what I really loved about book one, and how it added to the gothic atmosphere. This book didn't feel very gothic at all, more speculative sci-fi-fantasy. Which was still interesting, but was so different from what book one was setting out to achieve to do that it didn't really feel like it fully meshed as a sequel.

2.5 out of 5 stars

A Flame in the Night by Morgan Dante

I bought this book because of the Astarion-looking motherfucker on the cover, and because the idea of a queer historical vampire romance with gothic vibes was exactly what I wanted. A FLAME IN THE NIGHT ended up being so much more than what I was expecting though. Morgan Dante's ornate style takes some getting used to, but I loved this story of a husband and wife with an open marriage (both of them various degrees of pan) who end up encountering a vampire.

The discourse on queerness and working in the sex work industries in the 1920s were fascinating, as was the idea of what looking "out of date" might mean in that era, but I think my favorite part was when Leon goes to Matthias's house for the first time and they have this incredibly interesting and thoughtful discussion about what it means to be human (or not). I loved it even more than the spicy scenes.

If you like the idea of erotica that handles sex work sensitively, languishes in its queerness like a warm scented bath, and features an MMF relationship where the men can't really be bothered with adhering to traditional gender norms and the woman has more freedom than her husband within their relationship, you will love this book. What a pleasant surprise.

4 to 4.5 out of 5 stars

Here Lies a Vengeful Bitch by Codie Crowley

I think this book might have changed my brain chemistry. HERE LIES A VENGEFUL BITCH is about resident bad girl, Annabel Lane, who wakes up and can't remember what she did last night. All she knows is that her ex-boyfriend might have been involved and she left her house looking like a break-in. But then she keeps coughing up dirty water filled with pine needles and people seem surprised to see her. And she starts to wonder if maybe the reason she can't remember anything might be because someone tried to kill her-- or if she's even alive now.

This was such a good book. I loved the "unlikable" heroine and how she was portrayed. I loved how deftly the author showed how creepy men can be, and how dangerous the world is to an overconfident teenager who wants to be brave and loved for who she is in a world that hates women who break the mold. (Although, I mean, I hated it, too.) I loved the tempestuous portrayal of female friendships. And I loved the fast-talking fifties love interest who wore Buddy Holly glasses and quoted retro science fiction.

HERE LIES A VENGEFUL BITCH is kind of like a cross between Donnie Darko, The Frighteners, and Beetlejuice. If you like gothic-coded paranormals in the vein of Lovely Bones and other books from the "dead girl" era of late aughts YA, you'll love this.

I absolutely cannot wait to read whatever else this author writes.

5 out of 5 stars

Knot My Type by Evie Mitchell

I adored this book. A sexologist and a carpenter: it sounds like the beginning to one of those old skool bar jokes, but instead it's a delightful romcom that focuses heavily on accessibility in BDSM. The heroine, Frankie, uses a wheelchair and hosts a podcast where she talks about what sex might look like for people of different levels of ablebodiedness. She meets the hero, Jay, through a connection who knows that he's a good rigger in addition to being a carpenter.

When she comes to one of the shibari classes he teaches, they hit it off instantly, and even though he doesn't "do" relationships, they decide to keep hooking up as casual friends. Because even though Jay is sending up all kinds of emotional red flags, this is a romance novel, dammit. As long as those flags are made of the finest and most luxuriant fabrics, we ignore their waving and settle in for that HEA.

KNOT MY TYPE is such a sweet, sexy, inclusive book and I enjoyed every moment of it. 

4 to 4.5 out of 5 stars

Northranger by Rey Terciero

NORTHRANGER is a contemporary graphic novel western retelling of Jane Austen's NORTHANGER ABBEY, except with a gay Latino teen as the protagonist. Cade is part of a blended family: he lives with his mother, abuela, stepfather, and stepsister in a relatively poor neighborhood. To get extra cash, he and his stepfather are going to work for one of his old military friends, a man called the General.

At the ranch, Cade meets the General's kids: Henri(etta) and Henry. He falls for Henry pretty instantly, because he's cut, charming, and has all of his same interests. But one of the ranch hands says that Henry can't be trusted, implying that he's a murderer with blood on his hands, just like his father. I liked the queer take on the classic brooding gothic love interest and thought it was really well done, and all of the horror movie references were fantastic. I especially liked the dialogues about how horror movies are often queer coded (one of his faves is Jennifer's Body), and how they can represent strong cathartic feelings that can make you feel better when you're feeling isolated, anxious, or alone.

For a YA title, this is pretty brutal. The author included a list of trigger warnings in the beginning, which I found very helpful-- especially for the animal deaths one (it's a mouse, and it is implied and not shown, thank you). NORTHRANGER also features racial and homophobic slurs, mostly to show how rural Texas has an ugly side to its beauty, which taints the experience of living there for marginalized folks. But it's a beautiful story, and I think it does a good job paying homage to the original Jane Austen tale. 

3.5 to 4 out of 5 stars

Bought for Revenge, Bedded for Pleasure by Emma Darcy

Another surprisingly sweet blackmail romance. Jack Maguire has good reason to despise his two stepsisters, Sally and Jane. Their mother, Lady Ellen, has turned his father's head and convinced him to banish him from the house. Turned away from the very gates, his last image of his childhood home is his stepsister, Sally, riding a thoroughbred. Even though she's only fourteen, he's very attracted to her, and as he walks away, he vows revenge.

This could have been gross, but Jack doesn't get his revenge for like ten years. When they meet again, she's twenty-four and their father is dead. As it turns out, his father's business practices were super sus, and Jack has been quietly buying him out of debt for years, to the point where his father's vast billions are all his, and his trophy wife stepmother and her two daughters "only" have four million to their name, thanks to some changes to the will.

In exchange for her precious horses and the ability to remain in the house, Sally agrees to become her stepbrother's mistress. What makes this kind of a refreshing take on the trope is that she's actually into the blackmail. She finds her brother attractive, she wants what he's offering, and the fact that he's patient and not cruel about taking what he wants makes her feel not-awful about giving into him.

A lot of romance readers complain, "Just take the money, girl!" when it comes to heroines dragging their feet with their billionaire partners, so all of those readers should read this book. Sally's only concern is that Jack might think she's trying to trap him into marriage, and please her mother. There also isn't a third-act breakup or big misunderstanding. Jane, Sally's sister, confronts Jack about his intentions and there's a showdown with the awful mother, but apart from that this book is... sweet?

I just read another blackmail romance where the hero was surprisingly nice, but this hero was even nicer. And I, like the heroine, was actually super into it. I also liked how the author took care to make the age-gap way less creepy than it could have been. I appreciated that.

4 to 4.5 out of 5 stars

The Brazilian's Blackmail Bargain by Abby Green

When Maggie was young, her abusive stepfather mined her attraction to the rich tycoon, Caleb Cameron, by forcing her to seduce him so he could ruin him. I'm not 100% clear how this was going to work, but Caleb figured out the plan and brutally humiliated Maggie before sending her back home, broken-hearted, to her cruel stepfather.

Years later, stepfather dies, and Maggie thinks she's home-free. Except, oh whoops, Caleb is still angry about the whole seduction thing: he's bought up all her stepfather's properties and the house she shares with her mother. As one last stake in the humiliation coffin, he'll let her mother live in the house, but only if she sleeps with him.

For a blackmail romance, this is actually pretty gentle and not-too-dubconny, which will be nice for people who want a book with the themes of dark romance but not the brutality. I actually liked Caleb, who was just cruel enough to be hot, but not cruel enough to be irredeemable. This is also one of the few big misunderstanding romances that actually worked, and I could see where both the hero and the heroine were coming from, which was quite refreshing.

I wish there had been more blackmail and that the heroine had been allowed to pocket her riches, rather than leaving with her head held high as she returned to her third-act breakup noble poverty. But I'm awarding bonus points for not having the heroine be a virgin and some genuinely spicy dialogue.

I would read more from Abby Green!

3.5 out of 5 stars

Public Wife, Private Mistress by Sarah Morgan

Ugh, this was so frustrating because parts of it were really good and I thought the ending was quite satisfying, but this has one of the most annoying TELL HIM THE TRUTH big misunderstandings that I've encountered in a while. Stasia is the British wife of the Italian millionaire, Rico-- until he caught her in bed with a naked man while they were on vacation with his younger sister and banished her, pending their divorce.

Now said sister is in the hospital with amnesia because of a horse-induced head injury, and when she finally wakes up, she thinks the two of them are still newlyweds on their honeymoon. Furious, Rico informs Stasia that they must now pretend like they are still married, so as to not upset his amnesiac sister (who didn't even like Stasia at first??? but now, apparently, she does??), although of course, he still expects the hate-sex because he is a man with #needs.

Deus-ex-head injury aside, the cause of the big misunderstanding is so FRUSTRATING because it could have been resolved with a single sentence and even though it was great that Rico apologized, he only did so after treating the heroine like shit for 90% of the book and calling her a slut. We also never see the sister grovel, and she needed to-- even more than the hero. Because holy shit, that was basically SA.

Anyway, while the sex scenes were spicy and I thought the writing was good, this had way too many tropes that were not for me and I did not personally like the way they were combined.

2 to 2.5 out of 5 stars

Powerful Italian, Penniless Housekeeper by India Grey

India Grey might be one of my new favorite Harlequin authors. POWERFUL ITALIAN, PENNILESS HOUSEKEEPER might have a silly title but it's a beautiful story about feeling uncertain in your thirties and rediscovering your passions when life leaves you cold.

Sarah is the awkward, plain daughter in her blended family. Her half-sister, Angelia, is pretty and popular, and her wedding is making Sarah, as a single mom, feel like a miserable failure. These feelings are amplified when Angelica and her cruel friends decide to humiliate Sarah for sport at their bridal shower, forcing her to do a scavenger hunt, like finding an eligible bachelor and ordering a "screaming orgasm" from the bar, and basically just being total assholes.

That's how she meets Lorenzo, eligible bachelor and film director extraordinaire, who is less than impressed with the way that Sarah is being treated. They have an instant connection, but Sarah, because of her insecurities, sees him as a chivalrous Italian man just exerting his charm. She doesn't expect to see him again, so obviously she does.

The core conflict here is that we learn, early on, that Sarah is the daughter of the deceased author who wrote Lorenzo's favorite book; he hopes to make a film of it by getting the rights, but the owner of said rights (his daughter) rejects everyone on principle. By the time he realizes who she is, he's already half-fallen for her, and this makes his seduction of her sharp with guilt: is he only doing this to create the magnum opus he's always dreamed of? Or is Sarah the woman he's been searching for all his life?

The writing is exquisite and Sarah was such a well-done character. Loved a non-virgin single mother heroine in her thirties, and also loved that the hero had infertility that WASN'T miraculously cured in the epilogue (I was worried). This author has a knack for introducing tough subjects in this book and handling them sensitively, but I've been burned too many times. Apparently, I needn't have worried.

Cannot wait to read even more from this author.

4.5 out of 5 stars

Cheer for Me by Savvy Rose

Sapphic stalker romance, anyone? CHEER FOR ME is a psychologically dark romance riddled with 90s nostalgia, set in a small bedroom community. Mary, one of our heroines, is a disturbed young woman who moves to a new state to make a fresh start-- or so we think. Ava, our other heroine, is a cheer coach married to a teacher. Both of them are cheating on each other and their marriage is a shambles, but they're putting on a good show for their public image.

I'll be honest, student x teacher is not usually something I gravitate to, but I liked that this was set in college instead of high school. I also liked how feral Mary is, as the younger person in the relationship. Because she's the driving force, and Ava is-- to some extent-- trying to escape it, it makes the story feel less predatory than a lot of student x teacher romances do. I also like how it's always fully clear that this is not a romanticized relationship: they both have issues, and I liked that.

If you like dark romance and have been craving the F/F version, you'll really enjoy this. Apparently there's another book in the series coming out soon called ONE DARK CANDLE.

3 out of 5 stars

Lore Olympus: Volume One by Rachel Smythe

Absolutely worth the hype. Hades and Persephone is one of my favorite Greek gods pairings, and this is such a cute, soft version of it. Love the portrayal of Persephone as a sheltered girly-girl and Hades as a grumpy reluctant playboy. As far as how "accurate" this is, I'd say it's on par with Disney's Hercules, but that's okay, because we're not here for accuracy, are we? We're here for the vibes, and Hades' 5+ dogs. (Can I say I LOVE Hades as a Dog Daddy?)

I bought this impulsively while I was at the store and I think I might have to "impulsively" order the rest of the series as well.

5 out of 5 stars

A Vengeful Deception by Lee Wilkinson

Christmas romance but make it revenge.

Snowed in trope but make it revenge.

Idiots in love trope but make it revenge.

I think you get the idea.

A VENGEFUL DECEPTION is the story of Anna and Gideon. Anna has secretary training but her goal is to work in a library or own a bookshop. Gideon is the man she meets by almost running him over after coming back from the liquidation sale of her small business.

After offering him a drive home, her car breaks down (ofc) and the power is out, and wouldn't you know it? He doesn't have a cell phone. So they do what anyone would do, they have stir-fry and indulge in some heavy-drinking while he asks her some rather disturbing questions about her personal life that kind of suggest that he knows more about her than he's actually letting on.

At first, this book takes a pretty progressive stance on the virgin heroine trope, and I liked how the heroine pointed out that part of being a modern woman is being able to say "no" to sex without judgement too. It lost points at the end, when the heroine later tells the hero-- and us-- that if a man can "seduce" a woman, she probably wanted it. Uhhh. But this is a Harlequin and not a feminist treatise, and a lot of the books in the Presents line are kind of rapey, especially if they're older. That's part of their appeal to their fans.

Were these two characters both total knuckleheads? Yes. Was the hero an unlikable cad? Yes. Did I want to medevac the heroine out of his lair of seduction? Yes. Was I incredibly entertained with this Die Hard excuse of a Christmas novel where the only holiday trappings were brandy and a tree? Absolutely I was. 

I wouldn't recommend this book to like 99% of people, but I found it very amusing.

2.5 out of 5 stars

The Pumpkin Spice Café by Laurie Gilmore

I honestly don't get the hype with this one. I was expecting a spicy cozy mystery with romcom vibes, but it didn't really deliver on the mystery or the romance end. I could see this making a really cute holiday movie, like Hot Frosty, but on paper it fell flat, at least for me. I'm a little worried because I bought the whole series because of the hype, but one of my TikTok friends was saying that CINNAMON BUN BOOKSTORE blows this one out of the water, so I'll be trying that one before I give up, because I really want to love these books.

I think I want to live in that cover, though. 

2 out of 5 stars

The Fox Wife by Yangsze Choo

THE GHOST BRIDE is one of my favorite books of all time, so when I found out that Yangsze Choo was writing yet another fantasy novel bordering on magical realism that was steeped in Asian folklore, I was super excited. And THE FOX WIFE did not disappoint: set in both Japan and China, it deftly weaves together two storylines: Bao, a man who was supposed to die, except that one of his kindly servants said a prayer for him that changed his life, and Snow/Yuki, a fox woman who is posing as a servant while looking for a man.

This had everything-- drama, romance, revenge, and magic. For a while, I was wondering how the two stories would converge, and I was very pleased with how they did. The pacing in this book is definitely a lot slower than it was in GHOST BRIDE, which felt more like what you might expect from a romantasy. This book, on the other hand, felt literary and almost plodding: it took a while to get where it was going to go, and you really got the sense that you were going on a lengthy journey alongside these characters, for better or for worse.

If you are okay with a slow-burn plot and prefer your fantasy novels to be primarily character driven, with strong female characters and not too much romance, you'll enjoy this book. I hope they make a movie of it: it would make a great animated movie or limited series.

Can't wait to see what this author writes next.

4 out of 5 stars

The Last Raven by Helen Glynn Jones

I'm actually shocked that the average rating is so low because I feel like this book has a lot in common with romance-heavy new adult fantasy books, and this reminds me a lot of books written by Tracy Wolff and Kate Golden. This is a futuristic AU dystopian set in our world, where vampires have taken over and started using humans as livestock. If the humans are lucky, they're free-range courtesans used for blood in the palaces, but if they're not, they're relegated to "safe zones" where they're forced to provide blood for safety.

***MILD SPOILERS TO FOLLOW***

Our heroine slash narrator is Emelia, the human-born daughter to two royal vampires. Because of her, ahem, condition, she's seen as inferior by a lot of other people in court and she's been kept in relative isolation. But now that she's an adult they're trying to roll her out slowly, and in a controlled way, so she can take on her duties as heir when she comes of age... even though both of her parents will outlive her (which is weird, but okay, why not lol).

Enter Kyle, the love interest: sexy bodyguard vampire who is charged with guarding her body but who also wants to do way more to it than that. He's more than what he seems, but so is Emelia, and when whispers of a rebellion begin circulating, the matter of her safety becomes a particularly thorny issue because the call is coming from inside the house and now she doesn't know who-- or what-- to trust. Everything she knows might be a lie.

The writing style was very breezy and I really liked the beginning, although because of the cover I was thinking this was going to be a high fantasy, so I was surprised that it was more paranormal dystopian. The jumpscare I experienced when I saw "Mercedes" mentioned. I feel like this is a book that is probably geared more to teens, because it gave strong Vampire Academy vibes, and I think all the kissing would have really appealed to my inner romantic back then. There's only one or two sex scenes and they aren't particularly detailed, so I think this would be fine for older teen readers. I also liked how the author tried to address some questions readers might have, such as why Emelia's parents didn't just TURN her.

I do feel like the ending was confusing, especially with regard to perhaps future plot twists and love interests, and that seems to be what people took issue with. Maybe it would help to think of this less as a romance than a romantic fantasy but then I reminded myself that individual books in the series don't have to have an HEA, as long as the last book does. There's something so nostalgically 2012-feeling about this book, that it fits right at home amongst the other YA releases in the dystopian boom canon, and if you love books like that and don't mind a little bit of comforting predictability, you'll love this.

I am definitely interested in reading more books from this author!

3 to 3.5 out of 5 stars

A Waltz with the Bone King: A Short Macabre Romance by Amanda Cessor

A WALTZ WITH THE BONE KING is a beautiful novella featuring the death and the maiden trope. Lorelai, a sickly and beautiful woman with morbid interests, meets the King of the Dead while walking in the woods. He has fallen in love with her and wants to court her, but every meeting with him carries a risk of death. Little does she know, she's been living on borrowed time already, and like Jareth, he has reordered time and turned the world upside-down for her already...

The Victorian goth-punk vibes of this reminded me a lot of Corpse Bride and Adalyn Grace's BELLADONNA, especially with the message that all of us are living on borrowed time at every moment and that while death is the true end to every story, it is nothing to be feared. The ending of this book made me cry because it made me think of my dad, who was ill with a terminal illness for almost six months. He was so at peace at the end, after going through so much discomfort and pain, and so much of what Lorelai had to say about her thoughts on death and living reminded me of him.

If you like cozy whimsigoth stories, you'll love this book. Especially if you love respectful skeleton daddies and the death and the maiden trope. I can't wait to read more from this author. I really like her writing style.

Thanks to the author/publisher for providing me with a review copy!

4 out of 5 stars