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lollylovesbooks's reviews
686 reviews
An Education in Malice by S.T. Gibson
Sapphic vampire dark academia.
Laura is a new student, having moved across the country for her college of choice. Carmilla, on the other hand, has been at the college for a while, and is disgruntled to have to share her favourite professor's attentions with a newcomer.
I knew very little about this book going in, and quite a few things about the setting surprised me. For example, it's set in the 1960s. And there is a lot of poetry reciting.
I enjoyed the relationship building and dynamics between Laura and Carmilla - I felt bad for them how often their kisses were interrupted though!
Even though it made sense for the circumstances, I definitely felt uneasy with students regularly being invited to a professor's apartment. The student-professor dynamic made me a little uncomfortable at times.
But overall I definitely enjoyed reading this. Different style to a lot of the vampire books I read, so a nice bit of variety there.
Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for the free copy. All thoughts are my own.
Laura is a new student, having moved across the country for her college of choice. Carmilla, on the other hand, has been at the college for a while, and is disgruntled to have to share her favourite professor's attentions with a newcomer.
I knew very little about this book going in, and quite a few things about the setting surprised me. For example, it's set in the 1960s. And there is a lot of poetry reciting.
I enjoyed the relationship building and dynamics between Laura and Carmilla - I felt bad for them how often their kisses were interrupted though!
Even though it made sense for the circumstances, I definitely felt uneasy with students regularly being invited to a professor's apartment. The student-professor dynamic made me a little uncomfortable at times.
But overall I definitely enjoyed reading this. Different style to a lot of the vampire books I read, so a nice bit of variety there.
Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for the free copy. All thoughts are my own.
Requiem for Immortals by Lee Winter
I have no idea what genre to classify this book as, but I enjoyed reading it!
Natalya as a cellist, Requiem as an assassin. Requiem is the best of the best at what she does, fulfilling difficult to reach hits and adding a sense of poetic justice. One day, though, the target she's given just doesn't make sense. But the biggest question is why that even bothers her.
First up - if you only want to read books where the main character is likeable from the start then this is not for you. Natalya has been groomed to be a killer from a very young age, with all emotion beaten out of her. She treats people like trash.
This book has a strong romantic thread, but I'm on the fence on whether I'd call it a romance. Partly because of plot balance, partly because Natalya takes so damn long to realise that she actually has emotions. But it's definitely sapphic. And dark. With a lot of suspense.
Alison (the mark) was a really interesting character, and arguably had a bigger development arc than Natalya did. Fair warning that her background isn't the happiest either, so make sure you're prepared for some unhappy themes coming into this one.
Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for the free digital copy. All thoughts are my own.
Natalya as a cellist, Requiem as an assassin. Requiem is the best of the best at what she does, fulfilling difficult to reach hits and adding a sense of poetic justice. One day, though, the target she's given just doesn't make sense. But the biggest question is why that even bothers her.
First up - if you only want to read books where the main character is likeable from the start then this is not for you. Natalya has been groomed to be a killer from a very young age, with all emotion beaten out of her. She treats people like trash.
This book has a strong romantic thread, but I'm on the fence on whether I'd call it a romance. Partly because of plot balance, partly because Natalya takes so damn long to realise that she actually has emotions. But it's definitely sapphic. And dark. With a lot of suspense.
Alison (the mark) was a really interesting character, and arguably had a bigger development arc than Natalya did. Fair warning that her background isn't the happiest either, so make sure you're prepared for some unhappy themes coming into this one.
Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for the free digital copy. All thoughts are my own.
Queen of Dreams by Kit Rocha
This is book 2 in an MFF fantasy romance series that must be read in order, and so this review will contain some spoilers for Consort of Fire.
I loved reading Consort of Fire, finding it the perfect balance of fantasy and romance, and so was eagerly anticipating its follow-up. Second books in fantasy series can often struggle, but Queen of Dreams absolutely lived up to my expectations in every way.
Zanya and Ash take on a bigger role in proactively protecting their people, and combined with the intense training Zanya has to undergo this leaves Sachi feeling alone and unable to help. But when tensions start mounting with The Betrayer it's the power of dreams that is needed to help.
I loved how each of the three had their own character development, and that different aspects of their relationship deepened on different timelines. It was great to see the exploration of powers, ranging from the obvious developments for Zanya and Sachi to the more subtle emotion-based changes for Ash.
This is an incredible fantasy world, and I can't wait to see where things go in the next book.
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the free digital copy. All thoughts are my own.
I loved reading Consort of Fire, finding it the perfect balance of fantasy and romance, and so was eagerly anticipating its follow-up. Second books in fantasy series can often struggle, but Queen of Dreams absolutely lived up to my expectations in every way.
Zanya and Ash take on a bigger role in proactively protecting their people, and combined with the intense training Zanya has to undergo this leaves Sachi feeling alone and unable to help. But when tensions start mounting with The Betrayer it's the power of dreams that is needed to help.
I loved how each of the three had their own character development, and that different aspects of their relationship deepened on different timelines. It was great to see the exploration of powers, ranging from the obvious developments for Zanya and Sachi to the more subtle emotion-based changes for Ash.
This is an incredible fantasy world, and I can't wait to see where things go in the next book.
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the free digital copy. All thoughts are my own.
Sanctuary by Ilona Andrews
For any fans of the Kate Daniels series, a book from Roman's point of view is a great treat. For those not familiar with the world, this book works absolutely fine as a standalone.
Roman is a priest and vessel of Chernabog, God of Darkness, Death and other such fun stuff. Despite living in the middle of heavily-warded woods, an exhausted boy arrives at his house and asks for sanctuary. Offering that sanctuary then brings a whole host of other people, keen to test Roman's defences and patience.
The Kate Daniels world is always great for combining mythology and magic, and this was no exception. This story has a lot of references to Slavic mythology, all of which is well explained. There's also a glossary in the back, which I really should have referred to as it took me a while to get my head round some of the different words.
From a character perspective, Roman was an absolute delight to delve further into. I very much appreciated how thoroughly grumpy he was for most of the book, but that he still took the time to do his duty while sulking.
Thoroughly recommend this to anyone who enjoys mythology-based urban fantasy.
Thank you to the authors and NetGalley for the free digital copy. All thoughts are my own.
Roman is a priest and vessel of Chernabog, God of Darkness, Death and other such fun stuff. Despite living in the middle of heavily-warded woods, an exhausted boy arrives at his house and asks for sanctuary. Offering that sanctuary then brings a whole host of other people, keen to test Roman's defences and patience.
The Kate Daniels world is always great for combining mythology and magic, and this was no exception. This story has a lot of references to Slavic mythology, all of which is well explained. There's also a glossary in the back, which I really should have referred to as it took me a while to get my head round some of the different words.
From a character perspective, Roman was an absolute delight to delve further into. I very much appreciated how thoroughly grumpy he was for most of the book, but that he still took the time to do his duty while sulking.
Thoroughly recommend this to anyone who enjoys mythology-based urban fantasy.
Thank you to the authors and NetGalley for the free digital copy. All thoughts are my own.
In Charm's Way by Lana Harper
The balance of this one felt off to me. Lots of telling instead of showing. And it very much felt like an urban fantasy with a romantic storyline, rather than a paranormal romance. For me the romantic elements were super weak.
Books 1 and 2 still far and away the best for me.
Books 1 and 2 still far and away the best for me.
Unmasking Autism: Discovering the New Faces of Neurodiversity by Devon Price
Did not finish book. Stopped at 5%.
Did not finish book. Stopped at 5%.
Switching to audio
Shifting Shadows: Stories from the World of Mercy Thompson by Patricia Briggs
Brilliant anthology.
Personal favourites were:
Personal favourites were:
- Roses in Winter
- In Red, with Pearl's
- Redemption
But honestly enjoyed it all. Great accompaniment to the series.
Primal Mirror by Nalini Singh
Powerful next installment in a fantastic series.
Remi is a leopard changeling, and the alpha of the RainFire pack. His pack is facing another potential threat in the arrival of an unknown Psy in a previously hostile area. Auden is a broken Psy. She has periods of time when she loses herself, and knows things she's never been told. Not knowing who to trust was complicated enough without meeting a changeling alpha too...
Remi and Auden's relationship was slow burn by necessity - Auden is experiencing severe trauma so anything else would be inappropriate. The journey involves so much discovery for both of them. Auden is pregnant at the start of the book, and it was great to see how her developing relationship with Remi also impacted her thoughts on what options her child would have.
I loved the dynamic of being in a much younger leopard pack, and seeing how close-knit everyone was. The relationships between all the pack members are fantastic, and Remi was so sweet with the cubs.
This is the 8th book in the Psy-Changeling Trinity series. While you can start with the Trinity series, I would highly recommend reading the Psy-Changeling series before this book as there are a lot of references to events from the first series. There are also lots of recurring characters here, split across the overarching series plot and the events in RainFire. I'm always happy when the Arrows get to do what they do best. And I literally squealed when a certain other character showed up!
At its heart, this is a book about finding the place where you belong. With stories of how RainFire was founded. With Auden finding people she can trust for the first time in her life. This pack is the most beautiful found family.
Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for the free digital copy. All thoughts are my own.
Remi is a leopard changeling, and the alpha of the RainFire pack. His pack is facing another potential threat in the arrival of an unknown Psy in a previously hostile area. Auden is a broken Psy. She has periods of time when she loses herself, and knows things she's never been told. Not knowing who to trust was complicated enough without meeting a changeling alpha too...
Remi and Auden's relationship was slow burn by necessity - Auden is experiencing severe trauma so anything else would be inappropriate. The journey involves so much discovery for both of them. Auden is pregnant at the start of the book, and it was great to see how her developing relationship with Remi also impacted her thoughts on what options her child would have.
I loved the dynamic of being in a much younger leopard pack, and seeing how close-knit everyone was. The relationships between all the pack members are fantastic, and Remi was so sweet with the cubs.
This is the 8th book in the Psy-Changeling Trinity series. While you can start with the Trinity series, I would highly recommend reading the Psy-Changeling series before this book as there are a lot of references to events from the first series. There are also lots of recurring characters here, split across the overarching series plot and the events in RainFire. I'm always happy when the Arrows get to do what they do best. And I literally squealed when a certain other character showed up!
At its heart, this is a book about finding the place where you belong. With stories of how RainFire was founded. With Auden finding people she can trust for the first time in her life. This pack is the most beautiful found family.
Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for the free digital copy. All thoughts are my own.
Back in a Spell by Lana Harper
I have mixed thoughts.
Enjoyed being back in Thistle Grove. Loved Nina's personal growth and her sibling relationship. The story overall was fun.
But... Morty is a non-binary character, and if you read all but 2 pages of this book you could be clueless to that. It's first person from Nina's POV and she uses he/him pronouns throughout, despite Morty using he/they in a dating app profile.
All in all, I'm glad I don't worry about star ratings any more, as I wouldn't know where to put this.
Enjoyed being back in Thistle Grove. Loved Nina's personal growth and her sibling relationship. The story overall was fun.
But... Morty is a non-binary character, and if you read all but 2 pages of this book you could be clueless to that. It's first person from Nina's POV and she uses he/him pronouns throughout, despite Morty using he/they in a dating app profile.
All in all, I'm glad I don't worry about star ratings any more, as I wouldn't know where to put this.
Chasing Stars by Katia Rose
Sapphic second-chance romance of self discovery.
Clover is back in her small home town for the summer before starting her Masters. Her sisters have coupled up and happily worked out where their lives are headed, leaving Clover feeling out of place. Neavh has had to change her travel plans last minute, and so with no money is staying with her cousin for the summer. The only problem is that a few years ago Clover and Neavh had a summer fling that ended badly, and in a tiny town they can't really keep away.
This is the third (and final) book in the Three Rivers series and could be read as a standalone if you want. However there are a lot of references (all explained) to the earlier books, as those sisters play prominent parts in this story.
I love these characters! Both have been through so much, but my heart broke for poor Neavh. The differences in their families was so well done - with Clover having a caring (if sometimes overbearing) family and Neavh only having her cousin to turn to.
For second chance romance to work well, both the past and present decisions need to make sense. If something hasn't changed for the characters it just feels fake. Happily, in this case the second chance is done really well. The reasons for things going wrong before absolutely fit who they'd been at that time, and the character growth is absolutely their.
There are a lot of references to grief for past death of a family member (both main characters) so please be aware of that going in. It's something that has shaped both women and impacted so many parts of their lives.
The campground setting for this series is once again amazing. I loved seeing Clover's take on it, having been away studying. It definitely made me want to get outside somewhere scenic!
All in all, this book hit all the right notes at all the right times. Relationship dynamics, steamy scenes, sweet moments, and heartstring tugs. All beautifully written. Highly recommend.
Thank you to the author for the free digital advanced copy. All thoughts are my own.
Clover is back in her small home town for the summer before starting her Masters. Her sisters have coupled up and happily worked out where their lives are headed, leaving Clover feeling out of place. Neavh has had to change her travel plans last minute, and so with no money is staying with her cousin for the summer. The only problem is that a few years ago Clover and Neavh had a summer fling that ended badly, and in a tiny town they can't really keep away.
This is the third (and final) book in the Three Rivers series and could be read as a standalone if you want. However there are a lot of references (all explained) to the earlier books, as those sisters play prominent parts in this story.
I love these characters! Both have been through so much, but my heart broke for poor Neavh. The differences in their families was so well done - with Clover having a caring (if sometimes overbearing) family and Neavh only having her cousin to turn to.
For second chance romance to work well, both the past and present decisions need to make sense. If something hasn't changed for the characters it just feels fake. Happily, in this case the second chance is done really well. The reasons for things going wrong before absolutely fit who they'd been at that time, and the character growth is absolutely their.
There are a lot of references to grief for past death of a family member (both main characters) so please be aware of that going in. It's something that has shaped both women and impacted so many parts of their lives.
The campground setting for this series is once again amazing. I loved seeing Clover's take on it, having been away studying. It definitely made me want to get outside somewhere scenic!
All in all, this book hit all the right notes at all the right times. Relationship dynamics, steamy scenes, sweet moments, and heartstring tugs. All beautifully written. Highly recommend.
Thank you to the author for the free digital advanced copy. All thoughts are my own.