morganthebee's Reviews (489)

I’m going to keep this one short: it’s an anthology so some are better than others, but all were okay. They were all high quality writing, but overall it was not nearly as steamy as I was expecting for an erotic anthology. I don’t regret it, but I don’t think I’d read this one again if I was looking for spicy shorts.

As a single lesbian mom I like seeing myself reflected in sapphic fiction, but what I love is when the kids are central to the story, fully developed characters all on their own, and this hits the mark. Harley Quinn and Rebel are both so adorable and lovable—although I’ll admit I rolled my eyes a bit at their names.

I really dig ice queens and grumpy/sunshine, and Miranda and Tori are no exception. Tori’s a hopeless romantic searching for her soulmate, coparenting well with her best friend/ex-wife and depending on supportive friends. Miranda, on the other hand, was basically left to raise her sister when she was a teenager, and now she finds herself floundering trying to care for her niece while said sister runs off to find true love. It’s easy to see how Miranda struggles with opening up, asking for help and standing up for herself, but seeing her grow and change as the story progresses is just wonderful.

This is ultimately a steamy romance, so I would be remiss if I didn’t mention that there are several spicy scenes throughout that I found really enjoyable.

There were a few places where some editing could have been cleaned up, like a character’s line opening with a double quotation mark but closing with a single, or spots where a few more commas would have made it flow a little better to me (although that’s often subjective), and some of the dialogue felt a little stilted with fewer contractions than natural speech usually has. There are other minor things throughout, although some I wondered whether they were a conscious choice. For example, early in the book one character warns Tori not to get too caught up in her search for her “illusive” true love, while another character talks to her about her “elusive” soulmate later on, and those have very different meanings. That’s just me being super nitpicky, though, and overall the book is very well written I really enjoyed it.

I received a free ARC from the author, but my review is unbiased.

I really enjoyed Meeting Millie. Charlotte, with her ADHD traits, reminded me a lot of myself, and I adored brash Millie and her unapologetic self. The side characters were also great, and I’m looking forward to reading the next book and getting into the head of Olivia, Charlotte’s best friend.

There are a number of issues with punctuation, such as missing end quotes and periods, that I found really distracting. The chapter changes weren’t very clear, either, with the titles left justified and in the same font as the rest of the book. I know that’s mostly an editing thing and I’m hoping this is cleaned up in the next book, because the writing itself is quite nice.

Scorched Grace seems to get mixed reviews, and I think that’s partly due to the style, but it was a hit for me. I enjoyed the noir feel of it, and liked the way it moved between reminiscences of Sister Holiday’s punk past and present piety. 

I will admit that the actual investigation was fairly surface level, and the mystery itself didn’t seem to be the focus so much as a vehicle for the story’s development. I suspected the culprit a few times throughout, but it wasn’t too obvious (even with my suspicions I vacillated a bit about who I thought it was), but Holiday fell into the answer rather than truly sussing it out. Regardless, a solid 4.5-star for me.

Enjoyed this one even more than the first book. You get a lot more of Crier, and I just adore her. It was interesting seeing the wider world than Crier’s War let us see, and I found all of the side characters interesting.

This was not my cup of tea. I read it because I needed an age gap romance for a challenge, I’ve read and enjoyed other Meryl Wilsner books (Cleat Cute, anyone?), and I’ve seen some folks rave about in a few sapphic book groups I’m in.

The quality of the writing itself is fine, and it’s quite steamy—I mean there’s sex in the very first chapter, and it doesn’t cool down much after that. I guess if you’re looking for a hot and heavy sapphic romance this is your book, but only if you can get over a 17-year gap between an immature, moderately annoying 22-year-old college student and her BFF’s mom. I made it through, but I’ll be honest, there were times I didn’t want to.

I’m going to be honest: the blurb about this book didn’t really draw me in and the premise just sounded weird to me, so it was one of those “I’ll probably read it eventually, but…” books for me. I’d heard good things, though, and it fit into a category I needed for a reading challenge, so when I popped onto the Libby app looking for a new audiobook and it showed up under “available now,” I decided to go for it.

I should have known I’d like it. I’ve read Casey McQuiston before and enjoyed it, and this one was equally good if not better. The story was interesting, bright and lively, the side characters were quirky and loveable, August and Jane had so much chemistry, and it was a thoroughly enjoyable listen. The voices that narrator Natalie Naudus gives the characters are great, I especially loved Myla (my fave) and August’s voices, they fit so well with the images I had of them.

This book is so much fun! The story is adventurous, the characters are witty, the banter is humorous, the women are strong, and there's a healthy dose of respect and platonic love within the found family. The world is well developed, and the story takes place in a number of settings that are varied and interesting. It's actually a bit hard to believe this is a first book. There is romance and there are two intimate relationships, one FF one MF, but the spice is fade to black. This isn't a bad thing, at least for me, just something to be aware of if you're strictly looking for sapphic fantasy romance.

All of that said: I had two frustrations with the book. First was that it changed perspective, but it wasn't clear on denoting when that happened or whose viewpoint we were witnessing. That transition even happened within chapters sometimes, and although there were separators I still found it hard to follow at times because sometimes those were just indicators of a change in location or time, not a change in voice. I wish there had been more distinction there. The other thing I would have liked was a bit more detail about the guilds and magick and how they work/connect, as I sometimes found it a little confusing. I imagine (or hope?) we'll get more of that in the next two books.

There are a few twists, some I saw coming but others I didn't, and the story ends on a bit of a cliffhanger. I'm excited to see where the story goes and definitely plan to continue reading! 

I received a free ARC from the author, but my review is unbiased.

Wow. I don't even know where to start with this one, or what to say so I don't spoil this amazing book. The Flying Kite may end up being my book of the year, which I was not at all expecting when I set out to read it.

It's the story of Sam Hale, an artist who is a bit awkward and holds everything close to her chest, including her art. She (literally) runs into Emmanuelle Renaud, an artist whose work she admires, and as their friendship develops her walls slowly start to come down. The story is told from Sam's perspective, but both women are beautifully written. The care and respect they have for each other is so lovely, and their chemistry is palpable.

The side characters are just as wonderful, between Sam's grandfather (who she lives with), their neighbor, Sam's best friend, Emmanuelle's brother and friends, and even Lacie, a student who pushes limits and Sam's buttons, all feel like real people even when their appearance is brief.

I will warn anyone who wants to dive into this book that it is an emotional rollercoaster. I found myself in tears several times throughout the book, but there were also joyful parts, and it was so worth it. If you have triggers please check them, because there are a few.

I received a free ARC from the author, but my review is unbiased.

Really cool world building, an interesting premise and it gave everything a bit of a steampunk feel. The characters were interesting and well rounded, and the story was thought provoking, but not overly deep. I really enjoyed Crier’s perspective, it was the most interesting part of the story to me. 

I listened to the audiobook and there were some odd pronunciations that annoyed me a bit, but the character voices were great, especially Crier and Ayla. I’m looking forward to reading the next book!