Derek never wished to inherit his title as a result of a bloody battle. With the old count dead and the truce dependent on his marriage to the rival duke’s son, Derek has no choice but to agree to the victor’s terms in order to bring peace to his homeland. When he learns of the sinister rumors surrounding his intended groom, Derek begins to have doubts—but there can be no turning back from saying I do.
After the death of his wife, Callan of Mulberny never expected to be forced into another political marriage—especially not to someone like the new Count of Camria. Seemingly soft and meek, it’s only fitting that Derek’s family crest is a flighty sparrow, worthy of nothing but contempt.
Another war with the seafaring people of the Outer Isles looms on the horizon, and the reluctant newlyweds must team together to protect those caught in the circle of violence. Derek and Callan slowly learn to let go of their prejudices, but as they find themselves enmeshed in intrigue fueled by dark secrets and revenge, their tentative bond is all that keeps their world—and their lives—from plunging into chaos.
May Book Reviews: The Exile Prince by Isabelle Adler
Book two of a silly fantasy romance novella trilogy a la Megan Derr. Prince Stephen is living in exile with his boyfriend. Unfortunately, his brother has certainly not forgotten the existence of a rival heir to the throne.
These weren't particularly well executed books in the first place, but I think this one suffers especially as a stand-alone since it's mostly set-up for an obvious later confrontation with the brother. There isn't even really a romance plotline to lean on for tension, since the main characters are an established couple. Not recommended.
TL;DR –.We explore the highs and lows, and lows, of the Transformers film series.
Disclosure – I paid for the Paramount+/Amazon Prime services that viewed these films.
Transformers –
We might be in the era of nostalgia, but that does not mean that current films can capture what made those original properties soar. An excellent example of this is Transformers, a series that swings wildly in…
🦇 Good afternoon, my wonderful bookish bats. I'm LOVING all your amazing holiday book guides, but what about adding a few queer holiday books to the list? Here are a few to consider asking for under the tree this year!
✨ Sapphic
🌟 Season of Love by Helena Greer
🎁 Under the Mistletoe by Everly James
🌟 Checking it Twice by Lucy Bexley
🎁 Under a Falling Star by Jae
🌟 Kiss Her Once For Me by Alison Cochrun
🎁 In the Event of Love by Courtney Kae
🌟 Silent Night by Lily Seabrooke
🎁 The Christmas Ball by Lily Seabrooke
🌟 Christmas in Mistletoe by Clare Lydon
🎁 All I Want for Christmas by Clare Lydon
🌟 Higher by Roz Alexander
🎁 Collie Jolly by Leigh Landry
🌟 The Holiday Trap by Roan Parrish (also m/m)
🎁 How to Excavate a Heart by Jake Maia Arlow
🌟 Monica Adams Skips Christmas by Krista Harper
🎁 Whiteout (Anthology)
🌟 Set the Record Straight by Hannah Bonam-Young
🎁 Written in the Stars by Alexandria Bellefleur
✨ Gay
🌟 Faux Ho Ho by Nathan Burgoine
🎁 A Boyfriend for Christmas by Jay Northcote
🌟 Glass Tidings by AJ Cousins
🎁 What Happens at Christmas by Jay Northcote
🌟 You're a Mean One, Matthew Prince by Timothy Janovsky
🎁 The Working Elf Blues by Piper Vaughn
🌟 Merry Elf-ing Christmas by Beth Bolden
🎁 Let Your Hearts Be Light by Fae Quin
🌟 Merry & Sprite by Dani Lakely
🎁 In the Winter Woods by Isabelle Adler
🌟 Tangled in Tinsel by Ellen Mint
🎁 The Inside Edge by Ashlyn Kane
✨ M/F
🌟 Meet Me in Los Feliz by Kelly Reynolds
🎁 The Mistletoe Motive by Chloe Liese
🌟 A Merry Little Meet Cute by Julie Murphy and Sierra Simone
✨ Nonbinary
🎁 Sugar & Spice by Eli Wray
🌟 The First Noel by Eli Wray
🎁 Secret Santa by Eli Wray
🌟 Christmas Inn Maine by Chelsea M. Cameron
no, we’re not lost. the wind knows my name. and yours too.
writing about this book was a very difficult mission. I found the story incredibly beautiful, but also VERY sad. it got to a point in the history where I could only pray to heaven that nothing bad would happen anymore (and it did).
it was my first contact with the author and with the genre, I can say that it was a great surprise, this book has become one of my favorites. the story is very well written and the characters are very endearing, I always wanted to continue to know their fate.
we begin with the story of the adlers, a jewish family residing in vienna during the nazi occupation. after a sequence of horrors, samuel adler's mother decides to send him on one of the trains that took jewish children from germany, from that, his story as an orphan of war begins.
we also met lety, a child who lived in el salvador. due to an illness, she needs to leave her village to seek treatment, she travels with her father and is hospitalized until she is well, when it comes the day to her father pick her up to return to the village, he arrives informing her that they will never return there, instead they will start a life in the united states. she never returned to el salvador.
the next character that is presented, selena duran, is a social worker who works on the magnolia project, a project focused on offering legal support to immigrants trying to enter the united states, she seeks lawyers to be volunteers in the cases of families that are separated during this process. she meets frank, a lawyer willing to work on the case of a child who is in the united states and has lost contact with his mother.
and lastly, we will meet anita, a child who was caught crossing the mexico/us border. soon they were separated and anita lost contact with her mother. she had to stay in different homes with nothing but her imagination and the hope of finding her mother again.
the stories take place in different time periods, but they all connect eventually.
although the characters are fictional, the story is not, all the characters came from a real and horrific history. the reading was very emotional, for several moments I found myself crying, it's impossible not to root for these strong and courageous characters. I was able to know certain events that I had no idea of existence. anyway, I will definitely read other books by isabel allende, I loved it. 5/5 and favourite
evil question EVIL QUESTION ugh okay let's try, in no particular order:
I Keep My Exoskeletons To Myself, Marisa Crane; a raw and tender exploration of grief and parenthood through a queer lens, with a dystopian backdrop. The only thing close to litfic I've ever read and liked.
The Spirit Bares Its Teeth, Andrew Joseph White & A Study in Drowning, Ava Reid; these two are inextricable to me because they're both deep explorations of womanhood/girlhood and illness and gender and breaking it all apart. Both of these books made me cry and I want to do an extremely close study of them and their themes together at some point.
Some Desperate Glory, Emily Tesh; second only to Hell Followed With Us in its incisive, clear commentary on cult thinking, fascism, and deconstruction. Also things happen with the plot that I did not even remotely see coming and they were amazing. This book made me rabid.
The Saint of Bright Doors, Vajra Chandrasekera; a radiant exploration of so much that's hard for me to put into words so just go read my storygraph review.
Honorable mention to Judas, a comic by Jakub Rebelka and Jeff Loveness that made me scream and and wail and weep and cry and howl with the beauty, symbolism, and artistry of word and art.
9. Did you get into any new genres?
Not really! I've continued playing around with reading horror, and trying to read more sci-fi but nothing truly new to me no.
13. What were your least favorite books of the year?
Her Majesty's Royal Coven by Juno Dawson, which became one of my worst books of the year in, I am not kidding, the very last sentence. Made me so mad I probably won't even read the sequel. Why did she do that!?
The Wolf and the Sparrow by Isabelle Adler, an extremely boring "enemies" to lovers political marriage book that made my eyes glaze over.
The Tywford Code, Janice Hallett, a book I really looked forward to after reading The Appeal but that truly did not deliver. Mostly confusing, I ended up skipping multiple chapters and feeling like I had missed absolutely nothing, which is always a terrible sign.
22. What’s the longest book you read?
Kushiel's Dart by Jacqueline Carey, which I read while feeling miserable and awful and rated 5 stars because I enjoyed the hell out of it.
24. Did you DNF anything? Why?
Yep! According to storygraph I've hard DNF'd 10 books this year (meaning I've marked them DNF instead of simply moving them back to my TBR because I'm not feeling it right now). Some were because they made my skin crawl with sexism and/or racism (Upgrade, Blake Crouch; League of Extraordinary Gentlemen, Alan Moore) others I just wasn't capable of reading because of fundamental mood or content mismatches (How High We Go in the Dark, Sequoia Nagamatsu; Muse of Nightmares, Lani Taylor). Most I got extremely bored with for no known reason or I got a weird vibe from.
WHEN CASH WAKES UP BEHIND BARS, WILL HE BE OUT IN TIME TO COMPETE? IT’S A RACE TO SAVE THE RANCH IN THE SHOCKING SEASON FINALE OF ‘RIDE’ PREMIERING MAY 28, ON HALLMARK CHANNEL
STUDIO CITY, CA – May 22, 2023 – Cash’s (Beau Mirchoff, “Good Trouble”) day to compete at Cheyenne has arrived, only first he must get out of jail in “Andalusians,” this week’s episode of “Ride” premiering Sunday, May 28 (9 p.m. ET/PT), on Hallmark Channel. Nancy Travis (“Last Man Standing”), Tiera Skovbye (“Riverdale”), Mirchoff, Sara Garcia (“The Flash”), Jake Foy (“Designated Survivor”) and Tyler Jacob Moore (“Shameless”) star.
It's the morning of Cheyenne! Winning the competition could lead to Cash securing the Frontier sponsorship and finally solving the ranch’s growing financial problems. Unfortunately, an altercation with Tucker Clarke (Roger LeBlanc, “Joe Pickett”) has landed Cash in jail. Still reeling from the secrets surrounding the night of Austin’s death and his own guilt, Cash is eager to get out of his cell and into the ring – renewing Isabel (Travis) and Missy’s (Skovbye) fears of history repeating itself. It’s a race against time to save the ranch until one of the McMurrays receives shocking news that could tear the family apart for good.
“Ride” is a Blink49 Studios/Seven24 Films Production. Executive producers are Rebecca Boss, Chris Masi, Sherri Cooper, Alexandra Zarowny, Paolo Barzman, Greg Gugliotta, FJ Denny, John Morayniss, Carolyn Newman, Virginia Rankin, Elana Barry, Josh Adler, Jordy Randall and Tom Cox. Alejandro Alcoba is executive producer. The series is produced by Brian Dennis. Lesley Grant is supervising producer. Paolo Barzman directed from a script by Boss & Masi.
May Book Reviews: The Castaway Prince by Isabelle Adler
Picked this one up because another book by the author was recommended to me (sapphic arranged political marriage) but alas, the library didn't have it. Genderqueer prince Stephen flees his country in order to seek refuge with the only man he trusts, an ex-lover in a rival kingdom.
This isn't a novel-- in fact, it's practically a short story at less than sixty pages long. The plot suffers a bit from the short length. In my opinion, romance plotlines aren't very effective at novella length, as everything always feels very rushed. Put this one in the same pile as Megan Derr-- very readable, but not very good and with a shaky grasp on political worldbuilding.
I will be adding to this as I find more but this is what I have so far.
Some of these have trigger warnings such as homophobia and transphobia. I will put an asterisk next to each of those. Also, some of these contain mature scenes. A quick google search should be able to tell you whether the book has those or not.
Malice by Heather Walter (Misrule is the sequel and it is good too) lesbian, sleeping beauty retelling, fantasy, past
The Henna Wars* by Adiba Jaigirdar Lesbian/bisexual, contemporary, poc, enemies-to-lovers
Hanni and Ishu's guide to fake dating* by Adiba Jaigirdar lesbian/bisexual, poc, contemporary
Simon vs. the Homosapiens Agenda* by Becky Albertalli gay, contemporary
Leah on the Offbeat by Becky Albertalli bisexual, poc, contemporary,
What if it's us* (and Here's to us) by Becky Albertalli and Adam Silvera gay, poc, contemporary
A few of the stories in Serendipity (an anthology) I don't remember if any of those have homophobia or not. I believe they're are all contemporary
The last story in The End and Other Beginnings by Veronica Roth gay, fantasy
Ash by Malinda Lo lesbian, cinderella retelling, past, fantasy
The Falling in Love Montage by Ciara Smyth lesbian/bisexual, contemporary
Red, White & Royal Blue* by Casey McQuiston gay/bisexual, poc, contemporary, enemies-to-lovers
One last stop by Casey McQuiston bisexual/lesbian, contemporary, fantasy
Georgia Peaches and Other Forbidden Fruit* by Jaye Robin Brown lesbian, contemporary
The Coldest Touch by Isabel Sterling pansexual/lesbian, contemporary, fantasy
She Drives Me Crazy* by Kelly Quindlen lesbian, poc, contemporary, enemies-to-lovers
The Fates Divide by Veronica Roth fantasy, enemies-to-lovers (read Carve the Mark first. The lesbian relationship only shows up at the end but you need to read it to understand the story.)
Master of One by Dani Bennett and Jaida Jones gay, fantasy, heist, series
The Key to You and Me* by Jaye Robin Brown lesbian, contemporary
Openly Straight* by Bill Konigsberg gay/bisexual, contemporary
Before We Disappear by Shaun David Hutchinson gay, past, fantasy, heist
Some Girls Do* by Jennifer Dugan lesbian/bisexual, contemporary, mental health issues/abuse warning
Melt With You by Jennifer Dugan lesbian, contemporary
Howl by Shaun David Hutchinson gay, contemporary, mystery, fantasy
I Kissed Shara Wheeler by Casey McQuiston lesbian, contemporary, mystery
Boyfriend Material* by Joe Jameson gay, fake dating, contemporary
Verona Comics* by Jennifer Dugan contemporary, major mental health issues, family issues, suicide mentions (technically, this doesn't fall into the lgbtq+ category but both main characters are bi or pan and it has some very important lessons that a lot of the other books in the genre also have)
Girl, Serpent, Thorn by Melissa Bashardoust bisexual, poc, fantasy, enemies-to-friends-to-lovers
Jay's Gay Agenda by Jason June gay, poc, contemporary, realistic fiction
So This is Ever After by F.T. Lukens gay, fantasy, past
Hot Dog Girl by Jennifer Dugan bisexual/lesbian, contemporary, fake dating, realistic fiction
Delilah Greene Doesn't Care by Ashley Herring Blake lesbian, contemporary, enemies-to-friends-to-lovers, realistic fiction
When You Get the Chance by Tom Ryan queer character, gay character, pride, family, contemporary, realistic fiction
Small Town Pride* by Phil Stamper gay, activism, small town, contemporary, realistic fiction
Cafe Con Lychee* by Emery Lee gay, poc, contemporary, enemies-to-lovers, realistic fiction, food service
Flip the Script* by Lyla Lee lesbian, poc, contemporary, realistic fiction, acting
Count Your Lucky Stars by Alexandria Bellefleur lesbian, contemporary, realistic fiction, wedding planner
Cool for the Summer by Dahlia Adler bisexual/lesbian, poc, contemporary, realistic fiction
Change of Heart by Clare Lydon lesbian, fake dating, contemporary, realistic fiction, acting
Milo and Marcos at the End of the World* by Kevin Christopher Snipes gay, poc, contemporary, realistic fiction, mental health issues, religious
Date Me, Bryson Keller* by Kevin Van Whye gay, poc, contemporary, realistic fiction, mental health issues
The Sky Blues by Robbie Couch* gay, contemporary, realistic fiction, mental health issues
Trans and Non-binary Books
Meet Cute Diary* by Emery Lee trans male character, non-binary character, poc, contemporary, realistic fiction
Chef's Kiss* by T. J. Alexander non-binary character, pansexual woman, contemporary, cooking
May the Best Man Win* by ZR Ellor trans male character, gay relationship, realistic fiction, contemporary
Cemetary boys* by Aiden Thomas trans male character, poc, gay relationship, contemporary, fantasy
Love & Other Disasters* by Anita Kelly non-binary character, contemporary, cooking show
Act Cool* by Tobly McSmith trans male character, contemporary, mental health issues, dysphoria, actor
I Wish You All the Best* by Mason Deaver non-binary characters, poc, contemporary, mental health issues
A Quick and Easy Guide to They/Them pronouns by Archie Bongiovanni and Tristan Jimerson non-fiction, very short, great for enbys, allies, and other parties, humorous, good resource for educating yourself & others on gender nuances, comic
Man o' War* by Cori McCarthy non-binary character, genderfluid character, poc, contemporary, mental health issues, dysphoria, swimmer
Out of the Blue by Jason June non-binary character, contemporary, fantasy, swimmer
Stay Gold* by Tobly McSmith trans male character, contemporary, realistic fiction
Fine: A Comic About Gender by Rhea Ewing great for enbys, allies, and other parties, good resource for educating yourself & others on gender nuances, comic
The Pants Project* by Cat Clarke trans male character, school protest (peaceful), lesbian moms, contemporary, realistic fiction, dysphoria
All Kinds of Other* by James Sie trans male character, gay, contemporary, realistic fiction, mental health issues
Symptoms of Being Human* by Jeff Garvin genderfluid character, mental health issues, motivational speaking, dysphoria
None of the Above* I. W. Gregorio intersex girl, contemporary, realistic fiction, runner, mental health issues
Queer Webtoons
High Class Homos Gay, royalty, past, fantasy
The Doctors Are Out Gay, Contemporary, Enemies-to-friends-to-lovers
Heartstopper* Gay, Contemporary, friends-to-lovers, mental health issues (there's a tv show based on this one and it's amazing!)
Hey! Below are a list of sapphic ships and fandoms I am familiar with and are able to write fanfic for! Don’t see your ship? Go to Request A Sapphic Media/Rarepair!