I just finished Let it Shine by Alyssa Cole and wow. All the stars!

I listened to the entire story today (around 3.5 hours) because I could not wait to see how this couple, who faced so many challenges, would get their HEA.

Set in the 1960s during the lunch counter sit-ins, Let it Shine is a childhood friends to adult lovers interracial romance between a Black Christian university student and a White Jewish Boxer who reconnect during a non-violent protest training.

While their story is fraught with unflinching portrayals of racism and violence, Cole makes you believe these two deserve their hard won HEA.
Highly recommend!!!

Content Warning - there's a lot of stuff going on in this story, and if you haven't read or discussed IAD, I'd not start here.

Okay, still with me?

I loved this book! I'm a sucker for books where fate or a curse drags lovers apart, but I also crave knowing there will be a HEA at the end of the road so my poor little heart can take the wild ride.

We've met Regin the Radiant in many of the other IAD books, and as a huge fan of the Valkyrie in general, I've been eager to get her story. As far as I knew up to this point Regin is kickass, she exudes a beautiful glow, is thousands of years old, and has a fated mate who has been tracking her across the centuries in different reincarnations. Catnip for me.

We meet Regin as a 12yo, having just left Valhalla to help her sister Lucia defeat the evil Cruach (read more about this in [b:Pleasure of a Dark Prince|6337006|Pleasure of a Dark Prince (Immortals After Dark, #9)|Kresley Cole|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1357612049s/6337006.jpg|6522883]). Hungry and looking for some shelter, she stumbles upon Aidan the Conqueror's court. He's 30ish, a "Berserker," beautiful, and a total womanizer. Until he sees Regin and recognizes her as his fated mate.

Yes, this is gross. Regin is a child, but I didn't feel Aidan sexualized her at this point. He simply realized who she was and offered her, albeit in a condescending way, a place to stay, a place to learn. So, yeesh, but I guess Stephanie Meyer already desensitized me to this (also yikes, but whatevs).

Eventually Regin grows into a beautiful, powerful warrior, reconnects with Aidan, who promises he will make her fall in love with him after two months. He resists allowing her to fight, keeping her in bed chamber as he tries to achieve Ohalla (immortality granted from the Norse Gods). SEven months in she hasn't yet fallen in love with him, but they've been doing all the bed stuff besides penetration. Lots of lust between them. Alas, when they finally complete the act while Aidan is in a BeserkRage (sp??), he is murdered immediately after they finish. Yikes.

Turns out Regin is cursed to find the reincarnation of Aidan through the years. When she kisses him, he'll remember Aidan, and then he immediately dies after they have sex for the first time.

We again meet up with Regin as she is kidnapped by the Magister, Declan Chase, who we hate from [b:Demon from the Dark|7098304|Demon from the Dark (Immortals After Dark, #10)|Kresley Cole|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1357611692s/7098304.jpg|7355830]. She recognizes him as Aidan, and thinks she can help herself and the other Lore who are trapped with her on Torture Island escape by kissing him, by making him have sex with her.

But, as it plays out, Regin was never truly in love with Aidan or any of the other reincarnates. She, through some very clever and hard won machinations from Kresley Cole, falls in love with Declan. Despite his torturing of the Lore, the vivisection, her capture, her own torture. He's an addict, he's tortured himself, he's imperfect, but he turns out to be perfect for her.

I had a really hard time with the vivisection parts, especially when Declan has to hold Regin as she is repaired from the hack job done to her. SO GROSS. I'm so squicky about this stuff. Ugh. I didn't think I could ever forgive him. And while I did want him to crawl even more than he did, I did believe in their HEA.

This is such a great book, and it is so long, and I was intrigued to know this is ultimately a huge prolouge for Lothaire, which is NEXT. OMG.

Lothaire was hilarious in this book, along with the rest of the cast of characters. I'm eager to read more about poor teen baby Thad, he of the back pack of beer, condoms, and cologne. Dead.

Loving the Fated Mates Podcast!

Consensus of the book club was that while we all finished reading the story, we weren't captivated by this character study of a British family who end up quarantined together during Christmas. I personally thought too hard about medical details, including WHY someone would ever be allowed to quarantine at home with family members. I don't care if it is Christmas, no way!

We did have fun making water-less snow globes though!

I'd suggest reading Maggie Shipstead's Seating Arrangements for a book that tackles a multi-POV family dramedy story with far more elan.

Content warning behind spoiler

suicide of a secondary character discussed, death of a secondary character by cancer happens on page, rape of minor children discussed

For an erotic romance ostensibly about man having all the sex with a young woman on the verge of becoming a nun, this is so very much more.

Sean Bell, who was briefly mentioned in Priest and brother to the now ex-Father Bell, has lost his faith after his sister's suicide, a sister who was hurt by a priest. Sean focuses on the here and now, making money no matter who he hurts, having sex but never falling in love.

When he meets a beautiful young woman at a party, everything changes. Especially since the young woman is Zenny, his best friend's sister. A woman about to take her vows. A woman who begs him to show her what she'll miss after she does.

Helpless to resist and helplessly falling in love even though Sean knows he'll only have Zenny for one month, this sinner has finally found his savior.

Holy crap did this book make me feel. So many feelings. All the feelings. Sensual, erotic, religious, and just fucking beautiful. Wow. While Priest kind of made me a little more uncomfortable (see my review for that one), I found Sinner's exploration of sex, faith, and love to just be exquisite. While we are soley in Sean's POV, I still felt like I knew Zenny and understood her motivations. I appreciated her world view and loved her views on sex and faith, and not considering sex to be sinful. Her superior mother was also A+.

One of my best reads so far in 2019!

See below for my thoughts on a spoiler-y part:

I thought how Sierra Simone handled the death of Sean's mother was wonderfully done and was so emotional for me. My father died of glioblastoma last year and I, like Sean, was able to be with him when he died so this scene in the book wrecked me but also made me feel at peace. That is the true beauty of this genre as I knew in the end Sean would get his HEA so i could process my emotions about the other heavy content without also worrying about the rest.

Magnolia has been through hell and back with relationships. She's misread signs, kissing her colleague and almost ruining her career, she's been with jerks, one who even kidnapped her do, and she's done.

Magnolia is finally feeling secure in her self, her booming gardening business, her friends. She is enough.

So when her mother challenges her to wade back into the 21st century dating scene, Magnolia only agrees because she knows she is finally ready and able to try and to not compromise. She's also not optimistic but it is easier to agree to her mother's wishes.

What Magnolia, the woman who is the friend, the woman who's never chosen first, isn't expecting is to find not one, but two men who start making her believe that maybe fate does indeed have a happily ever after in store for her, but now she can't decide which future she wants.

That's all I'm going to say about the plot, because you can meet Magnolia's suitors as I did, in the story! There is a happily ever after, but Magnolia does indeed have two men vying for her so if that is not to your taste, try one of the Walsh books.

I started reading Kate Canterbary's Walsh series late last year and have devoured every single book featuring one of my favorite contemporary romance families. I met Magnolia in the Walsh series and for a character who an author could have turned into a one-note villain, Magnolia is so much more.

Wild applause to Canterbary's craft at taking a secondary character woven throughout a beloved series and giving that secondary character the chance to take flight. You can certainly read Magnolia without first having read the Walsh series, but please do read those after you are done!

I received a free copy in exchange for a fair review! Thank you Kate Canterbary!

I decided to read this series based off the recommendations of many, many people, and because it is slated to become a TV show on Netflix.

**Spoilers Ahead!!!**

Simon Basset, recently returned to London after the death of his hateful father, is immediately and completely unwillingly plunged into the marriage market.

After a horrific childhood, Simon has no intent to marry and is completely fine with having his dukedom be lost upon his death. Everything Simon has done since finally overcoming his stammer has been to spite his father, and this would be the ultimate way to ensure Simon wins.

Daphne Bridgerton is almost a spinster. She's lovely, but just too nice. She's always the friend and never the coy temptress men seem to want, which is a shame because all Daphne has ever wanted is a big family to call her own.

When she is introduced to Simon, her brother's best friend, she concocts a scheme. Why not make everyone think she and Simon are courting? This will save him from being introduced to ever more women and will in turn spur the interests of those men who never would have looked at her twice.

Well, their plan works swimmingly, but for one thing. Daphne falls in love with the darned Duke, and decides she must have him, even if he has told her he cannot have children and she must give up her dream. Love will be enough right?

Well, what started as a lighthearted fake dating romance turns a bit more sinister as Daphne and Simon each figure out the others deceptions. There is some yucky sex scenes where Daphne finds out why Simon is pulling out all the time and one where she takes advantage of his drunken state and basically forces him to come inside of her...despite him having clearly told her he does not want children.

For all the things I didn't enjoy, I did certainly like the world Julia Quinn built and enjoyed her writing style. Simon was just not a hero I personally enjoyed, way to many daddy issues, and I really had an up and down relationship with Daphne. I liked her at first, but some of her actions were truly terrible. Also, the whole "You definitely want children you just don't realize it yet" trope is really not for me either. Um, dude's mother died from his birth, he had a horrible childhood, and while he is a prat, tricking him isn't really a great (or forgivable) solution.

I will read other books in the series to see if I like them better.

Okay, so I only actually made it through Tessa Dare and Sarah MacLean's story (had to return to the library), but I loved what I listened to!

Tessa Dare's story features a woman reluctantly accepting a dance from the Duke who's ruining her family by calling in their debts (he doesn't know he's the reason for why she's moving), and a lovely walk in the snow that makes them fall in love.

Sarah MacLean, you crafty minx. I cannot believe the sheer depth of longing, feeling, and awe I had for a story set mainly in the claustrophobic quarters of one miserly Duke. She's the master, and this novella shows why. I loved that the characters were childhood lovers, separated by his unwillingness to marry her until he "proved himself worthy" and her unwillingness to wait around for him at home until he did. I was kept biting my nails for how these two would finally get there HEA, and oh a good one it was.

I'll pick this up again around the holidays!

Zara and Dave share a hot summer fling. She never gets his last name and isn't interested in contacting him after he returns to his real life, leaving her to tend bar in her tiny Vermont town.

But what Zara doesn't realize is Dave may be leaving, but he's left her with a part of him she'll have forever, his baby.

Two years later, and Dave has returned for another vacation. Hoping to run into the hot bartender who rocked his world, Dave is stunned when he finds out he's a dad.

Older, wiser, and wary, Zara isn't sure she can believe Dave is ready to take it all on, or if she wants to risk her and her daughter's hearts in the process.

A lovely secret baby romance, which is normally a trope I detest, but Bowen made it believable. Also, I'm totally here for hot, hulking bearded gingers who are gaga for their babies.

Dave is a hockey player, but hockey was mostly a side-note. It was more important Dave was a rich professional athlete than it was that he was a hockey player. I wanted a little more hockey I guess? But overall enjoyed my first Bowen.

Basically this review is a massive spoiler so stop here if you want to remain pure.





Still with me?

Alright, I've been told/warned that Lothaire is super-extra-bananas. It took me FIVE DAYS to read this book. Typically a romance novel will take me one-two days tops. Well, Lothaire was just so much epic what-the-fuckery I just really needed to sinky my fangs, er, teeth into it and let Kresley Cole sweep me away. If not, there would be no way I could ever buy a happily ever after for the ultimate enemy of old, the ultimate bad guy, Lothaire.

I laughed out loud so many times because seriously, the dialogue in this story is choice. The banter between Lothaire and Ellie is just fire. And while Lothaire is SUCH A JERK, I couldn't help but kind of love him anyway? Super problematic but whatever.

Also, Ellie is my hero and I love her so much. She was by far too good for Lothaire, I'm just glad she's happy now. I was so mad when he turned her without her consent, and I'm glad she chopped his damn head off. Who knew 1/8 of an inch was all you'd need to grow a vampire head back?

ALSO THE SEVERED BODY PARTS. My gosh so many. The heart in a box and the accompanying note, dead.

After 17 deaths, the titular Scot Alec finds he's assumed the title Duke of Warnick and one ward, the beautiful Lillian Hargrove. Embroiled in a scandal regarding a nude painting after an ill-advised relationship with an artist, Lily is desperate to escape. However, Alec has other plans for her, namely finding a man for her to marry, although it seems he may be the best one for the job...

So much fun. I love Sarah MacLean's characters. She gives them wonderfully damaged pasts, but brings them together in the best ways. Can't wait for the next one!

**listened to on audiobook and I found just as charming and just as steamy as the first go around. These are two characters who you want to scream JUST KISS ALREADY! and when they do it is so so good.