Shilo Quetchenbach's Reviews > A Bluestocking's Guide to Decadence

I loved this! I really enjoyed Jess Everlee's previous books, though there was always something about them that missed the mark for me. I was a little hesitant about this book because historically, when an m/m author writes a sapphic book it doesn't always live up to its predecessors in quality. This time however, I was pleasantly surprised to find that this surpassed Jess Everlee's previous books. I came away from it thoroughly enjoying the story and without any "but here's where it missed the mark..." qualifications.

I found Emily and Jo instantly endearing. Emily is prim and proper and has spent her life stepping up to do what needs to be done. She strikes me as neurodivergent in her mannerisms and ways of thinking. While she needs encouragement to let her hair down, Jo needs encouragement to stop running and hold on to the life she wants.

Together they instantly had sparks and their banter and innuendos were so much fun. I always love an epistolary love story and this one was perfect. Everlee doesn't shy away from a few sex scenes but also doesn't get too bogged down in them, which I appreciated. I know some people will want more, but thought it was an appropriate amount. (I usually skip or skim them, but that's pretty much impossible to do when listening to an audiobook.)

I was a little disappointed that we skip over the resolution of all the plotlines and go with an epilogue after everything has worked out instead, but it was clear where everything was headed so maybe not strictly necessary to see it happen.

*thanks to Carina Adores for providing an early copy for review.