lollylovesbooks's reviews
711 reviews

The Darkest Night by Gena Showalter

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3.75

This was hard for me to rate, because I loved some parts and really disliked others.
The relationship was a little weird. I feel like there was no real reason given for the instalust or the impact he had on her abilities.
The concept was cool though, with a very interesting cast of characters. So definitely want to continue.
Paint the Moon by Katia Rose

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5.0

This is the first book in a new small town sapphic contemporary romance series. I've yet to read a book by Katia Rose that I didn't enjoy, but this one is up at the top of the list.

We have Natalie, who's struggling to make sense of who she is after career plans went wrong. She's recently been surprised by inheriting a large house from her great-aunt, and her friends have exciting plans to turn it into an inn. Then we have Brooke, who's been hiding in her design job ever since a relationship ended badly 6 years ago, and has been inadvertently shutting herself off from career progression. Given the chance of promotion, she goes to work on the inn project... and finds herself working with the sister of the guy who broke her heart.

I adored these characters together. It worked well that they'd met previously but never spent much time together. Both became the other's cheerleader when they needed it most. I also loved that the relationship took time to develop, and so they had chance to become friends first.

Both Natalie and Brooke had a lot of healing and self discovery to do in this book. Understanding what had happened to them in the past, and what they wanted their life to look like in the present. Brooke also went on a journey with understanding her own sexuality - taking half the book before admitting to herself that she's bisexual.

There were so many great side characters in here, particularly in the small town, and I'm looking forward to seeing more of them in later books. I'm not from the area and so can't comment on authenticity, but I very much enjoyed the dynamics of the location and the city/town split.

If you like Ashley Herring Blake's Bright Falls series then definitely read this. My face hurt from all the smiling.

Thank you to the author for the free digital copy. All thoughts are my own.
Struck by her by Briana Michaels

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4.25

This was a change from the other books in the series, by focusing on the Lycan side of the curse rather than the vampire side.
I was fully absorbed in the story really quickly, and didn't want to put it down. I love how strong Kennedy is as a character, and how she has to make practical decisions rather than just go with the flow.
Both main characters carry a lot of trauma, and this is added to throughout the book, so please take care going in.

MF paranormal romance, shifter, fated mates
House of Agnes by Fiona Zedde

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4.25

The House of Agnes is a very successful escort business, run by the mysterious Agnes. But her business is under threat from multiple directions, at the same time as the unknown Lola has appeared looking for Agnes's attention.

I loved Agnes as a character. The way that her background and experiences had shaped her, and how she chose to use her influence within her line of work. Lola took a little longer to grow on me, particularly as we're introduced to her as someone who's trying to trick her way into Agnes's life. But I definitely felt for the situations that she was pushed into. And also appreciated that she very definitely didn't have her life completely together.

This was a super steamy read, which felt very much right with the topics of the book. The chemistry between Agnes and Lola was fantastic, and I loved how it developed in stages.

The suspense side of the plot was interesting. There were a few characters that, to me, seemed to obviously be up to something, but I liked that I was never quite sure what it was.

Also I very much commend this book for being positive about escorts and other SWers - making it clear that people in the industry choosing to take advantage of them is problematic, not the workers themselves.

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for the free digital copy. All thoughts are my own.
Firebird by Juliette Cross

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4.0

I've read fantasy based in many different time periods and locations, but this was my first set in ancient Rome. The world setup is very familiar to anyone who's learnt about 'the Romans'... just with dragon shifters as the ruling class.

We have Malina, a Dacian witch who has spent her whole life trying to avoid the horrors of the Roman Empire. And we have Julian, nephew of the emperor himself and known as the most cold-hearted of the Roman generals. After a chance meeting years earlier, the two are reunited when Julian saves Malina's life on the battle field and takes her back to Rome to be his slave.

I really liked the main characters - both individually and together. Each had been through their own struggles and experienced very different horrors day-to-day. Be aware that this is a fated mates book, and so a certain amount of attraction is always going to happen quickly - although there's build up it's not one for fans of slow burn.

The world these characters live in is brutal. There is no glamour put on the reality of the conquering empire's wars, and the emperor himself is truly truly horrible. This is absolutely right for the story, and the setting of ancient Rome, but is worth being aware of before going in.

It took me a little while to get into this, but once I did get into it I struggled to put the book down. Very much anticipating the release of the next book in the series - particularly after that epilogue!

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for the free digital copy. All thoughts are my own.
The Curse of the Goddess by C.C. González

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4.0

I've seen a few people talking about this sapphic fantasy romance, and am really glad I picked it up.

The world setup with the different kingdoms was interesting, and I liked that the ruling families of each area had their own type of magic.

This book does a great job of placing prompts that you can put together as a reader but it still makes sense for the characters to take time to realise.

I really loved how the relationship between the main characters built - the kindess Maris showed in making the thing accessible, and the trust Valda had to place in her.

For me personally this book would have been better with fewer sex scenes and therefore being slightly shorter. At one point it felt like the spice was every other chapter, and it started to get a little repetitive.

Excited to read book 2 when it releases.
Undead at Large by Lila Gwynn

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4.25

Very much enjoyed this conclusion to the trilogy.
Olympia's character developed so well throughout the books, particularly with all her interpersonal relationships.
Although the focus is always going to be the vampires and fae, I particularly loved the witches in this one.
Definitely recommend for anyone wanting sapphic urban fantasy.
Waking the Bear by Kerry Adrienne

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4.0

The bear shifters here were fun - it would have been nice to see a bit more of them together.
The setup was interesting, in that humans don't know about shifters but could be a shifters fated mate.
The main characters had good chemistry. I'd have loved Amy to have had more time to find herself before the intensity of the situation and relationship set in.

MF bear shifter fated mates paranormal romance
Pure Bliss by Sophie Oak

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4.25

This book has a fun twist on second chance, where it's a second chance for brothers to be friends and a team.

Very much enjoyed the role others in the town played in the suspense elements. Can't expect to go into a town with ex FBI profilers and go unnoticed!

MMF romantic suspense.
Lured by Her by Briana Michaels

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4.25

It had been a long time since I read the first book, so I honestly wasn't sure how I'd find this. But I actually really enjoyed it.

The two main characters are in a highly dysfunctional and toxic relationship at the start. Their journey towards something real involves a lot of character growth on both sides.

Oh, and it's super steamy hot.

MF, vampire, paranormal romance, fated mates, BDSM