Book List 2022

Review: Murder Most Actual by Alexis Hall

February 25, 2022May 24, 2022 Ashley LPLeave a comment

Title: Murder Most Actual
Author: Alexis Hall
Genre: Cozy Mystery. LGBTQIA+
Source: Netgalley. I received a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
Summary: When up-and-coming true-crime podcaster Liza and her corporate financier wife Hanna head to a luxurious hotel in the Scottish Highlands, they’re hoping for a chance to rekindle their marriage – not to find themselves trapped in the middle of an Agatha Christie-esque murder mystery with no way home. But who better to take on the case than someone whose entire profession relies on an obsession with all things mysterious and macabre? Though some of her fellow guests may consider her an interfering new media hack, Liza knows a thing or two about crime and – despite Hanna’s preference for waiting out the chaos behind a locked door – might be the only one capable of discovering the killer. As the bodies rack up and the stakes rise, can they save their marriage — and their lives?

Continue reading →

Book List 2022

Review: If This Gets Out by Sophie Gonzales & Cale Dietrich. Read by Ramón de Ocampo

February 14, 2022 Ashley LPLeave a comment

Title: If This Gets Out
Author(s): Sophie Gonzales and Cale Dietrich
Narrator: Ramón de Ocampo
Genre: Contemporary, Romance, Coming-of-age, LGBTQIA+
Summary:

Eighteen-year-olds Ruben Montez and Zach Knight are two members of the boy-band Saturday, one of the biggest acts in America. Along with their bandmates, Angel Phan and Jon Braxton, the four are teen heartbreakers in front of the cameras and best friends backstage. But privately, cracks are starting to form: their once-easy rapport is straining under the pressures of fame, and Ruben confides in Zach that he’s feeling smothered by management’s pressure to stay in the closet.

On a whirlwind tour through Europe, with both an unrelenting schedule and minimal supervision, Ruben and Zach come to rely on each other more and more, and their already close friendship evolves into a romance. But when they decide they’re ready to tell their fans and live freely, Zach and Ruben start to truly realize that they will never have the support of their management. How can they hold tight to each other when the whole world seems to want to come between them?

Continue reading →

Review: Golden Boys by Phil Stamper

February 4, 2022 Ashley LPLeave a comment

Title: Golden Boys
Author: Phil Stamper
Series: Golden Boys
Genre: Coming-of-age, Self-discovery, LGBTQIA+
Summary: Gabriel, Reese, Sal, and Heath are best friends, bonded in their small rural town by their queerness, their good grades, and their big dreams. They are about to embark on the summer before senior year of high school, where each is going on a new, big adventure. Reese is attending a design school in Paris. Gabriel is going to Boston to volunteer with an environmental nonprofit. Sal is interning on Capitol Hill for a U.S. Senator. And Heath is stuck going to Daytona Beach to help out at his aunt’s beachfront arcade.

What will this summer of new experiences and world-expanding travel mean for each of them—and for their friendship?

My Thoughts:

I know I promised on Twitter this would be up yesterday but if I’m honest I found myself picking the book up and re-reading some of my favourite parts…which were…almost all of them.

One of the best things about blogging about books isn’t so much this part, it’s really about sinking into a book and memorizing and savouring every little bit that you can from the content. Sure, sometimes it can be arduous and feel like a school project more than something you would do for fun when you work an insane amount of hours already but then you get books like this and you remember why you started this project in the first place.

Continue reading →