Category: LGBTQIA

Blog Tour (Book Review): If Tomorrow Doesn’t Come – Jen St. Jude

On By Rowena AndrewsIn Book Spotlights, LGBTQIA, Romance, Sci-Fi, YA1 Comment

Hello!

Today I am joining the Write Reads Ultimate Blog tour for If Tomorrow Doesn’t Come by Jen St. Jude, with a book spotlight and a look at what some of the other bloggers on the tour have been saying about this apocalyptic YA romance.

Disclaimer – I received a copy in exchange for an honest review, all thoughts are my own.

Book Summary:

Avery Byrne has secrets. She’s queer; she’s in love with her best friend, Cass; and she’s suffering from undiagnosed clinical depression. But on the morning Avery plans to jump into the river near her college campus, the world discovers there are only nine days left to an asteroid is headed for Earth, and no one can stop it.

Trying to spare her family and Cass additional pain, Avery does her best to make it through just nine more days. As time runs out and secrets slowly come to light, Avery would do anything to save the ones she loves. But most importantly, she learns to save herself. Speak her truth. Seek the support she needs. Find hope again in the tomorrows she has left.

Continue reading “Blog Tour (Book Review): If Tomorrow Doesn’t Come – Jen St. Jude” →

Blog Tour (Book Review): Straight Expectations – Calum McSwiggan

On By Rowena AndrewsIn LGBTQIA, Review, Romance, Traditionally-Published, YALeave a comment

Hello!

Today I am delighted to be joining The Write reads Ultimate Blog Tour for Straight Expectations by Calum McSwiggan, a charming YA romance book that has captured me heart and soul.

Disclaimer – I received a copy in exchange for an honest review, all thoughts are my own.

Book Summary:

Seventeen-year-old Max has always been out, proud and just a little spoiled. Frustrated by the lack of romantic options in his small-town high school, during an argument with his lifelong best friend Dean, Max lashes out and says he wishes he had never been born gay.

Max gets more than he bargained for when he wakes up to find his wish has come true – not only have his feelings for boys vanished, but so has Dean.

With his school life turned upside down and his relationship with his family in tatters, Max sets out on a journey of rediscovery to find a way back to the life he took for granted, and the romance he thought he’d never have.

Continue reading “Blog Tour (Book Review): Straight Expectations – Calum McSwiggan” →

Blog Tour (Book Spotlight): With Fire In Their Blood (Skeleton Keepers #1) – Kat Delacorte

On By Rowena AndrewsIn Book Spotlights, Fantasy, LGBTQIA, YA1 Comment

Hello!

Today I am joining The Write Reads ultimate blog tour for With Fire in Their Blood by Kat Delacorte which comes out this thursday. I will have a full review up for this one as soon as life allows, because it was a fun read that brought together some really interesting elements.

Book Summary:

When sixteen-year-old Lilly arrives in Castello, she isn’t impressed.

A secluded town in the Italian mountains is not where she saw her last years of high school playing out.

Divided for generations by a brutal clan-family war, the two halves of Castello are kept from destroying each other by the mysterious General, a leader determined to maintain order and ‘purity’. . . whatever the cost.

Lilly falls in with the rebellious Liza, brooding Nico and sensitive Christian, and sparks begin to fly. But in a city where love can lead to ruin, Lilly isn’t sure she can trust anyone — not even herself.

And then she accidentally breaks Castello’s most important rule: when the General’s men come to test your blood, you’d better not be anything more than human…

Continue reading “Blog Tour (Book Spotlight): With Fire In Their Blood (Skeleton Keepers #1) – Kat Delacorte” →

Book Review: Winter’s Dawn (Flos Magicae) – Arden Powell

On By Rowena AndrewsIn Fantasy, LGBTQIA, Review, Self-PublishedLeave a comment

Hello!

What is this productivity? Back to back reviews? Adjusting to the new job has been a thing, but I think I’m getting into the balance now and hopefully dealing with the backlog of reviews. Anyway, today I am here with a review of Winter’s Dawn by Arden Powell.

Book Summary:

Thomas Brighton, a professor of theoretical magic, has been accused of treason. Imprisoned in the bleak Blackwood Gaol as he awaits his trial, he is cut off from his magic and his studies: a fate worse than death for the scholar who has devoted his life to academia. His only company is Winter, the mysterious prisoner in the neighbouring cell. As Thomas’ trial drags nearer, their whispered conversations are the only thing keeping him from giving in to boredom and despair.

Winter is a radical, a murderer, and a traitor to the crown. Everything Thomas fears and looks down on. But as Blackwood continues to crush his spirit and his magic, Winter might be his only ally. And Thomas might be Winter’s only chance of escape. Because if Blackwood and its guards don’t kill them both, the hangman’s noose surely will.

Winter’s Dawn is a 24,000-word fantasy novella with a male lead and a nonbinary love interest. It is part of the Flos Magicae series, set in an alternate 1920s universe with magic. All the stories are standalone historical fantasy romances and can be read in any order.

Continue reading “Book Review: Winter’s Dawn (Flos Magicae) – Arden Powell” →

Blog Tour (Book Review): Our Bloody Pearl (These Treacherous Tides #0) – D.N. Bryn

On By Rowena AndrewsIn Fantasy, LGBTQIA, Review, Self-Published1 Comment

Hello!

Today I am delighted to be joining The Write Reads blog tour for Our Bloody Pearl by D.N. Bryn which was a finalist in BBNYA 2021. It is also a book that I have been meaning to read for ages, especially after reading and enjoying Once Stolen which is part of the same series.

Disclaimer – I received a copy in exchange for an honest review, all thoughts are my own.

Book Summary:

The ocean is uncontrollable and dangerous. But to the sirens who swim the warm island waters, it’s a home more than worth protecting from the humans and their steam-propelled ships. Between their hypnotic voices and the strength of their powerful tails, sirens have little to fear.

That is, until the ruthless pirate captain, Kian, creates a device to cancel out their songs.

Perle was the first siren captured, and while all since have either been sold or killed, Kian still keeps them prisoner. Though their song is muted and their tail paralyzed, Perle’s hope for escape rekindles as another pirating vessel seizes Kian’s ship. This new captain seems different, with his brilliant smile and his promises that Kian will never again be Perle’s master. But he’s still a human, and a captor in his own way. The compassion he and his rag-tag human family show can’t be sincere… or can it?

Soon it becomes clear that Kian will hunt Perle relentlessly, taking down any siren in her path. As the tides turn, Perle must decide whether to run from Kian forever, or ride the forming wave into battle, hoping their newfound human companions will fight with them.

This adult fantasy novel featuring an nonbinary disabled protagonist is a voyage of laughter and danger where friendships and love abound and sirens are sure to steal—or eat—your heart. 

Trigger warnings: mild gore due to carnivorous sirens and sensations of drowning.

Continue reading “Blog Tour (Book Review): Our Bloody Pearl (These Treacherous Tides #0) – D.N. Bryn” →

Blog Tour (Book Review): Princess Ever After (The Rosewood Chronicles #5) – Connie Glynn

On By Rowena AndrewsIn Childrens, Fantasy, LGBTQIA, Review, Romance, Traditionally-Published, YA1 Comment

Hello!

Today I am joining The Write Reads ultimate blog tour for Princess After Ever by Connie Glynn, the fifth and final book in The Rosewood Chronicles.

Disclaimer – I received a copy in exchange for an honest review, all thoughts are my own.

Book Summary:

Return to the magical world of The Rosewood Chronicles in the fifth and final instalment of this gorgeous series for fans of The Princess Diaries and Harry Potter.

Ellie is a rebellious princess who is no longer hiding her real identity.

Lottie is her Portman, wishing that she could shield Ellie from the threat of Leviathan.

Jamie is Ellie’s Partizan, a lifelong bodyguard sworn to protect the princess at any cost – but has mysteriously disappeared.

Not all of the trio have made it back to Rosewood Hall. Can they be reunited? And at what cost?

With the crown at risk, the stakes have never been higher…

Continue reading “Blog Tour (Book Review): Princess Ever After (The Rosewood Chronicles #5) – Connie Glynn” →

Mini Reviews

On By Rowena AndrewsIn Fantasy, LGBTQIA, Manga, Review, Sci-Fi, Traditionally-Published, YA3 Comments

Hello!

I have been terrible at keeping up with my reviews for the last few months, returning to work and various other things have left me scrambling to keep up so over the next few days I’ll be posting batches of mini reviews as I catch up.

Disclaimer – I received an e-arc of these books via netgalley in exchange for an honest review, all thoughts are my own.

Continue reading “Mini Reviews” →

Book Review: Once Stolen (The Treacherous Tides #1) – D.N. Bryn

On By Rowena AndrewsIn Fantasy, IFA Summer Challenge 2021, LGBTQIA, Review, Self-Published, Self-Published Authors Appreciation Week1 Comment

Hello!

Today I am delighted to be reviewing Once Stolen by D.N. Bryn. A steampunk-inspired world? Mer-snake/Nagas? And that cover…? To be honest, I was sold on this book the moment the author reached out to see if I would like to review it – and they were kind enough to send me a physical copy. I’d heard of Our Bloody Pearl which is the author’s previous book in this world, although they can be read separately – and it is on the TBR – and the sample and premise was more than a little intriguing and I wasn’t disappointed!

*Disclaimer: ‘I was given a copy this book in exchange for an honest review, all views are my own.’*

Book Cover

Book Summary:

No one with half a brain would rob the jungle’s most notorious energy cartel. The vibrations of their power-producing stones are the only thing that calms the mer-snake Cacao’s agonizing sensory condition though—and after being banished from his homeland swamps for similar thefts, he’s desperate.

When his attempt fails stunningly, a chaotic escape leaves him chained to a cartel prisoner: a self-proclaimed hero with a hidden stash of ignits so large, Cacao would never need to steal again. He’s determined to get his hands on it, even if it means guiding her home straight through the mist-laden and monster-filled swamp that exhaled him, with scheming poachers and a desperate cartel leader on their tail.

But the selfish and the self-righteous can only flee together for so long before something snaps…

Return to Our Bloody Pearl’s steampunk-inspired world of merfolk in this fun, fast-paced adventure with a hate-to-love romance, a boat-load of sass, and even more heart.

Continue reading “Book Review: Once Stolen (The Treacherous Tides #1) – D.N. Bryn” →

Cover Reveal: Jati’s Wager (Wind Tide #2) – Jonathan Nevair

On By Rowena AndrewsIn Cover Reveal, LGBTQIA, Sci-FiLeave a comment

Hello!

Today I am delighted to be joining the Storytellers on Tour Cover Reveal for the second book in the Wind Tide series by Jonathan Nevair – Jati’s Wager. I was so excited when the signup opened for this, because I loved the first book – Goodbye to the Sun (Review HERE), but my only concern was how they were going to follow up to the stunning cover from book one.

By smashing it into orbit it turns out, because the cover for Jati’s Wager is absolutely beautiful.

Book Summary:

A space opera heist brimming with action, twists, and turns that doubles as a story of personal growth, mentorship, and sacrifice.

Ailo is a streetwise teen surviving alone on the remote moonbase, Tarkassi 9. She wants nothing more than to flee into the wider world of the Arm. When her chance arrives, she makes it no farther than the first ship out of the system. That’s where Jati, the Patent War veteran and general fighting the Monopolies, gives her a second chance. It’s an unlikely partnership, but Ailo’s rogue status is just what Jati’s People’s Army needs to drive the final spike of victory into a weakening Garissian Council.

A team of experts assembles and hope rests on Ailo’s skill, stealth, and tenacity to pull off the impossible. It’s a wild gambit, and a moral code may need to be bent, or broken, to achieve success. When an internal shadow rises, casting doubt on their plans, Ailo and Jati are forced to weigh the cost of revenge against honor and justice.

Continue reading “Cover Reveal: Jati’s Wager (Wind Tide #2) – Jonathan Nevair” →

Blog Tour (Book Review): Sairō’s Claw – Virginia McClain

On By Rowena AndrewsIn Fantasy, IFA Summer Challenge 2021, LGBTQIA, Review, Self-Published8 Comments

Hello!

Today is my stop on the blog tour for ‘Sairo’s Claw’ by Virginia McClain organised by Storytellers on Tour. This is the third book in the Chronicles of Gensokai, but can read as a standalone (although I will definitely be picking up the rest of the series) and it is also a contestant in SPFBO 7.

I hope that you will check out the book and the authors, and enjoy the rest of the tour with the schedule in the banner below or (HERE).

*Disclaimer: ‘I was given a copy this book in exchange for an honest review, all views are my own.’*

Book Summary:

An action-adventure fantasy romp featuring sword lesbians, sea battles, and a grumpy wolf spirit.

Torako has done many things to protect the valley that she calls home, but she’s never looted a corpse before. So when the katana she steals off the still-cooling body of a bandit turns out to be possessed by a grumpy wolf kami, she can only assume it’s because she’s somehow angered the spirits. An impression that’s only reinforced when she returns home to find her wife abducted and her daughter in hiding. But angry spirits or no, Torako isn’t about to let bandits run off with the love of her life, even if it means taking their 3 year old on a rescue mission.

In all Kaiyo’s years as Captain of the Wind Serpent she has never once questioned her admiral’s orders. So when she receives the command to abduct a civilian scribe with the help of fifteen felons, she registers her objections, but does as she is bid. Yet, as the mission unfolds, Kaiyo finds herself questioning everything from her loyalties to her convictions.

As Torako and Kaiyo’s fates cross like dueling blades, their persistence is matched only by their fury, until they uncover a series of truths they may never be ready to accept.

Continue reading “Blog Tour (Book Review): Sairō’s Claw – Virginia McClain” →