Leigh Kramer

The Lady’s Guide to Celestial Mechanics by Olivia Waite {review}

Genre: Historical Romance, FF Romance

 

My Review - 5 Stars

Astronomy, embroidery, and lady love FTW! Olivia Waite writes a marvelous romance column for Seattle Review Of Books so I had high hopes for her FF historical romance. And reader, she more than met my expectations.

I could not handle how good this was. The way Lucy described astronomy was vastly more interesting than the astronomy class I took in college. The way the story explored science and art and what validates each discipline was nuanced and lovely. It was heartbreaking to see how Catherine’s skill with embroidery had been overlooked and downplayed and I loved watching her come in to her own in accepting her talent. Also: I now desperately want a shawl with the whole night sky embroidered on it.

There were so many tender, quiet moments between Lucy and Catherine, really building up the tension and the angst until they decided to act on their attraction. Catherine is healing from a toxic marriage, while Lucy is grappling with not being acknowledged as an astronomer simply because she’s a woman. Their faith in one another was wonderful to see and the evolution of their relationship as they felt the effects of that faith was beautiful.

Plus, the writing was gorgeous and there were some great twists. I am very much looking forward to the next book in this series!

I have read a couple of critiques about the absence of astronomer Caroline Herschel in this story. I point these people to Waite's blog post Historical Fiction Factions written shortly after the book's release, in which she states: "When I was plotting Lady’s Guide, I knew my queer lady astronomer would occupy roughly the same space as Caroline Herschel and Mary Somerville (Lucy pretty much splits the difference, chronologically and scientifically)." I encourage you to read the whole post to learn more about Waite's plotting decisions.

CW: sexism, past emotional abuse, past death of parent, toxic marriage, anxiety

 

Synopsis

As Lucy Muchelney watches her ex-lover’s sham of a wedding, she wishes herself anywhere else. It isn’t until she finds a letter from the Countess of Moth, looking for someone to translate a groundbreaking French astronomy text, that she knows where to go. Showing up at the Countess’ London home, she hoped to find a challenge, not a woman who takes her breath away.

Catherine St Day looks forward to a quiet widowhood once her late husband’s scientific legacy is fulfilled. She expected to hand off the translation and wash her hands of the project—instead, she is intrigued by the young woman who turns up at her door, begging to be allowed to do the work, and she agrees to let Lucy stay. But as Catherine finds herself longing for Lucy, everything she believes about herself and her life is tested.

While Lucy spends her days interpreting the complicated French text, she spends her nights falling in love with the alluring Catherine. But sabotage and old wounds threaten to sever the threads that bind them. Can Lucy and Catherine find the strength to stay together or are they doomed to be star-crossed lovers?

 

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Raze (Riven #3) by Roan Parrish {review}

Genre: Contemporary Romance, MM Romance

 

My Review - 5 Stars

I just adore this series. Felix and Dane were so sweetly awkward on their first date and I loved watching them find their footing.

Dane was so dependent on his routines and rituals. He’s there for his sponsees but there were no boundaries. He didn’t question what he can take on and it no longer served him well. Watching him figure out how to make peace with his recovery as he is now was quite moving.

Felix, on the other hand, has to figure out what his hopes and dreams are, as his whole life has revolved around taking care of his family. He has a rather co-dependent relationship with them but that gets upended when his sister joins Riven. He latches on to Dane during this process and while they’re good together, it’s not necessarily healthy in that state. He has to learn to stand on his own and trust he’ll be enough.

My heart was in my throat while I watched them navigate what they each needed. Their struggles and joys felt so true to life and I was just in their corner every step of the way.

Felix’s love of audiobooks made me so happy. Also: I could not get enough of the kitten loving Dane. I get weak in the knees for big tough men falling for their pets.

CW: past substance abuse, recovery, childhood poverty

 

Synopsis

Sometimes the walls we build to save ourselves have to come tumbling down.

For the last ten years, Huey has built his life around his sobriety. If that means he doesn't give a damn about finding love or companionship for himself, well, it's probably better that way. After all, the last thing he wants is to hurt anyone else. Until Felix Rainey walks into his bar, fresh-faced, unbearably sweet—and, for some reason Huey can't fathom, interested in him.

As the eldest of five kids, Felix Rainey spent his childhood cooking dinner, checking homework, and working after-school jobs. Now in his twenties, he's still scrambling to make ends meet and wondering what the hell he's doing with his life. When he meets Huey, he's intimidated . . . and enamored. Huey's strong and confident, he owns his own business—hell, he's friends with rock stars. What could he ever see in Felix?

As Huey and Felix get closer, the spark catches and soon they can't get enough of each other. But Huey's worked hard to avoid intimacy, and Felix threatens his carefully constructed defenses. Huey realizes he needs to change if he wants to truly put his past behind him—and build a future with Felix.

 

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Gideon The Ninth by Tamsyn Muir {review}

Genre: SFF

 

My Review - 5 Stars

Gideon The Ninth is among the best books I've ever read. Yes, it really is that good. I'll go as far as to say it's revelatory.

I tend to stay far away from anything resembling horror. While it was out of my comfort zone (I'm generally anti-gore, animated skeletons, and blood sweat), the premise had me all kinds of intrigued so I decided to give it a go. It was bloody and bone-laden and it freaked me out in places but I could not get enough of the story. I really, truly loved it. If you're like me and you tend to stay away from scary things, you’ll probably be okay. The perfect comedic timing breaks up some of the scarier elements. It really helped to have some levity. And the snark and clever sense of humor really doesn’t quit throughout the story. I laughed hard and often!

This was described to me as “lesbian necromancers in space” and it’s kind of true and kind of not. It is brilliantly queer but it's not a romance, nor is there an overt love story. Gideon isn’t a necromancer; she’s a cavalier. Harrowhawk is the necromancer. They loathe one another and have fought each other fiercely for years. But now they have to somewhat work together as the Ninth House team. The way they spar, either verbally or physically, was breathtaking. Muir really plays with the thin line between love and hate and I was never entirely sure what they thought or felt about one another. I couldn’t get enough of it!

Regardless, they are both stunning characters in their own right, as is the supporting cast. There are a ton of side characters and it can be hard to keep them all straight. While there’s so much I could say about them, it’s best for you to learn about them as you read. I do not want to spoil one part of this story. The plot whipped forward at an intense and fast pace and the world-building was dense with information. There’s not much time to figure out who’s who or whether this thread means something because we’re already coming around the bend of the next big action. But my questions were eventually answered and answered well, even while pointing toward larger possibilities for the series as a whole. I’ve never read anything like this before and I’m in awe of what Muir set in motion.

I cannot even begin to imagine where the next book will go because this one was such a wild ride. So many twists and turns I didn't see coming. Muir made bold choices and they paid off. THAT ENDING. I still haven’t recovered and I can’t stop talking about it. What a marvel of a book!

CW: fatal blood disorder, past mass murder of children, human sacrifice, murder, violence, gore, grief, death of a loved one, jokes about and discussion of suicide

 

Synopsis

Gideon the Ninth is the most fun you'll ever have with a skeleton.

The Emperor needs necromancers.

The Ninth Necromancer needs a swordswoman.

Gideon has a sword, some dirty magazines, and no more time for undead bullshit.

Tamsyn Muir's Gideon the Ninth unveils a solar system of swordplay, cut-throat politics, and lesbian necromancers. Her characters leap off the page, as skillfully animated as necromantic skeletons. The result is a heart-pounding epic science fantasy.

Brought up by unfriendly, ossifying nuns, ancient retainers, and countless skeletons, Gideon is ready to abandon a life of servitude and an afterlife as a reanimated corpse. She packs up her sword, her shoes, and her dirty magazines, and prepares to launch her daring escape. But her childhood nemesis won't set her free without a service.

Harrowhark Nonagesimus, Reverend Daughter of the Ninth House and bone witch extraordinaire, has been summoned into action. The Emperor has invited the heirs to each of his loyal Houses to a deadly trial of wits and skill. If Harrowhark succeeds she will become an immortal, all-powerful servant of the Resurrection, but no necromancer can ascend without their cavalier. Without Gideon's sword, Harrow will fail, and the Ninth House will die.

Of course, some things are better left dead.

 

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FYI: the first print run has sprayed black edges and I'm obsessed with my copy.

I Wish You All The Best by Mason Deaver {review}

Genre: Young Adult

 

My Review - 5 Stars

I’m so glad this book exists in the world. This is an #ownvoices story about a nonbinary teenager coming out and then processing the aftermath. My heart broke for the way Ben's parents treated them but their estranged sister's olive branch gave me so much hope and I really enjoyed watching the evolution of their relationship with Hannah. And of course I loved their friendship with Nathan, even how resistant Ben was to see it as friendship at first, until Nathan’s charm wore them down. It was such a sweet love story.

While I appreciated the involvement of the therapist and felt it was very important for Ben to have a safe and unbiased space to process what happened, I wasn’t always sure about how she conducted her sessions. There were a few too many leading questions. However, I’m more picky about such things because I used to be a social worker.

I do hope that the next major YA story about a nonbinary teen will include a supportive coming out experience, minus any homophobic and transphobic parents. And of course, no forced outing. (Thankfully that didn’t happen in this book.) Yes, these are common experiences but I do wonder why so many of the touted LGBTQIA stories include these plot elements and what that says about cis-het readers being more comfortable with LGBTQIA pain and trauma than with their Happily Ever Afters.

Lastly, this is great on audiobook.

CW: toxic parents, character kicked out of their home after coming out, references to homophobia and transphobia, underage drinking, depression, anxiety, panic attack

 

Synopsis

When Ben De Backer comes out to their parents as nonbinary, they're thrown out of their house and forced to move in with their estranged older sister, Hannah, and her husband, Thomas, whom Ben has never even met. Struggling with an anxiety disorder compounded by their parents' rejection, they come out only to Hannah, Thomas, and their therapist and try to keep a low profile in a new school.

But Ben's attempts to survive the last half of senior year unnoticed are thwarted when Nathan Allan, a funny and charismatic student, decides to take Ben under his wing. As Ben and Nathan's friendship grows, their feelings for each other begin to change, and what started as a disastrous turn of events looks like it might just be a chance to start a happier new life.

At turns heartbreaking and joyous, I Wish You All the Best is both a celebration of life, friendship, and love, and a shining example of hope in the face of adversity.

 

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Bringing Down The Duke by Evie Dunmore {review}

Genre: Historical Romance

 

My Review - 4 Stars

What a fun historical romance debut! The rising British suffrage movement proved to be a refreshing take on the duke trope.

Annabelle and Sebastian were wonderful spar partners and well matched. Annabelle is intelligent and determined to go hard after her education. Sebastian on the other hand is the kind of emotionally suppressed man I can't help but root for his undoing at the hand of the heroine.

While their attraction was immediately apparent, there were so many reasons they could not be together, not the least because Sebastian is a Duke and his main purpose in life is to help the family name recover from past scandal and reclaim the family seat his father lost. On top of that, the Duke is Annabelle’s political opposite and he’s not likely to be recruited to the suffragist cause.

I loved how they truly saw one another, even as it made my heart ache because there didn’t seem to be a way for them to come to a good compromise. Annabelle doesn’t want to settle for less than she deserves, rightly so, but there are fewer good options for women to begin with and I really empathized with her quandary.

There were so many great side characters, in particular the women Annabelle meets through the suffrage movement. They’re all there for different reasons and what they’re trying to accomplish comes to mean so much more to them by the end. (Obligatory mention that the Queen was such a hypocrite for not supporting the suffragists and her scenes made me so angry.)

Because of the whitewashing that can occur with the American suffrage movement, I was curious about how women of color played into Britain’s movement. This article was quite instructive. At that time, people of color made up a very small percentage of the population, with the majority of those being men. Fewer WOC were involved as a result. The whiteness of this book is then in accord with history as we know it.

I did feel that “we can’t get married because class differences” went on for too long. Even when the duke decides he does want Annabelle and he doesn’t care about the consequences, she rebuffs him and I really didn’t understand why. It was quite the relief when they both gave in and finally decided to be together, regardless of the consequences.

CW: sexual assault (groping), past pregnancy and miscarriage, past death of a parent, past alcoholism

 

Synopsis

A stunning debut for author Evie Dunmore and her Oxford Rebels, in which a fiercely independent vicar's daughter takes on a duke in a fiery love story that threatens to upend the British social order.

England, 1879. Annabelle Archer, the brilliant but destitute daughter of a country vicar, has earned herself a place among the first cohort of female students at the renowned University of Oxford. In return for her scholarship, she must support the rising women's suffrage movement. Her charge: recruit men of influence to champion their cause. Her target: Sebastian Devereux, the cold and calculating Duke of Montgomery who steers Britain's politics at the Queen's command. Her challenge: not to give in to the powerful attraction she can't deny for the man who opposes everything she stands for.

Sebastian is appalled to find a suffragist squad has infiltrated his ducal home, but the real threat is his impossible feelings for green-eyed beauty Annabelle. He is looking for a wife of equal standing to secure the legacy he has worked so hard to rebuild, not an outspoken commoner who could never be his duchess. But he wouldn't be the greatest strategist of the Kingdom if he couldn't claim this alluring bluestocking without the promise of a ring...or could he?

Locked in a battle with rising passion and a will matching her own, Annabelle will learn just what it takes to topple a duke....

 

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Disclosure: I received an advanced copy from Berkley in exchange for an honest review.