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Thank you so much! All thoughts help.
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Feb 3, 2023 18:43
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newts posted:Thank you so much! All thoughts help. Done reading. Overall, it was a very quick read. The romance was adorable. The buildup was definitely nice. The release was also pretty great. You built a good world without a ton of explaining backstory. You’re good at that. Lean on it more, because the moments where you over explain weakens the rhythm of the story, and doesn’t add a lot. When you’re done with the next one, feel free to hit me up. Want me to send the link to some friends to comment on, or do you prefer separate links to keep each person’s feedback separate?
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Feb 3, 2023 19:38
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dino. posted:Done reading. Wow, you’re fast! Thanks so much for the feedback. Pretty much agree with every weak point you’ve identified—I’ll see what I can do to cut those down or streamline them. I really suck at writing internal monologues, and it shows. Probably because I hate reading them. Sure, I’d love to get more eyes on it. The same link is fine, if your friends don’t mind a doc with your comments in it. Thanks! Also, to actually contribute a bit to the Romance Thread… I started reading A Marvelous Light after I’d already finished my book. And I’ve noticed that (1) it’s basically what I was trying to do, only so much better than I could ever achieve. And (2) there are a lot of weird parallels and coincidences that probably have to do with using very basic magic/urban fantasy tropes. Anyway, the internal monologuing in A Marvelous Light does not bother me nearly as much as it does in most books, probably because it feels really natural and not forced. And the characters are great. It’s good, recommended. newts fucked around with this message at 20:58 on Feb 3, 2023 |
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Feb 3, 2023 20:54
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There was a lot to like about your book. I enjoyed the main plot, world building, magic lore, and interesting minor characters. I didn't find it very romantic though. I would have liked to see more character development for Zuraw. I had no idea who he was by the end of the book outside of the "worn out magical cop who's seen some poo poo" trope. He did not seem worthy of Parker's affection. For the first half of the book he is abusive, bigoted, and condescending toward him, and I don't think he ever apologizes or does anything to explain or redeem himself for acting that way. He just out of nowhere (is this ever explained?) completely changes personality and starts acting sweet and caring toward him. It was unclear what Parker saw in him aside from physical attraction or the non-consensual attraction from the magic bond or whatever (I don't think this was ever fully explained either, unless I missed it?). Even Parker thinks to himself repeatedly that Zuraw is an rear end in a top hat and he doesn't know why he's attracted to him.
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Feb 3, 2023 22:07
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Friend began reading, and was like "Wait. So is Jack a girl?" Boyfriend is commenting. My notes are labelled as "Dino". Friend is also reading. She'll chime in once she gets on a computer. Right now, she's reading on her phone. dino. fucked around with this message at 23:10 on Feb 3, 2023 |
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Feb 3, 2023 23:03
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run on sentience posted:There was a lot to like about your book. I enjoyed the main plot, world building, magic lore, and interesting minor characters. I didn't find it very romantic though. Thank you! Really appreciate the crits. All are valid. Yeah, so, not a romance novel, but I’m trying to write a ‘romance’ subplot. And this is the first in a series, so I wanted them to end up at the ‘do we like each other for real stage? Or are we just hooking up? I guess I’m trying (and failing) to depict their relationship changing? Richard starts out assuming (based on an arrest record) and the suspicious note, that Jack is one of those types of Black Mages (the evil kind). Which, yeah, he’s being a bigoted rear end. Also, he’s just lost his best friend and is being a general rear end. Yeah, I’ll see if I can make Richard less of a dick. Thanks! dino. posted:Friend began reading, and was like "Wait. So is Jack a girl?" Thank you!
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Feb 4, 2023 00:20
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newts posted:I would love to have more eyes on it! Here’s a link for you: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1kjMkGAOi_FrL13g5j7jqr2RxefsCdWggIz57O_ER2XM/edit?usp=sharing Thanks for the link; I've downloaded and will take a look shortly. 
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Feb 4, 2023 02:20
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Jacqueline Carey or get out my personal hs/early uni secret fandom
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Feb 4, 2023 02:51
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kurona_bright posted:I do like reading this sort of thing but several things have to hold true: have you considered the locked tomb trilogy
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Feb 4, 2023 03:07
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newts posted:
kurona_bright posted:4) the mean person has to make it up in some way. it doesn't have to be flashy, but it has to be emotionally meaningful. This is really important, because honestly this is one of the main reasons I read these sort of romances I actually think this more clearly articulates what I was trying to say. I don't necessarily think Richard should be made less of a dick unless you aren't wanting him to come across that way at all. A character who is good hearted but flawed, and kind of an rear end in a top hat sometimes, can be a lot of fun. I just didn't feel like he made up for how badly he treated Jack at the beginning, so I found it off-putting that Jack would start having romantic feelings for him. Jack seems like a character who has had to be very resilient in his life, so it was hard for me to believe that he would just shrug it off because the dick's dick was good.
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Feb 4, 2023 04:47
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Hahahahhhhahajahahahahahahhahaah You all are so wonderful in thinking that a hot guy who’s mean to you, and who wants to eff you isn’t at all attractive. That means that you have healthy boundaries and a good deal of self esteem. Maybe some day I’ll get one of those too.
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Feb 4, 2023 13:05
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No one said anything about the sexual attraction being unbelievable though? It's the romance that is unbelievable. If newts had gone with a "high tension hatefuck that might turn into more as they get to know each other" scenario, that might work. But it was not portrayed that way. What is unrealistic to me is a victim of bigotry-fueled police brutality falling in near instalove with the cop who keeps treating him like poo poo and offers no apology. There's nothing romantic about a person sitting back and taking abuse, it's just unhealthy and sad.
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Feb 4, 2023 16:56
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Google Jeb Bush posted:have you considered the locked tomb trilogy It's on the TBR! But no promises for when I'll actually get around to it, though... So, I'm only a chapter into the posted book (sorry!), but I figured I'd post my thoughts because I figure this might be useful information anyways: - I generally don't read cop romances these days. This might color some of the other thoughts I have, but I do think the first chapter was good at two things: 1) Hinting at the worldbuilding you've got going on. I like the bit about the ghosts and the magic and the plants. And the reveal about the ghost makes me interested to see how it all plays out. 2) Introducing Zuraw, and somehow managing to make me interested in the guy after he assaults a guy in his own home, wrecks the kitchen, and makes himself a cup of coffee, uninvited. It's a bit of a rough introduction, and idk if you want me to be questioning my own sanity at the end of the chapter, but I think it works for a couple reasons: - While Jack isn't happy about any of this, he's not terrified. From his point of view, the damage is annoying but simple to clean up, he's not actually hurt, and the interrogation seems more of an inconvenience than anything. If I think about what's actually going on here, none of it looks good to me, but since Jack's not bothered, I'm more willing to shrug and let it go (probably helped by the fact this is in first-person POV). - I'm willing to read LIs being assholes as long as certain conditions are met (see the list that got quoted): - Zuraw's not being awful for too long -- the way he slumps as soon as Jack lists off those who can vouch for him does a lot to ease my irritation towards him. - If you're willing to look past that initial bit, he doesn't really do anything else. He's being a dick, but not unreasonable; and again, Jack doesn't seem to give a poo poo, so why would I care? - He has a reason for being a dick; he's upset about his partner being murdered - This isn't one of the items from my list, but you've done a good job of making me believe Zuraw's hot, and more importantly, making me believe that Jack thinks he's hot. Shoutout to his dimples, somehow non-ironically. So while I personally think you could tone down his intro a bit and still establish Zuraw as a hot angsty rear end in a top hat, I'm not sure it's absolutely necessary; the teenage version of me that read Adrien English books wouldn't have turned a hair. While there's almost certainly other people who have stronger reactions than I did to that sort of thing, it just kind of depends on how much tweaking you want to do, personally. I'd obvs have to read the rest of the book to give a better opinion, but I think this first chapter did a good job of making me want to read more. I'll try and finish the rest of the book sometime this week and give more impressions then. still, the tiniest quibble about this line: "The sneer turned into a creepy smirk..." -- maybe I am internet poisoned, but if you put "creepy smirk manga" in google image search the first couple of images match the mental image I got. idk if that's what you actually want to be evoking here kurona_bright fucked around with this message at 09:15 on Feb 7, 2023 |
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Feb 7, 2023 09:06
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Thank you for the really helpful crits. I really appreciate you taking the time to do that. Yeah, I’m still debating how much/what to change. I’ve also read a lot of ‘romance’ that is way less tame and I didn’t really want to go too far down that road. However, I know a lot of people have certain expectations about enemies-to-lovers tropes and they are easily disappointed.
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Feb 7, 2023 15:24
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Another "just realized there is a romance thread" person here. I skimmed the thread and was so excited that a lot of the things people recommended were books I also love. And since I just finished a book I loved and didn't see anyone mention it anywhere, here is a short review. Foxen Bloom by Parker Foye This one is an m/m fantasy between a mortal and essentially a god. What I liked was that the god was not extremely overpowered. He actually loses and messes up occasionally. I liked the way the author weakened him realistically within the bounds of the story. And the human is not entirely useless either. But what I really loved is the writing. Some of the romantic moments are just so beautiful. Like I never highlight stuff when reading, and I was doing that here. A lot of the writing, especially from the god viewpoint, is very flowery and poetic. The writing is very distinct between the two heroes. And it's a small thing, but there are chapters from other character's viewpoints observing the couple that I thought were a nice touch. The only con I can think of is that the plot meanders a little towards the middle/end, mostly in service of more mushy stuff so I didn't mind it.
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Feb 8, 2023 18:15
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I finished To Love and Cherish by Patricia Gaffney yesterday and not only was it one of the sweetest, kindest romances I've read, it also perfectly captured one of the things I like about romances: they're books not just about two people, but about the people, the plot, the place around them. I've never read a book so dedicated to filling out the small countryside town they occupy. The premise: the pastor of a small English agricultural town presides over the death of the local Viscount. Thanks to his passing, his estranged son will return to take up his duties. He arrives, and the pastor is thrilled to see his old childhood friend - except that he's changed. He's a petty, cruel person now, and his wife is deeply unhappy. You see where this is going, right? Except that it doesn't matter, because this is not a plot focused book. It's an idyllic stroll through their emotions and the town - you meet all of the church goers, you watch the wife learn to love this small place, and by the end of it you almost care more about the community than the central couple. I loved the diary entries from the wife, and the 3rd person POV parts from her and the pastor. I loved how their romance truly began as a friendship, and at no point did they cheat on the husband. The only mar I have to warn about is that late in the book there is a brief but graphic rape scene that I wish hadn't been in there. I think the author could have replaced it with almost any other crime and achieved the same effect, but she had to go there. Alas. Fortunately for me, the book made up for that by having one of the most joyous endings I've seen in a while. I also really enjoyed the frank discussion about religion? The priest and the wife - he has faith, she's an athiest. It felt genuine, not heavy handed, and I really liked thinking about that also rooting for them both to stick to their ideals. Man. I'm just so happy I read that book, it was nearly perfect for me and I left it feeling happy. Wholly, wholly happy.
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Feb 14, 2023 20:47
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Flowers from the Storm by Laura Kinsale book report: 300 pages in (out of 520) and I'm just not in love with this book. I'm too invested to stop, but it feels like the plot has moved too quickly for the characters to have any real development as a couple, and - frankly - almost like the plot is too contrived in some places? I'm wrestling with it, and the fact that it has a near perfect reputation amongst reviewers. The premise is, a duke (rich, sexy, opens the novel by loving a pregnant woman and leaving as her husband gets home) falls victim to a stroke and winds up unable to speak or understand what is spoken to him. As this is pre-modern medicine, he's declared mad and put into an insane asylum. Our heroine, a Quaker, is called to help him - and becomes his nurse. She effectively wins back his sanity by recognizing that he's sane, and assists in getting him free - and then the plot speeds up even more. The heroine's journey is fascinating and infuriating: she's been raised to be a meek, good little Quaker. I know very little about the religion, but as presented in the novel it seems almost cult-esque: they speak and dress differently from regular people, the women aren't permitted to marry outside the religion, etc. The heroine opens the novel content in her faith and way of life, and midway through she's struggling - she's so used to letting others dictate her life that having control thrust upon her (as the duke can't speak!) and having to make decisions and so on terrifies her. There's a lot of waffling on her part, and she's terrified of how she's tempted by how sexy the duke is. At no point is she child-like, just - so out of her element. But she cares, damnit, and she doesn't want the duke to suffer. The duke is fascinating, and slowly his personality is escaping more and more from the prison the stroke has made his body. He started the novel arrogant and he's been reduced - control taken from him. I just don't know if I like this novel? It's all super well written and fascinating but also so, so much a struggle for me.
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Feb 18, 2023 02:42
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t-t-t-t-t-triple post! I just got this in the mail!   This is THE OG bodice ripper, and marked a huge change in the romance novel industry. It's fascinating, problematic as gently caress, and I'm delighted to finally own it for my collection. Reading a romance novel in ebook form just doesn't do it for me, either - I love sitting down and turning pages and sipping tea and getting lost in the fantasy. (Or, oh god, I've hit my 30s and it's me I'm the middle-aged woman who devours romance novels.)
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Feb 18, 2023 17:24
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I just finished this one https://www.amazon.ca/Instamom-Chantel-Guertin/dp/1496735358 It's the single most hateful romance novel I've read in a while. It's gender roles would feel more normal in the 1950s then now
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Feb 20, 2023 03:15
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sbaldrick posted:I just finished this one I read the premise and the reviews. My eyes are rolling so hard they’re about to fall out of my head.
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Feb 20, 2023 03:42
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I’m perhaps old fashioned but I can’t read a novel about social media. I want fantasy, not capitalism at its throat-bitingly worst.
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Feb 20, 2023 03:47
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The henchman's survival guide is the only one I've ever read that didn't suck. reality tv is the only employer and you get paid based off your media engagement lmfao. but it's definitely painful to read and also i forgot this is the romance thread.
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Feb 20, 2023 18:24
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StrixNebulosa posted:t-t-t-t-t-triple post! Finished reading this! It... was a fascinating trainwreck. It reads, in a lot of ways, like it was taken directly out of the fantasies of the lady who wrote it in the most self-indulgent possible way. Our heroine is so obscenely hot and sexy that literally everyone she meets remarks on it. Our hero is so obscenely hot that everyone wants him. By the end of the novel (and honestly even as early as when they reach America) the heroine has everything she's ever wanted - she's rich, she's loved, she lives in a big mansion with servants, she has her own horse she can ride whenever she wants, etc etc. The biggest conflict in the book is her relationship with the hero, and very early on it's flipped so she holds all the power, so to speak. So it opens with her living in poverty with her abusive aunt (who is fat) (oh yes everyone in the novel who is fat is evil), and she's sent to London with her aunt's brother to be put to work - she thinks at a school, he thinks at a brothel. He tries to rape her, she panics and manages to stab him, and in a daze flees out onto the streets and to the docks where a pair of sailors think she's a prostitute and bring her to their captain. Our heroine, who is terrified and a supreme idiot, believes that these sailors and the captain are the law come to arrest her, so she meekly goes along with everything, and through the world's worst misunderstanding, winds up having sex with the captain. Who is an rear end in a top hat and believes that when she begins to fight back (because she's being raped) that she's just being saucy. Afterwards, thanks to her virgin blood staining the sheets (sigh), he works out his mistake and now with the truth revealed, he... rapes her again! So when he leaves to do work, she figures out how to escape, does so, and.... goes back to her abusive aunt. She's resigned herself to a life of misery forever, as she's no longer a virgin, a murderess, and a coward. Months pass, her aunt realizes she's pregnant, and through a convoluted series of events (and a magical reveal that she has another uncle who is rich, powerful, and loves her???) that ship captain is blackmailed into marrying her to take responsibility for the baby. Absolutely no one is happy about this! But they're wed, and on their wedding night the rear end in a top hat gets so furious with her that he swears - as revenge and punishment - that he will NOT have sex with her! Ever! Take that! She's relieved! And so they're packed up on the ship so he can go back to America, and she now has to live for months in a tiny cabin with her husband while she's pregnant. And share the same bed. In the hands of an author who actually cares about anything this would become stage two of the horror novel. In the hands of THIS author, the romance begins. They slowly learn about each other, begin to thaw, and when she has a fever during a storm he stays up for multiple nights to care for her. They begin to care about each other, and you the reader begin to see the seeds of the romance between them. Or the stockholm set in. I can't be sure. I'm not going to recap the rest of it except in the broadest terms, but it actually gets... better? Worse? - rear end in a top hat hero returns to america to tell his fiancee that whoops he got married while in the UK. Sorry. She doesn't take it with grace, and becomes the primary villain for the rest of the novel, trying to torment and seduce the heroine and hero in equal terms. At one point she wears a dress so sheer that we all get to find out that she's rouged her nipples. - rear end in a top hat hero owns a plantation, and the author makes a point of explaining that he pays his workers, no slaves here, he's actually a good person. I'm okay with this. - I'm not okay with the author calling every black person in the novel a negro or negress. I'm not okay with how the house servant has the most stereotypical southern slave drawl I've ever had the misfortune to read. Racist as gently caress in the condescending way. Also the only black people in the novel are servants! - The heroine proceeds to have zero social life outside of polite stuff as the lady of the mansion, because literally EVERYONE she meets sees her, goes "wow she's hot even when pregnant" and the women universally hate her, as the men universally decide to gently caress her. A lot of the novel is the heroine dealing with catty bitches who hate her as the hero deals with assholes who keep trying to proposition or rape her or both. Even the hero's brother uses mistletoe to force a kiss on her (with tongue!) and says he'd do more if he didn't love his brother so. So it's horrifying, realizing she has no social circle except with servants / the elderly - not that they don't count, but going from Nora Roberts aggressively writing female friendships into all of her novels it's jarring to see this poor eighteen year old be utterly alone in the world. It doesn't seem to bother her, but it sure bothered me (on top of everything else!) After she has the baby and more arguments with her husband, the two of them come to realize that they're both horny for each other. So, as any sane person would, the hero tells her that he's going to get to gently caress his wife, damnit, and she'd better be prepared. He leaves the room, decides that he's going to have to rape her (despite wishing it could've been consensual), and is happily surprised when he returns to find her willing. They proceed to gently caress each other literally everywhere for the rest of the novel. Oh and there's a murder mystery, another rape attempt from a villain, and the ex-fiance being murdered in the last 50 pages in a lightning-fast plot as the author decided to throw some drama in at the last second. The end. That was terrible. That was problematic. I'm torn between enjoying it unironically and ironically, as, well, it's a product of its time in a lot of ways. rear end in a top hat raping heroes who are brought around to love the woman they rape were prevalent in the romances of the 70s and 80s. The racism was prevalent as well. The romance genre, especially in this era, had a lot of problems that aren't tolerated today. But I want to give it credit for actually paving the way for good stuff: this book introduced on-the-page sex to mainstream romance novels. It introduced 500+ page doorstoppers to the genre that only had short stuff from Harlequin. It did a lot of good! But also it's really bad. The prose seesaws between fun and descriptive to the flattest dialogue and just, ugh. Not to mention the content! So I'm fascinated, and I'm so happy I never have to read it again. What a wild ride. I need a palate-clenser that's not garbage.
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Mar 3, 2023 05:11
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It’s YA and gay, so if that’s not your thing, skip it. But I remember reading Hero by Perry Moore and enjoying it thoroughly. https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/1251032.Hero There’s a bit of coming out narrative but the author handles it as multiple comings out (coming outs?), because superhero poo poo is also taboo in his home. He’s involved in being an all around good human, and you grow to like him based on his character. He’s realistic. That said, the love interest is a pretty cool guy too, and the enemies to lovers thing hits in a non skeezy way. As it is YA, things can get a titch angsty, but it’s a YA gay romance. poo poo happens.
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Mar 7, 2023 08:28
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dino. posted:It’s YA and gay, so if that’s not your thing, skip it. But I remember reading Hero by Perry Moore and enjoying it thoroughly. Although I don't remember it (not the book's fault, I read it 5 years ago and I have a terrible memory), I gave this 5 stars on goodreads so seconded I guess. I just finished another really good one. The Magic Between by Stephanie Hoyt It's another m/m...fantasy I guess? There is magic in it but it is basically our world but what if everyone had some magic. It is important to the story, especially the meet-cute, but it doesn't solve everyone's problems. Sometimes it makes more problems. It is written about in a realistic way, no info-dumping about all the types of magic, and you just kinda pick it up from context. Really liked that. Both guys were very likeable and almost the entire supporting cast is queer in some way. One thing I forgot about since reading the description and actually reading the book, this is also a queer sports romance which I am always here for. The sports stuff is minor compared to the magic and other stuff but it is there. Anyway it was very sweet and heartwarming all the way through. Highly recommend.
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Mar 7, 2023 22:11
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Fru Fru posted:The Magic Between by Stephanie Hoyt Picked this book thanks to this rec. Haven’t started it yet, but it seems like my jam. My book that I’ve been spamming around the forums is out! Sort of… It’s available as a free ebook or pdf download on BookSirens: https://booksirens.com/book/B91TNWB/IVRB02D It’s an urban (more rural) fantasy with a big M/M romance plot (or the start of a romance). I am currently writing the sequel book. I got a ton of extremely helpful comments and advice from people on this thread (and adjacent people). Thanks so much for that—you know who you are! If you want to leave a review, feel free. Otherwise, it’s just a free book written and produced entirely by goons. Warnings: too much swearing, some on-the-page gay sex, a teeny bit of violence and death
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May 11, 2023 15:49
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newts posted:Picked this book thanks to this rec. Haven’t started it yet, but it seems like my jam. Awesome, I hope you like it! newts posted:My book that I’ve been spamming around the forums is out! Sort of… It’s available as a free ebook or pdf download on BookSirens: https://booksirens.com/book/B91TNWB/IVRB02D I read your book! I overall enjoyed it and left a review but I will leave a comment here too. The only thing I really didn't like was Richard. I think it could have used some POV chapters for him because it seemed like his personality was just "is a cop" and even when Jack warmed up to him I still didn't like him. I also love that you chose the name Amanita for one of the characters. I used that name in a D&D type game for a person who was part mushroom
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May 12, 2023 20:16
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Thank you, Fru Fru! Yeah, that’s a very fair crit. I was trying to kind of slow down their relationship because I actually prefer a slower (bumpier) burn to a happy ending in the first book. So I guess I’m trying to keep Richard a little bit of a cypher for now. Jack doesn’t know him well, yet, so we don’t know him. I don’t know if it’s working—maybe not. I’ve made Richard a lot ‘nicer’ since the first version thanks to feedback from readers. He was a lot more of an rear end in a top hat cop before.
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May 12, 2023 22:03
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I have to recommend this book very strongly. It calls out it’s hero, it’s well researched and has a believable meet cute. https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/62628727
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May 14, 2023 17:15
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Another review time! Half a Soul by Olivia Atwater Another fantasy, but this time it is M/F. Takes place in Regency England where magic exists, but not for everyone. More like Jonathan Strange & Mr Norrell, where there is one national magician and no one else seems to have any. The heroine is cursed by a faerie as a child and basically loses all her emotions. Now that she is grown up, she has to try to "act normal" so that she doesn't ruin her cousin's chances on the marriage mart. The hero is of course the magician, who is not really a noble but was elevated due to his position and so the ton all think he is an unmannered brute. He becomes interested in her because she is a magical problem to solve but then circumstances keep drawing them together. It was a very fun read. I loved the inner voice of the heroine and the setting and writing were just so whimsical. Very satisfying conclusion. This is the first in a series but I haven't read the others yet. I will report back if/when I do.
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May 15, 2023 17:43
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I finished Juliette Cross' Stay a Spell series and dear lord, was it a hoot n' a half! Each book was great, focusing on a different couple for each sister in this six-sister family. It's a paranormal romance, so the sisters come from a witch family and are all different types of witches. Their significant others run the gamut of being werewolves, vampires, or Grims, each with their own power subset. The laughs and sadness in each tale are amazing. There are 6.5 books in total (the 0.5 comes from book 3.5, which is a short story collection focusing on friends of the family, JJ and Charlie, humans in the supernatural sphere). I loved each and every one of them, each sister feeling and being read as a different personality, so even if it's written by the same author, everyone feels unique. But the last novel... holy poo poo. It's about Clara and Henry. Clara is an Aura, a witch who can influence emotion, making you happy/sad or influencing the weather with their moods. Henry is a Grim and his power subset I'll leave a mystery, as it takes ages in the series to hint at what he can do. To read about a historical romance novel loving heroine who loves taking care of her family and baking... then experience her trying to convince a guy who doesn't feel like he's worthy of her to give in to the inevitable and accept their love? It. Was. EPIC. I was loving every second of it, taking breaks in between smiling like a goof or chuckling to quote lines to my husband. When it got close to the end and something truly awful happens, I was crying literal tears, pausing to remind myself that romance usually gives a happy ending and even if there were few pages left, the sun would come out tomorrow, so to speak. I was not disappointed at all; it was the best book of the series and they were ALL good. I really encourage y'all, if you like the thought of a supernatural series set in New Orleans to give the series a shot.
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May 17, 2023 06:19
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Pan Dulce posted:Juliette Cross' Stay a Spell Thanks for the reminder to go back to that series. I read the first 3 and by far my favorite was the first one. They keep going on and off Kindle Unlimited so I just checked and right now 5/6 are on there so I can catch up a bit. The 6th will probably show up eventually.
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May 17, 2023 14:01
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I just finished Patricia Gaffney's To Have and to Hold and wow - despite some hefty content and trigger warnings, I found it to be an incredible story of healing, redemption, and - yes - love. Gosh. Love her stuff so far. Unfortunately now I have a new problem:   Which book do I read next? Too many choices!
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Jun 17, 2023 16:16
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StrixNebulosa posted:I just finished Patricia Gaffney's To Have and to Hold and wow - despite some hefty content and trigger warnings, I found it to be an incredible story of healing, redemption, and - yes - love. Gosh. Love her stuff so far. A smoke thief would get their lights punched out down the pub.
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Jun 17, 2023 17:38
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You ever read a romance book so good, you feel like you have some variation of heartburn, that's how much your chest throbs and the warmth spreads from the joy you got from it? That's how I felt about my latest journey into sports romances, a hockey romance called Mile High by Liz Tomforde. I started it thinking, "Well, I've never watched hockey games and already this guy is a total unrepentant manwhore who's messing around with the main character, a plus-size flight attendant on his flights to away games because she calls him on his poo poo. But gradually, you get to see both have insecurities and flaws about themselves, about family, and about being in love. They both grow from their experiences bit by bit and even the third-act break-up, as bitter and aggravating as it was, felt like it created stronger characters in the end that deserved one another. I left it about 5 minutes ago and now totally have a book hangover. Nothing will compete with it, so I have to let the freshness of its assault on my heart die down a little. Please read it, even if you could give less of a poo poo about the sport in question and don't like cocky rear end in a top hat male characters. I promise, not all is as it seems and there are hidden depths to the characters.
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Jun 20, 2023 02:22
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Holy poo poo, this is on the third page in the Book Barn. Romance -really- isn't made for goons, I guess. On a more germane topic, I just read the Tessa Bailey series, Broke and Beautiful, consisting of Chase Me, Need Me, and Make Me. Don't be fooled by the old cheesy "couple embracing IRL" cover that makes them look like a cheap Kindle Unlimited book or the conventional cartoon cover that makes them look like a squeaky clean Hallmark movie. NOPE. These books are smoking hot. The writing is great; the only "problem" I could foresee pissing off some people is that it's very much love at first sight for EVERYBODY, but their hang-ups get in the way. I was going to finish the first, Chase Me, because I'd DNF'ed it ages ago because I got caught up in Nonfiction November without finishing it. Really, I was going to read Christmas novels this month, but these books had me by the eyeballs. I finished all three in three days! Devoured, more like. Do yourself a favor: check out these contemporary romances and see why I think Tessa Bailey is queen.
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Dec 15, 2023 23:42
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Well in an effort to not have this thread disappear, here are some short recs: Ten Thousand Stitches by Olivia Atwater Second in a series that I reviewed on this very page because this thread moves so slow. Does anyone else ever put off reading the second book in a series because you liked the first so much that the second one can't possibly be as good? I don't know why I do this because even if it isn't as good, who cares? But it was as good and there isn't much to say other than that and I will be reading the third one whenever my library gets around to acquiring it. It will probably also be just as good. Saint Juniper's Folly by Alex Crespo YA queer romance that also involves magic and a haunted house. I loved it and a YA book has to be really good for me to love it these days because I am old. A Strange and Stubborn Endurance and All the Hidden Paths by Foz Meadows This one may not be for everyone but I have read the first book in the series 4 times. The second book just came out and I just finished it today and I may not read it 4 times but I will definitely reread it again eventually. It is M/M and technically a fantasy but the magic is so minimal. It is more about the politics of this world and the diplomatic marriage that brings the leads together. I say it might not be for everyone because there is some dark stuff and anyone that is curious should check the content warnings. But if you like angst and mutual pining like I do then I highly recommend the series (same couple for both books, not sure if there are any more books planned). 10 Things That Never Happened by Alexis Hall I think anyone that wanted to will have read Boyfriend Material and Husband Material by now (and if not then do that first), but this book takes place in the same universe. It has a much more ridiculous premise which is saying something if you have read those books. It was very funny but also had really sweet moments. Also it is technically a holiday romance if that is your thing so hurry up and read it in the next week.
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Dec 21, 2023 22:53
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Gonna steal those recs and pass back one I'm reading now - Laura Kinsale's Prince of Midnight. I'm 174 pages into a 500 brick, and having a good if slow time. He's a former famous noble and highwayman, she's a woman looking for fuckin' revenge against the cult leader that killed her family and corrupted her hometown. She seeks him out in order to learn how to stab things better, but discovers that he's no longer a legend - he's half-deaf, suffers from really nasty vertigo, has no friends or allies, and he really just wants her to go away. She goes "fuckit, you're useless, goodbye", but...well, things happen. And they travel together. And he has a really cute pet wolf. And... I'm still reading. It's by Laura Kinsale so it's very well written, if not as intense as Flowers from the Storm. (yet? maybe?)
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Dec 21, 2023 23:18
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So I read a romance novel. Obviously it was published in the seminal romance book series Hard Case Crime and written by famed romance author Donald E. Westlake. There's only one sex scene and it isn't between the main characters so it feels kinda sandwiched in. The latter half of the book doesn't even have dirty words. It's basically a road Three out of five stars; entertaining enough to read on the bus. e: It really bugs me that the bags on the cover painting are definitely not period-correct.
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Apr 5, 2024 12:45
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I stumbled across Someone You Can Build a Nest In by John Wiswell, a fantasy FF romance. I haven't finished it yet but the action is decent the writing is good and I like the world setting well enough. Albeit it's sort of a generic white european one with a sprinkle of Not Middle East for flavor. My main huge problem with the book is that the main character is an ignorant savage stereotype. Granted, she doesn't speak in broken english but it's one brown skin versus fair pearly lily white lover's skin away from being a loving mess. Look Inside quote:Shesheshen has made a mistake fatal to all monsters: she’s fallen in love. Still, the body horror aspect is cool, and not too gratuitous. Sure its explicit, but it's not intentionally off putting.
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Apr 6, 2024 17:54
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