kharlan3's reviews
169 reviews

The Jinn-Bot of Shantiport by Samit Basu

4.25

Bi: The Hidden Culture, History, and Science of Bisexuality by Julia Shaw

informative medium-paced

Julia Shaw, researcher, has written a compelling, fascinating, and thoroughly fact-based book about bisexuality and bisexuals. The book is written clearly, and was interesting enough to keep me reading. I finished it in two days.

Ne'er Duke Well by Alexandra Vasti

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4.25

In Ne’er Duke Well, the Duke of Stanhope, trying to gain custody of his father’s “natural” children, enlists the help of Lady Selina, who decides the solution is to find him a wife. She, of course, could not be the wife, for important secret library reasons. Selina and Peter are excellent, and I really enjoyed the plot and the secondary characters, especially the possible wives and the children. Vasti is a must-read author for me.

Thanks to NetGalley for the advanced copy. This is my honest opinion.

Second Night Stand by Karelia Stetz-Waters, Fay Stetz-Waters

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medium-paced

3.75

Second Night Stand is a romance set during a team dance competition between Izzy, aka Blue, the curvy leader of a queer burlesque troupe hoping to save their theater, and Lillian, a Black ballerina fighting to keep her dance company funded. After a one night stand, they meet again, and have to decide if they’re willing to break their self-imposed rules against second night stands. This book was cute, and I loved the diverse experiences about and perspectives on dance. I particularly liked Lillian’s history and conflict with her family, but the end felt too cleanly wrapped up and I wish I’d connected more with the secondary cast. I’d recommend this book for lovers of dance and sapphic romance.

Thanks to NetGalley for the advanced copy. This is my honest opinion.

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Tempted by the Bollywood Star by Sophia Singh Sasson

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1.0

I had high hopes for Tempted by the Bollywood star and tragically, I was disappointed. I hoped, based on the cover, that both main characters were South Asian, but actually, one lead is a white American TV producer and the other is an Indian actress trying to make her name in America. The main conflict revolves around the white main character's disappointment that the Indian main character won't come out publicly, despite her extremely real fears that it will ruin her career and endanger her and her family. I'm glad there's a South Asian main character and authored sapphic romance, because it's a sub-genre I've sought out before and found little to nothing. I'd probably try one more sapphic romance by this author, but this book didn't live up to my hopes.

Content Warnings