Cannonball Read 18

Sticking It to Cancer One Book at a Time


Sofi glared at him and it felt like coming home.

Sleeping with the Frenemy by Natalie Caña

by Leave a Comment

Natalie Caña’s Vega Family series has grown on me. Centered around a Puerto Rican family and community in the Humboldt Park neighborhood of Chicago, the books in this series feel alive. The romance is the central relationship in each book, but they happen with in the context of family and friendships. A Proposal They Can’t Refuse sets the scene with the family restaurant, El Coquí, meddling grandparents, and the younger generations’ mission to fight gentrification and strengthen the existing community. A Dish Best Served Hot […]

The hero really does behave quite beastly to begin with

The Beast Takes a Bride by Julie Anne Long

by Leave a Comment

3.75 stars Disclaimer: This was an ARC from NetGalley. It hasn’t affected my opinions in any way Spoiler warning – this review will contain some discussion of plot points I found difficult, so you may want to skip some parts of it until you’ve read the book Alexandra Bellamy has been taking care of her father and her siblings since her mother died. She has no dowry to speak of and knows her father has massive gambling debts. So when her father announces that the […]

She now knew who she was dealing with: Buttface McKilljoy of the Speech and Debate club, class of 2010.

The Anti-Social Season by Adele Buck

by Leave a Comment

Adele Buck’s lovely and quiet The Anti-Social Season is for those of us who find the holidays stressful, but still love some parts of it. It’s for the people who have to deal with unreasonable family demands, and co-workers who think they can do your job better. It’s for those of us who don’t want to be perceived, except by the right person. And it’s for those of us who have had to make big life changes because of anxiety. Thea and Simon went to high […]

Quinn, I’m serious. I think I killed a man. I think I killed…Santa.

The Merriest Misters by Timothy Janovsky

by Leave a Comment

Quinn and Patrick are about to celebrate their first Christmas as husband and husband, and the way things are going, it might also be their last. They are stretched financially paying for a house they don’t like that needs a lot of repairs, Patrick offered to host Christmas without checking with Quinn, and they aren’t communicating. Things look grim when Patrick mistakes Santa for a burglar and smacks him with a frying pan, twice. Now Patrick and Quinn have to save this Christmas and next […]

Healing Grief in the Ashes

House of Frank by Kay Sinclaire

by Leave a Comment

This book starts out feeling a bit like Under the Whispering Door, which was a pleasant way to start. Main character Saika has been grieving the loss of her sister Fiona two years ago, and her magic hasn’t worked properly since then. Fiona wanted to have her ashes planted at Ash Gardens, where ashes are planted and grow into colorful trees. Saika isn’t as ready to let go of her sister in this way as she thought she was, and the owner of Ash Gardens, […]

The Strange, Fragile, Beautiful World

Vanishing Treasures: A Bestiary of Extraordinary Endangered Creatures by Katherine Rundell

by 2 Comments

It’s estimated that there are around 7.8 millions animal species on the planet, many of which we know little about. Unfortunately, some may vanish before we can learn much more – which is a pity, because the variety of life on this planet is far more wondrous and strange than anything our imaginations could conjure up. This is a quiet and contemplative peek at the natural world in easy bite-sized installments. Each essay discusses an animal species which threatened in one way or another, covering […]



Help Our Mission

You can donate to CBR via:

  1. PayPal
  2. Venmo