Isaiah Roby's Blog: MI Book Reviews, page 18

“Phoebe Mendel’s day is never ending—literally.On August ...

“Phoebe Mendel’s day is never ending—literally.

On August 6th, she woke up to find herself stuck in a time loop. And for nearly a month of August 6ths since, Phoebe has relived the same day: pancakes with Mom in the morning, Scrabble with Dad in the afternoon, and constant research into how to reach tomorrow and make it to her appointment with a doctor who may actually take her IBS seriously. Everything is exactly, agonizingly the same.

That is, until the most mundane car crash ever sends ...

A Song for You and I

“Being a ranger means adventure, action, and protecting the weak. But who protects the ranger when they lose their way? From the bestselling author of The Moth Keeper and the Tea Dragon Society comes a must read MG graphic novel for fans of soft sweeping fantasy romances.

Rowan knows exactly what they to be a ranger, protecting their village alongside their trusted flying horse Kes. But when Rowan’s eagerness to show off their worth gets Kes injured, Rowan is suddenly unsure if they’re capable of...

Striking a Chord at Randy’s

“Can a rocker fall for a gym bunny? Nah, no way. But what if the big, muscly guy looks sad? Well…

Moving out of his hometown gives Trent the freedom to shape his life the way he wants, out of his brother’s shadow. Running into his childhood friend is not what he expected, but exactly what he needed. Amidst the chaos of new discoveries, his closeness to Charlie unlocks his heart and mind.

With supportive family and friends, Charlie lives as his true self. His past comes stumbling into his life in t...

Saudade

This took a bit of a different turn than the other of the series. It starts out later than the other two books and gives a bit of a glimpse into the lives of the main characters of the first two books after their epilogues. I liked that, and tbh wanted more of it than this book gave me.

The love that remains…
Kivia Quigley never expected to be the mother-in-law to an eight-foot-tall pink alien, but she’s not complaining. The widow is more than happy to have some joy in her family’s life, for ...

This World is Not Yours

SciFi horror with both societal and environmental horror which didn’t quite get explored enough for me.

After fleeing her controlling and murderous family with her fiancée Vinh, Amara embarks on a colonization project, New Belaforme, along with her childhood friend, Jesse.
The planet, beautiful and lethal, produces the Gray, a “self-cleaning” mechanism that New Belaforme’s scientists are certain only attacks invasive organisms, consuming them. Humans have been careful to do nothing to call at...

The Gothic Cocoon

“Four hundred potential victims, trapped at the mercy of a maniac!

The Bluebetter Community is a lovely retirement village to the north of London. A bucolic, peaceful retreat for one’s later years. But in the last week, it has become inexplicably sealed off from the world. An invisible barrier has slammed down around the residents. None can get out; few can get in.

Two who manage to breach this cocoon are supernatural investigators, Ludo Carstairs and Michael Garris. Their urgent task is t...

Farborn

I enjoyed this one more than the first book in the (loosely connected) series.

He’s not from around here…
Davies McKellan is a man without a true home. The cocky mining contractor navigator has spent his entire adult life roaming the stars and refusing to be tied down by anyone.
But that doesn’t come without cost. Like loneliness.
When Davies makes his first run to the planet Pfahrn, he meets Olarte, a Pfahrn who intrigues him in ways he never dreamed possible.
Except duplicity and deadly secret...

Can’t Say Goodbye

I ended up really enjoying this polyam romance.

Our quick hellos are followed by drawn out goodbyes.
What started out as one fun night turned into a regular thing none of us ever planned for.
I can’t walk away from Kit and Prescott. Kit is the stern nurturer I need. He’s the caretaker, the solid presence. Prescott enables my wild ways. He’s someone I can have fun with. They couldn’t be more perfect for me.
But come graduation, I have to move across the country, and geography isn’t our only obst...

The Rules We Live By: Stories and Reflections on Unlearning Patriarchal Masculinity

“In this timely book, podcast host and scholar Destyn Land examines the nature of ‘masculinity’ and the lessons we are taught as children which carry into our adult lives. Through recollections from his own life, Destyn challenges readers to unpack the cultural norms which we have absorbed and accept the parts of us which may not fit within a traditional picture of the ideal masculine figure.

With topics ranging from anger to accountability, dealing with trauma, and the vulnerabilities of tru...

Football Royalty

Nice college jock romance, with a ton of added elements that made it even more fun.

If you never fooled around with someone of the same gender, did you even go to high school?

PEYTON
My whole life I’ve had the pressure of being Marcus Talon and Shane Miller’s football prodigy. I’ve been destined to follow in my NFL-playing fathers’ footsteps since the day I was born. I usually thrive under pressure, but as senior year looms, it all gets too much, and I need an outlet. The last place I thought ...