#wrap-up

May Monthly Reading Wrap-Up

I read four books this month. ✨

1. The Handmaid’s Tale, Margaret Atwood — ★ 5/5 stars ★

2. Winter’s Orbit, Everina Maxwell — ★ 4.5/5 stars ★

3. The Darkness Outside Us, Eliot Schrefer — ★ 5/5 stars ★

4. The Charm Offensive, Alice Cochrun — ★ 4/5 stars ★

Happy Pride! Today is also the one year anniversary of this blog! In honor of the occasion, I updated the web version, so it’s acceptable — or at the very least, tolerable — for those of you who use tumblr web. <3

We also reached 500+ followers this month! Welcome to those of you who are new. My asks are always open, so don’t hesitate to leave me an ask or comment. <3

Keep reading for my unsolicited opinion on what I read this month.

Like the last months, I wasn’t able to use the “Keep reading” feature without it duplicating or outright deleting my reviews, so I apologize in advance for the lengthy post. <3

2. Winter’s Orbit by Everina Maxwell

Winter’s Orbit had galactic politics, mystery, and, of course, romance. It had all of my favorite tropes: queer arranged marriage, gruding allies to lovers, only one bed, and forced proximity. Kiem and Taam’s relationship was full of angst and misunderstanding, but contained surprising depth. Although the mystery was not as complex as their relationship, it provided the perfect backdrop for these grudging allies to fall in love.

3. The Darkness Outside Us by Eliot Schrefer

I picked up The Darkness Outside Us for the slow burn enemies to lovers romance — which it delivered! — but I stayed for the spectacular science-fiction thriller. The mystery of their existence forces Ambrose and Kodiak to depend on one another in a brilliant depiction of human fragility, vulnerability, and intimacy. The Darkness Outside Us argues for the need for vulnerability and intimacy (in whatever form it should take, whether it be platonic, romantic, and/or sexual) in order to prevent insanity. It also argues that we should accept the inevitability of death as we must die in order for future generations to live. Ultimately, it is not a romance, thriller, or mystery, but a poignant portrayal of life, death, and the depth of human connection.

4. The Charm Offensive by Alice Cochrun

The Charm Offensive portrayed love after heartbreak, vulnerability, and intimacy. Dev and Charlie’s relationship felt incredibly real, despite the fact that it was set against the backdrop of a heavily-faked reality TV show. I appreciated the sensitive depiction of depression, anxiety, and OCD. I also appreciated the demisexual representation. Altogether, it was a wonderfully wholesome read.

I count 62 times, which is 5 more than Grey. I wonder if ELJames has a quota. Anyway, they make a funny kind of poetry if you read them all at once:

“The sound travels straight to my groin” (11)
“I feel it in my groin” (21)
“My cock stirs at the thought” (35)
“The sweet sound travels straight to my cock” (43)
“Her smile widens into a salacious grin that speaks directly to my cock” (65)
“My cock approves, big-time” (76)
“I pull her against my growing erection” (77)
“Ah! My cock has some room” (81)
“She reaches up and grabs my erection” (81)
“My erection hardens” (91)
“She may as well be addressing my groin directly” (103)
“pull her against my erection” (108)
“Thoughts of spanking Ana have gone to my groin” (130)
“My cock twitches in approval” (148)
“I might as well have my cock in her mouth” (153)
“her ass brushing my erection” (153)
“until her fingers are resting on my erection” (166)
“yank down my underwear, freeing my eager erection” (173)
“I wrap my cock in latex” (173)
“I feel it in my groin” (205)
“I flex my hips, pushing my erection against her” (208)
“compressing my hardening denim-clad cock.” (208)
“tug down my pants, freeing my erection” (208)
“unfurls the condom over my straining dick” (209)
“The sound is music to my dick” (236)
“Her intrepid fingers meander from the zipper to trace the straining outline of my cock” (237)
“She pushes her hand inside my pants and takes hold of my cock” (237)
“I flex my hips, pushing my erection into her hands” (237)
“She grabs my erection” (238)
“Her hair falls, forming a curtain around my cock” (238)
“Unrolls the condom on my rigid dick” (238)
“I’m still pinning her to the wall with my hips and my hardening erection” (249)
“An image of her on her knees servicing my cock comes to mind” (255)
“I feel it in my dick” (255)
“And my cock approves” (256)
“I adjust my stance to accommodate my growing erection” (256)
“I’m a fan. So is my cock.” (259)
“My erection is fighting with my fly” (261)
“I tug my fly open, allowing my cock some room” (262)
“My erection sitting at the sacred junction of her thighs” (294)
“I nudge her with my erection” (317)
“I remove my boxers, freeing my cock” (367)
“Her fingers on my erection are torture” (368)
“Her fingers brush my erection” (404)
“wraps her lips around my eager cock” (405)
“She clamps down on my cock” (405)
“My cock recovers” (406)
“My erection sits in the cleft of her behind” (411)
“She wiggles, squeezing my dick” (411)
“The sound resonates the length of my cock” (442)
“It might as well be my cock” (444)
“Groin-tighteningly wanton” (448)
“A rhythm I hope to repeat with my dick in a few minutes” (449)
“I pin her with my hips and my erection” (450)
“She finds my erection” (484)
“I push my impatient cock into her hands” (484)
“She undresses me, freeing my erection” (485)
“She works her way down to my ready cock” (485)
“She might as well be addressing my cock” (499)
“I don’t want her distracted by my impatient dick” (502)
“Freeing my raging erection” (505)
“I unzip my pants and free my erection” (524)

ELJames likes to talk about Christian’s “Darkness”, which I’m pretty sure is really a tapeworm. In this installment, Ana tamed it with sex. It’s no inner goddess, that’s for sure. Here’s every mention of it:

“Before the darkness takes hold, she unfastens her seat belt” (37)
“The darkness erupts inside me and grips my throat with its claws” (71)
“The darkness stabs at my insides” (71)
“The darkness squeezes my ribs” (131)
“The darkness is circling like a culture, waiting to consume me” (142)
“The darkness slides into my throat, threatening to choke me” (143)
“Holding the darkness at bay, she is my salvation” (143)
“She’s driving the darkness out” (144)
“She’s subdued the darkness” (146)
“It tames the darkness” (197)
“I close my eyes, waiting for the darkness to constrict my chest” (197)
“The strange feeling swells in my chest. Scarier than the darkness” (206)
“Fear fills my gut, my chest, and my throat, leaving nothing but the darkness” (217)
“the splash of the water as it washes the darkness away” (219)
“The darkness is gone” (237)
“She’s scared of the darkness, too” (351)
“The darkness expands inside my rib cage and my breathing quickens” (353)
“Heat and pain spiral across my chest as the darkness unleashes its claws” (366)
“The darkness is swirling, trying to dislodge her” (367)
“But the darkness is pushing at each point of contact” (368)
“I steel myself, preparing for the confusion and fear that comes with the darkness.” (404)
“The darkness remains quiet” (404)
“The darkness is quiet” (452)
“The darkness is long gone” (474)
“The darkness is quiet” (484)
“I think she’s driven the darkness away” (508)

Compare to the same list from Grey

June Wrap Up

Want to check out what I read last month?