I didn't expect to like this as much as I did, but[image]
4 “Fangirls & Cons” Stars
ARC via NetGalley
Thank you, Swerve!
This book was freaking adorable.
I didn't expect to like this as much as I did, but it had all the right elements to win me over.
The story of Hailey (a hard-working, kickass woman who loved a certain sci-fi show) and Jake (a young actor in a hit CW-like sci-fi show) was equal parts adorable and hot.
Jake and Hailey meet when the actor is "assaulted" by fans, and from that moment on they spend a lot of time together trying to help each other, both because they need it and because they can't seem to walk away from each other. The attraction is instant, and due to the timeline, they fall in love quite fast, but somehow it still didn't feel like insta-love for me.
There was something special about the way the author handled their interactions and managed to add enough info about their past, creating that sense that while they'd only recently met, they already knew enough about each other (and had been through enough) that it made sense for them to fall in love. And dude, those two went through a lot: fake relationship, obsessed fans, family problems, fights, stalkers... and finally sex. LOL.
That was another plus for me: the fact that they didn't have sex early on. There's almost, almost sex, but things happen, which means the sexual tension lasts a lot longer. Yay!
Now, the characters were the true winners in this story for me. Both Hailey and Jake were awesome in their own way. Hailey was a kickass woman with enough attitude to make me fall for her right from the beginning. She's exactly how I like my MCs: independent, anti slut-shaming, sex-positive, fierce, sometimes a little too stubborn and a real family-girl. Her relationships with her sisters made her even more likable. I loved how she took care of them.
And Jake... Jake was adorably adorable. I mean, dude was so sweet. He was the beta to Hailey's alpha. He had a nice arc going on with his issues with his dad and learning how to stand up to himself, but when it came to Hailey and their relatioship, I thought Jake had things a lot more figured out than Hailey. He knew what he wanted and he didn't play games to get there, even when though they had a fake relationship going for a while. I thought he respected her, and when he made a mistake, he didn't see a problem with apologizing. And he was sexy AF. I loved Jake.
Since I love both Hailey and Jake, it was pretty easy to fall for them as a couple, too. They were hot from moment on, but they also shared some quiet moments that only helped them bond.
Other than the main characters and their romance, I also loved the side characters and their dynamics. Hailey and her sisters had the kind of relationship that showed love, but also had room for conflict, which I'm guessing will be explored later on in the series. I'm also super curious about Rachel's past love life.
On Jake's side, I adored Miles and Simon's friendship and I want more of that. Even the interactions between Miles, Simon and Jake were pretty great. There's this one scene where they're doing a panel and Jake follows up a joke between Miles and Simon with one of his own, and I was SCREAMING because it was THAT brilliant. It gave me major TVD cast in early seasons FEELS (only with three guys and no Nina Dobrev).
[image]
*sighs* I miss how good that show was. Seasons 1 to 3 were just the best.
Back to the book... I have to say I was more than pleased to see Brazil mentioned there. Go, Brazil!!!!
[image]
Well, there were A LOT of things I loved about this book, as you can see. I highly recommend it to all fans of romance. If you also happen to love TV shows, conference and panels with actors, and actors interacting with fans, then what are you waiting for? Go grab a copy.
Merged review:
[image]
4 “Fangirls & Cons” Stars
ARC via NetGalley
Thank you, Swerve!
This book was freaking adorable.
I didn't expect to like this as much as I did, but it had all the right elements to win me over.
The story of Hailey (a hard-working, kickass woman who loved a certain sci-fi show) and Jake (a young actor in a hit CW-like sci-fi show) was equal parts adorable and hot.
Jake and Hailey meet when the actor is "assaulted" by fans, and from that moment on they spend a lot of time together trying to help each other, both because they need it and because they can't seem to walk away from each other. The attraction is instant, and due to the timeline, they fall in love quite fast, but somehow it still didn't feel like insta-love for me.
There was something special about the way the author handled their interactions and managed to add enough info about their past, creating that sense that while they'd only recently met, they already knew enough about each other (and had been through enough) that it made sense for them to fall in love. And dude, those two went through a lot: fake relationship, obsessed fans, family problems, fights, stalkers... and finally sex. LOL.
That was another plus for me: the fact that they didn't have sex early on. There's almost, almost sex, but things happen, which means the sexual tension lasts a lot longer. Yay!
Now, the characters were the true winners in this story for me. Both Hailey and Jake were awesome in their own way. Hailey was a kickass woman with enough attitude to make me fall for her right from the beginning. She's exactly how I like my MCs: independent, anti slut-shaming, sex-positive, fierce, sometimes a little too stubborn and a real family-girl. Her relationships with her sisters made her even more likable. I loved how she took care of them.
And Jake... Jake was adorably adorable. I mean, dude was so sweet. He was the beta to Hailey's alpha. He had a nice arc going on with his issues with his dad and learning how to stand up to himself, but when it came to Hailey and their relatioship, I thought Jake had things a lot more figured out than Hailey. He knew what he wanted and he didn't play games to get there, even when though they had a fake relationship going for a while. I thought he respected her, and when he made a mistake, he didn't see a problem with apologizing. And he was sexy AF. I loved Jake.
Since I love both Hailey and Jake, it was pretty easy to fall for them as a couple, too. They were hot from moment on, but they also shared some quiet moments that only helped them bond.
Other than the main characters and their romance, I also loved the side characters and their dynamics. Hailey and her sisters had the kind of relationship that showed love, but also had room for conflict, which I'm guessing will be explored later on in the series. I'm also super curious about Rachel's past love life.
On Jake's side, I adored Miles and Simon's friendship and I want more of that. Even the interactions between Miles, Simon and Jake were pretty great. There's this one scene where they're doing a panel and Jake follows up a joke between Miles and Simon with one of his own, and I was SCREAMING because it was THAT brilliant. It gave me major TVD cast in early seasons FEELS (only with three guys and no Nina Dobrev).
[image]
*sighs* I miss how good that show was. Seasons 1 to 3 were just the best.
Back to the book... I have to say I was more than pleased to see Brazil mentioned there. Go, Brazil!!!!
[image]
Well, there were A LOT of things I loved about this book, as you can see. I highly recommend it to all fans of romance. If you also happen to love TV shows, conference and panels with actors, and actors interacting with fans, then what are you waiting for? Go grab a copy....more
Last year, I was going through a reading slump when I started Wrecking Ball, the first[image]
4.5 “Slow burning me” Stars
ARC via NetGalley
Thank you!!!!
Last year, I was going through a reading slump when I started Wrecking Ball, the first book in the Hard to Love series (P.S.: the series title is wrong, because these books are super easy to love). The same thing was happening when I decided to start Sledgehammer. The result was the same: I’m now cured.
I was going to wait to start this book until next week because I have other ARCs that needed my immediate attention due to their release dates, but all the books I’ve read for the past few days have failed to WOW me. Some I liked more, others less, but nothing stuck with me, even though other people have loved them.
That’s the thing about this reading business: subjectivity rules. Sometimes I have a hard time explaining why a story didn’t work for me. All the elements were there, but nothing did it for me. Other times, a simple story has this extra sparkle and I’m done for. Sledgehammer fits in this last category.
If you haven’t figured it out by now I am absolutely, irrevocably in love with this book.
[image]
To be completely honest, I went into this knowing I’d probably enjoy the heck out of it. The blurb is great. The first book was amazing. P. Dangelico has a whole Mariana Zapata vibe with her slow burn romances. So, yeah, it was a recipe for success. But the thing is, I didn’t just like it. I inhaled, breathed, lived and died with it. It gave me all the FEELS, to the point I had to take a break because I was hyperventilating. And I’ll tell you this. Although I loved, loved, looovveeedddd Amber, the guilty party here is Ethan Vaughn.
Ethan Freaking Vaughn.
[image]
Book boyfriend Ethan Vaughn was amazing. A-mazing. Everything I needed and a little more. The angst was alive and real and making my chest burn because this dude, the things this dude did, the way he spoke, the dirty talk, the proclamation of love…. Every-freaking-thing was perfection. I don’t care if you disagree. I don’t. He was it for me.
[image]
(view spoiler)[When he went all “I’m going to make it impossible for you to leave me” (in a not creepy way, I have to add, because out of context this might sound creepy), I swear my heart did a funny thing. I’m not joking. It just got to me in a way that it’s hard to explain.
Then, he went all “I wanted a little more time with you” because he needed “To show you how much I love you”, I nearly had a heart attack because nothing gets to me more than a man so desperately in love, and Ethan was desperately in love. It even made him stupid—because what he did was stupid. A little romantic, too. Stupidly romantic. Amber was totally right to be pissed, even though it broke my heart to see how devastated he was.
Finally, Ethan killed me and buried me with his love speech:
“I love you,” he says, his voice calm and steady while his eyes burn brightly with longing, my face still in his reverent hold. “And…” He exhale harshly. “And not the flowers and dinner on Valentine’s kind of love. It’s not soft or sweet. The way I love you is… is—“ His face twists in frustration. “It’s fucking painful. When you’re not near me I feel like Popovitch is sitting on my chest and I can’t breathe.” (hide spoiler)]
So, yeah. I’m dead. This guy killed me.
[image]
I don’t even care that the whole “I’ll post her bail and let her live with me” thing sounded a little weird. Does that even happen in real life? I’m not sure, but who cares? Because that landed them exactly where I needed them to be. Together. Living under the same roof. Getting to know each other, and OMG the slow burn. The “we don’t like each other” to the “we’re friends” to the “we can’t get enough of each other” gave me life. Slow burn is my thing. The more I read authors like P. Dangelico and Mariana Zapata, the more I’m convinced I want, need and will give all my money for hot, real and well-done slow burn.
Now, Amber… This chick was awesome. I knew I’d love her when I highlighted the first paragraph and wrote: “YES!!! VOIIIICEEE!” I know the concept of voice is a little hard to grasp (at least I have a hard time explaining it), but when it’s there, you just can’t miss it. It sort of hits you in the face and gives you pause. It happened here. I read one paragraph and I knew I’d love Amber because her voice got me. She was funny AF, loyal and smart. She was also surprisingly down to Earth considering everything that she had gone through. I couldn’t have asked for a better narrator for this story.
I don’t even know what to say about the romance without getting a little spoiler-y. I’ll just say that it developed exactly the way I’d hoped it would. There were tons of bantering, tons of heat, and it went through the three stages that will make a romance extra special for me: a little bit of animosity >> friendship >> love. And I also got a little The Hating Game by Sally Thorne vibe when it came to Ethan, so it was real perfection.
Aside from Ethan, Amber and their romance, I also loved the whole NFL vibe (I’m a fan) and all the side characters. I loved seeing Cam and Calvin living their happy ever after, getting a little bit more of Justin and meeting Amber’s little sis. I even teared up with a minor side character: the driver Ethan hired who’d been out of work for two years. Dude, that got me right in the feels.
This entire book got me right in the feels. It was fabulous. It was everything I wanted, and more than I needed. It’s the reason I’m going to be stalking this author until she releases her next book. P. Dangelico, get back to your computer and start writing your next story because I need it. Right now.
[image]
It's this simple:
[image]
Merged review:
[image]
4.5 “Slow burning me” Stars
ARC via NetGalley
Thank you!!!!
Last year, I was going through a reading slump when I started Wrecking Ball, the first book in the Hard to Love series (P.S.: the series title is wrong, because these books are super easy to love). The same thing was happening when I decided to start Sledgehammer. The result was the same: I’m now cured.
I was going to wait to start this book until next week because I have other ARCs that needed my immediate attention due to their release dates, but all the books I’ve read for the past few days have failed to WOW me. Some I liked more, others less, but nothing stuck with me, even though other people have loved them.
That’s the thing about this reading business: subjectivity rules. Sometimes I have a hard time explaining why a story didn’t work for me. All the elements were there, but nothing did it for me. Other times, a simple story has this extra sparkle and I’m done for. Sledgehammer fits in this last category.
If you haven’t figured it out by now I am absolutely, irrevocably in love with this book.
[image]
To be completely honest, I went into this knowing I’d probably enjoy the heck out of it. The blurb is great. The first book was amazing. P. Dangelico has a whole Mariana Zapata vibe with her slow burn romances. So, yeah, it was a recipe for success. But the thing is, I didn’t just like it. I inhaled, breathed, lived and died with it. It gave me all the FEELS, to the point I had to take a break because I was hyperventilating. And I’ll tell you this. Although I loved, loved, looovveeedddd Amber, the guilty party here is Ethan Vaughn.
Ethan Freaking Vaughn.
[image]
Book boyfriend Ethan Vaughn was amazing. A-mazing. Everything I needed and a little more. The angst was alive and real and making my chest burn because this dude, the things this dude did, the way he spoke, the dirty talk, the proclamation of love…. Every-freaking-thing was perfection. I don’t care if you disagree. I don’t. He was it for me.
[image]
(view spoiler)[When he went all “I’m going to make it impossible for you to leave me” (in a not creepy way, I have to add, because out of context this might sound creepy), I swear my heart did a funny thing. I’m not joking. It just got to me in a way that it’s hard to explain.
Then, he went all “I wanted a little more time with you” because he needed “To show you how much I love you”, I nearly had a heart attack because nothing gets to me more than a man so desperately in love, and Ethan was desperately in love. It even made him stupid—because what he did was stupid. A little romantic, too. Stupidly romantic. Amber was totally right to be pissed, even though it broke my heart to see how devastated he was.
Finally, Ethan killed me and buried me with his love speech:
“I love you,” he says, his voice calm and steady while his eyes burn brightly with longing, my face still in his reverent hold. “And…” He exhale harshly. “And not the flowers and dinner on Valentine’s kind of love. It’s not soft or sweet. The way I love you is… is—“ His face twists in frustration. “It’s fucking painful. When you’re not near me I feel like Popovitch is sitting on my chest and I can’t breathe.” (hide spoiler)]
So, yeah. I’m dead. This guy killed me.
[image]
I don’t even care that the whole “I’ll post her bail and let her live with me” thing sounded a little weird. Does that even happen in real life? I’m not sure, but who cares? Because that landed them exactly where I needed them to be. Together. Living under the same roof. Getting to know each other, and OMG the slow burn. The “we don’t like each other” to the “we’re friends” to the “we can’t get enough of each other” gave me life. Slow burn is my thing. The more I read authors like P. Dangelico and Mariana Zapata, the more I’m convinced I want, need and will give all my money for hot, real and well-done slow burn.
Now, Amber… This chick was awesome. I knew I’d love her when I highlighted the first paragraph and wrote: “YES!!! VOIIIICEEE!” I know the concept of voice is a little hard to grasp (at least I have a hard time explaining it), but when it’s there, you just can’t miss it. It sort of hits you in the face and gives you pause. It happened here. I read one paragraph and I knew I’d love Amber because her voice got me. She was funny AF, loyal and smart. She was also surprisingly down to Earth considering everything that she had gone through. I couldn’t have asked for a better narrator for this story.
I don’t even know what to say about the romance without getting a little spoiler-y. I’ll just say that it developed exactly the way I’d hoped it would. There were tons of bantering, tons of heat, and it went through the three stages that will make a romance extra special for me: a little bit of animosity >> friendship >> love. And I also got a little The Hating Game by Sally Thorne vibe when it came to Ethan, so it was real perfection.
Aside from Ethan, Amber and their romance, I also loved the whole NFL vibe (I’m a fan) and all the side characters. I loved seeing Cam and Calvin living their happy ever after, getting a little bit more of Justin and meeting Amber’s little sis. I even teared up with a minor side character: the driver Ethan hired who’d been out of work for two years. Dude, that got me right in the feels.
This entire book got me right in the feels. It was fabulous. It was everything I wanted, and more than I needed. It’s the reason I’m going to be stalking this author until she releases her next book. P. Dangelico, get back to your computer and start writing your next story because I need it. Right now.
I confess I was a little scared of starting this book because some of GR friends seemed to not have liked it at all[image]
4 “Big & Little Texas” Stars
I confess I was a little scared of starting this book because some of GR friends seemed to not have liked it at all, and though I always enjoy reading anything MZ writes, I hadn't LOVED her most recent releases as much as her previous work. On top of that, I've recentely read "The Wall..." in preparation for this book and OMG, THAT STORY IS STILL MY FAVORITE.
I'm glad to announce I LOVED this, too. Not as much as Aidan and Vanessa's love story, but Bianca and Zac's friendship was GOALS and, though the romantic chemistry was lacking a little, their overall chemistry wasn't. I loved them! I loved the slow burn. It was sooo slow and I'm always here for it. Yeah, again, there could've been a little more sexual tension there but I was so happy with all the time they spent together, doing silly things, rebuilding their friendship that I could look past it.
I was also super excited to see some familiar faces, especially since they were from my two favorite MZ books. It warmed my heart.
While I don't regret having waited a little more to read this, my fears weren't justified because this was really, really good!...more
It's been a long time since I've last requested an ARC, but when I saw reviewers were re[image]
4 “Be My Sunshine” Stars
ARC via NetGalley.
Thank you!!!!
It's been a long time since I've last requested an ARC, but when I saw reviewers were reading advanced copies of this book, I had to had it. I couldn't wait until August--not when the first book in the Bergman Brothers series stole my heart the way it did.
I'm honored I was given a chance to read this book before everyone else because it was the slow burn, sweet amazingness I needed.
Ren, the viking-looking hockey player with a sunshine smile, is one of the sweetest heros I've ever read about, and if there's something that always gets to me is a hero who is secretly in love with the heroine long before she realizes it. It melts my heart every single time.
Frankie is also amazing. She's an #Ownvoices representation of Austim and her character is simply great. There's so much strenght in her narrative, in her struggles and in the way she faces life. There was so much to like about her.
The romance was slow and slow (exactly the way I like it) and there was good chemistry between Frankie and Ren. I felt like the chemistry could've been a little stronger and I didn't exactly feel the same enthusiasm for this story as I did for Only When It's Us, but I still loved it. Honestly, I'm already dying to see what this author will write next because I'm quickly becoming a fan....more
I should start by saying I'm happy I waited this long to read this book because it means I'll wait less to read[image]
4.5 “Where is the sequel?” Stars
I should start by saying I'm happy I waited this long to read this book because it means I'll wait less to read the sequel. Though two months still feel like a LONG time.
I loved this. The writing was...OMG, the writing was beautiful. The slow burn was the slowest torture ever and I loved every second of it. The angst especially in the end broke my heart, and the chemistry between Lara and Aren made me sigh and fan myself. And though Aren is an amazing hero, Laura owns this book (and that has little to do with the fact that she's the narrator, and everything to do with the fact that she is AWESOME!). Lara is what I want when I say "strong heroines". She can be soft and hard at the same time, and she has drive, intelligence and lethal skills. She makes everything interesting.
The only reason this isn't getting 5 stars is because the ending was quite predictable, in an irritating way. Lara's decision that led to the disaster in the end was the only part of her character that irritated me, and it kind of ruined a little of the magic.
Speaking of magic, am I reading too much into it or does Aren have a little of it? We'll see...We'll see...Soon, hopefully. I haven't been this excited for a sequel in a while and I'm looking forward to how Lara will kick butt next....more
3.5 “High Fantasy with a twist of Paranormal” Stars
Surprisingly enough (since this is J. Armentrout), it took me a while to get into this. I ac[image]
3.5 “High Fantasy with a twist of Paranormal” Stars
Surprisingly enough (since this is J. Armentrout), it took me a while to get into this. I actually returned to it a few weeks after I'd started because I kept seeing people gushing over this book. I'm glad I gave it another chance. Though it was a really slow at first, the story eventually picks up. Most of the twists I saw coming right from the beginning of the story (including the main one), but there were a couple of good surprises mainly about common paranormal tropes that got a makeover in this book. I will tell you, though those tropes only came into the story almost at the end of it, it made things a lot more interesting. I'm not 100% sold on the romance yet (they're shippable and I liked the banter, but I wished the main twist had come earlier on so Poppy could've been more conflicted over her feelings), but I'm intrigued enough to come back for more....more
There's a lot to like here: good writing, likable protagonists, great chemistry, slow burn, amazing dialogue, a beautif[image]
4.5 “Happy Ending” Stars
There's a lot to like here: good writing, likable protagonists, great chemistry, slow burn, amazing dialogue, a beautiful friendship between the MC and her BFF, family problems all around, and all the feels. This could've been a five-star book for me if it'd focused a little more on the romance, but I understand the importance of January's relationship with her father and how that was an essential part of her character and journey, so I can't complain too much. And those letters? There was definitely something in my eye while I was reading them.
So while this wasn't perfect, it was pretty amazing....more
This is my first book by Calia Read and it was a great surprise. Slow burn, great banter, hot romance and an intere[image]
4 “Speak French to Me” Stars
This is my first book by Calia Read and it was a great surprise. Slow burn, great banter, hot romance and an interesting group of characters--basically everything I need in a good romance. It's been a while since I last read HR, and this book made me want to find other titles and dive deeper into this subgenre. ...more
Okay, so yes, let's get this out of the way first: I do realize this couple doesn't act like their age at all.[image]
4 “Charming and Maleficent” Stars
Okay, so yes, let's get this out of the way first: I do realize this couple doesn't act like their age at all. I mean, AT ALL, but for some reason I was able to ignore that and really, really enjoy this book. That reason is probably the amazing chemistry and slow-burn. What can I say? I'm a sucker for those.
I was surprised at how much I enjoyed this story given the fact that there are clear problems with it. The age thing being one of them. Another is the fact that, even though he deserved it for being a grumpy man, I couldn't believe Ally thought she'd get away with how disrespecting she was to her client and (later) boss. It doesn't sound quite realistic for someone to act the way she did, but again....for some reason, I didn't care. I was still able to enjoy this a whole LOT because the bickering and no-we-won't/no-we-can't was sooooo amazing. I LOVED, LOVED their chemistry.
So, in the end, while I can see why some of my friends rated this so low, I still found a lot to like about this story. My advice? Give it a shot and see what you think....more
I read this for the first time a long time ago and I ended up not rating it for some reason, so this is officia[image]
4 “Tattoos and Motorcycle” Stars
I read this for the first time a long time ago and I ended up not rating it for some reason, so this is officially mys second read. I still enjoyed this A LOT, but it's safe to say this is problematic at times because of some of the Dex's actions and reactions. At times, Iris showed a back bone, but there were other times she tried too hard to justify what he did. I wished she hadn't.
In the end, I still loved the slooowwww burn that only Zapata can write....more
Oh, hello, surprisingly awesome book with a trope that isn't exactly my favorite but was unique and so well d[image]
4.5 “Second Chance Surprise” Stars
Oh, hello, surprisingly awesome book with a trope that isn't exactly my favorite but was unique and so well done I had to love it!
I don't know what I was expecting when I started this, but I certainly didn't think I'd love this as much as I did. I'm usually not the biggest fan of books about couples that are already together, because I like that feeling you get when reading about people falling in love for the first time, but this felt like that in a way. The main characters are engaged but their communication problems are so big that they've started hating each other, and the story is all about how they go from that to falling in love again. It's an awesome and hilarious ride. I laughed out loud many times. On the other hand, this book also spoke to me in a personal level because of the problems they were facing. So, yeah...it not only entertained me but also made me think about things. Oh, and let's not forget the slow burn. It was amazing! This book was amazing, so go read it.
This book...*sighs* This book is just everything that is right with New Adult. It's funny, emotional and even a [image]
4.5 “New Adult Greatness” Stars
This book...*sighs* This book is just everything that is right with New Adult. It's funny, emotional and even a little heavy at the same time. The characters are extremely likable, well-rounded and pretty much some of my 2020 favorite book people. The hero is book boyfriend material and the heroine someone I'd like to be friends with. The writing is solid, heavy with emotion and shows the writer knows what she's talking about, especially when it comes to sports (yay for girls playing soccer!!!) The romance is sexy, adorable and freaking slow burn. The banter is fantastic. And I feel like, by reading this book, I found a little bit of light in this dark time....more
I got tricked by the title. LOL. Whenever I see a "Something and the Beast" title, I immediately think about my favo[image]
3.5 "Not a retelling" stars
I got tricked by the title. LOL. Whenever I see a "Something and the Beast" title, I immediately think about my favorite Disney movie and I want it. This had good reviews and it was a good read, don't get me wrong, but it didn't have the magic I come to expect from anything related to Beauty and the Beast. The heroine was smart enough and the hero broody enough, but I wanted more. ...more
Again, the comfort of going back to a favorite author.... I've been a fan of Kristen Callihan for a while. Her VIP s[image]
4 “Childhood enemies” Stars
Again, the comfort of going back to a favorite author.... I've been a fan of Kristen Callihan for a while. Her VIP series is one of my favorites, and though this isn't as good as the first two titles in that series, it's still pretty great. In truth, this concept (a slow burn childhood enemies romance) in the hands of one of my favorite romance writers had already guaranteed this to be a winner. It was a quick read with good romance and it came out in the perfect moment. Nothing better than forgetting how the world outside is on fire by losing oneself in a book like this....more
That feeling when you come back to a favorite author and remember why you fell in love with her writing in the first place. [image]
4 “The angst” Stars
That feeling when you come back to a favorite author and remember why you fell in love with her writing in the first place. This was SO good (maybe even better than the first? can't decide). The angst in part 3 really grabbed me. I need more books with this level of angst. Recommendations, please? ...more
I've been a fan of Kristen Callihan for a long time, and while some parts of this book reminded me of why I liked[image]
3.5 "Cute but not great" stars
I've been a fan of Kristen Callihan for a long time, and while some parts of this book reminded me of why I liked her writing so much, this wasn't her best work IMO. I liked the chemistry between the characters just fine, but there was something missing. It was good, but it wasn't great (and great is what I normally get from her)....more
I love SJM. I know she's problematic and still needs to fix many things in her writing, but I love her books.[image]
4.5 “Urban Fantasy goodness” Stars
I love SJM. I know she's problematic and still needs to fix many things in her writing, but I love her books. I love the friendships she creates, the slow burn romance that makes shipping an art form, and even the emotions she manages to evoke with her stories.
This was her first official Adult book, though at times it felt just as NA as the ACOTAR series (those books aren't YA and they'll never be). The plot was a little convoluted and the info dump was HEAVY, but Bryce, Hunt, Danika, Fury and the rest of the cast made it worth pushing through and reading the 800+ pages. To tell you the truth, after the first third, I didn't even notice how long the book truly was because the story was truly compelling at that point.
I'll say I was a little surprised at the lack of sexy times. Considering how steamy ACOMAF was (while still being marketed as YA), I thought this would be a lot steamier. It wasn't, but that was also fine because I loved the progression of Hunt and Bryce's relationship. They went from strangers reluctantly working together to good friends to lovers, which is one of my favorite romance tropes.
I wasn't a huge fan of some of the plot twists toward the end of the book, but, like I said before, the characters really pulled me in and kept me compulsively reading. In the end, I'm really happy with what SJM came up with and I can't wait for book 2....more
This book was good, but it could've been better if it'd focused more on the romance and less on...everything els[image]
3.5 "More romance scenes" stars
This book was good, but it could've been better if it'd focused more on the romance and less on...everything else. At times, I felt there was too much going on and the narrative got a little confusing. Because of that, we didn't get as many scenes between the hero and heroine. I also wanted more time with the dog--he was barely present and I LOVE dogs. Overall, it was funny (though I missed some of the cultural jokes/references) and the slow burn romance was good, but it would've been great if the author had spent more time developing it....more
This was really good. It got a little dark at times, but the romance was cute and there were enough cheesy moment[image]
4 "Modern Cinder & Ella" stars
This was really good. It got a little dark at times, but the romance was cute and there were enough cheesy moments to make up for the dark ones....more
The writing was as addictive as the last book I read from this author, and that quality is what makes me rate th[image]
4 “Addictive fake dating” Stars
The writing was as addictive as the last book I read from this author, and that quality is what makes me rate this high, even though there are some problematic aspects to the story (especially some of Nic's behavior). Having said that, I enjoyed the chemistry between the main characters and the slow burn quality to their romance. I also loved the relationship between Demi and her girlfriends. They were ALWAYS there for each other and there was no drama between them, which was great to see for a change....more
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