Misunderstandings and second chance love in this New Adult spicy romance…
Genre: Contemporary, Romance
No. of pages: 365
Teresa Hamilton is having a rough year—she’s in love with her big brother’s best friend, but he hasn’t spoken to her since they shared a truly amazing, mind-blowing, change-your-life kiss. She got out of a terrible relationship. And now an injury is threatening to end her dance career for good. It’s time for Plan B – college. And maybe a chance to convince Jase that what they have together is real.
Jase Winstead has a huge secret that he’s not telling anyone. Especially not his best friend’s incredibly beautiful sister. Even though he and Teresa shared the hottest kiss of his life, he knows that his responsibilities must take priority. He certainly doesn’t have time for a relationship. But it doesn’t help that all he can think about kissing the one girl who could ruin everything for him.
As they’re thrown together more and more, Jase and Tess can’t keep denying their feelings for each other. But a familiar danger looms and tragedy strikes. As the campus recovers, the star-crossed couple must decide what they’re willing to risk to be together, and what they’re willing to lose if they’re not…
‘Be With Me,’ a New Adult compemporary romance promises a cute coupling with some spice and comedy.
Fifty pages in and Jase has picked up Teresa twice uninvited. The small petite trope is alive and well. So is toxic domination from Jase.
Jase seems horrified and jealous that Teresa has had sex. Like that old chaste trope for women which is actually quite damaging. And then in the next chapter Jase boasts about his (sexual) reputation. Big double standard. It’s such a harmful attitude and I can’t believe a female writer has expressed this in her love story. Jennifer L. Armentrout is doing nothing for female empowerment and equality.
Jase says he wants to be friends, then makes suggestive comments, flirts, manhandles Teresa some more, rubs his crotch on her backside… talk about mixed signals with a side of sexual harassment… and Teresa is passive throughout it all. It’s making me furious!
This doesn’t feel cute or sexy for me, I’m a bit skeeved out.
Ten chapters in, and the story was going nowhere, but finally Teresa gets a backbone and calls Jase on his hypocrisy. Hallelujah! We get some story development when Jase drops a bombshell, Teresa takes it in her stride, and then the most frustrating development in this story… I have a love/hate relationship with ‘Be With Me.’ I start to loathe the story and then something interesting happens and I’m hooked again… and then we repeat the cycle.
There is bonking, and within these scenes ‘Be With Me’ has so much swearing – it completely ruins the mood for me. I haven’t been sold on an emotional connection between Teresa and Jase yet, but it seems like they’ve run out of excuses not to bump private parts… and well, I’m not invested; so I skimmed through, because it all felt a bit cheap. I guess more power to them. Sex positivity and all, but this just feel like lazy writing.
Most of the initial intimate scenes could be described as sexual abuse. What is wrong with Jennifer L. Armentrout? Does she need help? All the relationship is based on is all physicality and sex. And it’s instant. No getting to know you. You’re ovaries throb once, and you’re in love no matter if the guy is a terrible human being or not. I wouldn’t mind this type of casual relationship if that is what the narrative set up for the characters – but the author is building up to a once-in-a-lifetime grand love… it doesn’t work.
In contrasts, we do get some genuine and lovely moments between Teresa and Jase around the halfway mark. It shows them connecting on an emotional level and actually building trust and a relationship. Like I mentioned above, sometimes Jennifer L. Armentrout’s writing works for me, sometimes it doesn’t. It’s becoming a bit of a crap shoot at the moment.
There have been moments when I’ve laughed from a bit of comedy gold, and then there’s been a lot of eye-rolling. But mostly I’ve been wanting to yell at the book: if the men in this series were real life characters in current day society, no matter how much the narrative says they are good guys, they would be locked up for predatory behaviour and sexual harassment very quickly. It’s almost comedic. I’m just about ready to turn ‘Be With Me’ into a drinking game, when every time Jase behaves inappropriately, or acts like a douche, I take a shot: but I’d likely fall into an alcoholic stupor never to return.
And oh, the melodrama! I’ve not met a group of individuals that simultaneously over-react and under-react to situations in my life – depending on whether it will add tension to the narrative or not. The tension and angst in ‘Be With Me’ is great, but only if it didn’t feel so fabricated.
From the halfway point, Jase starts calling Teresa “baby….” a personal hate of mine that gave me the ick. Plus, don’t get me started on the conversation after their first tumble in the bedsheets – it was so cringey.
The many things Teresa does with a knee brace and supposedly in pain… horse-riding, driving over rocky terrain like 4WDing, straddling Jase, bonking… Come on! That is real lazy writing. In pain and a mostly immobile knee, you don’t do things like that unless you want to permanently screw up your knee. It would make the most awkward situations ever. And not in a cute way either.
‘Be With Me’ had a couple of great plot twists, one I guessed, one I got half right, and one that pulled the rug out from under my feet. The second half of the book was okay. Most of the things that came out of Jase’s mouth were cringe, especially mid-and post-coitus conversation. Cute ending. I hope the next book (‘Stay With Me’) ditches the problematic stereotypes and spoony dialogue. ‘Be With Me’ was a rocky read and not something I’m comfortable recommending… so far this series is letting me down. Which is disappointing for an author that I read prolifically during the YA boom years ago.
September is a bumper month for titles that have grabbed my attention. I could have easily added another five or so upcoming releases, but tried to whittle this list down to the novels that intrigued me the most:
When Haru Was Here – Dustin Thao (YA, Contemporary, Romance, Magical Realism, LGBT+)
We Are Okay meets Wandavision in this novel about loss, and learning to let go.
After the death of his best friend, Eric Ly creates imaginary scenarios in his head to deal with his grief. Until one of them becomes real when a boy he met last summer in Japan finds his way back into his life. When he least expects it, Haru Tanaka walks into the coffee shop and sits down next to him. The only thing is, nobody else can see him.
In a magical turn of events, Eric suddenly has someone to connect with, making him feel less alone in the world. But as they spend more and more time together, he begins to question what is real. When he starts losing control of the very thing that is holding him together, Eric must finally confront his reality. Even if it means losing Haru forever.
When The World Tips Over – Jandy Nelson (YA, Contemporary, Romance)
An explosive new novel brimming with love, secrets, and enchantment.
The Fall siblings live in hot Northern California wine country, where the sun pours out of the sky, and the devil winds blow so hard they whip the sense right out of your head.
Years ago, the Fall kids’ father mysteriously disappeared, cracking the family into pieces. Now Dizzy Fall, age twelve, bakes cakes, sees spirits, and wishes she were a heroine of a romance novel. Miles Fall, seventeen, brainiac, athlete, and dog-whisperer, is a raving beauty, but also lost, and desperate to meet the kind of guy he dreams of. And Wynton Fall, nineteen, who raises the temperature of a room just by entering it, is a virtuoso violinist set on a crash course for fame . . . or self-destruction.
Then an enigmatic rainbow-haired girl shows up, tipping the Falls’ world over. She might be an angel. Or a saint. Or an ordinary girl. Somehow, she is vital to each of them. But before anyone can figure out who she is, catastrophe strikes, leaving the Falls more broken than ever. And more desperate to be whole.
With road trips, rivalries, family curses, love stories within love stories within love stories, and sorrows and joys passed from generation to generation, this is the intricate, luminous tale of a family’s complicated past and present. And only in telling their stories can they hope to rewrite their futures.
The Forest of Lost Souls – Dean Koontz (Horror)
A fearless woman, raised in the forest, fights against a group of powerful men in a novel about good versus evil, the enduring nature of myth, and the power of love by #1 New York Times bestselling author Dean Koontz.
Raised in the wilderness by her late great-uncle, Vida is a young woman with an almost preternatural affinity for nature, especially for the wolves that also call the forested mountains home. Formed by hard experience, by love and loss, and by the prophecies of a fortune teller, Vida just wants peace. If only nearby Kettleton County didn’t cast such a dark shadow.
It’s where Jose Nochelobo, the love of Vida’s life and a cherished local hero, died in a tragic accident. That’s the official story, but Vida has reasons to doubt it. The truth can’t be contained for long. Nor can the hungry men of power in Kettleton who want something too: that Vida, like Jose, disappear forever. One by one they come for her, prepared to do anything to see their plans through to their evil end. Vida is no less prepared for them.
Vida, the forest, and its formidable wonders are waiting. She will not rest until goodness and order have been restored.
Nothing Like The Movies (#2 Better Than The Movies) – Lynn Painter (YA, Contemporary, Romance)
In this highly anticipated sequel to the New York Times bestselling Better than the Movies, Wes and Liz struggle to balance their feelings for each other with the growing pains of being a college student.
For a few beautiful months, Wes had his dream girl: strong-willed girl-next-door Liz. But right as the two were about to set off to UCLA to start their freshman year together, tragedy struck. Wes was left dealing with the fallout, which ultimately meant losing Liz in the process.
Flash forward months and months later and Wes and Liz find themselves in college, together. In a healthier place now, Wes knows he broke Liz’s heart when he ended things, but he is determined to make her fall back in love with him.
Wes knows Liz better than anyone, and he has a foolproof plan to win her back with the rom-com worthy big gestures she loves. Only…Liz will have none of it. Wes has to scheme like a rom-com hero to figure out how to see her. Even worse, Liz has a new friend…a guy friend.
Still, Wes won’t give up, adapting his clever plans and going hard to get Liz’s attention and win back her affection. But after his best efforts get him nowhere, Wes is left wondering if their relationship is really over for good.
Graveyard Shift – M. L. Rio (Mystery, Thriller, Horror)
Author of sales sensation If We Were Villains returns with a novella about a ragtag group of night shift workers who meet in the local cemetery to unearth the secrets lurking in an open grave.
Every night, in the college’s ancient cemetery, five people cross paths as they work the late shift: a bartender, a rideshare driver, a hotel receptionist, the steward of the derelict church that looms over them, and the editor-in-chief of the college paper, always in search of a story.
One dark October evening in the defunct churchyard, they find a hole that wasn’t there before. A fresh, open grave where no grave should be. But who dug it, and for whom?
Before they go their separate ways, the gravedigger returns. As they trail him through the night, they realize he may be the key to a string of strange happenings around town that have made headlines for the last few weeks—and that they may be closer to the mystery than they thought.
Atmospheric and eerie, with the ensemble cast her fans love and a delightfully familiar academic backdrop, Graveyard Shift is a modern Gothic tale in If We Were Villains author M. L. Rio’s inimitable style.
If I Were You – Cesca Major (Contemporary, Romance)
From the author of Maybe Next Time comes a funny and emotional read about a couple struggling in their relationship who accidentally swap bodies on their way to a family wedding weekend.
Amy and Flynn have been dating for two years. And they love each other. Don’t they?
Only Amy can’t read Flynn’s mind and Flynn can’t read Amy’s. Little do they know this weekend is make or break.
Amy’s nervous older sister is getting married at the world’s swankiest wedding venue in rural Devon and is relying on her younger sister to be the perfect Chief Bridesmaid. Frustrations on the way to the wedding escalate until both Amy and Flynn are shouting at each other in a country lane during a thunderstorm. Why can’t they see things from the other’s point of view? When lightning strikes, Flynn and Amy are thrown to the ground, and when they stand back up they realize—they’ve switched bodies.
Forced to attend the glamorous wedding weekend as each other is surely an impossible task. With spa mornings, exes, flash mob rehearsals, speeches and more, getting through this swap will test their relationship to breaking point. And when they each discover big secrets in the other’s past—it seems that switching bodies could be the least of their problems. Even if they do manage to swap back—can their relationship survive?
Vampires of El Norte – Isabel Canas (Historical Fiction, Gothic, Romance, Horror, Fantasy)
Vampires and vaqueros face off on the Texas-Mexico border in this supernatural western from the author of The Hacienda.
As the daughter of a rancher in 1840s Mexico, Nena knows a thing or two about monsters—her home has long been threatened by tensions with Anglo settlers from the north. But something more sinister lurks near the ranch at night, something that drains men of their blood and leaves them for dead.
Something that once attacked Nena nine years ago.
Believing Nena dead, Néstor has been on the run from his grief ever since, moving from ranch to ranch working as a vaquero. But no amount of drink can dispel the night terrors of sharp teeth; no woman can erase his childhood sweetheart from his mind.
When the United States attacks Mexico in 1846, the two are brought abruptly together on the road to war: Nena as a curandera, a healer striving to prove her worth to her father so that he does not marry her off to a stranger, and Néstor as a member of the auxiliary cavalry of ranchers and vaqueros. But the shock of their reunion—and Nena’s rage at Néstor for seemingly abandoning her long ago—is quickly overshadowed by the appearance of a nightmare made flesh.
And unless Nena and Néstor work through their past and face the future together, neither will survive to see the dawn.
Us In Ruins – Rachel Moore (YA, Historical Fiction, Romance, Fantasy)
Margot is on the quest to uncover and reassemble an ancient—and cursed—vase, with the help of a boy who went missing in 1932, because it’s the only way to put back together her broken heart in this stand-alone adventure rom-com, perfect for fans of What the River Knows and The Lost City.
The mythical Vase of Venus Aurelia hasn’t been seen since 1932, but Margot Rhodes is determined to change that.
Drawn by the vase’s supposed magical properties, Margot embarks on her school’s archaeological trip to Pompeii. Sure, it’s her first time holding a shovel, but she’s got something no one else does: lost teenage explorer Van Keane’s journal.
Poring over the poetic entries that serve as a map to the vase’s missing shards, Margot finds herself falling in love with the boy who wrote it a century ago. She’s shocked when her search leads her to a statue that looks exactly like Van, and then the statue comes to life.
Catapulted into the present, Van is nothing like the wordsmith Margot imagined. He’s all sharp edges, intent on retrieving the relic for all the wrong reasons. But it takes two to survive Venus’s death-defying challenges, and, together, Margot and Van must excavate the treasure—and their buried pasts—before their story ends in ruins.
With a blend of humor, magic, and love, Rachel Moore crafts another stand-alone adventure rom-com full of double- and triple-crosses, hilarious shenanigans, and frustration-fueled banter, where the best treasure is true love.
Fall For Him – Andie Burke (Contemporary, Romance, LGBT+)
In Fall for Him by Andie Burke, seven-hundred-fifty square feet isn’t enough for the home-renovation-fueled hatred and the building sexual tension.
Dylan Gallagher’s hot neighbor loathed him from the second he moved in, and causing a flood, falling through the floor, and landing directly onto that same neighbor’s bed probably means that’s unlikely to change. The poorly timed “It’s Raining Men” joke didn’t help.
Meanwhile, ER nurse Derek Chang’s life is a literal when-rains-it-pours nightmare. A man he hates dropped into his life along with an astronomically expensive problem originating from Derek’s own apartment’s plumbing. Also, the local HOA tyrant has been sniffing around trying to fine him for his extended, illicit banned breed dog-sitting.
Since Dylan also wants to keep the catastrophe quiet, he offers to fix the damage himself. Dylan’s sure he’s not Derek’s type, so he focuses all his ADHD hyper fixation energy on getting the repair job done as quickly as possible―avoiding doing anything stupid like acting on his very inconvenient crush. Meanwhile Derek tries to ignore that the tattooed nerd sleeping on the couch is surprisingly witty, smart, and kind, despite the long-term grudge Derek’s been holding against him. But will squeezing all their emotional baggage plus a dog into a tiny one-bedroom apartment be a major disaster…or just prove they’re made for each other?
Fall for Him combines banter, hijinks, and heart in a story of finding out what it means to fix things after your life crumbles.
I’m Starting To Worry About This Black Box of Doom – Jason Pargin (Science Fiction, Thriller, Humour)
A standalone darkly humorous thriller set in modern America’s age of anxiety, by New York Times bestselling author Jason Pargin.
Outside Los Angeles, a driver pulls up to find a young woman sitting on a large black box. She offers him $200,000 cash to transport her and that box across the country, to Washington, DC.
But there are rules:
He cannot look inside the box. He cannot ask questions. He cannot tell anyone. They must leave immediately. He must leave all trackable devices behind.
As these eccentric misfits hit the road, rumors spread on social media that the box is part of a carefully orchestrated terror attack intended to plunge the USA into civil war.
The truth promises to be even stranger, and may change how you see the world.
William – Mason Coile (Science Fiction, Horror, Thriller, Mystery)
Psychological horror meets cyber noir in this delicious one-sitting read — a haunted house story in which the haunting is by AI.
Henry is a brilliant engineer who, after untold hours spent in his home lab, has achieved the breakthrough of his career — he’s created an artificially intelligent consciousness. He calls the half-formed robot William.
No one knows about William. Henry’s agoraphobia keeps him inside the house, and his fixation on his project keeps him up in the attic, away from everyone, including his pregnant wife, Lily.
When Lily’s coworkers show up, wanting to finally meet Henry and see the new house — the smartest of smart homes — Henry decides to introduce them to William, and things go from strange to much worse. Soon Henry and Lily discover the security upgrades intended to keep danger out of the house are even better at locking it in.
The Hysterical Girls of St. Bernadette’s – Hanna Alkaf (YA, Horror, Thriller, Mystery)
An all-girls school is struck with mysterious cases of screaming hysteria in this chilling dark academia thriller haunted by a deeply buried history clawing to the light.
For over a hundred years, girls have fought to attend St. Bernadette’s, with its reputation for shaping only the best and brightest young women.
Unfortunately, there is also the screaming.
When a student begins to scream in the middle of class, a chain reaction starts that impacts the entire school. By the end of the day, seventeen girls are affected—along with St. Bernadette’s stellar reputation.
Khadijah’s got her own scars to tend to, and watching her friends succumb to hysteria only rips apart wounds she’d rather keep closed. But when her sister falls to the screams, Khad knows she’s the only one who can save her.
Rachel has always been far too occupied trying to reconcile her overbearing mother’s expectations with her own secret ambitions to pay attention to school antics. But just as Rachel finds her voice, it turns into screams.
Together, the two girls find themselves digging deeper into the school’s dark history, hunting for the truth. Little do they know that a specter lurks in the darkness, watching, waiting, and hungry for its next victim…
Lola in the Mirror – Trent Dalton (Contemporary)
Bighearted, gritty, magical and moving, Lola in the Mirror is the irresistible new novel from international bestselling author of Boy Swallows Universe and All Our Shimmering Skies , Trent Dalton.
‘Mirror, mirror, on the grass, what’s my future? What’s my past?’ A girl and her mother are on the lam. They’ve been running for sixteen years, from police and the monster they left in the kitchen with the knife in his throat. They’ve found themselves a home inside an orange 1987 Toyota HiAce van with four flat tyres parked in a scrapyard by the edge of the Brisbane River – just two of the 100,000 Australians sleeping rough every night. The girl has no name because names are dangerous when you’re on the run. But the girl has a dream. Visions in black ink and living colour. A vision of a life as a groundbreaking artist of international acclaim. A life outside the grip of the Brisbane underworld drug queen ‘Lady’ Flora Box. A life of love with the boy in the brown suit who’s waiting for her in the middle of the bridge that stretches across a flooding and deadly river. A life far beyond the bullet that has her name on it. And now that the storm clouds are rising, there’s only one person who can help make her dreams come true. That person’s name is Lola and she carries all the answers. But to find Lola, the girl with no name must first do one of the hardest things we can sometimes ever do. She must look in the mirror. A big, moving, blackly funny, violent, heartbreaking and beautiful novel of love, fate, life and death and all the things we see when we look in the mirror. All of the past, all of the present, and all of our possible futures. ‘Mirror, mirror, please don’t lie. Tell me who you are. Tell me who am I.’
A great curated list here – even an Aussie title! There was a Non-Fiction book that just missed out, and I’m surprised at the lack of science fiction titles. I usually can’t resist those. But I must already be getting ready for Halloween with all the thriller/horror titles.
Any books on this list catch your fancy? Have you heard of any September releases that I should add to my list? Let me know in the comments…
Shortly after the methane event that took from them their father and most of the world’s population, brothers, Gabe and Owen Foster embark on a quest to look for survivors and a permanent place to start a new life.
The storms have ended and air is safe, to them and the others it is time to look toward the future.
However, the future is not stable and the extinction level event has only just begun. With a new threat on the horizon, one that can wipe the rest of humanity from existence, the brothers search for a safe haven grows more complicated and the choices are few. It is a race against the clock to not only find, but get to a place where they can live through the catastrophe coming their way.
‘Grounded’ is the sequel to ‘Flight 3430’ and here we follow two brothers as they try to find as many survivors as they can and escape to a safe place while the planet goes into full apocalypse mode.
This book felt unfocused – not that is was, the plot made sense, it was just the short chapters, and ‘head-jumping’ to follow different characters in different locations. Most of the characters have generic names and are hard to differentiate their voice, if it weren’t for the chapter headings I would have no clue what was going on.
‘Grounded,’ like the debut ‘Flight 3430’ felt rushed. This is a plot driven story. The cast quickly moved from one situation to another… and with so many expositions to ‘tell’ the reader what is going on, or fill in some background information instead of ‘showing’ them. Honestly I felt a bit dizzy by the end of the novella.
Granted, the concept and scientific basis for the duology in this series feels grounded (pun intended) and I loved those parts being a huge science geek. Using this device to add in plot twists is brilliant. But the characters suffered because author Jacqueline Druga will skip prime character development time by jump-cutting to the next tragedy the cast faces, or doing a time jump and the characters act like they’ve been put in stasis the entire time: those are the parts of the novel that you can spend with the characters and get the reader to identify and sympathise with them. That’s how you create light and shade in the rhythm of the novel. Instead it is all superfast pacing and explosions. It can be exhausting after a while if you don’t let the reader take a breath.
As a consequence I wasn’t really all that invested in the characters. If they died… meh! If they did something stupid to up the tension… I’m not surprised. If they overcome insurmountable odds and survive… yeah, good for you. Whatever.
Druga is a master at writing action sequences with underlying tension. I revelled in those parts of the novella, but a story needs to have beats, it has to build, lull, build again… you get the point. My brain was so full of adrenaline I got a headache. I really wanted to spend some down time with the characters outside of a single conversation meant to pull at my heart strings. It feels cheap.
‘Grounded’ reads like a road trip through a crumbling Earth. And in the back of my head with so many characters dying, so much loss, most of the cast seemed to be able to brush it off unaffected. I need to see them struggling with their emotions, their grief. I only saw that with Delaney (I’ve dubbed her the stupid one.) But I needed all the cast to do the same – and then clash with each other. Everyone got along so swimmingly it felt unrealistic.
I am thankful I have been exposed to Druga’s writing. I can see the amazing potential. When I glanced at her back catalogue, I found the books dealing with pretty much the same catastrophe, or similar premise. I feel like having read this duology I’ve read all her work. I’d like to see Druga sit and have a long discussion with a good developmental editor to challenge her, and move to a different scenario to expand her repertoire. I know she would be up to that challenge because her writing style and writing craft is all there. These short novels – hit and run type feel like a first draft concept.
I enjoyed my time with ‘Flight 3430’ and ‘Grounded’ because of the underlying ideas, but I don’t think these are something I would recommend, and I have no want or need to read any more of her books. They feel re-hashed and formulaic. Which is a shame because I can see some amazing writing skills with her prose. Maybe in the future if her repertoire and writing development level up I’ll chance a new title.
When I think about my childhood, even though I was well behaved most of the time, but kids, teens, were always up to no good. Something about this quote flooded my brain with flashbacks of all the sneaky things me and my friends got up to when I was supposed to be babysitting my younger brother…
September, 1940. Three women of the Checquy, the secret organization tasked with protecting Britain from supernatural threats, stand in the sky above London and watch German aircraft approach. Forbidden by law to interfere, all they can do is watch as their city is bombed.
Until Pamela, the most sensible of them, suddenly breaks all the rules and brings down a Nazi bomber with her bare hands. The three resolve to tell no one about it, but they soon learn that a crew member is missing from the downed bomber. Charred corpses are discovered in nearby houses and it becomes apparent that the women have unwittingly unleashed a monster.
Through a city torn by the Blitz, the friends must hunt the enemy before he kills again. Their task will take them from the tunnels of the Underground to the halls of power, where they will discover the secrets that a secret organization must keep even from itself.
Today. Lynette Binns, a librarian with a husband and child, is a late recruit to the Checquy, having discovered only as an adult her ability to electrify everyday objects with her touch.
After completing her training, she is assigned to examine a string of brutal murders of London criminals and quickly realizes that all bear the unmistakable hallmark of her own unique power. Unable to provide an alibi and determined to prove her innocence, she flees, leaving behind her family to venture into the London underworld to find answers. But now she is prey, being tracked by her own frighteningly capable comrades.
As Lyn fights off powered thugs and her own vengeful colleagues, she will find that the solution to the murders and to the mystery of her own past lies in the events of World War II, and the covert actions of three young women during the Blitz.
We follow dual timelines in ‘Blitz,’ one following Lynn, a new Checquy inductee in current day, and the other a group of three assistants (Brigette, Pamela and Usha) to Lady Carmichael of the Checquy in 1940 during the war. Where the former is hunting down a serial killer with her exact powers – effectively framing her for the murders, the latter group are dealing with repercussions of interfering in the war and a Nazi soldier on the loose leaving charred corpses behind.
I was really looking forward to more adventures with Myfawny Thomas, but, alas she only makes a brief appearance at the end. Though I wasn’t disappointed in ‘Blitz.’ It is fascinating as it is engaging. The only drawback I can think of was its length. Daniel O’Malley has a tendency to overwrite: however it’s not full of flowery prose bogging down the narrative, no – it’s full of asides and interesting historical factoids that colour and expand the Checquy universe. There were some quite long stories that I thought were going to be strings of narrative that drew all together in some fantastic climax, but they were, for the most part, dropped and forgotten. The structure of ‘Blitz’ wasn’t as good as ‘The Rook’ and ‘Stiletto,’ but the writing, humour, world-building, and character development were superior. But in truth I wanted ‘Blitz’ to be 200-250 pages shorter. While fascinated with all the asides, they did not service the plot.
We come at the Checquy from two different standpoints – a newcomer having to learn the ropes with Lynn. Whom is gusty and determined with a high level of strategy and intelligence.; to a group of experienced operatives putting up a front while trying to rectify their mistake. They really prove themselves as soldiers.
I can’t say this novel was easily predictable. Maybe because there were so many story threads, you didn’t quite know how they were all going to be tied up. ‘Blitz’ is ‘chaotic good.’ Daniel O’Malley has such a charming writing style it’s like sitting down and having a chat with a life-long friend over a cuppa. I was never pulled from the narrative, and laughed, cried, gasped along with the story.
I feel like there was an Easter egg – a nod to ‘Bedknobs and Broomsticks’ at the end of the novel; but I’m yet to confirm this. I might just have to send O’Malley a tweet and see if my hunch is correct.
I’d happily recommend this book to lovers of weird supernatural procedurals. You could read this without previously reading the two prequels, but you’d miss out on all the character nods and established characters… but they aren’t essential to the plot of ‘Blitz.’ I feel like this novel sets up a new precedent that The Checquy Files could go on indefinitely – following any number of characters or supernatural events in any time period, anywhere around the globe. I’m still eager to see what O’Malley dreams up next.
Such a gorgeous duology! I loved Laura Taylor Namey’s writing and the cozy vibes of baking and cups of tea… and don’t get me started on the upcoming film release starring Kit Connor (Heartstopper) of ‘A Cuban Girl’s Guide to Tea and Tomorrow.’ I’ve become an instant fan and can’t wait to pick up another of Namey’s books.
Vigilante takes an unscheduled humanitarian mission.
Genre: Thriller, Mystery, Horror
No. of pages: 66
Instinct and violent visions compel Nameless to embark on an unplanned mission to help a desperate mother and daughter on the run. Why is this rescue so strangely familiar to a man with no memories?
Evie and her daughter, Asteria, are fleeing an abusive cult when they meet a stranger in an abandoned Arizona shopping mall. Fate hasn’t set Nameless on their trail. It’s a premonition, and a chance to make reparations for a failure from his past he can’t even remember. This time, Nameless must do everything in his power not to fail those who trust him with their lives.
‘Light Has Weight, But Darkness Does Not’ breaks the formula of the previous novellas a little with something unplanned, and Nameless uses his psychic gifts in a more immediate manner. This was a quick story but uses aspects of Nameless’ life I’d love to see more of.
This story was simple enough, but had all the benchmarks I love in a Dean Koontz horror. Nameless gets more and more psychic visions, and this time it leads him to an unscheduled rescue – which I thoroughly enjoyed. Again the dispensment of justice didn’t feel all that imaginative, and the characters, both protagonists and antagonists in this one, did not feel like they had the same realism and depth as the characters Koontz normally writes. I hate to say, maybe this felt rushed – or it was a middle book, as we now only have two novellas left to complete the franchise.
I loved the whole psychic vision thing, and how there are more than one mystery to untangle. We don’t dwell on the memory loss thing as much, but Nameless is starting to see his past push through the cracks of amnesia.
‘Light Has Weight, but Darkness Does Not’ was a quick read, and though filled with tension and atmosphere that I’ve come to expect, I think the antagonists were short-changed a bit.
I’m still keen to continue on with the series – to see what Nameless will do if he gets his memory back, he seems a bit lost at the moment. Is he going to go back to that lady and her daughter in the house he helped a way back? Is he going to work out and thwart that triskelion group he keeps getting nasty visions of? I’m invested!
I’ve got ‘Corkscrew,’ the next book in the franchise lined up ready to go.
Overall feeling: Character building and character development.
DISCUSSION POST: Is it worth getting traditionally published when the Publishing Houses aren’t effectively marketing you books anymore? Is self-publishing becoming the new norm?
This discussion comes from a series of posts from Lili St. Crow, an author I’ve been following since I read her Strange Angel series around ten years ago. She’s been both traditionally published and self-published, and worked in the industry for a very long time. So I feel she has a strong working knowledge and industry connections to make informed observations.
Lili first talks about the traditionally publishing landscape:
“Publishing has always been an awfully exploitative business. For a long while the level of fuckery in trad pub was low enough for plenty of writers to make a reasonable gamble by submitting by the rules and building a career, but this is no longer the case. Which is not solely or even mostly a function of the pandemic, mind you–the problems were already there well before 2020 rolled around, but conditions since ~2016 have absolutely poured jet fuel on the fire and now we’ve got a multiple-alarm blaze.”
“The Big Five/Four have already offloaded the brute work of marketing onto individual authors, hollowing out their own marketing departments in order to line C-suite pockets. Now the crunch has reached editorial departments, where even salaried folk traditionally protected from a lot of industry bullshit are being ruthlessly overworked, underpaid, and just generally mistreated. (No, this is not a “pity the poor editors” screed, just a fact.) Consequently a lot of folk are leaving, and those who remain–or the shiny new ones coming in, thinking they’re going to score a good job–find it impossible to pick up the slack. The article linked above is absolutely correct that editors at the big houses are now being used as draft-horse project managers, which does not work with novels or nonfiction books. It just…doesn’t.”
“Here’s the thing: Trad publishing is not only expecting authors to write the damn book and wait to find a reputable agent (one should do one’s due diligence in that area as a matter of course), but also expecting a writer to wait half a year to a whole year for an editor to even look at the work, and then expecting us to do all the marketing as well?
“What precisely are we paying trad publishers a percentage for, then? Cover art, when multibillion-dollar trad houses are using plagiarism machines to make the covers for even hotly anticipated titles? Marketing, which we’re supposed to do ourselves? Editorial services and support, from editors so overworked it takes them a year to answer emails? Really?”
“The answer is simple: They can’t. Trad publishing is literally failing at doing its job. A lot of people, for various reasons both self-serving and otherwise, have accused trad of simply being an entitled gatekeeping mechanism; even a stopped clock is right twice a day, as the saying goes, and honestly it’s starting to look like the urge for infinite exploitation, Amazon-style, has turned trad pub into the nightmare it was accused, by envious dickwads, of being.”
“I just keep thinking, what precisely are authors paying for when these companies literally will not or cannot do their fucking jobs? What, precisely, are we paying these companies for?”
“No wonder so many established midlisters are making the move to self-pub; no wonder the number of hybrid authors is at an all-time high. I can only see this trend accelerating, especially since the tools for self-pub have been around for awhile now and there’s a lot of free guides about how to do it–if you can find a search engine that isn’t serving up gobs of “AI” horseshite, that is. (I like DuckDuckGo, myself.)”
And here Lili addresses issues with self-publishing which I thought relevant to the conversation:
“Someone took minor exception to me remarking that the barriers to entry in self-pub can be prohibitive (though not nearly so much as trad), so I thought I’d start with a few remarks in that direction. Now, that person also made an excellent point that barriers to success are not the same as barriers to entry, and though I think that’s a bit of hair-splitting it’s also undeniably correct. The fact remains that even self-publishing requires tools and know-how, and those tools and know-how are neither common nor universal. Let’s jump right in.”
“An internet connection. This is so simple it’s often overlooked, but as I have been saying since the early naughts: The internet is not ubiquitous, it just feels like that way when you’re on it. Uploading a manuscript (or a corrected manuscript) to your distribution platform of choice can get a bit dodgy with dial-up or mobile data, and the time investment of traveling to wherever you can find wi-fi is time that could be spent writing if one had access at home.”
Hardware. Believe it or not, some people are too poor for desktops or even secondhand laptops.
Software. Sure, you can use an open-source rich text editor for your drafting and let KDP or D2D format an exported Word doc for you, then slap an MS Paint cover on it. That’s absolutely one way to do it, yep, and the thought of trying it that way is…daunting, to say the least. Yes, there’s Scrivener and it’ll output an epub for you, but doing it that way presupposes you have access to Scrivener as a tool and also the understanding/knowledge of how to get it to compile in that format, then there’s getting an open-source program to proof the result in (say, reading the epub in Calibre and making correction notes in longhand, then updating the Scrivener file and recompiling) and that brings us to another barrier. Right now I use Scrivener for writing and revising, MSWord and Goodnotes for CEs/proofing, Vellum for formatting–and each of those programs required an initial investment of moolah plus an ongoing investment in skill, labor, and updates. Free does not necessarily mean good or labor-saving.
Knowledge. This is a HUGE one. I came to self-publishing already knowing certain basics–editing best practices, proofreader strategies, word processing software shortcuts and formatting foibles, a bit about distribution, big scams to avoid, and most importantly, where to look for other information. This last bit is a skill so basic to certain levels of privilege it can be almost invisible to those who possess it. It’s not about knowing what to do, it’s about knowing where to find a reputable bit of advice that will tell one what to do.
Time. If you’re working two or three jobs to just barely make rent on a place shared with extended family (born or chosen), time to write, revise, edit, copyedit, proof, find cover art, figure out distribution and pricing, schedule releases, and market is at a premium, or perhaps impossible to find. Even time to research what the latest scams are so you don’t fall prey to grifters is an investment that might not be feasible. This leads into discussion of another barrier…
Energy. Ideally, publishers are supposed to do two things: Provide necessary quality control services (editing, copyediting, proofing, cover art) at economy of scale; and handle distribution/marketing with both economy of scale and pooled resources. Paying a publisher to deal with that stuff frees up time and energy for a writer to do the most important thing–no, not BookTok, for God’s sake, but write. In self-publishing, you are responsible for not just the writing but the quality control, cover, distribution, marketing–the whole enchilada. Sure, you can skimp on quality control, and that feeds into barrier to success instead of entry, but if the name of the game is to get your work in front of people, well, you kind of want it to look good enough for them to actually read it and come back for more, right? Right?
I think this discussion covers a heck of a lot of topics, but is a good brief glance at what we are seeing in the Publishing Industry at present. I work with both traditionally published and self-published writers, and different areas of the publishing zeitgeist (like scientific writing and academic periodicals, non-fiction how-to books, autobiographies, journalism, genre writing for novels, novellas and short stories) and there is a wide array of experiences. I think it comes down to connection and investment. For traditionally published, if you have a team that connects with you and is prepared to invest the time and effort in you and your writing, you’ll get a positive experience and grow your professional career. Alternatively (whether traditionally published or not) you’ll need to follow the aspects of self-published authors and build connections with an audience/demographic, and invest in your own set of skills (and your own money) to build a path to whatever your goals are that define success.
Some of the above comments from Lili St. Crow may feel like everything is a dumpster fire, but there are good traditional publishers out there, there are good literary agents out there, and there’s also good resources to aid you in a self-publishing or a hybrid publishing career. You just have to be aware, do your research, and be prepared to negotiate. Lili is only pointing out a growing trend within the industry and not generalising… or is she?
I will say I’ve personally experienced a trend with traditional publishers of late not offering the marketing activities they used to 10-15 years ago. And even seen how they will filter out signing new authors if they do not have an online platform with a benchmark number of followers to market to. I can’t comment on where the money is going that used to budget for marketing – whether overheads are more expensive, or if it is lining the pockets of a number of corporate higher-ups.
An interesting fact about marketing activities of traditional publishers came to light with the Penguin Random House Trial in January of this year; was that the top 2% of signed authors would be the ones getting that positive experience (all the marketing budget and turning over the most profit) while the rest were given minimal support and marketing. Further to that, it was really a crap shoot in identifying who was in that top 2% – their attention went where the money flowed. It showed the world that traditional publishing knew less about their craft than they were purporting to. All that gatekeeping was hiding some big secrets of luck, chance, and ignorance.
There is still a place for both traditional and self-publishing. The former has an extensive reach for audiences and can increase the amount of financial success if you hit that ‘it’ moment and sales boom; and the latter gives more control to the author, bigger profits from a sale price point, but only reaches a small niche market. It’s like comparing a production line product to a custom made piece.
I think the comments made by Lili St. Crow reflect the majority of authors I have spoken to – a strong representation of their frustration at how the expected duties of traditional publishers are shrinking, and their screening process is becoming even harder, leaving a larger responsibility on the authors’ shoulders. The self-publishing model is becoming more attractive, because if authors have to do a sizeable amount of the marketing work anyway, why traditionally publish?
It begs the question – are traditional publishers cornering themselves out of the market? That view may be a bit extreme. I feel that the Industry is going through teething problems as the landscape grows and expands with the increase in technology and access. Gatekeepers are losing their power, their hold on the market is diminishing. I haven’t been able to attend any talks or seminars around business innovation within the publishing industry since the pandemic to comment on where new growth sectors may come. But chatter in general seems positive. There is a shift change coming with those CEO’s lining their pockets, and authors are holding Traditional Publishing Houses accountable, not only to deliver on their promises, but to help protect their authors rights against censorship, inclusivity, and accessibility.
What do you think? Have you had any experiences that can add a perspective to this discussion? I’d love to hear you thoughts.
If you want to check out Lili St. Crow’s blog, you can find her here.
A journey of self-discovery… and an obsession with a podcast!
Genre: YA, LGBT, Contemporary, Romance
No. of pages: 403
Frances Janvier spends most of her time studying. Everyone knows Aled Last as that quiet boy who gets straight As. You probably think that they are going to fall in love or something. Since he is a boy and she is a girl. They don’t. They make a podcast. In a world determined to shut them up, knock them down, and set them on a cookie cutter life path, Frances and Aled struggle to find their voices over the course of one life-changing year.
Will they have the courage to show everyone who they really are? Or will they be met with radio silence?
‘Radio Silence’ is a marvellous contemporary with some great representation that hangs in the background. This is a tale about relationships and individuality.
Told entirely from protagonist Fances perspective, a bisexual POC as she is obsessed with getting the perfect grades to obtain acceptance into Cambridge University… because that’s what she’s been continually told is what she should be aiming for by teachers and fellow students. But is that what she truly wants?
Frances is an introvert, a werido. She keeps people at an arm’s length, dresses in colourful prints and tends to shy away from social gatherings. But coming into her final year of high school Frances starts to step outside her comfort zone with the help of her friends Aled and Raine. It also broadens her perspective on life and relationships. She starts discovering more about identity, sexuality, people, her dreams… not to mention her obsession with the podcast Universe City.
I think Raine represents Frances’ courage in a way – always pushing and encouraging Frances to try new things, colour outside the lines. And she seems to be one of those non-judgemental friends who love you as you are, and will support you no matter what.
Aled seems to be the mirror image of Frances. Lost. Withdrawn. Obsessed with creating a perfect image, compartmentalising their life. At least Frances does not have to deal with a carefully abusive mother.
Daniel is that friend of a friend that hangs out in your group that you hate, but tolerate because there is no way to remove him from the gang without completely destroying the dynamic. The love to hate kind of fellow. I actually enjoyed the tension and snarky banter he brought to the table.
Carys, Aleds twin sister (and Frances crush) disappears suddenly early in the story and Frances blames herself.
All these characters are beautifully messy in their own way, but in the end they are there for each other.
While Aled is quiet and barely talks, Universe City seems to be how he communicates with the world. How he expresses what’s in his heart. Which is why it’s anonymous. Why no one knows he’s the creator. But, like in life, it is all about to come crumbling down in dramatic fashion testing the friendships of the group.
I think the greatest thing about ‘Radio Silence’ is the subtext. You need to pay attention to what the characters do not say, and what they do. This is a story about people and relationships, not sexuality and identity, it’s about passion, not perfect grades and university acceptances. ‘Radio Silence’ felt like a story about the soul and not the trappings of the real world.
Alice Oseman has this knack for telling a quietly innocent story with a lot of heart. It almost sings with a soundtrack of chillout music. Her characters and worldbuilding are in pastel hues and soft melodies. Her narrative draws you in and before you know it you’ve read the entire book. That is the best way I can describe my experience reading an Oseman novel. ‘Radio Silence’ did feel a little flat though – maybe it is due to the fact were dealing with a lot of introverted characters and not a lot of angsty relationships, but friendships. So I didn’t get that emotional punch that I normally get from reading her books. The aching in my heart. There is still a lot of drama and trauma, but it’s not the central focus.
The way identity and sexuality are handled in ‘Radio Silence’ was beautiful. A safe place to be yourself with no judgement. The self-discovery and coming out angle are not the focus of the plot. It feels natural and how it should be in real life.
‘Radio Silence’ feels chaotic good in nature, so it was difficult to predict where the story was going. And to tell the truth, I wasn’t so focused in trying to guess the ending because I was so invested and amazed by the characters.
I’m highly recommending this one. I really enjoyed reading ‘Radio Silence.’ All of Oseman’s novels take place in the same universe (that I’ve read so far) so even though they are different stories following different characters, there is a thread that keeps everything connected that make you feel comfortable. Oseman has definitely become an auto-buy author for me.
I’ve read a few novels recently that have clueless villains for comedic purposes. I think I like it. It reminds me of Glory off tv show Buffy the Vampire Slayer, or Dawn Budgie (played by Melissa McCarthy) in film Identity Thief. Give me more delusional antagonists! Anybody with me?
Casey Carlisle 