Category: TBR Challenge

Review, TBR Challenge

TBR Challenge: Freebie

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May’s theme prompt for Super Wendy’s #TBRChallenge 2023 was “Freebie.” Here are the books we chose to tackle our TBRs this month.

Holly Read: A Spinster’s Guide to Scandalous Behavior by Jennifer McQuiston

The Seduction Diaries, Book #2

Why was this book on your TBR? 

I got this in a free box sometime in the last 5 years or so, and it’s been sitting on my shelf since then. 

Why did you choose this book for this month’s challenge?

Ingrid recently read a different book by Jennifer McQuiston and really liked it, so I figured I’d try her out and see if she worked for me as an author. 

Plus, I’ve been on a big histrom kick recently and really enjoying it, so wanted to keep that energy going. 

What are your thoughts on the book?

This book felt like pretty standard Avon Regency Romance fare, though I guess it’s technically a Victorian, since they ride a train. We’ve got a headstrong heroine who gets herself into a pretty pickle and a damaged hero who is ready to pick her up when she falls. (And, of course, does some falling himself.)

One thing that makes this book stand out is that McQuiston leans way in to heroine Lucy’s “not like other girls” energy—but in such a way that her differences from others don’t make her special for everyone…just for the hero. I also liked that Lucy is a bit selfish and impetuous, and is mildly punished in the narrative for her headstrong behavior. Not, like, seriously punished; just enough that she is forced to reckon with her privilege and maybe rethink some of her decisions. 

I didn’t love the dynamic between Lucy and Thomas, which is: Thomas is really trying, and Lucy is determined to believe the worst of him. It made me question why Thomas wanted to be with Lucy so badly. Maybe her “not like other girls” energy is irresistible after all. 

Overall, I would say that this book was inoffensive. It was fine, but didn’t stand out as exceptional in any way.

Buy Now: Amazon | Bookshop

Erin Read: Cinder Ella by S.T. Lynn

Black Trans Fairy Tales, Book #1

Why was this book on your TBR?

I think I found it when I was researching romance featuring transgender characters. 

Why did you choose this book for this month’s challenge? 

Aside from doing this challenge, I decided a good way to make a dent in my TBR was to knock out a bunch of the really short books, and this one is a two-hour novella. So it’s kind of like a two-fer?

What are your thoughts on the book?

First and foremost, this book is about a transgender woman coming to be acknowledged for herself. Ella’s father was supportive, but when he married her stepmother and subsequently died, her stepmother and step-sisters deadnamed and misgendered her, and they were also verbally and physically abusive. Given that this is a Cinderella retelling, this approach makes sense in the context of the story, but it was probably more uncomfortable than your average Cinderella-with-abusive-family uncomfortable, especially when the step-sisters “help” Ella get ready for the ball in a gown and makeup solely to humiliate her. 

There were a few consistency errors (or ideas simply not fully fleshed out), and I think the author spent a little too much time on some things (the first chapters are very heavy on the work Ella does around the house, as well as her interest in makeup and pretty clothes), and not enough time on others. As I mentioned, the story is about Ella’s personal journey, from seizing the opportunity to be herself at the ball to making the most of her own life once she’s away from her abusive family; her romance with the princess is about as limited as it is in the Disney movie. There could have been more room for Ella to make it on her own and to reunite with the princess after some time had passed, but we flew through that and resolved everything in a couple of chapters, so a lot of opportunities to ramp up tension, drama, and pining were left by the wayside. That said, this was an easy, sweet (except for all the abuse) read, and I don’t regret picking it up. 

One final note for anyone wanting to know about Own Voices type information: The author identifies as nonbinary, ace, and aro according to their bio, but they don’t include any self-identification of their race. 

Buy Now: Amazon

Want to join us in tackling your TBR? June’s theme is “Love is Love.”

Review, TBR Challenge

TBR Challenge: Unusual Historical

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April’s theme prompt for Super Wendy’s #TBRChallenge 2023 was “Unusual Historical.” Here are the books we chose to tackle our TBRs this month.

Holly Read: Mara, Daughter of the Nile by Eloise Jarvis McGraw

Why was this book on your TBR? 

As with pretty much every random paperback romance novel I own, I probably found this in a neighborhood book box. 

Why did you choose this book for this month’s challenge?

It’s set in ancient Egypt. Not too many romances being written about the ancient world. 

Note: I had a hard time choosing a book this month because I FRIGGIN LOVE unusual historicals. I considered reading Lucy Morris’s Shieldmaiden Sisters trilogy because VIKINGS! But decided that maybe I should read something I already own. You know, in the spirit of tackling my existing TBR instead of adding to it. 

What are your thoughts on the book?

If I had read this book when I was 13, I probably would have LOVED it. It’s full of excitement and intrigue and a young slave attracting the love of the hottest lord around. 

I also don’t think that this book would have been written today. The central intrigue is about deposing Hatshepsut, that pesky lady pharaoh who usurped her stepson’s throne. 

I ended up in a Wikipedia black hole while reading this book, and learned that, yes, Hatshepsut was a real pharaoh, who reigned 1478–1458 BC. She ruled during a time of prosperity, sponsored one of Egypt’s most successful trading expeditions, and was a prolific builder of monuments—including a 97 ft tall obelisk (quarried from a single block of stone, mind you).

All of these things are referred to in the book, but Hatshepsut is the villain who is bringing about Egypt’s decline. She must be replaced by the true king who wouldn’t spend all of the gold in the treasury on silly obelisks, but rather on manly military conquest. (And yes, Hatshepsut’s successor, Thutmose III, did a lot of military campaigning and empire expanding during his reign.) The happy ending can only happen åfter Hatshepsut drinks poison. (Probably not historically accurate.)

Back to my point about this book not being written like this today: the young adult romance adventure market would not stand for this portrayal of Hatshepsut. If we’re telling a romance about a slave turned double-agent in the world of palace intrigue, young Mara would be on the side of the queen, fighting off the men who would undermine her. 

Anyways, here’s Hatshepsut, heroine of my heart.

However, despite the many many feelings I had about the politics of the 18th Dynasty of Egypt, I mostly enjoyed this book. The beginning was a bit slow, but once the intrigue got going, it was pretty fun. Mara is a great heroine—charming, unrepentantly self-serving, and smart (though not as smart as she thinks she is). The attention to detail in the world-building is great. Who knows how accurate it was, but it *seemed* like an accurate portrayal of life in ancient Egypt: just weird enough to feel very foreign, but not so weird that the characters and their struggles weren’t recognizable.

For much of the book, the romance is not central to the plot, taking a back seat to the intrigue, but the love story does become centrally important as we reach the story’s climax. Plus there’s decent banter and a few passionate kisses.

This book probably would have continued to languish on my shelf o’ romances if it weren’t for the TBR challenge. And I’m glad that I decided to finally read it.

Buy Now: Amazon | Bookshop

Ingrid Read: Highland Dragon Master by Isabel Cooper

Dawn of the Highland Dragon, Book # 3

Why was this book on your TBR? 

I saw it in a used bookstore and thought to myself, I don’t know what’s going on here…but dragons are good and highlanders are good, so…

Why did you choose this book for this month’s challenge? 

It fit almost TOO well. I had to.

What are your thoughts on the book?

We’ll call this an “in progress” report because I fell asleep when I was supposed to be reading. It happens. 

In this book, we have a highland warrior dragon shifter. (For real.) Realizing he’s having trouble overcoming his shifter nature, he’s pulled from the front line and sent on a mission, where he finds Toinette, a fellow shifter he grew up with during his adolescence. 

Toinette captains a ship Erik hires to take him to an island full of mystery. Here’s where I fell asleep. 

Impressions thus far are that there’s little heat between the two. It feels almost peripheral to the action. Also, Erik being a Highlander also feels secondary. It feels like it’s more of a paranormal/shifter book? But of course, there’s still plenty of time for that to change. 

I’ll update after I finish!

Buy Now: Amazon | Bookshop

Want to join us in tackling your TBR? May’s theme is “Freebie.”

Review, TBR Challenge

TBR Challenge: Baggage

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March’s theme prompt for Super Wendy’s #TBRChallenge 2023 was “Baggage.” Here are the books we chose to tackle our TBRs this month.

Erin Read: Rookie Move by Sarina Bowen

Brooklyn Bruisers, Book #1

Why was this book on your TBR? 

It’s a hockey romance.

Why did you choose this book for this month’s challenge? 

It’s a second chance romance for former high school sweethearts unexpectedly pushed together in the workplace again. Sounds like baggage to me!

What are your thoughts on the book?

I have many thoughts, and most of them are displeased. 

This is an old book in Bowen’s backlist, but it’s not her debut, so I don’t understand why there’s not more editorial accountability in this book. Why are we getting dialogue from the yoga trainer running through the routine? It’s taking up space and doing nothing else for the story. There are some other editorial mistakes as well (continuity errors, POV errors, etc), and I was surprised by them. That said, it is possible to still enjoy a story, even when there are editorial errors.

Georgia is the type of character who hasn’t really come to terms with the trauma of her past or the decisions she made in the wake of that trauma, so she ends up dealing with the reappearance of her ex by telling herself just about any story she can imagine to keep kicking the can down the road. And then she gets mad at Leo when the actions she set in motion come back to cause trouble. It was infuriating to see her blame Leo for problems that she ultimately created, but it was also infuriating to see Leo mostly just take it. Why is Leo such a doormat? He’s supposed to be this loving, dedicated, cinnamon roll guy, but that kinda also doesn’t work when he impulsively kisses Georgia at a gala after a scene with his ex, so what’s his deal exactly? Tsk.

I was going to DNF this book, but then I went to the grocery store and didn’t have anything else downloaded, so I kept listening and got to the point where I had to rage finish…and I actually liked the ending. Georgia, Leo, and Georgia’s dad (the coach) are all M-E-S-S-Y, but the way they’re all finally forced to confront the trauma that messed them up years before was much more big-picture than I expected it to be. And that is how a book can go from hate to …like, I suppose. I have a couple other books in this series, but now I’m a bit leery. Maybe I’ll give it another shot and see what happens with different characters.

CW: Georgia was raped during her senior year of high school, and it’s not described on page, but the repercussions of it forms a large part of the story.

Buy Now: Amazon | Bookshop

Holly Read: You Made a Fool of Death with Your Beauty by Akwaeke Emezi

Why was this book on your TBR? 

This book got a lot of buzz last year, and some people who I trust about romance novels liked it, so I figured—why not? Also the cover is gorgeous.

Why did you choose this book for this month’s challenge? 

Well. This might not be obvious from just the blurb, but the heroine falls for her sorta-boyfriend’s dad. And is also carrying a lot of grief about her dead husband. And is also hanging out on a sexy tropical island. All of those things include baggage of one kind or another.

What are your thoughts on the book?

Do you like mess? Because these characters are very very messy. Also messy? The Goodreads reviews. Hoo boy is this book divisive. (The fact that the marketing does not make it clear that this is a DILF book did the book absolutely no favors.)

I thought it succeeded as a romance. I must admit that for the first third of the book, I wasn’t sure where we were going, but once Feyi and Alim started bouncing off each other, I could see it. Forbidden pining? Check. Explosive connection that’s so powerful that we’re totally fine blowing up other relationships to make it happen? Check. Heart-wrenching declaration of love right at the end? Check. Some might be squicked out by the power differential between our protagonists, but frankly, if you’re reading a DILF book, that’s part of the fun.

In terms of the non-romance components of the book: I really appreciated that Feyi isn’t subject to narrative punishment for daring to have casual sex (in chapter 1, with a stranger in a bathroom at a bar, who does not end up being the love interest). I thought her relationship with her BFF felt really real.

However, I didn’t much enjoy reading it. I found it overwritten and overwrought. Some might find the prose lush or sensual, but I was mostly like, “Well, that’s a weird metaphor, ok.” Honestly, I just don’t have the patience for “literary” writing these days. 

Also, Feyi was weirdly aware of her pierced nipples way more often than I would assume most women think about their breasts. 

Buy Now: Amazon | Bookshop

Ingrid Read: What She Wants by Lynsay Sands

Why was this book on your TBR? 

I bought a whole stack of books from the used book store and scored a couple Highlander books (I’m into those right now).

Why did you choose this book for this month’s challenge?

This one features Willa, a woman who saw her best friend murdered as a child and never had any friends, and whose mother died and thus she was raised by a servant in a ramshackle cabin (because someone wanted her dead and so was hidden from the world) and I don’t know about you but I felt strongly that someone of that background would be carrying some amount of baggage.

What are your thoughts on the book?

This book was pretty cute. Hugh (MMC) is kind of ridiculous and bumbling in the beginning and I had a hard time thinking I would ever be really into him as a hero (although I LOVED that he was bumbling, more of that please) but color me corrected. 

Willa and Hugh end up engaged when Willa’s secret guardian arranges that she must be married to his heir and nephew. Said heir/nephew is not interested. So he insults her and then immediately realizes that that would be both a strategic and perhaps emotional mistake, so he works hard to get her to agree to the arrangement again. Willa’s surrogate mother, a witch, tells her that she can’t accept his suit until he crawls on his hands and knees or he’ll die in less than a month, so that situation is pretty hilarious. Then he moves Willa into the castle, which leads to the person who wanted her dead to start up attempting again. It’s part thrilling and part funny, a combination that I found enjoyable.

I will say that both Willa and Hugh are at times truly lacking in sense, but they somehow manage to take turns…so they get by. And luckily they do end up catching the murderer, because I truly do not know how they managed to avoid death with how much they bumbled.

Buy Now: Amazon | Bookshop

Want to join us in tackling your TBR? April’s theme is “Unusual Historical.”

Review, TBR Challenge

TBR Challenge: Getaway

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February’s theme prompt for Super Wendy’s #TBRChallenge 2023 was “Getaway.” Here are the books we chose to tackle our TBRs this month.

Erin Read: Sand to the Beach by Shae Sanders

Why was this book on your TBR? 

I think I saw a release promo from the author on Insta? And it looked like fun. 

Why did you choose this book for this month’s challenge?

Going to the beach is a getaway, right? Though, as it happens, the parents are the ones on a getaway and the MCs are grudgingly along for the ride. 

What are your thoughts on the book?

As I was trying to decide what to read for this month, I worked off my TBR on Goodreads (it’s the most comprehensive), so I ended up reading a few reviews as I looked at blurbs. This is to say: a lot of readers think that Jenarra is an unlikeable heroine. She is…but I actually didn’t think she was so much unlikeable as she was emotionally closed off with extra spiky walls. Which, okay, might read to some as unlikeable, but to me I’d reserve that label for someone who is a jerk or hardass with seemingly no reason, and I didn’t think Jenarra quite fit that bill. All of her behavior is rooted in deep-seated trust issues that have a clear source (even if we don’t know details) pretty much from the word go. 

Anyway, Jenarra, with her deep-seated trust issues, invites herself along on her mother’s romantic getaway when she learns that her mother’s new lover is a man she met online. Something bad happened in the past, and Jenarra is going to be a guard-dragon for her mother because she doesn’t trust…anybody. Her mother’s lover does not appreciate Jenarra being a wet blanket, so he wheedles his son Maceo into coming to run interference for the week. At first Maceo is like, “Why on earth am I putting up with this BS?” But after a day or so both his curiosity about her and his physical attraction to her win out. 

This book is not long, so there’s not a ton of space to create a lot of depth in the narrative, but also there aren’t dangling storylines that warrant a significantly longer story. I enjoyed the read, and the only reason I’m not over the moon about it is probably because it’s really, really, sexy, and instead of keeping me engaged in the middle I got bored with all the sex. That’s a me thing; other readers who like a really sexy book—especially with an “unlikeable heroine”—would probably like this one, especially with that twist coming out of right field at the end.

Buy Now: Amazon

Holly Read: Welcome to Temptation by Jennifer Crusie

Why was this book on your TBR? 

Ever since we read Bet Me together, I’ve been working my way through Crusie’s backlist, and multiple people have told me that Welcome to Temptation is the best one.

Why did you choose this book for this month’s challenge? 

It’s about Sophie arriving in the town of Temptation. That seemed appropriate for a getaway. (And it turns out, many of the characters are trying to escape from one thing or another.)

What are your thoughts on the book?

This book is fucking awesome. 

It’s got messy characters going through messy emotions and it’s hilarious but not slapstick. It’s got the weirdest sex scene I’ve ever read—and we once spent a whole month reading books with literal monster dongs. It’s got a cute kid and a cute dog, but not too much of either. It’s got small town politics and porn. It’s got murder, both successful and attempted. It’s got really ugly wallpaper and an even uglier shower curtain.

I will say that, so far in my reading of Crusie’s books, her heroes all kind of suck (at least initially), and Phin is no exception…but he learns. And the scenes where Sophie tells him off are just pitch perfect.

I was smiling so hard when I finished it.

Buy Now: Amazon | Bookshop

Ingrid Read: The Raider by Jude Deveraux

Montgomery/Taggert, Book #4

Why was this book on your TBR?

It’s one of the few old timers I remembered—and once I thought about it, I wanted to see how it held up after a few decades.

Why did you choose this book for this month’s challenge?

Well, The Raider in this one spends the entire book in one getaway caper after the next. Plus, after he starts up with the dangerous escapades the rest of the townspeople get involved and then EVERYONE is making speedy getaways.

What are your thoughts on the book?

Well, first and foremost this book could simply not have been published now. The entire premise rests on how the MMC is “The Raider” in the darkness of night and stuffs his clothes and pants so he looks like an overweight fop during the daytime. A lot of the humor is based on the MMC’s presumed weight and it clearly links his masculinity to his figure. I think it goes without saying that fat bodies are not a result of a lack of character, nor are people who are fat in any way less feminine/masculine as a result? But since this is a book (not a person) and can’t have its mind changed, I just read it as it was.

However, I will say that the premise and execution were still as original as I remembered. The relationship that builds is twofold—with The Raider, Jessica’s passions are inflamed and her fearlessness and determination are given space to grow. With Alexander Montgomery, Jessicas’s rash choices and temper are balanced and soothed. Plus, the capers and shenanigans are hilarious and pretty darn satisfying.

I think it’s funny that I’m pretty sure I haven’t read any of the other books in this series. I don’t really feel like it’s necessary, but maybe I’m wrong and one of the other Montgomery books is even better! I just got a huge stack of old romances from the used book store, so perhaps I’ll keep an eye out…

Buy Now: Amazon | Bookshop

Want to join us in tackling your TBR? March’s theme is “Baggage.”

Review, TBR Challenge

TBR Challenge: Starting Over

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January’s theme prompt for Super Wendy’s #TBRChallenge 2023 was “Starting Over.” Here are the books we chose to tackle our TBRs this month.

Erin Read: Got Me Thinking by Casey Cox

Vet Shop Boys, Book #4

Why was this book on your TBR?

I read the first three books in the series but the rest weren’t available in audio yet.

Why did you choose this book for this month’s challenge?

Both of the MCs are starting over after long term relationships ending. Also it’s available in audio now.

What are your thoughts on the book?

This is very much in the middle of a series. The veterinarian, Chase, has been experiencing the end of his marriage until this point, and all the other protagonists and their partners show up immediately and with great regularity, and not just because they all work together. Could it be a standalone? Sure. But it’s definitely going to be a more robust read if you have Chase’s background and care about the secondary characters. 

This whole series is really soft. It centers on self-exploration and vulnerability, overcoming deep-rooted fears to embrace love. The protagonists in this book in particular have very few personal struggles to overcome—Chase is trying to figure out who he is after trying to be who everyone else wanted him to be his whole life, and Fischer is figuring out how to adjust to his life as a single parent of twins after moving back to his hometown when his ex walked out. They’re not wealthy, but they don’t have to worry about money, or their jobs, or their families, or past trauma… You get the idea. It’s just really soft. 

At first, Fischer and Chase simply befriend each other because neither has revealed he’s gay and both are doing the work of dealing with life. It’s a lot of charming, playing house relationship building. When their mutual attraction boils over, their relationship becomes a bit more rocky, since neither knows where he stands with the other, but their charming togetherness is never far away. 

This book (and the series) is a comfort read to me. I don’t get the high highs and low lows of a really gripping story that makes your stomach flip-flop, but I was charmed by the care Fischer and Chase took with each other as they tried to figure out what they wanted as individuals and together. I appreciated that Fischer considered how his choices would affect his family, even though the girls were still babies. Also, Chase felt a lot of guilt over his divorce, but his ex was happier not being married to a man who wasn’t attracted to her, so here’s another one for the amicable divorce column. It was just a nice, feel-good romance.

Buy Now: Amazon

Holly Read: An Unconditional Freedom by Alyssa Cole (2018)

The Loyal League, Book 3

Why was this book on your TBR? 

I read the first two books in the series a few years ago and thought they were fabulous (reviews of Book 1 and Book 2), but I hadn’t gotten around to this one. 

Why did you choose this book for this month’s challenge? 

I had named this book as the one book I definitely wanted to read in both 2021 and 2022, so in the interest of starting over, I am actually working to meet my goals this year. 

What are your thoughts on the book?

It actually worked quite well as a story of starting over—both Daniel and Janeta are coming to terms with their new identities in light of what they experience and learn. I’m talking a serious reevaluation, based on the discovery that the freedom they enjoy is conditional because of the color of their skin. As you might imagine, there is significant trauma involved in this realization.

The basic premise of the story is that Daniel is working through his PTSD of being kidnapped and sold into slavery as an adult by being a spy for the Union and occasionally killing Confederate agents; he is assigned to work with Janeta, who is a new member of the spy ring. However, Janeta is actually a double agent, who plans on passing information on to her Confederate boyfriend in a bid to free her father from prison. They go on a road trip together into the Deep South to crash a dinner party between an English agent and Jefferson Davis.

There’s a lot of angst (Janeta) and brooding (Daniel) and pining (mutual), and the end result is a fabulous slow burn romance that hits on every level. I really enjoyed it, and can’t believe it took me so long to read. Holy shit is it a winner.

Buy Now: Amazon | Bookshop

Want to join us in tackling your TBR? February’s theme is “Getaway.”