CBR18 Book 55: "Trust Fall" by Lynn Painter

Page count: 416 pages

Rating: 4 stars

CBR18 Bingo: Season (this is set in the autumn/fall in New York, the word 'fall' is literally in the title and there is an actual literal 'season' - like in Regency England, for the rich prep school kids in the story)

Thank you to Simon and Schuster and NetGalley for this ARC. My opinions are my own. This book will be released on the 29th of September

Julia Lowell can't believe how much her life changed, almost overnight. One day, she was in her small Nebraska town, heartbroken because her boyfriend Will had found someone else, the next, she's living in a gorgeous building on the Upper West Side in New York City, the beneficiary of a will no one in her family knew about. The reclusive old man her family had been delivering groceries to for years, who occasionally came to their holiday celebrations, left them not only his stunning building in New York, but a fortune of millions of dollars. However, to secure the inheritance, Julia, her twin brother Liam and her parents have to live in New York for at least six months, and Julia and Liam have to enrol in a fancy private high school for the same amount of time. 

Unfortunately, while Julia was never exactly popular back in Nebraska, and her tiny group of friends got even smaller once Will left her for another girl, at Gardenwood, most of the filthy rich student body are like starving hyenas, and Julia is a tasty and wounded gazelle. To make matters worse, her brother Liam seems to instantly settle in, charming everyone and making friends. Julia, on the other hand, has two girls in the entire school not treating her like a pariah, and is barely passing maths. Low test scores could get her expelled from the school, jeopardising one of the clauses in the will instantly. The kindly headmaster promises to discreetly arrange for a tutor to help her.

If Julia wasn't utterly desperate, she would never accept help from Damion Rutledge, the boy whose nose she nearly accidentally broke during their first meeting, before Julia and Liam had even started school. Damion is the great-nephew of the man who left the Lowells a fortune, and he and his parents refuse to believe that the old man wasn't scammed by a bunch of money-grubbing country bumpkins. Damion hates the idea that strangers are living in the house his great-uncle had one day promised him, and wants to figure out how exactly a family of complete strangers inherited the majority of Uncle Remington's wealth. Tutoring Julia in maths allows him to enter the house he so misses, while investigating what the Lowells might have done to scam his uncle. He also gets to tease Julia, which is quickly becoming his favourite thing in the world.

Because it needs to be kept secret that Damion is tutoring Julia in maths, none of the other students at Gardenwood knows exactly why he keeps spending so much time with her. Rumours are flying around school, and sadly, they make the mean girls all the more determined to put Julia in her place. Of course, the more time Damion actually spends with Julia and observing her family, the more he discovers that they are probably much more worthy recipients of his great-uncle's fortune than his already wealthy and status-obsessed parents. He also seems to be falling for Julia, the girl he had declared his enemy...

I have heard a lot of good things about several of Lynn Painter's YA books, and bought some of them in e-book sales these last few years. However, this ARC of her most recent book is the first one I've actually read. This makes me feel more optimistic with regard to the ones I have from her backlist.

Julia is introverted and clearly suffers from social anxiety, something it appears no one in her family really appreciates. They seem to think she exaggerates her discomfort. She is smart and well-read and while she considers herself stupid when it comes to maths, it's also clear from how quickly she improves from Damion's tutoring, that she just needed the subject explained to her in a different way. She is both excited and terrified about the idea of moving to New York, having consumed so much media focused on the city. 

She certainly does not deserve to be treated the way she is by almost everyone at her school, and she is a stronger person than me for putting up with so much harassment for so long. Considering how protective her brother comes off about her in the last quarter or so of this book, I am rather surprised that he doesn't notify anyone about all the crap his twin is subjected to. Yes, it's clearly a condition of them getting the inheritance that the twins attend the fancy school for six months, but there is nothing legal anywhere that says they're not allowed to tell the school's management about all the bullying that Julia is subjected to. That her brother just happily seems to settle in with his little circle of friends, without telling his parents, their legal adviser Bernard or the headmaster about Julia's problems, makes me think less of him. 

Damion is clearly a worthwhile person deep down, although it is hidden under a lot of privilege and snobbery. He initially wants to hate the Lowells because he believes they conned his Uncle Remington somehow, and he believes they have what he had expected would one day be his. Julia becomes the target of most of his focus, since he is asked by the headmaster if he can tutor her to improve her maths skills. While part of him wants her to suffer and fail, he is also fascinated by her, and helping her with her schoolwork will also allow him to spend time in the house he has so many happy memories of. He claims to not care what anyone thinks of him, and since he is rich, handsome and popular, the gossip about him and Julia doesn't negatively impact him in any way, while it makes her social standing even more precarious.

Thankfully, Damion, who comes off as a bit of a spoiled and entitled jerk to begin with, does a lot of growing as a person throughout the book. Julia doesn't really need to change, but Damion comes to see that Julia is right about him, and that while he refuses to join any of the judgemental cliques of the school because he's such "a rebel", he also doesn't condemn their words or behaviour. For the second half of the book, he improves considerably, and he proves himself a master of the grand gesture in the end. 

I think I'm far too Scandinavian and socialist for most of the rich people shenanigans throughout this book. Instead of prom, they have a series of social events, ending in an actual high society ball, complete with elaborate costumes. That sort of nonsense doesn't appeal to me, although as a reader of historical romance, who doesn't like it when the hero sees the heroine in a gorgeous gown and goes weak at the knees because of it? That part was nice. My favourite parts were when Julia goes back to Nebraska, away from the stress and mistreatment in New York, to a much nicer environment in her old hometown. Her cousin and friend seemed lovely and very supportive, and even her ex-boyfriend eventually realised that he had behaved badly towards her (without ever wanting her back - no one wants that). 

I was unsure of where this was going at first, mainly because Damion was a hard character to read, whose constant teasing of Julia seemed more like manipulation than flirting. In a good romance, the characters change because they see that it is necessary, not because they are asked to, or rescued by the love of a good love interest, and that is what happens here too. By the time he and Julie actually kiss, I was absolutely hooked. I'm glad I followed my whim and requested this ARC. It was a delightful autumnal read. 

Crossposted on Cannonball Read.

CBR18 Book 54: "Revenge of the Sunshine" by Jackie Lau

Page count: 250 pages

Rating: 3.5 stars

CBR18 Bingo: One (This is book one in a new series; it's also a romance - "You're the One")

Thank you to Jackie Lau for this ARC. My opinions are my own. This book is on sale now. 

Zoe Shen's plans for the evening get cancelled, and as a result, she walks in on her boyfriend and roommate having sex in the kitchen. Naturally, she wants nothing to do with either of them, but as she's camping out on her brother's couch, she decides that she wants revenge.

Bennett Chung lives a fairly quiet life, managing a successful Asian grocery chain. He hasn't dated in years and lives alone with his elderly cat. Imagine his surprise when a pretty stranger shows up on his doorstep with a crazy scheme. Zoe explains that his younger brother, who he doesn't exactly have a high opinion of in the first place, cheated on her, and now she wants to pretend to date him to get revenge. 

Because Zoe is basically homeless, Bennett invites her to stay in his spare room. At first, he is annoyed at having to share his space with anyone, especially someone as chatty and whimsical as Zoe, but he soon gets not only used to having her there, but comes to appreciate it. Of course, as is always the case with fake dating stories, Zoe and Bennett start falling for each other for real. According to their agreement, they will go their separate ways once Zoe's revenge plot is complete. But do they really have to, if the feelings they have for each other are no longer pretend?

Zoe is sweet and clearly wants to believe the best in everyone. So she is shocked when she comes home to discover that her boyfriend and roommate (whom she also considered her best friend) are betraying her, and that the affair has been going on for at least a month. Because her roommate's parents are the ones who own the apartment, Zoe's only option is to move out. She stays on her recently-wed brother's couch until she concocts the plan of contacting Bennett. The fact that he offers to let her stay in his guest room free of charge is a definite bonus to her plan. 

If I were to list some prominent tropes found in this novel, I would have to name fake dating, opposites attract, and grumpy and sunshine (even referenced in the title). Bennett is eight years older than Zoe, but hasn't dated in a very long time. Because of events in his romantic past, he is very wary of falling for anyone. This is also what leads to the third-act breakup and one of the reasons I didn't really feel I could give the book four stars. For a rational man like Bennett, his reasons for breaking up with Zoe seemed very irrational.

My favourite parts of the book were probably Zoe forcing whimsy and delight into Bennett's rather stern and predictable routine. She loves decorations and has a llamacorn mug he considers hideous, but nevertheless accepts, because it's hers. He is persuaded to take part in a couples' Halloween costume, without complaining. 

At the end of the book, the next book in the series is set up. It involves one of Zoe's friends and what appears to be one of Bennett's only friends, who clearly have some kind of romantic history. It's out early next year, and I'm already looking forward to it. 

Judging a book by its cover: I don't have a lot to say about this cover, except to say that it's very cute, and I'm glad Mittens makes an appearance front and centre. 

Crossposted on Cannonball Read

CBR18 Book 53: "Monster, Monarch, Maiden by Rae Carson

Page count: 480 pages

Audiobook length: 12 hrs 55 mins

Rating: 4 stars

This was an ARC; thank you to NetGalley, Harper Audio and Greenwillow Books. My opinions are my own. This book is on sale now.

Bria Angarsold is an innkeeper's daughter (she mentions this at seven different points in the story, in case you were likely to forget) who was kidnapped by raiders, along with her sister and several other people who were at her family's inn at the time. Bria is one of the last surviving captives when the raiders' caravan is attacked by a mysterious young man. Seriously injured, but patched up by her rescuer, Bria knows that she won't survive in the wilderness by herself. Her sister is dead, and her family's inn was burned by the raiders. She has no home to return to, so she swears herself to the service of Titus, her brooding companion, vowing to help him on his dangerous journey.

It's obvious that Titus comes from wealth, from the expensive boots he wears to the impressive war horse he rides. He is on a perilous quest, assigned by the gods themselves, chased by assassins, and while he is initially reluctant to have Bria accompany him, her magical gift (which she had always seen as rather useless) proves to be a valuable aid in the challenges they face along the way.

As far as I can tell, this is a standalone fantasy novel by Rae Carson, and I was granted ARCs of both the audiobook and e-book versions of the story. I have to admit, I was glad when I got the e-book version, as I didn't entirely like the way Bailey Carr was narrating the story. So being able to read the story with my eyeballs was preferable. 

In this fantasy world, everyone is born with a magical gift of some sort. There are powerful and impressive gifts, like healing, shapeshifting or being able to take control over and manipulate everyone around you, but also small, seemingly harmless gifts like being able to change the colour of your nails, lighting small fires, or making things cold (Bria's gift). In a family of innkeepers, being able to make sure the food stays cold is very useful, but out in the world, kidnapped by raiders, it feels rather useless to her. As it turns out, once she starts experimenting with Titus' encouragement, her freezing powers can be a powerful weapon. It also makes her a lot more resistant to cold than most others, which is great when they have to traverse an icy lake to get into a cave to retrieve an object necessary for the quest.

Bria is resilient, pragmatic, and tries very hard not to dwell on the miseries she's gone through. She mourns her sister and her home, but tries to stay focused on Titus and his god-given quest to give her life a new purpose. He needs to retrieve several magical items in order to call down a dragon on a specific date, which will take him to where he needs to be in order to represent the goddess who selected him in a trial to determine who will become a new god. Each god in this world's pantheon has a chosen representative, and some are a lot more murderous than others, determined to take out their competitors before the divine trial. So Titus and Bria have to get to a specific destination on a specific date, or Titus fails. They also have to dodge assassins and various supernatural obstacles on the way.

It is obvious that any romance between them is doomed before it begins, as Titus is not only betrothed to someone (it's not a love match), but is also possibly going to become a new god if he survives long enough to summon the dragon and complete his quest. He is never going to be able to settle down and live a quiet life with a former innkeeper's daughter who might have a promising future as an ice merchant. Nevertheless, Bria can't help but fall for the handsome, stubborn and brave Titus, and he seems to return her feelings. 

"Breathtaking adventure and swoon-worthy romance for fans of Sarah J. Maas" is one of the promises in the official blurb, and while I can absolutely vouch for the adventure part of that statement, anyone who is expecting romantasy along the lines of ACOTAR or any of Sarah J. Maas' other books will be deeply disappointed. This is a fantasy quest with two interesting young protagonists, but the romantic subplot is extremely secondary, possibly even tertiary, and it is mostly longing glances and wistful sighs, all extremely chaste. Anyone expecting a steamy romantasy is going to be very disappointed by this. Stop it with the false advertising, publishers!

Standalone fantasy is rare these days, so I hope this isn't the start of a series. I wouldn't mind reading more books set in this world, though, which proved to be fascinating as it was revealed through Bria and Titus' journey. 

Crossposted on Cannonball Read

CBR18 Book 52: "Bright Young Women" by Jessica Knoll

Page count: 384 pages

Rating: 5 stars

Monthly Keyword 26: Bright

Reading the Rainbow: Yellow

CBR18 Bingo: Versus (The brave, tenacious and determined women vs the spineless and depraved serial killer

Official plot synopsis:

Tallahassee, 1978. Sorority president Pamela Schumacher wakes to a shocking scene of implausible violence and death, and is drawn into a mystifying crime that grips the nation for decades . . .

In Seattle, Tina Cannon connects her best friend's disappearance to the Tallahassee tragedy, and is convinced that a single man is responsible.

Determined to find justice, the two join forces as their search for answers leads to a final, shocking confrontation . . .

This is probably going to be my most surprising 5-star read of the year. If you had told me before I started it, that not only would I have trouble putting it down, finishing it in less than 48 hours, but that I would absolutely love it, I likely would have seriously side-eyed you. True Crime is not a genre that has ever really appealed to me. Serial killers creep me out. I find violence towards women and children incredibly distasteful and upsetting. So tremendous kudos to Jessica Knoll for writing so well that I not only devoured this book, but found myself regretting my compulsive need to check the Wikipedia entry on Ted Bundy (never named, referred to as «The Defendant» throughout the book). This book made me care deeply for the brave female protagonists, and at several points throughout, I cried. 

While I knew it was going to upset me and creep me the f*ck out, I couldn’t help myself from reading about the real events this book is based on. The fact that such a sick, sad, thoroughly mediocre man was able to keep abducting, terrorising, sexually assaulting and murdering women for so long – it didn’t seem possible. Sadly, truth is frequently a lot stranger than fiction, and most of the time, women still aren’t believed in cases like this. It was so much worse in the 1970s. 

This will very likely end up in my top 10 of the year. I tend to be very safe in my reading choices, and rarely read things that may force me out of my comfort zone. Thanks to the Monthly Keyword challenge, I decided to read this book, and I’m so glad I did. 

Crossposted on Cannonball Read. 

CBR18 Book 51: "The Tainted Cup" by Robert Jackson Bennett

Page count: 410 pages

Rating: 4.5 stars

Dark Corner selection: April 2026

Nowhere Book Bingo 26: Award Winner (Hugo and World Fantasy Award 2025)

CBR18 Bingo: Map (there's a map at the start, showing the various walls to keep out the Levianthans)

Official plot synopsis (since I'm reviewing a book I finished in APRIL):

In Daretana’s most opulent mansion, a high Imperial officer lies dead—killed, to all appearances, when a tree spontaneously erupted from his body. Even in this canton at the borders of the Empire, where contagions abound and the blood of the Leviathans works strange magical changes, it’s a death at once terrifying and impossible.

Called in to investigate this mystery is Ana Dolabra, an investigator whose reputation for brilliance is matched only by her eccentricities.

At her side is her new assistant, Dinios Kol. Din is an engraver, magically altered to possess a perfect memory. His job is to observe and report, and act as his superior’s eyes and ears--quite literally, in this case, as among Ana’s quirks are her insistence on wearing a blindfold at all times, and her refusal to step outside the walls of her home.

Din is most perplexed by Ana’s ravenous appetite for information and her mind’s frenzied leaps—not to mention her cheerful disregard for propriety and the apparent joy she takes in scandalizing her young counterpart. Yet as the case unfolds and Ana makes one startling deduction after the next, he finds it hard to deny that she is, indeed, the Empire’s greatest detective.

As the two close in on a mastermind and uncover a scheme that threatens the safety of the Empire itself, Din realizes he’s barely begun to assemble the puzzle that is Ana Dolabra—and wonders how long he’ll be able to keep his own secrets safe from her piercing intellect.

My book club discussed this book at the end of April (we meet on the last Wednesday of every month), and my memory is not as good as it once was, so there are absolutely talking points I will have forgotten by now. I think most people enjoyed the story, but some thought it was a bit too tropey as a mystery, and had figured out a lot of the plot twists ahead of time as a result. At least half the readers were especially fascinated by the giant leviathans that appear and threaten the developed areas every so often, and our collective guess is that they may be more sentient than we are told in this first story.

The worldbuilding is very interesting, with everything technological being biologically based, rather than industrial, such as giant mushrooms cooling down a room rather than an air conditioner. The various modifications people could make to their minds and bodies were also fascinating. Our POV character, Dinios "Din" Kol, has been altered to have absolutely perfect recall. He can remember anything he observes or hears, with the help of little vials of scent. He smells the vial before he starts "recording" and will then be able to recall everything he saw, heard, smelled, and/or tasted forever afterwards, by just smelling the same scent one more time. Due to his abilities, he is highly sought when it comes to investigative work. He hides a big secret, which he is terrified of anyone discovering, especially his superior, the brilliant Ana Dolabra. 

I think it's impossible not to compare Ana to Sherlock Holmes, one of fiction's most famous and very eccentric detectives (the only one to rival him would be Hercule Poirot, I would guess). She's brilliant, strange and behaves in ways odd to absolutely everyone, including her patient and long-suffering assistant. Her mind is a steel trap, and she has any number of strange rituals and habits to make her function properly. She even plays a stringed instrument (bringing to mind Holmes' violin). There doesn't seem to be such a thing as neurodivergence in this universe, but doing a mental tally of all the various mystery books I've read, it seems likely most of the really clever sleuths are on the autism spectrum. I don't want to say that neurodivergent minds are just better at solving mysteries, but mystery fiction strongly seems to suggest it. Some of the people in my book club felt that she was more like a series of quirks in a trench coat, but she's memorable, and I'll be intrigued to see how the relationship between her and Din develops. Also, I don't think this counts as a spoiler - of course she knows exactly what Din's deep, dark secret is; he's just an idiot for realising it. 

I had thought this was the first book in a trilogy, but now it seems as if it's going to be a longer, ongoing series. I have only heard excellent things about the next books as well, and I want to spend more time in this unusual fantasy world, so I'm happy. 

Judging a book by its cover: In a lot of cases, I prefer the UK covers to books than the American ones, but in this case, the US cover is SO much nicer. The UK cover is basically just mushrooms and other plant matter (not a huge fan of mushrooms). The elegant black and gold, with the plants seeming to be creeping in from one side - this is the book I wish I had on my shelves.

Crossposted on Cannonball Read

CBR18 Book 50: "The Devils" by Joe Abercrombie

Page count: 576 pages

Audio book length: 25hrs 5mins

Rating: 5 stars

Nowhere Book Bingo 26: Book rec from a friend (Ashley/Narfna loved this)

Defeat the Goblin TBR: The Rogue Book - a book with politics/intrigue/sneakery involved (this book has all three and lots of it)

CBR18 Bingo: Left (All of my fiction books are alphabetised by author, so Abercrombie comes to the very top left of the bookshelf it's placed on)

A cowardly monk. A mercenary. A vampire. A werewolf (who used to be a viking warrior). An elf. A necromancer. A knight who cannot die. An orphaned thief who is apparently a long-lost imperial princess. Add them together into a highly unlikely band of allies and watch them make their way through a war-torn alternate Europe (where the holy saviour was the daughter of God, who died on a wheel), facing all manner of dangers (not least the supposed princess's murderous cousins) to get to Troy. This book is basically a late-medieval Suicide Squad, and it is violent, at times extremely gory, constantly surprising, and wildly entertaining.

In the beginning, I wrote a list of all the major characters, so I could remember their names and something about their characters, so I could tell them all apart. The book follows eight different characters, six of whom get their own points of view. In addition, this book is set in an alternate Europe, where the crusades have been against the murderous elves, who want to kill and eat humanity. Troy still exists and is an ancient empire. The saviour is the daughter of god, and the Pope in Rome is a woman (actually a ten-year-old child). There's also been a religious schism, so in the East, all the major religious leaders are men. Street rat Alex is told by a swanky nobleman that she is, in fact, the long-lost imperial princess of Troy, and has a birthmark and one half of a medallion that seems to prove her identity. The oracles of the church confirm her identity, and The Order of the Holy Expediency (a very unusual group of individuals that the Church uses to get its dirty work done) is tasked with accompanying her through Europe to Troy, to get her coronated.

It is a very long and dangerous journey, and our unlikely band of anti-heroes face so many deadly challenges to make it towards their goal. If Alex (or Princess Alexia) actually makes it to Troy and manages to become Empress, it will be an honest-to-God miracle. Her murderous cousins, who would like the throne for themselves, and a staggering number of implausible monsters stand in her way. Luckily, Alex has monsters of her own to help her achieve her destiny. 

While I own several of Joe Abercrombie's books, this is the first of his novels that I've actually read, mainly because grimdark isn't really my favourite genre, and certainly not anything I would choose to read now that we are all living in the stupidest dystopia, and the world is burning. However, my good friend Ashley put this as her third-best book of 2025 (and she reads a LOT more than me), and since she also explains in her video why this was an exception to Abercrombie's other books, I really couldn't help myself when I saw the audiobook on sale last year. Then I saw the hardback at my local library (and decided it was a sign from the universe). I borrowed the book so I could follow along (it has illustrations, pictures of all the major characters), but listened mostly to the audiobook (it makes cycling to and from work so much more enjoyable, and I can also listen while I knit). 

I've seen enthusiasm for Steven Pacey as the narrator of the book in a few places online, but personally, it took me a while to warm to some of his narration choices. He does do a good job differentiating between the many different POV characters, and the further I got into the book, the more comfortable I got with his choices. 

I don't know exactly what I was expecting from this book, but I certainly hadn't expected it to be as laugh-out-loud funny as it was in places. I found myself reading passages out loud to my husband, mainly to explain why I kept cackling with delight while reading. If I had to pick one favourite character, it's obviously going to be Viga, the werewolf, but I grew to care deeply for every single individual in this misfit crew and was delighted to spend time with them in their strange quest through Europe. I'm now very curious as to where Abercrombie is taking the series next; the sequel has been given a release date in 2027. I have also bought my own paperback copy of the book, and hope to get it signed next year when Abercrombie is one of the guests of honour at Norcon in Oslo (along with Martha Wells, I'm so excited!). 

Judging a book by its cover: I didn't actually notice at first that the lower jawbone of the skull on the cover is, in fact, a crown, and not a jawbone at all. I think this cover is funny and creative, and it really catches your eye. 

Crossposted on Cannonball Read. 

Book 49: "Bridget & Gabe Are Not Okay" by Lex Croucher

Page count: 432 pages

Rating: 4 stars

CBR18 Bingo: And (literally in the title)

Thanks to St. Martin's Press and NetGalley for this ARC. My opinions are my own. This book is on sale now.

I don't know if Croucher intends this to be an ongoing series, but readers should know that this is book two, and this review is probably going to contain some spoilers for book one, Gwen & Art Are Not in Love (which I read earlier this summer, but will not be reviewing because I'm already WAY too far behind on my non-NetGalley reviews. It's getting depressing how much I'm procrastinating on reviews). 

Anyway, on to the actual review. 

Gabriel is doing his best to be a good king after his father was killed in a botched rebellion, but keeps having to hide in cupboards to deal with his panic attacks. Princess Gwendoline (his twin sister) is doing her best to represent the royal family, picking up the slack for her struggling brother. She keeps writing letters to Bridget, the kingdom's only lady knight, who very pointedly is not responding. Bridget is not doing her best, or even well at all. After wielding a replica of Excalibur in battle while defending the royal family from the rebellion, she is no longer jeered, but celebrated at knight's tournaments, but can't seem to find the will to compete anymore. The sound of weapons clashing or the smell of blood makes her feel sick. Arthur, Gwen's former betrothed, has stopped using alcohol as a coping mechanism and is genuinely friends with Gwen now, so that's good. However, he keeps seeing Gabriel, mostly from a distance, and it's obvious that he's struggling, and Arthur can't do anything to comfort or help him. 

The only ones from the first book who aren't having a pretty miserable time of it at the start of the book are Arthur's squire, Sidney and Gwen's ladies' maid, Agnes, who are disgustingly in love with one another and refuse to let their friends' moping get in the way of their happiness. 

The rebellion was successfully squashed, but Gabriel's new and progressive policies are not being very well received by the populace at large. They don't really see why they should take their kids out of the fields to put them into schools; what good is reading anyway? Camelot's fiercely capable PR-woman, Lady Oakley, has decided that recreating the Round Table, with a series of loyal knights who will also travel around the country looking into all the strange occurrences that are being reported, will be just the thing to boost Gabriel's popularity. Gwen, Arthur, Bridget and Sidney, along with a selection of other knights, including Gabriel's cousin, whose father led the rebellion against HIS father and ended with Gabriel very reluctantly becoming king, are also along for the ride. The cousin doesn't seem to share his father's views, but is handsome and charming, and Gabriel doesn't like how friendly he and Arthur are getting. 

One of the reasons I'm choosing not to review Gwen & Art Are Not in Love is that it was fine, but not really all that memorable. It introduces the setting of an alternate history version of our world, with a cast of mostly queer characters (Sidney and Agnes are pretty much the token straights). I never cared all that much for the plot or the characters, but because all that establishing work was done in book one, they had a chance to become more interesting in book two, I guess. 

While going on a rather meandering quest throughout the land, Gabriel, Gwen, Brigdget, Arthur, Sidney and an assorted band of other knights (including another lady knight) investigate strange occurrences that may have ties to the old Arthurian myths, and along the way try to come to terms with grief, anxiety, panic attacks, PTSD, jealousy and insecurities. They meet some interesting individuals along the way, and without spoiling too much, all end the book in a much better place than they started it.

Based on this second book, I will read more about The Camelot Disasters if Croucher decides to write more in the series. 

Crossposted on Cannonball Read