We Love Lists: #ReadingPride 30 Days of Queer Reads Week 2

Welcome to Week Two of #ReadingPride 30 Days of Queer Reads recommendations! If you missed Week One, you can click here to go see that list. Here are my recommendations for Days 8-14! And just like last week, I've left links to our reviews if you want more of our thoughts on a specific book.

Day 8: Queer Book With a Happy Ending

I know that Simon vs the Homo Sapiens Agenda gets recommended all the time but there's a reason for that. For me, it was one of those queer books that had an ending that made me so happy to read. It still makes me smile like a goofball when I think about it.

Read my review here.

Day 9: A Queer Book Over 100 Pages

This is on the longer side of the queer books I've read this year and it was freaking fantastic! A Pale Light in the Black by K.B. Wagers is a diverse feast that I devoured in one sitting. It has an established f/f couple, an ace main character, and several non-binary characters. I never knew I needed a book about a space coast guard competing in an intermilitary tournament. It's one of those novels that remind me why I adore science fiction so much!

Read my review here.

Day 10: Favorite Queer Genre Novel

When I think of genre novels, I think of SFF books and I've read a lot of queer books that fall into this category. So, for this prompt, I'm going to go with one of my favorite new series I've discovered in the last couple of years. Badlands by Morgan Brice was exactly the book I had been looking for when I found it. It's a queer paranormal romance with a unique supernatural element thanks to one of the main characters being a psychic. It even has the jaded cop falling for the psychic medium trope and it was everything! I love Simon and Vic and each new book in this series (and by this author) is an autobuy for me.

Read my review here.

Day 11: Queer Book You Love in a Genre You Don't Read

 While I'm reading more contemporary romance than I ever have before, it's not my go to genre. I especially need to read more f/f contemporary romance or romances with a nonbinary character. One of my favorite reads of this year is Something to Talk About by Meryl Wilsner. It was a well-written f/f age gap romance between a female show writer and her assistant. It's a slow burn that had me yelling "Kiss already!" at the characters.

Read my review here.

Day 12: Queer Book with a Strong Sense of Place

  My favorite book of the year so far is The House in the Cerulean Sea by TJ Klune. This story makes me so happy! I haven't been able to quit raving about it since I read it back in February and I have been recommending it to every one. This book is heartwarming, sentimental, weird and absolutely and utterly delightful! I picked it up for the queer romance and I kept reading for the six dangerous children, their mysterious caretaker, the invisible case worker, and the found family trope. The whole book just feels like you're reading about home. You come to love the house and Marsyas Island as much as the children. It's just a sweet book that's almost perfect.

Read my review here.

Day 13: Queer Book that Really Made You Think
I'm kind of ashamed to say that I hadn't really thought much about people who identify as non-binary and their struggles before I read I Wish You All the Best by Mason Deaver. And I have several enby friends. This book opened my eyes to a lot of things and since then I have learned a lot that now helps me in my job as a high school teacher create a more safe place for the non-binary teens in my school. This book is one that I made sure is on the shelves for my students to borrow. This book is so important! Not only because it has a non-binary main character but because it was written by someone who identifies as non-binary.

Read my review here.

Day 14: Queer Book That Made You Cry
 I've read a lot of queer books that have made me cry especially as a main character deals with past trauma but this is the first one I thought of for this prompt. Rend by Roan Parrish has a unique perspective because the main characters are already married. It's not a normal will they or won't they romance. It's an exploration of what it means to be married and in love and how to open yourself up to the person you love. This book is everything I never knew I needed in a queer romance.

What books would you recommend for these prompts?

Release Day Review: Alpha Night by Nalini Singh

Alpha Night
(Psy-Changeling: Trinity #4)
Nalini Singh
Release: June 9, 2020
Goodreads Amazon

New York Times bestselling author Nalini Singh returns to her breathtaking Psy-Changeling Trinity series with a mating that shouldn’t exist…

Alpha wolf Selenka Durev’s devotion to her pack is equaled only by her anger at anyone who would harm those under her care. That currently includes the empaths who’ve flowed into her city for a symposium that is a security nightmare, a powder keg just waiting for a match.

Ethan Night is an Arrow who isn’t an Arrow. Numb and disengaged from the world, he’s loyal only to himself. Assigned as part of the security force at a world-first symposium, he carries a dark agenda tied to the power-hungry and murderous Consortium. Then violence erupts and Ethan finds himself crashing into the heart and soul of an alpha wolf.

Mating at first sight is a myth, a fairytale. Yet Selenka’s wolf is resolute: Ethan Night, broken Arrow and a man capable of obsessive devotion, is the mate it has chosen. Even if the mating bond is full of static and not quite as it should be. Because Selenka’s new mate has a terrible secret, his mind surging with a power that is a creature of madness and death…

Review:
You all know how much I adore Nalini Singh's Psy-Changeling series and sometimes I can't contain help but gush about each new book in this series. I always know that I'm going to at least enjoy each one and I can never figure out how each new story is going to go. I'm constantly surprised with how much I fall in love with each new book and y'all, I freaking adored Alpha Night so much. In my opinion, the four books of this Trinity arc/spin-off have been some of the best books in the whole series and this one just might be my new favorite. I've reread it three times already and it just came out.

The book starts out at a symposium for the newly remembered E designation. The symposium is set in Kaleb's territory of Moscow and the StoneWater and BlackEdge packs have been brought in with the Arrows to provide security for the empaths. Enter in Selenka Durev, alpha of the BlackEdge wolves, and Ethan Night, TK Arrow, who are both manning security and come into contact with each other when an attack happens. Within minutes of dealing with the attack, they're mated.
 
Not only did we finally got a book about a female alpha but we got a book about a mating at first sight! These kinds of matings have been mentioned a few times in passing throughout the series but we've never seen one. There were several matings where the male knew the other was their mate but this is the first mating we've gotten one where both love interests accept the bond before they know each other. Plus, I'm a sucker for the pairings where one or more of the main characters are an Arrow so I freaking adored Selenka and Ethan together! I loved that were both devoted to each other from the first and were dedicated to making their mating work even though they were strangers at first.

There's a lot that's going on in this book. There's an attack on the symposium, several attacks on Selenka's pack, and Ethan is displaying all the signs of having the dreaded Scarab Syndrome and could be on the brink of losing his mind. That's quite a bit to handle on top of a surprise mating. I loved reading about Selenka and Ethan learning each other and coming together. I also enjoyed the overall plot and mystery of this book. I guessed a few of the outcomes but I was kept on the edge of my seat the whole time I was reading. Which happened to be all in one sitting. I should know better by now not to start a Nalini Singh book before bed if I want to get any sleep.

I loved getting to know the BlackEdge pack and seeing some familiar faces from previous books! Selenka and Valentin's interactions were the best! I loved seeing them compare whose mate was more badass and bemoaning how vulnerable said badass mates were because of their psychic abilities. Actually all the interactions between the wolves and the bears were great! I really loved everything about this book. I’m pretty sure I was a literal embodiment of the heart eyes emoji each time I finished this book. 

Overall, Alpha Night was an excellent addition to one of my favorite series. I can't wait to reread the story again and again over the coming years. Now on to speculating and trying to guess who will be the main characters of the next book. I really really want a book about the falcons or someone from Remi's pack or maybe we'll get to see more of BlackSea! I kind of have my fingers crossed that we get at least a novella about one or more of the relationships we see developing like Axl and Tamar or Arwen and Pavel or Nerida and Yuri. I especially want something or anything about what the heck is going on between Anthony and Nikita. It's going to be a long year of waiting that's for sure.

ARC provided by the publisher via Netgalley

    

  5 / 5 Stars!

Book #11- Fated Folly- Read a Fated Mates PNR

My reviews of other books in this series:

Whisper of Sin by Nalini Singh

Wild Invitation by Nalini Singh

Slave to Sensation by Nalini Singh

Visions of Heat by Nalini Singh

Caressed by Ice by Nalini Singh

Mine to Possess by Nalini Singh

Hostage to Pleasure by Nalini Singh

Branded by Fire by Nalini Singh

Blaze of Memory by Nalini Singh

Bonds of Justice by Nalini Singh

Passion of Play by Nalini Singh

Kiss of Snow by Nalini Singh

Tangle of Need by Nalini Singh

Heart of Obsidian by Nalini Singh

Secrets at Midnight by Nalini Singh 

Shield of Winter by Nalini Singh

Shards of Hope by Nalini Singh

Allegiance of Honor by Nalini Singh 
Wild Embrace by Nalini Singh    

Silver Silence by Nalini Singh
Ocean Light by Nalini Singh 

Wolf Rain by Nalini Singh

We Love Lists: #ReadingPride 30 Days of Queer Reads Week 1

Happy June, Everyone! It's Pride Month! I read queer fiction all year round but I especially love to read, review, and recommend my favorites this time of year to celebrate Pride. The last few years I've tried to post either a Pride Reads rec post or a TBR list for June but this year I wanted to do something different. The problem was I couldn't think of what to do beyond a recommendations post or a recap of some of my favorite queer books I've reviewed for the blog.

The other day I was randomly reading Gail Carriger's blog as I'm wont to do because I love her and her books and her queer fiction recs when I saw her post for a bookstagram meme she made to celebrate Pride. I took one look at Gail's 30 Days of Queer Reads #Reading Pride meme and knew immediately that I wanted to participate. So I am!

Gail put all 30 days of recs into one post which was lovely but I decided to divide mine up into weekly posts. I did this for a few reasons but the main two are: 1. it would be a really long post and 2. I might read something during the month that would work for one of the recommendations. I'm going to try to only recommend a book only once but we'll see how it goes.

Let's talk about my queer fiction recs for the first seven days! If we've reviewed the book on the blog, I've linked you to each review if you want more of our thoughts on a book.

Day 1: First Queer Book You Remember Reading

This was a tricky prompt. I read several classics like The Picture of Dorian Gray by Oscar Wilde that had a lot of queer subtext but with no characters that were blatantly out. The first book I remember reading with queer characters is Briar Rose by Jane Yolen but they were side characters. The first book I remember reading where the main characters were queer was Wicked Lies by Karina Cooper.

Day 2: Queer Book That Reminds You of Home

Any book by Becky Chambers feels like a warm hug when you read it but there was just something about A Long Way to a Small, Angry Planet that just made me feel like I was at home. Part of it, I think is because the found family aspect of the book reminded me of the second family I found for myself in college.

Read Rose Red's review here.

Day 3: Queer Book That's Been On Your TBR Too Long

This could turn into a whole shameful post about all the queer books I haven't read yet. I'm most particularly ashamed that I haven't read A Bad Deal for the Whole Galaxy by Alex White (f/f) and Chainbreaker by Tara Sim (m/m). What have I been doing with my life? I really need to get to both of these soon because I loved the first books in both of these series.

Day 4: Queer Book With a Name or Number in the Title

You all know how much I love Roan Parrish's queer romance books. So it won't be a surprise to see several on these lists. The first of which is The Remaking of Corbin Wale by Roan Parrish is a unique and strange little book that has a super sweet romance and an intriguing premise. Plus, you'll be craving all the baked goods while reading it.

Read Rose Red's review here.

Day 5: Queer Book Where the Protagonist Has a Fun Job

This was another hard prompt to fill because I have several recs that would fit. I actually really wanted to copy Gail's choice for this prompt because it was a perfect choice but decided I should come up with my own. This is where Will Darling comes in. Will is a soldier recently back from war who has become a reluctant bookshop owner as he tries to figure out what's next for himself. Will's journey is wonderful but I'll leave it up to you to find out more. Will's story starts in Slippery Creatures by KJ Charles.

Day 6: Favorite Queer Graphic Novel

I read a lot of graphic novels and manga and I've read enough queer graphic novels that I could write a whole recommendation post. Maybe I will. That would be an awesome topic to do! For this post, I want to highlight two of my favorites: Check, Please! by Ngozi Ukazu and I Married My Best Friend to Shut My Parents Up by Naoko Kodama. These are both sweet romances that I loved!

Read Rose Red's review of Check, Please! Book One: #Hockey here.

Day 7: Queer Book You Often Reread
I'm a chronic rereader. If I loved a book, it's a guarantee I'll reread it multiple times. I have lots of queer books I reread on a regular basis but the two I've reread the most often the last few years has been Claimings, Tails, and Other Alien Artifacts by Lyn Gala and True of Heart by M.L. Rhodes. These two books are self-published indie novels that I need to get physical copies of. I love them so much! Both are m/m with one being a sci-fi romance and the other being a fated mates fantasy novel. They're both unique and absolutely wonderful.

What books would you recommend for these prompts?

Review: Chaos Reigning by Jessie Mihalik

Chaos Reigning
(Consortium Rebellion #3)
Jessie Mihalik
Release: May 19, 2020
Goodreads Amazon

Interplanetary intrigue and romance combine in this electrifying finale to the Consortium Rebellion series.

As the youngest member of her High House, Catarina von Hasenberg is used to being underestimated, but her youth and flighty, bubbly personality mask a clever mind and stubborn determination. Her enemies, blind to her true strength, do not suspect that Cat is a spy—which makes her the perfect candidate to go undercover at a rival House’s summer retreat to gather intelligence on their recent treachery.

Cat’s overprotective older sister reluctantly agrees, but on one condition: Cat cannot go alone. Alexander Sterling, a quiet, gorgeous bodyguard, will accompany her, posing as her lover. After Cat tries, and fails, to ditch Alex, she grudgingly agrees, confident in her ability to manage him. After all, she’s never found a person she can’t manipulate.

But Alex proves more difficult—and more desirable—than Cat anticipated. When she’s attacked and nearly killed, she and Alex are forced to work together to figure out how deep the treason goes. With rumors of widespread assaults on Serenity raging, communications down, and the rest of her family trapped off-planet, Catarina must persuade Alex to return to Earth to expose the truth and finish this deadly battle once and for all.

But Cat can’t explain why she’s the perfect person to infiltrate hostile territory without revealing secrets she’d rather keep buried. . . .

Review:
I have enjoyed the world and politics of the Consortium Rebellion series. I enjoyed the first book and adored the second book and because of that I had a lot of expectations going into this final book. I came for the badass space princesses and stayed for the crazy space shenanigans. There was a lot of loose ends with the overarching conspiracy plot that needed wrapped up and I'm happy to say that the finale of this trilogy was very well done!

One of my favorite things about this series it that each book is about a highly intelligent and trained lady who can save herself. I've loved the space opera aspect of each book! They're action packed, full of political intrigue, and awesome family dynamics. In Aurora Blazing, I was intrigued by the youngest von Hasenberg who was investigating Ferdinand's disappearance on Earth as Bianca was rescuing him. So I was excited when I learned Chaos Reigning was going to be Catarina's book!

Cat is different than her siblings and has cultivated a public persona where she's viewed as bubbly and charming but a bit dim. She's presents herself as a stereotypical House socialite with a shopping addiction and her siblings are super protective of her. She's so much more than a socialite and constantly underestimated. I loved seeing her become more comfortable and confident with her badass side! Like all of the von Hasenberg siblings, Cat is extremely intelligent and has a huge secret she's keeping from everybody.
 
Cat charms her way into a house party of a rival house as a way to gather more information about her brother's abduction. Bianca finds out and makes her take Alex and Aoife as bodyguards. Things are more dangerous than Cat anticipated and what follows is an action-packed race against time and a plot-twist that had me finishing this book in one sitting.

I'm a sucker for a good bodyguard romance. Add in the fake relationship trope and I'm sold. Sadly, there wasn't much romance in this book. Like the first book, the hero, Alex, felt like a flat character because we only get the story from Cat's point of view. I liked what we got to see of him through his interactions with Cat but the romance between the two felt like an afterthought to me. I get that a big part of Alex's character is that he fades into the background but it felt like his adopted sister, Aoife, had more of a presence and personality in the story than he did. I love this series for the crazy space opera it is but I can't help but feel like this series could have been an all-time favorite if we had just had the points-of-view of the heroes and not only those of the heroines.

Overall, I'm satisfied with how the series ended and how the conspiracy plot was wrapped up. I wish we had gotten a bit more of an epilogue but the author left things open enough that I hope she comes back to these characters and world with a spin-off series. I'm dying for a Rhys and Veronica book or a Benedict book. Or a book where all the super soldiers get together and interact and do a mission together with the von Hasenberg siblings. Honestly, I will take whatever books the author wants to write in this world. I just want more.

ARC provided by the publisher via Edelweiss.

   

  4 / 5 Stars



My reviews of other books in this series:
Polaris Rising (Consortium Rebellion #1) by Jessie Mihalik
Aurora Blazing (Consortium Rebellion #2) by Jessie Mihalik

Review: Something to Talk About by Meryl Wilsner

Something to Talk About
Meryl Wilsner
Release: May 26, 2020
Goodreads Amazon
Trigger Warnings for sexual harassment and homophobia.

A showrunner and her assistant give the world something to talk about when they accidentally fuel a ridiculous rumor in this debut romance.

Hollywood powerhouse Jo is photographed making her assistant Emma laugh on the red carpet, and just like that, the tabloids declare them a couple. The so-called scandal couldn't come at a worse time--threatening Emma's promotion and Jo's new movie.

As the gossip spreads, it starts to affect all areas of their lives. Paparazzi are following them outside the office, coworkers are treating them differently, and a "source" is feeding information to the media. But their only comment is "no comment".

With the launch of Jo's film project fast approaching, the two women begin to spend even more time together, getting along famously. Emma seems to have a sixth sense for knowing what Jo needs. And Jo, known for being aloof and outwardly cold, opens up to Emma in a way neither of them expects. They begin to realize the rumor might not be so off base after all...but is acting on the spark between them worth fanning the gossip flames?

Review:
Did you all know that this book is Berkley's first ever queer female romance?!? AND that it's written by a queer author!?! That in of itself put this book on my radar. Then I heard about the plot and I was sold. My expectations kept rising for this story the more I heard about it and the praise it was getting. Add in that gorgeous cover and I needed this book in my hands ASAP!

And OMG! I devoured this book! It met each and every one of my expectations and blew several more out of the water. I loved it so much that I immediately went and ordered a copy for curbside pickup so I could have it for my personal library. I sometimes struggle with slow burn romances but this one was the good kind of slow burn that had me shouting “Just kiss already!” at the characters! It being a f/f romance was just the cherry on top! 

I'm kind of a sucker for the "icy and distant businessperson falls in love with a sweet cinnamon roll love interest" trope and this story tackled that romance trope in such a way that I wasn't icked out by the fact that it was an boss/employee love story. It was so well done!

I loved Emma and Jo and the Hollywood setting so much! I didn't realize I needed this book in my life until I read it. It checked all of the boxes for me. I loved that Emma is Jewish for more than just Hanukah and that we get a peek into what it's like to be Chinese-American from Jo. I also loved that we get to see a part of what it is to be a woman in Hollywood. I will warn you that there is some sexual harassment in this book so be careful if that's a trigger for you. 

I loved that there is so much women supporting women in this book. I almost loved the relationship between Emma and her sister, Avery, as well as Jo's relationship with her best friend, Evelyn, more than the romance. Almost. What I really adored was seeing Jo and Avery become friends. The family dynamics in this book were intriguing and awesome for the most part.

The story is a slow, slow burn romance. I was invested from the get go but I could see people being turned off because of it too. I loved the chemistry that developed between Emma and Jo. I would have liked to see more of an epilogue or just more pages of them being officially together though.

This book is filled with a lot of good tension but some of it's also the kind of tension that would have been made unnecessary with some simple communication between the characters. I enjoyed the story as is but I may have been frustrated enough in a few parts that I shouted at the main characters to just talk to each other already. I loved getting the story from both Emma and Jo's perspectives but it got annoying how much they assumed they knew the other's answers without asking them.

Overall, I think Berkley chose a home run for their first female queer romance to publish. It was almost perfect, in my opinion. So if you're looking for a f/f romance to read during Pride this year, I can't recommend picking this one up enough!

ARC provided by the publisher via Netgalley

   1/2

  4.5 / 5 Stars

Book #23- Lady Lane- Read a Women's Fiction Novel
(This may be cheating a bit for this prompt but quite a few people marked this book as Chick Lit or Women's Fiction on Goodreads so I'll take it!)


 

Recommended for fans of:
Red, White and Royal Blue by Casey McQuiston

This Month's Most Anticipated: June 2020

Just like last month, a lot of things that were supposed to be released in June have been delayed until later in the year so this list will be a little smaller than normal. But here are our Most Anticipated June Releases:

Book Releases

June 2

If We Were Us by K.L. Walther
The State of Us by Shaun David Hutchinson
Shadows & Surrender (Jezebel Files #3) by Deborah Wilde

June 9

Alpha Night (Psy-Changeling: Trinity #4) by Nalini Singh

The Boyfriend Project (The Boyfriend Project #1) by Farrah Rochon

Th Damned (The Beautiful #2) by Renee Ahdieh

June 16

American Demon (Return to the Hollows #1) by Kim Harrison

June 23

Take a Hint, Dani Brown (The Brown Sisters #2) by Talia Hibbert
Two Rogues Make a Right (Seducing the Sedgewicks #3) by Cat Sebastian
Deadly Vows (Lizzy Grace #6) by Keri Arthur

June 30

To Catch an Earl (Bow Street Bachelors #2) by Kate Bateman

Daring and the Duke (The Bareknuckle Bastards #3) by Sarah MacLean

Love, Creekwood (Simonverse #3.5) by Becky Albertalli

TV and Movies

June 17

Prehistoric Road Trip
On PBS

June 19

Love, Victor Season 1
 On Hulu