May Romance Wrap-up

Tempting Taste - Sara Whitney

This opposites attract romance is the first in the Cinnamon Roll Alphas series and follows Erik and Josie.  After a chance encounter leads Erik to quit his job without a backup plan, he finds himself at the whims of Josie.  Josie is ready for a challenge to prove her worth to herself, her employer, her mother, and anyone else who doubts her.  So when Erik agrees to let Josie help him launch his dream bakery, she's ready to go full speed ahead.  The two are total opposites, but the more time they spend together, the more they find they have in common. This was a fun romance and I loved Erik and Josie but I didn't love the pacing of their relationship.  I felt like there was a lot of stop and starts that felt like they should have been bigger deals than they were.  It was like there were 3 different 3rd act breakups sprinkled throughout the book.  I did like how Erik and Josie both had their own issues to work through and I can see how each of these relationship speedbumps was a direct result of their own baggage/trauma.  However, I never felt like I was able to settle into their relationship and them actually being together because they kept breaking apart.  I did like the cast of side characters and I loved the world Whitney built. 

Fangirl Down - Tessa Bailey

This golf romance is the first in the Big Shots series and follows pro-golfer Wells and his #1 fan Josephine.  Wells used to be the hottest thing on the golf course, but his golden years are behind him.  His grumpy manners have alienated him from just about everyone in his life, except for Josephine.  When a hurricane comes through and floods her family's golf pro shop, Josephine is trying to figure out how she's going to put the pieces back together.  When Wells offers her a position as his caddy as he's trying to re-find himself and his golf game.  The two travel together and soon are finding sparks flying along side the golf balls.  I've heard a bunch of skepticism about this when it was first coming out because it was being marketed as a 'bad boy golfer' but I think that perfectly encapsulates Wells's character.   This was giving me a touch of Happy Gilmore vibes with Wells being a little bit of a younger outsider who is looked down upon by the older establishment golfers.  I loved Josephine's bubbly personality and love of golf.  She almost made me want to look more into golf (almost) because she loves the game so much.  Bailey does a good job of working in the golf basics to the reader so we had context for the sports part of this sports romance.  I did think the chemistry between Wells and Josephine was a little choppy at the beginning and I didn't understand why suddenly they had so much chemistry when just a few scenes earlier in the book they didn't really feel like they had that lusty chemistry.  I was expecting them to be a bit more reserved at the beginning and then feelings grow as they spend more time together but instead it was like the burner was turned up to high immediately instead of a simmer.  Overall, it was exactly what I was expecting based on my past history with Bailey as well as the marketing and I had a good time.

Give Me More - Sara Cate

This MMF romance is the third book in the Salacious Player's Club series and follows Hunter, Isabel, and Drake.  Hunter and Drake have been friends since childhood and when Hunter met, and later married, Isabel the trio became inseparable. Now, they are on a business road trip together visiting other kink clubs.  And when Hunter watches Drake and Isabel together in a bondage demonstration, he discovers he might want that to happen again, and maybe more.  The trio don't want anything to harm their friendship, but all three have an undeniable connection and Hunter and Drake's decades long friendship might have a new layer developing that was maybe there all along.  Sara Cate has solidified herself as a new favorite author. This was the first book I heard about in the Salacious Player's Club series - I've been excited to finally get to it and it certainly did not disappoint.   While we've seen Drake a bit in the first 2 books in the series, Hunter and Isabel have been almost completely absent so I was excited to finally get to see them on page.  I loved the dynamic between the friends as well as their history.  At first, I thought maybe I was missing out on a prequel book or something, but Cate does weave their backstory into the current story.  Cate does such a great job at quickly building up these characters so we really get a good sense of their relationship and dynamic.  The spicy scenes were physically spicy but there was this underlying emotional tension that was absolutely spectacular.  This read does a good job of exploring the 'why' behind certain kinks which was an interesting depth of character I wasn't necessarily expecting. We get all 3 character POVs in this read and there's a good balance between all the POVs.  Having them checking out different kink clubs was a fun way to introduce new settings and putting these characters into new situations that were pushing buttons and forcing decisions to be made was a great way to move the plot forward.  Overall, this was a fantastic MMF poly read that had a lot more emotional depth and character development than I was expecting.

Hot Mess - Misha Horne

This MM romance follows Erik and London.  London just moved in next door to Erik and immediately starts crushing on his neighbor.  Only problem is that Erik is very much put together and London is a bit of a mess.  After moving around a bunch as an Army kid, London never learned how to put down roots.  So after buying a house, he's really at a loss of where to start.  Good thing Erik is right next door and loves to help direct London into unpacking his house and undressing for him.  This was almost a DNF because I had such a hard time with London's voice and internal monologue.  I found him pretty insufferable in the opening chapters, to be honest.  However, I've heard so much good about this read that I pushed through and I was pleasantly surprised at how much more I enjoyed it when Erik came into London's life.  We only get London's POV in this read, which was a bummer because I think Erik's calm and settled personality would have been nice to see.  This was a bit of an insta-lust situation but it did have a happy for now ending which I liked because it felt more realistic than a full-on happily ever after ending. I had an issue with the pacing and there was a lull in the middle of the book after Erik and London's first night together where they have a long and in depth conversation about their pasts and kinks.  I think all the information we get in this are important but it was such an info-dump session via dialogue that it took me completely out of the story.  The kinky elements were ones I don't see a ton in the books that come across my feed so I was glad for the variety. Overall, this had some good elements but didn't quite come together for me. 

Captivated - Tessa Bailey and Eve Dangerfield

This romance follows Autumn and Blake.  After Autumn catches her boyfriend cheating on her, she kicks him out of their NYC apartment and is deciding if she will return to her home in Australia.  In the midst of a pity party complete with drawing sexy comics staring her landlord, her landlord himself, Blake, knocks on the door.  When he sees the comics, the two agree to three dates and to explore Autumn's kinky desires.  This has been on my TBR for a few years and I very much enjoy both Bailey and Dangerfield so them together was a no-brainer.  I loved how Autumn and Blake were the perfect example of opposites attract and they were so fun to follow.  The set up was a little fast and felt a little clunky with the comic but we quickly got into the meat of the story and from there I had a great time.  I loved their chemistry and how easily they just got along with each other. We have a great cast of characters and a good amount of character development outside of the romantic relationship.  Autumn has a prisoner/captive kink so there are quite a few CNC scenes but I appreciated the use of a different nickname during these scenes to easily and quickly indicate to the reader the type of scene.  

Barely Even Friends - Mae Bennett

This Beauty and the Beast retelling follows Bellamy and Oliver.  After years of working/studying under her father, Bellamy is finally ready to lead her first restoration job.  Only one problem: the Killington Estate comes with a surly resident - the heir to the Killington empire.  Oliver is less than pleased to find Bellamy in the house but the two soon come to a tense working relationship.  But the father along in the restoration Bellamy gets, the more she learns about Oliver and the two grow closer.  But when it is time to unveil her restoration, they both must figure out their next steps and whether or not their future is together.  This is Mae Bennett's debut and as with many debuts, this was a bit of a hit-and-miss situation.  I loved the first 30% which included the set up to the characters but also a lot of Beauty and the Beast references which were incredibly creative.  However, after that point it felt like the book was playing tug-of-war between being a retelling and a HGTV-esque reno story.  I really wanted it to stay more in the the retelling lane but felt like that magic from the first 30% was sort of lost in the rest of the book.  I did absolutely adore all the characters, especially the staff who work at the Estate. I think the chemistry between Bellamy and Oliver was good, but I think it could have been a little bit more developed and I found some of the secondary plot points got in the way of the romance.  All in all, I enjoyed this and I would read more from Bennett in the future. 

Thanks to NetGalley and Alcove Press for the ARC.  Publication date was June 4, 2024.

Iris Kelly Doesn't Date - Ashley Herring Blake

This FF romance is the third in the Bright Falls series and follows Iris and Stevie.  Iris is perfectly happy being single - it is everyone around her who seems to be obsessed with her getting into a relationship. Stevie just got out of a relationship with her best friend and her ex started dating another friend - and everyone around her thinks Stevie needs some help coping.  When Iris and Stevie meet at a bar, and then later run into each other at Stevie's ex's play, Iris agrees to be Stevie's fake girlfriend.  This way, they both can get their friends off their backs.  Only when fake dating turns into sex lessons which turn into real feelings, the two might be doing the most unexpected thing ever - falling in love.  This is the final book in the Bright Falls series and is probably my favorite in the series.  The chemistry between Iris and Stevie was absolutely sizzling from the very beginning and carried through the whole read.  We get to see the couples from the first two books a few times as well, which is always fun.  The fake dating aspect was incredibly believable and I loved that both characters had very good reasons to agree to the fake dating.  The side plots were also very intriguing and tied in nicely with the romance plot.  And when they added in the sex lessons, the already hot chemistry escalated to absolute lava-levels of hot.  The characterization and development was fantastic and this read solidified Ashley Herring Blake as an insta-read author for me.

Paladin - Onley James

This MM romance is the first book in the Jericho's Boys series and follows Arsen and Ever.  The two meet when Arsen rescues Ever from being captive and a life of servitude.  The two have an instant bond and chemistry but Arsen insists on taking it slow to be mindful of Ever's certain trauma.  Only Ever isn't interested in taking it slow.  But as soon as the two come together, the danger following Ever makes an appearance and there are more people to rescue.  It was great to be back in the Necessary Evils universe and this gave me everything I loved about that series so I have absolutely no complaints.  It was interesting to not lean so heavily on the psychopath elements and instead we explore more of the trauma/found family type of dynamic.  We know from the Necessary Evils series that Jericho's Boys do kill bad people, but it is more out of necessity and most of them do have feelings about the killings.  Arsen and Ever were such an interesting pairing and I loved how they connected instantly but still had to spend some time teasing apart their feelings from the potential trauma bond given how Ever was found.  I did want more build up from the romantic suspense element as that did feel like it came in at the last minute.  Otherwise, I'm excited to have another series in this universe. 

April Romance Wrap-up

 

Haven - Rebekah Weatherspoon

This is the first book in the Beards & Bondage series and follows Claudia and Shep.  One night, Claudia stumbles upon Shep's cabin in the woods being chased by a man and Shep uses lethal force to protect her.  The two are forever connected by the events of that night, but when Claudia returns home, they both try and return to their regular lives.  Only the each keep thinking about the other and when Claudia returns to see Shep the two come together in a bid to heal.  This series has been on my TBR for years and I'm excited to finally start it.  This was a darker and more emotional read than I was expecting but I think Weatherspoon does a great job of making her characters feel real.  I can 100% believe how Claudia and Shep end up together in this odd sort of trauma bond situation.  The two had some great chemistry and in a different world, I could still see them getting together in a regular, non-trauma way.  I did find the plot to be a little repetitive with Claudia and Shep having similar conversations and arguments over and over again.  

Hit it and Quit it - Kelly Reynolds

This is the first book in the Rose City Roasters series and follows Soren and Clarke.  After breaking off her engagement, Clarke moves to Rose City to take on a new job with social media for the city's new baseball team - the Roasters.  Soren "Sin" Sinclair plays the role of team bad boy and has plenty of fights, leaked dick pics, and arguments with teammates to back up that reputation.  The Roasters may be the last chance he has to keep playing the game he loves.  And when he runs across Clarke, the two start up a fling that has benefits for both.  Only when their agreed end date comes, both of them have a hard time quitting the game they've been playing.  This was a spectacular romance and I found myself kicking my feet and giggling way more than I was expecting.  Clarke and Soren were such complex and interesting characters and I loved that they each had their own journeys outside of the main romance.  Their romance was believable and I'm so glad that Clarke really took the lead in a lot of the relationship.  There was a great cast of characters and both Soren and Clarke had a group of friends that supported them. I'm looking forward to reading more in the series.

Possession - A. Anders

This is the second book in the Kink Camp series and follows Zion and Twyla - celebrities who have a fake marriage to help both of their careers.  When a media scandal breaks, they try to go their separate ways and lay low until the media find something else to focus on.  Only they both end up at Kink Camp - where Zion has gone many times but Twyla is brand new.  At first, Zion doesn't want her at Camp and is convinced she's as vanilla as they come.  But Twyla has always held certain desires and Camp is just the place for her to experiment to her kinky heart's content.  This was a great return to the Kink Camp setting and I loved how seamless the connection was to the first book.  Zion and Twyla were such fun characters to follow and I spent most of the book just yelling at them to get over it and admit they like each other already (but in the best possible way). I loved that both our MCs had their own journey with kink and how it meshes with relationships. Their chemistry was off the charts and I was absolutely in love with how everyone around them knew it first. Just like with the first book, I really think the kink representation is top notch and I love how positive all sorts of different kinks are shown.  I really hope we get more books in this series.

The Rycke - Lily Mayne

This MM monster romance is the third book in the Monstrous series and follows Ghost and Aury.  Ghost is one of the raiders, living out in the Wastes.  He and his friend are looting through a destroyed military base and find Aury bound and left for dead.  They quickly free him and after determining he's no threat, agree to bring Aury back to their raider base.  The original plan was to give Aury a safe place to heal from his wounds but as Ghost and Aury spend more time together, they grow closer.  And when tensions start brewing in and outside the base, the two will need to figure out where they truly fit in. This was another great installment of the series and I loved how we got to see more of the raiders that had been mentioned in the previous 2 books.  We had a bit of a larger cast than in the previous books, which I'm hoping means that we'll get more from these side characters in later books.  I loved Ghost and Aury together and thought their romance was the perfect opposite to the world they were living in.  They were so sweet together and it was a quieter build up of feelings.  I do wish we had gotten chapters from Aury's POV, but I always prefer dual-POVs for my romance books.  I did find the non-romantic plot to get a little repetitive and I did find myself skimming those parts a little by the end.  It was a lot of Ghost going out into the Wastes for something, coming back, being grumpy that he had to go, not wanting to go again, but ends up going back out there anyway.  Rinse and repeat.  I did find this new aspect of the world building is really making me interested to read more in the series so I can maybe see even more new parts of this world.

Romance Wrap-up March 2024

 Sharing Shane - Hannah Murray

This polyamorous romance follows Veronica after she finds her boyfriend cheating on her with her neighbor.  Instead of moping, she decides to take the couples vacation to Bermuda by herself.  The only catch - she needs a second person to go with her or else her reservation is cancelled.  Shane is a friend of a friend and needs some nice rest and relaxation time.  Plus, it doesn't hurt that his boyfriend is going to be at a retreat at the same time.  Things quickly heat up with Shane and Veronica but transitioning this vacation fling to something more concrete once they are all back to real life will take more than a little work.  I really enjoyed this read.  It was my first poly romance that didn't end in throuple territory and I loved seeing different representation of what a poly romance could look like.  While I'm not poly personally, I do think this book does a good job of explaining the dynamics and challenges that come with this relationship structure so I think even folks who aren't well versed in poly-culture could follow along just fine.  I absolutely loved Veronica and her kick-ass attitude when it comes to her ex.  Shane is certainly a bit more buttoned up about his feelings (with the past relationship trauma to back that up) and I loved how they came together.  I did want more of them just dating when back in the real world because the transition from vacation fling to relationship was a little fast and loose for my liking.  I loved how much heart this read had and the emotional depth we get from these characters.

Thanks to NetGalley and the author for the ARC.  Publication date was March 19, 2024.

Gouda Friends - Cathy Yardley

This is the second book in the Ponto Beach Reunion series and follows high school best friends Tam and Josh.  After a disastrous break up with her boyfriend, Tam reaches out to the one person who was always there for her - Josh - using their special code word goldfish.  Next thing she knows, she's flying across the country and reuniting with her high school friend group that she had been distanced from for a while.  Now, Josh is determined to help Tam find her next step in her life plan, just like she did for him a few years prior.  Only as the two friends work closely together, they start to realize there might be something more between them, maybe something that had been there the whole time.  This was a fun read, but I think it might have been a bit over-hyped for me.  Personally, I found Tam and Josh to be such good friends that I wasn't entirely sold on their relationship.  This was one of those reads where, at the end, I was left feeling like they were maybe better off as friends.  I think my main issue was that we don't get to see a whole lot of time when they are actually in the relationship phase.  We see friends, budding feelings, friends with benefits, and then we skip to the third act breakup pretty quickly.  I wanted more time to settle into their relationship and see how them being together is even better than them being friends.  All that being said, this had some really heartfelt moments and I loved the found family aspect of the friend group.  I also loved all the cheese related humor and plot points. 

Ben - Cora Rose

This MMM, age gap romance is the 8th book in the Unexpected series and follows Ben, Cash, and Ford.  Cash and Ford are Ben's father's best friends and until a few weeks ago, the three men didn't have any interest in each other beyond friendship.  But now that they've breached that relationship barrier, they must contend with their new feelings as well as what their relationship dynamic might mean for the people around them.  This read was 80% smut, 20% plot, and I wasn't mad about it.  But by the end, I was a bit tired of the smut and I'll fully admit to skimming those scenes to get to the plot points.  I didn't read any of the previous books in the series, so I'm not sure if I missed some character development there, but in this read we are just dropped into this world and relationship dynamic a few weeks into it.  We don't get to see, in this book, the moments that these men crept from friendly to something more - we just hear about it as off-hand comments.  I'm not sure if those scenes were present in book 7 or not.  In any case, since we skipped seeing those points on page, I didn't get a great sense for any of these characters until I was well into the book and for me, that meant the smutty scenes lost their intrigue pretty quickly because I didn't have the emotional build up or connection with these characters.  I didn't see enough of their character that I fully believed any of them had feelings deeper than horny lust.  I did like that since this was mostly smut, it was also low angst and the conflicts get resolved very quickly with basically just a conversation. This felt like it should have been a novella but then to add pages to make it novel length, Rose just added more sex scenes. 

Late Bloomer - Mazey Eddings

This FF romance follows Opal and Pepper.  Opal is ready for a fresh start and winning the lottery is just her ticket.  Her impulsivity pays off when she buys a flower farm in Asheville, North Carolina. But when she goes to move there, she finds Pepper.  The flower farm was her late grandmother's and Pepper believes she's the rightful owner - if only she could find the will that proves it.  The two strike up a deal that they will both live on the farm until Pepper can start buying Opal out.  As the flowers bloom, so does the relationship between the two women and soon enough they are thinking more about staying than leaving.  I loved this read - it had everything I was hoping for from the premise.  Opal and Pepper are such great opposites attract and were such fun characters to follow falling in love.  Pepper is autistic and Opal is neurodivergent and these are characteristics that they celebrate in each other right from the beginning.  I also loved Opal's sisters and Pepper's friends who all come together in such a loving and fun group.  The background of a flower farm is maybe my new favorite romantic backdrop to a story and I think Eddings does a fantastic job balancing the reality of farming with the romanticized elements.  The plot with Pepper's con-woman mother was really interesting and I think Eddings handled the topic with care.  This was another win from Eddings with a great mix of heart and heat and I can't wait to get more (hopefully following Opal's sisters).

Thanks to NetGalley and St Martin's Press for the ARC.  Expected publication date is April 16, 2024.

The General - Jessica Gadziala

This is the fourth book in the Professionals series and follows Smith and Jenny.  Jenny is married to Senator Ericsson's son - and her abuse is an open secret in Navesink Bank. She was coerced to lie on the stand when her husband got caught one night but then she faded into the background. Until one night she had enough, took matters into her own hand, and then called the office of Quinton Baird & Associates.  Another great entry in this series after book 3 (which I wasn't a fan of).  Smith is Quinn's #2 in command and is running the office while Quinn is on vacation so when the call from Jenny comes in - Smith is on the case.  While Smith may be the titular General, this story feels 100% like Jenny's journey.  She has spent years being abused by her husband and is now not only having to navigate her way out of being caught for murder (which of course Smith is helping her with), but also navigate finding her way back to herself.  Big content warning that we do see the abuse on-page in the form of flashbacks as well as her probable PTSD manifesting even after her husband is gone.  We don't get a whole lot of information or character development from Smith.  Instead, he is the solid person there to help Jenny find herself and safety after her ordeal.  I loved how these two characters come together and support each other.  This is less of the typical romantic suspense that the previous books in the series have leaned toward and more of a caretaking book with a political edge. I liked getting to see the other members of the Professionals a bit and I think this book helps set up the next half of the series nicely.

Eyes on Me - Sara Cate

This step-sibling romance is the second in the Salacious Players Club series and follows Garrett and Mia.  Garrett is co-owner of the Salacious Players Club and he's a voyeur.  He had all but given up on relationships until he's browsing cam girl sites one night and comes across someone he recognizes.  Not just anyone - his younger stepsister, Mia.  I'll fully admit I was a bit hesitant going into this one and almost skipped it.  The only reason I picked it up was that there is a significant age gap (13 years) between our two characters which meant that while they did know each other when they were younger, they didn't really grow up together in the same house.  When it comes to age gap and/or step sibling romances, I really prefer there to be a pretty significant separation.  In this one, we get other characters even confirming that it wasn't like they were actually siblings since Garrett was grown and out of the house pretty much when their parents were married.  That being said, there was still a good amount of tension between the characters and the taboo aspect of their relationship was really well developed.  This was lower angst than I was expecting, which is a plus in my book.  This had a great core romance lesson of "you can't help who you fall in love with" which I think is the best core to build a taboo romance around.  I do wish we had gotten a little more playing of Garrett's voyeurism and Mia's exhibitionism at play when they are together.  I loved the amount of character depth and development we get with both characters - more than I found in the first book.  I loved being back in the SPC and can't wait to continue on in the series.

A Soul To Keep - Opal Reyne

This is the first book in the Duskwalker Brides series and follows Reia and Orpheus.  Every 10 years, a Duskwalker demands a human offering in exchange for giving the village protection from demons. Reia, village outcast, is the offering for this round.  Orpheus is immediately intrigued by Reia and her almost lack of fear of him.  He agrees to take her as the offering and the two set out for his home in the Veil.  There, he sets out a number of rules in place to keep her safe from not only the demons outside, but also from Orpheus himself.  The more they spend time together, the closer they become, but Reia is torn between escaping back to the human world and admitting her feelings for Orpheus.  This was such a great monster romance and I was immediately drawn into this world.  This had big Beauty and the Beast vibes (which I loved) but wasn't a straight up rewrite of that story.  Reia and Orpheus are such interesting characters and I loved how Reyne is able to give us such clear characterization of two very different entities.  The world building was superb and I'm 100% continuing on in the series to see more of these Duskwalkers and this world.  While this is a captor/captive romance, we get enough scenes outside of Orpheus's home that it never felt like the plot was stagnating. I adored the gradual feelings blossoming between the two and Orpheus was about as cinnamon roll a character as I've ever seen in a monster romance. I can't wait to continue on in this series.

Lips Like Sugar - Jess K Hardy

This is the second book in the Bluebird Basin series and follows Mira and Cole.  When Mira's ex boyfriend shows up unexpectedly at her bakery and asks if she is going to attend the wedding of Ashley and Madigan (the couple from book 1) - she of course says yes and that she's actually going to be bringing her boyfriend.  What boyfriend?  Well the handsome stranger that just so happened to walk into the bakery at just the right time - Cole, Madigan's best friend.  The two agree to fake date for the wedding but when fake dating leads to real feelings, the 50+ year olds must figure out if they have something worth disrupting their carefully crafted lives for. This was a great next installment in the series and really felt like a continuation of the first book.  Because of that, I did feel a little lost at times before my memory would get triggered and I'd remember who some of these side characters were.  I'd recommend reading book 1 for sure before starting this one and I'd say the shorter the time between the two, the better.  I've only read a handful of older MC romances and I'm really enjoying them and the slightly different dynamic of either being a second chance at love or, as is the case here, a chance to go all-in.  Mira and Cole have a great depth of character and I love how much we get to see of them outside the main relationship dynamic.  We get to see family and friends as well as their own thoughts and worries.  I do wish we got to see a little more of Cole's internal thoughts on paper because there were a few places where it felt like the book was missing that extra layer of character development.  

Thanks to NetGalley and the author for the ARC.  Publication date was March 28, 2024

The Last Guest House - Caroline Mitchell

 

This mystery follows DI Alex McKenna as she, her son, and boyfriend, all take off for a weekend away. But there's a problem with the reservation and the only other place in the area with a vacancy is The Loch House.  When they arrive just ahead of a snowstorm, The Loch House owners greet them with the rules: no smoking, no loud music, no phones, and no leaving their rooms after 9pm. Over dinner with the other guests, Alex learns about the grisly history of The Loch House and starts to wonder if they'll be able to leave or if they will become the next mark on its bloody history. 

This read had a lot of interesting elements, but they didn't quite come together for me as well as I would hope.  We have a great cast of weird characters, a detective MC, and an isolated setting.  This should have been a slam dunk.  Unfortunately, I didn't love some of the narrative structure choices which really knocked the whole reading experience down a bit for me.  Obviously mileage may vary with my complaints, but the parts that did work for me were great so it all evened out to just an okay read at the end.

I did not enjoy the true crime podcast element at all.  I'm not a big true crime enthusiast on a normal day, but I have enjoyed books in the past that use these podcasts as framing devices for the plot.  In this case, it felt very removed from the main plot.  The podcast hosts were not characters at The Loch House nor was anyone listening to the podcast.  Instead, it felt like an easy way for the reader to be told background information or to flesh out information in a way that wasn't just having the characters give pages of exposition. Since it was so removed from the main plot, every time we switched to a podcast transcript, it took me out of the story.  I do think we needed the information in the podcast for the ending reveals to really come out, but I wanted it to be integrated into the story in a more natural fashion.  

The setting was by far and away my favorite part of this read. Mitchell wastes no time getting us to The Loch House but still manages to give us so much atmosphere to really set the scene.  The descriptions were absolutely wonderful and I loved how they really toed the line of being quirky but also sinister.  As the narrative goes on, we get to revisit similar areas or pieces of the setting but they come across as completely different because of the plot reveals.  Mitchell really uses the isolated setting to her advantage and it often feels like a separate entity that our characters are battling against.  

The cast of characters - especially the strange owners of The Loch House, were such a fun group to follow for this read. We do get both Alex and her boyfriend's POVs, but I wish this was more of a full-cast of POVs type of book.  These characters were so interesting and the right amount of over the top that I wanted to spend more time with each of them.  I didn't love our MC Alex as much as I was expecting too.  I found her characterization was a bit off for me and she seemed to oscillate between two main personalities, neither of which I felt particularly interested in.  There is a bit of domestic suspense with her relationship, but even that felt like it wasn't used to bring as much tension to this read as I was expecting.  There was significant domestic violence in her past that is brought up but it didn't really add anything to the character for me as is.

The ending reveal was interesting, but the way it played out on page felt like it really deflated the moment.  We do find out what is going on with The Loch House and why everyone there is so strange and I did like the reveal from a plot perspective.  However, when it comes to the big finale scene, we skip over seeing the action on page and instead have like a 30 min fast forward moment only for our characters to then flash backwards and recount the events that happened.  It felt really strange to read, especially for the moment where all this building tension was boiling over. 

Overall, this was an okay read that I enjoyed some parts of but not all parts.  I felt like this just fell into the "not for me" category and I didn't have any significant plot holes or other complaints. 

Thanks to NetGalley and Embla Books for the ARC.  Expected publication date is April 9, 2024

The Gathering - CJ Tudor

 

This mystery follows Barbara Atkins, detective with the Forensic Vampyr Anthropology Department, as she arrives in Deadhart, Alaska.  There, a teen boy was found with his throat ripped out and the town is calling for Barbara to authorize a cull of the local vampyr colony.  However, Barbara isn't so sure this case is as open and shut as the town believes it to be.  With an impending snow storm and tensions in the town growing, Barbara is on limited time to find the truth behind the killings. Enlisting the help of a former sheriff who almost lost his life the last time the vampyrs were accused of killing, the two dig into the town's history and reveal more than they could have ever expected.

This was such a fun read and it wasn't what I was really expecting.  I thought this would lean much more on the sort of vampyr hunter trope but I loved how it was pretty much a regular police procedural.  We have a full investigation, suspects (both human and vampyr) and a town full of red herrings.  We get right into the action and the investigation hooked me from beginning to end.  We also get a set up at the end for a potential series which I would love if we got.

I know police procedurals aren't everyone's preferred mystery sub-genre (I really enjoy them).  However, I think this has a good mix of the horror and supernatural elements layered in.  This had everything I want from my police procedurals - protagonist with a bit of baggage, a seemingly straightforward case that ends up being more than expected, a solid investigation thread, and a satisfying and surprising whodunnit ending reveal. The layers of vampyr lore and the every day horror of living in a remote area really intensified the main mystery elements.  I also loved the choice to have Barbara be in her 50s and overweight as opposed to maybe the more typical hot shot newbie female detective. 

I was thrilled with how Tudor introduced us to the vampyrs of this world by giving us a few quotes from various publications and legal documents in the opening of this read.  While these quotes are obviously fake, they did a great job of setting up the history of the vampyrs in this world in a way that was extremely easy to digest. This meant that the reader goes into page 1 with a basic understanding of what a vampyr is in this setting which was extremely helpful given the vastly different types of fictional vampire types to choose from.  This also helps avoid any heavy handed or odd exposition dump by a character or plot device like listening to a radio.  As the story progresses, we learn more about vampyr history as well as the vampyrs themselves.  If we do get a series, I would love to see the vampyr side of things explored more.

I absolutely loved the theme of outsiders and 'us vs them' which play out beautifully in this remote and isolated setting. I know those are themes for a lot of 'monster' books because it is such an easy line in the sand to draw, but Tudor also gives us some examples of how those lines get blurred, especially over time.  I didn't feel like any character were caricatures, but we certainly saw the whole range of responses to the alleged vampyr killing.  I also loved the world building around anti-vampyr sentiments.  I don't want to go into details because of spoilers but I found these touches of the lore to really help make it feel like the vampyrs were living beside humans for ages, they weren't some creature that came out of the darkness recently.  We have that generational trauma and prejudice that comes out in many different ways - some more obvious than others. 

Overall, this was a great procedural read with a good sprinkle of fun vampyr on top.  I absolutely loved the investigation as well as lore and world building.  I hope we do get a series (or at least a sequel) out of this world because there is a lot more I want to see.

Thanks to NetGalley and Ballantine Books for the ARC.  Expected publication date is April 9, 2024.

The Angel of Indian Lake - Stephen Graham Jones

 

This is the third book of the Indian Lake Trilogy and we're back with Jade Daniels in Proofrock 4 years after the end of book 2.  Jade and Proofrock both look very different than when we last saw them and both are trying to move on from the past tragedies as best as they can.  However, in Proofrock, it seems, there's always another shoe to drop.  Now, on Halloween, the curse of the Lake Witch is coming to life and Jade has one last stand to make. 

This is the final installment in the trilogy and Jones wraps it up expertly - and I was expecting nothing less.  I absolutely loved this new Jade, now back in Proofrock after 4 years in prison.  She's older, wiser, and trying to keep to herself.  There were so many full circle moments in this read which felt like Jones wrapping up loose ends that I didn't even know I wanted tied up.  The town also was trying to go through its own healing journey as well since the first two books did not leave the town unscathed.  Now, just like the first two books in the series, we do get some good slasher action so it isn't all soft and squishy feelings.  I feel like Jade earned her ending to her story and it was such a great last ride to witness.

I've read each book in this series as an ARC so my reading was spaced out about 1 year apart.  I didn't have that hard of a time between books 1 and 2 but it seemed like there were so many character name drops that were ringing faint bells but I couldn't completely place.  I think for maximum impact and name recognition, I would recommend re-reading at least the first book if not both previous books before picking this one up.  I could still follow the plot just fine, but there were times were it felt like knowing this character's name should automatically fill in some gaps.  

The first two books in the series have very distinctive and different styles and I thought this third entry combined the best of both worlds. The first book, to me, read very much as literary horror.  We were in Jade's head a lot and weren't sure if we were going to see any horror action on page.  The second book was much more of a straight forward slasher read with Jade being our reluctant hero.  This third book has more action than the first one did but I found it to have more of Jade's introspection than we got with the second book.  This melding of styles helps the trilogy feel cohesive and whole instead of like three very different books with the same main character in common. 

Plotwise, this was a little off the rails from pretty much the very beginning and only picked up steam from there.  We waste no time getting into the newest threat to Proofrock and as much as Jade really wants to stay out of it this time, she just can't help being pulled in.  There are a lot of moving pieces and a lot of characters so it feels a bit hectic at times and I could see some readers really getting lost in the weeds.  This is where I think having better name recognition than I did may come in handy.  However, Jones excels at making this tangled web of plot points and characters into something incredibly compelling and readable.  There were so many great moments of tension where I was reading as fast as I could to see what would happen next.  And whenever a horror book can make me cry, I know it is a winner.

Just as in the first two books - Jade is on point with her slasher lore and rules.  We even get some newer references which were fun. I didn't feel like they were used as much as they were in the previous books which I think works to reflect Jade's personal development in the past few years.  That being said, Jade does still lean on them in times of stress or confusion to make sense of the absolute bonkers things going on around her.  I think there are so many layers that Jones works into Jade's character that re-reading this series down the line would be a very interesting undertaking.

Overall, this was a fantastic read and a great way of finishing up the trilogy.  I got more of everything I like from this series - great characters, interesting twists, and some fantastic slasher moments.  

Thanks to NetGalley and S&S/Saga Press for the ARC.  Expected publication date is March 26, 2024

The September House - Carissa Orlando

 

This horror follows Margaret after her husband walks out of their Victorian home after deciding he couldn't take another September in the house.  September is when the walls of the house start dripping blood and when the ghosts of previous residents come out even more than usual.  Margaret has learned to live with and even enjoy the company of the ghosts in the house so she's not leaving.  Eventually, their daughter Katherine decides that a month of not hearing from her father is long enough and she comes to town to look for him.  Margaret is worried more about keeping Katherine safe during her September stay but as the investigation into Hal's disappearance escalates, so do the hauntings and the house might have a secret of its own.

This was an absolutely fantastic read where the premise paid off 100%.  I was hooked from the first sentence and read this straight through.  Initially, I thought maybe this was a little bit too quirky of a set-up and it would get old quickly.  However, I loved how Orlando worked in some more heart and serious topics into the story and used those as a way to sort of ground the plot in reality.  There are also complicated family dynamics at play and those also add depth and complexity to the story and characters. 

TW/CW: alcoholism, domestic violence, child death, suicide

I absolutely loved Margaret's voice and character.  She was such a compelling character to follow and her more no-nonsense personality helped temper the over-the-top ghost shenanigans.  We get to see her face a number of different situations and I found her an incredibly interesting and complex character.  She seems like a normal housewife on the outside, but there's a lot of layers to her psychology that Orlando expertly explores.  Given how close we follow Margaret, I was incredibly excited when we got to the potentially unreliable narrator (no spoilers if Margaret is unreliable or not) because I hadn't even considered that she might be unreliable until then. I was 100% on board with her and her story.  Usually with thriller/mystery/horror reads, I'm on the lookout for unreliable narrators since that is one of my favorite tropes so when one can catch me off guard like this, I'm thrilled.

The horror aspects were fantastic and really straddled the line between a little silly and absolutely horrifying.  It was giving me Ghostbusters mixed with Poltergeist and a touch of The Exorcist.  The ghosts that haunt the house all died horrific deaths and there is a good bit of gore in this read.  But a lot of the antics they get up to come off pretty funny, especially with Margaret's dry sense of humor about the situation.  The more details we get about the lore of the house and the reasons behind the haunting, the darker the story gets.  The supernatural events also get more severe as the month progresses which helps propel the plot forward.  

Overall, this was a very entertaining read with fantastic characters and lore building.  I was hooked from the very beginning and was pleasantly surprised at the emotional depth we got with the family history.