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A Minor Inconvenience by Sarah Granger was cute and pretty fun. It’s not a KJ Charles or Cat Sebastian read but it fills the time while waiting for their next release.

Tales From the Folly by Ben Aaronovitch. Thanks to the pandemic Ben Aaronovitch was able to publish all the Waterstone special shorts that I have read so much about. I have found a few of them online before but some were new to me. I love everything Rivers of London related and being a completionist I am so happy to have this collection available. I got it on Kobo for now but I hear that there will be a physical release next year.

The Enforcer Enigma by Gail Carriger was a bit of a disappointment. I loved the first in the series, The Sumage Solution. It was seriously so good, but this one felt lacking in comparison. I did like the short bit where we get the connection of these characters to the original Parasolverse and Finishing School series. But the MCs’ constant self-hate and internalised homophobia put me off. As well as yet another terrible mother figure. I don’t recall any mother figure in this universe that has been decent. Some have been flawed sure but most have been downright terrible.
Also, I can’t deal with the constant puns and cutesy nicknames.

Better Than People by Roan Parrish. It’s been a while since Roan had a new book out. I’ve missed her books as I haven’t yet met one I didn’t like. I think I’m missing a short story or two, otherwise, I’ve read all her published books. Some several times. This one, the first in a new series explores an MC with debilitating anxiety, and like her book Invitation to the Blues where the MC had severe depression, it feels true and real without falling into caricature. I don’t have anxiety so I can say how faithful it is, I guess it’s different for everyone, but the way she depicted depression in Invitation was kind and relevant and this feels the same. She manages to have Simon describe the feelings without making it sound like a textbook or have it feel clunky and weird. It’s definitely one for my re-read shelf.

The Sugared Game by K.J. Charles is the second book in The Will Darling Adventures and it’s been highly anticipated all summer. Due to 2020-reason *waves in the general direction of everything* it was delayed about a month but it was oh so worth the wait. Will and Kim are back. Will is still awesome and Kim is still a lying, complicated little shit and I love him. Phoebe and Maisie are awesome, and this being book 2 in a trilogy the ending is heartbreaking as it should be so all can be set right in book 3. Speaking of – that book had a release date but since book 2 has been delayed it has been pushed back – I’m hoping for autumn/winter 2020, but who can say?

After glomming The Sugared Game I just had to go back and do a quick re-read of Slippery Creatures. It’s still awesome.

Almost a Scandal by Elizabeth Essex. Huh, well I was due a DNF. It’s been 7 months. This started out ok but it quickly grew tedious. The heroine’s tic of saying ”Devil take me/her/him/them” etc. Sometimes twice on one page. That got annoying but when the person of the book that we were supposed to root for turns out to be a bully to her little brother I say No thank you. It would have been so easy to frame Sally Kent’s signing on as her brother with the Navy as compassionate. ”I’ll take your place while you go to University to study and become a vicar since you are clearly not up for being in the Navy”. Instead, she talks him down and shames him for not being like her and her other brothers who love the Navy.
She recalls how she and her love interest, the righteous and always fair Mister Colyear used to pelt little brother with apples and call taunts after him until he runs ”snivelling into the house to read more sermons”. Please – am I to side with you when you get bullied on the ship? I don’t think so. (Also we only hear about what a bully he is, we never see it. Before we even meet him on the page we know he obviously has learning problems and can’t get a promotion. Now his response to this seems to be to become a bully etc but why not establish that properly with a scene before. ) No. I will not spend another minute reading this.
I also had to check since this was a series, little brother doesn’t even get his own book later, not even a short story. Pass.