This book was magic and if I knew exactly why, maybe I could find more books that hit the same spot so perfectly. At the same time, I can identify the layers of why it works and why I love it so much. The real magic might be that it gave me reading back.*

The Christmas season, which starts in October in the world of publishing, is packed with romance novels. But sometimes you see one that makes you go "GIVE ME NOW," even if you've got twenty on your TBR already. Adriana Herrera's upcoming f/f romance novella, Mangos and Mistletoe, is that book.

Melissa Blue’s latest novella, Grumpy Jake, is as fun and appealing as its bright cover. In this light-hearted enemies to lovers romance Jake, a handsome but gruff White single father has gotten off on the wrong foot with his son Jayden’s Black Kindergarten teacher. Bailey has heard way too much about Jake’s dating misadventures thanks to the faculty’s breathless gossip mill. Despite her undeniable attraction to the tattooed nurse, Bailey does not want to be his next conquest. Deeply wary, the usually warm and effusive Bailey succeeds at freezing out the seemingly bad-boy playboy until they are trapped together in an elevator and she discovers his playfully disarming self-deprecating sense of humor and Jake is enchanted by her frankness.

I was really excited about this book because I am an Olivia Waite fangirl. I love her column on the Seattle Review of Books, and she’s one of the people I recommend heavily in my work at the library. So when I saw she was coming out with a queer historical with science ladies, I knew I should take a chance on it. And I’m happy I did! The Lady’s Guide to Celestial Mechanics is a delight. I read it at a time when I was super stressed out and needed some relief during Big Life Stuff, and Catherine and Lucy’s story was like a warm, safe weighted blanket at the end of the day.

When they're not creating entirely new worlds, fantasy authors love to play with different historical time periods. Remember when steampunk was all the rage? Renaissance Italy? Okay, that last one is just a dream of mine, but roll with it.

It's been a while since we did this! Two months, eeep. Anyway, here are short reviews of Hard Chrome, These Witches Don't Burn, Blitzed, and The Bromance Book Club.

Today we're super excited to share a guest post and cover reveal from Suleikha Snyder. We've been holding this secret for a little while now, but it's felt like months. We can't wait for you to see it!

Rosiee Thor's debut YA sci-fi novel, Tarnished Are the Stars, is excellent. She combines several classic sci-fi themes, fresh environmental elements and a whole lot of Queer Feels to make an action- and emotion-packed story of oppression, grief, love and hope.

Bittersweet: What Writing a Character with the Same Crap Brain As You Can and Cannot Do

There is something exquisitely painful about trying to promote a book that features a severely depressed heroine when depressed oneself. 

We're getting into the time of year when publishers slow down their release schedule, so this month is a little lighter than usual. Gird your loins for January, when they open the flood gates again.

Now's a great time to stock up on winter reading and catch up on all those October books!

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