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thefallennightmare · 3 months

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One Night-Valentine's Day special

*gif created by me. feel free to use, simply give credit*

Pairings: Noah Sebastian x Reader

Warnings: lots of smut(mask play, spit play, bondage, anal, fingering, oral(m/f receiving), choking, unprotected sex), swearing, angst, fluff.

Summary: Nothing like a little Valentines Day smut for these two love birds!

Authors Note: Since this takes place during this universe, every thing that happened between Noah and Reader is still the same! Just a little pop in to see how they've been doing! Happy Valentines Day my lovelies! I hope you enjoy this little blurb!

Tags: @thescarlettvvitch @sammyjoeee @shilohrosechicken @malice-ov-mercy @thebadchic @niicoleleigh @lma1986 @dsireland86 @bellaboo967 @cookiesupplier @whenthesummerdies @bngurngheart @laurpartyprogram @thisbicc @lyinginbetween @princessmarshmallowx @loeytuan98 @cncohshit @lacktoesandtoddlerants @notingridslurkaccount @calleyx13 @jessiskyee @mrscevans @spicywhenspeaking @myownthoughts12 @br0kenangel23 @flowery-mess @lizzieseveride @illmakeyousaywow @burning-outx @xhedonistolisx @sinnamongirl @jilliemiw86 @shayzillaaaa @dream-machine-love

“Hi, who can I make this out to?” I smiled up at the person in front of me.

The young blonde smiled wide. “Uh, Jennifer.”

I picked up on her nerves but decided not to dwell on it like I’d done with the other 50 people before her. I opened the book Jennifer lay in front of me and wrote the same message I’d been writing all day.

Jennifer,

Thank you so much for the support.

Y/N.

“Thank you so much for coming out”, I said while sliding the book back to Jennifer.

Jennifer shook her head while clutching the book close to her chest. “No, thank you, Y/N! I absolutely loved One Night. So when you were promoting Always Pretending, I knew I would have another book to add to my TBR list. Needless to say, it’s my favorite book ever.”

My cheeks flushed. “Oh wow. Thank you so much for that, Jennifer. Truly, your praise means a lot.”

With a wave, I continued the same thing for the next long while, signing book after book for my fans. This was the last day in a two-week-long book tour across the United States and to say I was exhausted was an understatement. Not to mention, I had a four-hour flight back home to Los Angeles as soon as I left this bookshop. Jackie, my assistant, knew how badly I wanted to get back home so she booked the earliest flight she could.

It has been like this for the last year ever since I published One Night and now Always Pretending; both books on the bestseller list. While I was thankful for that, I wasn’t thankful for being away from home for so long.

Away from Noah.

Our schedules didn’t seem to match up as of late. While I was away on my book signing tour, he was home resting because a week after I got back home, Bad Omens would be leaving for a round of festivals overseas. Noah wanted me to join him since I hadn’t been in a long time. We’d been dating for almost two years now and I had to miss out on the last two tours because of my own career.

I had every intention of joining Noah now but needed to talk to Jackie about it first. She worked tirelessly to keep my schedule busy and jam-packed to promote my books but in my eyes, they didn't need any more promotion. I’d been working almost nonstop with these book tours, interviews, and not to mention trying to work on my third book.

I needed a fucking break.

I didn’t want it to seem to people that I was complaining because I was thankful for where I ended up. If you had told the girl two years ago who sat on that tour bus wondering if her first book would be good enough to become a best-selling author, she’d laugh in your face.

Noticing that we were dwindling to the last few people, I powered through with a plastered smile even though my eyes were drowning in exhaustion. My phone lay on the table next to me, screen down but kept buzzing against the wood. Jackie went to reach for it but I shot her a look in between signing books.

“I thought you’d want me to respond for you,” she tried to smile.

I bit my tongue, not wanting to snap at the older woman because she was simply doing her job but I knew who was texting me and didn’t want her to see those messages.

“It’s fine, thank you,” I muttered.

Finally, after a two-hour signing, I was finished and shook out the cramps in my right hand while letting out a deep breath. It was almost 2 in the afternoon and my flight left in 3 hours which meant I had to rush across town to make it in time.

“So, I was thinking,” Jackie started as I began to gather my things. “The local news channel would love to have you on their morning report tomorrow. I think it would be great publicity.”

I raised a brow. “You seemed to forget that I have a flight in three hours, Jackie.”

“I know,” she nodded. “But we can move some things around and-.”

For the first time since she took over as my assistant, I said the word that I never wanted to because I knew how important the publicity side of my career was.

“No.”

Jackie blinked. “What?”

I sighed while running a hand through my hair. “Look Jackie, while I appreciate everything you’ve done for me these past few months, I need a break. I’ve been going nonstop since One Night was published. I miss my life back in Los Angeles. I miss my quiet little apartment. I miss my boyfriend.”

Noah’s smile flashed in my mind and my heart yearned to be back with him. About three months ago, he moved in with me but with how busy both of us had been it felt as if we didn’t have time to actually revel in living together.

Not to mention, being away from him for two weeks made me horny as hell. Facetime sex paled in comparison to seeing and feeling the real thing.

“But-.”

I held up my hand to silence Jackie. “You deserve a break as well, Jackie. Take some time off, do things you love. When I’m ready to talk about book three, I’ll give you a call, alright?”

Reluctantly, she nodded while tucking a piece of graying hair behind her ear.

Bidding her goodbye, I threw my bag over my shoulder and then dragged my suitcase behind me to exit the bookstore only to immediately sit in the backseat of the black town car that had been waiting to take me to the airport. Once we were gliding along the road, I finally peered at my phone for the first time in a few hours.

Noah: Angel, I’m so proud of everything you’ve done. Seeing how successful your book tour has been makes me smile. I can’t wait till you’re back home and we can celebrate. I love you so much.

Noah: So, are you going to sign a copy of Always Pretending for me? Since you know, I was your muse for it.

I rolled my eyes with a giggle before replying to Noah.

Me: Oh please, you know I’d sign a book for my biggest fan. Also, I love you too.

As I browsed through my phone, checking my social media and responding to emails, Noah texted back.

Noah: So, we have a problem. I can’t pick you up from the airport because I forgot I had my therapy appointment at six.

My heart sunk to the depths of my stomach. All day I’d been looking forward to seeing Noah’s face as I stepped through the doors of the airport. But I knew that he couldn’t miss therapy. It was more important than picking me up.

Me: It’s okay, love. I can order an uber. I should be back home by 8. Maybe we can have a late dinner together?

Noah: Already taken care of, angel.

With a yawn, I adjusted my glasses as I stepped through the gate doors of the airport, dragging my bags behind me. There was a delay in taking off at the last airport which meant I was now arriving in Los Angeles at 9 p.m rather than 7 p.m. I had to buy wifi on the plane so I could message Noah to let him know about the delay.

Thank the gods I changed out of my professional attire at the last airport and opted to wear my Bad Omens joggers and Noah’s yellow hoodie; his smell still lingering. With my phone in one hand, I was about to order an Uber when my feet skidded to a halt at the sight in front of me.

What a cheeky little…

Noah smirked as he held a bouquet of black daisies.

“Hi, angel,” he mused.

I reached for the flowers and brought them to my nose, inhaling their scent, and then peered up at Noah.

“I thought you couldn’t pick me up.”

Noah brushed away a loose strand of hair from my face. “I sort of lied. I had plans to pick you up then take you out to dinner for Valentine's day but when your flight got delayed, I had to switch things up.”

“So you’ve been waiting here for two hours?” I asked.

“Worth it.”

He shrugged before wrapping his fingers behind my neck to bring our lips together in a long overdue kiss. His tongue immediately molded against mine and I moaned into it, my hand sprawling over his chest. The material of his Hereditary sweater felt warm underneath my palm and I let myself fall into him when his hands grasped my hips.

“I missed you, Y/N,” Noah’s teeth grazed over my bottom lip.

“I missed you too, love.”

With his arm wrapped around my shoulder and other hand holding my bags, Noah led me out of the airport and towards his car parked in the parking lot. Once we were settled, he began the drive back home. I nestled into the passenger seat and let out a content sigh.

“Tired?” Noah questioned with one hand on the wheel and the other resting on my thigh.

“No, surprisingly. I thought I would be but I’m just happy to be back home.”

He brought my hand to his lips to kiss along my knuckles. “I’m glad you’re back too, angel.”

For the rest of the drive home, I told him how the book tour went while he told me what he did the last few weeks. Since it was down time for Bad Omens, Noah spent it either in the gym with Ash or in the studio with the guys.

As we walked down the long hallway to our apartment, another yawn slipped through my lips and I nearly stumbled. Noah chuckled as he wrapped an arm around me to pull me into his chest.

“You should get some sleep, angel.”

I frowned while burying myself into his sweater. "I'm not tired."

His lips brushed along my forehead as we stopped in front of our door and he unlocked it. The darkness of our home escaped into the hallway as I stepped through the threshold and when I clicked on the lights, a gasp fell from my lips.

Matching the daisies bouquet I had clutched in my arms, our entire apartment was littered. Music played softly as I noticed the steaming dinner plated on our kitchen island, candles lit and spread throughout.

Turning on my heels, I gaped at Noah who leaned against the door with a smug smile.

“What is this?” I asked, doing my best not to cry.

“Happy Valentine's Day, angel. I had Jolly set this up for me while we were on our way home. He had to warm up the dinner I cooked earlier but I promise it’s still good,” he said.

My eyes widened. “Oh, I forgot it’s Valentine's day! I was so busy with everything I didn’t get you anything.”

Noah pushed himself off the door and immediately cupped my face so I could look up at him. The hood of his sweater was still pulled over his eyes, chocolate tendrils falling into his face.

“You know I don’t need anything. Just you, angel. But I wanted to do something special for you because you deserve it.”

I left a firm but quick kiss on his lips, muttering against them. “Thank you, Noah.”

He smiled while motioning behind me. “Come on, let's eat.”

“Fuck, Noah,” I moaned when his tongue licked up the patch of skin his teeth grazed.

My nails dragged down his bare chest, leaving red marks along his tattoos, as he continued to slam his cock into me, the couch beneath us scraping along the wood floors.

“So tight. I missed you,” he groaned into the crook of my neck as his hips stilled.

I knew he was close but also knew that he didn’t want it to end yet. What started as a nice romantic dinner turned into a heavy make out session on the couch. Neither of us could wait any longer and needed to be connected once again.

His fingers brushed along the folds of my pussy and I shook with the feeling as he slowly dragged his cock all the way out, only leaving the tip inside.

“Noah,” I whined while raising my hips. “Please.”

His teeth dragged along my nipples. “Please what?”

I raked my nails through his hair and yanked back causing Noah to let out a loud hiss. “Fuck, angel.”

“Stop teasing me and fuck me, Noah. Please.”

My screams echoed throughout the apartment when he buried his cock deep witin me again, his pace becoming ruthless. But our position on the couch wasn’t the greatest, I needed to be able to feel him even deeper. We couldn’t make it to the bedroom when we first started and there was no way I was going to stop this now.

Noah could tell I needed something different because with one strong arm, he lifted me from the couch to carry me over to the kitchen table. I squealed in delight as I writhed in his embrace.

“What are you doing?” I asked as he made me lean back.

He brushed back the sweat slicked hair from his forehead and licked his lips. “I need a taste of you.”

With a tight grip on my thighs, he spread my legs wide apart before he knelt between them. The warmth of his tongue sent shockwaves to my entire system as he lapped up the remnants of my previous orgasm he gave me on the couch and I arched off the table when he began sucking on my clit.

“Shit, Noah. I’m going to-.”

With two fingers spearing me wide open before pumping in fast succession and his mouth sucking on my sensitive nub, I let the shock of my orgasm tear through me with such a force that it nearly took my breath away.

“Such a good girl,” Noah mused while laying a kiss on the inside of my thigh. “I missed the way you taste.”

I only had a few minutes to breath before he was yanking me off the table to now stand on my feet. He patted my ass.

“Lean your hands against the window,” he nodded towards the patio door.

“What-?” I shuffled on my feet.

Noah’s lips attacked mine in a ravenous kiss and when he pulled away, he brushed my arousal off of his lips with his thumb. His bracelet and necklace glinted in the light from the lamppost outside.

“Be a good girl, Y/N, and do what I say,” his voice was as dark as his eyes.

Not wanting to disappoint, I quickly made my way over to the patio door that led out to our balcony and rested my psalm against the glass.Thankfully we shut off all but one of the lights so no one would be able to peer up into our apartment and see what we were doing.

"Keep your hands on the window," he demanded and then yanked my hips back to him so I was bent over.

Nodding furiously, I spread my hands against the window of the patio door when his cocked slipped inside of me again, his name falling off my lips in a prayer.

“That’s right, pray to your king,” Noah rasped as he bit down on my shoulder.

One tattooed arm wrapped around my stomach while the other tightened around my throat to bring my chest against his back, this new angle making my vision blurry. It felt so good, the burn, and Noah knew how bad I needed it to hurt.

He squeezed until I felt the air being ripped away from me, his cock slamming into me with no sign of stopping. He never held back and I never wanted him too. I needed it to hurt, needed it to burn, that I wouldn't be able to walk tomorrow.

When I felt the darkness creeping to the corners of my eyelids due to how tight he was gripping my throat, I let out a choked moan.

“Safe word?” he muttered into my ear before kissing the skin behind there.

Although his voice was soft and concerning, the way he fucked me was completley different.

I did my best to shake my head with his tight grip around my throat. “Keep. Going. So. Close.”

Noah eased his grip a bit so I could take a deep breath before he tightened it again. My orgasm was so close, I just needed a little something to have it wash over me. As my hand moved to my clit, Noah smacked my ass, the sound echoing through our apartment. Instead, his thumb pressed circles against my clit and that was exactly what I needed to let my orgasm finally release from the tightness of my body. I came with such vigor on Noah’s cock he groaned into my hairline.

“Such a good girl,” he praised while letting go of the vice grip around my throat.

Gulping for hair, I nodded. “Yes.”

Nails dug into the skin of my hips as Noah’s pace became even more frantic, him chasing his own release, and I was so far gone in my post orgasmic haze that I nearly didn’t hear the two words he said.

“Wh-what?” I stuttered.

Noah’s hips stilled for a beat before he let out a deep, guttural groan when he spilled his warm release into me.

“Marry me.”

Before my body could fall into a heap to the ground, Noah lifted me to sit me on the edge of our kitchen island. His large hand cupped my cheek so I had no choice but to gaze upon him. His pupils were blown wide due to our actions and his chest rose and fell as he did his best to catch his breath. His warm cum dripped down my legs onto the cold marble beneath me but I didn’t dare think about the mess. I only thought about those two words.

“What did you say?” I asked, still breathless.

“Marry me,” Noah said again without an ounce of hesitation.

Everything around us seemed to fall away, the eerie quiet of the apartment now ringing loudly in my ears. My heart beat loudly in my chest that I could feel it in my throat when I realized how sincere Noah was. This wasn’t a joke, he meant those words.

As if he thought I was doubting him, he ripped open our junk drawer in the kitchen to pull out a small velvet box and my breath caught in my throat.

“Fuck, you’re serious?” I choked out.

Noah smiled wickedly as he opened the box, the light above the kitchen sink catching the diamond almost instantly. The gold band was thin but the oval shape of the diamond almost sat perfectly against it.

“With you, Y/N. I’ve never been more serious about anything,” he said.

My throat burned in the best way. Never in this lifetime did I ever expect to have such a romantic Valentine's Day. Guys in my past never gave a shit, especially Jacob, so to have Noah go all out was something I wasn't used too but knowing he loved me so much made my heart swell.

I began to nod wildly. “Fuck yes!”

With a laugh, Noah collided our lips together in a fever kiss before reluctantly pulling away to slide the ring onto my finger.

“I didn’t mean to have a cliche proposal on Valentine's day. I planned on asking you if you came overseas but I couldn’t risk not asking you before,” Noah explained.

I wrapped my legs around his naked form to bring him closer to me and I hung my arms around his neck. We were still naked and the cool air from the open window brushed along our heated skin.

“I’m coming with you.”

Noah’s eyes lit up. “You are?”

“Yeah, I need a break and now that we’re engaged, I think we need to celebrate,” I waved the hand with the ring in front of his face playfully.

He grasped it to leave a kiss upon the ring. “Say no more, angel.”

My squeals bounced off the walls of our home as Noah carried me into our bedroom to start our engagement celebrations.

#noah sebastian #noah sebastian and reader #noah sebastian x reader #noah sebastian fic #noah sebastian fanfiction #bad omens #bad omens reader

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oflights · 3 months

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so one of my fandom resolutions this year was to be a more transparent reader. similarly, i wanted to commit to leaving more comments in general, and i decided these two objectives really tie into each other.

instead of doing traditional rec lists, which i find overwhelming and sometimes alienating, each month i'm going to list out the fics i left comments on. if i like a fic enough to leave a comment, i definitely recommend it.

i'm hoping this means i can put more eyes on fics that don't get recommended a lot; i don't actually rely on reclists to find fics too often. also, sometimes i read something and have to sit with it a while before i comment, or something languishes on my tbr forever. that's why these fics aren't everything i read in january, it's what i managed to comment on. some fics i read this month will show up on later month lists. i'm tracking everything i read in a google sheet with titles, authors, links, some of my thoughts, and the pub year just to be extra organized. 😌

here's this month's list, in absolutely no order:

O Come, All Ye Faithful by toomuchplor

Always the Last to Know by @nv-md

True Love Gave to Me by @epitomereally

bake it til you make it by Anonymous

Holding Out for a Hero by JayGwen23

Six Firewhiskeys and Potter's Green Jumper by starhoppinglover

i want your midnights by hoko_onchi

9 Days in Coventry by Anonymous

bonus: a fic i couldn't comment on! one of my fave fandom hobbies is going ~fic spelunking on old archives/livejournal/etc. and using the wayback machine to find old fic. i've found enough excellent stuff this way to fill whole rec lists with them. so each month, i'll feature a fic i really enjoyed after finding it on the wayback machine.

this month's fic is No Talking by dahlia. it's a super sweet FWB to lovers fic, post-war but published in 2006. a note about these fics is that they're often from before all the books were out, so if you're very attached to canon working out the way it really did, a lot of these are skips for you. this one is really lovely and worth it, imo.

#drarry #drarry fic #drarry rec lists #oflights comments 2024

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ellebeaumontbooks · 2 months

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Coming July 31, 2024 the retelling you didn't know you needed!

Verona has 99 problems—including a time machine.

All Benvolio has ever desired is a peaceful life alongside his spirited—albeit quarrelsome—roommate, Mercutio. But as the story goes, the course of true love never did run smooth, and when tensions between the Montagues and the Capulets reach a boiling point, Benvolio and Mercutio are dragged into the mess Romeo makes of all their lives.

Then an older version of Benvolio crashes into their lives, offering the opportunity to change fate, Mercutio does as he always does—seizes the chance. There's just one problem: no deal is without strings, and this one involves a deadly secret that Mercutio is determined to take to the grave.

What follows is a lively adventure through the ages, replete with love and heartache. Amidst the chaos, this inseparable duo will unravel the true depth of their friendship.

A riotous romp of a retelling of Romeo & Juliet. Side effects of reading may contain laughter, heartache, and a need for more. This light, sci-fi fantasy is the perfect shelf companion to The Queer Principles of Kit Webb by Cat Sebastian, Something Fabulous by Alexis Hall, and The Gentle Art of Fortune Hunting by KJ Charles. (add it to your Goodreads TBR!)

#mercutio x benvolio #elle beaumont #william shakespere #retelling #time travel #scifi #steampunk #fantasy books #queer books #lgbt reads #lou wilham

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fellamarsh · 1 year

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Looking for book recs!

I have only-engages-with-media-via-word-of-mouth disease and would love to get some recommendations from yall!

First, I am always interested in recs in the scif-fi/fantasy and adjacent categories that feature queer people (though I'll note that I'm typically not interested in YA/anything super lighthearted).

Right now, though, I'm trying to read things for research/inspiration purposes while I'm developing my next big solo project (Working Title: SOUP.) To that end, I'm looking for stories that feature...

Gender fuckery - where are the modern day Left Hands of Darkness? Especially interested in stories that imagine post-gender society

Spatial horror - think megastructures and endless hallways, ala Blame! and House of Leaves

Strange or unconventional divinity - gods that are barely distinguishable from monsters, machines, or the mundane

Hivemind or Many-In-One beings or characters - unconventional takes on mindreading would also work

Worlds or environments not anchored, either partially or wholly, in physical space - think dreamscapes, spiritual realms, planes in-between or outside of the Material

Recommendations definitely don't have to have more than one of (or even heavily feature) these very specific elements btw! And again, I'm happy to hear about basically any book in the scif-fi/fantasy and adjacent categories that has queer people in it, especially if it makes you starry eyed/foam at the mouth/react like a dog destroying a chewtoy.

Any help growing my painfully sparse tbr pile - including simply boosting this post - is very much appreciated!

#book recommendations #book recs #thanks in advance for any help yall :)#working title: soup

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richincolor · 6 days

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We've found quite a variety of books being released today. There is romance, fantasy, music, murder, and more in the pages of these books. What will you add to your TBR pile?

Wild Dreamers by Margarita Engle Atheneum Books for Young Readers

In this stirring young adult romance from award-winning author Margarita Engle, love and conservation intertwine as two teens fight to protect wildlife and heal from their troubled pasts.

Ana and her mother have been living out of their car ever since her militant father became one of the FBI’s most wanted. Leandro has struggled with debilitating anxiety since his family fled Cuba on a perilous raft.

One moonlit night, in a wilderness park in California, Ana and Leandro meet. Their connection is instant—a shared radiance that feels both scientific and magical. Then they discover they are not a huge mountain lion stalks through the trees, one of many wild animals whose habitat has been threatened by humans.

Determined to make a difference, Ana and Leandro start a rewilding club at their school, working with scientists to build wildlife crossings that can help mountain lions find one another. If pumas can find their way to a better tomorrow, surely Ana and Leandro can too.

Saint-Seducing Gold (Forge & Fracture Saga #2) by Brittany N. Williams Amulet Books

The second book in the stunning YA historical fantasy trilogy that New York Times bestselling author Ayana Gray called “nothing short of spectacular”

There’s danger in the court of James I. Magical metal-worker Joan Sands must reforge the Pact between humanity and the Fae to stop the looming war. As violence erupts across London and the murderous spymaster Robert Cecil closes in, the Fae queen Titanea coerces Joan into joining the royal court while holding her godfather prisoner in the infamous Tower of London. Now Joan will have to survive deadly machinations both magical and mortal all while balancing the magnetic pull of her two loves—Rose and Nick—before the world as she knows it is destroyed forever.

Off With Their Heads by Zoe Hana Mikuta Disney Hyperion

Fans of Chloe Gong and Judy I. Lin will devour this Korean-inspired Alice in Wonderland retelling about two very wicked girls, forever bonded by blood and betrayal . . .

In a world where Saints are monsters and Wonderland is the dark forest where they lurk, it’s been five years since young witches and lovers Caro Rabbit and Iccadora Alice Sickle were both sentenced to that forest for a crime they didn’t commit—and four years since they shattered one another’s hearts, each willing to sacrifice the other for a chance at freedom.

Now, Caro is a successful royal Saint-harvester, living the high life in the glittering capital and pretending not to know of the twisted monster experiments that her beloved Red Queen hides deep in the bowels of the palace. But for Icca, the memory of Caro’s betrayal has hardened her from timid girl to ruthless hunter. A hunter who will stop at nothing to exact her On Caro. On the queen. On the throne itself.

But there’s a secret about the Saints the Queen’s been guarding, and a volatile magic at play even more dangerous to Icca and Caro than they are to each other…

Lush, terrifying, and uncanny, Zoe Hana Mikuta—author of Gearbreakers and Godslayers —takes a delicate knife straight through the heart of this beloved surrealist fairytale.

Kill Her Twice by Stacey Lee G.P. Putnam’s Sons Books for Young Readers

Los Angeles, 1932: Lulu Wong, star of the silver screen and the pride of Chinatown, has a face known to practically anyone, especially to the Chow sisters—May, Gemma, and Peony—Lulu’s former classmates and neighbors. So the girls instantly know it’s Lulu whose body they discover one morning in an out-of-the-way stable, far from the Beverly Hills mansion where she moved once her fame skyrocketed.

The sisters suspect Lulu’s death is the result of foul play, but the LAPD—known for being corrupt to the core—doesn’t seem motivated to investigate. Even worse, there are signs that point to the possibility of a police cover-up, and powerful forces in the city want to frame the killing as evidence that Chinatown is a den of iniquity and crime, even more reason it should be demolished to make room for the construction of a new railway depot, Union Station.

Worried that neither the police nor the papers will treat a Chinese girl fairly—no matter how famous and wealthy—the sisters set out to solve their friend’s murder themselves, and maybe save their neighborhood in the bargain. But with Lulu’s killer still on the loose, the girls’ investigation just might put them square in the crosshairs of a coldblooded murderer.

Punk Rock Karaoke by Bianca Xunise Viking Books for Young Readers

When life gives you guitars, smash them!

School is out for summer and Ariel Grace Jones is determined to make it one for the books! Together with their bestie bandmates, Michele and Gael, Ariel believes they’re destined to break into the music industry and out of Chicago’s Southside by singing lead in their garage punk band, Baby Hares.

But before Baby Hares can officially get into the groove, the realities of post grad life start to weigh on this crew of misfits. Ari begins to worry that it’s time to pull the plug on their dreams of making it big.

Just when all hope feels lost, a fellow punk and local icon takes an interest in their talent. It seems like he might be the only one Ariel can rely on as frustrations between bandmates reach at an all-time high.

Punk Rock Karaoke is a coming-of-age tale that draws upon the explosive joy of the underground scene, while raising questions about authenticity, the importance of community and what it means to succeed on your own terms.

Song of the Six Realms by Judy I. Lin Feiwel & Friends

Xue, a talented young musician, has no past and probably no future. Orphaned at a young age, her kindly poet uncle took her in and arranged for an apprenticeship at one of the most esteemed entertainment houses in the kingdom. She doesn’t remember much from before entering the House of Flowing Water, and when her uncle is suddenly killed in a bandit attack, she is devastated to lose her last connection to a life outside of her indenture contract.

With no family and no patron, Xue is facing the possibility of a lifetime of servitude playing the qin for nobles that praise her talent with one breath and sneer at her lowly social status with the next. Then one night she is unexpectedly called to the garden to put on a private performance for the enigmatic Duke Meng. The young man is strangely kind and awkward for nobility, and surprises Xue further with an irresistible offer: serve as a musician in residence at his manor for one year, and he’ll set her free of her indenture.

But the Duke’s motives become increasingly more suspect when he and Xue barely survive an attack by a nightmarish monster, and when he whisks her away to his estate, she discovers he’s not just some country noble: He’s the Duke of Dreams, one of the divine rulers of the Celestial Realm. There she learns the Six Realms are on the brink of disaster, and incursions by demonic beasts are growing more frequent.

The Duke needs Xue’s help to unlock memories from her past that could hold the answers to how to stop the impending war… but first Xue will need to survive being the target of every monster and deity in the Six Realms.

Blood Justice (Blood Debts #2) by Terry J. Benton-Walker Tor Teen

Cristina and Clement Trudeau have conjured the impossible: justice.

They took back their family’s stolen throne to lead New Orleans’ magical community into the brighter future they all deserve.

But when Cris and Clem restored their family power, Valentina Savant lost everything. Her beloved grandparents are gone and her sovereignty has been revoked—she will never be Queen. Unless, of course, someone dethrones the Trudeaus again. And lucky for her, she’s not the only one trying to take them down.

Cris and Clem have enemies coming at them from all directions: Hateful anti-magic protesters sabotage their reign at every turn. A ruthless detective with a personal vendetta against magical crime is hot on their tail just as Cris has discovered her thirst for revenge. And a brutal god, hunting from the shadows, is summoned by the very power Clem needs to protect the boy he loves.

Cris’s hunger for vengeance and Clem’s desire for love could prove to be their family’s downfall, all while new murders, shocking disappearances, and impossible alliances are changing the game forever.

Welcome back to New Orleans, where gods walk among us and justice isn’t served, it’s taken.

#new releases #young adult books #ya lit

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appleinducedsleep · 1 year

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#books #booklr #book polls #polls #reading

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batrachised · 2 months

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I saw @melodypowers65 and @no-where-new-hero do this and immediately wanted to participate!

rules: list 9 favorite books of 2023 or 9 books on your TBR list for 2024 (I know I've already listed my fav books from last year, but my tbr is a hot mess so bear with me- this deliberately excludes lm montgomery, so sorry to AHOD and AOI!)

The Haunting of Hill House: this is what got me into the horror genre, and if anyone has any more recommendations for me (that are not House of Leaves) PLEASE send them my way.

The Things They Carried: masterful, cutting, and evocative. I sat in a cafe reading this after getting a flat tire and was blown away

Convent Boarding School: this is a book that is beautiful because of its simplicity. while it does fall into go ask alice-esque fictionalization, it has a lot of deceptively deep little moments, from recognizing the beauty in sensitivity to how grief can exist in many, many forms

brown girl dreaming: Newbery honor, you never fail me (unlike every other book award). I will forever remember this book for the one chapter where it talks about how before she is born, in the curve of her family's features, she is there

Evicted: a book that is all the more depressing because of the numbers it cites. as I read it, I wondered how on earth peopel who struggled with rent in 2009 could possibly afford rent today. This is the sort of book where even the footnotes are worth reading

True Grit: LOVE LOVE LOVE a western written from the perspective of a cunning 14 year old girl. this one is a classic for a reason!

SAINTS: AAAHH. This is part of a duo; the first being boxers. To my understanding, the artist had been reading up on that historical time period and wanted to write two books, one from the perspective of each side. I have a soft spot for the SAINTS one specifically because of the scene with Joan of Arc near the end, like holy hell. It's one my brain is still chewing on

Everything that Rises Must Converge: if you know me, you know I love Flannery O'Connor and got into her work this past year. She quickly became my favorite author, and I have read and reread a lot of the stories in this collection. My personal favorite right now (yes, it changes all the time) are A View of the Woods and Revelation ("Go back to hell where you came from, you old warthog" and "even their virtues were being burned away" LOOK AT THAT)

The Machine Stops: so I really struggled to pick between Silence, A Canticle for Leibowitz, or this book. In the end, I chose this novella specifically because of its final passages. They're a MASTERFUL use of language and left me with my jaw dropped. This novella's main point of fame is being so prescient, but I have to admit, it's those last few paragraphs that have me returning to it.

#I will write and talk about books forever and ever #I had to exclude a few favorites :(((#but I was like “okay which ones have I gone back to” and that helped decide #I like silence more than the machine stops...but I've studied how the machine stops is written - I didn't do that with silence #ergo the decision

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ninja-muse · 2 months

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February was a pretty good month! I read some books I really loved (and a couple that were simply meh), I got in a father-daughter visit and had really good luck at Scrabble, the weather was mostly not awful, and even if inventory at work took longer than expected, I survived it without brain mush, which has happened before. I am still the fastest scanner! My title holds.

Regular readers will be unsurprised to learn that Eve by Cat Bohannon and Mirrored Heavens by Rebecca Roanhorse were my top reads of the month, or that What Feasts At Night by T. Kingfisher ranks third. My T. Kingfisher problem is at least a year old, after all. (Also I read a couple delightful picture books, so be sure to click through to find them!)

I'm personally more surprised by my lowest picks, because they both sounded so up my alley but fell flat for nearly completely different reasons. The Heaven and Earth Grocery Store ended up feeling disjointed and like it was trying for a theme it couldn't quite grasp, and A Market of Dreams and Desires hit all kinds of tropes I love, right down to random Dickens references and weird steampunk machines, but tied everything together a little too neatly for me. Ah well.

And right in the middle of my list is my sole physical TBR read of the month: The Apprenticeship of Duddy Kravitz. This managed to tick off "Canadian author" and "classic" at the same time, so I get triple points. (This might have had a hand in me picking it.) Duddy has aged surprisingly well, in that it's still pretty fast-paced and amusing and also in that Richler wrote it with the understanding that scam artistry, hypermaterialism, and misogyny were bad and y'know what? They still are. I would recommend if you're looking for a Canadian teen anti-hero, more than anything. Duddy is a trainwreck and you can't look away.

I managed to get through the month with only three books hauled. (We won't talk about ARCs but the book fairies were kind.) The Unfortunate Traveller and Under a Pendulum Sun were bought during the habitual father-daughter bookstore date, and both because I never thought I'd see them and figured I might never see them again. The Unfortunate Traveller is essays and travel writing by a guy who co-wrote with Shakespeare and I didn't know it even existed. Under the Pendulum Sun was recced to me somewhere (here? bookish website algorithms?) and since it's essentially a gothic novel with properly weird fairies, it's been on my list.

The third book was a total surprise. Apparently I helped crowdfund it in 2019 and they've only just managed to get it printed and also I said I wanted a physical copy? The things we learn. Anyway, it's essays on aromanticism, agender identity, and asexuality so that tracks.

And I know I said I wasn't going to talk about ARCs but I got some good ones this last month and also in January, and there's a lot of them that are out or soon to be out and I'm having that problem where I want to be reading all of them at once. March is going to be interesting and probably a little panic-inducing.

Click through to see everything I read this month, in the rough order of how glad I was to have read them.

Eve - Cat Bohannon

A history of human evolution, through the lens of the female body.

8.5/10

warning: touches on sexism, mental illness, suicide, miscarriage, and rape

reading copy

Mirrored Heavens - Rebecca Roanhorse

The fractures following the eclipse have deepened and no one can see a way back to peace that doesn’t involve bloodshed. Out in June

8/10

Indigenous cast, 🏳️‍🌈 POV characters (bisexual, third gender), 🏳️‍🌈 secondary characters (third gender, sapphic), Black-Pueblo author

warning: war, torture, mentions of child abuse

reading copy

What Feasts At Night - T. Kingfisher

Alex Easton has returned to kar hunting lodge to relax. Unfortunately, the locals claim there's a monster on a property.

8/10

🏳️‍🌈 protagonist (third gender), protagonist with PTSD

Library ebook

The Twilight Queen - Jeri Westerson

Will Somers, jester to Henry VIII, is caught up in another mystery, this time of a corpse in Queen Anne’s bedchamber.

7/10

🏳️‍🌈 main character (bi), 🏳️‍🌈 secondary character (gay)

digital reading copy

The Apprenticeship of Duddy Kravitz - Mordechai Richler

A delinquent teen grows into a hustler, against the backdrop of mid-century Jewish Montreal.

7/10

largely Jewish cast, Jewish author, 🇨🇦

warning: racial slurs, misogyny

Off my TBR shelves

The Woman With No Name - Audrey Blake

Lonely and craving war work, Yvonne signs up to be the first female spy for the Allies in occupied France. Out in March

7/10

half a 🇨🇦 author

reading copy

The Frame-Up - Gwenda Bond

Ten years ago, Dani turned her art thief mom in to the Feds. Now her mom’s mentor has given Dani an offer she can’t refuse: use her magic to pull an impossible heist, get her life back.

6.5/10

Black secondary characters, 🏳️‍🌈 secondary characters (sapphic)

reading copy

The Heaven and Earth Grocery Store - James McBride

The Black and Jewish residents of a Pennsylvania neighbourhood are (mostly) in it together, not least of when the government decides to take a local Deaf kid to an asylum.

7/10

Jewish and Black cast, major character with chronic illness and a limp, secondary Deaf character, Black author

warning: ableist characters and institutions, racist and anti-Semitic characters, sexual assault and molestation, (largely) reclaimed slurs

library book

The Market of Dreams and Destiny - Trip Galey

Deri may have a chance to buy out his indenture early when he meets a princess looking to sell her destiny. But in the goblin’s Untermarkt, nothing’s ever easy.

6.5/10

🏳️‍🌈 main character (mlm), 🏳️‍🌈 secondary characters (mlm, genderfluid), British Indian secondary character, 🏳️‍🌈 author

warning: child abuse, enslavement

borrowed from work

Picture Books

No Cats in the Library - Lauren Emmons

Cats aren’t allowed in the library but that’s where all the books are!

🏳️‍🌈 author

Read at work

Family is Family - Melissa Marr

Chick gets a note before kindergarten, telling him to have his mom or dad walk him to school. Except that Chick has two moms.

🏳️‍🌈 secondary characters and themes

Read at work

Currently reading

Knife Skills for Beginners - Orlando Murrin

Paul Delamare is filling in at a cooking school when the resident celebrity chef has a, erm, "accident."

🏳️‍🌈 protagonist (gay), Black British secondary character

Reading copy

True North - Andrew J. Graff

The Brechts move to Wisconsin to restart a rafting business. They hope it’ll save their young family, but it might do the opposite.

library book

Music from the Earliest Notations to the Sixteenth Century - Richard Taruskin

A history of early written European music, in its social and political contexts.

The Penguin Complete Sherlock Holmes - Arthur Conan Doyle

Victorian detective stories

disabled POV character, occasional secondary Indian secondary characters

warning: racism, colonialism

Monthly total: 9 +2 Yearly total: 20 Queer books: 4 + 2 Authors of colour: 2 Books by women: 6 Authors outside the binary: 0 Canadian authors: 1.5 Classics: 1 Off the TBR shelves: 1 Books hauled: 3 ARCs acquired: 6 ARCs unhauled: 4 DNFs: 0

January

#booklr #bookblr #book reviews #adult booklr #reading wrap-ups #read in 2024 #my photos #book stacks #stacks of books

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withahappyrefrain · 6 months

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Hey Abby! So glad you brought the positivity night back, I think we all need a minute to chill out.

Sending all the love to everyone I list off, as well as to anyone that I forget because there are so so many amazing, positive, and fandom nurturing people and accounts out there and we really need to step in the way-back machine and remember that fandom is community!

Gonna get off the soapbox now 😂

@startrekfangirl2233 -> I feel like y’all are sleeping on here work! Her series You Are My Soulmate with Roo is currently driving me up the wall because he is so stubborn and it’s just fantastically written. On top of her amazing work, she is a fantastic friend and I love her to pieces!

@sarahsmi13s -> I currently blame her (affectionately) for my muse going in 7 different directions right now, but she is just the sweetest. She is working so hard to bring us all some amazingly heart-wrenching whumptober things and she is doing fantastic. Such an amazing person who deserves all the shout outs!

@mayhemmanaged -> May has been one of the biggest supporters of my series AGAD since she found out I was writing it. She has her own series, Heavy is the Head, that is just fantastically plotted and y’all aren’t ready for some of the twists (I will catch up May, I promise)! Yet again, very sweet, very kind, and very much needed a shout out

@horseshoegirl -> Lucky makes me scream. That’s it. Her series Damn Those Dog Tags is just so fucking amazing and I still have to catch up, but oh my god. She is such a kind and warm person and I have always felt safe and supported when chatting with her. Such a good person with a chaotic horse and yeah…

@roosterforme -> Em. My first real connection in the TGM fandom and honestly, she’s just incredible. All of her stories are so fleshed out and the characters are all so different, yet they still have those elements of strength in them at all times. Roo and BG (the first series) was one of the first fics I read for this fandom, and on top of writing 3 or 4 series at once, she is also so supportive and kind and I will get more Roo and Rosie for you!

@footprintsinthesxnd -> Jess is just a sweetheart. Point blank. Her series, The Good Die Young, another wwii AU for Jake (iykyk 👀), is one of the reasons that I wanted to rewrite my own series set in wwii. She’s been through a lot this year and yet still offered to help me research for my own work. Show her some love and support because she is incredibly kind and generous, and also an amazing friend.

@bradshawsweetheart -> Riley, one, I’m sorry for all that bullshit that happened a few days ago. Two, Good Vibrations was AMAZING (still have to reblog it but I’m getting there!) Three, you come off as such a kind person and I honestly can’t wait to get to know you better!

@roosterbruiser -> Millie, you always hurt me. I’m still playing catch-up with Cruel Summer, but I don’t think that I have read another fic with so much hidden darkness in it. Horror is not my genre by any means but your skill with words is just phenomenal. I have screamed at you enough times to know how sweet you are behind that all of that angst you throw at us, and I’m so thankful that your fic fell into my lap!

@teacupsandtopgun -> Beth, we only really just connected and I love how positive you are! Jake and Flick are on my TBR pile rn and I will get there! I wish I could say more, but I’m really excited to get to know you!

@bobfloydsbabe -> a sweetheart. I will get to Professor Bob at some point but I just know that it’s going to be amazing!

Abby, I will probably be back when I remember who I have forgotten, but I cannot wait to see how this night turns out!

And PSA to those who don’t find their names up here! You are still loved and appreciated! You are valued in this fandom and don’t ever feel like you aren’t enough!

Fern, thank you!!! You have introduced me to people who sound awesome, which is my favorite thing about Positivity night!!!

#positivity night

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