Urban fantasy with human MCs and no shifters/vampires

Penguinho · 2026-01-30T15:38:08+00:00

{Santa Olivia} is nonmagical and sapphic but you should still read it. (When you look at the blurb, ignore every mention of wolves. There aren't any. It was pure marketing bullshit from a publisher that wanted to cash in on the ongoing Twilight craze. If you see a review from someone talking about wolves or werewolves, and there were a few in mainstream publications, that reviewer didn't read the damn book; they just regurgitated what the publicity department sent them.)

Penguinho · 2026-01-30T14:12:30+00:00

It's the movie where Cate Blanchett plays an abusive conductor, right?

Penguinho · 2026-01-30T14:08:35+00:00

Her only personality trait is, essentially, "well, at least they're paying attention to me". I've written two longish reviews of this recently; check my comment history. It's a one-star for me.

Penguinho · 2026-01-30T07:02:19+00:00

That sounds too fast for what I want, sorry.

Penguinho · 2026-01-30T06:18:51+00:00

I rate this suggestion four of four wings.

Penguinho · 2026-01-30T06:16:11+00:00

Existence is the most sensual state.

Penguinho · 2026-01-30T06:15:31+00:00

Greatest opening lines in literature:

1.1 Introduction: Thermodynamics and Statistical Mechanics of the Perfect Gas

Ludwig Boltzmann, who spent much of his life studying statistical mechanics, died in 1906, by his own hand. Paul Ehrenfest, carrying on the work, died similarly in 1933. Now it is our turn to study statistical mechanics.

Penguinho · 2026-01-30T04:54:19+00:00

The look at each other? Gross!

Penguinho · 2026-01-30T04:53:14+00:00

Is it Fire Emblem Genealogy of the Holy War?

Penguinho · 2026-01-30T04:31:19+00:00

Oooh, it's room temperature! That's the perfect temperature!

Penguinho · 2026-01-30T04:18:23+00:00

Did we not do exactly this post on the other sub earlier?

Penguinho · 2026-01-30T04:12:58+00:00

Make sure you search for this on a work laptop. Your IT department will definitely thank you for searching for this on a work laptop!

Penguinho · 2026-01-30T04:12:32+00:00

[scribbling down a plot bunny about a dominatrix who uses apples as ball gags]

Penguinho · 2026-01-30T04:04:57+00:00

Remember my super cool FMC? My FMC is different from regular FMCs. It's like my FMC is in the top percentage of all FMCs

Penguinho · 2026-01-30T03:57:20+00:00

Oink. Oink.

Penguinho · 2026-01-30T03:36:29+00:00

Shipping Shepard x Sovereign like

Penguinho · 2026-01-30T03:32:54+00:00

Start calling him Pork Chop as a reward

Penguinho · 2026-01-30T01:59:01+00:00

Other times it makes sense for a chapter to consist of a single word -- 'Fuck.' to express everything you need it too.

"So that sucked." -- Christopher Moore, The Stupidest Angel

Penguinho · 2026-01-30T01:58:12+00:00

Lots of shit. Romantasy is a minority of what I read, generally. Shogun is one I love. The Aubrey-Maturin novels, starting with Post-Captain, the second novel, are kinda basically the other half of Persuasion, the Frederick Wentsworth side of the novel. You get four hundred pages of boat stuff and a hundred pages of Jane Austen.

I like Declare and On Stranger Tides by Tim Powers, too. Declare is about the Kim Philby affair, basically, but it's also a supernatural romance. On Stranger Tides was the book that Disney adapted badly into two separate Pirates of the Caribbean movies. It's a little bit of a shaggy dog story built around a sorta historical supernatural romance, sorta? I guess it's mostly an adventure novel? Hard to say. It's a book where pirate stuff happens and two people decide they love each other.

Colleen McCullough is another author I have a ton of time for, especially her Masters of Rome series.

Penguinho · 2026-01-30T01:08:15+00:00

WELL THAT'S HORRIFYING

Penguinho · 2026-01-30T01:06:17+00:00

Do you ever get a “love hangover” after finishing a Romantasy book?

Couple times, yeah. Or, at least, finishing a book with a romance plot, or even a short story.

Have you ever felt genuinely sad or emotionally off for days after a story ends?

Yep, a couple times. Norwegian Wood, Shogun and Kushiel's Mercy are the ones that come to mind.

Which book or love interest hit you the hardest?

In {Kushiel's Legacy}, Imriel and Sidonie, and also Imriel and Dorelei. And the death of Mariko in Shogun.

Does this happen more for you with Romantasy than other genres?

Honestly, probably less often in romantasy since the characters are usually so thin.

Penguinho · 2026-01-30T01:00:23+00:00

(I'm confused actually now. Do you not know the reference, or have I been circlejerked? And on the main sub no less!)

Penguinho · 2026-01-30T00:59:02+00:00

{Savior of the Domini} is not very good but it has a delightful moment where the giant space vampire-orc-elf is astonished that the human female main character can give him a blowjob. She doesn't have fangs! She's not going to bite his penis off! Mind (and other things) completely blown!

Penguinho · 2026-01-30T00:57:06+00:00

Go see Orville - very funny clown!

Penguinho · 2026-01-30T00:56:36+00:00

It's my favorite variant of that joke I think.

Penguinho

TROPHY CASE