Che-Michelle Tales

This post was supposed to be dropped last year, but I did not have time to edit and proofread. But I read a few books last year and did not have time to write a review. In truth, sometimes, the review was only a paragraph and other times, the book was🤷🏿‍♀️ Kanye’s shoulder shrug. Below are a few books I completed but did not write a full review on… I think.

Katee Roberts- The Beast (Book 4 in the Wicked Villains series) I enjoy the Wicked Villain Series. Roberts reimagines our favorite Fairy tales (specifically Disney-based) and sees the Villains as heroes and the heroes as the villains. I wondered how Roberts would highlight The Beast (loosely based on Beauty and the Beast). I was pleasantly surprised; it was refreshing; there was no overall evil villain. Beast was not reimagined as the villain but was represented as a brooding man navigating his love life as a Dom. The Beast did an excellent job highlighting how dishonesty and lack of communication in a partnership can go left. Suppose you want an Erotic throuple with BDSM and a pinch of Degradation. Then check this book out. The characters were well-written and had layers. The story felt rushed but not enough to complain about; it is a great weekend read with your favorite red wine.

Demelza Carlton’s Fly (a retelling of Goose Girl) was a book. It was me. It was not horrible, but not as good as I had expected. The story moved fast, but parts of it made me wonder if the last part of the story was rushed. It was another quick read, but I was not fully invested in the outcome. The main antagonists suddenly realize they are the villains and function as if the protagonist purposely harmed her. It is a quick read, and you will get lost in parts of the story.

C.B. Lee- Not Your Sidekick I am unsure if I wrote a review on this book. The answer is no. Imagine living in a world where you get Superhuman powers when you are 16 or 17.  You are the only one in your family or school that does not get any superhuman powers. In the process, you start working unknowingly for a villain. This happened to Jessica Tran; her mom, dad, and older sister are superheroes. She is just average. As the story unfolds, Jessica stumbles upon a mystery, finds love, and finds out the heroes are not the good guys at the end. This story sparked my creativity, and I drafted a short story based on the premise of working for superheroes and villains. It is a delightful book, and I would like to read the next book in the series in 2024.

Kalynn Bayron- This Wicked Fate: HOW DID THIS BOOK NOT GET A REVIEW? OMG, this book was so good; it has excellent character development and fantastic imagery and locations. I am always here for appropriate queer representation, and in this book, it is top tier. I loved every moment of this book; some parts did move slowly, but they were still worth the total price and a borrow. I love Briseis and her tongue-in-cheek personality. She fights for her family, her peace, and her future. It is a YA novel, but beautifully written, and the pace can feel slow, but when it hits its stride, it goes fast and hard. As the reader, we get a bit more back story into Briseis and her family connection with the witch Medea.

Christopher Moore- Noir. Now and then, you read a favorite author and sigh. The sigh is a mix of discontent and nostalgia. Noir is humorous and original. It is set in the 1940s, during or after World War 2. It does have a gangster feel, like it is supposed to be a satire for that action/crime/mystery fiction genre. What is wild? I can see this as a movie in the vein of the 1990 Dick Tracy show, but reading it was slow and confusing. If you are a Christopher Moore fan, you will love this book, but I outgrew Moore’s writing or am not into his period pieces.

These are just a few books I have read but did not write a review for during 2023. You should check them out and enjoy the magic of a few of these books.

Until Next Time,

Che Michelle