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4.5 stars rounded up because of the stellar narration by Angela Dawe

If you’re like me, the cover and the title set certain…expectations. Honestly, the only reason I picked it up was for (what I thought would be) an intriguing story of a Madam and her ladies of the night—read by Abby Craden. I was wrong.

This book caught me totally off guard, but I probably won’t read it again since the constant stream of surprising details was what really made the story enjoyable. 4.33 stars

CONTENT WARNING /rape

Explicitly described past experience of rape retold by one of the main characters in chapter 35/36

If you care to avoid that sort of content, you basically cannot finish the book because it’s a last-minute plot detail that carries into the epilogue (though not as explicit at the end of ch 36 and the epilogue).

I did eventually finish the book by skipping ahead to the epilogue, but I wish I had known this was going to be a plot point for the main characters instead of having it suddenly dumped into the end of an otherwise decent book. unfortunately it ruined it for me, but maybe you’re not as sensitive to graphic rape or sexual assault?

note: the book is a fairly close retelling of the story of Kim Legaspi and Kerry Weaver from the tv show ER.

Simply fucking incredible. No spoilers, but I loved how our rag tag band of heroes kind of returned to their…roots at the end—and that ending?? Fuck.

I have so many questions for Anna Burke after this chapter of her post apocalyptic lesbian pirate saga. Fuck. So good! So many QUESTIONS! Cannot wait for the next book!



fuck

The MOST emotionally gripping book I’ve read this year.

Desperate yearning is my absolute favorite thing to read when it’s done well, and Evolution decisively checks all the boxes for me. It is a phenomenally well written story of self-denial and years of longing for love that’s just out of reach.

The main couple had understandable reasons they could not be together, and their love story was agonizingly perfect—I loved the flashback vignettes of how they’ve been dancing around their unspoken feelings for years, and with the gorgeous backdrop of music and dance, I was hurtled into another dimension with each swelling emotional crescendo.

Brava. 5 stars

It’s rare that I feel completely satisfied with a book’s ending, but Bryant wrapped Hope and Lily’s story up so nicely it felt like it was the only way it could have ended.
No spoilers, but the epilogue could have finished with a spectacular performance—what happened instead seemed like a perfect alternative.

The characters were both very human, and there’s a lot of sensitivity shown with regard to social anxiety and trauma. The big plot climax wasn’t a total surprise if you followed the breadcrumbs, but it still worked really well as an angst-stirrer. Just a little, and not too much.

4.75 stars

If you like the type of slow burn that is actually a roiling animosity that spills over into jealousy, then eventually into love—this is a fantastic read. Laura and Cassidy were both so unsavory in my opinion, and their cattiness and backwards perspectives (like un-feminist lesbians?) was a lot to swallow as a reader, especially in the first two thirds of the book. But, these two women turn out to be a good match for each other and their chemistry was sublime.

Nicol Zanzarella, as always, nails this narration, and her acting for Laura’s mother Maggie was especially well done. Overall, The Neighbor had me in several different emotional states as I read, and not all of them were positive, but the last chunk of the book packed a wallop and wrapped everything up very nicely. Also… hot.

a short, sweet, easy read with queer women of color MCs ♥️ who I really wanted to kiss already… and they did!

loved the San Francisco setting and the restaurant inner workings, and the Spanish dialogues (with some typos but it didn’t detract at all from the storyline).

Reese & Arden are the couple for me—they have this deep compatibility and grace in their awkwardness that, as a reader, makes it feel like they simply MUST be together. Their humor (or maybe more generally Bexley’s humor) is so witty and crisp, it’s divine.

I really enjoyed this book when I first read it 6 months ago, but rereading it as an audiobook reminded me of all the incredible things that this author has wrapped into the gift that is this book. There is a lot to unpack, but it’s not overdone. It has just the right balance of raw emotion and pain with lightness and sweetness. Perfection.


As expected, Abby Craden’s narration was superb.