Cynfulbooks
If you tell yourself something often enough, you will start to believe it, right? Raylee and Colton can only hope. They repeatedly tell themselves and each other that they hate one another. But, hate or not, they are passionately addicted to each other.
Sabotage is mostly smut, and I'm not complaining. It opens with dirty hate sex in the prologue. The smut is so descriptive and raunchy throughout the book that I think it broke my spice-meter.
From chance meeting on an airplane to forced proximity, Puck Me Secretly was everything! I devoured this entire book in one afternoon. Rory and Max were too cute. They were both supportive and protective and their chemistry was palpable. This book gave me all the feels. I felt so deeply for the characters, I was tearing up throughout the book.
The Sinner is an incredible read that exceeded my expectations. It is very intense with a lot of trauma and PTSD. Shantel Tessier did a great job making me feel connected to the characters and story. I definitely felt all of the emotions, to the point of needing to take breaks at some points to allow myself to breathe.
Elli is an incredibly broken but strong FMC who has been through unspeakable things. Sin is an obsessive and possessive LORD who happens to be Elli's best friend's brother. Elli and Sin have known each other since childhood. They have a complicated relationship, but can they survive the LORDs?
Shantel Tessier delivered another incredibly well written book. The twists and turns were so artistically woven throughout the book that I didn't see them coming. Retrospectively, I appreciated how the tiniest details were foreshadowing larger events and revelations.
Oh my! I am hard-core fan-girling over Ari Lancaster! *swoons *
Ari is obsessive and possessive when it comes to Blake. He is so intune to her, and he actually sees her. Blake's heart-wrenching battles with feeling inadequate and trying to live up to impossible standards have led to years of self-harm. Ari is so supportive and uplifting in his persistence to get Blake to see her beauty and self-worth. Ari & Blake are absolutely adorable!
The bromance between Ari and Lincoln is everything! I couldn't get enough of their text banter. They had me laughing and grinning like a fool. Also, Linc and the handcuffs... 🤣
As if everything else wasn't enough, Ari's internal thoughts and pep talks are adorable and hilarious.
Originally posted at www.instagram.com.
Leather & Lark did not disappoint. I devoured it, unlike some people with pizza. While it was different than Butcher & Blackbird, Brynne Weaver delivered with the second installment of the Ruinous Love series.
Lark was externally a ray of sunshine, but the glitter and glam was hiding her deleted scenes. Lark's abrupt departures to aid her avoidance were quite comical. Her traumatic adolescence seems to have stunted her emotionally and caused her to internalize and conceal herself from others.
Lachlin came off as a grumpy “asshat” but was extremely protective and caring of his loved ones. He took the time to truly see Lark and learn about her and her past. He discovered all her secrets and embraced them.
From terrible first impressions and a forced fake marriage to an earned love, Lark and Lachlin deserve each other. Their banter was everything! I also appreciated the comedic cameos from Sloane and Rowan.
I can't wait for book 3!
I don't know if I overlooked it or just forgot or it wasn't mentioned, but I didn't realize Bloodlust was going to be a duology. So the cliffhanger was unexpected and disappointing for me.
✨️What I liked:
• Sebastian's sarcasm
• Seb & Leona's banter in the beginning
• Found Family dynamic w/ Seb, Victor, & Charlotte
• Vic & Charlie's emotional awareness and support of Seb's anxiety and feelings
The Deal was a really cute read! It gave me all the feels. I couldn't get enough of their sarcasm and banter.
I loved how Hannah and Garrett's relationship morphed from “enemies” to friends then to lovers. They were both very supportive and encouraging of each other's individual interests.
Garrett was swoonworthy. He was very cocky but also very attentive and observant. I loved how he protected Hannah from potential regrets and made sure she was taken care of.
I also really appreciated the mindfulness of trauma and PTSD.
The Pleasure Protocol was a very spicy read! For the first time, I understood the appeal of collared pet play. 🔥🔥 Nikolai was incredibly attentive and caring, before, during, and after scenes. His possessiveness, while accepting of her lifestyle, was incredibly hot. They were honest and open-minded regarding sex and sexuality. The way they delved into the emotional aspects of dom/sub/kink play, including subdrop, was excellent.
The authors did a great job blending their voices into a cohesive story. Admittedly, I had a hard time getting into the book initially, mostly because of the third-person POV and a little repetitiveness in the beginning. However, I truly grew to love Nikolai and Corinne and their encounters/relationship. The Pleasure Protocol was a really good read that I highly recommend if you like smut!
𝑫𝒊𝒔𝒄𝒍𝒂𝒊𝒎𝒆𝒓: Given ARC to read for an honest review. All thoughts, opinions, and ratings are my own.
It was really hard for me to get into this book. It took an entire 3 chapters to learn and remember the FMC's name. There were so many names for each province/people. It just seemed unnecessarily complicated.
I listened to the audiobook, which did not indicate this was a series rather than a standalone. So I was quite disappointed for an abrupt ending. While I did grow to like the FMC and MMC and wanted more enemies to lovers relationship, this left me hanging. Not sure I'm invested enough for another long, complicated book.
Nia's Resolve was like reading a RomCom I could watch over and over! Nia and Caspian are lovable characters with palpable chemistry. They both had to overcome heartbreak and trust issues from a childhood of abandonment. The question was, could they do it together, or would it tear them apart?
In this
Queen of Shadows was good but soo long. It took me a while to get through it because my attention wasn't cemented in this book like it was for others in the series. I feel like there was a lot of building then the climax was too fast and underwhelming.
I absolutely hated Chaol in this book. He was so rude and deliberately hurtful toward Celaena. He blamed her for everything and didn't take the time to explain what had happened in Rifthold nor listen to what she had been through while away. Then to throw the Eye of Elena at her... “There hasn't been a we for a while, Celaena—” oof! And then proceed to call her a monster.
Celaena/Aelin has a new love in every book! I wonder how long Rowan will last.
I really loved Aelin standing tall and embracing her power/ royalty. She gave an impressive speech to the people of Rifthold.
I'm really glad I didn't read Assassin's Blade first to start the TOG series. It was a good book, but knowing everything at the start would have taken away from the impact of Caelena's history and grief unfolding.
Assassin's Blade was a compilation of 5 novellas diving into events of Celaena's life as an assassin. It detailed her relationship evolution with Sam from competitors to lovers. Sam was very lovable, and their relationship had a tragic end. I did expect Sam's ending to be more dramatic and detailed, though. Celaena's fight for vengeance just before capture really depicted her shear strength. I really enjoyed a peek into Celaena's history.
P.S. My list of hated characters continues to grow: King of Adarlan, Manon's Grandmother (Blackbeak Matron), and Arobynn Hamel.
Heir of Fire was very good! I really felt the heartbreak, pain, and struggles of all the characters. It had me tearing up several times. I loved discovering more of Celaena's (Aelin's) past and seeing her harness her abilities. It was nice to see Chaol's growth and conviction by the end of the book.
I still love Dorian! He is so emotionally in tune. Can we please give this man's heart a break? Like, no more heartbreak. Also, love me some Rowan! “I claim you, Aelin. To whatever end.” ❤️ Can't wait for more!
I don't really know how the witches tie in to the series yet, but I assume that is coming in the next book. I couldn't help but be drawn to Manon and Abraxos.
I loved the Hades & Persephone series, and I was so excited for this book to be released. Unfortunately, I found A Touch of Chaos disappointing.
It took me a while to get through it, and I found myself just trying to get it over with versus actually being emersed in the story. I was bored for parts of it.
The conflict was very drawn out compared to the quick resolution. There was so much packed in that it felt overwhelming at times.
Flipping from one POV to the next so frequently was frustrating. I really didn't like the use of multiple POVs, which was not used much, if at all, in previous books of the series. I would have preferred just Hades and Persephone's POV.
The bonus epilogue was redeeming, though. I absolutely loved it! ❤️
Crown of Midnight was gripping all the way to the end!
I was so happy for Chaol and Celaena's new romance and sneaking into broom closets. It was a beautiful brief moment of happiness for Celaena.
But this, right here...
” ‘I think I'm happy for me, too.' And she was. For the first time in years, she was truly happy.”
I knew it was going to be short-lived. I was heartbroken in anticipation reading that.
There was action and intrigue throughout the entire book. I enjoyed experiencing more of Celaena's shear talent and abilities.
It was initially very hard for me to get into TOG. It started slow but eventually sucked me in. TOG left me intrigued and wanting to read the rest of the series to get answers to my questions.
I really like the 3 main characters: Celaena, Chaol, and Dorian and can't wait to read their backstories.
I spent most of the book trying to decide which of the MMCs should end up with Celaena. There were cute moments with each MMC, but I wouldn't classify TOG as a Romantasy. I have high hopes for the next book though! ❤️