Ocean Echo, by Everina Maxwell, is a pseudo-sequel to the very popular Winter’s Orbit from last year. It isn’t really a sequel, despite being set in the same universe, because it has zero overlapping characters. But Ocean’s Echo definitely embodies the same spirit as Winter’s Orbit. It’s another gay romance with two very different men…
Tag: Romance
A Taste of Gold and Iron – Smelts My Heart
I read Alexandra Rowland’s guest post over at The Fantasy Hive about “small magic,” and just knew I had to pick up A Taste of Gold and Iron. The post teased a plot about counterfeiting and money manipulation diving into the idea of magic users as an ecological niche that had my heart brimming with…
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The Undertaking of Hart and Mercy – Somehow Making Undertaking Sexy And Fun
I am not sure who the target audience is for The Undertaking of Hart and Mercy, but I think most readers would have a good time. As long as you are interested in part of the bizarre mix of contents that Megan Bannen has stuffed inside its pages you will have a ton of fun.…
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A Magic Steeped In Poison – Identitea Crisis
My streak has ended. I’ve been reading straight bangers for the last few months, each book presenting well-plotted stories and engaging worlds filled with unique characters. My latest read—Judy I. Lin’s A Magic Steeped In Poison—has oodles of promise, but it ultimately falls short on numerous counts. Ning unknowingly brewed a poisonous tea that killed…
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The Circus Infinite – It’s All Coming Up Aces
Vaudeville is a setting that seems to lend itself well to both science fiction and fantasy. There has been a number of very successful stories in this space with circus settings. There seems to be something appealing about joining a found family in a new job where differences are celebrated and anything in the imagination…
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A Far Wilder Magic – Perfect Alchemy
You know that scene in Jerry Maguire when he looks at Dorothy and says, “I love you. You complete me”? I sincerely hope no one is too young for that reference because that scene captures exactly how I feel when I look at A Far Wilder Magic. Margaret Welty has been abandoned once again by…
The Thousand Eyes – And Just As Many Hearts
2022 is already shaping up to be one of the strongest years for SFF books in the decade, and I just read a book that stands out in a room full of giants. The Thousand Eyes, by A.K. Larkwood, is a masterpiece of storytelling that forges a path uniquely its own while also hitting upon…
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The Liar’s Knot – Knot Your Typical Tall Tale
The Rook & Rose series just dropped its second book, The Liar’s Knot, which is surprising given that we just ranked the first installment (The Mask of Mirrors) as one of our top books of the year. M.A. Carrick is clearly a duo that doesn’t like to waste time, especially given that these books are…
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Reset – Can We Start Over?
Have you ever wondered what it would be like to start over every four years? I don’t mean politically, I mean your entire life. Just a blank slate, all your wrong doings, cherished memories, ex lovers, wiped away so you can start fresh? Well if that sounds like a dandy way to live, you might…
The QTL Best And Worst Romances Of Fantasy
We are not a site that is well versed in the subgenre of romantic fantasy. I am absolutely positive that there are hundreds of fantastic fantasy romance stories that we have never heard of. And yet, in our time reviewing the larger fantasy landscape, we have come across a number of beautifully heartful, and catastrophically…
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