Romance – Page 2 – Marked for Plot

Shirewode

December this year has, apparently, been the month of mildly disappointing sequels. If you’d like to see my review of book 1 in this take on gay Robin Hood, see Greenwode. It lost a lot of the things that made it interesting, rehashed old ground, and didn’t succeed in raising the stakes of book 1 in a satisfying way. Just frustrating all-around. I think it’s a good recommendation for people who want fantasy gay yearning, but I needed the series to move past that.

You would think from this cover art that archery and action were going to be at least a little more prominent in this book? Too bad! Think again!

If you loved and wanted more of the ‘enemies by fate and religion’ vibes in book 1, you may like this one a lot more than I did. It remains the focal point of the series.

The Premise:
Book 1 ended pretty tragically. Gamelyn thinks his first love is dead. Rob thinks his first love betrayed him and is responsible for the death’s of his parents and sister. The Abbess and Sherriff are just generally horrible people. Book 2 picks up several years later as Gamelyn returns from his time in the Crusades as a Templar. Meanwhile Rob is finally the bandit we all knew he’d become. Gamelyn is assigned to hunt down the false pretender to the pagan god’s power by the Templars, not realizing the love of his life is actually alive and the very man he’s hunting. Meanwhile, Rob’s sister Marion is also alive, has amnesia, and is the kept pet of the evil Abbess.

A Holiday Season Romance Binge

November, December, and January are typically months when I dive back into romances. I like things sweet and quick-moving as work at school intensifies. For a lot of genre romances though, I don’t think there’s a ton to say in long form review formats. At least, not for the type of reviews I like doing. So here’s a bundle of mini reviews for anyone looking for dudes making out this winter. And yes, I am on the bandwagon of reading a bunch of Rachel Reid books now that the Heated Rivalry TV show is out. You will find no shame from me here.

That said, even though a few of these are 5/5, none come close to being as good as my favorite romance of the year, Looking for Group by Alexis Hall.

Looking for Group

November through January has historically been a heavy romance season for me, and Looking for Group definitely jumpstarted that process. It was a bit of an impulse buy. Alexis Hall has been hit or miss for me, but the nerdy vibes of a video-game focused romance caught my eye. Also, the cover art is gorgeous (though inaccurate to the point of infuriating me. The whole schtick is that the love interest hates high elves and only plays dark elves … so why is a high elf on the cover? Also the humans are above the wrong characters). ANYWAYS. This book won me over by successfully executing romance plotlines with realistic characters and pacing, which I really enjoyed. If anyone else has good recs for other down-to-earth romances, I’m all ears!

The Premise:
Drew is a pretty big nerd. He’s one of the strongest tanks in the MMORPG Heroes of Legend, but when his competitive guild gives a valuable loot drop to someone who will barely use it instead of him, he ragequits. To try and find the joy in the game again, he joins a casual (but skilled) guild, where he meets Solaris. He quickly starts to fall for her, until she turns out to be a he, and Drew has a bit of a crisis. Add onto that his inability to manage pressure from his friends and issues expressing himself without being a big of a jerk, and Drew is on track to potentially ruin something beautiful before its even begun.

Read if Looking For: nerdy characters, realistic conflict resolutions and relationship development, bisexual awakening storylines

Avoid if you Dislike: video game chat dialogue, extensive descriptions of MMORPG gameplay, meet-cute, physically tame romances

But Not Too Bold

Novellas have become one of my go-to library checkouts. With my limited budget, dropping $15 on a book that will take me a single evening to consume is a tough choice to make. However, I love the length and format, and I find that authors tend to be much more focused on what makes their work special in novellas. But Not Too Bold is an excellent example of that trend, and it put Cabaret in Flames (Hache Pueyo’s upcoming release) on my radar.

The Premise:
Dália’s promotion to Keeper of the Keys is only a small surprise. Nobody expected her mentor to be eaten, but when you work in a house owned and inhabited by Anatema, a fabulously rich pseudo-eldritch spider creature, you know that getting eaten is one of the hazards of the job. Thankfully, Dália is not a Bride, and thus her risk of being eaten is much lower than those who seek to marry into the wealth of the household. Unfortunately, Dália is quite beautiful, and Anatema cannot resist a beautiful woman. Dália must step carefully, but she finds herself at home with the strange encounters her new position throws at her.

Read if you Like: translated books, fast-paced horror, creepy spider monsters, tidy endings, descriptions of opulent mansions

Avoid if You Dislike: human/monster love stories, depictions of spiders, characters without self-preservation instincts, fairy tale ‘retellings’ far from the source material

Two who Live On (Branches of Past and Future #2)

Sequel review here! If you want to learn more about a fun, but perhaps not terribly deep, urban fantasy about a teacher of magic at a high school, see my review of Three Meant to Be. I was a little unsure of where I sat with Book 1. I enjoyed it certainly, but found it wasn’t quite giving me the depth or grittiness I was looking for in an adult magic school story, nor the sense of mystery from magic schools of my childhood, nor even the epic fight scenes of progression fantasy schools. About 50 pages into this book though, I shifted my brain fully into popcorn romance urban fantasy mode, and it really clicked. This series isn’t cracking my all time favorites, but I’m having a really wonderful time.

The Premise:
This book picks up right where book 1 left off. At the start of second semester, without the threat of one student being brutally murdered, Dorian is able to focus a bit more on himself and his relationship with his celebrity boyfriend (and childhood ex) Milo. He also needs to keep his students on track for a talent showcase, which might open doors for many of their future prospects. Of course, what would a semester of Dorian’s life be without the threat of constant demon attacks?

Read if Looking for: Magic School Teacher protagonist, escapist fantasy, bad puns, romance/fantasy elements balanced well

Avoid if Looking for: deep themes, unpredictable twists, realistic portrayals of teaching

Greenwode

Robin Hood is not a story that I’m particularly fond of. I don’t dislike it, but the story doesn’t have a place in my heart – even as childhood nostalgia. Being a take on Robin Hood, I wasn’t sure if Greenwode was going to be a good fit for me, but thankfully it avoided being a campy retelling. Instead, this was a delightful story of romance, internalized homophobia, and the politics of rural England. It’s rare for me to want to pick up a sequel quickly, but I definitely want to tackle the next installment this year.

The Premise: Rob and his sister Marion are destined to take the mantle of Hunter and Maiden in the Old Religion, holding great power and sway over the traditional practices in a country rapidly being consumed by Christianity. Gamelyn is the son of the local lord and is fairly sure he wants to join a local monastery. After a chance meeting brings Rob and Gamelyn into contact and an easy friendship, both of their faiths will be tested by their growing attraction and duties. Their romance sits underneath the growing tension between the old and new religions, and it seems like war is close to breaking out.

Read if Looking For: star crossed lovers, characters grappling with religion, beautiful forest scenes, romantic yearning, ancient gods

Avoid if Looking For: lots of dramatic archery sequences, books with few sex scenes, positive depictions of Christianity

How to Survive this Fairytale

I’m a sucker for Fairy Tale mashups. I grew up loving Into the Woods, I binged Once Upon a Time in college. Retellings are wonderful too, but there’s something special about taking the idea of storytelling, throwing a bunch in a blender, and seeing what new comes out of it. How to Survive This Fairytale made me laugh, made me cry, and made me cry some more. I’m usually not a super emotional person, but this book got to me in a really profound way. Hallow has a fantastic debut novel, and I can’t wait to see what she writes next. This is definitely on my shortlist for book of the year.

The Premise:
This story centers on Hans, or Hansel from Hansel and Gretel. The story mostly takes place after the events of the original fairy tale however, and follows him through several decades into his adult life. Featuring prominently in his journey are a girl and her brothers (cursed to be swans), Snow White’s evil Queen, and a loyal dog. This book is focuses on Hans’ journey to see if a happy ending is possible. The story is told in second person, with the ‘narrator’ being a sort-of explicit character who interacts with the story as Hans experiments with different possible paths through the situations he faces.

Read if You Enjoy: Fairy tale mashups, characters processing trauma, romance subplots, aggressively paced books

Avoid if you Dislike: 2nd person narration, tidy endings, protagonists not always being the center of the story, books without fight scenes

The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue

One of the things I love about fiction (and fantasy in particular) is that writers can operate within a shared bank of references, playing with old ideas and twisting them into new shapes. The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue is just that. It takes a deal with a devil, the moral ‘be careful what you wish for’ and spins out an engaging tale from it. This was a pick for an in-person book club, and I very much enjoyed my time with it, even if I thought it missed some golden opportunities.

The Premise:
Addie LaRue made a deal with the devil, if he really is a devil, to avoid being forced into marriage. She’s spent the last 300 years with immortal life and freedom, with a catch. She cannot leave an imprint on the world: people forget her as soon as she’s out of sight, she loses all belongings, and she can’t even break a window without it fixing itself. She is a ghost. That is, until she meets Henry in 2013, who can somehow remember her. Her life changes forever.

Read if Looking For: resourceful women, hot demons, leads going from overwhelmed to hyper competent

Avoid if You Dislike: constant flashbacks

Shoestring Theory

This is probably one of the maddest and rant-filled reviews I’ve written. Shoestring Theory had such potential to be a book I loved, and was headed in that direction. Having just finished the book, however, I can’t help but feel that a great book was sabotaged in the name of big reveals and a desire to capitalize on the cozy trend (to be clear, I love a cozy book, but I would not consider this a successful one). If you’re someone whom big fucking plot holes aren’t an issue, then I can heartily recommend this as a great read. I’m oftentimes that person myself, and I frequently read other people’s reviews for books I love thinking ‘that’s a great critique, but it worked for me’. I will highlight some of the things I liked about this book, but it’s going to be a lot of me venting about the direction it went.

The Premise:
Cyril is the Grand Mage of his country, and husband to King Eufrates. He’s also hiding in exile from his tyrannical husband, the land cloaked in a plague. After his dear familiar, a cat named Shoestring, dies, Cyril rewinds time to try and save the life of Princess Tigris, kill his husband before he can destroy the world, and generally fix everything that went wrong with his life. When he discovers that his Eufrates was brought back as well, through the magical bond Cyril formed on their wedding day, things get much more complicated

Read if Looking For: big twists, toxic ex-husbands, bossy older sisters, quick pacing, good dialogue, tidy endings

Avoid if Looking For: intelligent or competent characters, logically consistent situations, healthy relationship dynamics

The Magpie Lord (A Charm of Magpies #1)

This 2013 novel has been a recurring title that’s popped up in recommendation threads ever since I started looking intentionally for gay protagonists. I’ve read quite a few of Charles’ other works, primarily historical fiction romance instead of historical fantasy romance, and I think readers who enjoyed those will get a lot out of this book (and similarly, fans here should read later books; I generally think she’s improved as an author as time has gone on). The Magpie Lord is a romantasy from before the romantasy boom, and it doesn’t follow the same conventions as what’s being published now. While I’ve got some quibbles with this book, I’ll definitely be picking up the sequels sometime soon!

The Premise:
Lucien Vaudrey has lived in exile for decades, working as a smuggler and merchant in China. When his father and brother die from suicide however, he’s summoned home to accept his inheritance. When he realizes he’s living under the same curse that caused the death of his family, he summons a local magician Stephen Day to help him solve the problem. It turns out that something far more sinister is going on, and they travel to the countryside to unravel the mystery of Vaudrey’s family, and those seeking to exploit it. It doesn’t hurt that Stephen Day is quite attractive, either.

Read if Looking For: quick romance reads, assertive/submissive dynamics, sassy butlers, historical British settings

Avoid if Looking For: fleshed out mysteries, supernatural elements beyond magicians, queernormative worlds, slow burn romances