Sasha Fountain

4.25 stars
Spice: 4

It took me some time to warm up to the characters in this book, but overall I enjoyed it. Both MCs were complex, and the plot was a bit messy but intriguing. There were many fun moments, but things also got serious when it came to Cloud's grief and Rainer's reasons for being a douchebag.

Cloud and Rainer had their own struggles and baggage, which explained the facades they presented to the world. It's murky at first, but throughout the novel, we learn about the heartbreaking story surrounding Cloud's best friend's death. His guilt is so heavy throughout the book that it's a relief when the actual cause of Zane's death is revealed near the novel's end. Cloud slowly let his vulnerabilities show and grow while his relationship with Rainer evolved.

Rainer seemed to be the typical rebel son with an I don't give a shit about anything attitude at first. We quickly learn that he is so much more than that. He is committed to his facade, but as the novel progresses, we see his vulnerable side, and he grows as a person through his relationship with Cloud.

A first hint about the real side of Rainer is through his interactions with his brother Anson. Anson is brooding and troubled, and his behavior gets erratic as the book progresses, and Rainer learns about the incident that broke his brother. Rainer's father is a slightly prominent side character who threatens Cloud and Rainer for different reasons.

This book was very spicy, but a lot of the sex was used to avoid the real issues that both Rainer and Cloud were experiencing. The mindless sex was a coping mechanism for Rainer that Cloud also developed to bury the emotions and the things they did not want to discuss. I appreciated the spice, but at a certain point, I just wanted them to take some time to discuss their issues honestly.

Rainer's family was a subplot in the book that became more prominent at the end. I won't spoil what turns out to be a significant revelation from Rainer's family. I wish we got to see more about Rainer's relationship with his family because it would shed some more insight into how he became the person we met at the beginning of the novel. Rainer's father was initially a random annoyance, but as the novel progresses, we see how despicable he is.

The major revelation was an unexpected twist, and the ending was satisfying, which I appreciated.

Thank you to GRR for an ARC copy, and I have voluntarily left my honest review.

4.75 stars
Spice: 4.5

This book was an interesting take on the a/b/o verse. Here Weres do not fully shift into wolves; they take on lupine aspects like larger physical bodies and reproductive organs. In this universe, Omegas are rare and highly sought after, but traditionally they are subjects and pretty much owned by Alphas. There is a rift within the Were society between older traditionalist Weres, who want to keep the status quo and bring back older, barbaric customs, and the younger generation, who wants to move into the future and create a more equitable society.

The story starts on the eve of an old barbaric custom; an omega hunt. During the hunt, Alphas hunt and forcibly claim kidnapped Omegas.

Jamie is a human who works a bar frequented by Weres, and on the night before the hunt, he is accosted by what he doesn't realize is an Alpha in the bathroom. He manages to escape the bathroom, and he runs into Asher, the local pack Alpha who captivates him, and Asher is also drawn to Jamie. Asher almost gets into an altercation with the Alpha, who accosted Jamie, and finds out that a council elder invited the Alpha and his pack into Black Creek territory to run an omega hunt. Asher is surprised and upset to learn that an omega hunt has been planned on his territory.

Jamie finishes his shift and goes to sleep in his car because he is unhoused. He feels like he is catching a cold, and he wraps himself into his sleeping bag and is trying to get some sleep when his car is broken into and is abducted. We find out that Jamie is a rare human Omega which is why the Alpha came onto him in the bathroom. We find out that he is going into heat, which he does not understand. He was abducted to add another Omega to the hunt.

When the omegas are let out to begin running for the hunt, Asher recognizes Jamie as his mate and joins the hunt. The first encounter between Asher and Jamie is definitely dubcon because Asher realizes that Jamie believed the whole situation was a dream and could not consent to the claim, so he did not claim him.

The story has dark elements, but the plot does not dwell on them, and I wish the author fleshed out the story a bit more by exploring those elements. Jamie is snarky and doesn't take shit from anyone. Asher is a very progressive Alpha who sees the value of other designations of Weres, like Betas and Omegas, in leadership.

The book was very spicy and is a good read for folks fond of fated mates, knotting, and mpreg.

Thank you to GRR for an ARC copy; this is my honest review.

This was my first read by Chloe Archer, and I really enjoyed it. It was cute, heartwarming, and the perfect introduction to the Monsters Hollow series. This story was more plot than spice, but I didn't mind because it was a lovely cozy read. Emrys and Jayden were so great together, and I hope we get to see more of them throughout the series.

5 stars
3.5 spice

I loved Catch and Release Groom, although I did not read the other books in this series.

Imogen is a runaway bride who broke off her engagement because she knew it would have been a mistake to marry her childhood sweetheart. She did not expect to go on her honeymoon alone after giving up on her dream honeymoon in Rome. She's determined to figure out her new life post-breakup while on this trip.

Easton is jilted groom who still has a lot of resentment about being left at the altar, leading him to judge Imogen harshly at first. When they first meet, they don't exactly hit it off. They are both attracted to each other, but there is also a lot of annoyance there. They can't decide whether they want to throttle each other or find the nearest bed. That makes their agreement to be in a fake relationship extremely fun. I loved the slow burn of them getting to know each other and seeing past their preconceived notions about each other. Easton's puppy Gator was soo cute throughout the whole book.

I liked Easton's friend group and how supportive they were throughout the book, and they were not afraid to call him on his bs.

The one thing that irked me was that I would have loved to get a bit more time focused on the resolution. Easton plans his grand gesture with a few of Imogen's friends, and I would have loved to get a bit of him discussing this plan with his friends or even her friends. I would have liked Imogen not immediately to accept his apology without a bit of pushback. She was working on standing up for herself for the whole book, only for her to cave at the end.

Overall I loved the book, and I want to thank Turn the Page Tours and Entangled Publishing for providing me with an ARC copy of this book for my honest review.

This is the third book in the Botros Brothers series and continues Amir and Soraya's romance with a secret from Amir's past. It is a secret that Amir never knew about, and believed that the associated relationship was over and done with years ago. The past clashes with the present, and Amir and Soraya show their family and the interloper that their relationship is solid. I don't want to get into any spoilers about the past secret because a majority of the story revolves around it. I loved the devotion Soraya had and how Amir was steadfast in the knowledge that he had something long-lasting with Soraya. He fought to make sure that nothing got in the way of their future together.

There were a few surprises from Sara and Tariq and even a surprise for Malik.

I've come to enjoy the escapism of a Leslie North novel, and I look forward to the final book in the series.

I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.

Thank you to Jordan Lee for the ARC, and I am voluntarily leaving my honest review!

5 ⭐️ 3

The tension increases in Caleb's household with the escalation of Adam's actions toward Riley. Caleb's adoptive father stops Adam's attempt to push himself on Riley. This series has kept me on my toes with unexpected revelations, like Riley's discovery about her friend in part five. Caleb is beginning to remember trauma from his abusive past, causing him to doubt Adam. This ended on a cliffhanger that left me wanting more.

I received a free copy of this book and am voluntarily leaving a review.

4.75 stars

This was a low-angst easy read with great pacing and a nice amount of spice. The heat ramped up fast initially, and then there was a satisfying slow burn throughout the book. Liam and Reed go from an anonymous hookup to friends to boyfriends with small challenges that are easily overcome. Their chemistry was great, and I loved seeing their friendship develop and how, eventually, their relationship grew. The only thing that irked me was that the ending was abrupt. They finally get together, and in the epilogue, we are three years in the future at their wedding. I wish we got more of them together as a couple before the time jump.

Thank you to GRR for an ARC; this is my honest review.

This toolkit is extremely helpful for anyone interested in Netgalley and unsure where to begin. I signed up for Netgalley a few years ago, which was overwhelming, so I had not requested a book until early 2023. The tips include: Creating your profile, site navigation, review writing, blogging, social media do's and don't, and how to promote yourself on sites such as BookTube, Bookstagram, and BookTok. It is a short and easy read, and the tips are actionable and easy to use.

This book has more emotional depth than the first two books in the series. Lachlan and Blake's story is a the darkest of the series but it was also rewarding. They both carried heavy emotional baggage. Lachlan's was related to his family's abandonment and Blake's was due to his being a familiar and assassin for a wizard. They weren't really in the best place to begin a relationship but neither one of them could resist the pull drawing them together. They were faced with many seemingly impossible obstacles —an assassination plot, Blake's wizard master, and Blake's missing half of a soul to name some. They didn't have a clear way to make a life for themselves but the pressed forward with hope. Their sheer determination and perseverance had me invested in seeing them get their HEA.

I received an ARC from GRR and I'm voluntarily leaving a review.

The Botros Brother's series is the second Leslie North series that I have read and I'm enjoying it so far. This book focuses on Amir the younger brother of Tariq who was an MMC for book one. Amir is known as a billionaire playboy who is very lighthearted and has a sweet side and a wicked sense of humor which puts him in contrast with his older brother. Soraya is the younger sister of Malik who is a childhood friend of the Botros brother's and also a manager at their company. She is a mix of sweet and serious and determined to succeed on her own terms. The tone of this book is different than book one but I still enjoyed it.

I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.

Time Out is a queer contemporary YA novel that explores coming out and standing up for yourself.

Thank you to Turn the Page Tours and the publisher for providing me with an ARC copy for my honest review. From the beginning of the novel, we find out that Barclay, the MC is ready to be open about his sexuality with his family and his small town. He is met with bullying and homophobia, and he has to figure out how to address the intolerant nature of his small town. There is a small romantic subplot, but this is truly a story about never letting others take away what defines you. There were a lot of themes tackled in the book, which I think could have been either fully fleshed out by making the book a bit longer or cut out completely. This book addressed grief, homophobia, voting rights, and financial corruption.

Part three continues the romance between Caleb and Wiley. This installment gives us more background on both characters. Caleb tells Wiley about his past and how he feels guilty for not checking on his brother after he was removed from their home. Wiley's best friend, Maeve, is a great addition to the story. They are still trying to figure out who is sabotaging Caleb's ranch, and Adam is still acting extremely suspiciously. I love how the story develops and look forward to how the mystery will be unraveled.

I received a free copy of this book and am voluntarily leaving a review.

Dylan is a Hollywood actor struggling to keep his head above the surface. He's a recovering alcoholic who wants to tell his story to the world.

Maxwell is an English professor, Ph.D., fiction author, and ghostwriter. He also is the primary parent of his thirteen-year-old daughter Blake. He commits to being the ghostwriter for Dylan's book because he needs the money to add to his legal fund to hold his ex-husband at bay because he regularly threatens to take full custody of Blake.

Dylan is getting ready to film his first movie after he has been sober for the last two years. They are on a deadline for the book, and privacy is required, so Dylan and Max seclude themselves on Rowan's yacht. Rowan is Dylan's best friend whose fab story is book one in the Voyagers series.

Away from prying eyes and paparazzi, Dylan begins to relax around Max. Dylan has secrets that he wants to reveal in his book. One of the secrets is that he's bi, which he has never admitted to anyone in his life. Dylan is nervous about opening up for the book, but Max makes him feel at ease for the most part. Some moments are overwhelming for Dylan, and Max understands that he has to take a step back from the conversation.

Dylan is not the self-absorbed actor Max expected, and Max is not the stiff professor that Dylan thought he was. The way that they opened up to each other was so heartwarming. They were vulnerable with each other, and they spoke honestly about their feelings.

There are some serious moments, but there are also fun moments interwoven into the narrative. Rowan and Andrew make some appearances in this book, and I loved seeing how supportive they were of Dylan and Max.

Overall this was a sweet, sexy, low-angst story that was satisfying. I am looking forward to Rafe's story next.

I received a free copy of this book via GRR and am voluntarily leaving a review.

Caleb is dealing with the aftermath of the fire and the arrival of his older brother Adam. They have a strained relationship and haven't seen each other in almost two decades. We get more background about Wiley due to the unexpected visit from her parents. We learn that she left to get out from under their thumb and live her own life. The character's backstories are getting fleshed out, so I am enjoying learning more about them. I'm looking forward to part three.

I received a free copy of this book and am voluntarily leaving a review.

I really enjoyed this book. It's my first read by Ava Olsen, and I look forward to reading more of her work. Andrew and Rowan's not so meet cute, and Andrew is rude to Roawn because he doesn't know who he is hilarious. Rowan and Andrew have been burned in the past, so they are hesitant to begin a new relationship, especially with Ro being Drew's boss. I loved that Rowan was a billionaire who is also a kind and giving soul. Andrew was also a kind person and the perfect fit for Rowan, but despite their instalust, the romance was more of a slow burn. I loved how Rowan and Andrew got their HEA, and I'm ready to read the next book in the series.

I received a free copy of this book via GRR and am voluntarily leaving a review.

3.75 stars

This book was an enjoyable fast burn romance. Aria, a mafia princess and Tyson, an FBI agent meets in an interview room where he offers her deal to become an informant and take down her father and his criminal empire. Aria who is more savvy and ruthless that Tyson and his superior expected pushes his buttons and declines. After that Tyson follows her to a nightclub to keep an eye on her and due to his jealously he throws caution to the wind and they spend the night together. After that Aria's father reprimands her for getting involved with an FBI Agent she starts to consider taking the deal. After her father gets rid of her best friend in a violent way for becoming an informant and beats her it leads her call Tyson.

After that things got a little wonky. The plan to get Tyson on to her protection detail felt a little flimsy and unrealistic. Tyson's inner monologue where he reminds himself that Aria is the enemy and he wants her but he can't have her because she a mafia princess got repetitive and tiring. At times Tyson seemed like he was the same age as Aria and not 13 years older.

Overall the story was easy to read and I enjoyed it.

I received a free copy of this book and am voluntarily leaving a review.

When I requested this ARC, I did not realize this was the sixth and final book in the Dungeons and Dating series. Reading this has convinced me that I need to read the series from the beginning because I enjoyed this book. This book is the story of Jasper and Matt, the neighborhood baker who is not as straight as people think. This story was well written, and I loved how the two MCs worked together to reach their HEA. The book also has some spice with its BDSM elements.

Thank you to GRR for providing me with an ARC; this is my honest review.

Merged review:

When I requested this ARC, I did not realize this was the sixth and final book in the Dungeons and Dating series. Reading this has convinced me that I need to read the series from the beginning because I enjoyed this book. This book is the story of Jasper and Matt, the neighborhood baker who is not as straight as people think. This story was well written, and I loved how the two MCs worked together to reach their HEA. The book also has some spice with its BDSM elements.

Thank you to GRR for providing me with an ARC; this is my honest review.

This was a good enemies-to-lovers romance with a side of accidental pregnancy. Tariq and Sara initially disliked each other, but they had definite chemistry. It was a fantastic read, and I loved the opposites attract trope within it. This romance drew me in, and I'm excited to read the rest of the series.

I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.

I loved this friends-to-lovers romance set in a small town. Faith is head over heels for her boyfriend Astor, who is cheating on her. She finds this out shortly before they are supposed to stand up at a wedding together.

Teddy visits Elk Lake to spend some time with his grandfather, and he meets Faith in a not so meet cute where she's rude to him and spills the tea on him. He implies he is gay and volunteers to go with her to the wedding to make her ex jealous.

This romance had familiar tropes, but Dineen gave them a new spin. The story was not predictable, which I really liked. The story was fast-paced, exciting, and fun. Teddy was an amazing guy, and it took me some time to like Faith because of the fog she was in due to the breakup. I'm excited to see where the series goes.

I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.

I'm not a big fan of dark romance, but I enjoyed this book. The book was enthralling, thrilling, and had a dark romance which worked well. It was an easy-to-read page-turner, so the plot was easy to track. I liked the dual POV so we could understand each MC. I'm glad that it works well as a stand-alone because I did not read the first book.

I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.

Harris is a divorced billionaire who only has flings since his cheating ex destroyed his faith in love. Jamie is hiding from an abusive ex, and she longs to learn to live again. When they meet, they have instant chemistry. This a fast-paced and steamy romance with great characters.

I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.

I did not know what to expect from this series because I haven't read book one. I enjoyed this grumpy/sunshine boss romance. A successful workaholic man finds himself double booked in a hotel room with a spunky young woman. After a professional crisis averted by Maddie's skills he hires her on the spot to replace his incompetent personal assistant. The plot kept me engaged with Noah's perfectionism and grumpiness, some misunderstandings, steam, a meddling ex, and a HEA.

I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.

I liked this steamy enemies to lovers romance about Luke and Hazel. I love the fake marriage trope so that aspect of the book was really interesting. The book is passionate, funny, and romantic. I loved that Hazel and Luke got their HEA.

I received a free copy of this book and am voluntarily leaving a review.

The setting of this book was totally new to me and I liked the way that the author dealt with the different cultural restrictions and the fears associated with them. The beginning was well-written and enthralling but it eventually turned into a slightly unrealistic romcom. I liked the HEA so that is what kept my rating at 4 stars versus a 3 star rating.

Thank you to GRR for an ARC copy and I'm voluntarily providing my honest review.