Bogormen

Title: The Extraordinaries
Author: T.J. Klune
Genre: YA, LGBTQ, Paranormal
Rating: 4/5
# pages: Audiobook, 13 hrs
Date read: July, 2020

Some people are extraordinary. Some are just extra.

Nick Bell? Not extraordinary. But being the most popular fanfiction writer in the Extraordinaries fandom is a superpower, right?

After a chance encounter with Shadow Star, Nova City’s mightiest hero (and Nick’s biggest crush), Nick sets out to make himself extraordinary. And he’ll do it with or without the reluctant help of Seth Gray, Nick's best friend (and maybe the love of his life).


Quite different from T.J. Klune's other books - I'm amazed by how he keeps changing genres on us all the time. It didn't blow me away like many of his other books did (possibly because it's more obvious YA), but it's still really, really good :-D However, it's also a book that's really, really difficult to review without simultaneously spoiling it, so this will be short.

I love the characters. Klune writes relationships so well, and this was no exception. I adore the way he writes friendships especially.

I love the idea of extraordinaries. In some ways it reminded me a bit of "Scorcher" by Kelly Edwards, and I'm eager to see where Klune will take this in later books in the series.

I love the narrator. Michael Lesley is awesome.

The plot was perhaps slightly predictable? but so well executed, that I didn't really mind. Still, it's one of the reasons I subtracted a star.

But all in all I was not disappointed, and will definitely be reading on once the next books get published.

Title: The Hitman's Guide to Making Friends and Finding Love
Author: Alice Winters
Genre: LGBTQ+
Rating: 4.5/5
# pages: ~11hrs
Date read: June 2020

What happens when a snarky hitman and a by-the-book PI cross paths?

Leland
Being a hitman has its perks, but I never thought getting an accidental mooning by an attractive PI while he’s caught on a fence would be one of them. While it’s not exactly love at first sight, he’s captured my interest and won’t let go.

Suddenly, I find myself caught in a game of cat and mouse, determined to attract the attention of Jackson, the PI who should be my enemy. He pretends like he’s not flattered by my flowers and the mentions of my totally-not-fictitious blow-up doll Randy (or was it Dandy?), but I know better. Why else would he be teaming up with me to bring down Hardek, one of the city’s most ruthless criminals?

Jackson
Even though the cops are telling me that the hitman is a notorious contract killer, I can’t help but admit that I’m drawn to him. He’s funny, charismatic, and attractive. There’s no way this ridiculous man can be the person the cops are after.

But when Leland ends up at my doorstep injured, I’m faced with a tough choice. It’s my duty to hand him over to law enforcement, but my heart has other plans. I want to keep him. To protect him. To be with him.

Though one question remains: why in the world does the man have so many d*mn guns?



A 4.5 star review. Rounded down on goodreads, because it was a tiny bit too OTT at times, but oh, how I loved it!

I think Audible recommended this book to me as one of those "If you enjoyed TJ Klune you will also like...", which makes perfect sense, because the books are VERY similar in both writing style, humour and weird characters. I laughed out loud more times than I can count, and pretty much listened to it at any chance I got.

I will add the same disclaimer as most of Klune's books deserve - this book is NOT for everybody. I absolutely loved it, but it is definitely over the top in places, and Leland could very easily get on some people's nerves. His and Jackson's relationship is a bit rushed in places, but ultimately works, and they complement each other nicely. The plot is not entirely realistic, but generally true to its own universe, so it worked.

While the first in a series, it's nicely selfcontained, and could easily be read by itself - however, I will DEFINITELY be getting my hands on the next one sooner rather than later! :-D

Title: Why We Fight (At First Sight #4)
Author: T.J. Klune
Genre: LGBTQ
Rating: 4.5/5
# pages: 350
Date read: December 2019, May 2022

Do you believe in love at first sight?

Corey Ellis sure doesn’t. Oh, everyone around him seems to have found their happy ending, but he’s far too busy to worry about such things. He’ll have plenty of time for romance after he survives his last summer before graduation. So what if he can’t get his former professor, Jeremy Olsen, out of his head? It’s just hero worship. And that’s the way it should stay.

Except that this summer, bigender Corey—aka Kori—is interning at Phoenix House, a LGBTQI youth center that recently hired an interim director. And because life is extraordinarily unfair, the director just so happens to be a certain former professor, now current boss.

Desperate to keep things professional as he and Jeremy grow closer, Corey makes a major mistake: he turns to his friends, Paul Auster and Sanford Stewart, for help.

But Paul and Sandy have some ideas of their own.


Weirdest comfort book ever. It's totally not my usual fare (or wouldn't have been, if it wasn't for the fact that it's written by T.J. Klune which apparently makes it my fare right then and there) but it just works for me. This custom-made family is just about the best thing ever, and I love how utterly devoted they all are to each other. I can't even...

As usual, T.J. Klune made me laugh out loud on numerous occasions, and if I ended up wiping away happy tears as well? Well, nobody's telling on me.

Title: Until You (At First Sight #3)
Author: T.J. Klune
Genre: Fiction, LGBTQ
Rating: 4/5
# pages: 162
Date read: July 2019, May 2022

Together with their families and friends, Paul Auster and Vincent Taylor request the honor of your company at the celebration of their marriage.

Paul Auster and Vince Taylor just want to have a simple wedding. Really, is that too much to ask?

As the big day approaches, they struggle to keep everything from spiraling out of control. From meddling friends and intrusive family, to a certain drag queen's idea as to what constitutes a normal bachelor party, Paul and Vince have their work cut out for them.


Short and sweet and made me laugh out loud on several occasions. I absolutely LOVED Paul drunk on Jäger and adored the idea of a gay anthem X-D

And as always, T.J. Klune takes toxic masculinity and tosses it as far away as at all possible. Darren, Vince and Charlie all give awesome examples of how to openly communicate feelings - even when - in the case of the two latter ones - they may be out of practice.

Title: Tell Me It's Real
Author: T.J. Klune
Genre: Romance, LGBTQ
Rating: 4/5
# pages: Audiobook ~10hrs, 350 pages
Date read: June 2019, April 2022

Do you believe in love at first sight?

Paul Auster doesn't. Paul doesn't believe in much at all. He’s thirty, slightly overweight, and his best features are his acerbic wit and the color commentary he provides as life passes him by. His closest friends are a two-legged dog named Wheels and a quasibipolar drag queen named Helena Handbasket. He works a dead-end job in a soul-sucking cubicle, and if his grandmother's homophobic parrot insults him one more time, Paul is going to wring its stupid neck.

Enter Vince Taylor.

Vince is everything Paul isn’t: sexy, confident, and dumber than the proverbial box of rocks. And for some reason, Vince pursues Paul relentlessly. Vince must be messing with him, because there is no way Vince could want someone like Paul.

But when Paul hits Vince with his car—in a completely unintentional if-he-died-it'd-only-be-manslaughter kind of way—he's forced to see Vince in a whole new light. The only thing stopping Paul from believing in Vince is himself—and that is one obstacle Paul can’t quite seem to overcome. But when tragedy strikes Vince's family, Paul must put aside any notions he has about himself and stand next to the man who thinks he's perfect the way he is.


Unlike the other books I've read by T.J. Klune so far, this is very much "just" a romance. I don't mean that in a negative way, but merely that there's very little going on plotwise other than Paul and Vince's budding relationship.

But honestly? That's fine! T.J. Klune writes relationships (romantic, friendly and familiar) so well, and as always it's a delight to read how the different characters (not just Paul and Vince, but also Sandy, Paul's family, Darren and even Vince's mum) interact with each other.

It wasn't an instant favourite like "The Lightning-Struck Heart" or "How to Be a Normal Person" were, but it's a great comfort read nonetheless. And as always, Michael Lesley does a brilliant job of narrating the book.

Title: Zero at the Bone
Author: Jane Seville
Genre: Suspense, lgbtq+
Rating: 4/5
# pages: 293
Date read: June 2009, July 2023

After witnessing a mob hit, surgeon Jack Francisco is put into protective custody to keep him safe until he can testify. A hitman known only as D is blackmailed into killing Jack, but when he tracks him down, his weary conscience won't allow him to murder an innocent man. Finding in each other an unlikely ally, Jack and D are soon on the run from shadowy enemies.

Forced to work together to survive, the two men forge a bond that ripens into unexpected passion. Jack sees the wounded soul beneath D's cold, detached exterior, and D finds in Jack the person who can help him reclaim the man he once was. As the day of Jack's testimony approaches, he and D find themselves not only fighting for their lives... but also fighting for their future. A future together.


Hadn't read this in ages, and had forgotten most of the plot - I just remembered the basic premise, so it was fun to rediscover it. The plot is fast-moving and captivating - kept me intrigued from the first page, and I found the concept interesting - reading about the ins and outs of the life of a hitman and a person heading towards witsec.

Still the real strength of the novel lies in the characterizations and the dynamics between Jack and D. I loved seeing how Jack slowly but surely was allowed to see through D's facade and got under his skin enough to see him without his mask.

I LOVED Jack in court. Let our a loud "HA!" when he got the better of the other lawyer :-D I did think there were a few things there that weren't completely followed up on afterwards, but nothing important, and I can see how the details of the aftermath of the court case could get lost in the details of Jack and D's relationship.