BOOK REVIEW: Time to shine, by Rachel Reid

[lobelia321]

This was very readable. I had high expectations (looking at you, Heated Rivalry) so some disappointment was perhaps inevitable. As happens to me a lot these days (years), my eyes can glaze over in sexy-timez scenes if these scenes strike me as too samey or too cinnamon-rolly or too boilerplate -- for the first 70% of this book that didn't happen but towards the end, I'm afraid, the sex scenes lost me.

 

Some nice lines: 

'"For the record, sex still "works" even if you don't come. I mean if you want to tap out before coming."

Sweet, consent-centred and anti-mainstream pornormative all in one.

 

"Never apologise for letting me know what you want."

Consent and mutual negotiation is us.

 

"He'd never thought of himself as a sexual being, but he liked how powerful he felt right now."

Nice demi-sexual representation.

 

I also appreciated the specific description of cocks and foreskins, and, on another note, the game-focused jargon and action scenes of ice hockey matches.

 

A cozy winter read. Christmas-themed but am reading this in January.

 

This is the first book of 2026 that I'm finishing. I didn't plan this. The first book of the year does tend to intimidate me with its implied portentousness and it took me quite a long time to settle on one -- but perhaps it's just as well that it's an OK non-portentous read. :)

Cross-posted from Goodreads.

Comments

[flareonfury]

♥ I really did enjoy this book when I read it, I think it maybe one of a few times that I've seen demi-sexual representation. I remember relating a lot to Landon.