B- Reviews / Book Reviewsanimals / bisexual heroine / Captivity / child abuse / environmentalism / fox / Graceling Realm / kidnapping / Kristin Cashore / political intrigue / queen / romantic-elements / sex positive / YA / YA fantasy4 Comments
Dear Kristin Cashore, I consider myself a fan of your YA fantasy even though not all of your books have worked for me. I really liked Graceling, the first book in the Graceling Realm series, did not much care for Fire but loved Bitterblue, and Jane Unlimited, a book separate ... more >
B Reviews / B+ Reviews / Book Reviews / C Reviews / Reading Listsbisexual hero / Black heroine / diversity / gay hero / LGBTQIA+ / m/m / POC / POC author / political intrigue / rock band / romantic-elements / singer / Supreme Court / thriller / YA2 Comments
If This Gets Out by Sophie Gonzales and Cale Dietrich After enjoying Sophie Gonzales’s 2021 YA novel, Perfect on Paper, I decided to try this one, also YA, since it had been recommended by Dear Author commenter Susan S. Like Perfect on Paper, If This Gets Out has queer characters, ... more >
B Reviews / Book Reviews5th Century / Byzantine Empire / Constantinople / European-Historical / fisherman / Historical / marriage on the rocks / Mediterranean setting / Middle East / political intrigue / slavery / weaver / working class8 Comments
Set in early Christian times, the tale of the weaver Demetrias portrays her entrapment in a treasonous plot against the Byzantine emperor and her fight to protect her family and self as the battle for Constantinople rages. TR – In the past, the heroine was raped (not described). The heroine ... more >
A Reviews / A- Reviews / B+ Reviews / Reading Lists / Recommended Reads / Top Ten Lists#metoo / #ownvoices / 1870s / 1920s / 1970s / accountant / Agent/Spies/Undercover / arranged-marriage / Asian heroine / Asperger's / audiobook / Best of 2019 / best of list / book editor / California / class differences / Contemporary / custody battle / dragons / enemies to lovers / epistolary / f/f / Fairyland / fake relationship / family / Fantasy / farming / friends-to-lovers / gods / heroine in disguise / high-school / historical romance / Hong Kong based world / illegitimate-child / LGBTQIA+ / Literary fiction / London / look alikes / mafia / magical powers / Malaysia / martial arts / Mexico / nobleman / Northern Ireland / nurse / POC / POC author / political intrigue / quest / reformed hero / Regency-based world / romantic-elements / roommates / saga / single dad / streetwise heroine / Time-Travel / Vietnam / waitress / war19 Comments
I was tempted to make a list of my favorites among the 2019-published books I read this year. In the end I decided to focus on my favorite 2019 reads (first time reads; I didn’t include books I had read / reviewed in prior years) without regard to their year ... more >
A- Reviews / Book Reviews / Recommended Reads#ownvoices / Asian characters / family / Fantasy / Hong Kong based world / Jade Saga series / LGBTQIA+ / mafia / martial arts / POC / POC author / political intrigue / saga / Wuxia5 Comments
Dear Fonda Lee, Your adult fantasy novel, Jade City (the first book in your Green Bone Saga), has won both the World Fantasy and Aurora Awards for Best Novel, as well as being nominated for the Nebula and Locus Awards. Set on an island with some similarities to Hong Kong, ... more >
B Reviews / Book Reviewsarranged-marriage / class differences / Historical / Japan / Japanese culture / political intrigue / road-romance / Samurai / War / MilitaryComments Off on REVIEW: Lady of the Bridge by Laura Kitchell
Forbidden love between a warrior princess and an elite samurai makes for an adventure set during the early days of the Tokugawa shogunate. Join this couple in a race across 17th century Japan where political unrest has created dangerous ronin, civil uprisings, and war-ravaged castles. Caught in the middle of ... more >