The Mercenary’s Daughter by Jessica Therrien, Joe Gazzam
This book was definitely not what I had expected. I was annoyed if not angry at the usage of “exotic” on Andy, so let’s just say The Mercenary’s Daughter did not leave a great first impression. However, plot-wise, it really amazed me. It was exciting and made my heart thump.
Soldier of Dorsa (The Chronicles of Dorsa #2) by Eliza Andrews
I am definitely biased because I adore Princess of Dorsa.
While Soldier of Dorsa did not grasp my heart as much as the first book did, I still enjoyed it very much. There were times I was so scared for Tasia and Joslyn that I dared not continue reading. But I pushed myself to read on because the suspense of not reading was killing me anyway. The overall plot was very good despite some flow disruptions due to multiple flashbacks and alternations between Tasia’s and Joslyn’s storylines. The pacing was also a bit too fast towards the end as even more things were happening at the same time. I figure the story would flow amazingly if adapted to screen.
Just Three Words (Soho Loft #2) by Melissa Brayden
Of late, I’ve been reading a lot of wlw (women-loving-women) romance novels. Approximately 1-book-per-day kind of “a lot” for a month straight. Or not so straight. Must be a quarter-life crisis thing since I pretty much never read romance in the past. I have yet to read one fall-in-love-with-best-friend story. Until now.
Princess of Dorsa (The Chronicles of Dorsa #1) by Eliza Andrews
A book that leaves me a puddle from my own sheer emotion is always a good book.
I haven’t read fantasy in a couple of months and Princess of Dorsa has made me want to find all the fantasy books with strong, queer, female leads and read them. While I would not say it is perfectly written (an example, and sole example to date, of a perfectly written fantasy is Brandon Sanderson’s Mistborn), the overall story is amazing and I love it for igniting all kinds of emotions within me.
Starting from Scratch (Housemates #5) by Jay Northcote
accurate trans portrayal, hot sex, awesome people
Most people were obsessed with genitals. Gay guys were all about the dick and straight guys were all about tits and pussy. It was something you took for granted, a fact of life, until you realised you were trans and then suddenly began to see gender through a totally different lens. Definitions of masculinity and femininity became more flexible, less rigid, and not so focused on body parts.
This is my first attempt to read a sort-of-erotic M/M romance fiction, and also a first novel with a trans lead.