#booksirens

Original Goodreads review here: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/8755072596

After a frustratingly LONG string of books which I liked but didn’t love, I was thrilled to finally review a genuine 5-star read that I loved right from the first page. I received a complimentary advance reader of this book (thank you to the author, btw) and for once I could not WAIT to share my thoughts about it.

I loved this book. LOVED IT. It was like reading Consent Porn, which should *absolutely* be a romance subgenre. Best of all—and this was wildly exciting to me—the male love interest GETS TESTED FOR STIs/STDs before starting a sexual relationship with the female main character, Charlie. Like, WHAT. I was in heaven with the way sexual heath education was built directly into this novel in the most natural way ever.

Before I write another word, though, I want to make it as clear as possible that this book is “Woke” with a capital W. And, because it is “woke”, that means it is chock full of information I wish I’d had growing up, back when my life choices were 100% guided by the editors of Cosmo Magazine, my fellow idiot teenage friends, and whatever bare bones information I got from sex ed classes, paired with the minimal women’s healthcare I could afford to seek out on my own. I was, to put it simply, the opposite of “woke”, i.e. NOT fully informed or “awake”.

For some people, I am aware that it feels like a personal attack (or morally wrong) to read a book that normalizes young women having access to medical information/treatment for their own bodies. If that is you, PLEASE DO NOT PICK UP THIS BOOK. The plot revolves around saving a clinic that offers sexual-related health care to members of the local community, including students at the local university. If this idea—or the idea of a sex-positive festival hosted in a park where the public can see it happening (including any children who could hypothetically walk by and see it)—makes you feel upset or uncomfortable in ANY WAY, then you will hate every moment of reading this, and it’s gonna be a bad time for everyone.

If you’ve read what I just wrote and thought, “Well, actually, it WOULD have been nice for me to have a safe space to go for sexual health checkups and general gynecological needs (such as overly heavy periods) when I was younger” AND you like angsty longing AND you like intelligent characters learning to speak up for themselves and advocate for their own needs AND you like people making damn sure they have *spoken* consent before crossing even one single line, then you may be the exact audience this book.

My absolute favorite aspect of this book was the way that the MMC asked the FMC for consent at literally every turn… AND HE MADE IT SUPER SEXY TO DO SO. Like, it was literally foreplay?? To which I say, “Amen!” Usually during romance novels that have a “teaching the innocent partner about sex” plots, it’s an older person (typically a man) dominating/ordering around the younger person (usually a woman) and telling her what to do in a really forceful way, like, “Stare in my eyes, don’t you DARE look away” etc.

I’ve never really loved that, and now I know why… after reading about a couple who actually just *communicated* as they learned/taught one another what they liked, I realized that for me, this was just totally **chef’s kiss**. 10/10 never going back to the “bossy silver fox” dynamic that I’ve never really loved (however, if that’s your happy place, please do not let my personal preferences “yuck” your “yum”!).

If this becomes a series, I will enthusiastically read the next book, and this is now officially the first romance book I will recommend to ANY woman in her 20s who asks me for a romance recommendation. Please, please, PLEASE can we get more informative yet steamy/entertaining books about sex and positive relationships published and out into the world!!!

by Michelle Miles / 4 stars

Michelle Miles is such a must read author for me, that as soon as I saw this one I was ready to read. So much so that I didn't read the summary. When things started getting a little spooky and darker than I was used to from her retellings, I had to see what was up. The Raven has been on my to read list for years, but I still haven't gotten to it. So this retelling was my first experience with the famed story.

Victoria Ravenwood has been living with her aunt and uncle following the death of her parents. An arrangement that would be fine, if it weren't for her aunt's efforts to marry her off. Then news comes of an inheritance Victoria had never expected - the old manor Ravenfell, when she remembers living for a time as a child.

The manor is dark and gloomy, much in need of repair, and the caretaker Gabriel seems to be holding back information. It doesn't take long before strange things start to happen, and a chilling presence makes itself known. Now that Victoria is here, the manor has no intention of letting her go.

I'm normally not big on spooky, gothic horror (which shows you how unprepared I am for the original story!) but with Miles' story telling ability, I was able to stick with it. Plus we learn even more about the subplot of Marigold and Hilde, who open and close each tale in Miles' enchanted realms series. Are we getting closer to their own story?

Overall, not my favorite in the series, but I enjoyed it despite being some of my less favored genres. This series has me hooked, and I have a feeling I'm going to need to go back through all the books to look at the prologues and epilogues to see what secrets might have been revealed!

Hazard of the Pursuit may well be one of my favourite Spencer & Reid mysteries yet. Cara Devlin continues to raise the bar with this series, delivering another intelligent, emotionally-layered Victorian mystery that balances crime, character growth, and relationship development beautifully. Once again, I loved the use of dual mysteries running in parallel. The official Scotland Yard case (involving Leo’s dramatic discovery that a supposedly deceased heiress is very much alive) is compelling in its own right and feels grounded in the period. Running alongside it is a much murkier, more personal investigation tied to Jasper’s past and his Carter ex-family’s criminal connections. The contrast between these two strands works exceptionally well, showcasing both Leo’s and Jasper’s different strengths and the complexities of the world they operate in.

What truly stood out to me in this installment was the deeper focus on Leo and Jasper’s relationship. The emotional stakes feel higher than ever, and the trust between them continues to evolve in realistic, sometimes messy ways.

by Jayne Castel / 4 stars

**Contains Spoilers**

Following Alar's bitter betrayal, Lara is left with her kingdom more divided than ever. For refusing more traditional offers of marriage, and her choice to support the Wulvers, her Overkings have broken off as well. With her capital one of her last refuges, Lara struggles to keep the loyalty of those who still answer her call.

When the elements turn more brutal than ever, the Slew attack more savagely, with other nightmares waiting in the wings. When Maeve, Queen of the Shee, arrives with an offer of alliance, Lara is left to wonder if this new threat is even worse than first imagined.

With her fire magic as one of her final strengths, it links her to The Shattered Crown as well. The point where the veil between worlds is breaking, created by Lara's ancestors and leaving her as the key to close it before it's too late.

With an almost impossible task and an unlikely alliance to consider, there's one more requirement. Someone they need to stand as a link between Lara and Maeve - a half-blood. If she can avoid killing him on sight, can Lara possibly trust Alar long enough to save her kingdom?

I continue to be enthralled by Jayne Castel's story telling. Her fantasy world of Albia, based in Scottish mythology, is a world I'm always happy to step into. Left with a painful separation, I was not only hoping that Alar and Lara would be able to find their way back to each other but wondering if it would be possible. Yearning, forgiveness, incredible tension and new enemies and friends making their plays. I was here for it all.

by Jayne Castel / 4 stars

Continuing from the events of The Enforcer's Bride duology, we return to Albia, and its newly appointed Queen. War still rages, and Lara is determined to not only be a better ruler than her cruel father, but to see a united Albia once more.

With her Overkings hesitant to ally behind an untried - and unmarried - queen, Lara's armies are quickly at risk of being overwhelmed. She needs a miracle, one that might come at the hands of the mysterious half-blood she met.

Alar has never received recognition from his father, and he owes no loyalty to the Shee. Instead, he was taken in by the Wulvers after his mother's death, and he longs to see them living more comfortably in Albion. They're regarded as outcasts as much as he is, but their allied strength is undeniable. With him leading them, they might be just what's needed to turn the tide.

Will his help come at a higher price than Lara is willing to pay? A marriage to Alar, and acceptance throughout the kingdom for his Wulver brotheren. He claims he won't try to wrest power away from her, but can she trust this outcast with her kingdom?

Whether it's her historical fiction, or her fantasy world, Jayne Castel has never steered me wrong. Always set against a Scottish backdrop, her characters never fail to draw me in. With delicious spice and romances that have never failed to have me rooting for them, she's a must read for me.

This fifth installment of the Spencer & Reid Mysteries picks up with another compelling case for Leonora (Leo) Spencer and Detective Inspector Jasper Reid. As the summary says, the story begins when they are unexpectedly summoned to the reading of a will for a woman they’ve never met, but was connected to the former Inspector Reid. They learn this woman has not only left them a joint bequest but has also tasked them, from beyond the grave, with determining whether her son’s death twelve years earlier was a tragic fall…or not.

From the outset, I really enjoyed how this book weaves together two mysteries: the decade‑old suspicious death and a new murder of a young woman that complicates everything just as the investigation begins. Both cases feel grounded in the Victorian setting, and the secrets buried within the grieving family made for an engrossing read. The stakes escalate naturally, and the pacing stayed strong throughout.

One of the things I’ve loved most about this series is the evolving partnership between Jasper and Leo who refuses to be limited by the expectations placed on women in Victorian London. 

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