Educated by Tara Westover
CW: misogyny, gaslighting, violence, psychological & physical & spiritual abuse, child abuse, use of N-word by family member
I have to thank Westover for writing this memoir. It must have taken her a lot of courage to relive everything and share her own life story with the world.
THE BREATH BETWEEN WAVES by Charlotte Anne Hamilton
Click on the cover for my review on Goodreads.
The Titanic journey lasted for six days from April 10th to 15th, 1912. It was supposed to arrive at New York on the 17th. To make the main characters fall in love within the timeframe is a huge challenge, and unfortunately, the chemistry between them wasn’t enough for me to be fully invested in their story.
Penelope Fletcher doesn’t want to leave Scotland, but she joins her parents onboard Titanic after being heartbroken by her ex-girlfriend. Her roommate, Ruby Cole, is traveling with her sister’s family. As they spend more time together, they realize there might be something brewing between them, but the clock is ticking as they get closer and closer to their destination.
PASSION MARKED by Ophelia Silk
Click on the cover for my review on Goodreads.
A romance between a racehorse trainer and Nocturne centaur! The first few chapters really sucked me into the story but I was slightly disappointed in how the rest of the book played out. Ellie (human, she/her) and Nadine (centaur, demi-girl, she/her, Mx.) are cute together and I really liked their interactions and small touches. Note that there is also quite some sex scenes going on, but I’m here for the cuteness and Ellie’s attempt at winking.
The writing of Passion Marked was enjoyable. It is my second book by Silk, and while the first one Spellbound (my review) was a fantasy romance with a simplistic plot, this book was somewhat too expansive for me. I had some issues with the pacing of the story where the first half was slow and everything happened close to the end. There is a lot of talk about magic, like Nadine’s Nocturne magic, but we don’t really get to understand how these magical elements worked. The only thing I know about Nadine’s magic is that… she has shadows that curl up at her hooves? So the world-building didn’t work great for me and I had the feeling of the world setting being just out of reach. I did enjoy the fact that there were phones and high school students of different species (just random characters; this book is NOT YA), making the world in Passion Marked feel more like ours.
MARRY ME by Melissa Brayden
Click on the cover for my review on Goodreads.
Ally and Megan’s chemistry was off the charts! From their first kiss to all the intimate scenes, I felt warmth in my stomach—always a good sign that the romantic connection is well-written.
Allison “Ally” Hale, a fourth grade school teacher, and Brent Carmichael, eldest son of the rich Carmichael family, are getting married. With Ally’s parents’ financial security on the line because the Carmichaels have the power to make or break their oatmeal bars, no one expected Ally to develop feelings for the locally famous wedding planner, Megan Kinkaid (Black, biracial), a friend of Brent’s. Should Ally ignore her growing attraction to Megan, or shoot for a chance of having a happier future?
THE TELL TALE by Clare Ashton
Click on the cover for my review on Goodreads.
The Tell Tale is a historical fiction with many awesome queer reps, and it is the quality mystery we need!
The year is 1971 and Beth Griffiths (~38) has returned to the village of Foel with her daughter Nia at the same time people start getting anonymous notes that reveal secrets of their past. Lady Sophie Melling (~38), who recently inherited a manor from her late father Lord Melling, is also back in the village. And the villagers are pointing fingers, desperate to find out who is the tell tale as more and more details about what happened in Foel twenty years ago begins to unveil.