Heart of the Storm – Nicole Stiling

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Rating: 4 out of 5.
This was another book that surprised me on this months slate of releases. A mystery romance that gets a high three stars from me.

Juliet is a cop who had a son with her best friend. She’s called to a murder in her town. Sienna is a victim’s advocate and the step mother to Juliet’s son. The murder pushes them together. I enjoyed that the main characters had known each other and been in each others lives for quite some time. It was refreshing to have two people notice each other as their true selves, rather than a storyline with two people just meeting.

I liked how Stiling dealt with the breakdown of Sienna’s marriage and the impact it would have on her husband and step son for her to fall for their best friend/mother respectively. I appreciated that Stiling didn’t make either Sienna or Juliet oblivious to the implications of their love on others and that there was no automatic presumption it would all just be ok.

With it being a mystery this book came with a slew of additional characters. I thought this added to the depth of the book, as due to the nature of the MCs knowing each other already, there aren’t a lot of scenes added to allow us to get know the characters as part of the natural process of dating. I liked Juliet’s friends and thought Declan the son/step son was written wonderfully.

The mystery was interesting. I didn’t find it riveting, but it moved along at a pace that kept me somewhat interested in who had committed the crime and why. There were some parts that I felt were missing to explain some of the situation but I think it was mainly because by the time the crime is resolved we’re full into romance mode.

There’s lot about this to enjoy and I think anyone who enjoys wlw romance would enjoy this.

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

The Found Jar – Jaycie Morrison

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Rating: 4 out of 5.
This wasn’t what I was expecting when I picked up this book based on the blurb, but I’m glad this book was more than the blurb suggested. It’s a book full of unexpected depth and humanity. I can imagine it will probably divide people but I really enjoyed the approach.

Emily is a horror writer. She’s had a difficult past and uses her writing to maintain some control of her life. She keeps her friends, if you can call them that, at arms length, has no close family and believes she isn’t deserving of more.

Beck had a traumatic brain injury in her youth. She’s never left her hometown, still lives with her mother and takes odd jobs here and there. She longs to buy a boat and follow in the footsteps of her father.

I really appreciated how Morrison manages to illustrate that trauma does different things to different people. Both MCs have experienced trauma and loss that has made them who they are and her characterisations almost depict the two opposites of possible reactions, Emily pushes people away through mean words in an effort not to be hurt, Beck tries to bring people closer to her. Having them fall for each other despite the many things they have to work through makes for a really good read.

I don’t have experience of traumatic brain injuries, but I felt like Morrison explored Beck’s injuries in a way that is both understandable to the reader, but that also expresses Beck as a really great character. Her mother’s worries about her and the way Emily refuses to treat her as anything other than an adult works really well. Morrison also manages to express the additional impact Emily’s harsh words would have on Beck without making the reader feel sorry for her.

I am sure that Emily probably won’t be a popular character, but I can completely understand why she is written the way she is. Her journey is one of my favourite parts of the book, and whilst she falters, making for a hard read at times, it’s a worthwhile narrative to explore.

The pacing of the story works really well – the twists are effective and provide empathy for both characters. I found myself not wanting to put the book down as I needed to know how it would turn out. There are also cats – a definite bonus in my book.

This isn’t the easiest book to read, the trauma both have experienced can be a difficult read and there are flashbacks and nightmares on the page. There are times when discussions are downright mean. There are also incidences of discrimination towards Beck, both for her sexuality and her injury.

This is Morrison’s first foray into contemporary romance, and I hope this continues. I’d definitely recommend giving this book a go as it brings a different approach to romance than I’ve personally encountered before in the wlw arena and for that reason alone it’s worthwhile giving it a try.

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

Maybe Charlotte – Louise McBain

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Rating: 4 out of 5.
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

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Rating: 3 out of 5.
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

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Rating: 4 out of 5.
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.