Review: What We Never Say by Paulette Stout

 

I received this book for review from Reedsy Discovery which is a company I occasionally do book reviews for. The review itself follows the review guidelines of Reedsy. I will say I really enjoyed this book. It was very well written and dealt with a topic that is important to me. 

Rebecca and Kyle are seemingly doing great until a magazine publishes a picture from Kyle's modeling days and he finally has to reveal his traumatic past to Rebecca. Dealing with Kyle's assault and getting him the help he needs isn't the only thing on their plates though, Rebecca runs a blog that helps women learn to have pleasurable sex. That blog suddenly gets attention from the same magazine that published Kyle's photo, the same magazine where Kyle's abuser works. Rebecca is asked to write for the company and despite Kyle's warning, agrees to do so. Although Rebecca enjoys helping women, she's unknowingly opened herself and Kyle up to his abuser's influence once again. As things get increasingly worse, the couple has to decide what they will do. Will Kyle come out with his story? Will Rebecca be exposed and lose her job?

I enjoyed this book despite the serious topic. I found that Stout was able to handle writing about the sexual violence men face in a respectful and impactful way. This is a story we don't often hear, but it's an important one to get out there. I appreciated the relationship dynamic between Kyle and Rebecca. They were extremely supportive of each other: Kyle supported Rebecca with her sexual struggles and Rebecca supported him with the abuse he faced as a young man. We often don't see stories about men who are victims of sexual violence and more often don't see them in our lives. As someone who knows multiple men who were victims of sexual violence perpetrated by women, I am very appreciative of this story. I think Kyle's journey to finally admitting what happened, seeing a therapist, and eventually coming out with the truth is one that can help survivors like him. Many survivors are unable to get justice and I believe this book will be cathartic for them. The depictions of healthy friendships and relationships were also an important balance in this book. It's good to see survivors who are able to continue to connect with other people and live successful lives as the ones in this book did.

I would recommend this book to readers who are interested in women's issues, sexual violence against men, and similar issues. This book does contain heavy content so that is something to be aware of before reading. Content warnings include but are not limited to descriptions of sexual violence, manipulation, blackmail, on-page unwanted sexual content, discussions of orgasms and other sexual content, and consensual sexual relations. Please ensure you are prepared to read this kind of content before consumption. I think this is an important book to read and highly recommend it.

As always, happy reading!

Interested in Becoming a Book Reviewer

Ever thought that book reviewing might be something you're interested in but you're not sure where to start? Or maybe you're already a reviewer but you want to get a little bit more serious? 

I review on Reedsy Discovery which is a company that allows authors to submit their books to be reviewed on their site. I have now read and reviewed four books for this company and I've really enjoyed it. I have another book review for them due in May. I really like that Reedsy lets me pick the books I want to read and that I can see both the page count, first page, and amount of time I have to read and review the book. Their reviewer guidelines are easy to follow and make the reviewer experience pretty simple. 

I have an affiliate link for those interested in trying it out. My Reedsy Link. I hope you give it a chance if it's something you're interested in. 

Review: The Kraken's Sacrifice by Katee Robert

 

Katee Robert never fails to satisfy with her breathtaking books. Yes, it's a monster romance, but it's so much more than that. This book deals with loss and trauma excellently. 

This is the second book in Katee Robert's A Deal With A Demon series. The first book, The Dragon's Bride, has also been reviewed on my blog so feel free to search for it if you are interested. In this series, women make deals with a demon agreeing to give up seven years to a being in another realm. In the first book, the heroine is paired with a dragon. In this one, our heroine, Catalina, is paired with Thane, king of the Kraken. The next book in the series comes out at the end of this month and is called The Gargoyle's Captive. There is also a bonus book from a Kickstarter Robert participated in called The Demon's Bargain. 

In this book, Catalina is desperate. She's at rock bottom, too embarrassed to ask her mother's help, and feeling completely alone and unloved in her world. The promise of riches that will buy her friends once she's fulfilled her seven years is an obvious solution for her. She signs the contract and is kept in a castle awaiting the monsters that will come for her and the other women there. In the castle, she is lonely and bored until she wanders around and finds Ramanu and befriends them. Eventually, the monsters get there, and she manages to stumble upon one before the auction takes place. He just so happens to be the one to select her. 

The only problem is Thane is uninterested in being near Catalina for extended periods of time. He is still mourning the loss of his husband. As much as he tries to avoid Catalina though, he can't help the irresistible desire he has for her. His attempts to leave her to her devices leave her suffering and him less in control each time he sees her. 

I absolutely loved this book. It was a super quick read and very fun. I love the world-building Robert does in her books as well as the character creation. She could easily create one-dimensional characters that are simply there for adult interactions, but instead, she gives them complex backstories and traumas. It's this that makes her books absolutely delicious to read. I also feel like there's something so comforting about reading characters with trauma and seeing them be loved and accepted by someone. She manages to make her characters relatable and her works are often a good way for me to heal and work through my own traumas. The tension, attraction, and affection in this book had me eagerly flipping the pages. I cannot recommend it enough. 

This book is of course a monster romance book and contains adult sexual content. If tentacles aren't your thing, this probably isn't the book for you (although I'd say don't knock it until you've read it). Other content warnings include abortion, mentions of abuse and neglect, death of a spouse, and more. Katee Robert does include her own content warnings and tropes within the book, but I also recommend heading to StoryGraph for a full list of potential content warnings as provided by other readers. 

As always, happy reading. I will be back soon with another review of a monster romance as well as a more contemporary book. 

If you are interested in seeing what I'm up to when I'm not posting here, please head over to my Linktree for a list of my social media accounts. I tend to post on Tiktok and Instagram daily and do weekly Youtube videos. 

Reading Plans for March

 Hey, y'all. I will be participating in Monster Mash March which is an idea from one of my mutuals on Instagram and Tiktok @selfbybee. I will be reading monster romance books throughout March. These books do contain adult content so that is something to be aware of. If you are not interested in these types of reviews, feel free to skip them. 

I also saw that some people are doing Mythology March which could also be fun. I really like the idea of themed reading. I love monster romance so I'm excited to read more this coming month. 

I also believe I have a couple advanced reader reviews to do so I will be posting those as well. 

See you soon. Also if you plan on participating in Monster Mash March I have some monster romance book reviews on my page. I believe they are Ice Planet Barbarians, The Dragon's Bride, and Morning Gloy Milking Farm. Again these books have explicit intimacy scenes with humanoid beings. These books are definitely not for everyone. 

I will update y'all soon as I have already finished one of the books and started a new one. 

Review: The Banned Bookshop of Maggie Banks by Shauna Robinson

 

This book was such an enjoyable read for me. I loved the cozy vibes of the town and the idea of rebelling against classic books. 

This book follows Maggie Banks who is in her late twenties and has gone through life unsure of what she wants. She's worked lots of different jobs but never found joy in them. Her friend Rochelle owns a bookstore in a small town. She asks Maggie to take over for her while on maternity leave. Maggies is not a reader. She's not interested in any of the books Rochelle has sent her over the years, so she's out of her element in a bookstore. Especailly because this bookstore is a historic bookstore where the author Edward Bell worked and wrote his first book. The other catch is that the bookstore only sells books that Edward Bell would've been able to read meaning there are only classics in the bookstore. 

Right away, Maggie gets off on the wrong foot with the store's co-owner, Ralph, the grandson of Edward Bell.  He feels that she is not properly equipped to care for the store. This is made worse when one of his employees Malcolm comes to check on Maggie in the store and she's being silly with Rochelle's son. Rochelle ends up going on maternity leave early leaving Maggie alone in the store. Maggie ends up saying something Ralph doesn't like and he removes the bestselling Edward Bell books leaving the bookstore to decline financially. Maggie is forced to come up with a plan to keep her friend from losing all her business, but it's a plan she must do in secret. She's going to bring in books that are not allowed in the bookshop and attempt to sell them. 

The part I liked most about this book was watching as Maggie learned to love reading. She started with romance books (a personal favorite of mine) and branched out. I also really enjoyed the relationships and connections she made with people. She had a lot of self-doubts but she was an awesome person/character. I was never a big classics fan so I liked how Maggie worked with them in this book. For me, this was a really feel-good book despite there being bumps. I can't wait to read more Shauna Robinson books. 

I'm not sure if there are many content warnings for this book, but I will still say check StoryGraph. 

As always, happy reading!

Review: A Dash of Salt and Pepper by Kosoko Jackson

 

I usually don't read man-loving-man romances. Nothing against them, of course, I just haven't really read very many. However, I saw this book at Barnes and Noble and thought it looked cute. I mean look at that cover, it's lovely. The description on the back also sounded interesting so I was like "time to give this a try"! And I am so glad I gave this book a chance because I loved it. 

The story follows Xavier who is a black gay MBA holder whose plans sort of fall through all at once and he ends up having to move home with his parents (which is so relatable for me). He always looked at the town he grew up in as a place that was holding him back from his future. He worked really hard to get out of it and pushed himself to be successful. So he's embarrassed to be back living at home, and he's not sure what he's going to do with his life. All very relatable things for people in their 20s and 30s and every other year of life. He meets this man named Logan and they immediately don't like each other, but Xavier's a friend of his parents and the most eligible bachelor in the town. 

Logan had moved in while Xavier was off at college. He opened a restaurant called the Wharf and has a teenage daughter. Logan just happens to be looking to hire someone to work at the restaurant and Xavier just happens to need a job. So he ends up working for Logan which is where their friendship blooms. And of course, this is a Berkley Romance book so it has romance. The two have their relationship go to the next level. 

I really liked how relatable Xavier is. I liked how sarcastic he is. There is a great representation of friendship in this. There is a really sweet romance of course. What I liked most though is that Xavier grows as a person. I love character growth especially in a romance like this because I like seeing that the characters are people outside of the relationship they're in. 

This book does have intimate adult relations depicted. This depiction is minimal but I would consider it to be somewhat explicit so that is something to be aware of. You could definitely skip over it if that is something you don't like in your books. For other content warnings, I would say homophobia, biphobia, and more, but those are the main ones I can think of. As always, I point readers in the direction of StoryGraph for a full list of possible content warnings as provided by other readers. 

I really enjoyed this book and highly recommend it. It was a great read around Valentine's Day for me ( I did read it earlier this month). I also think it was a great Black History Month read. I believe in celebrating and learning about people who are different from myself be it skin color, religion, national origin, etc, but I think looking at the joy of those groups is very important too. I am also a strong believer in supporting BIPOC authors. I am a strong believer in consuming media we enjoy, but I also believe that we should consume media that features people different from ourselves. 

I really enjoyed Kosoko Jackson's writing and am looking forward to reading his other book I'm So (Not) Over You as well as his upcoming thriller The Forest Demands Its Due. I definitely think he is going to be an author whose works I really enjoy and I'm excited to see what else he writes.

As always, happy reading. I should be back soon with a review of my current read The Banned Bookshop of Maggie Banks which I am really enjoying so far. 

Again, you can find me on social media. I am pretty active on Tiktok and Instagram and make an effort to post on Youtube at least once a week. You can click on my Linktree which will provide links to my social media accounts. 

Review: Sharp Objects by Gillian Flynn Narrated by Ann Marie Lee

 

This is the third Gillian Flynn book I've read (all have been audible versions). The other reviews are available on this blog, use the search bar within the blog and type in Gillian Flynn and they should pop up. 

This is by far my favorite of her works. The story follows Camille, a journalist living in Chicago that gets sent back to her hometown to investigate the death and disappearance of two young girls. Camille has a difficult relationship with this town, having not wanted to return, but needing this article to boost her credentials at her job. She is forced to stay at home with her mother, who she doesn't have a good relationship with, and interact with her younger sister who she doesn't know and is significantly younger than she is. As Camille digs deeper into the mystery, her own life begins to unravel and she discovers dark things about her past. 

I really enjoyed this book. Gillian Flynn does a great job of writing very complex women. Camille is much more complicated than she seems at first and has some dark secrets that she's hiding. She's very smart, she knows how to get people to let them interview her and she knows where to look to get information. Her mother is also a very interesting character, the perfect picture of a southern woman, but who doesn't love her eldest daughter. There's a clash between those two things. Then there's her younger sister Amma who acts like the perfect daughter at home but terrorizes everyone in town. The relationship she and Camille develop is an interesting one. 

I will say that compared to the other books I've read of hers, Dark Places and Gone Girl, some of the twists were a little too predictable for me. I didn't figure everything out, but I figured out more much earlier than I usually do when reading her books. The story is still fantastic. The characters are interesting. The setting of the small town is perfect for this story. 

I definitely recommend this to mystery/thriller lovers. The ending had me stressed so it was definitely a good thriller. There are of course content warnings, the obvious: death of children, kidnapping, murder. There's also alcohol abuse, drug abuse, sexual content, graphic details of the murders, mentions of self-harm, and more. As always I recommend StoryGraph for a full list of content warnings as provided by other readers. (I highly recommend checking out StoryGraph even if you aren't looking for content warnings. It's a great place to keep track of your reading and you can follow/friend me a ayearinbookswithzoe.) If you are sensitive to certain material, I do recommend looking at those content warnings because this book has a lot going on. 

If you're not interested in reading/listening to the book, but it sounds interesting, it is a series on HBO Max. And while you're at it, go check out The Last of Us which is what I am currently watching (it's super good). 

If you can't get enough of me in between blog posts, I am active all over social media. 

You can find me on GoodReads and StoryGraph at ayearinbookswithzoe. 

I am on Tiktok and Instagram @ayearinbookswithzoe. 

I am on Twitter @yearinbookszoe. 

I am on Youtube at https://www.youtube.com/@ayearinbookswithzoe4617. 

I am on Reedsy Discovery at https://reedsy.com/discovery/user/zooxanthellaedeckard.

As always happy reading, and I will see you soon. 

Review: Ice Planet Honeymoon: Aehako & Kira by Ruby Dixon

 

So I usually read these as bonuses in the pretty new printed versions of the Ice Planet Barbarians series. However, I read Aehako and Kira's book on Kindle Unlimited and the honeymoon was not included so I had to read it separately. For me, the IPB books are comfort reads. The stories tend to be very sweet with happy endings which is what we all need sometimes. As I am currently going through a tough period, I needed something light to lift me out of the deep sadness that I've been sinking into. 

This story follows Aehako and Kira who are pregnant and learning to live in a cave separate from the main cave. I personally really loved their story so it was really nice to revisit. In this, Aehako is very worried about Kira and her pregnancy so they venture back to the main cave to have Kira get checked on by the healer. We of course get to follow along with their honeymoon adventure. 

The spice level on this is mild, it's mostly mushy lovey stuff. It's a fun read if you've already read Kira and Aehako's story and just need some more. For content warnings, there is sexual content, mentions of child loss, and more. StoryGraph has a full list of content reviews are provided by other readers. 

As always, happy reading. 

Review: Darklight by Bella Forest Narrated by Stacy Glemboski

 

I read this book on Audible, however, it is unfortunately no longer available there for purchase. It is also not available on Amazon or any other site that I am aware of. You may be able to find a copy on the site Thriftbooks. The books are available for a bundled purchase on the author's website Bella Forest Books. I believe the ebook bundle is about $40. If you are interested in the audiobooks, I found them online, but they are pretty pricey at $15.99 each. The link for that is Bella Forest Audio. Personally, this is a bit annoying as I would much prefer to have them available on Kindle or Audible. I am still trying to decide if I liked the first book enough to purchase more. I believe that these books likely went out of print and that is the reason they are only available used or digitally on the author's website. 

darklight takes place in a version of the human world in which vampires have plagued people. A secret military organization tasked with taking down the vampires until they mysteriously disappear. After the vampires' disappearance, creatures called redbirds begin plaguing humans. These are giant birds that eat people and are very difficult to kill. Our main character is Lyra Stone, one of the lieutenants tasked with killing these redbirds. While out on a mission, Lyra is snatched up by one of the bigger birds. Later on a different mission, a mysterious man grabs Lyra and she finds out vampires aren't as dead as they were believed to be. 

Lyra is forced to question everything she's ever been taught about vampires when Dorrian, the previously mentioned mysterious man, tells her the vampires need humans to give them asylum. This begins the process of trying to test vampire trustworthiness. Unfortunately, everything is not as it seems. 

I really enjoyed listening to this book. It was a lot of fun and seemed to be well-written to me. With the resurgence in interest in vampire stories, I think this is one you should be sure to check out. Lyra is a badass character who is very caring about other beings. It is more of a new adult book (Lyra is in her early twenties). There is a little romance, but the focus of the first book is a lot more on learning about vampires and how to work with them. Lyra definitely doesn't lose herself in her romantic interest which I really like. I am pretty tempted to read the next book because I did enjoy the first and want to find out what happens to the vampires and humans, I'm just a little annoyed about the previously mentioned bundle price. (It is 9 books in the bundle so it ends up being about $4.44 per book which is a pretty good deal). 

Overall, I really enjoyed listening to this book. The narrator does a good job of reading and doing voices for each of the characters. This is a fun book that helped take my mind off of some difficult things that have been happening in my life recently. As far as content warnings, be aware of murder, blood, violence, body horror, and more. Unfortunately, StoryGraph does not have any content warnings, but I will make a note to add some of my own soon. 

As always, happy reading. 

Review: Dani Capello: Shadows of Men by M.S. Izbicki

 Dani Capello finds herself in a bit of trouble which results in her aunt shipping her off to an all-girls Catholic boarding school. At first, she hates it, but she soon makes friends and begins enjoying a typical high school experience. She grows incredibly close with a girl named Emma, a bookish girl with a soft heart. The two become inseparable with Emma often spending the night in Dani's room to avoid bothering her roommate after their late-night adventures. As the book continues, Dani reads more and more newspapers detailing the dangerous mob activity happening close to her home to people involved in her uncle's business. The closer she and Emma become, the more dangerous her family's actions seem to Dani.

I really enjoyed this book. I would definitely consider it a coming-of-age story. Dani is a fascinating character, the quiet brooding type, and pairs really well with Emma, the caring type. I like the exploration of girls' friendship during high school, especially through the lens of being at an all-girls school. The girls get along pretty well despite their differing personalities and circumstances. I enjoyed the exploration of sexuality in this book especially the discussion of the difficulties of coming out to friends and family even in the 21st century. I appreciated that despite the worry about other people finding out, Dani accepted her sexuality pretty easily. I think that is a very refreshing perspective as opposed to characters being uncomfortable with who they are. Although, Dani definitely shows some discomfort. I enjoyed the relationship dynamic between Dani and Emma and think that Dani really needed Emma to open herself up to other people. I think the writing is well done. The dialogue is realistic for the character's age range. The mob aspect is interesting, especially through the lens of a character that is not directly involved in the mob.

I would definitely recommend this book to other readers. I enjoyed reading it and found it very interesting and engaging. I think readers who enjoy coming-of-age stories and sapphic stories would really enjoy this book. I will say that readers should be aware of content warnings. The book has gun violence, drug abuse, alcohol abuse, abortion, homophobia, sexual assault, implied pedophilia, and more. I think that the content of each of these issues is handled well though and does not go overboard.

Review: My Sister, The Serial Killer by Oyinkan Braithwaite

 

I've wanted to read this book for a while, but I kept forgetting about it until I went to a local bookstore, BookPeople, in Austin, Texas, and picked it up. (Support local businesses, especially if you're going in). I'm really glad that I decided to pick it up because it was actually really good. 

The author, Oyinkan Braithwaite is from Nigeria and that is where the book takes place. The style of writing is a bit different from what I'm used to but I found it very refreshing and perfect for the story. This story is told by Korede who is the older sister to Ayoola, who has killed 3 of her boyfriends. When Ayoola kills a boyfriend, she calls Korede to clean up the mess. This time though, Ayoola's killed the wrong man and his family has the police investigate it. The pressure is rising on the sisters when Ayoola decides to visit Korede at the hospital she works at and catches the eye of the doctor Korede is in love with. 

As a relationship develops between Ayoola and Korede's crush, Korede becomes increasingly distrustful of her younger sister. She begins to question if these murders were really self-defense. This is a book that made me question how far should one go for their loved one. Korede does everything for her sister, but at the end of the book I was left wondering if that was the right thing for her to do. This is a very interesting book with occasional flashbacks to Korede and Ayoola's father, who was a cruel man. I found myself rooting for Korede, but I wonder if I should have been. Her situation was very unfair, but sometimes that's the draw of birth. 

If you are looking for an interesting book with a lot of darkness, I highly recommend checking this one out. If you're like me and looking for more books to read by people of color this year, again this is a book to check out. For content warnings, there is murder, blood, abuse, and more. For a full list of content warnings, check out StoryGraph. 

As always, happy reading.