Apparently I decided to make up for my lackluster reading in February by chain reading All The Things in March. Much of this was helped by my discovery of Lucy Score, and the addictive nature of her books. But more on that in actual reviews, below.
My New Lucy Score Obsession
Gosh, okay, so I heard Lucy Score on one of the podcasts I listen to, and she just seemed like such a cool, badass individual that I was like, sure, I’ll go check out her books even though there’s no swords or magic in them.
I’m not entirely sure this was a good thing to happen to me as I am now OBSESSED, but I am very happy about it. I read four of her books this month, so I’m just going to do an overall review of her writing style and then a quick 1-2 sentences on each book with links.
Overall: Her books are fucking hilarious. Seriously, I don’t know how she’s so consistently funny. I feel like humor is one of the hardest things to do well in a book, and to some degree authors just have it or don’t, and she definitely has it. If you want to laugh and feel better about life, go pick up one of her books. Probably any of them will do.
HEAT LEVEL WARNING: Lucy Score’s personal tagline is “Writing romances so steamy her family can’t look her in the eye.” If very explicit sex in books is not your thing, you’ll want to just skip right by these.
Mr. Fixer Upper: This was the first book I picked up by her and I just chose it at random. Romance between a producer on a reality home renovation show and one of the shows two stars. Does everything well. The love interests have great chemistry, and the book deals with sexism in the film industry. And, as promised, it’s hilarious.
The Christmas Fix: Sort of a sequel to Mr. Fixer Upper, it follows the second star of the reality home renovation show. Small town charm! A grumpy but adorable male love interest! Constant misunderstandings between the two main characters that lead to hilarity.
Rock Bottom Girl: If you’re feeling depressed about how your life turned out and feeling like you haven’t accomplished anything, let me give you this book about a 38-year-old having to recoup from recent job loss by going home to her small town and igniting an old high school flame. Definitely the funniest of the four I’ve read so far, which is saying something considering they’re all pretty funny. Also, JAKE WESTON IS SO HOT I MAY BE DEAD NOW. That’s all.
Forever Never: Okay, this is the only one I recommend with a caveat. And the caveat is totally personal and has nothing to do with the quality of the book. I loved the story line, the main characters, and the setting (small island community!). The caveat is this: I can handle a lot of sex in books. Like, A LOT. But this one, I think, actually hit the limit for me for number of sex scenes. So just bear that in mind. If you’ve ever thought to yourself, Gosh, I’ve never read a book that had enough sex scenes in it for me, then congratulations, THIS IS THE ONE FOR YOU.
Bitterburn by Ann Aguirre
Absolutely everything I could have wanted in a Beauty and the Beast retelling. Ann Aguirre continues to astonish me with her flexibility as an author. She writes everything so well, I am consumed with admiring jealousy. Seriously, she’s written science fiction, contemporary revenge thrillers, time travel, fantasy, contemporary romance, YA, and now fairy tale retellings, and they’re all just amazing.
This is a truly sweet, touching retelling, with a misunderstood beast and the woman who finds her place with him. The story has a gothic feel, with elegant prose and plenty of suspense.
Njal and Amarrah’s story is beautiful, and I love her determination to save him from a curse he didn’t deserve, when he’s absolutely positive there is no way for him to be saved (and he should have been right, but that’s not going to stop one very determined witch from getting her happily ever after…)
Grave War by Kalayna Price
The long-awaited conclusion to the Alex Craft series is here, and it doesn’t disappoint!
I’ll admit, I didn’t see the end game of this series coming. Possibly because of the length of time between releases. I feel like, if I’d read all the books in one go, I might have had a better inkling of the big reveal. As it was, I still figured it out, like, two paragraphs before it was actually revealed, and that was very satisfying.
The Alex Craft books were already on my Urban Fantasy Recommendations page because they are just absolutely fantastic, and with the series now complete, I’m pleased to stand by the rec 100%.
I really hope to see more from this author in this author in the future.
Damage-A Ghost Squad Novel by Lilith Saintcrow
So Lilith Saintcrow writes predominantly things of the supernatural variety, so it actually took me a little ways into the novel to figure out that this was military/thriller suspense and not paranormal. Because I thought Ghost Squad might refer to actual ghosts, but apparently refers to the military unit. My bad for not researching.
I read anything she writes, however, because her writing is just SO GOOD, and Damage was no exception. This book deals with trauma in both the main characters (miscarriage & dissolution of a marriage for the female MC and PTSD for the male MC) but in a way that doesn’t beat you over the head with either, and feels very real and raw.
It’s a fast-paced, shorter read (57K). While technically a romance, it falls very light on the romance scale. No sex (I’m pretty sure there’s not even any kissing, if I recall correctly). So if you’re looking for a well-written, action-packed read, give this one a go.