Full review here: https://bookedwithgrace.wordpress.com/2020/12/03/overcoming-preconceptions-in-written-in-the-stars/

The biggest problem with this book, as far as I can explain in a short review, is that it is too damn long. Too much happens, to many plots threaded together, to many moments when the characters could, by making one (1) good choice and the story would have just ended. So much of this story seems to be an excuse for the author to try and put in as much folklore and myth as possible, sacrificing story for the sake of the research put in. Also, I'm just saying, were we ever supposed to think there was a real choice between the bland human man (who has, like, two personality traits) and the cool, damsel saving Dragon Lord???? Come on, who ISN'T going to pick the dragon????

This book toes the line between supernatural horror and traditional thriller. It is isn't clear through most of the book if we are meant to believe the house is actually haunted and even the ending of the book leaves a lot to be desired as far as clarification of haunted or not-haunted goes. I liked a lot of aspects of it, though I didn't like that the "beautiful dead girl" trope was used a great deal. I think I might have liked it better as just a horror novel and not necessarily the thriller aspect. Maybe that's jut because the Haunting of Hill House vibes were so good while the Lisa Jewell vibes were less compelling. Overall I like it better than about 80% of the thrillers that exist in the world and I'm glad I read it though I was disappointed that it didn't turn out to the the full on horror novel I was hoping for.  

I really love these historical romances centering around parts of history I don't necessarily know a lot about. I learned some interesting things about British history while enjoying the slow burn of two interesting women fall in love. I love reading books that show the complexities of life during that time, particularly the ways in which people fought against expectations. I think we tend to assume that everyone was just fine with the way the world was back then so watching characters grow while also pushing back against a repressive, sexist, homophobic system felt really good. I love that the women are older, that they have fully realized motivations beyond just falling in love, that they see the world complexly because they are complex. Plus the romance was so good it made me melt like butter!

This is such a breath of fresh air in a genre that I usually find drab and boring. It is such a good mix of speculative and realistic problems while focusing on great character development over a relatively short period of time. I didn't know when I started this that it was part of a series but I'm so glad to is because there is so much of this world to explore and I'm eager to see more of it. It is great to have a non-European centered steampunk story that has a healthy dose of "lead character learns that maybe he's a bit more of a misogynist than he realizes and has to fix that." I also really loved the monster and the way the book resolves. There's so much to this, I could see it making a fantastic Netflix series because you could explore so much of this world and probably never run out of possible stories to tell. 

K.J. Charles is one of my favorite contemporary authors and every time I read her work I'm reminded why. I love how the romance perfectly intersects with the mystery. I love how complex she makes her characters and how she doesn't sacrifice interesting women for the sake of a mlm romance. I think this is a great beginning to a good series. I also really love the "sex first catch feelings later" as a trope and this one is *chefs kiss* It also is, as most of her books are, covered in interesting social commentary that, despite being historical fiction, manages to feel relevant today. I adore it, can't wait for more!

Find my full review here: https://bookedwithgrace.wordpress.com/2020/12/17/coming-out-little-by-little-in-ana-on-the-edge/

You can find the full review here: https://bookedwithgrace.wordpress.com/2020/11/19/magic-systems-and-societal-expectations-in-the-midnight-bargain/

I don't really know how to rate this one. On the one hand, it kept my interest and entertained me a lot and the final twist actually did surprise me. The rest of the twists, however, not so much. I think my biggest problem is that I don't really understand the romantic relationship between the main characters. This is made all the more frustrating because there is a tease of a future wlw relationship at the end that I would have been way more invested in. Beyond the relationship thing, the world building could have been stronger. Poston's books are always hit and miss for me and while I wouldn't call this one a "miss" I do think that it was not as strong as her other works. I'm just sort of "okay" with it which is always disappointing from an another whose given me works I love.

I hecking love this series. I think it is fast becoming my favorite and every book is just better and better! This one was hard for me because there was a lot of "animal people in danger" and that kind of  plot STRESSES ME OUT. Beware if you are sensitive to animal pain and the like. I think this book is where the series really hits the stride it needs to.  The story is propelling itself forward faster now that the first two books are out of the way. Now to just wait who knows how long until I can read the next one.