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koistyfishy's reviews
362 reviews
Beg Me Please by M Kay Noir
adventurous
dark
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A
3.0
3 Allegro Stars โญ๏ธ
Spicy Level: ๐ถ๏ธ๐ถ๏ธ/5
This is the type of book that would probably have been better in "movie form" than in a book. Now, remove the smut part because I am not talking about PORN, so that's not exactly what I'm talking about...
Our FMC Danica is stepping in as a waitress at the restaurant she works at when a mafia don (But don't call him Mafia or a Don because he will ALWAYS deny it....) decides to dine there for his baby brother's birthday. Sometime during the dinner, a shoot-out from a rival mafia family occurs and Danica finds herself in the middle. Rattled she goes home and soon Dante, our Don-not-Don rocks up on her doorstep...and they then have sexy fun times with her maybe dominating him a little...
Anyway, why do I say this would be better than a movie? Movies have this very unique ability that they are excellent at showing you what is going on. And because there is a very limited amount of time in which to tell a story, (normally only 90minutes) a lot of aspects like thoughts, feelings, and backstory; are just accepted and taken for fact because it is stated . Movies don't always have time to go back and physically show you that in the plot or spell it out in as much detail as a book can. There are just certain intrinsic things that you accept without question. An example: If someone tells you that a person is a bad man because of everything they've done in the past, you're just going to believe it because you can't always see those flashbacks and terrible things being done.
Now, books, which are typically more meant to be "tell" not "show" because you're physically telling a story through words, can suffer from a problem where if you just tell and don't show in terms of the writing, it can make a story feel very flat and then turns into one of my pet peeves. THIS DOESN'T HAPPEN in a MOVIE...
Now I believe this book was originally a SHORTER novella, which was then expanded a little bit more to make it more deluxe and build into the people's backstories. But the traces of the "quick" read that doesn't go into too much detail are still there, with remnants of lack of depth still present. Multiple times I felt like I was told to just believe something because "they said they are like this" that I have to believe it. So if we look at Dante - he is meant to be this mafia boss who has done unspeakable things and is a bad man and is such a big alpha on the outside, but we never really see him in this light. Am I just meant to believe that because I'm told it. Besides shooting a few people I didn't see him do anything bad. Now in a movie, I would have just accepted this. In the book, I want to see him be awful. I want to see why he has this reputation and I wasn't shown it. All I saw was a man who behind doors likes a woman to be a little dominant in bed.
BUT - if I am being honest. I stayed for the spice and smut. It was good, it was delicious and I enjoyed it. I do question how big her boobs are and if that size is comfortable, but I am happy these two found each other and were able to live our their best fantasies in the bedroom.
The tropes present:
โถ Femdom Awakening
โถ FemdomXSub
โถ Spicy Quick Read
โถ Age Gap
โถ Mafia Vibes
โถ Touch Her and Die
โถ BDSM Elements
Overall, if you want a quick - spicy fix with a Femdom this might just scratch your itch!
Spicy Level: ๐ถ๏ธ๐ถ๏ธ/5
This is the type of book that would probably have been better in "movie form" than in a book. Now, remove the smut part because I am not talking about PORN, so that's not exactly what I'm talking about...
Our FMC Danica is stepping in as a waitress at the restaurant she works at when a mafia don (But don't call him Mafia or a Don because he will ALWAYS deny it....) decides to dine there for his baby brother's birthday. Sometime during the dinner, a shoot-out from a rival mafia family occurs and Danica finds herself in the middle. Rattled she goes home and soon Dante, our Don-not-Don rocks up on her doorstep...and they then have sexy fun times with her maybe dominating him a little...
Anyway, why do I say this would be better than a movie? Movies have this very unique ability that they are excellent at showing you what is going on. And because there is a very limited amount of time in which to tell a story, (normally only 90minutes) a lot of aspects like thoughts, feelings, and backstory; are just accepted and taken for fact because it is stated . Movies don't always have time to go back and physically show you that in the plot or spell it out in as much detail as a book can. There are just certain intrinsic things that you accept without question. An example: If someone tells you that a person is a bad man because of everything they've done in the past, you're just going to believe it because you can't always see those flashbacks and terrible things being done.
Now, books, which are typically more meant to be "tell" not "show" because you're physically telling a story through words, can suffer from a problem where if you just tell and don't show in terms of the writing, it can make a story feel very flat and then turns into one of my pet peeves. THIS DOESN'T HAPPEN in a MOVIE...
Now I believe this book was originally a SHORTER novella, which was then expanded a little bit more to make it more deluxe and build into the people's backstories. But the traces of the "quick" read that doesn't go into too much detail are still there, with remnants of lack of depth still present. Multiple times I felt like I was told to just believe something because "they said they are like this" that I have to believe it. So if we look at Dante - he is meant to be this mafia boss who has done unspeakable things and is a bad man and is such a big alpha on the outside, but we never really see him in this light. Am I just meant to believe that because I'm told it. Besides shooting a few people I didn't see him do anything bad. Now in a movie, I would have just accepted this. In the book, I want to see him be awful. I want to see why he has this reputation and I wasn't shown it. All I saw was a man who behind doors likes a woman to be a little dominant in bed.
BUT - if I am being honest. I stayed for the spice and smut. It was good, it was delicious and I enjoyed it. I do question how big her boobs are and if that size is comfortable, but I am happy these two found each other and were able to live our their best fantasies in the bedroom.
The tropes present:
โถ Femdom Awakening
โถ FemdomXSub
โถ Spicy Quick Read
โถ Age Gap
โถ Mafia Vibes
โถ Touch Her and Die
โถ BDSM Elements
Overall, if you want a quick - spicy fix with a Femdom this might just scratch your itch!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Gun violence and Sexual content
The Heir by Sophie Lark
adventurous
dark
emotional
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
3.5 Fainting Goat Stars โญ๏ธ
Spicy Level: ๐ถ๏ธ.5/5
This is the type of book I would recommend to somebody who is slowly putting their toes into the stormy ocean of what "dark romance" is. It will give you slight elements of dark, with the whole "organised crime and powerful men" thing, but you're still dealing with basically very new adults and so they're not taking it as far as it could go. I think only 1 person gets murdered... in like the first chapter
Basically with very little finagling, this could lean either way to not being dark at all or completely dark. SOOOOO if you are looking for something that is going to give you darkish vibes and be a litmus test to see if you would like to read more dark romance... this would be perfect.
IF.... you are somebody who is a hardcore dark romance reader and you fall for that EXTREME villain that is darker the better, this is going to be disappointing. It's not going to hit that mark or scratch that itch. So for me (cause I love them dark), I felt that it was lacking, but then I also don't think this was meant to scratch my DARK ROMANCE itch...
This is a triple POV following Anna, Leo and Dean. All three are about to start at a prestigious university called Kingmakers as Heirs. Kingmakers is Hogwarts without the magic and a neutral ground where all the criminal families - Mafia/Brava/**Insert ANY OTHER ORG here** send their kids to learn how to be criminal masterminds. Anna and Leo are practically family (even though they are not technically related in their weird family tree) - they have been raised as "cousins". But something between them has changed and the two start to develop feelings for each other. Dean, who is Leo's ACTUAL cousin wants to kill him because Leo's dad messed with his dad and maimed him... So he tries to do the only thing that will truly hurt Leo... making Anna his.
Anna, Leo and Dean are very disconnected and disjointed and almost fall into stereotypes of what you would think their characters should be. The benefit of this was that you could very quickly tell apart the different POVs based on the style, tone and internal monologue (which is a plus because books annoy me when this is a problem).
Anna just felt like a prissy princess who acted and spoke almost like a 16-year-old child. She's pretty much had everything handed to her on a silver platter and so comes across as spoiled, even though she is trying so hard not to be preserved as spoilt. Her tone just read very naive and innocent with no true idea of what being the Heir to a Criminal Organisation is going to be. She jumps to conclusions very much to the point that it's annoying and irritating and her "Not like the other girls" mentality is frustrating. I know she's a goth princess who likes to wear grunge clothing and be all badass but it felt fake and I don't see what the guys found so amazing in her all the time. Kudos to her as she DOES grow and learn a lot about her personality and mature so I didn't hate her too much - it just only happened very late towards the end, so for a long while we had to deal with her being....
Leo read like an arrogant arsehole, from the very first chapter of him I was rolling my eyes at how arrogant his mind was and how much he thought of himself. His ego was GINORMOUS and very much the typical "Jock" where his whole personality is he's cocky, big, and good at sport. It made him almost pathetic and since I don't like Jock's didn't vibe with him AT ALL. Though again - Kudos to this man too cause he too realised what an ass and arrogant dickwad he was and changed - being far more humble and able to play nice with others at the end.
The BEST character was DEAN - and he is meant to be the worst! (Blame my dark romance little heart) - He was broody, he was alpha, and he was very very skilled with his fists and his knife. He wasn't afraid of blood and staring danger in the eye. I loved his cockiness and arrogance because his arrogance didn't feel like it stemmed from a childish reason, but rather that he's lived through something dark and if he wasn't arrogant and a dick - he would not have survived.
The vibes of Kingmakers was EPIC. Giving perfect dark academia vibes (which was not something that I was expecting going into this book). I know I would kill to have gone to a university like this, living in a tower and taking fighting lessons, learning how to murder and poison someone and excel at tax evasion. It sounds like a dream college and while it was a little bit far-fetched obviously and bordering on fantasy it painted a compelling world. It was super evident that Sophie Lark conducted a lot of research into the different types of Mafia families and their hierarchy and history. It made this world seem plausible and believable.
Some more aspects that niggled me...
1. As much as the vibes of the College were there, I actually wanted to see a little more of the content that they were studying - this was kept vague and almost diluted - implying they had learnt it, but besides showing a few practical classes wasn't touched on much.
2. The miscommunication and assumptions were a little annoying, making the relationship between Anna and Leo draw out, becoming unnecessarily angsty and drama-laden. - This ISNT too bad cause there is a reason people love drama shows on the CW...
3. I wanted her to choose Dean - Friends to lovers is not one of my favourite tropes and I just like a bad boy - which Dean gave me ALLL the tingles...
The Tropes:
โถ College/University Romance
โถ Love Triangle
โถ Childhood Best Friends to Lovers
โถ Mafia/Organised Crime Romance
โถ Alphamale
BUT OVERALL I stayed for the other drama - I stayed to see what Dean would do next and I stayed for the vibes. It was an enjoyable time that I didn't mind - and if I separate the wanting more dark from it- it was kinda cute how Leo and Anna were together and their little romance... AND I WILL CONTINUE... Just because I wanna see who Dean ends up with eventually!
Thank you to Sophie Lark, Source Bloom Books and Netgalley for my gifted copy!
All thoughts and opinions are my own.
Spicy Level: ๐ถ๏ธ.5/5
This is the type of book I would recommend to somebody who is slowly putting their toes into the stormy ocean of what "dark romance" is. It will give you slight elements of dark, with the whole "organised crime and powerful men" thing, but you're still dealing with basically very new adults and so they're not taking it as far as it could go. I think only 1 person gets murdered... in like the first chapter
Basically with very little finagling, this could lean either way to not being dark at all or completely dark. SOOOOO if you are looking for something that is going to give you darkish vibes and be a litmus test to see if you would like to read more dark romance... this would be perfect.
IF.... you are somebody who is a hardcore dark romance reader and you fall for that EXTREME villain that is darker the better, this is going to be disappointing. It's not going to hit that mark or scratch that itch. So for me (cause I love them dark), I felt that it was lacking, but then I also don't think this was meant to scratch my DARK ROMANCE itch...
This is a triple POV following Anna, Leo and Dean. All three are about to start at a prestigious university called Kingmakers as Heirs. Kingmakers is Hogwarts without the magic and a neutral ground where all the criminal families - Mafia/Brava/**Insert ANY OTHER ORG here** send their kids to learn how to be criminal masterminds. Anna and Leo are practically family (even though they are not technically related in their weird family tree) - they have been raised as "cousins". But something between them has changed and the two start to develop feelings for each other. Dean, who is Leo's ACTUAL cousin wants to kill him because Leo's dad messed with his dad and maimed him... So he tries to do the only thing that will truly hurt Leo... making Anna his.
Anna, Leo and Dean are very disconnected and disjointed and almost fall into stereotypes of what you would think their characters should be. The benefit of this was that you could very quickly tell apart the different POVs based on the style, tone and internal monologue (which is a plus because books annoy me when this is a problem).
Anna just felt like a prissy princess who acted and spoke almost like a 16-year-old child. She's pretty much had everything handed to her on a silver platter and so comes across as spoiled, even though she is trying so hard not to be preserved as spoilt. Her tone just read very naive and innocent with no true idea of what being the Heir to a Criminal Organisation is going to be. She jumps to conclusions very much to the point that it's annoying and irritating and her "Not like the other girls" mentality is frustrating. I know she's a goth princess who likes to wear grunge clothing and be all badass but it felt fake and I don't see what the guys found so amazing in her all the time. Kudos to her as she DOES grow and learn a lot about her personality and mature so I didn't hate her too much - it just only happened very late towards the end, so for a long while we had to deal with her being....
Leo read like an arrogant arsehole, from the very first chapter of him I was rolling my eyes at how arrogant his mind was and how much he thought of himself. His ego was GINORMOUS and very much the typical "Jock" where his whole personality is he's cocky, big, and good at sport. It made him almost pathetic and since I don't like Jock's didn't vibe with him AT ALL. Though again - Kudos to this man too cause he too realised what an ass and arrogant dickwad he was and changed - being far more humble and able to play nice with others at the end.
The BEST character was DEAN - and he is meant to be the worst! (Blame my dark romance little heart) - He was broody, he was alpha, and he was very very skilled with his fists and his knife. He wasn't afraid of blood and staring danger in the eye. I loved his cockiness and arrogance because his arrogance didn't feel like it stemmed from a childish reason, but rather that he's lived through something dark and if he wasn't arrogant and a dick - he would not have survived.
The vibes of Kingmakers was EPIC. Giving perfect dark academia vibes (which was not something that I was expecting going into this book). I know I would kill to have gone to a university like this, living in a tower and taking fighting lessons, learning how to murder and poison someone and excel at tax evasion. It sounds like a dream college and while it was a little bit far-fetched obviously and bordering on fantasy it painted a compelling world. It was super evident that Sophie Lark conducted a lot of research into the different types of Mafia families and their hierarchy and history. It made this world seem plausible and believable.
Some more aspects that niggled me...
1. As much as the vibes of the College were there, I actually wanted to see a little more of the content that they were studying - this was kept vague and almost diluted - implying they had learnt it, but besides showing a few practical classes wasn't touched on much.
2. The miscommunication and assumptions were a little annoying, making the relationship between Anna and Leo draw out, becoming unnecessarily angsty and drama-laden. - This ISNT too bad cause there is a reason people love drama shows on the CW...
3. I wanted her to choose Dean - Friends to lovers is not one of my favourite tropes and I just like a bad boy - which Dean gave me ALLL the tingles...
The Tropes:
โถ College/University Romance
โถ Love Triangle
โถ Childhood Best Friends to Lovers
โถ Mafia/Organised Crime Romance
โถ Alphamale
BUT OVERALL I stayed for the other drama - I stayed to see what Dean would do next and I stayed for the vibes. It was an enjoyable time that I didn't mind - and if I separate the wanting more dark from it- it was kinda cute how Leo and Anna were together and their little romance... AND I WILL CONTINUE... Just because I wanna see who Dean ends up with eventually!
Thank you to Sophie Lark, Source Bloom Books and Netgalley for my gifted copy!
All thoughts and opinions are my own.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Violence
Moderate: Bullying, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Toxic relationship, and Fire/Fire injury
Minor: Death, Torture, and Death of parent
Things We Left Behind by Lucy Score
emotional
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
5 Cherry Blossom Stars โญ๏ธ
Spicy Level: ๐ถ๏ธ๐ถ๏ธ/5
Well shitโฆ
This made me cry.
But like happy tears ๐ญ
Please note: This is Book 3 in a series that cannot be read as a standalone, as the overarching plot continues and it is important to understand the previous book's events and characters going into this - even though it follows a different couple. As a result, there might be spoilers for Book 1 and Book 2. I would hate to spoil the experience of reading those books, so please stop reading - JUST KNOW I RECOMMEND THIS SERIES SO GO READ THOSE FIRST...
So this book is incredibly hard for me to review because I know at this point I am SUPER biased and I don't know how to separate my overall feelings of the series from my feelings only for this book. It's not like I didn't know who Lucian and Sloane were before this, because we have been following their tension-filled interactions from Book 1.
In fact all the characters in this: Sloane, Lucian, Naomi, Knox, Lina, Nash, Waylay... they were each slowly unpacked through the whole journey, that by the end - just like with your favourite TV show, you believe you know them on a deep emotional level because you have seen their journey, been inside almost all of their heads and witnessed the greater story unfold as this group of people find themselves, find their family and home and finally put to end the drama of the drug lord they have been chasing since book 1.
But back to Lucian and Sloane specifically, they were by far my most anticipated, after all the teasing Lucy Score gave of their interactions in Book 2... I WAS DESPERATE to finally see their love story. Sloane, our little librarian throws the "stereotype" of quiet, innocent and reserved out the window. She is sassy, and feisty and does not hold back at all with Lucian. AND LUCIAN... the best way to describe him is... you know how often your SO can be the most irritating, insufferable, annoying, hardheaded and stubborn arsehole...but you can't help but love him because he is secretly the sweetest most caring and considerate human alive and you cannot imagine your life without him?
Lucian's hatred for Sloane is almost equally matched by the fact that he is so irrevocably in love with her, but is too stubborn to admit it. Likewise with Sloane - a mistake in Lucian's eyes (though if you ask me COMPLETELY JUSTIFIED WHAT SHE DID) completely ruined their amazing friendship because Lucian was too worried about his pride and their supposed "broken trust". Their banter is top-notch with sexual tension literally DRIPPING from the pages! I did enjoy that we had the dual timeline as well as the dual POV. it gave a deeper insight into these two characters that we hadn't seen before in Lucy Scores previous books in this series and made it easier to understand their dynamic and the intense loathing between these too.
This was also a difficult read for me as my father had cancer and seeing Sloanes grieving journey was difficult as she has to learn how to navigate her life without the best man she has ever known, without him being there to experience new things and without him being able to see Sloane and Lucian finally getting together in the end. It made my heart happy and jealous that Lucian had such an amazing relationship with Sloane's father and that he treated Lucian like a son he never had. It was heartwarmingly beautiful that even though he couldn't see it, he could rest easy knowing that his daughter was with the type of man that he loved, protected and had such a deep connection with.
I also didn't really care that there was a third-act breakup!!!
I did find it funny as I was recording the tropes of this, the number of tropes this book contained...
I'll put them behind a spoiler tag so if you want to see them you can, but KNOW it's almost every trope or microtrope you could think of....
โถ Small Town Romance
โถ Neighbours (Forced Proximity)
โถ Childhood Friends to Enemies to Lovers
โถ Second Chance Romance
โถ He Fall's First
โถ Steamy/Spicy Water Scene
โถ Adult Couple (Sloane, 38; Lucian, 40) - I refuse to call them old because that would make me OLD and I AM NOT!
โถ Dual POV
โถ Hand Necklaces
โถ Mine
โถ It's Always Been You
โถ Hidden Cinnamon Roll disguised as an Alphahole
โถ Mental Health Rep
โถ Slowburn
โถ GrumpyXSunshine
โถ He Washes her Hair
โถ Good Girl
โถ Grey Sweatpant
โถ Burn the World for You
โถ He loves her Laugh/Smile
โถ He brings her FOOD
Overall this is a bittersweet goodbye to Knockemout because I am seriously going to miss these characters and their antics, and I swear I NEEED Waylay's story (even from the glimpse of the MEGA Epilogue we got I NEED MORE)
Spicy Level: ๐ถ๏ธ๐ถ๏ธ/5
Well shitโฆ
This made me cry.
But like happy tears ๐ญ
Please note: This is Book 3 in a series that cannot be read as a standalone, as the overarching plot continues and it is important to understand the previous book's events and characters going into this - even though it follows a different couple. As a result, there might be spoilers for Book 1 and Book 2. I would hate to spoil the experience of reading those books, so please stop reading - JUST KNOW I RECOMMEND THIS SERIES SO GO READ THOSE FIRST...
So this book is incredibly hard for me to review because I know at this point I am SUPER biased and I don't know how to separate my overall feelings of the series from my feelings only for this book. It's not like I didn't know who Lucian and Sloane were before this, because we have been following their tension-filled interactions from Book 1.
In fact all the characters in this: Sloane, Lucian, Naomi, Knox, Lina, Nash, Waylay... they were each slowly unpacked through the whole journey, that by the end - just like with your favourite TV show, you believe you know them on a deep emotional level because you have seen their journey, been inside almost all of their heads and witnessed the greater story unfold as this group of people find themselves, find their family and home and finally put to end the drama of the drug lord they have been chasing since book 1.
But back to Lucian and Sloane specifically, they were by far my most anticipated, after all the teasing Lucy Score gave of their interactions in Book 2... I WAS DESPERATE to finally see their love story. Sloane, our little librarian throws the "stereotype" of quiet, innocent and reserved out the window. She is sassy, and feisty and does not hold back at all with Lucian. AND LUCIAN... the best way to describe him is... you know how often your SO can be the most irritating, insufferable, annoying, hardheaded and stubborn arsehole...but you can't help but love him because he is secretly the sweetest most caring and considerate human alive and you cannot imagine your life without him?
Lucian's hatred for Sloane is almost equally matched by the fact that he is so irrevocably in love with her, but is too stubborn to admit it. Likewise with Sloane - a mistake in Lucian's eyes (though if you ask me COMPLETELY JUSTIFIED WHAT SHE DID) completely ruined their amazing friendship because Lucian was too worried about his pride and their supposed "broken trust". Their banter is top-notch with sexual tension literally DRIPPING from the pages! I did enjoy that we had the dual timeline as well as the dual POV. it gave a deeper insight into these two characters that we hadn't seen before in Lucy Scores previous books in this series and made it easier to understand their dynamic and the intense loathing between these too.
This was also a difficult read for me as my father had cancer and seeing Sloanes grieving journey was difficult as she has to learn how to navigate her life without the best man she has ever known, without him being there to experience new things and without him being able to see Sloane and Lucian finally getting together in the end. It made my heart happy and jealous that Lucian had such an amazing relationship with Sloane's father and that he treated Lucian like a son he never had. It was heartwarmingly beautiful that even though he couldn't see it, he could rest easy knowing that his daughter was with the type of man that he loved, protected and had such a deep connection with.
I also didn't really care that there was a third-act breakup!!!
I did find it funny as I was recording the tropes of this, the number of tropes this book contained...
I'll put them behind a spoiler tag so if you want to see them you can, but KNOW it's almost every trope or microtrope you could think of....
โถ Neighbours (Forced Proximity)
โถ Childhood Friends to Enemies to Lovers
โถ Second Chance Romance
โถ He Fall's First
โถ Steamy/Spicy Water Scene
โถ Adult Couple (Sloane, 38; Lucian, 40) - I refuse to call them old because that would make me OLD and I AM NOT!
โถ Dual POV
โถ Hand Necklaces
โถ Mine
โถ It's Always Been You
โถ Hidden Cinnamon Roll disguised as an Alphahole
โถ Mental Health Rep
โถ Slowburn
โถ GrumpyXSunshine
โถ He Washes her Hair
โถ Good Girl
โถ Grey Sweatpant
โถ Burn the World for You
โถ He loves her Laugh/Smile
โถ He brings her FOOD
Overall this is a bittersweet goodbye to Knockemout because I am seriously going to miss these characters and their antics, and I swear I NEEED Waylay's story (even from the glimpse of the MEGA Epilogue we got I NEED MORE)
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child abuse, Domestic abuse, Sexual content, and Grief
Moderate: Gun violence and Death of parent
Minor: Cancer, Infertility, and Murder
The Pucking Coach's Daughter by S. Massery
challenging
dark
emotional
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
5 Vitriolic Stars โญ๏ธ
Spicy Level: ๐ถ๏ธ๐ถ๏ธ๐ถ๏ธ๐ถ๏ธ๐ถ๏ธ/5 (Just fuck me...)
This book left me in a stupor. I am flabbergasted, stunned, amazed, disturbed, uncomfortable and turned on... AND DAMN WELL EXITED. Like what the fuck did I just read and why the hell did I enjoy it so much! All I want to do is jump directly into it again hoping the second pass will give me such a great high and fix again!
You know that feeling when you're buckled into a rollercoaster; that apprehension as you make the climb up. You peer over the edge at your feet dangling 50ft above the air, your stomach is in knots. You can't help thinking (and hoping) you're properly buckled in because it's going to suck if you are not. But you're excited about that climb! You are living for those butterflies and that build-up, that apprehension you feel making your nerves jiggle and your toes tingle...Then you freefall. You are thrown in different directions, your body twisted and turned, sometimes suspended in what feels like a tangled sense of reality. You think you might die, and vow you are never going to do it again. You're scared, you're screaming, you're laughing... It's that moment when your body and brain let go and you just enjoy the ride, moving at 100 miles a second; because all you can do is hold on until you stop. And then you can't wait to join the queue again.
That's what reading this book was like! My brain, body and emotions were on that rollercoaster and all I could do was hang on and enjoy the ride. There were so many twists and turns and unexpected events that I did not see coming. The thrill and suspense of where this book and these characters would end up kept me at the edge of my seat!
This was my first S. Massery book and will not be my last. It gave me everything I wanted all wrapped up into a mix of simple-to-devour but complex amalgamation, a perfect balance of emotional trauma, dark themes and triggers, with a blend of why-choose hockey romance. The SMUT was LITERAL perfection as it had my toes curling, while also putting me in an almost constant state of dangling between horny and excited, and wanting to take things into my own hands. It provided that Hockey fix, with a focus on the games and the boys; which ANY GIRL in her HOCKEY ERA is going to appreciate. AND IT DELIVERED on that DARK! I was constantly questioning if I am just that fucked up because I enjoyed this or if this really is such an epically FANTASTIC DARK ROMANCE!
To be honest I think this is almost the quintessential example of how you do a dark romance and do a dark romance well. S. Massey played with my emotions and she was BRUTAL with them. SHE STOOD ON THEM, stabbed them, squished them and squashed them up. She did not shy away from the themes and triggers experienced or soften their blows at any time. This is a difficult read at times because, like mine, expect your heart to break and burn as you witness and feel the trauma and abuse Sydney goes through. It is not pretty, it is not glamorised and IT IS NOT EASY to absorb. But if you like a dark romance, I bet you'll find yourself addicted to these pages like I was; stuffing it into your mouth like a bucket of popcorn spiced just right. I could not look away, I could not stop reading...I could not stop loving this as it progressed. I loved that this made me question my morals and boundaries, and I loved that this didn't shy away from being dark, twisted and disturbed!
This book follows Sydney. She breaks into the house of Oliver, the hockey captain of her university's rival school trying to retrieve something he has of hers. Whilst looking for said item, she discovers his team's playbook that is going to be used in the upcoming match against her school, so takes photos of it. He comes home early forcing her to abandon her search for that "something" and barely manages to escape. Later that night she ends up at a beach party, where Oliver rocks up, recognises her and accuses her of breaking in for something different. As a big EFF YOU, she gives Carter, her Ex-Boyfriend, and the current Captain of her school's hockey team, the photos of the playbook. Which he ends up using. After the match (in which the rival school loses terribly), it comes out Sydney is the culprit. So she loses her scholarship and is forced to transfer to the school she sold out after begging her father for help. Her father being the Hockey Coach of the school she screwed over...
Sydney has one of the strongest backbones I have ever seen in an FMC. The way she was treated, bullied and victimised was horrific. But she is a champion, determined to survive and not let anything that has happened get her down. I respected this about her, I was in awe of her strength, and while she was close to breaking at times and the effects of her emotional trauma cut deep, I commend her resistance - because I would not have survived what she was put through and make it out in the end with a smile.
The three men are walking red flags. EVERY SINGLE ONE OF THEM... BUT I STILL LOVED THEM! They each bring in their own dirty little kinks (some harder than others), and have their own unique characteristics and appeal. They are all someone who no matter how pretty boy and sweet they can be on the surface, are not someone you should bring home to mama...
Between Oliver, Penn and Carter, my favourite guy is Oliver. He is not the "sweetest" or the nicest - in fact, I think he might be the worst. But there is just something about his addiction to Sydney and his hateful obsession towards her that couldn't keep him away, that made me love him. Penn gave me vibes of a goofball with a darker side - he is most likely going to be the popular favourite due to his ease in forming relationships with Sydney and Carter, and some of his actions are downright sweet (like playing with her hair during class - THATS CUTE DAMMIT). Then there is Carter - who I might have thought could be a cinnamon roll given his blond hair and the initial reason they broke up... and then he started talking a little too much about blood and knives and that GOOD GUY PERCEPTION FLEW OUT THE WINDOW!
Tropes (and some Triggers I would consider Tropes)
**โ๐นโโ๐ญโโ๐ชโโ๐ธโโ๐ชโ โ๐ฆโโ๐ทโโ๐ชโ โ๐ณโโ๐ดโโ๐นโ โ๐ฆโโ๐ฑโโ๐ฑโ โ๐ฆโโ๐ณโโ๐ฉโ โ๐ฎโ โ๐ญโโ๐ฆโโ๐ปโโ๐ชโโ๐ณโโโ๐นโ โ๐ฑโโ๐ฎโโ๐ธโโ๐นโโ๐ชโโ๐ฉโ โ๐ฒโโ๐ดโโ๐ธโโ๐นโ โ๐ดโโ๐ซโ โ๐นโโ๐ญโโ๐ชโ โ๐นโโ๐ทโโ๐ฎโโ๐ฌโโ๐ฌโโ๐ชโโ๐ทโโ๐ธโ โ๐งโโ๐ชโโ๐จโโ๐ฆโโ๐บโโ๐ธโโ๐ชโ โ๐ฎโ โ๐ฑโโ๐ฎโโ๐ฐโโ๐ชโ โ๐นโโ๐ดโ โ๐ฌโโ๐ดโ โ๐ฎโโ๐ณโ โ๐งโโ๐ฑโโ๐ฎโโ๐ณโโ๐ฉโ.
โ๐ฎโโ๐ซโ โ๐พโโ๐ดโโ๐บโ โ๐ฆโโ๐ทโโ๐ชโ โ๐ธโโ๐ดโโ๐ฒโโ๐ชโโ๐ดโโ๐ณโโ๐ชโ โ๐ผโโ๐ญโโ๐ดโ โ๐ณโโ๐ชโโ๐ชโโ๐ฉโโ๐ธโ โ๐นโโ๐ดโ โ๐จโโ๐ญโโ๐ชโโ๐จโโ๐ฐโ โ๐นโโ๐ทโโ๐ฎโโ๐ฌโโ๐ฌโโ๐ชโโ๐ทโโ๐ธโ โ๐งโโ๐ชโโ๐ซโโ๐ดโโ๐ทโโ๐ชโ - โ๐ตโโ๐ฑโโ๐ชโโ๐ฆโโ๐ธโโ๐ชโ โ๐ฉโโ๐ดโ โ๐ธโโ๐ดโ, โ๐งโโ๐ชโโ๐จโโ๐ฆโโ๐บโโ๐ธโโ๐ชโ โ๐พโโ๐ดโโ๐บโโ๐ทโ โ๐ฒโโ๐ชโโ๐ณโโ๐นโโ๐ฆโโ๐ฑโ โ๐ญโโ๐ชโโ๐ฆโโ๐ฑโโ๐นโโ๐ญโ โ๐ฒโโ๐ฆโโ๐นโโ๐นโโ๐ชโโ๐ทโโ๐ธโ
โถ Multi-POV
โถ Reverse Harem Hockey Romance
โถ Forbidden Romance (Coach's Daughter)
โถ Found Family
โถ Bully Romance
โถ Dubious Consent with VERY Dubious Consent (almost Non-Con)
โถ Blackmail
โถ Stalking
โถ Touch her you die
โถ Tending to Injuries
โถ Masked Man
โถ Kidnapping
KINKS: Somnophilia, Knife Play, Primal Play, Blood Play, Voyeurism, Edging, Biting, Spitting, BDSM elements and Anal Play
Overall, as I have said above - do not go into this lightly if you get upset or uncomfortable with dark triggers. You will not really enjoy it. This is problematic, this is questionable and is considered fucked up... BUT... IF YOU THINK OF TRIGGERS AS TROPES and get excited by those "trigger tropes", you're gonna fucking love this! Go in blind - I did and it was EPIC! and makes the twists and turns hit harder
Spicy Level: ๐ถ๏ธ๐ถ๏ธ๐ถ๏ธ๐ถ๏ธ๐ถ๏ธ/5 (Just fuck me...)
This book left me in a stupor. I am flabbergasted, stunned, amazed, disturbed, uncomfortable and turned on... AND DAMN WELL EXITED. Like what the fuck did I just read and why the hell did I enjoy it so much! All I want to do is jump directly into it again hoping the second pass will give me such a great high and fix again!
You know that feeling when you're buckled into a rollercoaster; that apprehension as you make the climb up. You peer over the edge at your feet dangling 50ft above the air, your stomach is in knots. You can't help thinking (and hoping) you're properly buckled in because it's going to suck if you are not. But you're excited about that climb! You are living for those butterflies and that build-up, that apprehension you feel making your nerves jiggle and your toes tingle...Then you freefall. You are thrown in different directions, your body twisted and turned, sometimes suspended in what feels like a tangled sense of reality. You think you might die, and vow you are never going to do it again. You're scared, you're screaming, you're laughing... It's that moment when your body and brain let go and you just enjoy the ride, moving at 100 miles a second; because all you can do is hold on until you stop. And then you can't wait to join the queue again.
That's what reading this book was like! My brain, body and emotions were on that rollercoaster and all I could do was hang on and enjoy the ride. There were so many twists and turns and unexpected events that I did not see coming. The thrill and suspense of where this book and these characters would end up kept me at the edge of my seat!
This was my first S. Massery book and will not be my last. It gave me everything I wanted all wrapped up into a mix of simple-to-devour but complex amalgamation, a perfect balance of emotional trauma, dark themes and triggers, with a blend of why-choose hockey romance. The SMUT was LITERAL perfection as it had my toes curling, while also putting me in an almost constant state of dangling between horny and excited, and wanting to take things into my own hands. It provided that Hockey fix, with a focus on the games and the boys; which ANY GIRL in her HOCKEY ERA is going to appreciate. AND IT DELIVERED on that DARK! I was constantly questioning if I am just that fucked up because I enjoyed this or if this really is such an epically FANTASTIC DARK ROMANCE!
To be honest I think this is almost the quintessential example of how you do a dark romance and do a dark romance well. S. Massey played with my emotions and she was BRUTAL with them. SHE STOOD ON THEM, stabbed them, squished them and squashed them up. She did not shy away from the themes and triggers experienced or soften their blows at any time. This is a difficult read at times because, like mine, expect your heart to break and burn as you witness and feel the trauma and abuse Sydney goes through. It is not pretty, it is not glamorised and IT IS NOT EASY to absorb. But if you like a dark romance, I bet you'll find yourself addicted to these pages like I was; stuffing it into your mouth like a bucket of popcorn spiced just right. I could not look away, I could not stop reading...I could not stop loving this as it progressed. I loved that this made me question my morals and boundaries, and I loved that this didn't shy away from being dark, twisted and disturbed!
This book follows Sydney. She breaks into the house of Oliver, the hockey captain of her university's rival school trying to retrieve something he has of hers. Whilst looking for said item, she discovers his team's playbook that is going to be used in the upcoming match against her school, so takes photos of it. He comes home early forcing her to abandon her search for that "something" and barely manages to escape. Later that night she ends up at a beach party, where Oliver rocks up, recognises her and accuses her of breaking in for something different. As a big EFF YOU, she gives Carter, her Ex-Boyfriend, and the current Captain of her school's hockey team, the photos of the playbook. Which he ends up using. After the match (in which the rival school loses terribly), it comes out Sydney is the culprit. So she loses her scholarship and is forced to transfer to the school she sold out after begging her father for help. Her father being the Hockey Coach of the school she screwed over...
Sydney has one of the strongest backbones I have ever seen in an FMC. The way she was treated, bullied and victimised was horrific. But she is a champion, determined to survive and not let anything that has happened get her down. I respected this about her, I was in awe of her strength, and while she was close to breaking at times and the effects of her emotional trauma cut deep, I commend her resistance - because I would not have survived what she was put through and make it out in the end with a smile.
The three men are walking red flags. EVERY SINGLE ONE OF THEM... BUT I STILL LOVED THEM! They each bring in their own dirty little kinks (some harder than others), and have their own unique characteristics and appeal. They are all someone who no matter how pretty boy and sweet they can be on the surface, are not someone you should bring home to mama...
Between Oliver, Penn and Carter, my favourite guy is Oliver. He is not the "sweetest" or the nicest - in fact, I think he might be the worst. But there is just something about his addiction to Sydney and his hateful obsession towards her that couldn't keep him away, that made me love him. Penn gave me vibes of a goofball with a darker side - he is most likely going to be the popular favourite due to his ease in forming relationships with Sydney and Carter, and some of his actions are downright sweet (like playing with her hair during class - THATS CUTE DAMMIT). Then there is Carter - who I might have thought could be a cinnamon roll given his blond hair and the initial reason they broke up... and then he started talking a little too much about blood and knives and that GOOD GUY PERCEPTION FLEW OUT THE WINDOW!
Tropes (and some Triggers I would consider Tropes)
**โ๐นโโ๐ญโโ๐ชโโ๐ธโโ๐ชโ โ๐ฆโโ๐ทโโ๐ชโ โ๐ณโโ๐ดโโ๐นโ โ๐ฆโโ๐ฑโโ๐ฑโ โ๐ฆโโ๐ณโโ๐ฉโ โ๐ฎโ โ๐ญโโ๐ฆโโ๐ปโโ๐ชโโ๐ณโโโ๐นโ โ๐ฑโโ๐ฎโโ๐ธโโ๐นโโ๐ชโโ๐ฉโ โ๐ฒโโ๐ดโโ๐ธโโ๐นโ โ๐ดโโ๐ซโ โ๐นโโ๐ญโโ๐ชโ โ๐นโโ๐ทโโ๐ฎโโ๐ฌโโ๐ฌโโ๐ชโโ๐ทโโ๐ธโ โ๐งโโ๐ชโโ๐จโโ๐ฆโโ๐บโโ๐ธโโ๐ชโ โ๐ฎโ โ๐ฑโโ๐ฎโโ๐ฐโโ๐ชโ โ๐นโโ๐ดโ โ๐ฌโโ๐ดโ โ๐ฎโโ๐ณโ โ๐งโโ๐ฑโโ๐ฎโโ๐ณโโ๐ฉโ.
โ๐ฎโโ๐ซโ โ๐พโโ๐ดโโ๐บโ โ๐ฆโโ๐ทโโ๐ชโ โ๐ธโโ๐ดโโ๐ฒโโ๐ชโโ๐ดโโ๐ณโโ๐ชโ โ๐ผโโ๐ญโโ๐ดโ โ๐ณโโ๐ชโโ๐ชโโ๐ฉโโ๐ธโ โ๐นโโ๐ดโ โ๐จโโ๐ญโโ๐ชโโ๐จโโ๐ฐโ โ๐นโโ๐ทโโ๐ฎโโ๐ฌโโ๐ฌโโ๐ชโโ๐ทโโ๐ธโ โ๐งโโ๐ชโโ๐ซโโ๐ดโโ๐ทโโ๐ชโ - โ๐ตโโ๐ฑโโ๐ชโโ๐ฆโโ๐ธโโ๐ชโ โ๐ฉโโ๐ดโ โ๐ธโโ๐ดโ, โ๐งโโ๐ชโโ๐จโโ๐ฆโโ๐บโโ๐ธโโ๐ชโ โ๐พโโ๐ดโโ๐บโโ๐ทโ โ๐ฒโโ๐ชโโ๐ณโโ๐นโโ๐ฆโโ๐ฑโ โ๐ญโโ๐ชโโ๐ฆโโ๐ฑโโ๐นโโ๐ญโ โ๐ฒโโ๐ฆโโ๐นโโ๐นโโ๐ชโโ๐ทโโ๐ธโ
โถ Multi-POV
โถ Reverse Harem Hockey Romance
โถ Forbidden Romance (Coach's Daughter)
โถ Found Family
โถ Bully Romance
โถ Dubious Consent with VERY Dubious Consent (almost Non-Con)
โถ Blackmail
โถ Stalking
โถ Touch her you die
โถ Tending to Injuries
โถ Masked Man
โถ Kidnapping
KINKS: Somnophilia, Knife Play, Primal Play, Blood Play, Voyeurism, Edging, Biting, Spitting, BDSM elements and Anal Play
Overall, as I have said above - do not go into this lightly if you get upset or uncomfortable with dark triggers. You will not really enjoy it. This is problematic, this is questionable and is considered fucked up... BUT... IF YOU THINK OF TRIGGERS AS TROPES and get excited by those "trigger tropes", you're gonna fucking love this! Go in blind - I did and it was EPIC! and makes the twists and turns hit harder
Content Warnings
Graphic: Bullying, Cursing, Emotional abuse, Panic attacks/disorders, Self harm, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Suicidal thoughts, Toxic relationship, Blood, Stalking, Abandonment, and Sexual harassment
Moderate: Physical abuse and Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Drug use and Death of parent
Rent-A Husband by Everly Ashton
funny
lighthearted
relaxing
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
3.5 Shooting the Shit Stars โญ๏ธ
Spicy Level: ๐ถ๏ธ.5/5
This is the kind of book that is going to give you what you want to get... if that is a light, fluffy romance that you have probably seen or read before but want those vibes again. Itโs not going to change your life; itโs not going to change your world, but itโs light and fluffy, and youโre going to enjoy it. Itโs a quick little read that has a couple of delicious tropes that will SCRATCH THAT ITCH... if itโs an itch you want to scratch. There is a reason Hallmark makes 30 Christmas movies each year, and yes, they are all pretty much the same, but you still voraciously devour them because they make you happy.
Camila is heartbroken. She has just found out her cheating ex-boyfriend is engaged to the woman he cheated on her with, and on top of that, her bathroom just exploded. So drunk and wet, she phones "Rent a Husband," a repair service run by the Abbott Brothers, that offers after-hours services to people who need it (mostly elderly women who just like to stare at the sexy men fixing their pipes).
Lucas, the eldest, pulls the short straw when Camiโs call comes in and grumpily rocks up to fix her "plumbing disaster" because she cannot figure out how to turn her water off. He realizes heโs probably going to have a problem because sheโs drop-dead gorgeous. After determining there is extensive damage to her inner walls, he offers to do an after-hours and weekend bathroom overhaul as he needs some extra cash. Cami soon has another problem: sheโs invited to a coworkerโs wedding, where her ex is going to be, and she doesnโt want to face him alone. So Lucas gets to fix another one of her problems by pretending to be her boyfriend.
Camila is a sweetheart. Sheโs also pretty intelligent and pretty self-sacrificing. She is emotionally struggling after her breakup, and the emotional trauma it caused has left a lot of scars as her trust has been broken by not one but two men in her life.
Lucas has the difficult job of needing to reestablish that trust. He is stubborn and carries the world on his shoulders. Being the eldest brother of three normally means you have to be the most level-headed and responsible. He has an inherent sense of loyalty to his family that is adorably sweet, especially seeing how he is willing to sacrifice his happiness to make them happy. I loved how much love you could feel in the pages when he interacted with his grandparents and how much he was willing to give back to them after everything they gave him. He is also a very forgiving man because the OMG situations that Cami puts him into and how he handles them like a gentleman with grace (mostly) were super commendable.
My one problem with this is that we never actually see them fall in love. They go on one date, and then we have "time passing" โ you know, while he is always at her house fixing her bathroom โ and then they are in love. It felt very much like telling me they now love each other versus showing me how they fell in love. This causes part of their connection and chemistry to feel missed because while there is that initial attraction, massive chemistry, and connection they have... itโs almost implied that because they had it, you have to assume it translated into the times we as readers are not shown, and that is why they love each other... I just wanted to see more development before the "love switch."
Tropes in this include:
โถ Strangers to Lovers
โถ Repair man fixing all her problems
โถ Fake Dating & Fake Marriage
โถ Dual POV
โถ One Bed
โถ Primal Play
โถ Third Act Breakup
Micro Tropes:
โท "View is Amazing" - Looking at her
โท Rolled Sleeves and Forearm Focus
โท Chin Lift
โท Forehead Kisses
Overall, the writing was easy to follow, and the book made me giggle, gasp, and smile, delivering exactly what I wanted. If youโre looking for a low-angst, straightforward story that fulfils its promise, I highly recommend picking this up!
Thank you to Everly Ashton and ValentinePR for my gifted copy!
All thoughts and opinions are my own.
Spicy Level: ๐ถ๏ธ.5/5
This is the kind of book that is going to give you what you want to get... if that is a light, fluffy romance that you have probably seen or read before but want those vibes again. Itโs not going to change your life; itโs not going to change your world, but itโs light and fluffy, and youโre going to enjoy it. Itโs a quick little read that has a couple of delicious tropes that will SCRATCH THAT ITCH... if itโs an itch you want to scratch. There is a reason Hallmark makes 30 Christmas movies each year, and yes, they are all pretty much the same, but you still voraciously devour them because they make you happy.
Camila is heartbroken. She has just found out her cheating ex-boyfriend is engaged to the woman he cheated on her with, and on top of that, her bathroom just exploded. So drunk and wet, she phones "Rent a Husband," a repair service run by the Abbott Brothers, that offers after-hours services to people who need it (mostly elderly women who just like to stare at the sexy men fixing their pipes).
Lucas, the eldest, pulls the short straw when Camiโs call comes in and grumpily rocks up to fix her "plumbing disaster" because she cannot figure out how to turn her water off. He realizes heโs probably going to have a problem because sheโs drop-dead gorgeous. After determining there is extensive damage to her inner walls, he offers to do an after-hours and weekend bathroom overhaul as he needs some extra cash. Cami soon has another problem: sheโs invited to a coworkerโs wedding, where her ex is going to be, and she doesnโt want to face him alone. So Lucas gets to fix another one of her problems by pretending to be her boyfriend.
Camila is a sweetheart. Sheโs also pretty intelligent and pretty self-sacrificing. She is emotionally struggling after her breakup, and the emotional trauma it caused has left a lot of scars as her trust has been broken by not one but two men in her life.
Lucas has the difficult job of needing to reestablish that trust. He is stubborn and carries the world on his shoulders. Being the eldest brother of three normally means you have to be the most level-headed and responsible. He has an inherent sense of loyalty to his family that is adorably sweet, especially seeing how he is willing to sacrifice his happiness to make them happy. I loved how much love you could feel in the pages when he interacted with his grandparents and how much he was willing to give back to them after everything they gave him. He is also a very forgiving man because the OMG situations that Cami puts him into and how he handles them like a gentleman with grace (mostly) were super commendable.
My one problem with this is that we never actually see them fall in love. They go on one date, and then we have "time passing" โ you know, while he is always at her house fixing her bathroom โ and then they are in love. It felt very much like telling me they now love each other versus showing me how they fell in love. This causes part of their connection and chemistry to feel missed because while there is that initial attraction, massive chemistry, and connection they have... itโs almost implied that because they had it, you have to assume it translated into the times we as readers are not shown, and that is why they love each other... I just wanted to see more development before the "love switch."
Tropes in this include:
โถ Strangers to Lovers
โถ Repair man fixing all her problems
โถ Fake Dating & Fake Marriage
โถ Dual POV
โถ One Bed
โถ Primal Play
โถ Third Act Breakup
Micro Tropes:
โท "View is Amazing" - Looking at her
โท Rolled Sleeves and Forearm Focus
โท Chin Lift
โท Forehead Kisses
Overall, the writing was easy to follow, and the book made me giggle, gasp, and smile, delivering exactly what I wanted. If youโre looking for a low-angst, straightforward story that fulfils its promise, I highly recommend picking this up!
Thank you to Everly Ashton and ValentinePR for my gifted copy!
All thoughts and opinions are my own.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content and Alcohol
Moderate: Infidelity and Abandonment
Swift and Saddled by Lyla Sage
emotional
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
4 Baby Blue Stars โญ๏ธ
Spicy Level: ๐ถ๏ธ๐ถ๏ธ.5/5
So I picked this up thinking that this was book 1, AND VERY SOON REALISED this is book 2... But I said fuck it... Guess I'm in my Cowboy Era and decided to jump right in.
This book was a really fun time! Ada is an interior designer, and based on a referral from a friend to a friend she ends up with a project to remodel the Rebel Blue Bed and Breakfast. The night before her first official day, she waltz's into a local bar looking for food and meets an unknown man. She immediately makes "goo-goo" eyes at him and he makes "goo-goo" eyes at her so they end up locking lips. When someone catches them she flees like a modern-day Cinderella. The next morning, she rocks up at her new place of employment and finds out that her new boss, Wes, is none other than the mystery man she was swapping saliva with... And determined NOT to get involved romantically with her new employer, she puts a nice little cockblock into any further kinky hijinx.
Now, this was sweet and adorable and just utterly wholesome. It met everything I was expecting in what you'd think you're going to get when reading a little cowboy romance. Wes checked every one of my boxes with pretty little GREEN CHECK MARKS. He was a walking green flag, a CHARMING gentleman who was just raised right with all his perfect manners and behaviour. He can communicate and kinda knows how to handle his emotions.
Then we have Ada who is pretty insecure and almost seems cold. The Grumpy in the Grumpy X Sunshine mix but she's not a typical "Black Cat" - she has never been given a chance to fly on her own. She has just come off a very oppressive and emotionally abusive marriage where her ex-husband dictated her life to the point of unhealthy codependence and control. She needs to learn how to be herself again, explore her limits and boundaries and learn to be able to do things on her own without her husband. I really did enjoy her growth and how she built up her self-confidence daily.
Their relationship was a hit-and-miss for me, because it took a long time for them to finally act on their feelings, even after numerous people explicitly made it clear they didn't care that Wes was her boss. Only saying she only shouldn't hurt him by starting something and then leaving... the two had this almost "instalove" pull which contradicted the delay in relationship. THEY WERE PINING FOR THE OTHERโฆ and while it can be argued that it was more lust - if that were the case I would have expected a quicker payoff... This wasn't a frustration per se, it was just the battle of the conflict didnโt make senseโฆ The why they couldn't be together especially after they both were so attracted to each other, didn't add up.
Something that I loved was the importance of friendship and how someone accepting you could be the first step to healing. Ada, through the course of this book, learnt how to invite people into her life, not only from a romantic relationship perspective but also through the "Girl Squad" she formed with Wes's baby sister, Teddy and Sam. I loved that these girls protected each other, stood up for each other and made everyone comfortable and feel part of something.
There are also aspects of dealing with mental health issues. Wes does suffer from Middle Child Syndrome in that he is often overlooked, ignored or neglected by his family. He also suffers from depression, so I appreciated that this book was not shying away from his struggles, showing that anyone (even the man who appears to be a perfectly put-together charming gentleman), could suffer from a mental illness. It was almost as if his condition was purposely downplayed. Showing that if it's not made into a big deal, him having bad days, then it can be accepted as normalised. Highlighting that there is NOTHING wrong with him... Or it could have been downplayed cause this is a fluffy romance and sometimes they don't go too deep into issues.
The writing was pretty easy to follow and fluffy, so you can kick back, relax, and enjoy. I experienced this book through audio. The writing characteristics were heightened by the amazing job Teddy Hamilton and Vanessa Edwin did, because it felt smooth and fluffy and flowed effortlessly.
Two things unfortunately bothered me and it's why this didn't get 5 stars. The first is I wish that it went a little bit more into the weeds and details of the actual project of what she was doing at Rebel Blue. It's very vague descriptions of the renovations, or just comments that they were completed but never really explained what it was they were completing... I mean the biggest thing I know about the design is she made flower-stained curtains.
The Second thing (and this is pretty minor) is that the way people explained Wes and who Wes was in his POV, did not always line up. He is described as gentle and sweet, a typical golden retriever... but in his head he swears like a fucking sailor. Now I am not saying a "nice guy" cannot say the word FUCK... But if it's the first chapter of his POV and there are 4 Variations of the word fuck in this chapter... he is not exactly matching up to cute and polite... Now it might be because of my own intrinsic bias for characters I normally hear portrayed by Teddy Hamilton, that when he says FUCK those men are normally "bad boys"... but this dichotomy just stood out as weird. I also found it pretty sleazy that their "Bar Meet-Cute" is him saying "I am going to leave you here while I go have a drink, if you want some fun YOU come to me...."
The Tropes in this include:
โถ Cowboy Romance (Small Town Romance)
โถ Workplace Romance (Forced Proximity)
โถ Opposites Attract (GrumpyXSunshine)
โถ Dual POV
โถ Instalust but Slow Burn
โถ Found Family
โถ One Bed
โถ Reverse Age Gap (2 Years) is that even considered an age gap??
โถ Banter
โถ Grey Sweatpants and HE BRINGS HER FOOOOD!
โถ Attempted Third Act Breakup
SO.... all in all! This was cute sweet and enjoyable and while there are some weird things I am happy I chose to save a horse and ride this cowboy!
Spicy Level: ๐ถ๏ธ๐ถ๏ธ.5/5
So I picked this up thinking that this was book 1, AND VERY SOON REALISED this is book 2... But I said fuck it... Guess I'm in my Cowboy Era and decided to jump right in.
This book was a really fun time! Ada is an interior designer, and based on a referral from a friend to a friend she ends up with a project to remodel the Rebel Blue Bed and Breakfast. The night before her first official day, she waltz's into a local bar looking for food and meets an unknown man. She immediately makes "goo-goo" eyes at him and he makes "goo-goo" eyes at her so they end up locking lips. When someone catches them she flees like a modern-day Cinderella. The next morning, she rocks up at her new place of employment and finds out that her new boss, Wes, is none other than the mystery man she was swapping saliva with... And determined NOT to get involved romantically with her new employer, she puts a nice little cockblock into any further kinky hijinx.
Now, this was sweet and adorable and just utterly wholesome. It met everything I was expecting in what you'd think you're going to get when reading a little cowboy romance. Wes checked every one of my boxes with pretty little GREEN CHECK MARKS. He was a walking green flag, a CHARMING gentleman who was just raised right with all his perfect manners and behaviour. He can communicate and kinda knows how to handle his emotions.
Then we have Ada who is pretty insecure and almost seems cold. The Grumpy in the Grumpy X Sunshine mix but she's not a typical "Black Cat" - she has never been given a chance to fly on her own. She has just come off a very oppressive and emotionally abusive marriage where her ex-husband dictated her life to the point of unhealthy codependence and control. She needs to learn how to be herself again, explore her limits and boundaries and learn to be able to do things on her own without her husband. I really did enjoy her growth and how she built up her self-confidence daily.
Their relationship was a hit-and-miss for me, because it took a long time for them to finally act on their feelings, even after numerous people explicitly made it clear they didn't care that Wes was her boss. Only saying she only shouldn't hurt him by starting something and then leaving... the two had this almost "instalove" pull which contradicted the delay in relationship. THEY WERE PINING FOR THE OTHERโฆ and while it can be argued that it was more lust - if that were the case I would have expected a quicker payoff... This wasn't a frustration per se, it was just the battle of the conflict didnโt make senseโฆ The why they couldn't be together especially after they both were so attracted to each other, didn't add up.
Something that I loved was the importance of friendship and how someone accepting you could be the first step to healing. Ada, through the course of this book, learnt how to invite people into her life, not only from a romantic relationship perspective but also through the "Girl Squad" she formed with Wes's baby sister, Teddy and Sam. I loved that these girls protected each other, stood up for each other and made everyone comfortable and feel part of something.
There are also aspects of dealing with mental health issues. Wes does suffer from Middle Child Syndrome in that he is often overlooked, ignored or neglected by his family. He also suffers from depression, so I appreciated that this book was not shying away from his struggles, showing that anyone (even the man who appears to be a perfectly put-together charming gentleman), could suffer from a mental illness. It was almost as if his condition was purposely downplayed. Showing that if it's not made into a big deal, him having bad days, then it can be accepted as normalised. Highlighting that there is NOTHING wrong with him... Or it could have been downplayed cause this is a fluffy romance and sometimes they don't go too deep into issues.
The writing was pretty easy to follow and fluffy, so you can kick back, relax, and enjoy. I experienced this book through audio. The writing characteristics were heightened by the amazing job Teddy Hamilton and Vanessa Edwin did, because it felt smooth and fluffy and flowed effortlessly.
Two things unfortunately bothered me and it's why this didn't get 5 stars. The first is I wish that it went a little bit more into the weeds and details of the actual project of what she was doing at Rebel Blue. It's very vague descriptions of the renovations, or just comments that they were completed but never really explained what it was they were completing... I mean the biggest thing I know about the design is she made flower-stained curtains.
The Second thing (and this is pretty minor) is that the way people explained Wes and who Wes was in his POV, did not always line up. He is described as gentle and sweet, a typical golden retriever... but in his head he swears like a fucking sailor. Now I am not saying a "nice guy" cannot say the word FUCK... But if it's the first chapter of his POV and there are 4 Variations of the word fuck in this chapter... he is not exactly matching up to cute and polite... Now it might be because of my own intrinsic bias for characters I normally hear portrayed by Teddy Hamilton, that when he says FUCK those men are normally "bad boys"... but this dichotomy just stood out as weird. I also found it pretty sleazy that their "Bar Meet-Cute" is him saying "I am going to leave you here while I go have a drink, if you want some fun YOU come to me...."
The Tropes in this include:
โถ Cowboy Romance (Small Town Romance)
โถ Workplace Romance (Forced Proximity)
โถ Opposites Attract (GrumpyXSunshine)
โถ Dual POV
โถ Instalust but Slow Burn
โถ Found Family
โถ One Bed
โถ Reverse Age Gap (2 Years) is that even considered an age gap??
โถ Banter
โถ Grey Sweatpants and HE BRINGS HER FOOOOD!
SO.... all in all! This was cute sweet and enjoyable and while there are some weird things I am happy I chose to save a horse and ride this cowboy!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Mental illness, Sexual content, and Toxic friendship
Moderate: Emotional abuse, Death of parent, and Abandonment
Minor: Panic attacks/disorders and Gaslighting
The Quit List by Katie Bailey
adventurous
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
lighthearted
relaxing
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
4.5 Lost Larping Stars โญ๏ธ
Spicy Level: 0/5 (There are light descriptions of kissing)
It's books like these that make me so happy about going in blind, with no expectations because it leaves yourself open to being blown away! I am in AWE as I didn't know I would be getting a wholesome full-bodied romance while still being a fun ride!
Holly is looking for her forever man. After finally giving up on the man she's been pining for at work (about time too cause he's a bloody arsehole and not just because he was stringing her along) she decided to start going on dates... The problem is, that everyone she goes on a date with turns out to be an awful date after an awful date. She keeps going to the same restaurant for her dates and so soon one of the bartenders, Jax, notices and they get to talking. Jax MOST DEFINITELY IS NOT THE "GOING STEADY RELATIONSHIP" type and more of a "fling" person. He's also about to change jobs and start his own business guiding trails. So despite their sexual attraction, he is not what Holly is looking for in a partner. But he does have an excellent read on people and their character... so he becomes Holly's dating coach. Now Holly just has to remind herself not to fall for her coach.
I think Jax stole the show. He is the epitome of a green flag. MY GOD! While he might initially be implied to be a player because of his smart mouth and wicked banter, he is so thoughtful, generous, genuine and protective. Like he is so sweet you'd get a toothache from him but enjoy every minute. Throughout the book all the little displays of kindness, considerate actions and gestures he does, MADE MY HEART SWOON! The man PACKED A VANILLA MILKSHAKE and carried it on his back during a gruelling hike just to make sure if Holly didn't like the hike, she'd have something nice at the end of it! Like COME ON! Why can't every man be so romantic and dreamy? He makes Holly push her boundaries and find the version of herself that makes her HAPPY! He is just the perfect portrayal of what you want in a supportive partner, prospective boyfriend, fiancรฉ, husband, or whatever label you want to define a good relationship.
Holly is also pretty much a sweetheart but has the type of personality that makes her seem very gentle and soft, oftentimes leading to people walking all over her (especially her arsehole boss.) She doesn't know what she wants and who she wants to be or what she wants out of a relationship. I loved how in this not only did she form such a profound connection with Jax but she learned to love herself. She grows and starts realising that before she can be happy as a part of a relationship, she needs to be happy with herself.
What I also loved about this is that it mirrored my philosophy and model on what I think about love and what makes a relationship work. That being, you cannot look for a relationship or someone to COMPLETE you, you should look for someone who COMPLIMENTS you. My one is a little more thinking about shapes but it implies the same...
In a relationship where someone completes you, think of yourself as making a circle, which some people say is often the strongest type of relationship because you are "whole". The problem with this is, that you're dependent on each other to be whole, if you remove one half all you're left with is a broken half circle, that cannot exist by itself. Now think of someone who compliments you. This means independently you both should already be a complete circle. You need to ensure that you, yourself, are a whole person and that you meet a whole person. Now if you bring two circles together, you're not getting a circle, you're going to get an infinity sign (I know it's corny but it's sweet ok). Ultimately you bring out the incalculable best in each other, you support each other, you make each other stronger, and you respect each other. Together you can conquer the world...AND If you separate these two - you are still left as a whole.
This was what Jax and Holly's relationship was like. They were the support and cheerleaders each other needed when making difficult decisions and were there for each other through small and big milestones. No matter what each other was going through they were by each other's side. And while Holly had to learn to find her whole before she and Jax came together it was just stunning to see a relationship portrayed in a book that I believe had such a monumental foundation of what makes a relationship work. The banter between the two was top notch and the progression of friends to lovers was PERFECTION! It felt natural and meant to be.
This book also made me cry, but not because it was sad, well maybe not sad for everyone but for me it was... It just had a mention of a short day hike up Stone Mountain and that hike and mountain is one of the really special memories I have of my mom from before she passed... It's also why I giggle every time I sniffle when it's cold...
The Tropes:
โถ Dual Pov
โถ Slow Burn
โถ Dating Coach
โถ Strangers to Lovers
โถ Opposites Attract
โถ Banter
โถ Cinnamon Roll
โถ No Third Act Breakup
โถ One Tent/One Bed
โถ Cute Dog
and Micro Tropes:
โท Good Girl
โท Mistaken for Married
โท Use Me
โท Grey Sweatpants
โท Spicy/Steamy Water Scene
โท He Brings her food and drinks
Overall this was a genuinely cute, sweet and heartwarming story. I commend Katie Bailey who managed to make my smut-loving heart form such an attachment to characters and fall in love with a story that was closed door.
Thank you to Katie Bailey, Dreamscape Media and Netgalley for my gifted Audio copy!
All thoughts and opinions are my own.
Spicy Level: 0/5 (There are light descriptions of kissing)
It's books like these that make me so happy about going in blind, with no expectations because it leaves yourself open to being blown away! I am in AWE as I didn't know I would be getting a wholesome full-bodied romance while still being a fun ride!
Holly is looking for her forever man. After finally giving up on the man she's been pining for at work (about time too cause he's a bloody arsehole and not just because he was stringing her along) she decided to start going on dates... The problem is, that everyone she goes on a date with turns out to be an awful date after an awful date. She keeps going to the same restaurant for her dates and so soon one of the bartenders, Jax, notices and they get to talking. Jax MOST DEFINITELY IS NOT THE "GOING STEADY RELATIONSHIP" type and more of a "fling" person. He's also about to change jobs and start his own business guiding trails. So despite their sexual attraction, he is not what Holly is looking for in a partner. But he does have an excellent read on people and their character... so he becomes Holly's dating coach. Now Holly just has to remind herself not to fall for her coach.
I think Jax stole the show. He is the epitome of a green flag. MY GOD! While he might initially be implied to be a player because of his smart mouth and wicked banter, he is so thoughtful, generous, genuine and protective. Like he is so sweet you'd get a toothache from him but enjoy every minute. Throughout the book all the little displays of kindness, considerate actions and gestures he does, MADE MY HEART SWOON! The man PACKED A VANILLA MILKSHAKE and carried it on his back during a gruelling hike just to make sure if Holly didn't like the hike, she'd have something nice at the end of it! Like COME ON! Why can't every man be so romantic and dreamy? He makes Holly push her boundaries and find the version of herself that makes her HAPPY! He is just the perfect portrayal of what you want in a supportive partner, prospective boyfriend, fiancรฉ, husband, or whatever label you want to define a good relationship.
Holly is also pretty much a sweetheart but has the type of personality that makes her seem very gentle and soft, oftentimes leading to people walking all over her (especially her arsehole boss.) She doesn't know what she wants and who she wants to be or what she wants out of a relationship. I loved how in this not only did she form such a profound connection with Jax but she learned to love herself. She grows and starts realising that before she can be happy as a part of a relationship, she needs to be happy with herself.
What I also loved about this is that it mirrored my philosophy and model on what I think about love and what makes a relationship work. That being, you cannot look for a relationship or someone to COMPLETE you, you should look for someone who COMPLIMENTS you. My one is a little more thinking about shapes but it implies the same...
In a relationship where someone completes you, think of yourself as making a circle, which some people say is often the strongest type of relationship because you are "whole". The problem with this is, that you're dependent on each other to be whole, if you remove one half all you're left with is a broken half circle, that cannot exist by itself. Now think of someone who compliments you. This means independently you both should already be a complete circle. You need to ensure that you, yourself, are a whole person and that you meet a whole person. Now if you bring two circles together, you're not getting a circle, you're going to get an infinity sign (I know it's corny but it's sweet ok). Ultimately you bring out the incalculable best in each other, you support each other, you make each other stronger, and you respect each other. Together you can conquer the world...AND If you separate these two - you are still left as a whole.
This was what Jax and Holly's relationship was like. They were the support and cheerleaders each other needed when making difficult decisions and were there for each other through small and big milestones. No matter what each other was going through they were by each other's side. And while Holly had to learn to find her whole before she and Jax came together it was just stunning to see a relationship portrayed in a book that I believe had such a monumental foundation of what makes a relationship work. The banter between the two was top notch and the progression of friends to lovers was PERFECTION! It felt natural and meant to be.
This book also made me cry, but not because it was sad, well maybe not sad for everyone but for me it was... It just had a mention of a short day hike up Stone Mountain and that hike and mountain is one of the really special memories I have of my mom from before she passed... It's also why I giggle every time I sniffle when it's cold...
The Tropes:
โถ Dual Pov
โถ Slow Burn
โถ Dating Coach
โถ Strangers to Lovers
โถ Opposites Attract
โถ Banter
โถ Cinnamon Roll
โถ No Third Act Breakup
โถ One Tent/One Bed
โถ Cute Dog
and Micro Tropes:
โท Good Girl
โท Mistaken for Married
โท Use Me
โท Grey Sweatpants
โท Spicy/Steamy Water Scene
โท He Brings her food and drinks
Overall this was a genuinely cute, sweet and heartwarming story. I commend Katie Bailey who managed to make my smut-loving heart form such an attachment to characters and fall in love with a story that was closed door.
Thank you to Katie Bailey, Dreamscape Media and Netgalley for my gifted Audio copy!
All thoughts and opinions are my own.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Toxic relationship
Moderate: Infidelity
Minor: Pregnancy and Injury/Injury detail
Terms and Conditions by Lauren Asher
emotional
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.0
2 Untranslateable Word Stars โญ๏ธ
Spicy Level: ๐ถ๏ธ๐ถ๏ธ/5
Now books are meant to bring out emotions when reading, sometimes even really strong ones. They can make you sad, they can make you horny, and they can make you angry. They are also able to make you question life, become nostalgic and make you smile. They can make you irritated and annoyed... the point is there is a whole host of feelings and emotions that can be experienced when reading a book.
Now certain books by default imply a certain emotion will be experienced when reading that book. For example - a thriller might make you scared, anxious, or nervous. A political drama might make you frustrated or feel empowered. A dark romance will have you questioning your moral boundaries as you know the man is MEANT to be a walking red flag. What you don't expect is for a traditional contemporary romance to make you utterly mad, livid and just pissed off by how awful the MMC was portrayed...
We have Iris who is Declan's personal assistant. Declan has an issue where his clause in his grandfather's will is that he needs to be married and have a baby before he will be announced CEO of Dreamland Industries. The problem is he doesn't have any prospects of finding a woman who would lower herself to becoming his wife. So Iris steps into his metaphorical wife's shoes and the two get hitched and realise marriage is not just about saying "I Do".
Declan is an arsehole! He is mean to Iris, insults her and makes her feel like shit. Then on top of that treats everyone else like they are a bag of dicks. I have NEVER seen such a selfish, self-absorbed "grumpy" asshole in a book. Every time he did something I wanted to legitimately slap some sense into the man and maybe some manners and respect. Just because you are a billionaire does not mean people have to automatically like you, you jerk face!
Iris felt very underdeveloped as well, at the start being pretty likeable but her story goes nowhere and it feels very "woe is me" and she turns petty. She's pretty young and uses being held back at school for a year and "rejected" from previous jobs as a major definition in her life. She started as Declan's PA as a temp from an agency as her first real job - so WHERE ARE ALL THESE LIFE LESSON JOBS YOU HAVE LOST? She finished school, became a temp and has been working for him for 3 years. I really think she is actually the dumbest smart person I have ever encountered in a book because she is pretty clever from a business point of view - since she has been working for so long on this proposal Declan needs to land to prove he is CEO material. BUT SHE ACCEPTS DECLAN'S CONSTANT EMOTIONAL ABUSE and blows it off because of those stupid little love kernels he throws her way by making people change the font and leaving her voice notes instead of written notes because of her dyslexia?I mean OBVIOUSLY it's those small signs that mean he is the ACTUAL PERFECT MAN FOR YOU. She has suffered and given up so much of her personal life and time for him to continue to use and abuse her and the only time he turns into a decent human being is when she draws the line and says she has had enough...
This is meant to be a cutesy fluffy sweet and adorable romance of two people who find love through convenience, when frankly the characters in this sucked, the plot was kinda stupid and the romance had no connection.
I ALSO AM EXTREMELY UPSET THAT LAUREN ASHER DARED TO SAY SOUTH AFRICA IS NOT A COUNTRY YOU WOULD WANT TO VISIT FOR A HONEYMOON! Excuse me! Like have you seen my country and been anywhere near a luxury safari? As someone privileged to travel the world and SEE MY COUNTRY and go on a few "safaris" of my own - I feel like it was an unfair statement towards the experience and the type of luxury. LIKE BITCH THOSE THINGS ARE FUCKING FANCY IF YOU GO TO THE RIGHT PLACE... Also since she saw a leopard - and I haven't seen one since I was 12 and believe I will only see one going to this specific game reserve and it's on the other side of the country and it made me mad that Iris saw one and I haven't seen one in the wild in 22 years!
Tropes if you care to actually try read this:
โถ Interracial/Multicultural Romance
โถ Marriage of Convenience
โถ Forced Proximity/Workplace Romance
โถ BossXEmployee
โถ GrumpyXSunshine
โถ Billionaire/Rich Romance
โถ Third Act Breakup
โถ Best Friends Brother
โถ Possessive and Jealous MMC
Microtropes:
โท It Won't Fit
โท Grey Sweatpant
โท View is Amazing (Looking at her)
โท My Wife
โท Mine
โท Look at me
โท Rolled Sleeves and Forearms
โท Hold on to the....
Overall I HATED THIS! It made me mad and angry and annoyed and all I wanted was for the bloody thing to end so I could read something else...
I'm still gonna read Final Offer though...
Spicy Level: ๐ถ๏ธ๐ถ๏ธ/5
Now books are meant to bring out emotions when reading, sometimes even really strong ones. They can make you sad, they can make you horny, and they can make you angry. They are also able to make you question life, become nostalgic and make you smile. They can make you irritated and annoyed... the point is there is a whole host of feelings and emotions that can be experienced when reading a book.
Now certain books by default imply a certain emotion will be experienced when reading that book. For example - a thriller might make you scared, anxious, or nervous. A political drama might make you frustrated or feel empowered. A dark romance will have you questioning your moral boundaries as you know the man is MEANT to be a walking red flag. What you don't expect is for a traditional contemporary romance to make you utterly mad, livid and just pissed off by how awful the MMC was portrayed...
We have Iris who is Declan's personal assistant. Declan has an issue where his clause in his grandfather's will is that he needs to be married and have a baby before he will be announced CEO of Dreamland Industries. The problem is he doesn't have any prospects of finding a woman who would lower herself to becoming his wife. So Iris steps into his metaphorical wife's shoes and the two get hitched and realise marriage is not just about saying "I Do".
Declan is an arsehole! He is mean to Iris, insults her and makes her feel like shit. Then on top of that treats everyone else like they are a bag of dicks. I have NEVER seen such a selfish, self-absorbed "grumpy" asshole in a book. Every time he did something I wanted to legitimately slap some sense into the man and maybe some manners and respect. Just because you are a billionaire does not mean people have to automatically like you, you jerk face!
Iris felt very underdeveloped as well, at the start being pretty likeable but her story goes nowhere and it feels very "woe is me" and she turns petty. She's pretty young and uses being held back at school for a year and "rejected" from previous jobs as a major definition in her life. She started as Declan's PA as a temp from an agency as her first real job - so WHERE ARE ALL THESE LIFE LESSON JOBS YOU HAVE LOST? She finished school, became a temp and has been working for him for 3 years. I really think she is actually the dumbest smart person I have ever encountered in a book because she is pretty clever from a business point of view - since she has been working for so long on this proposal Declan needs to land to prove he is CEO material. BUT SHE ACCEPTS DECLAN'S CONSTANT EMOTIONAL ABUSE and blows it off because of those stupid little love kernels he throws her way by making people change the font and leaving her voice notes instead of written notes because of her dyslexia?I mean OBVIOUSLY it's those small signs that mean he is the ACTUAL PERFECT MAN FOR YOU. She has suffered and given up so much of her personal life and time for him to continue to use and abuse her and the only time he turns into a decent human being is when she draws the line and says she has had enough...
This is meant to be a cutesy fluffy sweet and adorable romance of two people who find love through convenience, when frankly the characters in this sucked, the plot was kinda stupid and the romance had no connection.
I ALSO AM EXTREMELY UPSET THAT LAUREN ASHER DARED TO SAY SOUTH AFRICA IS NOT A COUNTRY YOU WOULD WANT TO VISIT FOR A HONEYMOON! Excuse me! Like have you seen my country and been anywhere near a luxury safari? As someone privileged to travel the world and SEE MY COUNTRY and go on a few "safaris" of my own - I feel like it was an unfair statement towards the experience and the type of luxury. LIKE BITCH THOSE THINGS ARE FUCKING FANCY IF YOU GO TO THE RIGHT PLACE... Also since she saw a leopard - and I haven't seen one since I was 12 and believe I will only see one going to this specific game reserve and it's on the other side of the country and it made me mad that Iris saw one and I haven't seen one in the wild in 22 years!
Tropes if you care to actually try read this:
โถ Interracial/Multicultural Romance
โถ Marriage of Convenience
โถ Forced Proximity/Workplace Romance
โถ BossXEmployee
โถ GrumpyXSunshine
โถ Billionaire/Rich Romance
โถ Third Act Breakup
โถ Best Friends Brother
โถ Possessive and Jealous MMC
Microtropes:
โท It Won't Fit
โท Grey Sweatpant
โท View is Amazing (Looking at her)
โท My Wife
โท Mine
โท Look at me
โท Rolled Sleeves and Forearms
โท Hold on to the....
Overall I HATED THIS! It made me mad and angry and annoyed and all I wanted was for the bloody thing to end so I could read something else...
I'm still gonna read Final Offer though...
Content Warnings
Graphic: Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, and Sexual content
Moderate: Child abuse, Death of parent, and Pregnancy
Minor: Alcoholism and Physical abuse
My Roommate Is a Vampire by Jenna Levine
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
relaxing
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
3.5 Missing Name Tag Stars โญ๏ธ
Spicy Level: ๐ถ๏ธ/5
I am really confused about how I feel about this... Now I listened to this in Audio and has nothing against Gilli Messer because she did a fantastic job of bringing this book to life but that almost heightened my issue with this book. Which is that Cassie has almost no personality, which is completely overshadowed by the amazingness of Frederick's personality.
So Cassie is down on her luck, she is broke and needs to find an improvement in her job and living arrangements. So she finds an ad on Craigslist which seems way too good to be true... an awesome apartment, in a good area with exceptionally cheap rent, so obviously cue warning signs and red flags, because who would rent a room so cheap besides a psycho? She checks out the apartment and her potential roommate seems a little too into "method acting an episode of Downtown Abbey or Bridgerton" than a guy from the 21st century - but otherwise isn't too weird... ANYWAY, after she agrees he won't murder her in her sleep she moves in and is welcomed by a bowl of Kumquats. NOW Obviously from the title, Frederick is a vampire who has just woken up from a 100-year naptime. He now needs someone to help him adjust to this date and time and calls on his lovely new roommate for help -especially in the CRAZY DILEMMA of ordering a cappuccino!
So Cassie is plain, boring and she lacks character. She just feels meh. I struggled to see that spark that made her special and couldn't understand why Fredrick was so enamoured by her, except for the fact that she was one of the few people he had interacted with who was nice to him... The only thing about her that makes her "appealing" is she is an artist and that's like almost her whole personality because she uses waste to make her pieces. It was too perfect, too cookie-cutter.... tooo bland and generic.
Then contrasting to her there is Frederick... he's so outdated, so outlandish and so formal - following proprietary rules of societal politeness from the 1900's. But because he is so formal and dashing he is a perfect adorable gentleman. Every scene with him in was stolen by his magnetism, and utter ridiculousness at his cute inability to understand modern society. It was insane and cute and I love him so much!
I am not going to comment too much on the depth of the story because it doesn't really exist - this is meant to be a light rom-com so take it for that because if you start digging deeper there are PROBLEMS...
1) His friendship with Reginald?
They dislike each other but Reggie REALLY cares about Fred... and this is just blown over
2) The Stolen Blood that never actually gets solved? Why keep putting these news snippets in? Like what does it add to the plot?
3) The Kidnapping? Like WHAT - that didn't feel thrown in there for no reason whatsoever...
The Tropes in this:
โถ Vampire X Human Romance
โถ Age gap romance
โถ Forced proximity
โถ Roommates to Lovers
โถ Slow burn
โถ Forbidden romance
โถ He falls first
โถ "Who did this to you"
I mean - I didn't hate it... but it's not AMAZING...
Spicy Level: ๐ถ๏ธ/5
I am really confused about how I feel about this... Now I listened to this in Audio and has nothing against Gilli Messer because she did a fantastic job of bringing this book to life but that almost heightened my issue with this book. Which is that Cassie has almost no personality, which is completely overshadowed by the amazingness of Frederick's personality.
So Cassie is down on her luck, she is broke and needs to find an improvement in her job and living arrangements. So she finds an ad on Craigslist which seems way too good to be true... an awesome apartment, in a good area with exceptionally cheap rent, so obviously cue warning signs and red flags, because who would rent a room so cheap besides a psycho? She checks out the apartment and her potential roommate seems a little too into "method acting an episode of Downtown Abbey or Bridgerton" than a guy from the 21st century - but otherwise isn't too weird... ANYWAY, after she agrees he won't murder her in her sleep she moves in and is welcomed by a bowl of Kumquats. NOW Obviously from the title, Frederick is a vampire who has just woken up from a 100-year naptime. He now needs someone to help him adjust to this date and time and calls on his lovely new roommate for help -especially in the CRAZY DILEMMA of ordering a cappuccino!
So Cassie is plain, boring and she lacks character. She just feels meh. I struggled to see that spark that made her special and couldn't understand why Fredrick was so enamoured by her, except for the fact that she was one of the few people he had interacted with who was nice to him... The only thing about her that makes her "appealing" is she is an artist and that's like almost her whole personality because she uses waste to make her pieces. It was too perfect, too cookie-cutter.... tooo bland and generic.
Then contrasting to her there is Frederick... he's so outdated, so outlandish and so formal - following proprietary rules of societal politeness from the 1900's. But because he is so formal and dashing he is a perfect adorable gentleman. Every scene with him in was stolen by his magnetism, and utter ridiculousness at his cute inability to understand modern society. It was insane and cute and I love him so much!
I am not going to comment too much on the depth of the story because it doesn't really exist - this is meant to be a light rom-com so take it for that because if you start digging deeper there are PROBLEMS...
1) His friendship with Reginald?
They dislike each other but Reggie REALLY cares about Fred... and this is just blown over
2) The Stolen Blood that never actually gets solved? Why keep putting these news snippets in? Like what does it add to the plot?
3) The Kidnapping? Like WHAT - that didn't feel thrown in there for no reason whatsoever...
The Tropes in this:
โถ Vampire X Human Romance
โถ Age gap romance
โถ Forced proximity
โถ Roommates to Lovers
โถ Slow burn
โถ Forbidden romance
โถ He falls first
โถ "Who did this to you"
I mean - I didn't hate it... but it's not AMAZING...
Content Warnings
Graphic: Blood and Kidnapping
Moderate: Confinement
Minor: Death, Murder, and Alcohol
A Grumpy Witch's Guide to Finding Love by Zayaan Schroeder
Zoe is a typical black cat; she is not someone you would want to mess with. She is sassy, badass, and a total grump. She is also very guarded and battles to trust easily due to being hurt in the past. This means it takes a while for her to trust someone and open up to them about who (and what) she is.
Daniel is a gooey sticky cinnamon roll - which is fantastic because that just so happens to be one of Zoe's favourite snacks. Daniel is the epitome of "just because someone smiles, doesn't mean they are not broken". He might have a super sunny disposition, jokes easily, and smiles almost all the time - but he is suffering from his own internal grief at the loss of his sister.
The chemistry between Zoe and Daniel is electric! They complement each other's personalities so well while also challenging each other and bringing out the best in each other. It was cute how their simple rivalry in the gym turned into a cute little wholesome bond between them as they both learned to open up and share themselves fully. It was the perfect blend of tension and tenderness, with witty banter thrown in, making their relationship feel authentic.
While the story does contain elements of romance, there is a second overarching theme regarding the testament of friendship, where you can find true and genuine connections in the most unexpected places. Zoe's friendship with Lewis is adorable and touching. I really appreciated from the start that it was explicitly clear these two love and care for each other, but only like siblings, with their bickering and jokes - WE DO NOT LIKE LOVE TRIANGLES PEOPLE... As the story progresses, Zoe, Daniel, Rory, Lewis, and Levi form a unique and heartwarming family. It's a beautiful embodiment of the "Found Family" trope where family is not always about blood but about the bonds we choose to form.
From a writing perspective, the style is both cozy and evocative, drawing on moments of heartfelt and realistic emotions and experiences of the characters. However, even with this added depth, the overall story is pretty low-stakes. This is an easy, chilled read that is all about the sweet, gooey, and wholesome. While there are aspects of heightened stakes, mostly it's just something quick to put a smile on your face and a warm, fuzzy feeling in your heart.
Tropes and Microtropes Include:
โถ Touch Him/Her/Them and You Die
โถ Witches, Vampires, Werewolves and Ghosts
โถ Hidden Identify
โถ Uncontrollable Power
โถ Reverse GrumpyXSunshine (very Black Cat Vibes)
โถ Workplace Romance (Forced Proximity)
โถ Cinnamon Rolls (MMC and IN THE FOOD)
โถ One Bed
โถ Good Girl
โถ He weres GREY SWEATPANTS
โถ FOUND FAMILY (DUH)
โถ View is amazing - looking at her
Overall I loved this! Wholesome, cute, sweet with low stakes! There are MASSIVE HINTS that book 2 is about Lewis and Rory so I CANNOT WAIT TO SEE WHERE THAT GOES!
Thank you to Zayaan Schroeder for my gifted copy!
All thoughts and opinions are my own.
adventurous
funny
lighthearted
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
4 Cinnamon Roll Stars โญ๏ธ
Spicy Level: ๐ถ๏ธ๐ถ๏ธ.5/5
Spicy Level: ๐ถ๏ธ๐ถ๏ธ.5/5
"A Grumpy Witch's Guide to Finding Love" is an absolute gem. It's wholesome, cozy, and shows us that it is possible to find trust, love, and your own little family in the most unexpected places. I was pulled in from the very first page and found it difficult to put down.
This is a dual POV following Zoe and Daniel. Zoe's life is in shambles after being banished from her coven by her manipulative ex-boyfriend, Marcus. She is also broke and desperate for a place to stay. One day she stumbles across a ridiculously cheap room in a manor. The catch, though, is her new roommates are a vegan Vampire (Rory) and a ghost (Levi). She works as a Muay Thai trainer at her best friend Lewis's gym. One day he hires Daniel to assist with some Jujitsu classes. But Daniel has a secret; he is a lone wolf facing challenges from the local pack, accompanied by pressure to marry the alpha's daughter. Daniel is instantly attracted to Zoe and finds pleasure in antagonizing her, but when she finds him knocked out by the local pack, the two form a friendship and start to grow closer.
Zoe is a typical black cat; she is not someone you would want to mess with. She is sassy, badass, and a total grump. She is also very guarded and battles to trust easily due to being hurt in the past. This means it takes a while for her to trust someone and open up to them about who (and what) she is.
Daniel is a gooey sticky cinnamon roll - which is fantastic because that just so happens to be one of Zoe's favourite snacks. Daniel is the epitome of "just because someone smiles, doesn't mean they are not broken". He might have a super sunny disposition, jokes easily, and smiles almost all the time - but he is suffering from his own internal grief at the loss of his sister.
The chemistry between Zoe and Daniel is electric! They complement each other's personalities so well while also challenging each other and bringing out the best in each other. It was cute how their simple rivalry in the gym turned into a cute little wholesome bond between them as they both learned to open up and share themselves fully. It was the perfect blend of tension and tenderness, with witty banter thrown in, making their relationship feel authentic.
While the story does contain elements of romance, there is a second overarching theme regarding the testament of friendship, where you can find true and genuine connections in the most unexpected places. Zoe's friendship with Lewis is adorable and touching. I really appreciated from the start that it was explicitly clear these two love and care for each other, but only like siblings, with their bickering and jokes - WE DO NOT LIKE LOVE TRIANGLES PEOPLE... As the story progresses, Zoe, Daniel, Rory, Lewis, and Levi form a unique and heartwarming family. It's a beautiful embodiment of the "Found Family" trope where family is not always about blood but about the bonds we choose to form.
From a writing perspective, the style is both cozy and evocative, drawing on moments of heartfelt and realistic emotions and experiences of the characters. However, even with this added depth, the overall story is pretty low-stakes. This is an easy, chilled read that is all about the sweet, gooey, and wholesome. While there are aspects of heightened stakes, mostly it's just something quick to put a smile on your face and a warm, fuzzy feeling in your heart.
Tropes and Microtropes Include:
โถ Touch Him/Her/Them and You Die
โถ Witches, Vampires, Werewolves and Ghosts
โถ Hidden Identify
โถ Uncontrollable Power
โถ Reverse GrumpyXSunshine (very Black Cat Vibes)
โถ Workplace Romance (Forced Proximity)
โถ Cinnamon Rolls (MMC and IN THE FOOD)
โถ One Bed
โถ Good Girl
โถ He weres GREY SWEATPANTS
โถ FOUND FAMILY (DUH)
โถ View is amazing - looking at her
Overall I loved this! Wholesome, cute, sweet with low stakes! There are MASSIVE HINTS that book 2 is about Lewis and Rory so I CANNOT WAIT TO SEE WHERE THAT GOES!
Thank you to Zayaan Schroeder for my gifted copy!
All thoughts and opinions are my own.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Panic attacks/disorders, Toxic relationship, Grief, Toxic friendship, and Alcohol
Moderate: Violence, Blood, Murder, Gaslighting, Abandonment, and Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Bullying and Death of parent