Review: A Queer Trade

A Queer Trade by K.J. Charles
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Introduces Crispin and Ned. Crispin is an apprentice magician whose teacher died unexpectedly. He had paper with spells on them and Crispin needs to track them down before bad things happen. Ned is the waste seller that took in the papers (paper is reused; an example being wrapping for produce/meat).
Short, but nice pacing, and I could see these 2 together. Looking forward to the next.

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Review: Say More: Lessons from Work, the White House, and the World

Say More: Lessons from Work, the White House, and the World by Jen Psaki
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Jen Psaki served on both Obama's and Biden's administrations. She was Biden's Press Secretary from 2021-2022. Super interesting reading about the backstage workings of a presidential administration.

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Review: A Lady's Code of Misconduct

A Lady's Code of Misconduct by Meredith Duran
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Jane is trapped. She's got money, but this being the 1860s she doesn't have access to it until she marries. She lives with her uncle and his family (his wife and son). He controls the money and keeps her housebound and isolated. He feels that her money should be all his. Apparently he had lent Jane's father money to start his business. Despite being paid back in full & with interest, that wasn't enough and he was cheated out of more. He is also deeply involved with politics.
Crispin is one of her father's political colleagues. One particular night he "sees" Jane and thinks they can help each other out. Crispin trusts no one. He aspires to become the prime minister and is willing to go to great lengths to achieve that. He makes a bargain with Jane. Copy a certain letter her uncle has in his possession and he will give to the name and direction of a priest who will quite happily sign a marriage decree for her. She just needs a guy, anyone will do, and the priest will sign.
So when Crispin is attacked and was thought to be a death door, Jane thought, might as well use him!
And surprise, he lived! And has amnesia.
I liked the writing, the characters. What I didn't like so much was Crispin's complete personality change with the amnesia.

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Review: Playing with Myself

Playing with Myself by Randy Rainbow
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I love Randy Rainbow's YouTube videos- they are so funny (and unique!). That is his real name. Pleasantly surprised how supportive his mother was. Less surprised was that his dad was an asshole. This book was just about as entertaining as his videos. I listened to the audio book, narrated by Randy himself.

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Review: Knife: Meditations After an Attempted Murder

Knife: Meditations After an Attempted Murder by Salman Rushdie
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Salman Rushdie talks about his near fatal assassination attack in 2022. I had some idea of the nature of his injuries based on news reports, but after a time other things happen and his story dropped from the news cycle. He had to go through intensive rehab. It was interesting reading what he went through. It has to be difficult to have live knowing there is a fatwa calling for his death and under that constant threat/thought.

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Review: The Duke and I

The Duke and I by Julia Quinn
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

A bit late to the Bridgerton party (I might be one of the last people to not have watched ANY season of Briderton on Netflix). I told myself I would watch only after I read the book.
I enjoyed the close knit Bridgerton clan. The family tree included in the book was helpful to. Daphne was a wonderful heroine. Simon was also pretty wonderful too (even if her reasons for not wanting kids was stupid). Simon's mother died in childbirth and his father was an emotionally abusive asshole. Simon also had a speech problem (he stuttered) that affected him for most of his childhood before he learned to cope and deal with it. It took the whole book for him to let his dislike of his father go and the power daddy dearest had over him.

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Review: Only You

Only You by Rachel Lacey
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Amy and Luke dated in high school. Amy broke-up with Luke when he went off to college thinking that he would dump her and might as well get ahead of the curve. She's now a single mom to an autistic son. She recently inherited a home and is a bit overwhelmed with everything that needs to be done to it. When her best friend's wedding venue cancels at the last minute, she asks Amy to have the wedding in her backyard.
Luke is a doctor now and in town for his friend's wedding (characters from the previous book). He is also handy with his hands and this leads them to spend time together fixing up the yard (and house).
Sweet second chance romance. This is shorter, I could see them together based on their previous relationship. Good group of friends too!

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Review: Accidental Abduction

Accidental Abduction by Eve Langlais
My rating: 2 of 5 stars

Megan is on a cruise when her boyfriend "accidentally" knocks her into the water and leaves her there.  She is accidentally beamed up with other marine life to a space ship by Tren.  Tren is an ex-mercenary turned trader of rare and interesting creatures from various planets.  He sees humans a barbarians, women as worthless (unless it's for sex).  

While this had fun banter and I enjoyed that, I hated Tren and his sexist attitude and could not get past that.  Fuck him.  Megan's ex-boyfriend does get his just desserts, so there was that too.  

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Review: One Night with Cinderella

One Night with Cinderella by Niobia Bryant
My rating: 3 of 5 stars


Monica has worked as the Cress family housekeeper for 5 years. The Cress family (5 adult boys with the eldest married with a child and the patriarch and matriarch) is tight-knit and all live together in a huge NY home. She's had a huge crush on the middle brother, Gabe for years. He has never noticed her. Until now.
One night Monica and Gabe give in to passion and have a passionate one-time affair. Then nothing and they tiptoe around each other. It is only after Monica has a change in fortune do they get together- for real. Both characters are likable, Monica more so. I thought the family was very spoiled and I didn't care for some of them.
I did have some WTF moments. Monica does daily sheet changes on all the beds. Why? Do they wet the bed? Sweat profusely? In this day in age, that seemed such a ridiculous waste of water. Phillip's daughter spills her beverage. Okay, kids do that. Did the parent clean it up? Nope! Raquel (Phillips's wife) interrupted Monica doing her daily chores to clean it up. The Cress family is a family of chefs, but they have their own private chef (because they are too busy). I felt for Monica, it seemed like she was on 24/7.

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Review: Winds of the Storm

Winds of the Storm by Beverly Jenkins
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

"You bitch," he spat at Zahra.  She responded easily, "But I'm an armed bitch."

And that is Zahra.  Strong, confident, intelligent.  Zahra was a spy during the war.  Now she is back home in the swamps of South Carolina.  She is asked to do one last job.  That job is to set up shop in New Orleans as a high class brothel owner and sniff out the individuals who could be causing trouble.  President Grant wants to pull the remaining Union soldiers from the South.

Archer and his family call New Orleans home.  Archer's older brother had his story in Through the Storm.  He and Sable do make an appearance in this one.  Archer was a soldier for the Union during the war.  Unbeknownst to him, he and Zahra have a history.  As "The Butterfly," she rescued him from a Confederate barn during the war.  

I liked the interplay between Zahra and Archer.  He finally meets his match after deciding to never fall in love.

As always Beverly Jenkins books are a wonderful love story with a history lesson.  She covers things that were glossed over, minimally discussed, or not taught in history class.  She covers how dangerous it was to be Black in Reconstruction South.  How traitors to the country got their land back and got the Freedman to sign Indenture agreements that made the slaves again in everything but name only.

Mother Jones published an excellent article this summer that talked about some of the things mentioned in this book.  Here is the link:

https://www.motherjones.com/politics/2024/06/40-acres-methodology/

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Review: Even The Score

Even The Score by Kate Meader
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Tess is a struggling actress.  Hunter is a businessman in need of a fiance.  They agree to help each other.  Hunter will pay Tess some $$ and Tess will play the fiance.  A little hiccup?  They hate each other.  Tess's best friend was Hunter's fiance who left him on their wedding day.  Tess was the maid of honor and supported her friend's decision knowing that she was cheating on him.  So, Tess got the blame.  

This was a nice, enemies playing at a fake relationship to lovers. 

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Review: Toil & Trouble: 15 Tales of Women & Witchcraft

Toil & Trouble: 15 Tales of Women & Witchcraft by Jessica Spotswood
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

15 short stories about magic.  This had a good mix of time periods from the past, present, and future.  As with most anthologies, some stories are excellent and others okay.  Highlights are "Afterbirth" and "Why They Watch Us Burn."

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