Bonfire of the Calamities by Kim M. Watt My rating: 5 of 5 stars As a long time fan of the ladies and dragons of Toot Hansell, I am yet again a happy customer–well, reader. Just like all the other installments of the Beaufort Scales series, Bonfire of Calamities is a slightly insane but oh-so thrilling romp. The hilarious situations these ladies get themselves into to solve a mystery are just as good as the mystery itself and the strong friendships between humans and magical creatures. Fabulous writing is just the cherry on top. Grab yourself a copy and some scones. It will be a wild ride! Vie ..read more

Pride and Premeditation by Tirzah Price My rating: 4 of 5 stars I loved this reimaging of Pride and Prejudice as crime fiction. I totally could see Elizabeth Bennet as this determined, feminist young gumshoe-wannabe. The writing was good, the character twists awesome and in some cases unexpected, and Price managed to keep the period feeling much alive. My only gripe is that the romance was too lukewarm even for a YA novel. I wanted a little more sparks between Lizzie and Darcy. Well done. I will be reading the rest of the series. View all my reviews ..read more

R.L. Merrill has a new contemporary MM romance out, Forces of Nature book 3: Earthquake Ethan. The Earth shook the morning actor Ethan Bradley arrived in Los Angeles looking for a second chance. He hoped his former producers Reese Matheson and Toby Griffiths meant it when they said to look them up if he were ever in LA because he had no other options. The pictures the paparazzi took at the wrap party for their London show made sure of that. What he wasn’t counting on was the reception he got from their manager, Arthur Frye. He was absolutely the kind of together guy Ethan wished would notice h ..read more

Love, Theoretically by Ali Hazelwood My rating: 5 of 5 stars I love Ali’s books. There I said it! They’re funny, smart, and oh-so romantic. First the flaws(ish). I really wish Hazelwood would not mention how big the male protagonist is as often as she does. But it’s not a deal BIG enough to make me dislike her delightful prose (see what I did there?). I am also not a fan of very detailed sex scenes, but I have to give Ali credit for some very steamy stuff and the fact that her book is definitely not packed with those. Now the good stuff. Her characters are very human and hilariously funny whil ..read more

The Scarlet Veil by Shelby Mahurin My rating: 4 of 5 stars I’m not a fan of vampire stories (which seem to be making a comeback) so I went into this book hoping I’d love it (because I did like Mahurin’s first series) but prepared to hate it. Well, I did like it a lot. I found myself reading “just one more page” on nights I was exhausted and really needed sleep. Not all was perfect. Célie annoyed me many times but as an author myself I can totally see that it was all part of her character arc and growth. Her self-doubt might have been irritating at times but so relatable. How many times have we ..read more

Guardian of Talons and Snares by Anastasis Blythe My rating: 4 of 5 stars I confess. I bought this book for the cover, lol. The C-drama/fantasy lover in me couldn’t resist the beautiful art of the cover. But I’m so glad I did. For once it was ok to judge the book by its cover. This was a fun romp with the usual elements of C-fantasy and wuxia: magic, shifters, a complicated societal hierarchy, found family, danger, action, secrets, and romance. The character development is good and the two POVs work well throughout the book. As a romance writer I also appreciate the very, very slow-burn romanc ..read more

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