Hockey and Country music, the mashup that everyone should have thought of but somehow hasn't.

I love the way that Cait Nary begins with flawed characters and doesn't allow love to be their fix. Yes, love motivates the characters to change, but they have to make the conscious decision to do so and put forth the effort to improve their lives and also to make their relationship work.

I enjoyed this book more on an intellectual level rather than enjoying the story itself. I loved the historical aspect (tell me more about what it means to be brown in the 1920s, what it means to be trans, or queer, or a poor person in rich society).

This book felt like one of Anna-Marie's books all over. Which is a good thing but also sort of frustrating because I can't shake the characters that just won't communicate.

I really enjoyed this romance. Entertainment business romances are a favorite of mine and I liked that instead of the glam and performances (and even the fandom) took a back seat to the grind of being on the road for a tour. The behind-the-scenes documentary allowed the fictional fans to see all the hard work behind the tour and this book gave the reader a glimpse of what it might be like for real life entertainers.

I thought that Maddox and Roscoe were well balanced as a couple. There are a couple of things that could have made their relationship feel so bad. Roscoe is older by Maddox and has been Maddox's caretaker for a couple years

also Maddox is venerable from a mental health standpoint

. Maddox has power, fame, and money and is reminded multiple times that Roscoe could lose his job over their relationship. It would have been so easy for this relationship to feel so gross, but somehow they manage to be perfect together. To be honest, while Roscoe loves and wants Maddox there is a sense that Maddox needs Roscoe, but I still felt like they were stronger working

which is more than I can say for Steve and Jeremy in the sequel

This is the world that Seri knows. The People live in the safety of the trees and fear the beasts that roam the rainforest floor. The valiant, warriors who wear armor made of the beasts the slay, hunt the beast, protect the People, and explore the unknown world. Seri, a girl running from her past, volunteers to live in a settlement at the edge of the Known World protected by Eshai Unbroken, who is a young hero among the People. Then the beast begin to act strangely, and while trying to warn the People of incoming danger, Seri meets Tsana, a mysterious girl who she can't help but be attracted to.

I love this book. I listened to the audiobook and every time the reader, Amielynn Abellera, read the first precept ("Be dauntless, for the hopes of the People rest in you"), I got chills.

The world is fascinating, and feels so fresh since it's not only not a western fantasy, but the technology level is different from what many readers would expect (

there are only two swords in this book, Seri doesn't even know what metal is, and I feel like even in the Eastern-inspired fantasies I've read, there are swords aplenty

.

Seri and Tsana's relationship was a little too quick and dramatic for my liking (I'm all about queer romances so it felt weird to me that I was more a fan of the straight couple, but it could be the pining). In the middle third of the book Seri thought about how quick/strong her feelings for Tsana were and how they made her act in ways she knew she shouldn't, which only drew attention to her actions and frustrated me. Thankfully, romance isn't the main focus of the book so I could gloss over the parts that had me rolling my eyes and focus on the action.

I'm very glad that Eshai also got to have POV segments because I thought she was a particularly interesting character. Although she's only a little older than Seri and Tsana, she is much more experienced, and while the other two girls are more outcasts, Eshai is a leader and feels more entrenched in her culture.