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diamondxgirl
I am totally living for these sweet, con-loving, nerdy and feminist romance stories and Game of Hearts may be my new favorite!
A biker, a mechanic, and a cosplay maker walk into a bart…and believe it or not there is only a pair walking through those doors.
Kyla has big dreams of taking her cosplay business to the next level so when she’s presented with the opportunity to showcase at an upcoming con, nothing can stop her. Except the fact that she co-owns a local mechanic shop with her brother, who is constantly expecting her to pick up the slack. I applaud this girl for putting her foot down and calling long time family friend, Jericho.
Jericho left town when he was a teen to join a motorcycle…group. Think more American Chopper than Sons of Anarchy. Unfortunately, his mother did not see it this way and ousted him to find a new family. He’s rarely been back since but knows Kyla wouldn’t be calling unless she needed help.
I think you can see where this is going but I can tell you it’s such a treat to read their story, especially the very end. To see their dreams come true in different ways and how they support each other. I also loved that Cathy Yardley did not make Kyla the damsel in distress. It’s a new take on an old trope and I was LIVING for it.
If you like a hot romance with a HEA combined with a biker you can’t help but fall for yourself and a whole bunch of nerdom, Game of Hearts and the whole Fandom Hearts series is for you!
A biker, a mechanic, and a cosplay maker walk into a bart…and believe it or not there is only a pair walking through those doors.
Kyla has big dreams of taking her cosplay business to the next level so when she’s presented with the opportunity to showcase at an upcoming con, nothing can stop her. Except the fact that she co-owns a local mechanic shop with her brother, who is constantly expecting her to pick up the slack. I applaud this girl for putting her foot down and calling long time family friend, Jericho.
Jericho left town when he was a teen to join a motorcycle…group. Think more American Chopper than Sons of Anarchy. Unfortunately, his mother did not see it this way and ousted him to find a new family. He’s rarely been back since but knows Kyla wouldn’t be calling unless she needed help.
I think you can see where this is going but I can tell you it’s such a treat to read their story, especially the very end. To see their dreams come true in different ways and how they support each other. I also loved that Cathy Yardley did not make Kyla the damsel in distress. It’s a new take on an old trope and I was LIVING for it.
If you like a hot romance with a HEA combined with a biker you can’t help but fall for yourself and a whole bunch of nerdom, Game of Hearts and the whole Fandom Hearts series is for you!
By the time you’ve gotten to My Plain Jane, I hope you’ll have read something by one (or all!) of the three authors. In case you haven’t, let me give you a quick rundown of what you can expect with this book:
1. Laughs. Lots and lots of laughs. If you read this book and don’t have at least one moment with you snort/pee a little/giggle at an inopportune time, then you’re doing it wrong.
2. A very factual recounting of the original material. Because these ladies would never dare mess with such a treasure. And by never I mean always.
3. Ladies. Getting. Ish. Done.
4. Spooky apparitions named Helen that can’t take the hint but you wouldn’t want them to anyways.
5. A very, very good time, especially if you grab the audiobook.
Seriously, I had so much fun listening to this book that the wait for My Calamity Jane seems like eternity.
1. Laughs. Lots and lots of laughs. If you read this book and don’t have at least one moment with you snort/pee a little/giggle at an inopportune time, then you’re doing it wrong.
2. A very factual recounting of the original material. Because these ladies would never dare mess with such a treasure. And by never I mean always.
3. Ladies. Getting. Ish. Done.
4. Spooky apparitions named Helen that can’t take the hint but you wouldn’t want them to anyways.
5. A very, very good time, especially if you grab the audiobook.
Seriously, I had so much fun listening to this book that the wait for My Calamity Jane seems like eternity.
Excuse me, Tamara, but I would like my heart back. And in one piece instead of the little parts you burst it into with this gorgeous book.
Alright, now that you know you’re going to need to invest in some Kleenex stock to get you through this read, let’s talk about all the reasons why you should be reading it.
1. We all know I am big on character driven stories and LDWN is full of characters you want to love from the minute you meet them. They’re genuine. Multi-faceted. Full of human experiences and emotions, complicated in the best way. I loved Hannah and Emory and I also loved Luke (who’s the glue now?). I dare you to read this story of friendships and relationships and not fall for each of them.
2. LDWN is a look at the complexity of faith, from the lens of believers, questioning believers, and non-believers. Faith is a tough subject to broach because readers will bring their own biases and feelings around it. Tamara does a beautiful job of keeping the story objective from the faith angle while also exploring some of the blinders.
3. There are parts of the book that were unexpected, especially for non-Tamara readers. I enjoy the fact that the ducks don’t all line up in a row. We are, in fact, human and imperfect.
4. This is, at its heart, a story of female friendship. What a beautiful look, too.
This might be my new favorite Tamara book!
Alright, now that you know you’re going to need to invest in some Kleenex stock to get you through this read, let’s talk about all the reasons why you should be reading it.
1. We all know I am big on character driven stories and LDWN is full of characters you want to love from the minute you meet them. They’re genuine. Multi-faceted. Full of human experiences and emotions, complicated in the best way. I loved Hannah and Emory and I also loved Luke (who’s the glue now?). I dare you to read this story of friendships and relationships and not fall for each of them.
2. LDWN is a look at the complexity of faith, from the lens of believers, questioning believers, and non-believers. Faith is a tough subject to broach because readers will bring their own biases and feelings around it. Tamara does a beautiful job of keeping the story objective from the faith angle while also exploring some of the blinders.
3. There are parts of the book that were unexpected, especially for non-Tamara readers. I enjoy the fact that the ducks don’t all line up in a row. We are, in fact, human and imperfect.
4. This is, at its heart, a story of female friendship. What a beautiful look, too.
This might be my new favorite Tamara book!
Gwen Cole, you have made me a fan for life.
I mean, I kind of basically was after Cold Summer but Ride On just proves that I’m all in.
Seph and Avery are two characters who couldn’t be more different. An orphan versus someone who is family minded. An outlaw versus a law-abiding citizen. But not all is as it seems as we start to peel back the layers on these characters.
See, desperate times can change a person. When you’re living in a post-apocalyptic world that looks a lot like where we are headed (more on that in a minute), anything goes to stay alive. Seph and Avery are playing a high stakes game to stay alive day to day and I was on the edge of my seat while their POVs switched off. I happened to be on a plane during a particularly nerve wrecking scene and I wondered if the baby in the seat next to me was up to a chat about how Gwen Cole is basically a monster (she’s lovely but omg).
I loved the setting in the story. We know our world is headed toward a world without sun if we don’t get it together. Imagine the wreckage in this world. This isn’t an unfamiliar place. Creating a western like world felt right for the damage we do to our planet. Desperate measures and all that.
If you love SFF with a great set of relationship/romance plots, read all things Gwen Cole!
I mean, I kind of basically was after Cold Summer but Ride On just proves that I’m all in.
Seph and Avery are two characters who couldn’t be more different. An orphan versus someone who is family minded. An outlaw versus a law-abiding citizen. But not all is as it seems as we start to peel back the layers on these characters.
See, desperate times can change a person. When you’re living in a post-apocalyptic world that looks a lot like where we are headed (more on that in a minute), anything goes to stay alive. Seph and Avery are playing a high stakes game to stay alive day to day and I was on the edge of my seat while their POVs switched off. I happened to be on a plane during a particularly nerve wrecking scene and I wondered if the baby in the seat next to me was up to a chat about how Gwen Cole is basically a monster (she’s lovely but omg).
I loved the setting in the story. We know our world is headed toward a world without sun if we don’t get it together. Imagine the wreckage in this world. This isn’t an unfamiliar place. Creating a western like world felt right for the damage we do to our planet. Desperate measures and all that.
If you love SFF with a great set of relationship/romance plots, read all things Gwen Cole!
I came into Monday’s Not Coming knowing it would be twisty but I didn’t know it would break my heart along with it.
If you haven’t seen Tiffany Jackson speak about her inspiration for Monday’s Not Coming, check it out below. There’s a lack of reporting for young African-American girls who go missing - just turn on the news and you’ll see that.
Monday’s not coming because Monday has gone missing. But no one seems to notice or care except Claudia, her best friend. Monday’s Not Coming is Claudia’s desperate attempt at being seen…so that her best friend can be seen.
This is a long book with a slow build. There’s a building sense of dread - the longer Monday is missing, the less likely it seems she will be back. The cover even gives off an eery sense.
You think you know the twist in this one but you really don’t. It’s told in multiple timelines, which Tiffany lays out in a way I was able to follow easily. It’s one of those books you want to go back and look for the clues. Which, if you listen to it, is easy to do! The narrator did a great job of narrating a young voice as the girls are in middle school during the story.
If you’re a fan of twists in contemporary, Monday’s Not Coming is a great pick!
If you haven’t seen Tiffany Jackson speak about her inspiration for Monday’s Not Coming, check it out below. There’s a lack of reporting for young African-American girls who go missing - just turn on the news and you’ll see that.
Monday’s not coming because Monday has gone missing. But no one seems to notice or care except Claudia, her best friend. Monday’s Not Coming is Claudia’s desperate attempt at being seen…so that her best friend can be seen.
This is a long book with a slow build. There’s a building sense of dread - the longer Monday is missing, the less likely it seems she will be back. The cover even gives off an eery sense.
You think you know the twist in this one but you really don’t. It’s told in multiple timelines, which Tiffany lays out in a way I was able to follow easily. It’s one of those books you want to go back and look for the clues. Which, if you listen to it, is easy to do! The narrator did a great job of narrating a young voice as the girls are in middle school during the story.
If you’re a fan of twists in contemporary, Monday’s Not Coming is a great pick!
When I attended Mark’s recent Bay Area event, he described Anger is a Gift as an epic contemporary.
Epic fits perfectly.
When you pick up Anger is a Gift, you may notice a few things:
1. It’s gorgeous cover, a young man looking at the streets of Oakland (!). The colors blue and orange, orange being the color for gun violence prevention.
2. An engaging title. Anger is a gift. It’s a funny concept, anger being a gift. But anger can be fuel, can be the start of necessary revolution.
3. It’s length compared to a typical contemporary. There’s A LOT of story here. There are many characters and perspectives, including across culture and age. There’s exploration of intense topics such as police brutality and militarization of schools and racism.
The first 400 pages establish the world that Moss and his family and friends live in. It’s our world - it’s Oakland, CA. It’s the world from the viewpoint of a gay young man of color along side adults from his family and neighborhood. It’s the world from his friends, who are from a variety of backgrounds. Each viewpoint is important to consider because personal experiences shape how a person comes at an issue.
The last 100 pages are how Moss and his friends come at a multitude of issues that revolve around police brutality and perceived “school safety”.
This book feels very personal, as it absolutely should. To make it even more personal, take a listen to the audiobook, which is narrated by Mark himself. He nails the emotions!
Epic fits perfectly.
When you pick up Anger is a Gift, you may notice a few things:
1. It’s gorgeous cover, a young man looking at the streets of Oakland (!). The colors blue and orange, orange being the color for gun violence prevention.
2. An engaging title. Anger is a gift. It’s a funny concept, anger being a gift. But anger can be fuel, can be the start of necessary revolution.
3. It’s length compared to a typical contemporary. There’s A LOT of story here. There are many characters and perspectives, including across culture and age. There’s exploration of intense topics such as police brutality and militarization of schools and racism.
The first 400 pages establish the world that Moss and his family and friends live in. It’s our world - it’s Oakland, CA. It’s the world from the viewpoint of a gay young man of color along side adults from his family and neighborhood. It’s the world from his friends, who are from a variety of backgrounds. Each viewpoint is important to consider because personal experiences shape how a person comes at an issue.
The last 100 pages are how Moss and his friends come at a multitude of issues that revolve around police brutality and perceived “school safety”.
This book feels very personal, as it absolutely should. To make it even more personal, take a listen to the audiobook, which is narrated by Mark himself. He nails the emotions!
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You know, the wait was WORTH IT for Legendary.
I don’t like to read synopsis so all I knew about Legendary was what I knew from Caraval and that this was Tella’s story.
Oh yes, it is Tella’s story. Tella and Scarlett are so distinctly defined that their voices jump off this pages. I enjoyed living in Tella’s mind and watching her make decisions and take action that is so not Scarlett.
We quickly learn that Tella’s mom didn’t abandon the girls as we thought but is trapped in these magical cards and OF COURSE it’s going to be a version of a game to get her out. This is not Caraval reimagined but a fresh story with new anti-heroes and villains as well as some reveals about characters from Caraval.
The whole time I was reading, all I kept in my head is “it’s all just a game” and now I don’t know what’s real and what’s not. I trust nothing - and I am totally fine by this.
I don’t like to read synopsis so all I knew about Legendary was what I knew from Caraval and that this was Tella’s story.
Oh yes, it is Tella’s story. Tella and Scarlett are so distinctly defined that their voices jump off this pages. I enjoyed living in Tella’s mind and watching her make decisions and take action that is so not Scarlett.
We quickly learn that Tella’s mom didn’t abandon the girls as we thought but is trapped in these magical cards and OF COURSE it’s going to be a version of a game to get her out. This is not Caraval reimagined but a fresh story with new anti-heroes and villains as well as some reveals about characters from Caraval.
The whole time I was reading, all I kept in my head is “it’s all just a game” and now I don’t know what’s real and what’s not. I trust nothing - and I am totally fine by this.
Ok so how does Sandhya have all of these words, characters, and stories in her!?
If Dimple was our meet cute rom-com, Twinkle is our coming of age epistolary exploration (oh yeah, there’s a cute ass love story in this one, too!).
Twinkle aspires to be like the female filmmakers she writes to but she’s got to learn a few things before she can aspire to their greatness. From Twinkle, With Love is exactly that story.
Twinkle is challenged with putting together a film her senior year, a difficult challenge all on its own. Add to it unrequited love, friendships that have their trials, and hitting the creative wall.
I appreciate the this isn’t the same story reworked. There’s a lot of complex character work in this story that takes Twinkle down a long winding path to self actualization. I experienced a lot of emotions with this book.
I’m here for Sandhya writing all sorts of contemporary stories!
If Dimple was our meet cute rom-com, Twinkle is our coming of age epistolary exploration (oh yeah, there’s a cute ass love story in this one, too!).
Twinkle aspires to be like the female filmmakers she writes to but she’s got to learn a few things before she can aspire to their greatness. From Twinkle, With Love is exactly that story.
Twinkle is challenged with putting together a film her senior year, a difficult challenge all on its own. Add to it unrequited love, friendships that have their trials, and hitting the creative wall.
I appreciate the this isn’t the same story reworked. There’s a lot of complex character work in this story that takes Twinkle down a long winding path to self actualization. I experienced a lot of emotions with this book.
I’m here for Sandhya writing all sorts of contemporary stories!
In The Brightsiders, we meet Emmy, a girl who reminds you that you can do anything with the right confidence boost - purple lips and a kickass group of friends for her! Can relate. Just go right ahead and click the “want to read” button and then go order this from your fav bookstore.