sassypantsreading's reviews
799 reviews

A Game of Veils by Eva Chase

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tense slow-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? No

4.0

I honestly didn’t think I was going to rate A Game of Veils as high as I did, until the very end. I can usually see the twists coming a mile away, but I can honestly say I didn’t see this one coming. For a RH book, it wasn’t very spicy. It also wasn’t as dark as I would’ve expected. I think the author toed the line between safe and dark, but erred on the side of safe. The challenges the potential brides had to partake of weren’t as bad as I was expecting. I’m really looking forward to the next book in the series!

I received an ARC of A Game of Veils from BookSirens. I am leaving this review voluntarily.
Unbreakable Love by Stacey Lynn

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2.0

Unfortunately, Unbreakable Love wasn’t for me. Nothing really happened in the entire book. There was no real climax, no real conflict. The big “life’s-too-short” moment was Gavin’s brother breaking his leg. I actually laughed at how dramatic they were being, with all the “thoughts and prayers” texts from the community. If anything, they should’ve been making a bigger deal out of the assault that occurred on the same evening. I also have a hard time when one MC is terrible to the other for no good reason, like Gavin was to Penny at first, but the MC on the receiving end hangs on to whatever scraps of kindness thrown their way and decides that they “aren’t so bad” or are good people “deep down.” Come on, you’re worth more than scraps.  

The editing definitely needed to be tightened up a bit. I know I was reading an ARC and not a final draft, but there were a lot of inconsistencies and incorrect names, sometimes on the same page (referring to Cameron’s injury and then his family Emily and Landon, when Emily is Caleb’s wife and Caleb isn’t injured, for example, but then having the correct information in the next paragraph). Also, the author used “not only” phrasing so, so very much. I get that it ups the word count, but it also makes sentences that could be straightforward unnecessarily convoluted. One sentence read “The teacher I was taking over for almost halfway through the year was not only a teacher, she was beloved in New Haven.” Why not just say “The teacher… was beloved?” 

I haven’t read the other books in this series, though I do like the Kelley family and the side characters, so I am considering it. 

I received an ARC of Unbreakable Love from Valentine PR. I am leaving this review voluntarily.
Dreams and Desires: A Plus-Size Enemies-to-Lovers Romance by Sephyrra

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Did not finish book. Stopped at 67%.
No means no. Zade was super rapey in the name of being determined. Nope. I got to about 65% when Jade was struggling and fighting and slapping Zade to let her go, and he wouldn’t, because he “just wants to talk” and I had to DNF. Also, the writing was pretty terrible. 
A Winter Wish by Emily Stone

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

3.0

A Winter Wish by Emily Stone was just kind of so-so for me. I didn’t feel like there was much plot or that much of anything happened. There didn’t seem to be much chemistry between Theo and Lexie. I was rooting for them to get together, but their relationship just kind of fell flat. There was one chapter, 31, that was told from Theo’s POV, which was totally weird. Why have the entire book written in third-person, single-POV (Lexie’s), then just one random chapter during the third-act breakup told from a different POV? And speaking of third-person, single POV… it should 100% be outlawed in romance books, and that’s a hill I’ll die on. Anyway, I felt that this book was more about Lexie coming to terms with her deceased father than romance. 

I received a copy of A Winter Wish from NetGalley. I am leaving this review voluntarily. 
The Summer I First Saw You by Elizabeth O'Roark

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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

5.0

I loved The Summer I First Saw You! I’m definitely going back to read the other books in the series. Daisy and Harrison were perfect together. I love a good age gap! My only complaint would be that the chapters are too short because my ADHD superpower is reading hyperfocus and I force myself to do things like walk and housework and feed my family in between chapters. I got a lot done with this book when I just wanted to be able to sit and read 😂

I received an ARC of The Summer I First Saw You from Valentine PR. I am leaving this review voluntarily. 
Why Not Both? by Sarah Neeson

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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

5.0

I really enjoyed Why Not Both? I loved the characters, including the side characters. Lis and Spencer were a great couple. There was definitely some will-they, won’t-they on Lis’s part, but overall this book was very, very low angst. The steam was just right to balance the sweetness. I thought it was really well written, especially for a debut, but I believe the author also writes under a different pen name. I can’t wait for Ava and Derek’s book next!

I received an ARC of Why Not Both? from BookSirens. I am leaving this review voluntarily.
Best Hex Ever by Nadia El-Fassi

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lighthearted medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.0

Best Hex Ever was a cute book! I loved that Dina was a kitchen witch and Scott was a museum curator - so cozy! The chemistry between them was really great as well. I adore Dina’s family house. Where can I find a magical house? One thing that wasn’t my favorite was the PC stuff really being force fed. I’m here to suspend reality; when authors oh-so-casually drop stuff like that in their books, it feels more like pushing an agenda dressed up in fiction to me. 

I received an ARC of Best Hex Ever from NetGalley. I am leaving my review voluntarily. 
All The Ways We're Wrong by Amelia Elliot

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

5.0

All The Ways We’re Wrong was really well-done. I thought it would be a bit fluffy and was fully expecting a quick affair-to-HEA after Ava and Killian made it down the mountain, but the author decided to toy with me and my feelings a bit longer 😂 Ava and Killian had so much depth. To paraphrase the great words of Donkey, Ava was like an onion. Each time a layer was pulled back, she became more complex and relatable. Killian wears his trauma on his sleeve, and it’s so sad. The growth between them is superb. It’s angsty and dramatic, but also sweet and beautiful. Very nicely done.

I received a copy of All The Reasons We’re Wrong from BookSirens. I am leaving this review voluntarily.
Book of the Month by Jennifer Probst

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

4.0

I really liked Book of the Month. It was pretty cool seeing the behind-the-scenes work of an author. I didn’t like that Aspen was so motivated by fame and recognition, though. It almost would’ve been an easier pill to swallow if she was chasing money. I do like how her quest for fame added a different dynamic to her breakup with Brick; if she was merely chasing money, she could’ve just renounced it for love and that would be that. The fact that it went deeper than money added a more nuanced layer to her grand gesture to win Brick back. I was team Brick for the entire book. I hated how awful everyone was to him and about him. It’s awful how catty the women all were. I did love the more immediate secondary characters, especially Marco. The setting was great, and I like that the author used a real place instead of a made-up small town. And I am DYING for Sierra and Kane’s story! 

I received an ARC of Book of the Month from NetGalley. I am leaving my review voluntarily. 
We're All Mad Here by Leann Belle

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

5.0

Whew 🥵 We’re All Mad Here was one HOT book. This is the second Vicious Wonders book for me (I read The Labyrinth retelling first) and I am hooked! I love these fantastical worlds and twists on classic stories. I love the growth that the FMCs go through. In this book, Alice had to figure out her own worth after being beat down by life. The way the author weaves together fantasy, steam, and emotions is brilliant. Yes, this book is dark. There’s TONS of blood. But, like Alice at the end, you just sort of become immune to it. I love these books!

I received a copy of We’re All Mad Here from BookSirens. I am leaving this review voluntarily.