jennireadsmaybe's Reviews (678)

If Isabel Cañas has no fans, I'm dead! In all seriousness The Hacienda is one of my favorite gothic novels of all time. In seeking her own agency, Beatriz is forced to make difficult decisions about what her life will look like; she finds herself plagued by visions and voices in the haunted halls of Hacienda San Isidro. Not only is the haunted house mysteriously terrifying, the prose is simply stunning. I heavily annotated my copy, and I can't wait to reread it one day to see these lines that stuck with me so much. 

Beatriz and Andrés are such great characters individually that it was rather easy for me to picture them as a matched set separated by a cruel world that would do whatever it took to keep them apart. They come to each other in stages of grief, believing that the world is more than what it seems, surrounded by people but achingly lonely. They believe in each other so strongly, even when it seems like they shouldn't. It's beautiful and heart-wrenching. 

It would be remiss of me not to mention the historical setting. Set in the aftermath of The Mexican War of Independence, the audience gets to see a glimpse of Mexico's political relations and what that meant for our main characters and society at the time. Of course, it's all juxtaposed against the super natural elements and history's brutal treatment of women. A phenomenal read! 

One line that stood out to me particularly was, “But if God is the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, if He is three in one in the Trinity, then God knows nothing of loneliness. God knows nothing of standing with his back to a gray morning, of dropping to his knees in the dust.” 

Top of my cozy fantasy list!!! I had the best time reading Fire Spells Between Friends because it was just so charming. S.O. Callahan and Sarah Wallace prove that anything can be queer-normative if you make it that way (even regency era London). Torquil, our nonbinary mc, is straight up not having a good time; pulled between being the first fae-human member on the Council, entering snobby, prejudiced, high society, running an extremely popular gossip column, and hiding their true feelings for their long-time hook up partner Emrys, they are at their wits end. Meanwhile, Emrys is "trying" and failing to find a marriage worth partner when he's so obviously in love. Emrys is probably the best example of a himbo I've ever read. I loved him so much<3

Council politics mixed with hunt for a new, more inclusive magic testing system added the perfect amount of intrigue to keep me invested outside of the romance (which I loved!!!). Torquil's rough introduction to London's upper crust society felt so real to me. I just knew they were suffering under the weight of society's expectations. Throw in Emrys' meddling grandma and mother and there was the perfect amount of humor and stress. 

Torquil and Emrys' romance is sickeningly sweet in the most amazing way! It felt like a warm hug on a cold day. What started as a one off hook up several years ago has turned into something bordering on much more serious feelings. Torquil is using their gossip column to share what Emrys is looking for in a partner and obviously we know exactly who he is looking for (spoiler alert: Torquil). They slowly get to know each other as they are partnered at very events. It's sweet, soft, slow, and heartwarming. I love their story!!! 

As someone who's fairly new to the cozy fantasy genre, I can understand why people love this book. It has all the elements that seem common: escaping the brutal fantasy world to run a small business in a small village (in this case and bookstore/cafe combination), a good balance of high and low stakes that keeps a reader invested without becoming monotonous and/or too action packed, magic, dragons, sword-wielding, and an irresistibly cozy setting. It also is sapphic which was my main reason for reading. 

I can't say it's an all time favorite, but I had a fun enough time reading it. I liked how Rebecca Thorne showed the transition for Reyna and Kianthe from hardly getting to see each other to having to spend all of their time together. It's a cute village filled with nosy neighbors and magical politics. I'm jealous that I can't run away to a small, mountain town to open a book shop with my non-existent significant other. Cute! 

Best Hex Ever is the perfect cozy, autumnal read. Dina's magical baked goods are drool-worthy and make you feel the best things. Generally, I loved her magic and how grounded it was in the world while still having the space to be messy and chaotic. I'm also a huge fan of Dina's story as she is a bisexual, brown woman who lives with the relatable fear of coming out to her parents. She's also got a hex that leaves the people she falls for in a perilous position. There's so much self discovery and I just loved it.

I LOVE love and Dina and Scott's love is where it's at! There's instant attraction and chemistry between these two that left me wanting more from the start. Their chemistry is electrifying in the bedroom (literally glowing), and Scott certainly has a mouth on him. 

Overall, a fun read that I want to reread next fall on audio to experience it in a whole new way! 

Heat and Run is the high heat (😼), sapphic (FFF), omegaverse, holiday romance novella of my dreams. As always, Adriana Herrera pulls off a wickedly sexy and stealthily swoony good time. I loved Melina, Dhanyaris, and Camille fated mates triad! And y'all when I tell you the smut was smutting, I'm pretty sure I melted faster than the Wicked Witch. Please pick this up! 

I'm being so freaking serious when I say that Don't Let the Forest In is my favorite read on 2024; I don't care that the we still have two months left. This is haunting, terrifying, creepy, eerie, heart-wrenching, and life changing. I'm not typically a fan of horror, but C.G. Drews drew me in with their phenomenal and heartbreaking writing. I annotated more of this book than any other book I've read. I can't stop thinking about it. It haunts me in a way very few other books have. 

Starting with the characters, Andrew is completely, achingly, brokenly obsessed with his best friend Thomas. He writes twisted fairytales full of dark and dreary monsters, and Thomas draws those monsters in his sketch book. They're messy, chaotic teenagers experiencing the worst parts of teenage-hood and making bad decision after bad decision. I love them both so much for that. Teenagers, especially queer teenagers, should get to exist as they are without having to be the perfect representation at every waking moment. I love these two toxic boys with all my heart. 

They are fighting off the physical manifestations of the fictional monsters they've created. The haunted forest surrounding the campus is destroying them piece by piece. Andrew's asexuality is a huge part of the plot, because he's so terrified that he will never loved. He's also dealing with all of his feelings for Thomas and what it means to be in love with his best friend, especially as they are fighting with each other, because nobody can hurt you worse than the person that knows you the best. The plot is so easy to get hooked into (even scaredy cat me wanted to keep reading). 

The person I was before reading DLTFI was a husk. I will never be the same.  

KAYLA MF GROSSE!!! I've been on the edge of my seat ever since she announced that she was writing a "lumbersnack" book. Let me just say, she knocked it out of the park. Honestly, everything about this was exactly what I needed. I 100% adored Nathan, Fox, and Morgan. Fox is a traumatized, dominant who's terrified that he's too much for anyone besides Morgan. Morgan is a sassy, tree scientist, switch who loves Fox with all her heart. And my baby Nathan (same last name as me folx I have to stan!!) is stuck in a rut and desperate for a change when he literally crashes into their lives. Gah!!! I seriously am in love with all three of them. The cozy, snowed in, cabin in the woods setting was so inviting and makes me want to skip ahead to December. 

Listen, smut can be the plot. Smut can be the driving force behind character growth and relationship growth. And, smut can be what sucks a reader into a book. Kayla did the damn thing with the smut in Axes & O's. Was it was hot enough to leave readers a sweaty mess? Absolutely. But, it was also a meaningful exploration of sexuality, desire, k!nk, and what it means to trust the person/people you are in a romantic relationship with. I'm a sucker for a strong man getting on his knees for forgiveness and Fox exceeding my expectations with his apology ;) I will be screaming about this book for years to come. 

Read this if you like lumber jacks, janes, and snacks, a cozy cabin at Christmas, poly romance (specifically MMF), fat representation, learning new things about yourself, smut and k!nk and desire, falling for someone you never expected, and a man who knows when he has to say sorry. 

Miles Apart cemented Tanvier Peart as an auto-buy author for me. It was the perfect amount of humor, sexiness, and mystery!!! I've savored every bit of this series so far, from the ski resort singles retreat to the characters just lounging at home. There's a bit more family drama in this one due to Emma's less than ideal parents. I have such a soft spot for Emma and her mommy issues; she's probably my favorite character in the whole Chance at Love series. I also really liked getting to know a bit more about mysterious Miles and what exactly he does for work. 

I never thought I wanted to be called kitten until it came off of Miles tongue 🥵 Tanvier Peart is truly a master at writing descriptive and hot steamy scenes. Honestly, Emma and Miles have such insane chemistry that every scene between them was brimming with all the feels. I loved that they both weren't looking to settle down and enjoyed hooking up; it made it that much more powerful when they started catching feelings. Anyways, I love them with my whole heart!!! 

Read this if you like catching feelings for the person you least expected, fake dating, the not sharing a bed rule in romance, MMCs who beef up the security in their love interest homes, and friendships that last a life time. 

Kiersten White heard the call for more sapphic vampires and said stand aside losers because I'm going to write the best sapphic reimagining of Dracula about Lucy Westerna y'all have ever seen. I would die for this book. I want everyone to read it. The gothic, romantic, brutally bloody, dark fantasy setting swept me up in the story immediately. Multiple POVs, past/present timeline, and a bit of epistolary/journal storytelling... everything about Lucy Undying worked so well for me. 

Vampires + a MLM scheme straight from the streets of Utah + a sapphic romance + a mysterious set of journals, the plot was so intriguing. I adored the romance between Lucy and Iris and nearly died when they were apart. I would honestly read a million more books about their journey to take down Dracula once and for all. Honestly, I loved everything about this!!! 

Read this if you like vampires, gothic romance, sapphic romance, falling in love in two timelines, destroying abusive and powerful men, learning who you really are, and stepping out of your parents toxic expectations.

Queer and trans kids in a dystopian world fighting an oppressive religious fundamentalist group dead set on bringing about the end of times. I loved this dark, gritty story of a trans teenage boy (err biblically accurate bioweapon) questioning his faith and where he belongs in the world while simultaneously working to overthrow the extremely evil people who was raised by. At times he's so alone in this cruel world that I found myself so deeply emotionally traumatized for him.

Like most queer stories Hell Followed with Us has a strong found family element. I loved the ragtag group of kids from the Acheson LGBTQ+ Center; they lean on each other and fight so hard for each other in their dystopian society. Benji finally gets to be in a place where his transness isn't "wrong" and it's a heartwarming bit of love in an otherwise hateful world. Every bit of representation in this is so powerful. Andrew Joseph White is a powerhouse when it comes to terrifyingly realistic dystopian setting, and I will definitely be reading more of his works in the coming future

Read this if you like biblically accurate weapons of mass destruction, dark and gritty dystopians, found family, queer, trans, and neurodivergent representation, and taking a stand against fundamentalist sects. 

An animated adaption is in the works, and I’m seated. The theater employees are scared and asking me to leave because it’s ‘not adapted yet’ but I’m simply too seated 💀