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ARC Review: Death in the Spires by KJ Charles

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Publication Date: April 11, 2024

Synopsis

The newspapers called us the Seven Wonders. We were a group of friends, that’s all, and then Toby died. Was killed. Murdered. 1905. A decade after the grisly murder of Oxford student Toby Feynsham, the case remains hauntingly unsolved. For Jeremy Kite, the crime not only stole his best friend, it destroyed his whole life. When an anonymous letter lands on his desk, accusing him of having killed Toby, Jem becomes obsessed with finally uncovering the truth. Jem begins to track down the people who were there the night Toby died – a close circle of friends once known as the ‘Seven Wonders’ for their charm and talent – only to find them as tormented and broken as himself. All of them knew and loved Toby at Oxford. Could one of them really be his killer? As Jem grows closer to uncovering what happened that night, his pursuer grows bolder, making increasingly terrifying attempts to silence him for good. Will exposing Toby's killer put to rest the shadows that have darkened Jem’s life for so long? Or will the gruesome truth only put him in more danger? Some secrets are better left buried… From the bestselling, acclaimed author of The Magpie Lord and The Secret Lives of Country Gentlemen comes a chilling historical mystery with a sting in the tail. You won’t be able to put this gripping story down!

My Rating: ★★★★★

*My Review and Favorite Quotes Below the cut.

My Review

This was incredible. I have long loved KJ Charles' books and this one, while a mystery rather than a romance, is no different. I love it just as much. Her romances have long contained mysteries, so this wasn't *that* much of a departure from her usual fare. I found the story, told alternately between past and present, to be completely gripping in both timelines for the entirety of the book. I had no idea who murdered Toby, and like Jem I vacillated between which of the former friends I most suspected up until the end. I like that it didn't end there. I liked that it was a complex issue. I really liked all the themes explored. The friend group was charming and wonderful and terrible and I slowly fell in love with each of them over the course of the novel. I love the way everything wrapped up, and I loved the healing and growth that happened at the end. It was everything I wanted. The setting of Oxford was so tangible and concrete. Despite never having been myself, I felt Jem's ambivalence for the place, the way he loved and hated it, and the way it had such a hold on him. It felt real. For that matter, each of the characters felt real and three-dimensional and present. The writing was stellar as always and it was a joy and a pleasure to read. I will absolutely be reading any and all future mysteries KJ Charles chooses to write, in addition to her romances. *Thanks to NetGalley and Storm Publishing for providing an early copy for review.

Favorite Quotes

He wondered as he walked if he would stand at the pillar box hesitating, if he'd walk up and down, plagued by doubt and fear and second thoughts, but in the end, it was too damned cold, so he just dropped the letters in.

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Ignore any knocking; it will be students, thus unimportant.

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Jem didn't know anyone else who'd use semicolons in a brief scrawl, and he hadn't realized how much he'd missed that sort of thing.

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He could put on his coat and shoes over his night things to go and ask; he'd look highly eccentric, but this was Oxford.

#kj charles #death in the spires #historical mystery #queer historical mystery #queer books #shilo reads #arc review #netgalley #mystery #best books of 2024 #favorites

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Blog Blitz: The Love Remedy by Elizabeth Everett

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Publication Date: March 19, 2024

Welcome to The Love Remedy book blitz with Berkley Publishing Group. (This blog blitz post is also posted on my Wordpressbook blog Whimsical Dragonette.)

Synopsis:

When a Victorian apothecary hires a stoic private investigator to protect her business, they learn there’s only one way to treat true love—with a happily ever after. When Lucinda Peterson’s recently perfected formula for a salve to treat croup goes missing, she’s certain it’s only the latest in a line of misfortunes at the hands of a rival apothecary. Outraged and fearing financial ruin, Lucy turns to private investigator Jonathan Thorne for help. She just didn’t expect her champion to be so . . . grumpy? A single father and an agent at Tierney & Co., Thorne accepts missions for a wide variety of employers—from the British government to wronged wives. None have intrigued him so much as the spirited Miss Peterson. As the two work side by side to unmask her scientific saboteur, Lucy slips ever so sweetly under Thorne’s battered armor, tempting him to abandon old promises. With no shortage of suspects—from a hostile political group to an erstwhile suitor—Thorne’s investigation becomes a threat to all that Lucy holds dear. As the truth unravels around them the cure to their problems is they must face the future together.

Author Bio

Elizabeth Everett lives in upstate New York with her family. She likes going for long walks or (very) short runs to nearby sites that figure prominently in the history of civil rights and women's suffrage. Her series is inspired by her admiration for rule breakers and her belief in the power of love to change the world.

Photo credit: Asa Shutts; from Elizabeth Everett's website.

My Rating: ★★★★★

*My Review and Non-Exclusive Excerpt below the cut.

My Review:

This is an engaging story about two people who are each carrying heavy burdens learning to let each other in. There are fun cameos from the women scientists books if you recognize them, but you can also read it without reading the other series.

I really liked all the characters. They were complex and felt very real. I loved Sadie and her gleeful recounting of all the facts she learned at her science school. Lucy was strong and determined but also bent to the point of breaking under the weight of her responsibilities. Thorne was closed off and rigid and desperately in need of someone breaking him out of his self-imposed shell.

The romance wasn't swoony but was more subtle, a gradual and reluctant giving in to a partnership of mutual appreciation and aide. I really liked that. I prefer a quiet partnership to a grand passionate romance anyway.

What I appreciate most about this story though, is how fiercely feminist it is. Lucy is determined to continue running the apothecary and providing real cures to people who can't afford them. Her sister Juliet works to provide medical and reproductive care to women in need. Her brother David seems flighty but has his own crusade. Lucy is also determined that every woman should be given the method and means to prevent pregnancy and induce menses if that choice is taken from them.

All of this flies in the face of Thorne's upper-class upbringing of what a 'good' woman should do and know, and serves to create the major conflict between them. Lucy refuses to compromise on her ideals and she shouldn't have to.

The author's note at the end brings that struggle into even starker relief. Elizabeth Everett makes it very clear where she stands on the issue of women's reproductive rights and more power to her. It's an issue that deserves fighting for and taking a strong stance on.

I would say that the writing and character development of this is even better than the women scientists series and I look forward to her next book.

*Thanks to NetGalley and Berkley for providing an early copy for review.

Non-Exclusive Excerpt:

Lucy's guilt had been squeezing the breath from her lungs for weeks. On the counter, slightly dented from having been crushed in her fist, then thrown to the ground and stepped on, then heaved against the wall, sat a grimy little tin. Affixed to the top was a label with the all-too-familiar initials RSA. Rider and Son Apothecary. Rider and Son. The latter being the primary reason for this very worst of days. The longer she stared at the tin, the less Lucy felt the strain of responsibility for running Peterson's Apothecary and keeping her siblings housed and fed. Beneath the initials were printed the words Rider's Lozenges. The ever-present exhaustion that had weighed her down moments ago began to dissipate at the sight of the smaller print beneath, which read "exclusive." The more she stared, the more her guilt subsided beneath a wave of anger that coursed through her blood. "Exclusive patented formula for the relief of putrid throats." Exclusive patented formula. The anger simmered and simmered the longer she stared until it reached a boil and turned to rage. Grabbing her paletot from the coatrack and a random bonnet that may or may not have matched, Lucy stormed out of the shop, slamming the door behind her with a vengeance that was less impressive when she had to turn around the next second to lock it. Exclusive patent. The words burned in her brain, and she clenched her hands into fists. One warm summer afternoon four months ago, Lucy had been so tired, she'd stopped to sit on a park bench and had closed her eyes. Only for a minute or two, but long enough for a young gentleman passing by to notice and be concerned enough for her safety to inquire as to her well-being. While the brief rest had been involuntary, remaining on the bench and striking up a conversation with the handsome stranger was her choice, and a terrible one at that. Lucy had allowed Duncan Rider to walk her home, not questioning the coincidence that the son of her father's rival had been the one to find her vulnerable and offer his protection was down to her own stupidity. Now, as Lucy barreled down the rotting walkways of Calthorpe Street, she barely registered the admiring glances from the gentlemen walking in the opposite direction or the sudden appearance of the wan November sun as it poked through the gray clouds of autumn. Instead, her head was filled with memories so excruciating they jabbed at her chest like heated needles, rousing feelings of shame alongside her resentment. Such as the next time she'd seen Duncan, when he appeared during a busy day at the apothecary with a pretty nosegay of violets. He'd smelled like barley water and soap, a combination so simple and appealing it had scrambled her brains and left her giddy as a goose. Or the memory of how their kisses had unfolded in the back rooms of the apothecary, turning from delightfully sweet to something much more carnal. How kisses had proceeded to touches, and from there even more, and how she'd believed it a harbinger of what would come once they married. A shout ripped Lucy's attention back to the present, and she jerked back from the road, missing the broad side of a carriage by inches. The driver called out curses at her over his shoulder, but they bounced off her and scattered across the muddied street as Lucy turned the corner onto Gray's Inn Road. Halfway through a row of weathered stone buildings, almost invisible unless one knew what to look for, a discreet brass plaque to the left of a blackened oak door read: Tierney & Co., Bookkeeping Services Lucy took a deep breath, pulling the dirty brown beginnings of a London fog into her lungs and expelling it along with the remorse and shame that accompanied her memory of Duncan holding her handwritten formula for a new kind of throat lozenge she'd worked two years to perfect.

"I'll just test it out for you, shall I?" he'd said, eyes roaming the page. Duncan and his father had long searched for a throat lozenge remedy that tasted as good as it worked. Might Duncan be tempted to impress his father with her lozenge? His lips curled up on one side as he read, and Lucy recalled the slight shadow of foreboding moving across the candlelight in the back storeroom where they carried out their affair. "I don't know," she'd hedged. Too late. He'd folded the formula and distracted her with kisses. "I've more space and materials at my disposal. I know you think this is ready to sell, but isn't it better that we take the time to make sure?" It might have been exhaustion that weakened Lucy just enough that she took advantage of an offer to help shoulder some of her burdens. However, the decision to let Duncan Rider walk out of Peterson's Apothecary with a formula that was worth a fortune was due not to her sleepless nights, but to a weakness in her character that allowed her to believe a man when he told her he loved her. Now, four months later, somehow Duncan had again betrayed her. Having already lost the lozenge formula to Duncan's avaricious grasp, Lucy had been horrified to find a second formula missing. She'd come up with a salve for treating babies' croup, a remedy even more profitable than the lozenges. What parent wouldn't pay through the nose to calm a croupy baby? Lucy was certain that Duncan must have found out about her work and stolen both the formula and ingredient list for the salve. This time, Lucy would not dissolve into tears and swear never to love again. This time, she was going eviscerate her rival and get her formula back. Then she would swear never to love again.

Excerpted from The Love Remedy by Elizabeth Everett Copyright © 2024 by Elizabeth Everett. Excerpted by permission of Berkley. All rights reserved. 

#elizabeth everett #the love remedy #berkley romance #netgalley #arc review #shilo reads #historical romance #romance #feminist #feminist romance

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Audiobook ARC Review: The Tempest of Tea by Hafsah Faizal

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Publication Date: February 19, 2024

Synopsis:

From Hafsah Faizal, New York Times–bestselling author of We Hunt the Flame, comes the first book in a hotly-anticipated new fantasy duology about an orphan girl and her crew who get tangled in a heist with vampires, perfect for fans of Leigh Bardugo’s Six of Crows. On the streets of White Roaring, Arthie Casimir is a criminal mastermind and collector of secrets. Her prestigious tearoom transforms into an illegal bloodhouse by dark, catering to the vampires feared by society. But when her establishment is threatened, Arthie is forced to strike an unlikely deal with an alluring adversary to save it—and she can’t do the job alone. Calling upon a band of misfits, Arthie formulates a plan to infiltrate the dark and glittering vampire society known as the Athereum. But not every member of her crew is on her side, and as the truth behind the heist unfolds, Arthie finds herself in the midst of a conspiracy that will threaten the world as she knows it. Dark, action-packed, and swoonworthy, this is Hafsah Faizal better than ever.

My Rating: ★★★★★

*My Review Below the cut.

My Review:

This book was a rollercoaster that took me days to sort out my feelings on. I was disappointed in this at first, because I have been highly anticipating it since it was first announced and have had it preordered for literal years, but I had a hard time getting into it. It was interesting but somehow the characters weren't clicking with me. I think maybe it was the love triangle? I despise love triangles in general (unless they all end up together and it's done well) and I think maybe it makes me distance myself from the characters a little bit. Whatever the reason I was sort of tuned out for the first half and even considered setting it aside. However. Once I got to the second half I suddenly was in love with the characters and the setting and the plot and I'm really not sure what happened? Things definitely picked up - in fact there were so many twists and reveals in the last 10% of the book that my head was spinning by the end - but I'm still not sure what changed for me. Maybe I just wasn't in the mood for it at first. As soon as I finished that frankly explosive ending I immediately went back and restarted it to figure out where I'd gone wrong the first time around. And I don't know because the second time through that first half was so much more engaging. I've been pondering this review for days now because I don't know how to rate it since my experience with the first and second halves were so different for no reason that I can figure out. But I think since I came away loving it in the end that I'll go with that? The audiobook was well done and I liked the different accents the different characters had. The narrator did a good job differentiating the characters and bringing them to life. It was definitely immersive and kept my attention. *Thanks to NetGalley, Bookishfirst, and Macmillan Audio for providing an early copy for review.

#a tempest of tea #hafsah faizal #YA fantasy #vampires #netgalley #arc review #shilo reads #book review #audiobook review #love triangle #plot twists #heist #macmillan audio #bookishfirst

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ARC Review: The Cursed Rose by Leslie Vedder

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Publication Date: February 6, 2024

Synopsis:

The fate of a cursed kingdom rests on ancient secrets, broken promises, and fierce friendships in this gasp-worthy final book of the bestselling twisted fairytale Bone Spindle series. **Perfect for fans of Margaret Rogerson, Holly Black, and Marissa Meyer** Not all curses should be broken. Not all fairytales end happily ever after. Fi is a prisoner. Briar, a monster. Shane's a warrior. And Red is a traitor. What was once a formidable group of four fighting to reawaken the kingdom is now ruptured, torn apart by the wicked Spindle Witch. Confined to a tower with the monstrous Briar Rose, Fi is caught in the Spindle Witch’s ever-tightening web. With the Spindle Witch on the verge of finding the Siphoning Spells and crushing Andar—with Fi’s help, no less—Fi’s only hope lies in decoding the ancient riddle of the Rose Witches before she loses Briar forever. Shane is desperate to save Andar—and her partner. She’s on the hunt for a weapon left by the mysterious Lord of the Butterflies, which holds the key to the Spindle Witch’s demise. Her love for Red has only fortified. But Red’s betrayal puts her in danger from a new enemy—the Spindle Witch’s executioner, the Wraith, a witch as powerful as he is cruel. The future of Andar lies in the secrets of its past. Fi and Shane must take on the greatest lost ruin of them all—the Tomb of Queen Aurora. Filled with vicious bone monsters, new alliances, and surprises at every turn, prepare to be swept away by this taut, clever, and heart-filled series conclusion.

My Rating: ★★★★★

*My Review below the cut.

My Review:

This was a fantastic end to the trilogy and one of my favorite books of 2024 so far. I was surprised at how quickly everything from the previous books came back to me once I started reading, even though I was sure I didn't remember much. There are no obvious "this is what already happened" sections either. Once I started reading I couldn't put it down and finished it in two days.

I love how Leslie Vedder took what is on the surface a Sleeping Beauty retelling and completely transformed it, giving it a hefty dose of Indiana Jones and so much more depth than the original tale. The characters are also fantastic, complex and compelling and difficult. I was absolutely hooked from the first moments of the first book to the final moments of the last. I love how, even when things seemed to be wrapping up, there were so many surprises and unexpected moments. I never knew what to expect.

The writing is fabulous and sucked me in immediately. The magic is both beautiful and ominous. The setting is incredibly vivid as well, and there are so many scenes that would make amazing paintings.

I am sad to come to the end of Fi and Shane and Briar and Red's tale. I would love to see a spinoff series of their adventures after the events in Andar. Especially if Perrin and the Paper Witch were to make cameo appearances. I will be keeping an eye out for Leslie Vedder's next book - she's jumped onto my shortlist of autobuy authors at this point.

*Thanks to NetGalley and Razorbill for providing an early copy for review.

#netgalley #the cursed rose #leslie vedder #ya fantasy #fairy tale retelling #book review #arc review #shilo reads #queer books

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ARC Review: The Summer Queen by Rochelle Hassan

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Publication Date: January 23, 2024

Synopsis:

This captivating sequel to The Buried and the Bound draws readers into the twisted and irresistible world of the Fair Folk—perfect for fans of The Cruel Prince and The Hazel Wood . As a new coven, Aziza, Leo, and Tristan faced evil and triumphed. All that’s left is to put their lives back together, a process complicated by the fallout from painful secrets, the emotional and physical scars they now carry, and the mysteries that still haunt them. But with the approach of the solstice comes the arrival of strange new visitors to Blackthorn: the Summer Court, a nomadic community of Fair Folk from deep in Elphame. They’ve journeyed to the border between the human world and fairyland, far from their usual caravan route, to take back something that belongs to them—something Leo’s not willing to lose. Refusing to give up without a fight, he makes a risky deal with the Summer Court’s princess and regent. The challenge she proposes sends Coven Blackthorn into the farthest, wildest reaches of Elphame. But when you play games with the Fair Folk, even winning has a cost.

My Rating: ★★★★★

*My Review and Favorite Quotes Below the cut.

My Review:

If I were sorting this (and the previous book) based on vibes - which, honestly, is a large part how I sort books - then I would put it with the Cruel Prince trilogy. It's dark and creepy, but just exactly the right amount. It's also heartwarming and adventurous and full of brute force human magic borne of desperation and tricky, insidious, charming, treacherous fae magic.

It's a story of love lost and love found and hubris and naievety and political treachery. It's a story of bargains and tricks and alliances. I flew through it in a little over a day and absolutely hated every time I was forced to put it down. If I hadn't had to stop to make dinner for my kid, I would have finished it that first day, my own dinner be damned.

I was instantly transported back to the world and characters of the previous book as soon as I started, as if I'd never left. There was no struggling to get into it or remember what had happened - it was all fresh and immediate and vital. Now that I've finished, I want nothing more than to jump into the final book. Unfortunately, It's not out yet. Barring that, I want to jump back into this one and get caught up in the frenzied rush of it again. And I desperately, desperately want Leo and Tristan and Aziza to succeed and find happiness.

I want more of the characters and their bonds, more of the world and its traps, more of the tentative allies that were never clearly on one side or the other, more of the shifting sands of never clearly knowing what the sides even were because they kept changing.

An instant favorite and one I will definitely go back to. I instantly purchased the audio so I could experience it again in a new format.

*Thanks to NetGalley, Macmillan Children's Publishing Group, and Roaring Book Press for providing an early copy for review.

Favorite Quotes:

Of all the things that kept him up at night, Leo had always been his favorite

“You do get attached to your librarians.”

Tristan had his doubts that a crowdsourced spell would be sufficient defense against Beor, but he didn’t have any better ideas.

“Forget the pep talk. We need a game plan. Someone tried to kill you.” “And Beor. I don’t think it was personal,” he said brightly, as if being collateral damage to someone else’s assassination was somehow better than being personally murdered.

#rochelle hassan #the summer queen #queer books #ya fantasy #the buried and the bound #netgalley #arc review #shilo reads #lgbt+ #the fae #elphame #best books of 2024 #book review

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Works in progress Jan 2024

#my art #artists on tumblr #works in progress #air dry clay #mixed media

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Blog Tour and Arc Review: The Lily of Ludgate Hill by Mimi Matthews

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Publication Date: January 16, 2024

Welcome to The Lily of Ludgate Hill book tour with Berkley Publishing Group. (This blog tour post is also posted on my Wordpress book blog Whimsical Dragonette.)

Synopsis:

Lady Anne Deveril doesn’t spook easily. A woman of lofty social standing known for her glacial beauty and starchy opinions, she’s the unofficial leader of her small group of equestriennes. Since her mother’s devastating plunge into mourning six years ago, Anne voluntarily renounced any fanciful notions of love and marriage. And yet, when fate puts Anne back into the entirely too enticing path of Mr. Felix Hartford, she’s tempted to run…right into his arms. No one understands why Lady Anne withdrew into the shadows of society, Hart least of all. The youthful torch he once held for her has long since cooled. Or so he keeps telling himself. But now Anne needs a favor to help a friend. Hart will play along with her little ruse—on the condition that Anne attend a holiday house party at his grandfather’s country estate. No more mourning clothes. No more barriers. Only the two of them, unrequited feelings at last laid bare. Finally free to gallop out on her own, Anne makes the tantalizing discovery that beneath the roguish exterior of her not-so-white knight is a man with hidden depths, scorching passions—and a tender heart.

Author Bio:

USA Today bestselling author Mimi Matthews writes both historical nonfiction and award-winning Victorian romances. Her novels have received starred reviews in Publishers Weekly, Library Journal, Booklist, Kirkus, and Shelf Awareness, and her articles have been featured on the Victorian Web, the Journal of Victorian Culture, and in syndication at BUST Magazine. In her other life, Mimi is an attorney. She resides in California with her family, which includes a retired Andalusian dressage horse, a Sheltie, and two Siamese cats. Learn more online at www.mimimatthews.com.

Author Photo Credit: Vicki Hahn

Rating: ★★★★

*My Review, Favorite Quotes, and Non-Exclusive Extract below the cut.

My Review:

I loved this. It was exactly the sort of banter-filled stubborn hero and heroine who are gone for each other but refuse to admit it story that I love. It's easily the best of the Belles of London series. Anne and Hartford are perfect for each other but it takes them a while to admit it. The only problem I had with it was that it was *extremely* predictable. I knew exactly how it was going to go from the beginning and there was no deviating from that. I actually stopped about 75% of the way through and checked goodreads to make sure I hadn't already read it before. I hadn't. And yet I had predicted every. single. thing that happened. It was like deja vu but more so. The last quarter unfolded exactly as I expected it to. I don't know if the foreshadowing was just really intense or what but that did lessen my enjoyment of the story. Aside from that, however, everything else was exactly as I like in a historical romance. I am curious about the next one, as well, after meeting who will obviously be the new wheelchair-bound, artist hero. I have high hopes because neither of those is something we typically get in a romance hero. *Thanks to NetGalley and Berkley for providing an early copy for review.

Favorite Quotes:

"I wish I were more eccentric," Anne declared, rousing her spirits to the cause. "I might have traveled to Yorkshire weeks ago and saved Julia from her fate."

Non-Exclusive Excerpt:

The twin fragrances of pipe smoke and parchment met her nose. Lemon polish, too, though there was no sign that the maids had done any recent tidying up. The library was a place of spectacular clutter. Bookcases lined three of the walls; leather-bound volumes on botany, agriculture, and natural history were pulled out at all angles as if an absent-minded researcher had wandered from shelf to shelf withdrawing tomes at random only to change his mind midway through extracting them. The fourth wall was entirely covered in framed sketches of flowers and greenery. Some images were produced in pencil and others in delicately rendered watercolor. They were-along with the teetering stacks of botanical journals and drooping maps that spilled over the sides of the earl's carved mahogany desk-evidence of his prevailing passion. Lord March's love of exotic plants was legendary. He'd spent much of his life traveling the globe, from the wilds of America to the highest peaks of the Himalayas, bringing back rare seeds to nurture into bloom. A distracted fellow at the best of times, but a kind one, too, as far as Anne recalled. It had been a long time since she'd darkened his doorstep. A lifetime, it felt like. She tugged restlessly at her black kid-leather gloves as she paced the worn carpet in front of the library's cavernous marble fireplace. She'd never excelled at waiting for unpleasantness to arrive. Fortunately, she didn't have to wait long. "Hello, old thing." A familiar deep voice sounded from the library door. Anne spun around, her traitorous heart giving an involuntary leap in her breast. Mr. Felix Hartford stood in the entryway, one shoulder propped against the doorframe. Lord only knew how long he'd been observing her. She stiffened. After all these years, he still had the power to discompose her. Drat him. But she wouldn't permit her emotions to be thrown into chaos by his attractive face and figure. What cared she for his commanding height? His square-chiseled jaw? For the devilish glint in his sky-blue eyes? And devil he was. The very one she'd come here to see. "Hartford," she said. Her chin ticked up a notch in challenge. It was a reflex. There was no occasion on which they'd met during the course of the past several years that they hadn't engaged in verbal battle. This time, however, he made no attempt to engage her. He was dressed in plaid trousers and a loose-fitting black sack coat worn open to reveal the dark waistcoat beneath. A casual ensemble, made more so by the state of him. His clothes were vaguely rumpled, and so was his seal-brown hair. It fell over his brow, desperately in need of an application of pomade. There was an air of arrested preoccupation about him, as if he'd just returned from somewhere or was on his way to somewhere. As if he hadn't realized she was in the library and had come upon her quite by chance. An unnatural silence stretched between them, void of their typical barb-filled banter. Greetings dispensed with, Anne found herself at an unaccountable loss. More surprising still, so did Hartford. He remained frozen on the threshold, his usually humorous expression turned to stone on his handsome face. At length, he managed a smile. "I knew one day you'd walk through my door again. It only took you"-withdrawing his pocket watch from his waistcoat, he cast it a brief glance, brows lifting as if in astonishment at the time-"seven years to do it." She huffed. "It hasn't been seven years." "Six and half, then." Six years and five months, more like. It had been early December of 1855, during the Earl of March's holiday party. She'd been just shy of seventeen; young and naive and not formally out yet. Hartford had kissed her under a sprig of mistletoe in the gaslit servants' hallway outside the kitchens. And he'd proposed to her.

But Anne refused to think of the past. Never mind that, living in London, reminders of it were daily shoved under her nose. "You're not going to be difficult, are you?" she asked. "That depends." He strolled into the room. "To what do I owe your visit?" "Presumptuous, as always," she said. "For all you know, I'm here to see your grandfather." Hartford was the only child of the Earl of March's second son-the late (and much lamented) moralist Everett Hartford. Anne well remembered the man. He'd been as straitlaced and starchy as a vicar. Rather ironic, really, given his son's reputation for recklessness and irreverence. "My grandfather is in his greenhouse," Hartford said, "elbow deep in chicken manure. If it's him you've come to speak with, you're in for a long wait." She suppressed a grimace. There was no need for him to be crass. "Really, Hartford." "Really, my lady." He advanced into the room slowly, his genial expression doing little to mask the fact that he was a great towering male bearing down on her. "Why have you come?" Anne held her ground. She wasn't afraid of him. "I've come to ask a favor of you." His mouth curled up at one corner. "Better and better." He gestured to a stuffed settee upholstered in Gobelins tapestry. "Pray sit down."

Excerpted from The Lily of Ludgate Hill by Mimi Matthews Copyright © 2024 by Mimi Matthews. Excerpted by permission of Berkley. All rights reserved. No part of this excerpt may be reproduced or reprinted without permission in writing from the publisher.

#shilo reads #blog tour #berkley romance #historical romance #regency romance #netgalley #arc review #book review #romance #mimi matthews #the lily of ludgate hill #belles of london

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Blog Tour & Arc Review: Game On by Seressia Glass

Welcome to the Game On book tour with Berkley Publishing Group. (This blog tour post is also posted on my Wordpress book blog Whimsical Dragonette.)

Publishing Date: December 12, 2023

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Synopsis:

When an unexpected Player Two enters her life, a gamer must decide if their relationship is worth leveling up in this new romance from the author of The Love Con. Samara Reynolds has built a large following as a gamer under an anonymous screen name, and uses her skills as a DEIA consultant to advocate for equal representation in video games. When she posted a video critiquing the popular game Legendsfall, she knew she’d get a reaction from her fans, but the video leads to hundreds of female gamers critiquing the game and its company, Artemis Games. The only thing more unexpected than starting an online movement is getting a job offer from the handsome CEO of Artemis. Aron Galanis has been on a mission to get his company certified to create gaming content for people with disabilities. When he sees Artemis trending online for all the wrong reasons, he’s determined to right his wrongs and offers the originator a mea culpa, as well as a job offer to overhaul the character options in Legendsfall. Working together turns Aron and Samara from adversaries into allies, allies into friends, and after that—something more. But once their relationship goes public, will Aron and Samara be able to weather the storm and fight for their happy ending, or is it game over?

Author Bio:

Seressia Glass is an award-winning author of urban fantasy, contemporary romance and paranormal romance. Her current series include the Shadowchasers urban fantasy series and the Sons of Anubis paranormal romance series. Seressia lives south of Atlanta with her guitar-wielding husband and two bulldozer cane corsos and a senior poodle. When not working on her next story, Seressia spends her free time watching way too much anime and Kdramas.

author photo from goodreads

My Rating: ★★★

*My Review below the cut.

My Review:

I enjoyed this but unfortunately not as much as I was hoping to. I think it was trying to do too much and so everything felt a bit shallow and glossed over. The diversity in gaming issue is a much needed take but it was occasionally a little too on-the-nose and I got tired of Samara constantly having to explain what things are like for women - especially women of color- in gaming to Aron. Yes, he is horrified and immediately takes action, but it's the fact that it has to be explained over and over because he is consistently oblivious that bugs me. It's realistic, but it gets old, maybe because its *too* realistic. The romance was wonderful. Samara and Aron instantly clicked and they were so cute together, especially in their casual gaming personas. Hoodie guy was adorable and I totally understood why Samara fell for him so quickly. The autistic brother storyline was a little odd to me in some ways. I wholeheartedly approve of Samara's interactions with Benjy and Aron's protectiveness of him. But I find it odd that Aron has all these "quirks" like hating to be touched and not being able to take crowds or loud noises and not understanding social cues AND a nonverbal autistic brother and yet there's not even a whisper of a suggestion that he might also be autistic / on the spectrum? That felt like a missed opportunity. I also thought the Mark issue was handled really oddly. Mark only appears a couple of times, always being all intimidating and trying to steamroll over Aron, when he finally is dealt with I found the entire interaction confusing. His rant was incomprehensible and I'm not sure if that was intentional or just clunky writing. I also found the writing throughout to be clunky and choppy and full of telling not showing. There were a lot of info dumps, especially about the prejudice and racism and sexism Samara faces. The emotions and tone of the characters also sometimes bounced around wildly in ways that felt soap opera levels of Overly Dramatic. It felt almost like a draft that needed more polishing and smoothing out. I really liked all the characters, and I wish we had seen more of Grayson because he was such a good and interesting character. While I had some issues with the book I did overall enjoy it very much and I will be seeking out more of Seressia Glass' books in the future. *Thanks to NetGalley and Berkley for providing an early copy for review.

#berkley romance #romance #netgalley #blog tour #arc review #shilo reads #game on #seressia glass #book review

[whimsicaldragonette]

Blog Tour & ARC Review: The Gentleman's Gambit by Evie Dunmore

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Publication Date: December 5, 2023

Welcome to The Gentleman's Gambit book tour with Berkley Publishing Group. (This blog tour post is also posted on my Wordpress book blog Whimsical Dragonette.)

Synopsis:

Bookish suffragist Catriona Campbell is busy: An ailing estate, academic writer’s block, and a tense time for England’s women’s rights campaign—the last thing she needs is to be stuck playing host to her father’s distractingly attractive young colleague.

Deeply introverted Catriona lives for her work at Oxford and her fight for women’s suffrage. She dreams of romance, too, but since all her attempts at love have ended badly, she now keeps her desires firmly locked inside her head—until she climbs out of a Scottish loch after a good swim and finds herself rather exposed to her new colleague. Elias Khoury has wheedled his way into Professor Campbell’s circle under false pretenses: He did not come to Oxford to classify ancient artefacts; he is determined to take them back to his homeland in the Middle East. Winning Catriona’s favor could be the key to his success. Unfortunately, seducing the coolly intense lady scholar quickly becomes a mission in itself and his well-laid plans are in danger of derailing.... Forced into close proximity in Oxford’s hallowed halls, two very different people have to face the fact that they might just be a perfect match. Soon, a risky new game begins that asks Catriona one more time to put her heart and wildest dreams at stake.

Author Bio:

Evie Dunmore wrote her USA Today bestselling series inspired by the magical scenery of Oxford and her passion for romance, women pioneers, and all things Victorian. In her civilian life, she is a consultant with a M.Sc. in diplomacy from Oxford. Evie lives in Berlin and pours her fascination with nineteenth-century Britain into her writing. Learn more online at www.eviedunmore.com.

author photo credit: Evie Dunmore

Rating: ★★★★

*My Review, Favorite Quotes, and Non-Exclusive Extract below the cut.

My Review:

It took me a little while to get into this book. I wasn't sure at first about the representation of Elias's character, but I think it improved as the book went on. He and Catriona grew on me slowly until I realized I loved them, more than I have any of Evie Dunmore's previous characters. I identified a lot with Catriona and that pulled me further into the story as it went along. There was a point in the middle where it almost lost me, where there is basically one excruciatingly long extended sex scene that goes on for multiple chapters. As far as sex scenes go, it was well-written, but I am ace and don't find such things particularly appealing or engaging. Luckily the last chunk of the book drops the sex in favor of emotional and intellectual connection, which is my personal preference in a romance. Perhaps because I love intellectual and emotional connection, and especially slow-burn, I found the amount of history in this book perfect. Catriona is a very intellectual person and it makes sense that her book would be more history-focused. I appreciated the discussion of the ethics of collecting artefacts in the UK when the countries they originated in wanted them back. I thought it went very well with the underlying suffragist theme. I also really, really appreciated that Catriona is LGBT. This is something that hasn't come up in Evie Dunmore's books before that I recall, and that combined with Catriona being obviously not neurotypical made me love her and identify with her even more. I also appreciated that this doesn't turn into a point of contention between them. Elias accepts it along with her neuroatypicalness as just another facet of her character. The way Elias treats her quirks and sensory struggles is really heartwarming. He doesn't make fun of her. He doesn't try to get her to hide or mask them and pretend to be 'normal.' Instead, he accomodates her at every turn and offers suggestions of things that might help ease her way when she has to be surrounded by people. That is rare and shows his gentleness and care better than any of the sex can. At first the chapters from previous characters' POVs were jarring, but I came to appreciate the glimpses into their lives. I didn't feel like they took away from Catriona's story at all. The epilogue, set when they are all grandmothers and get to see women finally gain the right to vote, was emotional and heartwarming and was a great way to round out a series where women's suffrage was so central to all of the characters and plots. I loved this, and of all the books in this series, this is the one I will most likely revisit. *Thanks to NetGalley and Berkley for providing an early copy of this book.

Favorite Quotes:

Lord Peregrin's chin rose. "I doubt it will improve your opinion of me, sir, but for what it's worth, I was forced into this appalling scheme by the lady herself." What kind of man are you, Elias thought, to allow yourself to be forced into idiotic, improper acts that endanger a woman's name and safety? As he stared into Lord Peregrin's perspiring face, he felt supremely annoyed because he himself had been exactly that kind of man.

Non-Exclusive Excerpt

Applecross, Scotland, July 1882 The breeze stirred and sent shivers across the loch, and the cold entered her bones, urging her to return. She swam with practiced backstrokes, her mind inattentive as her body knew the route to the eastern bank by habit. No one ever visited the small crescent of shoreline where she had left her clothes. The spot was shielded by a rare patch of forest, and only sheep and old gamekeeper Collins knew the path, neither of whom posed a threat to the daughter of Alastair Campbell, Earl of Wester Ross. Gooseflesh rose on her wet skin when she emerged from the water. She strode to the forest edge quickly. Her clothes were still laid out on the boulder, secured in place by a thick volume of Virgil's Aeneid. With clammy fingers, she picked up the book and her spectacles. Then she noticed it: the presence to her right. She froze. A man. A man was blocking the entrance of the forest path. Ice shot through her stomach. She clutched the Virgil in front of her modesty; her spectacles clattered to the ground. He was five yards away. Watching her. Her heart was racing. He had already seen her . . . he had seen everything. She turned to him fully with the treacle-slow motion of a bad dream. His contours were fuzzy, but conclusive enough: still young, strong features, broad but lean shoulders in a fitted coat-he was in fine fighting form. Not good. And he was still staring. With an age-old expression of awe. As though he had unexpectedly stumbled through the doors of a cathedral and felt ambushed by the dizzying heights and the dusty taste of the eternal. It would have given her pause, except there was a pair of binoculars resting against his chest. A white-hot sensation rushed to her head. "What do you think you are doing," she snapped, the words shooting out cold and clipped. The man came alive as if he had been released from a spell. He turned his face away. "You . . . are a woman," he said, sounding vaguely stunned. "Astutely observed, sir," she said, incredulous. He made a noise in his throat, like a surprised chuckle. The pulse pounding in her ears near drowned out her conscious thinking. "Of course you're amused," she said. "One would expect nothing but low humor from a cowardly Peeping Tom." He twitched, as though it cost him effort to not whip his head back round to her. "I was not . . . peeping." "So you did not, while walking along the ridge, spot me in the water, use your binoculars to ascertain that I was indeed an unclothed woman, and then creep all the way down through the forest to spy on me?" Her tone had sharpened with every word and by the end, he should have lain on the ground in neat slices. He stood quite intact if a bit befuddled. His head tipped back on a soft laugh.

"That sounds like a lot of trouble just to see an unclothed woman," he said. "You are very charming, miss," he added, "but it's nothing I have not seen before." Her cheeks stung as if she had been slapped. "Then why," she cried, "are you still standing there-oh!" Her startled gasp did make him look back at her, just as a translucent shape flew toward him on a fresh gust of wind. Hell. Her untethered underclothes, fine like cobwebs, had taken off in the breeze. "Blast." She lunged forward and slammed her palm down on a remaining stocking. She cast a quick glance sideways. The man was straightening from a crouch with her chemise caught in his fist, as if he had swiped it from midair like a large cat. He eyed her pantaloons next-they had landed in a shrub, and it had to be the pantaloons because there were blurry pink ribbons, doing a saucy dance. "Don't touch that," she wheezed. He raised his arms over his head. "I won't touch." Her chemise fluttered in his hand like a white flag. "You really ought to take your leave now," she suggested through gritted teeth. "Absolutely," he agreed. "See here." He turned around, seemed to survey the nearest tree, and then he deftly tied her chemise to the trunk by its decorative cords. "Voilà," he said and spread his fingers. "You shall never see me again." Without a backward glance, he strode into the forest at a fluid pace. "Nearly gone now," he called out before his elegant form disappeared around the bend. Excerpted from The Gentleman's Gambit by Evie Dunmore Copyright © 2023 by Evie Dunmore. Excerpted by permission of Berkley. All rights reserved. No part of this excerpt may be reproduced or reprinted without permission in writing from the publisher.

#berkeley #evie dunmore #historical romance #the gentleman's gambit #regency romance #romance #shilo reads #arc review #netgalley #blog tour #a league of extraordinary women

[whimsicaldragonette]

ARC Review: A Fire Born of Exile by Aliette de Bodard

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Publication Date: October 12, 2023

Synopsos:

The Scattered Pearls Belt is a string of habitats under tight military rule . . . where the powerful have become all too comfortable in their positions, and their corruption. But change is coming, with the arrival of Quynh: the mysterious and enigmatic Alchemist of Streams and Hills. To Minh, daughter of the ruling prefect of the Belt , Quynh represents a chance for escape. To An, a destitute engineer, Quynh has a mysterious link to her own past . . . and holds a deeper, more sensual appeal. But Quynh has her own secret history, and a plan for the ruling class of the Belt. A plan that will tear open old wounds, shake the heavens, and may well consume her. A beautiful exploration of the power of love, of revenge, and of the wounds of the past, this fast-paced, heart-warming space opera is set against a backdrop of corruption, power and political scheming in the far reaches of the award-winning Xuya universe.

My Rating: ★★★★★

*My Review after the cut.

My Review:

I have enjoyed everything I have read by Aliette de Bodard, but this is my favorite thus far. Something about the characters grabbed me immediately and held my interest for the entire book. They felt incredibly real and believable and I cared deeply about all of them.

Her writing style is very dense, so her books take me longer to read than most others, but I always enjoy the journey. Sometimes it's nice to be forced to slow down and linger over a story rather than speed through it.

The characters and their motivations are complicated. Revenge and fear and hate and greed and love and justice. They're all very powerful emotions and the book itself feels very powerful. It's a grand struggle and epic battles that play out in subtle manipulations and power plays and scholars crafting the perfect response alluding to classic texts.

I love how expansive and complicated this universe is, with the mindships and bots and the avatars and overlays and perception filters, as well as the Vietnamese names and culture that feels deep and consistent. It feels so vast and so physical, and even though I know it's not real, it feels like it is.

I have read a good handful of Xuya universe novels and novellas now so I feel like I have a pretty good handle on the world, where I was confused occasionally even in the previous novel. It's more sci-fi than I normally read, and I love it. It has such a lovely texture.

I also love how queer relationships are treated as normal and unremarkable, and how many examples of them we have in this book (and her others). There is at least one nonbinary character and it is completely normal. The main relationships are all pairs of women. It's so refreshing and validating.

I have not had such a deeply enjoyable and satisfying reading experience in a while and it felt so good. Wading through the dense language that Aliette de Bodard uses felt rewarding and I was swept away by the strong emotions and convictions of the characters. I am sad to leave this world and eagerly await the next Xuya universe novel.

(It should be noted that I am in the process of moving so the only time I have had to read in the past few weeks is when I wake up in the middle of the night and can't sleep. So I read most of this between the hours of 3 and 6am. And I still adored it and happily spent days wading through its complexity. That's how good it is.)

*Thanks to NetGalley and JAB Books for providing an early copy for review.

#queer romance #queer books #aliette de bodard #a fire born of exile #xuya universe #best books of 2023 #netgalley #arc review #shilo reads #queer characters #sci-fi

[whimsicaldragonette]

ARC Review: The Bell in the Fog by Lev AC Rosen

Order Add to Goodreads Publication Date: October 10, 2023

Synopsis:

The Bell in the Fog , a dazzling historical mystery by Lev AC Rosen, asks―once you have finally found a family, how far would you go to prove yourself to them? San Francisco, 1952. Detective Evander “Andy” Mills has started a new life for himself as a private detective―but his business hasn’t exactly taken off. It turns out that word spreads fast when you have a bad reputation, and no one in the queer community trusts him enough to ask an ex-cop for help. When James, an old flame from the war who had mysteriously disappeared, arrives in his offices above the Ruby, Andy wants to kick him out. But the job seems to be a simple case of blackmail, and Andy’s debts are piling up. He agrees to investigate, despite everything it stirs up. The case will take him back to the shadowy, closeted world of the Navy, and then out into the gay bars of the city, where the past rises up to meet him, like the swell of the ocean under a warship. Missing people, violent strangers, and scandalous photos that could destroy lives are a whirlpool around him, and Andy better make sense of it all before someone pulls him under for good.

My Rating: ★★★★★

*My Review below the cut

My Review:

I was so impressed with Lavender House that I wasn't sure this second book could really stand up to it, especially given the way the story played out. To my surprise, it did.

Andy Mills is a compelling protagonist who has had a hard life and you just want him to succeed and have some good things and learn to enjoy himself and believe he's worth those good things. The other characters are vibrant and complicated and the way they push and pull Andy makes the overarching mystery more intriguing.

This is very much a novel about the way the past can drag at you, holding you back and trying to pull you under. And the way it would be so, so easy to let it. To let yourself be submerged into the memories and the glow of nostalgia and let your future fade away.

Andy is haunted by his memories and his past in this novel. It clouds his judgement and complicates his case, and he really struggles to break free of them.

The mystery twists and loops and as Andy investigates one suspect and then another you really wonder who could be behind it all. It's very well-crafted and satisfying.

I really love that this is very much a story about queer characters in a time where being queer is basically illegal and can easily get you beaten up or killed and no one would bat an eye. There is a danger that darkens all the shadows, but at the same time that just makes the light of their joy shine brighter in defiance.

The setting and the characters and the queerness of it all is captivating and as a queer reader is both painful and beautiful. I've never read anything quite like it before.

I was sucked in by the story as it unfolded and couldn't tear myself away. I will definitely be reading future novels about Andy and his friends.

*Thanks to Bookishfirst and Macmillan Tor/Forge for providing an early copy for review.

#the bell in the fog #lavender house #andy mills #lev a c rosen #queer books #queer historical #lgbt+ #mystery #historical mystery #noir #shilo reads #netgalley #arc review

[whimsicaldragonette]

Blog Tour and ARC Review: By Any Other Name by Erin Cotter

Welcome to my stop on the By Any Other Name book tour with Colored Pages Blog Tours. (This blog tour is also posted on my wordpress book blog Whimsical Dragonette.)

Book info:

TITLE: By Any Other Name AUTHOR: Erin Cotter PUBLISHER: Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers RELEASE DATE: October 10, 2023 GENRES: Young Adult, Historical Fiction, Fantasy PAGES: 464 REPRESENTATION: Queer MCs

Goodreads StorygraphBlackwellsAmazonBarnes & NobleBookshop USOther Retailers

Synopsis:

A down-on-his-luck actor and an English lord reluctantly team up to solve the murder of Christopher Marlowe in this Shakespearean-era young adult romp perfect for fans of F.T. Lukens and Mackenzi Lee.

London, 1593. Sixteen-year-old Will Hughes is busy working on Shakespeare’s stage, stuffing his corsets with straw and pretending to be someone else. Offstage, he's playing a part, too. The son of traitors, Will is desperate to keep his identity secret—or risk being killed in the bloody queen’s imperial schemes. All he wants is to lay low until he earns enough coin to return to his family.

But when his mentor, the famous playwright Christopher Marlowe, is murdered under mysterious circumstances, Will’s plans are hopelessly dashed. What’s worse, Marlowe was a spy for the queen, tasked with stalking a killer rumored to be part of an elusive order of assassins, and his secrets and untimely death have put Will under a harsh spotlight. And so, when Will unwittingly foils an attempt on the queen’s life, she names him her next spymaster.

Now, to avoid uncomfortable questions, prison, or an even more terrible fate, Will reluctantly starts his new career, which—yes—will secure him the resources to help his family…but at what cost? Adding insult to injury is the young Lord James Bloomsbury, Will’s new comrade in arms, whose entitled demeanor and unfairly handsome looks get under Will’s skin immediately.

Together, the two hunt the cunning assassin, defend the queen’s life, and pray to keep their own...all while an unexpected connection blossoms between them.

Author Bio:

Erin Cotter writes young adult fiction. Originally from Buffalo, New York, she currently calls Austin home. When not writing she spends time with her partner and pets, eating tacos, and searching for Golden-cheeked Warblers in the Texas Hill Country.

Author Links:

Goodreads WebsiteInstagram

My Rating: ★★★★

*My Review, Favorite Quotes, and Tour Schedule below the cut.

My Review:

I can’t give this five stars because I didn’t love it and I definitely wouldn’t read it again, but it absolutely deserves four for how very much I didn’t love the setting - purely a case of personal preference - and at the same time how much I loved the characters. It takes skill to pull such a visceral response of dislike from me and at the same time endear the characters to me so strongly.

The thing I like least about this book, and the thing that makes me admire the skill of the author the most, is the rawness of life in this medieval world. These characters live in filth. They are accustomed to it. Humanity here, from the aristocrats to the peasants, is only a step away from animals. Life is unpredictable, brutal, full of disease and filth and crassness and betrayal. And no one bats an eye.

It reminds me of Catherine Called Birdy (a book I still vividly remember viscerally hating when I had to read it for school all those years ago) in the way it portrays a world of casual brutality and scrabbling in the mud for a life. Honestly it’s probably at least in part a bit of germaphobia that makes me hate this world so.

Will and his friends go through so much over the course of the novel, and there are so many plot twists, that I was constantly surprised by events and by their tenacity and determination to survive. I never saw a single thing coming in the course of the assassination and murder investigation. I could see, after each piece had fallen into place, exactly how it fit, but not how it got there.

The characters and events were melodramatic and sometimes strained credulity, but it all fits with the underlying theme of plays and players. Shakespeare and Marlowe are even characters. Will begins as an actor playing girls on stage in Marlowe's plays, and he keeps all of those actor characteristics to his personality throughout the story.

Will is likable no matter his selfishness and many faults, and i found myself continually rooting for him and his star-crossed love. And I came away loathing the nobility, especially Elizabeth. Her court was rotten and she was the worst of them all.

The way the story played out was very satisfying and wrenched a lot of feelings from me. Not least of which was the conviction that I absolutely positively never want to visit this world.

Seriously though, James' sister Catherine deserved so much better. Her part of the story is the one thing that really disappointed me.

*Thanks to NetGalley, Colored Pages Blog Tours, and Simon and Schuster Books for Young Readers for providing an early copy for review.

Favorite Quotes:

Goddamn it. I’ve been trying not to let these two become my friends, but they became my friends anyway.

---

Whatever lack of experience Bloomsbury claims he has, his inspired performance as the most vexing person I’ve ever met is certainly coming from somewhere.

---

To hell with Marlowe and Bloomsbury and all the other people who tug me into their dark intrigues and give me no lantern to light my way. I am tired of being left in the dark.

---

“We don’t need your coin!” Maggie snarls. “’Tis coin. We always need coin,” Inigo amends in a small voice.

---

Should I fail, the stakes are dire; impersonating a man of the noble class is a crime punishable by death. Though to be fair, most of the crimes in England are punishable by death.

---

’Tis a brave and dangerous thing to go about this world having dreams. A dream is even more fickle and fleeting than a life.

---

“So we’re not here to have fun?” I say, to be cetain I’m understanding Foxwell correctly. Because it very much appears as though we’re in the midst of fun.

---

’Tis Reamonn, the swashbuckling pirate lad. He prickles with knives like an adorable, bloodthirsty hedgehog.

Tour Schedule:

October 4th

@monikasbookblog - Review + Favorite Quotes

raavenreads - Review Post

October 5th

Yourlocalbookreader - Review + Reel

@monarchsandmyths - Review + Favorite Quotes

October 6th

_perpetualpages_ - Review Post

Whimsical Dragonette - Review + Favorite Quotes

October 7th

ofpagesandprint - Review + Reel

@moyashi_girl - Review Post

October 8th

@poatic.library - Review + Reel

@gingerly_reading - Review Post

October 9th

Readreviewcoffee - Review + Favorite Quotes

Spacey Ghost - Review Post

October 10th

​​@rubyraereads - Review Post

Bangalimeyreads - Review + Reel

#colored pages blog tours #by any other name #queer books #netgalley #arc review #shilo reads #queer mcs #lgbt+ #YA historical #historical fiction #fantasy #YA fantasy #erin cotter #simon teen #coloredpagesbt #shakespeare #medieval fantasy #middle ages

[whimsicaldragonette]

ARC & Audio Arc Review: A Nobleman's Guide to Seducing a Scoundrel

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Publication Date: September 19, 2023

Synopsis:

Major Rufus d'Aumesty has unexpectedly become the Earl of Oxney, master of a remote Norman manor on the edge of the infamous Romney Marsh. There he's beset on all sides, his position contested both by his greedy uncle and by Luke Doomsday, son of a notorious smuggling clan. The earl and the smuggler should be natural enemies, but cocksure, enragingly competent Luke is a trained secretary and expert schemer—exactly the sort of man Rufus needs by his side. Before long, Luke becomes an unexpected ally...and the lover Rufus had never hoped to find. But Luke came to Stone Manor with an ulterior motive, one he's desperate to keep hidden even from the lord he can't resist. As the lies accumulate and family secrets threaten to destroy everything they hold dear, master and man find themselves forced to decide whose side they're really on...and what they're willing to do for love.

My Rating: ★★★★★

*My Review and Favorite Quotes below the cut

My Review:

As should surprise absolutely no one, I adored every minute of this book. KJ Charles has such a way with words, and is so deft at creating characters who are either utter scoundrels (with good hearts) or thoroughly honest and good, and then bringing them together to complete each other.

I was expecting a continuation of Gareth's and Joss' story, though I was puzzled as to how she was going to manage that, and was surprised to find a time jump and Luke as one half of the featured couple. I quickly came to love that choice. Rather than putting more obstacles in the way of Gareth's and Joss' happiness, we get snapshots of their continued contentment as Luke and Rufus find theirs.

The mystery of the ten thousand guineas does get wrapped up, but otherwise it's a totally new story, and a very satisfactory one. I love the found family Luke and Rufus are beginning to build with his cousins.

I loved every minute of it and have preordered the audio so I can listen to it again once it comes out. (And probably fairly frequently after that, given my track record with KJ Charles' books.)

I loved how Luke and Rufus together managed to slowly bring Berengaria and Odo and Fulk around to their side and recognize their value as the story progressed. I think they'll all be quite happy together.

Absolutely recommend to anyone who falls for lovable rogues and brutally honest characters with good hearts falling in love despite themselves. It was utterly delightful. I loved it.

The characters are wonderful and complex and the way Luke and Rufus come together and complement each other perfectly while still having plenty of arguments and disagreements feels very real. KJ Charles is a master at characters who are perfect for one another despite appearances. Of course it always takes them a while to come around to the fact.

The audiobook performance was once again excellent. The narrator does a fabulous job bringing the characters and events to life and each character has a distinct and recognizable voice.

This, along with the previous book, are going onto my 'absolute favorite comfort reads' shelf. I know I will listen to them again and again - which, to be fair, is what happens with all of KJ Charles' books.

*Thanks to NetGalley, Sourcebooks Casablanca, and Dreamscape Media for providing an early copy for review.

Favorite Quotes:

He’d wanted Rufus so much, and when the temptation had been there in front of him, along with the perfect excuse to give in to it, he hadn’t resisted. If you could describe grabbing what he wanted with both hands as “not resisting.”

#kj charles #queer romance #queer historical romance #historical romance #queer books #romance #lgbt #a nobleman's guide to seducing a scoundrel #netgalley #arc review #audio arc #shilo reads

[whimsicaldragonette]

Audio ARC Review: Every Duke Has His Day by Suzanne Enoch

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Publication Date: September 19, 2023

Synopsis:

Michael Blumley, Duke of Loriton (age 28), is viewed as an eccentric by his peers in the ton. He does his duty, of course, but his interest—and talent—lies in the science of electricity. He has no interest in what the frivolities of Society. When his favorite aunt, Mary, Lady Harris, leaves her precious, well-behaved black poodle, Lancelot in his care while she travels his life takes an interesting turn. Elizabeth “Bitsy” Dockering (age 19), third daughter of a viscount, is enjoying her second Season in London. She is a Diamond of the Season and is adored by all—and especially by her precious black poodle, Galahad. To everyone else, however, Galahad is a demon dog. So much so that Peter Cordray, one of Bitsy’s most insistent beaux and a particular victim of Galahad’s bad manners and sharp teeth, has hired a petty thief (Jimmy Bly) to steal the dog, clearing the way for his suit. When the two dogs and their “people” meet in the park, chaos ensues and unknowingly results in a dog swap. Which means Lancelot is kidnapped instead of Galahad! But when both dogs go missing in an ever thickening dognapping plot, Michael and Elizabeth end up coming together to scour London, recover Lancelot and Galahad all while falling in love.

My Rating: ★★★★★

*My Review below the cut.

My Review:

This was utterly adorable. I really liked the way the POV switched between our upper-class main couple and the lower-class secondary couple. I haven't run across that in a romance novel and it was a lot of fun. I love that it's a lighthearted romp that doesn't take itself too seriously, too. And all of the characters were really wonderful and fun to get to know.

I'm not usually a dog person, but the dogs in this book were super cute and really added to the story. I also really liked how much the characters cared for the dogs. It was a good way to show who was a kind person and who was not.

I also liked getting to see all sides of the dognapping. We have Michael's side of the story, and Elizabeth's, and most authors would stop there, but Suzanne Enoch gives us both the villain's side and the unwilling henchman Jimmy's side, and his sweetheart's side as well. It gave a much broader and more complete picture of the world the characters are inhabiting.

The investigations Michael and Elizabeth undertook were great fun, especially when it gave them an excuse to banter. I love a competent hero and heroine, and we definitely get that here. I love how each is competent in their own way and both are useful to investigation - and both of them appreciate the other's competence. Michael is a brilliant scientist and great with details, and Elizabeth is clever and outgoing and great with people. They make a wonderful team.

I did find the ending to be a bit saccharine for my taste, and the declarations of love did drag on rather too long, but that's a minor quibble and I think I'm in the minority in liking books to end with only a suggestion of a happy-ever after. Restrained. Think Mr. Darcy. Not effusive drawn-out declarations like this. They're not bad exactly, they just aren't my preference. But the rest of the book more than made up for it.

The audiobook was performed beautifully and I really enjoyed listening to it. The character voices were excellent and the narrator really brought all of the characters to life.

*Thanks to NetGalley and Dreamscape Media for providing an early audio copy for review.

#suzanne enoch #every duke has his day #romance #historical romance #regency romance #netgalley #shiloreads #arc review #audio arc review

[whimsicaldragonette]

ARC Review: Chaos & Flame by Tessa Gratton and Justina Ireland

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Publication Date: March 28, 2023

Synopsis:

Darling Seabreak cannot remember anything before the murder of her family at the hands of House Dragon, but she knows she owes her life to both the power of her Chaos Boon and House Kraken for liberating her from the sewers where she spent her childhood. So when her adoptive Kraken father is captured in battle, Darling vows to save him--even if that means killing each and every last member of House Dragon. Talon Goldhoard has always been a dutiful War Prince for House Dragon, bravely leading the elite troops of his brother, the High Prince Regent. But lately his brother's erratic rule threatens to undo a hundred years of House Dragon's hard work, and factions are turning to Talon to unseat him. Talon resists, until he's ambushed by a fierce girl who looks exactly like the one his brother has painted obsessively, repeatedly, for years, and Talon knows she's the key to everything. Together, Darling and Talon must navigate the treacherous waters of House politics, caught up in the complicated game the High Prince Regent is playing against everyone. The unlikeliest of allies, they'll have to stop fighting each other long enough to learn to fight together in order to survive the fiery prophecies and ancient blood magic threatening to devastate their entire world. From New York Times bestselling author Justina Ireland and Tessa Gratton comes the first book in a ferocious YA fantasy duology featuring ancient magic, warring factions, and a romance between the two people in the world with the most cause to hate one another.

My Rating: ★★★

*My Review below the cut.

My Review:

This could have been so much more than it was. It had the potential to be an epic slow-burn with tons of political intrigue. Instead we get instalove and some rather obvious political machinations, though most of the story is focused on the "love triangle" of Darling and the two princes, even though the instalove makes it obvious that it's not actually a triangle. It was a struggle to care about any of the characters - except Talon's brother because he was chaotic and very interesting. But the story focused more on Darling and Talon (of course.) The worldbuilding is practically nonexistent, even though the setting could have been very interesting to explore. Especially since they are literally traveling from House to House? There were some parts I liked, and I am intrigued by the ending, but overall it didn't really stand out to me as anything beyond generic YA fantasy. The audiobook was easy to listen to and the voices didn't detract from the story. It wasn't an outstanding performance but it wasn't bad either. *Thanks to Bookishfirst and Razorbill for providing an early copy for review.

#chaos & flame #tessa gratton #justina ireland #instalove #bookishfirst #arc review #shilo reads

[whimsicaldragonette]

ARC Review: The Name Drop by Susan Lee

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Publication Date: September 12, 2023

Synopsis:

From the author of Seoulmates comes a story of mistaken identities, the summer of a lifetime, and a love to risk everything for. When Elijah Ri arrives in New York City for an internship at his father’s massive tech company, Haneul Corporation, he expects the royal treatment that comes with being the future CEO—even if that’s the last thing he wants. But instead, he finds himself shuffled into a group of overworked, unpaid interns, all sharing a shoebox apartment for the summer. When Jessica Lee arrives in New York City, she’s eager to make the most of her internship at Haneul Corporation, even if she’s at the bottom of the corporate ladder. But she’s shocked to be introduced as the new executive-in-training intern with a gorgeous brownstone all to herself. It doesn’t take long for Elijah and Jessica to discover the source of the they share the same Korean name. But they decide to stay switched—so Elijah can have a relaxing summer away from his controlling dad while Jessica can make the connections she desperately needs for college recommendations. As Elijah and Jessica work together to keep up the charade, a spark develops between them. Can they avoid discovery—and total disaster—with their feelings and futures on the line?

My Rating: ★★★★★

*My Review below the cut.

My Review:

This was such a delightful book. The characters were real and three-dimensional and easy to root for. Jessica was so driven and capable and it was wonderful to see Elijah becoming self-confident and learning that he could actually work hard and enjoy it. The story was easy to follow and though some of it was predictable there were also a few small twists. The characters were where it really shined. They felt like friends that I was reluctant to leave behind. It was a perfect feel-good romance and I enjoyed every minute of it. I was also impressed at how it managed to be both a feel-good summer romance AND an indictment of wealthy corporate executives and the misogyny that can be found in corporate culture. Also BTS was mentioned and that is always a highlight for me. And then to discover in the author's note that she is ARMY, and that the dedication is a quote from Kim Namjoon himself! And quoting Run made total sense with the message and narrative of the story. *Thanks to Bookishfirst and Inkyard Press for providing an early copy for review.

#the name drop #susan lee #bookishfirst #arc review #shilo reads #ya contemporary #mistaken identity romcom

[whimsicaldragonette]

Blog Tour and ARC Review: The Borrow a Boyfriend Club by Page Powars

Welcome to my stop on the Borrow a Boyfriend Club book tour with Colored Pages Blog Tours. (This blog tour is also posted on my Wordpress book blog: Whimsical Dragonette.)

LINK TO GIVEAWAY AT THE BOTTOM OF THE POST.

Book Info:

TITLE: The Borrow A Boyfriend Club AUTHOR: Page Powars PUBLISHER: Delacorte Press RELEASE DATE: September 12, 2023 GENRES: Young Adult, Contemporary, Romance PAGES: 352 REPRESENTATION: Queer and Trans MCs

Goodreads Storygraph Blackwells Amazon Barnes & Noble Bookshop US

Synopsis:

A feel-good, coming-of-age rom-com from debut author Page Powars that follows a trans teen who joins a boyfriend borrowing service masquerading as an Italian Club to prove that he’s one of the guys, especially to its frustratingly handsome leader.

Noah Byrd is the perfect boy. At least, that’s what he needs to convince his new classmates of to prove his gender. His plan? Join the school’s illustrious (and secret) Borrow a Boyfriend Club, whose members rent themselves out for dates. Once he’s accepted among the bros, the “slip-ups” end.

But Noah’s interview is a flop. Desperate, he strikes a deal with the club’s prickly but attractive president, Asher. Noah will help them win an annual talent show—and in return, he’ll get a second shot to demonstrate his boyfriend skills in a series of tests that include romancing Asher himself.

If Noah can’t bring home the win, his best chance to prove that he’s man enough is gone. Yet even if he succeeds, he still loses . . . because the most important rule of the Borrow a Boyfriend Club is simple: no real boyfriends (or girlfriends) allowed.

And as long as the club remains standing as high as Asher’s man bun, Noah and Asher can never explore their growing feelings for one another.

Relationships fall apart and come together. But through it all, there's one thing the Singhs can count on: their family will always be there for each other.

Author Bio:

Page Powars was raised by his favorite gay-coded video game characters. They taught him how to soften his gaze at a homie, sacrifice his lifespan for a bro, and kill or kiss his definitely-just-a-pal. Now he writes stories with this wealth of knowledge. His books include The Borrow a Boyfriend Club and And They Were Roommates. Page also helps with music soundtracks, sobs over The Untamed, and unfortunately plays Genshin Impact. Originally from Michigan, he lives in the New York City area.

Author Links:

GoodreadsWebsiteInstagramTwitterTikTok

My Review, Favorite Quotes, Tour Schedule, and GIVEAWAY below the cut. So make sure you read to the end and then head over to instagram to enter.

My Review:

This was delightful and charming. I flew through the audio and enjoyed every minute of it. Noah has switched schools to try to outrun the subtle misgendering and slights of his classmates. He wants to get ahead of the rumors this time and prove he's a boy, but no sports are accepting students. In desperation, he turns to the Football and Lamborghini After-School Club --or rather, unbeknownst to him, the Borrow a Boyfriend Club. So begins his exasperating, amusing, and hilarious attempts to pass the initiation - by wooing the club president. I knew I would enjoy this from the blurb, and it did not disappoint. Every bit of ridiculous and hilarious high-school romcom antics were there, as were every bit of the warmth and slowly burgeoning self-confidence as Noah found where he belonged. Noah was an incredibly sympathetic hero, and scowling misunderstood uber-popular Asher made a wonderful foil for him. The other club members were delightfully quirky and livened up the story with their attempts to help Noah gain entrance to the club. The writing flowed easily and was full of witty bits that made me laugh. The audiobook was performed wonderfully, and the narrator really brought the characters and story to life. I spent the entire listen grinning (and occasionally cringeing in sympathy) as Noah's story progressed. Oodles of fun. 10/10 highly recommend. *Thanks to NetGalley, Colored Pages Book Tours, Random House Children's, and Delacorte Press for providing an early copy and early audio copy for review.

Favorite Quotes:

I swallowed hard and headed down the stairs, which moaned with each step. Either I was lowering myself into an after-school cult or the pits of Hell.

---

“So, you snuck back into school?” “It’s not like I can miss our club meetings.”

---

If this bizarre roundup of Disney princes was really telling the truth, then the possibility of joining a football and Lamborghini club was dead-dead.

---

Wait. Rewind. “Seventy others have failed the first round since he became president last semester?” “Seventy-seven, according to our database.”

---

I picked up the instrument. “You sure this is a flute?” Lenny sat down beside me again, pulling at the tips of his pastel bangs. “I think so. I called out ‘Does anyone have a flute?’ and four people ran over with theirs. So.” The world was way too easy for hot people.

Tour Schedule

September 1st

Readreviewcoffee - Review + Reel

Readwithatlas - Review 

September 2nd

@rampant_reading - Promotional post

Raavenreads - Review 

September 3rd

@read_with_kate.16 - Review

Shereadytoread - Review 

September 4th

Utopia.state.of.mind - Review

September 5th

Ofbooksandromance - Review 

Whimsical Dragonette - Review + Favorite Quotes

@gsreadingspree - Review

September 6th

@monarchsandmyths - Mini Playlist

@melaniereadsbooks - Review 

September 7th

@sunlightonmypages - Playlist + Reel @allielovestoread - Promotional post

Tour Wide Giveaway

-Go to the giveaway instagram post here -Follow @coloredpagesbt -Like and comment with your next anticipated release Extra entries: -Share the post via stories and tag @coloredpagesbt - Tag friends in different comments! - Visit the #TheBorrowaBoyfriendClubTour hashtag for more chances to win! Note: The giveaway will end at 5pm EST on 9/10 and is for US/CAN residents only.

#The Borrow A Boyfriend Book Club #Page Powars #Colored Pages Book Tours #trans mc #queer mc #blog tour #shilo reads #netgalley #young adult #contemporary #queer romance #arc review #audiobook arc #giveaway