mel_c_bell's reviews
661 reviews

It's a clever, creepy little Christmas novella that takes a very interesting and surprising turn toward the end. 

It's a surprise—secret pregnancy romance between two damaged souls living in Manhattan; I mean, what else is there to talk about 🤷🏻‍♀️ Okay, yes, it's a 'sports' romance, but...like, occasionally, we are reminded that Tuck is a wide receiver—good enough. There is a neat subplot that I kinda caught on to, but I still appreciated the execution of the revelation.

 Now, it's spicy but I'd say it's maybe just above mild spicy; all of it appropriate and tasteful. This book is not trying to be anything other than what it is. Perfection 🤌🏼

I don't have any major complaints; the writing is great, the characters are well-developed, even the ones not on page much, and there are a ton of interesting elements. That may be where I started to fall off the caring wagon. By 50% so much has happened and none of it seems to be connected more than just being a plot stepping stone. The Jeesup arc was underwhelming, the cop’s attitude change felt convenient, and Gem just gets thrown in. Also, why are we negotiating with the enemy when they have no clue where you are? 

Maybe that's my issue: everything just felt super convenient to move the story forward 🤷🏻‍♀️

This book has probably ruined all my future reading in 2024—I can feel the slump coming. I loved everything about the story, the writing, and the characters; it strikes an expert balance of dark and funny, making it a perfect little cozy horror/fantasy novel.

Cordelia's mother, the sorceress, is not going to let anything get in between her and marrying a rich man, the Squire, but his sister is like, 'oh heck nah,' this B is cray cray. So, we follow Cordelia and her newly acquired crew of middle-aged friends as they attempt to thwart her mother's sinister plans.

Hester and Richard are the legit cutest; I loved their awkward second-chance romance side story. Honestly, if anyone is saying anything bad about this book ima fight them. There's something for everyone; coming of age, ax murders, a demon horse, body snatching, guard geese, fake engagements, magic...I mean, what else do you want?

This book...I don't even know what to say. It was so dang slow, no like really, painfully slow. But I couldn't put it down. Every slow-@$$ page, I said, "ok, well, just one more." 400+ pages later, here I am: confused,  but I understand, happy but traumatized, vindicated yet betrayed...

It gives The Girl With a Dragon Tattoo vibes, and they are filming a season of True Detective on the set of Dirty Dancing. I don't know what you want from me.

I don't even know if I liked it, but I definitely can't give it fewer than 5 stars. Did I like any of the characters? Maybe, but then they do something awful, sneaky, or stupid. How do you even summarize this book? Okay, let's see, 🤔 The God of the Woods is Why Women Choose the Bear is a narrative form. It will dredge up every awkward, hurtful, loathsome feeling you've ever felt since you were 12 years old, make you look it dead in the eye, and then have it walk away smiling. But it is a great reminder that men are awful (not all men 😒).

Shut up!!! This was so good! I started and finished it in a day, even took it out to dinner with me—my hubs just rolled his eyes. I’m sorry but I couldn’t stop.

Ok, so, we have a serial killer getting the electric chair and that sets off a whole series of unfortunate events. Our protagonist gets the brunt of it; he parents get brutally murdered, her daughter is kidnapped, her husband cheated on her (not necessarily related but still F him), and now she’s having gnarly blackouts dredging up some dark repressed memories. Basically, ain’t nobody can be trusted in this book 👀

There is a TON happening in the story but it never feels confusing or redundant. From about 40% on the story is just nonstop suspense. During dinner my husband kindly asked if I could stop talking to my book. Excuse me sir, but no, I cannot because I was figuring 💩 out and got excited.

Great book, awesome creepy small town, occult, dark secrets horror story. Bravo

It's an Omegaverse in a trenchcoat and sunglasses. There is lots of spanking and submission. It is what it is, and it's not too shabby.

An absolute masterpiece of feminine rage 🤌🏼 ! Or maybe feminine frustration is a better description.

I read this in about two hours. I could not put it down. 

What do you do when you can't even trust yourself?  Self-medicate, exercise, be impulsive, work harder... 🤷🏻‍♀️

There is so much story packed into this little novella; many of the chapters are only one sentence, but the impact is strong. I enjoyed the writing style and how the narration barely starts to bleed with stream-of-consciousness in parts. You feel like you are spiraling with the MC for a few pages and then settling again. It's a real rollercoaster. 

Side note: I was so invested in the neighborhood cats.