Thought Corridor

 White Lights by Lauren Kate Unlike other reviewers Lauren Kate was a completely new author to me and this is the first paranormal fantasy romance I have read so I was unsure what to expect. I'll begin by saying that I really liked the setting with the war as a backdrop to the events in the school. The characters of Desdemona and Raf are really good and the chemistry is great. However there were a few scenes that were a little bit too visceral for me personally, little bit too much gore at times and I was not expecting the book to be this spicey! But it really is, there's a lot of phrases I never thought I'd read in a book but I did really enjoy the spice level even if it is a little bit too detailed at times but again that's personal preference. that said this is a great book and I did have fun reading it. thank you to the author, the publisher, and to Netgalley for this ARC. 

A Daddy For Christmas by Lizzie Spriggs I chose this book as I had seen the author online and knew that it was inspired by characters in the show Our Flag Means Death. This book is a fun read. I loved the characters of Sid and Lucas and the banter between them was great, it starts off as a fake father/son relationship and then it progresses. The characters voices are strong and the interplay between them is great. It's an ideal read for the cosy festive period (even though I read it in April) There are some very moving scenes in amongst the humor too and it's well balanced. There were class dynamics that I found really interesting too and I love the found family trope. Thank you to the author, the publisher, and to Netgalley for this ARC. 

 A Prince Among Pirates by Katie Abdou As a huge fan of books that center on pirates and their world I was delighted toi be able to read this one, especially as I read that it was perfect for fans of the fantastic tv series Our Flag Means Death and I'd have to agree this book is a lot of fun. However what kept me invested in the love story in that show was that the characters involved were middle-aged and that is definitely not the case here as Kit is 17 going on 18 and Sharpe is 23 Like other reviewers have said I'm glad that the author decided to age up Kit by a year as that did make a lot of difference to how I read the book and perceived the romance between Kit and Sharpe. One peeve of mine was the repeated use of 'kitten' as a term of endearment, maybe it's just me but there's something about that word used in that context that doesn't sit right with me but that is purely a personal preference. The side characters were good but not enough time was spent...

 I Hear A New World by Alan Moore I really enjoyed Alan Moore's previous book The Great When and this book is a continuation of that. It is really well written, the prose flows and the themes of social commentary are nicely woven into the plot. There are tangents here and there so it can feel tricky at time to follow the plot of the story through the novel as Moore meanders somewhat in his style at times. Lots of action sequences and humour but for some reason this book didn't quite work for me as much as the first book. That said, it is an entertaining world and it was good to return to the characters after the time skip between the two books.. The protagonist has matured somewhat but is still beset by issues, largely of his own. The world building continues to be great and there are real life historical characters from the era in the book and it was fun to see Moore's take on them. Many thanks tot he publishers, the author, and to Netgalley for this ARC.  

The Palace Beneath the Sea by Lauren Wiesebron This book follows Nolwenn, a lighthouse keeper tasked with keeping the city safe and on her trip to gather seasilk she meets a merman. Through him she experiences the palace that is beneath the sea. As they fall in love Nolwenn has to make a decision, return to land and protect the city or stay bellow with Morvan. This is a love story and it is a really interesting premise and the characters are well written and they have a nice connection. The writing is very descriptive, and at times it's a bit too much. I love books with detailed world building as they really help immerse you in the world but at times with this novel, while the world building is great, the language is a little too flowery for me and it gets a bit too overly descriptive at the detriment of advancing the plot.  Overall I did like the book and it was a change from the darker fantasies I normally read. Thank you to the author, the publisher, and to Netgalley for this AR...

 The Disaster Gay Detective Agency A Novel  by Lev AC Rosen From the title alone I wanted to love this book, it didn't quite work for me though. It is a fun read but I didn't fully connect with it. The characters are good and I like the way their friendship is integral with all its bantering and companionship. There is a lot of switching POV's which doesn't always work as it does get a bit repetitive especially when it feels that really things should be ramping up with the mystery and yet instead we get the same events replayed just from a different characters viewpoint. The parts of the story that focused more on the messy friendship group were much more entertaining that the actual plot of the mystery. That said it is a fun read and well written but just not quite for me. Thank you to the author, the publisher, and to Netgalley for the ARC.