this was a fun read!

i loved leo and holden and how their relationship developed. i really liked reading their interactions and even though it was quite fast-paced, still enjoyable and believable. the sprinkle of d/s undertones in their sex scenes was a nice surprise too. i could have done with more mutual pining in the ‘faking’ part, the oh but he’s acting bc this is pretend angst. but fake dating is my fave trope and i’ve read so many so my expectations are high by default lmao.

i also liked the way grief and grieving was covered in this as a secondary plot thread tied to holden’s character development. and i loved the scenes with leo’s mom.

the main conflict/antagonist’s motivations and actions were a bit wobbly and forced, especially with how it concluded. it did feel a bit, oh, we need a villain or to add tension for the last quarter of the book without relying on the miscommunication trope - these boys do talk to each other! - it was a bit clunky for my tastes. but, that wasn’t a huge deal breaker, probably just me being picky.

overall this was a fun rom-com with lovable characters! mvps are leo’s mum and holden’s dad.

thank you to the publisher for the review copy

The Boyfriend Subscription by Steven Salvatore

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fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

2.5

i was so excited by the idea of this book when i first heard about it a long while back, so i’m really bummed by how much i didn’t like it. admittedly, i had high expectations bc i’ve read so many great Pretty Women-inspired fanfic and they were miles above this… had i known initially salvatore was a ya author and this is their adult debut (it made a lot of sense when i found out), my expectations would have been adjusted, but this was still really disappointing.

i liked the pro-sex work angle, but i wouldn’t go far enough to say it was discussed. it came across too superficial for me and there’s a plot element towards the end that was such a missed opportunity i feel, and badly executed.

overall there was no real resolution? the romance was unsatisfying, and the other threads around it, including things involving the antagonist just…meandered off?

i also couldn’t tell the characters apart. this is dual first person pov, but other than some vocab differences and awkward french thrown in, there were multiple times i forgot who’s pov i was in the middle of and had to skim around to find either a reference to crystals and mindfulness or plant metaphors, or just one of the mc’s names. they were cute at times but this didn’t have the yearning and angst that makes fake dating my favorite trope.

this had a lot of promise but it really wasn’t for me. this was more ben alderson but contemporary romance or the vibe of wattpad romances that were picked up by trad pub. i can see it doing well for the tiktok algo. the cover is fantastic tho and it took me too long to realize it’s a scene in the book lmao.

thank you to the publisher for the review copy

Death In The Spires by KJ Charles

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adventurous dark emotional mysterious tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

hello, kj charles stan here. and yet again an amazing new novel from this historical romance icon.

but, this is not a romance, it’s a historical mystery/thriller! our hero is a a queer disabled clerk turned amateur sleuth, trying to uncover secrets of an event in his past that ruined his life.

tho not a romance novel, charles’ proficiency with romance writing is evident in how the characters and relationships are written - the feelings and yearning and angst. oh the angst. most mystery novels i’ve read, i usually find the characters and their characterization and interpersonal relationships lacking. not the case here.

jem is a great character. he’s definitely an amateur sleuth. he makes bad decisions and suffers the consequences and uncovers more than he ever expected to. i was engrossed with the mystery and the flashbacks to the past.

the ending was super satisfying. loved how the threads were tied up and the opportunity for a future, but not a sequel, the characters can live out their lives without another book (but i would be the opposite of opposed to charles writing a bonus short story or epilogue as she’s done previously for some of her books, even the trad pubs. i just want snapshots of jem post-this book 🥺)

another amazing read from charles.

thank you to the publisher for the review copy

Yesterday Was Like Death by Hui Nan Que

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fast-paced