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Across the Endless River

Thad Carhart

8.0 (1 Ratings) Rate It

Book

From the acclaimed bestselling author of The Piano Shop on the Left Bank, a historical novel about...

Exquisite Corpse

Poppy Z. Brite

9.5 (2 Ratings) Rate It

Book

To serial slayer Andrew Compton, murder is an art, the most intimate art. After feigning his own...

LGBT Splatterpunk

Merissa (13961 KP) rated The Goldilocks Principle in Books

Jul 29, 2023

The Goldilocks Principle

Hope Irving | 2023 | Contemporary, LGBTQ+, Romance

6.0

(1 Ratings)

Book Rating

Goldilocks retelling, MM style

THE GOLDILOCKS PRINCIPLE is a standalone story about Elijah Goldwyn (who has blond curly hair) and Tristan (a French soap actor) who both meet in Provincetown and sparks fly.

The story itself was good and I enjoyed it. It is smoothly paced with a stack of supporting characters that help move it along. The town itself is a charming setting and, in my opinion, Iris, Frank, and Isy were the best characters!

I found it to have quite a bit of 'tell' instead of 'show' though - the whole thing with Quentin, Clara, and the parents, which led to a bit of a disconnect with the main characters. I was unable to immerse myself in the story even though I wanted to. There were also a few parts where I disliked how one of the main characters was acting or behaving.

I think a lot of people will thoroughly enjoy this story, and loved how Goldilocks is brought into this MM Romance. It just wasn't the book for me in the ways I'd hoped.

** same worded review will appear elsewhere **

* A copy of this book was provided to me with no requirements for a review. I voluntarily read this book; the comments here are my honest opinion. *

Merissa
Archaeolibrarian - I Dig Good Books!
Jul 29, 2023

Kudos

Heart of Ice

Noa Rose

9.0 (1 Ratings) Rate It

Book

When a childhood friend turns into an obsession… The white skull, the black cape, the monstrous...

Dark Novella Paranormal Romance

Mark @ Carstairs Considers (2544 KP) rated Reckoning at the Riviera Royale in Books

May 20, 2026

The Elephant in the Case

Anty is off to the French Riviera at the invitation of his mother. They have a strained relationship, but Anty goes because he thinks this will be a good chance to confront his mother over a nagging question about his father’s death. But when he arrives, he discovers there’s been a more recent death. There’s a floating circus on the island where Anty is, but the headliner has been killed, trampled to death by his elephant. The animal is set to be executed for this crime, but Anty isn’t buying it. Can he find the real culprit in time to spare the beast?

I was happy when my schedule allowed me to slip in the next book in the Anty series. While this is the wildest case he’s taken on yet (pun always intended), the book does take the murder seriously with a good number of suspects and motives leading to the logical climax. Only Anty and his valet return here, but the rest of the suspects feel real while also maximizing comedic potential. And yes, the dry wit is still on full display. At times, it could be tone down, but I was still laughing as I puzzled over the clues. This book is a circus in the best way possible and fans old and new will be glad they picked it up.