FF Friday book review poll

[rachelmanija]

I am launching FF Fridays! See previous post for details.

I seem to have accumulated a whole lot of FF novels and samples of FF novels over the years. From that somewhat random assortment...

Poll #19942 FF Fridays Upcoming Book Reviews

Open to: Registered Users, detailed results viewable to: All, participants: 72

View Respondents

What FF novel would be interested in seeing me review?

View Answers

Criminal Gold by Ann Aptaker. 1949 noir about Cantor Gold, dapper dyke and art smuggler.
35 (48.6%)

Broken Wings by L. J. Baker. A blue collar fairy meets a celebrity dryad.
21 (29.2%)

High Impact by Kim Baldwin. A woman has a near death experience and goes to Alaska, where she meets an adventure outfitter and looks like they get stranded together.
13 (18.1%)

I am a Woman by Ann Bannon. Classic lesbian pulp, written in 1950s, about "immortal butch bar-dyke Beebo Brinker." (Literary immortality, not vampiric. I think.)
27 (37.5%)

Grave Silence by Rose Beecham. The super-cute cover made me think this was a cozy mystery, but reviews suggest it's quite dark and involves abuse and cults.
6 (8.3%)

Pegasi and Prefects by Eleanor Beresford. Magical girls' boarding school!
32 (44.4%)

Labyrinth Lost (Brooklyn Brujas # 1) by Zoraida Cordova. Bisexual teenage bruja must rescue her family from the Underworld.
31 (43.1%)

Uptown Thief by Aya de Leon. "One smart, sizzling mami robs the rich and protects the exploited--until one heist too many puts everything at stake. . . "
15 (20.8%)

A Knight to Remember by Bridget Essex. "A librarian, a warrior woman, and a love story that's out of this world..."
30 (41.7%)

The Covert Captain: Or, A Marriage of Equals by Jeannelle M. Ferreira. Napoleonic cross-dressing.
35 (48.6%)

Desolation Point by Cari Hunter. Two women are stranded hiking in the Cascades with a killer on the loose.
9 (12.5%)

Snowbound by Cari Hunter. During a robbery in a snowstorm, one cop is wounded and taken hostage while another tries to rescue her.
14 (19.4%)

Heart Trouble by Jae. A waitress and an ER doctor get soul bonded.
13 (18.1%)

Second Nature by Jae. A romance novelist meets a werewolf!
9 (12.5%)

Deep Deception by Cathy Pegau. SF cop/criminal on a mining planet.
20 (27.8%)

Rulebreaker by Cathy Pegau. SF criminal/mob boss, on the same mining planet.
12 (16.7%)

Firestorm by Radclyffe. Smokejumpers in love.
14 (19.4%)

Trauma Alert by Radclyffe. ER doctors in love.
9 (12.5%)

The Devil Inside by Ali Vali. New Orleans mob boss/Wisconsin farm girl.
10 (13.9%)

Something else which you will suggest in comments.
2 (2.8%)

If you're familiar with any of these, please tell me what you think!

Comments

[rachelmanija]

Is it good?

[vass]

Yes! Also I got the title wrong. Daughter of Mystery. It's Ruritanian fantasy with some similarities to Swordspoint but much less grim. And it's the first of a series. I've read the first two so far, and liked them both.

[meara]

Yes, I read all three after requesting my library get the second and third--I found them enjoyable. And yes, Ruritanian, not super grim. The first one is a little different than the other two, just in terms of unusual setup? But still fun.

I was also going to suggest adding Razor Wire by Lauren Gallagher (though a bit of a TW on some of the past events for characters, don't remember if it's mentioned in the blurb; got it from my library and was surprised I didn't hate it. Which seems a weak sauce recommendation except usually I haaaaaate lesbian romances, even though I love romance and am a lesbian?)

[rachelmanija]

Thank you!

What do you usually hate about lesbian romances?

[meara]

Well (overly long explanation follows)--when I first came out lo these many years ago (my god, before kindle books!) the only books tended to be poorly written weird mysteries that were also romances? I'm not a big mystery person but that seemed to be the big genre.

And some of it is a problem I generally have with modern romances, in that it's difficult to have a "problem" keeping the couple apart that is serious enough to be an issue, but not serious enough to ruin the HEA (or to make one of the characters seem like an idiot or an ass). But a large part is, I think, that it almost never seems to ring true to any of the experiences I have with my friends and our crowd? And for me in straight romance I'm just like "sure. the secret billionaire sex club in Seattle that's full of hotties. Right. Not at all like the ACTUAL sex club in Seattle which has neither billionaires nor hotties..." and move on. Because I don't live that life I think it's easier for me to suspend my disbelief that anyone would do X or encounter Y? Whereas a lot of the lesbian romances...I just...roll my eyes and DNF. And occasionally read the scifi ones or Ruritanian ones or something someone recommends

And I mostly don't end up trawling the options as much as I do for YA queer books (which I used to read ALLLLL of and now there are so many!). I probably need to be better about finding a review site that I trust (akin to SBTB, though they do occasionally review queer books) Some I've enjoyed recently included the Toronto series by Cass Lennox (more about ace/queer, not necessarily F/F, but I was intrigued by the idea of ace romance books!)and some of Kris Ripper's Queers of LaVista series?

TLDR: ...therefore yes, please read all the F/F books and tell me what's good? LOL

[staranise]

I'm right there with you on "these women feel nothing like the women I actually know."

[rachelmanija]

I love romance tropes that would never happen in real life but the characters have to feel basically like real people, even if they're idealized, larger than life, have combinations of characteristics that wouldn't exist in real life (Navy SEAL billionaire mob boss vampire angel), etc.

[meara]

Totally fair! And not super my thing (not big on the shifter/paranormal type stuff) but yes, easier to also give a pass on. Whereas otherwise I'm like "WTF. I have been in a lot of lesbian bars and a lot of more generally gay bars, and this is not like any of them...where the fuck did they find this magical place because I want to go to there?" (Or occasionally "wait, you moved to a tiny town and there are HOW many lesbians? And wait, they're SINGLE? Nahhhhhhhh")

[tibicina]

Have you read any of Shira Glassman's contemporaries? I've only read a couple of her shorter ones, thus far, though I keep meaning to read more, but her characters strike me as very much 'actual people' at least in the stories I've read. (She also has a fantasy series and a superhero stand-alone and some ghost stories and things.)

[meara]

No, but I am totally trawling this thread for some recs for sure! :)

[staranise]

I've got my face pressed to a window looking at that book. So tempting, but... no audio version, not in my library, and kind of expensive.

[vass]

Yeah, I think the price has gone up since I bought it, or else it was on special then. :(

If you're still trying to decide whether to splurge, then for what it's worth, based on what I know of your tastes I definitely think you would like it. It's slow burn with two very polite and considerate characters, and has learning to assert oneself despite a domineering family stuff and setting-up-household stuff and figuring out how to make the relationship work after getting together stuff. Plus the expected Ruritanian swords and intrigue, and a neat magical system.

[brownbetty]

If you're willing to wait a while, I got it as a freebie, and it might come by again? But then you'll be on the hook for the next two, if you like it!

[staranise]

Sure thing! I'm definitely interested.

[larryhammer]

I second this description (I too have read only the first two) and the rec for the books.