*4.5

I wasn't sure about this at first but I really loved this. Seeing them become best friends who just didn't fully know how to communicate everything they were feeling to two people fully in love was wonderful. It was so sad to watch how they fell apart after one argument but watching them build it all back was so rewarding. They really learned how to communicate and I love that there was no third act breakup.

I received an arc through netgalley.

I have really enjoyed this whole series. The details about baseball are specific and interesting, not generic at all, but what really impresses me is that the character development for both men goes beyond just baseball and really delves into real world problems. I'm crossing my fingers that there are more coming in the series.

This is now my favorite KD Casey book! In this third installment of the Unwritten Rules universe, KD takes us on an emotional romance following Jake Fischer, a pitcher, and Alex Angelides, a catcher. They reunite ten years after a failed attempt to win it all in with the Oakland Elephants, and they've grown a lot since their last meeting.

Diamond Ring has a lot of emotional depth and exploration compared to a lot of sports romances that I've previously read. Jake and Alex are both fleshed out as individuals, making their growth feel real and deserved. As someone who knows very little about baseball, KD makes the sports scenes very accessible and it's easy to imagine the game playing out during the chapters

This is the perfect second-chance sports romance if you're looking for pining, angst, and a gratifying pay-off. Diamond Ring can be read as a stand-alone, but it's great to recognize the cameos from other characters in the series.

Thank you to Carina Press and NetGalley for an eARC in exchange for an honest review.

Jake and Alex started out their professional baseball careers together on the Oakland Elephants and now ten years later they are back on the same team again as their careers may be winding down. They are former best friends who lost touch for over a decade over one important play that cost them a championship and a stubborn argument. Now they are just trying to make it through this season and at least make it a marginal success. In the ten years that they were apart, they’ve both had their own personal and career challenges. And they struggled with being honest and vulnerable together both back then and now.

They are both stubborn and prideful and have their own personal issues. But all mixed up in it are their previous anger and guilt along with a bond and connection that never really broke. There are unresolved feelings that got mixed up in the past and are now still there in the present. In the past, Jake was the charming, golden boy and media darling but his career changed trajectories and he’s just trying to do a decent job on the mound this year. Alex was always in his shadow early on but has managed to keep himself relevant. As Jake's catcher, he feels he is supposed to protect him and is determined to find a way to adapt to their new situation and make it successful.

But they are affected by the pressure of the game, the unresolved issues from the past, new personal issues, and the fact that they’re not sure how long they’re going to be playing the game that they love.

This is a raw and honest, second chance, former and current teammates, estranged best friends, friends-to-lovers, sports romance, and comeback story. Like this author's other books, this one has a relaxed pace, slow burn, and realistic feel. Sometimes the mood is honest and tender, other times there are small joys, and sometimes sadness and defeat.

I felt like the author handled Jake's issues with anxiety and OCD very well and didn’t sugarcoat them. I liked how understanding and accepting Alex is and how he does not treat Jake like something is wrong with him. They just accept each other for who they really are. I really just wanted them to succeed in their career and be able to explore a real relationship that they both wanted but had been afraid of the repercussions.

This brings back some of the other couples from the series and gives us more of a glimpse into their futures. There are plenty of ups and downs, missed opportunities, and diverging paths on their road to personal and professional success and redemption. Ultimately it's about the importance of hard work and perseverance, and the love for the sport of baseball. But at the heart of it is being able to love who you love.

this book was SOO good! this story features to major league baseball players battle through fame and an enticing romance! this book was so captivating and fun to read! i loved both jake and alex and even though i hated when they argued it added so much to the story and let you clearly see both of them develop throughout the story! i really loved getting to see all the different representation in this book! ultimately, i really enjoyed this book and if you love sport romances then this book is definitely the one for you!!

No one, and I mean no one, writes baseball like KD Casey. This book has everything I want from this writer I have come to adore -- sweet, soft characters who are kind to one another, steamy tension and romance, and baseball moments and descriptions that take my breath away. I live for a KD Casey baseball scene --whether someone's at bat, or just in the dug out passing gatorade back and forth.

I don't always love stories with multiple timelines, but Casey's time jump in this story worked perfectly.

Don't ever stop writing, KD!

I love going back to the Unwritten Rules world and spending more time with the Oakland Elephants! Diamond Ring is everything I’ve come to expect from KD Casey - lots of baseball, lots of pining, and lots of love (when they finally get past the pining).

Alex Angelides and Jake Fischer meet on the first day they’re both called up from the minors to play for the Oakland Elephants. Alex is a catcher with a chip on his shoulder a mile wide, a glare you don’t want to be on the wrong side of and is a man of few words. Jake is his opposite in a lot of ways - a pitcher with a smile made for commercials, the ability to talk to everyone and an openness that makes him approachable. During their rookie season, these two hit it off and spend time together on and off the field but end up losing it all at the end of the season - not only in baseball but also with each other.

I really enjoyed the setup of the story, that we got to know Alex and Jake when their relationship began and then again after they were separated for 10 years. Them being back with the Elephants 10 years later, after not speaking at all and their careers going down two majorly different paths, was kind of a poetic justice and cemented how much they really meant to each other even after all that time apart. Once they work past the resentment they’ve held on to about each other and realize how much they missed each other, they fall back into their own habits. Their relationship is easy, their connection is natural, but that doesn’t mean they don’t have hardships to overcome together, both professionally and personally.

Jake’s struggles with his mental health, especially in the second half of the book, broke my heart but I loved the way Alex was so understanding and supportive through everything, even when he didn’t totally understand what was going on. And the opposite happened with Jake when Alex was deciding on what came next for him. Their support of each other was so sweet to read and made me love them more.

Loved the cameos from Zach and Eugenio (my favorites!!) and Charlie and Reid - seeing their relationships continue to grow and intersect with the new characters made me so happy! I hope there’s more to come in this Unwritten Rules world - I’m not quite ready to let all of them go!

Wow, this was my first K. D. Casey book, but definitely not the last.
Amazing writing, honest portrayal of a ballplayer's life: glory, being in the spotlight, ups and downs, pressure and victories, traumas and failures. I don't know which one of the guys I wanted to hold closer to my heart: Alex, brimming with anger and resentment, or Jake, anxious, spiraling under the weight of expectations, maybe both? Loved the slow burn of their relations, spanning ten years, loved them together and the happy ending of their story seemed so deserved one. 4.5/5

KD Casey is absolutely incredible. Each book in this series is so different but equally heartbreaking and swoon worthy at the same time. Every choice that is made with the writing lets me sink into the story further. The story takes place after 10 years but is told linear rather than using flashbacks.
Is there a fair amount of baseball? Yes. Do you need to know much about baseball or be a fan? No, it might help you enjoy the story, but the characters are really what drive this story.

Thank you to Carina Press and NetGalley for the eArc of <i>Diamond Ring</i>. All opinions are my own.

There is an entire genre of literature that I've just recently realized I love—the sports gays romance. What is a sports gay? Well, it's gays plus sports, usually on the same or opposing team, generally starting off as enemies and eventually evolving from mutual respect to full-on got-the-hots-for-you. I credit graphic novels like <i>Check, Please!<i/> to leading me to read all of Rachel Reid books, and from there I've even dabbled in soccer romance.

But baseball? I didn't think it existed. Even though baseball, with those men in tight, tight pants swinging a big-old stick and handling a ball, seems pretty gay when you think about it, I hadn't yet stumbled across a sports gay book with baseball in it. And baseball? Baseball is my sport. And gays are my reading genre. (I'm not fetishizing, honestly—I'm a queer ELA teacher with a penchant for romance novels.)

So imagine my delight when <i>Diamond Ring</i> came onto my radar. Some of my favorite Bookstagrammers were drooling over it, and I thought, why not? And oh boy, am I glad I did. This book...<i>this book</i>. It's sweet. It's sporty (about an actual sport I can actually tolerate, no less), It drips with that delicious kind of tension between the two main characters we love. These two main characters instantly slid into my heart: Jake, the sunshine, and Alex, the grump, not rivals exactly, but also not particularly compatible on the surface, but they each bring out the best in each other as they ride out the rollercoaster of their rookie season together.

Enter disasters of the sports and personal nature, many interceding and miserable years for both of them, and suddenly our two boys, now hardened men, find themselves back on the same team where it all began. But they've changed. Matured. Life has happened. They each have to ask themselves what it is they want, whether the dreams they've been pursuing their entire adult lives are worth the payoff. The journey to find the answers to these questions is at times heartbreaking. Both men are so beautifully written to be vulnerable and imperfect. Each has their baggage. Each has had their hearts tossed around and find it hard to trust themselves or others.

KD Casey has hit a home run with <i>Diamond Ring</i> (I'M SO SORRY I COULDN'T HELP IT!!). I am so excited to go back and read her other books from this series (note: you can read this one as a standalone).

"I missed you. For the past ten years, give or take.”
“I missed you too,” Jake says. “I spent ten years trying to get back what we had.

I don't think I've ever read a book quite like this.
On the surface, it's a queer sports romance. We know this story. Right?
Wrong.
This book is thought-provoking, it's heart-wrenching. It's clever and it's beautifully written. A second chance romance that you will fall completely in love with.
I was jotting down notes to gather my thoughts. The things I wrote about Diamond Ring were that it's soft, slow, subtle, and sublime.
This book weaves its way into your soul.
Maybe I'm being hyperbolic, but I don't believe so.
Jake and Alex slid into my heart, like a runner sliding into home plate. This book was, after all, a home run.
KD Casey has created two characters that are wonderful and driven and made for each other. But they are also flawed. They allowed their egos to drive a 10-year wedge between them. Ten years!! Neither would apologise, for something that on the surface, really didn't seem that major to me.
But that's the way life is sometimes. And add in an almost career-ending injury or a major loss in your career, and everything seems like the end of the world.
Diamond Ring isn't all glory. It looks at the hard slog that is involved in any professional sports career.
There are the highs and lows of sports and a career in sports. The triumphs and the failures. It's not sugar-coated. These guys are heroes one minute, laughing stocks the next. The next big thing that became the almost was. Or the never was. The vagaries of an injury. The strive to keep trying again. The demons in the mind and the aches in the body.
There are also mental health struggles that are not just brushed under the carpet or magically cured.

“This is how it’s gonna be for the rest of my life. That’s the hardest part—that it might not get fixed.”
A strand of Jake’s hair has spilled onto his forehead. Lines of tension radiate around his eyes, like he’s bracing for Alex to kiss him on the cheek, to tell him that this isn’t going to work, to leave. Alex brushes his hair away, kisses the skin at his temple. Doesn’t move. “Okay.”
Jake’s lips curve slightly. “Okay?”
Alex tries to think of what to say, though it’s hard to articulate. That Jake is how he is. That Alex has loved him for so long that he’s forgotten what not loving him is like.

It also looks at the impact of anti-depressants on sex drive, leading to erectile dysfunction. The way KD Casey showed the patience of a loving partner to accept it, work through it, and create imaginative ways to help was truly wonderful.
Diamond Ring felt almost melancholic throughout, but in a way that I loved. This book made me laugh, made me cry, and left me feeling so happy and also wanting more, all at the same time.
This is a book I'll return to again and again. Jake and Alex are perfect for each other. They had a long, difficult journey, but it was worth it.
KD Casey, you knocked it out of the park!

⚾️⚾️⚾️⚾️⚾️

Many thanks to Netgalley and Carina Press via Harlequin Books for allowing me to chance to arc-read this fabulous book.
Diamond Ring releases on April 11th. Don't miss it!

Did I request the ARC even though I’ve already pre-ordered this? Absolutely, yes. I could not wait any longer. Look, for this book I didn’t want/need to know anything about the plot - I just knew it was going to be great. And it was! The first two books in this trilogy are ones I’ve read and reread and this one is definitely going to be the same. Rather than a regular review, I’m just going to list a couple things that have come to mind as I finished Diamond Ring:

(1) The way people in KD Casey books talk about baseball is like the way people in my hometown talk about the weather. I come from a state where it’s the cliche to say that the weather can change at any moment. One day it could snow, the next day it could be 55 and sunny (or the next hour haha). Talking about the weather, in banalities and in minute detail, is just a part of the fabric of people’s daily lives. No matter who you are, you know the rules and you know the stats, and you’re constantly doing the math about how it might affect your life, in big and small ways. That’s what baseball is to this series. And I love it! (Much like I love… talking about the weather lol. That’s not a joke, I really enjoy it.)

(2) I don’t think I’ve ever encountered a writer who is better than KD Casey at depicting the daily experience of maintaining your own mental health. I have very strong feelings about this - so many writers do it poorly tbh and it tally takes me out of the narrative. A “touching” scene where the character says they’re going to go on meds/have found a diagnosis/are going to go to therapy, and then they live happily ever after? Some kind of cliched recurring thing where the character sits in a chair receiving wisdom from some brilliant/psychic therapist? (Maybe it’s having a parent who works in the mental health field that makes a therapist being framed as some all-knowing savior THE biggest red flag haha. Therapists are just *people*, they can be helpful but they cannot magically solve your problems for you.) No - so much of actual mental health is what Jake does here, like forcing himself to write things in his diary that feel both simple and yet terrifyingly weighty.

The way this author incorporates this type of experience/storyline/context into her books - well for one, I think it’s one of the reasons her books feel SO realistic even though they are, technically speaking, about professional sports players (ie, not the most ~down to earth~ of topics). Not many writers can make the tiny daily decisions that make up who we are so compelling to read about, but she does it effortlessly!

(3) Something I really appreciate about queerness as portrayed in KD Casey’s books is the way the main characters don’t see what’s in front of them when it comes to other people. I reread Unwritten Rules recently and I had this funny cognitive dissonance moment when Zach sees Charlie Braxton and Reid Giordano dancing, and casually touching, and he thinks something like “only straight guys can get away with that, without being paranoid about how they’re perceived.” And I had read Fire Season, which is about the romance between Charlie Braxton and Reid Giordano, since the first time I read Unwritten Rules, and I was like “…….wait a second. Wait just ONE second!!” And look, I mean I think this experience of just… not seeing the expression of queerness around you for what it is? I think exploring that mental experience, of defaulting to seeing yourself as alone in a group of people even when there’s pretty decent evidence to the contrary, is a fundamental part of KD Casey’s writing. I’m talking about this here because this book, as the last (?) in the series, had a ton of these moments - lots of appearances from Zach and Eugenio and Charlie and Reid (and Christine), which all go past without any clear recognition in the moment from Jake or Alex.

And I suppose this is a slight (early) spoiler but I particularly loved the way KD Casey used the first POV switch in this book to turn this type of assumption on its head - a fun little moment of realization for the reader, similar to how Alex and Jake will have those fun little moments of realization about Charlie/Reid/etc. further along in the story.

(4) And lastly I just want to say that this book, and this whole series, is grounded in just the perfect amount of real-life detail. There is a moment when Jake is in New York and he thinks about how the tall buildings still seem like a bit much to him, someone who grew up in the outskirts of DC… yes!! This is the DC/NYC mindset divide I keep telling people about irl (and they keep not caring about lol). The weird emptiness of the suburb where Jake is from, the old-timey New England house Alex’s aunts live in, all the driving logistics… Frankly the realism of a 18-22 year old in 2023 saying they want to quit their art degree and get a “real” job, and the role of being the 30-something older sibling who’s like “I know there was a pandemic and trump was president and biden is old and climate change is coming and you can’t trust anyone with power or authority to do anything worthwhile, but you shouldn’t take that as a sign that you should give up on your dreams and become an accountant!!! There are other ways to find stability in the world than giving up on what you love and are good at before you’ve even started!!!” Not that I’ve had that exact conversation multiple times with any particular younger sibling of mine, or anything like that lol… I certainly never expected to find myself in a position of trying to inspire the youth and tbh I don’t know that I’m particularly good at it lol. Okay, this has gotten off track. 🫠🫠

But actually that shift in perspective that the passage of time can bring you is something that I was really impressed by in this book as well. I definitely related because I’m so similar in age to these characters, but there’s something about looking back at the person you were ten years ago - and knowing that you’re still the exact same person, but you also have the potential to make better decisions this time around. Because I don’t think Jake and Alex really changed at all from the beginning of the book to the end. But they were able to change their *lives* completely.

Diamond Ring is the epitome of hurt/comfort. On one hand, it’s an emotional gut punch of a novel, a second chance romance that gave me a palpable ache in my chest and a swoop in my stomach during particularly angst-filled or tense scenes. And yet, simultaneously, it’s also a truly beautiful love story that feels restorative, humorous, deeply romantic, and uplifting. Any hurts done to your gut and heart are wholly healed with the soft touch of KD Casey’s exceptional prose and the promise of a HEA.

I don’t really believe in soulmates in real life, but Diamond Ring had me questioning WHY I feel that way, a bit more than I usually do. Because while the word soulmate is never used on page in this book, it is inarguable that Jake and Alex belong together, that their lives are irrecoverably intertwined and that their best selves are enhanced by their love and support for each other, even in their most raw and vulnerable moments. Their love story is magnetic, enchanting, and, ultimately, deeply hopeful.

This. Was. So. Good.

Honestly loved everything about it. Swooney moments? Check! Pining & angst? Check! Steam? Check! Heartbreaking moments that made me cry? Check!

KD Casey just really can write a love story that make you cry with joy as much as heartbreak (there were moments where I honestly felt my heart drop and I had to take a moment to catch my breath). I fell in love with both Jake and Alex. They are both so relatable and so real. Especially Jake's struggles with mental health. I just wanted to hug them both. I especially loved how the story is told with a 10 year time jump where you can see the stark difference from Jake & Alex when they first met to when they come back together. This might be one of the best second chance romances I've ever read, it just worked for me.

This entire series is amazing, but I think this is the best of the bunch and that is saying something because I absolutely LOVED the first two. I will buy anything KD Casey puts out because they have proven they will write characters and a story that I will devour and love every minute.

As always, KD Casey is flawless. They write in a way that makes their work impossible to put down; the chemistry between their lead characters is always immediate, sparking, and intimate. Loved it.

A lovely oh-so-satisfying baseball romance.

Diamond Ring is the third in KD Casey’s Unwritten Rules m/m baseball series. Jake Fischer and Alex Angelides get called up to the majors at roughly the same time. That rookie season is a doozy, culminating in a heartbreaking loss at the Fall Classic and a major injury shortly after for Jake, and a falling out that then spans a decade.

KD Casey writes warmly and beautifully about Alex and Jake finding their way back to each other and the work they put in individually and together to repair their working and personal relationships, against the trajectory of their team’s season. Their families provide them support, and it’s a pleasure also to see characters from the other books in the series make appearances as well.

I appreciate Casey’s unflinching portrayals of her characters’ mental and emotional struggles, and the loving acceptance they find for each other and themselves. A deeply enjoyable read.

Well, excuse me while I cry!
Alex and Jake's story was beautiful.
I think Charlie and Reid will probably remain my favourites, but these two, especially Jake, stole my heart as well.

"Diamond Ring" has everything I've come to expect from a K.D. Casey novel: lots of baseball (and no, even after three books, I am no closer to understanding this sport and I had to wikipedia all the lingo, again), a second chance romance that left me simultaneously swooning, crying and clutching my heart because of all the feels, absolutely gorgeous, gut-wrenching writing that also left me clutching my heart, and an amazing cast of main and side characters.

Jake and Alex were both lovable and hugely relatable protagonists.
Jake especially, he absolutely stole my heart. His struggles with his mental health, his compulsions, his anxiety, everything about him resonated with me and once again I have to applaud K.D. Casey for including a character like Jake. Not only is he immensely likable, and yes, I was prepared to take up arms in his name because he DESERVES the whole world, but he's also very, very human: flawed and messy and absolutely relatable. So yes, once again K.D. Casey has included another realistic, heartfelt and much needed representation in their novels, so kudos for that. There definitely should be more of mental health and chronic illness rep in romances.

Jake and Alex's second chance at romance was as gut-wrenching as I expected: bittersweet and emotional, full of resentment and anger, but also deep, palpable affection and care and love. I adored following their journey towards a much deserved HEA, especially during the second half of this book, after the time jump ahead.
I adored that part with my whole heart, and I also adored getting glimpses of all the previous couples and their HEA.
And I also utterly adored the writing: it's so beautiful. So damn beautiful, and I felt every single word as a punch to the gut.

I'm not sure of Casey has any plans to write another book, but either way, I'm very much looking forward to whatever comes next.

This series continues to be an absolute home run for me. I loved the characters this time around, as I have all the installments, and I loved that that the previous leads' cameos in this book. I love queer love, I love queer Jewish stories, and I love (well, casually enjoy) baseball. I don't know the author's intentions but this did have the feeling towards the end of being the final installment in the series, which would be sad, but I definitely see myself not just recommending these books to others, but also coming back and reading them again. I loved this love story, it was a well done second chance that made my heart ache and leap in equal measures. Whether it's this series or not, I hope to see more from this author.

Anyone who has listened to me talk about books at all in the last year has probably heard about how much I've been loving KD Casey's queer Jewish baseball romances, and I'm going to be super honest here: I had a mental block trying to write this review for weeks because I just loved this one so much that I'm getting intimidated trying to put it into words. It's somehow the softest and saddest and hottest book of the series, which is really quite a feat to pull off.

Casey has done some different configurations of players in their books, and while they've all been good, this pitcher/catcher pairing was my favorite because of that unique dynamic and closeness they have in the game and the way it transfers - or doesn't - to their personal lives. Jake and Alex are thrown together as rookies, build up a closeness that is then interrupted, and then wind up on the same team again years later. This time jump was really interesting because several aspects of both of their lives and careers wound up going in a different way than you'd expect, but in a way that really worked and took into account the effects that luck in both health and contracts have on players' lives. The golden boy rookie is not necessarily going to have the perfect career.

My favorite kinds of romances are the ones about people learning to take care of themselves and each other, and Casey does this so well. The main characters are both just really good people who make plenty of mistakes but are trying their best, and really learn and grow a lot over the course of the book. I jokingly call these books Sad Soft Baseball Boyfriends, but I love seeing the space given to both the sadness and the softness, especially in a genre like m/m sports romance where sometimes things can feel a bit macho. And while I think this is the spiciest of the series, as I mentioned above, I was also really impressed with the way the sexual dynamic felt so organic to the characters.

A particular strength of this book is its exploration of mental health and how it affects relationships, and Casey does a great job of avoiding all the pitfalls so many books fall into in this area. Again, I don't want to go into too many details that might spoil you, but the portrayal of Jake's anxiety was extremely relatable (including a coping technique I use that I'd never actually heard anyone mention before!), and I love love love the way Alex approached it. Without saying too much, I think I can say that it wasn't a "love magically fixes everything" situation like too many books do, but also wasn't presented as a Relationship Obstacle in and of itself.

Friends to lovers and second chance romance are two of my favorite tropes, and obviously this book is a perfect illustration of both of those, but there's another specific trope I LOVE that this book does EXTREMELY well, and I cannot think of any way to say more that wouldn't mess with the COMPLETE GLEE that I hope you have when you get to that point in your reading, so I guess I will just stay maddeningly cryptic about that. Also stay tuned for a TRULY AMAZING scene set at an important New York landmark.

This is the third in Casey's series for Carina, and while it stands perfectly fine alone - and is the best of the three, I think - they're all extremely good and I definitely recommend starting at the beginning with Unwritten Rules, because a lot of the stuff going on in this one with secondary characters will mean so much more to you if you know their history. I'm not sure if this will be the last in the series, but the ending feels incredibly well-earned, and fans of the previous books will be happy to see the updates on everyone's lives. This was truly one of the most satisfying reading experiences I've had in a long time.

I feel really similarly about this book as I did about the first one in this series--not surprising, since both of them have two things I don't generally enjoy--second-chance romance and a strong past/present split within the book. It actually made me nervous seeing this book had those same two qualities as the first, but I was hopeful it would work better here--I think it did, but only just.

The first... at least 30% of the book is entirely their past story, and while I did find that context necessary and helpful here, the 10-year gap between those events and the "main" story left me feeling a little untethered. Of course a lot can and should change in 10 years, but I literally felt like Jake was an entirely different character, which could also partially be a function of the fact that most of the early timeline was from Alex's POV. But Jake goes through so much, none of which we get to actually see on screen, that it made the difference between who he was and who he becomes so stark and I really needed to see that journey to understand him as the same person. It ended up feeling really disconnected for me.

As with other books in this series, there is a lot of baseball detail, to a degree that felt mostly distracting and unnecessary, though it certainly added to the realism, and wasn't bad by any means, just a little too much detail.

Some great Jewish representation, as well as general mental health issues and some OCD tendancies. As always, it felt like all of those aspects were respectfully handled and naturally incorporated into the book.

I enjoyed the characters a lot, but the smut and dynamic between them just wasn't my personal cup of tea. I <i>also</i> had this issue in the first book, where the dynamic we get here ended up being the opposite of what I wanted and what I felt like we were sort of initially building towards.

Overall, I liked this book, but I didn't love it, though I'm very much planning to keep an eye out for this author's future books, as I do think much of what didn't work for me here was a function of this specific story being told. Though I think I've got enough data now to know that these particular tropes tend to specifically not resonate for me from this author, so I'll probably give those books a pass in the future--but definitely a personal preference thing, and I do think this book was well written!