Maybe Charlotte – Louise McBain

Dec 9, 2020Dec 9, 2020 ~ lgbtqreader85 ~ Leave a comment

This book was a really pleasant surprise. I’ve been having a difficult couple of weeks and it was nice to have an easy to read book that doesn’t have the usual pull everything apart at 90% thing.

I didn’t realise that this book is a sequel until I’d finished it and I don’t feel like I missed anything by not having read the first book, so I would say that if you haven’t read the first book this one can still be read as a standalone. I’ll definitely be adding it to my TBR list though.

Both of the main characters were interesting in themselves. The book is told from the point of view of Charlie and I did occasionally miss knowing some of the more in-depth feelings on Lily’s part that alternating the point of view would have provided but as a narrative concept it works.

I really enjoyed the fact that this was a page turner full of small but interesting moments. There were some amusing capers that really made the secondary characters shine, including a couple of storyline threads that run through the majority of the book. Charlie’s ex plays a part in the storyline, but even this is done in an engaging way.

One of my favourite parts about this book is the setting. I love DC and spending time there, so it really made me happy that the storyline takes place there. I also really liked the descriptors of art that feature in the book.

Overall this a sweet romance full of moments to keep you interested and great chemistry between the main characters. I’d recommend to all wlw romance fans.

I received an e-ARC via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Jackpot – Cade Haddock Strong

Dec 9, 2020 ~ lgbtqreader85 ~ Leave a comment

The book opens with Ty winning the lottery jackpot and a share of over $500 million dollars. We get to know her through a bit of a caper in how she should claim the ticket and keep her new found wealth hidden from those that would want to steal it from her.

Karla is on the US skiing development team, but has to walk away from her dream as she can’t afford to continue to train. She’s planning on going to college to study nursing and compete on their ski team.

The two main characters don’t meet until 25% of the way into the book – so by the time they do meet we know both of them quite well. I did start to get a little bit impatient as to how their lives were going to come together, but it did give the storyline an organic feeling.

The book isn’t full of excitement and mainly revolves around college life, skiing and hiding lottery winnings. There are some brief sex scenes and a couple of action moments, but at its heart this narrative is just a sweet coming together of two people who like each other. There are additional characters that add some interest to the storyline and whilst there aren’t major points of excitement I didn’t find the book boring either.

I thought the premise was interesting and I’d definitely be interested in reading more by this author.

I received an e-ARC via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Juliet Takes A Breath – Gabby Rivera

Dec 9, 2020Dec 9, 2020 ~ lgbtqreader85 ~ Leave a comment

I loved this. I’m a big graphic novel/comic book fan but I’m bad at keeping up with the interesting ones coming up so I’m really enjoying seeing all the queer storylines that are becoming available. Juliet Takes A Breath is adapted from the novel by Gabby Rivera – a work I unfortunately haven’t had the opportunity to read as of yet, however this did not impact my enjoyment of the graphic novel at all – it stands strong by itself.

I loved the storyline of this. The novel was originally published in 2016 and is still very relevant today. It tells the story of Juliet, who is from the Bronx, who heads to Portland for an internship and finds her community amongst fellow QTPOC people. When she leaves the Bronx she comes out to her family – not all of whom take it well. Her internship is with Harlowe, who wrote a book Juliet initially identifies with. Juliet’s time in Portland and then Miami gives her a different perspective on her queerness than being in the Bronx with her white young democrat girlfriend and I loved this exploration for her.

The illustration in this really stands out for me, especially the colours used. It makes for a beautiful read through the scenes. I enjoyed how the diversity of the characters is depicted and how the key scenes are illustrated.

As with most graphic novels it’s very easy to read, but the topics aren’t glossed over and I really appreciated the fine balance and editing this must have taken.

I’d highly recommend to any graphic novel fans, and if getting your stories in this manner isn’t your kind of thing I’d encourage you to pick up the original novel – just like I’m going to.

I received an e-ARC via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Hotel Queens – Lee Winter

Dec 1, 2020Dec 1, 2020 ~ lgbtqreader85 ~ Leave a comment

This was my first book by Winter and I loved it. I’ve read so many great reviews of this book and it lived up to all of them.

Judging by this, Winter knows how to write amazing characters. I love a good character driven book and this is definitely one of those. Kai and Amelia are most definitely enemies when they meet and as lovers are steamy and great on the page. I enjoyed reading Amelia’s logical nature and how she responds to both her family and Kai. With Kai I really liked her passion for her job and for people to be treated appropriately.

As mentioned they make for a steamy pair, but for me it was the build up, the clashing personalities, the passionate interactions, the misunderstandings and the finally giving into feelings that make the book for me. I love that Winter depicts these two successful women fighting for what they believe is right and getting everything they want in the end.

Most of the book takes place over one week in a Vegas hotel. I really admire how Winter managed to keep the setting interesting, despite the fact they never really leave the hotel. Milly as Kai’s assistant is a great addition, as is Quinn, Amelia’s second in command.

There’s some intrigue and attempts at subversion that help to keep things interesting and at times amusing, but it doesn’t detract from the power of the characters and how they behave in these situations.

I loved this, would recommend to all romance fans and have to say this is right up there in my top 3 books of the year.

I received an e-ARC directly from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

And Then They Were Four – Elna Holst

Dec 1, 2020 ~ lgbtqreader85 ~ Leave a comment

This is both a sweet and steamy coming together of all of the characters we have met so far in this series. You could read this independently from the rest of the other novellas, but you’d miss a lot so I recommend reading the other three first.

Set in Malmo, Sweden, the novella takes place over four days of advent, with each day focussing on a different person or couple. I really liked all of the stories that appear, but obviously with it being a novella we don’t spend much time with the characters and there were some I really wanted to know more about.

There are some open ends left for characters that weren’t main characters in the previous novellas and I’m glad Holst didn’t feel the need to close these.

I’d recommend reading this series, I read them all in an evening and it made for a nice story when read like this.

I received an e-ARC via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.