• ARCs,  Book Reviews,  Fiction

    There’s Magic Between Us by Jillian Maria | ARC Review

    6th July 2021
    Cover of There’s Magic Between Us (Jillian Maria)

    There’s Magic Between Us by Jillian Maria

    Click on the cover for my review on Goodreads.

    God forbid anyone assumes I’m heterosexual.

    Fiery pansexual disaster with too much energy! Magical woods! Faeries!

    Lydia Barnes (16, pansexual) spends a week with her grandmother at Fairbrooke. Her mother hates the town and the townspeople hate her. But Lydia’s grandmother is nice and there is a forest nearby that everyone tells her to avoid. So what will Lydia find if she set foot in the woods when her grandmother naps? Eden Yu (16, Chinese American) and lots of secrets.

    It’s been a while since I had so much fun with a new read, but I did up my rating a bit just because I would have loved it even more had I been ten years younger, which is in the range of the targeted audience. I love Lydia, this prickly teen who would probably bite all her enemies. She has unbounded energy and will be quick to scale a wall when she can. The love interest Eden is more of a mysterious character. Who is this girl in the woods? Why is she trying to find those wood pieces?

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  • ARCs,  Book Reviews,  Fiction

    The Clinch by Nicole Disney | ARC Review

    11th January 2021
    Cover of The Clinch (Nicole Disney)

    The Clinch by Nicole Disney

    Click on the cover for my review on Goodreads.

    Content warnings: graphic sex, blood, d slur, homophobia/homomisia, child abuse, minor character drug addiction, mention of prostitution, recreational drinking, uses of ableist language, hospitalization

    Written in present tense, The Clinch is an incredibly vivid rivals-to-lovers sports romance, charged with immediacy.

    Eden Bauer (27, gay) holds an undefeated record and is the reigning UFC featherweight championship. When newbie pro Brooklyn Shaw (22, biracial, Black) challenges Eden for a title match, Eden reluctantly agrees. Their rivalry is strong, but when post-match Brooklyn comes knocking on the door of Eden’s gym, will they be able to put aside their differences and work together?

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  • ARCs,  Book Reviews,  Fiction

    Hotel Queens by Lee Winter | ARC Review

    22nd December 2020
    Cover of Hotel Queens (Lee Winter)

    Hotel Queens by Lee Winter

    Click on the cover for my review on Goodreads.

    Content warnings: blackmailing, homophobia/homomisia, misogyny, abuse, manipulation, mention of drugs

    This is my second Winter’s book and I am so thrilled to continue with my recent streak of wonderful reads.

    VP of the Europe division of Hotel Duxton International Amelia Duxton (46, lesbian) has been sent stateside to deliver a speech at a conference in place of her brother Oliver, VP of Duxton USA. At the conference at Duxton Vegas, VP of Grand Millennium Hotels Kai Fisher (43), The Closer, arrives from New York in an attempt to negotiate a deal on Mayfair Palace, which the Duxtons are also after. Both VPs are in Vegas for work-related projects; neither expects to find the other, one fire, one ice, in steamy encounters.

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  • ARCs,  Book Reviews,  Fiction

    Cute Mutants Vol 3: The Demon Queer Saga by SJ Whitby | ARC Review

    19th December 2020
    Cover of Cute Mutants Vol 3: The Demon Queer Saga (SJ Whitby)

    Cute Mutants Vol 3: The Demon Queer Saga (Cute Mutants Vol 3) by SJ Whitby

    Click on the cover for my review on Goodreads.

    This review contains minor spoilers to Cute Mutants Vol 1: Mutant Pride and Cute Mutants Vol 2: Young, Gifted & Queer.

    Content warnings: hate crime against LGBTQ+ people, homophobia/homomisia, trans/non-binary discrimination, misgendering, murder, death, gore, outing, religious extremism/cult, brainwash/mind control, gunshot wounds, bombing, fire, dismembering, mention of conversion therapy

    If you haven’t heard me scream about how much joy the previous two books have brought me, please check out my reviews for Vol 1 (here) and Vol 2 (here).

    This third installment of the series is way heavier than the first two. While the previous books were mostly happy and warm, Cute Mutants Vol 3: The Demon Queer Saga certainly took a darker turn and I am left worried, in shock, and wanting more upon finishing. I feel like a restless parent or older sibling concerned about these teens, and Cute Mutants Vol 4: The Sisterhood of Evil Mutants cannot come fast enough. As the powers of the Cute Mutants grow, their world becomes darker and more shady organizations are coming after them. Everything escalates quicker and turns more dangerous and deadly.

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  • ARCs,  Book Reviews,  Fiction

    Cute Mutants Vol 2: Young, Gifted & Queer by SJ Whitby | ARC Review

    15th December 2020
    Cover of Cute Mutants Vol 2: Young, Gifted & Queer (SJ Whitby)

    Cute Mutants Vol 2: Young, Gifted & Queer (Cute Mutants Vol 2) by SJ Whitby

    Click on the cover for my review on Goodreads.

    This review contains minor spoilers to Cute Mutants Vol 1: Mutant Pride.

    Content warnings: kidnapping, self injury, dismembering, reference to HP series, acid attack, misgendering, homophobia, death, death of prominent character, murder, blood, gore, forced hospitalization, forced captivity, nonconsensual medical experiment, mind control, manipulation/threats, talking people into suicide, mention of deceased family member, off-page amputation

    Do you ever feel like there is something missing in your life, like, maybe an ancient, noble Japanese sword who is by your side at all times? Even if you didn’t, I’m sure you do now. In this sequel of Cute Mutants, you can live vicariously through the mutants and see Onimaru “Oni” Kunitsuna (鬼丸國綱) work his magic.

    At the end of Cute Mutants Vol 1: Mutant Pride (my review here), Yaxley Corporation coerced the Cute Mutants into joining their training programs. Since we all know that powerful corporates and the government are often shady and cannot be trusted, nothing goes smoothly as the gang struggles to do what is truly right under Yaxley’s incessant tracking and fights fiercely to keep each other safe and alive.

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