serenity81's reviews
960 reviews

The Case of Thistledown House by Ellis Colton

adventurous challenging dark emotional funny hopeful informative mysterious sad tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.0

If you like the show Supernatural, then I highly suggest this book.
Ian and Zeke, previously in the same foster home, roam the country hunting the things that go bump in the night. Feelings have morphed from friendly to something more between these two, but they're scared to admit how they feel for fear of risking their deeply-rooted friendship and fear of losing the other at the hands of the supernatural.
Fear not, though. While this book is light on the romance, Ian and Zeke get their happy for now ending. I say happy for now only because I don't know if the author has more planned for this hunting duo. I would really like to see more of these two MCs.

Content Warnings

The Convenient Groom by Ana Ashley

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funny hopeful lighthearted medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? No

3.5

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Napkins and Other Distractions by M.A. Wardell

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emotional funny hopeful lighthearted reflective sad medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

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Final Boy at Randy's by Loren Leigh

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adventurous emotional funny hopeful sad tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

5.0

Loren Leigh does it again in this wonderful, slightly spooky addition to the Diner Days series. The previous books have been light and fluffy, which I love, but with Final Boy, there was something heavier that made a bigger impact for me. Maybe it was the 'horror' aspect or the cheating trope, which I normally loathe. Whatever it was, Loren blew me away with this beautiful story.
I will say that the cheating trope isn't what I thought it would be. Reed has been seeing Lennox's friend, Indy, for a month and he's not feeling it. Neither is Indy really, since she's

head over heels for Lennox's brother, Jamie

That's not an excuse, though. Just saying it helped me get through this trope.
I should have expected it, but the character growth that both Reed and Lennox have is amazing. All of Loren's characters have that though, so I don't know why I was surprised.
In the beginning, Reed is closed off, putting on an act that he loves his life and his job, and he hates the fact that Lennox sees him and pushes him. By the end, he's accepted who he is and has forged his own path in life.
Lennox has gone through a lot in his life; outed by who he thought loved and accepted him for being a trans-man

Ash is a diiiiiiiiick

, helped his brother through ARFID/eating aversion, and put his wants and needs on the back burner. After Reed pushes him the way he's pushed Reed, he realizes that he can't put his life on hold if he wants to be happy.
Apart from the cheating confrontation

Reed and Lennox get locked in the basement of the creepy hotel they're filming a movie at and get found by Jamie

(which is resolved quickly) there is third act drama in the fact that Lennox finds out his transphobic ex is a roommate and polo teammate of Reed's. It could have been a lot worse (slurs thrown around, Lennox pushing Reed away, etc.), but that didn't happen, which was a relief.
All in all, I really loved Final Boy. It made me ache with sadness and longing, and burst with joy at the unabashed acceptance of Lennox by Reed.
I received an ARC and am happily giving a review.

Content Warnings

Gaming at Randy's by Duckie Mack

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emotional funny hopeful inspiring lighthearted relaxing medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.0

Another sweet and fluffy, low angst, T4T addition to the Diner Days (multi-author) series. Each book is a standalone and you don't have to read the other books if you don't feel like committing to an 8 book series.

Locke (online gamer) and Adam (history buff) had instant chemistry, both physically and emotionally. I was a bit worried that Adam's long-time crush on Locke (having followed his account for years) would cause some kind of friction or affect their relationship at all, but it didn't. Adam's love for Locke wasn't misplaced and Locke never took it that way.
This book goes to show that not everyone's transition journey is the same, and what one person does during their transition (going on hormones or surgery) doesn't mean someone else is going to do the same. They live their lives how they want and if they're happy, that's all that matters.

I received an ARC of this book by the author for my honest review.

Content Warnings