Scan barcode
blewballoon's reviews
680 reviews
The Captain's Midwinter Bride by Liana De la Rosa
emotional
funny
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.75
Once I started this I couldn't seem to put it down. I loved this holiday historical romance. It was so sweet and refreshing to follow an older couple who had always respected and liked each other, but hadn't ever gotten any closer due to the circumstances of their lives and their own assumptions. Watching them reach across that distance to savor the love waiting there was just delightful.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content
Minor: Sexual assault, Grief, Death of parent, Abandonment, Alcohol, and Sexual harassment
You're the Problem, It's You by Emma R. Alban
emotional
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
I think I may have liked this even more than "Don't Want You Like a Best Friend." For longer than I should have, I struggled to remember which of the two leads was which despite the audiobook helpfully having two different narrators. I also wish I had read this more closely to the first book in the series, since a lot of characters are prominently featured here (and I confused the girls with each other more than once.) Apart from my own failures with keeping all the characters sorted, I thought the romance was solid and the plot resolutions were lovely.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content
Moderate: Homophobia, Panic attacks/disorders, Pregnancy, and Outing
Minor: Toxic relationship, Violence, Vomit, Death of parent, and Alcohol
A Marriage of Undead Inconvenience by Stephanie Burgis
funny
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
This was a pleasant way to pass the time while waiting for my car at the tire place. Great use of the short page count to establish the characters, give them time to get to know each other in a travel montage, and have a little fantasy plot as well. I'd recommend to fans of paranormal and historical romance.
Content Warnings
Minor: Misogyny, Sexism, Violence, Alcohol, and War
Merry Inkmas by Talia Hibbert
emotional
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.25
The quibbles I had kept piling up to the point that they tipped the scales towards disliking the book more than I liked it. Right from the beginning, I was baffled that a barista wouldn't have known the name of a customer they were interested in who comes in basically every day. It's standard procedure to take the customer's name and call their name out when their order is ready; writing names and messages on cups is practically a coffee shop trope by itself! Maybe it's different outside of the US, but I've been to a coffee shop in London and I remember it working the same way. Unusual story bits like that kept breaking my immersion, and some lines of dialogue were just too unnatural to suspend my disbelief for. Both Cash and Bailey had too many personal issues and over-dramatic reactions to be resolved properly in the short page count to feel like they could function as a couple. Less angst and better communication would have made it easier to root for them. Best thing about all this was that it had plenty of Christmas vibes.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content
Moderate: Child abuse, Domestic abuse, Physical abuse, Violence, and Death of parent
Minor: Adult/minor relationship, Cancer, Mental illness, Toxic relationship, and Pregnancy
The Scholar and the Last Faerie Door by H.G. Parry
emotional
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
I loved The Magician's Daughter by H.G. Parry, so I was really hoping I'd like this. Unfortunately this one's not for me. I do think plenty of people will enjoy it, this might hit the spot for fans of dark academia. The prose is good, the pacing is slower in order to gradually build suspense along with cryptic inserts by the narrator about their regrets. I did guess a few of the big reveals in advance, but not all of them. The audiobook narrator is good.
What didn't work for me was the main character, Clover. I've always struggled with stories about a less popular student giving into temptation and making bad choices to fit in with more popular/glamorous people. I don't know if it's a neurodivergent thing or not, but I've never felt that compulsion and I find it hard to sympathize with characters who give into it. In this book there's a specific effort to demonstrate that it's also Clover's scholarly ambition that drives her to make harmful decisions, perhaps even more than peer pressure, but I found this reasoning just as hard to swallow. The story follows Clover tightly, so although other characters were more interesting or likable to me, they felt too small proportionately in the narrative voice to improve my overall reading experience.
What didn't work for me was the main character, Clover. I've always struggled with stories about a less popular student giving into temptation and making bad choices to fit in with more popular/glamorous people. I don't know if it's a neurodivergent thing or not, but I've never felt that compulsion and I find it hard to sympathize with characters who give into it. In this book there's a specific effort to demonstrate that it's also Clover's scholarly ambition that drives her to make harmful decisions, perhaps even more than peer pressure, but I found this reasoning just as hard to swallow. The story follows Clover tightly, so although other characters were more interesting or likable to me, they felt too small proportionately in the narrative voice to improve my overall reading experience.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Blood, Grief, Toxic friendship, and War
Minor: Sexual content, Pregnancy, and Alcohol
Under Loch and Key by Lana Ferguson
adventurous
emotional
funny
lighthearted
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
I knew what I wanted when I looked at the cover of this book, and it delivered. Thank you Lana Ferguson for giving me the supernatural romance goods. My only critiques are that I think the "mysteries" were very easy to solve (to the point that the main characters looked a little dumb for not figuring things out sooner) and that I personally would have preferred less of the stereotypical enemies-to-lovers setup for the romance. I think some people might not like a few of these spicy scenes, but I really enjoyed them.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content
Moderate: Violence, Blood, Grief, Death of parent, Abandonment, and Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Confinement, Cursing, and Alcohol
Out on a Limb by Hannah Bonam-Young
emotional
funny
lighthearted
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.25
Well, that was lovely. I prefer romances where the main characters start on friendly terms and then just get closer and closer until love is inevitable. This is a great example of that type of love story. I enjoyed the easy chemistry between the leads from the start. I understand that the "issue" with this type of romance is that it's "harder" to create tension, and here the tension came mostly from the characters just wanting to do the right thing and respect each other's wishes. I really didn't mind those low stakes and appreciated that in all the spots where I thought a trope I hated was going to happen, the characters handled it like emotionally mature adults instead. Also, even though I normally dislike the surprise pregnancy trope/story, this book kind of made me wish for a version where it really was just two people who are friends and decide to raise a baby together, as friends. I think there's a good story there as well.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content and Pregnancy
Moderate: Ableism, Cancer, and Death of parent
Minor: Emotional abuse, Suicide, Toxic relationship, Abortion, and Abandonment
The Perfect Crimes of Marian Hayes by Cat Sebastian
adventurous
funny
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
I don't know why I put off reading this for so long, it's a great follow up to The Queer Principles of Kit Webb and I loved seeing a bit more of those characters while following Marian and Rob. I picked this up now because I thought it was a Christmas book for some reason, and it does take place in winter time with some mentions of snow, so I guess that's close enough? I thought Marian was great in the first book but wasn't too sure about Rob, he definitely won me over here. I liked the demonstration of different styles of love, motherhood, happiness, and family. The spicy scenes were refreshingly different, especially compared to the Julia Quinn style of historical romance. (No offense to J Quinn, it's just nice to read something unexpected.)
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content
Moderate: Gun violence, Blood, Dementia, and Alcohol
Minor: Confinement, Death, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Forced institutionalization, Murder, and Pregnancy
The Holiday Swap by Maggie Knox
Did not finish book. Stopped at 21%.
Did not finish book. Stopped at 21%.
I actually like cheesy Hallmark/Netflix Christmas movies, but this isn't working for me. The sisters, particularly Charlie, just seem really stupid with the decisions they make. I can't root for them. The love interests are incredibly bland, and there's too much lying for any romance to work. The toxic male antagonists are annoying and I'm sure will be dealt with at the very end in an unrealistic way along with the fallout when all the lies come out. I can already map out the trajectory of this book and I'm not interested in seeing it happen.
Content Warnings
Minor: Misogyny, Sexism, Toxic relationship, Medical content, and Injury/Injury detail
Grimm Curiosities by Sharon Lynn Fisher
emotional
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.25
Excellent Victorian Christmas vibes, definitely a great book to read around the holiday season. I think fans of Salt & Broom by this author will also enjoy this one. At times it reminded me of Mimi Matthews books. The romance and the mysteries take up about the same space in the book, but I thought both plots were done well. There was one segment of the book where I got pretty frustrated with the characters, but their choices did make some sense considering they didn't have all of the information that I did as the reader.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Sexism, Death of parent, and Classism
Minor: Mental illness, Alcohol, and Sexual harassment