3.5 rounded up
"Magic is just the space between what you have and what you need" — and in the late 1800s, the women of New Salem are waking up to a powerful need for equal rights and acknowledgment. Enter the Eastwood sisters, drawn back together by a mysterious bond of sisterhood; drawn into the battle for rights by the undeniable needs of Sisterhood. "It’s easy to ignore a woman.” Juniper’s lips twist in a feral smile. “But a hell of a lot harder to ignore a witch.”

I love this kind of blended alt-history fantasy tale that leans hard into folklore and nursery rhymes and the power of stories and the fierceness of female friendship and enduring love. Harrow is very good at clever, satisfying character-driven storytelling. But I've also struggled through a few very good books recently, and this one joins the list — very good and a bit of a struggle. The writing is beautiful, the story is smart and well crafted, the characters are sharply drawn, and the setting is perfect, but it felt sluggishly paced at times and overlong as a whole. With a good trim, I think this would've sailed right into the 5-star range.

Content notes: racism, misogyny, homophobia, anti-trans parents, sexual harassment, oppression, addiction, abuse, public execution, torture, murder in self-defense, possession, forced will/stolen souls; Black, indigenous, people of color, and characters of various ethnicities are represented as powerful in their own right but have merely supportive roles, giving this a pretty white-centered feminist lens

4.5 stars — I did not expect to be so thoroughly charmed by this book, but like it's protagonist, it's a smooth operator — smart, snarky, full of heart, fit and pretty, a bit of a hustler — and I completely fell for it.

Henri is a first-gen Haitian American New Yorker at a prestigious prep school. He uses his Prince Charming smile, the work ethic he learned from his parents, and some extra hustle to keep himself competitive with his wealthy, privileged classmates. With senior year barreling to the finish line, college acceptance and rejection letters thick in the air, the pressure to hustle harder keeps building. Corinne — a blunt, intense classmate who is always hands-up in the front row or nagging about her study room time — sees through his slightly questionable dog-walking scheme and blackmails him into teaching her how to turn on the charm so she can nail the recommendation she needs to get into her dream college.

While this odd couple works through whatever it is that's growing between them, a serious lapse in judgment threatens a future dream and tests the bonds of more than just their friendships.

This is a perfectly paced, realistic contemporary rom-com with great friend dynamics (shout-out to Ming!), great frenemy dynamics, beautifully constructed character growth and self-awareness, an immersive sense of place, and impeccably crafted dog culture jokes and shade.

Topics, tropes, and themes: high school, race, class, privilege, friendship, Haitian American, immigrant life, first generation immigrants, family expectation, family love, the American Dream, NYC, ethics, debate, dogs, charm, socal awkwardness, makeover, blackmail, first love

Content notes: underage drinking, PG relationships, vaping, strong language, stage fright (secondary character), anxiety, fraud

"Sometimes the broken bits are just the pieces you need to create something new, something better, something remarkable."

It was a geektastic pleasure to spend time with Raffy and Luca in their then-and-now story of first love, shattered hopes, messy repairs, and bedazzled futures.

Raphael is a brilliant but anxious young creator, an effective manager of parental antipathy, a shyly ambitious attention-seeking cosplayer who lets soccer star and megawatt dazzler Luca sneak into his maker space, his life, and heart. When homophobic parental expectations try to stifle the sparkle Luca longs for, the fallout threatens to unravel Raffy's focus and his plans to dominate the conference cosplay competition. Will Raffy be able to gather the broken bits he needs to create the respect he craves?

La Sala makes this a fun (and craftily informative) read for cosplay fans and those entirely new to the scene. The setting and characters feel true, the stakes feel real, and the narration has the perfect blend of humor and angst.

Topics, tropes, and themes: #OwnVoices, geek culture, cosplay, LGBTQ, bisexuality, coming out, first love, working with your ex, second-chance romance, ComicCon, maker culture, reality TV, reality competition, art, authenticity, family, friendship

Content notes: underage drinking, adult substance use, homophobia and toxic masculinity (mostly implied, off-screen), strong language, suggestive language, PG-13 sex scenes and references, strained parent relationships

As with Bringing Down the Duke, I had a couple of issues with this one. None with the story or our main characters this time — it's an excellent enemies-to-lovers tale set in the late Victorian era with a strong, outcast noblewoman activist as our lead and a rakish, not-quite-as-outcast nobleman poet as her love interest. It's a compelling, well-paced, detailed plot with so many satisfying payoffs. The characterizations make sense and the relationship is sizzling.

The representation, however, isn't great. There's one LGBTQ character (see content notes for spoilerish issues), one person of color (see content notes), and one English nobleman expressing anti-colonial sentiment and speaking respectfully about East Asian culture but still appropriating a Hindu deity for a possibly sexualized tattoo. Yeah — not great. If those missteps had been caught in a sensitivity read, this would've been a 5-star historical romance for me with a fun look at the state of publishing in the late 1800s as well as the fight for women's rights in society and the fight for truth and trust in personal relationships.

Content notes: physical abuse of a child (off stage, but mentioned/effects described), emotional abuse, death of a pet, PTSD and war trauma, blackmail, spousal abuse, character with bipolar-like symptoms, Victorian era sexism, Victorian era homophobia, voyeurism (off page), implied orgy, steamy sex scenes, only LGBTQ+ character is miserable and villainous, only character of color is a servant, cultural appropriation of Hindu deity

3.5 probably. I've read a bit of modern historical romance and this is a very good debut that I had just a few issues with. As far as storytelling goes, I found the will-they-won't-they and what-about-now to be a little too repetitive and tedious, although others might find it heightens the tension and makes for a compelling read. Also, although I liked the duke overall, I didn't like the looming, physical intimidation that was written into so many of his scenes. Otherwise, this is a pretty good example of good, modern historical romance and really promising start to a series! I enjoyed the late-Victorian setting, the bluestockings at Oxford angle, the glimpses into British Parliament, the women's movement and developing friendships, the prominent role of consent, and our survivalist lead character.

Content notes: steamy sex scenes, discussion of contractual sexual relationship, Victorian era sexism, sexual assault (interrupted), estrangement from family,

"It's your typical coworkers turned enemies turned fake exes turned cohosts turned" … lovers?

I wanted to like this more than I did and certainly would have if it weren't for just a couple of things. First, what I liked: That ridiculously complicated enemies-to-lovers trope with not just fake dating but fake ... ex-ing? I've never read that before and was initially intrigued by it. The nerdy public radio setting in the Pacific Northwest with pop culture and podcasting refs galore. A strong, smart, struggling female lead who is Jewish (Shay) with a love interest costar who is Korean American (Dominic), a foot taller, and five years younger than her. The humor in the narration and the banter between couples. The depiction of grief and failed relationships and loneliness and casually devastating everyday sexism and precious weird shelter pets and friendship and misread cues.

Unfortunately, the things I didn't like made this a bit of a can't-look-away train wreck of a read. First, I never completely warmed up to Shay even though she's the kind of complex, stumbling-into-adulthood character that I usually love.

Spoiler

Her callous dismissal of Dominic's stage fright and anxiety before the conference ("Well. He'll just have to deal with it.") and her response afterwards killed any connection I had fought for throughout the first 3/4 of the book.

And about that fake ex-ing thing. Setting a fake relationship story in the arena of public radio and casting a serious journalist in that role feels pretty icky in this era of fake news and antipathy towards the media. And the resolution fell short for me.

Spoiler

People do stupid things for love and job security but I couldn't stomach the way this was presented, hated the feeling of waiting for the shoe to drop, and did not like the way Dominic set aside journalistic integrity. I try not to judge a book on my own expectations, but I really, really wanted his return to the station to result in his taking down the manipulative sexist asshole that was running the place. Why laud his investigative skills in the first part if he isn't going to use them the rest of the book? I appreciate a sweary on-air tirade/declaration of love/resignation as much as the next person, but it just didn't feel quite right here.

But I think I'll be in the minority on this one and most of the readers who pick it up will love it.

Content notes: Sexism and racism, death of a parent/partner (off screen and in the background but significantly featured throughout), anxiety/panic attacks, stage fright, lying, fake dating, steamy sex scenes, strong language

The third book in the Brown Sisters trilogy but (confession!) the first that I've read, "Act Your Age, Eve Brown" is a contemporary British rom-com with a diverse cast of characters and a heart-warming story of self-actualization and some steamy romance at its center. And a few asshole ducks and geese around its edges.

While driving through the countryside, burning off her anger at a parent ultimatum, youngest Brown sister, Eve, impulsively interviews for the first job she sees. It's obviously not a good fit — interviewer/B&B owner Jacob is short-staffed and overwhelmed but he's also extremely particular and Eve's colorful "hot mess" persona isn't his particular cup of tea. After totally bombing the interview, Eve accidentally hits Jacob with her car and feels compelled to stay and help until he's back on his feet.

"Act Your Age, Eve Brown" is a classic forced-proximity, enemies-to-lovers, sunshine/grumpy pairing that is updated with diverse representation, body positivity, a damsel saving herself, and more. I especially liked the autism rep and the way it addresses the differences in how autism is perceived and experienced in men and women. It's a smart, sexy, fun, and funny story. The previous Brown sisters and family have a bit more than a cameo, but you don't need the full backstory to jump in here at the end and enjoy it. You will probably want to clear some TBR room for the previous two books, though.

Content notes: ableist (anti-autistic) jokes and microaggressions (appropriately addressed), parental neglect and abandonment (backstory), steamy explicit sex scenes and sexual jokes/innuendo, strong language

My thanks to #NetGalley and the publisher for a digital ARC!

3.5 rounded up.

More injured than her IED scars indicate, ex-MP Brynn and her deaf, ex-cadaver dog Wilco, return to the home that hasn't felt like home for quite a long time — the community of Irish Travellers where she was born and raised in the Appalachian Mountains of Tennessee. Wilco's talented, highly trained nose uncovers traumas from the past that overlap with current violence and mysteries, landing Brynn between the same rock and hard place as before. Does Brynn even have a chance at healing from her past and facing her future while dealing with the suspicions and loyalties of her family and clan and the bigotry and justice of the settled world?

This is a well-paced mystery / contemporary crime thriller that's a little outside my normal range of comfort (what with the descriptions of decomposing bodies, etc.). I don't require my mysteries to be cozy, but I generally prefer a little more character development and humor and a little less gritty realism. But it's an intriguing introduction to this canine/handler duo and the Traveller/outsider dynamic. And it's definitely a compelling read — I read it in a single day and I'm in for book two.

Content notes: various slurs for Travellers (including g****), settled folk/outsiders, and police; descriptions of decomposing bodies; human and canine PTSD (including flashbacks); violence (including gun, knife, injection, fire); substance use and abuse; rape and spousal sexual assault (backstory, brief descriptions, flashback, trauma); sadistic killing of a kitten (mentioned, not described); toxic and repressive gender roles