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duckyreads's reviews
156 reviews
Not Another Love Song by Julie Soto
emotional
funny
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
This is my first Julie Soto book, but it will not be my last! In Not Another Love Song, we follow Gwen, a self-taught violinist at the cusp of a major career upgrade, and Xander, a cellist and rock star who is used to being in the spotlight.
After Gwen is offered the role of first chair in the Manhattan Pops, an intense rivalry forms, and the chemistry between them builds. As they become close and begin to compose songs together, it becomes a marketing ploy to keep the Manhattan Pops financially alive.
As a classical music lover, Julie perfectly captures how intense playing an instrument with someone can be. The amount of focus, time, and dedication that is poured into music is intense, and she somehow described it perfectly. Not Another Love Song is a wonderful workplace romance.
Thank you to NetGalley and Forever Publishing for an eARC in exchange for an honest review.
After Gwen is offered the role of first chair in the Manhattan Pops, an intense rivalry forms, and the chemistry between them builds. As they become close and begin to compose songs together, it becomes a marketing ploy to keep the Manhattan Pops financially alive.
As a classical music lover, Julie perfectly captures how intense playing an instrument with someone can be. The amount of focus, time, and dedication that is poured into music is intense, and she somehow described it perfectly. Not Another Love Song is a wonderful workplace romance.
Thank you to NetGalley and Forever Publishing for an eARC in exchange for an honest review.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death of parent and Gaslighting
Moderate: Cancer and Grief
Minor: Misogyny
A Bluestocking's Guide to Decadence by Jess Everlee
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Loveable characters? Yes
4.0
Jess Everlee is becoming an auto-buy author for me! A Bluestocking's Guide to Decadence is the perfect wrap to the Lucky Lovers of London series. Jo Smith is happily in a lavender marriage until an unexpected pregnancy threatens to disturb her pleasant life. In steps Dr. Emily Clarke, an established bluestocking working at a small hospital outside the city. When they work together to give the pregnancy a fair shot, they grow closer along the way.
Jess's characterization of all of the characters is truly a highlight of her writing. All of the characters feel fleshed out and taken care of, even if they are background to the main plot. I would definitely recommend this to anyone looking for a great queer historical romance.
Thank you to NetGalley and Carina Adores by Harlequin Romance for an eARC in exchange for an honest review.
Jess's characterization of all of the characters is truly a highlight of her writing. All of the characters feel fleshed out and taken care of, even if they are background to the main plot. I would definitely recommend this to anyone looking for a great queer historical romance.
Thank you to NetGalley and Carina Adores by Harlequin Romance for an eARC in exchange for an honest review.
A Little Kissing Between Friends by Chencia C. Higgins
emotional
funny
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
Chencia C. Higgins is an auto-buy author for me! A Little Kissing Between Friends is the perfect friends-to-lovers sapphic romance. Cyn is a successful producer who knows how to get every woman's attention. Her best friend Jucee is a talented dancer at an adult club that dotes on her son and loves on her friends.
Chencia writes in a way that brings her characters to life and makes them feel familiar. It's also refreshing to see a sweet relationship between a stud and a femme! The love and care that she pours into her characterization is wonderful to read and I recommend this story to everyone!
Thank you to NetGalley and Carina Adores by Harlequin Romance for an eARC in exchange for an honest review.
Chencia writes in a way that brings her characters to life and makes them feel familiar. It's also refreshing to see a sweet relationship between a stud and a femme! The love and care that she pours into her characterization is wonderful to read and I recommend this story to everyone!
Thank you to NetGalley and Carina Adores by Harlequin Romance for an eARC in exchange for an honest review.
The 7-10 Split by Karmen Lee
medium-paced
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
The 7-10 Split is a thoughtfully sweet sapphic romance. Ava Williams is a teacher who was unpleasantly surprised when her ex-best friend from high school Grace Jones showed up to teach at her school. With the announcement of a new bowling team by the irritating principal, Ava, and Grace have to find a way to work together to balance their growing feelings with the competitive bowling circuit.
I really enjoyed this Black sapphic romance. Karmen created a perfect mixture of humor and warmth with a nontraditional sports romance. I would recommend this to everyone, especially if you like a slow-burn workplace relationship.
Thank you to NetGalley and Afterglow Books by Harlequin for an eARC in exchange for an honest review.
I really enjoyed this Black sapphic romance. Karmen created a perfect mixture of humor and warmth with a nontraditional sports romance. I would recommend this to everyone, especially if you like a slow-burn workplace relationship.
Thank you to NetGalley and Afterglow Books by Harlequin for an eARC in exchange for an honest review.
The Color Purple by Alice Walker
challenging
emotional
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Child abuse, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Incest, Physical abuse, Sexual assault, and Sexual violence
Out of Office by A.H. Cunningham
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
A.H. Cunningham crafts a beautiful, relaxing, vacation in Out of Office. Genevieve is a stressed overachiever, that puts her work over everything, especially with a major promotion on the way. On a well-deserved two-week vacation, she falls in love with the city of Colón and her former driver, Adrián Nicolas.
Adrián and Gen's relationship was hot from the start, and eventually unraveled with emotional depth, including complex family stories. I really enjoyed watching them reach their happy ending, and I recommend this to anyone who knows they need a break.
Thank you to NetGalley and Afterglow Books by Harlequin for an eARC in exchange for an honest review.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Car accident and Death of parent
The Prospects by KT Hoffman
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
After finishing The Prospects, I was shocked to find out that KT Hoffman is a debut author. We follow Gene, the first trans man playing professional baseball in the minor leagues, and his determination to get his team to the playoffs. He’s suddenly confronted by his former college teammate, Luis Estrada after he’s traded to the Beavers. As they stumble through learning how to play with each other again, Luis begins to become more vulnerable with Gene and we witness a spirited relationship. KT has a very digestible writing style and approaches baseball information at a base level, which makes it very approachable. I would definitely recommend this story to anyone and I’m looking forward to KT’s future works. He crafted a beautiful and celebratory queer baseball romance.
Thank you to Dial Press Publishing and NetGalley for a copy of the eARC in exchange for an honest review.
Thank you to Dial Press Publishing and NetGalley for a copy of the eARC in exchange for an honest review.
The Boyfriend Subscription by Steven Salvatore
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
The Boyfriend Subscription is a sweet queer Pretty Woman retelling. Cole is a successful sex worker and businessman who finds himself hiring Teddy, a passionate plant enthusiast bouncing back from heartbreak.
Steven handled a lot of difficult topics in this story, including emotional and financial abuse, emotional manipulation, and sexual assault. If you’re looking for a romance with emotional depth, definitely check out The Boyfriend Subscription.
Thank you to Afterglow Books by Harlequin and NetGalley for an eARC in exchange for an honest review.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Emotional abuse and Sexual assault
Manila Takes Manhattan by Carla de Guzman
Thank you to Afterglow Books by Harlequin and NetGalley for a copy of the eARC in exchange for an honest review.
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.5
Manila Takes Manhattan is a sweet celebrity romance between a Filipino music producer and a Filipino-American A-list actress filming in New York City. This is my first Carla de Guzman story, and I really enjoyed her writing style and her rich inclusion of Filipino culture. It's clear that she has intimate knowledge about the immigrant experience as well.
It's very easy to care about Olivia and Mon, and how they depend on each other and get to know each other. I would definitely recommend this to anyone looking for a steamy read full with Filipino culture and delicious food.
A brief glossary at the end of the story that compiled all of the different phrases and food would be a great way for people unfamiliar with Filipino culture to have a reference point as a lot of cultural references vary person to person, something that Olivia experiences in the story herself.
It's very easy to care about Olivia and Mon, and how they depend on each other and get to know each other. I would definitely recommend this to anyone looking for a steamy read full with Filipino culture and delicious food.
A brief glossary at the end of the story that compiled all of the different phrases and food would be a great way for people unfamiliar with Filipino culture to have a reference point as a lot of cultural references vary person to person, something that Olivia experiences in the story herself.
Thank you to Afterglow Books by Harlequin and NetGalley for a copy of the eARC in exchange for an honest review.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Pandemic/Epidemic
Minor: Racism
The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes by Suzanne Collins
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0