kyras_reads's reviews
386 reviews

Deep End by Ali Hazelwood

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adventurous emotional funny hopeful inspiring reflective medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? N/A
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A

4.5

Ali Hazelwood is without a doubt one of my comfort authors. Maybe not in the warm hug kind of way but I know I can expect humor and wit and an enjoyable story with smart characters that feel realistic. 

I enjoyed this book so much! I’m a little sad I didn’t go in more blind and have some surprises but I got to it a few days too late to avoid any spoilers.

I think the only dynamic I wasn’t a huge fan of was the best friend’s ex situation and how that felt. Especially the farther into the book I got. 

Lukas was a little different than the usual MMC’s of this universe but wow did I love that! Scarlett was my favorite though, which usually doesn’t happen. I can probably count on both hands the amount of times I’ve actually liked an FMC over an MMC in a romance book… but I loved Vandy the whole way through. 

Bonus!! We got a cameo from some of her other characters, which I LOVE.

And listen… is there spice in this book? Yes. Is it particularly kinky? No… genuinely don’t think there’s almost any but it’s also possible that my kink meter is a little off. I read some wild stuff sometimes. But the spice was definitely spicin’ in this one! 

Tropes
Sports Romance 
He Falls First
Secret Relationship
Slow Burn
Best Friend’s Ex

Spice: 🌶️🌶️🌶️
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Out of the Woods by Hannah Bonam-Young

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adventurous emotional funny inspiring lighthearted reflective sad medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? N/A
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? N/A
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A

5.0

Once again, HBY writes a book that knows how to throw a gut punch. I was so anxious and emotional for the last few chapters of this book, which I didn’t expect early on. Even though I can directly relate to Sarah, she said so many profound things that I FELT deeply. 

The humor and banter was definitely a plus here, as always. And the people we got to meet on the retreat were fantastic. I loved the entire setup of this outdoor retreat for two very not outdoorsy people and how much they struggled to stay off of each other. The tension and slow burn here was perfect. NO NOTES!

This story wasn’t easy, it hits close to home with a lot of women. Those who have been in a long term relationship and become complacent in their day to day and decide they need a change. Being able to build back that intention into a relationship with someone you spend your life with is always a journey.

I enjoy HBY so much because her stories feel real and always like they came from real life experiences. They work through issues and relationship/family dynamics that people tend to have so often. 

Also… Caleb is just a sweetheart. And he wears glasses. LOVE. 

Tropes:
High-School Sweethearts
Slow Burn
Found Family
Forced Proximity
MMC w/ Glasses

Spice: 🌶️🌶️🌶️
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Dream Girl Drama by Tessa Bailey

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adventurous funny lighthearted medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? N/A
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A

4.5

This is the most I’ve enjoyed a Tessa Bailey book in a long time. The characters didn’t annoy me, I liked the plot and the tropes, and it had just the right amount of humor. It was a light and fun listen. 

The step-sibling thing wasn’t quite as taboo as I was expecting but it was a fun aspect for some drama. The mystery with Sig’s mom and dad was also a well/plotted aspect that I ended up enjoying a lot. 

I fully expected Chloe to be an annoying, entitled brat but she was so great! She had room for character development but was so sweet and wanted to do more. Sig was just a good dude and just gave off all around good vibes. 

Color me impressed! 

Tropes: 
Step Siblings (almost)
Forbidden
Sports Romance
Insta-Love
Slow Burn

Spice: 🌶️🌶️🌶️
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When We Lied by Claire Contreras

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challenging dark emotional funny mysterious tense medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? N/A
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A

5.0

This had no business being as good as it was. I really enjoyed being in this universe (this time) and there was so much to this story. A little bit of mystery, some intrigue, some slow burn and a whole lot of obsessed “don’t touch her/don’t look at her” moments. 

These two were pining for each other and almost frothing at the mouth by the time they actually found their way to one another. Good things are worth the wait, though, cause damn. Their entire relationship had me swooning. 

And the drama with Mallory and Tate and literally everyone was pretty suspenseful, especially towards the end. I was sweating. 🥵 but these two made it worth the worry. 

The cameo from Lyla and Lachlan was nice too, I always love to see characters from the same universe and see what they’re up to after their story ends. 

And… NO THIRD ACT BREAKUP?! Claire, you’re an absolute queen for that. 👑 

Tropes: 
Sports Romance
Reformed Playboy
Mutual Pining
Wounded FMC
Obsessed MMC

Spice: 🌶️🌶️🌶️
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When the Moon Hatched by Sarah A. Parker

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adventurous challenging dark emotional mysterious tense slow-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? It's complicated
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? N/A
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A

3.5

Well, that was not at all what I hoped or wanted it to be. I really anticipated loving this but I think I was too easily lost in the details and couldn’t follow what was going on most of the time. 

I think the writing in this particular book isn’t my style… but there’s a great and unique story there. For a while I was just wondering where the dragons were but then I was mostly wondering what was going on… period. 

Overall, I think I’m not a person who’s made for a lot of world building and high fantasy. I just plain lose interest and get lost in the weeds. I’m pretty sure this book is actually really good! Just… not for me. 

Tropes:
Enemies to Lovers
Assassin FMC
He Falls First
Memory Loss
Immersive World Building

Spice: 🌶️🌶️
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Leave Me Behind by K.M. Moronova

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challenging dark emotional mysterious sad tense fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? N/A
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

5.0

God, I loved this book so much.

How is it that with each and every book of hers I read, they become my favorite? I mean this one was the perfect combination of dark, spicy, sweet and emotional. 

Bradshaw is just 🥵 and Nell was a total badass. They were a match made in hell and fit together so perfectly from the very beginning, even when they hated each other. 

The military aspect wasn’t something I’ve ever read before and accurate or not, I loved it. I think it made this story so unique and created a world that couldn’t be experienced any other way. 

This book had me tearing up… then it had me gasping (no really… I LITERALLY gasped at “3 years” like what?!? Why?!?) and then it had me downright sobbing. The roller coaster of emotions was a long one… but I enjoyed each and every second and would do it again in a heartbeat. 

Topes: 
Enemies to Lovers
Morally Grey Characters
Military romance
Forced proximity 
Blood Play

Spice: 🌶️🌶️🌶️
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Onyx Storm by Rebecca Yarros

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adventurous dark emotional funny inspiring sad tense medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? N/A
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A

5.0

Initial thoughts?
*throws tantrum because I’ve realized the next book release hasn’t even been announced and I may die of worry in the meantime* 

Arrrrghhhh. Another cliffhanger?! I’m dying inside a little bit. 

With every book in this series, I feel all the emotions. Mostly I love spending time with these characters and experiencing this through their eyes and perspectives but each time one book ends, I miss them all and this world so much. 

The banter and the humor in this did not disappoint, as usual. Neither did the spice or the romance between Violet and Xaden. I’m also SO happy we got some other POV’s (sad or not) because these other characters are so amazing. They deserve some spotlight too. 

To summarize the ending (past WTF), Xaden did a the best thing he knew to do to keep his girl safe, because of course he did, and gave her the keys to the kingdom and selflessly took himself out of the equation. I hope they find their way back to one another in the next one and I hope the wait doesn’t actually kill me. 

Spice: 2.5 🌶️
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Phantom by H.D. Carlton

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dark emotional fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? It's complicated
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? N/A
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A

3.5

Sigh……

Well, that was kind of unsatisfying. Loved the bonus scene, of course, but it’s so open ended. I so badly wanted to know what happened to Gigi and Ronaldo and we got NOTHING. I love love and all that and yay for Gigi getting some but… I need answers. 😩

Also, Ronaldo was almost too similar to Zade. Something felt a little off and recycled there… maybe just too many parallels. 

And it’s not like there wasn’t anything I liked… I actually enjoyed most of this book! The ending is really what ruined it for me. Before that, I liked the forbidden aspects and even the cheating plot… everything was fine. Fine until my dreams of closure were crushed…

I just needed more. Maybe one day we’ll get more answers about what happened to Gigi and Ronaldo. 

Tropes: 
Cheating
Stalker
Mob/Mafia
Historical romance 
Touch Her and Die

Spice: 🌶️🌶️🌶️
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Her Soul to Take by Harley Laroux

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dark tense medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? N/A
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A

3.5

Respectfully, what the hell was that? 😅
I don’t know what I expected but it definitely wasn’t that. I think maybe somehow I expected less but also more? 

The chemistry felt a little forced for me so early on but grew to like them together. I did enjoy some of the banter, too. And the cat was the biggest bonus of all. We protect the fluff at all costs!  

Umm… also… the forked tongue? Dayum. 🥵

Honestly, the plot with the town and families and just paranormal stuff in general may not be my cup of tea but I was surprised how much I actually enjoyed it. 

This is the type of book I’ll remember and think of every once in a while but wouldn’t ever want to do a re-read/listen.  

Tropes:
Paranormal Romance
Forbidden
Enemies to Lovers
Morally Grey MMC
Touch Her and Die

Spice: 🌶️🌶️🌶️
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Throttled by Lauren Asher

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adventurous challenging emotional funny hopeful inspiring reflective 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? N/A

4.0

Had a lot of doubts going in to this book but honestly, I had a great time! I liked that it’s something different (not that there’s anything wrong with a solid sports romance or anything). Both characters were pretty unique in their own ways and their relationship was fun to see through. 

The family bond shared was one of my favorite parts. Especially the way they welcomed Noah into the family… ugh, sobbing. That kind of love and acceptance was really the cherry on top. 

Tropes:
Brothers Rival
Forced Proximity 
Enemies to Lovers
Blogger FMC
Formula 1 Driver MMC

Spice: 🌶️🌶️
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