yourbookishbff's reviews
590 reviews

Glory and the Master of Shadows by Grace Callaway

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emotional mysterious tense medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Plot
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

3.0

For as much as I didn't love the romance, I really enjoyed the mystery plot? The focus on the FMC's virginity/purity/innocence was grating to me and felt increasingly icky as the story progressed (especially with the age gap here). That said, I loved the backstory for the MMC and his revenge quest. Appreciated the author's note and thought it was a fun, original spin on Charlie's Angels, just wish the central romance was more compelling.
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A Man for Mrs. Claus by Rebekah Weatherspoon

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emotional hopeful lighthearted reflective sad slow-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Plot
  • Strong character development? It's complicated
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes

3.0

I really wanted to love this, but ultimately it just didn't hit as a romance for me. I don't love Bachelorette-style set-ups, and the side characters felt equally annoying and distracting for the page space they took up. I loved Weatherspoon's twist on a Santa origin story, and appreciated how sweet and reflective this was, but I had to push myself to finish it because I was bored. 
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Lord Dashwood Missed Out by Tessa Dare

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funny lighthearted fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Plot
  • Strong character development? It's complicated
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? No

3.0

I didn't love this. It's fun and lighthearted (and the FMC is wonderful!) but the MMC really phoned it in (even the present-day grand gesture didn't really hit for me because he was so abysmal in their flashback?). A nice snowed-in story that worked more as a comedy than as a romance for me.
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A Love By Design by Elizabeth Everett

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emotional hopeful lighthearted reflective medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? No

5.0

My favorite of Elizabeth Everett's books! Childhood friends to lovers + second-chance romance with a beautifully executed central conflict. I loved seeing these two learn how to trust and support one another again, and I appreciated the sensitivity to their initial estrangement. Everett's humor feels really comfortable in this third installment in the series, and I found the dynamics between the large cast of characters so familiar and sincere. The intimacy scenes added so much to the relationship development here as well. 
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The Remains of Christmas by Megan Montgomery

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Did not finish book. Stopped at 31%.
I hit a brick wall on holiday reads - will return to this one next year!
His Christmas Rose by Jane Maguire, Jane Maguire

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

4.0

This was a cozy and low-angst Christmas-time love story. I loved how Maguire set up the backstory for these two, as they have years of shared acquaintance, even as the slight difference in their ages meant more opportunity for miscommunication and unrequited feelings when they were younger. Most compelling for me was Nate's sense of humility and his urgent desire to be better for his family. A wonderful use of an unexpected snowstorm and the resulting forced proximity of their reunion! Writing felt a bit overworked at times, but ultimately this was really enjoyable.
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Second Chances in New Port Stephen by TJ Alexander

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emotional funny hopeful lighthearted reflective 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? It's complicated

5.0

This was my first romance by TJ Alexander, and I absolutely loved it. I don't read as much contemporary romance these days, and I was honestly so relieved to have the comfort and familiarity of third-person POV (I struggle with the shift to first-person POV in contemporaries!). This centers main characters in their late thirties/nearing forty (!), with a trans main character returning to his ultra-conservative Floridian hometown during a career crisis and a newly single dad navigating life post-divorce with his four year-old. These two have a long history with one another, having grown up as inseparable childhood friends before becoming more in high school, and the nuanced balance between deep familiarity and rediscovery was so well done. Each is making significant assumptions about the other and what they want (relatable and realistic, sigh), and each is navigating particularly thorny personal and family conflicts on the side. I deeply appreciate how each character has an independent conflict to resolve before negotiating a relationship, and that even when they could veer into codependency, they ultimately lean on a larger network of support (fantastic parents, caring and supportive exes, great BFFs, and even new friends). This feels like a love letter to elder millennials and queer folks discovering themselves later in life (Nick!!), and I highly recommend.
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The Longest Night by E.E. Ottoman

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hopeful lighthearted reflective relaxing medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Loveable characters? Yes

4.0

E.E. Ottoman excels in writing cozy, slice-of-life, cottagecore queer romances that make me want to move to upstate New York. This is a tight page count - and a freebie on his website - and ultimately a really quiet and tender love story between finally-united pen pals. I particularly love how Ottoman writes intimacy scenes, ensuring his story is always affirming of his trans characters. Reviewers consistently point out that this didn't have a proofreader, which I don't mind for a short story like this (a FREE short story, folks!). I recommend this nice little bonus Christmas story for Ottoman fans!
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Seduced In A Storm by Royaline Sing

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hopeful lighthearted fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes

4.0

A charming story of separated childhood friends who were on the *cusp* of being more when a misunderstood event pushed them apart. Reunited unexpectedly years later, we get flashes of their childhood and teen years amidst their present day scandal-in-the-making. Sweet and lighthearted with some on-page spice. Set during Holi!
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The Winter Companion by Mimi Matthews

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emotional hopeful reflective sad tense medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes

4.5

Set in North Devon during the winter holidays, The Winter Companion is festive on the inside (of the abbey) and gray and rainy on the outside, making it a perfectly Gothic Christmas romance for our final parish orphan. Neville is underestimated so consistently - even by those who love him - that this story has some seriously sharp edges for the reader, but he finds his heart's match in Clara, an overlooked lady's companion harboring self-doubt alongside heavy familial burdens. The way these two come together is so tender, and I was moved to see how they claim each other and their dreams in the end. As to be expected in Mimi Matthews, I spent a good bit of this feeling weepy, but gosh what a lovely conclusion to this series.
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