jess_justmaybeperfect's reviews
769 reviews

The Scandalous, Dissolute, No-Good Mr. Wright by Tessa Dare

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emotional funny lighthearted fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

This was a super cute, short, fun read. Even though it’s a novella it takes place over several years so you get to see these two catch feelings and grow up a little together. 

I love Eliza’s character arc. She’s very young when the book starts but already wise and gets wiser as the story progresses. 

Harry makes incredibly selfish and juvenile choices throughout the story but makes a fool of himself begging for her in the end which I LOVE. 

Narrator is great. 
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The Secret Casebook of Simon Feximal by KJ Charles

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5.0

Her Yuletide Troll by Meg Rhodes

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3.5

Second Chances in New Port Stephen by TJ Alexander

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emotional funny hopeful lighthearted reflective fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

Eli Ward is back home for the first time in 20ish years. Eli is confronting a crushing job loss and a return to his hometown for the first time since his transition. Nick Wu, Eli’s HS BF, is a single dad consumed by parenting and work and sometimes worried about his own dad. 
 
A chance reunion allows for a reintroduction and an invitation. As Nick and Eli spend more time together they start to recognize old, and explore new, attractions and feelings. 
 
Nick’s determination to get this right, the man researches proper vocabulary to make sure his wooing (and intimacy) is respectful, is glorious. Eli’s patience with, yearning for, and love of Nick while facing his own familial turmoil is something else. Their joint explorations of what they could be now and how they “refit” just right make this a perfect second chance romance. 

Gender, parenting*, aging, sexuality, blended families, anxiety, addiction, sex, politics, memories, heartbreak, unemployment, and family all play a huge part in Eli and Nick’s romance. 

You will also laugh out loud, especially if you are a millennial or love a “Florida Man…” headline. 
 
Keep in mind, Eli and Nick are two queer men falling back in love in a state run by “some lump of gorgonzola in a bad suit” trying his hardest to criminalize and demonize their love. And there are people (looking at you Laurie’s mom) you will hate. Eli is coming to terms with career calamity and Nick is facing major family changes. But, even at its most painful moments, Second Chances in New Port Stephens was a joy to read.  

I read the audio version through Libby. 

*Nick and his ex wife, Nick’s dad, and Eli’s mom and dad are all SUPERB parents. 
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Wanted, A Gentleman by KJ Charles

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adventurous emotional funny reflective fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

5.0

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Stocking Stuffers by Erin McLellan

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funny lighthearted reflective fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

Sasha hates Christmas (for a good reason) so of course she gets snowed in at a very Christmasy inn full of cheery people who LOVE Christmas, including Perry who is hot, big, kind, gentle, emotional, and DOWN for Sasha’s bag of toys (if you loved Mason from Xeni you’ll love Perry too). 

Hot honest funny emotional romantic
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Death in the Spires by KJ Charles

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adventurous dark emotional funny reflective tense fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Plot
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

A dual timeline mystery from a fave romance author. 

School friends (and lovers) torn apart my a murder are reunited when one of them decides to investigate. 

The tension is high, the twists are golden, the dual timeline is done to perfection, and social justice themes, especially reproductive health,  permeate the whole story. 
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Jackdaw by KJ Charles

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5.0

The Matrimonial Advertisement by Mimi Matthews

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adventurous dark emotional informative inspiring reflective fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

Surrender of a Siren by Tessa Dare

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adventurous emotional lighthearted tense fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? It's complicated
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.5

Runaway bride meets age gap meets secret identity meets pirates. Quick read, kinda fun, not my fave Dare.