In The Solarium

  4.5/5  ⭐ Queer Knives out? Sign me UP! This is one house that is full to bursting with secrets. One that Evander Mills is all to familiar with. One that cost him his job, his friends and almost his life. Being queer in the 50s was not just dangerous, it was a crime. And navigating raids and a disapproving population is hard. So finding a family that are all one way or another queer is unheard of and dangerous. Asked to discreetly investigate a mysterious murder, Mills is let in on the family secret and learns what it’s like to be surrounded my others just like him. And the safety and freedom offered to him behind those closed gates. But not all is well and he quickly learns that as more than just a mysterious murder take place. This was such a good mystery and having the queer rep made it even better. I was a little cautious with the comparison to Knives Out because I didn’t want just a queer book version of it. That would have been boring. But if you liked Knives Out, I...

5/5  ⭐ An atmospheric setting, steeping in traditions and folklore with a tightknit community on the secluded island of Saoirse make this adult fantasy impossible to put down.  Drawn together no matter the time or distance, Emery and August must face difficult facts as the truth about what drove August away all those years ago comes to light. Others, determined to keep the truth well buried will do anything to keep it that way. No matter the cost.  Young balances magic and mystery perfectly as the story progresses, reaching the climatic point that will leave you stunned.  This novel is not one to miss. Thank you to NetGalley and Random House Publishing for the eARC in exchange for an honest review. 

 4/5  ⭐ Sarah Pearse is back with another destination mystery featuring Detective Elin Warner. A family trip to an all-new eco-retreat to help reconnect and learn more about new family members starts off as they travel to the island clouded with a dark past. The cast of characters presented covers the gambit, self-absorbed influence who scored the tickets, freeloading boyfriends, distant sisters, and cousins with a tragic past. Take your pick there is one of each. And they are all stranded together on this island with a murderer picking them off one by one. We definitely get to see some character growth with Elin which I loved. Instead of being stagnant and making it a focus of her character we get to see her grow from the traumas of her past. As well as see how she does solving a crime in an official capacity and being backed by her department. I love a locked room mystery and boy, does Pearse know how to structure one. The twists in this were flawless and kept me on my toes....

5/5 ⭐ A run-down, falling-down house surrounded by the sea and a visiting family so fractured it’s a wonder if they are even related. Daisy Darker has died so many times. Ever since she was young with a heart too weak to beat properly. Her life has been one big question mark of when will it happen next. It’s no surprise that I was drawn to this one. The mere mentions of anything Agatha Christie inspired whatever has me interested. And I was not disappointed. This novel starts dark and gets darker as it plays out. One by one people start to die, clues and hints, and macabre poems are left for the remaining to find. Building the tension here is something Alice Feeney does masterfully. Blending beautifully tragic laced prose with delicate and deceiving dialogue left me on the edge of my seat the entire time I was reading. While familiar elements to Agatha Christie’s And Then There Were None were there, Feeney creates her own mystery masterpiece that is sure to please many. Thank you ...

4/5 ⭐ TBR: 9/13/22  Going into this, I was expecting something totally different and I wasn’t at all disappointed by what it turned out to be. Dimple Pennington isn’t an only child just like she isn’t really an influencer even though she tries. And after one tragic event pulls together all the Pennington siblings again, she’ll learn what familial ties really mean. At some times it is not very relatable and a little unrealistic, but it is also a piece of fiction so I wasn’t too bothered by it. Even with all the characters I really enjoyed the exploration of all the possible relationships and the very well wrapped ending. I love a good ending. Thank you to Scouts and Simon & Schuster for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.  8/9/22 *This review was previously posted on my Google Site.

5/5 ⭐ TBR: 9/6/22 And she is back with another bone-chilling, keep you up all night, make your heart pound horror. If you’ve been around you know that I love Darcy Coates' work. And any and every chance I get, I try to get a copy to read and review. When I saw that she was releasing a second novel this year I squealed and immediately when on the hunt for the arc. Enter Margot Hull, daughter of the recently deceased Hugh and Maria Hull, owners of the world-renowned Gallows Hill Winery. Margot knows little about her parents and her family as she was sent away at a young age and never went back until the day of the funeral. When she arrives at her old family home, secrets long buried come to light as Margot is forced to face the nightmares that curse the land. This is a slow burn tense and foreboding atmospheric masterpiece. And what I thought was going to be a ghost story turned out to be so much more, in the best way possible. This haunted house tale comes with it all. A tragic, blo...

5/5 ⭐ TBR: 8/16/22 Dark academia meets summer camp, and the vibes are immaculate. This LGBTQIA+ inclusive horror will bring the monsters into the daylight and make the reader rethink everything they thought they knew about the horror genre. With the genderfluid Mars and the rest of the Hive, each with their own purpose, this is one community... cult, that you don’t want to mess with. This is such a divine summer read, and I so enjoyed it! Thank you to Scholastic for access to the arc in exchange for an honest review. 7/27/22 *This review was previously posted on my Google Site.

4/5 ⭐ Meet Cassie Harris, photographer, and owner of Buxom Boudoir where she makes people look beautiful and feel empowered. After getting roped into helping a dear friend with her new lingerie line as the model, not the photographer. Oh no, that job went to her long-time rival in the photography scene Reid Montgomery. This story is filled with body positivity and very inclusive and I loved that. It’s still not as popular or a frequent thing to find as one would hope. The characters were fun and interesting. The romance itself was very fluffy and tropey I find that most modern romances tend to lean that way. Overall this was a solid romance and the ending absolutely made it worth it to finish. Thank you to the publisher for sending me the eARC in exchange for an honest review. 7/19/22 *This review was previously posted on my Google Site.

5/5 ⭐ In this mind-blowing sequel to the equally amazing A Psalm for the Wild-Built , Chambers has once again made me stop to think and question things I had never considered before. I am relatively new to Becky Chamber’s work but so far I have loved everything I have been fortunate enough to read. Chamber’s has a way of writing that makes you feel exposed yet comforted in knowing that the thoughts and ideas that have been plaguing you are familiar to someone else as well. In Crown-Shy, Mosscap and Dex are journeying through towns and farmlands on their way into the City. Mosscap is given its chance to ask the question it’s been holding on to and Dex is able to finally get the bath they so desperately desire. There is more exploration of the question “What do people want?” and in turn that becomes what do people value and what is purpose. I think, similar to others that have read this, that seeing Dex and their dealings with burnout in relation to our current world and own feelings and...

5/5 ⭐ A locked-room mystery in which no one could get in or out and with seemingly no motive for anyone to want to kill the Doctor. A real conundrum. I love a classic whodunit mystery and this definitely ticked all the boxes. The atmosphere and settings were spot on and left nothing to be desired in that respect. The cast of characters was intriguing and the author did a good job of making them real enough to not overthink them. There was definitely room to expand on certain characters but nothing that made it a disservice. I liked the fact that the sometimes sleuth was a magician. It was something totally different than what I was used to and made it more interesting. Also, there is a list of characters, which I loved! It was a little intimidating seeing all the characters but it didn’t get overwhelming. This is one, that will leave you guessing until the very end. Thank you to NetGalley and Penzler Publishers, Mysterious Press for the eARC in exchange for an honest review. 7/12/22 *T...

4/5 ⭐ This is a cute and refreshing YA LGBT+ romance that takes real, unforgettable characters and an even more interesting plot. Meet Eleanor, a recluse and firm disbeliever in witchcraft working in a witchy souvenir shop in downtown Salem. After a chance encounter with Pix, a real-life witch, and some tarot-inspired help Eleanor is forced to flee her comfort zone and face the hurts of her past. If there is only one thing you take away from this review it needs to be this... Kate Scelsa has created some of the most realistic, relatable, and unforgettable characters. And not only that, she makes them face their truths and admit their wrongs. And learn from them. Not just behind the scenes but on the page. And I loved that. At first glance, I thought that this would be a lighthearted fantasy-esque story but it is so much more. While not fantasy at all, this story is so much more complex and intricate. And yes, there is some romance but this is much more of a coming-of-age and learning t...

5/5 ⭐ This queer rom-com with its surprisingly on-point introspection on what a healthy relationship looks like and well-developed characters will leave readers' hearts a little more full than before. And swooning for their own Delilah Green. I loved this queer romance, it’s one of the most well-written ones I have read so far. The characters were so well developed, the usual tropes and aspects I am used to seeing in romance novels were not there at all or written so well that I couldn’t be annoyed they were used at all. Blake gives us two women both at very different points in their lives but both struggling with coming to terms with events from their pasts. I will say that for a romance it was quite emotional on all fronts. Familial, friendships, and romantically. But I think it just enriched the story and made it more relatable to the readers. It was well balanced throughout. All in all, a solid, well-developed queer romance that I recommend to anyone looking for something fresh...

5/5 ⭐ Filled with a fantastical description, feisty characters, and a devious plan concocted by three spurned witches, this book is hard to put down. I am notorious for being picky when it comes to fantasy and romance stories, so finding one that was a combination of both that I loved was thrilling. Emmy Harlow has finally returned home in order to fulfill a centuries-long tradition in her family. I don't know if it was just me but I could feel the struggles Emmy was facing from page one. Harper managed to make her feel alive and genuine, which I am coming to find appeals to me when reading. Emmy fled her hometown nearly 10 years earlier and the wounds are still hurting. She's a little lost, a little pissed, and a little in love. Her homecoming is something she struggles with throughout most of the main story. The longing for a home but not knowing if it is the place she grew up in, the magical and wonderful Thistle Grove. Or if it is magicless, solitary Chicago to which she fl...

5/5 ⭐ 💜   Possible Spoilers - Read with care Whatever I expected before picking this one up was thrown out the window and obliterated. I had known that TJ Klune was a popular and well-written author. I knew that this book was going to be good. I just didn't realize how good it would be. There is something reassuring about his writing that doesn't drag you down into it or anything like that. Rather it welcomes you in, offers you something comforting, and invites you to stay. And that is an invitation you can't turn down. Because you don't want to. You want to sit and stay and feel every emotion and feeling he writes, the happy and the sad. Because it feels genuine. This is a story that talks about death at length and at points in vivid detail. It walks you through the five stages of grief in such a way that you almost forget that it is essential to the story. Not that it becomes insignificant, rather it happens so fluidly and naturally. It's never choppy or overly i...

5/5 ⭐ A fresh take on the old classic, Silvia Moreno-Garcia manages to reimagine vampire lore into something completely unique. Take whatever previous notions you have of vampire stories and toss them out the window. She managed to introduce such an interesting take on vampires, ones that take on aspects from their cultures like Alt with ties to Aztec mythology and so on.  All of these subspecies of vampire builds on the richness of the world Moreno-Garcia created. Alt flees to Mexico City, a closed nation free from any vampire after her family is killed by a rival gang of Necro vampires(a deadly European subspecies of vampires). With only Cualli, her loyal and deadly dog, and a garbage boy named Domingo helping her, she has to flee both the Necros and human gangs who wish her dead.  Vampire gangs are definitely a new one for me. The characters come to life on the page within the excellent worldbuilding. You just get lost in the story, captivated until the very end.  The ...

5/5 ⭐ I don't usually read fantasy and I haven't read anything from Lavie Tidhar before so this is an interesting introduction for me. I wasn't totally excited when I realized clowns were going to be a huge part of the story but wanted to give it fair chance beyond my discomfort. The description is very detailed without feeling overwhelming. The world-building alone paints a vivid environment. In fact, two environments that we see the father traverse into to search for an item that could save his sick and dying son. While I didn't feel compelled to complete this story, I did. Getting to the end and having watched the struggle of both the Father and the Stranger in parallels search for this flower they both desperately seek was a lot and I definitely had that 'woah' moment of finally getting there. I definitely recommend this to fantasy lovers and those who are interested in Lavie Tidhar's work.  5/9/21 *This review was previously posted on my Google Site.