Thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for the complimentary ARC. All opinions provided are my own. I’ve seen people recommend Josh Lanyon before & a 1940s, atmospheric read with a murder mystery seemed like a good place to start. It feels difficult to sum up my feelings on Snowball in Hell but basically: on one hand, the book’s portrayal of how dangerous it was for queer men in the 1940s feels authentic to real life but on the other, from a romance-reading perspective the book is darker than I expected it would be. And while I think this is book 1 in a series, I didn’t totally appreciate how I felt hopeful but not necessarily settled about where the leads are together or separately at the end of this one. In Snowball in Hell Lieutenant Matt Spain is tasked with finding who murdered the son of a wealthy man & left his body in a tar pit. Also helping him investigate, but on an unofficial level, is reporter Nathan Doyle. Bringing in some lingering trauma from their respective war experiences, their various perspectives on their sexuality & the shame & in Matt’s case, denial, about some aspects of it, & the homophobia of the time period in general, Snowball in Hell is not a light read. The murder mystery aspect is fun, & seeing Matt & Nathan connect, particularly while they’re basically cut off from the world on Christmas Eve & Christmas, is touching. I hope that the next books will allow both men to come to some peace in how they view themselves & their sexuality & carve out a space for their relationship that feels relatively safe. 3 ⭐️. Out now!
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Thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for the complimentary ARC. All opinions provided are my own. 📖 Q: what’s your ideal amount of angst in a romance using stove burner terminology? I am low to medium 😆. I see people recommended Rachel Reid’s romance Heated Rivalry all the time. *ticking off boxes* It’s a MM sports romance between on-going enemies who are sexxing each other up anytime their teams are in the same town. The Long Game, Reid’s upcoming release, follows that same Heated Rivalry couple—Ilya & Shane—now that they’ve said “I love you” but while they’re still keeping their relationship a secret from pretty much anyone because of the fact that they’re widely known as (supposedly) hating each other on & off the ice. I have two different ways of responding to this book (and the series overall). I recognize that it’s a strong romance & I can see why it’s beloved. I gave The Long Game 4.5 stars bc of reasons outlined below. But I think this is a classic not you, me situation bc these books hit me hard on the angst-meter & that’s not my fave romance-reading sensation in general. Though Ilya & Shane are a couple in this book they still have a lot of issues to work through, including what they think will happen if they are to reveal that they’re a couple, what each of them wants, & challenges Ilya is experiencing with his mental health. I found some parts of this book emotionally difficult to read & TBH as much as I was happy for this couple & enjoy Reid’s writing I was also feeling a little feelings cloud about picking it back up 😅. Setting aside my feelings cloud & returning to my review opening 😆, this duology is great. The chemistry between Ilya & Shane is off the charts, they’re convincingly built up as characters who love to compete *and* kiss, Ilya is hilarious & always pushing the envelope, I love how much they obviously care about the other despite their missteps, & the ending is satisfying. But it hurt me to get there 😆. 4.5 ⭐️. Release date: 04/26
Thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for the complimentary ARC. All opinions provided are my own. 📖 Q: have you ever been to Paris? Eight Weeks in Paris by S.R. Lane is one of those books that I just fell into—it’s a blissful (& also angsty) Paris-set trope-fest that engaged me on every level & felt like Moulin Rouge meets French Kiss. Trope-wise, this is opposites attract, sunshine & the grumpy, coworkers, caretaking, stormed in, forced proximity. (Do you hear my heart going pitter patter?) Nicholas Madden is a “serious actor” who gives me Richard from Lucy Parker’s Act Like It vibes. He’s got a grumpy, temper-fueled, brilliant rep & he’s very invested in the current film he’s starring in with Chris Lavalle, a stunningly attractive man mostly known as a model & influencer. Including film scenes + real life scenes it’s easy to see the two becoming confused—something the book really makes clear—especially as both leads wrestle their feelings over the magnetism of their relationship & as Nicholas in particular considers what he might lose by publicly coming out. The writing & plot are sublime, the emotion is so stirring, & this is the kind of book I could read again & again bc there’s so much there. I wish I could have read more past HEA, especially since the big fight hurt me so bad 😆. 5 big ⭐️ for this one. Please check it out! Release date: 05/31.
Thanks to the author for the complimentary ARC. All opinions provided are my own.I think KD Casey’s One True Outcome is maybe the softest sports romance I’ve ever read? I already want to reread it because I feel like I didn’t fully appreciate how gentle it was going to be—I kept waiting for the romance demolition crew to swoop in toward the end and it just didn’t 😆. One True Outcome has a veteran / rookie pairing, both of whom are hoping this year will be their year & both facing their own challenges. When veteran Mack is asked to help give Jamie extra batting lessons they have a reason to spend more time together & the awareness of each is stoked to a cheer-inducing degree. I prefer steam in my romance & this one has that 🔥 but maybe more than that I’m looking for evidence of care. This book has that in spades as each lead reveals in ways big & small that their heart has been stolen (much like a base can be 🥁…that’s like the only baseball joke I can make). This is the third KD Casey book I’ve read & again, I’m a little enraptured by how striking the writing is & how lovely the romance. Read this book, read this author. I’m such a fan! 5 ⭐️. Release date: 03/25.
5⭐️. Q: who is your fave uptight hero? All the praise hands to books that make us happy during this time and Alexis Hall’s Boyfriend Material is one of them for me. I love this book so and it’s going on my shelves as soon as I can get my grabby hands on it. Luc is the son of two 80s rockers, one of whom abandoned him when he was 3. As a minor celebrity he garners his fair share of paparazzi coverage & it’s always negative. But one particular article puts his job at a charity in jeopardy & to save it he asks an uptight barrister with a good reputation to be his fake boyfriend. Oliver is said barrister. And *be still my heart* because I am a fiend for an uptight hero. You know the type: they’re so proper and often seen as stiff, condescending, & judgmental (and sometimes they are!) but they’re also—at least in Oliver’s case—protective & loving & find it difficult to express their feelings. Ahhhhh! I’d also like to take this opportunity to say that Luc is *not* uptight but he is so yearning & he loves his mother; he’s often snarky & not always the nicest, even to his friends, but he has a big heart & does some hard emotional work & deserves a million Oliver snuggles, okay?! Boyfriend Material is so so so funny and Alexis Hall’s portrayal of friendship is divine. I love when friends are loving & supportive and also not 100% perfect. Even the loveliest of friends don’t always say or do the right things (and can sometimes push on our bruises unintentionally). But they can also read your heart & accompany you on road trips so you can chase your heart’s desire. As funny as this book is it’s also not afraid to explore hurt and insecurity, but in a way that didn’t leave me feeling emotionally devastated. In closing I’d like to say again: I love this book so much. I do wish there had been a (totally) on the page love scene and an Epilogue because as a previous review established, my soul is thirsty, but this book is also so wonderful as is & I would like to hug Luc and Oliver forever. Boyfriend Material is out on 07/07. Thanks to Sourcebooks Casablanca & Netgalley for the complimentary ARC. All opinions provided are my own. |
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