I received King of the Crease by A. J. Truman as an arc and ended up purchasing it in print and being gifted it in audiobook along with the first two books in The Comebacks series. I found the book to be a delightful romp and equal parts silly, sexy, and sweet. Even not having read the first two books in the series I was able to follow along and have a good time stepping into the team’s found family. This is the second book by A. J. Truman I’ve read and I hope to read many more!
Blair stole every scene she with every appearance in Kimberly Lemming’s I Got Abducted by Aliens and Now I’m Trapped in a Rom-Com and makes for an excellent heroine in it’s follow up I Punched an Alien and Now We’re in Couple’s Therapy. King Osid is starts out needing a hell of a lot of redemption. I think Lemming pulls it off by making both characters deliciously morally grey.
Neither character is without violent impulse though Osid is notably more covered in red flags. He also falls first, hard, and fast, which I love. Blair is understandable reluctant to take on everything that comes with a relationship with Osid and I am happy with how things resolve.
It’s great to have brief appearances of characters from the first book. Dory continues to be an unhinged delight. I could use more Dorothy always.
Fingers crossed for more installments in the series.
Poolside by Taylor E. Weston was on the top of my list for upcoming bookclub picks. The author is attending a Romance Bookstore Day event locally at the local romance book store HEA Book Boutique and was announced as attending Sports Romance Con 2027 next summer.
Poolside is the second in the Southeastern Alumni series which starts with Courtside (reviewed here). It focused on workaholic divorceé Tommy and swim coach Chuck who have been friends since college and particularly close since Tommy’s divorce. I tag the book as friends to lovers in the graphic but I think my favorite AO3 tag – idiots to lovers – may be more accurate.
The sex scenes are spicy, evocative, and grounded. The novel deals in part with the effects mental health medications can have on libido and I found it sensitively explored. It is by far responsible for the most texts I’ve gotten from a friend over spicy scenes in a book we were both reading. And responsible for me stopping multiple times through out the day to question do I need to watch Spartacus? Answer: unclear.
The same group of close knit found family from the first book feature in Poolside. Tommy and Chuck are both somewhat isolated in different ways and Chuck becomes more so over the course of the book. Hearteningly, neither Tommy or their other friends disappear from Chuck’s life when things get difficulty. They don’t smother Chuck; they give him space as he needs it, but they don’t let him entirely isolate. It was nice to see agency intact within caretaking, which can be a delicate balance. I think Weston handled the portrayal well.
When I submitted the forms to become Harry legally, I sent my family a version of this cheeky birth announcement. It led to the general confusion of, “I thought you two didn’t want to have kids” that comes from being surrounded by literal thinkers. After explaining it was agreed the joke was okay at best and I refuse to let it die. Thus this cheeky reminder of my identity and the eternal validity of it. Liking this supports that not only am I valid in my identity, but also that I am the funniest member of my family besides my wife.
A reminder that my experiences are not reflective of all trans folks. We are not a monolith. The thoughts and experiences of this 30-something year-old Midwestern trans man does not represent everyone.
Thank you for respecting me and my pronouns, which again are he, him, and his 🏳️⚧️
My July Trips on the Iowa Indie Bookshop Tour!!!
First up was @swampfoxbookstore where I rushed to get a signed, swag-filled copy of Heartstopper Volume Six 🦊🏳️🌈
I made multiple trips to @heabookboutique this month. Most notably to pick up bridal shower gifts 🎁
On my first trip to @sidekickcoffeeandbooks I learned about their upcoming romance event which has been added to my calendar 💖
Finally @hauntedbookshopiowacity I added a lion puppet I’ve been looking at for years to my work collection 🦁
What indie bookshops have you visited this summer?
Book blurb:
Harrison McCarthy is used to proving himself. As an enhanced human selected for the Clash of the Creatures. Every move he make is under scrutiny, and every mistake is magnified.
On the court, he’s focused, controlled, unshakeable.
Off the court, everything is starting to slip.
Barrett Mason has always been his steady anchor. Grounding him and pushing him to new limits, but their relationship has been a concealed affair for two years.
Lucas Viera is the opposite: He’s cocky, charming, and impossible to ignore.
One offers safety, the other demands attention.
Neither is willing to let him go.
As the rivalry ignites with the Clash, pressure builds, and Harrison is forced to confront a truth he can’t outrun.
What if he doesn’t have to choose? What if he can love both?
I haven’t checked my storygraph throughly, because I’ve read too many books, but I am fairly sure this is my first book about smashing monsters! Unless we’re counting Beauty and the Beast retellings…. in which case I am a monster smashing expert though most of those books were closed door if any type of sexy.
So, what did I think?
This book is a delightful romp! In my newly formed opinion, monster smashing is Camp. Over the top, joyfully and exaggeratedly theatrical, and wink-in-the-camera-ingly self-aware. I will not die on this hill, but I would kiss a demon on it.
Like many romance readers I’ve been caught up in the hockey romance craze. And like anyone with good sense I’ve been watching the PWHL since the league was announced. Add in this being the first winter Olympics since I started watching hockey and I’ve been searching far and wide for a sapphic hockey romance. Wake Up, Nat & Darcy by Kate Cochran met my expectations and then some! 4/5 stars for everyone watches women’s sports
Hedgehog Harry 