Cannonball Read 17

Sticking It to Cancer One Book at a Time

She’ll make you see stars WINK WINK

The Lady's Guide to Celestial Mechanics by Olivia Waite

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3.5 stars, rounding up What’s the opposite of a slow burn? A fast…frostbite? Except that implies that the story was in some way cold, which this is not. In my ongoing quest to hetdiversify my reading list, I find this markedly more enjoyable than both of the “logical + astrology” pairings. But there’s such a short bit of At First Sight Antagonism, and I realized that that is something I’m very into. Lucy and Catherine see each other, have a bit of a misunderstanding, realize […]

The Theme is Adventure

Best Women's Erotica of the Year, Volume 6 by Rachel Kramer Bussel

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I didn’t entirely consider that I would be writing a review of erotica for the Cannonball Read audience when I requested Rachel Kramer Bussel’s Best Women’s Erotica of the Year, Volume 6 from NetGalley. I just thought about how much I wanted to read it. I got a copy of this arc from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. I don’t generally review erotica because to do so in a meaningful way would get rather more revelatory than I usually do. With an anthology […]

“High crimes were probably better suited to a betrothal than a mere courting gift: you couldn’t just start burning things down in hopes the other person found it romantic. You’d want to be sure.” (CBR Bingo)

The Care and Feeding of Waspish Widows (Feminine Pursuits #2) by Olivia Waite

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Let’s get this part out of the way early – I was prepared to love this book and I only really like it. Here’s the thing: there’s too much story here and I feel like a heel for saying so. But, bear with me. One of the things I love most in really good romance writing is that the authors aren’t afraid to interact with larger themes. These books aren’t just sexytimes (we have erotica for that) they are not just character studies (although lord […]

Upending the Regency Romance with Queerness and Bees

The Care and Feeding of Waspish Widows by Olivia Waite

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Last year I loved Olivia Waite’s The Lady’s Guide to Celestial Mechanics. When the sequel, The Care and Feeding of Waspish Widows became available on NetGalley I was so excited. I enjoyed it tremendously. I received this as an advance reader copy in exchange for an honest review.

Catherine Let the Days Flow By Like Water

The Lady's Guide to Celestial Mechanics by Olivia Waite

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I have had this book for months, but it fell into an unfortunate category – the “I know I’m going to be sad when it’s over so I can’t start it” category. I am so sad that it is over. I loved it so much. Lucy has recently lost her father and watched her lover get married to a man. She has spent the last decade assisting her father’s astronomic pursuits and doing all of the mathematical calculations. Her brother, a painter, is starting to […]

“I am tired of twisting myself into painful shapes for mere scraps of respect or consideration. Tired of bending this way and that in search of approval that will only ever be half granted.”

The Lady's Guide to Celestial Mechanics (Feminine Pursuits #1) by Olivia Waite

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Olivia Waite is an author I’ve been following on Twitter for a little while – she’s just the right kind of outspoken feminist romance author that I like to follow (they are a fun crowd, seriously, get into Romance Twitter it’s a good place to be even when things aren’t burning down). Her vocal and staunch support of #IStandWithCourtney and the ensuing fallout with the RWA meant that I bumped her novel that much further up my to read list because I will support the […]



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