Hawaiian inspired scifi heist novel in the vein of Ocean's Eleven. I really wanted to love this, but there was something that kept me at arm's length throughout the story. Great found family in our heist crew and various queer rep. The inclusion of Hawaiian Pidgin was something I hadn't seen in a book before and really appreciated via audio.

Nonshifter omegaverse dystopian originally released partially as a serial Kindle Vella series. This bindup completes season one. One omega, six alphas and an underground network of omega auctions to break up. This has the raw edge of Onley James shining through the omegaverse Nolah Harker pen name. If you're an Onley James fan and an omegaverse fan, choose this series over Vengeful Bonds for something darker and grittier.

Book two in this series continues where book one left off. While the romance is contained to this book, the story is not. This story focuses on Wren (Deaf with cochlear implants) and Percy (hearing) who is trying to learn sign to communicate with his sister's daughter whose adoption is still in process. Percy, who is from the UK, mistakenly learns BSL instead of ASL, leading to a misunderstanding that starts off the book. EM Lindsey handles representation with care and is a HOH, queer author themself. Will absolutely continue to read whatever they come out with.

**I received an electronic ARC from the publisher through NetGalley.** Actual rating: 3.5 Jess Everlee returns with her fourth book in the Lucky Lovers of London historical romance series, To Sketch a Scandal. Each book follows a different couple's romance in 1800s London where all parties have some affiliation with The Curious Fox, an underground queer club. Each romance is contained within its book, but the overall story does build in order of release. For this installment, readers re-visit Warren Bakshi, the fan-favorite barkeep. When his brother brings unexpected wealth to the family, Warren enrolls in a sketching class to have a visible, dignified hobby. To his surprise, the class re-unites him with the undercover Detective Inspector Matthew Shaw. Matty's art skills are as perilous as the homosexuality laws, and both things are driving Matty straight to Warren. I listened to this book via audio library loan since I had read the other books in the series via the same method. I enjoyed the narration by Joel Leslie and felt his narration contributed to my enjoyment of the novel. This was probably my favorite in the series, but it admittedly had the tropes I'm most drawn to. Everlee manages to take on serious topics while still keeping the building romance light and cute. If you've liked any of the previous books in the series, this installment certainly matches the vibe and follows directly in their footsteps. Would recommend for those seeking a lighthearted spin on queer historical romance with a variety of couples in focus.

This was a fun take on a merman circus side show vibe. It has the added queer representation as well as a Puerto Rican MMC in 1910s ish NYC. A good time, but not a game changer for me.

Inspired by The Juniper Tree. Marlinchen as a main character was very hard to tolerate for me which resulted in a low enjoyment level overall. I can see what was intended, but it just didn't work well for me.