@vivavaleria@eldritch.cafe on the mammooth site. Reading mostly wlw rom-coms, with the occasional exceptions. I try to rotate languages, but it isn't really easy to find queer romance books in other languages than English. Reviews and comments usually in the same language as the book.
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Success! Enum & Valerie has read 34 of 30 books.
Cara's just trying to stay on top of all her classes, excel at her extracurriculars, …
Content warning cannibalism
"Do you know, I once dined on this woman - tasted beautiful with roasted russet potatoes and a sprig of mint - and when she returned as a ghost, I ate her again? It was marvelois."
— If I Have to Be Haunted by Miranda Sun (Page 139)
How do you even call that???
Bolivian-Argentiniantinian Inez Olivera belongs to the glittering upper society of nineteenth century Buenos Aires, and …
Side fact: The book is dedicated to Rebecca Ross, another author, and indeed many elements reminded me of "Divine Rivals": The 1900 nostalgia (+/- 20 years). Ladies being courted by Gentlemen. Discussions about what is proper. No dating before marriage. Soldiers are sexy. Male family members decide freely over their sisters'/nieces' lives. Strong women falling in love with shitheads of disputable integrity, who are still portrayed as desireable and romantic etc. No, the straights are not okay.
Side fact: The book is dedicated to Rebecca Ross, another author, and indeed many elements reminded me of "Divine Rivals": The 1900 nostalgia (+/- 20 years). Ladies being courted by Gentlemen. Discussions about what is proper. No dating before marriage. Soldiers are sexy. Male family members decide freely over their sisters'/nieces' lives. Strong women falling in love with shitheads of disputable integrity, who are still portrayed as desireable and romantic etc. No, the straights are not okay.
Bolivian-Argentiniantinian Inez Olivera belongs to the glittering upper society of nineteenth century Buenos Aires, and …
I'm not really sure what to think of this. It's all so inconsequent. For context, this book plays in colonized Egypt, in the year 1884. And the two character alignments are: good archeologists who want to preserve everything and thus have to keep it secret so future Egyptians can learn about it - and the bad people who sell everything they get their hands on. So this is superficially anti-colonialist, yet all the relevant people are Englishmen, Frenchmen or Argentinians. Only two Egyptians in the book have names, and they're entirely replaceable, with no plot relevance and no agency.
And the "evil" side who's illegally trading artifacts is so flat, not even the motivations make sense (if it's money then why did Lourdes risk losing her giant fortune to Ricardo???)
I'm not really sure what to think of this. It's all so inconsequent. For context, this book plays in colonized Egypt, in the year 1884. And the two character alignments are: good archeologists who want to preserve everything and thus have to keep it secret so future Egyptians can learn about it - and the bad people who sell everything they get their hands on. So this is superficially anti-colonialist, yet all the relevant people are Englishmen, Frenchmen or Argentinians. Only two Egyptians in the book have names, and they're entirely replaceable, with no plot relevance and no agency.
And the "evil" side who's illegally trading artifacts is so flat, not even the motivations make sense (if it's money then why did Lourdes risk losing her giant fortune to Ricardo???)
Bolivian-Argentiniantinian Inez Olivera belongs to the glittering upper society of nineteenth century Buenos Aires, and …
"I just can't believe you sailed all the way out here on your own [from Buenos Aires to Cairo] -" "Really, it was quite easy when I pretended to be you. I kept asking myself, what would Inez do in this situation?" Her lips pulled into a sly smile. "Turns out, quite a lot."
— What the River Knows by Isabel Ibañez (Page 335)
WWID (What Would Inez Do)
Bolivian-Argentiniantinian Inez Olivera belongs to the glittering upper society of nineteenth century Buenos Aires, and …
Also it's pretty funny how all the conversations in this book are in English, French or Spanish, even though it's fucking EGYPT
Also it's pretty funny how all the conversations in this book are in English, French or Spanish, even though it's fucking EGYPT
Bolivian-Argentiniantinian Inez Olivera belongs to the glittering upper society of nineteenth century Buenos Aires, and …
Is this really a romance plot between Inez and WHITFORD??? The alcoholic who's locking her up all the time, and threatening strangers with violence? Are the straights okay???
Is this really a romance plot between Inez and WHITFORD??? The alcoholic who's locking her up all the time, and threatening strangers with violence? Are the straights okay???
@flannevelyn@bookrastinating.com das hab ich auch noch auf dem Zu-Lesen-Stapel 🤩
After the year from hell, Haf is ready to blow off steam at a Christmas …
You know I always love fake dating stories. But this one is a particularly good implementation of it. Cheers to this bunch of bisexual disasters!
After the year from hell, Haf is ready to blow off steam at a Christmas …
Isn't it awkward when your fake-bf's ex-gf is making you a dress that makes your tits look banging enough to make his sister fall in love with you?
what? 98% also what? 2% 423 votes
— Make You Mine This Christmas by Lizzie Huxley-Jones (Page 198)
After the year from hell, Haf is ready to blow off steam at a Christmas …
"I'm not comfortable ... touching your bottom." "Your loss! It's a magnificent bottom." "Please, I beg you, stop talking about your bottom."
— Make You Mine This Christmas by Lizzie Huxley-Jones (Page 87)
Tops flirting or something, what do I know
So many amazing short stories! And they all had different ideas and interpretations of the two themes, and how to combine them. Loved every single one of them!
The sun has gone into moon mode by the time I meet up with Georgia
— Dragon Bike by Elly Blue (Page 13)
best feature of a sun
Alyson is a romantic, and sometimes it gets her into trouble. Like last summer, she …
Dickwads get wracked, and there's kissing girls! CW: sexual assault
Dickwads get wracked, and there's kissing girls! CW: sexual assault
Alyson is a romantic, and sometimes it gets her into trouble. Like last summer, she …
He nods to the death trap. "Ever done it? It's super fun.
— Revenge Game by Jordyn Taylor (Page 162)
Alyson is a romantic, and sometimes it gets her into trouble. Like last summer, she …
She just had AP Macroeconomics in the building next door, and before that, Accounting. Her goal, she says, is to learn everything there is to know about capitalism so she can dismantle it someday. "The mansplaining," Jess replies, "is going to be the death of me."
[..]. "Gross domestic product", she answers. "Much like Mr Mansplainer himself"
— Revenge Game by Jordyn Taylor (Page 9)
