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Strange Love by Ann Aguirre

February 13, 2020 / Kaetrin

Why I read it: I am a subscriber to Ann Aguirre’s newsletter. Even though I received this in serial format, I wanted to wait to read the whole thing because I’m like that. So I bought it. It seems to be Amazon only at this point.

What it’s about: (from Goodreads) He’s awkward. He’s adorable. He’s alien as hell.

Zylar of Kith B’alak is a four-time loser in the annual Choosing. If he fails to find a nest guardian this time, he’ll lose his chance to have a mate for all time. Desperation drives him to try a matching service but due to a freak solar flare and a severely malfunctioning ship AI, things go way off course. This ‘human being’ is not the Tiralan match he was looking for.

She’s frazzled. She’s fierce. She’s from St. Louis.

Beryl Bowman’s mother always said she’d never get married. She should have added a rider about the husband being human. Who would have ever thought that working at the Sunshine Angel daycare center would offer such interstellar prestige? She doesn’t know what the hell’s going on, but a new life awaits on Barath Colony, where she can have any alien bachelor she wants.

They agree to join the Choosing together, but love is about to get seriously strange.

What worked for me (and what didn’t): This was such a fun book! Zylar is a very beta hero – his chitin (he’s a kind of insectoid alien so has what I imagine to be a thick outer shell like a cockroach’s but stronger?) might be hard but inside he’s all marshmallow. He has low self-esteem because he’s not very attractive. Barathi are prized for their colours and Zylar is a dull brown and he doesn’t stand out in a crowd. He has also always been outshone by his nest-mate (aka sibling) Ryzven (who is an asshole). It is not ever made clear just why Ryzven hated Zylar so much and that is one of my few criticisms of the story. Continue reading

Review at AudioGals

February 11, 2020 / Kaetrin

I’m over at AudioGals with a review of A Beastly Kind of Earl by Mia Vincy, narrated by Kate Reading. Chirpy optimist heroine charms the grumpy pessimist hero with a little help from a charming Bishop.

Review at Dear Author

February 7, 2020 / Kaetrin

I’m over at Dear Author with a review of The Worst Best Man by Mia Sosa. Ex-fiance’s brother, enemies to lovers, forced proximity AND there’s only one bed. Something for everyone really.

Review at AudioGals

February 6, 2020 / Kaetrin

I’m over at AudioGals with a review of Lush Money by Angelina M. Lopez, narrated by Scarlette Hayes. Think of it like a reverse Harlequin Presents.

January Round Up

February 4, 2020 / Kaetrin

Monthly Mini Review (well, kind of)

The Far Pavilions by MM Kaye, narrated by Vikas Adam.

The narration by Vikas Adam is excellent.

I picked the audiobook up last year in a sale, largely due to the narrator.

The story is full of colonialism and very not okay things however so I can’t recommend it. I read the book many years ago before I knew much about anything (I was about 15 I think) and it was an interesting “experiment” to reread/listen to it now when I have somewhat of a clue. (I realise the privilege inherent in that statement.) Nobody really needs my white lady hot take on the detail though. I guess it’s a book which shows how shitty white people have been to Brown people but I think that kind of book would be better written by a Brown person. South Asian opinion about the book is much more important than anything I have to say about it.

I’m not giving the book a star. I can’t in good conscience rate it highly but the narration is very good – honestly just about everything Vikas Adam did with the performance was flawless. There were only a couple of words which revealed he’s an South Asian-American rather than South Asian-Brit but that’s hardly a thing to worry about given how much was good about his narration. But I can’t rate the book based on the narration alone. Hence, no rating. Continue reading

Review at AudioGals

January 29, 2020 / Kaetrin

I’m over at AudioGals with a review of Dine With Me by Layla Reyne, narrated by Cooper North. Two men at crossroads in their lives go on a foodie adventure and fall in love along the way.