This book started off as a novella in the Worthy Anthology. here is my original review of the novella:
Oh wow, I loved this short story. It wasn’t lon
This book started off as a novella in the Worthy Anthology. here is my original review of the novella:
Oh wow, I loved this short story. It wasn’t long enough!!!!!!!! I read it all in one sitting and I never do that (granted it is a short story, but still).
So first of all, this is a book with TWO HOT JOCKS falling for each other. Phew!!
Another re-listen Oct 2024: This is a such a comfort read for me. I am so thankful the audiobook is so well done! This is perfect to listen to when I Another re-listen Oct 2024: This is a such a comfort read for me. I am so thankful the audiobook is so well done! This is perfect to listen to when I am in the mood for fantasy but not in the mood to learn new world building! I love this book with my entire heart and so ready for more to be released in this series!!!
Audiobook review Aug 2024: AMAZING!! Duet narration and super captivating. I loved the book even more than the first time!!!!
Ebook review Jan 2024: So a few months ago, I saw a random Tiktok promoting this book. It was described as fated mates who can't be together until they are 25 years old so he writes her letters while they wait. It instantly sounded SO GOOD! I immediately signed up for an ARC from an author I have never read. I received that ARC yesterday, started the book and finished it within 24 hours. This book is slightly longer than a traditional novella at 277 pages and I just DEVOURED it. I couldn't stop reading. This is not a full out fantasy book with tons of world building. There is no over-arching plot with a villain or crumbling kingdom to save. This is about a boy and girl who fall in love through words and get their happily ever after in the end. There is some drama but it doesn't last long. The author even admits that this will not be a book that everyone is looking for, especially if you are used to intense fantasy books/series. This is a GREAT romantasy beginner book. It introduces a reader to concepts slowly that are easy to understand while still having that romance-centric plot. I can't wait to recommend this book to everyone I know!!!
It is broken up into two main parts: before they met and after they met. The first part is 30% of the book, so we don't have a ton of time to wait. On Rennick's 13th birthday, he hears the name whispered to him of his mate: Amelia. They search the kingdoms far and wide and she is finally found at an orphanage. Due to concepts explained in the book, she cannot leave the human kingdom and he cannot leave the Mountain Kingdom. He is slated to be become King on his 25th birthday when he comes into his full powers. That is also when he gets to leave and retrieve his mate.
The first 30% is super cute. We get letters written by a 13 year old boy who wants his mate to know him. But he is still a 13 year old boy. He has no idea how to talk to a girl or what gifts to buy. Its precious. Over the years (especially on her birthdays) she gets 200 letters from him. Unfortunately (or maybe fortunately) we do not get to read every single letter. I imagine many of them were incredibly dull and we were given the more exciting ones as readers. Now that I am obsessed with the book and the characters, I kind of want to read all 200!
Amelia cannot write him back. Its due to safety concerns which are explained in the book. There are times where he writes every week and times where there are months between letters. During one drought, she chooses to move on from him with another and that gets so intense because Rennick can FEEL her moving on through the bond(if you know what I'm saying). He does not react well to this lover she has taken.
Rennick is described (by the author) as a burnt cinnamon roll. He is so sweet to her and will give her the world - completely sacrificing EVERYTHING else. He would burn the world down for Amelia and he makes a ton of choices in this book that show his morally black side. He is a dirty talking possessive alphahole on a mission for her heart. What could be better than that?
Now, this is a 5 star book from me due to vibes, characters, and the unputdownable writing. This book is NOT without plot holes or irritations. I am choosing to ignore those plot holes wholeheartedly. I am PUMPED that this will be a series of standalones because although the world building isn't too intense- its too good to leave this as one book. I need more! I need the other kingdoms stories. I just want MORE MORE MORE MORE!
And I leave you with this gem of a quote:
"Everyone has a moral line they won't cross. I don't need a line to know what's considered good or bad, but it I did, there isn't a line I wouldn't cross for you....I WILL WRITE YOUR NAME ON MY CHEST WITH THE BLOOD OF ANY MAN WHO TRIES TO COVET WHAT IS MEANT TO BE OURS. INNOCENT OR NOT"
What a book! I don't even know how to review this without giving away the plot.... I'll try to stick to what has already been revealed via blurb/markeWhat a book! I don't even know how to review this without giving away the plot.... I'll try to stick to what has already been revealed via blurb/marketing.
So, this book starts off traumatic as hell. The prologue gives us a glimpse into the life of Alex and Brianna. They are so in love and expecting their first child. She goes into labor and on the way to the hospital, they get into a car accident. He makes it....
Fast forward 6 years... a little girl named Penny has been giving her parents trouble for years stating that she wants to go home and her family lives somewhere else. It's all very traumatizing for her mother (understandably). Penny was vivid memories of a particular man, house, and dog. One day, while driving on a detour - Penny recognizes the house from her memories. This sets off a series of events where she becomes even more obsessed with them. The first half of the book is snippets of Penny growing up and spending time with Alex at various ages (6,9,12, 16 and so on). I want to clarify for all: at no point did Alex ever engage in anything inappropriate while Penny is underage -- no lewd thoughts/actions/etc. There is a 21 year age gap between Alex and Penny.
When Penny is 16 years old, she befriends a fellow classmate that has a connection to Alex and its sets up the last half of the book and their love story. Gonna stop there so I don't ruin anything else.
This book is a beautiful love story that is as close to being "fated mates" as it can be for a contemporary romance. It has a bit of a paranormal/supernatural flair without fully going that direction. Alex is a man who feels so deeply and was profoundly effected by grief that I am surprised he kept himself together for so long. He loved Brianna with everything in him.
Carian does such a good job of writing men that love. They love hard and they love well. I am continuously impressed by her way of weaving a love story and making the smallest details/foreshadowing being so important later in the book. We even get some fun easter eggs from other books she has written. I truly loved it and felt all the things multiple times for these two characters.
Below might contain some general plotline spoilers: On a personal preference note: I felt the first half to be very slow moving. It took me ages to get through it. And then when thing started to get really good - the pacing started to jump too quickly for me. I wanted to live in the romance moments and they felt rushed at times. Carian seems to be a fan of "absence makes the heart grow fonder" and I tend to hate that. It sucks when characters separate to "work on themselves" especially when they separate for years and years. I did not love that part. I don't know how else it could have been handled due to the uniqueness of this plot (reincarnation. of course people would think they were crazy). I did want a few other loose lines tied up that weren't. We didn't get full reactions from everyone of them finally being together. Those tend to be my favorite moments in any taboo/forbidden story and they were mostly glossed over here. Despite these mild criticisms, the book was fantastic and read like poetry in so many places. The writing is spectacular and editing was well done. Forever a one-click author for me!!!! ...more
I was soooo nervous to read this book. I read "The Last Letter" a few months ago and have not recovered from the emotional trauma. I wasn't sure if thI was soooo nervous to read this book. I read "The Last Letter" a few months ago and have not recovered from the emotional trauma. I wasn't sure if this author was to be trusted after that (despite the masterpiece that is Fourth Wing). Ultimately, I grabbed this one and was pleasantly surprised.
This is a story about two people consistently being thrown into the path of each other. A story of fate and soulmates.
Izzy and Nate first meet on an airplane. Unfortunately the plane crashes and they survive. This sets off a series of events that draws these two to each other. The timing is just never quite right due to many circumstances.
Ultimately, love prevails (this is a romance afterall) but I did get irritated that it took as long as it did for them to realize they belong together. ...more
At the end of the Hockey Hotties series, we were teased about this series. I was so excited to jump into football after all the hockey books
This book At the end of the Hockey Hotties series, we were teased about this series. I was so excited to jump into football after all the hockey books
This book is just a novella to set up the back story to Lee Burrows and Shayna. Lee is the college quarterback who sleeps around. Shayna is the shy tutor that is asked to help Lee with his Biology class because he is failing. They begin their tutoring sessions and it’s clear he is attracted to her. Unfortunately, he agrees to a bet with his teammates concerning Shayna which has their very brief relationship going up in flames.
I will admit that I have read this exact plotline several times. I am interested to see how this coming book may differ from what I’ve already read in the past.
Regardless, I am excited about these books and always adore the Piper Rayne universe. ...more
DELICIOUS! I could not get enough of this mm story. A friend recommended this to me knowing I would fall in love and she was absolutely right. We’ve gDELICIOUS! I could not get enough of this mm story. A friend recommended this to me knowing I would fall in love and she was absolutely right. We’ve got age gap, gay awakening, sex worker and grumpy/sunshine vibes. What is there not to love!!
The series is centered around a group of friends who are all in the sex worker business. This book is Camdens. He has a successful Onlyfans account. He was interviewed for his success and that interview was published.
Enter our grumpy Vaughn. He is a “straight” man who lost his job and wife all in one day. In a drunken stupor, he stumbles upon the aforementioned article about Cam and his Onlyfans business. Vaughn follows his socials and subscribes to his OFs.
In another rash decision, he decides to video himself and make his own OF account. He wakes up the next day to followers and subscribers and decides to reach out to Cam for advice on his content creation. So, you can see where this is headed, I’m sure. They meet, things get spicy, they catch feelings (well one of them resists those feelings pretty hardcore and not the one you would expect to resist).
Although this is a relatively short book, their relationship develops at a great pace. It doesn’t feel too rushed or too drawn out. They slowly ease into everything and it feels well developed and natural. We get some drama at the end that shakes things up and keeps us on our toes.
I really enjoyed how this author showed how these characters felt about each other before they even realized it themselves. The writing was really well done as well as the editing. I don’t have any complaints and I can’t explain how excited I am to read Cam’s roommates books. ...more
I am so conflicted!!!! Ahhhh!!!! This has to be one of those “trust the process” series. This author took “Romeo and Juliet retelling” and ran with itI am so conflicted!!!! Ahhhh!!!! This has to be one of those “trust the process” series. This author took “Romeo and Juliet retelling” and ran with it until the bitter end. Yikes. Had I known, I’m not so sure I would have picked this book up. I am told that the next two books help ease the pain but ouch!!!
Now that that’s out of the way, this book was really well written. Great world building, unique plot, interesting characters. I thoroughly enjoyed it until the ending. If the next two fix my issues, I’ll swing back and edit this, but for now— solid 3 stars. ...more
I will admit... I was nervous about this one. I am not usually one that enjoys the "daddy kink" but I knew I had to read this book. I thoroughly enjoyI will admit... I was nervous about this one. I am not usually one that enjoys the "daddy kink" but I knew I had to read this book. I thoroughly enjoyed the first 4 in the series and have been so curious about Ronan.
So, Ronan is the billionaire that has been mentioned in the previous books. He is a member of the club. We also learn that he helped get the club started. He is a pleasure Dom and really gets off on controlling how, when, where, and the quantity of orgasms he gives (HOTTTT!). He is very vulnerable and emotionally available. He just wants SO DESPERATELY to be needed and loved. He has a traumatic past surrounding love. Ronan is 56 years old.
"Everyone has a limit. It's getting them to find it that's the fun part. Some Doms use pain. Degradation. Humiliation. I use pleasure"
Daisy is a new waitress at SPC. She is living in her van and is in California on a mission for information after the passing of her mother. The significance of this is what creates the tension in this book and adds another layer of taboo to the already taboo story. Daisy is 21 years old.
So yes, that makes this book a 35 year age gap book. This might be my record of largest age gap. I am so indifferent about age gap books now that I don't even find them taboo most of the time. This one though did make me wonder how "ok" I would be in the same situation. He is older than her dad!!!
"The number of years a person has lived seems like such a trivial detail when you find someone who lights a spark in your soul and makes life worth living again"
It was fairly obvious which direction this book was headed. It screamed "third act breakup" from the beginning. But thats usually the plot of most romance books. The journey was worth it though. Reading about them slowly (while also somehow quickly) falling in love was beautiful.
There is something about setting aside your feminism and just enjoying a book about a billionaire hottie swooping in to save the day. Where else will you get to experience a first date in Paris and a man literally saving you from sleeping in your van?? Fiction. That's where. ...more
I am blown away!! I went into this book relatively blind. I knew it was age gap and she was a high end escort that was about it. This book is SENSATIOI am blown away!! I went into this book relatively blind. I knew it was age gap and she was a high end escort that was about it. This book is SENSATIONAL. If you like taboo age gap with ALL THE DRAMA, this book is for you. By age gap, I mean she is 21 years old and he is FIFTY ONE! [image]
Anyway, the books takes several chapters to get going. We have a lot of character building of our heroine and her best friend. We learn that she is a college student with some questionable morals. We move into the part of the book where she becomes a high end escort and we are forced to suffer through some very UNCOMFY scenes with her first few customers. Then we meet our HERO *swoon*. [image]
He is just perfection from the very beginning. The story progresses and things happen that I can't say or it spoils a HUGE part of the book - but I will say that I totally guessed what would happen almost everytime something happened. Even though this book was very predicatable to me (personally), I enjoyed it so much that I decided it was a 5 star book when I was only halfway done with it. The writing is FANTASTIC. The spice is STELLAR. The relationship development and challenges are JUST WOW.
So all of this to say... I really enjoyed the book. Me. I am a person with little morals and no triggers. If the thought of a cheating trope even turns your stomach a little - this is not the book for you.
My absolute favorite thing about this book was the complete train wreck of Aubrey's life. That sounds horrible but I WAS LIVING FOR THE DRAMA. Its a soap opera on steroids. Things just keep getting worse and worse and worse and it was all SO PREVENTABLE. This book will stay with me and will absolutely make my top 5 of the year. For sure. No doubt. EXCELLENT....more
I was lucky enough to snag an ARC copy of this book. This is Joe's debut novel... well his first solo project anyway. I had a lot of internal bias goiI was lucky enough to snag an ARC copy of this book. This is Joe's debut novel... well his first solo project anyway. I had a lot of internal bias going into this book. I do not believe I have read a romance novel written by a man prior to this one. What I was expecting and what I got are TWO COMPLETELY DIFFERENT THINGS. I guess I expected a book that lacked depth and romance (which is super terrible of me to think, I'm sorry).
Starting at the beginning - We have Will, our MMC, struggling to become an actor in L.A. He decides that changing his persona might be the best was to approach his next audition. He pretends to be Irish by changing his name and using an Irish accent. The funniest part is that the role he was auditioning for called for a midwestern accent, which happens to be his ACTUAL ACCENT. He gets the job, meets a girl and the lie starts to snowball into a huge problem.
This story is told from the males POV the entire time with "interlude" chapters told from Raven's perspective. Her chapters are her TikTok videos - which actually add a lot of insight into where her head is at in that point of the book.
I will say that I was SUPER impressed with the writing. I thought the concept, plot, and actual sentence structures were very well thought out and executed. There were some moments that I found cheesy, but that happens in almost every romance book I read. I did expect more spice for some reason. Its there but I wouldn't call this book "spicy". I knew VERY quickly reading this book that I wished I was chosen to review the audiobook because I bet that is SPECTACULAR. All the accent switching is right up Joe's alley (which I guess is why Joe wrote the book *duh*).
I also want to say that I am a complete idiot and didn't realize until the end that the MMC full name is William and his fake name is Liam. As in wilLIAM. I felt so stupid. That scene where they chose his name made so much more sense later. On a personal note, I also loved all the references to Cincinnati as that is where I live-- so that was fun.
Overall, I really enjoyed this story and look forward to more work by Joe....more
I am in AWE! This was my 157th book so far this year and I am officially saying THIS IS MY FAVORITE! I was in the "avoid" Drive club because of how ThI am in AWE! This was my 157th book so far this year and I am officially saying THIS IS MY FAVORITE! I was in the "avoid" Drive club because of how The Ravenhood Trilogy destroyed my soul. When I saw Reverse was coming out - I jumped on the train and finished Drive in one day and was captivated by the story.
Reverse is the first book this year that I started and did not want to put down for anything. Not to check my phone, not to shower, not to eat, not to go to work, etc. I forced myself to function and that's why it took me a couple days to read, but the last 50% or so was a "read straight through with no break" reading session. Its one of those books where everything is going great and is so perfect and then you check your percentage and you realize EVERYTHINGS GOING TO GO TO SHIT because there is more story left than what should be when everyone appears happy.
Kate brings us on an emotional love story that VISCERALLY hurts. This book effected me almost the same way as Ravenhood. When the characters were hurting, I was hurting. Not just in that sympathetic way but in that EMPATHTIC way where it felt like all the things were happening TO ME and not in a fictional world to fictional characters.
Easton Crowne. This man. He has made the top 10 list of best book boyfriends. Even though I tried not to, I saw bits of past characters written by Kate all wrapped up in an Easton package.
Natalie Butler. I love her. There were moments that I wanted to throttle her but her heart was always in the right(ish) place.
As someone who doesn't cry at books.... like, ever.... Kate has achieved the unachievable again. Kate's writing pulls me right into the story and I can't help but to be swept into the magic and pain. Now, I wasn't sobbing and this isn't Ravenhood level trauma - but this story is very emotional.
Great Job Kate! I am in awe of your gift of writing. Please, never stop. I need your stories like I need air.
REREAD NOV 2023: OMG, grabbed the audiobook for my reread and I take back the sobbing comment above. Oh how I sobbed. I was driving home from the "A Taste of Triple Falls" book signing with Kate and I think I cried during the entire drive through Kentucky -- FOR HOURS. This last half of this book is trauma after trauma and Joe and Maxine deliver such a beautiful performance that I couldn't help but be swept up into the story and feel all the feelings the characters were experiencing. After being a hardcore Ravenhood fan -- I will have to admit that this book hit me harder emotionally. I am so raw right now. I moving straight into Bittersweet Melody audio. I am scared. I have actually not read it yet because I was waiting for the audio. I don't know what to expect. These characters own my heart...more
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