Hero is perfectly awful. Not in a fun Harlequin hero kind of way, but a real life misogynist way. He's suspicious of her because she looks too innocenHero is perfectly awful. Not in a fun Harlequin hero kind of way, but a real life misogynist way. He's suspicious of her because she looks too innocent and all women are treacherous. Yawn. He pushed his hatred and distrust by pulling a gun on her as she tries to save a man, is thrilled when he finally gets to run a background check, essentially rapes her, and ultimate betrayal of all. (view spoiler)[ calls her evil parents (hide spoiler)].
The heroine is pretty strong until the bitter end. She honestly doesn't like the hero and who could blame her except she thinks he's a hunk. I felt no love, no pull. He says, "Sorry," and suddenly it's true love.
Also, as a reader that liked the heroine I really wanted a confrontation with her parents for using her. Missed opportunity....more
This was a Dynasty meets A Long Hot Summer southern romance revenge story. On a scale of one to ten for a cruel H where the typical Maya Alden ranks aThis was a Dynasty meets A Long Hot Summer southern romance revenge story. On a scale of one to ten for a cruel H where the typical Maya Alden ranks around 100, this H was a good 7. I think he only calls her bitch and slut a couple of times.
Part of a trilogy and more drama than you can shake a hot and humid stick since this is set in New Orleans or as Alden insists on writing it N'awlins. I think I'm going to stroke out as she does it in the next book too. Even when characters aren't talking in their Cajun accents but just thinking about the city, she spells it N'Awlins. Foghorn Leghorn says STOP!!!!!
Suspense thriller about the murder of a 7 year old boy.
Interesting but rough listening with multiple triggers: death/murder of children/ domestic vi Suspense thriller about the murder of a 7 year old boy.
Interesting but rough listening with multiple triggers: death/murder of children/ domestic violence/ strong abusive language, Stepford wife/mother.
The Boy is the second book starring Broussard and Fourcade who are now married with a child. Set about 7 or 8 years after A Thin Dark Line, it was written about twenty years later. The OTT misogyny is gone and what was a nasty contentious relationship between Broussard and pretty much all the detectives has been defanged into a big brother/little sister dynamics. Most of the work action is between the two detectives and their smarmy new boss. Numerous victims from the dead little boy, a sexually assaulted autistic girl who is off page, and others.
The book is set in Southern LA and there's a lot about Foucard's Cajun background and accent. The narrator is decent overall, but a terrible Cajun accent if you are interested in hearing it. Too bad as it's a fascinating and charming accent to hear and a surprise it still exists in the US.
The story gets three stories, but in terms of suspense they are better out there and Hoag could have edited more cleanly in some areas while fleshed out certain relationships more clearly. Not one you want to read or listen to late at night....more
Another book that would have been better off as a thriller or horror story than a romance. (view spoiler)[On the eve of her wedding, the heroine is imAnother book that would have been better off as a thriller or horror story than a romance. (view spoiler)[On the eve of her wedding, the heroine is imprisoned by her crazy mom. No soft soap and no sympathy here, she was crazy. Unknowingly pregnant, things don't go well for the heroine, one being her fiancé is either too stupid, too lazy or too inert to actually look for her. The info spewed to him by his own awful mother is so flimsy a child could see through it. (hide spoiler)]
After his little brother finally get in touch with him, the H comes home after about 8 or 10 years, and is both dying to see the h and reluctant. While he's been gone, his mother who has gone the extra mile to give Medea a run for her money on Bad Mommy stakes, isolates him further from his father and four brothers. Four brothers and not one ponies up to tell him the truth, the truth that the whole town knew...that instead of running away this poor little drab of an h was imrpisoned by her mother for six months.
They end up together surprisingly quick, okay this is a romance so not that surprising. Little angst left and not much comeuppance for the horrible mother and the equally horrible father who weakly stood by and let his wife ruin one of his son's life.
I've skimmed the others and they seem to be a little low energy as well. ...more
After wallowing in a sea KU books, I forgot what a very good writer Tami Hoag is. She can string the suspense along as well as create a very creepy atAfter wallowing in a sea KU books, I forgot what a very good writer Tami Hoag is. She can string the suspense along as well as create a very creepy atmosphere. Fun reminder is she got her start writing romances, Loveswept no less.
There's a hint of romance here, but it's primarily a very creepy thriller/suspense story of who is the real killer. Toss in a TON of ver sadly very realistic 1990s misogyny of a woman trying to break into the detective ranks and it's a great read. The misogyny is tough to read as it's real and visceral, and this is in an era where fighting it could cause more problems than figuring out ways to circumvent it.
Recent Olympic controversy over Bob Ballard getting fired over a silly remark has been frustrating to me. There's a joke then there is real sexism. Some of the men are out there,but are a refection of what a real toxic male environment could be.
I've read darker, but there are some violent scenes so beware....more
Problematic book for me as it's listed as a romance.
A revenge plot gone very, very bad as the usual with a romance hero/villain, the true victim is cProblematic book for me as it's listed as a romance.
A revenge plot gone very, very bad as the usual with a romance hero/villain, the true victim is collateral damage aka the heroine. After a several month seduction, the hero films the heroine having sex. No, he doesn't film them having sex because he's very careful to make sure he isn't identifiable as the heroine points out later. He shows the tape to her father who immediately strikes out...at the heroine. The hero gets his deal, the father gets the tape while the heroine loses everything: her rotten family, her partnership, the house she renovated, the garden she created and nourished her soul, and her trust in people. She devolves.
If the hero hated the heroine or thought she was remotely involved it might have been more understandable, but the hero knows how horrible he's being, in fact vomits at the thought of it, but hands the video over anyway. The video itself isn't just sex, but a graphic scene with the heroine calling herself "his whore" and "his slut". It made any subsequent sex scenes stomach churning when she calls herself that again.
Again and again, the heroine is betrayed, humiliated and debased while more than one evil doer gets away with no retribution. (view spoiler)[ The evil OW gets her hands on it and publishes the video and gets off scot free although distributing porn as well as revenge porn is a felony. Heroine's half brother who tipped off the OW doesn't get a full acceptance on his apology for being mean and throwing her under the bus all their lives, the hero wallows in self-pity and gets frustrated the heroine can't see how bad he feels, boo hoo. (hide spoiler)]
The heroine devolves into a shadow of herself, but does finally get a backbone of sorts when she gets cranky but it's not enough when her life is destroyed and the man who destroyed her life puts her life back together the way he wants it, not what she wants. The portrayal of her slow decline was well done and gets the extra star. And the ending is incredibly abrupt, boom.
I signed up for the epilogue but haven't received it, but from what I've read on FB it just confirms that the evil OW and the equally awful father get off without any real consequences. In real life, revenge porn can result in prison. Also makes me question what kind of an idiot the hero is. He pats himself in the back about being a great big business man but can't protect the heroine? I know, I know, if the video wasn't released we would have no book, but let's call a spade a spade.
Once a tape is out there, it's out. Out there for colleagues, friends, family, acquaintances, her future children to see. No coming back from the damage the H caused.
There are plenty of readers who will love the angst of the debasement of a pathetic heroine who loses control of her life through no fault of her own, but by the love of her life, but I have a stomach ache because of it....more
Thank goodness, this broke my long string of mediocre loser romances. Mostly my fault as they stem from FB recs.
Yes, we have a very grumpy hero[image]
Thank goodness, this broke my long string of mediocre loser romances. Mostly my fault as they stem from FB recs.
Yes, we have a very grumpy hero, he's a cross between Roy Kent and Dean. [image] [image]
The heroine is a slightly scatty princess that breaks her mold and after running away from her wedding ends up in a MOC to the H so he can keep custody of his niece. H is bitter because he thought she used him to slum it a few years back only to get back with a slimy fiancee.
Bad parenting as in really bad parenting from her family, and I would have loved one last confrontation with her absolutely horrible dad. (view spoiler)[He slaps the heroine pretty viciously when she refuses to come back. (hide spoiler)]
It's grumpy hero vs Scatty Mary Sunshine, but it really worked for me! And the plot moppet was very cute and very well done. Instead of having a 16 month old reciting the Gettysburg Address, the author realistically presented a one word toddler tyrant.
This started out as a potentially fun revenge story and turned into the most disgusting revenge/torture porn.
Heroine finds out her husband is a cheateThis started out as a potentially fun revenge story and turned into the most disgusting revenge/torture porn.
Heroine finds out her husband is a cheater and he ends up with the OW bitch from hell. The husband's BFs steps in as he's always wanted the h and all hell breaks loose. The husband starts to beat up the other woman. Yeah, she's no prize, but this was gross as in nauseatingly gross.
I hate cheaters and want them to have retribution, but this crossed a line. I was truly nauseated.
(view spoiler)[The husband beats the OW so badly she ends up a quadrapalegic and can't even talk. They end up dead and wallowing in filth. (hide spoiler)]...more
Loved the hero and how often do you get to write that? Heroine is okay, but kind of a Mary Sue Martyr that, damn girl, should have left home or, betteLoved the hero and how often do you get to write that? Heroine is okay, but kind of a Mary Sue Martyr that, damn girl, should have left home or, better yet, called the police.
High school romance where the H is top dog and will take over his dad's MC. As soon as Ms. McGinlay said the H wore a white T, jeans and a leather jacket this image did not leave my head.
[image]
Heroine tries to hide because of bullying and life but H's sister brings her out. [image]
The romance is really sweet and the hero has the heroine's back. Too bad she's too stupid afraid to ask for the most basic help. The threats of rape, gang rape and sexual abuse by the h's stepfather bring it down.
Some family drama from all side, but, NEWS FLASH, the H is faithful. I repeat, the H is faithful although he does do something unforgivable.
Triggers: gang rape, sexual assault, and intense bullying....more
Another strong heroine, another cheating H. At least this time he didn't cheat with one of her family members, but that's prLast of the Bound series.
Another strong heroine, another cheating H. At least this time he didn't cheat with one of her family members, but that's probably more because she's an orphan than any effort on his part.
So lot's of bad behavior on the parts of the H and some of his family members.
What did I love like: the bromance throughout the series of the Hs. It rang true and while each H screws up horribly in his own book, each one laid out the idiocy of the others in the other books if that makes sense. I also loved the heroines. Yes, they took horrible cheaters back, but they made them suffer first and are keeping the knives sharp in case there are future slip-ups so I feel good about the HEAs....more
Not my usual drill as it's OTT angst and misogyny by the hero who is the Prince of Poop and needs to die a fiery death in the4 star Heroine 1 star Zero
Not my usual drill as it's OTT angst and misogyny by the hero who is the Prince of Poop and needs to die a fiery death in the pits of Mordor. The h overhears the H and what she thought was a close friend the night before their wedding right after she's seen them in a small but select orgy. In his own words....(view spoiler)[
"I've had to fucking court her for twelve fucking years to ensure this marriage happens, pretend to be this knight in shining mafia armor, so of course, she looks at me that way. I made sure she did. You heard Stefano and Father that day. Mother and Victoria Russo weren't happy about forcing her into this after they were forced by their fathers to marry for an alliance. It had to be her decision. I'm just like Stefano, though; I can't be with one woman, especially when I don't give a fuck about her," Damian ranted, while Alexandr laughed.
"But you still got to fuck all the pussy you wanted, and she still has no idea; she still thinks you're her prince charming and that you’ve saved yourself just for her! Like you could live off one pussy for the rest of your life; you are the biggest womanizer I know!" Alexandr expressed happily, while my fiancé turned and gave a smug smile, agreeing with him. (hide spoiler)]
But he loves her, really, really loves her and could only get frisky with these hundreds of women, including her cousin, if he thought of the h first. Who could resist?
The smart little mafia/Bratva heroine, smarter than any of the male appendages in the story, marries him then escapes and leaves video evidence of the love the H feels for her. That was irony folks. She's in Marfa, TX of all places, and is found through a sheer accident not through any brilliance or great investigation. Although what one of the meathead flunkies is doing in Marfa escaped me. Come back to the mob, Jimmie Dean?
H and crew realize they've messed up and the H contemplates I swallow hard as my brother continues, "Do we fly there and bring her home, or do we let her continue to live her life where she seems to be happy, content, and carefree?" YES! Do that!
His brother points out, "Brother, it's been three years, and you haven't exactly slept with any women. Yes, you've tried, but you didn't succeed. You wanted your wife but didn't think you would find her; you also wanted to punish her a little, too. I think she'll understand, and Savannah doesn't count, either. She only gave you a lap dance. You didn't get off."
I know I'll have to tell her about the women I tried to sleep with since she's been gone, and the women I've let grind on me in the strip club, or have tried to suck me off. Still, I never got off or even hard, so I'm hoping that will work in my favor, right? Look at me, a pussy whipped soon-to-be Don and Bratva Pahkan. Yeah, the men would love this!
Gee, not as much as she will.
The heroine makes the book. She leaves a scared little pregnant princess and comes back a gun toting chick that is ready to eliminate any threat to her daughter and doesn't want to put up with the oceans of women her diseased husband has had sex with. (view spoiler)[Forgot to mention he gave her chlamydia. Not the wedding present she was hoping for. (hide spoiler)] Too bad as they are legion, but she ends up scaring the hero as much as she does the side chicks. McGinlay also creates a heroine that plans ahead and uses her brain. Shocking news in Romancelandia. She knows it's a matter of time before she's found and makes arrangements to protect her daughter. And her reasons for leaving are more than just distress over his cheating and cruel words. Honestly, she should be head of whatever family Italian/Russian mob.
True love? I don't know, but I feel he will be faithful from now on as I doubt she'll have any problem fitting him with cement shoes to match his tux....more
I was so excited about a new Susie Tate and am so disappointed that I just liked this rather than loved it. She's still one of my top tier favorite auI was so excited about a new Susie Tate and am so disappointed that I just liked this rather than loved it. She's still one of my top tier favorite authors.
Heroine is a head in the clouds.. a daydreamer just like the title says. She's come to London to open her horizons and hopefully catch the eye of the guy she's always loved, now an uptight, driven businessman a lot more like his father than he knows.
The problem is the story just did not feel complete. As usual, Tate's heroes do/say something inexcusable to the heroine, but the follow up is just was not there, nor was the defining relationship with his horrible father. Just too much up in the air.
Two things I noticed: one is a change in the sex/love scenes. They've always been steamy, but there was more explicit action that I felt was forced and a change from Susie Tates previous books, almost as if an editor or someone told her to spice it up. I like a good love scene as much as anyone, but the allure of Susie Tate's books is her quirky character, dialogue and banter. The second thing I noticed is she has taken some of the British sayings out. Some of her books have been set in Wales, and I loved having to look up the very entertaining slurs and phrases.
So much fat shaming. I just wanted to tell the heroine to please eat a vegetable.
Anyhoo, read for the smackdown of the evil women, yes women, but not So much fat shaming. I just wanted to tell the heroine to please eat a vegetable.
Anyhoo, read for the smackdown of the evil women, yes women, but not before they go Full Metal Jacket on the heroine in front of the hunky, do-nothing hero....more
4 star heroine stuck with 1 star STD walking hero and one of the worst best friends ever. Fecking Sophie aka It's all about me. She was terrible, when4 star heroine stuck with 1 star STD walking hero and one of the worst best friends ever. Fecking Sophie aka It's all about me. She was terrible, when she wasn't giving the heroine (Sophie is the heroine in Ink) a guilt trip she was ignoring her or shrieking about something. Honestly, with the death rate in MC's I would gladly offer her up to the gods so the Ink could get someone better. The other women in the club are hardly better and are forgiven waaayyyy too easily.
I mentioned in the review of Dagger how much I believed the hero loved his heroine. Here, not so much. Because of some BS brother crap, the H and the club believe the woman who works a 70 hour week is a cheating patch chaser, and the "besotted" H has sex with a skanky crazy woman practically, no, actually in front of the h, then tries to tell her she owes it because he's been hopelessly devoted to her all these years with his male parts in another woman. THIS is hopelessly devoted... [image] ONJ was so cute.
Anyhoo, triggers for some nasty sexual abuse and death of a minor character.
P.S. "Furrowed" is used 52 times. Thesaurus STAT! [image]...more
I thought in all fairness I should go back and read the first one as reading Bitter Taste Of Sin had so many threads I knew nothing about. Big mistake.I thought in all fairness I should go back and read the first one as reading Bitter Taste Of Sin had so many threads I knew nothing about. Big mistake. One star for words on a page, and second one for the scary little heroine.
The H falls into INSTA-LOVE like Ken after Barbie. Instead of little hearts floating around his head, I suspect it's a body part found much lower.
The heroine is a feisty little thing with a homicidal alter ego called Crow. Crow is about ten times smarter and a hundred times more lethal than any male biker in the book, but because she's a bitch is only called on to do wet work than has to go back home and put her apron back on. Not really about the apron, but she's marginalized then sold off to the lovestruck Hawk, a name in need of a better hero. Hawk loves his little bird, but leaves her out to dry where she gets attacked multiple times by the club girls. Thing is, little bird/Crow takes NO prisoners and occasionally kills a couple of them or more. Oops. This doesn't go down well with Hawk's guys as who will they have sex with now.
Human trafficking, betrayal, and periodic murdering and torturing by our little heroine round out the story.
This is at the ending and is the poor girl's HEA-not.
I gave in and came back to the clubhouse with him because I loved him. I still love him, even though he’s an ass and hasn’t made any real effort to punish the bitches who tried to kill me. According to them they didn’t, that it was my aggressiveness that pushed them to protect themselves. Bullshit.
Oh, they got shouted at and there were threats of throwing them out but it never happened. Hawk was so busy focusing on the club’s troubles he never finalised their punishment.
Instead I’m the one having to swallow my anger and lust for vengeance every single day as they strut around the clubhouse and taunt me. They make sure it never happens near any of the brothers who have made an effort to get to know me. It happens around those who think I’m a fuck toy, and those who distrust me because my father is the National President of the Road Warriors MC. ...more
Entertaining and surprisingly lighthearted for Christine Michelle, but not much of a romance and some serious continuity issues.
The heroine has a sad Entertaining and surprisingly lighthearted for Christine Michelle, but not much of a romance and some serious continuity issues.
The heroine has a sad backstory that she doesn't let get to her for the most part. She wants to write dark romance but gets wrangled into a MOC for her dad. She's pretty much....whatever. That is until she meets the H. He's the equivalent of an un-neutered dog that ate some Ritalin that fell on the floor. How STD walking is going to run a billion dollar company between his skirt chasing I do not know. He's pretty mean to the heroine but she's more than capable of tossing some home truths to the walking petrie dish as she calls him. She really gets him when she shows him pics of him with two women and points out if people are sending them to her, they are sending them to his mom too.
All she asks is that when he cheats and she knows he will, please don't embarrass her. That doesn't work out so well. The guy is all id and no superego. The issues are he said he didn't cheat, probably didn't cheat, but he can't help it if half naked women proposition him when people have cell phones.
Long story short, they end up together at the 95% mark.
Continuity issues are Michelle writes about her perfect sister in terms that I went looking for her book then she drops her. Same treatment to the h's parents, much is made of the mother's inability to appreciate her daughter, the H's evil grandfather that needs a comeuppance, the evildoers that hurt the heroine needed an on page comeuppance as well, and who was the attacker?...more
Negative million stars for the Property Brothers hero, the heroine, the plot, the numerous and icky sex scenes, and the lack of anything resembling reNegative million stars for the Property Brothers hero, the heroine, the plot, the numerous and icky sex scenes, and the lack of anything resembling real life.
2 stars for the author's complete and utter dedication to fiction.
Let me count the ways:
H cheats on heroine. Ten years later he still blames her for leaving him. Hey, kids make mistakes, okay. She should have hung in and forgiven him.
Heroine is kicked out by her parents the same night for having some pride. Well, she had some pride then. When H finds out, he then blames her parents for the loss of ten years. Self reflection is not a thing with this guy since cheating with h's best friend and getting caught in the act doesn't seem to factor in on why his blow up doll went missing for ten years.
H and h have sex about ten minutes after they meet again. The first of many icky, sticky hookups.
Heroine saves the day with her high school Mandarin during a meeting. "Saving the day" being a billion dollar meeting.
H and h have sex where one go his partners can both hear and see them. The H melts down later over jealousy.
Heroine is a Perils of Pauline kind of girl. In the course of one book, she's mugged, assaulted by a store manager for supposed theft, almost run down by a truck full of pig iron, and (view spoiler)[almost shot in the ladies bathroom. (hide spoiler)] Glad she didn't have a dog.
H goes after the h's evil family which was pretty entertaining.
The heroes in this series have been terrible, terrible yet entertaining. The heroines are all plus size and vary in their levels of doormat.
This heroThe heroes in this series have been terrible, terrible yet entertaining. The heroines are all plus size and vary in their levels of doormat.
This heroine is the worst. (view spoiler)[She goes from one brother, the love of her life that treats her like garbage, to the one that dotes on her, and when I say goes, it's not pretty. Her crush is getting over oral STD and neglects to tell her. This is a drop in the bucket of his innate selfishness. To say she crushes the nice one is putting it nicely as the creep continues to slut shame and belittle her in his mind. (hide spoiler)] DNF...more
This started out so promising. The heroine leaves her abusive husband and is a Little Miss Sunshine facing off the grumpy and mourning mafia guy who lThis started out so promising. The heroine leaves her abusive husband and is a Little Miss Sunshine facing off the grumpy and mourning mafia guy who loves to kill people. It was pretty amusing that the minute they have sex he's runs around telling all his guy friends about how guilty he feels. He, of course, tells the h it can NEVER happen again, and her response that it wasn't that great anyway is like a red flag to a bull.
Anyhoo, things went south when they decide to be official and in a BDSM relationship. Kind of out of nowhere, but the h seemed to leave her personality behind when he became Sir. That and (view spoiler)[ she's still married to a homicidal bastard so technically cheating, then there's her husband and BIL backstory of incest, as well as the affair she had with her BIL. Too much yuck for me. (hide spoiler)]...more
It's only been a few days and I'm trying to remember the story, not a good sign.
There's emotional blackmail, he's mean, they have sex, he's mean, he bIt's only been a few days and I'm trying to remember the story, not a good sign.
There's emotional blackmail, he's mean, they have sex, he's mean, he betrays her, he's mean, his dad is evil and that's all I've got.
The H does and says some pretty inexcusable things that get excused, of course. Hey, it's only 2024 and women are still expected to suck it up. Despite his high level of stinker, I did buy that he loved her....more
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