#netgalley

[wearethekat]

August Book Reviews: Spread Me by Sarah Gailey

I received a free copy from Tor Nightfire in exchange for a fair review. Release date September 23rd, 2025.

One of my anticipated new releases for this year. In Spread Me, biologist Kinsey is the lead of a close-knit team in a remote desert monitoring station. When Kinsey breaks quarantine by bringing a mysterious specimen into the lab, the team finds out too late that it's a parasite seeking a new host...

This novella is a testament to Gailey's ability to commit to the bit. It reads like erotica designed for a very specific fetish--namely the protagonist's, as a microbiologist who solely masturbates to an artsy electron microscope image of a virus. Spread Me is about Kinsey's desire to be invaded and utterly obliterated by a virus, and the horror of forbidden attraction: her darkest secret is that she wants to be infected by The Thing. Gailey does an excellent job at viscerally portraying a rather abstract monstrous attraction, which is not an easy thing to pull off, and I never doubted it for a second.

A dark and sexually charged horror novella which doesn't outstay its welcome at a brisk two hundred pages. Due to being mostly about freaky sex, this won't be a good fit for everyone, but I expect it will be a big hit with certain parts of Tumblr.

[rot-iron]

The E-ARC of #mybook Hotblood! Vol. 1: The Land of Promise is now up on NetGalley! If you'd like to read and/or review it in advance, you can request a copy here.

Hotblood! is a graphic novel about a centaur with a shitty job and how the Transcontinental Railroad changed America. It's also about gay sex

➔ PREORDER | bsky | ig

[bookishfreedom]

For anyone who loved The Raven Cycle, but thought, "that could've been scarier": This book is for you.

Don't Let the Forest In follows Andrew Perrault, returning to the elite Wickwood Academy for his senior year. And although high school has never been easy for Andrew, from the start, this year is different. His twin sister, Dove, is keeping him at arms length, and his best friend Thomas is acting strangely, disappearing into the forest behind the school at night. One night, Andrew follows him, to find Thomas fighting off horrifying creatures. But there's something familiar about these creatures: they look exactly like the ones from Thomas's drawings.

I absolutely devoured this book. It had me up way too late reading, and even though I finished at 3am, I wanted to turn to the beginning and start all over again. (And, at the cost of precious sleep, I did in fact reread the first chapter.)

I would recommend this book to anyone, and it's got me super excited to tackle CG Drews' backlist. The characters leap off the page and sink claws into your heart (in a good way). They're complex and messy and in need of a good hug. Andrew and Thomas are just two kids trying their best to figure out the world, and each other. My heart ached for them both, even when I wanted to shout at them. This story also has some of the best ace rep I've ever read. Andrew's identity is central to the story, and woven into all of his choices seamlessly, in a way that feels natural without distracting from the story.

I was on the edge of my seat the whole time and came away from the story thoroughly haunted. (It was maybe a mistake to read this in the middle of the night.... walking to the bathroom after was a terrifying experience.) Drews' prose is evocative, equal parts beautiful and macabre.

Thanks so much to Netgalley & Macmillan for the free review copy. Happy to say that I ordered my own copy before I even finished the ARC🖤

and thank goodness I did because do you SEE the barnes & noble special edition??? the DRAWINGS. and the @paperfury annotated chapter?? I’m obsessed

[mermaidsirennikita]

ARC REVIEW: Rears & Vices by E.M. Caro

4.25/5. Releases 3/17/2026.

Heat Index: 8/10

—pirate marriage (of convenience)

—not one, but TWO ex-situationships

—struggling to express your feelings in the midst of anti-colonial seafaring

The Basics:

Upon seeing his former fling, anti-colonial pirate Vitaliy *who has a couple other identities) on the brink of being hanged, naval man. Everard perjures himself to save him. Of course, this does lead him into general piratical antics, dragging his rakish friend—with whom he used to do things that went far beyond friendly—D'Arcy into everything in the process. One pirate marriage of convenience to Vitaliy later, Everard finds himself in the midst of battles and espionage, with more than one conflict at hand. Staying with Vitaliy would mean abandoning the naval career he's dedicated his life to—and perhaps D'Arcy, who fully owns being in love with Everard as it is. Of course... some choices may not be choices at all.

The Review:

What a FUN, bold historical romance! First off—let me be so clear. While Everard very much thinks he's in the midst of a love triangle at one point, it's a bit more complex than that. By "a bit more complex" I mean this is a poly triad romance. And it's great.

Wait, you say. "Pirate marriage of convenience?" Yes! Pirates had a sort of... domestic partnership, marriage situation happening back in the day, in which one pirate basically committed to another pirate and gave him the rights of inheritance, etc. that a wife would traditionally have. And some historians would say that meant they were good buddies. Sure!

Here, it's very clear that Everard and Vitaliy are a lot more than good buddies. But what are they... exactly? Everard is very "I'm his matelot in name only, I swear", and Vitaliy is like "sure", which kind of sums up Everard's approach to relationships in general. He's our POV character (see, I like single POV books sometimes! They just have to be good!) and he is essentially clueless about relationships. He doesn't really know what to do with Vitaliy's calm, accepting approach to their relationship. He doesn't know what to do with D'Arcy's exasperated, straightforward ownership of simply being madly in love with Everard while not expecting him to actually own his feelings. Personally, I found this rather delightful, and it adds to the tension in the triad. Everard is very smart about seafaring, but when it comes to Feelings, he's DENSE, and it makes him all the more human.

This cluelessness adds a lot of humor to the book (there's a character introduced who is very obviously a lesbian at one point, and Everard spends like 80% of this novel trying not to be insanely jealous because he's so sure she slept with Vitaliy... babe...), but it's also the crux of his conflict with D'Arcy. While Vitaliy mystifies Everard—and it's so satisfying when he finally cracks and lets him in... in more ways than one—Everard frustrates D'Arcy. There's a rather funny, and also relatable scene in which they're on the brink of gettin' it in, and Everard says something dumb that makes D'Arcy go "WHAT IS EVEN THE POINT YOU STUPID DUMB IDIOT", and I really enjoy the drama.

While the romantic drama takes center stage, there's a lot of pirate stuff. This is a historical romance that's firmly rooted in the history of it all. E.M. Caro clearly did a lot of research, and I kind of loved being in a world that very much isn't ours. Never did I feel beaten over the head by the idea of Vitaliy being this Woke Pirate. His morality—shared by Everard and D'Arcy—feels both progressive and grounded in this niche moment in history. Look! You can do a pirate romance today without being absurdly problematic!

You get a good bit of action and adventure, and a lot of high stakes. I mean, Everard is missing fingers when this book begins. People get hurt. Near death incidents are had. Somehow, all this happens while everyone is trying to figure out their various relationship dynamics. I ended the book feeling so FOND of everyone. Like, awww, babes. I love y'all.

If I had to pick a favorite—and I doubt I'll be alone on this front—yeah... It's D'Arcy. The combination of being oh so slutty and oh so smitten really got me. He's hilarious, he wears his heart on his sleeve, and yet, perhaps, maybe, he's hiding a little something? He clashed perfectly with Everard's uptight nature, and watching him develop this camaraderie with Vitaly—and maybe more—over time was super satisfying. He's irresistibly bratty.

The Sex:

Oh, this is a HOT book. You get a good number of one-on-one encounters before we get to the triad stuff. The sexual dynamics between everyone feels very unique, and I really liked the acknowledgment that being a queer man doesn't mean you're down for *everything* one can do as a queer man. Everyone has their preferences, and everyone checks in with everyone. Consent was handled really well in this book, without feeling precious.

But damn. The scenes were well-written, still a little funny at points, and you got the difference between people who feel a little more like they're living on the edge (Vitaliy and Everard) and people with a deep familiarity with each other (D'Arcy and Everard), and maybe... a secret third thing? A secret third and fourth thing, depending on how you look at it?

And I gotta say... One of my favorite moments in the whole book is Everard seeing a very determined D'Arcy striding toward him right before a battle, literally going "Oh God" and having to explain to Vitaliy that he and D'Arcy have a tradition wherein Everard rails D'Arcy right before maritime skirmishes. DELIGHTFUL.

The Conclusion:

I would absolutely read another E.M. Caro book anytime, and this is exactly the kind of thing I'm looking for in the historical romances of today. Very sexy. Very emotional. Nobody's perfect. The emotional and physical stakes are high. The payoff is great. Highly recommend!

Thanks to the author and NetGalley for providing me with a copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

[dkafterdark]

*I received an eARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Image from Penguin Random House, summary from NetGalley*

A new graphic novel from Eisner award-winning graphic novelist Gengoroh Tagame, which asks: what if The Odd Couple were Japanese, living in the middle of COVID-19, and just might be . . . gay?

From Gengoroh Tagame, the brilliant mind behind My Brother’s Husband and Our Colors, comes Fish and Water, which follows the unlikely love story of two “straight” friends. Having met at a mutual friend’s wedding, Akira, a business sales administrator, and Koji, a freelance writer, quickly become close buddies. One day, during a visit with a farm client, Akira is offered a case of freshly picked cabbage. Since no one at his office wants it, and he is no cook, Akira decides to see if Koji (who loves to cook) might be interested. Koji accepts and invites Akira to join him. Lonely and in the midst of pandemic-related shutdowns, Akira welcomes the chance and one meal becomes many. Once they get past how to be COVID-cautious, they become quite relaxed with each other, creating an amusing but emotionally perplexing scenario. Eventually, Akira and Koji grapple with deciding if they are just friends, or something more.

Part exceptionally drawn character study, part contemporary comedy of manners, Fish and Water is a delightful love story for the modern era, considering how love and connection can find you in the strangest ways.

This manga gave me so many feels! It's such a comforting story and follows two friends, Akira and Koji, as they start meeting regularly to cook and eat together. As they bond, they're able to relax around each other and have deeper conversations, share in housework, have sleepovers, and even go on outings. Each shared experience and their growing closeness leads them to dating. I love cooking manga, so this was a perfect combo for me of good food, slow burn romance, and camraderie. While this manga isn't explicit like many BL I've read, there is nudity that lets you appreciate the characters' solid, hairy bodies. I also liked that the story is set during COVID and the characters share what their experiences have been like; they reflect on the state of the world, but they're also hopeful for better days. A wonderful manga -- I wish there were more volumes about Akira and Koji!

Pub date June 23, 2026

(Side note: I absolutely love the mangaka's series My Brother's Husband! Also, I need to make a list of queer food related manga because there are so many and they're very good)

[hi-there-cat]

Anyone want some tragic sapphic mermaids?

✨🪸 My rating: 5 / 5 stars 🪸✨

This was gorgeous, enchanting, but also so, so, so very painful. I’ve previously read another book by this author and I gotta say she is incredible at evoking very intense emotions in me. Because I loved this, but I also got so riled up by what was happening in the book, all the injustices the protagonist had to endure, that I had to put down the book a couple of times and do some calm breathing. It was so exquisitely painful to read sometimes. It was also so enchantingly atmospheric and wove such emotionally complex relationships between its main characters, I can’t wait to return to this world in the second book.

[triviareads]

ARC Review of The Last Lady B by Eloisa James

Rating: 3.75/5 Heat Level: 3.25/5 Pub Date: May 12th

Premise:

Genevieve marries her wealthy, seventy-year old husband to secure her younger sister's dowry. When she arrives at his remote Scottish abbey, she's met with multiple ghosts, strange inhabitants, and her husband's very attractive former ward and solicitor Sir Godric.

My review:

This is a pretty unique historical romance, and there was definitely an experimental vibe to go along with the new cover style (one of the better illustrated historical covers I've seen in terms of realism, though I'd have loved to see both the hero and heroine on the cover). I do think it was a mixed bag in terms of execution, especially as a primarily romance reader... but maybe non-romance readers will feel differently.

First, this is single POV, and it is in the first-person. I loved Genevieve's voice— it's droll and witty, worldly in some ways, naive in others... very early-twenties, basically. That being said, this is one of those single POV romances where I did not particularly get a sense of the hero without his POV. We know Godric is an accomplished jurist, clever, mildly judgmental... and not much more. He's there to act as temptation to the newly-married Genevieve and is a foil to her shitty husband, his former guardian. He's supportive and hot, while her husband is ugly, old, sexist, and rapey. No wonder she falls for Godric almost immediately... and so does he, once he realizes she isn't a gold-digger. While they fall for each other real fast, there is an element of longing the author drags out thanks to Genevieve's shitty, very-much-alive husband.

The actual plot is very murder mystery-centric— like, imagine if Catherine Morland had been RIGHT about the fucked shit happening in Northanger Abbey. And there are LAYERS to this mystery! A remote Scottish abbey, multiple ghosts of dead wives, illegitimate children, a secret will, etc. Eloisa's prose is bright and snappy, and I like how she builds the villains up from unserious assholes to outrightly cruel. Her (good) secondary characters are equally charming— special shoutout to Colette, a biracial Black French aristocrat who Eloisa took care to point out was not based on fantasy a la Bridgerton casting, but rather, the historical realities of the time.

The sex:

The sex is very slow-burn, and that is 10000% thanks to Genevieve's husband being alive, and the author unwilling to cross the line and write physical cheating. Is there an emotional affair brewing within days of Genevieve and Godric meeting? Absolutely. The sex itself is pretty standard stuff, a little less explicit than your average open-door historical, I would say, but that's on par for this author.

Thank you to NetGalley, Avon, and Eloisa James for the advanced copies.

[relatablejoe]

✨ She left him a riddle, words wrapped in silk, where silence kissed, questions and answers dissolved like whispers in the wind. 🌬️ He wanders the maze, choosing the thrill of mystery over the comfort of quick fixes. Sometimes, the ache of a puzzle is sweeter than the solution. 🧩💔