Sunday Post #5: Welcome home Lulu and Fifi!

We got Lulu's ashes on Friday. Our vet paid for everything, including the urn and a paw print! I miss her giant little feet.
We also got new puppy, Fiona, on Saturday.She's very small and sweet. She gets along with everybody so far.

Series Report: Onyx by J.S. Lee

This is the spin-off series to H3RO, but you don't need to read that one first. Although I'd highly recommend it. Now, we're following Kate, who is Holly's photographer friend. She gets hired to go on tour with K-Pop sensation Onyx and take pictures, obviously. It's lust at first sight! Yes, this is another "Reverse Harem" romance, but it's quite different than the previous one. At first, it's just a lot of sex, but as they spend more time together, they all start to fall in love.

The relationship dynamics in this series are much more complicated than the previous series, despite having the same number of players. Some of the guys might be interested in each other as well, which leads to numerous threesomes and foursomes! It's a good ol' time!

I didn't love this series quite as much as H3RO, but the third book was a solid 5-star. The rest are 4, except for the last one which was a 3. And that's only because it totally focuses on my least favorite Romance trope, so I'd still recommend this series whole heartedly since our tastes vary.

Wishlist Wednesday #4: Forest of Souls by Lori M. Lee

I like assassin and necromancers, sooo...

Sunday Post #4: Throwing myself into books...

I've been okay this week. Still upset about Lulu not being here. Well, we have her urn now, but still. My mom did buy me a puppy despite the full on tantrums that I was throwing. Seriously, yelling and crying. I would have thrown myself to the floor and flailed around too, but I had no energy for that. New puppy should be coming home this weekend. I wanted a puppy BEFORE Lulu got sick, but it's just too soon now. In the meantime, I've just been reading, reading, reading. My library opens tomorrow for curbside pick-up, so that's good.

"Gay with a Twist of Straight" vs "Lowkey Bi"

I recently read both of these books for #LGBTQmonth, and they both have the same, but kind of opposite, problem. I gave Pink ★★ because the problematic elements are never addressed, but it started out good. I gave Leah on the Offbeat ★★★ because I did like it, but Leah pissed me off at one point, which is the main point of the post. Both books have characters who are figuring out their sexuality. The former straight up refuses to acknowledge bisexuality, while the latter uses the word about 100 times, but then shames a character not being bi enough.

In Pink, Ava wants to go to a new school where she can be "normal." She wants to wear pink and be girly and maybe date a boy. I'm sure you can see why this would be problematic, but I assumed the author would address these things, and Ava would learn something. Nope. Ava is very quick to point out when others are being sexist, racist, misogynist, etc, but she never looks at herself. At the end of the book she says that, "And I don't know whether that means I'm straight or gay, or gay with a twist of straight or what." I think that means BISEXUAL. Or maybe polysexual or pansexual. But most likely...BISEXUAL. It's not a dirty word.

In Leah on the Offbeat, Abby comes out to Leah as "lowkey bi." Leah who is bisexual (and uses the word many times) is outraged at this label. I can kind of understand this because bi erasure is a thing, but that's not what Abby was doing. This girl just realized that she also likes girls, but she clearly isn't sure about the label. Maybe she's not, and just likes Leah? Who knows. But it was upsetting to read Leah's reaction. It's not up to her to judge Abby's choice of label, especially when it's very clear that she's still figuring this all out. Leah never examines her reaction. She never apologizes. She's just glad when Abby switches to "really bi" at the end. Does the modifier really matter that much?! Abby was trusting Leah when she came out to her, and Leah blew it and never had to say sorry or look any deeper at herself. She just wanted her crush to have a label that she wanted. Not okay.

Can you see why I think they have the same but opposite problem? It just really bothered me how bisexuality was handled in both. Pink had more problems than just bi erasure, but Leah On the Offbeat could have earned another star if Leah's reaction had been explored more.

Wishlist Wednesday #3: I'll Be the One by Lyla Lee

Look at this adorable cover! Also, it just sounds super fun and cute and happy! I'm not a K-Pop fan, although I did recently love a K-Pop romance series.

Sunday Post #3: It was a sad week...

My sweet Lulu is gone. She had meningitis and it just developed so quickly. I have been useless all week.

Series Report: H3RO by J.S. Lee

 

I read this series for #AsianReadathon and OMG! Five stars across the board! I did not see that coming at all. I know absolutely nothing about K-Pop and I'd never read a "Reverse Harem" Romance before, so I was going in with really no expectations. I was immediately hooked!

This is all about Holly, a Korean-American, whose father has just reappeared in her life and wants her to work for him at Atlantis Entertainment in Seoul. Holly doesn't know the first thing about managing a boyband and wasn't that familiar with K-Pop either. But then she meets her six guys. They're super hot and all hers! From there she has to get them a #1 single and not get caught in a dating scandal that could end their careers.

Of course, the romance is a huge part of this series but it's not all these books have going for them. It's also about Holly's strained relationship with her father and half-brother. Each of the members of H3RO also have their own things going on and then there's working on their new album and music video, but it's never too much. I think there's just the right amount of each element to keep the story flowing and engaging.

It was fun, sexy, and dramatic! Yes, Holly has sex with all six members, but there's no multi-somes. Just one on one with each guy. Unlike the spinoff series...

Waiting on Wednesday #2: The Boyfriend Project by Farrah Rochon

This sounds like a super fun Romance with a side of friendship! The women have all been unknowingly dating the same guy, and find out on Twitter! The swear off men, but our leading lady may have met the one...

Queer Lit Readathon Wrap Up!

I read 7 books for the Queer Lit Readathon! 

1. Meet Cute Club was super adorable! It's all about a Romance bookclub that's kind of failing, but then it's founder and a nonbeliever fix it and fall in love! This one has a Black MC written by a Black man. 
2. The Lady's Guide To Celestial Mechanics was wonderful as well! I super love Historical Romance and science, so this was certainly a win for me.
3. We Set the Dark on Fire was disappointing. There wasn't enough world building for my liking, but the romance was cute.
4. Being Jazz was a good, quick read. I've never seen her show, but I found her story interesting and might watch it sometime.
5. Pink was...problematic. I liked it at first, but it quickly went down hill when the author refused to include the word BISEXUAL. Instead opting for "gay with a twist of straight." No.
6. The Gravity of Us was a nice surprise! I went into this one knowing nothing and really liked it. Again, science and romance!
7. Leah on the Offbeat was a hard one for me to rate. I really like it on one hand, but Leah pissed me off at the end. Overall it was good, but just be aware that the author never addresses Leah "label shaming" (is that a thing) her crush.

Sunday Post #2

I've been back in the blogosphere for a full week! It's been a pretty quiet week for me personally, just reading and my Degrassi binge. I'm hoping my local library opens this week. I had a ton of books on hold and suddenly a bunch of them are "in transit." So I really hope I can pick them up soon!

Series Report: Gold Sky by Rebel Carter

 

If you're looking for diverse Historical Fiction, this series is for you! It's set in the Montana Territory frontier town known as Gold Sky. It's a place where all kinds of people can live without judgement. The romances and sweet and sometimes steamy, but always happy-making! They're pretty low drama reads. Not that the couples/triads don't face challenges, because they do, but it always felt real.

Heart and Hand: Julie is a mail order bride who gets TWO husbands! She's black, they're white.

Hearth and Home: Julian (Julie's twin) is a mail order husband to Violet! She's Mexican.

Honor and Desire: Seylah is Julie's oldest daughter who falls for her childhood friend.

Three to Love: Florence sets out to find two husbands just like her parents. Ansel and Brendan were already a couple.

Leather and Lace: Two women out in the frontier!

If you know of any similar books or series, please let me know!

Waiting on Wednesday #1: A Song of Wraith and Ruin by Roseanne A. Brown

May 2020 in Review

The fifth month of 2020 is now gone, and hopefully the rest of the year took notes and doesn't repeat that. I doubt it though. But personally, May was a pretty good month for me. It started out in a big funk since my vacations were cancelled and my Lulu is sick, but I coped. I read a lot. I restarted blogging. I continued my Degrassi binge (find my thoughts at WWAW). I discovered Animal Crossing Pocket Camp and now my life is no longer mine.

I also worked on getting caught up with my subscribed podcasts. I had been listening to them at work, but with no work, I haven't been listening as much. So far I got caught up with The Minimalists, Highest Self Podcast, Frugal Friends Podcast, Lavendaire Lifestyle, Spark Joy, By the Book, and We Love You (And So Can You). I have several more to catch up with, and a ton more that I want to start! We'll see how June goes.