my moral standing is lying down

5th Gen Group ILLIT might look like they're all abt fluffy and sweet concepts--which they are! BUT there's also a specific type of quirkiness and darkness thrown in that will catch ppl's attention.

For their latest Korean release, they dropped this amazing song and MV for "Little Monsters". Dreamy melodies and an encouraging message, what's not to <3___<3?

I ALSO LURVEd the blend of the delicate-yet-mildly-disturbing as well as their take on Magical Girls in the MV. As someone who imprinted on Sailor Moon, I was quite @ _____________________________ @ from the first second of this video.

Watch on YouTube

And, OFC, there's so much that I gotta rec this explainer from Bookish Theories

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Later on, ILLIT dropped the title track. Which was a 180 from the previous song. And an even OTT-ier MV.

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Bookish Theories is back to help everyone make sense of what they've just watched:

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Lolarious because of how game Jin is throughout this video. I also liked the snarkier tone the interviewer had (mainly cuz the 🤔 was nicely contrasted by Jin's 😇 vibes.

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Re-reads. HUH

None for this post.


I DNF'd

* A Little Turn by Alexandra Caluen (M/M Romance) - Bob is a 36-y.o. sports agent in Los Angeles who just happens to have the worst luck with dating women. After his latest girlfriend not only tells him she's in love with someone else BUT also turns down his marriage proposal, he goes to a bar to figure out what's going on. While there, He strikes up a conversation with Jade, a fabulously dressed, 35-y.o. LA stylist. And it is through this conversation that Bob realizes he's gay!

I imagine the rest of the story is abt Bob navigating life as a gay dude, falling for Jade, etc. NO idea what actually happens cuz I dropped this at the end of the first chapter. It was overwritten and repetitive. My library has a few more books by this author. I'll give them a try later. Maybe. I gave this 1 star out of 5.


* Saddle Studs by Max Walker (M/M Romance) - Book 3 of a series called "Rainbow Ranch" which follows the romances of 4 siblings who own and run a ranch in Oklahoma. This book is abt Sam, a 29-y.o. guy whose life has gone sideways. He finds out that his girlfriend has been cheating on him with his best friend AND there's some dramarama with his job at a PR firm. In need of a break, he decides to go to Rainbow Ranch in order to fulfill the requirement for an inheritance he's named as the sole heir. He'll get a parcel of land (of a substantial size) and a miniature pony IF he spends 3 months working at the ranch. Sam is DESPERATE to leave NYC behind. Only problem is that he'll be living and working with Benny, his first love (that he ran away from many year ago.)

My best guess is that this is a kinda second chance romance story. Unfortch, I HATED Sam's opinions, thoughts, and behaviors in the v. first chapter. So I ended up DNF'ing this 10% in. I gave this 1 star out of 5.


Had an awesome time at first (but it all went downhill from there)

None!


Good vibes all around

* Stirring Spurs by M.A. Wardell (M/M Romance) - Boone is Rainbow Ranch's main cook. He loves his job, loves working alongside his family, and has always enjoyed being the younger twin (his brother Beau is oldest by a few minutes.) Boone's dedication to making sure everyone's taken care of and well fed has resulted in him putting himself last.

Things change when Wylie, a temporary ranch hand, shows up. Will Boone open up his heart? Will Wylie stay put for once instead of moving on to the next gig????

A breezy and fun novella that has a lot of queer characters, some cute moments, and two horses with a lot of personality.

My main gripe had to do with the dialogue. Half of it which was v. much like out of a Western movie. The other half was OTT with how sassy it was (think of S1 Gilmore Girls). Like, to the point where I felt like I was reading a sitcom script at times. Cuz ppl can most deffo be funny, but it was as if the author wanted EVERY LINE to be quippy AF. I ended up lowering the rating cuz that became a little tiresome for me. I gave this novella 2.6 out of 5


* Lasso Lovebirds by Clio Evans (M/F/Nonbinary Romance) - The 2nd book in the Rainbow Ranch series AND the main reason why I started reading this series in the first place, LOL.

This one is abt Beau (Boone's older twin) who has loved Priscilla (the ranch's gardener) for years but thinks pursing a relationship with her is impossible; Priscilla who has had the hots for Beau for years as well but also has her own baggage; Sky, a storm chaser nonbinary person who is attracted to both Beau and Priscilla.

Yet another sweet (and steamy!) entry in the series that features a quick lust-to-love throuple, some v. kinky times, and low-angst considering all the goings on.

I was more forgiving with a couple of things cuz the novella format meant that there wouldn't be any space to develop things at a more leisurely pace. FWIW, this "forgiveness" extended to the fact that this throuple was not only v. much into each other BUT also polyamorous AND ridic compatible in terms of kinkiness, hehehe. I gave this novella 3 out of 5


* Magic Claims by Ilona Andrews (Urban Fantasy) - The 12th (!) entry in the Kate Daniels series finds Kate and Curran going abt their lives until someone shows up asking for their help...

This one is a classic KD story: the Big Bad is scary and weird AF, Kate is snarky, Kate and Curran's relationship remains a true partnership of the heart (and the nether regions, heheh), and there's the usual level of violence and action any fan of this series can expect.

What makes this novel shine, however, is having all of those familiar elements and then throwing in all the ways that Kate, Curran, and their world has changed: they're a decade older and have a whole new set of responsibilities that neither could've dreamed of back in the main series. There's also some moments of introspection for both characters (but especially Kate) that show their maturity and how they have evolved as characters. Finally, space is made into the plot to add some callbacks, Easter eggs, AND (most importantly) updates on some of the other characters' lives.

As for the negatives, I was uncomfortable with how Conlan became part of the story. Yes, he's a v. special kid, but he's also 8. IDK.

Also, I'm of two minds abt the ending (thought I ultimately liked where the story ends...for now?) SPOILERS FOR THE ENDING, AHOY!

No, seriously, I'll be talking abt the ending

It IS hella weird that Kate and Curran are tremendously rich as the story comes to a close. Also they now have new members of their pack which include pre-historic ppl (some of which are half-elf HYBRIDS) as well as a stable of pre-historic animals to take care of and feed?!?!?!?

BUT, at the same time, they have enough coin and space to work into establishing a new (and better!) Keep. Fate (and Curran's own ambitions and inclinations) is determined that he will be The Beast Lord and so here's a golden opportunity for doing just that!

Meanwhile, I got the reasoning behind Kate embracing her own legacy as the Sharratum, etc.

It truly is all fascinating stuff. THIS IS NOT A STANDALONE NOVEL, btw. Which means, that readers will get the most out of picking up the other 11 novels in the series. IJS. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

I gave this book 4.5 out of 5


Current fic tally

Have picked up 152 fics and DNF'd 75.


Up next...

I've got a non-fiction, a biography, and a couple more of queer romances on my immediate TBR. Gonna keep on reading! :D