April

An enjoyable erotic novel! This wasn't my first time reading about a genderqueer character, but it was my first time reading fiction featuring non-traditional pronouns. I admit that I was curious about how it would read, but it's all very natural, thanks to the author's deft hand. There was a good amount of character development for such a short book, without which the plot twist wouldn't have worked at all. The twist was pretty far-fetched, but the point-of-view character, Teka, reacted to the situation in what I felt was a realistic way. The love story side of things was surprisingly romantic, and the sex scenes were hot. As a sidenote, Teka's friendship with Maek helped add depth to Teka's character and gave the book a few humorous moments. There isn't a ton of world-building, but there's enough to give these characters context. Overall, this was a well-told tale. I look forward to reading more of J.K. Pendragon's work.

A pleasant, quick read, but it didn't have much depth. I could've read a much longer work about Melody, Kristen, and Derrick, as they were all appealing characters. Melody's relationship with her daughter was particularly sweet. The romance between Melody and Derrick happened way too fast, really, but it was a nice romance-novel fantasy. It's always great to encounter positive trans representation. The current average of the ratings here, 3.65 stars, seems accurate to me. Overall, I enjoyed the book.

I have mixed feelings about this book, and I doubt I'll be continuing the series. It's very....bro-ish. The romantic leads are bro-ly, the narrator doesn't take life very seriously, and the humor is of the South Park/Family Guy style. None of that is bad, necessarily, but it wasn't really my kind of book.

The narrator's voice was very appealing, and it reminded me of Prosperity by Alexis Hall, or of Jane Eyre, even. It was conversational in tone and full of humor and character, making everything feel immediate and real.

Due to the narrative style, the main character is immensely likable, although he's not really a great person. I know I tend to like Mary Sues, but I feel this was a case where the author overcompensated away from that kind of thing and made her PoV character a little bit of a jerk, in some ways. He tries to do what's morally right, mostly, but often views behaving kindly as a burden.

The love interest, Phil, wasn't as bad of a guy as he seemed to be at first. The author handled that deftly, giving hints that there was a lot going on beneath his surface. But I have trouble getting into books where the leads are mostly awful to each other. So my annoyance threshold had been passed by the time he got around to treating Tom decently.

None of that made me want to set the book aside, but I almost did, because this book has a ton of humor that I found tasteless. I kept trying to rearrange my preconceptions and remind myself that the jokes weren't meant to be taken seriously. But in a romance novel, especially one with a good amount of angst in the background, these kinds of jokes are really hard for me to enjoy. I'm not in the right mindset at that point. There was a lot of borderline-misogynist stuff, such as a character being blamed for her husband's infidelity because she was cold and rude; at another point, the narrator wonders how an ugly woman possibly found a man to marry her. There were also some awful jokes about little people, lesbians, campy gay men, on and on.

The mystery was very exciting, I thought, and kept me reading despite my issues. Most of the side characters lacked depth, but I did like Dave and his friendship with Tom. I also liked the pacing of the romance.

This is by no means a bad book. If crass humor doesn't bother you, you would probably enjoy this novel.

This is a lovely short novel, with a sweet friends-to-lovers plot. I hovered between 4 and 5 stars just because I felt it could've been longer, with more development of both characters, but it stands really well as it is.

I think this quote beautifully expresses the way that Danny loves AJ:

“Not that he'd ever stand in the way of AJ's happiness, but he really wanted to be a part of it.”

To be honest, I have hearts in my eyes over that emotion.

The way they both view their relationship is realistic and uncommon for a romance novel - they both realize that maybe they won't be together forever, although it definitely feels like it now. I liked that.

The sex scenes were excellent, but I have to say I enjoyed all of the physical affection between the pair in this book, even before they started their relationship. They were both exceptionally cute characters.

I had absolutely no issue with the author's choice of “they” as a pronoun for AJ, the nonbinary character. Everything read very smoothly. It's always nice to encounter characters other than the cis white people who populate most fiction.

A quick and fluffy read. Recommended!

An excellent and enjoyable Western.

I love historical romances for the feeling that I'm experiencing the private lives of characters from a different era, and this book definitely feels like a real window on the past. The leads, Jed and Gideon, were both appealing characters, with flaws and strengths. There's a lot of sex in this book, all very hot. But I also loved the framing device of a trip across the Wild West, and the action in the middle (when they come across the Hennessy farm) was quite gripping.

It was really refreshing to read a same-sex romance with a bisexual point-of-view character, Gideon. I got the impression Jed was also bisexual, but I can't say for sure. At the start of the book, Gideon's attraction to Jed leads him to spend (extra) time with a female prostitute (those scenes aren't explicitly described); when Gideon knows himself to be in love with Jed, but fears they don't have a future together, he hopes to find another man or woman he loves in the same way. I'm grateful to the authors for writing bisexuality in a way that echoes my own experience.

I only wish there were a lot more books about these two.

3.5 stars. I enjoyed the first part of this book a great deal. It was ridiculously romantic and seemed like exactly what I needed to read right now. There were a lot of wonderful romantic moments described in loving detail, such as the trip to Ireland. I was really wrapped up in the story of how Sasha and Kerry fell in love.

However, although it was a well-crafted plot and nothing seemed out of the blue, at a certain point, I felt the author had heaped too much suffering on Sasha's shoulders. I understand it was all done to make the happy ending feel earned for our heroines (and it certainly did), but I would've preferred slightly fewer bad things happening to Sasha.

Great narration on the Audible version - some reviewers objected to the voice actress' American accent, but I thought it was very good.

This was a pleasant read, but it really felt like just a taste of a story. There were only hints of world-building, with the different types of supernatural creatures, although it was all very appealing. Cillian's quiet loneliness and his many strange quirks made him really lovable, and I was definitely cheering for him throughout the story. Donal, though, didn't get nearly enough character development. But I liked the pairing, as well as the handful of charming side characters, and it was a very believable HEA ending, not only for Donal and Cillian's relationship, but also for Cillian's future. Overall, this is a memorable story and I recommend it, although it could've been much more fleshed out. I'd be happy to read a longer version of this work and would welcome a sequel.

4.5 stars. This is a strange and delightful version of Snow White, which I wasn't expecting at all. Veni, an alien from a genderless species that has similarities with both insects and humans, crashes on a medieval fantasy world - the planet is referred to as Earth, but there was magic, as well as dwarves and a dark elf, so it wasn't really our Earth.

There, Veni meets a handsome man, Wystan, who is deaf and communicates in sign language. Their bond is based on mutual attraction, but also on the fact that Veni can communicate with Wystan without the need for an interpreter. So the romance was believable, although it was a little underdeveloped. There was room for more development of just about everything in this story, but I can't object, due to its fairy-tale feel.

There's a good amount of fish-out-of-water type stuff here, as Veni becomes accustomed to the new planet, but that concept was never really played for laughs, which I found unusual and refreshing. I also especially liked the clever ideas about alien language. Overall, this is a sweet, short read. I would definitely be interested in reading more works set in this world - I'd love to read Calder's story someday.

I didn't enjoy this book as much as I hoped to. It's not at all a bad book; in fact, it's clearly a labor of love. But it didn't really charm me.

The story is really about Shulamit and Rivka's friendship, yet somehow, I didn't get caught up in it. They both worked through their issues and everything, and saved the day. But they accomplished a lot of important things without each other's help. Maybe that's not it exactly, but for whatever reason, I didn't feel their bond the way I have in other novels that focused on friendship.

It's a quirky book overall, with a fairy-tale plotline and a lot of elements of YA fantasy, yet some of the characters' problems and thoughts felt very modern, occasionally in a jarring way. There were a few genuinely funny moments, though.

My real issue with this book: I thought I was going to be reading Shulamit's story - and I did like her very much - but her romance was significantly less epic than Rivka's. Also, I don't really know what the resolution of Shulamit's romance will be, whereas Rivka's was very much tied up neatly with a bow. I'm sure Shulamit's story continues in the rest of the series, but I'm on the fence about reading more.

I'm always eager to read a story in which a fairy comes to the human world, and this one is my favorite I've read so far. The fairy world was strange, dreamlike, and not easy to understand at first, and I admire the way those aspects of the story were written, because for me part of the appeal of this kind of work is that it's about a creature that really is inhuman. The fairy and his world weren't monstrous in any way; they were lovely, just very strange. The human character, a sweet young witch, was also wonderfully written. The sex in this story was incredibly hot, and the plot was excellent, with a certain amount of angst. I'm looking forward to reading more from this author.

I loved Crispin and Ned in their debut short story, and this novel fleshes both characters out in ways that I wasn't expecting. It was great to return to this world, and there were quite a few appearances from familiar characters. This book spoils the plot of [b:Jackdaw 22885333 Jackdaw (The World of A Charm of Magpies) K.J. Charles https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1407489431s/22885333.jpg 42454930] pretty thoroughly, so I'd recommend reading that one first. There are only minor spoilers for Stephen and Lucien's story, though - this one, [b:A Queer Trade 28225450 A Queer Trade (Rag and Bone, #0.5) K.J. Charles https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1450274561s/28225450.jpg 48253219], and Jackdaw could be read as their own series, I think.I guessed what the plot would be from very early on, but the turns it took still surprised me. It's definitely a page-turner. Crispin needed a second mentor so badly that it was easy for him to fall into Dr. Sweet's orbit. It's a pattern which is far too easy for people to fall into, always gravitating towards abusers, and it made for an emotional read, following Crispin's journey towards becoming his own person.Ned and Crispin are great together. I find it incredibly romantic that from their first meeting in A Queer Trade, Ned decided he was on Crispin's side no matter what, and he just stayed there. Their conflict was easy to understand because their characters were both developed so well. It was heartbreaking, though, because they just weren't hearing each other, partly because of their different experiences as marginalized people. Crispin's attitude was formed by his gender nonconformity, that he's never felt like much of a man, whereas Ned has lived all his life in a racist and classist world. I thought it was brilliant writing, the scene in which Crispin is responding to Ned's anger and Crispin thinks he is explaining himself really well, but he isn't saying the things that would make Ned understand what's really going on. It was an amazingly realistic depiction of an argument.Another highlight for me was Ned thinking about masculinity:Crispin wouldn't strike anyone as a tough sort. Some might call him pansyish, even, what with he wouldn't be the first into a fight, talked light, wore his feelings on his sleeve. Ned didn't see a problem with any of that. So what if Crispin cried easy? Ned's father had prided himself on being the toughest mother's son on the docks, and had probably never shed a tear in his life. He'd used gin and his fists to vent his feelings instead. If that was manly, Ned would rather have a molly.In addition to the many other ways in which this book stands out in this genre - great writing, an engaging plot, a black main character, a gender-nonconforming main character - it was so refreshing to read a book about men who don't have anal sex because they prefer not to, and they're both happy with the situation.I loved the ending, and it definitely left it open for the series to continue. I hope there will be more books about these two.

3.5 stars. I enjoyed this book, but it felt overlong, with too many suspects, and a lot of twists and turns for what was, in the end, a fairly simple mystery. In a long book, I want to be able to immerse myself in the atmosphere, and this book isn't all that atmospheric, for a historical novel. In a lot of ways, it doesn't feel much like a historical. In fact, Cadell has pretty modern sensibilities.

I really loved Cadell, though! He charmed me from the beginning, despite what he's doing when we meet him (digging up a corpse; I'm not going to spoiler tag that because it happens in the first chapter). He's a flawed man, stubborn and prideful, but his curiosity, sense of humor, and passion for his profession, as well as for every handsome man he meets, were all appealing. Every time I started to get a little dismayed with the book's pacing, Cadell's wit drew me back in.

I see that other reviewers felt the romance was a bit lacking in this novel, so I was expecting a story in which the romance took a backseat to the mystery or action. That wasn't exactly the case; it's clear that Cadell and Breton are drawn to each other from very early on, and Breton influences a great number of Cadell's actions, even when he's not present. Their scenes together were usually amusing.

However, in my opinion, it takes a bit too much time for Cadell to see Breton as human and multifaceted. Cadell spends most of the book lusting after him or annoyed with him, sometimes both, but he didn't seem to feel genuine affection or admiration for Breton until a certain point in the solving of the mystery, near the end. It was definitely a believable romance, though. I would've liked an epilogue, showing them happy together. But the happy ending was pretty solid, and it wasn't really needed.

The mystery was interesting, and I liked that Cadell explicitly acknowledges that his involvement in it has improved his life. There was a red-herring suspect who seriously fooled me until the real killer and the leader of the thieves were revealed. I was actually shocked he wasn't involved! So I thought that was pretty clever.

Overall, it's a good book, and I recommend it, just with a few reservations.

This is an excellent novel and I rate it somewhere between 4 and 5 stars. I chose 4 because I really can't say it's perfect, but I do recommend it.

It's a thoughtful, slow-paced mystery, with an introspective main character. The plot is exceptionally clever. There are at least two mysteries, one in the past and one in the present, and neither of them become completely clear until the book's climax. While I was able to predict what was behind some of the mystery, I found some of the revelations genuinely surprising.

I liked Demetrius and felt for him from the beginning. I had a little trouble getting a sense of who Rodger (his love interest) was as a person; maybe that's why the romance seems a little lacking, even though there is a decent amount of time devoted to it. The side characters, especially Korov, were really interesting and well-developed. I liked Lyell, the charming social climber, too, as well as Yllenne. The world-building was pretty vague, including details about the magic system, but I didn't mind that, since the plot was so intriguing.

I love this author's style:

Everything around him seemed coarse and ugly, not just run-down but somehow spiteful, as though specifically intended to displease him.

A slow, quiet, and lovely story. Ash is a very sweet character, innocent and eager, and he charmed me from the very beginning. The story focuses on his inner life and his deepening feelings for Giles. The setting and plot aren't all that important, so there isn't much world-building or anything like that. Giles trains Ash in magic, but it was only vaguely described. I have no idea what Ash can actually do, or what Giles does.

I also don't know what the miasma is or why it arose, or if the miasma will plague this world eternally. None of that matters, though, because the love story is an especially nice one, and it was the focus of the book, along with Ash finding a place in life. I got the idea this was a post-apocalyptic Earth, but I don't know if that was intentional or not.

There's a conflict between Ash and two of the other inhabitants of the house. Giles' reaction to that incident was really great, I thought. However, I was sort of waiting for the other shoe to drop afterwards, but nothing else happened. I think there could've been something near the end to wrap up that plot point, aside from the twins looking in on Ash while he's convalescing. How do they feel about everything that happens?

Overall this was a pleasant read, and I look forward to reading more from this author.

I was expecting a lot more of this book. I knew it was short, but I thought it would be erotica with a thin plot. Instead, it's a thin plot with very little smut. There is a lot of implied sex, but really only one mildly explicit scene. I do enjoy a lot of books that have no sex at all; I just thought this one would.

The setting is appealing, sort of a fantasy version of an ancient Arab world, although it wasn't fleshed out much at all. There was no angst over Nessir's station in life, which was fine with me. Instead, Nessir repeatedly frets over whether it's really okay to hook up with Abaidas, and then Ophion and Nessir both struggle with their feelings for each other. Then, everything was magically resolved in a few lines - which, again, I thought that with the lack of sex throughout the book, there would be a wild m/m/m scene at the end. Instead there was more implied sex, and then a little bit of Abaidas thinking about how happy he is. So there was not much emotional content, either.

I didn't hate this book; in fact, I feel like it could be the framework for something great.

3.5 stars. There were a few really beautiful moments in this book. I thought Jon's breakdown was very well-written and believable. The first sex scene was great. The plot (the wings, I mean) was okay, not good or bad, really. The question of whether Jon would stay on the island was not really compelling. Both characters were likeable. I rarely mind an overemotional MC, but I would advise anyone who doesn't like that kind of thing to steer clear of this one.

I was afraid I had accidentally stumbled on GFY here, which I avoid reading, but it isn't. It's more that Jon has never acknowledged his orientation to himself. But there's a line in the second sex scene that really bothered me - Marcus tells Jon something about how no woman can ever satisfy Jon this way. I mean, that's technically incorrect, but that's not my problem with it. I was really caught up in this whole sexual awakening theme, and I thought the way Jon remembered his ex-fiancee (once he actually confronts the memories in his own mind) was excellent. But that line was the opposite of romantic to me. If someone said that to me during sex (no matter their gender), I would kick them out of bed. This is behind spoiler tags because it's such a small (and probably idiosyncratic) thing, but I had a strong negative reaction to it. Oh well.

What an odd book. I don't think I could have read it, due to the elaborate purple prose, but the narrator of the audio version is very talented and kept me interested. It was a fun listen, but I can't say it's a good book.

There are at least two m/m couples in this story as well as another single gay man, so I was expecting until the very end that this would be another series in which each book focused on a different pairing. Instead, this book is very much part one of a story. There are a million plot points introduced, and I don't think any of them were resolved. I was shocked that this book ended when it did.

Some of the other reviews mentioned there was too much UST and not enough sex. I disagree, because there are at least two sex scenes and they were extremely explicit. However, I was a little let down, because it was really built up that Arend secretly wanted to bottom, which doesn't happen. Overall, they have a lot to work through between them; although the bulk of the novel is Arend and Julian talking about their relationship, I didn't feel hopeful about their future in the end.

I also want to know a lot more about Arend's son. I felt like Arend forgot about him and the threat to his husband. Every time Arend and Julian were discussing their relationship (for example, their big argument near the end), I thought Arend would tell him the truth about the threat or at least think about it himself. But it was like the author forgot about it. And the threat is so over-the-top. It was also mentioned more than once that Julian would probably run the same risk if Arend and Julian got married, but again, this fact stops occurring to Arend (and he never tells Julian).

I didn't really like the way the book dealt with gender, regarding Julian. According to Arend, Julian has a “contradictory” gender presentation: he's tall, strong, and muscular, and he has a soft and gentle voice. Arend finds him attractive for this reason, but he tells Julian to tone down the “feminine” voice because he doesn't want people to know that Julian is his concubine. Arend's disgusted by his own desires so he takes it out on Julian, who already has a good bit of insecurity over his voice. Arend does tell Julian (eventually) that he likes his voice, which was probably meant to resolve this plot point. But I wanted Arend to decide that Julian's voice was objectively acceptable, that there was no reason a muscular man couldn't have a gentle voice. I feel like I want these two to change their world, in this way and others, but I don't actually expect that to happen.

I will probably return for book 2, because listening to this book wasn't an unpleasant experience and I really do want to know what happens next. A few things I did like: in general it's always nice to read book with older MCs (Arend is 41 and Julian is 30). I also appreciated that this book had an actual bisexual character (the cousin), and he and his wife were very appealing - she was the only on-page female character, though. There's also a bear (Finley), another rarity in m/m novels; I would probably read a book that focused on him.

Wow, I enjoyed this one so much! It's an adventure novel, in a fantasy/Old West setting, with a good amount of romance and character development woven skillfully with action and magic. The main characters spend most of the novel alone together. Getting to know each other is a slow and emotional process in a miserable environment, but the pacing is excellent and the story never dragged, even when the characters were sharing their dark pasts with each other.

I really empathized with Love and Scorpion both and was glad that they found each other. They were also both likable to me; I'm not usually a big fan of constant bickering in romance novels, but it worked well here. The plot was very good and I really didn't know how it was going to be resolved until near the end - I didn't know whether they would find the missing man alive or not. Love's inner struggles were also an important part of the story, and I felt that the author handled a few sensitive subjects deftly.

In the end, I definitely felt hopeful about Love and Scorpion's future together, even though Love clearly doesn't seem to have any soft edges. I could see how they fit together, and it was surprisingly sweet, after such a difficult beginning. I'm just sorry that I've now read all of this author's excellent fantasy novels, because now I need to wait for her next release!

4.5 stars rounded up. This book isn't completely perfect; there are a couple of things that could have used slightly more exploration, but they were really minor.

Overall, this is a lovely book, well-written and charming. Both the mystery plot and the romance develop at a steady pace, and while the mystery was definitely interesting, it was the romance that captured my attention. It's not an overly complex romance, but it's believable and sweet.

There isn't a lot of world-building in this book; to be honest I felt that without the fictional disease, it could have been set in our world. It's kind of a vaguely late-1800s, British setting, but that's not too important. It had to be pseudo-historical for the plot to work; these people desperately needed a central source of information about the Blight. The only reason that Julius rejects Hynd in the beginning is that he believes Hynd may be contagious, which isn't true. But it's easy to imagine a world in which it's taboo to talk about something so awful.

The mystery was appealing, and I didn't guess exactly how it would be resolved until everything was revealed. I've read other books in which the characters are investigating something that happened generations ago, and it can be a slightly boring type of plot. But the author did a great job of capturing Hynd's obsession with the missing dragoons, in addition to making Walsh, the long-dead author of the journals, an intriguing character in his own right. Including Walsh's over-the-top erotic musings was a great way to humanize him. I was so excited when Hynd made his discovery in the portrait gallery and everything started to come together. And I really felt for Walsh when I learned that his lover betrayed him.

This is an enjoyable read, with some emotional depth, yet it's never heavy-handed. There's no sex scene, but I didn't think one was needed. I found Hynd's reaction to the heated kisses at the end genuinely moving. A great book, and I look forward to seeking out more of this author's work.

This book is constructed well - the plot is predictable but I don't really mind that. Unfortunately, it does have one of my least favorite concepts in MM, gay for you, as well as a lot of present-day sensibilities, even though it's set in the future. The sci-fi trappings were not really important, which was disappointing.

One of the MCs has a lot of serious stuff in his past - unwilling sex work and related abuse and I didn't feel the author handled it with a lot of sensitivity. Specifically: Sean, the MC with the dark past, is coerced into sex by his former partner in crime, David; the other MC, Joel, knows that Sean doesn't want to be having sex with David. Joel masturbates to the sound of them having sex. That really bothered me and made it hard for me to sympathize with Joel at all.

But I don't usually read books with most of these themes - I wouldn't have read this if I'd known it was GFY - so YMMV.

At several points, Clement, the ever-busy valet, imagines sitting with a cup of tea in front of a cozy fire, and that's very much the feeling that reading this book instilled in me.

Clement works for an eccentric nobleman, who moves to the countryside against his will. The nobleman tries out a series of strange hobbies, and his ill-conceived and sometimes dangerous ideas create a lot of funny moments. Clement has quite a task keeping him in line and trying to make the nobleman's new life happy and prosperous.

The book also focuses on Clement's friendship with his employer's wife, the maid, and the other staff at the house, which gave the book a nice family-of-choice feel. I don't know why everyone who knew about Clement's romance with the groom was okay with it, but I like historicals in which there is no homophobia, even though I know it isn't realistic.

The romance is very sweet and low-key. Clement is totally innocent and doesn't really know what he's feeling for the groom. I thought he was absolutely adorable.

There isn't much plot here, but that isn't a complaint, because I enjoyed spending time in the book's peaceful atmosphere. There's a conflict between Clement and the man who has been named butler to the new household, even though Clement is better suited to the job. A conflict also develops between the MCs because Clement thinks he's too busy to have time for love. But everything is resolved with a solid HEA.

I would recommend this book to fans of Charlie Cochrane's historical novels. The writing has a similar witty style, but with more straightforward language. This author was new to me, and I'll definitely be reading more of her work.

4.5 stars for a very enjoyable read and a nice followup to The High King's Golden Tongue.

Shemal and Lesto are both appealing characters, and I'm glad that this book, like the first in the series, has alternating points of view. There's a lot of difference between how they each perceive themselves and how they perceive each other, so it's very satisfying when they finally work everything out between them. Their connection is easy to see, for the reader, even if Shemal spends nearly the whole book baffled about what makes him so important to Lesto. There are hints early on in the story that Lesto wants Shemal to be part of his family, an idea which always makes me melt in romance novels.

I love Megan Derr's work; it's always great to slip into these fantasy worlds in which it's just a normal, everyday thing to be of any orientation (including asexuality, which gets mentioned a few times offhandedly) and any gender identity. As always her worldbuilding is great. The plot is intriguing, although it's definitely secondary to the romance here.

However, there were odd choices in this book, like when Shemal suddenly woke up in the palace; it took me a few pages to realize they weren't in the garrison anymore. Also, I was slightly disappointed that the confrontation between Shemal and one of Lesto's suitors was not shown from Shemal's point of view.

Relatedly, I had hopes that Lord Tara would have a greater presence in this book. I feel it was a missed opportunity, not actually showing Shemal, Allen, and Tara hanging out and being friends. I know that Tara and Rene's story will be told in a future book, though. I'm also looking forward to reading about Jader and Kamir, after seeing both of them briefly in this story.

I hovered between 4 and 5 stars for my rating, but overall, I very much liked Shemal and Lesto's relationship, which is why I was reading the book. There are great sex scenes and a lot of emotional moments between them. The HEA was really solid, too, and very funny.

This was a great short read, and the length felt perfect for the story. While I would have enjoyed reading a book twice the length of this one just as much, because the writing is deft and appealing, this book has a good plot, interesting characters, and a satisfying resolution all packed in tightly, without feeling unfinished at all.

The main character, Quillian, is someone who always finds himself in trouble and has to use his wits and abilities to get himself out of it. He does a lot of magic. I've read way too many fantasy & sci-fi books, especially short ones, that have a great concept behind them, but the concept is only barely used, treated sort of like set dressing. That is not the case here at all. The title is completely appropriate. Quillian is a technomancer, and nearly everything in the plot springs from his magic and profession. There's some great worldbuilding, too. This book very much has the feel of Firefly or Farscape - a bit comedic, with strange aliens and original ideas, but the emotional moments make a big impact.

Quillian's love interest has faced a great deal of hardship, which made me really want to see him find happiness. The sex is implied / off-page, but it didn't seem like there was anything missing. The book is written in first person, and the writing style is informal and chatty, as though Quillian is telling you his story. It all works really well.

I am so excited to have discovered this book. I'll be reading the author's other published work asap.

As a sidenote, it was great to read a book that was proofread and edited so well!

Wynn is a great protagonist, and I loved her adventures in the first half of the book. But I didn't really enjoy the rest of it, after Wynn met her love interest. After that point, the story became very much like a Disney fairy tale, with a really traditional presentation of gender roles, which is the main thing that prevents me from reading a lot of het romances. So, this wasn't really my kind of book.

But it's all done well, with a straightforward writing style and a simple plot. I'm sorry to see this book has not gotten too much attention here on Goodreads, because I know it would appeal to many people. I'll definitely keep it in mind as a recommendation for people looking to read happy stories with trans protagonists.

This is a lovely short work, with very appealing characters and a clever steampunk-flavored plot.

Clement is an autosmith, a maker of mechanical creatures; he runs his own business, even though his real talent is in making artistic creations. There are a lot of details about how he makes his automatons. As with Elliot Cooper's book Junk Mage, the setting is not incidental. Everything in this story flows from who Clement is, as well as his goals and skills, and he and his profession really come alive. Clement's business is seriously struggling. He doesn't want his business to fail, and he also doesn't want to let down his assistant, Elsa, who has become his best friend.

I couldn't predict how the romance between Clement and his business rival would happen here, and I wouldn't have guessed the ending, either. It was very sweet, in a quiet sort of way, and was a satisfying conclusion to the story.

I thought the length was perfect, allowing the whole story to be told, with an intriguing plot and a good amount of character development for Elsa and Clement. Clement's love interest, Duke, is less developed, but certainly well-drawn enough. Duke also has a handlebar mustache, which is pretty great!

The plot works so well because Clement is easy to cheer for, with all his stubborn pride and dedication to his work. The writing style is very clear; descriptions are somewhat detailed, but nothing ever feels unnecessary. And the mechanical creatures were adorable!

I loved this book, and I'm very excited to read more of Elliot Cooper's work in the future.