Adrian J. Smith

"Just because she's straight doesn't mean you are, and it doesn't mean you don't have feelings for her."

Esther and Melanie are teachers in Cheyenne, Wyoming. Melanie is 42 years old, outgoing and vivacious and teaches kindergarten. Esther is around fifteen years younger—I don't believe her age is stated—very guarded and withdrawn and teaches fifth grade. Melanie teaches Esther's son, Anthony, who is five.

Esther's life is hell. She suffers constant emotional abuse from Skip, her ex-boyfriend and Anthony's father. Esther left Skip when she discovered she was pregnant, but he remains in her life as they share custody of Anthony.

"Inside These Halls" is a story of found family and new love. It is a story of discovery for both Esther and Melanie, one of whom identifies as "straight" when their story begins. It is a story of finding the courage to stand up to a bully. It is the story of an adorably precocious five-year-old boy.

The romance here is a slow burn. There are some deliciously intense intimate scenes, but they're not the focus of this story and it would have earned its ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ from me for its feels alone.

Very highly recommended. If you don't usually read queer romance, keep this one in mind for your next reading challenge.… (mere)

I did it!
Book 20 in my Zombie-a-thon for Zomvember!

CW: Gore, death of children, attempted rape

Well it's amazing how my reading experience was affected by the fact that this book was set in a place I know well. Obviously I have read books set in New Zealand before, but absolutely not from this genre. It made the experience so enjoyable! However, I do wish they used a narrator who could pronounce the Māori place names correctly.

This book is set in the Extinction Cycle world by [a:Nicholas Sansbury Smith|1362969|Nicholas Sansbury Smith|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1472683871p2/1362969.jpg] so the zombies are the same as in this series. The writing was okay and the author certainly does action sequences incredibly well. You know how sometimes it's all go and you are just left with the impression of chaos? Well this author's action scenes are exciting and clear if that makes sense. I loved the final chapter which was from the point of view of the alpha Variant (zombie). I will actually finish this series because as it so happens I have a NZ author challenge going on right now and am woefully behind on my books!… (mere)

2.5 Stars

CW: Gore, loss of loved ones

Well this wasn't quite as engaging as the first one. I also struggled to get past the lack of effort to use correct Māori pronunciation. This beautiful language isn't difficult so there isn't really any excuse. I liked that there was a lot of inclusion of Māori culture and some references to historical mistreatment, so it was a shame that the author didn't find a voice actor who had some basic Te Reo Māori proficiency. It was still, however, a fun zombie romp in terms of the story itself.… (mere)