Ria

I spent a week reading this and though I finished it, it was just an okay read for me. Wasn't thrilled at the homophobia bit, or sexism. This had potential but ultimately it just wasn't for me. I still pushed myself into reading it because it's been on my radar ages and I'm glad I read it. 3 ⭐.

This was great fun! I enjoyed the reporter/navy seal romance and Chasen is a new name for me, one I like. Hayley was a believable character, their romance felt almost instalove, but I enjoyed the mystery and adventure enough I didn't mind. A few steamy sex scenes that weren't overdone, and for about 300 pages that I bought as a freebie I'm definitely interested in purchasing book two when my funds allow. 5 ⭐!

A father dies and leaves a will for his daughters all wondering who gets the massive ranch. His stipulation is they all can have a share but only if they get married first. Cue the search for husbands. This read just a bit sexist, but I did enjoy the characters. 3 ⭐.

A 3.5 ⭐ rounded up to 4. This was a solid YA fantasy, and I still love that cover, but I feel I would have loved it more as a teenager. Gnomes and fairies and war and a romance all brought together in this slim book. It was fun, and I enjoyed it.

This was alright. I enjoyed the characters. 3 ⭐

Steamy, romantic, and with the barest hint of plot, I very much loved this! 5 ⭐!

Merged review:

Steamy, romantic, and with the barest hint of plot, I very much loved this! 5 ⭐!

I tried and wound up giving this a pass. 2 ⭐.

RTC

A lesbian couple fighting to stay together and not divorce as Sean, our main character, examines wolf Kate by swapping their minds into each other's bodies and examining how wolves feel. This was such a fascinating piece and I enjoyed every bit of it. Further RTC to come. 5 ⭐

This was very good! RTC! 4.5 ⭐

This was surprisingly fun and entertaining. An unexpected mashup of Pride and Prejudice and Frankenstein really worked well. 4.5 ⭐

This was a very good historical featuring a woman writing for a paper. You have ghosts, hypnotism, and lots of good stories within stories. 4 ⭐.

Breezing right along with this reread I forgot how much I love these books!

This skipped around and was a bit hard to follow. I wound up dnf'ing it about a quarter of the way through. 3 ⭐

RTC! 4 ⭐!

This started out strong but it's inspirational messages and all just weren't for me. I'm atheist though so there's that. All in all the writing was very good, the characters believable and the storyline interesting. I always find codebreakers unique and fascinating. 3.5 ⭐ rounded up.

I have mixed feelings about this one. While the writing was phenomenal, I kept thinking that I really didn't like how they caught and tamed baby rocs to be trained in killing manticores. I understand the why, but I don't know that I fully approve. It's the same as falconry, in a way. On the one hand, I get it. On the other, I don't agree with it.

While this strained in being an emotional punch to the gut, it didn't quite grab me as much as it should have. The father wanting a son, the training, the losses all of it read okay. But I wanted more. I'm not sure how to explain but this felt like it needed more depth. More story. It was very good and I enjoyed it.

I'm giving this a solid 4 ⭐.

I tried but it just wasn't working for me. 3 ⭐.

Started out okay but then I lost interest. 2.5 ⭐ rounded up.

RTC. 4.5 ⭐

Read a brief sample on Wayback Machine and was unimpressed. 2.5 ⭐.

This was a beautiful true story of a little girl born in a family of mostly boys striving to go to university and learn rather than be married and have children. The artwork is stunning and I applaud Ruby's dedication and bravery. 5 ⭐!

A haunting ghost story with kids and a lake. 4 ⭐.

I tried. I tried and I liked the idea of it, but it was slow and rambly and it just wasn't for me. I'm giving this 2.5 ⭐ rounded up.

I dnf'd at about 200 pages. Slow paced, and though the writing is good, I just was bored. 2 ⭐.