Be still my heart with this enemies-to-lovers second chance romance! Susan for president. She is just the absolute best and I bow down to her and her Be still my heart with this enemies-to-lovers second chance romance! Susan for president. She is just the absolute best and I bow down to her and her detective badassery and allergy to feelings. But even Susan can only suppress her feelings for Templeton (aka James, her first love) for so long. I have been looking forward to her story ever since first meeting her in An Unnatural Vice. No need to read that first but you’re in for a treat if you do. However, I would recommend reading Any Old Diamond before this one so you’ll have full context for jewel thief Templeton and his inner demons.
Characters: Susan is a 34 year old bisexual white detective. Templeton/James is a 33 year old white jewel thief. This is set in 1895 London.
Content notes: brief suicidal ideation, past pregnancy and miscarriage, past death of FMC’s lover, murder, physical assault, abduction, home invasion, past physical abuse of MMC by mine overseer who also kicked his dog, FMC shot and punched MMC in separate past incidences (related to his crimes), past defenestration of villain, societal homophobia/transphobia, misgendering of trans secondary character, past slut-shaming, past emotional abuse by MMC’s father, past forced conscription/MMC exiled to Australia by his father, past child homelessness (FMC taken off street at age 8), FMC’s mother died young and she never knew her father, past death of beloved great-uncle, past death of MMC’s mother when he was young, on page sex, alcohol, cigarillos (secondary character), gendered pejoratives, gender essentialist language, ableist language, mention of past intimate partner violence (secondary character), mention of past murder-suicide, reference to murderer who killed and mutilated women
Merged review:
Be still my heart with this enemies-to-lovers second chance romance! Susan for president. She is just the absolute best and I bow down to her and her detective badassery and allergy to feelings. But even Susan can only suppress her feelings for Templeton (aka James, her first love) for so long. I have been looking forward to her story ever since first meeting her in An Unnatural Vice. No need to read that first but you’re in for a treat if you do. However, I would recommend reading Any Old Diamond before this one so you’ll have full context for jewel thief Templeton and his inner demons.
Characters: Susan is a 34 year old bisexual white detective. Templeton/James is a 33 year old white jewel thief. This is set in 1895 London.
Content notes: brief suicidal ideation, past pregnancy and miscarriage, past death of FMC’s lover, murder, physical assault, abduction, home invasion, past physical abuse of MMC by mine overseer who also kicked his dog, FMC shot and punched MMC in separate past incidences (related to his crimes), past defenestration of villain, societal homophobia/transphobia, misgendering of trans secondary character, past slut-shaming, past emotional abuse by MMC’s father, past forced conscription/MMC exiled to Australia by his father, past child homelessness (FMC taken off street at age 8), FMC’s mother died young and she never knew her father, past death of beloved great-uncle, past death of MMC’s mother when he was young, on page sex, alcohol, cigarillos (secondary character), gendered pejoratives, gender essentialist language, ableist language, mention of past intimate partner violence (secondary character), mention of past murder-suicide, reference to murderer who killed and mutilated women...more
Susanna Kearsley is back in rare form! I practically inhaled this. Andrew and Phoebe have never gotten along, all due to a misunderstanding. But when Susanna Kearsley is back in rare form! I practically inhaled this. Andrew and Phoebe have never gotten along, all due to a misunderstanding. But when Andrew is sent on a mission by the king and requires a scribe, Phoebe joins the trip in order to take care of her father while he works with Andrew. And of course she starts to see him differently! There were more than a few times when I wanted to knock some sense into her head but I really liked her as a character overall. She was a good daughter and loyal friend. I could not get enough of the way Andrew watched out for her, even when she was determined to believe the worst about him.
Andrew’s Second Sight was depicted with great aplomb. Kearsley’s last novel lacked this element so it was great to have it centered here, as well as the way this explored the dangers of letting people know about his gift. He’s also dyslexic, hence the need to bring a scribe with him, and this added another layer of nuance to both his character and the story. This doesn’t have a dual timeline but there are some compelling flashbacks to the King's Court through the eyes of Andrew’s prisoner. I don’t want to say much more than that, lest I spoil how magnificently everything unfolded.
My only qualm is the inclusion of the Magical Blind Person trope. A blind man gives Queen Anne a message from her deceased son Prince Henry. Now it’s very possible this really did happen—Kearsley’s books are well-researched, especially when it comes to the inclusion of real life historical figures—but as there aren’t any other disabled people in the book, I wanted to mention it.
Characters: Andrew is a 26 year old white Scottish King’s Messenger with the Second Sight and dyslexia. Phoebe is the 24 year old white Portuguese British daughter of a scrivener. This is set in 1613 London and Leith, Scotland.
Content notes: nightmare, sick father (view spoiler)[dies in his sleep toward the end of the book (hide spoiler)], emotionally abusive father (King), recent death of prince (poison suspected), attempted murder, physical assault, gunshot wound (child secondary character), past near-death experience (attempted mugging and multiple gunshot wounds), sexism, slut-shaming, Magical Blind Person trope, ableism, MMC has dyslexia, internalized ableism, chronic nosebleeds (secondary character), forced family separation (King sends his children away to be raised by others in spite of the Queen’s wishes and limits her access to them), wraiths, snake, classism, past death of MMC’s father, past death of FMC’s mother and brothers (plague), off page animal murder (hunting dog shot), fear of horses (FMC was trod on one as a child), MMC suspects his horse was abused by his previous owner, past death of Queen’s children, off page sex, alcohol, inebriation (secondary characters), gender essentialist language, mention of past miscarriage (Queen)...more
Categorizing this as "you need therapy, not a relationship.” I started out really liking Quinn and not being sure if Logan was right for her and I endCategorizing this as "you need therapy, not a relationship.” I started out really liking Quinn and not being sure if Logan was right for her and I ended it liking Logan (except for his possessive, overprotective side) and not being sure Quinn was good enough for him. She really needed to work through why she picked such loser men and internalized their mistreatment of her before starting something with Logan. There were logistical issues and the emotional arcs needed to be fleshed out more in order for them to add up. The sex scenes were hot at least.
I didn’t read the book before this so characters appeared with brief mentions of something that happened in their respective books (maybe even characters from other series?). That could get confusing at times but otherwise this stood pretty well on its own. However, this is a completely cishet white world.
Characters: Logan/Bull is a 32 year old white bar owner, tattoo artist, and ex-con. Quinn is a 26 year old white bar waitress. This is set in Rocktown, MT.
Content notes: secondary character arrested for physically assaulting man with intent of roofying and raping his friend, MMC’s mother is an emotionally abusive alcoholic, codependency (MMC continues to give mom money), sexual harassment, FMC’s brother’s wife leaves him, sexism, misogyny, needle (tattoo), past infidelity (all of FMC’s exes cheated, including her fiancé), FMC breaks into MMC’s home when she hasn’t heard from him, employer-employee relationship (never discuss power differential, perhaps because she’s only working there temporarily), past incarceration (drug dealing), past bullying, past death of FMC’s mom (killed by drunk driver), past TBI from car accident (secondary character), past death of secondary character’s brother, MMC’s cousin used to be in foster care, MMC was raised by his grandmother after his dad left as his alcoholic mother neglected him, FMC’s brother is a cop, unsafe sex practices (FMC opens condom packet with her teeth), on page sex, phone sex, boat blowjob, alcohol, inebriation, excessive drinking, hangover, casual ableism, small penis joke, gendered pejoratives, gender essentialism, ableist language, hyperbolic language around addiction
*Love it or Leighve it* (aka cleaning out my Kindle) Purchased: 2020...more
3.5 stars. I heard this series was more violent than Psy-Changeling but I still wasn’t prepared for how violent (and creepy!) it would be. That said, 3.5 stars. I heard this series was more violent than Psy-Changeling but I still wasn’t prepared for how violent (and creepy!) it would be. That said, I am enthralled by the world-building and getting to watch Elena acclimate to her angel wings and learn how to become even more of a badass. In this world, archangels sure aren’t the good guys, which explains why I’m still lukewarm about Raphael. It’s good to see him becoming more humanized by his time with Elena so maybe there’s hope for him yet.
However, I’m not yet convinced about Elena and Raphael’s relationship. What do they have beyond sex, Elena fighting for her life, and Raphael comforting her after nightmares? It’s not nothing but there isn’t the depth that should accompany their declarations of love when they’re already swearing they’ll be together for eternity.
Elena’s mental health is front and center due to increasing flashbacks and nightmares about the death and torture of her family members and her repressed memories come to the surface. I was glad to see her finally facing what happened that day but I desperately wanted to know whether therapy exists in this world because she needs to find a counselor stat. And if her dad never got her or her sister counseling back then, it’s one more reason to hate him—and one more reason why I don’t understand how Elena has even a drop of love for him. He is awful and their estrangement should be permanent and complete.
Looking forward to seeing where this series goes next and getting books for some of Raphael’s Seven. I very much want to learn their stories!
Characters: Elena is a 29 year old vampire hunter and Made-angel with brown skin (her maternal grandmother was Moroccan). Raphael is a 1000+ year old Archangel. This is set in the angel Refuge and the Forbidden City, Beijing, China.
Content notes: PTSD, flashbacks to murder of family members, nightmares, repressed memories, sexual harassment via vampire wielding aphrodisiac scent, ephebophile archangel (off page; he rationalizes being with girls as young as 15 because it was “acceptable” when he came of age), past and present pedophile serial killer (view spoiler)[He groped FMC’s dead sister’s breasts. He kissed FMC (she was 10 years old) and fed her her dead sister’s blood, then forced her to swallow it. He was executed for his crimes but Lijuan resurrects him as a zombie to mess with FMC’s head. FMC beheads him. (hide spoiler)], past child physical abuse by MMC’s mother, mind control, murder, attempted murder, stabbing, physical assault, inferno, angelfire, zombies (created via eating dead bodies), corpses, child abduction, badly beaten secondary characters (including a child), forced branding (secondary characters), execution of secondary character’s adult child (justified punishment), secondary character dies of grand mal seizure after poisoning, murdered concubine, blood-drinking (secondary character), past coma, weight loss from coma, past near-death experiences, broken bones, lacerations, finger prick (blood opens box), vomit, past Mentally Ill Villain (mental illness is still blamed for many wrongdoings), ableism, ableist slur, missing women, past murder of FMC’s two sisters by vampire serial killer who dismembered and cannibalized them, past death by suicide of FMC’s mother (she found the body), attempted desecration of FMC’s mother’s grave, FMC is mostly estranged from family (father kicked her out at 18 for being a vampire hunter), MMC’s mother killed his father (past; father’s power had corrupted him), past mass murder of villagers by MMC’s father, past maternal abandonment (MMC’s mother disappeared after abusing him), past death of secondary character’s child, disabled secondary character (born with twisted wing), touch-aversion (secondary character), vampires agree to be enslaved to angels for 100 years in exchange for immortality (includes sexual enslavement; vampires are often abused), unsafe sex practices (penetrative sex without a condom without discussion STI or pregnancy prevention), on page sex, aphrodisiac (angel dust), alcohol, gendered pejoratives, gender essentialism, ableist language, hyperbolic language around suicide and addiction, casual use of colonialist language...more
I love Elena and I’m excited to see what’s next for her. Jury’s out on Raphael; we’ll see if he grows on me.
Note: this is extremely gender essentialisI love Elena and I’m excited to see what’s next for her. Jury’s out on Raphael; we’ll see if he grows on me.
Note: this is extremely gender essentialist and contains casual transphobia and homophobia. Not unexpected given when it was written but disappointing nonetheless.
Characters: Elena is a 28 year old vampire hunter with brown skin (her maternal grandmother was Moroccan). Raphael is a centuries old Archangel. This is set in NYC.
Content notes: sexual harassment by MMC and secondary character, sexual coercion via mind control, off-page rape of killer’s victims, pedophile vampire secondary character (imprisoned and no danger to others), intimate partner violence (view spoiler)[MMC regularly threatens to kill FMC, MMC controls FMC’s mind to get what he wants and even almost induces her to have sex with him (which would have been rape)—he later acknowledges he should not have done that. He’s also controlling and jealous in general. FMC hits him and shoots his wing after the mind control. (hide spoiler)], MMC threatens to kill FMC’s baby goddaughter as leverage, PTSD and flashbacks to murder of family members, mind control by MMC, forced self-harm (MMC makes FMC squeeze the blade of a knife), past child physical abuse by MMC’s mother, dying MC (view spoiler)[FMC’s back is broken as are most of the bones in her body. She tells MMC not to turn her into a vampire as she’s dying. We’re made to think he does it anyway but it turns out he turned her into an angel. (hide spoiler)], stalking, past and present serial killers, Mentally Ill Villain trope, murder, attempted murder, torture, stabbing, imprisonment, abduction, physical assault, body horror, corpse dismemberment and disembowelment, blood, blood-drinking (secondary character), removal of secondary character’s eyes, coma, broken bones, head injury, lacerations, angelfire, vampiric starvation, past cannibalism (starved vampire), aphrodisiac (vampire scent, angel dust), vomit, MMC enters FMC’s home without consent, FMC is mostly estranged from family (father kicked her out at 18 for being a vampire hunter; (view spoiler)[FMC has a few interactions with her father and her sister despite them not caring about her and I really did not care for that plot choice (hide spoiler)], vampires agree to be enslaved to angels for 100 years in exchange for immortality (includes sexual enslavement), fatphobia, slut-shaming, sexism, misogyny, kink-shaming, past mass casualties by archangel, past rapes by archangel and vampire, past murder of FMC’s mother and two sisters, past death of MMC’s father, paralyzed secondary character (accident as a child; family institutionalized him after the accident), unsafe sex practices (penetrative sex without a condom without discussion STI or pregnancy prevention), on page sex, cigar (secondary character), casual ableism, casual transphobia and homophobia, gendered pejoratives, gender essentialism, ableist language, hyperbolic language around suicide and addiction...more
I’ve been eagerly anticipating Jen Devon’s next book ever since finishing the beautifully angsty Bend Toward the Sun. This is a slow burn second chancI’ve been eagerly anticipating Jen Devon’s next book ever since finishing the beautifully angsty Bend Toward the Sun. This is a slow burn second chance romance, laden with pining. It’s best to read BTtS first to get the full effect, otherwise readers might get lost.
Let me first say I really enjoyed this. It’s a strong sophomore effort that could have used another round of developmental edits to address logistical issues so it could really shine. But even when I was confused, I was very into Duncan and Temperance’s dynamic. I was rooting for them. I believed in their chemistry and their love for each other just as much as I believed they needed to get out of their own way. It was a joy to see the Brady family again and see what was happening with the vineyard.
I also appreciated that this is a second chance romance without many flashbacks. I have to wonder, however, if there’s a version of the manuscript where flashbacks were initially included because I have a lot of questions about what happened when they broke up. There are some hints here and there throughout the book but they never really hash it out so I’m still confused about what actually went down. (view spoiler)[Her parents paid him to stay away but he wasn’t planning on staying away but then she didn’t show up when they were supposed to meet up that night. So is that when they broke up, because she didn't show up for some reason? Also he never told her about what her parents did and then I’m not 100% sure how her chronic illness factors in, in part because we’re never clearly told what it is. It’s a blood platelet disorder but which one? How did it affect her after the diagnosis vs. now when it seems like something she just has to be aware of? It’s a factor in the breakup, at least on Duncan’s side because he worried about being able to pay any medical bills. But it doesn’t seem like they ever communicated about any of this and since their relationship was a secret (also still not clear why!), none of their friends or family could force them to deal with their issues as they were mostly none the wiser. (hide spoiler)] All this to say, it’s hard to know what to make of their second chance when I’m still unclear on what drove them apart or why they were still able to occasionally have sex over the years in spite of this.
It all speaks to unhealthy patterns. They have sex instead of communicating. Duncan never says no to her about anything. I needed to know why Temperance kept pushing him away but then going to him for sex. I also needed to know why Duncan didn’t try to win her back sooner if he’s been in love with her the whole time. They keep secrets from each other and from the Bradys and those omissions have ramifications. I really hope they go to couple’s counseling because there’s no evidence that these patterns won’t repeat themselves.
Temperance is also in an unhealthy pattern with her toxic parents. The book didn’t do enough to confront this and in fact even whitewashes their relationship. (view spoiler)[Her parents show up at the winery grand opening even though they weren’t invited. Then she and her sister become foundation board members, even though Maren has been estranged from them for years. What evidence do we have that they’re going to turn over a new leaf? How are they going to make up for decades of neglect and control? I didn’t buy any of it. Some parents need to stay estranged. (hide spoiler)]
The plot is meandering, which I didn’t entirely mind. It also pulled its punches when it came to the angst potential, which I minded greatly. Had we gotten more answers about Duncan and Temperance’s past, then their emotional arcs would have worked well for me. But since I was left with so many questions, I kept waiting for something to happen. Temperance hardly ever goes to work, spending a lot of time at the farm for being a doctor. This has the benefit of forcing her to interact with Duncan but left me without a clear idea of what her life actually looks like or how it can fit with Duncan’s. Additionally, there were timeline issues with what their ages are purported to be, if they did indeed break up 14 years ago.
Okay so that was a lot of where the book fell short but I did really enjoy this one. Duncan calls her “Teacup”, which made me giddy. I’m looking forward to the next book in this series!
Characters: Temperance is a 34 year old white pediatrician who wears glasses. Duncan is a 35 year old white farmer, family business manager, artist, and community college student. They broke up when they were 18. This is set in Linden and Vesper Valley, PA.
Content notes: nightmares, blood platelet disorder, vertigo, vomit, sprained wrist and mild concussion from being hit by falling tree limb, toxic parents, past emotional neglect and outsourced parenting, FMC’s sister is estranged from their parents, past bribery (view spoiler)[FMC’s parents paid MMC to stay away from her and he took it, intending to use it to beat them at their own game but it turned into a real breakup (hide spoiler)], possible orthorexia (FMC runs an awful lot), Addison’s disease (secondary character’s mother), past harassment by secondary character’s ex-husband, secondary character uses a cane (past accident), pregnant secondary character, secondary character has sole custody of his daughter, past death of grandparents (mention), past death of pet dog (mention), family planning discussion, on page sex, public sex, masturbation, alcohol, inebriation, hangover, pipe (secondary character), gendered pejoratives, ableist language, hyperbolic language around addiction...more
I read the fifth book in the series way back in 2016 and intended to try more of this series but it’s taken me all this time to come back to it. UnforI read the fifth book in the series way back in 2016 and intended to try more of this series but it’s taken me all this time to come back to it. Unfortunately, it was not worth the wait. This turned out to be extremely fatphobic and focused on weight loss, even though Cait insisted her program was about being fit. Everything came back to body comparison and the desire for skinniness. Her level of insecurity around her body and her self-esteem after losing 80 pounds made me want to whisk her off to therapy. Per the author’s note, she based it on her own “weight loss journey”. That explains a lot of the anti-fat bias but not her decision for characters to be overtly fatphobic toward Cait who is mid-size now, if anything.
I also wanted to take Dante straight to therapy so he can deal with his anger issues, jealousy, and toxic masculinity. He interferes with Cait talking to other guys even when they’re not together and despite her telling him she’s not interested in him. He repeatedly ignores her wishes because she “responds” when he kisses her and he always gets what he wants. It wasn’t romantic, it was predatory. I couldn’t trust that he really cared for her given how easily he’d fly off the handle and misinterpret or ignore what she’d tell him.
The central conflict is that Cait doesn’t like MMA but she doesn’t ever discuss what that means for their relationship until the low moment. I found this frustrating and unbelievable. I wish they’d had to actually work through their issues instead of a nonsensical plot choice kicking in. (view spoiler)[Dante’s rival has his friends kidnap her right before the big match. And then we don’t even learn if charges are pressed against them?! I don’t buy Sentori doing that, no matter how big of an asshole he is. He can get away with a lot but there would be no getting out of this level of crime. (hide spoiler)] Additionally, (view spoiler)[Dante wins the big fight because Cait tells him she loves him and it puts a pep in his step. This made me roll my eyes. (hide spoiler)]
Note: This is set in Atlanta and yet somehow it’s a completely white book. Cait’s best friend is gay and he starts dating someone but there are no other queer characters and everyone is cis.
Characters: Dante “Inferno” is a white MMA fighter with a tribal tattoo. Cait is a curvy white YMCA instructor and a redhead. This is set in Atlanta.
Content notes: sexual assault (secondary character forcibly kisses FMC, bites her lip, and gives her a hickey. He plans on telling MMC that he slept with her and that will be his proof. She knees him in the groin to get him to stop.), physical assault and attempted sexual assault of FMC by drunk guy at bar (MMC finds her in time), fatphobia, internalized fatphobia, body dysmorphia, fatphobic slurs, fatshaming, use of “obese” by FMC, past significant weight loss, FMC starts a weight loss class at work (mention of weigh-ins), athlete diet and weigh-ins, MMC throws a woman in the pool after she fatshames FMC, abduction, physical assault, MMA fighting, self-defense lessons, toxic masculinity, misogyny (casual and overt), slut-shaming and body-shaming by FMC (including use of “anorexic hussies”), bullying (secondary character), past death of coach (cancer), dubious consent (repeatedly kisses FMC despite her saying she’s not interested), on page sex, blindfold, alcohol, inebriation, excessive drinking, hangover, homophobic and misogynist insults, casual ableism, gendered pejoratives, gender essentialism, ableist language
*Love it or Leighve it* (aka cleaning out my Nook) Purchased: 2016...more
That cover though. If this hasn’t been written by Adriana Anders, I probably would have skipped it. Breeding kink isn’t my thing for many reasons and That cover though. If this hasn’t been written by Adriana Anders, I probably would have skipped it. Breeding kink isn’t my thing for many reasons and I especially avoid it when it’s paired with someone actually wanting to get pregnant. However, I also believe there are exceptions to every reading rule and I figured if anyone could make me like this premise, it was Adriana. And well, the story read easily enough but I was left with a few issues.
Kit and Jake are immediately attracted to each other the moment he walks into her diner. But he can only help out for six weeks before his next welding gig starts. He also believes he’s not a family kind of guy or someone people love. At the same time, he can’t help himself from fixing everything around the diner and her house and removing any threats from her life. There was a lot to love about Jake, except for his continued penchant for violence. Especially when that could easily land him back in prison! He refers to himself as a “walking red flag” toward the end but that’s a mixed message. Yes, he needs to learn how to handle his anger differently but up to that point, all we’d seen is him being a great chef, handyman, and lovers. What’s the red flag in those things? I felt the story was trying to cash a check it didn’t write and it left me not knowing what to make of Jake overall.
Similarly, I couldn’t figure out why Kit, an otherwise badass, had stayed married to Clark for so long. He was such a weak mediocre man and it didn’t sound like their relationship had ever been good. I also didn’t care for the Evil Ex subplot. It wasn’t necessary and it only made me question Kit’s decisions. I also would’ve liked to know how she was going to run the diner AND raise a baby as a single mother without any local support. She doesn’t seem to have any friends?
Other than that, the deeper feelings came up out of nowhere and wrapped up too quickly. This would’ve benefited from a developmental edit so that the characterization and plot choices added up better. Not a bad read but not the best I’ve read from her either.
Characters: Kit is a 40 year old Spanish-Puerto Rican American diner owner. Jake is a 32 year old white off-shore welder, cook, and ex-con.
Content notes: child physical abuse (teen secondary character; (view spoiler)[he becomes their foster kid in the epilogue (hide spoiler)]), past parental partner violence (MMC’s stepfather physically abused his mom; she refused to leave him), FMC trying to get pregnant with MMC’s help (view spoiler)[pregnancy epilogue (hide spoiler)], past IVF treatments without pregnancy, past miscarriage, FMC in process of divorcing (ex-husband cheated and got his girlfriend pregnant), harassment by ex-husband, Evil Ex trope, MMC threatens to kill FMC’s ex if he ever contacts her again, FMC physically assaulted by a customer (MMC intervenes and beats him up), physical assault, incarcerated brother (view spoiler)[his friend was sexually assaulted by a youth pastor, the details are unclear after that but it sounds like the police didn’t do anything and so Frank took justice into his own hands and likely killed the guy. This is conjecture based on how long he’s been in prison. (hide spoiler)], past incarceration 12 years ago (view spoiler)[MMC beat up abusive stepfather after he’d brutally physically assaulted his mom. Stepfather was wealthy and connected; he pressed charges and MMC’s mom sided with him. (hide spoiler)], previous cook stole money (substance abuse), employer-employee relationship (he’s only in town for six weeks and didn’t want her to pay him to work at the diner but she does anyway), past death of FMC’s parents (car accident; raised by grandmother), past death of MMC’s parents (cancer), teen secondary characters with unstable homes (including nonbinary teen), cut finger while slicing lemons, secondary character with facial scar (past abuse by father), discussion of baby’s gender (somewhat countered), family planning discussion, on page sex, breeding kink, primal play, praise kink, biting, restaurant sex (closed), public sex, sex schedule, masturbation, alcohol, marijuana (secondary character), gendered pejoratives, gender essentialism, ableist language
Disclosure: I received a free advanced copy from the author. I’ve provided sensitivity reads for her in the past....more
Grumpy mountain man in emotional pain and the sunshiney woman who calls him out? This had my name all over it. Sam has isolated himself for the past 5Grumpy mountain man in emotional pain and the sunshiney woman who calls him out? This had my name all over it. Sam has isolated himself for the past 5 years after the death of his sister. He blames himself for bringing her to a party where she took drugs and overdosed. His friends Brandon and Will have largely let him cope the way he wants, only intervening if he gets too grumpy with the guests at their adventure company. When Sam gets strong-armed into training their half-sister Hayley, he’s not gracious about it and Hayley has no compunction about telling him what’s what. She’s also drawn to him despite the gruff, rude, disheveled exterior and can’t help but try to befriend him.
Their relationship really, really worked well for me. Sam needed a reality check and Hayley needs someone who will really see and appreciate her for who she is. It takes them some time to get through the various obstacles (potential power imbalance, Sam believing he’s not good enough, people interfering) but it’s worth the wait. However, I wish this hadn’t gone the sexist overprotective brothers route. For one thing, Brandon and Will are her half-brothers and they only just met. They have no right to dictate anything she does and if they don’t think Sam is worthy of her, then why would they be such good friends? For another, her stepbrother treated her like a kid. I couldn’t stand the way her family treated her in general. Just because they’re used to be being a people pleaser doesn’t mean she can’t start fresh somewhere else. She’s an adult now!
Hayley feels like she’s never belonged anywhere. This aspect wasn’t as well developed as it needed to be. At times, she implied she didn’t feel she belonged because she’s mixed race, which set off alarm bells as I believe the author is white. Other times, it seemed more because her mom treated her like a secret when she was dating and then paid more attention to her stepson than Hayley. Hayley has light brown skin; her dad was white but her mom’s race/ethnicity is never identified. Her mom was estranged from her family and it’s not clear if Hayley is connected to her culture or community beyond her mom. If any characters besides Hayley aren’t white, they’re never identified as such, which was a big omission. (This is a completely cishet world too.) This is a big enough issue that I wavered on whether to rate this lower but the dynamics between Sam and Hayley worked so well for me that I settled on 4 stars.
There’s enough promise with the author’s writing—plus, this made me cry—that I want to try something else from her and see how it compares.
Characters: Sam is a white outdoor guide and silent partner at Mile High Adventures. Hayley is a 23 year old mixed race outdoor guide trainee and a virgin. This is set in Gracely, CO.
Content notes: anger issues, complicated grief, past death of MMC’s sister (heroin overdose at 19), abuse of police resources (FMC’s stepbrother tracks her down in Gracely), sexism, fatphobia (pregnancy-related), ageism, unhoused secondary character, parental estrangement (MMC, secondary characters), FMC’s father paid her mother to go away after she became pregnant and was never involved (he was cheating on his wife), past death of biological estranged father, anxiety (secondary character), FMC occasionally stutters, MMC’s parents had a toxic marriage, FMC’s mother’s family disowned her (past), past divorce (secondary character), pregnant secondary character, on page sex, alcohol, inebriation (secondary character), excessive drinking (secondary character), hangover (secondary character), casual ableism, homophobic insults, gendered pejoratives, gender essentialist language, ableist language, hyperbolic language around addiction...more
3.5 stars. You know, I’m enjoying this series overall but it has not worked its magic on me the way it has for most of my friends. I wonder if the fir3.5 stars. You know, I’m enjoying this series overall but it has not worked its magic on me the way it has for most of my friends. I wonder if the first IA series you read is the one that imprints on you? That’s Hidden Legacy for me. But my guess is Kate Daniels wouldn’t have imprinted on me unless it was the first shifter book I read. While the world-building is interesting as a whole (the vampire stuff alone!), I’ve read much more compelling shifter series and Curran leans too much into macho gender essentialist stereotypes for my taste. Kate is the reason to read the series, despite the aspects where it doesn’t hold up.
The inevitable battle with Roland was gripping but also a letdown? I must have read this on a real bloodthirsty day or else I’m tired of how much the final showdown is being dragged out. But it was interesting to learn more about Roland via Erra (and everything it took for Kate to bring her back, for that matter), as well as see Kate be tempted by power and domination.
Kate not wanting to plan her wedding got real old. It was a little too Not Like Other Girls for me. It’s really weird that Roland would be invited to her wedding; true, it wasn’t by Kate or Curran but I can’t imagine why Roman thought that was a normal thing to do. Not to mention that Kate would suddenly not want to kill her dad, even though he’s the embodiment of evil who has gone after her multiple times. All the other characters are like, “well, he is your dad.” NO. He is a sperm donor who first tried to kill her when she was in her mother’s womb. He has never meaningfully fulfilled a parental role in her life. They didn’t even meet until a couple of years ago! What in the actual revisionist history bullshit is this?!?!
That makes me question how the final confrontation is going to play out.
Characters: Kate is a 28 year old mercenary with tan skin. She’s the guardian of Julie, a 16 year old white girl. She has an “attack poodle” Grendel. Curran is a 34 year old white Beast Lord and lion shifter. This is set in Atlanta and Omaha.
Content notes: suicide attempt (secondary character), self-harm for blood magic, abduction of secondary character, off-page torture of secondary character, enslaved secondary character, abusive biological father, religious abuse of secondary characters, murder, attempted murder, attempted murder of infant, mass murder, crucifixion (secondary characters), past murder of children, past mass suicide by the Koorgahn, battles, physical assault, scorpion, secondary character ate children (past), blood, blood drinking (secondary character), plaguewalkers, lacerations, stomach wound, hyena bite, stabbing in heart (secondary character; survives), past forced medical experimentation and possession (secondary character), bigotry and speciesism toward shape-shifters, “half-breed” as slur for shape-shifters, xenophobia, animal death, animal skeleton hoard, vision of FMC’s future baby being murdered, past parental intimate partner violence (FMC’s biological father killed her mother who was trying to prevent him from killing FMC), past massacre of MMC’s family (he survived the attack), past death of FMC’s parents and guardian, fear of loupism (a virus that causes shapeshifters to become physically and mentally ill, to the point where most must be exterminated, even babies), necromancers, body commentary, fatphobia, diet culture, mentally ill secondary character, pregnancy epilogue, pregnant secondary character, childbirth, secondary character in wheelchair, vomit (human and animal), on page sex, alcohol, casual ableism, gendered pejoratives, gender essentialism, ableist language, hyperbolic language around suicide...more
While I tend to enjoy Cara McKenna, I decided to read but not rate this because I had doubts about how she’d depict MCs who work at a psychiatric hospWhile I tend to enjoy Cara McKenna, I decided to read but not rate this because I had doubts about how she’d depict MCs who work at a psychiatric hospital. My doubts were justified. While there isn’t any overt abuse, the employees in the ward tend toward ableism with the patients, Erin is regularly thinking about how scary the patients are, and everyone is quite trigger-happy when it comes to physical restraints and administering sedatives. More telling, Erin, a brand-new LPN without any previous psych experience, doesn’t go through orientation at her new job beyond observing one nurse and going through restraint training after she’s already been on the floor.
Having worked both in healthcare for several years and a facility for juvenile delinquents for one year, I can tell you that is not just unlikely, it’s unsafe for all involved. Orientation is always at least a few days to a couple of weeks depending on the place, which might be interspersed with observation and on-the-floor training but you never go straight to the floor and interact with patients without at least learning about protocols and policies first. For a job involving physical restraint training, that should happen before you meet patients and it’s more than the actual steps of the restraint. The employees depicted didn’t follow the protocol I learned, which could be fine—my training was over 20 years ago at this point, after all, and things could have evolved since then—but I didn’t see much by way of deescalation or verbal reminders/directions to the patient of what would happen if they couldn’t calm down, which is a pretty basic part of this intervention. Reading about the physical restraints in this book was difficult for me as a result as I wanted to admonish everyone involved for not taking more care. Anyway. I get that most readers won’t be aware of what’s normal for this kind of setting but it really needled me as it’s not difficult to do basic research to get these things right.
As to the story itself, there were the hot sex scenes I expect from McKenna but romance didn’t come together. Kelly is a chauvinist through and through and all the characters are gender essentialist in ways that felt pointed and valorizing of toxic masculinity. This may be solely reflecting that attitudes of a book written in 2013 but still…that wasn’t that long ago and plenty of people were more evolved and inclusive then. Erin and Kelly were a match sexually but they both need to be needed in ways that weren’t healthy and the book doesn’t do much to interrogate Erin’s codependent relationship with her sister (I guess she’s trying to step back by the end??). While it was nice to see Kelly look after Erin, I’m not convinced that their own relationship won’t become codependent. They have a lot to work through, particularly Kelly’s anger about his past and reluctance to even talk about it which led to (view spoiler)[a cruel argument and breakup. The only reason they get back together is because her nephew gets sick and he shows up, not because he’d done anything to make amends. (hide spoiler)]
Characters: Erin is a 28 year old white psychiatric LPN. Kelly is a 38 year old white orderly. This is set in Larkhaven and Darren, MI.
Content notes: off page suicide attempt by patient, brief sexual harassment by patient, verbal assault, panic attack, sibling-focused parentification, codependency, FMC’s sister in toxic relationship, past intimate partner violence (FMC’s sister; MMC’s biological father assaulted his pregnant mother and was incarcerated as a result), MMC’s stepfather was abusive alcoholic (learned he wasn’t biological father at age 13), victim-blaming (MMC thinks mom is weak for not leaving stepfather), past child sexual abuse (patient; no explicit details), physical assault, vandalism, patients with various mental illnesses and substance abuse, overt and casual ableism, physical restraint of patient, sedative injections (patients), nephew hospitalized (diagnosed with Reye’s syndrome), laceration, sexism, overt and casual misogyny, misogynist slurs, slut-shaming by sister’s ex, fatphobia, diet culture, recent death of FMC’s grandmother (dementia; FMC was her caregiver for 6 years), past unstable childhood and neglect, MMC’s biological father is a Vietnam veteran and may have PTSD, FMC’s father left when she was little, MMC has scar from ear to neck, on page sex, D/s, impact play, orgasm control, alcohol, inebriation, hangover, p-in-v sex is the only “real” sex, classist insult, STD stigma, gendered euphemisms for genitalia, gendered pejoratives, gender essentialism, ableist language, casual use of colonialist language (i.e. “sex slave”), non-Native use of “powwow”...more
INTENSE. The long-awaited showdown between Kate and her evil father Roland. This was equal parts satisfying and letdown. The choices made complete senINTENSE. The long-awaited showdown between Kate and her evil father Roland. This was equal parts satisfying and letdown. The choices made complete sense and set up some interesting possibilities for where the series will go next. (view spoiler)[But the vengeful part of me really wanted Kate to kill Roland, even though I knew it was unlikely she’d be able to do so…now. Will she be able to outwit him in the future? I can only hope. (hide spoiler)]
I was disappointed Curran and Kate are apart for most of the book. However, I loved her steadfast belief that he would come after her. AND THEN HE DID. (Very reminiscent of one of my favorite parts in The Kraken King by Meljean Brook. I have simple needs.)
There was one plot choice that really did not work for me. (view spoiler)[The crew is trying to escape the tower where Kate and Ghastek have been imprisoned. They’re so close to making it out…and then the vampire horde is too close so Christopher and Robert stay behind so they can close the gate and let everyone escape, which means certain death. Christopher is mentally ill and Robert is gay so we’ve got the Bury Your Gays and Bury Your Mentally Ill tropes. Robert’s husband escapes but that’s a technicality since Robert has way more page time in this book and, as far as I remember, he’s the first LGBTQ+ character to even have a significant role…seven books in but better late than never. The treatment of mental illness in this series has not been great so Christopher being re-traumatized by returning to the place where he was imprisoned to aid in Kate’s escape and then dying was especially bad. Now it turns out that Roland intervened and saved Christopher and Robert in order to lure Kate to meet him. But it still felt like a cheap plot choice. (hide spoiler)]
Characters: Kate is a 27 year old mercenary with tan skin. She’s the guardian of Julie, a 15 year old white girl. She has an “attack poodle” Grendel. Curran is a 33 year old white Beast Lord and lion shifter. This is set in Atlanta.
Content notes: past parental intimate partner violence (FMC’s biological father killed her mother who was trying to prevent him from killing FMC), sex worker killed her client (view spoiler)[it was a set up: Hugh broke into the hotel room and ordered her to murder her client or they would murder her (hide spoiler)], past child abuse (secondary character; FMC’s training as a child could also qualify), captivity, murder, attempted murder, physical assault, gore blood, corpses, monster attacks, axe wound, bullet wound (secondary character), broken bones, poison, self-harm for blood magic, starvation, wheelchair-user secondary character (paralyzed legs), ableism (countered), mentally ill secondary character, perceived Bury Your Gays and Bury Your Mentally Ill tropes (view spoiler)[we’re made to think a mentally ill character and a gay character sacrificed themselves so the others could escape a vampire horde but it turns out FMC’s father saved them in order to use them as leverage. (hide spoiler)], past genocide of Native people, infidelity (married secondary character hired a sex worker), Romani slur, bigotry and speciesism toward shape-shifters, past death of FMC’s parents and guardian, past death of secondary characters’ spouses, secondary character’s father was murdered in prison (past), pregnant secondary character, STD shaming, vomit, discussion of shifters and humans who engage in consensual bestiality, on page sex, casual ableism around mental illness, gendered pejoratives, gender essentialism, ableist language, hyperbolic language around suicide, use of “off the reservation” and “bury the hatchet”...more
3.5 stars. Huh. This was probably never going to be my favorite Kate Daniels book since I’d rather not read about pregnancy and the whole plot is devo3.5 stars. Huh. This was probably never going to be my favorite Kate Daniels book since I’d rather not read about pregnancy and the whole plot is devoted to Kate and Curran being hired to protect a pregnant shifter. But I figured I’d at least get Kate’s badassery (true), the world-building would deepen (yep), and her relationship with Curran would progress (*record scratch*).
I came around on Curran after the last couple of books and this one dashed all that progress to pieces. Instead of trusting his partner and telling her his plan with Lorelei, he instead let Kate think he was either a) cheating on her or b) planning to leave her. He lets Lorelei behave in extremely disrespectful ways and even encourages it. Meanwhile all these rival packs are picking on Kate since she’s not married to Curran and can see how Lorelei is blatantly trying to replace her. While I can see why Curran rationalized his actions as a way of protecting Kate, he never would have been okay if the tables were turned and he was watching Kate do that to him. Plus, the idea that Kate doesn’t know how to lie and that’s why he didn’t clue her in is LAUGHABLE.
Is it wrong that I want Kate to wind up with Hugh instead now? That sword fight, y’all!!! Yes, yes, they’re probably going to try to kill each other at some point but there’s no reason that couldn’t be turned into a hell of a redemption arc instead. She has way more chemistry with Hugh and he’s not any more duplicitous than Curran. Sigh. I know it’s not going to happen but I have no idea if I’ll ever warm back up to Curran at this point. They do not at all have a healthy relationship—including (view spoiler)[intimate partner violence (hide spoiler)] that is not acknowledged as such by the book—and that’s such a bummer.
I also didn’t care with the amount of casual ableism, especially regarding Christopher, or the choices made with Doolittle and Aunt B. I hope the next book will work better for me.
Characters: Kate is a 26 year old mercenary with tan skin. She’s the guardian of Julie, a 14 year old white girl. She has an “attack poodle” Grendel. Curran is a 32 year old white Beast Lord and lion shifter. This is set in Atlanta (in the US) and Gagra, Georgia (the country).
Content notes: attacker threatens rape, sexual harassment, suicide (attacker), intimate partner violence (FMC punches MMC. The book does not treat this as partner violence but it is. MMC is jealous and controlling. FMC’s biological father killed her mother when she was young.), nightmare, inhumane treatment of prisoner (set free), mentally ill secondary character, abusive pack leader secondary character (uses adult daughter as a bargaining chip), self-harm for blood magic, death of secondary character’s mother (sacrifices herself so others can escape), murder, patricide, attempted murder, gore, cannibalism (secondary characters), off-page massacre of village, physical assault, pirate attack, monster attacks, fire, past war, spinal cord injury (secondary character, (view spoiler)[nearly dies but comes through, however he is paralyzed and now uses a wheelchair (hide spoiler)]), lacerations, broken bones, secondary character loses her arm, loupism (a virus that causes shapeshifters to become physically and mentally ill, to the point where most must be exterminated so they won’t kill or rape anyone as a result of the illness), many shapeshifter child and teen shapeshifters die young from loupism, drug assault (sedative laced in water given to FMC after injuries), induced-coma for teen secondary character who went loup, pregnant secondary characters, C-section, family planning discussion, off-page hunt, mother slaps adult son (secondary characters), bigotry and speciesism toward shape-shifters, slut-shaming, secondary character transforms from male to female and back again (identifies as male), past death of FMC’s parents and guardian, past death of spouses and children (secondary characters), pressure for grandchildren (secondary character), vomit, seasickness, on page sex, shower sex, alcohol, pipe (secondary character), diet culture, casual ableism, gendered pejoratives, gender essentialism, ableist language, hyperbolic language around suicide...more
I don’t ever want to get stuck in an elevator but I sure enjoy reading romances about people who do, especially when cantankerous neighbors like ColinI don’t ever want to get stuck in an elevator but I sure enjoy reading romances about people who do, especially when cantankerous neighbors like Colin are involved. I wish Jules’s emotional arc had been further developed but otherwise, I enjoyed the hell out of this Christmas romance novella. A+ inclusion of the Love Actually signs.
Characters: Colin is a white Welsh-French pub owner. Jules is a 27 year old plus-sized white American chocolaterie clerk. This is set in Paris.
Content notes: elevator malfunction, ageism, misogyny, past death of MMC’s brother (pipeline explosion), past death of FMC’s mother (car crash, FMC and her dad survived), FMC is estranged from father (he is more focused on his new family), body commentary (FMC took it as fatshaming), unsafe sex practices (MMC rips condom package open with teeth), on page sex, breeding kink, alcohol, gendered pejoratives, ableist language, mention of past sexual assault (groped by neighbor’s boyfriend)
Disclosure: I received an advanced copy from the author. I’m friendly with the author online and have beta read for her in the past.
Merged review:
I don’t ever want to get stuck in an elevator but I sure enjoy reading romances about people who do, especially when cantankerous neighbors like Colin are involved. I wish Jules’s emotional arc had been further developed but otherwise, I enjoyed the hell out of this Christmas romance novella. A+ inclusion of the Love Actually signs.
Characters: Colin is a white Welsh-French pub owner. Jules is a 27 year old plus-sized white American chocolaterie clerk. This is set in Paris.
Content notes: elevator malfunction, ageism, misogyny, past death of MMC’s brother (pipeline explosion), past death of FMC’s mother (car crash, FMC and her dad survived), FMC is estranged from father (he is more focused on his new family), body commentary (FMC took it as fatshaming), unsafe sex practices (MMC rips condom package open with teeth), on page sex, breeding kink, alcohol, gendered pejoratives, ableist language, mention of past sexual assault (groped by neighbor’s boyfriend)
Disclosure: I received an advanced copy from the author. I’m friendly with the author online and have beta read for her in the past....more
I tore through this fantasy romance! It’s my exact kind of marriage of convenience. Warrick completely misunderstands who Elina is and what she’s abouI tore through this fantasy romance! It’s my exact kind of marriage of convenience. Warrick completely misunderstands who Elina is and what she’s about and then falls gobsmack head over heels for her. She desperately needed someone in her corner and I loved all the ways he looked out for her, right down to (view spoiler)[figuring out she was being poisoned and rooting out the betrayer. (hide spoiler)] Unfortunately, Warrick doesn’t always get things right and when he screws up, Elina cuts their marriage ribbon out of heartbreak. What she doesn’t know is that (view spoiler)[the magic has made them dead to each other so she can’t see him but he can see her. He’s literally accompanying her the whole trip, building her fire and trying to get through to her!!! (hide spoiler)] MY HEART. The ending (defeating the Big Bad) was anticlimactic but the romance was just what I wanted.
Characters: Warrick is a barbarian (whose gift is to see ghosts) and a virgin. Elina is a 25 year old Queen and a virgin.
Content notes: FMC is dying of a wasting disease (view spoiler)[turns out she was being poisoned and not actually cursed (hide spoiler)], off-page withdrawal from poison (referred to as “the purge”), murder, past and present assassination attempts, near drowning (mudbeast attack), demon attacks, poisoning, imprisonment, ghosts, stone sickness (people turn into statues), fleas, FMC’s uncle stole her throne and has tried to have her killed, bigotry toward barbarians, MMC rescued enslaved people from being sold, past murder of FMC’s mother (poisoned by FMC’s brother), FMC is estranged from her father, forgetting to eat, vomit, purity culture (queen required to be a virgin before marriage), pregnancy epilogue, p-in-v sex is the only “real” sex, on page sex, food play (berries), alcohol, casual ageism, ableist language...more
By far the best book of the series but don’t skip the first two books or you’ll miss the pay off. Jules is recovering from an abusive marriage when MaBy far the best book of the series but don’t skip the first two books or you’ll miss the pay off. Jules is recovering from an abusive marriage when Max walks into the gas station where she works and immediately realizes she’s his mate. He has to figure out how to play it cool while getting to know her. They bond over canoeing and hiking and he finds her an arrowhead for her collection…one of the sweetest gifts. They were such nerds together but nerds with great chemistry. The first half of the book was an utter delight.
Then things change. (view spoiler)[Jules is attacked by a vampire and turned. Vampires and wolf kin are enemies. Max should kill her but he can’t bring himself to do it. But he’s not kind to her either in the process, completely breaking her heart and undoing much of the progress she’d made in recent months. Eventually they cross paths again and Max still won’t kill her but he can’t let her go either. (hide spoiler)] This was HEARTBREAKING. I didn’t know what to make of this choice at first but now I see how many possibilities it opens up for the series going forward. Plus, we get an actually great grovel from Max when he realizes just how thoroughly he screwed things up. It was my favorite kind of angst and I cried a ton.
Max and Jules have to move around for safety and go on a road trip to all the national parks she’s always wanted to visit. Initially she’s barely on speaking terms with him but as they continue to travel and see new wonders and as Max realizes everything he knows about (view spoiler)[vampires (hide spoiler)] was wrong, they start to make their way back to each other. And then they realize there are a few perks with this change in condition. Hello, primal play! Gah, so good. I’m excited to see where things go from here and what this means for the paranormal beings of this world.
There was one misstep. Jules and Max cross the Rio Grande into Mexico without any acknowledgment of immigrants/political reality, besides her saying she’s there illegally since she’s (view spoiler)[technically dead and doesn’t have a passport (hide spoiler)]. Jules is politically progressive so it seemed odd not to be more explicit about the double standard for white Americans to cross into Mexico but not for Mexicans to cross into the US.
Characters: Jules is a 30 year old white gas station clerk. Max is mixed race wolf kin. This is set in Saint Roch and Cry Lake, WI, Chicago, and various national parks.
Content notes: complex PTSD, panic attack, physical and emotional abuse, vampire attack (view spoiler)[FMC is turned into a vampire and her family/friends believe her to be dead (hide spoiler)], MMC threatens (view spoiler)[to kill FMC once she turns into a vampire as vampires are the long-presumed enemies of wolf kin. However, he’s not able to follow through, although the threat remains for a while. (hide spoiler)], past emotionally abusive marriage (FMC divorced a year ago; ex-husband was originally her professor and 14 years older), sexual harassment by customer, past bad sex with ex-husband, infertility during marriage (issue was with FMC’s ex-husband’s sperm), murder, torture, body horror, physical assault, captivity, blood-drinking, enslaved thralls, pregnant secondary character, past death of FMC’s grandfather, family planning discussion, unsafe sex practices (no condom for penetrative sex without discussion of pregnancy and/or STI prevention), on page sex, primal play, medical role play, mating bite, alcohol, inebriation, inbreeding joke, casual ableism, gendered pejoratives, ableist language
I really don’t know what to make of CCW’s writing anymore. This series is starting to become repetitive and it’s such a misogynist patriarchal world, I really don’t know what to make of CCW’s writing anymore. This series is starting to become repetitive and it’s such a misogynist patriarchal world, especially one that included (view spoiler)[gang rape threats (hide spoiler)]. Shouldn’t we be seeing some progress with all these packs by this point? Granted, we haven’t spent time in North Border Pack before but I swear each pack gets worse and worse, which is the opposite of what I want. I am very intrigued by Abertha’s master plan and I liked how Clay was really sensitive to Wrenlee’s needs once he got his head on straight. But still, she should have made him suffer more before taking him back. I also continue to have major concerns about Kennedy’s depiction as a trans character.
Characters: Wrenlee is a white wolf shifter, gardener, builder’s assistant, and virgin. Clay is a white wolf shifter, fighter, and builder. They are a part of the North Border Pack.
Content notes: threats of gang rape, sexual harassment, abusive father (toward FMC’s mom and sisters), alpha trafficks/purchases girls, murder, physical assault, fistfights, captivity, near-death experience (falls off of scaffolding), misogyny, slut-shaming, purity culture, misgendering (secondary character), transphobic description of secondary character, ableism, broken leg, food poverty, caste system, classism, disabled secondary character, on page sex, FMC in heat, gendered pejoratives, gender essentialism, ableist language
Whew, this story did not quit. The stakes keep getting higher and higher for Kate and company and I was horrified when the villains’ end game was reveWhew, this story did not quit. The stakes keep getting higher and higher for Kate and company and I was horrified when the villains’ end game was revealed. I wish Kate and Curran would communicate in ways that did not involve physically fighting one another. Is it sparring and fighting or is it intimate partner violence? Like I think they’re okay and yet it still makes me uncomfortable.
Characters: Kate is a 26 year old mercenary with tan skin. She’s the guardian of Julie, a 13 year old white girl. She is adopted by an “attack poodle” Grendel. Curran is a 30 year old white Beast Lord and lion shifter. This is set in Atlanta.
Content notes: self-harm for blood magic, mass murder, attempted extermination of all magical beings, past sexual assault of secondary character (packmate grabbed his balls to taunt him, he punched her to get her off, then she shifted to kill him but he killed her first), intimate partner violence (FMC physically fights MMC during arguments. MMC is controlling and possessive, especially if he thinks another man gets too close to FMC. The book does not treat their dynamic as partner violence but it is. FMC’s biological father killed her mother when she was young.), past childhood abuse, teen secondary character infected by shapeshifter and near death (view spoiler)[she recovers after FMC does a blood transfusion that knocks out the loup virus (hide spoiler)], police violence and abuse of power (including killing a civilian), ritual rune for human sacrifice, murder, attempted murder, suicide (minor character), gore, body horror, explosives, corpse, physical assault, blood transfusion (secondary character), necromancy, teargas, lacerations, recurring knee injury (FMC), gunshot wounds (secondary characters), bullet-shattered knee resulting in amputation (secondary character), past terrorist bombing of hospital (terrorist died by suicide), sleep bomb (affected secondary characters), death of Pack members, anti-magic bigotry, slut-shaming, casual and overt ableism, missing person case, case involving naked shifter who broke into woman’s apartment to “court” her and she shot him thinking he was a predator, workplace discrimination (secondary character), past abduction of secondary character as an infant by his father and then raised in a cult (eventually reunited with his mom), teen ward runs away from school, attack by smoke dog, dead ants, animal harm, vandalism, dog vomit, past death of secondary character’s wife (diabetes and kidney failure), past death of FMC’s parents and guardian, past massacre of MMC’s family (he survived the attack), past infidelity (secondary character’s mom), pregnant secondary character, on page sex, alcohol, anti-fat bias, acephobia/compulsory sexuality, casual ageism, gendered pejoratives, gender essentialism, ableist language (including the use of the R-word as a description), hyperbolic language around suicide, FMC tells teen ward she’ll be her “slave” at the office...more
It was so good to be back in the paladin world! This series has become such a comfort to me. The moment I saw this would be about Marguerite, I was thIt was so good to be back in the paladin world! This series has become such a comfort to me. The moment I saw this would be about Marguerite, I was thrilled. I was hoping we’d get her story after the role she played in the first book. I didn’t remember much about paladin Shane prior to starting this but I was nonetheless ready to learn about him as well.
This installment is more fantasy than fantasy romance. While we do get a love story between Marguerite and Shane, it’s much more of a subplot with the bulk of the book focused on the quest. Although I should note (view spoiler)[there is a fantastic sex scene involving thread that was so perfect for these two. Loved seeing Marguerite take charge! (hide spoiler)] There’s a fascinating expansion of the world-building with some intriguing possibilities about the gods and demons that I cannot wait to see play out.
The structure reminded me of the Clocktaur War duology, what with its motley crew on a quest and dealing with various calamities as they traveled. There are even references to Lord Caliban to boot! (view spoiler)[All of which become clearer due to events at the end. (hide spoiler)] However, this was much more meandering and long. It would have benefited from tighter pacing and less set up for whatever the larger arc is going to be next. The secondary characters are great: I have got to know if Wren and Davith will be paired together in their own book. And I obviously need to know everything about Judith!!!
Characters: Marguerite is a fat spy with tawny skin. Shade is a 36 year old white bodyguard and berserker paladin. Wren is a bodyguard and berserker paladin. Davith is a rival spy.
Content notes: general lecherous behavior by sexual harasser/possible rapist secondary character, FMC has history of sexual coercion (sex/sexual acts in order to get information out of targets), demon possession, thwarted suicide attempt to escape being used by a demon, recent abduction of secondary character’s teen niece, brief child physical abuse (kidnapped children), bounty on FMC’s head, murder attempted murder, past assassination attempt, physical assault, imprisonment, attempted robbery, past murder of patron (staged as suicide), animal harm and death (including cow possessed by demon), scalp wound, consumption (secondary character), sexism (MMC doesn’t treat female paladin as a true equal), past death of god, past death of secondary character’s husband (it was a marriage of convenience), secondary character with prosthetic foot (war injury), secondary character who uses a cane, vomit, unsafe sex practices (no condom used for penetrative sex; they use pullout method. Afterward FMC says she takes “silphium powder” to prevent pregnancy.), on page sex, power exchange, bondage, alcohol, gendered pejoratives, gender essentialist language, ableist language, hyperbolic language around suicide, reference to woman who died in childbirth
Nik was so immediately gone for Aria and I ate it up with a spoon. He was such a sweetheart! Transforming a playboy without even knowing it has to be Nik was so immediately gone for Aria and I ate it up with a spoon. He was such a sweetheart! Transforming a playboy without even knowing it has to be the ultimate fantasy. One of my favorite dynamics is when a sunshine character looks at the grumpy one and can only see how sweet and soft they are, completely dismissing their surly demeanor. And this happened immediately with Nik and Aria! Aria was no slouch either—she believed in Nik and could see through to the heart of him (even while completely missing that he was in love with her.) Their respective insecurities made sense, especially when they came to a head, and it made the HEA that much more satisfying. I loved this so much.
Also: Nik's group of friends were wonderful. Great casual queer rep and lots of history between them all.
Characters: Nik is a bisexual white Greek retired football star. Aria is a 27 year old fat Black British tattoo artist with lip and nose piercings. This is set in Greece, Spain, and England.
Content notes: biphobia (countered), past abduction and attempted murder of FMC’s best friend by FMC’s boyfriend (he was stalking her and used FMC to get closer), past career-ending knee injury, stick-and-poke tattoo, past divorce (FMC), past verbal abuse and fatshaming by FMC’s ex-husband, past death of MMC’s father, on page sex, orgasm control, masturbation, sex toys, alcohol, inebriation, excessive drinking, hangover, cigarettes, mentions of recreational drugs (secondary characters), diet culture, small penis joke, gendered pejoratives, ableist language...more
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