A perfectly cromulent holiday novella. Motherhood and hyper-masculinity are not my thing, but this one has its charms.

A fun and fast love story with tons of puns involving a giant wienermobile that isn't a wiener. Entertaining and light.

Lovely is the word I keep coming back to when I try to describe the story of Mark and Eddie. The mid-century setting is charmingly retro in some ways, while still carrying the undercurrent of danger that queer love faced during that period (and beyond, frankly).

As a baseball fan, I adored the backdrop of a player in a slump, on a team at the bottom, with the reluctant fan base learning to support its team. I loved Eddie's progression from naive kid to someone who understood what he wanted, and what he was willing to give up. 

And Mark...how can you not fall in love with a grumpy reporter who refuses to be the anonymous byline in his own story? His grief, his frustration, and his concern for real-world consequences was a necessary grounding in a story that would otherwise threaten to be too unrealistic.

Of course, as a love story, there's always going to be a suspension of disbelief. But when the characters are this lovely, and the relationship this earned, I have no issue delving into the fiction of it all.

You know when you see yourself in a character, but you're not sure you like it? That was me with Athena. At first I found her overwhelming, but as I got to know her, I recognized so many of my owns quirks and traits in her mannerisms that I couldn't quite decide how I felt. But by the middle of her story, I really fell and felt for her.

I was slow to warm to Matthew too, but the turn from crumudgeon to caregiver was quick, but well-earned. He was a lovely counterpart and foil to Athena's more overbearing tendencies.

Overall, Harlot's Bay was a great place to spend a bit of time, and I especially wish I could join the Nasty Wenches for their next monster romance discussion lol.

Is Luca Morelli too good to be true? He's such a lovely and charming lead, with seemingly no flaws. Catherine is a strong, independent lead, but her stubbornness does tend to force story notes that fill the required beats.

Overall, I just loved spending time with the vast cast of characters, wanting to see if the story lead to an unexpected development. While I can't say that it did, the predictability was really the only complaint I had. I would happily spend time at the DeGreco anytime.

This was a solid story with a fantastic couple at the center. Danuwoa is a swoon-worthy male lead, caring and kind with just the right kind of naughty streak that you know will get you in trouble.

Ember is so endearing, and you want so desperately for her to pull out of the skid she's in. Any BIPOC individual, especially those who are first gen college and beyond, can see themselves in her struggles. With the wisdom of age and experience, you know the mistakes she's making, but can also remember what it was like to be an entry-level applicant for your first office job.

The second hand embarrassment factor for those mistakes is literally my only actual complaint- otherwise, I love the story, I love the community, and I loved seeing Ember get the HEA she didn't know she wanted.

It was fun to revisit the friends from the Uncanny Romance series. Kodo and Podo, Van's ferret familiars, have taken the lead as my favorite voice of reason throughout the story. I love the big marshmallow that is Will, and obviously hate Van and Juliet's horrible father. In other words, the overall story beats clicked, so why don't I love this more?

I think it has to do with Van herself. She obviously carries the trauma of her upbringing into all relationships. But I don't know whether I found it more or less enjoyable to have her recognize the terrible choices she was making and still barrel forward. It's a definite contrast from other stories where the MC doesn't understand his or her motivations, but it may be even more frustrating.

But, I will happily continue to visit the Uncanny universe for any and all spin-offs (A Jim love story, pretty please?)

I adored this book. There was something so beautiful about the story of Shiloh and Cary - an intimacy that you were allowed to experience alongside them.

I listened to the audiobook for most of the story, and it was beautifully narrated. The cadence was deliberate and emotional. I had to switch to print, and it continued to read like a melody when the focus was on the interior lives of Shiloh and Cary.

My favorite aspect of this story was how human these characters were. They were fully lived in, utterly recognizable as people rather than just figments of imagination. And I especially loved the focus on real circumstances - references to public assistance, free lunches, stretched budgets, economic disparities between parts of town - it anchored the story of Shiloh and Cary and grounded it in reality. Just beautiful, and one I'll be sitting with for a while.

I wasn't sure how to feel about LaRynn and Deacon's story. They were so at odds, it was uncomfortable for the first quarter or so of the story. But as the layers of each character were peeled back, their reactions made sense, and their interactions felt earned. I loved that they were never perfect, but eventually recognized the patterns they were lapsing into. I believed in their story by the end, and that's really all I can ask from something like this.

A solid When Harry Met Sally homage, but with harsher truths and personal considerations than its inspiration. It was a tough read in some ways, given the repeated tendency of the main characters to act against their own interests. 

I think what I appreciated the most was having the FMC be the messiest, most unlikeable character. Ari was deeply flawed and completely unwilling to examine herself for so much of the story. It was a refreshing change of pace to not have the perfect lead for so long.

That's not to say that Josh was likeable - he clearly wasn't. These were two hurt people, hurting each other and those around them. Josh just seemed to understand that faster, another welcome change to most stories.