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Review of Again Again by E. Lockhart

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Again Again is a YA contemporary story that takes place over summer and follows our main character Adelaide, a high school girl about to begin her senior year at a private school.  Heartbroken and somewhat depressed, she’s spending her summer as a dog walker.  Her boyfriend has just unexpectedly dumped her and left the country; she’s failed to turn in a major project for one of her classes, which could cause her to be expelled, all while trying to come to terms with her feelings about her brother’s drug addiction.  Over the summer, she encounters some new people, some of whom may or may not become a new love interest.

What’s unique about this book is that certain events in this book are played out in several different multiverses, each resulting in a different outcome. In other words, we see Adelaide’s story play out in a variety of different ways.  It’s kind of like seeing her story unfold in parallel universes where there are numerous versions of herself. She makes different decisions in each multiverse, falls in love with different people, and has different conversations about the same topics.  

This aspect was unusual, in that it allows us to contemplate the “what ifs” in our lives, and look at how changing one decision or saying something differently could change the outcome.  Even the smallest of changes can affect how things turn out. 

For instance, we see her have several different versions of a conversation with her professor or modified versions of the same text message thread with a boy she likes.  In some versions of the storyline, she suffers enormous setbacks and heartbreaks; in others, she finds happiness with someone different.  I especially got a kick of Adelaide’s inner dialog with the dogs that she walks.  

Again again is an experimental novel in an unusual format, and because of that, it’s not the kind of story that you can simply kick back and settle into.  I actually found that the format pulled me out of the story every time we dipped into the multiverses, which I personally found a tad jarring. 

It isn’t easy to discuss the plot, given that there are several different versions of it.  But what I found to be the heart of this novel is Adelaide’s complicated relationship with her brother Toby, which was heart-wrenching in places and hopeful in others. In every multiverse, she navigates her feelings about her brother’s situation: anger, regret, mistrust, fear, but with love at the root of it all.

All in all, I enjoyed Again Again though truth be told, I’m personally not a fan of experimental fiction, and as such, I am not the ideal reader for this story.  Though I did find the multiverse format unique and creative, I also found it a bit difficult to connect with the characters because of it.

But readers who enjoy experimental novels or multiverse storylines should definitely give Again Again a try as it’s a refreshing take on the contemporary novel.  It’s also a story with a lot of depth and many layers, and with a variety of themes such as love, loss, regret, siblings, heartbreak, family dynamics, addiction, self-esteem, the interconnectedness of things, and how even the smallest of choices can have huge repercussions. 

Thank you to Netgalley and Delacorte Press for providing a free advanced e-copy of the book.

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Review of Hideaway Inn by Philip William Stover

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The Hideaway Inn is a character-driven LGBT romance that follows Vince Amato.  We learn that as a child, Vince was bullied quite severely because of his sexuality.  The moment he graduated, he blew town, and during his years away, completely reinvented himself from the skinny, frightened kid he used to be to a domineering muscular power alpha.  

Now he’s back, but only because he recently purchased an inn called The Hideaway Inn.  He plans to renovate the inn, flip it, make a gigantic profit, and then return to his life in the city.  But what he didn’t count on was his childhood crush, Tack, a charming farm boy who broke Vince’s heart in high school.  We also learn that Tack stood by and did nothing during Vince’s bullying.  

But Tack has changed, and he’s determined to win Vince’s heart.  But Tack unaware of Vince’s plans to sell the inn.  So the question is:  can Tack win Vince’s heart and cause him to change his mind?

This was a sweet, tender, and endearing novel about redemption and second chances. I really enjoyed getting to know these two characters and enjoyed how they both grew throughout the pages of the book.  Character development was certainly among The Hideaway Inn’s list of shining accomplishments, and the author really brings them to life here, letting all of them thrive in their complexity, both haunted by the ghosts of their past. I loved the tension and chemistry between our two main characters, and they both tried to figure out how they fit into the other’s life.  

I really, really cared about these two guys making it to a happy ending and thought the journey that takes them there is an utterly remarkable read. This is the kind of book that makes you laugh, makes you sad, and even makes you pine for lost love and lost opportunities. I thought that this is a beautifully rendered contemporary story of love and friendship, with all of its exhilaration, disappointments, and mistakes, and if you’re in the mood for a sweet and cozy read, then The Hideaway Inn is surely worth checking out.

A huge thank you to Netgalley for providing me with a review copy of this book.

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Review of Secret at Skull House by Josh Lanyon

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This is the second novel in Josh Lanyon’s new Cozy Mystery series (Secrets and Scrabble), and we follow our snarky and often clueless main character Ellery Page who once again finds himself him a whole heap of trouble. 

As it turns out, Ellery’s ex-boyfriend and famous horror author Brandon Abbott has just come to town and purchased the supposedly haunted/cursed Skull House.  Abbott has purchased the house because of the two murders that have occurred there. Ellery is not happy about Abbott’s surprise appearance in Pirate’s Cove, given that their relationship ended badly.  

Things become even more complicated when Brandon stirs the hornet’s nest of a twenty-year-old murder case of a local high school football player and the subsequent disappearance of his supposed killer — a case that certain townspeople want to be forgotten.  As Brandon begins to investigate the cold case — much to the chagrin of certain locals — Ellery finds himself once again thrust into the middle of a murder case. As in the first book, Ellery begins ‘sleuthing’ to clear his name and reputation, which are once again being smeared in the local paper. As in the first book in this series, Ellery’s amateur investigating leads him into even more trouble. 

In this story, we also see the continuation of Ellery’s hot and cold, romance/non-romance with Police Chief Jack Carson, which again, stalls before it can take off, which, truth to told, resulted in somewhat of a frustrating reading experience. So like the first book, romance in this one is mostly non-existent. The author does a magnificent job of placing the story’s primary emphasis on the murder mystery with a small (and possibly developing?) side story on the two principal characters.

As this is a cozy mystery, there is no sex, cursing, or on-page violence, but what we do have is a fast-paced, whimsy, light and comforting read with a few exciting twists along the way as decades-old secrets become revealed.  But that being said, I found that Secret at Skull House contains all the things that cozy mystery readers live:  quirky and colorful locals, a small town, plenty of gossip, and a compelling mystery to solve and I’ll be interested to see where Lanyon takes the series in future books.

A huge thank you to Netgalley for providing me with an ARC of this story.

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Review of Conventionally Yours by Annabeth Albert

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Conventionally Yours is a new adult romance follows our two main characters Conrad and Alden, both expert players of a fictional game called Odyssey.  This book contained three of my favorite tropes:  enemies-to-lovers, opposites attract, and a road trip (complete with a hotel room with only…one…bed).  I wasn’t sure about the gaming aspect of it, though, as I’m not a gamer, but I needn’t had worried as the tensions between our two characters along with their hidden pasts rendered this an utterly compelling story for me. This was the first book I’ve read about gamers and gaming conventions, and though I’m not personally a gamer, I found this aspect of the story a lot of fun.  

What made this story especially intriguing was both of our characters’ backstories. There’s Alden, who may or may not be on the autism spectrum but who is suffering from crippling anxiety as well as the need to fulfill his moms’ expectations; and Conrad, who has suffered enormous setbacks over the past year and is on the verge of being homeless.  

What’s fun is that each character sees the other in a completely different way than the person’s actual reality.  And of course, there’s the “I hate you, I hate you….yet I find you strangely attractive” aspect of it, which I always love. So in this way, both of our characters are quite complex and leading complicated lives.  

So our two enemies, each who is at a significant crossroads in his life, are forced to travel to a gaming convention together alone and in the same car.  And as their trip progresses, they each find themselves developing more than a casual interest in the other, complete with unwelcome romantic thoughts.

I was nearly giddy as I saw them moving toward an inevitable romance, and it was so much fun watching these two fighting their attraction to the other and, ultimately, giving in to it.  There was also the extra added intrigue of the uber-important Odyssey Con competition — where both of the men feel that they must win… NO MATTER WHAT.

Overall, Conventionally Yours is a sweet, fun, heartfelt, nerdy romance  – an excellent, well-crafted story that was a perfect blend of romance and gaming — a rare find.  It’s a heartwarming story of two boys finding their way to each other, and I ended up loving the quirky plot and the endearing secondary characters.  A rivalry between two master gamers turns into a whirlwind romance in this charming story about true love and doing what’s right.

A huge thank you to Netgalley and Sourcebooks Casablanca for providing me with an ARC of this story.

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Time Waits by CB Lewis

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Blurb

Time Waits book cover image

Badly wounded and on the run from his WWII Hungarian brigade, Janos Nagy stumbles through a temporal gateway to the future. Suddenly stranded in Manchester, England, 2041, Janos wants answers about a crazy world he doesn’t recognize.

Dieter Schmidt, flamboyant historian/linguist for the Temporal Research Institution has those answers, but the TRI is a neutral entity, set up to verify historical events under a strict code of noninterference. That doesn’t stop Dieter from taking Janos under his protection. Trust doesn’t come easy to Janos, who came from a time when revealing his secrets could get him killed, but the two men slowly build a tentative friendship with a possibility for more. But Janos’s continued presence in the future and Dieter’s persistence raise questions about the limits of the noninterference policy.

Since the rules have been bent once, one agent sees no reason why he can’t push them further, and he travels back to 1914 to make a few changes of his own. Under Janos’s guidance, Dieter must leap back in time to stop the rogue agent from changing the past and risking everyone’s future—if he can survive history.

Review

I love time travel novels, and this one did not disappoint.  Time Waits was a bit unusual as it takes place in the future, 2041 to be exact, and one of our main characters is from the WWII era — a wounded, nearly dead Hungarian soldier on the run who suddenly finds himself in an unexpected time period in a confusing place surrounded by strangers.  This aspect added an especially riveting element to the story.

I enjoyed the slow-build of the romance in this story as each of our two protagonists fights his attraction for the other; Nagy because of internalized homophobia due to an especially traumatic and horrifying event in his past and out-and-proud Dieter, who fights against taking advantage of this man now trapped 100 years in the future.  It’s also worth noting that Dieter also has severe PTSD as a result of his initial encounter with Nagy.  

Both men suffer from physical wounds and deep emotional wounds, and the road to recovery isn’t easy for either of them. Thus, they have a plethora of issues they need to overcome, and I enjoyed witnessing their journey as they did so, though the book explores a few dark themes along the way. 

In this way, Time Waits ends up being quite an emotional read that takes us on a rollercoaster of emotional ups and downs:  pride, anger, aggression, resentment, hope, hopelessness, kindness, cruelty, hatred, and love. The romance here is complicated as both men have traumas preventing them from opening up to the other.  And just when you think our guys have finally attained their “happily ever after,” the author throws in one final heart-wrenching curveball, which sends their futures into uncertainty.   

So even though the beginning of their relationship was more than a tad rocky side, our two protagonists do have an amazing simmering chemistry between them, and I rooted for their HEA. They’re both complex, multi-layered, and exceptionally vivid characters — so vivid, in fact, that they jumped off the page for me. There was also some phenomenal world-building here, which also helped to bring this story to life.  

The author does a brilliant job of crafting vivid, tension-filled, heartfelt scenes that flooded me with the characters’ depth, complexity, and their flawed, beautiful hearts. Besides being a compelling sci-fi adventure, Time Waits is also a heart-tugger of a story filled with life, loss, fear, survival, heartbreak, compassion, and eventually, love.   This immersive narrative swept me up from the first page to the last.  It’s about facing unimaginable heartbreak and coming out stronger on the other side, no matter how long it takes you.

This is the first book in the Time Lost series, and I’ll definitely be continuing on with the rest of them.

A huge thank you to Netgalley and Nine Star Press for providing me with a review copy of this book.

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https://amzn.to/2SQOPft

Review of Cygenic by Monique Poirer

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I love robot/cyborg stories, so I was excited to pick this one up when it came to my attention. Cygenic is a science fiction story that takes place in the future and follows a cyborg (though they’re called “Cygenics” in this story) named Dante. Cygenics are sentient machines comprised of 85% human DNA that look and feel just like humans. Though they are sentient, they are still considered by law to be machines and thus are subject to ownership by humans. People who own a Cygenic can do whatever they want with it: use it as a nanny, a caregiver, a housekeeper, or even a sex toy.

Dante is strikingly beautiful and extremely intelligent and was commissioned by a professor to help illustrate some of his educational theories. But when the professor passes, Dante is thrust into the system where he is eventually stolen and sold into the sex trade. There, his everyday existence is hell, as his only purpose is to serve the depraved and vicious sex needs of sadistic clients. There were times that the story felt so intense and anxiety-provoking, I had to stop and breathe for a minute. But then one day, Dante’s circumstances change, and his path crosses with that of a man named Nate.

Nate is a programmer who works for an organization that is dedicated to the rights of Cygenics, and much of their work involves rehabilitating down-and-out cyborgs. Nate has just gotten out of an abusive relationship and, like Dante, is hurt, angry and mistrustful of others. But when these two meet, sparks fly between them. But it’s not going to be easy going for our two protagonists, as they need to face head-on the systemic societal oppression which threatens to rip them apart.

Cygenic is a beautifully written novel that is populated with wonderfully complex and empathetic characters, displaying the perfect balance of heartbreak and hope with a tone and style that captured my heart. This is such a smart story, an eye-opening account of letting go of prejudices and of seeing beyond what we think we know.

The story juxtaposes vicious and depraved sexual cruelty with the pure poetry of a new and profound love, and rarely have I encountered a more mesmerizing, beguiling story. Though this is a hard-hitting emotional journey, the lovely ending is worth the price. The author crafts gorgeous, tension-filled scenes and dialogue that suck you in and flood you with the main characters’ depth and their beautiful hearts.

The emotional profoundness of Dante and Nate draws you deeply into their spirit, to the point that their pain is your pain and their joy is your joy. Then there are some wonderfully delicious naughty parts coupled with lovely descriptions of the glorious male physique, which I thought were exceptionally well done in this story. Once we move past some of the more horrific scenes, we’re given moments of pure erotica; heavenly, tawdry, and scintillating.

I read this book in one sitting because I simply could not put it down – I was absolutely spellbound. It’s rich, complicated, creative, clever, as well as tragic and thought-provoking — a pretty honest and raw commentary on humanity. This is a winning love story that gives a voice to underrepresented characters, which in this case, are Cygenics.

Poirer writes with the kind of humanity that we all should embody, the kind that makes you believe that there is still an abundance of good left in the world at any given moment. This book is more about facing unimaginable heartbreak and coming out stronger on the other side, no matter how long it takes you.

I felt happy and hopeful when I finished — everything you want to feel at the end of a great story. I hope the author writes more books set in this world she’s created here as I really grew attached to Dante and Nate as the story unfolded. This utterly and original book blew my mind!

A huge thank you to Netgalley and Monique Poirer for providing me with an advanced reader copy of this book.

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