Reviews by unsuccessfulbookclub

916 reviews by:

unsuccessfulbookclub

Taken to Sasor

Elizabeth Stephens

2.75

adventurous emotional funny 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: Complicated

Of the series, this is my least favorite to date. Mainly just Neheyuu acting like an idiot for WAY too long and some weird gaps in the action/descriptions. I was expecting more from the cast in the first two books so I was a little thrown to be on a completely new planet with new …everything. Will I read Taken to Heimo? LOL of course.

Content Warnings

The Wallflower Wager

Tessa Dare

4.5

emotional funny hopeful lighthearted sad fast-paced

Plot or Character Driven: A mix

Strong character development: Yes

Loveable characters: Yes

Diverse cast of characters: No

Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

Content Warnings

Barbarian's Prize

Ruby Dixon

4.0

adventurous challenging emotional hopeful lighthearted fast-paced

Plot or Character Driven: Plot

Strong character development: Yes

Loveable characters: Yes

Diverse cast of characters: Yes

Flaws of characters a main focus: No

Content Warnings

A Lady for a Duke

Alexis Hall

4.75

adventurous challenging emotional funny hopeful inspiring medium-paced

Plot or Character Driven: Character

Strong character development: Yes

Loveable characters: Yes

Diverse cast of characters: Yes

Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

Alexis Hall set out to write a historical romance with a trans heroine and have her gender not be the key point of conflict in the novel. Not only did he succeed on this point, he also managed to build a novel around lies of omission and half truths that I totally believed in and felt good reading. Often when characters in romance novels hide the truth from one another I get angry about it and extremely stressed.

With Viola, her reasons for not sharing her entire history with Gracewood are completely sympathetic. I was as twisted up about whether she should reveal who she was to him as she was. I also loved the fantasy world that Hall built in which Viola is accepted as who she is almost immediately by everyone she encounters. Conflicts happen but they have nothing to do with her trans-ness, and everything to do with the characters trying to navigate their love for each other in a world that isn’t built for them or a relationship like theirs.

Gracewood is one of the softest, sweetest MMCs I have read for a long time, and he’s also got an extremely dark history. He is injured from the war and uses a cane. He is also battling an opium addiction. He is also a wealthy and powerful duke. Him growing into his power and understand and falling in love with Viola was one of the swooniest things I have read in a lonnnnng time.

I feel the need to mention the superb open door sex scene in this. It felt so necessary and tender, and to be able to see Viola experience the care and joy inherent in physical pleasure as well as Gracewood’s beautiful open-mindedness was a privilege. They both deserved to experience the joy of their bodies, just as they are. It’s just a sex scene but it goes a long way towards normalizing all kinds of physical pleasure for all kinds of bodies and I am so glad it is there.

So, we have a high angst novel dealing with strict gender norms, addiction, PTSD and disability…and yet I laughed out loud almost every chapter? What magic is this?

The only gripe I have is the last plot point in this long book felt a little tacked on. I would have been satisfied with more focus on Viola and Gracewood. Nonetheless, a wonder of a book.

👍🏻RECOMMENDED. I could write and write and write about this book but ultimately you should read it. If you’re interested in historical romance but worried about strict gender norms, heteronormativity, misogyny and oppressive social structures? This is the book for you. If you’ve read a ton of Hissy RoNos and you’re looking for an angsty, emotional, hilarious, soft love story? This is the book for you.

Content Warnings

An Extraordinary Union

Alyssa Cole

4.25

adventurous challenging emotional hopeful 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: No

My Hissy RoNo era continues, this time with one set in America during the Civil War. This is not usually a historical setting I seek out, for many reasons, not the least of which being the potential for the “Lost Cause” narrative and attempts by white authors to romanticize human trafficking and chattel slavery (looking at you, Margaret Mitchell). In short: the potential for extremely problematic storylines is HIGH.

IF I was going to read a Civil War romance, it was absolutely going to be one written by a Black woman and one written within the past decade. Enter Alyssa Cole’s An Extraordinary Union.

Allllll that said: I loved this! Both MCs are Union spies based on actual people. Elle’s character is based on Mary Bowser, a Union spy and free Black woman who posed as an enslaved person in Jefferson Davis’s house for years - shuttling untold secrets to the Union while evading detection. Malcolm is based on Timothy Webster, a top Pinkerton detective. If you read this, read the author’s note! Alyssa provided great details on the inspiration for her characters and how she came to write this story.

Malcolm is a white man and Elle is a Black woman and so much of the conflict in their relationship is driven by Elle reconciling her feelings for Malcolm the person with her fear and distrust of white men. Additionally, Malcolm wrestles with the power imbalance and works hard to help Elle feel safe with him. The nuances of the relationship and the depth of feelings between the two of them move quickly but sparkle on page.

Beyond their relationship…well, there’s a war and they are spies. So there is A LOT of plot in this along with some excellent portrayals of the Southern Belle archetype and the Southern “gent.” This book is an example of why books can outstrip movies specifically when you need to be in a character’s head. Thoughts and internal monologue bring depth to each interaction that would be impossible on screen.

👍🏻Recommended! If you are looking for an exciting Hissy RoNo set in America with a diverse cast, this is for you.

Content Warnings

Whiteout

Adriana Anders

4.5

adventurous challenging emotional mysterious tense fast-paced

Plot or Character Driven: Plot

Strong character development: Yes

Loveable characters: Yes

Diverse cast of characters: Yes

Flaws of characters a main focus: Complicated

Some challenges I had with this book:

putting it down
describing the plot/main ideas to my husband
starting it
writing a review that will capture the absolutely PERFECT combination of themes it is for me, personally

Some challenges I DID NOT have with this book:

wanting to keep reading it
being completely engrossed
feeling SO MUCH excitement and ALL OF THE emotions
enjoying it
being utterly surprised by it
loving it

I am struggling mightily to do this one justice in this review but it is so so so so good. I don’t really like romantic suspense in general (see my dislike for mysteries and thrillers) but this one has a survival story and science spin on it that is catnip for me. I have LOVED survival stories since I read My Side of the Mountain in fourth grade.

If people are grinding it out in a hellscape? SIGN ME UP. If people are *grinding* in a hellscape? SIGN ME ALL THE WAY UP. Also? I learned a new term today from a friend courtesy of the fated mates podcast: “danger banging.” This book isn’t super spicy but there is a decent amount of danger banging and it really brought an angle to a survival adventure story that I had never considered before.

The love story was really great, and the MCs are TOP TIER. So yeah, shoutout to Meg for putting this on my radar and shoutout to Amanda and her bingo this month for getting me to FINALLY pick it up. It’s a chonky boi for a RoNo at 500+ pages but you won’t be mad about it.

👍🏻RECOMMENDED! If you like survival stories and Antarctic science with a side of romance? You will love this. It also has a bit of a James Bond vibe and an evil billionaire baddie so if you’re into that? You’ll be into this.

Content Warnings

Ice Planet Holiday

Ruby Dixon

4.0

emotional funny lighthearted fast-paced

Plot or Character Driven: Character

Strong character development: Yes

Loveable characters: Yes

Diverse cast of characters: Complicated

Flaws of characters a main focus: No

Again the Magic

Lisa Kleypas

4.75

emotional hopeful inspiring lighthearted medium-paced

Plot or Character Driven: A mix

Strong character development: Yes

Loveable characters: Yes

Diverse cast of characters: No

Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

Boatloads of angst and longing plus TWO romances in one book? 🥰

-0.25 stars bc Aline was a little too insufferable. Otherwise perfect.

Content Warnings

Written

Kathryn Moon

3.75

adventurous dark emotional lighthearted mysterious fast-paced

Plot or Character Driven: Plot

Strong character development: Yes

Loveable characters: Yes

Diverse cast of characters: Yes

Flaws of characters a main focus: No

Once There Were Wolves

Charlotte McConaghy

4.75

adventurous dark emotional hopeful mysterious tense medium-paced

Plot or Character Driven: A mix

Strong character development: Yes

Loveable characters: Complicated

Diverse cast of characters: No

Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

Um. Not sure how to review this since it is way outside my usual preferred genres, so I can’t really comment on the plot twists or mystery aspect because everything is a surprise to me always. However, the setting of the story, the prose and the characters were all extremely compelling. This book is darkly atmospheric and has a focus on rewilding and conservation that I enjoyed. I liked how I couldn’t trust anyone in this book and that every character was morally gray, like most people in real life. I was very interested in finding out not only what happened to the humans in this book but also the wolves the MC is working to reintroduce to Scotland.

McConaghy is efficient with her words, building tension and unease through two concurrent narratives and a flashback. This is a short book but not a super fast read. There is trauma galore here, please check the CW (in the comments) - beyond the deaths, there are graphic domestic abuse and r a p e on page.

👍🏻Recommended? Again, mysteries are not my usual genre so I’m not sure how strong that aspect of the story was but the prose and conservation and feminist topics in this book make it worth checking out if you are in the mood for something dark.

Content Warnings

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