Horse Talk Reviews

Some books aren't worth finishing. DNFing sets you free! Here's my DNFs for the month of April. It was an unusually good month, with only two DNFs. A Hitman's Forever by BC Robertson My review on Goodreads DNF at 12% I was intrigued by this premise - second chance, enemies to lovers, FBI agent/hitman? Sounds great. Reality has it less so. My issues: 1. The time jumps and associated issues The first chapter starts off by saying “18 years before”. Or maybe 18 years earlier, whatever same idea. We don’t have any other context. It reads like we’re in the head of a child, of maybe 6 to 8 years old, musing on his mother and life. It turns out that the POV character is supposed to be 12 in that segment. Oops. The time jumps themselves - again, all contextless with ages and life. We jump two years, then one year, then two years, then 10 years? mathlady.gif 2. POV issues This is dual first person POV. I can’t tell them apart. Their voices don’t change with age, or scene, or events. ...

A lower volume reading week I guess. The Soldier and the Spy by Annabelle Greene - Society of Beasts 2 4/5 This was a great easy read, historical without being overly so. Very sweet, with great neediness between the characters and romantic drama moments. Crazy Kinky Dirty Home Invasion and Crazy Kinky Dirty Clowns by KA Merikan Kindle Unlimited 4/5 both Two more erotic shorts in this bundle - home invasion and clown abduction. Creative beyond measure. And somehow a very cute relationship under it, their communication is just A+ to pull all this off. The Servant and the Gentleman by Annabelle Greene - Society of Beasts 3 ARC 5/5 omg this was somehow even better than the second book! 100% swoon. 100% adorable, so beautiful seeing the characters come together and become better versions of themselves to be better together. It was all around A+ amazing. It releases the 17th!!! Lost Touch by Eliot Grayson Kindle Unlimited 4/5 The newest Mismatched Mates entry - it was a good rea...

The Soldier and the Spy (Society of Beasts #2) by Annabelle Greene the kevin's review : 4 stars I had a lot of fun reading this! This was a very accessible historical - often I feel like they can get bogged down in too heavy of writing to match the time period. This story had that historical time period feel while still having easy readability. Plot There was a great balance between the blackmail plot and the romance arc. I loved seeing them both develop and intertwine, especially towards the end. Benjamin’s snappishness was so understandable with the reveals about his friends, it made all his grouchiness and resistance make perfect sense. August as well had solid characterization, with his devotion to his sister and his struggles with having to betray anyone to keep someone else safe. The build up to the betrayal was so intense. Greene really wanted to make it hurt and ooof did it ever. Benjamin learning to let August in and trust him and the whole time he’s a spy! pls Romance Th...

  A Veil of Gods and Kings by Nicole Bailey the kevins' review: 2.5 stars A NA Greek myth retelling, with a HFN ending as this is the first book in a series. It’s worth noting that this is pretty low steam - it tends towards vagueness or fade to black for most of the physical parts outside of kissing. While I found the writing itself to be decent, I have some larger criticisms, though I think it has potential. Romance This promises an enemies-to-lovers, high emotion book. I personally found the romance to be lacking on several fronts. First, it’s barely enemies to lovers. Mild dislike predicated on assumptions to lust to love. They don’t meet for a while in the beginning, and barely start interacting until halfway through. I would not classify it as a slow burn either - there’s no burn. As a book labeled as a romance, I’d expect at least interaction between the characters for more of the book. Characters Hyacinth: The prince is painted as a stick in the mud, rule bound, ...

For more Game Changers art, go follow the amazingly talented Olivia on Twitter! The Long Game (Game Changers #6) by Rachel Reid is out tomorrow, April 26th! In ebook, audiobook and paperback Amazon link Rachel Reid is the author of Game Changers, one of the most popular hockey series in MM romance. The second novel in the series, Heated Rivalry, probably doesn't even need an introduction anymore. Since the book's publication in 2019, Ilya and Shane have been fan favorites in the heart of many readers. It is no surprise their sequel, The Long Game, is one of the most anticipated releases of 2022. Horse Talk Reviews got the chance to read an Advanced Reader Copy earlier this year and we feel confident that most readers won't be disappointed! You can read our reviews of The Long Game on the blog here .  We got the chance to ask Rachel a few questions amidst all the excitement of tomorrow's release and here are her thoughtful answers.  What is the most important part of yo...

Ellie's Reads of the Week It was a pretty good week of reading for me. The Soldier and the Spy (Society of Beast #2) by Annabelle Greene.  5 stars. I'm so glad I picked this up. I don't usually go for historical, so I wasn’t expecting to like this as much as I did. I loved a good hidden identity/betrayal premise, and this kind of relationship dynamics (a young, flirty, bratty MC and an older, grumpy Captain with a tormented past) is so compelling to me. The prose was delightful and even poetic at times without being too heavy-handed, and I just loved all the flirty banter. This is pretty high-steam and the relationship even gets this little D/s undertone, with a touch of neediness and urgency that felt right for the characters. The plot isn't overly complex, nor does it need to be, as it packs plenty of feels! I just wanted a little more from the big reveal scene, but I still loved it. I didn't read the first book and I thought this did well as a standalo...

  The Long Game  by  Rachel Reid Expected publication: April 26th, 2022 Ellie's review : 5 stars "I woke up,” Ilya said simply. “And you were meditating with your dick in your hand.” This isn’t an easy review to write. It shouldn’t be too spoilery though. I felt so many emotions when reading this book. I remember the author once describing TLG as Ilya’s book, and it really is. He is a beautiful character, and you really feel for him in this. Honestly, reading some of the other reviews made me so nervous about Shane’s behavior towards Ilya. In the end, sure, Shane is a bit self-centered and you will get frustrated by him, but everything he does makes sense for his character and the context of everything makes it very forgivable, imo. His love for Ilya is never in doubt and redeems him. So yeah, this is an emotional book. The pacing is great, though, so the angst doesn’t hit you in the face all at once in the second half of the book (like it sometimes does in other novels)....

Where the Devil Says Goodnight by K.A. Merikan My rating: 5 of 5 stars Horse rating: 🐴🐴🐴🐴🐴 of 7 horses "The devil wouldn’t let him go, and Emil would enjoy the sin." This was a bonkers, gorgeous, captivating, spooky read. I loved the folklore, the setting, the …everything. Merikan is already phenomenal at descriptions and vivid imagery, but they really outdid themselves in this book. Some of the most creative wording I've ever had the pleasure of reading: "His mouth watered, and he knew that if he bit in, he’d taste roast pork with apricots and nuts, covered by the most divine crunchy skin." Truly a gay bbq. Especially with the way it all tied in together…! There were tie ins I could see, and then ones I didn’t even know I missed until I’d finished the book. Despite involving a Catholic priest, this doesn’t feature heavily on the religious side. It’s more about folklore and superstition, so there’s no off putting modern religion presence. The overal...

Witch 13 by Patrick R. Delaney My rating: 4 of 5 stars Horse rating: 🐴 of 5 horses ARC difficulty: slight incline Expected publication: June 6th, 2022 "...and she wondered if it meant anything to be born on a night when the world was so angry." This was a solid read. Overall, it had very horror-movie vibes, in generally a good way. I loved the art throughout the book. It read in three distinct pieces to me.  1. The beginning: The prologue starts this off with 100% creepy factor and great imagery. We’re introduced to a lot of characters, and while the prose was dense at times, I found it didn’t take away from the story or building tension. This is the “characters begin to suspect something is wrong” phase, and it’s done well with creeping horror vibes. We also get to know the characters, especially Sterling, more through their thoughts. I’d have liked more delineation between present and flashbacks in the character POVs, because I got lost at times. 2. The middle: This is ...

Remedy by Alex Hall My rating: 3 of 5 stars Horse rating: 🐴🐴🐴🐴🐴 of 5 horses Overall, I would say this was fine. There were some better parts, and some not so good parts, and it was generally readable. The better parts: • I liked having a nonbinary MC in Reed - I’m not sure I’ve read a romance with someone using they/them pronouns, and I was happy to see that. I also liked them as a character. • I loved the horse details. So much horse. Beautifully described, both as a background setting and as integral to the plot and characters. • The family all had distinct personalities, and played off each other well in a believable family dynamic. I never like the “he’s just got a temper/can’t control it” excuse for the father, but it is a character trait that way. So I’ll be cranky but not because of the writing. • The writing was generally solid. The not so good parts: • Peter Griffin. The MC is named Peter Griffin . I had to skip all the sex scenes because I can only imagine Famil...

The Taste of Ink by Daniel May My rating: 5 of 5 stars “I want your name between my legs,” he said. “I want to see it every time I get dressed. I want your name on my thighs, hurting like this—” He touched his stomach. “—while it heals. I want you to be able to see it, every time you fuck me. I want to be covered in ink under my clothes, to be a different person under them, someone only you can see. Only you get to see. And I want you to pick the designs. I want you to decide every line, so that when I’m getting tattooed, and the needle is burning, I’ll know it was your choice to hurt me there.” Yes, this is a book about cheating as the main plotline. I don't like cheating in romance, but listen, Daniel May makes it acceptable, somehow. I think it works because it's not just a book that features cheating but is a book that's entirely about cheating. It's not used as a plot device just to create conflict, cheating is literally the main kink. I didn...

  The Perfect Crimes of Marian Hayes by Cat Sebastian My rating: 5 of 5 stars Expected publication: June 7th, 2022  "There is something inexpressibly masculine about expecting to be believed." I read the first book in this series, The Queer Principles of Kit Webb, last year and was left with a lot of questions by the way it ended. Where did Marian go? Where did Rob go? Why do Kit and Percy (the main characters from the first book) have Marian's baby?? Fortunately, this book answers many of those questions. The story begins in medias res and runs parallel to Kit Webb in a way that does not feel heavy-handed or repetitive of the events of the first book. I loved the use of the blackmail letters between Marian and Rob as a storytelling device to show the development of their relationship. It felt real that Marian would go to Rob and that Rob would see Marian as his equal (or better). The book has several of my favorite tropes (only one bed! road trip! horses! larce...

Winter's Orbit by Everina Maxwell My rating: 4 of 5 stars Horse rating: 0 of 5 horses I really enjoyed this! It was much heavier on the sci-fi and mystery plot, with mild Dune vibes to boot. It had a very sweet romance to round it out as well. I loved seeing Kiem and Jainan come together and learn to trust each other. Both of them independently as characters were so adorable, and had great depth. Kiem with his gregarious people-person self, and Jainan with his more restrained, highly technical background. I really enjoyed how they worked together to play to their strengths, even accidentally (like at Hraven Base) - those were some of the cutest moments. Outside of all the other cute moments. It is a slower, more subtle growing together romance, with fade to black - I think it worked perfectly for balancing emotional connection with the much larger political intrigue and such. The world building was done so well. All of the tech and elements and world details were worked in seamles...