Cannonball Read 17

Sticking It to Cancer One Book at a Time
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A Pair of Novellas for the February Holidays

A Fake Girlfriend for Chinese New Year by Jackie Lau

A Big Surprise for Valentine's Day by Jackie Lau

January 31, 2022 by faintingviolet 2 Comments

When I read Donut Fall in Love two weeks ago I was reminded almost viscerally of two of Jackie Lau’s novellas from her Holidays with the Wongs series. The chemistry between Donut’s Ryan and Lindsay had the same sort of feeling that A Fake Girlfriend for Chinese New Year’s Zach and Jo did, and it made me want to revisit them, and with Chinese New Year this week (February 1st) I needed no further inducement to pick it back up and give myself a Monday […]

Filed Under: Romance Tagged With: A Big Surprise for Valentine's Day, A Fake Girlfriend for Chinese New Year, Chinese New Year, faintingviolet, holiday novella, Holidays With the Wongs, Jackie Lau, novella, playing with tropes, Valentines

faintingviolet's CBR14 Review No:12 · Genres: Romance · Tags: A Big Surprise for Valentine's Day, A Fake Girlfriend for Chinese New Year, Chinese New Year, faintingviolet, holiday novella, Holidays With the Wongs, Jackie Lau, novella, playing with tropes, Valentines ·
Rating:
· 2 Comments

Beware of Bored Women!

Lady Macbeth of the Mtsensk District by Nikolai Leskov

January 18, 2022 by andtheIToldYouSos Leave a Comment

ESPECIALLY if you are the one to damn them into a life of boredom. I sought out this short story after being utterly enthralled by the 2016 Florence Pugh tour-de-force Lady Macbeth. If you are a sucker for a brutal period drama chock full of female desperation-disguised-as-power, then hustle your bustle to your  nearest ye olde video rental and check. it. out. The film is phenomenal, and I was immediately curious about the source material! A little Wikipedia creeping led me to Lady Macbeth of the Mtsensk […]

Filed Under: Fiction, Short Stories Tagged With: 19th century, boredom, class, doomed love, film adaptation, Florence Pugh, Lady Macbeth, nikolai leskov, novella, Quick read, Russian Lit, short read, translation, wealth

andtheIToldYouSos's CBR14 Review No:3 · Genres: Fiction, Short Stories · Tags: 19th century, boredom, class, doomed love, film adaptation, Florence Pugh, Lady Macbeth, nikolai leskov, novella, Quick read, Russian Lit, short read, translation, wealth ·
Rating:
· 0 Comments

Starting the year with a sure-fire hit

A Very Beery New Year by Jackie Lau

January 16, 2022 by Malin 1 Comment

Encouraged by his mother to socialise more, introverted software developer Gerald Nakamura goes to his local craft beer bar to sit by the bar, reading a book, not really interacting with anyone except the serving staff. He especially likes exchanging a few words with the pretty and vivacious bartender Kelsey.   Kelsey lives with her rather exasperating grandmother (who just discovered Tik Tok and is determined to become a viral sensation) and works at the bar until she can find something more suitable to her […]

Filed Under: Cooking/Food, Fiction, Romance Tagged With: #food, A Very Beery New Year, Canada, cbr14, Cider Bar Sisters, Contemporary Romance, free, Jackie Lau, Malin, novella

Malin's CBR14 Review No:1 · Genres: Cooking/Food, Fiction, Romance · Tags: #food, A Very Beery New Year, Canada, cbr14, Cider Bar Sisters, Contemporary Romance, free, Jackie Lau, Malin, novella ·
Rating:
· 1 Comment

The cowboys are Librarians who work with more than books

Upright Women Wanted by Sarah Gailey

January 4, 2022 by CoffeeShopReader Leave a Comment

Upright Women Wanted has a really interesting set-up: take your standard Western setting, and instead of cowboys, substitute a group of women called Librarians, whose supposed job is to delivery Approved Materials for reading and pick up the old or worn out materials for fixing up. Esther wants to join the Librarians to get away from her past and she stows away in a Librarian wagon. Obviously she gets caught and reaches a tentative agreement with the Head Librarian Bet about apprenticing. The novella follows […]

Filed Under: Fiction, Speculative Fiction, Western Tagged With: coming-of-age, feminist, LGBTQ, LGBTQ author, novella, Sarah Gailey, upright women wanted, western

CoffeeShopReader's CBR14 Review No:5 · Genres: Fiction, Speculative Fiction, Western · Tags: coming-of-age, feminist, LGBTQ, LGBTQ author, novella, Sarah Gailey, upright women wanted, western ·
Rating:
· 0 Comments

Another Ilona Andrews series has stolen my heart

Burn for Me by Ilona Andrews

White Hot by Ilona Andrews

Wildfire by Ilona Andrews

Diamond Fire by Ilona Andrews

December 28, 2021 by teresaelectro 6 Comments

I discovered Ilona Andrews through Felicia Day’s book club. We read the first Kate Daniels book, Magic Bites. I didn’t quite get hooked, but Cannonball Read made me want to read more. Thanks to Malin, Emmalita, and Jen K for convincing me. I know you didn’t have to twist my arm! I had always planned to read their Hidden Legacy series. I even bought the most recent book last year. It wasn’t until Malin gifted me the first two books for the CBR12 book exchange that […]

Filed Under: Fantasy, Romance Tagged With: book series, Hidden Legacy, Hidden Legacy Series, Houston, ilona andrews, magic, novella, Texas, Urban Fantasy

teresaelectro's CBR13 Review No:24 · Genres: Fantasy, Romance · Tags: book series, Hidden Legacy, Hidden Legacy Series, Houston, ilona andrews, magic, novella, Texas, Urban Fantasy ·
Rating:
· 6 Comments

A slightly happier ending to this story of fatal foes than Romeo and Juliet

Fated Blades by Ilona Andrews

December 26, 2021 by Malin Leave a Comment

4.5 stars This was an ARC from Netgalley. My views and opinions are my own. On the alien planet of Rada, most of the powerful families have genetic abilities in some way or another, but the ones born with lethal combat abilities are the fiercest of rivals, and none more so than the Adlers and the Baenas. They are constantly vying to be the most dominant, and now both families are close to discovering the secrets behind their genetic abilities. Matias Baena, head of his […]

Filed Under: Fiction, Romance, Science Fiction Tagged With: #Science Fiction, CBR13, enemies to lovers, Fated Blades, ilona andrews, Kinsmen universe, Malin, NetGalley, novella, Romance

Malin's CBR13 Review No:56 · Genres: Fiction, Romance, Science Fiction · Tags: #Science Fiction, CBR13, enemies to lovers, Fated Blades, ilona andrews, Kinsmen universe, Malin, NetGalley, novella, Romance ·
Rating:
· 0 Comments
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