smalltown_smutlover's reviews
298 reviews

Song of the Dark Wood by Sheila Masterson

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

5.0

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️♾️
🌶️🌶️🌶️
ALC Review
Release Date: 3/18/2024

“𝘐’𝘮 𝘯𝘰𝘵 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘰 𝘰𝘧 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘴𝘵𝘰𝘳𝘺, 𝘙𝘰𝘸𝘢𝘯.”
“𝘐 𝘬𝘯𝘰𝘸. 𝘐 𝘢𝘮.”
 
This was my second journey through the Dark Wood and I enjoyed it just as much as the first time. I feel Rowan’s Coming of Rage story in my bones, and hearing it read by Aoife McMahon and Dermot Magennis was a phenomenal experience. Hearing Conor actually say things like “Good lass” and “I hate kissing you”? Perfection. 

Aoife did a wonderful job of portraying both Rowan’s hard edges and soft, gooey center. Rowan is a fierce, vulnerable character and I loved hearing her brought to life.

This book lives rent-free in my head (and Conor lives rent-free in my Lock Screen). I need everyone who didn’t read it in September to read it now, and everyone who read it in September to re-read it immediately. Please and thank yew. 

It will keep the Wolf happy, after all🌲🐺👻♥️🎶

𝘈𝘭𝘭 𝘮𝘦𝘯 𝘸𝘢𝘯𝘵𝘦𝘥 𝘢 𝘸𝘪𝘭𝘥 𝘸𝘰𝘮𝘢𝘯 𝘶𝘯𝘵𝘪𝘭 𝘪𝘵 𝘸𝘢𝘴 𝘵𝘪𝘮𝘦 𝘵𝘰 𝘣𝘦 𝘵𝘢𝘮𝘦.
The Godless Kingdom by Sheila Masterson

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challenging emotional hopeful 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

5.0

Never Been Worse by Morgan Elizabeth

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emotional funny hopeful lighthearted medium-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? No

4.0

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
🌶️🌶️🌶️
ARC Review
Release Date: 3/6/2025

“𝘎𝘰𝘥, 𝘮𝘺 𝘭𝘪𝘵𝘵𝘭𝘦 𝘸𝘪𝘧𝘦 𝘪𝘴 𝘴𝘶𝘤𝘩 𝘢 𝘨𝘰𝘰𝘥 𝘨𝘪𝘳𝘭, 𝘪𝘴𝘯’𝘵 𝘴𝘩𝘦?”

I absolutely love an obsessed man that knows what he wants, and Wes Holden is THAT man. He just wants to give Harper everything she wants, if she will let him. I loved seeing their relationship blossom, and the strong friendships they each have outside of their relationship. Wes also does a fantastic job of standing up for Harper when she is afraid to do so herself, which is 👩🏼‍🍳💋 Harper’s ex, Jeremy, is so incredibly hateable which I love in a villain. He was so manipulative, controlling, and selfish…I’d have glittered his yard too. 

This book was so sweet and had me giggling and kicking my feet. It was a delightful end to the Evergreen Park series, and I can’t wait to see what Morgan has in store for us next!

𝘏𝘦’𝘴 𝘧𝘢𝘳 𝘵𝘰𝘰 𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘳𝘺𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘨, 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘐 𝘢𝘮 𝘮𝘶𝘤𝘩 𝘵𝘰𝘰 𝘢𝘵𝘵𝘳𝘢𝘤𝘵𝘦𝘥 𝘵𝘰 𝘩𝘪𝘮 𝘵𝘰 𝘮𝘢𝘬𝘦 𝘪𝘵 𝘵𝘩𝘳𝘰𝘶𝘨𝘩 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘯𝘦𝘹𝘵 𝘺𝘦𝘢𝘳 𝘶𝘯𝘴𝘤𝘢𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘥.”
The Sea-Ogre's Eager Bride by Ruby Dixon

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adventurous funny hopeful lighthearted medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? N/A
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

Servant to the Spidae by Ruby Dixon

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

4.0

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
🌶️🌶️🌶️🌶️

“𝘠𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘭𝘪𝘧𝘦 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘮 𝘪𝘴 𝘰𝘷𝘦𝘳. 𝘠𝘰𝘶 𝘣𝘦𝘭𝘰𝘯𝘨 𝘵𝘰 𝘶𝘴, 𝘯𝘰𝘸.”

So, if you don’t like spiders this is where I tell you to turn back. The MMCs are not spiders themselves, but there are a lot of spiders and spiderwebs in their home. Also…spider web 💦…you have been warned. 

Yulenna chose to stay with the three fates, also known as the Spidae, and become their anchor at the end of Bound to the Battle God. They are definitely the…least human of the gods we have met so far. They are very disconnected from humanity, and Yulenna has her work cut out for her when it comes to teaching them about what it means to be human. 

Though they are 3 aspects of the same fates, they each have their own distinct personalities and Yulenna takes her time getting to know them in order to better serve them. This book is very spicy with some surprisingly sweet moments. The Spidae are very interesting, and I enjoyed seeing Yulenna find her place in the world and be at peace after a life of forced servitude. 

“𝘛𝘦𝘭𝘭 𝘶𝘴 𝘩𝘰𝘸 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘸𝘢𝘯𝘵 𝘶𝘴, 𝘴𝘸𝘦𝘦𝘵 𝘠𝘶𝘭𝘦𝘯𝘯𝘢.” 𝘏𝘪𝘴 𝘵𝘰𝘯𝘨𝘶𝘦 𝘧𝘭𝘪𝘤𝘬𝘴 𝘢𝘨𝘢𝘪𝘯𝘴𝘵 𝘮𝘺 𝘴𝘬𝘪𝘯. “𝘛𝘦𝘭𝘭 𝘶𝘴 𝘸𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘯𝘦𝘦𝘥. 𝘞𝘦 𝘢𝘳𝘦 𝘺𝘰𝘶𝘳𝘴 𝘵𝘰 𝘭𝘦𝘢𝘥.”
The King's Spinster Bride by Ruby Dixon

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

5.0

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
🌶️🌶️🌶️

𝘖𝘯𝘦 𝘥𝘰𝘦𝘴 𝘯𝘰𝘵 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘬 𝘴𝘶𝘤𝘩 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘨𝘴 𝘢𝘣𝘰𝘶𝘵 𝘢 𝘱𝘳𝘪𝘯𝘤𝘦𝘴𝘴, 𝘣𝘶𝘵 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘩𝘢𝘴 𝘯𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘳 𝘴𝘵𝘰𝘱𝘱𝘦𝘥 𝘮𝘦.

This is where I begin convincing you that the Aspect & Anchor series by Ruby Dixon is her best series to date. The King’s Spinster bride is a prequel and is the love story of 2 characters we meet in Bound to the Battle God. 

After Princess Halla saved Mathior’s life when they were younger, he pined for her for 16 long years. Now that he is king, he’s free to claim her as he always dreamed and he is QUICK to do so. We love an “it’s always been you” moment, and Mathior is a YEARNER. Halla, being the former royal of a conquered nation, is hesitant to believe in him at first but can’t help but fall for him. 

They now have a very complex and ✨spicy✨ three day wedding ceremony to get through before their HEA. Mathior must prove himself able to please his wife (wink wink), and Halla must prove herself pleasing to Mathior. It’s all very sexy and also surprisingly sweet. I fell in love with these two immediately. It’s such a fun introduction to the Aspect & Anchor universe and I loved it. 

“𝘐 𝘮𝘦𝘢𝘯𝘵 𝘸𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘐 𝘴𝘢𝘪𝘥. 𝘠𝘰𝘶 𝘣𝘦𝘭𝘰𝘯𝘨𝘦𝘥 𝘵𝘰 𝘮𝘦, 𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘯. 𝘐’𝘷𝘦 𝘤𝘰𝘮𝘦 𝘵𝘰 𝘤𝘭𝘢𝘪𝘮 𝘺𝘰𝘶.”
Wed to the Wild God by Ruby Dixon

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adventurous emotional funny tense medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? N/A
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
🌶️🌶️🌶️

“𝘐 𝘩𝘢𝘷𝘦 𝘥𝘦𝘤𝘪𝘥𝘦𝘥 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘐 𝘢𝘮 𝘨𝘰𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘵𝘰 𝘮𝘢𝘬𝘦 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘭𝘰𝘷𝘦 𝘮𝘦, 𝘊𝘢𝘳𝘭𝘺.”

O M G. We got ourselves a Hedonism Aspect in this book, and I was fully unprepared 🥵

I absolutely love Kassam. He has Big Himbo Energy and it is absolutely delightful. I was swooning and kicking my feet with delight the whole time. This book is a little different than the others in the series because it starts with the Aspect in the good ole USA, and they have to find their way back to Aos. 

Poor Carly is swept right up in Hedonism Kassam’s h0rny energy, and has no idea what to do with him. Well, other than b@ng his brains out, and I was sweating through most of it bc good lord Kassam is 🔥🥵 Her mother has always been a little quirky, so she accepts the whole god-from-an-alternate-reality thing more quickly than I think most of us would. But also maybe Kassam is just that hot and charming?!

Kassam’s revenge tour was very stressful for me, and I didn’t know how he and Carly were going to get their HEA, but I was rooting for them the whole time. I love these books, and though this one was a tiny bit less stressful/dramatic than the others in some ways because isn’t an agonizing slow burn, I still really enjoyed the ride. 

𝘏𝘦𝘳𝘦 𝘐 𝘵𝘩𝘰𝘶𝘨𝘩𝘵 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘮𝘢𝘳𝘳𝘪𝘢𝘨𝘦 𝘸𝘰𝘶𝘭𝘥 𝘣𝘦 𝘢 𝘴𝘩𝘢𝘮. 𝘐’𝘮 𝘴𝘵𝘢𝘳𝘵𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘵𝘰 𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘭𝘪𝘻𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘸𝘩𝘦𝘯 𝘒𝘢𝘴𝘴𝘢𝘮 𝘱𝘳𝘰𝘮𝘪𝘴𝘦𝘥 𝘧𝘰𝘳𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘳, 𝘩𝘦 𝘮𝘦𝘢𝘯𝘵 𝘪𝘵.
The Midwife and the Orc by Finley Fenn

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challenging emotional funny mysterious medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
🌶️🌶️🌶️

“𝙔𝙤𝙪 𝙨𝙥𝙚𝙖𝙠 𝙬𝙝𝙖𝙩 𝙮𝙤𝙪 𝙬𝙞𝙨𝙝, 𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙩𝙝𝙚𝙣, 𝙢𝙖𝙮𝙝𝙖𝙥, 𝙄 𝙜𝙞𝙫𝙚 𝙢𝙤𝙧𝙚.”

My journey through Orc Mountain continues!

I think this is my favorite so far. Joarr is an absolute delight. He’s so funny and earnest, and I love all the silly good times he and Gwynn have together. I also loved Gwynn immensely. She is smart and stubborn and so supportive of her fellow women. She also struggles with anxiety and self-doubt, and Joarr is there to hold a mirror up to her so that she can see how resilient and kind and fun she truly is. 

I giggled and kicked my feet through this book, but I also really appreciated the themes around r3productiv3 r!ghts and women’s health. Themes like that are not what one would typically expect from a monster romance, but I felt it was very well done and very relevant to today’s environment.

I would also like to mention that the CW/TW in this book include: on-page $elf-h@rm, @bortion, and misc@rriage among other things, so give them a once over before picking this one up 💚

𝙎𝙝𝙚 𝙬𝙖𝙨 𝙝𝙚𝙧𝙚. 𝙎𝙝𝙚 𝙬𝙖𝙨 𝙝𝙞𝙨. 𝙎𝙝𝙚 𝙬𝙖𝙨 𝙝𝙚𝙧𝙨𝙚𝙡𝙛.
I'll Keep Her Safe by Jen Morris

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emotional funny hopeful lighthearted medium-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

4.0

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
🌶️🌶️🌶️
ARC Review
Release Date: 3/4/25

“𝘠𝘰𝘶’𝘳𝘦 𝘳𝘪𝘨𝘩𝘵. 𝘐 𝘸𝘰𝘯’𝘵 𝘤𝘢𝘭𝘭 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘤𝘰𝘱𝘴, 𝘣𝘦𝘤𝘢𝘶𝘴𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘯 𝘐’𝘥 𝘩𝘢𝘷𝘦 𝘵𝘰 𝘦𝘹𝘱𝘭𝘢𝘪𝘯 𝘸𝘩𝘺 𝘐’𝘷𝘦 𝘣𝘳𝘰𝘬𝘦𝘯 𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘳𝘺 𝘣𝘰𝘯𝘦 𝘪𝘯 𝘺𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘣𝘰𝘥𝘺.”

A grumpy, tattooed, motorcycle riding landscaper who loves gardening? Poppy truly did not stand a chance. Sorry Bailey. Your dad’s hot and you set up this little forced proximity situation so you have no one to blame but yourself!

It’s time for another forbidden romance on Fruit Street, and it’s a fun one! Poppy and Wyatt are so sweet together and I was rooting for them the entire time. They both encourage each other to follow their dreams, and isn’t it just a delightful coincidence that they have some overlap? Also, the man brought her a kitten and idk if there’s anything hotter…except maybe his nipple ring 😏

These two are so sweet together, and I had a great time. I can’t wait to see what happens next on Fruit Street!

𝘉𝘦𝘤𝘢𝘶𝘴𝘦 𝘪𝘧 𝘔𝘳. 𝘔𝘢𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘴 𝘴𝘢𝘺𝘴 𝘰𝘳 𝘥𝘰𝘦𝘴 𝘰𝘯𝘦 𝘮𝘰𝘳𝘦 𝘬𝘪𝘯𝘥 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘮𝘦, 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘦’𝘴 𝘢 𝘷𝘦𝘳𝘺 𝘨𝘰𝘰𝘥 𝘤𝘩𝘢𝘯𝘤𝘦 𝘐 𝘮𝘪𝘨𝘩𝘵 𝘧𝘢𝘭𝘭 𝘪𝘯 𝘭𝘰𝘷𝘦 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩 𝘩𝘪𝘮.
Deep End by Ali Hazelwood

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

5.0

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️♾️
🌶️🌶️🌶️

“𝙄 𝙝𝙖𝙫𝙚 𝙣𝙤 𝙞𝙣𝙩𝙚𝙧𝙚𝙨𝙩 𝙞𝙣 𝙩𝙝𝙖𝙩. 𝙒𝙝𝙖𝙩 𝙄 𝙬𝙖𝙣𝙩 𝙛𝙧𝙤𝙢 𝙮𝙤𝙪 𝙧𝙚𝙦𝙪𝙞𝙧𝙚𝙨 𝙚𝙣𝙩𝙝𝙪𝙨𝙞𝙖𝙨𝙩𝙞𝙘 𝙘𝙤𝙣𝙨𝙚𝙣𝙩, 𝙣𝙤𝙩 𝙘𝙤𝙣𝙫𝙞𝙣𝙘𝙞𝙣𝙜.”

This book. THIS BOOK. I really am not sure I have adequate words for how much I loved Deep End, fka WHET. It is so witty, sexy, funny, and sweet. Lukas Blomqvist is down BAD for Scarlett Vandermeer, and it’s obvious to everyone but her. She’s so wrapped up in her failures she can’t see what a brilliant, wonderful human she is and Lukas is determined to drag her kicking and screaming into the light. I love an obsessed MMC and he didn’t disappoint. 

I also loved Scarlett and her ability to face her vulnerabilities and fears. She grows so much over the timeline of the book, and I loved seeing her regain her confidence and achieve more than she thought possible. Her ability to let her walls down and let Lukas in is a testament to the trust and love he painstakingly built with her, as well as the work she has done herself. She works so hard in and out of therapy to heal herself, and it’s so well done and relatable. Scarlett is an absolute gem. 

I know a lot of people have said this book is “too spicy”, but the spice is so incredibly important to Scarlett’s personal journey and her relationship with Lukas. They are two young adults experimenting with mutual k!nks in a very mature - and HOT - way. I personally think all of the spice was very plot relevant and important to Scarlett’s character development and her relationship with Lukas in and out of the bedroom. He is her safe place, and the trust they have in one another is integral to both their character arcs. 

So anyway I’m deeply obsessed with this book and can’t wait to see what Ali has in store for us next. 

“𝙁𝙧𝙤𝙢 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙫𝙚𝙧𝙮 𝙨𝙩𝙖𝙧𝙩, 𝙮𝙤𝙪 𝙝𝙖𝙙 𝙖𝙡𝙡 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙥𝙤𝙬𝙚𝙧. 𝙁𝙧𝙤𝙢 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙫𝙚𝙧𝙮 𝙨𝙩𝙖𝙧𝙩, 𝙄 𝙬𝙖𝙨 𝙞𝙣 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙥𝙖𝙡𝙢 𝙤𝙛 𝙮𝙤𝙪𝙧 𝙝𝙖𝙣𝙙.”