Musings from an unknown fangrrl

It came to my attention that my "who I am" post vanished. So, here it is.

Some of you know me from my LJ days (formerly known as "chickwriter").
Some of you know me from Twitter (I'm no longer there.)
Some of you know me from my professional writing life (though I'm now retired)
Some of you I know from RL.

Other places I am now (as of 2/14/2024)
BlueSky: https://bsky.app/profile/thelima.bsky.social (this is my main for now)
Mastodon: https://federatedfandom.net/web/@thelima (this is my secondary)
Discord: chickwriter


This is the place I sometimes post, but am really trying to get better at it.

I still love all things pop culture and am currently obsessed with The Untamed & many other related dramas.

As of 2024, I am now into mixed media art/junk journaling.

Most of my older posts are f'locked - if you want access, please request.

I first fell in love with Cat Sebastian's books when a friend recommended The Soldier's Scoundrel. I bought it, devoured it and immediately went looking for more. I just as quickly fell into The Lawrence Browne Affair and was saddened to find out that there were no more books...yet.

I was lucky enough to receive an advanced copy of Ruin of a Rake via Edelweiss. I had to force myself to wait to read it, until after I had finished my own writing for the week. I happily opened it up on Saturday and finished it the following morning.

On her website, Cat calls this book her "gay Regency take on the rake-vs.-wallflower trope" - which it is, but it also busts those very tropes by having the wallflower be the more callous man and the rake the more emotional of the two.

As with her other books, I very much loved the story, the characters and the wonderful ending. Chock full of romance, emotions, passion and utterly satisfying.

Her characters are always brilliantly written and layered. Her deft handling of miscommunication (a trope of so many romances) never turns me off--which is not the case in other books I've read. I tend to get exasperated when people don't just bloody talk to each other. In this, as with her other books, the challenges of the relationships are real, and the emotions credible. I know I can count on a good read and a happy ending when I read her books.

Kudos to Cat Sebastian for another excellent read!

 Loads of great books and you decide what to pay! Even though I already own several of the books, I am happy to buy the group. 

Info from the site:

This is an admittedly eclectic group — you'll find historical fantasy, contemporary werewolves, superhero adventures, Victorian adventure, a YA ghost story, secondary world fantasies, a noir-inflected war between Heaven and Hell, and a couple of short story collections that individually span just as wide a range — but they are all written by authors at the top of their game. Six Spectrum and Lambda Literary Award finalists and winners are included in the group, and Riley Parra has been turned into a web series by Tello Films (and will debut in July, just after our bundle ends!). You'll also find a diverse group of characters, worlds where the rules of sex and gender are profoundly different from our own, and stories that will hold you entranced until the very last word. 

Get the books here.

The Bedlam Stacks by Natasha Pulley

My rating: 5 of 5 stars


There are few books that I immediately want to read again immediately, and Natasha Pulley's books are in the top of that category. THE BEDLAM STACKS absolutely reinforced the fact that Pulley is a genius with words, painting imagery, characters and setting with a delicate, yet strong touch. There's this undefinable sense of otherwordliness that permeates the novel and pulls the reader in almost immediately, not letting go until the final sentence. What a wonderful, magical ride! I absolutely loved this book and can't wait to re-read it!



View all my reviews

Note: I received this as a free review copy from Netgalley.