yourbookishbff's reviews
586 reviews

The Remains of Christmas by Megan Montgomery

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Did not finish book. Stopped at 31%.
I hit a brick wall on holiday reads - will return to this one next year!
His Christmas Rose by Jane Maguire, Jane Maguire

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emotional hopeful lighthearted fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.0

This was a cozy and low-angst Christmas-time love story. I loved how Maguire set up the backstory for these two, as they have years of shared acquaintance, even as the slight difference in their ages meant more opportunity for miscommunication and unrequited feelings when they were younger. Most compelling for me was Nate's sense of humility and his urgent desire to be better for his family. A wonderful use of an unexpected snowstorm and the resulting forced proximity of their reunion! Writing felt a bit overworked at times, but ultimately this was really enjoyable.
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Second Chances in New Port Stephen by TJ Alexander

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emotional funny hopeful lighthearted reflective 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? It's complicated

5.0

This was my first romance by TJ Alexander, and I absolutely loved it. I don't read as much contemporary romance these days, and I was honestly so relieved to have the comfort and familiarity of third-person POV (I struggle with the shift to first-person POV in contemporaries!). This centers main characters in their late thirties/nearing forty (!), with a trans main character returning to his ultra-conservative Floridian hometown during a career crisis and a newly single dad navigating life post-divorce with his four year-old. These two have a long history with one another, having grown up as inseparable childhood friends before becoming more in high school, and the nuanced balance between deep familiarity and rediscovery was so well done. Each is making significant assumptions about the other and what they want (relatable and realistic, sigh), and each is navigating particularly thorny personal and family conflicts on the side. I deeply appreciate how each character has an independent conflict to resolve before negotiating a relationship, and that even when they could veer into codependency, they ultimately lean on a larger network of support (fantastic parents, caring and supportive exes, great BFFs, and even new friends). This feels like a love letter to elder millennials and queer folks discovering themselves later in life (Nick!!), and I highly recommend.
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The Longest Night by E.E. Ottoman

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hopeful lighthearted reflective relaxing medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Loveable characters? Yes

4.0

E.E. Ottoman excels in writing cozy, slice-of-life, cottagecore queer romances that make me want to move to upstate New York. This is a tight page count - and a freebie on his website - and ultimately a really quiet and tender love story between finally-united pen pals. I particularly love how Ottoman writes intimacy scenes, ensuring his story is always affirming of his trans characters. Reviewers consistently point out that this didn't have a proofreader, which I don't mind for a short story like this (a FREE short story, folks!). I recommend this nice little bonus Christmas story for Ottoman fans!
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Seduced In A Storm by Royaline Sing

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hopeful lighthearted fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes

4.0

A charming story of separated childhood friends who were on the *cusp* of being more when a misunderstood event pushed them apart. Reunited unexpectedly years later, we get flashes of their childhood and teen years amidst their present day scandal-in-the-making. Sweet and lighthearted with some on-page spice. Set during Holi!
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The Winter Companion by Mimi Matthews

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emotional hopeful reflective sad tense medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes

4.5

Set in North Devon during the winter holidays, The Winter Companion is festive on the inside (of the abbey) and gray and rainy on the outside, making it a perfectly Gothic Christmas romance for our final parish orphan. Neville is underestimated so consistently - even by those who love him - that this story has some seriously sharp edges for the reader, but he finds his heart's match in Clara, an overlooked lady's companion harboring self-doubt alongside heavy familial burdens. The way these two come together is so tender, and I was moved to see how they claim each other and their dreams in the end. As to be expected in Mimi Matthews, I spent a good bit of this feeling weepy, but gosh what a lovely conclusion to this series.
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The Duchess Takes a Husband by Harper St. George

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emotional hopeful reflective sad tense medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? It's complicated
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? No

4.0

This was an angsty and emotional conclusion to the series that had me ugly crying well before the 30% mark. We knew Camille's backstory would include some significant trauma, and I thought that it was handled well and with the appropriate nuance to help contextualize how a woman of this time - with some limited exposure to women's rights movements - might begin to think about and heal from her own experience of abuse and assault within a marriage. Camille's growing self-confidence through the story was beautifully done, and I loved seeing her reclaim agency and pleasure on her own and in partnership with Jacob. Jacob's arc was missing something for me, though, and I felt his attitude turn-around wasn't adequately supported by character development, so it mostly felt like whiplash. Part of it may be that the set-up for his internal conflict just felt insufficient? I didn't feel entirely confident that he had worked through his own issues in a meaningful way by the end.
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Amor Actually by Adriana Herrera, Sabrina Sol, Diana Muñoz Stewart, Mia Sosa, Priscilla Oliveras, Alexis Daria, Zoey Castile

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emotional funny hopeful lighthearted reflective sad medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes

5.0

I LOVED this! It is probably most enjoyable (and most cohesive) if you're familiar enough with Love Actually to recognize the storylines these authors are subverting. This is full of queer love and self-discovery and the traditions we inherit and those we make for ourselves. A powerhouse group of authors take the source material, burn it, and remake it into something more inclusive and real.
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Miss Dominguez's Christmas Kiss and Other Stories by Lydia San Andres

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hopeful lighthearted reflective fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes

4.0

A sweet and lighthearted short story collection set before and after Nochebuena and New Year's at the turn of the century in the Dominican Republic. These three shorts each center characters who live in the same boardinghouse in Ciudad Real. The first is F/F (and available as an extra on her website for free) and the second two are M/F (the middle story features a 40+ bi FMC!). I read this little collection in one sitting - loved how sweet this was (and a bit spicy in that middle story!). 
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How the Dukes Stole Christmas by Sarah MacLean, Sophie Jordan, Tessa Dare, Joanna Shupe

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emotional funny lighthearted reflective sad tense medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Diverse cast of characters? No

4.0

Of the four novellas, Sarah MacLean's angsty second-chance romance (with the lightest touch on the shortbread) was my favorite. These are tonally very different, with Dare's lighthearted and sweet, MacLean's angsty AF, Jordan's borderline fated mates and Scottish hijinks, and Shupe's... Oh Shupe. Only Shupe could make me root for the boss starting an "affair" (closet bang) with his "married" (single and virginal) employee amidst the stressiest holiday dinner party on the planet. This was a fun holiday anthology!
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