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Say Cheese – Michael P. Thomas
Sitcom sensation Felix Medrano, America’s Sweetheart, throws a star-studded surprise party for his sweetheart, beanpole barkeep Grover Shepherd.
It’s a smash, save for one detail: Shep is a no-show.
Who’d have thought it would be so hard to pop the question?
Shep and Felix, an established couple are still being all adorable and lovely-dovey but it was borderline cheesy at times. I could definitely feel Shep’s frustration in the airports having gone through that every holiday in the past decade. The author, who is also a flight attendant certainly created a good picture of the madness that ensues during flight delays.
Rating:
2.5 Stars – far from hate but not quite a like(source: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/24841163-say-cheese)
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Russ Morgan Mystery: Enigma – Lloyd A. Meeker
Who’s blackmailing the high-profile televangelist whose son was famously cured of his homosexuality fifteen years ago? Now in 2009, that ought to be ancient history.
It seems there’s no secret to protect, no crime, not even a clear demand for money—just four threatening letters using old Enigma songs from the 90′s. But they’ve got Reverend Howard Richardson spooked.
Proudly fifty and unhappily single, gay PI Russ Morgan has made peace with being a psychic empath, and he’s managed to build a decent life since getting sober. As he uncovers obscene secrets shrouded in seeming righteousness he might have to make peace with a sword of justice that cuts the innocent as deeply as the guilty.
I already had an inkling on who’s doing it a quarter through the story but I kept on reading because the secrets unrevealed confirmed what I had always suspect: holier than thou high-profile televangelists are indeed creepy.
Rating:
3 Stars – not exactly setting my world on fire but I liked it
(source: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/18397568-enigma)
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The Bestiary: Cleanly Wrong – Mell Eight
Rung is a half-breed orphan brownie who can’t do anything right, much to the worry of his cleanliness teachers. When he runs away, Rung decides that he can resist the need to clean. Only, there is that one office that so desperately needs help...
OMG this is sooo cute and fluffy!!! This is my kind of faerie tale!
Rating
4 Stars – minor quibbles but I loved it to bits
(source: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/15841288-cleanly-wrong)
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Mechanical Universe: Winter’s Bees – E.E. Ottoman
Lord Marcel de la Mont de Anges, the Marquis de Montespan is a brilliant mathematician, member of the mechanical animation movement and all around dandy. He’s been in love with shy, quiet entomologist and youngest member of the royal family, Prince Gilbert André XVI, since they were children. The Emperor’s plans to arrange a marriage between Marcel and Gilbert should have been the answer to all his secret fantasies.
But Gilbert is still reeling from a nasty breakup, and he cannot picture the man he regards as a brother becoming his lover. The order to marry has thrown their relationship into disorder, and if they cannot sort out the changes there may not even be a friendship left for them to save…
E.E. Ottoman’s stories are peopled with diverse characters I rarely see in other stories. There’s an Indian ballet dancer, a trans man, a castrato, pudgy love interests, female police and military generals and so on. In this last installment of Mechanical Universe, Marcel is an adopted Eastern (possibly Asian descent) Marquis with physical disabilities. The world itself is diverse, with magic and science working together seamlessly.
The best parts of the story for me was the first half because that where I felt the sparks and I found the two really cute. I was also looking forward to them reminiscing about their younger days and the times they spent together. The middle part was the dragging part.
The way these two agonized over their marriage was a bit of a snooze-fest for me mainly because married people’s problems are boring. The party near the end was a good way to wrap up the story because the reader gets to meet all the gang again. I wished there were more interaction with these characters.
Overall, I would recommend the entire Mechanical Universe series. As favorite author and editor K.J. Charles said:
“I love EE Ottoman’s writing. I love the worldbuilding, and the realistic, insecure characters nervously feeling their way through to one another, and the odd passions, and the secrets. It’s a lovely novella and as ever, I wanted more, longer, deeper. I want a full-length EE Ottoman novel and to see what they do on a bigger stage, pushing the characters further and harder. But for now, this will do very nicely.
“
Rating:
3.5 Stars – that place between like and love(source: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/23459938-winter-s-bees)
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Mechanical Universe: Duende – E.E. Ottoman
Famed opera singer Aimé has a lot in common with Badri, the Royal Ballet Company’s most popular male lead. They have both dedicated their entire lives to their art, and struggle to be taken seriously among the Empire’s elite. And both harbor a secret admiration and desire for the other.
This year for his birthday Aimé treats himself to a night at the ballet seeing Badri perform, and after the show decides to meet Badri and confess his admiration for Badri’s skill. But when that first awkward meeting turns to more, they are left wondering if there is room in their lives for both career and romance…
Artist types who can’t wait to get into each others breeches. If it succeeded in making me feel anything, it was boredom. The idea of a castrato and a ballet dancer pairing certainly piqued interest there was not much going on in terms of the story itself.
Rating
2 Stars – it’s a struggle to finish the damn book
(source: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/22699093-duende)
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Mechanical Universe: A Matter of Disagreement – E.E. Ottoman
The rise of mechanical animation, and its popularity at court, is threatening to end Andrea’s scholarly pursuits of spell craft and literature—and force him to let go of his assistants, who depend on him to support their families In retaliation against the field that is ruining his life, Andrea begins to campaign against it. The efforts gain him notoriety, but do not solve his financial dilemmas.
When he is dragged to a party by his brother, he comes face to face with the man who pioneered mechanical animation: Leon Gregory de la Marche VI, Marquis de la Marche. And he is not at all what Andrea expected.
Major points to the author for having an MC who’s slightly out of shape (aren’t we all?) and a nerdy transman who’s a gentleman and an inventor The conflict between the two MCs was not as intense as other friends-to-enemies stories but the chemistry was there. The whole book read like cute YA, written in Andrea’s POV and sounded like a 17 year old’s ‘voice’ except near the end where it got all kinky and explicit. I don’t know what the spells are in the spell craft part (I suspect it could probably be just electricity) but I imagine the mechanical birds are as delicate as Faberge eggs.
I think this story is a good introduction to E.E. Ottoman’s works. It sure as hell made me pick up book 2 immediately.
Rating:
3.5 Stars – that place between like and love(source: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/20445481-a-matter-of-disagreement)
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REVIEW: Witches of London – Eagle’s Shadow by Aleksandr Voinov
Witches of London – Eagle’s Shadow –
Aleksandr Voinov & Jordan Taylor
What if the new love of your life also holds the keys to your past?
When Chicago journalist Tom Welsh meets British banker Sanders Templeton at a conference, Sanders insists they have a connection, though he does not know what it is. They’ve never met before—but the strangest thing is, Tom can also feel it.
Sanders Templeton is a highflier who has it all—the money, the lifestyle and a rare intellect. Only a few chosen people know that he also suffers excruciating pain since childhood, with no cure, a mystery to western medicine.
Sanders knows that meeting Tom may be the most significant event of his life. As their relationship deepens, they learn that this is not the first lifetime in which they’ve fallen for each other. This time, true love can be theirs if they find the courage to forgive.
This is a standalone novel in the Witches of London world.
Dear Tom and Sanders,
Adopt me please. I want to be a cat and live with you two so I could watch you both just being in love and happy and I could eat Francesca’s food everyday.I started reading this because I just love the cover and stayed because the chemistry was off the charts. Even without the supernatural elements, I could practically feel the air crackling between Tom and Sanders. Not just the main couple, even the supporting characters were the kind of people I would like to get to know more (at the very least, I would love to get my hands on Francesca’s croissants). There was so much fluff and love and sweetness with a some dose of drama and history. Aaand delicious food, impeccable service, fancy suits, cats, London. Perfect!
Rating:
5 Stars – absolutely perfect
(source: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/33284517-witches-of-london—eagle-s-shadow)
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Captive Prince: The Summer Palace – C.S. Pacat
“When all this is over, we could take horses and stay a week in the palace…”
Set after the events of the Captive Prince trilogy, The Summer Palace is a story about Damen and Laurent. It’s an epilogue of sorts to the Captive Prince series.
I’m sorry, I can’t form any coherent thoughts….this is simply, absolutely everything you have ever asked for and more.
Rating:
5 Stars – absolutely perfect(source: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/33230173-the-summer-palace)
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The Bestiary Vol. 1: The Staff of Kyade – James L. Craig
When royal soldiers attack his village in search of a magical relic, Kenji watches in horror as all that he loves is destroyed. Determined that they will not get what they want, he takes the staff they seek and flees, vowing to avenge all those he lost as soon as he can.
Boring shit and cheesy too but not so abysmally bad as to merit one star.
Rating:
2 Stars – it’s a struggle to finish the damn book
(source: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/15839842-the-staff-of-kyade)
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Kiss Me at Midnight: Saved by a Demon –
Alessandra Ebulu
Parker’s New Year’s resolution is to end his own life. What he didn’t expect upon reaching the bridge where he planned to jump was to encounter a demon whose New Year’s resolution is to save a human.
This could very well be saved by a totally random, completely human person and it would make no difference to the story because no magic powers were on display save for materializing out of nowhere. However, interesting premise and cute characters but needs more characterization and substance. Started with misery then morphed to holiday-ish and sickly sweet like a watered down cocktail with too much sugar.
Rating:
2.5 Stars – far from hate but not quite a like(source: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/16133164-saved-by-a-demon)
