advance reader copy – Cannonball Read 17

I reach for a water bottle of my own and catch Nikhil watching me, his face thoughtful and open. A mix of recognition and something else. Like he’s saying There you are and Who are you? all in one single glance.

Flirting with Disaster by Naina Kumar

January 1, 2025 by Emmalita 5 Comments

Naina Kumar’s Flirting with Disaster is an angsty second chance romance between a married couple trapped together by a hurricane. This is a reimagining of Sweet Home Alabama, but set in Houston during a hurricane with Indian American protagonists. I have somehow never watched Sweet Home Alabama, so I don’t know where it tracks and where it diverges. I can tell you that it’s a good read. It’s out January 14. Meena plans to fly into Houston, get her estranged husband to sign the divorce […]

Don’t say what the heck at me as if what I said is so absurd, Seth. Yesterday you told me vampires exist. I watched your face grow fifty extra bones and a thousand more teeth.

How to Help a Hungry Werewolf by Charlotte Stein

December 17, 2024 by Emmalita 3 Comments

Charlotte Stein’s How to Help a Hungry Werewolf is one of the horniest books I have ever read. It is incredibly innocent and filthy at the same time. I laughed and I blushed. I also felt like this book was written just for me, which has made it very difficult to review. Cassie Camberwell doesn’t know she’s a witch until she inherits her grandmother’s house, meets her ex-best friend again, finds a notebook with recipes and brews up a potion. And it turns out that […]

A grown up romance for the horse kids

The Grump Whisperer by Katy James

November 26, 2024 by Emmalita Leave a Comment

I really enjoyed The Grump Whisperer. Katy James has written a grown up romance for horse kids. Bronwen is the grump whisperer, with two grumps who need her help. One is Ian, a show jumper who has suffered a career ending injury. The other is Hades, a horse who has been badly treated in the past. Listen, I love hurt people finding each other and healing. Bronwen was also a show rider, but a bad fall has made her afraid to get back on a […]

The Red Woman returns, you insect-humping wretches!

Red Sonja: Consumed by Gail Simone

November 20, 2024 by Emmalita Leave a Comment

I really like Gail Simone’s run of Red Sonja comics. I was very intrigued to see what she would do in a longer format without pictures. Red Sonja:Consumed is very good. It takes a little time to bring the pieces together, but once it does, it flies. I definitely recommend it for appreciators of a barbarian adventure, women who take charge of their own destinies, and cranky horses. It starts with a queen and a jeweled asp. Sonja has stolen a prized piece of jewelry from […]

Who says you can’t learn something new?

The Fishwife Cookbook by Becca Millstein & Vilda Gonzalez

November 18, 2024 by Emmalita Leave a Comment

My nuclear family was not a tinned fish family aside from the ubiquitous canned tuna fish. My mom grew up on the Gulf Coast of Texas and loved fishing and crabbing, so we frequently had fresh fish on the table for dinner. It wasn’t until I got to grad school that I met people who bought tinned fish other than tuna. I enjoyed it, but I didn’t really know what to do with it on my own. I was attracted to The Fishwife Cookbook by […]

A farm? What the hell was I supposed to do with a farm?

Love in Bloom by Lucy Eden

November 13, 2024 by Emmalita 1 Comment

Love in Bloom is a great read. It’s a big city girl inherits a farm with grown up Hallmark Christmas movie without the Christmas vibes. And spice. Have some ice water on hand. Emma Walters has Molotov cocktails in her soul and watching her learn to direct them where they belonged, instead of at her own life was a delight. Emma is a good girl, a highly competent perfectionist who smooths the path and cleans up other people’s mess. Except she keeps blowing up her […]

Zirza on A Gothic Classic for a ReasonIt's one of those wish-you-could-read-it-again-for-the-first-time books. I loved it.
Emmalita on “It came to something when you found yourself hoping that the footsteps you heard were ghosts.”I loved the ending! I don’t think it’s been out long enough to talk about why though.
Dixie on Track Her Down by Melinda LeighI am just starting Track Her Down and I have read them all in order till now and thought I...
Roland of Gilead on How can you give us the gift of a crazy character named Rando Thoughtful and then just as suddenly take that gift away? We need to talk, Uncle Stevie.I came across this randomly years after it was written because I was searching "Random Thoughtful. But I have the...
Emmalita on “Only you, Em, would refer to heartbreak as a distraction. I think I would have a more sympathetic response if I asked to marry a bookcase.”Oh my goodness, Gallifrey was beautiful. I’m sure her mittens were gloriously murdery.

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