Happy “where’d all my money go?” new release Tuesday, everyone!
As you know, the most exciting day of the week in this community is the day that follows the one we all dread (Mondays for the nope) and today we’re going to highlight some of the new books chipping away at our bank accounts — but each one is so worth it.
TRUEL1F3 is the final book in Jay Kristoff’s Lifelike series which I think only one of us have started but hey, it counts.
DARING AND THE DUKE is the third book in Sarah MacLean’s Bareknuckle Bastards series and like a another final book in a previous series of hers, this one is going to need some serious grovel and explanation to win us over to this particular match-up. We are both excited and afraid to experience it.
Are there any titles out today you’re excited for? Let us know in the comments below!
Grace Condry has spent a lifetime running from her past. Betrayed as a child by her only love and raised on the streets, she now hides in plain sight as queen of London’s darkest corners. Grace has a sharp mind and a powerful right hook and has never met an enemy she could not best…until the man she once loved returns.
Single-minded and ruthless, Ewan, Duke of Marwick, has spent a decade searching for the woman he never stopped loving. A long-ago gamble may have lost her forever, but Ewan will go to any lengths to win Grace back…and make her his duchess.
Reconciliation is the last thing Grace desires. Unable to forgive the past, she vows to take her revenge. But revenge requires keeping Ewan close, and soon her enemy seems to be something else altogether—something she can’t resist, even as he threatens the world she’s built, the life she’s claimed…and the heart she swore he’d never steal again.
Title : Daring and the Duke Author : Sarah MacLean Series : Bareknuckle Bastards Format : eARC Page Count : 384 Genre : historical romance Publisher : Avon Release Date : June 30, 2020
Reviewer : Hollis Rating : ★ ★ ★ .5
Hollis’ 3.5 star review
My trepidation for starting this book was two-fold. One, because I was slumping hard, and two, I worried about how this story, featuring this particular male protagonist, could win me over after all the chaos and damage he had done over the course of this series.
So I’m pretty pleased that a, this book pulled me out of the world for a short time, and b, that the turnaround for this character felt.. valid. Very different from the last third-book-in-a-series-asshole-redemption installment I experienced from MacLean, so. Yay.
DARING AND THE DUKE was definitely not my favourite of the series, probably at least a bit becuse I went in uncertain, and, again, I’m probably influenced by everything happening around me just a tad, but. It was swoony, it was angsty, it had agency, and it had a happy ending. And there’s a lot to be said for a lot of that.
It’s hard to say much without spoiling any details or reveals from previous books but the main plot point of this series, of a terrible man willing to uphold his legacy in any way he can, and the children who are at the mercy of his machinations, was so unique. And the dynamics of all four, and how things play out, provides much angst, a bit of darkness, and a whole lot of opportunity for the author to balance that with (particularly for the first two books) feisty, fabulous, women, and, in the final book, a good grovel.
If any of that sounds like a good time, I would definitely recommend!
** I received an ARC from Edelweiss and the publisher (thank you!) in exchange for an honest review. **
I masquerade in makeup and feathers and I am applauded.
A boy comes to terms with his identity as a mixed-race gay teen – then at university he finds his wings as a drag artist, The Black Flamingo. A bold story about the power of embracing your uniqueness. Sometimes, we need to take charge, to stand up wearing pink feathers – to show ourselves to the world in bold colour.
Title : The Black Flamingo Author : Dean Atta Format : eBook / overdrive Page Count : 368 Genre : Contemporary YA, LGBTQIA+ Publisher : Hodder Books / Balzer + Bray Release Date : August 8, 2019 / May 26, 2020
THE BLACK FLAMINGO was a beautiful, real story told with grit. A coming of age, coming out, all while being black story. What felt unique to me about this story and different to other coming-out stories was that it started in young childhood. Don’t get me wrong, it didn’t linger for ages in that age-range but it depicted Michael’s experiences from a young age and I loved that.
Michael’s blackness and the experience of having Greek/Cypriot mother and black father who deserted them was fresh and insightful reading. Michael’s own realisations about the colour of his skin alongside his sexuality were thought-provoking and poignant. Seeing Michael become his true self, cast off other people’s presumptions and eventually being drawn to drag was absorbing reading.
‘He is me, who I have been, who I am, who I hope to become. Someone fabulous, wild and strong, With or without a costume on.’
The story was told in verse that was incredibly engaging. In addition, Michael was a poet and so there were poems peppered throughout the book. In particular, I loved Maybe I’m a Merman and I Wanna Be Fierce. The book was illustrated and formatted in a way that enhanced the reading process (or should have done, see my next paragraph).
I bought the ebook for this read and unfortunately there was a problem with the text formatting, nearly every single page of the 300+ pages had a problem with text doubling over itself. I went to report it on amazon but I could see that it is not currently for sale and under review; this surely means they know about the problem and it’s being fixed. Before you click the link below to the book, please check it has been resolved.
THE BLACK FLAMINGO was a quick but impactful read that was inspirational. Dean Atta has a fresh narrative voice and he is a gifted poet. I’d definitely recommend this read.
Hollis’ 4 star review
I’m not quite sure I’ve done much reading in verse, particularly not an entire story in it, and for the first half of The Black Flamingo I wasn’t sure it was really my thing. I liked it, I was enjoying the story, but I wasn’t really connecting.
That completely changed once we’d transitioned into Michael’s young adulthood as he eased out of highschool and into college. This had already been a pretty fast read (the page count initially shocked me until I remembered it was verse, I r slow) but I blazed through it after the halfway mark. I couldn’t devour this fast enough. I was completely invested in both the events and the evolution, the inner and the outer.
Beyond just loving the story so much more, though, I absolutely adored the poetry sprinkled throughout. I went back to read them more than once.
This read won’t take up much of your time but it should absolutely take priority on your TBR. Highly recommend.
From #1 New York Times bestselling author S.C. Stephens comes a complex romance about finding your purpose, living your dreams, and loving your soul mate.
Valerie would never do anything to hurt her sister, but when the man of Valerie’s dreams turns out to be her sister’s new boyfriend, remaining loyal to her family becomes increasingly difficult. Valerie knows nothing can ever happen between her and Jake, but that doesn’t prevent her from growing hopelessly fond of him.
By keeping her distance, Valerie is mostly successful in pushing her feelings for Jake aside, but when she struggles to land a job after culinary school, it’s Jake who offers her the opportunity of a lifetime working with a world-renowned chef…and also, working with Jake.
Valerie’s heart twists with indecision. Does she take the job of a lifetime cooking and sailing around on a yacht, but torture herself in an isolated situation with a man who is perfectly made for her yet absolutely off limits? Or does she reject the offer that could get her so much closer to making her dreams come true?
Title : Something Like Perfect Author : SC Stephens Format : eARC Page Count : 206 Genre : Contemporary Romance Publisher : Montlake Romance Release Date : June 23, 2020
Reviewer : Micky Rating : ★ ★ .5
Micky’s 2.5 star review
I knew I was getting into an unholy mess with this book and that blurb but what started off as a eating popcorn watching events unfold, quickly moved to a ridiculous plot peppered with unbelievable convenience. I enjoyed SC Stephens last survival story but this one did not work at all for me. Only forge forward into this book if you are okay with cheating, it’s up there in the blurb and its a pretty taboo take on that trope. I can flow with this trope but it still felt a bit icky to me and I think that’s down to how the story was told and the characterisation.
I’m going to start with what I liked and then move to what didn’t work for me. This is a short book, just over 200 pages, it was quick to read and hard to put down. A bit like a crash unfolding that you cannot look away from. The time passed as I just read from front to back. So, you could say this was gripping. There was definite chemistry between the two MCs but when it came to chemistry playing out fully, I didn’t feel much.
What didn’t work for me was the story or rather the story direction. The way that the author took this to an almost ridiculous scenario moved me from like to almost writing it off. I can flow with a bit of fantastical licence but this story went deep into impossibility for me. I felt this more so, once the MCs were coming to the end of the book and the big awful situation was over. There was too much convenience in everything to do with the plot and the story felt rushed. I can’t help thinking with another 150 pages or so, this could have been fleshed out so much better.
I know SC Stephens can write a great book in the tropes that SOMETHING LIKE PERFECT hit but on this occasion it just wasn’t for me.
Thank you to Montlake Romance for the early review copy.
The dream chooses the dreamer, not the other way around—and Lazlo Strange, war orphan and junior librarian, has always feared that his dream chose poorly. Since he was five years old he’s been obsessed with the mythic lost city of Weep, but it would take someone bolder than he to cross half the world in search of it. Then a stunning opportunity presents itself, in the person of a hero called the Godslayer and a band of legendary warriors, and he has to seize his chance or lose his dream forever.
What happened in Weep two hundred years ago to cut it off from the rest of the world? What exactly did the Godslayer slay that went by the name of god? And what is the mysterious problem he now seeks help in solving?
The answers await in Weep, but so do more mysteries—including the blue-skinned goddess who appears in Lazlo’s dreams. How did he dream her before he knew she existed? And if all the gods are dead, why does she seem so real?
Welcome to Weep.
Title : Strange the Dreamer Author : Laini Taylor Series : Strange the Dreamer #1 Format : audio/ebook Narrator : Steve West Length : 18 hours 19 minutes Genre : YA Fantasy Publisher : Hodder Books Release Date : March 28, 2017
Reviewer : Micky Rating : ★ ★ ★ ★ ★
Micky’s 5 star review
Holy cow, Hollis…thank you for foisting Laini Taylor in front of my nose numerous times. This was a winner of winners in terms of reading, full absorption from start to finsh and a read that was mostly audio but sometimes ebook.
I fell into this book with a determination after loving Daughter of Smoke and Bone and I didn’t need to worry because I loved this world with an awe immediately, it didn’t ebb, not once. This book brought characters to live and long for and a world that was an exceptional creation. I am in awe.
I feel that there’s nothing I can say that hasn’t already been said coming late to a duology like this but it’s new to me and so I give you my fresh eyes. These fresh eyes were all on Lazlo. Unconventional hero, humble librarian, strength of character, kind and intelligent – 100% loveable. Lazlo started off in one land, travelled across a vast desolate plain and ended up in Weep.
“You know me, Strange the dreamer, head in the clouds.” He paused and added with a grin, “Miracles for breakfast.”
The world was on the one hand complex, but also not difficult to understand; that said, I couldn’t explain it that well. Sarai the other main character was a daughter of a godess but trapped and enslaved to a gift and future that was dismal. I felt for her, I liked her and seeing her come alive more as events unfolded was beautiful and enchanting.
As these two met, everything went still in my mind as I read, wanting every detail, every feel and boy, did I feel their connection. Sometimes I moan about not feeling connected to characters in books, this was such the opposite experience, it was a situation where I have rarely felt so much in a fantasy read, nor so tethered to two characters.
She wanted. She wanted. She wanted to wake up holding hands.
The story was exciting, tragic, haunting and vivid. The world was further enhanced by brilliant narration injecting further personality into the characters and so I can highly recommend this format for the duology. I will be listening to MUSE OF NIGHTMARES rather than reading. Pick this story up and you will be ensnared in its trap.
You’ve never met the other wives. None of you know each other, and because of this unconventional arrangement, you can see your husband only one day a week. But you love him so much you don’t care. Or at least that’s what you’ve told yourself.
But one day, while you’re doing laundry, you find a scrap of paper in his pocket—an appointment reminder for a woman named Hannah, and you just know it’s another of the wives.
You thought you were fine with your arrangement, but you can’t help yourself: you track her down, and, under false pretences, you strike up a friendship. Hannah has no idea who you really are. Then, Hannah starts showing up to your coffee dates with telltale bruises, and you realise she’s being abused by her husband. Who, of course, is also your husband. But you’ve never known him to be violent, ever.
Who exactly is your husband, and how far would you go to find the truth? Would you risk your own life?
And who is his mysterious third wife?
Title : The Wives Author : Tarryn Fisher Format : Paperback Page Count : 352 Genre : Thriller Publisher : HQ Release Date : June 25, 2020
Reviewer : Micky Rating : ★ ★ ★ ★
Micky’s 4 star review
This was an all-consuming and enjoyable thriller from Tarryn Fisher. It was convincing, screwed with your theories and left you with a jaw drop. It was pretty difficult to put down and I love that kind of feeling in a thriller.
Told from the POV of Thursday, she was one of three wives. Thursday hooked you in too being on her side and wary of the moves of the mighty husband, Seth. Seth, was the kind of man that could juggle three women and keep them all on a string, waiting for their turn and for him to deign his affection. There was only one problem with thinking this…Thursday was an unreliable narrator and I loved that!
I basically didn’t know my head from my tail, which was up and which was down or who to believe. I was here for that. There was polygamy, grief, stalking, domestic abuse, mental health problems and manipulation all going on at once, but with three women that worked. My thoughts ricocheted from one wife to another, unsure of their characters, unsure of Seth.
The ending was something else and I can imagine people finding the exponential acceleration of crazy towards the end a little too much. For me, it was just right, at the end I did a little laugh, nod and inner ‘cleverly done’. I’m left feeling that this book was such a ride, a quick read due to the previously mentioned mind-consumption and just right to lose yourself in. I highly recommend for a great thriller with unusual themes.
Will Sedgwick can’t believe that after months of searching for his oldest friend, Martin Easterbrook is found hiding in an attic like a gothic nightmare. Intent on nursing Martin back to health, Will kindly kidnaps him and takes him to the countryside to recover, well away from the world.
Martin doesn’t much care where he is or even how he got there. He’s much more concerned that the man he’s loved his entire life is currently waiting on him hand and foot, feeding him soup and making him tea. Martin knows he’s a lost cause, one he doesn’t want Will to waste his life on.
As a lifetime of love transforms into a tender passion both men always desired but neither expected, can they envision a life free from the restrictions of the past, a life with each other?
Title : Two Rogues Make a Right Author : Cat Sebastian Series : Seducing the Sedgwicks Format : eARC Page Count : 304 Genre : LGBTQIA+ historical romance Publisher : Avon Impulse Release Date : June 23, 2020
Reviewer : Hollis Rating : ★ ★ ★ .5
Hollis’ 3.5 star review
I’m waffling a bit about whether I’ll round up on this because while it definitely wasn’t my favourite of the series (not that anything could live up to book one, I mean, really), I think I liked it more than book two. Which I also rated 3.5. Whatever, what even is a rating.
“It is exhausting to be a decent person. I could be a villain with no effort whatsoever. It would be like rolling downhill.” “Why don’t you, then?“ “Because there’s enough bad in the world. I’m trying to put my weight on the other side of the scale.”
What you do need to know about this book, though, is that it is pretty damn pure. Not quite fluffy but.. tender. Though a slow build or even a slow burn would be fairly apt descriptors, more than that, it’s all just.. gentleness. Not sure how else to describe it. There are no real fireworks, no huge momentous realizations, no energic romps or lengthy debauchery scenes, not even any real big blow up.. it’s just two best friends, both a little damaged, both a little bruised, becoming more, and navigating what that looks like.
This was going to be the death of him. He had survived this latest illness only to be murdered by casual affection.
As is Sebastian’s way, there are endless exchanges of hilarity amongst the sweetness, and while I liked these characters, particularly in their early moments sharing space, I don’t quite think they will be as memorable as I would want them to be. Which goes for the story, too, really; not that there was much plot to begin with. But that’s also the case for book two’s couple, who we visit with in this book, too. Somehow it’s still book one, which I read three years ago, that stands out in this regard.. and every regard, really.
That said, I still enjoyed my time reading this, it was a deligthful bit of sweetness and sass, exactly what I wanted when I picked it up, so it definitely delivered. Even if it won’t go down as a favourite.
** I received an ARC from Edelweiss and the publisher (thank you!) in exchange for an honest review. **
Happy “where’d all my money go?” new release Tuesday, everyone!
As you know, the most exciting day of the week in this community is the day that follows the one we all dread (Mondays for the nope) and today we’re going to highlight some of the new books chipping away at our bank accounts — but each one is so worth it.
TWO ROGUES MAKE A RIGHT is the third book in Cat Sebastian’s Seducing the Sedgwicks series and a story much anticipated by us since reading IT TAKES TWO TO TUMBLE.
TAKE A HINT, DANI BROWN is the second book in The Brown Sisters series, following up last year’s smash GET A LIFE, CHLOE BROWN by Talia Hibbert. We haven’t stopped being shouty about the former and fully expect to be shouty about the second for ages, too. Also, that cover? Instant cheerful happiness. Starting a trend, as you’ll see, our review is clickable here.
WIRE WINGS by Wren Handman is a YA sci-fi set in the not-so-distance future that focuses on identity, grief, and love. Check out our review here.
A MADNESS MOST DISCREET by Laura Lascarso is a sorta mash-up of a queer Sex and the City but with an HBO platform and this beauty popped into the world on Saturday so you should definitely be one-clicking! Check out our review here.
Are there any titles out today you’re excited for? Let us know in the comments below!
Graciela does as she’s told: she cowers beneath the towering intellect of her parents, goes to school, toes the line. But in the Waves, a virtual reality world, Graciela can be anyone, anywhere, anytime. Free.
In the real world, Graciela is drowning. Her best friend recently passed away, she’s suffering from crippling panic attacks, and her only connection to life is Khaiam, who keeps trying to draw her back to reality.
But how can he compete with the Waves? There, she can be whoever she dreams. And in that world, there’s Thomas, the stunning stranger with haunted eyes she’s only ever met online. Thomas seems to be able to defy the rules of the Waves, and he holds secrets of his own—about the origins of his creation, the nature of AI, and about Gracie’s own past. He will lead her on a dangerous road to truths she isn’t ready for, and the ultimate decision between acceptance and identity, duty and love, life and freedom.
Title : Wire Wings Author : Wren Handman Format : eARC Page Count : 284 Genre : YA sci-fi/fantasy Publisher : Parliament House Press Release Date : June 23, 2020
Reviewer : Hollis Rating : ★ ★ ★ ★ .5
Hollis’ 4.5 star review
WIRE WINGS is a compelling story about grief; about the gaping holes left by the lose of someone you loved. It’s about escapism; pushing aside your real-world worries, and leaving reality behind. It’s about identity; the masks we choose for ourselves, and the core of us beneath them all. It’s about love; the awkwardness of friendships that existed because of other people, the complicated dynamics of parent and child, and the purity of connection that reaches down past your skin and into the truth of you and being accepted for it.
[..] sometimes she wonders what makes a person real.
This story takes place in the not-so-distant future and Handman’s world mostly resembles our own but the world she’s created in the Waves, this VR-esque experience, is like nothing else. Calling them games doesn’t do them justice, but the experiences, everything, are vivid and fascinating and a stark change in pace from Graciela’s every day existence where she’s barely getting by, barely able to breathe, and feeling overlooked and lost.
WIRE WINGS is equal parts exciting and colourful as well as heartbreaking and tragic. There is such beauty in the prose, mirrored in all the worlds we flit in and out of, but that ache of loss and devastation is never truly gone and resonates both viscerally and also subtlely throughout. It’s reaching for the hand that isn’t there. Walking into rooms that were once filled with laughter. In the friendships held together by a body that no longer takes up any space. It’s in the bloom of a romance that can’t be shared with the one you most want to tell. The name you can barely speak for choking on the syllables. But most of all, it’s in the acknowledgement of their memory when you find moments of happiness and not flincing away from it or feeling guilty.
This story is brilliant, bittersweet, and beautiful, and I think you should read it.
** I received an ARC from NetGalley and the publisher (thank you!) in exchange for an honest review. **
Talia Hibbert returns with another charming romantic comedy about a young woman who agrees to fake date her friend after a video of him “rescuing” her from their office building goes viral…
Danika Brown knows what she wants: professional success, academic renown, and an occasional roll in the hay to relieve all that career-driven tension. But romance? Been there, done that, burned the T-shirt. Romantic partners, whatever their gender, are a distraction at best and a drain at worst. So Dani asks the universe for the perfect friend-with-benefits—someone who knows the score and knows their way around the bedroom.
When brooding security guard Zafir Ansari rescues Dani from a workplace fire drill gone wrong, it’s an obvious sign: PhD student Dani and ex-rugby player Zaf are destined to sleep together. But before she can explain that fact, a video of the heroic rescue goes viral. Now half the internet is shipping #DrRugbae—and Zaf is begging Dani to play along. Turns out, his sports charity for kids could really use the publicity. Lying to help children? Who on earth would refuse?
Dani’s plan is simple: fake a relationship in public, seduce Zaf behind the scenes. The trouble is, grumpy Zaf’s secretly a hopeless romantic—and he’s determined to corrupt Dani’s stone-cold realism. Before long, he’s tackling her fears into the dirt. But the former sports star has issues of his own, and the walls around his heart are as thick as his… um, thighs.
Suddenly, the easy lay Dani dreamed of is more complex than her thesis. Has her wish backfired? Is her focus being tested? Or is the universe just waiting for her to take a hint?
Title : Take a Hint, Dani Brown Author : Talia Hibbert Series : The Brown Sisters (book two) Format : eARC Page Count : 400 Genre : contemporary romance Publisher : Avon/Little Brown UK Release Date : June 23, 2020
I’m going to preface this (likely short and terribly unsatisfying) review by saying I read the first 65% basically in one sitting and then got smacked with a slump for over a week; so while this is definitely a book I loved, enjoyed, swooned at, got weepy over, I can’t know for certain if it wouldn’t have been rated even higher if not for that break. I’m sad I didn’t do right by this book, or this author, and will have to make an effort to reread this (and book one!) before the third comes out. For quality control’s sake. And, like, also, because it was great.
Danika Brown was the queen of one-time things. Zaf wouldn’t know what to do with a one-time thing if it showed up with a fifty-page instruction manual and slapped him on the dick.
Hibbert always fills her stories with representation, of all kinds, and this one is no exception; her treading of sensitive topics ever so considerate; and her steam? (fire emoji fire emoji). We have the sweetest of family dynamics, the focus this time more on Zafir’s side — though we do get some Brown sister moments, of course, but Dani leans on her bestie Sorcha more in this one — and I just.. well, listen, I loved Dani, don’t get me wrong, but big burly RBF’d yet soft and tender Zafir? He stole both my heart and the show.
“Liar.” “What?“ “That’s your lying voice. It’s all tight and scratchy.“ “Who are you? The bloody.. voice police?“ “I hope next time you’re in the shower, you think of seventy things you could’ve said just then that would’ve been way better than ‘voice police.’“
I know I already mentioned it but it bears repeating : I loved, I laughed, I cried, I hurt, I swooned. It’s a Hibbert. These things kind of go without saying. But here I am saying it twice anyway.
“Sweetie, are you crying?“ “No, I’m leaking masculine pain from my eyeballs.”
I’m certain you’ll love this book. And I can’t wait for book three.
** I received an ARC from the publisher (thank you!) in exchange for an honest review. **
Micky’s 4 star review
I hope you are ready to swoon over this book because the hero Zafir is something a bit special. I knew immediately he was going to sell this book, this story line. That’s not to say Dani Brown isn’t a great character, but she’s a contradiction of sharp corners and loyalty; she took some getting to know, to like.
Dani Brown was an academic chasing a PhD (that certainly resonated with me) and pretty career focused. She was only in the market for friends with benefits of any gender. Considering her and Zafir had been friends for some time, stepping it up was almost natural, if it wasn’t for Dani’s rules of engagement. Dani was a curvy, strong and intelligent woman but she knew she didn’t connect emotionally as well to people, so beyond her family she seemed to stop trying. I enjoyed seeing her character grow.
Zafir, Zafir, Zafir…a big, kind, ex-Rugby star, romance-reading, beta-male with anxiety. How could that combination not float my boat? He was considerate, thoughtful and a big bag of lust combined with affection over Dani. The dialogue and inner monologue were perfection and chuckle-inducing.
“Good morning,” he purred, his eyeslanding on Dani’s chest like tit-seeking missiles.
Despite Zaf’s niceness towards Dani, he was gruff and grumpy looking. There was a whole back story to Zaf that was deep and engaging. His mental health issues were well written and he was that kind of character that just pulled you in.
“This is just my face. I have a murder face.”
“Honestly, Zafir, you’re so grumpy you could create your own storm clouds.”
The second book in this series had a story just as engaging as the first. These sisters are different, unique and so funny. There were cameo moments for Chloe and Red that made me a little gooey. And Eve…I just know her book is going to be hilarious.
Go get your moves on for TAKE A HINT, DANI BROWN. Talia Hibbert just writes these women with a realness and wit that you cannot resist.
Thank you to Little Brown UK for the early review copy.
A Take from Two Cities 