sassypantsreading's reviews
798 reviews

I really liked On Loverose Lane. I’ve not read any books by this author before, but I absolutely will be adding them to my TBR! Beth and Callan were amazing together. I loved getting to know each of them before they got together. Beth was such a strong FMC, and I loved how no-nonsense she was. Callan was the perfect combination of possessive, sweet, and gruff. The steamy moments were on point. And I loved Baird so much! I’m hoping we will get more of him. 

I received a copy of On Loverose Lane from Valentine PR. I am leaving my review voluntarily. 

I really enjoyed One Week. First and foremost, as a girl who spent her summers on the Cape, but hasn’t been there in almost 20 years, I LOVED the setting. I could picture exactly where they were, and I love that real places were included (I was hoping for a Sundae School shoutout for the ice cream place!). Ok, moving on… I’m not normally big on single-POV books because I’m always eager to know what the other MC is thinking, but it really, really works in this book. Axel might be one of my favorite MMCs in a long time, and his relationship with Helly was perfect. I loved their push and pull and that they annoyed each other so much. The friend group was a bit over-the-top for me, but I didn’t dislike them. I also enjoyed the bit of drama that Petra brought. And the steam… so, so good.

I received a copy of One Week from BookSirens and I am leaving my review voluntarily.

Accidentally Kidnapping the Mountain Man was a so-so read for me. There was about as much plot as a 1993 Cinemax after dark movie, and quite possibly more smut! I loooove an age gap, but the Daddy thing is not my jam. I wish I had known about that kink before going into this book. It felt very predatory - there’s a young, innocent woman who’s on on the brink of economic collapse when she meets a wealthy Daddy who wants nothing more than to take care of her. The power dynamic is just 🤯I’m thinking the next book will be Hailey and Beau, and I say, Bring It On!.

I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.

I enjoyed Burn For You by Audrey Bell. At first, I wasn’t sure I would like it. I don’t enjoy the ice queen trope, but fortunately, Marlee didn’t stay that way for long. I was also thinking I wouldn’t like Seth because he was too cocky, but he turned out to be pretty decent as well. I like that this book had a bit of mystery and suspense to it, but I also loved that it was short and steamy.

I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.

Maybe too much time has passed since I read Iron Flame, but I swear I spent most of Onyx Storm in a state of confusion. There needs to be something like, “previously, in the Empyrean series…” just to catch readers up. There are a lot of characters and their corresponding dragons/gryphons, so the names were a bit overwhelming at times. I also lost the plot a few times. Things were foreshadowed that never panned out, for no good reason (looking at you, court martial). 

I basically detested Violet in this book. She was wholly consumed by Xaden and made a billion questionable choices because of that. She has this superhero complex where she feels bad if she can’t save the world, but she’s off obsessing about a boy. I get that they have this epic love, but at some point, maybe cut your losses? Xaden was a bit annoying, too. He’s all, “I can’t touch you, my full turn to venin is inevitable, I’ll hurt you, blah blah blah,” but he actually just keeps showing up. That obviously is going to mess with Violet’s head. 

I really felt like Onyx Storm wasn’t a full book of its own. Hear me out… the entire book read like the setup and background for the next book in the series. There are zero questions answered, and nothing really of note happens. In most middle-of-the-series books, things happen and story arcs are fulfilled. We just don’t have that here. There’s only some references to the previous books, so we don’t even necessarily get a continuation of the story, other than the Xaden/venin thing. There was also some plot lines in the book that didn’t make sense. Introducing Xaden’s mother added NOTHING to the story; it just gave him yet another reason to be brooding. 

Finally, can there be a penalty for the egregious use of italics (sorry, 🏈 is on the brain)? I’m not talking about bond-speak, I’m talking about the overuse of emphatic italics. The beauty of language is that the author’s point can be made through tone, context, and word usage, without having to depend on typographical tools. Give your readers more credit!

Sugar, Spice, and Magical Midlife was a delight! I thought the world-building was great and had definite Harry Potter vibes to it. Luci was crass and witty and I loved it! I didn’t feel much chemistry between Luci and Ric, but the plot line between them worked. The “I Love Lucy” thing was kind of fun too. It almost read like an I Love Lucy meets Harry Potter fanfic, but so much better!

I received a copy of Sugar, Spice, and Magical Midlife from BookSirens. I am leaving this review voluntarily.

I really, really wanted to like Alpha of Thieves. The book started out pretty strong, but really fell apart in the second half. There were TONS of plot holes, the chemistry between Ronan and Serene was nonexistent, and the pacing was really wonky. There was a lot left unanswered at the end. I think this book would’ve really benefited from beta reads, which ideally would’ve caught the inconsistencies and plot holes. The plot itself had a ton of potential, and I enjoyed the twist on Robin Hood. I think with a bit more fleshing out and editing, this could be a great book. 

I received a copy of Alpha of Thieves from BookSirens. I’m leaving this review voluntarily. 

If you dangle an age-gap in front of me, chances are, I’m going to dive in. Starcrossed Colorado did not disappoint! Ashford and Emma were a great couple, and this book had plenty of spice, which I loved. I love the Lonely Harts club and can’t wait for more of their books! There were some pretty interesting twists in this book; I kept wondering why it was as long as it was, but it really ends up making a lot of sense. I like that Hannah Shield always has a bit of suspense in her books.

I received a copy of Starcrossed Colorado from BookSirens. I am leaving this review voluntarily.

A cozy incubus romance with an author I know takes *creative* liberties with nonhuman male anatomy? Say less! This book was everything I needed after being slightly unimpressed with other books lately. I loved everything about it and had no issues. This was a nice lighthearted read from this author; I’ve only read her darker stuff before. I am a fan of both the dark and the light!

I received a copy of Oh No! There’s An Incubus in My Hot Spring from BookSirens I am leaving this review voluntarily.

I think Magic Unbound could’ve been a lot better if it was a full-length novel and if it was fleshed out a bit more. Being a novella, it moves too quickly for any real plot to develop. It also seemed almost identical to the first book. I’m going to keep reading this series because I’m invested now, but I’m going it’s not just more of the same thing.

I received a copy of Magic Unbound from BookSirens and I am leaving my review voluntarily.