You need to sign in or sign up before continuing.
Take a photo of a barcode or cover
garbage_mcsmutly's Reviews (1.74k)
emotional
hopeful
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
This was a good read. It was interesting to see how a trans person might exist in a world where they've never seen anyone like them (to their knowledge), so they have no references for who they are or how it feels. And I liked that, although Alistair struggled a little bit, he ultimately was able to understand/accept/love the nuances of Robin's identity. And the other people who know Robin's secret are all okay with it and continue to care about him. The side characters in this book were generally fun too.
🎧 Dual POV but only one narrator. It was a good performance overall.
🌶️ 3/5 for a few explicit scenes
🏳️🌈✊ I mean, this is definitely a queer story. We have one trans MC, who is probably gay, and the other MMC is bisexual. There's some class difference as well as substantial money/power difference between the two MCs (one is a well off marquess, the other is [posing as] slightly impoverished landed gentry). As far as I could tell there wasn't any racial or ethnic diversity.
🎧 Dual POV but only one narrator. It was a good performance overall.
🌶️ 3/5 for a few explicit scenes
🏳️🌈✊ I mean, this is definitely a queer story. We have one trans MC, who is probably gay, and the other MMC is bisexual. There's some class difference as well as substantial money/power difference between the two MCs (one is a well off marquess, the other is [posing as] slightly impoverished landed gentry). As far as I could tell there wasn't any racial or ethnic diversity.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Cursing, Deadnaming, Sexual content, Alcohol, Dysphoria
Moderate: Infidelity, Sexism, Car accident, Injury/Injury detail, Classism
Minor: Addiction, Biphobia, Death, Suicidal thoughts, Terminal illness, Blood, Medical content, Grief, Death of parent, Abandonment
lighthearted
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
📙 This was mostly a good book. I found it a bit confusing in some parts, just because I was ignorant. I don't know anything about UK Jewish history/culture, and I only know a few Yiddish words, and I don't know the Hebrew names for almost anything. But these were just at certain moments, I was definitely still able to follow along with the general happenings.
🎧 Justine Eyre, queen of histrom, was the sole narrator for this book (although it is a dual POV story). While she performed well per her usual, I have to say, hearing her say "oy" was kinda off putting. Maybe this is because I don't know any British Jews, so hearing the words in a refined British accent weirds me out? But any time she said a Yiddish or Hebrew word, it just felt like, wrong coming from her voice. Super awkward. But IDK maybe this is just my ignorance again.
🌶️ 3.5/5 Okay let's talk spice. There were a few different explicit scenes where things get hot and heavy with hand and mouth stuff. Like, detailed, long scenes, pretty well written. But the MCs only have PiV once, and that part is skipped over??? I've never seen an open door romance just fade to black through the first time PiV-ing. So that was kind of a weird choice and a bit of a let down.
🏳️🌈✊ This story takes place entirely within the Jewish community in London. So the reader gets steeped in that culture, both from the rich FMC side and the poor MMC side. And yeah obviously there's class difference shown as well. There are only two characters we know are queer (well, one who's dead before the story begins, but who still has a large presence in the FMC's mind, plus one who's alive and active in the story).
🎧 Justine Eyre, queen of histrom, was the sole narrator for this book (although it is a dual POV story). While she performed well per her usual, I have to say, hearing her say "oy" was kinda off putting. Maybe this is because I don't know any British Jews, so hearing the words in a refined British accent weirds me out? But any time she said a Yiddish or Hebrew word, it just felt like, wrong coming from her voice. Super awkward. But IDK maybe this is just my ignorance again.
🌶️ 3.5/5 Okay let's talk spice. There were a few different explicit scenes where things get hot and heavy with hand and mouth stuff. Like, detailed, long scenes, pretty well written. But the MCs only have PiV once, and that part is skipped over??? I've never seen an open door romance just fade to black through the first time PiV-ing. So that was kind of a weird choice and a bit of a let down.
🏳️🌈✊ This story takes place entirely within the Jewish community in London. So the reader gets steeped in that culture, both from the rich FMC side and the poor MMC side. And yeah obviously there's class difference shown as well. There are only two characters we know are queer (well, one who's dead before the story begins, but who still has a large presence in the FMC's mind, plus one who's alive and active in the story).
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexism, Sexual content, Classism
Moderate: Ableism, Violence, Antisemitism, Kidnapping, Death of parent, Abandonment, Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Physical abuse, Grief, Car accident
emotional
funny
hopeful
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
📚 Ugh why is this series so good??? And why isn't there more of it to read yet??? This book did a good job of bringing in events from books 1 and 2 in the series and putting them in a different context, so even if you knew what was happening from the previous books' MCs' perspectives, it felt familiar but still felt fresh.
📙 This was a great story. There was emotional vulnerability, there was rivalry, there was love and discovery and tons of sex. And I really liked all three of the MCs in terms of personality.
🎧 All three of the narrators (1 female, 2 male, all first person POV) did an excellent job with the material.
🌶️ 5/5 it didn't get into like deep/hardcore kink but other than that, this book (like the others in the series) is constantly on.
🏳️🌈✊ We of course have the diversity in sexuality involved in a 3 way relationship (and it is truly 3 way). There are also other team members who are queer (some from book 1 and some others). One of the MMCs is biracial: Black and (I think) white. This is a hockey romance, and it does seem like most of the side characters are white. There's diversity in backgrounds: one of the MCs grew up alone and basically on the streets, one had a loving middle class family, and the other comes from a powerful and moneyed (but cold) family.
📙 This was a great story. There was emotional vulnerability, there was rivalry, there was love and discovery and tons of sex. And I really liked all three of the MCs in terms of personality.
🎧 All three of the narrators (1 female, 2 male, all first person POV) did an excellent job with the material.
🌶️ 5/5 it didn't get into like deep/hardcore kink but other than that, this book (like the others in the series) is constantly on.
🏳️🌈✊ We of course have the diversity in sexuality involved in a 3 way relationship (and it is truly 3 way). There are also other team members who are queer (some from book 1 and some others). One of the MMCs is biracial: Black and (I think) white. This is a hockey romance, and it does seem like most of the side characters are white. There's diversity in backgrounds: one of the MCs grew up alone and basically on the streets, one had a loving middle class family, and the other comes from a powerful and moneyed (but cold) family.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Cursing, Sexual content, Medical content, Pregnancy
Moderate: Chronic illness, Emotional abuse, Toxic relationship, Violence, Gaslighting, Abandonment, Alcohol, Injury/Injury detail, Classism
Minor: Biphobia, Body shaming, Bullying, Child abuse, Infidelity, Panic attacks/disorders, Physical abuse, Terminal illness, Blood, Vomit, Death of parent
lighthearted
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
Cozy mystery with good food descriptions, as always with this series. It felt a bit short, like things went by kind of fast and some stuff got lost in the mix, which is why the lower rating (there wasn't really a resolution to her bf saying "I love you" for the first time... She just never says it back or even brings it up with him??? ).
🎧 I like the narrator for this series. She does a good job with the material and the different voices are distinct.
🌶️ 0/5 These books never have any spice. They are decidedly cozy mysteries, nothing approaching romance. I can't remember if there's even any kissing. There is an implication that sex is happening off page at one point but that's it.
🏳️🌈✊ I love that there's just like, no white characters in the whole core group lol. They are a diverse lot, racially/culturally. Filipino, Latine, Korean, and (I can't remember which country🙈--they might not say in this book?--but it's a majority Brown and Muslim one). And the MC's best friends are lesbians. The mayor and her wife are queer too (although there is always the problematic "kill your gays" aspect of one of them being the murder victim... ). They're also almost all pretty solid working middle class, small business owners but still have to hustle, types.
🎧 I like the narrator for this series. She does a good job with the material and the different voices are distinct.
🌶️ 0/5 These books never have any spice. They are decidedly cozy mysteries, nothing approaching romance. I can't remember if there's even any kissing. There is an implication that sex is happening off page at one point but that's it.
🏳️🌈✊ I love that there's just like, no white characters in the whole core group lol. They are a diverse lot, racially/culturally. Filipino, Latine, Korean, and (I can't remember which country🙈--they might not say in this book?--but it's a majority Brown and Muslim one). And the MC's best friends are lesbians. The mayor and her wife are queer too (
Content Warnings
Moderate: Death, Sexism, Murder
Minor: Body shaming, Blood, Stalking, Death of parent, Alcohol, Injury/Injury detail
emotional
funny
lighthearted
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
📗 This was a really cute listen. Sapphic historical (Victorian era) featuring two young women and their widowed parents. The love between the MCs (and between a few other couples in the book) was very sweet. I have to admit, there were times when I was skeptical about the HEA, just because the characters really got into situations it seemed impossible to move on from. This is a plus to me, when even though we know the HEA is coming, we can't easily predict how exactly they get there.
🎧 Dual POV, two narrators. I always love Mary Jane Wells and Morag Sims was very good too.
🌶️ 3/5 for a couple scenes that were explicit but not titillating.
🏳️🌈✊ There was of course queer representation since this is a sapphic. There is another sapphic couple of side characters, and potentially a gay couple as well. I liked that, although the book acknowledges that being openly queer would not be acceptable to Society, all the people close to the MCs are loving and accepting.
No racial or cultural diversity.
🎧 Dual POV, two narrators. I always love Mary Jane Wells and Morag Sims was very good too.
🌶️ 3/5 for a couple scenes that were explicit but not titillating.
🏳️🌈✊ There was of course queer representation since this is a sapphic. There is another sapphic couple of side characters, and potentially a gay couple as well. I liked that, although the book acknowledges that being openly queer would not be acceptable to Society, all the people close to the MCs are loving and accepting.
No racial or cultural diversity.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Misogyny, Sexual content, Violence, Alcohol
Minor: Bullying, Death, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Homophobia, Infidelity, Toxic relationship, Vomit, Death of parent, Pregnancy, Lesbophobia, Classism
adventurous
hopeful
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
📙 I didn't realize this was the first in a series so the way the book ended was a surprise to me. I'm interested to see where it goes! Overall this was a fun adventure fantasy.
🎧 Single POV, FMC, one narrator. The voices were good and distinct from each other.
🌶️ 2.25/5 for one open door scene (not a spicy one either)
🏳️🌈✊ The people in this world appear to mostly be Black and Brown. There wasn't much talk of romance or sex with the side characters but all the pairings I remember were m/f.
🎧 Single POV, FMC, one narrator. The voices were good and distinct from each other.
🌶️ 2.25/5 for one open door scene (not a spicy one either)
🏳️🌈✊ The people in this world appear to mostly be Black and Brown. There wasn't much talk of romance or sex with the side characters but all the pairings I remember were m/f.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Violence
Moderate: Drug use, Infidelity, Sexual content, Trafficking, Kidnapping, Murder, Fire/Fire injury, War, Injury/Injury detail, Classism
Minor: Addiction, Animal cruelty, Confinement, Drug abuse, Gore, Terminal illness, Blood, Cannibalism, Death of parent
funny
hopeful
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
📙 Review: This was so much fun and it hit so many tropes I love. Enemies to lovers. Slow burn. Buttoned up guy in the streets, dirty talker in the sheets. Romance novel-loving FMC. Forced proximity via collaboration. There were jokes. There was pining. Things got spicy. Anyways it was a damn delight. My only critique is that there were a few small time jumps where I wish we had gotten more info on what went on and how the relationship progressed during that missing time.
🎧 Audio: Single female narrator for single FMC POV. She did a good job with modulating her voice to distinguish what was writing versus dialogue and even what was MMC's writing versus FMC's.
🌶️ Spice: 4/5 When I say this man knows his way around a "good girl"... 🥵
🏳️🌈✊ Representation: FMC is half Peruvian and working class. MMC is white and well off. FMC has a few Latine friends and acquaintances. I can't remember if any of the side characters are queer?
🎧 Audio: Single female narrator for single FMC POV. She did a good job with modulating her voice to distinguish what was writing versus dialogue and even what was MMC's writing versus FMC's.
🌶️ Spice: 4/5 When I say this man knows his way around a "good girl"... 🥵
🏳️🌈✊ Representation: FMC is half Peruvian and working class. MMC is white and well off. FMC has a few Latine friends and acquaintances. I can't remember if any of the side characters are queer?
Content Warnings
Graphic: Cursing, Sexual content
Moderate: Bullying, Misogyny, Grief, Death of parent, Abandonment, Classism
Minor: Emotional abuse, Infidelity, Terminal illness, Pregnancy
adventurous
emotional
funny
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
🤩 Overall: Ok I mostly loved this! There were a few times where things weren't quite logical/consistent, or where Violet doesn't think as cleverly as her character should. But overall it was fun and action-y and loving and spicy and funny, like, what more could you want! Oh and I had heard it ends on a cliffhanger, which it does in a way, but it wasn't as immediate-peril-literal-cliff-hanging as I was led to believe. Like, I can survive the two years or whatever until the next book comes out.
🎧 Narration: Mostly single POV (FMC) aside from a few POV jumps in the book's final battle. Each POV has a different actor narrating. One thing I did have a problem with, after having listened to the enhanced audio versions of books 1 and 2, is that it was hard to tell when Xaden and Violet were talking through the bond versus when they were talking aloud. The VA didn't really do anything different with her voice to make the distinction between the two different methods of communication, so at times I couldn't tell what people were overhearing or not.
🌶️ Spice: 3.5/5 There were a few explicit scenes, and they're well written and passionate and even a teeny tiny bit kinky (restraints), but they make up a pretty small percentage of the text overall.
🏳️🌈✊ Diversity: Nothing new if you've read the other books in the series. The majority of characters seem to be POC. This world doesn't seem to have the weird notions of whiteness that we have IRL, and yeah, most people are Black or Brown or something other than pale/pink colored. They don't seem to have the same ideas of straightness either, since being queer is normalized too.
🎧 Narration: Mostly single POV (FMC) aside from a few POV jumps in the book's final battle. Each POV has a different actor narrating. One thing I did have a problem with, after having listened to the enhanced audio versions of books 1 and 2, is that it was hard to tell when Xaden and Violet were talking through the bond versus when they were talking aloud. The VA didn't really do anything different with her voice to make the distinction between the two different methods of communication, so at times I couldn't tell what people were overhearing or not.
🌶️ Spice: 3.5/5 There were a few explicit scenes, and they're well written and passionate and even a teeny tiny bit kinky (restraints), but they make up a pretty small percentage of the text overall.
🏳️🌈✊ Diversity: Nothing new if you've read the other books in the series. The majority of characters seem to be POC. This world doesn't seem to have the weird notions of whiteness that we have IRL, and yeah, most people are Black or Brown or something other than pale/pink colored. They don't seem to have the same ideas of straightness either, since being queer is normalized too.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal death, Cursing, Death, Sexual content, Violence, Blood, Grief, Murder, Fire/Fire injury, Abandonment, War, Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Ableism, Addiction, Bullying, Chronic illness, Medical content
Minor: Confinement, Death of parent, Classism
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
This was kind of a fluffy/cozy story that didn't have a ton of action. As a result, I found it slightly boring, but I still liked it overall.
I particularly liked it for the real and respectful way it addressed transness in Victorian England -- both what it meant to be trans in that period, but also in how society and individuals treat such a person. This is a romance, and a fluffy one at that, so the interactions the MMC has with those who become aware he is trans are, overall, nice. Not perfect (there is accidental/unconscious dead naming) but still ultimately kind and understanding (or at least attempting to be). Which fits the cozy romance.
🎧 Dual POV with a single narrator
🌶️ 3.75/5 There were explicit sex scenes but still in that sort of... slightly removed?... way that you see in cozy stories sometimes. Like the acts are described exactly but the listener isn't really pulled in to the passion of the characters.
🏳️🌈✊ As mentioned above, the MMC is trans. A bunch of the supporting players are queer (FMC has a gay best friend, MMC's former cohort was all "sapphists," MMC's friend is bi). Everyone seems to be sort of middle class, in that no one appears to have to worry about money and they are free to pursue their own interests. And as far as I could tell, everyone in the story was white.
I particularly liked it for the real and respectful way it addressed transness in Victorian England -- both what it meant to be trans in that period, but also in how society and individuals treat such a person. This is a romance, and a fluffy one at that, so the interactions the MMC has with those who become aware he is trans are, overall, nice. Not perfect (there is accidental/unconscious dead naming) but still ultimately kind and understanding (or at least attempting to be). Which fits the cozy romance.
🎧 Dual POV with a single narrator
🌶️ 3.75/5 There were explicit sex scenes but still in that sort of... slightly removed?... way that you see in cozy stories sometimes. Like the acts are described exactly but the listener isn't really pulled in to the passion of the characters.
🏳️🌈✊ As mentioned above, the MMC is trans. A bunch of the supporting players are queer (FMC has a gay best friend, MMC's former cohort was all "sapphists," MMC's friend is bi). Everyone seems to be sort of middle class, in that no one appears to have to worry about money and they are free to pursue their own interests. And as far as I could tell, everyone in the story was white.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexism, Sexual content
Moderate: Animal death, Deadnaming, Death of parent
Minor: Animal cruelty, Bullying, Emotional abuse, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Slavery, Terminal illness, Colonisation, Dysphoria, Injury/Injury detail
Memories of slut shaming from the past (not on page).
There is a perilous situation involving flooding (no one dies ).
Most of the minor CWs all come from one blow hard tertiary character.
emotional
hopeful
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
This was a great quick read with spice and intrigue. I really liked the characters, the aristocrat gained some class consciousness, there was diversity, and the twist was an interesting one.
🎧 Dual POV, single female narrator
🌶️ 3.75/5 for a few explicit scenes. The scenes were well done but not particularly adventurous.
🏳️🌈✊ The MMC and his sister are half Palestinian and in their extended family their grandmother is directly from Palestine, and there are cousins and other relatives who are Palestinian British. The FMC is working class (merchant adjacent) while the MMC is a marquess.
🎧 Dual POV, single female narrator
🌶️ 3.75/5 for a few explicit scenes. The scenes were well done but not particularly adventurous.
🏳️🌈✊ The MMC and his sister are half Palestinian and in their extended family their grandmother is directly from Palestine, and there are cousins and other relatives who are Palestinian British. The FMC is working class (merchant adjacent) while the MMC is a marquess.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Infidelity, Sexual content, Toxic relationship, Xenophobia, Islamophobia
Moderate: Emotional abuse, Racism, Sexism, Medical content, Pregnancy, Gaslighting, Injury/Injury detail, Classism
Minor: Vomit, Death of parent
CW for slut shaming