Cannonball Read 18

Sticking It to Cancer One Book at a Time
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Predictable, but in the best way

Boyfriend Material by Alexis Hall

September 12, 2023 by carmelpie 1 Comment

“Explain to me again,” said Oliver finally, “why you need a boyfriend?” It was the least I owed him. “Mainly for this big fundraiser we’ve got coming up at the end of April. Our donors all think I’m a bad gay.” He frowned. “What’s a good gay?” “Someone like you.” “I see.” ― Alexis Hall, Boyfriend Material “You” – I gave a thwarted sigh – “are a terrible fake boyfriend.” “I’m building fake anticipation.” “You’d better be fake worth it.” “I am.” ― Alexis Hall, […]

Filed Under: Fiction, Romance Tagged With: abandonment, Alexis Hall, fake relationship, found family, gay romance, opposites attract, queer romance, Single-parent families

carmelpie's CBR15 Review No:42 · Genres: Fiction, Romance · Tags: abandonment, Alexis Hall, fake relationship, found family, gay romance, opposites attract, queer romance, Single-parent families ·
Rating:
· 1 Comment

Opposites Attract Enemies to Friends to Lovers

The Stand-up Groomsman by Jackie Lau

August 11, 2022 by faintingviolet Leave a Comment

I know a Jackie Lau romance is going to make my heart happy. In some ways The Stand-up Groomsman is a departure from the types of Lau books I’ve enjoyed in the past. In this follow up to last year’s Donut Fall in Love Lau takes a more serious tone and unpacks some bigger emotional truths, in this case how we handle expectations and how it interacts with larger family dynamics. But in most ways, this is almost exactly the type of book I’ve come […]

Filed Under: Romance Tagged With: cbr14bingo, enemies to lovers, faintingviolet, Jackie Lau, LGBTQ romance, opposites attract, queer representation, star, The Stand-up Groomsman, we need diverse books

faintingviolet's CBR14 Review No:50 · Genres: Romance · Tags: cbr14bingo, enemies to lovers, faintingviolet, Jackie Lau, LGBTQ romance, opposites attract, queer representation, star, The Stand-up Groomsman, we need diverse books ·
Rating:
· 0 Comments

“Everyone loved being together and just fangirling over whatever they were reading.”

Meet Cute Club by Jack Harbon

February 5, 2022 by faintingviolet 3 Comments

Last week the Twitter Discourse around Romance focused on fallout from a tweet by Jack Harbon about the intent of those outside a marginalized community writing exclusively about that community (he was specifically referring to women, often white women, writing only about queer men). Separate from the actual conversations that happened around that initial tweet, it made me realize that while I’ve read queer romance by queer women, non-binary authors, and those who identify as genderqueer I had not yet read a m/m romance written […]

Filed Under: Romance Tagged With: books as love language, Contemporary Romance, Jack Harbon, m/m romance, Meet Cute Club, opposites attract, we need diverse books

faintingviolet's CBR14 Review No:15 · Genres: Romance · Tags: books as love language, Contemporary Romance, Jack Harbon, m/m romance, Meet Cute Club, opposites attract, we need diverse books ·
Rating:
· 3 Comments

“Maybe things can always get better between people who want to do a good job loving each other. Maybe that’s all it takes.”

People We Meet on Vacation by Emily Henry

June 16, 2021 by faintingviolet 7 Comments

One of the reading groups I am part of chose People We Meet on Vacation for our August read. I quickly poked around my library catalog and saw that it had a stunning number of holds and put in my request immediately, expecting it to take a month or so for a copy to make its way to me. Surprise, surprise, I somehow got a copy in a week (I think I managed to get lucky with my local branch). I grabbed it as I […]

Filed Under: Fiction, Romance Tagged With: Emily Henry, faintingviolet, friends to lovers, mortifying ordeal of being known, opposites attract, People We Meet on Vacation, second chance romance

faintingviolet's CBR13 Review No:25 · Genres: Fiction, Romance · Tags: Emily Henry, faintingviolet, friends to lovers, mortifying ordeal of being known, opposites attract, People We Meet on Vacation, second chance romance ·
Rating:
· 7 Comments

Opposites Attract Fake Relationship Holiday Romance Novella – a book made for me

Her Pretend Christmas Date (Cider Bar Sisters #2.5) by Jackie Lau

December 1, 2020 by faintingviolet 5 Comments

I received an ARC of this novella from the author, in exchange for an honest review. Her Pretend Christmas Date releases on December 8th, 2020. I am a sucker for a holiday romance novella. I read and enjoyed Lau’s Holidays with the Wongs series (Thanksgiving, Christmas, Chinese New Year, Valentines Day) and after reading The Ultimate Pi Day Party earlier this year I signed up for Lau’s reviewer list – and Her Pretend Christmas Date is the first work I’ve received as part of that. […]

Filed Under: Romance Tagged With: Cider Bar Sisters series, fake relationship, Her Pretend Christmas Date, holiday novella, Jackie Lau, opposites attract

faintingviolet's CBR12 Review No:52 · Genres: Romance · Tags: Cider Bar Sisters series, fake relationship, Her Pretend Christmas Date, holiday novella, Jackie Lau, opposites attract ·
Rating:
· 5 Comments

Hazel Will Not Be Your Manic Pixie Dream Girl on Your Path to Self Discovery, Thank You

Josh and Hazel's Guide to Not Dating by Christina Lauren

July 29, 2019 by Jen K 4 Comments

Bingo Square: Summer Read I needed to a new romance author to try, and I remembered the reviews for this one piquing my interest, even though I didn’t end up picking it up for quite a while, and even had to ask for assistance in finding the right title.  I’m not sure if this novel is an example of how all of Lauren’s novels are or if this is her (them – Christian Lauren is actually a writing duo) at the top of her game, […]

Filed Under: Fiction, Romance Tagged With: cbr11bingo, Christina Lauren, Contemporary Romance, Josh and Hazel's Guide to Not Dating, opposites attract, summer read

Jen K's CBR11 Review No:6 · Genres: Fiction, Romance · Tags: cbr11bingo, Christina Lauren, Contemporary Romance, Josh and Hazel's Guide to Not Dating, opposites attract, summer read ·
Rating:
· 4 Comments
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