koistyfishy's reviews
362 reviews

4 Unknown Stars ⭐
Spicy Level: 🌶️🌶️/5

So, Wicked Dreams. This was not at all what I was expecting, but I think it has officially unlocked a new sub-genre of books that I like to read. Now, I did like bully romance before, but I’ve never really read high school bully romance, and I low-key kind of love it.

𝙎𝙮𝙣𝙤𝙥𝙨𝙞𝙨:
Margo Wolfe is a foster kid who has a father in prison and a drug-addicted mother. She is recently taken in by a foster family who lives in the neighbourhood where she grew up with her parents. Since her foster father works at the local high school, they enrolled her in Emery Rose Elite. However, this is not the first time she has been to the school, as she went there when she was 8 years old and fucked up Caleb Asher's life. Margo and Caleb were best friends when they were children, they even at one point got "married" like kids do... Until something devastating happens, she goes into foster care, and all her friends in the town turn against her, including Caleb. Caleb has sworn absolute revenge on her, bullies her, and has this obsession with wanting to hurt her like she hurt him. But soon that obsession turns into needing to own her, make her his and the lines of revenge and lust become murky in a toxic relationship as he cannot seem to keep his hands off her.

𝙏𝙝𝙤𝙪𝙜𝙝𝙩𝙨 𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙁𝙚𝙚𝙡𝙞𝙣𝙜𝙨:
Now, I had to split my mind in two when it came to this because the first thing that should be noted is Margo is underage in this, but this book IS NOT FOR UNDER 18'S! if that makes you uncomfortable, I wouldn't read it. However, I have watched enough of Gossip Girl, Vampire Diaries, and Riverdale and any other series set in HIGH SCHOOL and they are constantly sleeping with each other and having intimate relations. SO putting aside her age I just went with it... I mean they didn't do anything that I would have done as a teenager, so I can't hold that against them.

Like those shows I mentioned, this has the same drama-esque feel. It is angsty, full of teenage drama and boys, and it literally felt like watching an episode of any of them while just inhaling it like popcorn. The writing is captivating and easy to read. It is very easy to get hooked on the story, and it quickly pulls you into their lives.

I think the characterisation of Margo and Caleb was done very well. Margo is very careful. She has been hurt before through her different foster homes, and she knows that her life is just temporary, so she doesn't want to establish roots or get too close to anybody. Because that ends up leaving her hurt and more damaged. She has had to put up quite a lot of walls and protection against her feelings because of her past; and as a result, when coming face to face with it she ends up having panic or anxiety attacks, as she has to deal with all of those repressed emotions coming to the surface.

Caleb is a dick. An Alphahole through-and-through. He's a total "popular boy" who has about 17,000 red flags, but somehow adults can't see this. So you automatically love him because of his bad-boy attitude. It must be his pheromones that just seep through the pages. He is pretty angry, and he's conniving and manipulative. He has learned how to manipulate the system, manipulate those around him, and, most of all, manipulate Margo. He very quickly gets her to bend to his will.

There is a lot of push and pull between him and Margo, and he kind of just forces himself into her life and makes himself a constant until she acquiesces because he's not going to go away. It did seem at times that the plot got a little repetitive—her finding something out and then ending up crying, something happening between her and Caleb, and then she ends up crying— and then the cycle repeats with him climbing through her window... BUT I WAS HERE FOR THE ANGST! I was there for the drama. I was there just to see what these unhinged teenagers would get up to.

𝙏𝙧𝙤𝙥𝙚𝙨 and 𝙈𝙞𝙘𝙧𝙤 𝙏𝙧𝙤𝙥𝙚𝙨:
▶ Dual POV
▶ Enemies Hate to Love
▶ High School Bully Romance
▶ Who Did This To You?
▶ Cages Her With His Arms
▶ Hand Necklaces
▶ "Beg Me"
▶ Washes Her Hair
▶ Stalking
▶ "Jersey" Heat (when he freaks out at her wearing his jersey)

There are also quite a few twists and turns in this book, and there is just something about the way it’s written that makes me want to read more. There are ALSO SO MANY unanswered questions left open and hanging on purpose to make room for book 2. The book ends on a brutal cliffhanger, so I really cannot wait to see the next book.

Thank you to S. Massery and Valentine PR for my gifted copy.
All thoughts and opinions are my own. 

3.5 Doctor Death Stars ⭐️
Spicy Level: 🌶️🌶️🌶️/5

I’ve been debating how I feel about this for a while and was flipping between a 3 and 4-star rating for the longest time. While I devoured this (which means it has some addicting qualities) and enjoyed the aspects it was missing that extra oomph that would have made it perfect.

𝙎𝙮𝙣𝙤𝙥𝙨𝙞𝙨:
Remy, eager for a new start, moves into her uncle's dilapidated mansion with her 20-year-old brother. They have inherited the house, intending to repair it and flip it for a profit after Remy left her fiancé, who was cheating on her. The house is located in a creepy little seaside town called Grimstone, with vibes that are a little eerie, and townsfolk that are a little too nosy. Very soon after moving in, she encounters her grumpy neighbour Dane Covet, AKA Dr. Death, according to the town, since it's rumoured he murdered his wife and son. Dane, who is incredibly hot but also an incredible arsehole, blocks her from using the only road to her new house and then blackmails her into fixing his fence so she can use it. One afternoon, when she is hacking away at the wood, she unfortunately hacks her leg open, and good thing she has a doctor so close by... Dane stitches her up, kisses her, and nearly rips her nipple off. Soon, Remy and Dane find they can't keep their hands off each other, even though Remy believes Dr Death might be breaking into her house and playing tricks on her at night... because there's no way it's haunted, right?

𝙏𝙝𝙤𝙪𝙜𝙝𝙩𝙨 𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙁𝙚𝙚𝙡𝙞𝙣𝙜𝙨:
This book was a little unhinged in the best way, and I loved that it had elements of an "unreliable narrator." As the reader, you are not really sure what is real or not. The town is spooky, the mansion just as eerie, and you're not really sure if Remy is being haunted, if she's being pranked, or if she is actually crazy and it's all in her mind. You are almost put into the role of detective.

Remy is determined and stubborn to make things work, and she feels very alone and like a failure. She has been devoted to raising her brother since the fatal boat accident that killed both her parents years ago. She is plagued by discombobulated, repeated nightmares of her parents' accident and very often puts herself down, belittles herself, or condescends to herself and her intelligence. She feels that, because she never really had the chance to go to college, she never really had the chance to be an adult, because she's always been looking after her brother, and the only thing she knows is construction. However, she is resourceful, and she doesn't let the opinions of other people sway her beliefs and her gut feelings toward people and situations.

Dane is troubled and a little disturbed, though I still feel like, even after reading the whole book, I don't know him as a character. Dane is cold, calculating, and aloof. He does not like people and is a little messed up in the head... I did like that he was slightly older, though. I am so over reading about an MMC who is 19.

One of my issues with Dane is we are given his POV a couple of times, but his internal mind is never really elaborated on, so you have to make your own deductions on whether he is haunted or just hallucinating. His chapters don't go too much into his emotional trauma in dealing with his wife's death, and you never see him grieving; you just see short snippets of his anger. I think it would have made the revelation of what happened to his wife and son a little more impactful to see how he processed it, as it just felt like, as a reader, you're told about it and not shown. Mostly, his POV is just his lustful and obsessive thoughts about Remy and how he can't wait to take her clothing off. Every comment is just about her looks, her nipples, her clothing, her hair... everything based on her physical appearance. It just felt very insta-lovey.

Even though he talks about Remy having the same brokenness as him and being just as troubled and disturbed, I still feel like I have no idea who Dane is or what his personality is like outside of the surface-level aspects I have mentioned.

The writing was okay. It kept me hooked, but there were aspects of it that just didn't work for me, and I can't explain why. It might have been that I needed more development in the relationship between Remy and Dane. The more I kept thinking about this, the more I felt like it was lacking something. It wasn't spooky enough, it wasn't eerie enough, it wasn't mysterious enough, it wasn't mind-fuckery enough. It is very much centred on two very damaged people who have their problems, trauma, and demons. But I felt absolutely no relationship development between the two of them because their entire relationship was founded on lust. Every interaction between the two of them was explosive, domineering, and forceful, and I never actually saw them have any heart-to-hearts.

Then there is the aspect that THIS IS A STANDALONE... but there are SO MANY UNANSWERED QUESTIONS! And because of that, I will never get the answers I need...

1. Did Dane really see his wife, or was it just his mind playing tricks on him?
2. WHAT THE HELL HAPPENED WHEN HE HYPNOTIZED HER THE FIRST TIME...? There is the video of that "second" encounter. But the mystery of "I gave you a suggestion"... Now, are we to believe that he sexually assaulted her while she was hypnotized and used the excuse of, "Well, you're not gonna do a thing you don't wanna do when you're hypnotized," so whatever you're doing is completely allowed and consensual because your mind is allowing it whether you know about it or not? Or was he trying to help her as a doctor in that situation, and only the second time was sexual because we only ever see the second video? Like, what happened???
There were some unexpected plot twists I didn't see coming, but then there were also really blatant ones that had me rolling my eyes that Remy didn't see them right in front of her eyes.

𝙏𝙧𝙤𝙥𝙚𝙨:
▶ Dual POV
▶ Rich Guy X Poor Girl
▶ Small Town Romance
▶ Mystery, Spooky, and Gothic
▶ Rivals to Lovers
▶ Doctor x Patient
▶ Neighbors (Forced Proximity)
▶ Forced Proximity
▶ Touch Her You Die
▶ Fast Burn

Kinks: BDSM elements, Bondage, Mirror/Reflection Sex, Begging, Degradation and Praise, Hypnotism Sex, Medical Spicy Scene

𝙈𝙞𝙘𝙧𝙤 𝙏𝙧𝙤𝙥𝙚𝙨:
▷ Good Girl
▷ Chin Lift
▷ He Takes Care of Her
▷ He Gives Her Lovvies (Combo of forehead, eye, cheek, or nose kisses)
▷ Tattoos

Overall, this is a perfect read for the upcoming spooky season. While it wasn't perfect, it was still enjoyable, spicy, and fucks around with your mind a bit...

Thank you to Netgalley, SOURCEBOOKS Bloom Books and Sophie Lark for the gifted copy.
All thoughts and opinions are my own 

4.5 Sparrow Stars ⭐
Spicy Level: 🌶️🌶️🌶️.5/5

What a healthy representation—ACTUALLY, what a perfect and spectacular representation of a healthy relationship. Now, you'd think I might be sarcastic with that statement because your girl does read some things where relationships can be pretty questionable. BUT she still likes fluffy, she still likes cute, and she still likes it when she reads pure rom-com gold, and that is quite frankly what this book was.

𝙎𝙮𝙣𝙤𝙥𝙨𝙞𝙨:
Adalyn Hutton, a 21-year-old influencer/model, has planned this AMAZING trip to Europe for two months with her best friend, seeing the sights, touring countries, and just gallivanting around. SO, when an unfortunate event happens and her friend cannot go with her, Adalyn is left solo. However, she DOES NOT WANT TO TRAVEL THE WORLD ALONE... SO, she somehow manages to convince her older brother's best friend, Cooper White, to join her. He's on vacation for the summer, as he is an art teacher, and they seem to get along fine, so he would be perfect to join her... But then they get drunk and end up married...

𝙏𝙝𝙤𝙪𝙜𝙝𝙩𝙨 𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙁𝙚𝙚𝙡𝙞𝙣𝙜𝙨:
Her Greatest Adventure is such a warm hug to your soul—a cute, sweet relationship that underpins the foundation of what a fantastic, solid, mature relationship should look like. It was a perfect example of open communication and very clear boundaries being set, while still exploring and growing together to be the best version of yourself with someone else. I love this. It was so sweet, it was so cute, and it was just adorable how it was handled. I love how their relationship formed, how it fell together, and how this was just sweet.

Adalyn is so spunky and carefree and literally radiates positivity; her presence and personality are almost sunshine incarnate. Even though she's young, she's pretty level-headed and mature in her decisions. She accuses herself of being selfish for lying to her parents and her family about the marriage, but she remains true to herself and does something for herself to keep the relationship going. I loved that she allowed herself to do what she wanted and didn’t let society and norms dictate the decisions she needed to make.

I love that she challenged Cooper to test his boundaries and discover what he was willing to do outside of his traditional comfort zone and that through this, he allowed himself to open up to new experiences he probably never would have said yes to in the first place.

Cooper was a rock—stable—but he had a couple of elements that I found extremely surprising, especially his dominance in the bedroom and the fact that he was pierced??!?? I did not see that coming so when it was revealed I might have thought his little ladder was Christmas!!! He brought a literal sense of maturity to the relationship and is just a walking green flag incarnate. He is the type of man your mother HOPES YOU BRING HOME. He is wrapped up in a bow of perfection, as he is hot, educated, smart, honest, and open to trying new things. He is also trustworthy and emotionally safe. I absolutely loved the dynamic between the two of them—she was a wild child, and he's steady and stable.

I love that their relationship was founded on such transparency and honesty and that they were willing to try new things together and be open to new experiences together. Yes, it took Adalyn a lot less convincing to do anything, but it was sweet to see how they were open to learning from each other. Even though they got together pretty quickly in terms of the relationship because they both agreed to stay together due to the consequences of their marriage, it was sweet how that proximity and being around each other blossomed into a beautiful relationship that they were both proud of and stood up for. I don't know how many times I can say it, but it was just cute. It was sweet. It was so wholesome how the two of them were together. I was literally kicking my feet at almost everything they did, how they acted, and what they went through.

There is a very specific reason why this is not 5 stars...

THE MINUTE they got married in Ireland, I Googled, "Can you get married in Ireland spontaneously," as I thought that was only possible in Vegas... I found my answer within two seconds: you have to have posted a legal notice and applied for a marriage certificate at least three months before the wedding for it to actually be legal. Now, if I can find that information very easily with a 2-second Google search, both these smart, educated people who have access to the internet (I mean, one of them has a career built and driven by the internet) can find it just as easily. BUT I told myself—this is a book, do not let this be something you get hung up on. I pushed it aside and just accepted it.

BUT THEN it turned into a PLOT POINT... the climax of the book!!! The blowout that they weren't actually married. But they could have found out SUPER EASILY... SO it was just frustrating—if it could be determined this easily, why the big blowout questioning trust, etc... The characters were stupid—they didn't Google it the very next morning.... 

𝙏𝙧𝙤𝙥𝙚𝙨:
▶ Dual POV
▶ Brother's Best Friend
▶ Accidental Marriage
▶ Age Gap (Adalyn is 21, Cooper is 31)
▶ Nicknames

𝙈𝙞𝙘𝙧𝙤 𝙏𝙧𝙤𝙥𝙚𝙨:
▷ Rolled Sleeves/Forearms
▷ Pierced MMC 🍆 and FMC🍒
▷ Her Fingers Can't Close
▷ "My Wife"
▷ "Good Girl"
▷ Chin Lift

Ultimately, I liked this one more than Her Greatest Mistake. As much as Maddox is a fantastic MMC, Cooper just takes the cake. He is the cherry on top of perfection in terms of an MMC. So, if you want a cute little rom-com with an accidental marriage and age gap but also a wholesome, healthy relationship, pick this up because it's going to give you everything you need!!!

-=-=-=-==-=-=-=-=-=-

Well let’s hope this adventure is a good one!!!

(But I have faith since I enjoyed the first one so much, this one has to be good right???) 

3 Rue Rue Rue Stars ⭐
Spicy Level: 🌶️🌶️🌶️.5/5

This one was a little unusual because it is NOT LIKE any of the other Ali Hazelwood books that I have read. She does give a little "warning" in the front that this is going to be leaning more into erotica than just rom-com-y and boy was she not kidding.

𝙎𝙮𝙣𝙤𝙥𝙨𝙞𝙨:
Rue Siebert is a chemical engineer working for a biofuel company, working on a project at the company to preserve food. But she has an interesting "little sexual appetite" and uses a hookup app to meet strangers for a one-and-done fix. She matches with Eli Killgore on the app and the two agree to meet up at a hotel to get down and dirty but don't as Rue's brother plays "angry cockblocker" so Eli just takes Rue home... BUT BOTH ARE STILL VERY SEXUALLY ATTRACTED TO EACH OTHER. So she's pretty shocked when the next day she rocks up to her company to find out there's a Hostile Takeover in progress, she could possibly lose her research and job and Eli's company is the one doing the takeover. Now Rue needs to battle her loyalty to the company while also dealing with the fact that she really really really wants to fuck Eli.

𝙏𝙝𝙤𝙪𝙜𝙝𝙩𝙨 𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙁𝙚𝙚𝙡𝙞𝙣𝙜𝙨:
So I'm not sure if I like Ali Hazelwood as an author. I've tried a couple of her books and they always seem to end up mediocre for me. They're not the type of books that will ever make it on my ride-or-die romance list. They always seem a little bit problematic and I guess I just read them to pass the time. She's like nothing memorable and just something for JIT entertainment... but when it's done I am not going to ever wanna go back. From an entertainment perspective, they deliver exactly what I need. They keep my ears busy while I happen to be watering my plants or doing some crafting and sewing.

There's not much in this but sex and it's basically just vanilla sex with maybe a little bondage and edging. I think most of the interactions between the two of them is Eli just saying Rue's name 17 times in one sentence, 100 times in that chapter and then ending up with them having sex. Now I don't mind that too much, characters are horny but they are totally giving off vibes that that is all there is to their connection. There is NO CHEMISTRY AT ALL! NO CONNECTION!

Obviously, Eli is attracted to Rue, and sometimes a little bit creepy how attracted he is to Rue. The way he thinks about her and talks makes me think he has some sort of DaddyXDaughter kink because he "wants to just take care of her". But then he turns into a bumbling fool and can only really say her name when in his presence. Like the word "Rue" was used 441 times... LET ME REPEAT THAT... 441 times!!!! and her POV is in FIRST PERSON... WHICH is also a little strange - like why have a dual POV book but then one of them is first person and the other is third person? Why are we watching Eli but we are in Rue's HEAD?

Rue and Eli are both very damaged characters so deal a lot with the effects of this trauma throughout the book as they explore what they mean to each other and what each other's presence means in their lives. Eli was actually sweet in everything that he did and besides the weird name thing, he was the favourite of the two - he was very besotted with Rue and fought to make it work. His determination to get her to crack her "no-second" rule was admirable and his tenacity to continue to break her walls down and help her explore new boundaries was sweet. Rue felt like sandpaper without a personality. She is very robotic in her thoughts and does not have "traditional" feelings. It's never explicitly stated in the book, but it's pretty clear that Rue is neurodivergent tending to autistic with her actions and stilted emotional connection to things. She breaks things down so clinically and battles to build connections with people and doesn't always have a filter... I really did not like her as a person and felt her actions were very selfish.

I do want to give kudos to the narrators. I love it when Callie Dalton reads romances. She does such an amazing job. She was joined by Jason Clarke and I swear every time he did an accent, my panties might have melted off right there... The one thing I REALLY loved about the Audio was it did my FAVOURITE THING. Most dual narrations are split into chapters where one narrator will do all the voices in that chapter and the other narrator will do the second POV. However, when Eli spoke in Rue's POV he would be voiced by Jason Clarke even though it was Callie's chapter and this just added such an extra level to the performance.

𝙏𝙧𝙤𝙥𝙚𝙨 and 𝙈𝙞𝙘𝙧𝙤 𝙏𝙧𝙤𝙥𝙚𝙨:
▶ Dual POV but its First Person POV (Rue) and Third Person POV (Eli)
▶ Instalust
▶ Strangers to Lovers
▶ "Out of Our Systems"
▶ "Fuck It"
▶ Steamy Water Scene
▶ He Fall's First
▶ Forced Proximity
▶ Workplace STEM Romance
▶ "Use Me"
▶ Good Girl

Overall this WASN'T THE WORST ALI HAZELWOOD I have read... but it wasn't the best... It was just sex... 

3.5 Tell me something about Octopuses Stars ⭐️
Spicy Level: 🌶️🌶️.5/5

I AM CONFLICTED...

Like I couldn't put it down but like SHE IS FULL OF PLOTHOLES AND PROBLEMS...

𝙎𝙮𝙣𝙤𝙥𝙨𝙞𝙨:
So we have Farrow, but her name might as well be Ella because she's basically a modern-day Cinderella. BUT not like the Disney version where she has supremely intelligent rodents who help her, but more in the version of Hilary Duff's "A Cinderella Story". She lives with her stepmom and her two stepsisters, who treat her completely and utterly vile, (and act almost exactly the same as Duff's stepmom and sisters treated her). Farrow is in a 4-way partnership with her stepfamily, running her late father's cleaning business - but she's the only one doing any work, while her stepmom and siblings take all the profits. The book opens with Farrow trying to steal back one of her father's prized possessions that her stepmom sold without her permission, something that holds a lot of sentimental value to Farrow. However, that item also has a lot of sentimental value to Zachso when he catches her in the act, and the two flirt over a game of Go. Intrigued by who she is and insulted she tried to steal from him - he tracks her down and blackmails her into working for him as a maid, so he can "own her".

𝙏𝙝𝙤𝙪𝙜𝙝𝙩𝙨 𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙁𝙚𝙚𝙡𝙞𝙣𝙜𝙨:
So I TOTALLY judged the book by the name and thought I would be getting a "DARK" romance. The blurb read like a dark romance- the chapter he blackmails her has all the right language of a dark romance... but like WHERE THE FUCK WAS THE DARK ROMANCE? This is a cocky arrogant alphahole who has too much money to throw around and while he does have a little repressed childhood trauma - it's just a straightforward story of him falling in love with the help. This is a contemporary romance!!!!

Let me elaborate... I expected this to go another level and I feel a little lied to - HE USED QUOTES LIKE...
- “Not only can I outsmart you, I can also out-kill you. And I am currently very tempted to do so, little thief.”
- “You’ll be working for me—under me—at my whim, you’ll serve, obey, and cater to me. Paying off your debt for trying and utterly failing to steal from me⁠—”
- “In this world, there are masters, and there are servants. I’m a master. You’re a servant. Act accordingly, and I will let you go.”

BUT LIKE NONE of this ever really came to fruition. BUT Zach also doesn't get all dominant on her or make her the " slave" he threatens to make her... he just kinda ignores her so she can do her own thing in the house...Farrow agrees to be his maid - alone as no other maids or cleaning staff are ever mentioned or seen in the book and her job is to CLEAN HIS GINORMOUS MANSION... but then she still has time to take afternoon naps and watch movies in his house? I know you don't always have to clean everything every day but if you have like 20 bedrooms and only one person to keep it clean and free of dust - there is no time for them to be sitting around eating popcorn almost daily.

For most of the book I didn't like the relationship between her and Zach - he treats her awfully, I mean the man announced his engagement on her bday and then told her to go wash the windows. He thinks that the best way to win her affection is to buy her a crap tonne of stupid expensive shoes and then is upset when she is upset about the events of the day and never really stands up for her. BUT the man pulled out some super sweet stops for her and was cute and adorable and exactly what you would see done in a romcom....so I can't make up my mind...

Farrow never really stands up for herself. She is so afraid to stand up to Zach and her stepsisters and her stepmom - as everyone walks all over her... but she does have a little spunk and bite and it almost feels like the type of aggression a homeless dog will have because it's been neglected its whole life and it doesn't know how to act when someone is nice to them...

I found the fencing plot and conspiracy a little crazy and ridiculous and I hated that the one person she had who was close to her outside of her fucked up life was using her like that...

The thing is, as much as there was a lot I hated - the book had this quality that kept me reading in the same way I want to watch a car crash... I couldn't put it down - even though it wasn't deep - it was still super addicting...

𝙏𝙧𝙤𝙥𝙚𝙨:
▶ Dual POV
▶ Who Did This To You?
▶ Strangers to Lovers
▶ Forbidden Romance
▶ Morally Grey MMC
▶ Interracial/Multicultural Romance
▶ Cinderella Retelling (Billionaire Romance/Rich GuyXPoor Girl)
▶ BossXEmployee

𝙈𝙞𝙘𝙧𝙤 𝙏𝙧𝙤𝙥𝙚𝙨:
▷ Hold on to the...
▷ Spicy/Steamy Water Scene
▷ Mine
▷ Good Girl
▷ Cages her with his arms

So really I dunno how to feel - I am going to read book 1 cause the characters of Dallas and Romeo intrigued me and too see how obsessed Romeo is towards Dallas and hearing the snippets of their story... I WANNA KNOW.... I also wanna know what happens in Oliver's book. So while this wasn't perfect it was filled with drama that will make any soap opera-loving girl happy while also having swoony moments and moments of stupidity... It kinda balanced itself out with the fact that the writing is addictive... and fast and quick to digest. So EVEN if the book kinda lies about what type it is - it's still readable... 

5 Can I Ask You A Question Stars ⭐
Spicy Level: 🌶️🌶️/5

I knew that from page one... No, actually I knew from the first sentence that I was going to like this.
By the end of chapter 2, I was in love and by the end of chapter 5... I WAS OBSESSED!

I finished this ages ago... and it's still the book I keep coming back to, thinking about, obsessing about and recommending to anyone who will listen to me for more than 5 seconds THAT THEY NEED TO READ THIS!!!

𝙎𝙮𝙣𝙤𝙥𝙨𝙞𝙨:
Four years ago Lilia Vespertine watched her mother commit suicide, or at least that is what everyone says to her is what happened. No one believes her when she says her mom was sick and infected with black worms Lilia saw crawling out of her when she died. Now haunted by the trauma, and determined to discover a cure for her mom's illness, Lilia is studying to be a scientist. When tasked to write a paper on a "make-believe illness" Lilia writes about the worms, which urns her a full scholarship to the mysterious and prestigious Dracadia University. The reason is the disease is very much real. It is called Noctisoma and is found nowhere else but on the island, the university is found on. Her knowledge of the disease sparks a few curious questions. Soon, she finds herself in very close proximity to Professor Devryck Bramwell, a brilliant and devastatingly hot pathologist in charge of the laboratory researching the disease. And something about Lilia Vespirtine keeps drawing Professor Bramwell in...

𝙏𝙝𝙤𝙪𝙜𝙝𝙩𝙨 𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙁𝙚𝙚𝙡𝙞𝙣𝙜𝙨:
Lillia is feisty, and she has a pretty hard exterior as she has grown up in a difficult environment, where life hasn't always been fortunate towards her, and even basic necessities have been difficult to come by. Her home life before leaving for Dracadia is just as difficult because while her mother's boyfriend is pretty ok, the company he keeps is very questionable, causing her to garner quite a bit of unwanted attention now that she is older.

I loved her tenacity, her curiosity and her metaphorical balls that she was able to question and challenge things and stand up for herself when she needed to. Her thirst for knowledge and her drive to try and understand it was really impressive. Having read a few books that contain a woman in STEM, I am often wary of the depiction as it often turns into a "sexist fest". I appreciated that this book didn't do that. She is given credit. She was never underestimated or had her ability diminished. Her sex wasn't held against her and I liked that it gave a very good representation of what a woman in STEM could look like. About the fact that she can be smart and brilliant and passionate and have a mind that makes her equal.

Professor Devryck Bradwell was definitely an interesting character and MMC. He was an absolute dick and arsehole which meant obviously I love him and he plays into the whole "I hate everyone, including her". He often likened Lilia to a virus, parasite and poison, that has crawled into his mind and infected him. He is not happy about her presence and he is really not happy about what her presence does to him. He is haunted by his own trauma. Scarred from being physically and emotionally abused by his parent, and dealing with his grief that he hasn't come to terms with in the years since he's lost his brother. He is a hard man, doesn't take shit and has this bad-boy persona that should not exist on a professor.

I'm not going to lie, when I first saw that a big part of this plot had to do with gross parasitic worms that remind me of leeches, especially since some of them have teeth, I was a little bit grossed out. BUT, the writing in this has such a compelling and alluring effect that I was absolutely addicted to its pages. The way that the science and the fantasy elements are blurred together, especially since the aspects of science were so rooted in fact, that it was almost impossible to discern what was real and what wasn't was brilliant!

You can see, no actually, YOU CAN FEEL that Keri Lake has done a lot of scientific research into this book because the terminology, methodology, examples and aspects she pulls from science is not just common knowledge. The tools, equipment and procedures used were spot on.

Do not be persuaded that this is long, because it will not feel this way. The book takes time to develop but its pacing felt right and gave the characters a chance to grow and develop feelings for each other. I do think the ending was a little fast though - especially for the reveals that came at the end.

𝙏𝙧𝙤𝙥𝙚𝙨:
▶ Dual POV
▶ Touch Her You Die
▶ Dark Academia
▶ Forbidden Romance
▶ Morally Grey MMC
▶ Tending to Injuries
▶ ProfessorXStudent
▶ Age Gap
▶ He is a Daddy Death

𝙈𝙞𝙘𝙧𝙤 𝙏𝙧𝙤𝙥𝙚𝙨:
▷ Hand Necklaces
▷ "Fuck It"

Overall I loved this! I am STILLL THINKING ABOUT IT! It sang to the scientist within me and made my happy place purr. ACTUALLY, lots of things in this book made my happy place purr. This is currently tied as one of the best books I have read this year.... so there is that... 

4.5 Fillet Knife Stars ⭐
Spicy Level: 🌶️🌶️🌶️🌶️/5

A Viking, A Billionaire and A Caveman walk into a bar... and no that's not a joke!!!!

This culmination of the series shows what a spectacular masterpiece this is and what a fantastic Author Pam Godwin is. I still cannot believe how intricately woven the plot was and how perfectly it was built together from the first word of book 1. The unexpected twists and turns I did not see coming, and the way the plot took my mind through a mental roller-coaster... I AM STILL REELING!

NOTE: This is the final book in the Frozen Fate series and cannot be read out of order. While I will try my very best to keep this spoiler-free, there might be spoilers for the previous books. If you don't want to see them, please stop reading. If you do it's either because you do not care about spoilers or you have already read book 1 and book 2... either way, if you spoil something for yourself - I tried to warn you...

𝙎𝙮𝙣𝙤𝙥𝙨𝙞𝙨:
Frankie and her boys, Leo and Kody are finally out of the frozen wilderness and back in society. Only now they have to learn how to readjust and survive in the modern world while dealing with their trauma, a stalker and Monty who is desperate to get his wife back (into his bed and heart).

𝙏𝙝𝙤𝙪𝙜𝙝𝙩𝙨 𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙁𝙚𝙚𝙡𝙞𝙣𝙜𝙨:
Wow! Just bloody wow. I sat in a stupor at the end of the book coming to terms that it's over...and what a fantastic ride it was. There are many things I loved about this book but I am going to touch on a few things that were exceptional standouts...

Firstly I loved how this showed that human relationships are not always black and white. People are not always good and evil, right or wrong or defined by their choices. People and their relationships can be a convoluted mix and mashup of thoughts, past interactions, history and connections. But most importantly they can be driven by emotion, and often emotions are the biggest factor causing a war with a mind and logic. All our characters are tested to their limits, emotionally challenged and forced to find a way for all their relationships to work in this new world. A new world that might be more dangerous than the one they escaped from.

I also liked that I inadvertently read a subgenre I don't like and enjoyed it. I don't typically read thrillers. I don't like that they make my heart race, give me anxiety, turn me into a nervous wreck and freak me the fuck out because I hate the unknown... EVEN THOUGH I HAVE A MASSIVE AVERSION TO THILLERS, I still loved this. While some of it might have been due to the spicy reprieve that was sprinkled in chapters, I actually loved the thrill of the chase! The mystery to closing off Denver's final riddle and trying to figure out who the stalker was, with all the unexpected twists and surprises (THANK GOD FOR ONE OF THEM) I LOVED IT! Yes, my heart rate was averaging 120bpm but I WAS ENJOYING IT! A genre I dislike!!! LIKE WHAT??? Again applauding Pam Godwin because she made me like something I WOULD NOT TYPICALLY PICK UP MYSELF. And not only that - she's made this series one of the best series I have ever read and WILL THINK ABOUT for a long long time!

It had this amazing element that it is not only an incredibly fast burn but also has a superbly spectacular slow burn. If you're a fan of either you're going to love it because you'll have your spice fix while also having the tension, the pull and slow buildup to that ultimate payoff.

I love that it was "Pro-Therapy". Everyone has been through an ordeal, they have unresolved issues and trauma and need to talk to someone to help them recover to be able to properly function in society. I appreciated that therapy and getting help for your issues was such a positive and prominent factor in this. Its presence in the book I believe helps remove aspects of the stigma around therapy because if three alpha males can do it...anyone can!

The boys: Monty, Leo and Kody each bring their own unique elements into the relationship and it was sweet to see how Frankie is the glue that holds them all together. But the relationship that builds and forms between them is also something magical. It's like a found family in their actual family because they have one seriously messed up family- tree... The way Monty changes from who he was perceived to be in book 1 into the brother he was at the end of this was such an amazing character arc! His kindness, sincerity, generosity and patience were amazing and I couldn't believe why I hated him so much in the beginning. Frankie was a brilliant FMC, she is so strong-willed, stubborn and a born survivor. Her resilience and tenacity are so admirable and her heart is so big and so full of love...

There are a couple of things that did detract a little from the story for me... The first is there are a lot of "pissing contests", which I know is expected if you put 3 alpha males in close proximity and ask them to play nice but it started getting a little annoying. This coupled with them seeing red and going all "animalistic" every time another man so much as looked at her started feeling repetitive. The first time was fine, it was cute how possessive they all were... the second time was ok too...but then it happened again, and again, and again. I was so happy when they finally started behaving like civilised adults.

The second is the weird change of pace. Book 1 and Book 2 see a lot of action that's often situations of life and death. It moves quickly. But this...not much happens - IT TOOK A SLOW DOWN where not much was happening and I had already read 300 pages. However, there was still enough to keep me hooked.

This book is rough, some of the scenes are disgusting, deplorable and very difficult to stomach - so please if you have a sensitivity to triggers I would make sure you are comfortable reading this before diving in...

𝙏𝙧𝙤𝙥𝙚𝙨:
▶ Multi POV
▶ Reverse Harem/Why Choose
▶ Band of Brothers
▶ Marriage in Trouble
▶ Touch Her You Die
▶ Stalker
▶ A Viking, A Billionaire and A Caveman

Overall I am so sad this series is finished. I grew so attached to these characters and their harrowing story and while my heart is happy to see how it ended I am going to miss them... but hopefully not too much....iykyk!!!!

Do yourself a favour, if you like psychologically dark romance or suspenseful thriller and ALSO LOVE some spice...this book (and series) will be perfect for you!

I swear this entire series be like...

Thank you to Pam Godwin for my gifted copy.
All thoughts and opinions are my own. 

4.5 Fecking Delightful Stars ⭐
Spicy Level: 🌶️.5/5

We tell ourselves these little lies, conversations held only in our internal dialogue that no one knows except yourself. This book was an actual representation of one of these conversations I often have...and there goes never telling anyone...

Note: This is an interconnected standalone which means, like me, you can read it without having read the previous two books...but obviously those romances HEA will be present in this...

𝙎𝙮𝙣𝙤𝙥𝙨𝙞𝙨:
I have always said that if anything bad happened in my life that left me completely alone, I would move to England and work in a pub. And while our main character doesn't necessarily go to England, she goes to Ireland. Maddie (Madison) has pulled out of her hospitality program and found out her "summer fling" who she thought was more, was cheating on her... afraid to tell her sisters she fleas to Ireland to plan the perfect road trip bachelorette for her sister. The best man (who lives in Ireland) is meant to help her, but he is avoiding her emails. But there is no way he can avoid her in person right? On her first night, she kisses a random stranger in the hallway of the pub she is staying above... turns out that stranger is none other than Patrick - the elusive best man... he also happens to own the pub and room she is staying in.

𝙏𝙝𝙤𝙪𝙜𝙝𝙩𝙨 𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙁𝙚𝙚𝙡𝙞𝙣𝙜𝙨:
There are just some books out there that speak to your soul. The book might not be perfect but, it just hits every little thing you want to see... This book was like that for me. It spoke to my soul.

Maddie doesn't know what she wants out of life when she arrives in Ireland. All she knows is the hotel business is not for her. Despite this, her personality is determined and spontaneous with this freeing sense of independence and freedom that can't make you do anything but smile and like her.

Patrick is textbook Grumpy in the GrumpyxSunshine dynamic and I LOVE IT! Sworn off dating after his ex messed him up, he very rarely doesn't have more than one encounter with a woman (aka he owns and bar and uses it as a hookup source for one-night stands). But there's just something about this feisty, smiley American woman that might speak to his soul. I love their dynamic together. I love how she slowly whittled away his tough exterior, and how she was able to thaw his frozen heart allowing him to experience life again and have fun. His coating mechanism was burying himself in his work, stuck in a rut and going with the motions pulling him in 50000 directions. I love that Maddie was able to help him reprioritize what he wanted and I love that she was there to support him. She recognised his silent cry for help, even though he couldn't see it himself. Their dynamic is everything a relationship should be. These two had their own, unique lives, but they just empowered each other to be greater. It was also sweet how this grumpy man just looked after Maddie and made sure she didn't kill herself more than once with her reckless behaviour...

What I found surprising is that I LOVED this book and it contained a trope that I typically don't like, the dreaded "third act breakup". While the characters had one I understood it's purpose and it worked for me in the story. Patrick needed to realise and reframe his priorities and realise he was miserable without Maddie. I didn't feel irritated that they broke up and I think that actually speaks to how much I loved this book because when one of my most hated tropes appears and I still rate it high... I think the book is brilliant...

ALSO there were sheep... the one on the cover was actually why I wanted to read this book because your girl is lowkey obsessed with sheep... I have a massive collection of stuffed toy sheep on my couch and they make me so happy... so the presence of Turtle and Kitty and all the sheep-inspired decor in this was AMAZING!

𝙏𝙧𝙤𝙥𝙚𝙨:
▶ Dual POV
▶ Irish Romance
▶ Strangers to Lovers
▶ BridesmaidXBest Man
▶ Small Town Romance
▶ GrumpyXSunshine
▶ He Fall's First
▶ Forced Proximity
▶ Workplace Romance
▶ Sheep Animal Companions

𝙈𝙞𝙘𝙧𝙤 𝙏𝙧𝙤𝙥𝙚𝙨:
▷ Good Girl
▷ View is Amazing (looking at her)
▷ "Out of our systems"
▷ Washes her hair and Plats her hair
▷ He Takes Care of Her after she's injured

Overall this was just sweet and wholesome, and it just made my soul tingle with all the little tropes and micro tropes. It was like the perfect romance tailored for me.

Thank you to Netgalley, Fox Hollow Publishing LLC and Chrissy Hopewell for the gifted copy.
All thoughts and opinions are my own 

4.5 Lieverd Stars ⭐
Spicy Level: 🌶️🌶️/5

“To the girls who see guns as potential sex toys, why stop there? It’s time to get laid while using a rifle”

Avina St. Graves has such a fantastic ability to make a short book feel so much better, so much more well-founded with a stronger character and plot foundation that I have seen in some books twice the length. Yes, Scorpion is pretty fast-paced but fuck me if I wasn't inhaling it like air, her words the literal thing keeping me alive.

𝙎𝙮𝙣𝙤𝙥𝙨𝙞𝙨:
When Zalak ("Zuh-luck") was 17, with plans to go to university and study political science while secretly dating her rich (white) best friend Mathijs ("Ma-tays") her controlling mother gave her a choice. Marry the man she has chosen - not Mathjis (because no daughter of hers will ever marry or be in a relationship with a white man) - or walk out the door and never come back. She chose to leave and left her life and Mathjis in the past. Now 10 years later, 2 years after being discharged from the Army following a tragic disaster that took the life of her best friend, as well as losing her sister in a tragic plane crash; our former sergeant Zalak (and one of the best Snipers in history) is one step away from being homeless with nothing to live for. That is until Mathjis comes back into her life with a proposition she cannot refuse. He needs a bodyguard, and who better than the only woman he has ever loved, the one that got away but the one he has never forgotten?

𝙏𝙝𝙤𝙪𝙜𝙝𝙩𝙨 𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙁𝙚𝙚𝙡𝙞𝙣𝙜𝙨:
Zalak my girl, GOSH my heart broke for her! She's lost everything! TWICE... her life and then everyone who ever mattered in it. She's utterly broken as life has not been kind to her. A shadow of herself tortured by her past and beyond traumatised from her experiences. She's volatile and feisty and while in the past she tried to shape herself into an actual lethal badass, now she's nothing but a shell of who she used to be. She is very proud, stubborn and doesn't like to accept help easily. I love that she chose to stand up for her morals and eventually wouldn't let anyone push her around or control who she is or the decisions she makes. But after all her trauma she is fragile, battling with survivor's guilt, PTSD, grief and emptiness at having nothing. She is exceptionally hard on herself and the standards she lives by to the point that any vulnerability or failure is not acceptable.

Mathjis is like the biggest green flag golden retriever MMC I have ever seen Avina write, I mean HE'S STILL GONNA HAVE LIKE 100 RED FLAGS BUT STILL.... While he does skirt on the side of organised crime and doesn't bat much of an eye when bullets fly, severed heads cross his path or someone is being tortured in front of him... with Z he is a literal sweetheart (almost SIMP). My HEART MELTED FOR THIS MAN! He was so sentimental, kind, CONSIDERATE and genuine. There is and has never been anyone for him but Zalak. Yes, he technically stalked her every move. But the pining and the longing and the fact that he looked after her and ensured she had everything she needed, both physically and mentally for her to heal from her trauma and PTSD was stunning!!! ABSOLUTE BEST BOOK BOYFRIEND material and the best man I think Avina has ever written!!! It also helps that he's basically a sexy Draco Malfoy that with one look will make your panties melt off and have you dying to listen to him when he says "Spread Those Legs" in his sexy Dutch Accent....

The relationship between Zalak and Mathjis was spectacular. He is extremely straightforward with her, to the point that even her logic cannot argue with his. Yet he's also so careful with her, knowing she's holding herself together with hopes and ducktape. He never takes her choice away and while he might manipulate their interactions to his favour (he often feels 10 steps ahead of Zalak), he is never seen as pushy or making her do something that she doesn't choose. He is a man of consent both sexually and out of the bedroom (though most of their intimate scenes seem to happen everywhere but between literal sheets). The banter between them had me squealing and kicking my feet at how funny, witty and quick their back and forth could be!

DO NOT BE FOOLED in thinking that because this is a "Novella-Not-Novella" (It's Short) it's not going to have elements of heavy! There is darkness in these pages that can be triggering and it's sometimes difficult to stomach and read, especially with regards to Zalak and see how she constantly breaks herself down and tortures herself to feel something because of how empty she feels.

𝙏𝙧𝙤𝙥𝙚𝙨:
▶ Forced Proximity
▶ Second Chance
▶ Dual POV
▶ Billionaire Romance
▶ Indian Girl X Dutch Boy
▶ Organised Crime
▶ Multiauthor Interconnected World
▶ Reverse Body Guard
▶ Black Cat X Golden Retriever Vibes

𝙈𝙞𝙘𝙧𝙤 𝙏𝙧𝙤𝙥𝙚𝙨:
▷ Gun Play
▷ Rolles Sleeves
▷ Mine

Ultimately BLOODY GOOD READ!!! While this is not my favourite Avina St. Graves Book (Deaths Obsession is still number 1), this came VERY VERY CLOSE to taking that spot on the podium because I loved it so much! It had everything I needed, plot, emotionally driven characters, steamy spice that was a little risque to make it exciting and one of the BEST MMC'S I HAVE READ ABOUT IN A LONG LONG TIME!!!!

Thank you to Avina St. Graves for my gifted copy.
All thoughts and opinions are my own. 

3 Glutton Stars ⭐
Spicy Level: 🌶️🌶️/5

So, no one is more disappointed than me in that I didn't like this because Rebecca F. Kenney is one of my favourite authors if not my ULTIMATE favourite. I absolutely adore her writing, her characters, her world-building, and her ability to just tell fantastical stories. But something about this just didn't hit the mark for me.

This is a Great Gatsby retelling.

𝙎𝙮𝙣𝙤𝙥𝙨𝙞𝙨:
Daisy has just gotten out of a long-term emotionally abusive relationship where her ex-boyfriend was cheating on her. To help her distract herself and entertain herself she finds herself at a lavish party with her close friend, who also happens to be a popular daredevil social media influencer. It turns out this party is hosted and paid for by Jay Gatsby, who happens to be her childhood best friend and almost sweetheart. They were never actually in a relationship, but they were definitely each other's first crushes and if they had stayed together would have developed into more. Daisy hasn't seen him since she was a teen. Turns out Jay has done all of this for Daisy (and by this I mean he established his extravagant wealth for her). He wants to rekindle their past relationship, but he has a secret... He also happens to be a vampire.

The Great Gatsby was never part of my prescribed reading. I think, because it's a very American novel, it's more likely to be covered in the American school curriculum, so I'm not the South African one... So I am NOT that familiar with the story outside of the Leonardo DiCaprio movie and one other "retelling" I have read. Therefore, I don't know how much of the character's portrayal was that of the "original" Jay and Daisy from The Great Gatsby, or if it was Rebecca F. Kenney's portrayal of these characters. But the one thing that I know from Rebecca F. Kenney's previous books, is that while she puts an excellent and unique spin on her retellings, she is often very true-to-the-original-story characterisation. But there lies the problem because I didn't like the characters of Jay or Daisy, and I DON'T KNOW IF I DON'T LIKE THEM BECAUSE THE ORIGINAL CHARACTERS ARE LIKE THAT OR IF IT WAS HER PORTRAYAL...

Specifically what I didn't like was this felt VERY insta-lovie. There is already a historical relationship between these two characters from when they were children. And now that they are older they have some unrepressed anger toward each other and slight animosity because Jay never reached out even though Daisy tried.... She feels like he just abandoned her, but she's also got these feelings that he was the one that got away, so very quickly forgives him for his silence. Jay is from the start obsessed with everything Daisy, she is his single-minded target and I didn't like that because insta-love is not one of the tropes that I particularly enjoy reading about. Their attraction didn't feel like it had a lot of merit and growth, because it was already there - so there was nothing to build up to...

Daisy is an interesting character because she does grow substantially in the book as she gains some of her self-confidence back, now that she is no longer with Tom. Initially, she is meek and quiet because she's been very much repressed and controlled by Tom. After her breakup, she discovers her independence as the story progresses and she becomes more comfortable with Jay.

I did expect a little more of a freak-out when she found out Jay was a vampire. The fact is THROWN onto her (so she didn't have the clues and buildup Bella'had in Twilight) and she's almost like "cool story bro". So that did seem a very abrupt change (the story felt almost contemporary up to this point when the change to supernational happened, it didn't have time to blend). And while it was a shock of a reveal, I think it needed more build-up... and then it needed to be expanded a bit more because the lore of supernatural beings isn't expanded on after. They are just "there"...

This is a single POV story (which I think might be one of the first times I've seen RFK do this - not counting the warlord book, since that was two books of either POV) so I don't know much about Jay except what is "shown" through Daisy's interactions with him. Jay is elusive and secretive. Very quick to anger and sometimes very immature...

𝙏𝙧𝙤𝙥𝙚𝙨:
▶ Childhood Best Friends
▶ Touch Her You Die
▶ Burn the world for you
▶ Second Chance Romance
▶ Friends to Lovers
▶ Obsessive MMC
▶ Billionaire Romance
▶ Hidden Powers
▶ Always been you
▶ Mine
▶ Vampires and "Sirens" (Voice Control things)

While there were some unexpected aspects of the plot - it very much followed the course of where I thought it would go. Overall I enjoyed this but it's not taking any of the top spots that previous books I have read by RFK currently hold.

Thank you to Netgalley, Dreamscape Media and Rebecca F. Kenney for the gifted audio copy.
All thoughts and opinions are my own