K.D. Rye's Blog, page 3

That Could Be Enough

I guess it’s time that I mention how much I love Hamilton. Hopefully, you all know what I’m referring to, but in case you don’t: Hamilton is an American musical revolving around Alexander Hamilton and his role in forming the country we know today. The performance features non-white actors singing and rapping to some pretty amazing lyrics. How does this relate to Alyssa Cole’s The Could Be Enough? Aside from the title, which references a song in the musical, the story focuses on the maid of Eliza...

Pyotra and the Wolf

I’ve been a die-hard Holst fan since reading her novella In the Palm, so of course I’m going to jump at her newest release. Pyotra and the Wolf is a retelling of the symphonic Russian fairy tale Peter and the Wolf. If you listen to the fairy tale, which I did immediately after finishing Pyotra (and remembered listening to it from childhood), you can see the small nods towards the original.

Here’s a quick plot—

After a wolf pulls Pyotra’s brother, Sergie, from a wet and frozen grave, a hunt...

Big Girl Pill

I had the pleasure of listening to the audible of Big Girl Pill by KD Williamson this week, and what a week it has been!

Here’s a quick plot—

When Nina Sterling invites her former best friend, Maya Davis, to be a bridesmaid in her wedding, Maya accepts with the intention of shaking off the residual feelings from their intimate encounter back in college. Nina is drowning in her own silent conformity to the life her controlling mother and fiancé have laid out in front of her. Inviting Maya...

Testimony

I haven’t read historical fiction in a few months (since Waspish Widows) so I was really excited to jump into Testimony by Paula Martinac. Testimony travels to 1960’s Virginia, way before Obergefell v. Hodges, the case in which the Supreme Court ruled that the right for same-sex couples to marry is constitutionally granted, when society condemned homosexuality to the point of incarceration. Scary times, and this novel doesn’t water down our history—a point I adore.

Here’s a quick plot—

Gen...

Night Tide

Since I kicked off 2020 with Anna Burke’s Nottingham, it seemed only right to continue my new tradition with Night Tide. And what a book to start the new year with! This is the second installment of the Seal Cove Romance series. We return to all the characters from Spindrift, only this time it’s Lillian’s turn to fall in love.

Here’s a quick summary—

Lillian Lee’s world is set on fire when her arch nemesis is hired at the Seal Cover Veterinarian Clinic . After being diagnosed with a seriou...

Reflections and a New Year: 2021

I debated on not doing a personal post this go around and to instead just keep moving forward with reviews, after all, haven’t we had enough commentary on the year 2020? But then I wouldn’t be doing right to the stories I consumed nor would I be challenging myself, and that is partly what The Lesbian 52 aims to accomplish. A challenge.

This year I put out 23 reviews. That’s roughly 2 a month not counting January when I took a break after my 52 challenge. Despite this number seeming so small, ...

Ammonite

I’ve been wanting to dive into another Nicola Griffith book after reading Slow River a while back, which is why I put Ammonite on my Christmas wish-list. This was an interesting novel to read after just finishing Blue by Abigail Padgett. I’m not intelligent enough on the subject to speak too heavily on this, but the competing feminist theory both presented caused for some stimulating thought progression in my personal life.

The concept Ammonite introduces: people are people, no matter the gen...

Blue

Blue by Abigail Padgett is a feminist mystery novel and there is nothing quite like it. It’s a reissue from 1998 which explains the lack of cell phones, internet, and the use of “archaic” technology such as answering machines. Despite the setting being over twenty years ago, I actually didn’t notice that this was a 90s book until almost halfway through, and that was mostly because of issues associated with answering machines that became relevant to the story. But I’m getting ahead of myself, her...

The Shadow Mission

Ive been wanting to read the sequel to The Athena Protocol for some time and am so glad to have read Shamim Sarifs newest work. Although published by Harper Teen, The Shadow Mission doesnt read like a typical YA novel. As I stated in my review of The Athena Protocol, this is more of an action-packed spy book with a younger cast of characters who range from their early to mid-twenties, with the exception of the founders of the group who are all older. Despite this being a sequel, I dont think...

Tinsel and Spruce Needles Series

Its my aim every year to celebrate the holiday season as little as I possibly can. Call me a Grinch, Ill gladly say bah humbug. Its not the universal sense of giving that dissuades me (I try to encompass that attitude year-round), but the relentless commercial cheer that forces me into a month-long eye-roll. Which is why the closest I got to a Christmas review last year was The Price of Salt/Carol. So why, you may ask, am I covering a whole series of holiday novellas? If you read In the Palm...