yourbookishbff's Reviews (650)

This was an angsty and emotional conclusion to the series that had me ugly crying well before the 30% mark. We knew Camille's backstory would include some significant trauma, and I thought that it was handled well and with the appropriate nuance to help contextualize how a woman of this time - with some limited exposure to women's rights movements - might begin to think about and heal from her own experience of abuse and assault within a marriage. Camille's growing self-confidence through the story was beautifully done, and I loved seeing her reclaim agency and pleasure on her own and in partnership with Jacob. Jacob's arc was missing something for me, though, and I felt his attitude turn-around wasn't adequately supported by character development, so it mostly felt like whiplash. Part of it may be that the set-up for his internal conflict just felt insufficient? I didn't feel entirely confident that he had worked through his own issues in a meaningful way by the end.

I LOVED this! It is probably most enjoyable (and most cohesive) if you're familiar enough with Love Actually to recognize the storylines these authors are subverting. This is full of queer love and self-discovery and the traditions we inherit and those we make for ourselves. A powerhouse group of authors take the source material, burn it, and remake it into something more inclusive and real.

A sweet and lighthearted short story collection set before and after Nochebuena and New Year's at the turn of the century in the Dominican Republic. These three shorts each center characters who live in the same boardinghouse in Ciudad Real. The first is F/F (and available as an extra on her website for free) and the second two are M/F (the middle story features a 40+ bi FMC!). I read this little collection in one sitting - loved how sweet this was (and a bit spicy in that middle story!). 

Of the four novellas, Sarah MacLean's angsty second-chance romance (with the lightest touch on the shortbread) was my favorite. These are tonally very different, with Dare's lighthearted and sweet, MacLean's angsty AF, Jordan's borderline fated mates and Scottish hijinks, and Shupe's... Oh Shupe. Only Shupe could make me root for the boss starting an "affair" (closet bang) with his "married" (single and virginal) employee amidst the stressiest holiday dinner party on the planet. This was a fun holiday anthology!

I struggled with this female main character's repeated ghosting of the male main character as a stress response and the lack of real context for that behavior. And the intimacy scenes felt rushed and out of character for these two at various points. 

This was a risky premise for a conflict, but I loved its resolution - so well done. This started slow for me, but once Max and Helena were on page together consistently, their chemistry was excellent. Loved this third act so much.

My favorite of the series so far, Alex's story was everything I love in romance. The mutual trust and respect he and Laura build, the new families they forge and the families they reclaim together, their earnest vulnerability - it all worked so beautifully that I never wanted to step away from the story. And, as always in a Mimi Matthews romance, I was thoroughly weepy by the end. And the declaration(s) of fidelity?! I was ecstatic to see these moments perfectly executed on page - there are so many exchanges between Alex and Laura I won't forget. 

I loved this sweet little novella. This was a surprisingly tender character exploration - set within a 12-days-of-Christmas-let's-just-get-it-out-of-our-systems sexual retreat for two besotted friends. Lloyd deftly navigates friends-to-lovers, nailing the challenges in the transition from friends to more - the feeling of remarkable intimacy and comfort counterbalanced with anxiety and vulnerability. I loved these two people and how well they knew themselves and each other - and how Lloyd used their differences as fulcrums for their own self-discovery. This is lighthearted - while also being tender and earnest - and delightfully sexy. 

God, Mimi Matthews is so gothic. I love it. This was high-stakes and stressy in that uniquely claustrophobic way that she has mastered, and I love the way the outside conflicts create a kind of pocket universe for the main characters to fall in love. This deals with some heavy trauma for both main characters and includes potential triggers like on-page suicidal ideation, so please go gently and check content warnings. 

This felt like it fizzled a bit in delivering on the premise. I love a reformed rake, but I'm not sure what (aside from a stressy outside event) actually prompted his reform, and I found it hard to believe he fell in love with our female main character. Because of that, the tension was just missing for me, and I didn't love how much time the MCs spend apart in the third act (though I recognize the intention, it didn't feel like it worked as well as it could have). Not my favorite by Harper St. George, but looking forward to continuing the series.