June mini-reviews are here! A really mixed bag this time, with a contemporary, a fantasy/comic book/superhero mashup, and a historical.
So, this book... I have a mess of thoughts on it. And I have a lot of content warnings, and if you too are on the asexuality spectrum and want to read this book, my content warnings for you are at the bottom. There’s a lot to take in and process.
One of the best feelings as a reader is when you love a book and then realize there are another four in the series. Romancelandia Twitter tells me that we call this a "series glom," and I'm happy to report that I'm coming off of a great one. Sarina Bowen's fifth True North novel, Speakeasy, comes out today, May 29, so let's talk about the first four, shall we?
Here's what you can expect from the series as a whole:
- Excellent writing, with real, thoroughly developed characters
- Plots that are just out-there enough to hook you, but still completely plausible
- Holy hotness, the sex
The thing I love most about Lucy Parker’s books is that the protagonists are overtly kind to each other. This seems like it would be fairly common in romance, but I always struggle to find these books that hit just the right note. And Parker is almost guaranteed to give me characters who are gentle and kind to each other and behave like adults. All of which MAKING UP provides.
You'd think that since CINNAMON BLADE: KNIFE IN SHINING ARMOR is only 80 pages, this would be a short review. You'd be right. Reader, I adored this book.
YOU, ME & HER takes place over the course of a somewhat-unconventional, potentially-controversial theatre production of Othello. As he walks in to the table-read, Nate (a white man) discovers that his being cast as Othello was in fact
not
for lack of black actors available to the director. He finds himself in a room full of black men cast in other roles in the play, with a director who's committed to the 'I cast you for your talent not your skin colour' narrative. This 100% triggered my diversity-hire-drama alarms. But nevertheless, I persisted. And I am SO glad I did! Yes, there are a couple "Sorry,
what
did this white guy just say?!" moments in the beginning, but it quickly becomes clear that there's no racial prejudice behind it; Tanya Chris is just brilliant at capturing both the uncomfortable 'Am I part of the problem? Am I about to say the exact wrong thing right now?' reality of being the only white person in a space created for people of colour, and the good-natured teasing people of colour give right back.
You know when you expect one thing from a book and you get something else? That was me and THE HENCHMEN OF ZENDA. The biggest misunderstanding we had was that I thought it would be a romance, but it was more of a suspense/adventure story with some romantic elements. And it's weird to review a book that is not a book I would normally read.
May mini-reviews, activate! A bunch of DNFs this month, plus a contemporary Suzanne loved.
The third installment in Lisa Berne's debut historical trilogy, THE BRIDE TAKES A GROOM, is a character-driven romance that reminded me of the first two in the series. Before I get into the review, it's worth noting that I thought this was a trilogy when I reviewed the second one for Heroes & Heartbreakers, but it's been extended and we'll be sticking with the Penhallows for a while longer it seems.
LEAH ON THE OFFBEAT will most often be referred to as the sequel to Simon vs. the Homo Sapiens Agenda, which is both true and unfair to the book. First, I adored Simon vs. when I read it, it filled a warm and fuzzy gap that I needed. LEAH ON THE OFFBEAT is not that book, but that sort of makes it better because it’s true to Leah. (To be fair to this book, I will not mention Simon vs. again.)
The story is about Leah Burke, a senior in high school who is a prickly, opinionated, fat, bisexual girl. She also happens to have a very big crush on her friend, which complicates how she navigates that friendship. And one of the best things about this book is the fact that no one tries to change Leah into a cheerier version of herself. They appreciate her for her. And similarly, Leah is very comfortable with herself, even if she is not out as bisexual to her friends.
