Champagne Kisses by MJ Duncan

 

⭐⭐⭐⭐☆

The author says this is a trope filled book —14, as per her. But this book is all the tropes done beautifully right. This book is pure romantic escapism in the best possible way — the kind of story that sweeps you up from the very first page and draws you in further with every page.

Aubrey Gill rolls into Whistler for her cousin's New Year's Eve wedding. She's not particularly looking forward to it since she's had a recent break up (but isn't particularly heartbroken) and single. She's not told anyone, so she'd pretty much dreading questions around her single status. 

Enter Beau Demers, Aubrey literally runs into Beau and there's a classic coffee drop moment. (Not a trope, but could probably be counted as one... since it's such a favourite amongst romance writers. Maybe coffee-shop and coffee-spill should be counted as tropes).

Beau Demers is charming; a burst of sunshine with irresistible warmth and sincerity. 

There's instant connection and somehow, Beau becomes Aubrey's fake date for the wedding. 

Through the pre-wedding shenanigans, Beau proceeds to capture everyone's hearts. 

I particularly loved Sam's dialogue about Beau... the one where she says, "It's a good ting you don't have Beau's game..."

The chemistry between Aubrey is crackling and ever present. Loved that. 

There is no angst but excellent pace. 

Aubrey Gill and Beau Demers are superb individually and irresistible together. 

This is a total romantic's romance. *chef's kiss*

⭐⭐⭐⭐☆

Tapout by Nicole Disney

 

⭐⭐⭐⭐☆

I've been unusually remiss in neglecting to write a review of The Cinch by Nicole Disney, which is one of my all time favourite books. It's set against the background of the brutal MMA world, but the romance is just so wonderful in that. Really my bad in not writing the review for that one earlier.

The cover of Tapout indicated the same world so it was an immediate got-to-read for me. And it doesn't disappoint. It delivers a powerful one-two punch of raw, visceral energy and tender emotional depth. Writing the romance, the realness of the MCs, their chemistry and connection is Disney's superpower. 

It starts with a dramatic fight sequence in which Laila Moretti is massacred in her UFC attempt. And she as good as gives up. She's pretty much at the rock bottom, when her friend, Vic, drags her to an illegal, underground fight at the Yard. There she meets Harlow, the organiser of the event. 

The undeniable, electric attraction between them is portrayed with a potent blend of tension and tenderness, making every interaction crackle with possibility. 

Laila’s struggle is about physical recovery and the psychological battle of rebuilding a shattered identity. Harlow is a force of nature—all sharp edges and ruthless ambition, yet the braver of the two in sharing her vulnerabilities... the reason why she does what she does, despite the risks.

The world of underground fighting is gritty and edged with danger. While the detailed fights may not be everyone's cup of tea (they are written is rather explicit detail, given Disney's own background in the field), they are pretty much the driver of the psychological shift in Laila. (An aside: I couldn't quite 'see' either the mechanics of the fights or the actual physical movement. But I guess that's on me, not the author.)

Between the two, Harlow's humanness, humaneness, depth and care constantly more visible. She is the one staking much more into the relationship. Laila's emotions and actions are pretty immature and self-centered. It somehow works, because of the charactisations: Harlow's love language is taking care of others while sacrificing herself. Laila's love language is being belligerent and expecting open arms, all the same. 

Tapout  excels in interpersonal relationships, not just between the MCs, but with every other secondary and minor character. That's what makes it a compelling read.

⭐⭐⭐⭐☆

Falls from Grace by Ruby Landers

 

⭐⭐⭐⭐☆

This is one helluva good book. The plot, the characterizations, the interactions — everything is excellent. Ruby Landers makes the characters feel alive, the conversations real, the struggles true.

At its core, it’s about two women who are forced to face their fears, heal old wounds, and take a chance on love even when the odds—and their pasts—seem stacked against them.

Savannah Grace, once a star whose life has been bruised by betrayal carries herself with both strength and fragility. Brynn, by contrast, feels untethered and uncertain of her own future (though I absolutely love her sister's perception of Brynn's life. One of the most effective shows of experience vs perception. Also, it makes you really think about an individual's propensity towards self-pity and victimhood). The inner conflicts of both are relatable. 

The chemistry between the MCs is lovingly rendered. The slow burn is beautifully articulated (though I do have doubts that songwriting is really as easy as Landers' makes it). 

The backdrop and environment are well chosen and create a perfect setting. The combination of music, fame, past baggage and failure, and family responsibility adds depth beyond the central love story. The presence of Savannah’s son, for example, grounds the novel with a sense of realism and higher stakes, showing how love can ripple outward into family dynamics.

Conflict in the last two-thirds of the book. This is one of my pet peeves since usually it is forced. But here it is perfect. The cause is justified, the aftermath is believable, and the earn-back is truly worked-for. It only adds to both the characters and their relationship.

The biggest issue with the story is Brynn's easy, breezy ride into fame on pure luck. It's enough to make Brynn forever rest many steps below Savannah for me. 

Savannah, on the other hand — what can I say — I'm something of a fangirl for that one. She's everything.

Falls From Grace is a heartfelt and emotionally layered romance that blends celebrity drama with deeply personal struggles. 

⭐⭐⭐⭐☆

Too Good to be True by Leigh Hays

 

⭐⭐⭐⭐☆

This is an age-gap romance, but that description doesn’t do justice to the depth of characterisation and the wonderfully built relationship contained within. 

Madison Hewitt (28) is a social worker. Jen Winslow (42) is a rain-maker in her profession of fundraising. The two run into one another at a wedding and there are sparks between them – more like a flame. Though neither of them is a one-night-stand kind of person, they do end up in bed together. Jen leaves the next morning before Madison wakes, but leaves a note with her number, which Madison throws away. Madison has been pretty much devasted – personally and professionally – by the last woman she was involved with and circumstantially, it looks like Jen is in almost exactly the same situation as Madison’s ex.

But Madison and Jen meet again is a loosely formal work situation. Madison is the social worker in the school that Jen’s son attends. When Madison puts forward a food security proposal, the principal asks Jen to help with the fundraising. It is an awkward situation especially since the draw between them only keeps growing stronger. 

Madison and Jen are wonderfully drawn and given depths, dimensions, backstories and maturity. The chemistry between them is electric (good sexy times too) and the way their relationship is developed simply rocks. In fact, it is so well done that we actually slowed down our reading to savour their feelings and experience our emotions in response to their relationship. 

Both women are struggling with the impact that their pasts have had on them and truly working to deal with that so that they can somehow be together and see where their relationship goes. There is some angst which develops organically in the natural course of their interaction and completely based on all the baggage that they are carrying individually. 

Admittedly the first half flows smoother and faster, but that is because it is the relationship-building stage. That bit always seems to be easier to write and make more immersive. The second half is also strong and we loved the way Madison and Jen deal with their own shortfalls. This ranks with Breathless by Sarah Sanders, Temptation by Kris Bryant, The X Ingredient by Roslyn Sinclair, Kiss the Girl by Melissa Brayden, Jump Then Fall by Sarah Sanders, Off Balance by L.E. Royal and Finding Jessica Lambert by Clare Ashton (amongst others) in our list of excellent age gap romances.

⭐⭐⭐⭐☆

The Holiday Treatment by Elle Spencer

 

⭐⭐⭐⭐☆

This is a light, fluffy, feel-good, delightfully cheesy romcom. 

Holly (Holiday – yes, that’s her name. isn’t it terribly cute?) is the writer of super-successful Christmas romances set in the fictional town, Evermore, for Wifetime Channel. While her movies are madly popular. Holly’s dearest wish is to write a gay Christmas romance. Something that she’d have liked t see while growing up. Her idea is shot down repeatedly and she’s determined not to sign up for a new Evermore romance unless she can also get the greenlight for her gay romance.

Despite writing the popular Christmas romances, Holly personally is not into the holiday. She prefers to spend it by herself in Hawaii each year. Serendipitously, this time, her office crush, Meredith Drake is also in Hawaii, in the same resort at the same time. Meredith was supposed to be hosting a bachelorette for her sister who has seemingly flaked out and informed everyone else in the party, sans Meredith. 

Holly and Meredith spend time together and have what could be a holiday fling. Except it isn’t with Meredith asking to date Holly when they get back to their real life. Holly is more than happy to agree. 

But things aren’t smooth sailing for the couple when they return. Meredith is promoted and has to adhere to newly put-in-place strict workplace relationships. 

This is assuredly a romance with romance being the driver of the story. However, it reads like Holly’s story. Meredith has probably as much page time as Holly’s quirky group of friends. So it’s safe to say that this is a story around one central character, Holly. And Holly is undoubtedly a delightful central character. She is utterly and completely adorable. Meredith, as a foil romantic interest is also quite charming. The assorted supporting characters are also totally fun. 

There is some angst, but it doesn’t weigh down the light, peppy proceedings of the narrative. We absolutely love the unexpected celebrity status Holly has in her hometown and having a day named after her – the cherry on top of the cheesiness!

⭐⭐⭐⭐☆

Finding a Keeper by Nicole Pyland

 

⭐⭐⭐⭐☆

New adult, slow-burn, self-discovery, growing up fast, dealing with painful exigencies – this book covers a lot of dimensions with panache.

Sloan Rossi is the daughter of a US diplomat posted in London. She’d been in London since she lost her mother at eleven and shares a close, loving relationship with her father. Sloan is a gifted footballer playing forward and was already in the under-18 team in a prestigious team. However, when it comes to further studies and training, she chooses to accept the full soccer scholarship offered by Winterpark, her mom’s alma mater, in the USA. Winterpark’s soccer programme is noteworthy and making headway in the NCAA championships. 

Marley Nichols is a junior in Winterpark. Also playing soccer, Marley is a goalie. She is keen on getting scouted and has only two years to catch the eye of the scouts. As luck would have it, Marley injures herself practically in the first training session and is out for the season. Since the team is running low on goalies, Sloan is roped in and proves to be a natural. 

Sloan and Marley are on the path of friendship since their first day in dorm and the friendship grows organically. It takes a deeper dimension when Sloan loses her father and Marley is the rock to support her. When Marley faces rejection from her parents because of her sexuality, Sloan is her support. So the relationship is beautifully balanced and equal. 

The romantic relationship takes time to emerge but the way the relationship between Sloan and Marley develops and deepens throughout makes it feel organic. Marley is out from the beginning but for Sloan, the attraction towards Marley is a journey of self-discovery. Mercifully there is no angst. Well, okay, there is about half a scene of angst with Marley acting like an unreasonable jerk and her friends telling her to get her head out of her ass asap. But besides that, the relationship between Sloan and Marley is beautifully built. 

Sloan is someone we can totally fall for. Everything about her is fall-for-worthy. She’s certainly one of our favourite fictional sportswomen along with Sonja Romanov from Delicate by Sarah Sanders, Callie Mulligan from Fire & Ice by Rachel Spangler and Madison Fletcher from A Shot at Gold from this series.

We really liked the highly-sexed friends, Emily and Alison, and think they deserve a book of their own. At least a novella.

This is a very, very good read.

⭐⭐⭐⭐☆

The Space Between Worlds by Micaiah Johnson

⭐⭐⭐⭐☆

The context: Multiverse, a way to hop between the different Earths and world walkers.

Cara is a world traverser. She is one of the few people on Earth Zero who goes from one Earth to another collecting information and data. There are 382 Earths and a person can be a traverser if they do not exist on most of the other Earths. Cara exists on only seven other Earths. 

Each Earth is populated by the same people as Cara's and have the same past but a different present. 

Cara is a little bit reckless. A little bit of a rebel. And a whole lot attracted to and interested in her watcher, Dell. Cold, distant, indifferent Dell. Cara's been flirting with Dell for five years but is constantly met by the same wall.

The other people in Cara's life are her sister, Esther; her mentor, Jean; the man who invented the technology to traverse, Adam; the emperor of the rough land beyond the rich Wiley City, Nik Nik and a clutch of other minor (but not unimportant) characters.

Each Earth is in the same band of miserable with slight differences in the degree of miserableness, yet the book is not depressing. It is an action and emotion packed story with unexpected twists and turns.

Though there is a brief mention of the Middle East, all action remains contained in the world created by the writer consisting of the rich Wiley City, the rough Ashtown and the Rurals beyond Ashtown.

The world building is good and the character-across-Earths creation with regard to Cara and Adam is incredible. The writing is beautiful.

Cara is a strong, well rounded character. She is a great protagonist. However, Esther, in a much smaller appearance captured our admiration. And Dell, in an even smaller page presence, stole our heart. She is incredible in her strength, intelligence and above all in her loving. Major character crush on Dell happening here.

The ending is a little open ended but we believe that it is a HEA for Cara and Dell.

Definitely recommended.

⭐⭐⭐⭐☆

Heart of Ice by T. B. Markinson and Miranda Macleod

⭐⭐⭐⭐☆

Laurie Emerson is codenamed Laurie the Hatchet in the world of finance for her notorious ruthlessness. Laurie and her wife Bonnie were co-founders of one of the topmost financial advisory firms and their shared office was called the Shark Tank. When Bonnie's tumour was diagnosed with inoperable, she booked Laurie for a year in a high-end resort and handed the reins of the company to her son, Toby.

Laurie returns a little under a year during which the company has been nosediving under mismanagement. But Laurie has a lead that could completely turn the company around and make it a top player again. The lead is inside information that Silvio Othonos, an elusive Greek billionaire, is looking for a firm to manage his investments. Laurie's vigour is roadblocked by Toby who has jetted off across the Atlantic trying to jump the gun and meet with Othonos without a plan in place.

Undeterred, Laurie decides to make a team out of the available resources and create a solid proposal for the billionaire.

Jacqueline (Jack) Kennedy is a hardworking portfolio manager with Emersons. As a woman in a man's world she is overlooked and on the receiving end of entitled masculine behaviour. Not being an Ivy Leaguer also puts her on something of a back foot. Having joined after Laurie had left for her sabbatical, Jack knows Laurie only by reputation. So, when she is the only portfolio manager on the floor and becomes part of Laurie's team, she's quite pleased and is looking forward to the meeting the next day.

A snowed in evening, an Irish pub, a hot woman and amazing sex -- only to realise that the hot woman of the previous evening was Laurie / Jack i.e. boss / subordinate. Both decide to forget their evening together and keep it professional. Except that the chemistry keeps boiling over throwing emotions all over the map.

Laurie and Jack are superbly crafted characters. Laurie does keep slipping into being a version of Miranda Priestly but is also not Miranda Priestly often enough. Come to think of it, such fluctuations would actually leave a person with whiplash. But Jack works with her mercurial boss with fortitude. Realistically, Jack does have misgivings about working with Laurie and her impossible behaviour. 

Though older than Jack by 20 years, Laurie is clearly the immature one between the two. Jack is never without spine. Yes, Laurie is demanding and impossible but Jack never comes across as a doormat or pushover.

Jack's kooky mother and her story is a smile inducing twist.

The chemistry between Jack and Laurie is fantastic. And the grand-gesture love confession is perfect for die-hard romantics. 

The book captures you from the very start and keeps you totally engrossed for its entirety. Markinson and Macleod are a winning combination. Their collaboration brings to us the most romantic and adorable book.

Definitely recommended.

⭐⭐⭐⭐☆

Bet Against Me by Fiona Riley

⭐⭐⭐⭐☆

Who knew that the world of luxury realty was so intensely competitive?

Trina Lee is a rockstar realtor who outperforms all others in the industry and has developed a reputation of being cutthroat and ruthless. She’s been featured in a magazine’s list of 30 under 30 and as the cherry on top of her cake of a great year professionally, she’s a hairsbreadth from winning the coveted Realtor of the Year award. Except that she’s pipped to the post by a Jane-come-yesterday, Kendall Yates. The two work in rival companies and there’s no love lost between their bosses. Post the award presentation, as Trina is attacking Kendall with all she’s got and Kendall is pulling no punches in trading insult with insult, their bosses come up with a ‘friendly’ (but not really) competition between their star performers – to outsell the other in one particular upcoming development.

Trina and Kendall get down to it, never missing an opportunity to bring out those deadly claws and sharp tongues to deliver scathing insults. But that much passion spills into unexpected channels and their whole relationship does a 180 degree.

Trina Lee is one livewire of a character. Sassy, sarcastic, sharp and competitive, she is also borderline arrogant and cocky but tempered down with her sweetness and loyalty right from the beginning. Though she comes across as the more abrasive and antagonistic of the two initially, her character is so well rounded by her other relationships that she is never dislikeable. Kendall has a past that she’s trying to outpace. She cuts a more sympathetic figure at start. Also she’s not the one itching to fight all the time. However, Riley does a great job of making both women equally appealing. More to her credit, Riley somehow manages to give a flavour of I-like-her-therefore-I’ll-pull-her-pigtails-to-get-her-attention to the whole animosity.

The chemistry between the two leads is sizzling. And par for the course, as with all Riley’s books, the heat-o-meter is set at burn. The book has a great balance between romance and sex.

We sorely missed an epilogue in this one. We’re sure that Trina and Kendall will be happy together for life, but we’d have definitely liked to know what Kendall does professionally and how she fares after all the evil-dad-interfering-in-her-life drama. (BTW, this dad-villain bit added to the rather farfetched premise makes this one more a romcom than a contemporary romance. But in no way does it detract from the fact this is a hugely entertaining book with great chemistry and amazingly good sex).

Definitely recommended.

⭐⭐⭐⭐☆

The Pull of the Stars by Emma Donoghue, Narrated by Emma Lowe (Audiobook)

⭐⭐⭐⭐☆

Review-Lite

because...Language is leaving me in silence…

• Brilliant writing
• Eerie similarities between the end-of-war flu of 1918 and the coronavirus pandemic of 2020
• Troubling, touching, enraging and surprisingly tender
• Donoghue has a gift of building such strong environment that you can feel every single thing she describes – from physical, tangible things to every emotion experienced by every person in the cast. You can feel the blood, sweat tears, heat, stifling airless room, frustrations, fears, pain...
• Will women ever get equality?
• Amazing audio performance by Emma Lowe
• Can actually feel the stifling atmosphere outside the room, inside the ward and in the whole culture of female oppression
• Heavy and intense

⭐⭐⭐⭐☆

Spindrift by Anna Burke

⭐⭐⭐⭐☆

When a character grabs your heart on introduction and you are totally invested in a book by the end of the first chapter, you know this is the beginning of a beautiful relationship.

Emilia Russo is struggling on many levels when she comes to Seal Cove to deal with her late father's estate. Morgan Donovan is an ambulatory vet with a thriving practice in Seal Cove. Decades ago, when Emilia still visited her father during summers, she'd had a crush on Morgan. Decades later the attraction is still there and this time Morgan not only sees Emilia but returns the feelings. But with both of them, and Emilia in particular, struggling emotionally, it's not easy going.

No synopsis can capture the true depth of characterisations or the many textures of the various relationships in this book. Relationships not only between the two leading ladies but with an extensive supporting cast of friends, families, coworkers and pets. 

In her bio, Burke writes "...drinking too much tea, which she prefers hot and strong—just like her protagonists.” Hot and strong is the perfect description for not only Emilia and Morgan, but for most of the women we meet in this story. Burke writes her people with depths and dimensions that make them tangibly real.

Emilia is someone who captured our heart and imagination completely. Morgan was a good foil to Emilia's strength and sexiness most of the time. Most of the time, not always, though. Especially towards the end where our liking for Morgan was severely tested. She does redeem herself later, but just about. On the other hand Emilia is a brilliantly explored and layered personality who just grows more and more compelling in each scene. 

We usually dread the compulsory conflict towards the end and maybe, this one didn't really need it. It would've moved perfectly well without the conflict, but then, we'd have missed Emilia's sexy assertiveness in the resolution conversation. 

Hot, hot, hot sexy times in this one. Utterly and totally awesome. And plenty of them. Okay, maybe a little more than expected, but sooo good. The chemistry between the leading ladies is so good that the sex becomes more than just erotica even for the reader. That is quite an achievement.

We see at least two more books within the Seal Cove universe and this group of friends. We can't wait for them.

Highly, highly, highly recommended.

PS: We'd like to put in our request to Burke to write one for Morgan's ex, Kate. In her brief appearance, Kate was just so lovely. Also, in her relationship with Morgan, Kate got the bad deal and she deserves love, romance, attention and happiness. We'd love to read abut Kate getting her sweeping romance. 

⭐⭐⭐⭐☆

The Care and Feeding of Waspish Widows by Olivia Waite

⭐⭐⭐⭐☆

This is a brilliantly written slow burn historical romance that uses facts to effectively give social and historical context to fiction.

Agatha Griffin has been widowed for three years. Her marriage was one of harmony and love. While her husband was alive, the couple ran a printing business which she is now managing alone and trying her best to get her teenaged son interested in. Her son is however more interested in rebellion and change which makes Agatha extremely nervous.

Agatha has a press in London and one in the town of Melliton, where her mother-in-law lives. On a visit to the Melliton press, Agatha finds a part of the warehouse colonised by bees. On her mother-in-law’s recommendation, Agatha sets off in search of Penelope Flood to deal with the bees.

Penelope is a merchant’s daughter with a whole lot of brothers who’ve moved out of the village. She lives in the family home by herself while her husband, a sailor, is away for years at end. Penelope has a steady income and also a gift with bees, so besides her own hives, she helps other beekeepers around town.

Flood helps Griffin with her problem and promises to look after the resettled hive and keep Griffin updated. Thus starts an unlikely connection between the two women.

The story is set in 1820s and the whole drama between King George and Queen Caroline forms important context. The environment of suppression of women and the social acceptance and expectation of a ‘woman’s place’ is written so well that you can practically feel it.

There are a lot of characters – practically an entire village – and each individual has their own personality and depth. Most characters are depicted as ordinary folk not wanting to upset the apple cart too much. But they aren’t complete doormats either and do thumb their nose at insufferable authority figures whenever they can while making sure that they do not face repercussions. More heroism would’ve been nice, but since history is such an important part of the story, guess Waite didn’t want to particularly change that.

The romance between Agatha and Flood is mostly pining for each other and keeping their feelings in check for propriety. But the connection and chemistry is unmissable. Whether spending time traversing the town taking care of hives, or their letters to each other, or just being a part of each other’s lives and thoughts – the relationship is beautifully built. Once they confess their feelings, however, the relationship moves at a sonic pace, including one graphically lush sex scene.

This is a great read which we strongly recommend.

⭐⭐⭐⭐☆

Vegas Savages by Jane Brooke

⭐⭐⭐⭐☆

Adjectives slam around when we try to think about what to say about this book. The one that swims on to the top is -- raw. This book is raw. It has raw emotions, raw sexuality and sexual descriptions and a raw depth. It is also edgy, grimy, gritty and somewhat mind bending. Through it all runs a delicious vein of dry humour and uncompromising observations (good and bad; positive and negative) about everything from politics to environment and conservation.

PI / Bounty Hunter Jane is a Brit repartiate in North Vegas, a place of debauchary, deviance, dreams and deaths. Bold, brilliant, beautiful and badass, Jane has the sensibilities of a vigilante but manages to tread a very, very fine line between meting out justice in crude, painful ways and staying on the right side of law. An unapologetically sexual creature, she has no qualms about using all tools -- guns, martial arts or sex -- at her disposal to put away a bad 'un -- man or woman. 

Jane is described as a Mensa genius, stunning (an ex model), quirky, tall, queer twist savage, steel toed boot string blond, wealthy, linguist, violent, troubled, weapons and martial arts expert, a heart of gold, lives in her own retro/film noir world. She is a NOW generation kinda plugged in girl, seeing the world in a acid etched reality. 

This book takes us into Jane's world as she first handles a couple of jobs for the police, living and partaking enthusiastically of the den of sin that her world is. She is all guns and glam with a massive sexual drive. One of the beautiful girls who come to Vegas with stars in their eyes only to end up in a gutter of deadbeat degradation, reaches out to Jane about her missing thirteen year old daughter.

As Jane tracks the missing child, we are taken through all sorts of darkness and mayhem, depravity and justice.

This is a genre defying work. It cannot be slotted into a neat box. It is erotica. It is crime. It is action. It is stream of consciousness. It is also social and political commentary. It is all these things and yet cannot be contained in just one of these genres.

Written in first person, the style is entirely unique. Clipped phrases form short, staccato sentences that move incidents along at a rapid fire pace. Jane's thoughts move along a stream of consciousness going from thinking of a evil man to Taylor Swift and back seamlessly. The style is kind of mesmerising and addictive.

Brooke doesn't shy away from writing everything in explicit and excruciating detail -- whether it is sex (including a singularly detailed BDSM 'scene'); gut-wrenching and stomach-churning descriptions of what happened to a victim; heart wrenching aftermath of the aforementioned  knowledge on Jane via tortuous dreams; and sordidly graphic violence (which feels strangely satisfying given who is at the receiving end). 

This is not a book for the squeamish or faint hearted but if you do pick it up, it is quite an experience. Enthralling, even.

We certainly recommend this book. Tread the path not frequented and walk the wild side.

⭐⭐⭐⭐☆

Midnight Magic by Cameron Darrow

⭐⭐⭐⭐☆

Rich in imagination and raw in emotion this is an awesome love story set in a fantasy world.

In days long past, wizards or rather mages, had started playing God in Atvalia. They'd started creating immortal creatures its skeletons of metal and stealing the life force of a living animal to animate and give life to their skeleton. As a result of this practice they were hounded and essentially wiped out. Now, anyone with magic is a second class citizen forced to always dress in a particular way to set them apart and closely watched. 

Vimika is a wizard more second class than most because she's a struggling freelancer. Her skills are mostly used to kill rats or find missing pets. After one too many heartbreaks, Vimika has hidden herself in Durn taking whatever gigs she gets and drinking herself into oblivion every evening.

When she is given the task of finding the lost pet of one of the four powerful houses that rule the city, she feels that her life is about to change with all the money she's going to earn for it and gleefully sets out. But as she gets closer to the animal, she realises that things aren't as simple as they'd seemed. Still she pushes on only to be met with nightmares in form of a forest and then...a clearing and the most beautiful woman she's ever seen -- Aurelai.

Aurelai has been imprisoned in her clearing in the forest for at least a couple of centuries by her father, the most powerful and considered the most wicked of all the mages of the past. Aurelai confesses that she purposely created a situation to get Vimika to her so that Vimika can set her free. Trapped and isolated for endless time Aurelai hungers for 'normalcy'. 

Hot-headed Vimika reacts badly, but she seems to have lost her magic and is also unable to get away. So she stays. And sees the gentleness in Aurelai. Sees her kindness. Her aloneness. Her tragedy. Her beauty -- inside and outside. 

The two women are drawn to each other and struggle to break free out of a prison created by unfathomable magic.

Aurelai and Vimika are amongst the most fully realised and well-defined characters we've met in the world of words. Aurelai in particular stole our heart. Her life is unspeakable tragedy and yet she is so strong as she struggles to live and learn from books, from nature and by herself that she inspires deep tenderness and protectiveness. It took more time for Vimika to grow on us, but grow she did, till by the end she became deserving of the perfect Aurelai.

We have to mention the penultimate climatic scene where Vimika rejects the optics of Aurelai's truth completely dismissing the person Aurelai is. It shattered us. Gutted us. Compelled us to give a thought to the prejudices society engenders and the limitations it creates. How the collective conscious and the collective unconscious shape and bind our acceptance. How discrimination and fear are ingrained so that we dismiss our experience with a person. That scene shook us. It was truly powerful in the reveal, the emotion and the dialogue.

Darrow is a talented writer. The narrative is consistently strong and solid with excellent world-building and evocative descriptions. The imagination is flawless in thought, planning and execution.

The whimsical cover belies the powerful book behind it. This is a compelling read and strongly recommended. Even if fantasy isn't your usual fare, this one is also beautiful as a love story (it is more than a romance).

⭐⭐⭐⭐☆