_isabel_'s reviews
1028 reviews

 Very cute, very steamy, with just the right amount of drama and angst to make it even more entertaining.
I've had this little novella on my Kindle for AGES, and since I've loved every single one of M.A. Grant other romances (albeit, all MM!), I decided to give this one a go.
I adored Zeke, but I loved Vivian even more. She was a delightful protagonist: flirty and confident, but also pretty much realistic too. I wanted to jump into the book to cheer her on.
The steam was very, very good: I hardly ever read MF 'cause I've got a weird thing about seeing my body parts represented on page (I think it's because I use romance to evade maybe? Don't ask lol), except when I know there's diversity rep involved OR if I trust the author and the premise sounds appealing enough.
I'm glad I read it; the romance could have probably benefited from a bit more development, and I wasn't hugely satisfied with how the stalker plot was handled, but all in all, I spent a good few hours engrossed in a fun read, so I can't complain.
Also, I need more M.A. Grant writing ASAP!


TWs/CWs: stalking, intimidation, threats of violence, arson, injury, torture and captivity (past), PTSD. 

DNF at 26%.

Yep, no, unfortunately this is not for me. I was really interested in the premise but it's not working *sighs*
So annoying.

4.5

What a delight, WHAT A DELIGHT.
I spent the whole time I was reading this GRINNING like a fool. "A Den Mate for Dylan" is such a lovely, romantic story. It's my second book by Emory Winters, and let me tell you: I think I'm ready to sell my own soul just to get my hands on the sequel ASAP.
(Also, if in the meantime, I manage to get my hands on the sequel to "The Northern Shifters" series, I won't complain either...... *grabby hands*)

This book had it all: a fated mates romance that will make any fan of the good ol' slow-burn happy, a forbidden(ish) brother's best-friend pairing, a whole lot of pining (SO MUCH PINING) and yearning and loving from afar (I nearly sobbed my eyes out!), delicious, delightful omegaverse dynamics (nesting? knotting? heats and ruts? possessiveness? YOU GOT IT), two protagonists that stole my heart and a small-town setting that will make you want to leave the big city ASAP. Also, did I mention a cast of side characters that I immediately fell in love with?

I really, really adored it. Surprisingly enough, while I usually don't love romances that start off with chapters in the past, I adored it here: it really showed how much Dylan had been yearning and suffering, and my heart really broke for him. Also, it made the fated mates aspect of Dylan and Axel's romance so much better: I'm not keen on instalove, so it was so SO refreshing to see an actual build-up to a fated mates/omegaverse pairing.

I adored both protagonists sooooo much: Dylan was such a hoot. Wickedly sassy and funny, absolutely not afraid to speak his mind and take charge of his life, with a huge heart and an even bigger praise kink (lol, no okay maybe not! I wish that aspect had been expanded a bit, actually). I loved Axel too: he's a bit obtuse at times, but he's also such a giant sweetheart, and I loved seeing his more vulnerable moments on page too. They were such cutie pies together too <3 honestly, they game me tooth ache with how much love and care and affection was going on, and I wouldn't want it any other way. This book was the MOST perfect palate cleanser <3

I LOVED THE SIDE CHARACTERS. I'm seriously FERAL over Cooper (

I WANT HIS AND PATRICK'S ROMANCE NOW. EMORY, I WILL SELL YOU MY SOUL (AND SOME NON-VITAL ORGANS) FOR IT, I SWEAR. Alpha/alpha pairings is SUCH an underrated, delicious pairing, and I cannot wait to read what the author has planned for it *happy dance*

) and I loved Adam too.
I can't wait to read whichever book comes next from Emory Winters. I'm so glad she decided to write an omegaverse series! Her first foray into it was *chef's kiss* perfection, and I'm excited for what comes next.


TWs/CWs: death of a parent (off page), social drinking; + the MCs are with other people before the main plot timeline (no cheating).

Many thanks to the author for the ARC. This is my honest opinion. 

Well this was pretty enjoyable!
Mind you, I adored "Face Blind", book one in this series, quite a lot more, but I was still glad to get Scratch/Si's story and read about his past a bit more. Him finally getting his hard-won HEA was absolutely priceless.
Si and Zig were great protagonists. None of them shine quite as much as Corin, but they were still pretty lovable. Si's gentleness and patience made me fall in love with him, whereas Zig managed to win me over throughout the book, and I was 100% team Zig by the end of it. I wanted to jump into the book and hug him too!
Their romance was pretty cute as well. Second-chance is one of my favourite tropes, and I was so glad to see them reach their HEA: they totally deserved it.

On the other hand, I think something was slightly missing for me: maybe it was their dynamic at times? Zig kept hiding things to protect Si because he felt undeserving of his affection, whereas Si had a bit of a tendency to keep things to himself without giving Zig the chance to explain. It bugged me at times, and made the reading experience slightly stressful and frustrating.
Also, too much Adam being a dickhead and not enough Corin. NOT NEARLY ENOUGH CORIN *stomps feet* WELL, okay that aside, this was a pretty enjoyable read.
I adored getting to meet Kai a bit better too: who do I have to bribe to get JL Merrow to write a story about them next?! They deserve a story and HEA SO MUCH, because I feel like they have a ton of potential. Plus, that mysterious past? Gimme, gimme, gimme.

Anyway, I'm glad I read this book, despite not loving it as much as book one.
JL Merrow's writing and humour is unparalleled as usual, truly excellent, and the Glastonbury setting, the small-town atmosphere, the quirky side characters, made the experience even more enjoyable. I'm looking forward to what comes next.

TWs/CWs: abusive parent, homophobia.

Many thanks to GRR for the ARC. This is my honest opinion. 

What a gem, WHAT A GEM.
My favourite of these by far: it made me swoon and cry and laugh, and it made my heart ache and rejoice. I couldn't stop reading.
I had HIGH expectations for this book, but thankfully they were not disappointed. I knew I was going to love "Empty Net" as soon as I read the first few pages. It's got everything I love in a sports romance, and then some more: two extremely lovable, realistic and relatable protagonists, a fabulous found family of teammates, a romance that had me on squealing, a whole lot of sports with a whole lot of heart AND so many angsty feelings I had to resist the urge to cry my eyes out? NOW, that is what I call an emotional roller coaster. Another one of these thank you!

Laurent and Isaac stole my heart. Ugh, they're my sons. I loved them so so so so much. Isaac was absolutely great: a snarky, vaguely assholish goalie with aggressive tendencies and a heart that's so kind and gentle and patient you'll want to jump into the book to hug him. Or swoon.
And Laurent! God, that man broke my heart to smithereens. He's gone through HELL, and has the scars (both physical and mental) to show for it and a mean, angry mask he takes out whenever he's feeling vulnerable or scared or unsure. His arc in this book was a thing of beauty. I was so, so proud of him, and his quiet bravery, his love for Isaac, his unexpectedly dry humour, his mean, grumpy (but hilarious) demeanor, all of that made me love him even more.
I adored their romance SO MUCH. No notes, just chef kissing all around. I was obsessed with their dynamic from the very start, and I kept on grinning and swooning and giggling til the end.

I love it when a sports romance manages to deal with heavier topics without loosing that spark of joy that comes with satisfying HEA. A romance with actual substance, a realistic emotional arc, like this one. Don't get me wrong, I love meaningless fluff once in a while, but they don't hit as well and I'll take crying my eyes out and feeling like my heart is being stomped on any day. ANY DAY.
I must applaud Avon Gale for it.
Although, if I had ONE small niggle,

I was a bit disappointed with the way Laurent's ED was dealt with. Not because it wasn't handled well, it was; but because I felt like we were missing a good chunk of that story. Isaac notices it off page, and the consequences of it are mostly off page, and I was sorry that it didn't have that much page time, that's all. Funnily enough, ED is usually one of those topics that kinda trigger me, but the way it was handled it didn't... but still; I was missing a better development of that part of the story.

. The other parts of Laurent's past and abuse were handled very well though; it was gut-wrenching, of course, so absolutely unfair you'll want to jump into the book to murder his father, but well done. As for the recovery aspects of his story too.

Anyway, I wholly recommend this book. I think you can skip book one and two quite easily (they'll alright, but nothing to talk about), but I wholly recommend book three and four, and reading them in order too. I think I'll end up reading book five too, so fingers crossed it manages to win me over like this one.

TWs/CWs: extreme physical, emotional abuse by a parent, eating disorder and vomiting, mental health struggles with self-loathing, sex work out of necessity (past), homophobia, slurs, talk of conversion camps, injury, a brief instance of bullying. 

What a lovely short story! A great introduction to Isaac's character POV. I cannot wait to dive into book four 👀 I'm so intrigued!

I loved this!!
By far my favourite one of the series, for now (I have high hopes for book four though).
Misha and Max absolutely STOLE my heart.
I loved them both to freaking bits: Misha was such a delightful grump, and the way the reader slowly uncovers his past and his hidden vulnerabilities and hurts was *chef's kiss* he broke my heart with his self-loathing and I wanted to jump into the book to smother him in blankets.
And Max! That man was sunshine personified and I LOVED HIM. He's so sweet and gentle and kind and hilarious, and I adored being in his head.
Their romance was equally delightful. They had me on the edge of my seat, and although their arc wasn't particularly angsty nor drama packed (actually, it was fairly straight-forward and their dynamic pretty much light-hearted), it still felt emotionally charged and realistic and substantial. I loved them.

I also LOVED the team dynamics, and I adored the side characters. The other teams we saw in the previous two books didn't manage to capture much, but I loved the Spitfires to absolute bits. I loved Isaac and Misha's bond too <3 so cute.

I cannot wait to dive into book four. I have HIGH expectations, and I hope I won't be disappointed.

TWs/CWs: homophobia, sex work (past), abusive parents, sexual harassment of side character. 

 I enjoyed the hell out of this novel!
Christina Nolte's debut was a delight. It hooked me IMMEDIATELY, and I seriously could not stop reading: I had to force myself to stop because otherwise I'd have spent half of the night reading.
Anyway, I still managed to devour it in two sittings.

"Mirror, Mirror" is precisely what I look for in a contemporary romance: two fabulous, well-rounded leads, a cast of side characters that feel as real as the protagonists, a smidge of spice, a whole lot of heart and a whole lot of emotionally packed angst. I adored it!
The writing could have probably gone through an additional round of edits, but since this is a debut I'll gladly close an eye to it. It's still impressive, and it managed to keep me hooked from the very start.
I adored both protagonists to absolute bits. Yes okay, Arrick was my favourite (because I love prickly, wounded grumps who hide their heart and vulnerabilities behind an icy exterior: sue me), but Evan was a delight too. Their romance stole my heart: as usual, the build-up to their first, chemistry-fueled kiss was my favourite part of the novel, but I was squealing right until the end.

I also loved that there's a subplot going on too: the one thing that always makes become fed up with the contemporary genre is the lack of plot. I love romance and erotica for the sake of it, like any other romance fan, but I'll get tired of that kind of stuff quite quickly. "Mirror, Mirror" IS mostly romance build-up, but there's also an underlying plot connected to Arrick, his past and the school he starts working at, and I seriously cannot tell you how excited I am to read the next installment.
This book finishes with a decent HFN, but there's quite a lot of story left to tell, I think, and I cannot wait for Christina Nolte to deliver it to our greedy, grabby hands. ESPECIALLY after those last chapters. Ugh, my heart <3

Anyway, I wholly, wholly recommend.

TWs/CWs: physical, emotional abuse by a parent (past and on page), death of a parent (past), death of a close friend (on page), toxic relationship with an ex.

Many thanks to GRR for the ARC. This is my honest review. 

What a lovely little short story. It was heartbreaking, but I loved that ending. The perfect epilogue for Adam (and the shocking news he gets in book one) and Corin's story though I wouldn't mind reading more from them!

 4.5

What an absolute delight. I adored "Face Blind" to bits.
JL Merrow has been a favourite of mine since I devoured her "The Plumber's Mate Mysteries" a few years back (if you haven't read those, PLEASE DO), but I've always wanted to dive into her backlist a bit more. "Face Blind" was the perfect occasion: I loved this gentle, lovely, heart-wrenching romance so so much.

The atmosphere was so damn vivid and evocative; the prose absolutely dreamy. And the characters? I don't know were to start but I'd lay my life down for both Corin and Adam. UGH, they were so lovely. Adam was that peculiar blend of cocky and extroverted, while also being fueled by whimsy and that perfect amount of immaturity and gullibility that comes with being young and (mostly) carefree. He hasn't had it easy, and he goes through quite a lot of turmoil in this book, but I loved his easygoing nature. And Corin! He was my favourite. God, I wanted to jump into the book and hug him to death. He broke my heart, but I also adored seeing him slowly but surely get back that spark of life, the joy he'd forgotten about after his accident. He was so damn brave and relatable and lovable. I also loved their relationship so so much: they made me squeal into my pillow, and not many new-to-me romances manage that nowadays. I also looooooooved the disability rep: I've never read a book about a character with prosopagnosia (aka face blindness), and while I found the depiction both brutal and fascinating, I also found it really well done too. So yes, double kudos for that as well: I love how JL Merrow seems to always effortlessly include some kind of rep in her stories (like with Tom's disability in "The Plumber's Mate Mysteries").

I also loved the side characters: Sasha, you're an icon; Scratch? I cannot wait to be in your head for book two. He was the absolute BEST.
I even adored the plot: it was absolutely fascinating, and gut-wrenching too. Grief is the theme that guides the entire book, but it never feels overwhelming nor does it take away from Corin and Adam's romance.
I loved this book okay? And I wholly recommend it.
I'm jumping into book two ASAP.

TWs/CWs: grief, death of parent, death of partner, cheating (in the past), ableism, neglectful parents, abandonment, pregnancy complications (mentioned),

child kidnapping

.

Many thanks to GRR for the ARC. This is my honest review.