Review: Captured

Captured by Beverly Jenkins
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Dominic's father had an English title and his 1/2 brother Eduard inherited everything (but the will might have been a fake).  As a result Dominic races home to Martinique and helps everyone escape so they are not re-enslaved by Eduard.  Everyone starts their lives over again in Cuba.  Dominic makes it his mission to capture and sick slave vessels.

Clare remembers beking kidnapped from Africa and the journey on the ship to the States when she is sold in Savannah.  She is with her enslaver, Violet, on a trip to England.  Her ship is caught by Dominic and his crew (the "Marie") and he frees her.  But she wants to go back to Savannah because her kids (Sarah and Ben) are there; they were sold to a neighing plantation.  Clare saw them once a week.  

The first third is good and there is a lot going on  The middle third is a bit slow; Dominc and Clare fall for each other.  The last third goes very quickly and I thought some things (mainly Eduard, Sylvie, and Vanweldt) happened too quickly (ie, they didn't suffer enough).  

Smart Bitches Trashy Books Summer Bingo:  Pirates

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Review: Manila Takes Manhattan

Manila Takes Manhattan by Carla de Guzman
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Olivia is an actress and is working on a new indie musical with an established director know for her innovative work. Mon dreams of making music his career and is hired to do the music for the movie. She meets Mon when he is newly arrived and locked out of his apartment. They have a one night stand, he not knowing who she was and vice versa.
I didn't think this was a good "meet cute" (a famous actress fucking a random guy she met in the hallway; during a pandemic with Mon's face being partially obscured d/t his mask; it was a bit creepy IMO). However, get past that and this was 2 pretty cool people with goals for what they wanted. And they were consistentally drawn to each other. I thought they frequently checked in with each other and complimented each other well.

Smart Bitches Summer Bingo: One Night Stand, Artist/Performer, Flowers on the Cover. I will decide later which one to use.

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Review: Adult Braces: Driving Myself Sane

Adult Braces: Driving Myself Sane by Lindy West
My rating: 2 of 5 stars

I enjoyed "The Witches Are Coming," so I was interested in this. This was, um, much different. Polyamory can be a viable way for some. I do think it needs to be consensual, consistently checking in, communicating wants & needs would be essential. This didn't feel like that. LW's relationship definitely did not start out that way (but maybe it is now) from what I read. Her husband's wants and needs were the only ones that seemed to matter.

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Review: Witches Get Stuff Done

Witches Get Stuff Done by Molly Harper
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Riley was on her way to meet an aunt she never knew existed when she got sick on the ferry. Starfall Point is a picturesque island in Michigan's upper peninsula and is only accessible by ferry. She meets Alice, who she feels a connection too, when she pukes on the individual who was hogging the bathroom the entire ferry ride. Shortly after landing, she meets Caroline (who she also feels a connection too) and learns her long-lost aunt is deceased. She learns she inherits the house, which is home to hundreds (?) of ghosts and their objects that they have an attachment to.
This had good humor and a good paranormal aspect. I really liked the found family. Edison (the bathroom hog) was a good love interest and had his own trauma background. Despite not knowing her witchy heritage, she learns quickly. I did think the relationships (both with Caroline and Alice and then Edison) developed a bit quickly. There was the issue with the Wellings and the locks that was unfinished; the next book is Caroline's so maybe that will pick up (even though it's Riley's home, Caroline and Alice are a part of her coven and seem to have a bit of magic themselves). And the creepy blob on the ceiling was? Looking forward to the next!
Smart Bitches Summer Bingo: fav author

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Review: Artificial Condition

Artificial Condition by Martha Wells
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Murderbot is on a mission to find out what happened to make it go rogue.  Disguised as an augmented human, he gets job as security for a group of humans, meets ART (a research transport vessel), and search's for what happened on the mining colony.  He (it seems weird to call it an it, which is what it is) is in the process of learning how to appear more human and has his appearance altered a bit to better fit in.  Murderbot is also developing empathy, which is very interesting.  There are things learned (and I think may play a role in the future- maybe).  A bit of an abrupt ending, but this was a short one.  

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Review: Summer Thaw

Summer Thaw by Rebecca Jenshak
My rating: 2 of 5 stars

Colin has a thing for Hattie. But, I don't know, rather then treat her like you want to be treated, let's be an asshole instead. It's gotten to the point that Hattie thinks he hates her. Anyway, college hockey stars, away on a summer skills camp. They are forced to spend time together. The end.

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Review: Beauty and the Bounty Hunter

Beauty and the Bounty Hunter by Lori Austin
My rating: 2 of 5 stars

This book is a good example of a good start and then once you learn more about the characters (in this case, just 1 of them), you realize the book ain't it.

Cat (Cathleen) was attacked and raped, her husband was murdered.  This leads to a transformation to get vengeance.  When the reader meets her, she is a bounty hunter.  And an effective one.  She gets who she goes after.  

Alexi, a conman who taught her what she knows, comes back into her life.  Apparently she's attracted too much attention and there are elements who want her eliminated.  He could have just told her that, but no, he leads her on a chase to find him.  

My issue wasn't with Cat, for the most part I liked her.  Alexi was the one I had issues with.  I didn't feel like they communicated well and had multiple issue related to this throughout the book.  

This book had a lot on common with some of the "old skool" romances of the 70s, 80s, and early 90s.  We don't learn this until the end of the book, but Alexi know what happened to Cat.  And in order to "fix her" he demanded sex as payment for teaching her the art of the con.  I already didn't like him, but that was the final nail on his coffin.  

Smart Bitches Summer Bingo:  Historical, not a regency

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