MacLean is an author I’ve been meaning to read forever (she, like Hoyt, Dare, Shupe, started putting books out when I was exiting the Romance Novel phase of my 20s), so I was excited to dive in here and it did not disappoint! I actually began it thinking Callie was silly and a bit ridiculous, and she IS, but MacLean manages to make her likeable regardless. Ralston is wildly clueless, but at least he’s pretty! A lot of miscommunications here, so it’s not for everyone— but also I just didn’t understand where either of them thought this friendship was leading other than marriage, so that seemed like conflict where there wasn’t any. Carolyn Morris’ audio also seriously grew on me as I listened. Her men aren’t the greatest, but solid all around.

This one took a bit for me to get into— I spent the beginning of it so distracted and hungry every time I tried to read it. Finally I bought the audio, and it was 1000% worth it, for the story and for Mary Jane Wells’ amazing narration. Her Jeremy and his asides and comments are beyond perfect. I was laughing out loud for most of this book.

But never more than when he found out everyone already knew he was the Duke. Best silliest twist, made even better that its because of white people micro-aggressions. “We don’t ALL know each other… but yes we do know the ONE half-Chinese Duke, yeah.” @jessiepeterson:  “A local celebrity. The Connie Chung of Dukes.”

THIS IS MY NEW FAVORITE BOOK AND I’M GOING TO SHOUT ABOUT IT. No but seriously, this is so wonderfully gorgeous, I’m utterly obsessed with both main characters and the glorious world-building here. Reads like everything you could have ever wanted from a certain Magic Series That Shall Not Be Named and its historical adult spinoff films— but OH so much better. The audio was stunning as well, David Thorpe embodies the two of them particularly so well. My only quibble in the whole thing is that I wish the sequel was about Adelaide Morrissey rather than Maud Blyth. Actually I really wish it was just more Edwin & Robin. I don’t feel done with them.

I hate to DNF this right now, especially as it is the MOST important time to support black authors, but to be entirely honest, the racism and misogyny and injustice were already making me angry (as they were meant to) prior to Tuesday. After Tuesday… I can’t also be that angry at my book right now. On a much smaller (but easier to talk about) note, this was also clearly the wrong Jenkins book to start with. Val is a great FMC, but not knowing the Le Veqs at all, they give a stunning amount of Previous Main Character Energy, without having the context for it. Like… no one talks about how their great-grandparents got together that much. Not even me, & it’s a good story!

Not sure why all the monster smut I’m picking up just keeps being wild spunk fests, but there you have it. Picked this one up after starting Doyle’s short story in the Monsters in Love Vol 6, finding out there was a previous minotaur romance in the mix and immediately had to go find it. This was a cute little instalove novella in which the FMC discovers that magic & monsters exist (I’m currently in the middle of reading A Marvellous Light and this will now forever be called “unbusheling” as far as I’m concerned). 

However, SPOILERS, Natalie finds out that

she’s actually part-fairy, her parents have lied to her her entire life AND surprise they show up at her new monster bf’s house and… no one cares? Like she doesn’t even question it to their faces. Also she just moves to this tiny town like she has no job/ties to break in her previous life at all. 🤷🏻‍♀️

This is a perfect example of Kinktomato, but for some reason today I didn’t care that it wasn’t my thing and read it anyway. But yeah, check the content warnings on this one and keep in mind that all the things happen A LOT. One quibble with the story was having to keep going back to check the glossary, since he’s speaking a different language the whole time. Some of it made sense in context, but sometimes we were as clueless as Vanya.

Also the boop cover is cracking me up.