• ARCs,  Book Reviews,  Fiction

    Two to Tangle by Melissa Brayden | ARC Review

    6th November 2020
    Cover of Two to Tangle (Melissa Brayden)

    Two to Tangle (A Tangle Valley Romance #2) by Melissa Brayden

    Click on the cover for my review on Goodreads.

    Food, wine, and softball games with a sexy chef and hot contractor? I’m in love.

    “You’re a good chef.”

    [Gabriella] paused. “Ryan. I’m the best chef. Stop by my truck one day.”

    Chef Gabriella Russo (34) moved from the East Coast to the West with her best-friend-cum-ex-girlfriend Madison LeGrange (31) after Tangle Valley Vineyard owner Joey Wilder’s (31) job offer. Soon the restaurant of her dreams is under construction, and Gabriella finds herself in the constant presence of the gorgeous contractor Ryan Jacks (28), who might also be the woman of her dreams. Too bad Ryan is a player and too young for her.

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  • ARCs,  Book Reviews,  Fiction

    Finding a Keeper by Nicole Pyland | ARC Review

    30th October 2020
    Cover of Finding a Keeper (Nicole Pyland)

    Finding a Keeper (Sports #4) by Nicole Pyland

    Click on the cover for my review on Goodreads.

    Content warnings: death of parent, mention of conversion therapy, disowning

    This is my eighth Pyland novel, and I have learned by now to never start reading her books on a busy day because they are impossible to put down. Clear your schedule, and get ready for Sloan and Marley’s cute, slow-burn, best-friends-to-lovers romance.

    Sloan Rossi (18, 1/4-Black) has just moved back to the US from the UK to attend college for soccer. As a striker in U18 Premier League (stated as EPL Youth League in the book), she doesn’t want to be a goalie. But when her new friend junior goalie Marley Nichols (20, lesbian) injures her rotator cuff, Sloan becomes the backup goalkeeper. With their strengthening friendship over the course of a year as they both stay by each other’s side through difficulties in life, Sloan and Marley become virtually inseparable. When people start assuming they were dating, Marley could only wish they really were as Sloan reevaluates her own sexuality and what Marley truly means to her.

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  • ARCs,  Book Reviews,  Fiction

    The Other Women by Erin Zak | ARC Review

    23rd October 2020
    Cover of The Other Women (Erin Zak)

    The Other Women by Erin Zak

    Content warnings: infidelity, mention of miscarriage, gambling addiction, mention of drugs, mention of past car accident scene, mention of parental loss, uses of ableist language

    This book is heavy on infidelity but light-hearted. The flirty interactions between these two other women are cute and them entering a friendship without expectations makes the story relatively low drama.

    Francesca Lopez (31, Latina, bi+) is recently dumped by Willow Carmichael (lesbian), who declared she was in love with a married woman elsewhere. Cecily Yates (bisexual), who has been with Willow for four years, and her husband Luke are separating. When Willow dumped her, too, while Cecily is on a business trip, Cecily meets bartender Francesca. The pair decides to spend the rest of Cecily’s trip together for an unforgettable weekend, not knowing about the woman they once shared.

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  • ARCs,  Book Reviews,  Fiction

    Cute Mutants Vol 1: Mutant Pride by SJ Whitby | ARC Review

    16th October 2020
    Cover of Cute Mutants Vol 1: Mutant Pride (SJ Whitby)

    Cute Mutants Vol 1: Mutant Pride (Cute Mutants Vol 1) by SJ Whitby

    Content warnings: transphobia, homophobia, hate crime, racism, sexual assault (one off-page nonconsensual m/f kiss), bullying, violence, blood, death of… prominent object, death of minor characters, dismembering, earthquakes

    Sometimes, I try to match the tone of my review to the voice of the book so that they give off similar vibes, but I could never achieve the level of joy this story brings. Cute Mutants Vol 1: Mutant Pride is a very queer (reps: lesbian, pansexual, transgender, etc.) and very racially diverse (reps: Korean, Kiwi-Chinese, etc.) version of X-men that is incredibly funny, quirky, and ridiculously good. If you want an exciting and fun read, definitely check this out.

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  • ARCs,  Book Reviews,  Fiction

    Beyond the Lights by Nicole Higginbotham-Hogue | ARC Review

    14th October 2020
    Cover of Beyond the Lights (Nicole Higginbotham-Hogue)

    Beyond the Lights by Nicole Higginbotham-Hogue

    Content warnings: mention of death of a side character’s parent

    Beyond the Lights is a cute novella with great potential. I liked the premise but the writing style threw me off a little and the plot was a bit more absurd than I had expected.

    Sawyer Johnson (23) is convinced that she is in love with actress Amy Mitchell, whom she has never met before. When she announces her plan of going cross-country to find Amy, her best friend Autumn Thompson (~23, lesbian), who is secretly in love with Sawyer, decides to tag along, hoping for some quality time together. All plans go out the window as they run into Amy filming a movie in a small town in Montana.

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