You know we love reinterpretations of classic stories and this modern take on the Greek pantheon was super fun. Half the fun was figuring out how the classics would tie in, and the other half was the super fun relationship of convenience with an expiration date between Hades and Persephone. Oh, and it's a SEX book.
Guys this book makes no sense. It asks the very important question, "what happens when sex telepathy works but it works so well you're convinced it was a trick?"
Now that we're done with Christmas Novellas, we return to our bread and butter (historical SPIES). We loved how willing Susanna Craig was to lean into a LOT of absurdity and we say the word "coincidence" several times. Fun, sexy, and well-written, we definitely recommend this one.
Meg and Laine really like anachronistically progressive spies and their suffragette lovers. What can we say, we're predictable.
We wrap up our ACOTAR reviews with a discussion of which genre this series falls into. Meg was grateful for the lack of sex cabin, which was a first.
Laine & Meg enjoyed this knitting propaganda disguised as a Christmas film so much they decided to watch it a second time and record their commentary! Enjoy some perfect romance tropes with a curmudgeon-ey Duke of our childhood dreams. Happy Holidays!
We wrap up our Christmas novellas with the most epic Christmas party ever! I need to go to this Arthurian grotto.
This Christmas Novella takes the "aristocratic woman marries low born but wealthy man" trope (better name TBD) and adds some Christmas house party shenanigans. We liked it, even if it was a bit tame compared with our standard fare.
This is a "virgin hero sells virginity at Christmas house party" story. Lots of potential in that description, but it's BARELY a Christmas book and there's a bit too much conflict.
Two unlikely travel companions get stranded in a small village for Christmas and make the best of it/learn the true meaning of Christmas while trying to act like all the bed sharing doesn't mean anything. (it does).
The Scotsmen with terrible parents have a cousin who gets a Christmas novella! Laine was very very charmed by two adults clearly communicating their desires and expectations. Meg was just glad Matthew wasn't there.
This sex book was so charming, and a hot air balloon wasn't the only thing to rise to the occasion. Did we recognize Jane from the previous book? Not really (now ask us how much we care).
I swear the Grand Palace on the Thames generates more marriages than mid-sized liberal arts colleges in Ohio. Our latest couple is a reserved and honorable duke and a street-smart actress with less generational wealth and a bigger age gap than you may be used to. It's a fun addition to the series, but Meg and Laine disagree over which age gap has been the biggest deal.
Marriage of convenience with agreement to produce an heir after a dumb ruination has never been so sexy. We had a lot of fun with this one, and we think you will too.
A kidnapped earth woman abandoned by her cruel abductors is rescued by her soulmate, who is basically an Avatar with genitalia. I don't even know, you guys.
Val and Caro are a second chance romance we're totally on board with! We were super impressed with how deliberate and well designed many of the scenes and plot points were in this one as well. Now if only it had a title that made it stand out so we could remember how much we liked it.
The second book in the Spoiler Alert series builds on the super fun universe of the first book in a way we both found extremely charming. It takes a while for this to go from adversaries to friends to lovers, but the payoff is excellent.
If anyone knows what the fairy tale is in this one please tell us because it's driving Laine crazy. Regardless, we very much enjoyed this sunshine/grump book with a no-nonsense heroine and her satanic cat.
Meg and Laine are always here for friends to lovers and sexy lessons, so you know we enjoyed the heck out of this one. Ana Maria has a level of independence rarely seen in romance novel heroines and both of them have a mentality toward sex and relationships that we found very refreshing.
First of all, I can not be held responsible for keeping track of Amanda Quick/Jayne Castle's noms de plume. Meg has a lot of affection for the romantic-couple-solves-mystery, but in space! thing this book has going on. Laine wishes it made more sense and/or that the romance was given more development. Marriage of convenience is fun trope, you just have to know what you're getting into.
BRB going to law school to become a divorce attorney, then learning how to time travel and make fictional universes real so I can FINALLY GET LORD INGRAM HIS DIVORCE. This book is very good, we discuss where the series is going, we rave about the character growth. Did I mention Lord Ingram is an archeologist and spy who is still married?
Kissing lessons, house parties, and women upsetting the patriarchy are all right up our alley, and this book has all of them! Laine quibbled a bit over some of the characterization and plot points, but Meg loved the dynamic between the main characters completely. Now if only we understood why her mom was THE WORST.
The premise of this book is perfect. It's basically a gender-swapped Anastasia which hit us right in the feels, and our heroes get to spend a surprising amount of time alone together given the time period. We're not complaining.
Laine and Meg have a difference of opinion on this one. Meg admits to a bias toward Amanda Quick and all of her other noms de plume, which Laine lacks. Laine admits to expecting a very different book based on the novella, and Meg had read this before. Scooby Doo, plucky women in consulting, and sassy best friends are all topics of conversation for this one.
We both thought this was a cute concept, even if Meg is a self-proclaimed Wine Grinch. We would have loved a bit more from both of these characters, but the ending makes it worth the read.
Not only does April get to go out with a hot celebrity from her favorite TV show, it turns out he's secretly been her online BFF all along. Olivia Dade is a great writer and this story is VERY well crafted. Laine was a little bothered by their poor communication skills, but the ending is adorable enough to make up for it.
Laine and Meg talk about kissing your future wife next to your cousin’s body, very stupid nicknames, and familial justice. Buckle up, this one is wild.
Meg and Laine gush about perfect books, talk about what it means to be ruined, and don't question what keeps happening to their clothing even a little bit.
Meg and Laine talk about doll funerals, non-penetrative sex, and science that isn’t botany.
Laine and Meg talk about wedding tropes and scars. Also cats.
