In this third collection of short stories of love and resistance we have a lovely mix romances. Some of these stories are highly erotic, others gentle and romantic but each of them tackles how love and romance is often a political act,  Loving as acts of hope and resistance when things seem darkest.

Make You Mine by Molly O'Keefe: In the last days of her campaign for NY Gov, Maggie and Jay her chief of staff  have to make a choice, watch their twenty-plus year friendship implodes under the pressure of not to acknowledging  what they feel for each other or have the courage to choose each other. In typical O'Keefe fashion, the sex is searing and the emotions intense as they try to figure out a way forward.

Personal Audition by Ainsley Booth.  This is the least overtly political story in the collection, yet it is still intensely political because it is about claim one's authentic self when it easier to go along with the flow.  Camilla is a comedian, sleeping on her ex's couch after losing her apartment in a fire ( #rombklove ).  She teaches by day and refines her comedy routine, counting the days till she can leave for California.  She.  When she picks up a separated socialite, she soon finds herself questioning her plans and her ideas about relationships. I wish however we had more background for Lizzie whose story begged for more elaboration. 

Brand New Bike by Andie J. Christopher: I was first introduced to Michael Garcia in Christopher's Biker B*tch, where he was a hot mess. He is still a hot mess in this story but one who is actually putting effort into reforming his dating life so he can actually try to develop relationships that don't begin and end in the bedroom. However when a critical podcaster goes after Michael for seemingly selling out on Net Neutrality, their verbal sparring acts as foreplay and leads to lots of conflicted feelings when they don’t hate each other’s guts as they expected. The resolution was bit rushed but a epilogue has been promised.

Cover Me by Olivia Dade:  This story was the second story in the ARC I received. Once I read this story in the ARC, I just went ahead and pre-ordered my copy because I wanted to own it.  This gentle romantic story starts as a marriage of Convenience between long-time friends for insurance purposes ignites into so much more. . I loved the incandescent scene at a townhall meeting were Elizabeth roasts her congressman & opens James eyes to Elizabeth and to everything she has quietly been shouldering alone. James is such a sweet hero determined to care for his new wife, who has been a caretaker for so long that she struggles to let him take care of her for a change. 

The Long Run by Ruby Lang:  Lang excels at telling stories about lovers who get off on the wrong foot, and in this gently funny and hopeful story, it is neighbors who meet first scowl at each other across a coop conference table.  This story is all about small efforts toward change & community building & how finding hope & joy is essential when things are hard. I Loved Annie’s too-loudness & Monroe’s chill-hiding shyness and how they can't ignore each other even when they try.

Never Again by Stacey Agdern: Interconnected to Adgern's previous Rogue novellas, Agdern brings together two previously introduced characters.  Sam is a Jewish superhero-playing actor who is determined to use his fame & wealth and the platform it gives him to make a difference, from funding small donor-choose style projects for teachers to lending his influence to help promote a  documentary on Jewish resistance that moved him.  Deb, is the filmmaker’s sister & coincidentally the preschool teacher whose school-fund projects Sam’s been funding. The pacing for this story was a bit choppy, as Deb and Sam relationship progress in fits and starts but their flirting was very cute and I loved how Agdern portrayed the role of faith and religious practice in their life.

His Neighbor’s Education by Jane Lee Blair:  As the end of summer fast approaches, Sarah’s neighborhood gains a gorgeous & friendly new member, however their interactions soon sours when it turns out that he as rival of sorts, as he is inexperience/undertrained  but well-meaning charter school teacher, while Sarah is public school teacher working in an underfunded high needs school, who constantly loses their best and brightest to the charters. I loved how angry/grumpy Sarah is, her love for teaching, and just how much her choices have cost her. Her frustration when she runs into Mark a church was delightful as was her sensual teasing of Mark as they test out the depths of their mutual attraction. As teacher, I particularly enjoyed how Mark’s crisis at realizing good intentions aren’t enough plays out, as there are few easy choices or solutions. 

I received an ARC for Rogue Acts but I ended up buying my own copy because I love this project and want to see more of them.  Dade, O'Keefe and Lang's stories alone justify $2.99 no-longer discounted price-tag.

4th: Twice in a Lifetime by Jodie Griffin (eARC, out 1/22). F/F with BI MCs in their early 50s. Sexy, emotional, a little angsty. I typically back away from office romance but I loved Talia and Eve’s story. Great characterization/tension. #bookthread #rombklove (fire: gunfire) pic.twitter.com/8IXOtEYZLW

— Ana Coqui (@anacoqui) January 12, 2018

Twice in a Lifetime Cover

Talia lost her husband of 20 years suddenly more than 4 years ago.  She has grieved, coped and started to move on.  However on the first day at her new job as Community Liaison for the city police department, she didn't expect the sharp zing of awareness she feels when she meets her new boss, Eve.    There is recognition, wariness and undeniable interest for both Eve and Talia, and a lot of hesitation and worry about whether or not to acknowledge, let alone act on those feelings.

Griffin does a lovely job developing their romance with sweet quiet moments,full of teasing banter and humor while ratcheting up their sexual tension with brief passion-filled but interrupted interludes. Griffin really excels at building up the tension and angst around how Eve and Talia should handle acknowledging their relationship publicly and at work.  The climatic dark moment took me by surprise with its intensity. It was not out of left field as Griffin had established the threat in the background throughout the book but because other tensions had taken priority for Eve and Talia, it was shocking and surprising when it came to pass. I loved the resolution, which felt like a wonderful warm hug.

I really loved this story. It was such a breath of fresh air with which to start the year. I really connected with both Eve and Talia as older heroines.  They have history, families, baggage, fears and most of all passion. I loved the way it dealt with Talia's late in life acceptance of her bisexuality, and how she is only now exploring that part of her identity after the death of her husband. and I hope I have a chance to read much more like it in the future.

I received a eARC from the author, Jodie Griffin.  It will be available at all the usual retailers on Jan 22, 2018 and is already available at Riptide.

My Biker romance tastes are very specific and narrow. The biker has to be tough, dangerous and dirty but not truly a bad apple and the heroine has to have a lot autonomy to gives as good as she get and has to have a pretty darn good reason for getting involved with said Biker. There are not a lot Biker romances that work for me but Christopher wrote one that fit in that very narrow niche and was an emotionally satisfying ride.

Skylar’s left Sebastopol right after graduation, but she has never been able to leave behind the pain of her father’s betrayal and the fear that his criminal past has tainted her life for ever. His descent from beloved town doctor to calloused drug-pushing biker nearly took her down with him and it cost her high-school crush, Abner Travis, his brother. On her last night in Sebastopol, they find mutual comfort and escape each others arms, but when Travis pulls back at the last minute, it leaves her feeling embarrassed and rejected. She left her mark on his cheek and left town heartbroken. 

10 years have passed and Skylar is back working to resuscitate her career as Vintner on the lands that once were the Travis Family's vineyards. A prestigious Ivy league education and a decade building her reputation in Europe doesn't mean much to the suspicious townsfolk who remember her as the Diablos Santos MC's princess, who may or may not have known what her father was up to.  When she runs into Travis and find him as attractive as ever, despite the fact that he is unexpectedly wearing a MC's cut, Skylar is truly torn about whether she has made the best or worst decision in her life by returning to Sebastopol.

Christopher plays with a lot of tropes I liked in this story: Rekindled crushes, people who are terrible at feelings and carry a lot of insecurities despite appearing like they have it all together, and my fave,  folks looking for redemption and a home.  But there is a lot of plot and occasionally the story meandered more than it needed to. It is clear that Christopher was laying the groundwork for a whole series in this book, so she opens a lot of storylines for secondary characters that she clearly intends to resolve in later books but they came to feel one too many rabbit trails. While I would love to read more about Sara, her war vet and possibly bisexual brother Chevy, and the conflicted and apparently kinky Deacon with his secretive and obscure motivations for running with the Diablo Santos, I found the story line with Ian (Skyler's boorish and smug ex) and Michael (Skyler's closest friend, & emotional mess) mostly boring.  I will say however that Michael's story in the upcoming Rogue Acts Anthology which I just stared is so far highly entertaining.

I really like that this confrontation went this way #bkbrk #rombklove "“Do we have to do this?” Skyler drained the rest of her vodka soda. Ginger shook her head. “Do what?” “Be shitty to each other?” She didn’t want to relive high school at this bar tonight." ― from "Biker B*tch (Heaven's Sinners Book 1)" https://t.co/4YBTRQpYnE

— Ana Coqui (@anacoqui) January 13, 2018

Early on I was super excited when Ginger, Travis's most recent and regular former lover and Skylar run into each other at a bar the first night, Skylar is out with Travis. They end up short circuiting what could have been a jealousy and envy driven scene, by simply choosing not to be terrible to each other.  However a few chapters later, that envy and anger does lead to a confrontation, that makes them both look bad which was disappointing. Ginger and Travis do have a good encounter later in the book where he has to admit to having been a selfish asshole and how his indifference hurt her. Ginger is not evil or slut shamed but it didn't overcome my disappointment at having the promise of catfight-less story not pan out. 

If Christopher does come out with more Heaven's Sinners books, I will pick them up.  The romance between her prickly heroine and sweet dirty hero held my interest, the sex was very sexy and more importantly emotionally meaningful and erotically charged. I enjoyed the complexity of the feelings Travis and Skylar have for each other and how they struggle to name it love.  Biker B*tch was compelling if not perfect and a promising introduction to an author I will happily read again in the future.  

I love authors with long backlists because I am binge reader and I love being able to immerse myself in the worlds they create.  Every so often however I flounder in the middle of a series and just lose track of where I left off. While I adore the Kate Daniels series, I had somehow gotten stuck.  In this case the unavailability of the audiobook for Magic Rises via my libraries, which meant I was sidetracked into other of Andrews series that they did have available in Audio.  With the final book in the Kate Daniel's series by Ilona Andrews is coming out later in the Spring  Jennifer Porter's recent massive PNR twitter thread inspired me to get myself unstuck in this series before the last book came out.  

In Magic Rises, Kate and Curran have been living together for about a year. Kate has settled into her role as Consort of the Beast Lord's massive Atlanta Pack. She trains her adopted daughter, Julie, runs her private detective/problem solving business while everyday getting to know the Pack's needs. Once a nearly feral, solitary fighter, Kate has become a partner, a mother and leader of a pack, but is about to be tested in a way she has never been before. When Julie's best friend is Mattie is unable to control her shape and has a stress-induced reaction to the virus that causes shapeshifting, she is facing a death sentence.  Seeing Mattie's mother's and Julie's grief consume Kate and make determined not to see another child in the pack lost this way, especially when know there is a treatment.

Curran has also had enough. At that moment he will face any challenge, if it means bringing end to this pain for his pack, even if it means walking into a dangerous trap, because it is then that Curran and his Consort, Kate have been invited to serve as protector and arbitrator for complex family drama in a remote castle on the edge of the Black Sea. They promise Panacea, the herbal cure that would heal Mattie and protect the youngsters in the pack from Loupism.

Kate and Curran surround themselves with their most trusted friends and other powerful players in the Pack. The secure alliances and then travel together, knowing that once they arrive they will be under constant pressure and unable to freely communicate with each other. The Andrews do a fantastic job setting up the traveling party, tensions, the unease and the determination.  They feel ready and then they are surprised and jolted out of that confidence in quick succession when they arrive to the castle. 

I was frustrated with Curran and Kate at point but they reacted in believable and understandable ways to the threats Hugh and Lorelei represented. I sympathized so much with their anger and frustration, that painful level of mad that you can only reach with someone you love more than your life. I laughed at their pettiness and felt their pain.  I was particularly moved by how Kate processed her hurts and how it highlighted how important belonging to the pack, and her role in as Consort had become to her.  She never really believes in Curran's purported/seeming betrayal till it seems like he is saying she doesn't truly belong, that she is somehow a burden, which cuts her right were she is most vulnerable. My only annoyance with this storyline was the bizarre focus on marriage the European packs had, especially in light of Desandra's temporary and less than solid marriage alliances. That piece of the conflict didn't gel well.

I though Hugh was fascinating. His arrogance grated on Kate, but she also recognized him in a deeper way than she expected. It was uncomfortable for her to fit so well, to be understood so well but someone she finds abhorrent. He is cruel, murderous, yet he thinks like her, shares so many common experiences with her, that it added a layer of thread, the promise of understanding and belonging, that had not been previously present.

Lorelei was in the end an unsubstantial distraction but I am left curious about whether she escaped the burning castle during the final conflict or not.  I am curious about what will become of her, and whether she will face any consequences for her actions.

I am so happy I picked up this series again. I've already downloaded the next book, and I am looking forward to catching up with the rest of the series.  Kate, Curran and the pack have been changed by this adventure and I am curious to see where they go next.

Quick Spoilers below about a Character Death:

The cut that cut me the deepest was Aunt Bea's death. She had been such a fantastic secondary character. Tough, multifaceted and so damn interesting. She was the mother Kate never had. Like Kate she used all her skills to protect the misfits she loved and I know Kate will still keep learning from her, hearing her voice in her head, just like she does Voron's

Spoilers over!

I really enjoy reading Laurenston.  She is not for everyone. Her heroines are often bawdy, crass, and more than a little unbalanced.  However I adore the brash sisterhood present in her books and the physical humor and bonkers plotlines just make me laugh.  Last year during a long drive I caught up on some podcasts listening and I heard a SPTB podcast with Laurenston . It was recorded prior to the third book of her Call of Crows series. During the podcast Sarah asked her about this book, which was the first time I became aware of its existence.

The heroine in Hunting Season is also a Crow, a warrior for the Norse Goddess, Skuld. While the Call of the Crow book are set in Southern California, the Gathering books are set in NYC/NJ, but that is really the only difference.  (One caution, the younger Valkyries in this version are antagonists to the Crows, due to Odin's recent preoccupation with selecting strippers  and there is lot slut-shaming conflict between them and the Crows.)  However if you love and enjoy the Crow books you will love The Hunting Season.

I really loved Hunting Season by Shelly Laurenston. The Heroine was a drug dealer in her first life, killed by BF, & took full advantage of the second chance Skuld gave her. Her arc is about letting go of guilt and accepting love. So much sisterhood and fun. #Rombklove#bkbrk https://t.co/eKqontY1VF

— Ana Coqui (@anacoqui) January 2, 2018

 I really loved Neecy, who is a kickass professor and second in command of her clan of Crows. She is proud, brave, protective and doesn't ever back down but she has an issue with forgiving herself for the bad choice she made in boyfriends as young woman. She struggles to accept love and to trust that someone other than her sister Crows with her heart. She is especially wary of Will Yager, leader of the Ravens, because she knows that unlike the bland men she usually dates, he has the potential of breaking her heart.

Will Yager however is persistent. He has been in love with Neecy for a long-time.  He will do anything to get Neecy to give him a chance. With the cooperation of her matchmaking sisters and possibly the approval of Skuld he is finally able to be right where Neecy needs him to be, in her bed and at her back, while they take down some murderous Crow hunters.

CW: Violence, Past abuse, Abusive language