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CategoryBook Review

Powerful and Motivational: The Body Is Not an Apology by Sonya Renee Taylor

By Sarah
In 3-stars, ARC, Book Review
April 7, 2021
8 Min read
P

Series: Standalone

Release Date: February 9, 2021 (2nd Edition)

<strong>Synopsis</strong>
A global movement guided by love.

Humans are a varied and divergent bunch with all manner of beliefs, morals, and bodies. Systems of oppression thrive off our inability to make peace with difference and injure the relationship we have with our own bodies.

The Body Is Not an Apology offers radical self-love as the balm to heal the wounds inflicted by these violent systems. World-renowned activist and poet Sonya Renee Taylor invites us to reconnect with the radical origins of our minds and bodies and celebrate our collective, enduring strength. As we awaken to our own indoctrinated body shame, we feel inspired to awaken others and to interrupt the systems that perpetuate body shame and oppression against all bodies. When we act from this truth on a global scale, we usher in the transformative opportunity of radical self-love, which is the opportunity for a more just, equitable, and compassionate world–for us all.

<strong>Ending:</strong> Nonfiction
Powerful & Motivational
<strong>Representation</strong>
• Fat Black queer author
<strong>Possible Triggers:</strong> No
• No abuse
• No overly sad parts
**Note: the book does talk about racism, fatphobia, homophobia, ableism and eating disorders. I don’t think any were talked about in a triggering way; if I’m wrong please let me know through the comment section or send me an email via my contact page.
<strong>Mature Themes:</strong> No
• Talks about safe-sex

Format: eARC

Rating: 3.75/5 stars

Note: I received The Body Is Not an Apology through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. My thanks to FSB Association for the opportunity.

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One to Watch by Kate Stayman-London

By Sarah
In 4-stars, Book Review
March 31, 2021
7 Min read
O

Series: Standalone

Release Date: July 7, 2020

<strong>Synopsis</strong>
Bea Schumacher is a devastatingly stylish plus-size fashion blogger who has amazing friends, a devoted family, legions of Insta followers–and a massively broken heart. Like the rest of America, Bea indulges in her weekly obsession: the hit reality show Main Squeeze. The fantasy dates! The kiss-off rejections! The surprising amount of guys named Chad! But Bea is sick and tired of the lack of body diversity on the show. Since when is being a size zero a prerequisite for getting engaged on television?

Just when Bea has sworn off dating altogether, she gets an intriguing call: Main Squeeze wants her to be its next star, surrounded by men vying for her affections. Bea agrees, on one condition–under no circumstances will she actually fall in love. She’s in this to supercharge her career, subvert harmful anti-fat beauty standards, inspire women across America, and get a free hot air balloon ride. That’s it.

But when the cameras start rolling, Bea realizes things are more complicated than she anticipated. She’s in a whirlwind of sumptuous couture, Internet culture wars, sexy suitors, and an opportunity (or two, or five) to find messy, real-life love in the midst of a made-for-TV fairy tale.

<strong>Ending</strong>
HEA
<strong>Representation</strong>
• Fat Heroine
• Lesbian supporting character
• Fat supporting characters
• Asian-American Jewish supporting character
• Black supporting character
• Gender expansive side character
• Asexual and romantic supporting character
<strong>Possible Triggers</strong>
• Emotional abuse, including fatphobic hate speech
• Threat of r@pe (comments on social media posts)
• Death threats (comments on social media posts)
<strong>Safety Rating:</strong> Safe with Exception
• Does have cheating
– Heroine sleeps with her best friend and long-time unrequited crush while he’s engaged
– While there was no discussion about monogamy, the Heroine assumed each of the men she was dating on the show was monogamous. One of the men, however, had been sleeping with people throughout the show.
• No OW drama
• Does have OM drama (she is dating 25 men at once (to start), so jealous does arise.
• Does have the Hero and Heroine pushing away
• Does have a separation between the Hero and Heroine
• See Ending for HEA status.
• See Possible Triggers for Abuse and OTT sad parts.

Format: Kindle

Rating: 4/5 stars

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Rent a Boyfriend by Gloria Chao

By Sarah
In 3-stars, Book Review
March 28, 2021
4 Min read
R

Series: Standalone

Release Date: November 10, 2020

<strong>Synopsis</strong>
To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before meets The Farewell in this incisive romantic comedy about a college student who hires a fake boyfriend to appease her traditional Taiwanese parents, to disastrous results, from the acclaimed author of American Panda.

Chloe Wang is nervous to introduce her parents to her boyfriend, because the truth is, she hasn’t met him yet either. She hired him from Rent for Your ’Rents, a company specializing in providing fake boyfriends trained to impress even the most traditional Asian parents.

Drew Chan’s passion is art, but after his parents cut him off for dropping out of college to pursue his dreams, he became a Rent for Your ’Rents employee to keep a roof over his head. Luckily, learning protocols like “Type C parents prefer quiet, kind, zero-PDA gestures” comes naturally to him.

When Chloe rents Drew, the mission is simple: convince her parents fake Drew is worthy of their approval so they’ll stop pressuring her to accept a proposal from Hongbo, the wealthiest (and slimiest) young bachelor in their tight-knit Asian American community.

But when Chloe starts to fall for the real Drew—who, unlike his fake persona, is definitely not ’rent-worthy—her carefully curated life begins to unravel. Can she figure out what she wants before she loses everything?

<strong>Ending</strong>
HFN
<strong>Representation</strong>
• Taiwanese-American Heroine
• Taiwanese-American Hero
• Taiwanese-American Supporting Characters
<strong>Possible Triggers:</strong> Yes
• Parental abandonment (Hero was kicked out of his house ~18-years-old)
• Really difficult relationship with parents
• Strong themes of sexism
• Brief mentions of homophobia and racism
• Cancer
<strong>Safety Rating:</strong> Safe
• No cheating
• No OW drama
– But, the Hero does continue his fake boyfriend job, which the Heroine knows about.
• Does have OM drama
– Heroine’s parents are trying to set her up with the extremely sexist only son of their elitist friends
• Does have the Heroine pushing the Hero away
• Does have a separation between the Hero and Heroine
• See Ending for HEA status.
• See Possible Triggers for Abuse and OTT sad parts.

Format: Kindle

Rating: 3.5/5 stars

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When He’s An Alpha by Suzanne Wright

By Sarah
In 4-stars, Book Review
March 3, 2021
6 Min read
W

Series: Olympus Pride*

Release Date: March 2, 2021

<strong>Synopsis</strong>
The golden rule of shallow flings is not to get attached, right? Well, Havana Ramos broke it. Big time. There’s just something about Tate Devereaux that pulls at her. Assertive, compelling, and self-assured, the Alpha cat shifter pushes every one of her best buttons. Like really, really hard. Having overheard an enlightening conversation, she knows he won’t give her more than a fling—something, to be fair, he’d told her well in advance. If she doesn’t want her heart to get bruised, it’s time to end what little they have. It’s not like he’ll care or anything. Except … it turns out that he does.

Newly-appointed Alpha Tate Devereaux is never bothered when women walk away. He can’t exactly blame them, given his distrustful cat’s habit of withdrawing from relationships. But when lone shifter Havana ends their fling, everything within Tate rebels against it—including his cat. Even as she and Tate work together to crush the threat looming over her, Havana holds him at arms’ length. But if she thinks she can end their fling with no real explanation and that he’ll just tip his hat and walk away, she’s forgotten one very important thing—there’s nothing easy about shaking off an Alpha.

<strong>Ending</strong>
HEA
<strong>Representation</strong>
• Heroine of colour
• Asian supporting character
• Bisexual side character
<strong>Possible Triggers:</strong> Yes
• Gun violence
• Human trafficking
• Reference to r@pe
• Blood and violence
• Murder of parents
• Torture
<strong>Safety Rating:</strong> Safe with Exceptions
• No cheating
• Does have OM and OW drama
– Ex-friends-with-benefits of Heroine tries to win the Heroine back
– Ex-almost-imprinted-mate of Hero tries to win Hero back
• Does have the Hero and Heroine pushing away
– Hero doesn’t want a serious relationship so they break up for a bit
• No separation
• See Ending for HEA status.
• See Possible Triggers for Abuse and OTT sad parts.

Format: Kindle Unlimited

Rating: 4/5 stars

*Each novel in the series is Standalone

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A Court of Silver Flames by Sarah J. Maas

By Sarah
In 4-stars, Book Review
February 17, 2021
9 Min read
A

Series: A Court of Thorns and Roses

Release Date: February 16, 2021

<strong>Synopsis</strong>
Nesta Archeron has always been prickly-proud, swift to anger, and slow to forgive. And ever since being forced into the Cauldron and becoming High Fae against her will, she’s struggled to find a place for herself within the strange, deadly world she inhabits. Worse, she can’t seem to move past the horrors of the war with Hybern and all she lost in it.

The one person who ignites her temper more than any other is Cassian, the battle-scarred warrior whose position in Rhysand and Feyre’s Night Court keeps him constantly in Nesta’s orbit. But her temper isn’t the only thing Cassian ignites. The fire between them is undeniable, and only burns hotter as they are forced into close quarters with each other.

Meanwhile, the treacherous human queens who returned to the Continent during the last war have forged a dangerous new alliance, threatening the fragile peace that has settled over the realms. And the key to halting them might very well rely on Cassian and Nesta facing their haunting pasts.

Against the sweeping backdrop of a world seared by war and plagued with uncertainty, Nesta and Cassian battle monsters from within and without as they search for acceptance-and healing-in each other’s arms.

<strong>Ending</strong>
HFN
<strong>Representation</strong>
• Bisexual side character
• Supporting character of colour
<strong>Possible Triggers:</strong> Yes
• Discussion of past r@pe and sexual assault
• Attempted r@pe
• PTSD
• Depression
• Suicidal ideation
• Violence with blood and gore
• Discussion of past physical abuse
<strong>Safety Rating:</strong> Safe
• No cheating
• No OW/OM drama
– Nesta has *not* been celibate since meeting Cassian
– Cassian has been celibate for 2-years
• Does have the Hero and Heroine pushing away
• Does have a separation between the Hero and Heroine
• See Ending for HEA status.
• See Possible Triggers for Abuse and OTT sad parts.

Format: Kindle

Rating: 4.25/5 stars

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Poignant and Impassioned: My Saving Grace by Melanie Moreland

By Sarah
In 4-stars, ARC, Book Review
February 11, 2021
12 Min read
P
Cover of "My Saving Grace" by Melanie Moreland

Series: ABC Corp*

Release Date: February 25, 2021

<strong>Synopsis</strong>
It’s time for the next generation of Vested Interest to find their Happily Ever Afters.

Grace VanRyan has her life mapped out. Law school, a career with ABC, and a bright future ahead of her.

Until Jaxson Richards steps into the picture. He’s everything she hasn’t planned for. Older, sexy, off-limits.

And her new boss.

When the passion between them explodes, will her life blow up along with it?

<strong>Ending</strong>
HEA
<strong>Representation</strong>
• Gay supporting character
<strong>Possible Triggers:</strong> Yes
• Sexual harassment
• Blackmail
• Child abuse and abandonment
• Reference to drug abuse and a child being a drug courier
• Near death experience in a gas like explosion
<strong>Safety Rating:</strong> Safe
• No cheating
• No OM drama
• Does kinda have OW drama
– The Hero is never with the OW but she sexually harasses him at work once on-page and becomes an issue later on in the MCs relationship.
• the Hero and Heroine pushing away
• Does have the Hero pushing the Heroine away
• No separation
– They work together but they do break up romantically for a few weeks
• See Ending for HEA status.
• See Possible Triggers for Abuse and OTT sad parts.

Format: eARC

Rating: 4/5 stars

*Each novel in the series is Standalone

Note: I received My Saving Grace through Melanie Moreland’s team in exchange for an honest review.

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Sweet Yet Anti-climatic: A Deal with the Elf King by Elise Kova

By Sarah
In 3-stars, Book Review
December 30, 2020
9 Min read
S

Series: Married to Magic*

Release Date: November 6, 2020

<strong>Synopsis</strong>
Perfect for fans of A Court of Thorns and Roses and Uprooted, this stand-alone, fantasy romance about a human girl and her marriage to the Elf King is impossible to put down!

The elves come for two things: war and wives. In both cases, they come for death.

Three-thousand years ago, humans were hunted by powerful races with wild magic until the treaty was formed. Now, for centuries, the elves have taken a young woman from Luella’s village to be their Human Queen.

To be chosen is seen as a mark of death by the townsfolk. A mark nineteen-year-old Luella is grateful to have escaped as a girl. Instead, she’s dedicated her life to studying herbology and becoming the town’s only healer.

That is, until the Elf King unexpectedly arrives… for her.

Everything Luella had thought she’d known about her life, and herself, was a lie. Taken to a land filled with wild magic, Luella is forced to be the new queen to a cold yet blisteringly handsome Elf King. Once there, she learns about a dying world that only she can save.

The magical land of Midscape pulls on one corner of her heart, her home and people tug on another… but what will truly break her is a passion she never wanted.

A Deal with the Elf King is a complete, stand-alone novel, inspired by the tales of Hades and Persephone, as well as Beauty and the Beast, with a “happily ever after” ending. It’s perfect for fantasy romance fans looking for just the right amount of steam and their next slow-burn and swoon-worthy couple.

<strong>Ending</strong>
HFN but the extended epilogue shows it’s a HEA (you can access the extra scene through the back of the ebook or on Elise Kova’s website)
<strong>Representation</strong>
No strong representations of the following:
• BIPOC characters
• LGBTQIA+ characters
• characters with a disability
And doesn’t address fatphobia
<strong>Possible Triggers:</strong> Yes
• Parental neglect
• Themes of isolation and abandonment
<strong>Safety Rating:</strong> Safe with Exceptions
• No cheating
• Does have OW/OM drama (kind of)
– The Heroine was in love with her childhood best friend, but he turns out to be an asshole. And, apparently, she wasn’t “in love” with him but loved the idea of him? (There’s kissing *before* the Heroine meets the Hero)
– The Hero tried to date/court *his* best friend 3-4 years ago; she’s currently the Hand of the King. They both agreed they were better off friends. Their relationship didn’t progress past kissing but apparently, that attempt made them closer as friends.
• Does have the Hero and Heroine pushing away
• Does have a separation between the Hero and Heroine
• See Ending for HEA status.
• See Possible Triggers for Abuse and OTT sad parts.

Format: Kindle Unlimited

Rating: 3/5 stars

*Each novel in the series is Standalone

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Lyrical Yet Underwhelming: Sisters of Sword and Song by Rebecca Ross

By Sarah
In 3-stars, Book Review
December 23, 2020
10 Min read
L

Series: Standalone

Release Date: June 23, 2020

<strong>Synopsis</strong>
From the author of The Queen’s Rising comes a thrilling YA stand-alone fantasy about the unbreakable bond between sisters. Perfect for fans of Ember in the Ashes, Sky in the Deep, and Court of Fives.

After eight long years, Evadne will finally be reunited with her older sister, Halcyon, who has been proudly serving in the queen’s army. But when Halcyon appears earlier than expected, Eva knows something has gone terribly wrong. Halcyon is on the run, hunted by her commander and charged with murder.

Though Halcyon’s life is spared during her trial, the punishment is heavy. And when Eva volunteers to serve part of Halcyon’s sentence, she’s determined to find out exactly what happened. But as Eva begins her sentence, she quickly learns that there are fates much worse than death.

<strong>Ending</strong>
HFN
<strong>Representation</strong>
No strong representations of the following:
• BIPOC characters
• LGBTQIA+ characters
• characters with a disability
And doesn’t address fatphobia
<strong>Possible Triggers:</strong> Yes
• Murder
• Betrayal of mentor/mentee resulting in imprisonment
• Torture
• Death of a sibling
• Death of a parent
<strong>Safety Rating:</strong> Safe
• No cheating
• No OW/OM drama
• Does have the Heroine pushing the Hero away
• Does have a separation between the Hero and Heroine
• See Ending for HEA status.
• See Possible Triggers for Abuse and OTT sad parts.

Format: Hardcover

Rating: 3.75/5 stars

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Magical and Entrancing: Sorcery of Thorns by Margaret Rogerson

By Sarah
In 4-stars, Book Review
December 9, 2020
8 Min read
M

Series: Standalone

Release Date: June 4, 2019

<strong>Synopsis</strong>
All sorcerers are evil. Elisabeth has known that as long as she has known anything. Raised as a foundling in one of Austermeer’s Great Libraries, Elisabeth has grown up among the tools of sorcery—magical grimoires that whisper on shelves and rattle beneath iron chains. If provoked, they transform into grotesque monsters of ink and leather. She hopes to become a warden, charged with protecting the kingdom from their power.

Then an act of sabotage releases the library’s most dangerous grimoire. Elisabeth’s desperate intervention implicates her in the crime, and she is torn from her home to face justice in the capital. With no one to turn to but her sworn enemy, the sorcerer Nathaniel Thorn, and his mysterious demonic servant, she finds herself entangled in a centuries-old conspiracy. Not only could the Great Libraries go up in flames, but the world along with them.

As her alliance with Nathaniel grows stronger, Elisabeth starts to question everything she’s been taught—about sorcerers, about the libraries she loves, even about herself. For Elisabeth has a power she has never guessed, and a future she could never have imagined.

<strong>Ending</strong>
HFN
<strong>Representation</strong>
• Bisexual Hero
• Asexual supporting character
<strong>Possible Triggers:</strong> Yes
• Murder
• Allusion to torture
• Gaslighting
<strong>Safety Rating:</strong> Safe
• No cheating
• No OW/OM drama
• Does have the Hero pushing the Heroine away
• Does have a separation between the Heroine and Hero
• See Ending for HEA status.
• See Possible Triggers for Abuse and OTT sad parts.

Format: Hardcover

Rating: 4.75/5 stars

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Entertaining Yet Unsatisfactory: Seven Ways to Kill A King by Melissa Wright

By Sarah
In 3-stars, Book Review
December 5, 2020
9 Min read
E

Series: Standalone

Release Date: September 1, 2020

<strong>Synopsis</strong>
She was born a princess. They made her an assassin.

One was an accident. Two a coincidence. By three, they would know. It would be harder. But I would avenge my mother’s death. These kings would pay that price.

Seven cities make up the Storm Queen’s Realm, each of their self-crowned, murderous kings one of Princess Myrina’s marks. The treasonous curs may have banded together to share a stolen throne, but soon they will fall.

They thought her dead, killed in the massacre. They thought their rule secure. But Myrina of Stormskeep has awoken, and with the help of her loyal bloodsworn, the shadow princess will have her revenge.

For fans of The Witcher and Game of Thrones—a new princess set on vengeance is here to steal your heart.

<strong>Ending</strong>
HFN
<strong>Representation</strong>
No strong representations of the following:
• BIPOC characters
• LGBTQIA+ characters
• characters with a disability
And doesn’t address fatphobia
<strong>Possible Triggers:</strong> Yes
• Murder
• Betrayal
• Death of loved ones (family members)
• Blood and gore
• PTSD
<strong>Safety Rating:</strong> Safe
• No cheating
• No OW/OM drama
• Does have the Hero and Heroine pushing each other away
• Does have a separation between the Heroine and Hero
• See Ending for HEA status.
• See Possible Triggers for Abuse and OTT sad parts.

Format: Kindle

Rating: 3.25/5 stars

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