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luminouslumity · 4 months

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If you're still unfamiliar with the Cait Corrain situation, this video explains it! Under the cut are the blurbs for books of the authors Corrain targeted.

VOYAGE OF THE DAMNED by FRANCES WHITE

For a thousand years, Concordia has maintained peace between its provinces. To mark this incredible feat, the emperor's ship embarks upon a twelve-day voyage to the sacred Goddess's Mountain.

Aboard are the heirs of the twelve provinces of Concordia, each graced with a unique and secret magical ability known as a Blessing.

Except one: Ganymedes Piscero - class clown, slacker, and all-round disappointment.

When a beloved heir is murdered, everyone is a suspect. Stuck at sea and surrounded by powerful people without a Blessing to protect him, odds of survival are slim.

But as the bodies pile higher, Ganymedes must become the hero he was not born to be. Can he unmask the killer and their blessing before this bloody crusade reaches the shores of Concordia?

Or will the empire as he knows it fall?

MISTRESS OF LIES by K.M. ENRIGHT

FATE IS A CRUEL MISTRESS

The daughter of a powerful but disgraced Blood Worker, Shan LeClaire has spent her entire life perfecting her blood magic, building her network of spies, and gathering every scrap of power she could. Now, to protect her brother, she assassinates their father and takes her place at the head of the family. And that is only the start of her revenge.

Samuel Hutchinson is a bastard with a terrible gift. When he stumbles upon the first victim of a magical serial killer, he's drawn into the world of magic and intrigue he's worked so hard to avoid - and is pulled deeply into the ravenous and bloodthirsty court of the vampire king.

Tasked by the Eternal King to discover the identity of the killer cutting a bloody swath through the city, Samuel, Shan and mysterious Royal Bloodworker Isaac find themselves growing ever closer to each other. But Shan's plans are treacherous, and as she lures Samuel into her complicated web of desire, treason and vengeance, he must decide if the good of their nation is worth the cost of his soul.

TO GAZE UPON WICKED GODS by MOLLY X. CHANG

In this magical epic fantasy, a young woman cursed with the power of death must decide if saving her family is worth betraying her country—the first installation of a gripping new series.

Heroes die, cowards live. Daughter of a conquered world, Ruying hates the invaders who descended from the heavens long before she was born and defeated the magic of her people with technologies unlike anything her world had ever seen.

Blessed by Death, born with the ability to pull the life right out of mortal bodies, Ruying shouldn’t have to fear these foreign invaders, but she does. Especially because she wants to keep herself and her family safe.

When Ruying’s Gift is discovered by an enemy prince, he offers her an impossible deal: If she becomes his private assassin and eliminates his political rivals—whose deaths he swears would be for the good of both their worlds and would protect her people from further brutalization—her family will never starve or suffer harm again. But to accept this bargain, she must use the powers she has always feared, powers that will shave years off her own existence.

Can Ruying trust this prince, whose promises of a better world make her heart ache and whose smiles make her pulse beat faster? Are the evils of this agreement really in the service of a much greater good? Or will she betray her entire nation by protecting those she loves the most?

SO LET THEM BURN by KAMILAH COLE

Whip-smart and immersive, this Jamaican-inspired fantasy follows a gods-blessed heroine who’s forced to choose between saving her sister or protecting her homeland.

Faron Vincent can channel the power of the gods. Five years ago, she used her divine magic to liberate her island from its enemies, the dragon-riding Langley Empire. But now, at seventeen, Faron is all powered up with no wars to fight. She’s a legend to her people and a nuisance to her neighbors.

When she’s forced to attend an international peace summit, Faron expects that she will perform tricks like a trained pet and then go home. She doesn’t expect her older sister, Elara, forming an unprecedented bond with an enemy dragon—or the gods claiming the only way to break that bond is to kill her sister.

As Faron’s desperation to find another solution takes her down a dark path, and Elara discovers the shocking secrets at the heart of the Langley Empire, both must make difficult choices that will shape each other’s lives, as well as the fate of their world.

"By turns hopeful and devastating, So Let Them Burn is a masterful debut with a blazing heart. I was captivated from beginning to end by Cole’s sharp, clever prose and by her protagonists—two remarkable sisters with an unforgettable bond." — Chelsea Abdullah, author of The Stardust Thief

THE POISONS WE DRINK by BETHANY BAPTISTE

In a country divided between humans and witchers, Venus Stoneheart hustles as a brewer making illegal love potions to support her family.

Love potions is a dangerous business. Brewing has painful, debilitating side effects, and getting caught means death or a prison sentence. But what Venus is most afraid of is the dark, sentient magic within her.

Then an enemy's iron bullet kills her mother, Venus’s life implodes. Keeping her reckless little sister Janus safe is now her responsibility. When the powerful Grand Witcher, the ruthless head of her coven, offers Venus the chance to punish her mother's killer, she has to pay a steep price for revenge. The cost? Brew poisonous potions to enslave D.C.'s most influential politicians.

As Venus crawls deeper into the corrupt underbelly of her city, the line between magic and power blurs, and it's hard to tell who to trust… Herself included.

And because Corrain went after him as well...

DRAG ME UP

They say he’s a myth...

And Hades prefers it that way. He may do all the work, and Zeus may get all the credit, but at least it allows Hades to preserve the one thing he truly cares to have: his solitude. The mere mention of the Wraith of Khaos Falls is enough to keep order, and he is rarely forced to leave the shadows of Casino Asphodel.

She belongs in the spotlight...

And Persephone clawed her way out of Demeter’s shadow to reach it. Now she’s lead in Calliope’s Cirque production but not without great cost, and there is not enough money in the world to pay off the debt accrued for the simple mistake of trusting Zeus. Though it’s easier to ignore the bars when she still has room to fly.

Landing a residency at the legendary Casino Asphodel is everything she trained for. Meeting a man she’d been convinced didn’t exist? She could never be prepared for that. Hades isn’t prepared for her either, but it’s soon evident they’re a force when together. He gives her a soft place to land, and she makes him want to reach for the stars. But when Zeus ups the stakes, they must be willing to go all in, even if it means coming down from the sky. Or stepping into the light.

KEEP ME CLOSE

She is the closest thing Khaos Falls has to a goddess…

And Aphrodite is feared and worshipped in equal measure. She has dedicated her life to being a savior for the lost regardless of the risk, but when unknown enemies nearly assassinate her in her own club, she realizes her reckless vigilante tactics won’t cut it anymore.

He is the furthest thing Khaos Falls has from a hero…

In fact, Hephaestus is who you call when all the heroes have fallen. Still, he is the best at what he does, strengthening the city’s weaknesses and keeping his feelings out of it. When tasked with Aphrodite’s personal security, it’s easy for him to detach himself from their mutual disdain. Until disdain is no longer the only thing he feels for her.

With their enemies elusive and snakes in their midst, good hearts and sharp wit may not be enough. But he made a vow, and he will keep it. Even if it means turning newfound feelings into newfound strengths and using them as a weapon to protect her.

LET ME IN

She never cared about being perfect.

Raised under Zeus’s self-serving influence, Athena only ever cared about being right. But with Zeus gone and everything changing, it’s been difficult trying to break free of the chains he so expertly secured her in as a girl. Especially when constantly worrying about Dionysos.

And he never cared much about saving himself.

Raised under Hades’ self-sacrificing influence, Dionysos only ever cared about pleasing everybody else. But when the opportunity to prove he’s more than a winemaker presents itself —with the promise of spending more time with Athena— he has no choice but to take it.

In a bid for peace, Athena and Dionysos are sent to an ailing Thassos City to try and strike a treaty. But with war within reach and rules rearranged, wit and charisma may just fall short. But they’ve long since decided that to protect each other, blood is a small price to pay. Even their own.

LOVE ME NOW

Achilles loved playing the hero…

Being a mere man had never been enough for him. He wanted to be a great one. And when he finds out that Helen, his childhood best friend, has gone missing, taking the mission is instinct. Even if it meant returning to the place he was born and raised, a place he swore never to return to—Heraklion. But he goes nowhere without Patroclus.

Patroclus loved being one…

But being a hero was nothing like playing one. It was a senseless sequence of pyrrhic victories he'd carry forever. Yet when Achilles needs him to return to Heraklion and the arena he had been forced to claw his way out of, he says yes because… well, of course he does. He would follow Achilles anywhere.

Yet both had left more of themselves in Heraklion's notorious arena than they'd taken. So returning would not require heroes but something else, something worse, especially when Helen is not the only one in need of rescue. They both must determine not only what it means to be a man, but what it means to be a good one.

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transbookoftheday · 8 months

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Love Me Now by R.M. Virtues

Achilles loved playing the hero…

Patroclus loved being one…

But being a hero was nothing like playing one. It was a senseless sequence of pyrrhic victories he’d carry forever. Yet when Achilles needs him to return to Heraklion and the arena he had been forced to claw his way out of, he says yes because… well, of course he does. He would follow Achilles anywhere.

Yet both had left more of themselves in Heraklion’s notorious arena than they’d taken. So returning would not require heroes but something else, something worse, especially when Helen is not the only one in need of rescue. They both must determine not only what it means to be a man, but what it means to be a good one.

#love me now #gods of hunger #r.m. virtues #transmasc #trans book of the day #trans books #queer books #bookblr #booklr

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lgbtqreads · 2 years

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Happy (Upcoming) Pan Visibility Day 2022!

Since tomorrow has its own New Releases post thanks to the wealth of queer books out this month, we’re celebrating pansexuality a day early with these fabulous titles starring pansexual leads! (And as always, this post only includes titles that weren’t included in full in previous posts; you can find more pansexual books in posts from 2021, 2020, and 2019! One Step at a Time by Lily…

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rec-review8890 · 2 years

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Keep Me Close - Book Review

Title: Keep Me Close

Author: R.M. Virtues

Online Rating: 3.90/5

Personal Rating: 4/5

Warning(s): Sexual content, Kinky sex, Sex trafficking, Sex slavery, Sex clubs, Greek mythology alternative universe, Murder, Violence, Descriptions of blood and torture.

Pages: 348

Summary: She is the closest thing Khaos Falls has to a goddess… And Aphrodite is feared and worshipped in equal measure. She has dedicated her life to being a savior for the lost regardless of the risk, but when unknown enemies nearly assassinate her in her own club, she realizes her reckless vigilante tactics won’t cut it anymore. He is the furthest thing Khaos Falls has from a hero… In fact, Hephaestus is who you call when all the heroes have fallen. Still, he is the best at what he does, strengthening the city’s weaknesses and keeping his feelings out of it. When tasked with Aphrodite’s personal security, it’s easy for him to detach himself from their mutual disdain. Until disdain is no longer the only thing he feels for her. With their enemies elusive and snakes in their midst, good hearts and sharp wit may not be enough. But he made a vow, and he will keep it. Even if it means turning newfound feelings into newfound strengths and using them as a weapon to protect her.

Review: It weirdly took me a while to read this book, but it wasn’t because it was boring or had no plot. In fact, there was so much plot! I loved how there was always a plot drilled into the story! Not a single chapter lacked it. Not only was there steamy sex and pages full of detailed romance, but there was crime and alternative plots tied into everything.

There was a few times I had to remind myself that this was an alternative story to the Greek mythology myths, but it didn't distract me too. If anything, it made me want Aphrodite and Hephaestus to be together even more! I loved how the author paired these too together and introduced the side characters too. This is the second book of a series - although it doesn’t need to be read in order - but keeping a lot of the characters in the mix from the first book made a lot of sense.

Persephone and Hades were the main couple in book one, and their lives with Aphrodite and Hephaestus just made sense. I also liked how the author explained surprising twists for the main couple in this book's lives. Like, not eveyrhting was just black and white. I wasn't expecting anything, and even when I thought something heroic or magical to happen, it didn’t. But instead, the author gave a way better alternative.

This book honestly had me on the edge of my seat every time I turned the page. It was nice to read a book that involved a well-known couple but explained their story in a more moderate and romantic way than compared to the original. I think I'll be reading the other books in this series, at least now, anytime soon, but I don’t regret picking up this book when I did.

Negatives:I kinda mentioned this at the beginning of my positive review, but it took me a long time to read this book. Not because it was long for me by any means, but I found my mind wandering at some parts of the book. It’s not that the plot lacked, but it just wasn’t really my cup of tea at the time when I first opened this book.

The “Daddy” thing also got really annoying at times. Well, more like 85% of the time. Even when they weren't having sex, the author just always found a way to have Aphrodite call Hephaestus daddy. It was annoying and had me rolling my eyes or skipping sentences a lot.

。・°°・°°・。。・°°・°°・。。・°°・°°・。

|| Account Directory ||

#Keep my close #book review #keep me close book review #greek mythology #R.M. Virtues #Aphrodite #hephaestus #Aphrodite x Hephaestus #romance #alternative plot to original story #book 2 #keep me close review

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traeumenvonbuechern · 1 year

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"Drag Me Up" by R.M. Virtues is coming to Kindle Unlimited! I'm so excited to read the re-edited version of this book.

They say he’s a myth... And Hades prefers it that way. He may do all the work, and Zeus may get all the credit, but at least it allows Hades to preserve the one thing he truly cares to have: his solitude. The mere mention of the Wraith of Khaos Falls is enough to keep order, and he is rarely forced to leave the shadows of Casino Asphodel. She belongs in the spotlight... And Persephone clawed her way out of Demeter’s shadow to reach it. Now she’s lead in Calliope’s Cirque production but not without great cost, and there is not enough money in the world to pay off the debt accrued for the simple mistake of trusting Zeus. Though it’s easier to ignore the bars when she still has room to fly. Landing a residency at the legendary Casino Asphodel is everything she trained for. Meeting a man she’d been convinced didn’t exist? She could never be prepared for that. Hades isn’t prepared for her either, but it’s soon evident they’re a force when together. He gives her a soft place to land, and she makes him want to reach for the stars. But when Zeus ups the stakes, they must be willing to go all in, even if it means coming down from the sky. Or stepping into the light.

#drag me up #r.m. virtues #trans books #queer books #romance books #kindle unlimited

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battyaboutbooksreviews · 5 months

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Pansexual & Panromantic Pride

✨💖💛💙✨

💖 Happy belated Panromantic & Pansexual Pride Day (December 8)! To all my pan bookish bats, I see you. 💛 As always, I can't stress the importance of having these books on our shelves, to boost awareness and support for our queer community. Here are a few books featuring pansexual and panromantic characters! 💙

✨ What’s your favorite pan book? Share the title and tag the author in the comments!

💖 Crownchasers by Rebecca Coffindaffer 💛 In the Ravenous Dark by A.M. Strickland 💙 Scoreless Game by Anna Zabo and L.A. Witt 💖 Soft on Soft by Mina Waheed 💛 Beating Heart Baby by Lio Min 💙 Bad at Love by Gabriela Martins 💖 A Dark and Hollow Star by Ashley Shuttleworth 💛 Miss Meteor by Tehlor Kay Mejia and Anna-Marie McLemore 💙 The Upside of Unrequited by Becky Albertalli 💖 Final Draft by Riley Redgate 💛 Get It Right by Skye Kilaen 💙 The Mirror Season by Anna-Marie McLemore

💖 Chef’s Choice by TJ Alexander 💛 How to Find a Missing Girl by Victoria Wlosok 💙 For Never & Always by Helena Greer 💖 In the City of Time by Gwendolyn Clare 💛 Ship It by Britta Lundin 💙 It Goes Like This by Miel Moreland 💖 Count Your Lucky Stars by Alexandria Bellefleur 💛 Love & Other Disasters by Anita Kelly 💙 Man O’ War by Cory McCarthy 💖 The (Un)popular Vote by Jasper Sanchez 💛 Loveless by Alice Oseman 💙 A Darker Shade of Magic by V.E. Schwab

💖 The Library of the Unwritten by AJ Hackwith 💛 Verona Comics by Jennifer Dugan 💙 One Step at a Time by Lily Seabrooke 💖 For the Love of April French by Penny Aimes 💛 Wild and Crooked by Leah Thomas 💙 Once & Future by Amy Rose Capetta 💖 This Rebel Heart by Katherine Locke 💛 Pyre at the Eyreholme Trust by Lin Darrow 💙 Drag Me Up by R.M. Virtues 💖 Extra Witchy by Ann Aguirre 💛 Ben and Beatriz by Katalina Gamarra 💙 The Adventures of Isabel by Candas Jane Dorsey

#books #queer books #panromantic books #pansexual books #pansexual pride #panromantic pride #queer fiction #queer romance #queer community #queer #book lovers #book blog #booklr #batty about books #battyaboutbooks

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frogletscribe · 5 months

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Also not me watching all the book twit drama happening rn and realizing i literally knew the person responsible for the whole mess back in ye olde cosplay days lmaoo 💀 I was literally her handler all day at an anime for a cosplay contest years ago this shit is so wild.

Disclaimer, we were not close by any means, I was a teenager at the time and was trying to help out an internet friend when she needed a handler at a con that I frequented. We moved in the same circles in the cosplay community when she was still doing that, but did not talk super frequently (and not at all for several years now, we stopped being mutuals when she left cosplaying) so its not like i have ‘insider info’ or anything, its just crazy to see people I used to know come up like this.

If ppl reading this don’t know what’s going on and are curious, you can check out Xiran Jay Zhao (author of the Iron Widow books) posts on Twitter/Tiktok that explain everything.

Anyways, please support all the lovely debut authors she tried to screw over and their upcoming 2024 debuts!

So Let Them Burn by Kamilah Cole

The Poisons We Drink by Bethany Baptiste

To Gaze Upon Wicked Gods by Molly X Chang

Voyage of the Damned by Frances White

Mistress of Lies by K.M. Enright

The Gods of Hunger Series by R.M. Virtues

#books #book twitter #cait corrain #crown of starlight

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claireargentcrafting · 4 months

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Reading Challenge for 2024

Hey y'all. I made a StoryGraph reading challenge for supporting the authors affected by the review-bombing scandal. If you're interested you can check it out here.

Feel free to suggest and other authors and books, especially the debuts. I went through several sources to try and make sure my list of those most-affected was accurate, but help is welcome.

Kamilah Cole - So Let Them Burn

Molly X. Chang - To Gaze Upon Wicked Gods

Thea Guanzon - The Hurricane Wars

Bethany Baptiste - The Poisons We Drink

Frances White - Voyage Of the Damned

Laura R. Samotin - The Sins On Their Bones

K.M. Enright - Mistress of Lies

R.M. Virtues - Gods of Hunger series

#reading #books #storygraph #reading challenge #debut authors #cait corrain #goodreads #reviews #review bombing

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mermaidsirennikita · 5 months

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i imagine you heard about the cait corrain stuff?

Oh, yeah. I saw her recent non-apology. A couple thoughts on that:

A) as somewhat with mental health issues that can be somewhat severe when I'm not properly medicated/doing therapy (I have bipolar disorder) I find it pretty offensive when people blame their bad behavior on mental health issues. I'm not perfect; I've definitely done some shit I'm not proud of when in the midst of depressive or manic episodes. But I've never been incapable of some degree of awareness, and I tend to feel (based on many years of therapy and psychiatric treatment) that it is relatively rare for people with serious mental health conditions (including substance abuse) to be absolutely "not at the wheel" as it were. Yes, people do have psychotic episodes (although, I feel as somewhat with the diagnosis I have--I often see people with the same diagnosis treat mania as shorthand for a "psychotic episode", but mania and psychosis are not the same; mania can result in psychosis, but they do not inherently go hand in hand; I've been manic multiple times, but I have never been psychotic, and I've never had true delusions). Yes, people have delusions. I don't think that's what happened with Cait, and I'll tell you why.

Cait says she had a "complete psychological breakdown". This does not track for me. Based on her general behavior, I think Cait would've mentioned if she suffered from psychosis. Hell, I think Cait would have mentioned if she'd suffered from mania, as again, people tend to get this incorrect idea that mania means you have zero control of your actions. Because she didn't mention those things, I can believe she suffers from mental health issues, I can believe she has substance abuse issues, but I do think she absolutely used manipulative language here that left a lot to be interpreted. Does she owe us her diagnosis or diagnoses? Of course not. But "complete psychological breakdown" is some vague wording that imo is there to imply something bigger than "I was really depressed/anxious" (which can be a big deal! You can say that! It doesn't deprive you of responsibility, ut it's a big deal) without committing to a false diagnosis.

b) The lack of responsibility for the racially targeted nature of her sabotage is honestly... not surprising, but still so abhorrent. Cait did not solely go after authors of color (correct me if I'm wrong--I think there was at least one who was white) but she did primarily go after authors of color. Additionally, she--and I'll be honest, I do think this was calculated--either sicced her friend or passively let her friend essentially slander a disabled Black woman (the "albino in the hen house" comments, which I don't think were at all meant in an ableist fashion, and I genuinely don't see how a logical person could interpret them in any way other than "there is a white person who is a fox in the hen house". Come on.).

Furthermore, I noticed that least two of the authors Cait didn't mention there were authors of color. We know she low-starred Thea Guanzon's book, and Thea was apparently a legit friend who met Cait in person and blurbed her book? She also low-starred R.M. Virtues's books, which is truly deranged as R.M. writes books that really don't have much crossover with Cait's, aside from featuring Greek myths (I think? I know that's what he writes, her book is murkier to me) and poc. R.M. is a Black trans man, by the way, so...

c) I personally believe these were calculated moves as well. Thea has a big fanbase that Cait didn't want coming after her any more than they already are. Cait left R.M. Virtues off the list because she was afraid of being accused of not only racism, but transphobia. And she of course left off authors like Xiran Jay Zhao and Bethany Baptise because they had her number and she's afraid of them.

Plus, the authors she specifically apologized to were authors she essentially admitted to with her staged "Lilly" situation, so she couldn't avoid confirming that.

d) I've already seen white authors trying to excuse what she's done. And that's just so disgusting to me--as a writer, as a reader, as someone with basic human decency. There is basically nothing Cait can say to justify her actions. The best thing she could have done was own up, sincerely apologize, and take full responsibility.

e) I've seen some discussion surrounding Del Rey apparently moving Cait's book to a 2027 pub year. In their initial statement, they did say specifically that she was being removed from their 2024 schedule. That does leave some room for her to be published later.

Now, this could have to do with them still working out contract issues; it could be cold cost-benefits analysis; this could be all of the above. The thing is that there are books that I kind of doubt will ever be published unless things really change (Maya Banks's next Scottish book) that still have dates programmed in. I don't think Cait's book still having a release date means it's definitely coming out.

No matter what, she hurt people. It would be laughably stupid if the harm caused wasn't a reality. Ridiculous.

#me when i owe someone money: i had a complete psychological breakdown #books

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skyekilaen · 1 year

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PROUD PINK SKY by Redfern Jon Barrett creates an alternate timeline where gays and lesbians established Berlin as a free independent city before WWII.

REDSHIFT by R.M Olson is first contact with adventure biologist, elderly diplomat, and assassin MCs. Can't wait to read the next one!

INVERT by Clinton W. Waters is dystopian noir in an alternate 1950s where the Department of Virtue "reforms" queer people and then employs them as undercover cops.

#nonbinary #science fiction #alternate history #queer books #lgbtqia books

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luminouslumity · 4 months

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youtube

Here's a link to most of the authors Cait targeted, as well as Akana, Hana, Katrina, Thea, and Danielle!

#reads with rachel #books #bookblr #cait corrain #molly x. chang #kamilah cole #bethany baptiste #k.m. enright #frances white #hana lee #katrina kwan #r.m. virtues #thea guanzon #danielle l. jensen

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transbookoftheday · 1 year

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Keep Me Close by R.M. Virtues

She is the closest thing Khaos Falls has to a goddess…

He is the furthest thing Khaos Falls has from a hero…

#keep me close #gods of hunger #r.m. virtues #transfem #trans book of the day #trans books #queer books #bookblr #booklr

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cupids-chronicles · 7 months

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Hades X Persephone Saga: A Touch of Darkness #1

Author: Scarlett St. Clair

Genre: Romance, Fantasy, Mythology

My Rating: ⭐⭐⭐/5.

Spice: 🌶🌶🌶

Goodreads rating: 3.8/5

Pages: ‎‎400

Published: 23 May 2019

A Touch of Darkness Review

Note: This book is intended for mature audiences over the age of 18 due to explicit content (steamy chapters).

Ah, Greek gods! The OG drama queens (and kings) of ancient lore. You think your life is dramatic? Wait till you read the modern-day saga of Persephone and Hades in "A Touch of Darkness." One moment you're at a nightclub trying to fit into your mortal shoes, and the next you've unwittingly signed up for a timeshare in the Underworld. Classic Tuesday night, am I right?

Set in the hip metropolis of New Athens, a city where one might bump into a deity sipping on a latte, this retelling has all the modern twists you'd expect. Our protagonist, Persephone (or Perri to her mates), is your quintessential student of journalism who enjoys the simple pleasure of baking. Probably whipping up ambrosia cupcakes on the weekends, I'd imagine.

Let's talk about the "Touch of Darkness" himself, Hades. The broody and magnetic owner of Nevernight is the very embodiment of "it's complicated" on Facebook. He's your typical misunderstood bad boy. Dark, tall, mysterious, and probably the type to leave you on read for a couple of hours just because he's ruling the Underworld or something. However, the depth he carries is akin to the layers of the Underworld he governs – intricate, complex, and occasionally a tad hot.

Now, for all you spicy lovers out there, prepare to fan yourself at Chapters VI, VII, XVIII, and XXIII. Let's just say if this book was food on a menu, it'd come with a little chili pepper next to it.

My favorite quote from the book has to be: “I have waited lifetimes for you, I know it." Now, if that doesn't make you swoon, you might just be a stone statue in Medusa's gallery.

While the book has a playful and electric energy, it's essential to note that it touches on some sensitive themes. Please be aware of trigger warnings, including alcohol, bullying, child abuse, drugging, sexual assault, toxic relationships, and sexual content. The narrative's duality showcases the dappled light and shadows of romance, making it a poignant and authentic reflection of love in the modern age.

The story unfolds like a decadent dish, seasoned with the spicy, enemies-to-lovers trope with a side serving of fated mates, making it a treat for romance nerds. And remember, "A Touch of Darkness" is the entree in this scrumptious series banquet. Be sure to dine in order, or you'll miss out on all of the flavors.

So, dear reader, if you're itching for a romance that combines the allure of age-old myths and the vibrancy of today's world, this is your must-read.

Pulitzer Prize? Maybe not. But will it win over your heart and make you daydream about underworld deities during your daily commute? Absolutely!

Happy reading, and may your love life always be less convoluted than a Greek myth. But if it isn't, at least you've got some entertaining company.

Please note that this book is part of a series and can not be read as a stand alone. Lucky for you this can be your little weekend binge as almost all the books in the series has already been released !

Wait a minute boys and girls, check out these trigger warnings first:

Alcohol

Bullying

Child abuse (emotional)

Drugging

Sexual assault

Toxic relationships

Romance Tropes, you ask ?

Enemies to lovers

Fated Mates

Who do we meet in this book ?

Hades

Persephone (Perri)