My experience with tennis is limited to a single family reunion where my dad showed me the ropes and, of course, to wii tennis. My experience with living closeted is much more extensive and for that reason Thirty Love: A Novel by Tom Vellner tugged on my heart strings. I found the main character and love interest compelling, the side characters enriched the narrative, and the villains of homophobic sports culture and individuals realistic. The book was a slow start for me as I had to acclimate to tennis, but Vellner was a good teacher and the characters pulled me in. Thanks to the publisher and netgalley who provided me with a review copy.
Fated Skates by Victoria Schade tackles the high pressure of Olympic level sports, mental health, and how athletes are treated at every level all while crafting a believable, swoon-worthy romance. Quinn, a figure skater, left her first Olympics devastated and mistreated. Ben, a retired speed skater turned sports journalist, reenters her life right before the next Olympics. Will they be able to rewrite the narrative around Quinn and resist their obvious connection? Who can say 🙂
Like in Love with You: A Novel by Emma R. Alban is a breath of fresh air in the regency romance scene. I am embarrassed that this is the first of her books I have picked up but will soon rectify that mistake. The characters are endearing, clever, and cutting in turns. The plot is tense but gives a sense that all will be well which is refreshing in a queer romance. I cannot wait to read more of Alban’s work!
10. An Extraordinary Union by Alyssa Cole is one of the books I picked for the Reading Glasses challenge and while I did not get it read I still intend to read it.
9. Divine Rivals by Rebecca Ross was another pick for the Reading Glasses challenge. Another one I did not get to but still intend to.
8. That Lesbian Vampire Pirate Story by Raven Belasco was a DNF.
7. A Single Season by Kate Daniels was read and reviewed before the end of 2025.
6. The Prospects by KT Hoffman did not get read, but will.
5. Bitter Honey by Lolá Ákínmádé Åkerström was a DNF. I struggle with fiction on audio.
4. Ten Steps to Nanette: A Memoir Situation by Hannah Gadsby was finished! I really enjoyed it.
3. Queer Life, Queer Love 3 edited by Karen McLeod, Matt Bates, Kate Beal, and Sarah Beal was finished. It did make me miss the days I kept up with short fiction magazines more often.
2. Heated Rivalry by Rachel Reid was excellent and I finished it before the tv show was over.
1. Merry Christmas, You Filthy Animal did not get finished, but did get started.
Playing for Keeps by ALexandria Bellefleur follow the romance between two PR managers. It is the first book I’ve ready by Bellefleur. I found the romances believable and charming and the characters’ flaws and strengths realistic. I also adore the cover. Love when an outfit description makes it to the cover. Heads up for parental discord and past drinking issues.
2. Simply More: A Book for Anyone Who Has Been Told They’re Too Much by Cynthia Erivo [audiobook] A memoir by the star of stage and screen. As with most memoirs read by the author, I strongly recommend the audiobook. Released November 2025.
3. The Death of Vivek Oji by Akwaeke Emezi [2020] The novel focuses on the lead up and fallout of the central event in the narrative and how various characters cope. I read this title as part of the 2025 Trans Rights Readathon Challenge.
4. Ten Steps to Nanette: A Memoir Situation by Hannah Gadsby [2022] Gadsby is probably my favorite comedian. My sibling very kindly took me along to see her touring Douglas in Chicago. The memoir gives more context to Gadsby’s art by putting it solidly in conversation with the news – particularly events affecting LGBT+ communities – worldwide, in Australia, and in Tasmania specifically.
5. Facing the Fracture: How to Navigate the Challenges of Living in a Divided Nation by Tania Israel [2024]. What it says on the tin. Read for work.
6. A Single Season: A Nashville Notes Novel by Katie Daniels. Full review.
7. Qeer Life, Queer Love. 3 edited by Matt Bates, Sarah Beal, Kate Beal, and Karen McLeod [2025]. Full review.
8. Role Model by Rachel Reid [2021]. Grumpy player with a terrible reputation meets a sunshiney social media mananger. What could happen?
9. Heated Rivalry by Rachel Reid [2019]. If you don’t know the plot by now I’m honestly impressed.
10. Tough Guy by Rachel Reid [2020]. Enforcer rekindles sparks with high school crush. Super sweet and sexy.
11. Common Goal by Rachel Reid [2020]. Two background characters get their due in the age gap romance.
In the last five years I have become better about not hopping on every anthology kickstarter that I came across. Past anthologies were mostly in the science fiction, fantasy, and speculative fiction genres. Queer Life, Queer Love 3 is solidly in the literary fiction genre with entries including fiction, poetry, memoir, and flash fiction. Overall, I enjoyed the anthology and recommend reading it at a leisurely pace. I felt my own reading was rather rushed and that doing so did not serve the anthology.
Despite several years of playing softball (left field), I do not remember much of the rhyme or rules of the sport or its close sibling baseball. A Single Season does not necessitate a working understanding of the sport as it is very comprehensive in its explanations. I enjoyed the found family feeling of a sports team as I almost always do in a sports book. Nashville was a vibrant setting for the novel. And the character’s were quipy without being inauthentic or stilted. That said, it could have used more kissing. Otherwise I had a fun time with this novel.
Hedgehog Harry 