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lollylovesbooks's reviews
697 reviews
Make the Season Bright by Ashley Herring Blake
A fun Christmas romance movie in book form.
I knew very little about this book going in, only that it was a sapphic Christmas romance written by Ashley Herring Blake - possibly I'd never looked at details, possibly I'd forgotten. Having really enjoyed the experience of reading with no knowledge, it makes it somewhat harder to write a review and choose which bits to highlight.
Charlotte is a violinist in New York, and is having all the career success she ever dreamed of. But she won't admit to anyone, not even the other members of her quartet, why she thinks December is cursed and wants to avoid Christmas. One of the quartet takes matters into her own hands and invites the whole group home for Christmas. Meanwhile, in Nashville, Brighton is working in a bar and feeling sorry for herself, after being kicked out of the band she helped form. After plans with her parents get cancelled, her friend decides to drag her to their family home for Christmas. The only problem is that Charlotte's friend and Brighton's friend are sisters... and 5 years ago Brighton left Charlotte at the altar.
I have really been enjoying second chance romance this year, but it's a trope that's so easy to do badly. In this case, though, it was done so so well. The reasons for what happened 5 years ago, as they were slowly revealed, made perfect sense. And they also really fit with the opportunity to return to the relationship after the characters had grown up a bit more.
If you prefer your romance books to have 'normal' and 'realistic' plotlines this isn't for you. In the best spirit of Christmas movies we have, aside from the whole managing to end up in the same house thing, a series of Christmas-themed dating activities for singles in the town. It's honestly amazing, and fits the setup so well.
The queer rep in this book is sensational, and completely normalised within the story. It's so nice to see this type of rep included as standard, without it being a big deal to the characters.
And I have to mention the steamy scenes (partly so those who only read closed door know to avoid). I loved how we got a flashback/memory scene while Charlotte and Brighton were still dancing round each other in the main timeline. And all the scenes were both hot and beautiful.
I had such a good time reading this book - with the biggest grin on my face throughout. In case you couldn't guess, I highly highly recommend it, and am planning to make it an annual Christmas read.
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the free digital copy. All thoughts are my own.
I knew very little about this book going in, only that it was a sapphic Christmas romance written by Ashley Herring Blake - possibly I'd never looked at details, possibly I'd forgotten. Having really enjoyed the experience of reading with no knowledge, it makes it somewhat harder to write a review and choose which bits to highlight.
Charlotte is a violinist in New York, and is having all the career success she ever dreamed of. But she won't admit to anyone, not even the other members of her quartet, why she thinks December is cursed and wants to avoid Christmas. One of the quartet takes matters into her own hands and invites the whole group home for Christmas. Meanwhile, in Nashville, Brighton is working in a bar and feeling sorry for herself, after being kicked out of the band she helped form. After plans with her parents get cancelled, her friend decides to drag her to their family home for Christmas. The only problem is that Charlotte's friend and Brighton's friend are sisters... and 5 years ago Brighton left Charlotte at the altar.
I have really been enjoying second chance romance this year, but it's a trope that's so easy to do badly. In this case, though, it was done so so well. The reasons for what happened 5 years ago, as they were slowly revealed, made perfect sense. And they also really fit with the opportunity to return to the relationship after the characters had grown up a bit more.
If you prefer your romance books to have 'normal' and 'realistic' plotlines this isn't for you. In the best spirit of Christmas movies we have, aside from the whole managing to end up in the same house thing, a series of Christmas-themed dating activities for singles in the town. It's honestly amazing, and fits the setup so well.
The queer rep in this book is sensational, and completely normalised within the story. It's so nice to see this type of rep included as standard, without it being a big deal to the characters.
And I have to mention the steamy scenes (partly so those who only read closed door know to avoid). I loved how we got a flashback/memory scene while Charlotte and Brighton were still dancing round each other in the main timeline. And all the scenes were both hot and beautiful.
I had such a good time reading this book - with the biggest grin on my face throughout. In case you couldn't guess, I highly highly recommend it, and am planning to make it an annual Christmas read.
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the free digital copy. All thoughts are my own.
An Education in Malice by S.T. Gibson
Sapphic vampire dark academia.
Laura is a new student, having moved across the country for her college of choice. Carmilla, on the other hand, has been at the college for a while, and is disgruntled to have to share her favourite professor's attentions with a newcomer.
I knew very little about this book going in, and quite a few things about the setting surprised me. For example, it's set in the 1960s. And there is a lot of poetry reciting.
I enjoyed the relationship building and dynamics between Laura and Carmilla - I felt bad for them how often their kisses were interrupted though!
Even though it made sense for the circumstances, I definitely felt uneasy with students regularly being invited to a professor's apartment. The student-professor dynamic made me a little uncomfortable at times.
But overall I definitely enjoyed reading this. Different style to a lot of the vampire books I read, so a nice bit of variety there.
Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for the free copy. All thoughts are my own.
Laura is a new student, having moved across the country for her college of choice. Carmilla, on the other hand, has been at the college for a while, and is disgruntled to have to share her favourite professor's attentions with a newcomer.
I knew very little about this book going in, and quite a few things about the setting surprised me. For example, it's set in the 1960s. And there is a lot of poetry reciting.
I enjoyed the relationship building and dynamics between Laura and Carmilla - I felt bad for them how often their kisses were interrupted though!
Even though it made sense for the circumstances, I definitely felt uneasy with students regularly being invited to a professor's apartment. The student-professor dynamic made me a little uncomfortable at times.
But overall I definitely enjoyed reading this. Different style to a lot of the vampire books I read, so a nice bit of variety there.
Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for the free copy. All thoughts are my own.
Requiem for Immortals by Lee Winter
I have no idea what genre to classify this book as, but I enjoyed reading it!
Natalya as a cellist, Requiem as an assassin. Requiem is the best of the best at what she does, fulfilling difficult to reach hits and adding a sense of poetic justice. One day, though, the target she's given just doesn't make sense. But the biggest question is why that even bothers her.
First up - if you only want to read books where the main character is likeable from the start then this is not for you. Natalya has been groomed to be a killer from a very young age, with all emotion beaten out of her. She treats people like trash.
This book has a strong romantic thread, but I'm on the fence on whether I'd call it a romance. Partly because of plot balance, partly because Natalya takes so damn long to realise that she actually has emotions. But it's definitely sapphic. And dark. With a lot of suspense.
Alison (the mark) was a really interesting character, and arguably had a bigger development arc than Natalya did. Fair warning that her background isn't the happiest either, so make sure you're prepared for some unhappy themes coming into this one.
Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for the free digital copy. All thoughts are my own.
Natalya as a cellist, Requiem as an assassin. Requiem is the best of the best at what she does, fulfilling difficult to reach hits and adding a sense of poetic justice. One day, though, the target she's given just doesn't make sense. But the biggest question is why that even bothers her.
First up - if you only want to read books where the main character is likeable from the start then this is not for you. Natalya has been groomed to be a killer from a very young age, with all emotion beaten out of her. She treats people like trash.
This book has a strong romantic thread, but I'm on the fence on whether I'd call it a romance. Partly because of plot balance, partly because Natalya takes so damn long to realise that she actually has emotions. But it's definitely sapphic. And dark. With a lot of suspense.
Alison (the mark) was a really interesting character, and arguably had a bigger development arc than Natalya did. Fair warning that her background isn't the happiest either, so make sure you're prepared for some unhappy themes coming into this one.
Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for the free digital copy. All thoughts are my own.
Queen of Dreams by Kit Rocha
This is book 2 in an MFF fantasy romance series that must be read in order, and so this review will contain some spoilers for Consort of Fire.
I loved reading Consort of Fire, finding it the perfect balance of fantasy and romance, and so was eagerly anticipating its follow-up. Second books in fantasy series can often struggle, but Queen of Dreams absolutely lived up to my expectations in every way.
Zanya and Ash take on a bigger role in proactively protecting their people, and combined with the intense training Zanya has to undergo this leaves Sachi feeling alone and unable to help. But when tensions start mounting with The Betrayer it's the power of dreams that is needed to help.
I loved how each of the three had their own character development, and that different aspects of their relationship deepened on different timelines. It was great to see the exploration of powers, ranging from the obvious developments for Zanya and Sachi to the more subtle emotion-based changes for Ash.
This is an incredible fantasy world, and I can't wait to see where things go in the next book.
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the free digital copy. All thoughts are my own.
I loved reading Consort of Fire, finding it the perfect balance of fantasy and romance, and so was eagerly anticipating its follow-up. Second books in fantasy series can often struggle, but Queen of Dreams absolutely lived up to my expectations in every way.
Zanya and Ash take on a bigger role in proactively protecting their people, and combined with the intense training Zanya has to undergo this leaves Sachi feeling alone and unable to help. But when tensions start mounting with The Betrayer it's the power of dreams that is needed to help.
I loved how each of the three had their own character development, and that different aspects of their relationship deepened on different timelines. It was great to see the exploration of powers, ranging from the obvious developments for Zanya and Sachi to the more subtle emotion-based changes for Ash.
This is an incredible fantasy world, and I can't wait to see where things go in the next book.
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the free digital copy. All thoughts are my own.
Sanctuary by Ilona Andrews
For any fans of the Kate Daniels series, a book from Roman's point of view is a great treat. For those not familiar with the world, this book works absolutely fine as a standalone.
Roman is a priest and vessel of Chernabog, God of Darkness, Death and other such fun stuff. Despite living in the middle of heavily-warded woods, an exhausted boy arrives at his house and asks for sanctuary. Offering that sanctuary then brings a whole host of other people, keen to test Roman's defences and patience.
The Kate Daniels world is always great for combining mythology and magic, and this was no exception. This story has a lot of references to Slavic mythology, all of which is well explained. There's also a glossary in the back, which I really should have referred to as it took me a while to get my head round some of the different words.
From a character perspective, Roman was an absolute delight to delve further into. I very much appreciated how thoroughly grumpy he was for most of the book, but that he still took the time to do his duty while sulking.
Thoroughly recommend this to anyone who enjoys mythology-based urban fantasy.
Thank you to the authors and NetGalley for the free digital copy. All thoughts are my own.
Roman is a priest and vessel of Chernabog, God of Darkness, Death and other such fun stuff. Despite living in the middle of heavily-warded woods, an exhausted boy arrives at his house and asks for sanctuary. Offering that sanctuary then brings a whole host of other people, keen to test Roman's defences and patience.
The Kate Daniels world is always great for combining mythology and magic, and this was no exception. This story has a lot of references to Slavic mythology, all of which is well explained. There's also a glossary in the back, which I really should have referred to as it took me a while to get my head round some of the different words.
From a character perspective, Roman was an absolute delight to delve further into. I very much appreciated how thoroughly grumpy he was for most of the book, but that he still took the time to do his duty while sulking.
Thoroughly recommend this to anyone who enjoys mythology-based urban fantasy.
Thank you to the authors and NetGalley for the free digital copy. All thoughts are my own.
In Charm's Way by Lana Harper
The balance of this one felt off to me. Lots of telling instead of showing. And it very much felt like an urban fantasy with a romantic storyline, rather than a paranormal romance. For me the romantic elements were super weak.
Books 1 and 2 still far and away the best for me.
Books 1 and 2 still far and away the best for me.
Unmasking Autism: Discovering the New Faces of Neurodiversity by Devon Price
Did not finish book. Stopped at 5%.
Did not finish book. Stopped at 5%.
Switching to audio
Shifting Shadows: Stories from the World of Mercy Thompson by Patricia Briggs
Brilliant anthology.
Personal favourites were:
Personal favourites were:
- Roses in Winter
- In Red, with Pearl's
- Redemption
But honestly enjoyed it all. Great accompaniment to the series.
Primal Mirror by Nalini Singh
Powerful next installment in a fantastic series.
Remi is a leopard changeling, and the alpha of the RainFire pack. His pack is facing another potential threat in the arrival of an unknown Psy in a previously hostile area. Auden is a broken Psy. She has periods of time when she loses herself, and knows things she's never been told. Not knowing who to trust was complicated enough without meeting a changeling alpha too...
Remi and Auden's relationship was slow burn by necessity - Auden is experiencing severe trauma so anything else would be inappropriate. The journey involves so much discovery for both of them. Auden is pregnant at the start of the book, and it was great to see how her developing relationship with Remi also impacted her thoughts on what options her child would have.
I loved the dynamic of being in a much younger leopard pack, and seeing how close-knit everyone was. The relationships between all the pack members are fantastic, and Remi was so sweet with the cubs.
This is the 8th book in the Psy-Changeling Trinity series. While you can start with the Trinity series, I would highly recommend reading the Psy-Changeling series before this book as there are a lot of references to events from the first series. There are also lots of recurring characters here, split across the overarching series plot and the events in RainFire. I'm always happy when the Arrows get to do what they do best. And I literally squealed when a certain other character showed up!
At its heart, this is a book about finding the place where you belong. With stories of how RainFire was founded. With Auden finding people she can trust for the first time in her life. This pack is the most beautiful found family.
Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for the free digital copy. All thoughts are my own.
Remi is a leopard changeling, and the alpha of the RainFire pack. His pack is facing another potential threat in the arrival of an unknown Psy in a previously hostile area. Auden is a broken Psy. She has periods of time when she loses herself, and knows things she's never been told. Not knowing who to trust was complicated enough without meeting a changeling alpha too...
Remi and Auden's relationship was slow burn by necessity - Auden is experiencing severe trauma so anything else would be inappropriate. The journey involves so much discovery for both of them. Auden is pregnant at the start of the book, and it was great to see how her developing relationship with Remi also impacted her thoughts on what options her child would have.
I loved the dynamic of being in a much younger leopard pack, and seeing how close-knit everyone was. The relationships between all the pack members are fantastic, and Remi was so sweet with the cubs.
This is the 8th book in the Psy-Changeling Trinity series. While you can start with the Trinity series, I would highly recommend reading the Psy-Changeling series before this book as there are a lot of references to events from the first series. There are also lots of recurring characters here, split across the overarching series plot and the events in RainFire. I'm always happy when the Arrows get to do what they do best. And I literally squealed when a certain other character showed up!
At its heart, this is a book about finding the place where you belong. With stories of how RainFire was founded. With Auden finding people she can trust for the first time in her life. This pack is the most beautiful found family.
Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for the free digital copy. All thoughts are my own.
Back in a Spell by Lana Harper
I have mixed thoughts.
Enjoyed being back in Thistle Grove. Loved Nina's personal growth and her sibling relationship. The story overall was fun.
But... Morty is a non-binary character, and if you read all but 2 pages of this book you could be clueless to that. It's first person from Nina's POV and she uses he/him pronouns throughout, despite Morty using he/they in a dating app profile.
All in all, I'm glad I don't worry about star ratings any more, as I wouldn't know where to put this.
Enjoyed being back in Thistle Grove. Loved Nina's personal growth and her sibling relationship. The story overall was fun.
But... Morty is a non-binary character, and if you read all but 2 pages of this book you could be clueless to that. It's first person from Nina's POV and she uses he/him pronouns throughout, despite Morty using he/they in a dating app profile.
All in all, I'm glad I don't worry about star ratings any more, as I wouldn't know where to put this.