unsuccessfulbookclub's Reviews (916)

The Duke Who Didn't

Courtney Milan

5.0

emotional funny hopeful lighthearted fast-paced

Plot or Character Driven: A mix

Strong character development: Yes

Loveable characters: Yes

Diverse cast of characters: Yes

Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

Just a total swoonfest and so funny!! Courtney’s author’s note is amazing and I adored reading about this little tucked away community of East Asian diaspora in the English countryside. How refreshing to read a historical romance set in England with such a richly diverse cast.

Jeremy is a hot mess puppy boi and Chloe is the type a, take no sh*t woman I want to be besties with. This pair!! LOVE!

Content Warnings

The Outlaw and the Lady

Lorraine Heath

3.75

adventurous emotional mysterious fast-paced

Plot or Character Driven: A mix

Strong character development: Yes

Loveable characters: Yes

Diverse cast of characters: Yes

Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

Totally bananas highly emotional romp of a book with loads of intensely traumatic backstory. Surprisingly earnest and sweet. Would die for Lee Raven and Juanita and want to be besties with Angela!!

Content Warnings

Rogue Protocol

Martha Wells

4.5

adventurous dark funny mysterious fast-paced

Plot or Character Driven: A mix

Strong character development: Yes

Loveable characters: Yes

Diverse cast of characters: Yes

Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

Two Rogues Make a Right

Cat Sebastian

4.0

emotional lighthearted relaxing medium-paced

Plot or Character Driven: Character

Strong character development: Yes

Loveable characters: Yes

Diverse cast of characters: No

Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

Content Warnings

Ben Yokoyama and the Cookie of Doom

Matthew Swanson

4.5

funny hopeful lighthearted fast-paced

Plot or Character Driven: A mix

Strong character development: Yes

Loveable characters: Yes

Diverse cast of characters: Yes

Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

Content Warnings

The Blighted Stars

Megan E. O'Keefe

4.5

adventurous challenging dark mysterious tense medium-paced

Plot or Character Driven: A mix

Strong character development: Yes

Loveable characters: Yes

Diverse cast of characters: Yes

Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

This book is a heady mix of science fiction themes I really enjoy including stored consciousness (a la Altered Carbon), multiple bodies/one person (a la the Locked Tomb), evil corporate overlords/space royals extracting resources and hurting people (a la Dune) all with a gorgeous rebellion and climate emphasis (a la The Fifth Season). There’s even a kind of zombie plague thing (a la Severance or Zone One, kind of) and sentient technology developing annoying feelings (a la Murderbot). It’s like Megan O’Keefe took notes on all of the things I love in a book and threw them in a blender!

The plot is intricate. The worlds are detailed and there is crossing and double crossing galore. Although the blurb touts a romance it is maybe the slowest burn romance of all time and definitely not at all the focus of the plot of this installment. The two main characters have delicious tension but it feels a lot more like the vibes between Harrow and Gideon than a capital-R Romance novel where the relationship takes main stage, especially because the FMC has a role much like Gideon’s - she is tasked with protecting the MMC’s family (he’s basically a space prince) - and they do NOT “get along” for about half the book.

I did get heavier will they/won’t they vibes in the preview chapter for book two so I am intrigued, but quite honestly? I didn’t miss the romance at all. There was so much going on here that I was fully entertained without a main couple doing their thing (I know, I know, but I do read non-romance from time to time!!).

Recommended! This is the first book of a series I can’t wait to read more of! If you like any of the books mentioned above, you will love this. Gory and exciting with lots of intrigue and interplanetary politics.

Content Warnings