sassypantsreading's reviews
798 reviews

Love Story by Lindsey Kelk

Go to review page

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? It's complicated

2.0

I really, really wanted to like Love Story, but it just didn’t do it for me. I didn’t think Sophie and Joe had any chemistry to speak of. Their will-they-won’t-they angst was minor at best. I didn’t think either MC had many redeeming qualities. The HEA was kind of just meh. The side characters were legitimately awful and only a handful BARELY redeemed themselves at the end. 

I will say I thought the book was funny, and the plot itself was interesting, but those were about the only two things that saved this from being a one-star for me. 

I received an ARC of Love Story from NetGalley. I am leaving my review voluntarily. 
Vicious Luna by C.J. Primer

Go to review page

dark 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? It's complicated

5.0

I loved Vicious Luna! I haven’t read any of the prior books in the Shadowed Heir series, so I wasn’t sure what to expect, but I am so glad I took a chance on this book. Cam was so hot 🥵 and so was Avery. Their chemistry was off the charts. Cam probably has one of the best redemption arc out there. Some of the twists were predictable, but some I did not see coming. I love the side characters and Avery’s relationship with her brother. I will most likely go back and read the other books in the series, and I can’t wait for River’s book!

I received an ARC of Vicious Luna from BookSirens. I am leaving this review voluntarily.
Drive Me Wild by Carly Robyn

Go to review page

funny 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? No

5.0

Drive Me Wild was pretty much perfect and exactly what I need and want in a contemporary romance. It was funny, sweet, and steamy. There was some angst, but not much. Josie and Theo had off-the-charts chemistry and a great relationship arc. Just very well-done overall. I also love the side characters and will be going back to read Ella and Blake’s book, and I’m looking forward to any other books in the series! 

I received an ARC of Drive Me Wild from Valentine PR. I am leaving my review voluntarily! 
Runaway Bride's Guide to Love by Chelle Sloan

Go to review page

funny lighthearted medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? No
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.0

I really enjoyed Runaway Bride’s Guide to Love! Stella and Emmett were so hot together, and the chemistry was on point. I loved their meet-cute, but also that they were already connected through Stella’s brother, Simon. 9 times out of 10, the older brother is ridiculously, patriarchally overbearing; Simon was not, thank goodness! I will often stay away from older brother tropes because of this, unless the blurb really grabs me, and in this case, I’m glad it did! 

As I was reading the book, I was fairly certain the author was from Pittsburgh, or thereabouts, because of some of the grammatical idiosyncrasies that are unique to that area. She’s from Cleveland, which totally tracks. Just bear that in mind if you see some grammatical errors - it’s just the way people talk from that area! 

One thing I didn’t love was how often the MCs broke the fourth wall. There’s something about that I just don’t love. Other than that, I loved this book. The sisters are great, and I can’t wait to read more about them. I’m looking forward to the next book in this series! 

I received an ARC from Valentine PR, and I am leaving my review voluntarily. 
Until Then by Micalea Smeltzer

Go to review page

lighthearted medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? No
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? No

3.0

I enjoyed Until Then, but it did fall a bit short for me. I thought Izzy and Derrick actually had more chemistry before they got together. And I didn’t care for Izzy very much; she seemed like she would be better suited for an NA book than a contemporary romance. She was very childish and the dog thing was annoying. I also thought the writing was a bit tedious at times. I didn’t need the way Wonton ate a pup cup described in detail. While this book wasn’t my favorite, I did like Izzy and Derrick together and the steam was great. 

I was fortunate to receive a copy of Until Then from Valentine PR. I am leaving my review for this book voluntarily. 
Text Appeal by Kylie Scott

Go to review page

lighthearted fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? No
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.0

Text Appeal was a cute read. There was some steam, which was nice. Riley and Connor were a great couple, but I wish the book was longer. I’m usually very anti-single POV books, but it actually worked for this book; I think the angst of not knowing where Connor was with the fake dating was maybe similar to the angst Riley was feeling. I do wish this book was longer. The pacing was really good and then, bam, they’re in love and it ends. Also, and this is personal preference, I don’t enjoy when the language in a book is too trendy. I feel like the book won’t age well and is trying too hard. Overall, though, I did like this book. 

I received an ARC of Text Appeal from Valentine PR. I am leaving my review voluntarily. 
Peace Like a River by Leif Enger

Go to review page

adventurous challenging emotional 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? It's complicated

5.0

My goodness, Peace Like A River is an amazing book. I truly loved this book, everything about it. The prose was beautiful, the imagery was breathtaking, and the relationships were so well-done and complex.
The Cinnamon Bun Book Store by Laurie Gilmore

Go to review page

lighthearted medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? No
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.0

I’ve read the Dream Harbor books a bit out of order. I read the third book first, then the second book, well, second. It doesn’t seem to have affected the story much, thankfully. The books are definitely interconnected, but it’s not strictly necessary to have read the previous book first. 

I really liked The Cinnamon Bun Book Store! I thought Hazel and Noah were super cute and perfect for each other. The entire plot is basically just one giant miscommunication trope, which is not my favorite, but it was still a good story. The writing and editing definitely needed to be tidied up a bit, especially with commas, but the pacing and flow were good.

I’m looking forward to reading the first book in the series, and any additional books to come!

I received a copy of The Cinnamon Bun Book Store from
NetGalley. I am leaving this review voluntarily. 
Zodiac Monsters by Leann Belle

Go to review page

medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? No
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

I definitely got more into Zodiac Monsters than I did Zodiac Hybrids. I like how we’re slowly starting to get some answers, especially about Lila. I’m eager to see where Ceto fits in everything. And m so on the fence about Marcus. I can’t tell if he’s still playing games or is truly into Lila. Adrian seems like the typical MMC that treats the FMC poorly just because he doesn’t know what to do with his feelings, but I have a feeling we are going to see more depth to him. I’m officially hooked, especially after that bonker-balls closing scene 🥵

I received an ARC of Hybrid Monsters from BookSirens. I am leaving this review voluntarily.
Zodiac Hybrids by Leann Belle

Go to review page

dark fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? No
  • Loveable characters? No
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.0

I feel like I need to reserve judgement for Zodiac Hybrids until I read the next book 🤔 I really like Leann Belle’s books, but I’m not so sure about this one. I felt pretty lost for a lot of it because I didn’t feel like the monsters were explained well. I also didn’t think we were given adequate descriptions to visualize what was happening, which I found odd because the author’s fairytale retellings are super descriptive and detailed. While realizing I was reading an ARC, I also must note that the editing definitely needed to be tightened up. Again, that’s odd to me because her other books were so well done. I’m most definitely going to read the next book, especially because literally no conclusions happened. I don’t love that this series isn’t a traditional series exactly. It seems as though it’s going to be one really long book chopped up into manageable chunks, but that also means there’s no real conflict in the book or natural stopping point. At least, that’s how I feel after reading book one. Perhaps the second book will change my mind. Finally, I was missing the heat in this one. There are two open-door, semi explicit scenes, but no where near the level of heat I’ve come to expect from Ms. Belle. I’m hoping the steam is dialed up in the next book!

I received an ARC of Zodiac Hybrids from BookSirens. I am leaving this review voluntarily.