Liberty Bay – Karis Walsh

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Rating: 3 out of 5.
This one didn’t quite work for me unfortunately.

Wren lives a quiet life on her farm, training horses and free from technology. She’s experiencing money difficulties and prefers to live by a barter system. Her accountant encourages her to find new avenues for income to ensure that she gets to keep the farm she enjoys so much.

Gina is a social media influencer. When she experiences a cyber threat and her identity and residence are leaked to the general public she begins the search for a new place to live and alternate sources of income. She answers the advert to help Wren with her publicity.

I really liked both characters – separately. Both are written really well, and their respective careers and feelings are explored in depth. I just couldn’t see them together. Whilst we’re told they have this instant connection and feelings for each other – I didn’t feel it. The reasons why they couldn’t be together also felt very repetitive as we hear it from both of them, repeatedly. When they do get together there’s very little discussion of them being a couple outside of the bedroom.

This had so much potential and I’m sad I didn’t enjoy it more. The setting is depicted really well – both Seattle itself and Wren’s farm. There’s also plenty of animals providing amusement which I really enjoyed.

I think romance fans will probably find something to enjoy in this book, but if you’re new to Walsh’s work I’d probably recommend starting elsewhere.

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

The Last Christmas Ball – Lily Seabrooke

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Rating: 3.5 out of 5.
A sweet second chance romance about family meddling, strange Christmas traditions and chosen families.

This is the second book in the series after The Christmas Ball. Alice and Lisette are from two close families who have a Christmas ball every 10 years to ‘pair off’ everyone in the traditional debutante ball kind of manner, something I find hard to comprehend and certainly have no experience of, so I’m fascinated by the concept and the group of characters this brings together.

I’ve liked Seabrooke’s work in the past and I enjoyed her writing again. The setting means things can feel a little repetitive at times, especially if you read both books in quick succession, but I think Seabrooke does a good job of not making it too repetitive. This second book is more character focussed and diverse as she draws out the strangeness of the arrangement and how to modern the families.

I’m not really in the Christmas mood, I’m more in the it’s been a long 18 months and I just want to sleep mood, so at first I wanted to put this book down because I couldn’t connect with the Christmas theme, however I’m glad I persevered as I liked both of these characters in the first instalment and was happy to find out the resolution to their story.

There are a lot of secondary characters, all with their own issues and reasons for wanting things to either stay stuck in their ways or for things to move in a new direction. I was impressed that I was never lost as to who anyone was, even with two large families involved.

It’s a little on the long side, so you’ll need to make time for this book, but the storyline is worth it in the end. I’d also recommend reading the first in the series The Christmas Ball as whilst this could be read as a standalone, I don’t think it would be particularly enjoyable, as all of the characters appear in the first instalment and it sets up the romance of Lisette and Alice falling in love and all of the family dynamics that are so important in this narrative.

Also, whilst this is set at Christmastime, I don’t think you have to read it at Christmas, should you be considering this at a different time of year. There are some inherently Christmas elements of it, but at its heart it’s really about chosen families and love.

I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.

Femme Like Her – Fiona Zedde

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Rating: 3.5 out of 5.
I have to admit this wasn’t what I was expecting from my first opportunity to read a Zedde work. That isn’t necessarily a bad thing – I was just a little surprised. It was somehow sweeter than I anticipated, despite the obvious steam and some hard topics.

Nailah isn’t in to femmes. She’s been telling herself this for years. Scottie, a femme, spots Nailah in a crowded bar she’s been dragged to and goes after what she wants.

The book starts steamy, then quietens down to the point where I was beginning to wonder where Zedde was taking us in the narrative. Once things heat up again the chemistry between Nailah and Scottie is very apparent. There’s an inevitable conflict that lies in lack of communication and some growing that needs to be done.

I liked all of the characters in this book. Both MCs are well written. Nailah’s best friend Pauline is crazy but good at the same time. The ex’s and the hangers on were at least somewhat interesting and the parents were great. No character in this narrative is perfect, they’re all treated to good and bad moments (mostly) and whilst in many respects I enjoyed that it almost felt a little overplayed – no group of people is so fully individually self aware in that regard – but it’s nice to dream.

Despite my surprise as to the heart of the book, I did enjoy this and would give it a high three stars. The book is written from Nailah’s point of view, which was interesting but I wanted to know more about Scottie’s thoughts and feelings too.

There’s a lot of potential for more stories from Nailah and Scottie and I’d happily read another instalment.

I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.

Comet’s First Christmas – Delilah Night

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Rating: 4 out of 5.
This was a really fun sweet Christmas novella. I enjoyed the both the setting and the storyline and particularly enjoyed the balance between the intrigue, mystery and romance.

Claudia is a reindeer from the Pole, she’s a prospect for the sleigh team. At the last minute she gets called up, to fulfil the role of Comet.

Jillian is an elf, she’s based in New York as a personal assistant, looking after the North East America part of the sleigh route.

When Claudia is drafted into the team she’s assigned to Jillian’s part of the world. A big part of what makes this such a fun sweet read is her exploration of the human things and her experiences with New York at Christmastime. I really liked that Night manages to describe these experiences so you feel like you’ve shared them with Claudia, but doesn’t go overboard on the descriptors.

There’s some mystery and intrigue in the storyline, as someone is trying to ruin Christmas by creating non-believers, leaving the reindeer having to track down the culprits. This works in keeping the storyline interesting, it would have been a very different narrative were it to just discuss the getting reading for delivering presents.

This was an enjoyable read with a refreshing take on a Christmas romance.

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

The Thing About Tilly – G. Benson

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Rating: 5 out of 5.
I haven’t had the opportunity to read a Benson full-length until this one, and I’m really really glad I started here. This has firmly planted itself as one of my top three books of the year. It was slower, deeper and far more powerful than I was expecting. I couldn’t put it down because of how I felt about the book.

Tilly, Evie and Sean have been friends since university. They’ve stayed close for over ten years. Tilly’s a runner, not an actual athlete, someone who runs from her emotions. Evie and Tilly both have unrequited feelings for each other, but never talk about it. When Tilly disappears after a fight between the two of them, Evie unexpectedly falls pregnant. The world Tilly returns to will never quite be the same again.

I loved the narrative and the construction of the storyline. I enjoyed how the change in point of view included Sean, and that it wasn’t just about Tilly and Evie. The additional viewpoint Sean provides on how the pair have grown together over the years and the impacts of each episode of Tilly leaving, adds both empathy and understanding for both Tilly and Evie.

I don’t want to reveal the underlying narrative or the issues the characters face, because a big part of the enjoyment for me was the discovery. I spent a lot of time guessing in my head trying to work this out and I couldn’t, adding to my enjoyment levels further. The book is long, but I never felt bored with the story. Every chapter was needed to paint the picture of day to day life and the impact of Evie being pregnant on her friendship with Tilly.

The diversity in this book is fantastic. I felt at home with this small group of queer friends, one bi, one pan, one genderqueer and aromantic. Evie and Sean aren’t white. One of my favourite parts of the diversity is how it’s just normal in their world. They are descriptors of the characters, but not the most important thing about any of them in the narrative. There are small things dotted throughout the book to illustrate heritage, respectfulness and identity.

The secondary characters are great. I loved Evie’s mother. The people that Evie works with all come alive on the page despite their brief interludes. I also loved that this book was set in Australia. It provided a refreshing setting that just felt right.

It’s safe to say I would highly recommend this to all queer romance fans. You’ll need to put some time aside, but it’ll make every minute worth it.

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