A Couple of Reviews of Yummy Books!

Some good reads I’ve had lately:

Goalie Interference, by Avon Gale and Piper Vaughn (release date Sept. 30, 2019)

A fun, mostly light M/M hockey romance. (Second in the Hat Trick series, but works fine as a stand-alone.) Both Emmitt and Ryu were sweet characters, underneath Emmitt’s brashness and Ryu’s cool quietness. While I love me an angstfest, sometimes it’s also great to read something like this where the conflicts aren’t earthshattering, the growing-up backstories aren’t horrific and teammates ARE chill about LGBTQ issues. (I also got a kick out of the not-quite-the-real-NHL team names. Pittsburgh Condors, indeed.)

Note: Emmitt is African-American and Ryu is Japanese. As near as I could tell the book was quite respectful and thoughtful about issues for POC in hockey, but I am the whitest of white girls and don’t get to make that call! The authors did note that they had sensitivity readers.

Once Upon a Haunted Moor–Tyack & Frayne #1, by Harper Fox

A delicious M/M mystery/romance with a side order of paranormal. Beautiful writing in a beautiful Cornwall setting (I looked up the Cheesewring wondering if it was real and 1. wow and 2. HOW. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cheesewring) Likeable main characters, interesting mystery, hot sex, creepy atmosphere. My only, tiniest quibble is that I think a couple of developments could have been more, er, developed.

VERY excited that both these books are in series–there WILL be more Hat Trick and there already IS more Tyack & Frayn, yay!

 

 

 

 

(Spoilery) Review: Rend, by Roan Parrish

“We got married in a fever, hotter than a pepper sprout…”

 

That’s what happened to Rhys and Matty–married after knowing each other just a couple of months. Now almost a year into their marriage, Rhys takes his band on the road–and Matty starts to come apart at the seams. Can they hang onto a happy-ever-after when Matty can’t believe anyone would really stay with him?

Y’all, I loved this. Roan Parrish always has smokin’ sex scenes and she did not disappoint on that front, hoo boy. But it was also really emotional and angsty and deep–Matty has a seriously awful backstory full of abandonment, and his struggles over whether or not he should be truthful about everything with sunny Rhys felt very real. And man, some of his nightmares creeped the shit out of me, and I am not that easily crept.

And I loved that it wasn’t an easily fixed “magical healing cock” situation. Rhys’s love is necessary for Matt, but it isn’t sufficient all by itself. Matt gets therapy, and gets help from friends both old and new. And his job is shown as a part of his healing–it’s important to him that he has a chance to help kids in situations as rough as his used to be. The happy resolution feels well-earned and real.

Content: Abandonment, very brief mention of childhood sexual abuse (not either of the main characters), spiraling mental health including intense insomnia and forgetting to eat.

Notes: comes after Riven in the series but you don’t need to read Riven first.

Thank you, The Lesbian Review!

They gave “Spark & Change” a rave review and summed it up as, “an adorable supernatural romance novelette that’s sure to make you smile.” Yaaaaaaay!

https://www.thelesbianreview.com/spark-change-kellum-jeffries/

Riven by Roan Parrish: a short spoilery review

I feel a bit dumb because I was lucky enough to get this delicious book from NetGalley well before release date, gobbled it down and was champing at the bit to review it but made myself wait for release date because of NetGalley rules. And then it turned out that the time around release date was BANANAS for me, with work deadlines and a family health scare which luckily eventually turned out fine and the start of moving house and so on, and here we are, yoinks later. Ah well.

SPOILERS!

Anyway!  SO GOOD. Extremely hot and sexy, and both main characters felt so real and so lovable. One of my favorite things about it was that although there was plenty of angst there were no…villains, really? The other members of Riven made Theo feel left out, yes, but they weren’t terrible people–they knew each other earlier and had gotten used to just hanging out with each other, they were put off by how media focused on just Theo, and they misinterpreted a lot of Theo’s awkwardness as not really wanting to hang out with them. (Plus they were unaware of Theo’s childhood that left him particularly susceptible to abandonment issues.) I like the acknowledgement that it’s possible for basically well-meaning people to make each other miserable.

I like too that Theo has to come to what seems like one of his first huge adult decisions on his own, regardless of what Caleb thinks. And I love that that huge important decision is just that…you don’t HAVE to do what’s expected of you. Even if it’s what you used to think you wanted. Even if it’s something that most people would think was the most awesome thing ever.

I love that this is about two damaged, terribly hurt people slowly learning that they can choose actions that make them happier, including choosing each other. For a book that has music woven so wonderfully all through it, for a book that has some GREAT GODAMIGHTY HOT sex scenes, there’s something sweetly…quiet, somehow, about the way these men come to love one another. Beautiful.

A Princess in Theory, oh my yes

Probably everyone reading this has already read Alyssa Cole’s A Princess in Theory but if not GO READ IT RIGHT NOW. (Mild spoilers ahoy.)

It is just so much FUN. The heroine is wonderful–a brilliant and super-hardworking scientist in training, working multiple jobs to get through grad school. She’s also a former foster kid who has trouble believing anyone would really want her.

The hero is Prince Thabiso from Thesolo–he’s been a bit of a playboy but he’s truly invested in doing what’s best for his people.

And the setup is a hoot. Naledi’s been getting emails saying she’s been betrothed since toddlerhood to a prince, and asking her to send proof of her identity and medical records. And since she’s a sensible person…guess what she’s been doing with those emails.

That’s right.

You really root for both characters (they have more-or-less alternating POV chapters.) And they’re not in a lovestruck void with no other people–Naledi’s best friend is very important to the story, as is Likotsi, Thabiso’s assistant. (Who is also, really, his best friend.)

Friendship is taken quite seriously in this story–Thabiso’s mother’s long-ago loss of her best friend is one of the major historical points driving the story. I love this a lot. And I love that Naledi and Thabiso respect the hell out of each other’s competence at their jobs. (And that both their jobs are shown as genuinely difficult, featuring a douchebag postdoc in Naledi’s case and a sleazy government Minister in Thabiso’s.)

I also love the very, very hot sex scenes which include the detail that HEY A POOR GRAD STUDENT IS WEARING A BEAT-UP OLD BRA THAT DOESN’T MATCH HER PANTIES. HOW GREAT IS THAT.

I am so looking forward to the next book in the series. Also hoping that at some point we get to read more about dapper lesbian Likotsi. I would like to read an epic trilogy about dapper lesbian Likotsi, please!

In summary, all the thumbs up!