koistyfishy's reviews
362 reviews

4 Bratty Wildflower Stars ⭐️
Spicy level 🌶️🌶️.5/5

Wellllll crap on a cracker… or is it crack because that’s sure as heck what this book was filled with… utter trashy crack… and I couldn’t look away…

Fuck me…

I promised a FULL review to come, but then I read book 2 and DNF'ed it when nothing was happening and the book was going nowhere... So I decided I am not going to flesh it out AS MUCH AS I NORMALLY DO WITH MY REVIEWS...

Maybell is a nerdy super smart freshman at Oakmount University/College and when she rescues someone being bullied in the library she piques the interest of Drew and lands herself smack damn in the middle of his Radar. Drew, the current head of the Elite, a secret society at the university wants to hunt her down and claim his pretty little wallflower and make her scream. He wants to own her and pretty soon becomes obsessed. When his Elite society hosts "The Hunt" event, Maybell's best friend urges her to join as she needs the money and if she wins, she gets a $25k payout. The only thing is Drew REALLY LIKES TO HUNT....

What should be noted is I was GUSHing about this book. Drew is everything you DO NOT WANT in real life... which means he is the perfect alphahole book boyfriend with dosen's of red flags. I kept thinking he was what I WANTED to see in Killian in God of Malice because his "dark" kept growing. He kept doing heinous things and he does not understand no for an answer, like it is NOT in his vocab. He is a bully (but let's face it, I was reading this because he was a bully who was going to chase her through the woods and then have his way with her).

It gave me everything my DARK ROMANCE heart adored, the delicious spice that might or might not have been slightly dubious. We had the Rich boy and Poor Girl who was super submissive and shy but at times could also be super feisty and pull out the sass when she needed to.

Both Drew and Maybell have a lot of trauma to deal with, both on the page and from historical events - so it's not always easy to read and at times, as much as you wanted to hate Drew for his horrific actions, what he went through and the abuse he faced, you couldn't help but root for him.

There were twists and turns and SO MUCH DRAMA that I couldn't look away! It was unexpected, riveting and equivalent to a rollercoaster - where I didn't know up from down...

𝙏𝙧𝙤𝙥𝙚𝙨:
▶ Dual POV
▶ Enemies to Lovers
▶ Touch Her You Die
▶ Primal Play
▶ Non-Con/Dub Con
▶ Stalking
▶ Psychopath MMC
▶ Secrety Society
▶ Collage Romance (Football Romance)
▶ Virgin FMC

𝙈𝙞𝙘𝙧𝙤 𝙏𝙧𝙤𝙥𝙚𝙨:
▷ Hand Necklaces
▷ Good Girl
▷ Cages her with his arms
▷ "Not God...Me"
▷ Mine
▷ Chin Lift
▷ Brat

Overall I ACTUALLY had a great time with this... it played into my favourite Dark Romance Tropes and made me happy... It ended on a cliff =hanger and then I read book 2... and if felt like 2 different books - So I don't know how to recommend this because THIS IS A GOOD BOOK... but then if you get invested...

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I blame my bestie penguin for sending me on a scavenger hunt trying to find out who the cover model is… while I still don’t know the answer (seriously authors put your models in the info section) in my quest for answers I downloaded this…
 

3 It was the Plant Stars ⭐
Spicy Level: 🌶️🌶️.5/5

So I have been sitting on this review for a long time because I really don't know how to review it...

This is book 2 in the Below Deck series and while it could "technically" be read as a standalone, I would HIGHLY recommend that you read book 1, More than Shipmates first. It sets the foundation of who Tom is and gives insight into a lot of his backstory that isn't really explained in this. It also gives you a front-row scene of what happened between him, Eliza and Oscar. It was sweet that Philippa Young included a summary of Book 1 at the start. I hardly see authors do this and IT HELPS SO MUCH.

𝙎𝙮𝙣𝙤𝙥𝙨𝙞𝙨:
It's been a few months since the end of More Than Shipmates and Tom has become famous on TikTok/Insta (The app is not exactly clear but it's ONE OF THESE). The problem is he doesn't know much about social media management and doesn't know how to cope with his sudden stardom after going viral. Gemma (Who is going by "Megan") is Oscar's little sister, and she has escaped to work on the ship after a PR disaster on a dating show. The first night Tom is back on board he is immediately drawn to Gemma Megan but knows that she is off limits because she is Oscar's sister and Oscar already doesn't like him... But one night the two end up together and "experiment" and can't keep their hands off each other. So when it's suggested to them that "Megan" help Tom with his social media - how long will the two be able to resist each other?

𝙏𝙝𝙤𝙪𝙜𝙝𝙩𝙨 𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙁𝙚𝙚𝙡𝙞𝙣𝙜𝙨:
The spark that was there in Book 1 was missing. We hardly see Gemma's POV as most of the book is in Tom's POV - this was a refreshing change since most books are always predominately FMC-focused. But even when we are in Gemma's POV you hardly get to learn who she is as a character. The big faux pax she did that made her run away is so "secretive" even in her own POV that for almost all of the book you're wondering what would have been so bad for people to want to cancel her... that when the reveal happens, it felt lacklustre.... Do not get me wrong, the treatment of her was appalling and it's sad that people think they can treat "celebrities" that way... but she just felt very surface level as we weren't given her processing and dealing with the incident and showing us the nitty gritty details. It verged on at the end of being "told" in a quick chapter basically to having the whole "trauma" laid out to the reader from the start.

Secondly, WHERE WAS TOM AND ELIZA'S FRIENDSHIP???? All that cute PLATONIC banter and friendship they developed after she started dating Oskar was just poof, gone. They hardly interact with each other and when they do it feels stilted and weird...and considering she is his supposed "best friend", when he hardly sees, speaks or interacts with her felt off... We see more of the bromance between Jack and him than his friend. And don't get me wrong I love Jack and I cannot wait to see what happens in his book - his involvement in the relationship between Tom and Gemma was monumental and unmatchable...and he is such a good friend to both of them... but like he's not the one the story keeps saying is his best friend... -_-

I loved that Tom grew into a little reformed Man Whore and was so sweet to Gemma and HE IS THE KING OF CONSENT and making a woman feel pressured. When he saw our scared, nervous and innocent Gemma and his willingness to take it so slow with her... it was adorable even if the slow burn to the eventual payout was tortuous bliss...

𝙏𝙧𝙤𝙥𝙚𝙨:
▶ Dual Pov
▶ Forced Proximity
▶ Hidden Identity
▶ Best Friend's Boyfriend's Sister
▶ Social Media Coach
▶ Roommate Sharing is Caring
▶ Voyeurism
▶ Social Media Celebrity Romance
▶ Use Me
▶ Fast Burn to SLOW BURN

Overall I didn't hate this...I was disappointed given how much I loved More than Shipmates. This series is fun to read and the naughty antics this crew get up to are on par with ANY REALITY TV DATING SHOW... It's addictive, enticing and unputdownable...

I will DEFINITELY be reading book 3.... 

4 Honey Stars ⭐
Spicy Level: 🌶️🌶️/5

This is one of my most anticipated books of 2024 and while I absolutely loved it and LOVED the fact that this was the culmination of everything that we've been gearing towards; namely that epic war between the Fates, Elves, Nymphs and Humans... I can't help but be a little disappointed.

PREPARE FOR A LONG ONE... It's what you get when it's the final book in one of my all-time favourite series...

TL;DR - Read this series! She is good.

NOTE: This is the final book in the Fate and Flame series and cannot be read out of order. 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 the previous books...

If you're like me and you read this book exactly a year ago and also happened to read about 100 books in between, I would highly recommend that you go back to book 3 and read the last 15%. (If you do not do a full reread of course). It reminds you about where we are in the story and what events happened to lead to the start of Book 4, as this picks up immediately after the events of Book 3.

𝙎𝙮𝙣𝙤𝙥𝙨𝙞𝙨:
Where we find our characters...
1. Queen Neilina is Dead and Romeria finds herself another throne and she has dragons as "pets"
2. Malachai and Sophie are back, with Malachai possessing Elijah's Body.
3. The blood curse has been lifted and everyone who was affected no longer craves blood to survive
4. Atticus is missing and presumed dead.
5. Tyree has kidnapped Annika and after a mutiny by the captain who sailed them out of Cirilea, they find themselves transported by Sirens to a distant land
6. War is coming with new and tenuous alliances formed to face the eventual battle against a Fate.

𝙏𝙝𝙤𝙪𝙜𝙝𝙩𝙨 𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙁𝙚𝙚𝙡𝙞𝙣𝙜𝙨:
Wow, talk about taking the world-building to a whole new level. While the world and the lore were already pretty well formed (given that you have had the three books which were able to lay the foundation and flesh it out right from the start) there is a new notch it is taken to. We see more about the Nymphs and who or what they are. We discover a whole kingdom thought to be myth (and that is not Ulysede), we unpack more of the Queen for All's prophecy and we learn more about who the Fates are and their vindictive and spiteful nature. I loved how seamless the introduction of the Nymphs was to the story and applauded the foundation that has been built to their entry. You can see and feel the care and meticulous plotting and planning K.A. Tucker has done from the start to flesh out this series from the start of book 1.

I really loved that Romeria challenged Xander a little little bit more in this. I always felt that she was too quick to just let him bully and dominate her with his opinion in the previous books, so now that she is a Queen and his equal (actually higher as she has two kingdoms and Zander technically has "none"). It was the growth I needed to see her.

If you do not like books with political intrigue, this is not the book for you. There is A LOT OF POLITICS and discussions and negotiations and conferences that all have a "political nature", from kingdom negotiations to treaties to deals across nations and realms. IF this is not something you enjoy... BUT this is book 4 - it's not that much different to the politics in those and if you read those you already know what you are getting yourself into...

This book does take a turn into dark... even more dark than I think the previous books and almost all of this is seen through Sophie's POV and her interactions with Malechai. He is cruel, twisted and vindictive. A manipulative and violent bastard. His presence and actions take this fantasy into realms of uncomfortable and disturbing. All I wanted was for him to die a slow, painful and agonising death for the abuse and treatment of Sophie and everyone around him.

I ADORED that this introduced another romance. Zander and Romy are already together, Attitus and Gracen had their moment in book 3... THIS IS ALL ABOUT THE INCREDIBLE TRANSITION from enemies to lovers between Tyree and Annika. Their banter and bickering were superb, their attraction magnetic and explosive and the push and pull between the two of them was absolute perfection. I kept finding myself wanting to go back to their chapters because the tension between the two of them is what romantasy is made of! That epic culmination of when will they finally come together and how explosive will it be. I will NEVER LOOK AT HONEY THE SAME WAY AGAIN!

One of the main problems I have on why this was a little disappointing is that the pace felt a little off. The beginning was incredibly slow, and because there are so many points of view, (Something very often seen in more traditional fantasy than general romantic) you're dividing your time amongst different people's points of view. So the story moves slowly because you're only shown a small little bit at a time, and just when something gets exciting from one point of view, you are thrown into another person's perspective, and you have to read a whole bunch of chapters before you go back to that part of the story you really want to see (mostly Tyree and Annika), and this happens a lot.

Now while it felt like those first ~75 chapters took a while to get through, then everything just speeds up really, really quickly and feels like the ending is very rushed. The book kind of resolves itself only in the last 10%, and for something that has built up to such a big conclusion and has taken so long to get there, to just resolve it that quickly felt very anticlimactic. It felt unfair to everything that these characters have been through and how they developed to have it over in a couple of sentences...

The ending also only has one POV "epilogue" of Romy, which sums up all the other characters, and I would have loved to see a little bit more of their endings, especially since we have grown and travelled with them and their POV's from the start.

And finally what REALLY disappointed me was there were so many things that were not wrapped up. Given that this is the last book, I don't know if I'll ever have answers. There are rumours that there will be a spin-off, but it's probably going to take an entire year for that to get written, and it's going to follow a different character (HOPEFULLY JAREK and LUCRETIA) so I don't know if I'm going to get that "pretty resolution bow" on everything that I wanted.

My list of unanswered questions:

❃ How did her parents come through the nulling? It was mentioned that they "probably died", but not everybody who dies goes through the nulling. Or did I just forget that part of the lore being mentioned in a previous book because it WAS NOT reinforced in this book?
❃ Gracen and Atticus's relationship is DOOMED. They have broken the blood curse, the one thing that could have made her immortal so he didn't have to watch her as a human die of old age while he didn't age a day over "thirty". That seems incredibly unfair for a couple that has gone through so many troubles and trials to be together to have such a short life in the land of immortals.
❃ How did the Sirens get them halfway across the world? Was there a wormhole that they went through? They were on the West Coast, and then all of a sudden they ended up on the East Coast? Or do I just not know how to read a map? Is the world round so it wraps around so the "west of the map is connected to the east?" Because that's the only way I can understand how you can go from the West Coast to the East Coast almost instantaneously.
❃ Why was there such a big deal made about never summoning the Fates again and then having it just left hanging in the end...

Now for the "General Discussion" on other things I didn't like....
1. Jarek deserves so much better. THE STORY WAS hinting, I mean there were all the signs that the relationship between her and Jarek was going to get cleared up NICELY. There were so many moments in the previous books where I almost wanted her to end up with Jarek as he was so much more devoted to her. I loved the banter between them, and I loved how close the two got together. But it just felt incredibly mean and selfish of Romy to lead him on. He just seemed to be the punchline to every joke and seemed to get the short end of every stick. I'm really hoping that he's the main character of the spin-off series, because I want him to have his happy ever after, and I want him to meet his soulmate, even if it is Lucretia.
2. Aspects of the plot that just felt awfully convenient, like eye-rollingly convenient.

I am mostly speaking about the fact that Annika and Tyree end up at the exact place that Aiofe is and at the exact moment when they're about to die they get rescued. Also, what was the point of all the speculation about where Aoife is for her to basically be dead in a cave? SHE WAS THE BIGGEST CHEKOVS GUN I HAVE EVER SEEN. It felt very frustrating that it could have been such a big culmination between the Fates fighting each other but it was over in a split second.

But as much as I'm complaining, I'm complaining because I love this series so much. I adored being back in Islor. I adored being back with these characters. I loved watching them grow, make mistakes, and redeem themselves and I suffered through all their trials and tribulations. I wanted them all to succeed (except Malachi and Sophie.)

𝙏𝙧𝙤𝙥𝙚𝙨:
▶ Multi POV
▶ Epic Fantasy
▶ Touch Her You Die
▶ Burn The World For You
▶ Meddling Gods
▶ Elves, Humans, Dragons, Demons and Nymphs
▶ Intricate Worldbuilding with Elemental Magic
▶ Prophecy
▶ Political Intrigue
▶ Enemies to Lovers
▶ One Bed/One Horse

I keep saying to anybody who will listen to me that this series is one of my ALL TIME FAVOURITES. It has played a big role in the definition of who I am as a reader. It has shaped my taste and what I love seeing in a book. It literally has everything I look for, from the characters to the world-building, to the plot, to the magnificent writing. It's because of this, that I'm a little bit harsh, because I have grown with the series. I have read it for three years, and I'm so sad that it's over, but I can't wait to see what K.A. Tucker comes out with next.

Thank you to K.A Tucker and Valentine PR for my gifted copy.
All thoughts and opinions are my own. 

3.5 Virago Stars ⭐
Spicy Level: 🌶️/5

It's sometimes really difficult to read a book my friends swear by and love. I know I'll feel bad if I don't feel the same way and it makes it super difficult to review the book. BUT I am going to stand true to what I feel and believe irrespective of what my friends feel because I know what works for one person will not always work for another person.

There are a few things that I look for when I am reviewing and book but ultimately I REVIEW FOR ME... My level of enjoyment and what I take out of the book. I'm not going to let other people sway my opinion or influence how I feel about something just because we happen to not align.

Now I'll step off my soap box

𝙎𝙮𝙣𝙤𝙥𝙨𝙞𝙨:
I really battled to get into this. It was a struggle. I almost had to force myself to pick it up because there was something in the story that was just not gripping me. It follows a mute girl, Raina, who has this goal to kidnap and kill The Witch Collector; who, eight years ago, stole her sister for The Frost King. Every year a witch with great power is chosen and fetched by The Witch Collector and they are never seen again. Unknown to her there is a war breaking out between kingdoms, with The Prince of the East trying to overthrow the Frost King of the North. Soon a horrific battle occurs on her doorstep and in that battle, our little mute girl doesn't end up killing The Witch Collector; she saves his life. Now the two find themselves on a quest to protect the Frost King and her sister.

𝙏𝙝𝙤𝙪𝙜𝙝𝙩𝙨 𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙁𝙚𝙚𝙡𝙞𝙣𝙜𝙨:
One of the biggest problems with this is that despite it being an amazing enemy-to-lovers transition and despite me loving "journey-type" books, the world-building is VERY COMPLICATED and with the introduction and initial explanation of how things worked was VERY convoluted and almost bordering on info-dumpy.

I didn't grasp it right at the beginning. I wasn't sure what was going on; I wasn't sure what was current lore versus old lore and what was just historical fact. Whilst it does get easier to understand the more and more you read, and luckily in the end it makes sense, in the beginning, I felt a little confused and no book should make you hope if I go with the flow it will get better.

I have to give it to Charissa Weaks, the magic system is REALLY cool. I loved how the "Witches" were more traditional sorcerers than what you would call witches, the way each person's magic ability works was unique and refreshing!

I did like Raina. She didn't let her disability stop her, and while she knows she is traditionally disadvantaged compared to the other witches and has constantly been overlooked because she seemingly has "no power". This has been her greatest strength and her greatest weapon because she is invisible, and doesn't have a voice, people don't see the powerhouse and threat she can be and how she is not somebody who can be trifled with. She stands up for what she believes in, she is strong, she is determined and she is a fighter.

The representation and implementation of how her disability was handled were done really well. It was super clear when people were talking, it was clear when people were signing and that aspect of the book did not seem like a struggle to read. It was natural to read which I think is a perfect metaphor for how it should be, no ease at all no matter the differences in communication.

Alexus, my god, jeez, he goes through a lot of shit. The amount of times he nearly dies and is injured or is in pain IS ASTOUNDING. He must have a pain threshold five times the amount of a normal person because he is stabbed multiple times, and while he is healed... he doesn't let the stabbing or any injury inconvenience or dissuade him. It's just ridiculous, this poor man!

The relationship between Alexus and Raina is kind of strange because if you put the exact relationship on a timeline they go from mortal enemies to lovers within 12 days. But in terms of the pacing of the book, everything they go through together and how they slowly connect it's still a "slow burn". There is the right amount of sexual tension and waiting before the real romance happens. I also loved that he was able to communicate with her in Sign and it being one of the main reasons she started to trust him. It was just cute how the two grew a bond of love in the constant dangers they kept being forced into.

𝙏𝙧𝙤𝙥𝙚𝙨:
▶ Forced Proximity
▶ Dual POV
▶ Broody MMC and Badass and Feisty FMC
▶ Enemies to Lovers
▶ Slow Burn
▶ Intricate Magic System
▶ Burn the World for You
▶ Touch Her/Him You Die
▶ Knife to the Throat (FMC to MMC)
▶ Age Gap
▶ Mute/Sign Langauge Representation
▶ One Bed and One Horse

All in all, I'm pretty interested in continuing the story. The ending with the cliffhanger was pretty cool, and it was a very compelling start to a decent fantasy series. As much as I had a few problems with the slow uptake in understanding the world-building, by the end of it I was thoroughly invested. 

3.5 Cheezus Stars ⭐️
Spicy Level 🌶️🌶️.5/5

This entire review is dedicated to Blake Riley...

I think this book taught me not to judge a character by their first impression because if I trusted my first impression, I might have found myself angry with my inner feminist going holy fuck can this guy stop it? He is bordering on the line of sexual harassment and it IS NOT CUTE!!!

But if you give him a little time, he might make you love him. Because I officially love Blake Riley....

𝙎𝙮𝙣𝙤𝙥𝙨𝙞𝙨:
Jess is planning her little brother's wedding and she needs it to be perfect because she needs to prove to her family she can do something right. But the universe has thrown a little spanner in her plans in the form of Blake, who she had a magical one-night stand with and he wants to rekindle their explosive flame but she cannot be distracted as this wedding must be perfect!

𝙏𝙝𝙤𝙪𝙜𝙝𝙩𝙨 𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙁𝙚𝙚𝙡𝙞𝙣𝙜𝙨:
See the thing about Blake is that he's the fun guy. Everybody describes him as fun because he adds laughter, joy and enthusiasm into life. He just brings this charismatic spark to everything. But also does this as a defence mechanism. The cliche "Just because he is smiling doesn't mean he is happy". He is hurt and trying to deal with a very messy breakup that has affected who he is and who he is to his family. He portrays himself as this happy-go-lucky guy, pushing the "fake it till you make it" not allowing his emotions to surface. That is until Jess enters his life and makes him start to deal with his issues and how he has been dealing with them.

This IS WHY this book was so eye-opening, as I mentioned at the start, I really didn't like him. He came on way too strong and as much as Jess was telling him no; he kept pushing to the point that he was annoying and very juvenile. It gave off a popular frat boy mentality with his cockiness, arrogance and confidence as "he always gets the girl" and he WILL get her no matter how cheesy, corny or pushy he is.

BUT...to see his development and THE ACTUAL CHARACTER as the story progresses was something else. He has intricate layers underneath his smile, that show he is so much more than what his first perception. His personality is so deep, and his generosity, kindness and heartfelt actions were adorable. He is so sentimental that it is JUST FLIPPING CUTE how genuine and sincere he is. Every little thing that he did, whether he was doing it for Jamie or Wes or Jess, it was just so special. The man has a heart of gold and he wears it on his sleeve. I swooned way too many times at everything that he did and as I kept reading realised how good-natured and kind-hearted he is as all his little good deeds and actions were revealed.

I also loved that he didn't do any of these things for recognition and praise. He is a Hockey Star - he gets enough praise on the rink so doesn't need it; it was really beautiful to see that he wanted to help and do good, just because he is a good guy and likes doing it.

Now I know I might have already known this about his personality before but I didn't. I haven't read Him or Us so this was my first introduction to Black Riley... AND I JUDGED HIM WAY TO HARSHLY!!

I feel like by the end of this I was his biggest cheerleader!

𝙏𝙧𝙤𝙥𝙚𝙨 and 𝙈𝙞𝙘𝙧𝙤 𝙏𝙧𝙤𝙥𝙚𝙨:
▶ Forced Proximity
▶ Second Chance (Folling ONS)
▶ Dual POV
▶ Hockey Romance
▶ Golden Retriever MMC
▶ Brother's Best Friend
▶ Touch Her You Die
▶ He Falls First
▶ Sarcastic MMC
▶ Cages Her With His Arms
▶ Fake Dating

Overall if you want a sweet little cute Hockey Romance where you will have the bestest best good boy golden retriever MMC - READ THIS!

Thank you to Netgalley, SOURCEBOOKS Bloom Books, Sarina Bowen and Elle Kenney for the gifted copy. All thoughts and opinions are my own 

3.5 Tumultuous Stars ⭐
Spicy Level: 🌶️.5/5

I was so excited for this, and I can't help but be a little disappointed. I feel like I've been edged to the worst extreme by the book and the cliffhanger. Holly teased and played with me and my emotions and while there was some relief, the book ended way too soon leaving me wanting. Wanting more book, wanting more plot, wanting more Dacre, wanting more action... just wanting MORE!!!!

NOTE: This is a sequel to The Veiled Kingdom and cannot be read out of order, so there might be spoilers for book one in here. 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... either way if you spoil something for yourself from book 1 - I did warn you....

This kicks off directly after the events at the end of The Veiled Kingdom. After being thoroughly used by Dacre and her identity revealed, Verena is on the run. She is desperate to get South to finally escape the Kingdom. BUT She is being hunted, as the name suggests she is being hunted by the king's men, who somehow now know she's on the run. And she's being hunted by Dacre and his father. Dacre's father desperately wants to get his hands on Verena to use her as a bargaining chip against the King. As a result, Dacre needs to deal with the dilemma of does he support his father's cause (which we know from book 1 was ALREADY on a rocky slope) or follow his heart and protect Verena at all costs - he only has to get her to forgive him first...

Look, this was a filler book and it's blatantly clear that is what it is... The pacing of this was a little off. 50% was tooo slow with not much happening except "travelling" and then it rushed through the end as everything kicked up into overdrive and went a little whack. The next thing I knew I was at 80% and I was dreading the end because as much as not much had happened, I was enjoying the crap out of myself. I didn't want it to end because then it would be over and I'd have to wait months again for the next book. Months for my next fix of Verena... MONTHS OF WAITING FOR MORE OF DACRES DIRTY MOUTH.

Holly Renee did say that the book is short, but I remember The Veiled Kingdom being pretty short as well and she managed to pack a serious punch in that story with plot, world-building, characterisation and vibes. This one was lacking on all of these... the characters didn't seem to grow much in this and Dacre lost a bit of his spark from book 1. He had such a deliciously dirty mouth in book 1 and turned generic in this... I could have plucked his dirty talk out of any book with smut... I expected more grovelling and a little more "fight" from Verena based on how her heart was stepped on and abused at the end of book 1. The only character that grew was Dacre's dad and he grew into an even bigger asshole than before and should suffer a very painful death!

I battled a little bit with the world-building and how the world is made up. I don't understand the magic system as it's something that was never really gone into detail to explain. The world also felt the size of a shoebox. "News" travels too quickly and she encounters her pursuers way too frequently and quickly for someone who is alone and can easily slink into miles of forest.

But I have to give it to Holly Renee, she knows how to entertain. I devoured this book - inhaled the pages and I thoroughly enjoyed being back in the world and seeing these characters again. I think the fact that she made me love them so much in Book 1, is why I was slightly disappointed in book 2...because I have to now wait for book 3.

The Tropes and Microtropes to look forward to are:
▶ Second Chance Enemies to Lovers
▶ Slow Burn
▶ Touch Her/Him You Die
▶ View is Amazing (Looking at Her)
▶ She Stabs Him
▶ One Bed
▶ Spicy/Steamy Bath Scene
▶ Cages her with his arms
▶ Hand Necklaces

▶ Fated Mates

Basically, READ THIS... While it's short, it's entertaining and if you loved The Veiled Kingdom this is a great little read to whet your appetite for the ultimate epic conclusion coming in book 3!!!

STAR WORD FACT: Holly Renee used TUMULTUOUS 5 times in this book...

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

3.5 Solnishko Stars ⭐️
Spicy level 🌶️🌶️.5/5

I am struggling to figure out how I feel about Wicked Serve.
Was it good? Yes.
Is it going to be the first hockey romance that I'd recommend if someone asks me for a Hockey Romance recommendation? No.
BUT that is because of a very specific nuance as it didn't necessarily contain my happy tropes but that might not be the same for other people.

𝙎𝙮𝙣𝙤𝙥𝙨𝙞𝙨:
So Isabelle Callahan and Nicolai Volkov had a magical summer fling while Izzy worked as a Wedding Planner Intern for Nikolai's mother. The two "agree" to call it off at the end of summer because they go their separate ways—her back to Mckee University and Nikolai back to his university. While Izzy told her friends about their fling, she kept this secret from her family, because Nicolai happens to be the Hockey Captain at his school and he may have said some antagonising smack talk to Izzy's brother on the Ice during a match... you see Izzy's brother happens to be McKee's Hockey Captain. Lo and behold, Nikki boy gets expelled protecting somebody else and winds up at Mckee University. And soon all those feelings of coulda, woulda, shoulda bubble to the surface as the two can barely keep their hands off of each other. But they still need to keep it secret because she's supposed to be focusing on her volleyball career and he should not be making things hard on the Hockey Team.

𝙏𝙝𝙤𝙪𝙜𝙝𝙩𝙨 𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙁𝙚𝙚𝙡𝙞𝙣𝙜𝙨:
The first thing that put me off right from the start is that there is already an established relationship between the two. They already have very strong feelings for each other and the attraction doesn't have to form Now I am typically more of a person who likes it when there is more of a fight or delay in the romance "payoff". I like it when there is a bit of fight, angst and tension. They have spent an entire summer together learning who the other person is (off-page as a prequel to the story) and since the start of school are now coming to terms with the fact that they have been miserable without each other.

The second thing that kind of missed was the micro conflicts of the story didn't seem to be that big of a deal or could have too easily been solved by having an open honest conversation. The "hockey rivals"big climactic fight it was teasing didn't play out massively, her volleyball thing followed a predictable path. It just felt like there wasn't any BIG conflict that needed to be solved until the VERY END.

The third - And I am not going to "beat around the bush"... I like fluffy and smutty romances and this whilst having some elements of smutty, this had more emotional elements than fluff. I have realised that unless I am in the right headspace for emotional (as I do enjoy some of them) I am not going to enjoy it and it's almost a disservice to the book. This book deals heavily with the effects of trauma and PTSD and what unrepressed issues can trigger later on in life. Nikolai has never really dealt with his past and has almost "swept his issues under the rug". But now he cannot push his abusive father away and has panic attacks every time he talks to him. Izzy has serious imposter syndrome in her family and feels inferior to all her superstar brothers and everything they have accomplished. She cannot be a disappointment. Overall this was just a little HEAVY... But if you are the type that loves emotionally driven stories around trauma this WILL BE GREAT for you!

Lastly is their relationship (while already established) seemed to lack a little chemistry. I felt like they were always fighting, or walking on eggshells around each other or one of them (mostly Nicolai) was pushing the other away because they didn't want to deal with the emotional vulnerability wall they had erected. There were a lot of times when conflict avoidance and running away from issues was the "best" approach and there would be silence and "I haven't heard from them in days". Due to this, it was like we not only got a 1st act breakup but also a 3rd act break... (they weren't broken up but some soul was searching and "finding myself"). A lot of the book they are not together and dealing with the consequences of being miserable apart...but elements of taking so long to open just felt unhealthy... BUT I MEAN - PEOPLE CAN DEAL WITH TRAUMA HOW THEY WANT!

𝙏𝙧𝙤𝙥𝙚𝙨:
▶ Forced Proximity
▶ Summer Fling Second Chance
▶ Dual POV
▶ Hockey Romance
▶ Trauma Bonding
▶ Found Family
▶ Univerity/College Romance

𝙈𝙞𝙘𝙧𝙤 𝙏𝙧𝙤𝙥𝙚𝙨:
▷ Good Girl
▷ Dirty Talk
▷ Spicy/Steamy Water Scene
▷ "Out of our Systems"
▷ Hockey Jersey "Heat" - he goes feral seeing her in his jersey

Overall, I can see why this would appeal to some people. I would recommend it if you were looking for a sweet emotionally driven hockey romance that gives you vibes of a "friends to lovers" slightly forbidden romance... Overall I had a good time, I didn't have a great time. Wicked stuff!

Thank you to Valentine PR, Netgalley, Avon and Harper Voyager, and Grace Reilly for my gifted copy! All thoughts and opinions are my own. 

4 Gutter Rat Stars ⭐️
Spicy Level: 🌶️🌶️🌶️🌶️/5

There is something about Jescie Hall’s writing that has the innate ability to draw you in and keep you. She is magical at creating dark sick and twisted characters that no matter how vile and despicable their actions you still can't help but fall for their charms...

Green Light is no different. Montana is trying to set her life right, with a stable boyfriend and having managed to snag the cello first chair at a prestigious orchestra. But that's only the life she shares with the world. Underneath she has a dark secret, previously being an underage camgirl on the dark web and now desperate for money she auditions for a porn agency. She needs to be close to the university for practice but after being told by her father that unfortunately, she cannot move into his house as it will upset the balance of his new marriage, he arranges for her to move in with her new step-brother, Shane, and his friends... the problem... the agent who she slept with at that audition is none other than her stepbrother - who is determined to ruin her life.

Both Montana and Shane are one of the most deviously deceptive and manipulative characters I have ever read about. The layers of their manipulation run super deep into the plot and I often did not see the unexpected consequential twists and turns of their actions, which meant I was constantly kept at the edge of my seat pondering what the fuck these two would do next.

Montana plays on both sides of the tipsy turvy split between being dominant and submissive. She knows when to show teeth, push back and be a bratty little bitch. She has needed to develop a thick skin in order to survive the years of abuse from her mother's drug dealer, the neglectful love of her mother whist needing to be the responsible one in their relationship. But she also very easily susceptible to Shane and his "orders". Often taking the road of not struggling or challenging him, as it's easier to just submit to what he wants over fighting.

Shane is unhinged, a true puppet master playing chess when everyone else is playing checkers. But he is filled with anger and hate and all of this is directed at Montana because she hurt him, hurt him to the point that he didn't know if he would survive. He is obsessed with Montana, he is possessed by everything Montana and his vindictive and vile nature just wants her to suffer. She will have no success at this life she has tried to crawl out of, constantly pushing her down to be that gutter rat that he thinks she is.

Their relationship is toxic. It's violent and explosive and problematic. The types of extremes you see in a couple found in Tarentino Movies. They bond in trauma and match each others darkness. A perfect fit for the others psycho. They start by hating each other but are both so sexually attracted and drawn to each other, both by their present and past history that they cannot stay apart. Shane wants to use and break her and this feeling is addictive that soon Montana craves this connection. They will burn the world down for each other (literally) and will smile while watching it crumble.

The spice in this was definitely exciting and edging, leaving you wanting more and more after each encounter! But It also delivers epic mineblowingly explosive scenes that were literal perfection in their kink and dark. They are not romantic, they are dirty, violent and rough... but let's face it if you're reading a dark romance, that's exactly what you want.

Small little things I loved were that this pulled on an element of the only fan" plot and played into it well but also gave it a unique spin you won't see coming. Then their was the band of brothers who all lived in the House. Shane, Sigh and Weeter were such a good dynamic that shows you can find your people in the dark. I loved how they all looked out for each other and were able to openly have conversation around "checking yourself before wreaking yourself".

My one problem with Green Light is that it is very "Dear Diary" in both the dialogue as well as in their internal thoughts so that all their dark and twisted thoughts are often regurgitated on the page. What I mean by this is, the writing is very poetic, in abundance; so what ends up happening is you have to sift through the dark and troubling metaphorical prose, that is basically continual poetry, to decern the plot. As a result of the overabundance of metaphors thrown at you, I sometimes battled to decern what was happening. The benefit of this is that you do then have a VERY CHARACTER focused story, but I personally would have preferred one or two metaphors and not pages and pages sprinkled into the story. I do understand that this is often needed to create the imagery of their trauma and the darkness of their experiences but for me it took away from everything because it felt "tooo much".

Tropes:
▶ Step Siblings (Forbidden Romance)
▶ Forced Proximity
▶ Bully Romance
▶ DubCon/NonCon
▶ Revenge
▶ Hate Sex
▶ Obsessive Possessive Alphahole
▶ Gamer Boy X Band Geek
▶ Degradation and Praise
▶ Trauma Bonding and Secrets and Lies
▶ Cheating

Microtropes:
▷ Mine
▷ Chin Lift
▷ Cages her with his arms
▷ Drugging
▷ She Stabs Him
▷ Hand Necklaces

Kinks: BDSM elements, Biting, Voyeurism, Tied Up, Spitting, Hate Sex, Edging, She Burns Him, Collar and Lead play with Crawling

Overall I really enjoyed this! It is an excellent addition to Jescies Portfolio of sick and twisted and her writing and characters make you love it, keep your toes curled and your mind constantly asking how fucked up are you for liking it! If you love dark psychological twisted stories with dirty spicy smut this would be perfect for you!

Thank you so much Jescie Hall for my gifted copy! All thoughts and opinions are my own 

3.5 Rueful Michelangelo ⭐️
Spicy Level: 🌶️🌶️.5/5

You know how books are called devious because they are cute cartoon covers and then inside they are the dirtiest smut??? THIS IS ALMOST LIKE THIS.... but instead of smut, we get pain and sadness and just HEAVY... It's almost deceptive and not in the way I like. I think why this hit so hard is because it was VERY emotionally heavy, and since I normally don't typically read such emotional books, I was not prepared. I wanted to go into something light-hearted. I wanted to go into something that was going to be a sweet, almost fluffy romance. And while there are elements of sweet and fluffy, they are heavily shadowed by the trauma our characters need to work through.

Nick Sorensen is an NHL player who is returning to the game after a tragic plane crash killed six of his closest friends and teammates, leaving him the only one to survive the crash. Having been dropped by his former team, he's now been picked up by another; so he is dealing with the trauma of survivor's guilt, the loss of his previous life; as well as having lost his best friend and roommate. He is struggling to re-assimilate into a new life that requires him to move on. Something he is not ready for.

Then we have Alyssa Compton, who is dealing with her own childhood trauma. She's tried to turn her life around by becoming an interior designer for the worst person on the planet - however, mostly doesn't let this get her down. Her friend (and client) happens to be married to Nick's teammate. Nick's coach has given him an ultimatum: either he has to decorate his apartment because he's literally living with one chair and basically a cardboard box as a table, or he has to go to therapy. And since spending money on couch cushions is a lot more safe than talking about your feelings Nick hires Alyssa to help him.

My issue with this is I didn't particularly hate it, but I didn't love it either. I felt that for a lot of the novel, she and Nick were constantly almost fighting, at ends with each other, misunderstanding each other or disagreeing. There wasn't really a connection between them or attraction (besides the fact that they were near each other). It was like there was chemistry but NOT ENOUGH. While it was sweet that they developed into friends and that both were able to help each other through their various traumas and emotional conflicts, there was just something missing about their relationship that I didn't see.

Unfortunately, by the time they ended up getting together and realizing that they wanted to be with each other, the book ended. So it was like a tease and then done - where you just had to imagine their love growing deeper. It was also really strange because I listened to this in audio and while this has dual narration it was also in third person. That doesn't make sense to me why you would have two different people speaking when they weren't even really talking from their perspective anyway. It could have just been read by one person because they weren't talking for themselves; they were talking about characters.

I'm not sad I read it; I just think I would have liked it more if it gave me what I was expecting. I imagined that cute, light and fluffy forced proximity of the grumpy hockey player and gorgeous interior designer...and while I got that I got A WHOLE LOT MORE SADNESS. I did like their conversations about art and how that essentially helped them connect and open up to each other. I also liked that she managed to work through her pride with her brother and their issues with their mom. It was sweet...

But overall, they just didn't seem like a forever couple. They seemed like a couple that would get together in passing because they needed to heal and whilst they could eventually end up as a forever couple, we were never shown that.

Tropes:
▶ Forced Proximity
▶ BossXEmployee
▶ Dual POV (But also third person)
▶ Hockey Romance
▶ Trauma Bonding
▶ Found Family

If you are the type of person who LOVES emotionally driven stories about healing grief while also finding romance - this would be perfect for you! Unfortunately, I am not that person so it was a little miss for me...

Thank you so much Dreamscape Media, Netgalley and Katie Kennedy for my gifted audio copy!
All thoughts and opinions are my own 

4 Black Panty Stars ⭐️
Spicy Level: 🌶️🌶️.5/5

If this book was a balloon, I blew it up too fast and it exploded in my face - it was on a flawless (haha) trajectory of being perfect. It made me giddy and happy and feel all the gushy things you want to feel... but then it went POP and I was left with nothing but the tattered remains of metaphorical rubber and a feeling of sadness cause I lost my balloon...

I didn't have the best relationship with Elsie Silver going into this. I despised Fawless. It is one of those books left the taste of sour MILK in my mouth. It just felt odd and stilted and missing something. I just didn't like it. So... I went into this very apprehensive knowing I had been burnt before and I didn't want to be burnt again. However, based on everything that I'd seen, specifically around the way people gushed about how amazing this book was, with statements of "this is probably one of the best books in the Chestnut Springs series". I decided to give it a go as I always give an author a second chance because disliking one book could be a fluke.

Anyway, I pulled up (or dropped) my big girl panties and dived in. This follows Willa and Cade. Willa, who is the best friend of Summer (The FMC of Flawless) is looking for something to keep her days occupied and pass the time since her current job as a bartender is on hold due to renovations. She doesn't need financial help, just something to keep her mind and days busy. Summer's soon-to-be brother-in-law (Cade) is in desperate need of a nanny. He cannot find anybody that meets the suitable qualifications, a.k.a. would be interested in looking after Luke and not getting into his pants. So Summer hooks Cade and Willa up - PROFESSIONALLY. Things however start a little awkward because before Cade knows who Willa is, she drops her panties in front of him at a coffee shop and lets him keep them. Anyway, Willa gets the job and moves into Cade's house where the two of them have to fight feelings for each other even though Cade REALLY REALLY wants to bang the nanny.

Willa is a darling, a true free spirit who is unashamedly straightforward, which I liked about her personality. She almost had no filter, and she wasn't afraid to voice her opinion. If something didn't sit right with her she would do something about it and call out the injustice. She wouldn't try to flatter the feeling or dull the message because it needed to be said. Maybe it was all her years as a bartender and needing to be straightforward with handsy, drunk men. She is also extremely bubbly and spontaneous and the type of person you just want to be friends with no matter what.

Cade is a DELICIOUS stern brunch daddy. He is the grumpiest of grumpy, but he has a reason for being so. The mother of his son is a real piece of work. He's had to raise Luke himself and as a result, has guarded himself from being hurt again and forgotten how to be selfish for himself and have fun. He works so hard to be able to provide a good life for Luke, he takes no nonsense and takes a while to open up and be comfortable with new people.

I REALLY liked how their relationship strengthened and blossomed into more romantic based on Cade seeing how perfect, comfortable and good Willa was with Luke. It was the best "Papa-Bear" feeling to witness the reason that he managed to learn to trust Willa and open himself up to eventually experiencing feelings for her, was due to that bond that Willa and Luke had formed.

Luke was an adorable little treasure. I don't have kids myself, so I'm not typically very much into books with children, but I can say his presence added quite a few moments of laughter. He is hilarious and funny and cute and just such a sweet little ball of energy. Sometimes, I didn't think that his language and the way his intelligence came across read as a six-year-old. He seemed a little bit older, BUT I have no experience being around a six-year-old, so I don't know if that is the way that they act or behave or speak. And maybe kids are just more clever than I give them credit for.

The smut in this was ALSO surprising because that is one of the main things I HATED in Flawless as there was no chemistry and connection between Summer and Rhett. BUT BOY did WILLA and CADE have chemistry... The other thing that was a major dichotomy is the dirty talk in Flawless was AWFUL! It lives in my mind as the example of how NOT TO DO DIRTY TALK...so colour me damn surprised when this was the example of how YOU SHOULD DO DIRTY TALK. I was blushing and squealing and kicking my feet at the words that came out of Daddy Cade's mouth because they were fucking hot. 🥵️🥵️🥵️

Now why did I feel all deflated if everything seemed to be going so well... WELL ELSIE SILVER HAD TO GO AND THROW IN MY WORST TROPE (which is actually a combo of two tropes and how they are pulled off), into the end. When this happened the book nosedived off a cliff - and no matter how much I understand why it happened, and logically tell my brain to accept the way it did and reason away the purpose of it being there - I KNOW I DO NOT LIKE THAT COMBO TROPE and no amount of trying to rationalise with my brain could make her change her mind... BASICALLY this being sucky in the end is entirely a me problem and not the book.

I do not mind surprise/accidental pregnancy or a third-act breakup. I have loved books that have had both. I just prefer that the pregnancy happens at the start of the book and that it doesn't feel like the reason the couple recover after the third act is because of a baby. It might be because I don't have children that have made me skewed towards wanting to see a relationship recover from the third act for any other reason than "we need to be responsible parents now because we have a child on the way." But for me, this feels like a copout and weak direction and I just do not like it.

There was also something else I found weird... It didn't impact my rating

but why does Willa never speak to her family? She mentions them a few times and I know she's not in the same city - but PHONES EXISIT. If she is AS close as she says and as close as the book implies - why is there never a scene with her talking to her family or mentioning "Oh I spoke to my mom today"? It was just weird, given how close the Eaton's were that her family were non-existent except for a few mentions of what they do and how her mom being a sex therapist means Willa is pretty open.

The Tropes:
▶ Small Town Romance
▶ Cowboy Romance
▶ Single Dad X Nanny Romance
▶ Grumpy X Sunshine
▶ Age Gap (Willa 25, Cade 38)
▶ Cute Kid
▶ Jealous MMC

Micro Tropes:
▷ Good Girl
▷ Rolled Sleeves/Forearm Mentions
▷ Chin Lift
▷ Mine
▷ Looks after her when she is sick
▷ DIRTY TALK
▷ Steamy steamy hot tub scenes

Overall the fact that this disappointed me is a ME problem... Generally, it wasn't that bad and I was eating it up! I do think overall Elsie Silver has redeemed herself from her AWFUL Flawless and so I will give the rest of these a try, eventually... I am not hearing Winter's book is actually the best one - so who knows.