After reading, "Isn't It Obvious", I wanted to check out Katz other work and this immediately caught my eye. Not only is it Sapphic but also a Jewish road trip to historical sites in the Southern United States after losing their friend who wanted this trip died three years before.

Once again, Katz's pacing is fantastic. She really let's her scenarios linger, in this case two childhood friends driven apart by the grief of losing their best friend and an incident that happened after her death. It's also a fascinating and thoughtful exploration of the history of Jewish congregations in the South and coming to terms with what that means to the characters. You can tell this is something the author was passionate about and they confirmed that in their author's note at the end. The romance is also very good as the characters wrestle with their fractured friendship, their love for each other, and the fear that they could ruin what they even still have. The grief is also handled well and Michal haunts the narrative and even becomes more complex of a figure throughout the story as well through flash backs building up to that incident that drove our protagonists apart.

A personal 5 star read for me as Katz is quickly becoming one of my authors to watch!

Started this as an audiobook but was lucky enough that my bookstore got my order in so quickly! Definitely don't recommend the audiobook but the book was much more enjoyable!

It's a simple story does offer a bit extra to Scott Hunter and Kip's story than the show showed (especially between the end of episode 3 to when Scott called Kip onto the ice). I liked delving into the tension of being with a partner who isn't only not out but also such a public figure in a historically homophobic sport that even going out together could cause speculation. The fallout does come from characters letting their feelings stew until in boils over which might annoy some people but I did feel understandable how they got there. Scott's reluctance is also understandable when you remember this is all taking place a year before gay marriage was even legal in the United States.

Excited to read more of the series, hopefully the publisher will meet demand with making more copies soon!

My book club read the first in the series when it released and wanted to read the second. I know that it will probably be a welcome beginning of the year read.

I do feel this is a huge improvement over the first installment! Pacing and tension are greatly improved with this story and Monika and Taranis have a more intriguing dynamic. As always, I adore Stephens having such a diverse cast so casually.

That being said, there is stuff here that might turn people off who might have liked the first one: Dom/Sub with a dub-con start, degradation kink, a more villainous love interest and jumping right into that monstrous alien sex. If that's up your alley though, you'll probably be pleased. Even if the first book wasn't your cup of tea, if these dynamics interest you, I think giving the series a second try with this installment is worth your while.

The ending does feel a little rushed and leaves some threads hanging but it's clearly for the next book to develop! I feel I will probably be reading with my book club again!