Tag: romance

Review – Paladin’s Grace

Posted August 11, 2025 by Nicky in Reviews / 0 Comments

Review – Paladin’s Grace

Paladin's Grace

by T. Kingfisher

Genres: Fantasy, Romance
Pages: 360
Series: The Saint of Steel #1
Rating: four-stars
Synopsis:

While foraging for startleflower, perfumer Grace finds herself pursued by ruffians and rescued by a handsome paladin in shining armour. Only, to outwit her hunters, they must pretend to be doing something very unrespectable in an alleyway.

Stephen, a broken paladin, spends his time knitting socks and working as a bodyguard, living only for the chance to be useful. But that all changes when he saves Grace and witnesses an assassination attempt gone wrong. Now, Stephen and Grace must navigate a web of treachery and poisoners, while a cryptic killer stalks one step behind.

I’ve been meaning to give T. Kingfisher’s Saint of Steel series a try for a while, and the lovely new UK editions spurred me on. Paladin’s Grace is the first, and sets the scene well: Stephen is a berserker paladin whose god has died, struggling against their remaining uncontrolled berserker tendency and the legacy of violence the paladins left when, as their god died, they went berserk. The remaining living paladins now serve the Rat, who offers help to all who need it — and took in the broken paladins when they most needed it.

He stumbles into a meeting with Grace, a perfumer, who quickly ends up in everything over her head after previously running away from her abusive philandering husband. She doesn’t want protecting, and Stephen doesn’t quite dare have a relationship, but sparks fly and, anyway, sometimes you do need help even when you can stand on your own two feet.

It’s a lovely story of healing, for both of them, and also a bit of a mystery, set against a fascinating world with lots of moving parts, and stories going on of which Stephen and Grace are just parts. I loved Stephen and Grace as individuals and as a pair, and all the glimpses of the other paladins too, but also I’m really looking forward to reading more of the world, in the other Saint of Steel books and in Swordheart (also getting a UK reissue) and Clockwork Boys (already reissued in a nice hardback and on my TBR).

I am pleased that Istvhan and Piper get their own books, as I enjoyed both as characters. I’m less fussed about Shane, but since his book matches him up with Marguerite, that should be fun.

All in all, a lot of fun. For the ultimate endorsement: when I read the last 100 pages of this, I was unwise enough to be sat cross-legged on the floor, a dangerous prospect now I’ve reached the ripe old age of 35. Maybe some 35-year-olds can still do that comfortably, but my ability to do that for any length of time can best be described as limited.

Apparently I could do it just fine for the 40 minutes I spent raptly reading the last 115 pages of this without shifting an inch. I was somewhat less able to creak to my feet again afterwards, though…

Rating: 4/5 (“really liked it”)

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Review – The Other World’s Books Depend on the Bean Counter (LN), vol 2

Posted August 6, 2025 by Nicky in Reviews / 0 Comments

Review – The Other World’s Books Depend on the Bean Counter (LN), vol 2

The Other World's Books Depend on the Bean Counter: Church Management Support Plan

by Yatsuki Wakutsu

Genres: Fantasy, Light Novels, Romance
Pages: 272
Series: The Other World's Books Depend on the Bean Counter (light novel) #2
Rating: four-stars
Synopsis:

After getting accidentally summoned to another world, former office worker Seiichiro ends up becoming extremely close with the handsome knight commander Aresh -- although what exactly that means remains ambiguous, even after they begin living together. Just as that's happening, Seiichiro meets a priest who reminds him a bit of Aresh. When Aresh returns from his latest expedition, will he find a rival waiting for him?

The second volume of Yatsuki Wakutsu’s light novel, The Other World’s Books Depend on the Bean Counter took me juuust beyond where I’d got up to in the manga (which was volume four, so they’re not quite in sync volume-wise), though there’s one more volume of the manga already out in English that I haven’t read yet. It’s a great step forward, story-wise, forcing Seiichirou to deal with Aresh’s feelings and consider his own, and also furthering Seiichirou’s plans for improving the kingdom and giving a bit more depth to some other characters (Yua, Yurius, Sigma) and world.

I’d say that the thing that bothers me most in the manga (Aresh’s controlling actions) seem… less bad, in the light novel? Maybe because we get a touch more insight into Seiichirou’s reactions, I suppose, and the fact that he doesn’t entirely seem to mind. There’s also a bit more clear intimacy between them that the manga glosses over a lot. It’s still a bit controlling (particularly the move to living together), but it comes across a bit better, and it feels a bit more obvious that Aresh is really young (including in the art).

I won’t say too much spoilery, but I am happy that we don’t have to wait until the end for clear feelings to be discussed between the main characters. I loved the inclusion of Seiichirou’s (unsent) letters to Aresh, because it’s an adorable insight into what he’s thinking, and Norbert’s extras are cute too.

Rating: 4/5 (“really liked it”)

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Review – The Duke Heist

Posted August 2, 2025 by Nicky in Reviews / 0 Comments

Review – The Duke Heist

The Duke Heist

by Erica Ridley

Genres: Historical Fiction, Romance
Pages: 352
Series: The Wild Wynchesters #1
Rating: four-stars
Synopsis:

A woman accidentally kidnaps a duke in this fabulous Regency romp that Bridgerton author Julia Quinn hails as a "delight."

Chloe Wynchester is completely forgettable—a curse that gives her the ability to blend into any crowd. When the only father she's ever known makes a dying wish for his adopted family of orphans to recover a missing painting, she's the first one her siblings turn to for stealing it back. No one expects that in doing so, she'll also abduct a handsome duke.

Lawrence Gosling, the Duke of Faircliffe, is tortured by his father's mistakes. To repair his estate's ruined reputation, he must wed a highborn heiress. Yet when he finds himself in a carriage being driven hell-for-leather down the cobblestone streets of London by a beautiful woman who refuses to heed his commands, he fears his heart is hers. But how can he sacrifice his family's legacy to follow true love?

Another review from the archives, which somehow never got posted here!

Chloe Wynchester is convinced that she is plain and unremarkable: that is the skill that gets her into capers with her family, the way she manages to twist situations to their advantage and right wrongs. Behind that lies a fear of being forgotten, of being replaced.

Lawrence, for his part, is damaged by neglect and by his father’s profligacy, by the way people talk about his family. He’s hell-bent on fixing his family’s fortunes and restoring their good name. At the same time, he does see Chloe, and thinks she’s remarkable; in fact, he thinks she’s beautiful, much against his better judgement.

I didn’t see at first how this was going to work out, especially given Faircliffe’s behaviour in the prequel novella, but Ridley got me hooked all the same. I loved the way Lawrence was able to be silly with Chloe, and his attentiveness to her needs — however easily he was gulled by them due to silly preconceptions, his intentions were good.

It was odd reading this after having already read the second book, but given that it’s a romance, you kind of know how it’s going to end anyway, so nothing was spoiled. I love all the Wynchesters and their relationships, and I came to love Lawrence too. I’d love to see him more involved in what they do, in future books… even if it’s just lending them legitimacy when needed, or a small part. He’d love it.

Rating: 4/5 (“really liked it”)

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Review – Cinder House

Posted August 1, 2025 by Nicky in Reviews / 7 Comments

Review – Cinder House

Cinder House

by Freya Marske

Genres: Fantasy, Romance
Pages: 144
Rating: three-stars
Synopsis:

Sparks fly and lovers dance in this gorgeous, yearning Cinderella retelling from bestselling author Freya Marske—a queer Gothic romance perfect for fans of Naomi Novik and T. Kingfisher.

Ella is a haunting.

Murdered at sixteen, her ghost is furiously trapped in her father's house, invisible to everyone except her stepmother and stepsisters.

Even when she discovers how to untether herself from her prison, there are limits. She cannot be seen or heard by the living people who surround her. Her family must never learn she is able to leave. And at the stroke of every midnight, she finds herself back on the staircase where she died.

Until she forges a wary friendship with a fairy charm-seller, and makes a bargain for three nights of almost-living freedom. Freedom that means she can finally be seen. Danced with. Touched.

You think you know Ella's story: the ball, the magical shoes, the handsome prince.

You're halfway right, and all-the-way wrong.

Rediscover a classic fairy tale in this debut novella from "the queen of romantic fantasy" (Polygon).

I received a copy of this book for free in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.

I found Freya Marske’s Cinder House a little slower to get started than I’d expected from a novella: it felt like more than half the book was setup (though important things did happen!) and then the ending had to happen at an absolute gallop. A little more time in the second half for a good head of longing to build up would have really helped the ending, though I’m trying not to say too much about that.

The bones of the story are Cinderella, but it’s also much more than that, with quite a bit of worldbuilding woven in. The politics of the world were a bit difficult to grasp from the vantage point we have, which honestly makes sense since, well, Ella’s a house. Kind of. Interestingly, from the buildup I guessed two possible endings, and in the end they were both sort of right (and both sort of wrong).

I did enjoy the world-building, and the way the story works out — the way Ella’s sisters torture her into compliance was very well thought out and described, for instance, it’s all very thoughtful — it just felt like the pacing was a touch off.

Rating: 3/5 (“liked it”)

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Review – The Governess Gambit

Posted July 29, 2025 by Nicky in Reviews / 0 Comments

Review – The Governess Gambit

The Governess Gambit

by Erica Ridley

Genres: Historical Fiction, Romance
Pages: 148
Series: The Wild Wynchesters #0.5
Rating: four-stars
Synopsis:

Meet the Wild Wynchesters: This fun-loving, caper-committing family of tight-knit siblings can’t help but find love and adventure!

Years ago, Chloe Wynchester and five other uniquely talented orphans were adopted by a wealthy baron with a secret mission: The motley Wynchester family fights for justice from the margins of high society. And the handsome, clever duke Chloe has long admired proves to be her worst enemy…

An unscrupulous boarding school is exploiting orphans in a secret workhouse. Baron Vanderbean plots a daring rescue. When illness befalls him, Chloe must take the reins. But how can a lifelong wallflower lead the charge to save the children?

This is another review that I wrote back when I read the book, which somehow never got posted here! 

The Governess Gambit is full of setup for the first book of this series, The Duke Heist — which I haven’t read yet — but also, for anyone who knows the Wynchesters from their other adventures (in my case the second book, The Perks of Loving a Wallflower) a tension and inevitability that you just don’t want to be real. I think it’s best experienced that way, actually: Bean might be dead in the main series, but nonetheless the love they felt for him is clear, and knowing that already is what shapes the tension of this book.

It’s also fun seeing everything from a slightly different perspective, since this book follows Chloe, and it did whet my appetite for The Duke Heist as well.

Still eager to see more of the other Wynchesters! Especially Jacob and Graham, as I feel like we see their point of view least of all so far. Though maybe The Duke Heist will change that!

Rating: 4/5 (“really liked it”)

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Review – A Side Character’s Love Story, vol 15

Posted July 25, 2025 by Nicky in Reviews / 0 Comments

Review – A Side Character’s Love Story, vol 15

A Side Character's Love Story

by Akane Tamura

Genres: Manga, Romance
Pages: 161
Series: A Side Character's Love Story #15
Rating: three-stars
Synopsis:

Nobuko and Hiroki have graduated college, and their relationship is now long distance. One an office worker in Ehime, the other a graduate student in Hiroshima, their lives are very different and their schedules no longer match up. The stress of it all leads to one anxiety after another, but if they don't want their relationship to falter, they must learn to face it head on.

Volume 15 of A Side Character’s Love Story is a bit less pure cuteness than some of the others, bringing a serious note. Nobuko is building her adult life in Ehime, making friends and spreading her wings, and back in Hiroshima, Hiroki’s having trouble adjusting to that — to Nobuko hanging out with people he doesn’t know, meeting people, etc.

He’s not even wrong, because Tai is of course trying to flirt with and “steal” Nobuko. That said, she’s having none of it, and it’s really high time for them to have one of their discussions about how they feel and get Hiroki out of his funk.

There’s also a fair amount going on with the new side characters, with both Aoike and Asuka getting “screen” time for their relationship woes, more so than was usual for the side characters from earlier volumes, like Fumi-chan.

Rating: 3/5 (“liked it”)

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Review – The Perks of Loving a Wallflower

Posted July 22, 2025 by Nicky in Reviews / 0 Comments

Review – The Perks of Loving a Wallflower

The Perks of Loving a Wallflower

by Erica Ridley

Genres: Historical Fiction, Romance
Pages: 368
Series: The Wild Wynchesters #2
Rating: four-stars
Synopsis:

As a master of disguise, Thomasina Wynchester can be a polite young lady — or a bawdy old man. She’ll do whatever it takes to solve the cases her family takes on. But when Tommy’s beautiful new client turns out to be the highborn lady she’s secretly smitten with, more than her mission is at stake...

Bluestocking Miss Philippa York doesn’t believe in love. Her heart didn’t pitter-patter when she was betrothed to a duke, nor did it break when he married someone else. All Philippa desires is to decode a centuries-old manuscript to keep a modern-day villain from claiming credit for work that wasn’t his. She hates that she needs a man’s help to do it — so she’s delighted to discover the clever, charming baron at her side is in fact a woman. But as she and Tommy grow closer and the stakes of their discovery higher, more than just their hearts are at risk.

This is an older review which it turns out I never posted! So I’ve unearthed it from the archives for you all.

This was my first book by Erica Ridley, and on the strength of it I definitely want to read more. Tommy (not quite a girl, not quite a boy, just Tommy) and Philippa (a bluestocking who is eager to get a husband, if only to please her parents) are a lovely pair, and the Wynchester family and their hijinks are a delight. I clearly need to read the first book to find out about all the things referenced in this one, and to hope for more of Jacob and his menagerie.

I enjoyed the inclusion of both Tommy’s ambivalent approach to gender and Philippa’s slow realisation of her interest in Tommy. It’s not entirely clear whether Philippa is attracted to women in general (and just hadn’t realised it yet) or purely to Tommy, but I think you could read it either way. I lean toward believing she’s demisexual, particularly since some of her described feelings fit quite well with someone on the asexual spectrum.

It’s not just a love story, though: they also have a shared mission, to declare Philippa’s friend Damaris the creator of a cypher used by the armed forces to encode messages, as opposed to her uncle who has stolen her work. That has a satisfying end, despite the censure Philippa then faces.

Now romances for Graham and Jacob, please? And all the other Wynchesters, to be fair…

Rating: 4/5 (“really liked it”)

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Review – The Other World’s Books Depend on the Bean Counter (manga), vol 2

Posted July 19, 2025 by Nicky in Reviews / 0 Comments

Review – The Other World’s Books Depend on the Bean Counter (manga), vol 2

The Other World's Books Depend on the Bean Counter (manga)

by Kazuki Irodori, Yatsuki Wakutsu

Genres: Fantasy, Manga, Romance
Pages: 178
Series: The Other World's Books Depend on the Bean Counter (manga) #2
Rating: four-stars
Synopsis:

Not long ago, in a fantasy world in a different dimension, a business guy was dragged through a portal. Stranded in a new land, Kondou has only one request—to spend his days peacefully working himself into the ground. But when he collapses from downing potion after potion day after day, it’s the handsome knight captain Aresh who rescues the bean counter in distress... However, ‘twas just the beginning of the tale for these star-crossed lovers. After all, not even a near-death experience and his first time can stop Kondou from working the very next day! And so, jilted by the man he saved after a night of many firsts, Aresh starts a personal crusade to teach Kondou how to work to live instead of living to work. Meanwhile, Kondou for the life of him just can’t figure out why he’s not allowed to take any overtime...

The second volume of Kazuki Irodori’s adaptation of The Other World’s Books Depend on the Bean Counter into manga form is fun! It mostly focuses on Aresh’s attempts to get Seiichirou to take care of himself better, with Aresh quickly becoming fascinated by as much as exasperated by him, along with some world building.

I do wish Aresh would talk to Seiichirou about how he feels a bit more, and tell him that he likes him and wants to spend the time with him — and that he’d maybe be a bit less controlling, even if Seiichirou has no sense of self-preservation. The scene where Seiichirou says he’s not interested in younger people is really pretty funny in a sad sort of way — poor Aresh!

I’m not sure entirely where it’s going to go, as far as weighting between plot, pining and actual relationship stands. We’ll see, I guess; I’m interested enough that I’m thinking about reading the light novels.

Since this review was posted quite a while after being written, I have of course now read all three light novels. The review of the first is up!

Rating: 4/5 (“really liked it”)

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Review – The Baby Dragon Café

Posted July 16, 2025 by Nicky in Reviews / 4 Comments

Review – The Baby Dragon Café

The Baby Dragon Café

by A.T. Qureshi

Genres: Fantasy, Romance
Pages: 312
Series: The Baby Dragon
Rating: two-stars
Synopsis:

When Saphira opened up her café for baby dragons and their humans, she wasn’t expecting it to be so difficult to keep the fires burning. It turns out, young dragons are not the best magical animals to keep in a café, and replacing all that burnt furniture is costing Saphira more than she can afford from selling dragon-roasted coffee.

Aiden is a local gardener, and local heart-throb, more interested in his plants than actually spending time with his disobedient baby dragon. When Aiden walks into Saphira’s café, he has a genius idea – he'll ask Saphira to train his baby dragon, and he'll pay her enough to keep the café afloat.

Saphira’s happy-go-lucky attitude doesn’t seem to do anything but irritate the grumpy-but-gorgeous Aiden, except that everywhere she goes, she finds him there. But can this dragon café owner turn her fortunes around, and maybe find love along the way?

A.T. Qureshi’s The Baby Dragon Café is frothy and light, more sugar than substance, a cosy read without major conflict and a romance without huge miscommunications or a mid-act breakup. There are a couple of dramatic scenes, but mostly it’s about a shy guy bonding with his dragon and a bubbly café owner who misses her family and loves dragons.

It’s exactly what people complain about when talking about cosy fantasy and romance, and I wouldn’t recommend it for anyone who is looking for rich worldbuilding. It plops dragons into everyday life, and otherwise it could be any romance book — not much would change if you made it The Baby Horse Café, in some ways.

This all sounds critical, but it was a fun read for me in the moment, I’m just saying not to pick it up with greater expectations than that. It’s tropey and sugary and I’m pretty certain it’s meant to be. The romantic leads communicate and solve their problems fairly swiftly, are relatively in touch with their emotions, and the big drama with Aiden’s family fizzles into absolutely nothing. There are some dramatic scenes with the dragons that sit a bit oddly with the rest (Saphira pushes Aiden out of the way of a burst of dragon fire, and then later there are some dragon-related rituals with a certain amount of peril), but for the most part it’s just… cosy.

There’s maybe something a bit “young” feeling about it, with the squealing between Saphira and her best friend Lavinia — it feels quite teenage. The main characters are supposed to be in their twenties, and not their early twenties, but… it’s fine. It’s not meant to be that deep, I think! Avoid it if that’s not what you want.

Rating: 2/5 (“it was okay”)

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Review – The Other World’s Books Depend on the Bean Counter, vol 1 (LN)

Posted July 11, 2025 by Nicky in Reviews / 0 Comments

Review – The Other World’s Books Depend on the Bean Counter, vol 1 (LN)

The Other World's Books Depend on the Bean Counter: Holy Maiden Summoning Improvement Plan

by Yatsuki Wakutsu

Genres: Fantasy, Light Novels, Romance
Pages: 288
Series: The Other World's Books Depend on the Bean Counter (light novel) #1
Rating: four-stars
Synopsis:

Seiichirou Kondou is a 29-year-old accountant and major workaholic. When he's accidentally transported to another world, not only does he demand a job, he starts whipping the lackadaisical Royal Accounting Department into shape! But when he gets in over his head and nearly dies from overwork, the handsome Commander Aresh steps in to save him, and the two develop a unique, physical relationship... as a form of medical treatment?!

I’ve been reading the manga adaptation of The Other World’s Books Depend on the Bean Counter, so now I’ve turned to the original light novel, by Yatsuki Wakutsu. Like most light novels I’ve come across, it has some illustrations, which are very similar in character design to the manga, but I might like them just a touch more.

I always think when reading a light novel that it’ll add a bit more to what I learned/experienced in the light novel, but then get amazed reading the light novel how faithful and complete the manga actually was. The same was true here: there are some extra snippets of characters’ thoughts and feelings, but really, I knew everything I needed to from reading the manga.

It’s still fun though to experience it in this format. Seiichirou is such an idiot, and Aresh’s overprotectiveness feels pretty justified when it’s so clearly laid out what an idiot he’s being with his own health.

That said, there’s already more than a hint of Aresh being a bit too controlling, which drives me mad in the manga versions. Seiichirou can make his own decisions, even if they’re objectively terrible ones. I really hope that they do eventually have a reckoning about this, but we’ll see!

Rating: 4/5

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