When I started the Summer of Swoon challenge I said I would assume the problem was me until proven otherwise, and BOWHOWDY did this prove otherwise!

• I'm all for a quirky goofy plot where you just need to suspend disbelief and enjoy the ride, but this was entirely too much. Nothing about this plot makes sense. Aside from there being dozens of other ways Scottie could have navigated the fallout of telling the lie that she's married, literally a company operating this way would be shut down so fast. This is straight up cult behavior that is not only wildly inappropriate from an employer, but like, absolutely illegal. • I will never understand why m/f romances with a dual pov have SUCH different tones in their characters. Scottie is reserved and conservative in her demeanor and approach, while Wilder is just foul mouthed and crude (but framed as sexually confident.) Of course different people have different talking styles, but you don't have to make the MMC drop f bombs every other sentence to establish he has a different voice. • Aside from the swearing, though, basically all of these characters did talk the same. The "wit"/banter across all characters follows the same basic structure and style, making it feel very stale instead of funny and engaging. • We're still making prison rape jokes in 2025 and this shit needs to stop. I cannot fathom why that was left in. • I am wildly uncomfortable with the framing of "innocent, blossoming woman coming into her own" as a result of MMC's ministrations. It's disgusting and sexist and offputting. Wilder is just a fuckboi in a beanie, he is not some magical awakening. His basic ass behavior is lauded as the pinnacle of how men should treat women and it's exhausting. The bar is in hell. • Throughout the entire novel (literally until the last page) Wilder says that things are up to Scottie - she's in charge, it's her choice, he's there for her, she can do whatever she needs or wants - but at literally every step Wilder overrides Scottie and takes control of the situation. Be that what they talk about in the fake therapy sessions or in their sexual encounters, he is constantly saying one thing and then doing the opposite, and for some reason this is framed as sweet and caring and considerate. I know this sounds tin foil hat-esque, but this constant erosion of Scottie's preference and agency really feels like a targeted choice to subtly and slowly wear down the reader's idea of what "no" means. Does no mean no? Or does it mean "try harder" until she realizes you were right all along? I fucking hate it. • This is maybe just personal preference rearing up but I am so over MMC's telling the FMC's she's "a good girl" and "perfect" - it's just so damn cringe and surely we can expand? Does it have to be in literally every m/f romance?? See also anything related to "claiming" and "owning" which only ever seems to be the MMC over the FMC. my guy you just met her and you will never own her. its so GROSS the way straight dirty talk plays out in these books!! • The entire end is awful. Everything about it screams danger to me. It's manipulative, coercive, creepy, and just actually fucked up. I didn't care for the way Mika's mental health is handled, the way their mother is handled, the way Wilder woos Scottie - all of it was just gross and a giant pile of red flags. Not to mention the reveal about Sanders. wtf.

There are many many more smaller points, but you get the idea. This is meant to be a wild and whacky tale but I was just Concerned™️ the entire time.

I really enjoyed this! Quick, queer, and with gorgeous prose. There are a million and one arthurian retellings and I appreciate that this doesn't mess with the source material too much, but just enough to still be interesting/feel new. I'll for sure be looking for more from Griffith!

As always, absolutely loved this. I am starting to raise my eyebrows at the length of these - I haven't gone to compare page counts but it feels like they're getting shorter every time but tor.com out here charging full price anyway. Thank the skies for libraries!!

This is such a love letter to those away from home. I super enjoyed young Chih & Almost Brilliant, and the exploration of what home is and what it means to belong. Chih lore drops & seeing them navigate being new on the job and what kind of cleric they're going to be was so special. Chih in earlier installments can be so smooth with it, so I particularly enjoyed their reflections on their mentors & Almost Brilliant's guiding influence as they find their footing. And it's just so dang relatable to end up working in a restaurant because your finances went sideways!!