ARC Review – ‘Finding Your Feet’ by Cass Lennox

Title: Finding Your Feet
Authors: Cass Lennox
Genre: LGBT, Romance
Date of Publication: 16th January, 2017
Page Count: 283pages (ebook)
Synopsis: (from Goodreads)

While on holiday in Toronto, Evie Whitmore planned to sightsee and meet other asexuals, not audition for a dance competition. Now she’s representing Toronto’s newest queer dance studio, despite never having danced before. Not only does she have to spend hours learning her routine, she has to do it with one of the grumpiest men she’s ever met. Tyler turns out to be more than a dedicated dancer, though—he might be the kind of man who can sweep her off her feet, literally and figuratively.

Tyler Davis has spent the last year recovering from an emotionally abusive relationship. So he doesn’t need to be pushed into a rushed routine for a dumb competition. Ticking major representation boxes for being trans and biracial isn’t why he went into dance. But Evie turns out to be a dream student. In fact, she helps him remember just how good partnering can be, in all senses of the word. Teaching her the routine, however, raises ghosts for him, ones he’s not sure he can handle.

Plans change, and people change with them. Learning a few steps is one thing; learning to trust again is another entirely.

Disclaimer: I requested this ARC because I myself am asexual and I nearly exploded with excitement when I came across a romance featuring a fellow ace. Because of my higher expectations, the development halfway through the novel which wasn’t consistent with my experience of asexuality lessened my enjoyment factor, but that’s just due to my own baggage. This novel will definitely please those who are interested in reading a cute romance with a wonderfully diverse range of characters.

Geek {Chic} Monthly – October 2016: Tim Burton box!

Geek {Chic} Monthly provides you with 4 – 5 fandom-inspired merchandise, all matching the month’s chosen fandom/theme. In addition to jewelry, you may also receive other goodies such as decals, stickers, coin purses, tea tins and cord organizers.

Geek {Chic} Monthly
Cost: $15.00 USD per month.
Shipping Costs: $3.00 to the US / $10.00 to Canada / $15.00 to the rest of the world.
Payment Method: Credit Card.
Mailed Out: by the 15th of each month.
**Note: this subscription auto-renews and you are billed on the 15th of each month**

Book Review – ‘A Closed and Common Orbit’ by Becky Chambers

Title: A Closed and Common Orbit
Authors: Becky Chambers
Genre: Science Fiction
Date of Publication: 20th October, 2016
Page Count: 365 pages (paperback)
Synopsis: (from Goodreads)

Lovelace was once merely a ship’s artificial intelligence. When she wakes up in an new body, following a total system shut-down and reboot, she has no memory of what came before. As Lovelace learns to negotiate the universe and discover who she is, she makes friends with Pepper, an excitable engineer, who’s determined to help her learn and grow.

Together, Pepper and Lovey will discover that no matter how vast space is, two people can fill it together.

A Closed and Common Orbit is the stand-alone sequel to Becky Chambers’ beloved debut novel The Long Way to a Small, Angry Planet and is perfect for fans of Firefly, Joss Whedon, Mass Effect and Star Wars.

Although this is billed as a stand-alone, it took me a little effort to get into it as we’re introduced to the main characters in media res following on from the events of the first novel. I felt pretty lost in the beginning which is why I’ve taken so long to finish this – I ended up putting it aside to focus on other books instead. But once I picked it up again determined to get through it and plowed through a few chapters, I found it super compelling and became invested in the main dual protagonists.

Pusheen Box – Fall 2016 Review

Pusheen Box is an officially licensed quarterly subscription box that delivers a ton of Pusheen goodness at $100+ retail value. The box may include items such as stationery, clothing, accessories and typically contains an exclusive vinyl figure. Most of the other items also tend to be either exclusives or rare first editions before becoming commercially available.

Pusheen Box
Cost: $43.95 USD every quarter.
Shipping Costs: $6 to the US, $20 to Canada and $25 – $30 internationally.
Mailed Out: Mid-December 2016 / Mid-April 2017 / Mid-July 2017 / Mid-Oct 2017
Payment Method: Credit Card and Paypal.
**Note:  subscriptions renew automatically**

Book Review: ‘Pretty Wicked’ by Kelly Charron

Title: Pretty Wicked
Authors: Kelly Charron
Genre: YA/Thriller
Date of Publication: 30th September, 2016
Page Count: 412 pages (paperback)
Synopsis: (from Goodreads)

The daughter of a local police detective, fifteen-year-old Ryann has spent most of her life studying how to pull off the most gruesome murders her small Colorado town has ever seen.

But killing is only part of it. Ryann enjoys being the reason the cops are frenzied. The one who makes the neighbors lock their doors and windows on a hot summer’s day. The one everyone fears but no one suspects.

Carving out her own murderous legacy proves harder than she predicted. Mistakes start adding up. And with the police getting closer, and her own father becoming suspicious, Ryann has to prove once and for all that she’s smarter than anyone else—or she’ll pay the ultimate price.

I actually finished reading this a couple weeks ago, but I’ve been putting off this review because I genuinely couldn’t decide how I felt about this book. I’ve read and loved another series about a psychopathic teenager, I Am Not A Serial Killer by Dan Wells (which I posted about in my Horror Books Round-Up), so I thought this would be right up my alley, but my feelings about Ryann were decidedly mixed.

ARC review – ‘Timekeeper’ by Tara Sim

Title: Timekeeper
Authors: Tara Sim
Genre: LGBT/Fantasy/YA/
Date of Publication: 8th November, 2016
Page Count: 368 pages (hardcover)
Synopsis: (from Goodreads)

Two o’clock was missing.

In an alternate Victorian world controlled by clock towers, a damaged clock can fracture time—and a destroyed one can stop it completely.

It’s a truth that seventeen-year-old clock mechanic Danny Hart knows all too well; his father has been trapped in a Stopped town east of London for three years. Though Danny is a prodigy who can repair not only clockwork, but the very fabric of time, his fixation with staging a rescue is quickly becoming a concern to his superiors.

And so they assign him to Enfield, a town where the tower seems to be forever plagued with problems. Danny’s new apprentice both annoys and intrigues him, and though the boy is eager to work, he maintains a secretive distance. Danny soon discovers why: he is the tower’s clock spirit, a mythical being that oversees Enfield’s time. Though the boys are drawn together by their loneliness, Danny knows falling in love with a clock spirit is forbidden, and means risking everything he’s fought to achieve.

But when a series of bombings at nearby towers threaten to Stop more cities, Danny must race to prevent Enfield from becoming the next target or he’ll not only lose his father, but the boy he loves, forever.

As soon as I heard this was a fantasy YA novel featuring a gay main character, I was hooked and immediately requested it from NetGalley – I was so thrilled to be approved and dove in gleefully. How satisfying that that it lived up to my high expectations! ❤