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shaykay's reviews
725 reviews
Glory in Death by J.D. Robb
emotional
mysterious
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? Yes
4.5
I love this series, but during my reread I don't know if it's where I'm actually reading instead of listening to the audiobook, but the POV shifts are so annoying. We don't get a warning before it shifts, and I can't remember if it gets better in the newer books or not. These first books came out back in the 90s. But I love the drama between Roarke and Eve and him trying to make her accept their feelings, which she's not a feely type of person and here we get to see a lot of that. I do miss Mavis and Peabody and can't wait to see more of them! We haven't even met McNab yet! It's crazy. I thought Peabody appeared a lot faster than that. I mean technically we do meet her here she's just more of a background character at the moment. Anyways, this one was a solid book. I liked it a little bit better than the first one.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Violence and Murder
Moderate: Child abuse, Sexual content, and Kidnapping
Minor: Misogyny
Washed In Blood by Ashley Lane
dark
emotional
tense
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
3.5
I think it was a solid MC book. I love it when we spend a lot of time with the motorcycle club members and the clubhouse. I just think MCs and found family go together and prefer the book showcasing it versus just barely meeting the other members. The only thing that kind of drove me a little nuts with this one was the whole Azreal thing. I think it made sense in the beginning but later in the book it just didn't work for me. It was like the book tried to merge into the paranormal a little too much. Then the fact that all of the bad guys in here kind of piled into the final third part instead of played out throughout the book just got a little annoying for me. It's not bad and we actually end up having a lot of suspense in the end. I just wanted a little bit spread out since the cartel stuff and the Vince stuff weren't linked at all. I also really wish that we had more closure with that nurse scene too. I felt like it was like pretending to be someone else but was actually her mom but we don't know and I just don't see that popping up in later books since this was the only book focused on Priest and Willow.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Domestic abuse, Violence, and Pregnancy
Moderate: Death, Gun violence, Rape, Sexual content, Torture, Murder, and Abandonment
Flash by M. Sinclair
adventurous
emotional
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? Yes
4.0
I love that I finally circled back to this book/series and finished it. I've been wondering about it and desperate for the last book. I find Sinclair's writing really readable and hard to put down. Overall, I really liked this one and loved how long the HEA was because we got a solid ending for this family. I wish the battle/action took up more of the book because it was a huge thing that was looming over us since pretty much book 2. But it wasn't bad and overall, it was a satisfying conclusion. I just wish it was a little bit more, in the end, it felt like it was just a little too easy.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Confinement, Death, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Violence, Murder, Pregnancy, and War
Naked in Death by J.D. Robb
dark
mysterious
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? Yes
4.0
This is just one of those series that whenever I'm in a reading slump or just struggling to find anything I can always go back to. I need to really just do a solid read-through of the series all the way through. It's such a long series and there are still books that come out twice a year. I really want to get to the newer books and see if the format gets any better or stays the same. Now are these older books, great books? No, they are outdated and didn't really age well. But to me, it's the memories I have wrapped up in the series that make it one that I continue to go back to and pick up all the time.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Gun violence, Sexual content, Violence, and Murder
Moderate: Child abuse, Sexual assault, and Stalking
Minor: Incest
Hooked by Emily McIntire
dark
emotional
mysterious
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? Yes
4.5
I love this one. I hate that I put it off for so long! It was hard to put down and honestly, a lot of the reasons I love this one so much are because of all of the Peter Pan references. It was so addictive and hard to put down. I really need to read more in the series.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Bullying, Sexual content, and Violence
Moderate: Drug use, Murder, and Gaslighting
Minor: Child abuse, Pedophilia, Death of parent, and Pregnancy
Saved by Violet Fox
dark
emotional
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? Yes
3.0
It wasn't terrible and it does technically wrap everything up. I just wish there was more conflict and struggle to get to that HEA and had a little bit more focus on the government/world. It just kind of felt like it was just a little too easy in the end even though we were dealing with some really big things. Plus, I just wish we were focused more on the world or maybe even had more groveling because they spend a lot of the book just trying to find Mila.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Confinement and Sexual content
Moderate: Body horror, Violence, and Gaslighting
Minor: Death and Murder
Spare by Violet Fox
emotional
mysterious
tense
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
3.5
It was okay. I like the world; it was a very interesting setup, and I really wanted more world-building and just a bigger focus on its overall because it was kind of unique and I found it really interesting. As for the omegaverse, it wasn't bad and again had a unique setup. I just feel like this one was kind of slower-paced and could've had a lot more angst/drama than what we ended up with. But it definitely has potential.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Emotional abuse, and Sexual content
Moderate: Sexual assault, Toxic relationship, Violence, and Death of parent
Minor: Gun violence, Medical content, and Abandonment
Pack Plus Three by Melissa Huxley
emotional
hopeful
lighthearted
slow-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? Yes
2.5
I wasn't really sure what I was getting into when I picked this one up. But overall, it left me wanting more. I'm used to the darker side of things and this one was just on the slower side. It had a lot of dark/drama potential but then it would never cross into it or focus solely on it, and I needed it to play out. But the biggest thing was the baby daddy never even appeared! He could've caused so much drama and we even see his parents cause issues, but we never actually see him! I get that he didn't want anything to do with them but the fact that his parents were pushing so much just felt like it should've been them pushing him and then him causing the issues. Even then the drama was just wrapped up too fast/easily and I just feel like we put so much work into this drama but never got to that point that it actually paid off since it was cleared up really fast/easily. It just wasn’t for me. I feel like that’s how I felt towards all of Huxley’s books that I’ve read so far. So maybe they just aren’t for me.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content, Pregnancy, and Abandonment
Moderate: Chronic illness, Violence, Medical content, and Stalking
Minor: Death and Domestic abuse
The Runaway Mate by Kira Nightingale
dark
emotional
tense
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
4.0
This was one of those books that I've been dying to read but waiting for the book to be completed before picking up the first book. But I think it kind of hit fell into the loved the first book and couldn't put it down but struggled with the second book and ended up DNF'ing it. It was definitely a victim of my mood reading. I kind of hope to go back to this world at some point because I was so excited and really liked the first book.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Domestic abuse, Sexual content, and Violence
Moderate: Drug abuse, Kidnapping, and Gaslighting
Minor: Child abuse, Homophobia, Misogyny, Death of parent, and Murder
Every Moment with You by J.E. Parker
emotional
reflective
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? Yes
4.5
It was one of those books that I saw a video on TikTok hyping I thought it sounded good and picked up and finally started reading it. It ended up being really good and hard to put down, but it is a tragic love story that spans over decades of Maddie and Hendrix's lives. It is a standalone and does end with an HEA, but we go through so much with these two to get to that point. Even though it is a standalone some things were looking back that I wish were expanded a little bit more such as what all happened during those 6 years, they were apart. Especially with Hendrix since he was the one that was wrapped up in his father's issues and we ultimately don't see that side of the story I really wish we got to at least have flashbacks to that time and how he handled it because even though they were apart for 6 years it sounds like he was able to start looking for her after a few months and I just needed some of that actually shown versus told about.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Addiction, Alcoholism, and Child abuse
Moderate: Child death, Domestic abuse, Violence, Medical content, and Death of parent
Minor: Sexual content and Abandonment