book_lover_irl's reviews
437 reviews

Book was enjoyable but wasn't anything to rave about. Plot was fine and included some good banter. The MMC was sometimes crude (which is to be expected in spicy novels) but didn't seem to fit other parts of the narrative. Not much to say about the story, other than it was "fine" but didn't make me squirm in my seat the way I was hoping it would. 

Stars: ⭐️⭐️⭐️ (barely)

Spice: 🌶️🌶️🌶️

POV: Dual

HEA: Yes

Cliffhanger: No

Tropes: Billionaire, friends to lovers, Different social classes

INSTAGRAM: @Book.Lover.IRL 

STORYGRAPH: Book.Lover.IRL
GOODREADS: Book Lover IRL

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ I loved this book

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ I really liked this book

⭐️⭐️⭐️ I liked this book

⭐️⭐️ Meh…  bored or annoyed

⭐️ Seriously? Not worth it

🌶️🌶️🌶️🌶️🌶️ INFERNO. P@nty melting

🌶️🌶️🌶️🌶️ Blazing hot

🌶️🌶️🌶️ Now we’re talking

🌶️🌶️ Meh… uninspired missionary

🌶️ Does weak foreplay count?

Loved this introduction to the Mindf*ck Series. I wish the author, S. T. Abby, had condensed all of the novels together into one book, instead of making each audiobook super short (each book is only 3-4 hours long with at least 4 or 5 books in the series.) I understand and recognize that it probably makes more sense for the author to make multiple short novels so she can: #1 release installments of the story sooner, and #2 actually earn a living while practicing her craft. However, as a reader it's kind of irritating to switch novels every 3 hours when a book "conclusion" feels like the ending of a chapter, not the ending of an actual story and/or an actual cliffhanger.

With my complaining out of the way, I really enjoyed listening to The Risk as an audiobook. Marie Hawkins did a beautiful job of ensuring Lana's voice and thoughts were nuanced. You could feel her confusion, anger, and other emotions throughout her audio performance. T.J. Clark, the male narrator, did an acceptable job voicing the MMC, Logan. I didn't particularly love his voice (nothing wrong with it, just not what floats my boat. Wish it had been Jacob Michael or Troy Duran.) 

I went into the novel mostly blind and didn't know much about the plot. Synopsis: Lana and her family suffered a horrific attack when she was a teenager. As an adult, Lana is on a revenge mission to make the perpetrators pay for their heinous actions. Her revenge plans are complicated when she falls for Logan, an FBI profiler who hunts serial killers -- like Lana.

Originally I thought this story was more of a novella (didn't realize it was a series). The plot moved quickly. We are slowly fed information about Lana's past traumas as we navigate her present day life. The slow feed keeps the reader hanging around, waiting for the next morsel of information to be dropped as we strain to fit the jumbled pieces of the puzzle together.

Despite wanting to hate Lana's violent desires and actions, she is an incredibly empathetic character. I was torn between disgust with her euphoria during her bloody revenge escapades and rooting for her / scared that her secrets would be exposed too soon.

Logan is also incredibly relatable and lovable. He is sweet, honest, and wicked smart. I adore his insta-lust / insta-love with Lana. I like that he doesn't pry into her past but tries to trust her to share her traumas when she feels ready. 

This book definitely ends on a big ol' cliffhanger and I can't wait to see how the rest of this story unfolds. I predict I will be buying way too many installments of the Mindf*ck series in a very short amount of time so I can learn what happens with Lana and Logan.

Stars: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Spice: 🌶️🌶️🌶️

POV: Dual

HEA: Not yet?

Cliffhanger: Yes

Tropes: Past trauma, Dominant male in uniform, First Responder

INSTAGRAM: @Book.Lover.IRL 

STORYGRAPH: Book.Lover.IRL
GOODREADS: Book Lover IRL

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ I loved this book

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ I really liked this book

⭐️⭐️⭐️ I liked this book

⭐️⭐️ Meh…  bored or annoyed

⭐️ Seriously? Not worth it

🌶️🌶️🌶️🌶️🌶️ INFERNO. P@nty melting

🌶️🌶️🌶️🌶️ Blazing hot

🌶️🌶️🌶️ Now we’re talking

🌶️🌶️ Meh… uninspired missionary

🌶️ Does weak foreplay count?

SYNOPSIS: BookTok sensation PEN PAL is a high octane, tautly written dark romance with an unforgettable twist that will leave readers gasping. 

The first letter arrived the day my husband was buried. It was postmarked from the state penitentiary, and contained a single sentence:

It was signed by Dante, a man I didn’t know.

CHECK THE CW / TWs. 
—————

REVIEW: Whoa! Wow! I just finished this audiobook and I’m… I’m… I’m sooooo unsure what to say but in the BEST WAY POSSIBLE! 

The writing was amazing, the pacing fabulous, the plot perfectly twisty and the love story splendiferously angsty in the BEST way. The spice was blazing hot and beautiful. 

Never have I loved a pet name more than “Bunny Rabbit” and “Little Bunny”. It felt natural and lacked the cheesiness of endearments found in some other spicy novels. 

It’s hard to say much without accidental spoilers so I’m going to end the review with a couple of my favorite quotes. 

—————
Stars: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Spice:  🌶️🌶️🌶️🌶️

POV: Duet

HEA: It’s complicated…

Cliffhanger: No

Tropes: Dark, Mystery, Alpha -Dominant Male

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ I loved this book

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ I really liked this book

⭐️⭐️⭐️ I liked this book

⭐️⭐️ Meh…  bored or annoyed

⭐️ Seriously? Not worth it

🌶️🌶️🌶️🌶️🌶️ INFERNO. P@nty melting

🌶️🌶️🌶️🌶️ Blazing hot

🌶️🌶️🌶️ Now we’re talking

🌶️🌶️ Meh… uninspired missionary

🌶️ Does weak foreplay count?

Short and sweet. Enjoyable story. I liked the plot. Acceptable pacing. Relatively small number of characters and easy to follow storyline. The attempt at mystery and suspense was weak.  

The biggest downfall was the narrators. They were not my favorite. Neither of them had an engaging voice, their cadences were off, and they didn’t do a fabulous job making each character sound distinct. I would’ve enjoyed the book more if I had read it (vs listening to the audiobook) or if there had been different narrators. I would not recommend the current audiobook version. 

Stars: ⭐️⭐️⭐️

Spice: 🌶️🌶️

POV: Duet

HEA: Yes

Cliffhanger: Not exactly

Tropes: Instalove, MC

 
Instagram: @Book.Lover.IRL
Goodreads: Book Lover IRL

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ I loved this book 

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ I really liked this book 

⭐️⭐️⭐️ I liked this book 

⭐️⭐️ Meh…  bored or annoyed 

⭐️ Seriously? Not worth it 

 

🌶️🌶️🌶️🌶️🌶️ INFERNO. P@nty melting 

🌶️🌶️🌶️🌶️ Blazing hot 

🌶️🌶️🌶️ Now we’re talking 

🌶️🌶️ Meh… uninspired missionary 

🌶️ Does weak foreplay count? 

Good plot, nice pacing, some intrigue and an amazing bunch of women friends who have each others back in all situations. 

I loved the FMC and her besties. Their friendship was stuff of legends. The way they crowded around one of their own if they were hurting was beautiful. It was refreshing to see camaraderie instead of competition among women. 

The MMC was charming and adorable in his own way. I was so glad when he made the important choices that he did (that I cannot say more about without worrying about spoilers). 

I’ve been reading so much heavy and dark stuff that this story was a breath of fresh air — overall sweet and fluffy-ish. Felt very restoring to return to a lighter plot. Now to dive back into the deep dark abyss...

Stars: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Spice: 🌶️🌶️🌶️
POV: Duet
HEA: Yes
Cliffhanger: No
Tropes / themes: Instalove, touch her and ☠️

Instagram: @Book.Lover.IRL
Goodreads: Book Lover IRL

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ I loved this book
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ I really liked this book
⭐️⭐️⭐️ I liked this book
⭐️⭐️ Meh…  bored or annoyed
⭐️ Seriously? Not worth it

🌶️🌶️🌶️🌶️🌶️ INFERNO. P@nty melting
🌶️🌶️🌶️🌶️ Blazing hot
🌶️🌶️🌶️ Now we’re talking
🌶️🌶️ Meh… uninspired missionary
🌶️ Does weak foreplay count?

Can’t do it. DNF. Too dark for me. The MMC clearly hates the entire world and has zero redeeming qualities. The FMC too meek and compliant for me. I hate everything about it. Nothing remotely sweet, nice or even close to human decency. 

This is my first book from Penelope Douglas and I loved it. Can't wait to read her other books. I especially want to go back and read the original Falls series. 

High octane read that hits the ground running. The plot was intriguing and engaging. The pacing kept me hanging on, waiting for the next tidbit of info to drop, so I could try to piece together the mystery.   

The MCs were both super lovable -- not in the sweet and cuddly way (Aro is quite prickly), but in their own uniquely special ways. Aro's tenacity and grit in the face of overwhelming odds was inspiring. She was always thinking about ways to take care of her family. Now Hawke... Hawke!!! I think Hawke is my new favorite book boyfriend. The way he’s is so intent on taking care of Aro (despite her independent streak) was impressive. 

It was also super refreshing that the virgin trope focused on the MMC as the virgin, instead of the FMC ***and*** it didn't make the Aro over s3xed to "make up" for Hawke's lack of experiences. I appreciated the fact that they made Hawke struggle to get out of his head about sex and that it was important to him to have an emotional connection with the person he had sex with. 

I adored so much of the plot. I highly recommend this book. It will be a top 10 for me in 2024.

Stars: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Spice: 🌶️🌶️🌶️

POV: Dual

HEA: Yes

Cliffhanger: No

Tropes: Virgin, opposites attract, rivalry, wrong side of the track

INSTAGRAM: @Book.Lover.IRL 

STORYGRAPH: Book.Lover.IRL
GOODREADS: Book Lover IRL

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ I loved this book

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ I really liked this book

⭐️⭐️⭐️ I liked this book

⭐️⭐️ Meh…  bored or annoyed

⭐️ Seriously? Not worth it

🌶️🌶️🌶️🌶️🌶️ INFERNO. P@nty melting

🌶️🌶️🌶️🌶️ Blazing hot

🌶️🌶️🌶️ Now we’re talking

🌶️🌶️ Meh… uninspired missionary

🌶️ Does weak foreplay count?

I have struggled immensely with this series. Hold on because I’m not holding back. 

I straight up LOATHE the MMC. He is a piece of sh!t husband and narcissistic sociopath with zero redeeming qualities. I get that dark, brooding, obsessive alpha males are sexy MMCs but this guy… just NO. His treatment of the FMC, his wife and supposedly soulmate, is beyond horrific. 

SPOILERS ON THE WAY

Throughout the series, the MMC …
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.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
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rapes, abuses, tortures, drugs, brands, gaslights, lies, and has zero regard for her bodily autonomy.  He places trackers (unknown to her) in her body, has sex with her while she’s unconscious / drugged, gives her fertility meds against her wishes, refuses to use condoms or give her birth control. I can tolerate a lot of things. Not this. 

Consent is important. Even when it’s consensual non-consent, at least there is the illusion of consent. This was straight up rape in books 1-4. 

I read a lot of spicy smut and usually enjoy dark reads but this was 110% over the top. Not sure how I made it through the series when I found the majority of it so disturbing. Wouldn’t recommend unless you are truly enjoy the darkest black of darks. 

Ugh!!! I hate that I want to know what happens in this series. I despise and loathe the MMC.

He is awful and horrific and there is absolutely NOTHING redeeming about him. As the reader, I think we’re supposed to find his obsessive psychotic behavior enduring and an example of his devotion to his wife. Instead I find his abhorrent words and actions 110% abusive. He rapes, tortures, gaslights and terrorizes her non-stop. The author’s attempt at the FMC’s “acceptance” of her attraction and love for the MMC is total BS that I’m not buying.

I don’t know how to review this book. There is so much about it that HATE, LOATHE, DESPISE. This series has cemented my disdain for bully romances and enemy to lovers tropes.

The way the MMC treats the FMC is abhorrent. The awful

gaslighting, emotional abuse, physical abuse and torture is beyond the pale. The MMC literally rapes and sexually assaults the FMC multiple times. It’s disgusting and disturbing

 I *REALLLLYYYYYY* do not want to give the author any additional sales but alas, I want to know what happened next in the series. Maybe I’ll be able to find a good spoiler soon. 

Stars: ???

Spice: 🌶️🌶️🌶️🌶️

POV: Duet / dual

HEA: No

Cliffhanger: Yes

Tropes: Bully romance, enemies to lovers

 

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ I loved this book 

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ I really liked this book 

⭐️⭐️⭐️ I liked this book 

⭐️⭐️ Meh…  bored or annoyed 

⭐️ Seriously? Not worth it 

 

🌶️🌶️🌶️🌶️🌶️ INFERNO. P@nty melting 

🌶️🌶️🌶️🌶️ Blazing hot 

🌶️🌶️🌶️ Now we’re talking 

🌶️🌶️ Meh… uninspired missionary 

🌶️ Does weak foreplay count?