Tag Archives: spicy

Review: The Long Game by Rachel Reid

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The next season of Heated Rivalry is going to wreck me if this is anything to go by. Damn. While Heated Rivalry was Shane’s story of his struggle to embrace who he is. The Long Game is Ilya’s story of his finally confronting the trauma of his childhood. We pick up with Shane and Ilya about three years after the end of Heated Rivalry. They are still in a secret relationship. Ilya signed with Ottawa, the worst team in the league, but it allows them to remain close. However, their arrangement isn’t starting to wear on them. They are both tired of hiding but also afraid to come out. Ilya is fighting depression and, for the first time, really dealing with the trauma of the death of his mother. I would argue that Shane is dealing with an eating disorder, but it’s not really treated as one in the story, so I might be reading too much into it. In the first book, it’s heavily implied that hockey is the villain of the story because it is the culture that is not only preventing them from openly coming out, but also Shane’s internalized homophobia that has prevented him from truly being himself. This one is no longer implying but coming right out and saying it. Shane is not out publicly but is to his team. Word has gotten back to the commissioner of the league, and he basically threatens Shane with never coming out while he is still playing. *Spoiler* Shane and Ilya are accidentally outed by Hayden when one of his videos goes viral. Ilya’s team is much more supportive, while Shane’s worries about coming out come true when his team not only isn’t supportive of him but blame him for losing a playoff game and accuses him of throwing it for Ilya. This is, by the way, the season after they have won the Cup for the third time. The unfairness of it all is crushing, but honestly, probably a more realistic outcome if this were to happen in real life. There is a very satisfying scene at the end of the book when Shane tells the commissioner off. This book was a lot more emotional for me than Heated Rivalry, and if the show adapts it as loyally as it did the first one, we are all in for a very emotional ride. I do think I should read Role Model before the new season, as it is rumored that the book’s main characters will be the B-couple, like Scott and Kip were in the last season. It makes sense because from what I gathered from this book, it takes place at the same time, and their plots intersect in a couple of key moments.

Quick Review: Brimstone by Callie Hart

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This book was good, but Quicksilver was better. It took a bit for me to get into this one. Saeris is now half fae, half vampire, and is the Queen of the vampires because she killed the king of the vampires. This obviously complicates things because of the half-fae, but also mated to the man the vampires have been fighting for centuries now. The other issue I had with Saeris and, to a certain extent, Fisher ae becoming too powerful. It seemed like Saeris was discovering a new power that no one had seen for thousands of years to save them at the last second. It was all a little bit too convenient, but also, if a character is too powerful, it starts to take the suspense from the story because you know they will win, because no one can possibly overpower them. You know what I mean? Superhero movies have the same issue sometimes. The second issue was that there was a minor subplot of Fisher and Carrion going on a side quest to retrieve Saeris brother, but so far nothing has really come from it. Hayden is kind of a brat. She did so much to protect him, and once she was gone, he was quick to believe the Queen’s propaganda about her. But anyway, once he is rescued, he isn’t really a part of the rest of the book. I kind of forgot he was there. I assume he will play a bigger part in the next book. All in all, it was a satisfying romantasy but not as satisfying as the first book.

Review: Leather & Lark by Brynne Weaver

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In the first book, Butcher and Blackbird, Sloane and Rowan are serial killers who fall in love. Leather and Lark follows Sloane’s best friend, Lark, and Rowan’s older brother, Lachlan, who is a serial killer and contract killer, respectively. Interesting group of people. I have to wonder if everyone they know is a killer. I am starting to think so. Anyhoo, Lachlan and Lark get married in an attempt to save their brother and friend. You see, Lark’s family is into organized crime, and someone is targeting their business, and they think it’s Lachlan. In true Mob fashion, they have no problem targeting his family. So they get married. Lark’s family wouldn’t dare go after her husband. Kind of slim reasoning, but however to get the plot rolling. This book was fine. Lark is a fun character. It’s not as focused on murder as the first book, but there are some fun death scenes. I liked Butcher and Blackbird better. It was just easier to get into. It wasn’t that this book was slow, but I wasn’t as interested in Lachlan and Lark as I was in Rowan and Sloane. I think it’s because I didn’t really find Lachlan all that interesting. He fits the noble hero role, who will do what it takes to protect his family, even if that means committing murder for hire. Lark is similar in that regard. It is her idea that they get married to protect Sloane and Rowan. Not a bad book by any means, but not as exciting as the first.

Review: Heated Rivalry by Rachel Reid

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People online were not kidding when they said the show is a pretty faithful adaptation of the book. As I was reading it, I was seeing the scene play out in the show, and it was still great. The advantage that books have over shows or movies is that they can go deeper into characters’ thoughts. It wasn’t that I didn’t understand Shane’s own personal homophobia from Hudson Williams’ performance in the show, but in the book, I truly got the depths of it and the true fear of being gay and what they would mean not just for his career but for him personally. For all the bravado and torment that Connor Storrie brought to Ilya in the show, in the book, we really see how deeply he feels unworthy of Shane’s love. There wasn’t a lot that was left out from the show, and while it would have been interesting, it didn’t take away from the story. The book was enjoyable to read. I finished it in three days. It had the same heart, yearning, and laughs I got from the show. Showrunner Jacob Tierney said that he approaches writing the show by staying true to the spirit of the books, and he did. There is a reason that people loved the books to begin with, and there was an interest to turn it into a show, so why mess with that? I am really looking forward to reading the sequel in a couple of months when it becomes available from my library. Knowing what I know so far, it isn’t going to be the light-hearted romance this one was.

What I’m Listening to Now: Leather and Lark by Brynne Weaver Read by: Samantha Brentmoor and Eric Nolan

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I have been on the waiting list for 4 books for months, and now they have all become available in the past two weeks. So I have to double up on my books. I am almost done with Katabasis, and I started reading Leather and Lark during work yesterday. (a benefit of working from home). I don’t think I could have picked two different books to read at once.

Review: Butcher and Blackbird by Brynne Weaver

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This book was cute, if you can call a book about serial killers who kill other serial killers who fall in love. Sloane and Rowan are killers. However, they hunt other killers. It is a form of vigilantism. Going after people who have victimized other people who can’t defend themselves is an interesting moral code, but really, they do it because they like it. It gives them a rush. After a chance meeting, Rowan proposes a game. Once a year, they will meet up and hunt the same person. Whoever gets the kill first wins. Their banter between the two as they mock and goad each other is fun. They are attracted to each other from the moment they meet, but it shouldn’t surprise you that people who kill people for fun are not the most sociable or had a happy childhood. For years, they have played these games and ignored their feelings for each other. Once they do open up, the floodgates open, and oh boy, it gets spicy. It does take almost 2/3 of the book to get there, but worth the wait. It was a fun read, and I am looking forward to reading the next book that follows Rowan’s older brother and Sloane’s best friend. It’ll be a while before I can read it because it’s a long waitlist at my library, but I have other books to read in the meantime.

Review: Not in Love by Ali Hazelwood

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This follows the pattern of Ali Hazelwood’s other academic romances, but if it’s not broke, don’t fix it. Rue is a brilliant scientist who is doing research to prolong the shelf life of food. Eli is part of an Equity firm that has bought the loan of her company. They first meet on an app for hookups, and the attraction is immediate, which only complicates things because Eli is trying to ruin Rue’s mentor. They both have their issues. This book deals with serious topics of food insecurities, neglect, and abuse. All play a role in why they both try so hard not to admit what they are in love. What I love about Ali’s books and many of the romance novels that I have read is that Eli is always so patient. Consent is important in every relationship. He fully admits he wants more from her, but respects her boundaries. As their relationship grows and secrets start to come out about others and each other, Rue begins to open herself up to new things. She starts to trust Eli, but also herself in stating what she wants and how she wants it. As for the big reveal of who the “big bad” is, if there is one in this book. Minor spoilers, but it is pretty obvious from the beginning. It reminded me of something Kate has said about her time in Grad School. While they were women in her field, who have become successful, they haven’t done much to form paths for the women that came after them. Rue’s mentor does help Rue. There is no denying that, but when push comes to shove. She only cares about herself and will sacrifice anyone, no matter how close she is to them, to save herself. Things do have a happy ending because this is, after all, a romance, but not the ending. We will see more of Rue and Eli in the sequel.