Wayward

I always enjoy The Chronicles of Nerezia, but I think Stories from the Deep is the best one yet, and my favorite so far!

The returning characters are just as lovable as always, but their best traits and darkest trauma are exemplified in this installment. I found myself more engaged by the charm of Horace, the prowess of Keza, the quirks of Rumi, and the mystery of Aliyah than ever before, their interactions with the crew of the Pegasus and the dangerous creature that lurked beneath the depths skillfully showing off their personalities, strengths, and weaknesses and keeping me absorbed from start to finish.  The dynamic cast and the trouble that our heroes must overcome in Stories from the Deep, both, made this an exceptionally interesting read, the skill of the writing keeping the story always flowing.

And that trouble that they must overcome, a kraken, among other things, was made so vivid. Honestly,  everything in this novella is SHARP and crisp, but the kraken, in particular, was so well crafted I felt like I watched a movie instead of reading a book everytime it was on the page. From its gorgeous, terrifying array of pulsing tentacles, to its deadly actions, I could see and hear it all during its attack and successive interactions with Horace and the crew. It was a beautiful, horrible, yet fascinating creature masterfully wrought!

Altogether, Chronicles of Nerezia comes through again with a GREAT read, some of the best of the series so far, and I hugely enjoyed it. Highly recommend! Meanwhile, I'm looking forward to diving into book five next!!

4.5

This short, Achillean romance novella was a surprising read for me because, as much as I enjoy reading and find a variety of writing styles that are objectively good, I rarely find one that also really CLICKS with me and manages to absorb me right into its world. Stay was one of those for me.

Entrancing, descriptive writing clearly set not only the scenes but the emotions of each scene and effortlessly built this cold, snowy, desperate environ, weighted with the emotions of “will I, or won't I”, hope and despair, longing and dread through every page.

Despite having a fated mates theme, this story doesn't play out like your average insta-love, and there's a growing, careful, fearful fondness, LAYERED with protectiveness that mounts from one chapter to the next, and is interlaced with the desperate lengths both characters will go to save Richmond's children. It's a delicious, slower-paced crawl to completion, a pace that allows the characters' hesitance and ignorance, respectively, to be FELT and expressed. I LOVE a fated mates story with a layer of danger that doesn't immediately have the characters tangled together but that instead allows their longing to grow. Stay isn't a slow-burn, but it isn't insta-love either, and for me, it was the perfect pace with all the right emotional nuance and circumstantial developments to allow the characters to finally give in to their pining and need.

I've used so many desctiptors already, I feel I may be becoming repetitive, but, my gosh, Stay is SO dreamy, so wistful, so INTERESTING. The world, politics, and magic system that are all touched on here have such great potential for more. More growth. More lore. More danger. I know this book is a bit of a standalone spinoff of the authors' other book, which I'm intrigued to learn more of, but I also hope they decide to write more books and novellas set in this world because there's much to explore, and I, personally, would love to learn more. I feel like this story could have benefitted from a LITTLE bit more information on the magic system, how mages have particular elements, how that works into their magic, and how they cast spells. But regardless, I was intensely intrigued by what I did learn of this world, and I really enjoyed everything that was built here.

Stay is a diamond in the rough. It's absolutely worth reading and deserves more hype. Check out content warnings and be open to an omega-style character with all that entails, but if you enjoy that concept, I highly recommended this book. It's perfect for a cold, rainy, or snowy day, curled up by a fire with Webb's words building rosy white worlds in your mind.

HAPPY RELEASE DAY!!

L.A. Witt and Cari Z. did it again with another banger of an MM romance with dark themes. Though, for a murder mystery from the POVs of someone in funeral services and in crime scene cleanup, respectively, and all the expected details associated with those professions, this is a surprisingly CUTE and humorous story with an almost PG, low spice, sweet romance.

I've read a couple of books by this author duo before, and those books have always been well-written adventures with a somewhat lighthearted air despite the looming danger. Stay in Your Lane carries on with that theme, though “looming danger” puts it mildly. Kyle and Everett become threatened the more they investigate, and while I felt that the action slowed down a bit at the beginning of the second half, those threats ramped up dramatically into full blown danger by the finale. The scaling investigation with the, again, surprisingly SWEET and protective romance that quickly blossoms along the way makes this a fast-paced book that's easy to read and very enjoyable.

One of things I like about L.A. Witt and Cari Z.'s books is that they actually develop the characters and give them histories and families, and those FAMILIES have personalities and relationships. The main characters have actual lives before and after meeting each other, and it brings a level of realism to the story that's sometimes lacking in other books. STRONG characters is probably what I look for first and most in books, so I'm excited this is another book that I can say does it well.

Kyle and Everett, as well as the side cast, really shine. They're easy to root for, charming, and likable, and by the end of it, I wanted only good things to happen to them from then on.

Everett's earnestness, dopey golden-retriever personality, his undiagnosed ADHD, love of animals, and acumen, in particular really made me fall for him quickly. I hated how his family were mild bullies towards him, and while I wish we would have had a chance to see those same family members learn to respect him and his abilities a little more, I could tell at the end of the day they all deeply loved each other, which is somewhat rare and gratifying to see in fiction, especially queer fiction. I also feel like the story suggested that were this not a standalone, his family would see how well Everett manages his ADHD and balances both his new relationship and his increased work load and responsibilities in a sequel. However, there were enough hints of such that, really, I can imagine it happening regardless of sequel. His character and branching relationships were just written so well!

Kyle and his pets added so much to Stay in Your Lane too, though. Kyle was steadfast and brave, and his loyalty to his pets, even Steve, the jerk of a piranha, was admirable and lovable. And those pets!! Two cats and an assortment of piranha all REALLY lended to the rom-com feel of this book. The cats' antics are so cute and REALISTIC. My gosh, I felt like those cats were just as lifelike as their owner. And the piranha, Steve in particular, had way more personality than I've ever seen given to FISH before! Steve was like a cartoon villain. He was HILARIOUS, and I loved every time he was mentioned. He made me laugh out loud more than once and was, honestly, the FUNNIEST character in the book!

Really, Stay in Your Lane is a great, quick murder mystery romp. It's perfect for anyone who enjoys a bit of darkness, doesn't mind some viscera, and loves the idea of some adorably charming main characters and pets with personality. It's also perfect for anyone who prefers low spice in their reads! Read this for a thrilling mystery and cute romance between its investigators and have fun and laughs along the way.

As someone who rarely jives with insta-love, this maybe wasn't the read for me. Occasionally this trope can be done in a way that I like, but this, well, wasn't that. While there is an element of “True Mates” going on here, I found the way they fell into bed and furthermore into clingy neediness, abandoning everything for each other all of thirty minutes after they met, to be unbelievable and a little silly. The too-fast-to-be-believable theme continued through the book. 

I also found the character building, plot, and writing style to generally be lacking. Even the small, superficial details that I expected to get more screen time were lacking. For instance, I was intrigued to hear that one of the main characters had a long blond braid and that he thought may have been a Viking in another life, but the braid is barely mentioned that first description, and the character is never even described with his hair out of the braid, even though there's on-page showering and hair washing. I assume the hair is long and straight and tuggable, but alas, I can only resort to my imagination for that image.
But as for the big things, there's little character history or growth, and the climax of the plot is resolved within a chapter.

I will say that the spicy scenes are generally pretty spicy and well-written. They were the best parts of the book in my opinion. And the story moves along at a good clip, so if you're looking for something quick and spicy and don't mind or even enjoy the concept of insta-love, this could be a better fit for you.

While I have a couple of negative comments, there are a lot of things to like about this book, from the charming writing, dialogue, and customs reminiscent of a Jane Austen script, except in a wholesomely queer-normative society, to the pair of fascinating and lovely magic systems present, and of course the adorable, bully-to-boyfriends romance that morphs into something so honestly caring, sweet, protective, and pure as to utterly melt my heart.

All that being said, there were a few things that I found that could have been improved. A big one was the SHIFT in the bully, Wyn's, personality which happened at first so gradually and then ALL AT ONCE in practically a complete 180 that it felt a little bit unbelievable and off. He was quite MEAN in the first 200ish pages, and while as the reader, I could tell his feelings and thoughts were subtlety shifting, his spoken words continued to be terribly harsh. However, once he and Roger were accidentally engaged, he completely changed, not only to Roger, but to his other acquaintances, and I found the sudden transformation after all the nuance to be just a wee bit jarring.

I also have to say that the book, while readable and largely enjoyable, felt unnecessarily long. There was a lot, especially in relation to Roger and Wyn's magic work, that could have been condensed. By the 2/3rds stage of the story I was ready for it to be done, but there was still yet so much to be wrapped up. It was never exactly monotonous, but there were a lot of similar chapters, and while there were several moments of soft cuteness happening between Roger and Wyn through these chapters that I did enjoy, I still felt like it was all stretched out more than it needed to be.

My last critique is that I DID find a couple of small discrepancies. Nothing big enough to throw off the plot or the story, but little time discrepancies like where the first character would be wondering how many days the second character had been putting up a front after being told something, when the first character knew very well the second character had only been told the something the day before. I'm trying to explain without directly quoting or spoiling anything, but it was time discrepancies things like this that cropped up a couple of times.

Regardless of these critiques I have on the story, at the end of the day I had a good time reading Breeze Spells and Bridegrooms. While those things pulled the rating down for me, it was still SUCH a cute story with highly lovable characters, winsome magic, and some lovely main character representation of what I believe was a subset of asexual - perhaps demisexual.

I LOVED how sweetly protective and caring Roger and Wyn became for one another, each thinking of the other's happiness and comfort first. Their slowest of slow burn romance morphed into gentle touches, soft affirmations, and stoic, kindhearted protectiveness, and I really enjoyed every single look, touch, or longing thought between them.

Honestly, Roger and Wyn became couple goals. 

In the end, this is an exceptionally CUTE, magical, slice-of-life story that I would recommend for anyone who likes the idea of a bully-to-boyfriends, sweet romance in a regency-style setting.

Another dark, delicious short story by E.K. Dahlia. This is one, I would argue, is darker than some of her others but no less interesting and enjoyable, and perhaps even more so in some regards.
I'll say that I found the progression of the feelings between the MC's to be over-quick, the FMC's drastic change of opinion on the emperor not even being discussed from one end of the spectrum to the other. However, I still really enjoyed this insta-love aspect, especially from the MMC's side. While not unique to the Deep Space Crimes shorts, it was delivered in a unique way, and the dark, vicious character of the Emporer being so MOVED by the FMC was delightful.
As always, this was written well, and the spice was top tier with lots of it and zero slow-burn!! I feel like this is one I'm going to be dwelling on for a long time.

4.5

What an incredible debut! C. Quince has managed to create a book that's not only unique, action-packed, sweet, snarky, incredibly well-researched, and thrilling, but one that's also BRIMMING with diversity. That last one is a feature that's so needed yet so impressively done here that I just want to talk about it for a minute.

Specimen is a beautiful book for its wealth of representation alone. Besides the variety of identities, from the main characters being bisexual and gay respectively (and a non-binary side character), there are also a cast of men and women of a multitude of skin colors and sizes, and a wildly eclectic mix of nationalities, from Mexican and American to Iranian, Arabic, Korean, Indian, Scottish, a mix of East Asian, English, and more, and they all fit; there's plenty of space for them here, all living their own lives but sharing their culture with these characters. They're each introduced with a level of ease, respect, and authenticity that I've just never seen done even SIMILARLY well to such a degree before. It's a gratifying experience that I WISH I saw more of in literature. Other writers need to take note!

What's great about Specimen, though, is that while when I say “authenticity” I mean every single nationality is treated with the utmost diligence, that's not the only thing AUTHENTICALLY represented. From tools and weapons used by the main characters and the practices of the government agencies they come in contact with, to geography, landmarks, and infrastructure, Specimen carefully, yet painlessly details, adding depth and VIVIDNESS to the story. There are even some historical figures and ancient orders/customs mentioned briefly but with enough specifics for me to curiously fact check, and all the information included here was correct! It feels obvious to me that the author not only loves history but also CULTURE and everything that makes a people unique, and he inscribed his book with that love in a rich yet concise way that added DEEPLY to the story without ever slowing the pace.

Honestly, this book moves along at such a clip, there's never a chance for it to drag. Even when they're sightseeing or sharing their pasts. In fact, those were some of my favorite moments! Despite the series of successive missions, touching on the supernatural, fueled with tension and danger, there's still somehow plenty of time for quiet moments, for snark, for conversation, and for deep dives into character histories and how David and Sonny came to be where they are today.

David and Sonny, the heart of this story, two soldiers who signed up for more than they bargained for but finally finding a connection in one another. Their relationship is quick but intentional and doesn't feel rushed. They click so quickly and bond just as fast, their banter fitting together like a comfortable handshake. I really enjoyed their snark and quit wit, and all the mysteries surrounding their alien counterparts just added another layer of INTEREST to them. They and the cast of characters with them were all really well done.

Overall, this book pulls from familiar topics yet delivers them in an unfamiliar way with a fascinating twist on enhanced soldiers. Injected with alien DNA, hosts to things even the scientists don't understand. I continue to find this premise FASCINATING, and while I wanted to know more, I got juuust enough to scratch that itch, and I feel it's one subject that'll get even more screentime in future books. Something I dearly look forward to! In the meantime, I'll just say I found myself really enjoying Specimen early on, and that feeling never let up. It's fast-paced while being culturally and historically rich - an exhilarating DEI queer romance that deserves a vast amount of attention and respect, and I can only hope it gets all that it deserves! Will be following this author and looking forward to more books from him in the future!

Yes, yes, yes! This short story is exactly everything I want from the genre. It's well-written and moves along at a quick clip, yet doesn't feel overly rushed or lacking for detail or weighted, emotional scenes.

I love a good tentacle story, and while they're not the focus of things here, they're present enough to make it exciting. They also make the alien MMC especially other along with his four eyes and uniquely colorful skin. And while I don't tend to care for the tropey, “perfect female body,” I felt like it was written well in this story, and I came to appreciate the vision of the FMC's appearance too!

As for the actual kink, it was SPICY, rough, and frequent, with just enough forceful PUSH to make it a bit dark, yet with enough tenderness and sweetness to still keep it soft and fluffy. The... uncertainess of the MMC in the end after all his overwhelming control in bedroom just really melted my heart, the FMC's innocence really playing into his need for dominance, protectiveness, and touch-her-and-die tendencies. I just really enjoyed their dynamic!

This might be my favorite yet of the series. If you like the idea of some sci-fi erotica with dark themes, well, check your trigger warnings, but if you're good to go, then this is a GREAT read. 5/5 would recommend!

Rainsquall is an intensely gorgeous and unique read that I haven't stopped thinking about since I was delivered an ARC copy of it in the chill but warming month of February. There's something so special about this book that's hard to put my finger on. Perhaps it's several things, all mulled together into hearth-warmed wine of a read - lush, warm, soothing, and the perfect, rain-soaked book to read hunkered down in the cool of tapering winter, spring just starting to blossom.

From the very beginning, page one, each word shapes this stormy, windy, cold, and lonely stone cottage in the hills of Wales with one shepherd who's losing his flock and three soldiers with dozens of secrets whose sudden intrusive move in make it... somehow much less lonely. Right from the start, it's a descriptive, atmospheric, DELICIOUS story, unique, and rich with everything I want from a book.

I was in the rain with Folke, and I could sense his fear, his desperation, as well as all the memories he held tied to every single thing inside his cottage, and, not even in the mood to read that first night I opened my ARC of Rainsquall, I suddenly found my mood completely shifted and couldn't wait to read more. Frankly, Rainsquall is the QUINTESSENCE of readable. Generally, there are precious few scenes and sections in a book that draw me in so deeply I'm immersed in the story. Generally, I'm just reading. With Rainsquall, it would take a few paragraphs, and I would be transported. Pages would slip away. My intent to read one chapter would become two, three, four. I would pick it up to read lightly before bed and would stay up another hour consumed with this world and, especially, the characters in it. I'm a bit of a slow reader with many draws on my time, yet when I was reading Rainsquall, I was UNWILLING to put it down.

Between quiet, roaming thoughts, soft conversations, and pointed interactions, characters are built distinctly, though first impressions don't reveal all of who these characters are. They have such depth and quirks, and while those first impressions are not an inaccurate starting point, there's much more to them that's only revealed as the story goes on. Each with personality as distinct as they way he talks. Like real people with their own vices, histories, skills, and problems and all INCREDIBLY likable FOR those unique character traits. I wasn't even a quarter of the way into Rainsquall when I realized I could and had been telling the characters apart by the way their vernacular. Their name being attached was just bonus confirmation. It's rare I find characters so INTIMATELY REAL, lifelike, relatable - human wants, human decisions dragging them into things that may or may not work out for them. Moss excels beautifully, artfully at crafting characters just as well or, dare I say, even better than its outstanding grasp of language and lyrical, absorbing, consuming, VIVID writing and story telling.

Which brings us to the supernatural elements, based on real folklore, hinted at right from the start, teased through the middle, and delivered ubiquitously by the end. While I won't go into detail with them, as it's all better left to be discovered while reading the book itself, I loved these elements and the accuracy of them. While almost background noise to the story of Folke, these elements play an important role and add a layer of almost immeasurable danger always hovering in this dreamy, sensual story, and a je ne sais quoi to the mystery as well as the relationships.

The relationships, might I add, which develop quickly, yet so... naturally. They never feel rushed and they always carry a depth of intensity, passion, and MEANING behind every interaction. The spice in this is ON FIRE, each directed thought and touch desperate with desire and the want to not only have but to hold, to claim, to keep. It's rough and needy in the best possible way. Every interaction between any of the trio leaving me breathless. I couldn't get enough, and the way the characters couldn't get enough was everything I wanted out of them and fulfilled my book desires in ways I can't describe.

This isn't my first foray into Penny Moss's novels, so I can say with confidence that Moss has a talent for making a romance so much more, leaving so much room for growth and story. Sometimes, when the characters in other romances finally have their moment, I gradually become bored, wondering why there's so much story left. Yet, so far with Moss's works, there's never been a single moment I'm bored, I never want it to end, and I never got tired of seeing the characters finally be able to have each other, or to see their need to express themselves with touch and so much kissing.

I'm gushing, but I can't seem to help it. I've never before been quite this SMITTEN with every single work an author has created before. I've been in LOVE with Moss's writing style since I first stepped into Coil of Boughs, and, later, its other works last year, and yet every time I step away and then come back to sink dreamily into these worlds again I find myself staggered that my remembered experience was not only accurate but even better that what I had thought couldn't have possibly been as good as I remembered and, instead, in fact, threatens to be of my favorites of all time.

I can't get enough. Moss has risen to the top of my very short insta-buy author list, Rainsquall another masterpiece of excellence in every single way. Even if you don't normally go for MMM, like me, TRY THIS. Even if you don't normally read historical fantasy, TRY THIS. It's impossible not to like, and it will scoop out all your misgivings and fill you with passion instead.

Ikarys the Damned is hugely readable with intentional prose and, if not always likable characters, certainly unique ones with strong motivations that make them interesting. Ikarys, in particular, was a fascinating character to follow, betrayed by his god and desperately thirsty for knowledge and power, he makes choices I couldn't always support and sometimes didn't like, the thoughts and ideas his mind wandered to carelessly dark. “Morally gray” would be putting it lightly. That being said, his steadfastness of character and loyalty to his one real friend who also, perhaps, might have been the love of his life, made Ikarys somewhat redeemable and an infinitely followable character.

Combined with how well the book was written and how smoothly and logically the story progressed, with secrets kept close to the chest all the way through to the explosive conclusion, this was a great story well worth the read, and I'm glad I got the chance to ARC read it. I've been meaning to read the author's other book for a while now, and, while I think it's quite different in levity from this one, I'm looking forward to diving into their writing again.

I went into this one a little bit hesitantly, as some of the kinks here are ones I don't usually gravitate towards. To my pleasant surprise, Dahlia strikes again with a well-written, extremely spicy short that I couldn't help but get into and enjoy. Right from the start is dives in with no hesitation, but one of the things I like about Dahlia's shorts, besides the obvious, is that they don't end immediately after one or two short scenes. They continue into something of a HEA or HFN which not only gives me some conclusion but makes it feel like a full story with full characters, despite how short it is. While there are definitely some dark elements here, and I would strongly recommend you checking trigger warnings before jumping in, if this type of spicy book is even remotely your cup of tea, I imagine you'll enjoy this.

As someone who's not typically very into these kinks, I found this short story surprisingly compelling and enjoyable. The characters have a little bit of depth and motivation for the decisions they make, and while I found the transformation from forced captive to yearning lover to be over-fast, it was written well and easy to get immersed in. The spice was top tier, and the conclusion really wrapped a cozy bow around this whole lovely, yet dark romance story. Check the trigger warnings, but if you're cool with them, then read this or any other short on the series. They're some of the best M/F spicy shorts I've read, and I'll be picking up number five next!

While this audiobook took much longer to get through than it probably should have, every time I listened to it, I enjoyed the story and loved the characters a little more. The FMC, especially, was uniquely strong and fiery in a way that wasn't just for show like so many other FMCs. She was outspoken, and aggressive when she needed to be, with impassioned feelings and teasing the rest of the time. I really enjoyed her character.

This is a new twist on the classic tale, and while some of the details of the curse were a little confusing to me at times, I mostly understood it all by the end. I was entranced by the magic here and all the history that went into the curse, and I desperately wanted to see it broken, despite being a shameless lover of terato romance. That's how well the emotions and the horror of the beastly transformations were written. Just so good!!

Overall, this was a superb book all around with great writing, extremely lovable characters, and a realistic yet magical atmosphere.

While I don't consider the narrator when rating a book, I thought I'd mention that, though objectively, I know it was a good audiobook, the narrator's voice acting didn't inflect the way I thought it should at times, and this makes me think I'd probably have enjoyed Entreat Me more in written format. I think it's largely a personal preference problem in this case, however, but I think that's a big reason why it took me so long to get through.

That being said, I'm so glad I finally finished this. It was well worth the read. Would recommend.

This is an entire dark romance squeezed into a short story. It's spicy, sympathetic, exciting, and has a happy ending, while the characters are both likable and interesting. The plot is solid, and the spice is everything I wanted out of the experience! I read it easily in one sitting and enjoyed every second of it. The claiming, the biting, the perfect simmer of kinks?? Gosh, it was PERFECT and so fun. If you're looking for something short and hot with a bit of a human/monster element and just a smidgen of plot? This is FOR YOU. I couldn't recommend more. 5/5

I know a lot of people are going to love this book, but, to me, the exciting and important parts weren't fleshed out enough, and the whole pace of the story just wasn't my scene.

What this book does well is to create some charmingly cute characters with histories and motivations. Their pasts appropriately influenced their personalities to some degree, and you find yourself pulling for them and hoping they'll all get the happy endings they deserve, even the MCs' friends.
The writing is also pretty good with good flow and an absorbing style, making it easy to speed read, especially the first 60%-70%.

What it doesn't do well, in my opinion, is everything outside of the relationship - the actual danger and excitement of the plot. All of these features feel very rushed and skimmed over. The villain has no fleshing out as a character. There are no redeeming or sympathetic qualities about him. None of his henchmen have any personality and are little more than cardboard cutouts. None of them have any bearing on the plot, and the climax involving the villain felt like a necessary sidebar that only happened because it had to happen because that's how the story was set up. It wasn't exciting, and there were no twists. It was the clichéd, expected outcome of the obvious layout from the rest of the story. By the time we got past the relationship hump and the story was progressing from that towards the necessary “climax,” I became bored, and my reading pace slowed to a crawl. 

The fact that I really went for this book from the idea of a dark character involved in a dark life with an exciting atmosphere of danger tainting everything, and what I got instead was a pure character with a bad job, overly paranoid 90% of the time, was a bit of a letdown for me.

I will also say that the intimate scenes were extremely light, quick, and vague, almost blurred over for the sake of modesty, which, again, some people will appreciate, but I would have preferred a little more depth, intensity, and, yes, detail.

On the whole, I think this novel is just fine as it is, and a lot of people will love it for what it is. But it skimmed over everything that I was most excited for, and at the end of the day, it just wasn't for me. There are some dark aspects, so do check your trigger warnings, but if you're looking for a cute, light story with an angel/devil-with-a-heart-of-gold vibe, this could be for you. 

Knowing what I did of Alex and of Dylan going into this, I expected their story would be rough in all definitions of the word, but I didn't know the full intensity of the emotional journey they would BOTH have to go on to reach their happily ever after. It was fierce and passionate from start to finish, and what a privilege it was to watch. 

This story is uniquely and beautifully Hawthorne with rich, full-bodied characters experiencing a range of emotions, never sparing a sentence for idle small talk. Instead, every word was a test of their hearts and of mine, every sentence had a pointed purpose, a meaning, layered with depth and context. It somehow both a simple story and so, SO complicated because Alex and Dylan are so, so complicated and figuring out what they each need and getting it from the other, written by Hawthorne's hand, makes a 5* star novel. 

My heart feels... worn out in the best way. I've FELT everything and emoted physically at the overwhelming flood of emotion that surges between Alex and Dylan, their pasts leaving deep grooves in their hearts that they're only just now learning to fill in with each other. 
It's an impossibly moving story that's ALSO intensely spicy with dozens of textbook kinks that have been MOLDED into the desires and the needs of these two characters to not only feel fulfilled but to let out all the intensity of their emotions.

Other than saying Alex and Dylan's tale was PAINFULLY beautiful, I can't try to describe how much I loved it. This is a masterpiece.

Check your trigger warnings and buckle up, but if you're in for the long run, get ready for one of the best BDSM M/M romances you'll ever read.

With a delightfully intriguing magic system, The Shadows Beyond not only lured me in but fascinated and entranced me. Charmingly affectionate characters overflowing with history and personality - shaped by those, at times, very dark histories - found their ways into my daydreams when I wasn't reading and into my heart when I was. Though the story, as well as the relationship between Cinn and Julien, seemed slow to start, they both took on a bit of a snowball effect and became very exciting - and very mouth-watering - very quickly. All I can say is that this ended up being a CAPTIVATING world to sink into.

One of my favorite aspects about this book is the MAGIC. There's a unique system - manipulating these fragments of power called “motes,” of different flavors to bring about different results. The way these elements are almost ALIVE is intriguing, but their ability to be woven into science and technology is so interesting. I also loved the shadow realm that Cinn slips into and that reminded me of the “Upside-Down” from Stranger Things. A dark world similar to our own but overrun with destruction and choking red plants, the moon above broken into pieces. This world was so vivid, dark, and out of the ordinary, not to mention so well-described and therefore easily pictured. I'm hoping we learn more about Cinn's abilities and this world in the next book!

I also HAVE to mention how cute and spicy Julien and Cinn's relationship is. The tentative nature of it, transforming into hungry, clingy, and heated. The way they're FALLING for each other, their thoughts screaming for each other even while they try to act unaffected was just SO GOOD and the perfect amount of slow-burn for me without being too drawn out and painful. They're magnetized to each other, and the way Julien's so fiercly protective? Ugh, I love them, and I can't wait to worm my way back into their lives in the next book.

All that to say this was an EXCELLENT read that felt clearly planned and detailed in every way, and it will absolutely be going on my rec list. 

While the execution of these stories wasn't the best, what I loved about them were the ideas there. Each story was uniquely different with interesting plots and fun twists. While the writing part needs some work, I hope the author keeps writing their stories, for I can see they have a talent for creating clever little worlds.

This grimdark about a bisexual neurodivergent quadruplet prince, set in a post-post apocalyptic world, twisted by the long past horrors committed on the world, and where technology is both advanced and diminished from what we know today is one of the most enticingly unique reads I've EVER had the pleasure of sinking, murkily, into. Before, during, and, now, after, I have a hard time wrapping my head around everything this story is and has to offer. It's a sci-fi horror full of the macabre and darkness. It's a political intrigue, full of courtly games, threats, and espionage. It's a little bit steampunk, brimming with gears and cogs, and it's even just a smidgen western, with long, dusty coats, and a standoff or two. But at the heart of it all, it's a story of four siblings with deep grooves in their relationships and all kinds of rivalry, yet also, a familial bond and love amongst them that can be destroyed with a little betrayal or even quite a lot of blood loss.

From top to bottom, this book is INTENSE and felt longer than what it was, but not in a bad way. It was smart, wildly imaginative, and with deeply likable characters, especially the main character, despite his faults.

I have, maybe, two complaints. One, is that some turns of phrase were repeated OFTEN, like when the main character was backtracking, there were frequent uses of phrases such as, “Wait. Hold up. Wait.” 
My REAL complaint is that there were a COUPLE of times that the main character did something that it didn't really make sense for him to do, except he needed to in order to move the plot. The story felt pantsed and sometimes the reasonings given were arbitrary at best.

Despite this, I found that I thoroughly enjoyed the RIDE of this story, the horrifying state of the world, the MC's instinct and whimsy always leading him somewhere, the verbal sparring and witty remarks between siblings, the love-hate relationship that was truly relatable in some instances, and, of course, the brewing war and the give and take of trust and responsibility. 

This is the kind of book that you CAN'T forget. It's so high-stakes ALL THE TIME in every way, even when you don't at first quite realize it, everyone and everything hanging on by a thread, poignancy in every exchange, touch or look, while built on the bones of fascinating characters and even more horrifying settings. This one will live with me, and I'm glad of it. I need more shocking breaths of fresh air like this story, and I desperately hope it will eventually get its sequel, for it's so very deserving, and I'll be one of the first in line to scoop it up.

3.5

This is a very dark, spicy read that takes a fun, unique spin on the concept of sleep paralysis demons, guardian “angels,” and, delightfully, the monster that lives under your bed.

Not for the faint of heart, Hollow Nights embraces the concept of morally black characters and takes its readers on a brief, dubious ride down a dangerous, co-dependent, will-burn-the-world-down-for-you path, loaded with heavy, dark spice. Check your triggers before entering!

Overall, there was a lot about this I enjoyed, but I wished the FMC could have been fleshed out a little more and been given a more realistic reaction to the MMC's, Axelle's, existence and presence. I would have liked to see her grapple more with the concept of her potential insanity and to take a little more time than she took to not only get used to him but become just as obsessed with Axelle as he was with her.
I also would have loved to learn more about this world's monster system and magic. I feel like this book only scratches the surface of what this world might be. And, even if this novella were to be all we ever got of this world, I still would have liked a LITTLE more explanation on how things worked and WHY to help the whole story make a little more sense.

That being said, this is a great, dark romance Halloween romp that's perfect for the season. I enjoyed getting the chance to read it.

This book is absolutely DRIPPING with Halloween decor and crisp October autumn air. There are pumpkins and skeletons and bats and fog machines and “vampire lattes” and scary costumes and so much more! I LOVED that. The Halloween themes and vibes pervading this story were probably my favorite part of the whole thing, and they filled me with delicious Halloween and autumnal, spooky coziness.

Overall, I would say I did enjoy this story, especially when I was soaking in the cuteness of Theon, the spice, and the Halloween vibes, and I WASN'T looking too closely at the rest of it. But unfortunately, Locked In had some issues that brought the score down to a 2.5ish star read for me.

Throughout the story I found a LOT of awkward, clunky phrasing. Some of it MIGHT have been because it was an ARC copy and lacked its final round of proofreading because there were some times when a negative was used when there should have been a positive or vice versa (as well as copious typos, but typos in general don't bother me and, as this was an uncorrected proof, especially get a pass). This led to confusion, but even ignoring those examples, there were some sentences that just didn't seem to make sense and others that were painfully awkward. I feel this may have needed MORE than one more round of proofreading and really required another round of edits to clean up the clumsy language and extra words. Here are just a couple (of many) examples that I saved (keep in mind, these are taken from an uncorrected ARC copy and may be adjusted upon release):

“With the way they wouldn't stop jumping and screaming, I could tell they were tipsy. I interacted with people I was familiar with, hardly, the three girls never wanted to let me go.”

“I was back to staring at the sweaty people, at the makeups that were gradually digging into ruins.”

Locked In

“If you die, Ainsley,” I growled, my voice cold, “I will walk through the grounds and the skies to bring you back to life. There is no afterlife without me.” I leaned closer to let her know how crazy serious I was. “If you even think about slipping away, I'll follow you into hell itself. You belong to me in this life, in the next, and whatever's after that. Don't even dream of leaving my sight.”

While this dreamy cozydark wasn't quite for me, it's going to be a 5*-star read for a lot of people. What it sets out to do, it does very well, and that's to gently take you by the hand and show you the beautiful and emotional journey a trans man takes with the help of his destined lover to not only find, accept, and love himself, but to begin healing from past sexual assault/trauma and learn to trust again.

To Wield the Darkest Night focuses sharply in on its main character, the trans man, Sol, as he tries to find a way to accept himself while he wears a body different from some other men. Inside of him is a desperate yearning to be seen, to be touched, to be loved as he is for WHO he is. This, in spite of the trauma that dogs him after his sexual assault years ago by a man he thought he had every reason to trust.
Gradually, and with great gentleness and caution, Yohan proves to him he not only likes EVERYTHING that Sol is but that Sol can trust him, always. 

Their love develops quickly but naturally, the gentle giant Yohan forever careful and mindful of Sol's fears and boundaries. They ALWAYS seek consent from one another, which is a beautiful, healing, and well-crafted message. From here we see their relationship grow as they experience several firsts with one another as trust continues to blossom and Sol continues to find himself and maybe even love himself and the body he possesses. 

This such a lovely story of transness, of being in a body that doesn't quite match what you know yourself to be but loving yourself anyway, of finding a way to trust despite the hurtles of trauma, and of consent in its purest most cherished form - always sought between two people who know and love each other dearly.

While I was hoping, when I stepped into this tale, that there would be a bit more adventure, world-building, and plot, this is truly a dreamy cozydark as advertised. It's largely a very fluffy tale, with the two leads not facing much danger and always infinitely kind to one another. As someone who loves plot, danger, excitement, fantasy magic, and a cast of characters or found family, this story was a bit slow for me. That being said, people who LOVE cozy fantasy and/or very fluffy romance, will adore this story and the pace it sets.

I also found that there were the occasional unexplained happenstances, such as when Sol is pulled off the street and told that he was being protected as other mages have been kidnapped, but nothing ever came of this. We also never learn how or why Sol has spent years dreaming of his Yohan. Perhaps I missed something or perhaps it wasn't fully edited yet, as I was the reader of an ARC copy.

Regardless, on the whole, I feel this story is important and needed to exist in the world. It has several strong messages delivered in kind, sweet packages that'll be incredibly important to a lot of people. If any of this sounds at all something you'd enjoy reading, I do suggest giving it a try. Sink into the dreamy, almost manga-esque fantasy romance and get swept away by the sprouting Sol and kindly Yohan.

Okay, this book grew on me a LOT, and I ended up really enjoying the heck out of it. That being said, the beginning felt lost and EXTREMELY farfetched until around the 30% mark where it finally seemed to figure out what it wanted to be and not only start making sense, but also revving the plot, building the characters, and (if only it had gotten another sweep of edits to clean up the occasional awkward line/verbage) becoming almost the serial killers dark romance of my dreams.

The story dives in with the superficial plot of stalker and prey immediately, while slowly developing the exciting background plot. While I found the introductory sequences and chunk of story a little ridiculous and the FMC unlikeable for a while, the book still kept me reading. It immediately pushed action, didn't leave much room for boredom, kept scenes focused, and, while I was having a hard time embracing characters at first, I was willing to be swept along for the ride.

Once it figured out what it wanted to be, it started getting fun, spicy, and really exciting. There was one reveal I guessed early, but there were several more thrilling twists I didn't see coming, and I was so excited to find a book that was both full of what it promises - very dark and very spicy - as well as a rich, dangerous, intriguing plot.

Overall, this story was delivered with fast-moving writing that was easy to absorb. As I mentioned briefly already, there was some awkward phrasing from time to time, however, as well as fewer contractions than would have been natural, making some of the wording a little bit of a mouthful. Another round of editing probably could have cleaned these up. That being said, I was generally able to ignore the awkward parts thanks to the spice, danger, and excitement.

Most of all, I loved the plot AND the dynamic characters. Their metamorphoses were satisfying as they became not only who they were meant to be, but exactly perfect matches for each other while the magnetism between them was deliciously dark and succulent.
This book takes the words “dark romance” and doesn't hold back, which is exactly what I love to see in this genre. I WANT the dark and gritty and weird and will-burn-the-world-down-for-each-other connection. That's exactly what I'm looking for when I pick up a book like this, and that's exactly what The Games We Play delivers. 

It's kind of hard for me to put all of my thoughts about this book into one coherent review. Let's just say: this book made me feel things, some bad, but most good. I'm so happy I had the opportunity to ARC read this, and I'll definitely be keeping an eye on the author from now on. She knows how to write the dark romance I crave! Would recommend, though please check content warnings before entering, as there's a lot in here, including on-page rape, not between the MCs.

Each couple from this series has been beautiful and incredible in their own unique way, but I find Brooks and Tate taking up residence in a special place in my heart. 

I'm a total sucker for a man with a vulnerability, a weakness that he's reluctantly accepted as a hole in his heart that will never be filled - until it is. But he doubts because that illusion of what he desires, NEEDS, has always been ripped away before - until it isn't. That's Brooks in a nutshell. An intense, all-consuming man who does and feels EVERYTHING with every ounce of his being.
The way Tate comes to understand Brooks and not only accept every part of him, but reassure him again and again that not only is he okay with who Brooks is, but that he likes it - LOVES IT - made my heart cry and sing and melt a hundred times while reading this. 

I'm so impressed by Kate Hawthorne's ability to create such different yet strong characters who want and need things and manage to find it like yin finding yang in their partners. It's incredibly addictive, and not only am I looking forward to more books from this author and the last book in this series, but I'm going back to read some of the backlog of books she has out there. As someone who rarely reads contemporary and usually wants an outside plot in addition to the romance, I'm DRUNK on this series, this author's writing, and these characters, and I can't wait to consume more of them. 

Tied Down was just as much of an emotional rush as All In, with characters who have different needs, dreams, and kinks, but the same encompassing passion for each other that had me at times swooning while at others, daydreaming of some of their moments together.

Ford brings a nearly insatiable hunger to this relationship, a desire to feed, to own, to claim, intensified by the overwhelming feelings he's DREAMT of having but never experienced before to the point he hardly knows what to do with himself.
Meanwhile, Boston is perfectly happy being consumed, finding himself irreparably hooked into a relationship he's never experienced before but finding it's more than he's ever had before.
They're both so instantly needy for each other after knowing one another for years and never crossing beyond the bounds of harmless flirting that they don't want to take their hands off each other, yet are terrified of pushing one another to far too fast and chance losing each other. It's such a needy, delicious dance as they work through new experiences and all of the wild, nearly uncontrollable things they're feeling, and, gosh, was it freaking GOOD.

The writing in this is so good too, so easy to read, I found chapters falling away at times while the clock ticked by, and I didn't even notice. My only complaint is that things, thoughts, sentiments, are sometimes unnecessarily repeated several times throughout. But on the whole, this was effortless, absorbing writing that carried me away and delivered beautiful characters and a gorgeously charged romance.

Long story short, I love everything about these characters and the conclusions they found. I'm so excited to dive into the next book, Cried Out, featuring the next of this merry band of kinky gentlemen. Meanwhile, some of the scenes in this book will live with me for a WHILE (forever?), and I can't recommend it enough to anyone who likes a bit of a secret relationship with a gay-for-you storyline and an adorable pair of can't-keep-my-hands-off-of-you duo of main characters.