These reviews, which were promoted in CBR social media, on our homepage, and in Pajiba Love, appear below by review publication date, not by date featured.
The Shadow Cabinet by Juno Dawson
Best for: Those who enjoyed the first book in the series, Her Majesty’s Royal Coven. In a nutshell: Taking place immediately after the end of the first book, we find a witch who has taken over her sister’s body and a lot of men who want to cause a lot of harm to women. Worth quoting: N/A Why I chose it: I enjoyed the first in the series. Review: Without spoiling the book, I appreciate that the first one had a theme that was related […]
Bel Canto by Ann Patchett
The government of a South American country believes they can convince a Japanese business to build a new factory in their country and boost their sagging economy. They invite him to celebrate his birthday in their capital, and have arranged a unique and personal gift for the occasion: his favorite opera singer will be in attendance and give a private performance for the occasion. Though Mr. Hosokawa has no intention of building the factory they want, he can’t turn down the chance to meet Roxanne […]
Role Playing by Cathy Yardley
4.5 stars CBR16 Sweet Books: Cozy 48-year-old Maggie’s son has recently moved away to college and now she’s stuck in the big house she got in the divorce some years earlier, in a town where she barely knows anyone. She’s unapologetically grumpy and doesn’t actually want to expand her social circle. She worries about her son in college, however, and keeps trying to challenge him to socialise and make friends. He turns the table on her and demands that she do the same. She has […]
The Familiar by Leigh Bardugo
I’ve had a bit of mixed experience with Leigh Bardugo’s books. I thought the Shadow & Bone trilogy was generic and bland but loved the follow up duology set in the same universe, consisting of Six of Crows and Crooked Kingdom. I loved Ninth House, but felt somewhat let down by the sequel, Hell Bent. I’m currently in the middle of reading several long series and wanted a bit of a palette cleanser (without starting another series), so I started reading Bardugo’s latest release, The […]
Baking with Pride by Janusz Domagala
Baking with Pride involves a lot of baking with color; seriously, stock up on gel food coloring if you plan on baking much out of this book. Janusz Domagala was one of the fan-favorites on a recent season of Great British Bake Off, and his book is out just in time for Pride month; not a coincidence, as Janusz sort of quietly advocated for LGBTQ causes his whole season (watch his shirts). Every other recipe or two page has factoids about LGBTQ history, or some […]
Hers for the Weekend by Helena Greer
I have been waiting for Tara Sloane Chadwick to gracelessly fall on her ass in love since meeting her in Season of Love. She is an ice queen lawyer, determined to always do the right things, to fit in perfectly with Charleston’s old money society so she can take it down from the inside. She’s looking for a lesbian marriage of convenience while she politely dismantles the carceral system. Tara wants to use her wealth and privilege to make the world better while keeping her […]
