editsbyallie

(originally posted to The Lesbrary)

This month, I decided to branch out and read my first sports romance. I chose Colombian author Johana Gavez’s debut novel, A Match to Love. Gavez is a self-proclaimed fluff lover, so I knew I was in good hands. 

When an anonymous online friendship turns into something romantic, Ari Nuñez finds herself out of her depth. She’s courted (pun intended) by a rich and famous woman who happens to be an international tennis star. As the relationship progresses, Dani Martínez’s game suffers. She must decide what’s a priority to her; tennis or love. For Dani’s career thus far it’s been an easy choice: tennis. A fledgling relationship with Ari is the first time Dani considers otherwise and it’s clear she can’t have both. Dani has to decide once and for all. What’s more important, tennis or Ari?

The majority of the story is sweet and focuses on the budding relationship, but because of this the plot falls short. There isn’t much plot at all outside of the romance, but if you’re looking for a fluffy read, a rich plot isn’t necessary. Although a deep knowledge of tennis isn’t essential for enjoying A Match to Love, if you’re a novice I would recommend looking into the way scoring works so that you can better understand the stakes at hand. 

I loved that Gavez incorporated demisexual representation. Although it isn’t explicitly labeled this way, Ari expresses she feels desire only once she has formed a rapport with someone. There are a few spicy scenes, including a FaceTime call. Dani comes off as dominant and prefers to be in control, so if that isn’t your thing, beware. Other than that, any spicy scenes are pretty tame.

(originally posted to The Lesbrary)

Trinity Nguyen’s debut novel was not what I expected—in the best way. Vivi, a Vietnamese American, lies to her parents about where she’s studying abroad. With a mother who refuses to speak of the Vietnam she fled as a young adult, Vivi is desperate for some connection with her roots and potential family she has never met. Lan hasn’t been the same since her ba (father) died. She can’t write for the food blog they started together anymore, doesn’t take her entrance exams for college, and instead works every day at the family bánh mì stall. Her life has dulled, seemingly beyond repair. But when Lan meets her blog’s #1 fan, who happens to be Vivi, she falls in love with Sài Gòn and life again. 

While A Bánh Mì for Two centers around the growing bond between Vivi and Lan, it is so much more than that. It’s also a love letter to Sài Gòn. Nguyen’s story takes readers on a tour of Vietnam and its culture, just as Lan shows Vivi around the city. Lan helps find the places shown in the few photos Vivi has of her mom’s youth in efforts to find her family. Vivi requests they go to sample each food mentioned in Lan’s blog to try to jumpstart her love for writing again. Readers are taken along for the ride, going to festivals to see the dragon dance and eat moon cakes. I fell in love with the city of Sài Gòn through A Bánh Mì for Two, and I loved learning bits and pieces of Vietnamese. However, Nguyen doesn’t shy away from mentioning the hardships in Vietnam. The reality is, the aftermath of the war changed the people and still affects the citizens to this day. Nothing was glossed over for the comfort of Americans or the French. 

Besides food and heritage, Lan and Vivi bond over their relationships with their mothers. Lan feels like she has to stay to run the bánh mì stall now that her ba is gone and her mother’s health is declining. Vivi tries to convince her that she can and should follow her dreams of becoming a writer and travelling the world. Vivi is angry with her mother for not sharing any of her memories of Vietnam and for never telling her about the rest of the family. Lan helps Vivi realize that it isn’t that simple, and life was difficult for Vietnamese after the war. The parallels between Lan’s story and Vivi’s mother were particularly well done. 

(originally posted to The Lesbrary)

This year I decided to clear out my unread shelf, full of holiday romances I never got around to. I’m so glad I picked up Season of Love and gave it a chance even though my last holiday read left me wanting more. My usual tastes tend to lean away from the pure fluff of many holiday reads, but Helena Greer has perfectly blended the lightness of a winter romance with a heavier grief. As much as Season of Love is about Miriam Blum’s ability to find love (both romantic and platonic) in the shadow of a negative relationship with her father, the tale is equally about grief and overcoming coping mechanisms that don’t quite work anymore. 

The best part of Season of Love was the characterization. Each character felt real, with their own desires and flaws. I specifically appreciated Noelle’s intricacies. Instead of falling into the trap of a perfect love interest, Greer crafted one who had her share of difficulties in a character who still felt worthy of a romance novel. Both Noelle and Miriam make their share of mistakes and judgements in a time of emotional turmoil, yet care enough to apologize and change behavior. Greer encapsulated the reality of a real, adult relationship. 

As in a real, adult relationship, Miriam is attracted to Noelle and isn’t shy about it. I greatly enjoyed the celebration of other body types. Noelle is a hot, fat butch and Miriam is into her because of it instead of despite it. Greer’s treatment of Noelle as a love interest was refreshing. There wasn’t even a hint of body shaming anywhere, from either perspective. I want more. More hot fat sapphics please!

Although Miriam and Noelle are up front and vocal about their attraction to one another (and all the dirty things they want to do to each other), this is a fade-to-black romance. I didn’t mind the emphasis of growing a healthy relationship over spice, but I do feel that I missed some of the yearning. Since Season of Love is a dual POV novel, readers miss out on the longing between the characters, the wondering whether the love interest is as equally invested as the main character. This is my favorite part of a romance, so I felt a little let down in that aspect. I see what Greer meant to do, bring life to Noelle’s inner life, but I couldn’t help but feel a bit bored when it was her turn to narrate a chapter. Not to mention, she kept referring to Miriam as a tiny elf, which I didn’t vibe with as a nickname. Thankfully, Noelle only narrates a few times, but I found myself skimming through her chapters to get through them faster. I would’ve preferred a single POV for this story.

Overall, I was pleasantly surprised with how much I liked this book. I would absolutely read another Helena Greer novel, and might even decide to pick up the two companion pieces to Season of Love next. Stay cozy, everyone! 

(originally posted to The Lesbrary)

Dive into In the Event of Love and the Fern Falls Christmas tree farm this holiday season, where there’s no lack of cozy vibes. A log cabin in a small ski town and freshly baked cinnamon buns await us and our main character. 

Morgan Ross leaves when times are tough. When her grad party turns into a disaster that destroys her maybe-something-more relationship with her best friend Rachel, Morgan disappears to LA for 7 years. When she’s caught up in a scandal with a client from her event planning business, she retreats to her hometown of Fern Falls until the social media storm passes. What she doesn’t expect is to hold the most important event of her career—one to save the town she grew up in from corporate greed. Will Morgan leave when this plan goes awry too?

It becomes clear early on that Morgan and Rachel’s second chance romance hinges on the success of the event. I appreciated that the women bonded over their difficult relationships with their parents, but the chemistry between them was lacking for me. I didn’t understand why the argument almost a decade ago left such a rift between them or why they couldn’t stop thinking about each other for years afterward. Maybe this is because I didn’t find myself connecting well to Morgan as a POV character. She’s a bit self absorbed in a way I couldn’t get past. Rachel, on the other hand, is down to earth and shows tremendous care for everyone else in town. I absolutely rooted for her to get her happy ending. 

What I loved most about this book was the bisexual representation. As a bisexual herself, Courtney Kae made sure to include us everywhere! Bisexuals aren’t all the same and neither were the bisexual characters, which I appreciated. Christmas wasn’t the only winter holiday mentioned either (Jewish traditions are also observed!). 

Where the book lacked for me was in other representations. I found myself wishing some of the main cast were BIPOC. Don’t get me wrong, I loved that Kae introduced side characters from all walks of life (including an Asian trans woman mayor!), I’m just a little bummed that most of them weren’t mentioned more than once or twice. 

If you’re looking for an easy read, filled with holiday charm and pop culture references, give In the Event of Love a try. Those who love to watch Hallmark movies in their pajamas by the fire, but wish the channel had more queer representation would enjoy this novel. This first person POV holiday tale is sure to be a hit for many. 

C.G. Malburi has spent years writing for the sapphic community, although you may know her better by her fandom alias, coalitiongirl. For those who do know her, it’ll be no surprise that Malburi’s debut fantasy novel gives readers exactly what they’re looking for. Markless (2023) blends some of the most well-loved romance tropes: soulmates, enemies to lovers, and forced proximity.

Ruti is a markless—someone without a soulmark, an outcast of society. Instead of giving up, she has fought hard to make a life worth living in the slums by learning magic. Dekala is Heir to the throne and wants to rule more than anything, without a man by her side. But by being unbonded, Dekala’s powers are wild and uncontrollable. The Regent won’t allow Dekala to reign without finding her Bonded. The solution? Forcing Ruti, the most powerful witch in Somanchi, to stay by her side and ensure Dekala remains unbonded and unattached to another person—or else Ruti will be put to death for her crimes. 

“There are some who claim that each mark is a sign of how the one who bears it is deep down. Ashto is fire, for people who are passionate and temperamental. Majimm, water, for the calm and introspective. Endhi is earth, for those who are grounded and compassionate. And then there is sewa, the rarest of the four signs. Sewa is air and wind and sky, distant and untamed and free, and the Heir can never be ruled by any man.”

Ruti and Dekala are both fighters and more often than not end up fighting each other. Sparks fly between them when Ruti refuses to allow Dekala to be tamed and when Dekala shows a tender generosity towards markless children. The question becomes, will they ever put their differences aside for long enough to acknowledge the feelings growing between them?

Malburi emphasizes tradition through Dekala’s beliefs: rulers must be bonded, bonded pairs must be between men and women, markless must be scum of the earth. Then, she spends the rest of the book carefully untangling them for the readers and Dekala in a way that is both healing and encouraging. As is true in most enemies to lovers, Ruti finds Dekala infuriating and hard to read. The same things happen for readers since we follow Ruti’s point of view—it’s difficult to see where Dekala is coming from or know what she’s thinking. Because of this some readers may find it hard to connect with Dekala’s aloof character.

However, we join Ruti and Dekala on an action-packed adventure with new twists and turns in every chapter (read: the plot takes precedence over the romance). Malburi creates a fantasy world worth reveling in, from the animal gods, to possessed trees, and a deadly lake. Danger brings the characters closer together and pulls readers into the story. The lore sucked me in and held me close until I finished the entire thing in a day. It was very come-for-the-romance, stay-for-the-fantasy-worldbuilding for me. 

“Ruti can see it now, and she thinks at first that she’s seeing the reflection of the sun distorted in the water. But no, the Lake of the Carved Thousand is an unnatural red so dark it’s nearly purple, glistening in the sunlight like a pool of blood.”