Heat Factor: Lots of kissing and even some canoodling, but it quickly fades to black
Character Chemistry: There is honestly nothing better than the ways that Luc and Oliver show they love each other, both with little, everyday things and when they both let all their messes hang out
Plot: To wed or not to wed? That is the question. But it’s not really a question because the real grownups all get wed… Right? RIGHT?!
Overall: There is so much humor and love in this book, and I had such a blast reading it, but I also had to check myself in the later sections as the writing on the wall became more and more clear
Holly got an ARC of Something Fabulous for herself, and Erin was like, “You got that for me, right?” Obviously, that meant we had to review this book together. It’s time for a Dueling Review!
Something Fabulous, Book #1
Erin’s Take
Heat Factor: I don’t think I’ve ever read (highly enthusiastic) rimming as the first interlude, and it was a refreshing change of pace
Character Chemistry: In its essentials, the grumpy one is soft for the sunshine one. Or, rather, the rigid one is soft for the free spirited one.
Plot: A very bad proposal of marriage leads to a road trip of personal discovery
Overall: I laughed, I cried, I laughed some more, and then I sighed with happiness
Holly’s Take
Heat Factor: Unexpectedly explicit about arseholes
Character Chemistry: Utterly irritating, utterly captivated
Plot: Valentine finds himself the villain in a gothic novel
Overall: I found the silly first half a slog, but my heart went pitter-pat in the end
June is Pride month, and as we hurtle towards July and summer, we wanted to take a moment to highlight some of our favorite romances featuring bisexual characters. (As always, click the links to go to the book’s Amazon page.)
Johan doesn’t specifically label himself, but he does easily and matter-of-factly discuss his partners of different genders. The drama of the story is his fake relationship with Nya, the politics of his imaginary benevolent European monarchy, and their respective childhood traumas. Loved. It.
This is a very YA romance. Kai isn’t out, and he’s a HS senior, but when he decides to spite-ask Bryson to date him (because of this dare that made him very grumpy), he finally gets to be himself with someone without fear, and Bryson discovers that he’s actually attracted to Kai. It is just the sweetest young love story, although, thanks to the high school framing, bi invisibility is real, since everyone dating someone of a different gender is presumed to be straight (shocking, I know).
Chellie, influencer extraordinaire, is on an image rehabilitation tour slash is taking some alone time out in the woods…where she meets Tanner, Grumpy Bear Shifter. This is a low-drama novella with a lot of Tanner grumpily caring for Chellie when she does things like not dress appropriately for the woods or wander off and almost get eaten by a mountain lion. Chellie is also bi, though her toxic mother keeps trying to convince everyone that her attraction to women is “just a phase.” (Charming.) But seriously, aside from the toxic mother, this novella is seriously charming.
This beautiful menage romance features two bisexual men who have been best friends slash bandmates for years. Come for the sexytimes, stay for the thoughtful portrayal of a couple opening their marriage and finding so much more love than they expected.
Did you know that bisexuality is…not a new phenomenon? Agatha Griffin was happily married to a man for many years, and is surprised when she finds love again, this time in the arms of beekeeper and rabble-rouser Penelope Flood. This beautiful, espistolitary romance featuring two women as they enter middle age is a lovely, politically-sharp read.
This romance novel is set at the Great British Bake Off. Need I say more? Ok, fine, so Rosaline is also openly and proudly bisexual—perhaps even stridently so. Her experience entering a baking competition brings her not only love, but also a pretty compelling journey of self-discovery. Warning: this book includes an ugly and gas-lighty and all-too-unsurprising attempted sexual assault. It also contains a love triangle. Your mileage may vary, but I had a blast reading it.
The Smut Report 