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.

Tis The Season – Luci Dreamer

Nov 29, 2020 ~ lgbtqreader85 ~ Leave a comment

3.5 stars. This is a sweet holiday romance about Olivia – a prosecuting attorney and Bridgette (Bridge), an ex-con who now owns and runs Dirty Hands Farm that employs those who are also ex-cons or from vulnerable backgrounds. 

This isn’t my favourite Dreamer book – I’d recommend In the Black personally – but it has a lot of points that I enjoyed. Whilst it starts off with the two MCs meeting when Olivia visits Dirty Hands to purchase a Christmas tree – it does span a period of more than a year and discusses a number of different holidays.

The time span might be one of the factors that makes this novella different than other Dreamer books. Numbers of weeks often pass between interactions for Bridge and Olivia, which can make it feel like there isn’t chemistry between the two, when we are told there is. Whilst I didn’t always feel the chemistry, the interactions between the two are often very cute and often amusing in a cute way.

There is a fair amount of angst in this book from Olivia about falling for Bridge, when we meet her she is in an established relationship with a long-term boyfriend, but a lot of the angst is also wrapped up in not making the same mistakes she made with her ex. Her feelings about this and her sexuality become very intertwined. It can make it a little hard to root for Olivia and their relationship at times.

Whilst it has it’s difficult moments it’s definitely worth a read.

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

Get it Right – Skye Kilaen

Nov 29, 2020 ~ lgbtqreader85 ~ Leave a comment

4.5 stars. This is my first work by Kilaen and I really enjoyed it. The writing is fantastic and I enjoyed meeting all of the characters. I was sad when this one was over – for all the right reasons.

This is a friends/colleagues to lovers story with an added element of power dynamics due to them having previously known each in a prison environment, where Finn was an inmate and Vivi a nurse. There’s a prologue where we need them both in the prison infirmary but the main part of the narrative takes place once Finn is released. I like both of the MCs but I especially loved Finn.

Nearly all of the mentionable characters in the book are queer, in diverse ways and it was great to have a narrative about queer people living their lives – looking for work, running businesses, having relationships, normal family tensions etc. There are some queer related difficulties mentioned and some other difficulties such as trauma from an accident that are also encountered in the storyline, but none are used for drama, all just for expression of ordinary people doing ordinary things.

Judging by the teaser of the second book in the series about one of Vivi’s sisters, we’re going to get more from this world and I sincerely hope we’re going to get the next part of Finn and Vivi’s story. The ending of this is a good place to leave the story, especially if it was always intended to be a novella – but there’s so much more story to tell and I hope one day Kilaen wants to tell it.

I would happily recommend this to any queer romance lovers.

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

Glove Save and A Beauty – K.R. Collins

Nov 25, 2020 ~ lgbtqreader85 ~ Leave a comment

I caught up with the previous books in this series recently in anticipation of this one’s release day and I have to say I thought this was a worthy addition to the series, despite it being about Gabrielle instead of Sophie. In fact, I think adding this shorter book before we read the next chapter in Sophie’s journey will keep the series fresher.

When I was little I was a huge hockey fan. Despite growing up in the UK I was lucky enough to grow up in a town with a team in the top league in the country and I could be found at the rink for every home game. However I wasn’t allowed to play. I desperately wanted to be a goaltender. Reading this is a small glimpse into all the things I enjoy about keeping goal in any sport. The writing on the psyche of those of that choose to stand in front of a puck for a living is great. It’s detailed enough to allow understanding but not so detailed that non-fans will be put off.

I wasn’t sure I’d like the decision to present the narrative in a non-chronological order, but actually that works too. For me it increased the understanding as to why Gabrielle is the way she is. The pressure on her is different than that on Sophie – which is hinted at in Sophie’s books, but it’s nice to have that explored further. There isn’t as much hockey action in this book – which is probably why it’s shorter, so non sports fans may prefer this instalment.

My only real gripe is with the front cover – this is a book about a goaltender – put a goaltenders mask on the front cover. They’re unique and interesting – Gabrielle’s is even described in the book.

Fans of the series should enjoy this, as should any hockey fans, sports fans and people that enjoy queer fiction. I think you could read this as a standalone – whilst it’s definitely strengthened by having read the other books, they aren’t necessary to enjoy this one.

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