This book is billed as “a merry and bright hockey romance,“ but honestly, I feel like at its core it’s a story about loneliness. There are definitely lots of bright and sweet moments here, and the story gets progressively happier as it moves along and the two leads gravitate closer and closer together! The happy ending came as expected and put a huge smile on my face, and there’s definitely an overall positive vibe here. All that loneliness certainly gets successfully overcome, but my, there’s a lot of it.

It’s a really good story about loneliness, though, and the different ways it can manifest. Landon and Casey, the leads, start off as basically polar opposites: Landon has long embraced his loneliness to the point he hardly notices it, just focused on the day-to-day business with a subtle undercurrent of self-loathing and not bothering to make himself easy to talk to. Casey, meanwhile, is constantly aware of his loneliness even as he tries to run from it, and he keeps doing all that bright, cheery stuff to avoid it, whether it’s pestering all his teammates at once to join him for drinks or forcibly inviting the new quiet, standoffish player to share his needlessly huge house for a month. As their different lives and personalities collides, they end up confronting all sorts of truths about themselves, each other, and their pasts, as one does, and eventually building something new and beautiful together.

There were some sections of the story that kind of dragged; the hockey parts probably could have been more exciting, and the side characters probably could stand having 1-2 more personality traits each. But overall, I really, really liked the main pairing and found this to be an interesting story. The snowy, icy, wintry vibes were very welcome in the current heat, too!

I guess I’m filing this one off under “mixed feelings.“ There were aspects of these book that I really, really loved, but each of them ended up offset with some detail or aspect that I found questionable.

For example, the prose was really, really voicey, which I tend to consider a good thing. It was definitely fun and memorable! But also, at times it was just too… run-on and repetitive and hard to figure out what the MC was even talking about as he sunk deep in his own head. Real people most definitely talk like that, but real people aren’t characters in a book meant to convey their arcs and a whole damn plot to an outside observer!

Speaking of books, I absolutely loved the parts focused on writing and editing and sharing what you’ve written with other people. Most of it was super relatable, parts of it viscerally so. But the whole deal with publishing the book was just so… wish fulfillment, you know? I just couldn’t take it seriously when that big important editor started low-key fawning over a barebones first draft by an unagented no-name author. “It’s full of flaws, your plot holes have holes, you’ve lost the character arc in the middle, but we can tell it’s going to be big, so let’s sing a contract right now“—I’m… sure a lot of us wish it worked this way, lol. And yeah, I promise I understand suspension of disbelief is a valuable component  of consuming fiction, but with some topics, there’s only so far mine can stretch.

The romance itself surely had its moments. I love pining, I love friends to lovers, I dearly love roommates to lovers! I can even dig misunderstandings when they’re rooted in the characters’ circumstances and deep-set beliefs. But here, damn, for best friends these two sure didn’t understand each other at all. What made them friends in the first place is low-key beyond me! And also, while I liked Art, the LI, for their nerdiness and their attitude and their coming-out-as-nonbinary arc (which was handled pretty well I feel), for the majority of the book they… barely existed as a person through the MC’s eyes? Just as an object of the MC’s affections? Idk, there was that vibe that I wasn’t quite comfortable with. But I was definitely glad when Preston got called out for his tendency to make everything about him.

Overall though, there were cool moments, some Alexis Hall vibes (I love Alexis Hall), and all the relatable nerdiness and bookishness. So I might pick up more books by Kris Ripper at some point. 

For a romcom, this book sure made me sad a lot, but not in a bad way. It was just the sheer number of lovely, flawed characters all needing hugs. The romance honestly was among the least interesting parts of the story for me because I was so invested in other subplots. Like Delilah’s “scapegoat and golden child“ relationship with Astrid and how Isabel fucked them both up with her parenting. Or Claire’s relationship with her daughter and her ex and the co-parenting challenges they faced. Or the mystery of why Claire and Iris couldn’t have just *talked* to Astrid about their concerns, because seriously, why all the plotting and worrying? Why not just sit your best friend down and go, “Hey, sweetie, if this swiftly developing new relationship is what you truly want, we’re happy for you. But you haven’t really been acting like yourself, and here’s a list of red flags that worry us—can we maybe talk about it?“

Honestly, the lack of actual communication was a huge thing throughout the book. I liked that by the end of the story it was somewhat addressed and acknowledged, specifically by Delilah and Astrid in relation to their relationship and, in general, to the results of the trauma they’ve endured growing up. But really, there’s not a single prominent character who is capable of just talking things out. I think the ones most up to the task were Claire’s pre-teen daughter and Delilah’s one-night-stand from super early in the book (when she made a brief reappearance).

Despite all the miscommunications, I did like the dynamic between Delilah and Claire a lot, especially as their relationship progressed. There was this interesting juxtaposition between the people they actually were and the people they remembered each other as, and Delilah in particular, in all her interactions with Claire, was constantly forced to confront and reassess certain aspects of her past. I did wish they were on a bit more equal ground. Because Claire, for all of her struggles, had a support network, while Delilah, outside of gradually fitting in with Claire and Iris, was absolutely on her own. No old high school friends happy to reconnect and be in her corner, no close New York acquaintances just a phone call away. It honestly hurt at times how lonely she was. 

Speaking of, I’m not sure I loved how her arc resolved in basically

coming home to Bright Falls and slotting herself into Claire’s life instead of having something to herself. Yeah, sure, she’s got her photography and her New York agent and she can sometimes go there for gallery showings and such, but ultimately she confines herself to… a small town she used to hate all her life? And tbh, as much as I love this type of “coming back home“ small town stories, this one left me struggling with the outcome because the town here is just so claustrophobic and hold so few good memories for Delilah. It felt less like she made a choice for herself and more like she sacrificed all she wanted to be with Claire, because *checks notes* none of her art and self-actualization and opportunities meant anything without love.

And hey, love is important for sure! I’m very much hear for it, that’s why I read romance! But I don’t agree that everything else should stop mattering without it. I prefer stories where romantic relationships add something to the characters’ lives, not devalue all their other achievements and preferences. I suspect maybe that’s why I gravitated toward all sorts of other storylines here rather than the romance I’d come for.

Those complaints aside, I did enjoy the overall experience and found all the characters deeply compelling. I’ll definitely continue the series with the hopes of seeing more of Delilah and Claire through other people’s eyes, learning more about Iris who’s my favorite (and I think has her own book?), Josh who’s pretty interesting, and hey, Astrid and Delilah both still have completely unresolved issues with Isabel that I want to see addressed!

This was a bit silly, highly cliche, and mostly entertaining. I had a bit of trouble  wrapping my mind around the concept of Goddess-blessed, and I don’t think I’m very comfortable with what I’ve groked of it. I do realize this bit of worldbuilding basically only exists to make gay marriage possible in this Regency-inspired setting and that it’s more self-indulgent fluff than a deep exploration of how this all would affect society. But, idk, I think I wanted just a little more thoroughness or seriousness to the worldbuilding.

The story itself is a bit rushed and revolves around archetypes and tropes that are probably familiar to every m/f historical romance reader, except made queer this time. Owen is the sheltered blushing virgin whose world turns upside down when the brothers Drake move into his small town. Tom is the bad, rakish brother who first utterly charms Owen, then breaks his heart. Arthur is the good, serious, reliable brother who, after said heartbreak transpires, offers to marry Owen in Tom’s place to save his reputation. (It is rather unclear how Owen’s reputation would suffer or what would happen if he didn’t get married, but hey, we’re here shoehorning a man into the stereotypical female role because “a goddess said so,“ and all of that without actually discussing or questioning those gender roles in any meaningful way… sorry, yeah, I’m getting more and more underwhelmed by this worldbuilding as I think about it, lol). What ensues is comprised of lots of drama, lots of sex, and an eventual happy ending.

There were some nice descriptions and some heartfelt dialogue scenes. I actually really liked Arthur, and I enjoyed the complexity in the relationship between the two brothers, although I wish it was dug deeper into. Owen had too little personality for most of the story for me to care about him, but there were some nice moments when he started trying to get more agency and recognizing how his low self-worth impacted him. The spice was spicy. The feels were appropriately dramatic. I guess it was too shallow and stereotypical for my current tastes, but it’s definitely got its moments.

This was a fun enough read with some nice themes and a few laugh-out-loud moments, but I genuinely felt like it was too short. I would have enjoyed it more, I think, as a full-length novel, perhaps even as a dual POV one, because the one-sided narrative and Liam being such a stoic enigma most of the time made it hard for me to figure out how the leads were connecting. Can’t say I didn’t ship them at all—some chemistry is definitely there—but, at least for the first half of the book or so, I struggled to see the romantic feelings and not just sexual attraction and mild interest. Looking back, I think the foundation for all the feelings definitely was there, but the constraints of the novella format made everything a tad too rushed.

I also had some issues with the prose: it was messy at times, with awkward phrasing here and there, sentenced that seemed to be missing a word, etc. I’m usually pretty forgiving of these things in indie books, but when they’re so frequent, they get aggravating.

Despite these complaints, I generally had a nice time with these books. Diane is an interesting heroine, and I liked to see her embrace more and more agency, despite initially being resigned to getting continuously smothered by well-meaning relatives because of her fainting illness. Some of my favorite tropes make a welcome appearance, like “only one bed“ / getting stuck in an inn together. The fainting goat is cute. Diane’s artsy hobby is quirky, unexpected, and fun. So while I wouldn’t call this book particularly memorable, I have no regrets about reading it and would probably even recommend it to those looking for a quick, easy, romantic read.

Such a delightful read! I was really hooked from start to finish. Loved the overall vibe of the story: pretty modern, clearly written in the twenty-first century for the contemporary reader, but still with a clear focus on certain realities of the era being depicted, from women’s position in the society to the troublesome hoop skirts. The first half of the book is so glittery and charming, and then past the middle the stakes that have been there a ll along really loom large. I worried for the characters, got upset with them, and ultimately cheered for the happy ending they’ve earned.

While this is primarily the story of Beth and Gwen, two young women who meet at the beginning of the season, quickly befriend each other, and then catch feelings against all odds, there’s also the Parents Trap-like subplot about their parents. That storyline had me almost as invested as the main romance, probably because I’m such a sucker for second-chance romances in general, but also, Beth’s mother and Gwen’s dad are both such compelling characters. I loved Dashiell for his personality and Cordelia for her arc and how it was handled. Speaking of, I felt like the book did an excellent job with the portrayal of learned helplessness and how trauma gets passed from generation to generation under the guise of care—and I loved how Beth rejected that trauma and pushed her mother to reject it, too.

I can’t wait for the next book in the series to come out in August, especially since I’ve glanced at some of the ARC reviews, and it appears that while the next novel focuses on different characters, it also includes direct continuations of the first one’s storylines and I can expect to meet all my favorites again. 

This prequel didn’t fully live up to my charmed memories of Elatsoe, but I really, really loved it regardless. The vibes are really very similar to the original, and the worldbuilding continues to be so amazing with the mixture of Native American beliefs and faerie rings and even aliens creating a setting with so much enchantment and depth. Just like with the original book, I loved the ghosts the most, and the Below, and the prehistoric critters. Honestly, this entire world is just so cool.

The main plot is once again mystery-focused: there are kids that keep going missing, there’s the MC’s mother searching for them with the help of bloodhounds and ghosts, and then she goes missing, too, and it’s Shane’s (the MC) turn to be the seeker. Overall, I liked how this story was constructed, and how the plot interacted with the worldbuilding and the friendships along the way. There were parts of the story that felt a bit unbalanced/sloppy, with the lore drowning out the actual events and developments—or so it seemed at first. But as I read on, I’ve come to realize that all the lore, even when it didn’t seem directly related to the story, was kind of the point. There’s a rather interesting effect here which is, I feel, best experienced for oneself. So I’ll just say that in the latter half of the book all the worldbuilding-related meandering really, really pays off. I do feel there were maybe ways to tighten up the pacing and the narrative in general, but overall, I liked how the story was told.

In addition to everything mentioned above, I really loved all the themes of family and community and how they were delivered. There’s a lot of focus on intergenerational trauma here, and generally on the hardships faced by indigenous people, but there’s a hopefulness about how these subjects are handled, and despite all the dark places the story visits, it feels optimistic by the end. Honestly, this was just a great choice of book for me right now. I wish there was more of the same immediately waiting for me!

So far, this series continues to be super entertaining. I felt like the execution of the mystery aspect was a bit  weaker compared to the first book, with that part of the book dragging a bit now and then. But all the other aspects of the story firmly held my interest.

My main reason for picking up the series was the fact it follows the same couple throughout, and so far it delivers exactly what I’ve been looking for. I loved seeing the continued developments in Rain and Danny’s relationship. Their banter got lots of affectionate laughs out of me, just like Rain’s occasionally dramatic personal insights on how he views the  whole thing. Ir was fun to see how on one hand, yeah, they’ve sure learned the lessons from the previous book, but on the other hand, they’ve still got trouble when it comes to talking about things in plain words—though now it’s somewhat different trouble with different reasons. The emotional journey they’re on is occasionally frustrating, but ultimately believable and gratifying.

I also really like how the relationship arc is intertwined with Rain’s personal arc. When it comes to the romance, he and Danny have both committed to making it work, but they need to learn to actually operate as a couple. And when it comes to Rain's personal journey of accepting himself as a medium/bridge, it’s much the same: yeah, he’s decided he’s not going to ignore this part of himself any longer, but actually coming to terms with it? Now that’s a whole separate trip. And then there were the moments when these two plot threads didn’t just mirror each other but actively tangled, leading to all those scenes with ghosts interfering with personal moments—often in ways both hilarious and disturbing. I enjoyed reading some of those parts a lot.

Definitely excited to continue further with the series!

One good thing I can say about this book from the get-go: it was an incredibly quick and easy read. It felt more like scrolling through someone’s blog or social networks than reading a book, in fact. Engaging, digestible, effortless, except half the time you have a vague understanding of what’s going on and who these people are. 

There was this big plot twist that I guess is the book’s whole selling point / main feature, but for me, it came too late. By the time certain reveals occurred, I was half invested in the red herring-based explanations for everything going on in Jude’s life, half annoyed by having so little info on what was up. I kept seeing his emotional reactions, but what was he reacting to? The story wasn’t structured like a mystery, and the questions it ended up answering eventually weren’t the ones that were actively  asked by the narrative. The mixture of structure and pacing honestly was just confusing.

I did like the relationship development, especially the early parts with the slow burn, the strangers-to-friends dynamics with a hint of friends-to-lovers to come, all those comfy, cozy scenes about eating pasta or sleeping in blanket forts together. I can’t say I was incredibly invested, but it was pleasant to read. The angstier second half lost me a bit, most likely because I wasn’t, in fact, invested in the specific characters and the relationship, I just liked the cozy moments for the sake of the coziness and the sarcastic banter that accompanied it.

Ultimately, I think my experience with this book can be summed up roughly like this: if it was a meal, it would consist of all my favorite ingredients, but each of them would be cooked wrongly somehow. There were some great moments here for sure, good ideas even in the structural sense, not to mention the plot. It’s not a bad book. But I guess I just didn’t vibe with the writing style.

Funny thing: as I started listening to this book, I quickly realized I barely remembered the events of the previous one. Book 1? Yeah, sure, that one still feels fresh in my memory. Book 2? Ummmmm. The small recaps sneaking into the early chapters of Deadbeat Druid helped some, but I still ended up dredging up my notes and review for Trailing Park Trickster. I’ve concluded the reason the second book barely stuck with me is because of how the events were split in it between POVs/all the problems I had with its structure in general. A good reminder that the shape of a story matters as much as the substance.

Anyway, on to Deadbeat Druid! While much like its predecessor it keeps Adam and Vic apart for a huge chunk of the story, there’s no big split between “the main quest and a sidequest.“ They’re clearly on the same journey throughout, just making their way to the same destinations from different directions—both literally and figuratively. Overall, the plot here is a lot more solid, and in terms of themes and character interactions the book goes back to all the things that made White Trash Warlock, the trilogy starter, so great for my tastes.

I loved the interactions between Adam and Bobby, how their relationship has evolved since the first book, and how different they still remain. But now they’re able to live with those differences, acknowledge them, and seek compromise. Honestly, I think these two are among my favorite fictional brother pairs. And then there were also all the other relationships within the Binder family that included the dead among them as well as the living—I don’t want to go into spoilers, but damn, there were some really powerful moments. 

I mostly liked how the storyline with the elves got concluded, though there are some aspects that could use more clarity. Though as far as I understand while the first trilogy is concluded, the series itself is getting extra books, so perhaps the points that made me feel that way are going to get addressed later. I was once again slightly annoyed by the fact that a lot of it was pushed into Vic’s chapters—don’t get me wrong, I like his friendship with Ardent and his complicated dynamics with Silver, but Adam has so much more baggage with both and the elves are always more fun for me through his POV.  I did get some of that fun closer to the end of the book though, and that was great.

One of my favorite things about the story was the discussion of forgiveness and letting go of the dark parts of the past and how you aren’t obliged to forgive anyone, actually. You can move on and rebuild yourself without doing that. This is an idea I strongly agree with, and I liked how it shined through the narrative here. I also liked the parts focused on memories and feelings and how they shape us, although those were… more vaguely done, I think? Maybe because those parts were sort of Vic-centric. Overall, even with Vic strongly involved in the main plot for a change, I just really loved Adam’s chapters more and felt like he was the better character to tell this story with. Or maybe it’s just that the author writes Adam better!