Review: Lord Edwin Falls (The Traitor Lords Saga #3) by Adella J. Harris

My least favorite of the series.

3 out of 5 stars

 E-book. 301 pages. Published June 20th 2017 by Adella J Harris

Blurb:

Three traitor lords plotted to kill the king; now their sons must deal with the aftermath.

Alan Brideson has almost everything his father wanted for him: a prosperous business he enjoys selling objets d’arts imported from the Far East, a good address in town, and if everything goes according to his plan, he will soon have the last piece–a titled bride and entry into the world of the ton. All he needs is to cultivate a friendship with someone who has influence, who can help him get his vouchers for Almack’s famed balls. If only he could understand why he keeps dreaming about a certain dockworker he hired. Surely it was only because the man was an interesting puzzle who could read the languages that passed through the office daily.

Lord Edwin Gilford, younger son of the Earl of Martford, was studying Eastern languages at Oxford when his father and older brother participated in the plan to kill the king, and when they ran from agents of the Crown, so he wasn’t a suspect, and he wasn’t there when all of the Martford property was seized. Unable to find a position as a clerk because of his father’s treason, he takes any job he can get on the docks, where no one asks about Ed Martin’s past. At least until he gets a job at the Brideson Warehouse and accidentally reveals that he can read the foreign words on the crates. When Mr. Brideson offers him a position as clerk, he knows he should refuse, but the interesting work and promise of a guinea a week is too tempting, almost as tempting as Mr. Brideson’s kindness.

Working so closely makes it impossible to deny their attraction. But as Alan gets closer to the vouchers and the future he’s worked so hard for, Edwin knows he will have to leave. There is no way Edwin can go unnoticed and unrecognized in the world of the ton, and he will not repay Alan’s kindness by ruining his chance for a titled bride, and being seen with the son of a traitor lord would surely do that.

Likes:

  • Both men are likeable.
  • Edwin is sympathetic.
  • Great side characters.
  • The focus on how hard it was to be poor.

Dislikes:

  • Allen was weirdly oblivious to his feelings.
  • Allen had a disconnect between the things he wanted.
  • Overall plot wasn’t super engaging.
  • Slow burn romance is too slow.
  • Ending felt abrupt and unsatisfying.

This book is definitely my least favorite of the series. I liked both Allen and Edward, but the slow burn was too slow for my tastes.

Of all the sons of the traitor lords, Edwin has it the worst. His plight easily pulled at my heartstrings. The three year time gap between the first and second chapters was a good choice. It showed that Edwin had what it took to survive, as well as glossing over the worst of the things he had to do, which included selling himself.

I was pleasantly surprised that there was a focus on someone who was poor. That’s not usually the case in the historical novels I’ve read in the past. Edwin’s struggle was constant. But it also took up a significant portion of the story. Edwin’s character, as well as his daily focus, was centered around money. It didn’t leave a lot of time for him to think about romance or to do anything romantic.

There’s definitely an imbalance between Allen and Edward in terms of economics. All of the little gestures were made by Allen – the gifts and meals and comforts. It helped to show that Allen was a nice guy. He treated his household staff and employees well, earning their trust and respect. When Edwin gave back, it was in terms of helping Allen’s business – just more evidence that money was first and foremost on Edward’s mind.

One of my least favorite things about Allen was how oblivious he was to his attraction to Edwin. It’s made clear that Allen is attracted to men, and had been before Edwin. Yet he seemed clueless about why he was having sex dreams about Edwin. Allen isn’t a stupid man, so this disconnect seemed strange. He also didn’t resize that he’d have to stop being with Edwin when he married a titled young woman.

Looking back on the book, it feels as though both Allen and Edwin’s personalities were stretched to the limit so that the slow burn could be managed. Edwin was convinced that his presence would be enough to ruin all of Allen’s social climbing ambitions, and Allen couldn’t have identified his feelings if they’d hit him with a truck.

I’m used to romances being thoroughly wrapped up by the end, and this book didn’t satisfy in that way. Edwin was still convinced that his presence would end up hurting Allen. The last chapter was supposed to be Allen’s big declaration that he was willing to deal with whatever the fallout was. And it worked, to an extent. It would have had more impact coming from Edwin’s point of view, and I think this story could have really benefitted from an epilogue showing them years down the road, still happy, with Edwin finally truly relaxed.

The non-romantic plot wasn’t the most engaging either, especially compared to the previous two books in the series. It was basically just Edwin helping Allen with his business. It’s a bit similar to the plot of Lord Heathborough Invests except without the threat or urgency of going to jail.

There’s also little worry about the dangers of their relationship being discovered. Humphries even jokes about it. And Allen’s servants seemed completely fine with the men’s relationship. I liked that part, and once again, the romance wouldn’t have been possible without the help of sympathetic side characters. But out of all the books in the series, this one felt the most unrealistic in that way.

I’m glad this was the last book in the series. If it had been the first, I would have been hesitant to continue. As it is, it’s definitely not the best way to end the series, especially since the book’s ending felt abrupt and wasn’t entirely satisfying.

Review: Lord Heathborough Invests (The Traitor Lords Saga #2) by Adella J. Harris

The romance was better than the first book.

4 out of 5 stars

E-book. 290 pages. Published June 13th 2017 by Smashwords

Blurb:

Three traitor lords plotted to kill the king; now their sons must deal with the aftermath.

Solicitor Robert Clarkson had begun to think he’d never have his own law practice, not when all of the work he was given at Glasson & Co. involved estate matters, until he was assigned to handle the business contracts of Lord Heathborough, son of one of the notorious traitor lords. Lord Heathborough has connections that could lead to the kind of clients Robert finds most interesting, and it doesn’t hurt that he is exceedingly handsome.

Laurence Nelson, Lord Heathborough, had always known his father would destroy his inheritance somehow and had built up a fortune of his own against the day, but he certainly never expected it to come in the form of a plot to kill the king. As the only traitor lord captured, his father was only making it worse enjoying the notoriety and telling the press anything he thought would make the conspirators seem clever, including details of the stock swindle used to finance it. At least his new solicitor isn’t bothered by it, although Laurence is certainly bothered by the handsome Mr. Clarkson.

When the Crown begins to suspect Laurence of using his companies to aid the traitor lords in their stock swindle, he’ll need to decide if he can trust his new solicitor, or if Robert was part of the plot all along. 

Likes:

  • Both men were likeable.
  • Lots of mutual longing.
  • Good side plot.
  • Lots of little touching moments between Laurence and Robert.
  • Approving side characters.

Dislikes:

  • My interest dropped when Robert and Laurence got together.
  • Robert’s situation with his dad reminded me of a teenager.
  • The side plot seemed to get wrapped up really fast at the end.

I definitely liked this book better than the last. The romance was simply better. One of my big complaints about Lord Lynster Discovers was that the characters didn’t spend enough time together, which led to a lack of little moments.

For me, a romance is made up of the little moments, those small gestures that bring a couple closer. This book definitely had lots of them. I especially loved when Robert taught Laurence how to make toasted bread and cheese over the fire. It was super sweet. Both men were yearning for each other but were too worried about rejection and the possible consequences to actually make a move.

The yearning was strong in this book. I don’t think it was UST – unresolved sexual tension. Yes, the men wanted each other, but it was about more than sex. They both wanted someone special in their lives. But the downside to this was that once the men actually got together, my interest dropped. It was like the tension had gone out of the story. The ‘will they, won’t they’ was resolved, leaving the remainder of the book relying on the side plot to hold my attention.

The side plot was basically Laurence trying to distance himself from his father, who was blabbing to the press about the traitor lords plot to kill the king. I never really felt like Laurence was in much danger of being linked with the plot, unlike James from the first book. So I simply didn’t find the side plot as interesting. Perhaps I wasn’t the only one, because it got wrapped up really fast at the end.

Both Robert and Laurence were likeable characters, as well as being nice men. Robert was a bit shy, but very smart and talented. Laurence’s success in business was due to his own hard work and attention to detail. He was a wealthy man, but wasn’t a snob. He actually cared about people, and went out of his way to make sure his father’s tenants and his own former butler were taken care of.

It was really fun watching the two men get to know each other and fall in love. Laurence’s hesitations were well explained and felt realistic. It was hard for him to open up to the possibility of romance, and he almost botched it, but he wasn’t too proud to apologize and admit he made a mistake. He really made a lot of progress over the book, learning to trust Robert completely.

I felt bad for Robert. Arguably, it was Laurence whose father was the worst of the two, but Robert felt like he was a grown man being forced to live like a teenager. His father monitored his coming and going from the house, Robert had to give excuses for coming home late, and his father constantly tried to chip away at his confidence.

Like in the last book, Robert and Laurence’s romance wouldn’t have been possible without the support of a number of side characters. The support was more subtle than in the previous book, but it was definitely still there. It was nice to see, especially given the time period the book was set in.

Review: Lord Lynster Discovers (The Traitor Lords Saga #1) by Adella J. Harris

A surprisingly low angst historical mm romance.

3.5 out of 5 stars

E-book. 193 pages. Published June 5th 2017 by Pronoun

Blurb:

Three traitor lords plotted to kill the king; now their sons must deal with the aftermath.

When butler Daniel Rivers finds his employer, the Earl of Lynster, has shot himself, confirming he was one of the traitor lords plotting to kill the king, Daniel’s only thought is to protect his childhood friend James, the new Lord Lynster, from the scandal. He’s been quietly looking out for Lord James ever since the day by the pond when James’s “experiment” of a kiss proved to Daniel that he loved the young lord.

James had heard rumors of traitor lords and a plot to kill the king, but he didn’t realize his father was one of them until he read a newspaper story hinting the traitors were on the verge of being arrested and finds his father has shot himself rather than be tried, making James the new Lord Lynster. Fortunately, his father’s butler, Daniel Rivers, found the body. Daniel knows James’s deepest secret, and James knows he can trust Daniel, even when the Crown decides they’d like another traitor lord to put on trial.

When it’s discovered there may be more traitors involved in the conspiracy than the ones the Crown already knows about, James will need all his resources to prove he isn’t one of them. And Daniel will do anything he can to keep the former Lord Lynster’s scandal away from the son, even if it means allowing himself to be suspected.

A gay – M/M romance novel set in the Regency period with a medium heat level. 70,000 words/ approx. 280 pages 

Likes:

  • How both men had crushes on each other for years.
  • The power imbalance that exists between James and Daniel wasn’t cringy.
  • How great the side characters were.
  • Daniel and James were both likeable.
  • Low angst.
  • The mystery subplot was interesting.

Dislikes:

  • There wasn’t as much character growth as I would have liked.
  • Some minor editing mistakes.
  • Not a lot of talk about what happens if the men get caught together.
  • James and Daniel didn’t spend as much time together as I’d have liked.
  • I wish the romance had been more consistent.

I’m not usually the biggest fan of historical mm romance. The simple fact that homosexuality was punishable by death always puts a damper on things for me. Despite that, this book was surprisingly low angst and didn’t really focus too much on the legal or moral aspects of male/male romance. I personally didn’t mind that, although I can see how it might stray a bit from strict historical accuracy. As history was not my best subject, my knowledge of the minutiae is low, and so any inaccuracies would have flown straight over my head. And I’m perfectly fine with that.

I thought James was a very sympathetic character. To be dropped into such an unpleasant situation – not only the death of his father but being suspected as a participant in a plot to kill the king. Daniel’s support was incredibly sweet, as were the little ways it was revealed that Daniel had always been supporting him.

Daniel was a solidly dependable man, and that instantly made me like him. The fact that he’d harbored a crush on James for years made my heart go out to him. He struggled with his feelings, which he was sure would never be returned. It felt suitable to the time period and to his personality, but it did make the overall romance feel a little bumpy.

Neither James nor Daniel was willing to come straight out and admit they liked each other. Their feelings grew, but weren’t acted on until everything burst forth all at once. That moment of connection was worth waiting for, but it did mean there weren’t a lot of the little moments – gentle touches and lingering looks – that come with more modern stories.

I am glad that the power imbalance between the two men wasn’t cringy. James actually spent time thinking about how things would work between the two of them. He also came to realize that there was an entire side of Daniel’s life that he didn’t know anything about. It wasn’t as much character growth as I would have liked to see, but it was there.

The mystery to absolve both James and Daniel of any involvement with the treasonous plot added a lot to the story. I do wish James and Daniel had spent more time side by side as they did their sleuthing. There was a period of time when Daniel and James were forcibly separated, and I think that made their feeling for each other even stronger.

The story relies heavily on the help of side characters. Both James’s sister and his staff ended up being important to the plot. It was really heartwarming, and the happy ending wouldn’t have been possible without them.

Despite the minor editing mistake scattered through the book, I am looking forward to moving on to the next one.

Review: Familiar Beginnings (Demon Magic #2) by Alice Winters

A great followup to another 5 star book!

5 out of 5 stars

E-book. Kindle Unlimited. 214 pages. Published March 26th 2020

Blurb:

Smart men quit while they’re ahead—they lay low and hope disaster blows on by them. Not me. Especially when disaster seems to follow me and my soulmate Havoc, a demon I bound to me three hundred years ago with my magic.

The dark mage Geoff is back from the dead and creating chaos by devouring the hearts of people with magical abilities, giving him overwhelming power as his followers grow. And since I’m one of the strongest mages alive and am leading the resistance against him, he’s coming for me next. Oh, and it might have something to do with the fact that I was also the one who originally killed him. But you can’t blame me; the guy needed to die.

Havoc and I, along with our unlikely band of… (I don’t want to say heroes, I can’t give them that much credit) annoyances will stop at nothing to end the destruction. It doesn’t hurt that there’s a sexy demon by my side every step of the way. For the first time in three hundred years, I’m finally with the person meant for me, and I will do anything to keep from losing him.

Familiar Beginnings is a 63k word sequel to Happy Endings. It contains a powerful mage who just wants to be left in peace, a mysterious curly-haired troublemaker, gargoyles that are literally dumber than stone, a river trip that doesn’t feel at all like a vacation, and a “cat” with some unusual features and deadly claws. 

Likes:

  • Hooked me fast.
  • Instantly funny.
  • Still loved the snark and banter.
  • Menace.
  • Flashbacks that are well done and add to the story.
  • How Miles is haunted by his past.
  • The story speeds along at a fast pace.

Dislikes:

  • I never really worried about Miles being in danger.
  • Relatively little planning before each fight.

Another winner from Alice Winters! Of course, I’m not surprised. Having loved Miles and Havoc in the first book, I knew I’d like this one too. What I didn’t expect was how much better Miles and Havoc’s relationship got in this book.

In book one, Happy Endings, Miles and Havoc finally got romantically involved after knowing each other for centuries. The romance was new then, and came with all the typical ‘new romance’ feels. In this book, they’re an established couple, and have realized just how much they mean to each other. It was fantastic character development and made their relationship truly heartwarming.

Of course, there’s still snark and banter. The book starts off with them having been captured, and how they deal with the situation is both funny and a great reminder of why I liked them in the first place.

I was instantly hooked, since this book is all about defeating the Big Bad from book one, Geoff. All of Miles’s friends get together again, with a few notable new faces. Menace the cat is my favorite, but I did like Etienne and Leo.

One of the things I was a little disappointed about was the relatively short amount of time Miles and his friends spent preparing to fight against Geoff. I think this comes from the many high fantasy books I’ve read over the years, where a good chunk of the story is about people having adventures in order to find rare and hidden weapons. I’m glad that didn’t happen here. It would have ruined the pace of the book, which moves along at a nice, fast clip. I didn’t make an actual note of how many days pass in the story, but I don’t think it’s more than three or four.

I was a little worried that this book would get dark, since Miles and Havoc both have traumatic pasts. And some of that shared past was shown through well-executed flashbacks. But things never delved into truly dark territory, for which I’m glad. It was acknowledged, especially when Miles was struggling with the weight of guilt from knowing that his power was used to kill people. It added a lot to the story, rounding out Miles and Havoc as well as showing how much of a monster Geoff was.

I was never in doubt that there would be a happy ending. That was both a good thing and a bad one. Good because the characters deserved a happy ending. Bad because I was never really worried about Miles. Even when he got hurt, I knew things would turn out fine. It did lessen the tension a bit. That being said, none of the characters came out completely unscathed, and I did worry about some of the side characters a time or two.

I would be very happy with more books set in this universe. Of course, I’d take more stories about Havoc and Miles, but the book ended in a way that felt like their story was complete. I’d happily read stories about Etienne and Leo, Sam and Iya, or anyone else. As long as there’s snark, I’m all in.

Review: Happy Endings (Demon Magic #1) by Alice Winters

A fantastic book with tons of snark.

5 out of 5 stars

E-book. Kindle Unlimited. 2nd edition. 256 pages. Published December 12th 2019 (first published December 12th 2017)

Blurb:

Smart men never dabble with demons. I never claimed to be smart, but at least I’m powerful enough to control them. When I bound Havoc to me nearly three hundred years ago, I never realized how difficult he’d make my life, although “accidentally” lighting him on fire every now and then does bring a smile to my face.

Havoc is handsome, mysterious, and somehow my closest companion, even if we don’t always get along. He’s more interested in bedding attractive women than protecting my life, which defeats the main reason a mage like me would have a demon. I even had to fight off swordsmen alone once because he was too busy betting on who’d survive.

When fifteen people are found dead with messages from a long-extinct cult, Havoc and I are forced to face our past and sort through our differences. We start to realize that there’s something more to this relationship, something that has kept us by each other’s sides for so long. Maybe it took three hundred years to finally understand my feelings for Havoc and realize that I can’t imagine being with anyone but him. Havoc and I will do everything we can to stop the evil that is threatening the lives of the people I care about. Or destroy everything—we haven’t quite figured that out yet.

Happy Endings is a 73k word novel that has an immensely powerful mage, a shapeshifting demon with a strong libido, a dark mage that just won’t stay dead, a spray bottle put to unusual uses, armor that is most definitely not made of dragon skin, blackmail involving an unfortunate slow-mo video, a detective being pursued by a determined minotaur, unprofessional use of illusions, and an epic walk into battle.

*Revised and edited. 

Likes:

  • Havoc and Miles, together and separately.
  • The magic and world building.
  • The side characters.
  • The humor.
  • Hooked me fast.
  • Looking forward to the next book.
  • Good romantic and non-romantic plot balance.

Dislikes:

  • Worried the story will get dark in the next book.
  • Havoc’s womanizing.

I’d had this book downloaded from Kindle Unlimited for a while, but didn’t get to it until after I read A Villain for Christmas, also by Alice Winters, and absolutely loved it. So I knew I had to read this series next. And I have no regrets.

I love Winters’ writing style. It’s full of humor and snark that are actually funny. Or maybe I just relate to grumpy, sarcastic introverts. Either way, this book was a joy to read and I finished it in a flash. (Though not in one sitting like A Villain for Christmas)

I was a little worried that Havoc’s womanizing would add a lot of angst to the story. I expected that Miles would have a thing for Havoc (he did), but Miles was used to Havoc sleeping with every beautiful woman around. Which made it all the more impactful that Havoc stopped chasing women when Miles got hurt.

The way Miles and Havoc transitioned to lovers was both believable and felt natural. They still bickered and bantered with each other, but there was so much affection. They’d always had some respect, but the way they ended up, the feelings that developed, was quite a transition. And the gift Miles gave to Havoc at the end? So much love in such a little thing.

The balance between the romantic and non-romantic plots was well done. Both were fully fleshed out and given enough time and page space. The non-romantic plot was interesting, and I love the world the story was set in. It was unique and populated by a whole bunch of interesting characters.

I love a book with good side characters, and this book had a lot of great people in it. The forest spirit, Badrick, was probably my favorite. I hope he and the others are in the next book as well.

I am so used to mm romance series where every book focuses on a different couple, that it surprises me when a series is focused on the same people. Miles’s story is far from over, even though the book does have a nice ending. But it’s only the beginning. I’m actually a little worried that the next book will get dark. There were hints of dark in this book, especially when Miles and Havoc referenced their pasts. But for some reason, it feel like the next book could be full of pain and angst, which I don’t want. For all the death and blood in this book, it was low angst and fun. I’m hoping that the next book will be the same.

Review: Pumpkin Rolls and Porn Sounds by Kris T. Bethke

I felt disengaged and ended up giving up halfway.

2 out of 5 stars

DNF 50%

Kindle Edition. 53 pages. Published September 21st 2019 by JMS Books LLC (first published February 11th 2015)

Blurb:

Will Grant only attends the PFLAG meeting because his mother guilts him into it. But the instant he hears the night’s speaker, Will is glad he showed up. Joshua Rhinehardt is dynamic and engaging. Although Joshua isn’t physically Will’s type, Will can’t get the man out of his head.

Joshua may be comfortable in his own skin, but it isn’t often men like Will are attracted to him, and he’s not comfortable changing for someone else. He wants to make a life with Will, but his own insecurities keep getting in the way.

Will’s unwavering acceptance helps Joshua see that when two people connect, physical appearance just might not matter at all. 

Likes:

  • Will was willing to go at Joshua’s pace.

Dislikes:

  • Didn’t click with Will.
  • No tension.
  • Will feels like a chick with a dick.
  • Didn’t care.

DNF 50%

I once had to listen to a newly engaged couple gush about how they’d met and fallen in love. Reading this story was similar, in that I didn’t care and ended up bored. Now, to be fair to this story, I don’t think there’s anything wrong with it in technical terms. But I felt massively disengaged from Will right from the start, which was really strange given that the story was told from his point of view.

Will and Joshua seemed like okay characters. They simply didn’t have anything interesting about them or their lives. Will isn’t exactly the kind of character I generally gravitate to – he’s hot and he knows it, is a self-professed attention whore, and his reaction to the first date gave me strong ‘chick with a dick’ vibes.

“I stood there for a moment, letting the giddy “first date” feelings wash over me. It had been so good, and I had to trust there would be more. I was still hard, but I didn’t do anything about it. I just puttered around the house, slowly getting ready for bed while my brain replayed that kiss over and over.

Eventually, I stripped off my clothes and crawled into bed. It wasn’t that late – not even eleven yet – but I wanted to lie in the quiet and remember every moment of our date. I didn’t care if that put me in the same category as a teenaged girl. I relieved it as though it were happening all over again. I fell asleep several hours later, a smile on my lips and anticipation in my heart.”

I think the strangest part of the passage above is that it doesn’t mesh with my overall impression of Will. He’s bold and flirtatious, going for what he wants because he knows he can get it. His willingness to go at Joshua’s pace was nice, but he admitted several times that he wasn’t good at waiting and got impatient easily.

I’m not used to romance stories that don’t have anything else going on besides the romance. Even in short stories like this one, there’s background stuff happening. I think that contributed to my feeling of boredom, as did the fact that the story is stretched out over the course of weeks. There was a lot of jumping around, from Joshua and Will’s initial meeting, to their second meeting, to the first date, a random phone call, etc.

I honestly feel bad for not finishing such a short story, but I had to force myself to even make it halfway. I kept putting the story down and finding any excuse not to pick it back up. It simply wasn’t worth the time to finish.

Review: A Villain for Christmas (Snow Globe Christmas #4) by Alice Winters

I definitely need more mm superhero romance books.

5 out of 5 stars

E-book. Kindle Unlimited. 281 pages. Published November 25th 2019

Blurb:

Despite growing up in a family of villains, I’d rather curl up and read than commit crimes. When I get coerced by my brother into helping him rob a bank, I run into August, my childhood crush—also known as Chrono, the city’s greatest superhero. He’s sexy, sweet, and suddenly he’s asking me to Thanksgiving with his parents. It’s probably because he doesn’t realize that I’m Leviathan, a villain with the power of telekinesis. And I can’t tell him because he’d never forgive me and would stop doing things like cooking for me—wait, maybe that would be a good thing, since he’s a terrible cook. It doesn’t help that my parents think they’re the ultimate villains and won’t stop getting in my way, although they can’t even steal toilet paper without getting caught.

But when real supervillains (not the wannabe kind that I grew up with) start targeting August, I might be forced to show everyone who I truly am: a slightly warped and snarky man who’d really rather read a book than save anything… besides August. I’ll tear this world apart just to get another glimpse of him in those glasses and spandex suit. I’ll do whatever it takes to keep him safe, even though it means exposing my true identity. Luckily, August still cares about me, proving that even a villain and a hero can fall in love. Hopefully, we’ll be able to save the world in time for Christmas.

This ridiculous and snarky holiday novel is 92,000 words and contains a villain turned unlikely hero (even if he’s a manager’s worst nightmare), a superhero with a fondness for suckers who absolutely does NOT use his powers to cheat on board games, a hairless cat with an unfortunate name, bumbling family members that try to be evil but are mostly just embarrassing, a snow globe with mysterious powers, betrayal, true love, a risqué Santa suit, and the saltiest chicken ever.

Although this book is part of A Snow Globe Christmas series, it is a complete standalone, and it isn’t a requirement that you read the previous books to follow along. We wish everyone a happy holiday season. 

Likes:

  • Interesting premise.
  • Landon and August, together and separately.
  • The entire cast of side characters, especially Balzac and Valerie.
  • The humor.
  • Hooked me fast.
  • I read it in one sitting.
  • Landon and August didn’t sleep together right away.
  • Great romance/nonromantic plot balance.

Dislikes:

  • I want an entire series.
  • Landon’s sprained ankle seemed not to be mentioned again.

This book popped up as a Goodreads suggestion one day, and the blurb called to me. A tree had fallen on my car and I needed something light and funny to distract me for a few hours. This book worked like a charm. I started reading and, aside from a few snack breaks, didn’t stop until I was done. I honestly can’t remember the last time I read a book in one sitting. It was that good.

The hero/villain dynamic in this book felt less like a Marvel movie and more like the My Hero Academia anime. And I’m not complaining. I was glad that the book was as lighthearted and funny as the blurb had led me to believe.

The overall plot of the book worked well. The villains had an interesting plan to take over the city. I liked that the book emphasized the shades of gray from both the villains and the heroes. There was also a great balance of the romantic and nonromantic plots, with enough time dedicated to both to make the whole story feel well fleshed out.

Landon’s family of ‘supervillains’ are hilariously bad at being bad. But they’re not one-dimensional. The amount of insecurity they made Landon feel really added depth to the story. I am so glad Landon’s dad got him a hairless cat, and I love that Landon named her Balzac and dressed her up in little outfits.

August was so sweet, and the perfect hero. Yet he had struggles of his own. I think one of the best things about this story was how both Landon and August were both content with their lives, but they weren’t really happy. Not until they found each other. Their romance was sweet without being saccharine, and I loved that they didn’t sleep together right away.

I laughed so much during this book. It’s a bit on the ridiculous side, but also has its intense moments. Sometimes side by side. When Brandon saved Landon by hitting a villain in the head with a bag of cheese, I couldn’t stop laughing. Especially because it fits the story so well.

Brandon isn’t the only great side character in the book. It’s cram packed with amazing characters. Valerie and Balzac are my favorites, but Austin’s family gets a shout out.

I only have two complaints about this book, and the first is minor. Landon sprains his ankle in the beginning and it wasn’t really mentioned again. The second is more important. I WANT MORE! A series, preferably. I’m going to have to sign up for Alice Winters’ mailing list and get the extra story about Nolan and Lex. I would also read the shit out of a book about Valerie, because I’m here for all the LGBTQ+ romance.