Pre-read (7/29/2023): This book is definitely not my normal cup of tea, but I chose to randomize my reading a bit. I scrolled down my GR feed for 8 Pre-read (7/29/2023): This book is definitely not my normal cup of tea, but I chose to randomize my reading a bit. I scrolled down my GR feed for 8 seconds, landing on my friend Annabelle’s 4 star rating for this book. It’s only 90 pages so even if I don't enjoy the book, this won’t be much of a time waste. Wish me luck, because if this goes well I am gonna do it again. <3
Review (7/29/2023): This was short and dirty. So easy to fall into and fly with. I really ended up liking Jax a lot, his definitely not the picture of my favored book love interests but damn does he deliver. A small critique I have for him is (view spoiler)[ my strong dislike of the phrase “greedy girl” when talking about sex. It really threw me out of the moment and it’s kinda common in KU erotic novels. He uses that term during their first time together on page 44, it’s just not my preference. However, she does turn it back on him later in the scene. (hide spoiler)] The only thing that was a tad concerning based on the synopsis was that this would only be a one-night stand, which is not what I like… I want my heroines to have a lifetime commitment to an equally committed hero, but this turned out fine. Olivia was a fair heroine, not extraordinary but fine. Also, I just gotta say f*ck Greg the opening chapter made me hate him. (view spoiler)[ I don’t even get into a rival's business with your girlfriend, like why? Then showing up when you saw her visit the other business to call her sloppy seconds. I remain disappointed that Jax did not deck him in that second. (hide spoiler)]
3.25 tatted up stars for 40 minutes of reading.
This does not have much narrative development beyond the spice, but hey it’s 90 pages, be realistic in your expectations. However, I tend to reserve higher ratings for stories that will keep returning to my mind or I am interested in more from the author, which isn’t the case here....more
Final Review (7/19/2022): Standalone RHs are a subgenre of romance that I adore. However, Stolen Trophy, feels like a simplistic regurgitation of K. Final Review (7/19/2022): Standalone RHs are a subgenre of romance that I adore. However, Stolen Trophy, feels like a simplistic regurgitation of K.A. Knight’s TikTok popular - Den of Vipers. (I’m not throwing shade at DoV, I really liked it & gave it 4 stars). K.A. is always very hit or miss for me with The Fallen Gods (book 1 is Pretty Painful) and Her Monsters (book 1 is Rage) series being my two favorites. I haven’t had the opportunity to read from Kendra Moreno before and I could see myself liking more of her books.
Into this specific story.
This large behemoth of a book wasn't easy to fly through and times the narrative dragged. It starts with an armed robbery of the heroine’s home by the “heroes” which tends into a kidnapping. Ohhh… shit someone came home early. I like dark romance but the number of kidnappings in Knight’s books is just getting out of hand.
Genevieve was all set to be my type of heroine. Tough, strong, independent but caring. But something about her character just fizzled into passivity and lack of strength. She even apologized for calling some for help, sweetie, these bastards kidnapped you own that you want out. She was a form street kid turned multi-millionaire and I do like how her streak of caring extends to kids in similar situations.
Into the dudes, all of which were pretty much reallocated the backgrounds and characteristics of Ryder, Diesel, Kenzo and Garret from DoV became Archer, Gage,Eric and Booker.
I’ll let you figure out where the personality was allocated to sans our beloved craziness of Diesel. I could have gotten over the similar characterization of our male leaders in other books except for the fact that this has the same kind of scene or trope? almost verbatim from DoV. (view spoiler)[ Gen is the only one who understands Booker’s PTSD because she had experienced her own. Gen’s PTSD is never explained unlike Roxy’s. (hide spoiler)] One last difference is that Booker is an American former Marine who served in Iraq and somehow ended up in the UK for unexplained reasons.
If you want to read a subpar DoV rewrite at least chose the more original - Gangsters and Guns by K.A. Knight and Loxley Savage. There are different emotional issues and only three boys… are brothers.
I struggle to write 5 star reviews in general. There is just so much to gush over but in the moment my mind goes blank. So... since so many people havI struggle to write 5 star reviews in general. There is just so much to gush over but in the moment my mind goes blank. So... since so many people have written such fabulous reviews of this installment and honestly the whole series, my review will be only a few sentences long (excluding this overly long rambling paragraph).
My thoughts: I love Nick and Charlie with all my heart. They are so cute. The class trip to Paris setting was just amazing. They went to all the tourist spots... Sacré Couer, Shakespeare's books, the Eiffel Tower, etc. which took me back to my Europe trip that my family and I saved for nearly the entire duration of high school. Tao and Ellie are shaping up to be a cute couple and I hope they get a spin off book. Speaking of Heartstopper spinoffs... Tara and Darcy ... I want how they met, got together but even current life at the girls school.
This was more explanation than expected but please go pick up this series even if you aren't very into graphic novels....more
Initial thoughts (2/5/22): It's nearly midnight but I can't sleep until I write down some thoughts on this book. This has got to be added to my ment Initial thoughts (2/5/22): It's nearly midnight but I can't sleep until I write down some thoughts on this book. This has got to be added to my mental favorite romances ever list. I literally loved every single character, that may be a little overly broad. But the romance between Jane and August made my bisexual heart sing and sob at the same time. My updates tell the story of my concern for these people. There is a ton of LGBTQIA+ rep and there is Asian and Latinx representation as well. I'll get more into that when I gush about the characters in my review. My mind is in euphoria over this book so I will prioritize writing this review. This book shall not languish on my need to review list for an entire month like alot of my 2022 reads so far....more
Initial thoughts (11/16/2021): cute, holiday M/M romance. For the Hallmark vibes but Gay please try this. Military/PTSD was well done and my concern Initial thoughts (11/16/2021): cute, holiday M/M romance. For the Hallmark vibes but Gay please try this. Military/PTSD was well done and my concerns about Robbie knowing Greg's son were founded but their relationship was not of friends the same age and apparently Sam had wanted to set them up. Full review to come. I planned to review it today but I couldn't resist starting a new book.
Final Review (11/18/2021): This was my first ever Eli Easton novel and I will definetly be coming back. I was looking for Hallmark feels with a not straight twist and this delievered. Apologies if this seems somewhat repetitive of my initial thoughts but 100% this is the type of vibe that it gives. The writing was artful and beautiful, not flowery but descriptive for the page count which I loved. Alternating POV is a must for me to enjoy a romance and this has it, equally divided between Greg and Robbie. I don’t generally look for smut in romances. I read a lot of smut but like 70% of the time I skim that so a romance that’s light on it is a plus. Relationships can be literarily developed well without on the page explicit sex. This does not quite fade to black but it is vague. There is not a lot of steam on the page but it definitely delivers on the fluffy romance feel.
The epilogue cemented the feels. (view spoiler)[ Aaron, the perfect little baby. I love their adoption story and how Easton was able to show growth over the years. As Greg was able to open his heart to another baby and another son. And Auntie Roseanne, my heart. Easton managed to write a healthy co-parenting family and even keep the ex-coparents close after the death of their child. Which is wonderful. (hide spoiler)]
The characters are so good.
Greg depressed, 3rd generation Christmas tree farmer who lost his son and is gonna have to give up the farm. He’s lost his holiday cheer.
Robbie a Sergeant in the Army who was wounded in Afgahnistan has spent last year trying to recover and has since been discharged. He is hitch hiking in the snow, which seems dangerous to me but compared to the deserts of Kandahar not so much. And then Greg helps him out and gives him a job. A relationship blossoms from there but not without their struggles.
Sam Greg and Roseanne’s late son. He died at 19 serving in Afgahnistan. (view spoiler)[ I honestly dreaded that Sam and Robbie would have a connection because to me that was a little weird. Like if your parents start dating someone your age or you know, just weird. But as my updates reflect, if Robbie was Sam’s C.O. (commanding officer) and thus significantly older than it feels less weird. In the novel, they even talked about how it seemed like Sam was gonna try and set them up when he got back from deployment obviously that never happened but it did alleviate my concern so I could get on board with Greg & Robbie aka RJ’s romance.. The songs made me cry. (hide spoiler)]
A great military/holiday/gay romance. I highly recommend it! And if you have Kindle Unlimited no excuses, pick this up....more
I'll be honest this probably would have been a much more fun book if I had a clue what world Keke made had gone viral. But as I am not on TikTok and II'll be honest this probably would have been a much more fun book if I had a clue what world Keke made had gone viral. But as I am not on TikTok and I don't stalk celebrities on Twitter I was just confused. I grew up with Keke Palmer on the screen with movies like Akeelah and the Bee so I wanted to try it. I was very lost. So I'll be judging this purely on the story on the page. At 25 pages, I don't feel like my time was wasted. Ultimately, this made me feel sorry for Janet which sucks because I am Janet most days. You don't have to flirt with anything that walks, it's okay to be a little shy.
I struggled with the idea that physical transformation like getting Janet a wig is gonna change her personality. And it shouldn't change someone's entire personality. Now the right clothes can make or break your confidence but it's not the beauty it's how you feel. The wig is a huge cultural symbol in the African American community so I likely don't understand the gravity of Janet's wig experience as a reflection of her place in society.
I'll probably not continue the series but definitely consider this short story if you know Keke's viral situation or are more into Contemporaries. This was definitely not in my comfort zone so I can't tell if it was the writing or just my lack of interest that made this a 2.5 star book....more
I’m gonna keep this brief. I hated it. When I saw Villains Do It Better review/DNF I knew I was treading up a hill with this one so if you like stuff I’m gonna keep this brief. I hated it. When I saw Villains Do It Better review/DNF I knew I was treading up a hill with this one so if you like stuff like this sure as heck give it a try don't make my words stop you. The setting was the one bright spot with it being atmospheric and clearly a fun house. I cannot really cover this without major spoilers so be warned. This was quite dark and very explicit even for me.
(view spoiler)[ How was it possible that the entire plot and cast of characters was written off as a delusion? While in the psych hospital, Sibby finds out that her henchmen were all delusions and her sexual encounters were her imagining it or f*cking manakins with sex toys. This is not okay. The representation of schizophrenia was beyond horrendous and I know it was not the purpose of this book as most people wanted a raunchy crazy, girl romance but it pissed me off. Further, she experienced all forms of hallucinations - auditory, visual, tactile, olfactory and gustatory which is not impossible but all 5 is not likely. I like some plausibility in my books even if it is a crazy fantasy. Also, her father’s cult aka the entire source of her trauma was not explained fully. Her origins are not clear. I had a bad feeling from the start that Sibby was not actually hunting demons but just a serial killer and I was right. And damn I wish I wasn’t. (hide spoiler)]
I read this because it was labelled as encouraged to read before Haunting Adeline I assume Zane is gonna have his moment. I pray that it doesn't go down like this....more
I read this over a month ago and I wrote and didn’t post a review. This was trashy and since then with my review of Satan's Affair by H.D. Carlton I gI read this over a month ago and I wrote and didn’t post a review. This was trashy and since then with my review of Satan's Affair by H.D. Carlton I give zero fucks about not explaining my thoughts on smutty psychotic books. So here is the review:
My first Jessa Kane. I’ve seen a ton of my Goodreads friends read her and always say they don’t love them but they keep coming back. I can see why. To me there is no spark to her writing, it just feels kinda lame. This is a 1.75 star book, rounded to 2. Over quarantine, I read a few series where the characters were in prison probably because I felt like I was in a prison. Those characters always seem to Shawshank their way out of it and Ruger and Klay the heroes do break out. How the romance developed and occurred was fast and dirty. As the synopsis tells, a prison break happens and the prison goes on lock down. She is taken hostage in a cell with 2 inmates who have not been near a woman in A LONG TIME. So of course they want to fuck their “treasure” and later each other.
More into the characters.
Wendy the heroine. She basically has no characterization beyond her past trauma as the result of the man she was visiting when the prison breakout occured. Her father. (view spoiler)[ I get it the dad was a bad dude but why’d he even show up at the house? It didn’t make sense to me. He shawshanked his way out, by that narrative he should be on the beaches of Mexico. I digress. (hide spoiler)] She wanted to see her dad rot in prison in person. But damn bad day to come visit. VIRGIN and damn does she read that way.
Klay hero #1. He has a dominant personality of the group but is the bottom. Ruger and him have been best friends forever. I honestly could not forgive him. There are major consent issues and I get that chances were Wendy was gonna get raped when the shit hit the fan but don’t recast someone as her hero when she should have never had that happen to her. Further, Klay’s backstory for when he get’s in jail is messed up. Banging a widow and some more stuff.
Ruger hero #2. He is the stoic guardian. The top in what should have been a nice M/M romance without Wendy. Without Wendy in the picture the consent issues are gone. Plus, Klay and Ruger are clearly WAY more in love with each other than Wendy. I am convinced her only role was as a breeder as they mention in the epilogue. I think they were in lust with her but at that point just open your relationship instead of making an unbalanced throuple. Back to Ruger. The boy virgin who just had too big of c*ck. This characterization made a lot of the sex scenes unbelievably unbelievable. (I get it is redundant but it needs saying.)
Strike 1 for Jessa Kane. 3 strikes and I am giving up. But I am not rushing to try another of her books. This was really something......more
Final Review (2/1/22): I think I messed up by reading this one because I knew it wasn’t for me, preference wise but read it anyway. The story of me Final Review (2/1/22): I think I messed up by reading this one because I knew it wasn’t for me, preference wise but read it anyway. The story of me trying to read this book is one that lasts 4 months and 2 different years. I started this book on October 1, 2021 and I finished on January 1, 2022. I kept having to restart because I forgot who everyone was and what had happened. I read the first third in that first week and on December 28 I restarted to make a run at finishing it which I eventually did.
Let’s get into why this isn’t for me but might be for you:
1.Slasher horror film references everywhere.
2. A good mystery. Half the time when I read or watch a serial killer/murder myster show I guess the killer within 15 minutes which gets pretty boring. I can solidly say I did not have the killer pegged until maybe 70% is about when I would want to find out. Not sure if the killer’s motive was really strong enough. (view spoiler)[ really, your mom is a therapist and doesn’t spend enough time with you? Go see a therapist (not her) and use your words to express your desire for some bonding time (hide spoiler)]
3. It is easy to fall into this universe if you let yourself. I didn't, which is why my enjoyment was lower. But if you can, you would feel like part of their group and be convinced you were next.
4. Do Not Read this Book at 3 AM in an Old House, alone. I did and that is why I did not return to this book until November. I am kinda a scaredy cat.
Premise was cool, the execution was iffy and I should have known my reading preferences. 2 stars . Not bad, not good....more
Review (2/22/22): I'm going to be brief here. The art was cute and I really liked the color scheme it followed. What can I say, my favorite color is Review (2/22/22): I'm going to be brief here. The art was cute and I really liked the color scheme it followed. What can I say, my favorite color is light blue, I'm basic in that regard. I wanted to write a long formal review because this took me over 7 months to finish reading (including starting over multiple times) but I honestly cannot remember the plot here, which is why I had to start over so many times. What I do remember is hating Ari, I get he's going through stuff but he was so insufferable. He was rude to Hector and his parents. I get being huffy to your parents but being an ass to your "romantic" interest (there was no chemistry between Ari/Hector and Ari utterly screws Hector over in a big way).
If you want an adorable graphic novel featuring a teen M/M romance don't go here but to Heartstopper: Volume One and if you've already read that I think you are due a reread. I'm aggravated and annoyed but I guess you might like it if you don't hate Ari's guts in the first 20 pages. This may read like a 1 star but I liked the art enough to be generous. I got a little heated but if you read this I hope you enjoy it....more
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