Tara-Lee

City of Poison and Shadows by AX Clarke is filled with flirty banter, snark and a cast of adorable, morally grey men and women: villains who mostly kill “the bad guys”. My fav character is Violet, a woman who volunteers with children but has a ramrod spine. She stutters when she is talking to hot men/woman (Bi), but tells off police detectives and villains alike. Reads dark romances, has sworn off dating and is her own superhero (saving herself by beating up muggers on the nightly). In the end she is way more than she seems! It is her origins story (IYKYK). I also adore that the love interest Aus is a supervillain who stays up all night with a kid dying of cancer, taking funny selfies and making ice/glass sculptures for her. His sister Eva describes his dream girl and it turns out it’s an exact description of Violet. He also loves Violet unconditionally: the good, the evil, and the average parts of her. It is a dark romance (on the light side), so expect some dark romance tropes, but makes fun of Violet’s love of dark romances. It takes place in a Northern Ontario (Canadian) city, so loved the references to all things Canadian!

Maledix by Hannah Calver has taken some time to read, to process, to absorb! I kept having to put it down out of fear I would rush through it and it would be over too quickly. This dark romance is intense, all consuming and exhilarating. The world building is intense, the characters electric and the spice is steamy. There is also some twisting of paranormal mythology that is incredibly fascinating. Luckily book 2 is in production so we won’t have to wait long to see what happens. If you like dark fantasy romance with gothic vibes, powerful chemistry, and a healthy amount of emotional damage, this one is worth checking out. 🖤 dark fantasy romance 🔥 demon king energy ⚔️ high stakes magic 🖤 dangerous devotion ✨ haunting worldbuilding ❤️ fierce heroine 👑 powerful chemistry 🌙 shadowy secrets

I am so excited to review S.Pedigo’s book Cosplay and Consequence (ARC). It has quickly become one of my favs. It is a “cosy” read, which like a fuzzy comfort sweater will be brought out again and again to soothe the frazzled nerves. It is heartwarming, sweet, funny, fun and incredibly HOT! The indie author S.Pedigo is infamous on tik tok as the hilarious and dry witted bagman (has a bag on his head). This same sense of humour is weaved throughout the book with its witty banter and nods to geek culture such as D&D, cosplay, comic con (à la The Big Bang Theory). Although these would definitely be enjoyed by self proclaimed geeks, the book is written in a way that is relevant to those of us who enjoy geek culture but are not fully immersed in it. It is set in an imperfect world with flawed characters who love themselves and their family (found & by blood) passionately and without reservation. The woman are strong, independent and self assured while the men are kind, supportive, and considerate. It is through the coming together of all the characters that the happy endings are achievable. The love story is reminiscent of one of those really great 80/90’s romcoms (think: 16 Candles, Bridget Jones’ Diary, 10 Things I Hate About You…). It starts off with a one night stand and mistaken identity. The two main characters are surprised by their developing feelings for each other and it is clear that they appreciation each other’s flaws, foibles and fabulousness. Based on his socials, the author would like you to know that the book is closed door (most of the spicy stuff is not explicitly stated), but this is not a problem as it is full of smexual tension and what is shared is steamy enough to not disappointed. And like any good geek culture phenom, justice is served: evil guys (who use and abuse others) get their just desserts and little guys (who carry the story) get rewarded. They say good authors write the books they want to read. I don’t need to write it, here it