Ok. So I’m giving this 4 stars ONLY BECAUSE at some point near the end…I got completely confused as to what Nhung was supposed to look like? And it totally skewed how I was perceiving everything happening. That said. HOLY SMOKES. The lyrical prose of the novel, the descriptions of everything, from the desolation of Mercy to the vagueness (yet unmistakable chill) of Nhung’s assault, everything built up to this astonishing yet fitting end. I had some serious misgivings about Covey but oh my, she was everything and then some. I was so glad for the others who were found, and I loved that the adults were portrayed as the flawed people they are. Jimmy, who is cruel and callous but thinks he’s doing it all for his daughter, who he clearly doesn’t understand resents him, to Nhung’s mother, who because of her lack of communication, almost utterly destroys any relationship with her daughter, under the guise of the ultimate protection. I really did enjoy this. I will absolutely be reading more by this author.
*To see this and other reviews, please visit my Goodreads page here.
If I could give a book 6 stars…7 stars…more…this would be the one. For all that is holy (and in some scenes, NOT holy, if you know what I mean), this was an incredible book about self discovery, combating homophobia, sports homophobia, finding friends and supports with your family. I mean, there was just so much happening, but I am so thankful I saw this book at the bookstore and bought it. I will so read this over and over again.
Gabriel Piña (Gabi, Gabo, or Piña, for short) is a football player. Not American football, but international football (soccer, if you will). He is a freshman starter goalkeeper on the Texas A&M Corpus Christi team, which is not something that happens very often. He is having a great season. He met a cool girl, Leana, and a cool guy, Vale. He ends up hooking up with Leana, and just as he is getting ready to ask her to go steady and be a couple, she lets him down, not because of anything wrong, but because she wants to grow and explore while she is in college. He meets Vale at a random party when Vale is playing a drinking game and is dared to kiss a stranger. He asks Gabi…and Gabi is quite literally blown away. Now all he can think about is Vale. Then he finds out Vale is in his Intro to Philosophy course and offers to tutor Gabi, since he can tell he is struggling. They get close…then closer. Gabi has to come to several realizations about himself, but the problem is, Mexican culture? Very machismo, very homophobic. He isn’t even sure if he would be supported by his teammates, or his roommates, and finally, it all comes to a head. Gabi has to choose: football or being himself?
This went into ALL of Mexican cultures machismo and homophobic-ness, which is so very real. It is extremely true that fans at Mexican fútbol games are horribly homophobic, with horrid chants that have had their own clubs fined because they use them. Our culture is so repressed with toxicity, I even had some of it in my own family (I am fairly certain most of it has finally been outgrown, but I can’t be certain). I actually cried a few times in this book, just thinking about all mis hermanas y hermanos who might be hiding themselves because they simply do not feel safe. As a cis, het Chicana, I can’t even imagine the horrors they must live through because of hate. I have to say, though, that Gabi had some INCREDIBLE support, and not everyone has that. The scene at the lake, with Pérez and Kat and the broccolini had me CRACKING UP! Pérez and Kat’s support, I think, is what really helped Gabi with overcoming himself and being ready to tell his team and his captain Barrera (which, FTP) about himself. I do wish we had gotten a little more about Vale, maybe even a chapter or two of his viewpoint, just so we could see him fall for Gabi like Gabi does for him, but I also understand that this was Gabi’s story to tell and so yea, that will kind of make Vale a background character.
Anyways, if you like sports, specifically football (soccer), if you like reading good bisexuality centered books, if you are an ally, if you are POC, then this book is for you. If you are not these things…then maybe you should pick it up any ways…see through the others eyes, and maybe you’ll become more empathic. We need more empathy in the world these days.
Whew! I’m on a roll! I have not one, but TWO book reviews here! I’m part of the Probably Smut monthly book club (don’t @ me!) and I am finally all caught up and ready for September’s book! In the meantime, my reviews for both Shadowed Obsession (July) and The Bad Boy Rule (August) are here!
Shadowed Obsession – 2 stars
The nice thing about the PS book club is that we get GORGOUS special edition covers! This was no exception! The colors were *chefs kiss* Perfect! However, the inside of the book, the meat, if you will…left some to be desired. There were many a grammatical and editing mistakes that really take you out the book once you see them. Things like quotation marks not being completed, a whole PAGE being copy/pasted…it was just kind of a mess? The story line could have been stronger too, like the premise was great, but overall? Eh.
*sigh* I REALLY wanted to like this. The smut was smutting and the MC’s had some depth to themselves. But their actual chemistry went from “stalker/stalkee” to “domestic bliss” once the mask came off-literally. Not to mention times when italics were used and then just not turned off. At some point, the emphasis on the Spanish words was annoying. It’s just dialogue like any other, yet it’s italicized. Every. Single. Time. As a non-native Spanish speaker but a Chicana, this was probably the most irritating. In her effort to make the character not othered, she othered his language the whole book.
Unfortunately, those items made the book slightly unbearable and while I finished it, I really only did because the redeeming parts were alright. (See my Goodreads review here)
The Bad Boy Rule – 4 stars
Whew! That was…hot. Like fire! I think I spent more time tabbing all the dirty talk than paying attention to the plot!
Lennon is a socialite, someone who’s parents are the who’s who of New Orleans. She is incredibly privileged and knows it. She is also rebelling against her parents…the blinders are off after a series of events, including forcing her to quit ice skating, her one escape, forces her to acknowledge that her parents are grooming her to be a trophy wife, nothing more.
Saint is a hockey player who grew up on the wrong side of the tracks. His adolescent years spent in a trailer with his mother and his abusive and alcoholic father, Saint is well aware that he could end up like his dad and is trying everything in his power not to be. So he gives himself a new persona, “The Playboy” and has sex with basically any girl but with one rule: no getting attached.
Our MC’s meet at…the skating rink. Because of COURSE they do. Of COURSE they have the same time slot by mistake! Lennon, in her effort to rebel, asks Saint to be her fake boyfriend, unknowing that Saint has his own reasons why he says yes. They begin to see that neither is what they seem.
Seriously, this was so good. The tension and the banter between Saint and Lennon was so good. There wasn’t TOO MUCH of the pet names, which can really make or break a book. The only issue this time? A couple of plot holes that really made me question my own sanity, and a couple of grammatical and editing errors. So because of those, this went from a 5 star to a 4. (To see this and other reviews, check out my Goodreads profile here)
Ok, that’s all folks! I am hoping to get to 100 books by the end of the year…I’m currently standing at 67! Can I do it?! YES I CAN!
So. After gathering my thoughts, and reading some other reviews, I realized I will not be as eloquent as some here. However, I enjoyed this book. SO MUCH. The folklore, the horror, the gore. How Cora was able to rise above that, make connections with friends after the horrific murder of her sister, with whom she had a complicated relationship with. Re-connecting with her Asian heritage through her one aunt after being forced into accepting Christianity by her white aunt. The racism. THE RACISM. Like holy smokes. During COVID, racism towards Chinese (and by extension, those in other asian countries like Korea, Japan, etc. since white people think they all look the same) was at an all time high. No different than after 9/11, when people (usually white) blamed ANYONE that even looked remotely like those horrible terrorists. For Cora, and by extension, her friends/co-workers, enduring that during the early days and then height of the pandemic and not do anything about it because they knew it would make it worse was heartbreaking to read.
Cora, after the death of her sister, becomes a forensic crime scene cleaner. The past few cleans, though, have shown a pattern of brutal deaths of Asian-American women, and the calling card of dead and mutilated bats. The last thing Cora remembers was someone calling her sister “bat-eater” before throwing her in front of a train and decapitating her. Remember, this story it GORY and it STARTS with that death. We then move into her and her co-workers trying to figure out just WHO could be doing this, when Cora divulges to them that she is being followed by a Hungry Ghost. Something Cora didn’t believe in because she didn’t really believe in anything from her Asian heritage. Not that I blame her, she was definitely in the category of “not Asian enough, not white enough”, since it was something she was basically told her whole life. Once they decide that they need to get rid of the ghost, who Cora believes is her sister, they think it’s over. But it’s just the beginning.
I can’t even decide just how much I loved this book. It hit all the feels, all the tropes, all the checkboxes for a great horror novel. Horror isn’t always gore and jump scares (which this had a LOT of and I’m so glad I read it during the daytime haha) but sometimes the horror is in the everyday people. Of the people you think should be protecting you (looking at you cops) who are instead, covering up crimes by those higher than them, at the cost of the people dying. It was a crazy read, but a great one. I would absolutely read this again.
You would think, since I’ve already done the whole “I’m sorry but I’m here” post before, that I would remember to actually post here but NOOOO of course not! However, I am proud to say that not only did I beat my Goodreads book challenge, I’ve surpassed it and I’m STILL GOING! I’m 72 book strong! I haven’t read this much in a LOOOONG time and I’m loving every minute of it!
Some books I’ve read since I was last here:
Plus some various arcs and fan fics, of course! Don’t forget, you can always find my reviews here AND on Goodreads (https://www.goodreads.com/lupedominguez). Ok, I promise I won’t be so long next time!
Honestly, the only downside is that I never got a POV from Conor and that is DEVASTATING. Ali Hazelwood is QUICKLY becoming my favorite author and I cannot begin to describe how much I freaking loved this book. Maya and Conor are endgame, and I thought Eli and Rue were…I just…I need more. I want a Nyota and maybe Paul or Nyota and someone because she is my FAVORITE side character. Or give me a Minami and Sul…god I would love to see their dynamic.
Maya is 23 and Conor is 38, very much an age gap, but honestly, they worked together so well, and it wasn’t even creepy. He tries so hard to make it go away and I think that’s why I loved this so much. Maya can be a little shit, and I kind of wish we had gotten more with her and Eli, but OMG she is just enough for Conor. They meet again, after not speaking for 10 months, at Eli and Rue’s destination wedding (the description of all things Sicily made me desperate to take a vacation there) and it’s here that they are unable to avoid each other. It makes such great tension.
I think I’m going to go ahead and just devour everything else Ali has written now. BRB, off to live dream about unattainable men and love I wish existed.
Well this was…something. I guessed a lot of the twists and turns so it wasn’t as OMG as I was hoping for. Nico was such a jerk and I hated that Lux had zero self esteem to see that. It seemed too contrived to have people already on that island, Meroe, so I knew something was up already. Amma was a horrible person too. Just all of it was not great. Then I got total Lord of the Flies vibes in the last third of the book and I HATE Lord of the Flies so much that turned me off of the rest of the book. At that point, I could not have cared less about any of those characters. This was a very meh book for me. 🤷🏽♀️ 3/5 stars
Am I…into cowboy romance now??? Holy HOT. Author Amber Palmer wasted NO TIME in getting to the spice. The very beginning was hot hot HOT! Josie is running away from another man cheating on her, and runs to her family’s cabin in Tennessee. On the way, she stops at a dive bar and meets barkeep Lincoln…hot barkeep Lincoln. What transpires is 5 days of bliss, before Josie gets scared and leaves in the middle of the night. Their chemistry is off the charts…Also, pretty sure I imagined Jensen Ackles as Lincoln the entire time. *swoon*
One year later, Josie is working with her family on their ranch in Texas, and who should show up but Lincoln Carter himself…to work for the summer on her family ranch. But this time, Josie has a boyfriend, Ellis, that she’s been dating for a few months. But their heat, hers and Lincoln’s, is one for the ages. I’m not kidding when I say their chemistry was amazing. Lincoln was the epitome of gentleman and devil. He wants her and lets her know it, but is also just an amazing man, someone who was kind and gentle and ready to walk away if Josie said the words. Josie has a lot of self doubt, so sometimes watching her self-deprecate and sabotage herself was painful, but the mental health representation was really well done here.
Fantastic story. I can’t wait to read the rest of the series! 5/5 stars
OH. MY. GOD. I think I am in heaven. This book. THIS. BOOK. Had me in a chokehold the whole time. I am obsessed with Jake, Caleb is the bestie I didn’t know I needed and Mars??? MARS??? Please, crush me with your whole body, I BEG you. The spice was S-P-I-C-Y in here, had me sweating and wishing I was reading alone….with some electronic help, if you know what I mean whew.
Outside of that, though, this was such a thoughtful and provocative book about polyamory, bi-sexuality, demisexuality, and every kind of queerness in between. It was about finding out who you are as a person, not just sexually but professionally. Emily Rath states it in the beginning of the book, that the book is going to be like 3 love stories in one, and she is SO SO right. Seeing the relationship between Rachel and her paramours bloom was so beautiful. Them all learning to lean on each other, to be secure in the relationship was so breathtaking. They communicate ALL THE TIME, which is, quite frankly, how ANY relationship will work, much less a poly one.
I just…I didn’t know how much I needed to read this, especially during Pride Month, especially as an ally. This opened up so many new ways for me to see, REALLY SEE, my friends and neighbors who are a part of the LGBTQ+ community. I see you, and I love you.
Accordion Eulogies…what can I say about this novel? Not much, tbh. For as short as it was, for me, this took FOREVER for me to read. I put it down about halfway through because I grew bored and extremely disinterested. Alvarez has a way with words but sometimes they were just too much. Too many euphemisms, too many allegories, too many too many. He is trying to relate his trauma (? I guess?) of not having his grandfather around and thus not knowing his family history, to the not very well known history of the accordion in the Latino/Hispanic (whichever of those words you like) community. But he only does so at the very first half of the book. The rest of it is his perilous journey into Mexico to see his grandfather one more time. Honestly, this book just made me depressed the entire time I read it. And annoyed with him? I can’t really put my finger on it. I should have just stopped reading it, but I really don’t like to DNF books, especially by those in my own community, but maybe that’s not a reason to finish it either. IDK. I wanted to love this but I just didn’t.
Lupe's Book Nook 