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toosharpbyhalf's reviews
41 reviews
Snowspelled by Stephanie Burgis
3.0
I very much enjoyed this second-chance historical fantasy romance. The world is fascinating, an alternative Victorian age where women wield both magic and political power and men are regarded as too hot-headed and unreliable to hold power. Lol. The heroine has burned out her magic trying to prove herself and her stubborn self-blame destroyed her relationship and drives a lot of the plot. The other big strand of the plot is that she manages to end up the target of a malicious member of the fey court. The romance is less to the fore and balanced with the fantasy story. If I have a criticism it's that I found it a little slight in itself but the sequel is much stronger and as an introdution to the world this works really well.
Thornbound by Stephanie Burgis
4.0
This was even better than the first book in the series. Unable to use magic any longer herself, Cassandra Harwood is determined to teach young women magic, but there are lots of forces who want her to fail, complicated motivations and rivalries, and something sinister is going on. Like the first one this is a mix of romance and historical fantasy (probably more the latter) but I found the story more successful. This is a well paced novel that was a pleasure to read and very satisfying, not to mention fiercely feminist. Oh and I must give a shout out to the cover art which is stunning!
The Wisteria Society of Lady Scoundrels by India Holton
4.0
Oh this is a ridiculous book. Utterly, sublimely ridiculous. I don't normally read things quite this ridic. and I worried at first that it might wear out its welcome quickly but it really didn't. It's a tale of tea, jeopardy and Victorian pirate ladies in flying houses and definitely very light and silly, in a Princess Bride kind of a way, but it also has a lot of heart and emotion, in a Princess Bride kind of a way. The way the characters do violence while being genteel reminded me of Steed and Mrs Peel, if they were a bit less honourable and more prone to stealing things. There's a proper romance plot between Ned and Cecilia with plenty of heat and fervent kissing and a bit more besides, and a lovely ending.
The Spare Man by Mary Robinette Kowal
5.0
Rich, disabled Tesla and her handsome ex-investigator husband Shal are in a space cruise for their honeymoon under assumed identities when it all goes wrong. Shal is framed for murder and the ship's police think it's open and shut.
Billed as The Thin Man in space this is way more emotionally grueling than that implies because the couple aren't just dabbling in a bit of private investigating, they are accused of murder and only end up investigating to clear themselves. There's a threat to them all the way through the book.
It's definitely a page turner, full of vivid people, with a diverse range of genders and identities, very much a world where gender binary isn't the assumed norm. Tesla is a wonderful lead, an inventor who suffers chronic pain from a spinal injury which she has to dial down with a deep brain device that numbs her sense of touch. She has an absolutely adorable Westie service dog which thinks it is the centre of the universe (mainly because it is).
In summary, a very satisfying read.
[This is a murder mystery not a romance so although the newly married couple are all over each other throughout the book there's no actual hanky panky. I didn't expect any, but just so you know!]
Billed as The Thin Man in space this is way more emotionally grueling than that implies because the couple aren't just dabbling in a bit of private investigating, they are accused of murder and only end up investigating to clear themselves. There's a threat to them all the way through the book.
It's definitely a page turner, full of vivid people, with a diverse range of genders and identities, very much a world where gender binary isn't the assumed norm. Tesla is a wonderful lead, an inventor who suffers chronic pain from a spinal injury which she has to dial down with a deep brain device that numbs her sense of touch. She has an absolutely adorable Westie service dog which thinks it is the centre of the universe (mainly because it is).
In summary, a very satisfying read.
[This is a murder mystery not a romance so although the newly married couple are all over each other throughout the book there's no actual hanky panky. I didn't expect any, but just so you know!]
Ship Wrecked by Olivia Dade
4.0
The nicest compliment I can give this book is that I just met some living breathing people and I’m sad I have to say goodbye, It’s maybe a bit of a strange thing to say when the characters are hollywood actors starring in a thinly-veiled Game of Thrones style TV show but they feel unique.
Things I loved:
* The wicked digs at the (totally not) Game of Thrones showrunners.
* The banter between the leads, their friendship, Maria’s swedish insults,
* Peter and Maria being plus size and that this is addressed but that they are never seen as less than sexy (and horny!) and they have a fandom who is massively shipping them.
* The hilarious group chat chapters between the cast, with really believable banter
* The ao3 smutfic chapters
* Maria is incredibly aware of her own needs and boundaries, but still has things to learn
* Peter can be a dick but for good, deep reasons and he figures it out.
The story starts with a (one night) bang, moves onto slow burn, then gets quite spicy (for me!) in the middle but the joy is the rich characterisation. I'm not always a fan of books where the characters get together halfway through and have to work on their relationship goals, but this is very satisfying.
Things I loved:
* The wicked digs at the (totally not) Game of Thrones showrunners.
* The banter between the leads, their friendship, Maria’s swedish insults,
* Peter and Maria being plus size and that this is addressed but that they are never seen as less than sexy (and horny!) and they have a fandom who is massively shipping them.
* The hilarious group chat chapters between the cast, with really believable banter
* The ao3 smutfic chapters
* Maria is incredibly aware of her own needs and boundaries, but still has things to learn
* Peter can be a dick but for good, deep reasons and he figures it out.
The story starts with a (one night) bang, moves onto slow burn, then gets quite spicy (for me!) in the middle but the joy is the rich characterisation. I'm not always a fan of books where the characters get together halfway through and have to work on their relationship goals, but this is very satisfying.
A Cross-Country Christmas by Courtney Walsh
3.0
This book does so many things right and I was only looking for a light Christmassy read so I feel a bit churlish saying it, but but for whatever reason it never quite grabbed me.
It's a grumpy-sunshine road trip, there are cute moments, a buried secret or two, plenty of pining, and a really sweet ending. It was well-written. It just didn't sweep me off my feet.
I think partly the inclusion of a couple of flashbacks to the leads as kids / teenagers undercut the smouldering.
It's a grumpy-sunshine road trip, there are cute moments, a buried secret or two, plenty of pining, and a really sweet ending. It was well-written. It just didn't sweep me off my feet.
I think partly the inclusion of a couple of flashbacks to the leads as kids / teenagers undercut the smouldering.