Stephanie Laurens is a genius for writing the same book again, but this time with less logic. We stan.

Plot Trysts

In Pursuit of Eliza Cynster by Stephanie Laurens

If Mission: Improper was a TV show, Ingrid and Caleb would have been the will they/won't they pair that kept viewers waiting for all 15 seasons. Luckily Bec McMaster doesn't delay the gratification of seeing these two give in to each other for that long, but we did feel like this love story didn't get the attention it deserved. 

Mission: Improper by Bec McMaster

The sentient sex toy from the first book definitely has "brothers" but Liz isn't as thrilled by this fact as you would think. Sexy and funny, this sequel definitely makes you confront the difficulties facing our heroines in the few seconds between sex.

Barbarian Alien by Ruby Dixon

The Dark Olympus series continues with the story of Eros and Psyche, except not really? Both Meg and Laine thought this book's greatest weakness was how few parallels there were to the myth. Otherwise, there's a lot to enjoy here from the wedding day/night sex to the sex in front of mirrors.

Electric Idol by Katee Robert

Meg is really charmed by taking an absurd scenario to a logical conclusion, while Laine is less so. The unlikeable characters are very fun and add to the book's unique charm.

The Runaway Duchess by Joanna Lowell

Meg and Laine love clothes, so you know this worked for us on the fashion front. We loved both main characters and bought the conflict, so we definitely recommend this one in spite of its chastity.

The Siren of Sussex by Mimi Matthews

This one has enough plot threads to be a Cynster novel. How ok you are with the lack of pay-off on some of those threads may depend on your frame of mind when reading the book. Tuck and Lavinia make it fun and sexy, as we've come to expect from Boyle.

The Knave of Hearts by Elizabeth Boyle

You know we love reinterpretations of classic stories and this modern take on the Greek pantheon was super fun. Half the fun was figuring out how the classics would tie in, and the other half was the super fun relationship of convenience with an expiration date between Hades and Persephone. Oh, and it's a SEX book.

Neon Gods by Katee Robert

Guys this book makes no sense. It asks the very important question, "what happens when sex telepathy works but it works so well you're convinced it was a trick?"

Viscount Breckenridge to the Rescue by Stephanie Laurens

Now that we're done with Christmas Novellas, we return to our bread and butter (historical SPIES). We loved how willing Susanna Craig was to lean into a LOT of absurdity and we say the word "coincidence" several times. Fun, sexy, and well-written, we definitely recommend this one.

Better Off Wed by Susanna Craig

Meg and Laine really like anachronistically progressive spies and their suffragette lovers. What can we say, we're predictable.  

The Rebel and the Rake by Emily Sullivan

We wrap up our ACOTAR reviews with a discussion of which genre this series falls into. Meg was grateful for the lack of sex cabin, which was a first.

A Court of Wings and Ruin by Sarah J. Maas

Laine & Meg enjoyed this knitting propaganda disguised as a Christmas film so much they decided to watch it a second time and record their commentary! Enjoy some perfect romance tropes with a curmudgeon-ey Duke of our childhood dreams. Happy Holidays!

Christmas Special: A Castle for Christmas

We wrap up our Christmas novellas with the most epic Christmas party ever! I need to go to this Arthurian grotto.

A Mistletoe Kiss by Eloisa James

This Christmas Novella takes the "aristocratic woman marries low born but wealthy man" trope (better name TBD) and adds some Christmas house party shenanigans. We liked it, even if it was a bit tame compared with our standard fare.

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Plot Trysts

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