tonyaf's reviews
378 reviews

Once Upon You and Me by Timothy Janovsky

emotional funny hopeful lighthearted 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

4.0

I'm not a fan of the age-gap trope, so I went into this book a little hesitant. This sounded fun, though, and I was excited to read my first Timothy Janovsky book since I have a few of his novels on my TBR.

This story follows Ethan, a bisexual 40-year-old resort owner. His ex-wife's assistant, Taylor, who is 27, is sent to assist in planning a party, and romantic sparks start flying.

Taylor was immediately likable. He's an older sibling who helped raise his younger brothers and sisters. This helped him grow into a thoughtful and nurturing adult. One of my favorite things about Ethan is that he's been recently diagnosed with ADHD. One of Taylor's siblings also has ADHD, so he understands some of what Ethan struggles with.

There are lots of great supporting characters in this. Ethan's best friend, Gabriel, is a fun addition to the book. Samara, Ethan's and Amy's daughter, is also an enjoyable character. While the summary above may make it sound like Amy is a villain, she's actually a well-rounded but flawed character. There's a lot of wonderful character development in this, too!

The romance between Ethan and Taylor is steamy. They are each other's types, so the attraction is immediate. The "forced proximity" trope pushes the two closer, and their relationship takes off quickly. It's not just a physical relationship; these two build a solid relationship that I was really rooting for by the end.

This was such a fun, spicy, and romantic book. This was exactly what I needed to cheer me up from a stressful week. I recommend it to anyone looking for a quick, feel-good queer romance. I'm really glad I finally read one of Timothy Janovsky's books, and I'm looking forward to reading more!

Can't Spell Treason Without Tea by Rebecca Thorne

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adventurous funny hopeful lighthearted relaxing 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

4.5

Can't Spell Treason Without Tea is incredibly cute and is the perfect read when you want something light, fun, and cozy.

This is the first book in a series that was inspired by Legends and Lattes. It follows Reyna and Kianthe as they run away together and start a shop that sells tea and books.

The two women are delightful. Their relationship is already established, but this will be the first time they've lived together. Seeing their relationship grow and develop throughout the first book was lovely, and I'm excited to see how they continue to grow in the next books.

Their shop, the town of Tawney, and the supporting characters fill out the story and add lots of depth. By the end, I loved their shop (and town) nearly as much as they did, and I adored all the townspeople and the friendships Kianthe and Reyna built with them.

Though it is a cozy fantasy, there's more action than in other books in the same genre. Reyna is fleeing from a vicious tyrant, and Kianthe is given a quest that, it seems, will drive the plot of future books in the series. Those plots added stakes and kept me wanting to return to the book to see what would happen next.

I adored this! I loved Legends & Lattes but wanted it to focus more on the relationship, so this book was perfect for me! I'm really looking forward to reading A Pirates Life For Tea soon.

A Taste of Gold and Iron by Alexandra Rowland

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adventurous emotional funny lighthearted mysterious tense 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

5.0

A Taste of Gold and Iron is a book I've had on my TBR for a long time. It's a book I knew I would love, but I kept putting it off, waiting for "the right time." Then, last year, I saw a copy of Running Close to the Wind at my library, and it instantly became one of my favorite books of the year. I knew I needed to stop being silly and finally read A Taste of Gold and Iron.

A Taste of Gold and Iron is my favorite kind of "romantasy." It has an excellent romance at the center that features many of the best romance tropes, but it also has intricate world-building with an engaging plot that had me just as invested as the romance.

The plot centers around Kadou, the spare prince of Arasht. After a hunting accident results in deaths, he is assigned a new guard named Evemer. Evemer, like much the rest of the kingdom, harshly judges Kadou for his part in the incident. However, the two slowly grow closer as they work to unravel a financial conspiracy that could have wide-ranging consequences.

As someone with anxiety, I adored Kadou. He second-guesses himself, often worried that it's just his anxiety making him paranoid. I've never read a book that captured that part of anxiety so well, and I related to it strongly. He's also kind and intelligent but struggles with how he should be of use to the sultan (his sister) and their kingdom.

Evemer's points of view were some of my favorite parts of the book. I enjoyed reading his internal monologue so much. I love a stuffy, rule-abiding character who finds something that matters more to him than strictly following protocol. He grows so much throughout the book, and it was a really enjoyable journey. He's also an excellent romantic lead. Some of his quotes are so incredibly romantic that they took my breath away!

The romance starts pretty rocky. At the start of the book, Kadou has a casual relationship with another character, Tadek (who is a delight!). Evemer thinks the spare prince is flighty and irresponsible. Their romance is a real slow burn with yearning, jealousy, and forced proximity. I loved their gradual and growing understanding of each other. There are so many incredible and memorable scenes between these two. I've said in previous reviews that pinning is critical for me to truly love a romance. This pairing gave me all the yearning I could ask and I loved every second!

I realize I'm late to the party and a lot of queer romance and fantasy fans have already read this, but if you haven't, I highly recommend you do. This is beautifully written and plotted. This is one of my favorite books of the year (and of all time).

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Cheddar Luck Next Time by Beth Cato

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adventurous funny lighthearted mysterious 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

4.75

I hadn't heard of this book when I received an offer for the eARC, but I love cozy mysteries and I love books with neurodivergent characters so I knew I had to read it as soon as possible. Plus, the title was just too good to pass on.

Cheddar Luck Next Time is about an autistic woman who has just inherited her grandmother's home. Shortly after settling in, a local troublemaker is murdered, and Bird realizes that she'll have to solve the crime since the police seem to be considering herself and her friend as suspects.

Bird was an instantly likeable character. Her special interest is cheese, and she runs a small business that sells cheese boards. She's empathetic, kind, and so relatable. Grizz was her grandmother's friend, and Bird considers him to be somewhat of a grandfather. He helps her stand up to a local troublemaker and then becomes the prime suspect when that man is murdered shortly afterward. Bird pushes past her anxieties and works to find out who really committed the murder. Along the way, she makes friends, unravels some secrets, and acquires a very chonky cat.

All the supporting characters are delightful, too. A love interest, various townies, old friends, and very frustrated law enforcement officials are included in the quirky cast of characters.

The plot in this is absolutely addictive. I love mysteries, especially cozy mysteries, but I've never had one hook me so quickly and thoroughly. A large part of this was my love for Bird, but the mystery is also plotted and paced really well, with no filler.

This book wasn't on my radar, but I'm so glad it was pointed out to me and that I made time to read it. I highly recommend picking up Cheddar Luck Next Time. It's under 300 pages and can easily be read in a day or two, and you won't want to put it down once you start. It's smart, charming, and has great neurodivergent representation. I genuinely hope that this is the start of a series!

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Storm and Sea by Tereza Kane

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adventurous emotional 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

3.75

Storm and Sea is a new queer romantic fantasy about two young outcasts who find love, friendship, and a found family together.

The Mer in the story have complex societal structures that include belief systems and deeply held prejudices. Both Atreus and Nyel are misfits among the people for different reasons and retreat to the human world for refuge.

Including Atreus and Nyel, five characters get points of view chapters in the book. Some chapters are from a single character's POV, and others are shared between multiple characters. I was worried that this might get confusing, but POV switches are clearly marked, and characters are distinct with various plots that intertwine together. I enjoyed all five characters and liked the time we spent with each.

The only issue I had with the POV changes was that some rehashed events we'd just read about from another perspective. That felt repetitive and it stalled the pacing of the story. This was especially bad in the chapters of supporting characters, which sometimes recaped large portions of the book.

Even with this pacing issue, I enjoyed the book. The characters are delightful, the main romance is adorable, and there's a secondary Achillean romance that I'm hoping gets more focus in the sequel.

I'd recommend this most to readers who enjoy coming-of-age stories. This will probably appeal to Young Adult and New Adult readers the most.

Finally, this is the first book in a planned series, so not all plots and character arcs are wrapped neatly at the end. There is a satisfying conclusion, but some plots will presumably continue in the next book. The main relationship is one of those.

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The Writing Retreat by Julia Bartz

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dark mysterious tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.25

Most of the book takes place in a big, old, isolated house where a group of young women are invited to a writing retreat hosted by a popular author. The women will compete against each other to have their book published and promoted by this famous author they admire and look up to.

The characters in this are messy, and the relationships are even messier. The book strongly focuses on female friendships, how toxic and complicated they can be, and how society often pits women against each other.

There's heavy queer themes throughout the book with multiple Sapphic relationships and at least one character who is struggling with her sexual identity.

Parts of this actually creeped me out. The atmosphere of the isolated house, the ghost stories, and the excerpts from Alex's book were all chilling. I love it when thrillers add a dash of horror.

The twists in this were genuinely shocking and I loved the direction it went in. I had theories for the first half of the book, but the book went in an entirely different direction!

I really enjoyed reading this, and it's one of my favorite thrillers that I've read in recent years. It's not a perfect book, but I thought it was a genuinely fun read with interesting thoughts on relationships between women, writing, and publishing.

Content Warnings

A Drop of Corruption by Robert Jackson Bennett

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adventurous dark funny mysterious tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes

5.0

The Tainted Cup was one of my favorite books of 2024. I loved the murder mystery set in an interesting high-fantasy setting, and I really loved the two main characters. A Drop of Corruption is the follow-up and sees Ana and Din work to solve a new, gruesome crime.

Ana and Din are delightful as ever in this installment. This book takes place some time after A Tainted Cup, and Ana and Din have worked a few cases since we last saw them. Din is struggling with his place in the world and where he wants his future to be. Ana's blunt (and often hilarious) advice is a true highlight of the book. Their dynamic gets a little more focus in this book, and the two learn more about each other, which adds to their dynamic and makes them both even more interesting characters.

There are also a handful of new supporting characters that I really enjoyed. I especially enjoyed Malo, a new local ally who assists in solving the case.

I enjoyed this book's mystery even more than the first book's. This is a truly twisty and layered plot that kept me guessing the entire time. This mystery has very high stakes and includes more plant-based horrors, political scheming, and a large cast of potential suspects and victims.

The world-building of the series continues to be rich and fascinating. The crime being solved takes place in the realm of Yarrow. The location is quite different from the locations visited in the previous book. Yarrow is extensive, with many regions that we travel to as Din and Ana work to solve the case. This area might be outside the Empire and the Titan's Path, but the Leviathans still factor into the story, and the fate of the entire Empire depends on it being solved.

A Drop of Corruption, like its predecessor, will undoubtedly be on my list of best books of the year. It does everything that The Tainted Cup did brilliantly and does it even better. If you like fantasy and mysteries/thrillers, I highly recommend this unique, memorable, and incredibly well-written series!

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A Killing Cold by Kate Alice Marshall

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dark emotional mysterious tense medium-paced

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

4.25

Kate Alice Marshall is one of my go-to thriller writers. Book of the Month always carries her adult thrillers and I'm always excited to add them to my box and read as soon as possible.

Like all of Marshall's books, A Killing Cold has a great main character. Theo is captivating and complicated. I found myself rooting for her and enthralled in finding out her backstory along with her.

I know some people don't love the memory loss trope in thrillers but I do. In A Killing Cold, Theo has repressed childhood memories of a traumatic event. It's now essential for her to figure out what happened to her in the past to save herself in the present.

This is filled with shocking twists, engaging characters with suspicious motivations, and some heart-pounding action scenes. The last half of the book almost has to be read in one sitting!

As far as ranking, What Lies in the Woods is still my favorite thriller by Kate Alice Marshall but this is a very close second. I thought this was much better than No One Can Know.

I raced through this in a weekend. It is set in a cold and snowy atmosphere and would be a perfect read for a chilly Winter weekend.

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Legend of the White Snake by Sher Lee

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adventurous dark emotional 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

4.5

This is a beautiful and emotional love story with some surprisingly dark moments. The plot is also layered with a fair amount of action that keeps it moving at an addictive pace.

At the heart of the story is the complicated and intense relationship between Prince Xian and Zhen. Their relationship hits some high highs and some deep lows as it builds to its emotional climax.

Along with the romance, my favorite part of the book was the friendship between Xian and Feng, his loyal bodyguard. There are also some other great side characters and another romantic relationship that is quite sweet.

If you like YA romances, especially if you enjoy soulmates or the fated mates trope, this is well worth a read. Though, maybe have some tissues nearby!

Content Warnings

Blades of Furry: Volume 1 by Deya Muniz, Emily Erdos

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funny lighthearted 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

5.0

I had never heard of the webtoon when I picked up the graphic novel Blades of Furry. I wanted to read it because Deya Muniz wrote one of my favorite graphic novels, The Princess and the Grilled Cheese Sandwich, so I suspected I might love this one, too.

In short, I was right. This is so cute and incredibly funny, and it's a fantastic start to a series that I can't wait to read more of!

Blades of Furry is a sports romance about two rival skaters, Emile and Radu. Radu is a champion in his sport while Emile is a rookie. Emile is forced to face the unbeatable Radu earlier than expected. When Emile learns a secret about Radu, the two grow closer together which further complicates things. The cast is filled with their friends, competition, family members, a stalker, and coaches. Every character adds something interesting to the story.

My favorite thing about Blades of Furry is the relationship between Radu and Emile. Radu is a dark and mysterious loner but his crush on Emile turns him into the most adorable softie. They are one of the cutest relationships I've ever encountered in a graphic novel. I couldn't get enough of them!

The plot is paced well and has multiple layers that kept me hooked. Most storylines will continue in the second volume in the series and I'm eagerly awaiting to see what happens next. I'm fully invested!

At the end of the graphic novel, there is a short story that gives some backstory on a secondary couple (another Achillean romance). This romance is also adorable and I'm looking forward to more of these two.

Blades of Furry is absolutely fantastic and well worth a read. It's great for those who frequently read graphic novels and would be great for new readers too. If you love Achillean romances, be sure to give this a try. This is a new favorite graphic novel for me and it's a series that I will be loyally following.

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tonyaf's reviews 378 reviews

tonyaf's reviews
378 reviews