Wayward

I've false-started this review a half dozen times in the last fifteen minutes. Honestly, the more I think about this book the more I think it deserves a 1-star.
Husband Material took the beloved, realistic Oliver and Lucien in the first book and multiplied everything negative about them a dozen times, leaving these characters bickering the full length of the novel, lying through their teeth, and trying to convince one another (and the reader) of things neither of them actually feels.

Husband Material is... exhausting. And frustrating. And monotonous. Entirely too long and ending on a disappoint that could have been reached almost HALF the novel sooner had they ACTUALLY spoken to each other instead of saying what they thought the other WANTED to hear.

The actual plot doesn't show up until more than 50% through the book, and honestly, that's when everything started going downhill because that's when all the side characters and their hijinks get pushed aside for the endless drama of Oliver and Lucien. Yep. I enjoyed all the disjointed, unnecessary stuffing of filler material more than the actual plot.

Honestly? I don't have the energy to be mad at this. If I let myself, I could write ten pages of frustrations, but there are so many more important things to devote my mental capacity to. So many better books, sequels, and series to spend pages writing about.

I thought I would like this a lot more than I did and gave it the benefit of the doubt a lot. You couldn't have gone into this more open than I did... I can't recommend this book to anyone. Leave it at the happy feels of the first book and don't delve any deeper. Trust me, it's not worth it.

You know, in the end I did enjoy this little, spicy free story, which is why I'm giving it 3 stars instead of 2 like I almost did.

Trigger Warnings located at the bottom of the review

About half of the story is building up to the MC's “sacrifice” in the woods, and this part of the story lacks a lot of depth, from world-building to character development. Of course, it's a spicy short, so I'll cut it some slack.

The actual spicy scene in the woods is pretty good if you can get past terms such has “manhood” and “man juices.” It has pretty much all of the things you could hope for from a spicy tentacle short except for any type of emotional development. It's intense and yummy.

The actual tentacle monster, an alien dubbed a jinn, has zero personality and doesn't explain anything. He actually barely even SPEAKS the entire short, though he does say a few words so we know he's capable of it.

In the end you're left with more questions than answers, but all in all, it's fine for some quick tentacle fun. Just don't expect any more out of it.


Trigger Warnings:
~Rape, on-screen
~Past mentioned/implied rape
~Implied manipulation
~Derogatory terms for sex workers

Such a thrilling set of tales set in the frosted, stormy months of autumn, His Lordship's Master is the most perfect, cozy M/M mystery to read during Spooky season or when it's too cold outside to do anything but huddle under a blanket and read.

This book somehow embraces a ghost story, an Agatha Christie-style murderer in the house mystery, and the continuing romance of Alfie and Nick - replete with character growth, protectiveness, hurt/comfort, and just a few dashes of non-jealous possessiveness that makes everything more delicious. All of this is set in a gothic Scottish mansion where the wind howls and something unknown taps at the walls, while a full cast of chacacters are introduced, developed, and duly suspected as murderers.
From start to finish this story had me hooked in its talons of mystery and intimacy as pages turned almost on their own, and I was swept up all the way to the finale.

There are so many things I appreciate about this story, but I'll start with Alfie and Nick. Alfie and Nick are imperfect individuals who love each other. So much so that even when they have a fight I never doubt that they're not in love with each other or that they're not right for each other, which is so important to me, especially in a sequel.
Alfie and Nick are written very much realistic, hopelessly in love, but also as a HEALTHY couple. Through everything they trust each other no matter what, even when one of them's being flirted with. Does a little possessiveness shine through? Yes (yum). Does their relationship ever become co-dependent or jealous or suspicious? No! This is something that's rare in media, and I love it so much. Alfie and Nick are precious and hold a place in my heart.

Besides those sweethearts and their relationship, this story holds a host of other plots that balances out the romance just as well as it did in the first book. Not only is there quickly discovered a murderer on the loose, but also a centuries old mystery about a “Wicked Master” and his ghost that's said to still haunt Balcarres's halls.
I actually didn't guess ANY of the reveals and twists and turns in this story, which is unusual for me and speaks more to this book and its storytelling than much else I could say. I was on the edge of my seat at several turns, and especially didn't want to put it down at all in the last half of the book.

The last thing I have to comment about before I end this review is all the accuracies, and real life histories the author wove into this book! Balcarres house is a real place. “The Wicked Master” is a real historical figure from the area!! Loads more, from the history and design of the building, to the dialect of the characters for the time, were all thoughtfully researched and delivered with magnificent care.
I can't tell you how much I appreciate when an author devotes so much energy to making her setting as accurate as possible, and I've rarely seen one attended to as much as this one was. I'm in awe!

Honestly, this book/series has quickly become one of my favorites. If you're a fan of regency M/M romance with enough gothic intrigue to keep you up at night, this series is for you. I can't recommend it enough.

His Lordship's MasterTrigger Warnings (vague but Possible Spoilers Below; tread with caution):

~Past rape (not of the MCs)
~Mentioned back alley abortion resulting in death
~Strangulation/Murders
~Past murder
~Claustrophobia
~Past physical abuse (not of the MCs)
~Homophobia, typical of the time

This whole short story feels like a prequal to a longer tale. Though it's surprisingly easy to follow, there's a lot in here, from character names, correlations, and histories, to magic system, 500-year-old vengeance plot, and an epic curse breaking that should have had more weight than it carried.

The two main characters only knew each other as humans for roughly 25 years before one of them was cursed into being a crow for the next 500, which is where this story picks up.

Honestly, most of this short was very well-written, didn't feel too rushed, and was enjoyable to read, which is why it got 3 stars.
However, a man who's been cursed to be a crow for 500 years should have been far more used to being a bird than being a man, yet he picked up the latter like he'd only been cursed for a week. One minute he was a bird with bird tendencies, and the next he was your average magic-wielding man. Likewise, his partner and once lover, Enlil, from whose POV we see, had barely any reaction to seeing him in human form again. This really should have been earth-shattering to them both, and yet they didn't even pause to think about it.

I don't know. A lot of potential here. It just needed some more immediate length, not just another short story sequel. I probably won't continue this little series, but I hope to see some longform from the author in the future!

Creepy and striking and raw, A Strip of Velvet leaves you wanting to find a fae trap somewhere deep in a decaying forest to become an unknowable creature's willing plaything and sacrifice... or maybe that's just me and my latent fantasies worming like moles to the surface through the pages of this short.

A Strip of Velvet embraces everything that it is and hides nothing away, and there's much about that I liked. Somehow unrushed, this story stalks forward by telling a complete tale with backstory, character development, and atmosphere building, with a well-earned and believable HEA.

Staying silent was cowardice, but the truth flayed her in a way that shame could never dare. It weighed down Katla's tongue, drew her jaw open and teeth apart until she confessed: “I have nothing left without you.”

god

This short fluctuated as I read it from 4 stars to 2 stars. It landed on 2 stars in the end for a lot of reasons.

Trigger Warnings located at the bottom of the review

For one, this story is trying to do a lot in a small space. It packed plot in here without much room for development. Everything is quick and rushed, and with so little explanation I felt like I was puzzling out a riddle the entire time.

Secondly, the writing quality needed improvement. Sometimes it was fine (especially towards the beginning), but there were other times I couldn't quite picture whatever was trying to be explained. The characters, also, didn't have a lot of reactions besides “smiling” or “shaking,” or synonyms for those actions. I didn't get insight into how they were feeling, emotionally, much at all. It felt more like I was watching a simple film rather than reading a story since I could only guess at what the characters were thinking based on their physical reactions.

Besides these things, at least one of the characters was straight, or, at best, in the process of having his bisexual awakening over the course of this book. Which is fine, in general, but I had no idea that's what I was signing up for when starting this story, and there's a lot of heterosexual commentary and imagery here. Mentioned (female) sex workers. Visions of naked women. A sensation being compared to a woman's vagina. Etc. Again, fine in general, but not what I thought I was signing up for and not what I wanted.

There's more I could talk about here (like the frequent typos or abrupt ending) but after all, it's a short story, so that's enough. I did enjoy some of this, like the pleasure Sadiq found himself having helping Takrim with his problem, or bits of the finale. It just could have used a couple more edits and a bit more information in the synopsis about the woman holding Takrim captive. All in all, a fine short read for an afternoon, but not something I would actively recommend.

Trigger Warnings

~Non-consenual content, including being controlled/aroused/shown erotic content without consent (by the woman controlling Takrim)
~Questionable consent, including touching and oral sex that was enjoyed but wasn't able to be consented to (by a man and by women sex workers)
~Implied non-consensual sexual slavery
~Non-consensual choaking
~just generally questionable consent throughout
~Self-inflicted wounds/pains
~Violence

"Please, what?" asked Dominick innocently, cursed devil that he was.Alfie was too far gone to articulate his desires any further."Please."Dominick pressed his cheek against the inside of Alfie's thigh, dropping a kiss there so light and sweet Alfie felt his heart rip in two.

This book is a cozy friends-to-lovers regency with a twisty subplot of life-threatening danger. If that's not enough information to attract you, allow me to explain how His Lordship's Secret had me, at times, eagerly flipping pages well after I was intending to go to sleep to find out what happens next, and, at others, aching with warm happiness and the rush of euphoria only a well kindled romance can.
I love a romance that has a secondary plot that is substantial but that doesn't pull too significantly away from the romance, and this balances it out fantastically without ever losing sight of one plot or the other.

This story takes place in the regency era, and from start to finish, I could tell the author put in considerable research to make her novel as accurate as possible. I've read all of Jane Austen's novels at least a couple of times each, yet His Lordship's Secret explains things that I wouldn't have even remotely known about. That alone added a lot of depth to her story, but the obviously lovingly created characters added even more.

Alfie and Nick are somehow so similar and so different at the same time. They grew up together as children, which gives them a lot of history and backstory already, and a connection that's familiar and new, with so many years since they've seen each other and such drastically different lives lead.
Both characters are deeply likeable. Alfie is notably kind yet scrappy, while Nick is necessarily roughened from the life he's had to lead to survive, but still somehow capable of gentleness. Both have always wondered at their dear friend back at the workhouse, whom they had to leave behind...

There's an instant connection with these characters, not just between them, but between me, as the reader, and them. I cared about them and their secrets and dearly wished for them both to not only survive but to find the warmth they both longed for in each other <3

And, let me tell you, the moment they finally come together was shattering and emotional and thrilling and still living in my mind, my gosh. I've thought about it multiple times since I've read it, and smiled, clutching my phone while I read, giddy, even looking back at my highlights.

As for the other plot - you know, the one where someone seems to want Alfie dead? - I will admit I DID guess some of it ahead of time, but even with that, there were more betrayals, twists, and turns that I never saw coming, culminating in a explosive finale. It was exciting and interesting and made me want to keep eating up pages.

All in all, His Lordship's Secret is a fantastic regency romance that has sequels but can be read as a standalone! I, myself, have purchased and started the second book of the series because I wasn't willing to let Alfie and Nick go just yet.
Either way, I absolutely recommend it to anyone who likes this genre. It's charming, it's cozy, it's dreamy, and it's perfect for any time of the year, but feels especially welcome in the crisp, cool chill of autumn <3


His Lordship's SecretTrigger Warnings:
~Past prostitution with questionable consent
~Typical homophobia of the time
~Gun violence/gunshot wounds
~Childhood bullying
~Physical fighting
~Knife violence
~Blackmail

This book is full of spicy, possessive vampire and deliciously sappy true!mates romance. Honestly, there was a lot I liked about this book. The first star drop-off came from a lot of little things adding up, like the characters lacking a more significant depth, or this one scene in which Roman uses his vampire abilities to compel Danny's mother without talking to Danny about it beforehand and somehow Danny not winding up angry. The second star drop-off was honestly personal preference, as I like a little burn before the romance, and this was truly insta-love. Insta-love done well, but still insta-love.

Still, if you're looking for something high-spice with pretty good writing and vampires, that is here in this book. There were loads of scenes that were truly delicious, and I generally felt all the warm flushes and sappy feelings right along with these true!mates.

The way the vampiric sides of these characters were described was a little strange to me, though I've seen something similar done in other stories. Basically, when a person is turned he gets a “demon” inside his head, and when the “demon” comes out that's when the vampire's eyes turn black and his fangs drop. It's described as two separate entities in this book - you and your demon - and I wasn't a big fan of that since it's not like they're possessed. They're just not fully human anymore. But whatever, that's mostly a person preference thing.

As a whole, I did enjoy Roman and will likely read the sequels in the future, especially since I already own Soren. They're pretty quick books that are easy to read and spicy. If you're into that, then I would recommend Roman.

The quick, easy pacing and tooth-achingly sweet romance of Octopi My Heart is everything I hoped for and more. This short is easy to absorb in an hour and will leave you feeling contented.

The writing is straightforward, simplistic, but not in a bad way. It's easy to read and well-paced.

Meanwhile, the characters are distinct and sweet, especially Lilo who's infinitely charming.

With a spice level just right and with just about everything you could wish for, Octopi My Heart is a worthwile read with a HEA. If you're considering it, I couldn't recommend it more.

I've never read a book so average in length that felt so interminable. Like a school text I HAD to get through, I trudged my way to the end of Bacchanal just so I could tell you how grossly the poor taste and mediocrity fester, like, to quote the book, “the bubbling of a toe blister,” and you'd listen because I actually read the whole thing.
Besides the fact I sadly spent money on it for a discord book club read and decided, for some reason, I should finish it. Messages temples

Trigger warnings located at the bottom of the review (PLEASE read them if you have triggers)

Bacchanal comes off as a (bad) YA even though it calls itself a book for adults. Perhaps because sex is implied (utterly vaguely and instant fade to black), or that none of the characters' ages are pinned down, or perhaps because of all the COPIOUS triggers in this book that add nothing to plot or character development.
Somehow it's a book for adults that's written like a YA. Childish, aimless, theatrical, with a heroine who's apparent “destiny” she is woefully unprepared for and doesn't want but must embrace by the end of the book.

Liza, our “heroine” is an uptight braggert, one day thinking she's the smartest person in the room while the next seeking advice and approval from everybody she meets. Or, in other words, your average, blustery cardboard chick who's supposed to be likable because she's commanding and sensitive but actually comes off as rude, bullying, and insipid. Like all the characters in this book, Liza's personality shifted from one chapter to the next without ever being pinned down into a recognizable caricature. If it weren't for names being used, I wouldn't know which character I was following each segment because most of them were flavorless blank slates with skillset niches differentiating them for carrying what little there was of a “plot.”

I think this was supposed to be some sort of African Percy Jackson-esque story of myth and folklore, which sounds great but was sadly portrayed. Especially in the showdown, when words were exchanged that sounded like they must be related to myth, but they made no sense to me because very little of the African spirits in this book were explained, and we got little-to-no history on it. A true shame, for that would have been actually interesting and relevent to the plot.
All in all, what story there was had little drive. Most of this book was the carnival's and carnies' day-to-day lives without any sensical thread pulling it together, with random subplots of a love triangle and of trying to find Liza's sister. Liza's sister subplot plays no part in the “main” plot in the end. The majority of these chapters were aimless junk.

As for the love triangle, it gave me secondhand embarrasment more than once. Both romances were painfully awkward, while the first suitor had some predatory internal monologue, and second was clearly married with a child, which Liza knew, yet barely addressed. Somehow despite this marriage and child, Liza still daydreamed about possibly marrying the man in the future, with no thought of what that might involve or how that might actually happen, considering it would be bigamy.
It was all uncomfortable, and we, unfortunately, got to see it from every perspective.

For some reason, there were flashbacks or back story on every remotely significant character in the story, probably because at one point or another, we saw from the POV of EVERY remotely significant character in the story. The shifting perspectives weren't just by chapter, but by segment in chapter. You never had more than a handful of pages dedicated to one scene - usually you'd only get a one or two pages - which made this story rather feel like a child's cartoon, with attention spans that lasted only a couple of minutes at a time.
Because of this, and the incredibly unfocused plot, the pacing for Bacchanal was horrendous. It felt like I was reading big chunks when I was really only reading fifteen pages. Because the perspective switched six times in those fifteen pages. It was hard to keep up with anything. It was hard to get involved or attached to anything. I was constantly playing catch up for whatever new scene I was introduced to next. I never could get absorbed, and I had to re-read paragraphs dozens of times because it was an exercise to actually pay attention to what was going on. Largely because very little of what was going on was remotely important.

Bacchanal could easily have been made a novella had the author taken a knife to her script and actually carved out all the junk. It would have been halved and made better for it.

Ignoring the constantly shifting POV, I would at least have liked to compliment the author's writing or use of metaphor. Unfortunately, what began as decent, went progressively downhill until halfway through and onwards it became incredibly dull and unoriginal. In the beginning there were metaphors every other page, and by the halfway, perhaps every five chapters. It felt as if the author was grinding her way to the end, trying to reach it, and intending to go back and massively edit later... except she didn't.

From the shift in writing voice to the frequently dropped turn of phrase thay just didn't quite make sense, or the whiplash of abruptly changing topics, Bacchanal would have desperately benefitted from a professional editor.
I was even re-reading paragraphs even in the epilogue to try to make it make sense.
It largely felt like a briefly once-overed first draft.

Unfortunately, but for good reason, my rating for Bacchanal sank the longer I read, which, as I said, led to trudging through the pages just to get it done.
In the wise advice of my best friend, “If you're thinking about reading this book, I have three words for you: don't do it.”

Trigger Warnings

~Hate Crime/torture/murder of a naked black man enacted by a Ku Klux Klan from the POV of a white man who watched for a while and decided not to intervene because “what was the sense in him dying too”
~Racism
~Self-Harm
~Murders/Deaths
~Physical abuse
~Child abuse
~Child murders
~Mysoginy
~Slurs
~Verbal abuse
~Animal Cruelty
~Predatory internal monologue
~Religious self-punishment

4.5

If you like this genre and/or trope at all, you'll enjoy Boyfriend Material.

This review will be succinct because I'm sure most things that could be said about this book have already been said.
Boyfriend Material is, amazingly, about two imperfect individuals who know better than anybody that they're imperfect, yet realize being thus doesn't mean they can't be perfect for each other.

It's about overcoming past, toxic relationships with family and other partners before finally, FINALLY finding a healthy relationship in each other through... patience and learning how to open up and talk to each other.

It's... utterly charming. It's funny and it's touching and it makes you feel things. It's incredibly heartwarming. And it's, somehow, very real.

I'm already missing these two on the whole cast of characters that back them up, and thinking about splurging on the next audiobook.
Long story short, I couldn't recommend it more. (And the audiobook narrator is spectacular!)

“With her gaze focused on her feet while her mind scrambled for purchase, she was in excellent position to see the hand, bone white and four-fingered, reach from the night and clasp her ankle.”

Below by Laurel Hightower was a gratifying read with neverending twists, the interminable thrill melting away the pages. Combined with the skill of the writing making this an incredibly easy read, Below is an enjoyable book that I would recommend to anyone who likes paranormal horror, even though some of the questions are left unanswered and the ending didn't fully make sense.

Below Trigger Warnings at the bottom of the review

Considering this is a novella, there's a ton packed in. You leave the story with a lot of mysteries, but also an experience unlike any other. There are so many twists and developments, it's almost nonstop, making you want to keep flipping pages all the way through the story.

This is especially easy to do with the effortless flow of the writing. This book had an excellent ability to grab its reader and keep them until the final pages closed.

“The snow fell heavy while she climbed, but the inches of accumulation silenced the hillside. Flakes collected in her hair and on her eyelashes, and her feet and hands were soon frigid, her fingers too stiff to grab onto trees and brush on her way up.”

The characters, particularly the main character, have some surprising depth, and the MC is actually dynamic, going through some changes by the end of her ordeal.
Overall, she was likeable, but there was something a bit off about her. Her decision making capabilities, logic, and the voices inside her head all made her seem a bit separated from a realistic character, not too far apart, but far enough to take me out of the story briefly from time to time.

In conclusion, this IS a good story, and it exceeded my expectations in writing style and excitement, but fell short in explanation and motivation. On the scale of whether I recommend it, I find it's good enough to weigh decidedly on the side of recommend. It's a thrilling, dark little story that'll entertain any horror buff.


Below Trigger Warnings (POSSIBLE mild SPOILERS AHEAD):

~Past emotionally abusive relationship that is frequently mentioned and heavily on the MCs mind
~Dead bodies, described in detail
~Blood, brains, guts, dismembered limbs (it gets a bit gross a couple of times, but I wouldn't describe it as “excessive”)
~Hydrophobia
~Claustrophobia
~Intense; scary; monsters; and near blindness from how dark it is

"Is the lesson diminished because the history that moves you is fiction?"

Trigger Warnings for The Jesus Incident at the bottom of the review

For a story set on a spaceship and a fictional planet with alien entities, clones, and an AI that has decided it is god, this book embraces or spotlights many core values of humanity. If it weren't so long, I'd be inclined to call it a fable, because there is a moral to it, if you pay attention.

Unfortunately, it IS long. Longer than it seems like it should be for 430-ish pages, much of which could have been cut out without losing much or any real plot or character developments. For example, there was one 29-minute long chapter in which one of the characters stares at some art and has the same thought again and again in a circular pattern with only mild deviations. The point of this character being so troubled could have been made in half the time or less.
This is only one example of how dry this book could, at times, become.

The disjointed nature of it, with vague time slips and skips, changing character perspectives as well as setting every single chapter made it almost feel like less a story, more a philosophical character study with only ever TENDRILS of overarcing plot for about 70% of the book.

Around the 70% mark, those tendrils finally tethered into something substantial, and everything suddenly started moving very quickly after pages and pages and pages of thought exercises and religious allegory. The last 30% of this book I actually quite liked a lot. All of the characters had their moments, boiling points were reached, and the questions left unanswered thus far were satisfied.

I find myself one of the few who neither loved nor hated the experience of The Jesus Incident.
Overall, I'm glad I read this book. It makes you think. It fills you with something at the close of the final pages. But my gosh, was it a slog to get through at times.
I wouldn't say I recommend it unless you're ready for 70's sci-fi lingo and an incredibly slow build of painstaking development for a surprisingly decent ending.
I'm not immediately inclined to read the sequels (and it's not necessary to get a full story), but I'm not absolutely ruling it out either. Maybe someday.


The Jesus Incident Trigger Warnings:

~Discrimination/Racism/Classism (of clones)
~Body horror-ish (lots of past lab experiments involving growing clones)
~Implied torture
~Possibly implied rape
~Implied past torture or rape
~Non-con (or, at best, reluctant) sex that's on screen but vague and fade to black
~Tons of religious jargon, not only in the sci-fi sense, but also pulling from other religions, especially Christianity
~Predatory behavior
~Cheating, technically
~The use of the term “ship tits” that are feeding tubes of some sort from the Ship that people suck from gags (I realize this isn't a typical trigger, but my gosh, did it turn me off and almost make me quit the book)
~ This is all I can think of, but it may not be all possible triggers. Tread with care.

1.5* rounded down

This gets the extra half star for the obviously planned plot and world. I feel the author had a distinct mental image of his world and the events that would send his characters through it. He had an exciting adventure in mind.

Unfortunately, the writing style and characterization are juvenile. Lots of simple sentences in here in the format of “Noun did Action.” If that weren't clunky enough, it was abrupt, with poor transitions from one setting/scene/movement to the next, causing constant whiplash. There was little to no research put into this either, with characters who seemed to be in a medieval type setting using words and having events of modern era times, such as a surprise birthday party with presents and cake.

On top of that, the unrealistic characterization made this book difficult to get into. None of the characters here acted or reacted in the ways real humans would in the given situations. They were all a bit stupid too, even the two-hundred years old characters.

Lastly, I have one note that's about the narrator, not the book. Through parts of the narration there was a rushing sound like a fan or an air conditioner, and during another part there was a brief but distinct second voice in the background that may have been a baby's cry or a woman. Regardless, I've never heard background noise during an audiobook before, and while not overly distracting, it did take me out of the book for a few moments from time to time. Of course, this was the solo error of the narrator and not no one else.

All in all, The Rat Collector was a fun idea wrapped up in an unfortunate package. Still, I hope the author continues writing because the joy he finds in it comes through in his pages.

This book is a tease with no follow through. It's unfulfilled potential. It's the son you squeeze and say you're proud of because even if he was in last place, he gave it his very best shot.

While readable, The Watchers by A. M. Shine has a few serious problems that are summed up with one word: weakness.

Where it makes the largest cracks are in plotting and pacing.
The Watchers feels very pantsed, a writing technique that can be perfectly fine and well-executed, especially with post-production cleanup. Unfortunately, the cleanup wasn't nearly as thorough as it should have been, instead, covering up plotholes with moth-eaten patches, making more questions when answers were supplied.
Even ignoring the plotholes SpoilerWhy did Mina decide to wander into the woods instead of following the road forwards or backwards? If Madeleine covered the hatch, HOW did she acquire the supplies or know how to use them? Why are the burrows in a pattern encircling the coop? Why is Madeleine able to come out in the day and HOW did she not know there are more like her until now? Where did Madeleine go when she disappeared in the daytime and what did she do? I could go on... almost the entire book felt aimless. There was a sense that something needed to happen next; therefore the author conjured an artificial excuse for something to happen... and then waxed poetic about all the wrong details.

For what is meant to be a horror novel, this had little, or sometimes zero, horror-quality atmosphere. Theoretically, a group of strangers that have no reason to trust each other, stuck in a bunker in the woods, only able to go out in the day while the monsters sleep, should make for thrilling, chilling atmosphere.
The struggle to find berries and set traps was far more in the spotlight then the fact that there were burrows spotted around the forest where the monsters sleep. In fact, the latter was hardly mentioned. The horrible sounds of the monsters screeching each night was glossed over. There were no characters rocking in a corner with their hands to their ears.
The HORROR aspects of this novel were less significant than whether Madeleine would snipe at Danny for setting a trap incorrectly.
There were times I wanted to skim, especially in the last few chapters of the book when irrelvant people and locations were described in paragraphs of detail for literally no reason.

For such an average-sized book, The Watchers felt incredibly long. So much could have been cut or condensed without losing any weight in plot or characters.

The characters were... fine, but followed the same rules of the aimlessness of the rest of the plotting. Mina, for example, wandering into the woods when her car broke down instead of following any road or trail.
Or Kira and Danny who didn't even question or WONDER or try to figure out what, exactly, the creatures were or why they did what they did. The only questions that were asked were by Mina - quite late into the book after she'd already been there for some time and Madeleine was already spilling what she knew.

Never did these characters try to fight back. Never did they try to find a way to answers. They weren't curious. They weren't puzzling out motives or weaknesses. No one besides Madeleine had initiative, and hers was only to find the daily sustenance.

The only thing that made this book readable was that, while somewhat dull, it was all sort of fine if you read it mind blank and listened to all the pretty analogies in the colorful, if lacking, delivery of writing.
Of course, the moment you looked a little too closely or BREATHED on it a bit too hard, the sun shone through all the porous pieces of it.

All in all, this book had a theoretically good plot and some eloquence, but no follow-through. If the author worked on his plotting - even if it's second or third drafts plotting if he's pantsed through it - and wasn't afraid to delete his words to sharpen his voice, I can see some stronger material delivered from Shine in the future. Maybe in a few years, if he continues publishing, I'll come back for another try, but in the meantime, this had a lot of problems and was therefore a miss for me.


also the Watchers is a dumb name that's silly in context, and we should have been given the creatures' real species at least by the end of the book but whatever go off I guess

While, at fewer than 90 pages, this was, of course, a pretty simple story without a lot of development in ANY area, it was fantasy taken seriously in a modern, corporate world with humans that don't understand a whole lot about spell casting by their new Lich Lord, and was therefore, quite funny in a subtle way.

“There was a “chosen hero” or whatever a few years ago that tried to defeat the Lich Lord, but it didn't quite work out. There were details, but that kind of stuff gets buried in the endless paperwork that is required in maintaining an evil dominion.”

“Every second in the hourglass slipping by makes me think my suggestion was perhaps really dumb. I don't know, maybe he needed a professional to shiver for him. Maybe professionally rendered shivers are higher quality? I've never really thought about it before.”

I don't normally 1-star a book I DNF-ed, but the writing and grammar in this are so awful, coupled with a handful of unlikable, shallow characters, plus blatant agism that was both making me depressed and sending me into a slump that I DNF-ed at 30% (the actual premise of the story had barely begun, so much waiting around for the actual plot to get started).

From the awkward lack of contractions, to the tenses shifting from present to past, even in the same paragraph, along with an obvious lack of understanding how punctuation works, it's obvious the author is ignorant of basic grammar. I would highly suggest he take some classes for his future books.

Besides this glaring issue, the book has some very rough sex between the main character and someone he picked up, a stranger, who proceeds to spit in his mouth and slap him, as well as many other things. Not to yuck on anyone's yum, but this type of rough sex wasn't remotely discussed or agreed to beforehand and wasn't safe or sane, and while I get this is a dark romance book, this particular encounter was random, the MC was not hyped up on serial killer blood, and, besides pushing the MC into deciding to go to Youthology after all, had no bearing on the rest of the novel.

And I just couldn't get behind the painful and constantly reminded shallowness and agism of the MC. It's one thing to want to look and feel young again, it's another thing to allot all worth, personality, and attractiveness to the youth, both in himself and in strangers.

This isn't remotely all of the problems that came up in this book, but it's the most glaring ones. I'm not going to put myself into a slump finishing this just to say I finished it so I can give it a fuller review. Would not recommend.

Hitman vs Hitman is a charged M/M novelization on an action-packed almost unbelievable thriller the likes of the cinematic Mr. and Mrs. Smith with exhilarating sequences I could, at times, almost see in slow-mo, and so many great one liners and quotes.
While this was, overall, a great read (which is why I rounded it up to 4), there were a few notes missed and a little lack of fluidity, especially when plot shifted to romance, though once the awkward shift was over, the intimacy was satisfying and delicious.Hitman vs Hitman Trigger Warnings at the bottom of the reviewTo make this simpler, I'm going to list all the points it hit and all the ones it missed.Writing✅️ Quick-paced and never drags✅️Brilliant, original metaphors✅️Easy and fun to read✅️Mostly believable action sequences with exciting “cinematics” and realistic danger✅️Obviously researched to make Ricardo's and August's individual skillsets accurate and believable (much kudos!)✅️Character development to give Ricardo and August lives, pasts, motivations, strengths, and weaknesses✅️Very yummy spice scene that was vivid, striking, and intense✅️Realistic, believable wounds and resulting pain/damage❌️ Difficult to believe reactions; i.e. August putting his gun away while another hitman he has no reason to trust (Ricardo) stands pointing a gun at him when they run into each other on the same job in the beginning of the book❌️Minimal side character development❌️Heidi, Ricardo's liason, whom he's only ever spoken to online, trusting him after about ten seconds when he explains who he is (even if she believes he's telling the truth, as far as she knows he's a bloodthirsty assassin and will kill her himself)❌️Constant eyerolling at one another's antics for the entirety of the book. Like. My head started to hurt from all the eyerolling.❌️The transition from Hitmen Strategizing to physical intimacy almost always felt forced. Once they were in it, it was great, very involved and yummy, but the transition from “we're discussing our next actions” to “this is the part of the book where we kiss, etc.” didn't feel natural❌️There was a tinge of dom/sub dynamics in the one spice scene, and later, it was asked if Ricardo usually likes to “dom” (like he just had) to which he affirmed. While the spice scene was great and barely went over any lines, the implication that this is how Ricardo “doms” made it feel like perhaps the authors don't understand how safe and sane BDSM really works. As I haven't read the rest of the books, I'm not sure if this is a theme that continues or if this was a one-offPlot✅️Exciting plot from beginning to end✅️Kept you guessing✅️Thrilling climax with a satisfying conclusion✅️Overall, very well shaped, felt real, kept me wanting to know what would happen next❌️No negatives!Characters✅️Ricardo was the grump to August's sunshine✅️Ricardo's past shaped who he is now as a trained soldier, sniper, and killer✅️August's past, both as a rich kid and kidnap and torture victim, shaped who he is now - flamboyant and privileged, but also prepared and just broken enough to become a killer✅️August had unique quirks that made him fun, funny, and interesting✅️Overall, decently well-developed main characters with distinct personalities whose skillsets and motivations make sense for each of them✅️Mostly likable and smart with good chemistry❌️️Constantly repeated reactions, such as the aforementioned eyerolls as well as August's childish “Rude.”❌️Both of their characters, but especially Ricardo's could have been developed a little bit more. We basically get one sharp insight into one piece of his past and that's it.❌️While overall, I enjoyed August's comic relief of a character, there were times he went a little bit too much, a little bit too far, like when he tried to force a “there was only one bed” trope to get Ricardo to sleep in the same bed with him and whined (literally whined like a child) when it was discovered there was a second bedroom 🙄ConclusionIn the end, I spent way too much mental energy wondering whether I should round this 3.5 up or down, but while I feel it really is solidly a 3.5 book, I can't rate it that. I thoroughly enjoyed the book and read it very quickly, and there were a lot of strong qualities to it, so I round up.

If you want a surprisingly upbeat, exciting thriller that just so happens to have a good deal of flirting, a smidge of protectiveness, and some vivid spice, this is easy-to-read, enjoyable novel. I'm glad I picked it up.


Hitman vs Hitman Trigger Warnings:

~Murder, obviously, mostly with guns, but there's a knife kill and explosions
~Blood and some gore, but not a lot of gore and nothing in great detail
~Torture
~Past kidnapping, torture, and mutilation (his toes were smashed)
~Loads of guns
~Gunshot wound
~Drugging
~Racism

EDIT:

As this author has begun using generative AI covers across many of her books, I'm updating my rating to 1* star and will be removing any books by this author that were on my TBR. I'll also be blacklisting R.A. Steffan in perpetuity. There's no excuse to use genAI slop for your covers, and I won't support authors who do so.

EDIT:

As this author has begun using generative AI covers across many of her books, I'm updating my rating to 1* star and will be removing any books by this author that were on my TBR. I'll also be blacklisting R.A. Steffan in perpetuity. There's no excuse to use genAI slop for your covers, and I won't support authors who do so.

EDIT:

As this author has begun using generative AI covers across many of her books, I'm updating my rating to 1* star and will be removing any books by this author that were on my TBR. I'll also be blacklisting R.A. Steffan in perpetuity. There's no excuse to use genAI slop for your covers, and I won't support authors who do so.

DNF at 68% (after their second spicy scene)
I only gave it 2 stars instead of 1 since I didn't finish it and therefore gave it the benefit of some pretty serious doubt.

As someone who's put herself in reading slumps before for avoiding DNF-ing books, it's pretty legit when I decide a book is not worth finishing. Unfortunately, Stalked by the Kraken went steadily downhill as I read, until mild boredom rolled into exasperation, disappointment, and eyerolls, not the reaction I remotely want from a tentacle shifter romance. Especially since I freaking love tentacles and kraken in general. I would have forgiven a lot.

Unfortunately, from the first scenes, we're treated to 1-dimensional, cliche characters falling in insta-love/lust with each other in a fated mates type way, except no “fated mates” explanation is ever given. Gideon never questions why “his beast” (as if it's a freaking separate entity) is immediately willing to give Rose whatever she wants and to spend the rest of his life with her, whether that means extending her life or shortening his immortality to match her brief lifespan. Yep, that's actually in the book.
After seeing each other twice and spending one night together, Rose is equally willing to devote her life to Gideon... to the point she's literally ready to be impregnated by him after knowing him for a solid two-three days because she's always wanted kids anyway.

...

Literally, she takes her contraception off. The suspension of disbelief crashed ages ago.

As someone's who's into that kink in the right circumstances and has also read loads of fated mates books and fics, I know they're spectacular and juicy when done right. World-bending romance with sparks flying everywhere.
Stalked by the Kraken was... actually unbelievable, and the secondhand embarrassment was real. The “fated mates” themes never got me caught up and never gave an explanation so much as a passing “Krakens occasionally have truemates” (at least in the first 68%) and I was just left wondering why.

Being a tentacle romance with shifting POVs and a possessive lead who's supposedly been “stalking” Rose (which, by the way, is only mentioned in passing, and he only “stalks” her for a week when she's not in the “personal space” of her home. Because god forbid the possessive immortal kraken shifter romance have the smallest morally gray influences. Oh no, this must be completely aboveboard with constant informed consent and zero mutually enjoyable aggression or roughness ... by the possessive tentacle monster in a fantasy romance, my gosh.) I expected to have, obviously, intense tentacle-involved spicy scenes with chapters from Gideon's point of view. Instead of that, I get back-to-back stacked chapters of Rose's POV during the spice scenes, and the parts where Gideon “partially” shifts are brief, undetailed, and not the highlight of either of the spicy scenes I read. They're also VERY vanilla and with one tentacle in the one hole, and Rose's pleasure the constant focus in these scenes, so there's no intensity, losing control, anything REMOTELY primal or exciting or the thrill of literally any type of tentacle spice in any media ever.

Also, Gideon says, and I quote, “And no, the tentacle doesn't have the same experience as my cock. I enjoy . . . I get off from the idea of seeing how much I can fit inside you.”
Which sounds great? Kind of? Except, as beforementioned, he uses the one hole ONLY, and we only see from Rose's POV, so we don't get the enjoyment of seeing her remotely stuffed full. Plus... like??? What?? It doesn't feel good to him? Even though that tentacle is functionally his penis?? Seriously? What a great way to instantly make tentacle corn infinitely less exciting. Why do you think I wanted to read this book? For the barely-there random “plot” of Gideon's treasure hunting?

Supposedly Gideon's a treasure hunter, and he's hanging out in Rose's town to buy back a stolen “artifact” at an upcoming auction. This is mentioned in passing, and then we get one brief chapter where Gideon breaks into the antique store and finds out there's some kind of underbelly of human trafficking. This is right before he goes and has his second night with Rose. So, like, human trafficking? Oof, that's bad. Time to go try to woo this random chick into spending the rest of her life with me for some reason.
I assume there's going to be some kind of damsel in distress situation towards the end of the book, but it's such a horribly done subplot that's so vague and separate from the rest of the book, I have zero interest in what could have theoretically been a cool gig for a character. Treasure hunting because he likes shiny things?? Fun! Failed.

On top the cardboard writing (always telling, not showing) and the awkward spicy scenes, at one point Gideon shames Rose by calling her “needy” and then later “teasing” that he's “not a walking cock” after 1. he's been lusting after her for days and literally daydreamed about spending hours watching her do nothing so is worlds more “needy” and 2. Rose's last boyfriend was emotionally abusive and shamed her for the way she felt and the the things she wanted, and yet this “teasing” is treated as somehow “hot” and not gross and hypocritical. This is about where I decided I was done but ended up reading the spicy scene that came after that just in case things took a turn and the book was at least a little redeemable (spoiler alert: it wasn't)

There were loads of other random things, like Rose apparently suddenly realizing she must have “misread” that her last boyfriend was her soulmate and yet not wondering, even in passing, how she could have seen soul bonds that looked perfect for her and now look like they don't match her at all? No curiosity over HOW she managed to mess up so royally... at ALL!? Ridiculous.
Plus mild personal opinion annoyances that I would have ignored had the rest of the book been good (Gideon referring to his shifted form as a separate entity or like he's sharing a body instead of being a shifter; or “Rose” for the soulmate of a kraken. A perfumey flower is the perfect match of a sea monster? I don't normally care about names, but this just felt wrong from chapter one. Personal opinion.) Plus everything I wanted out of this experience was disappointing AT BEST.
I was going to finish it just to say that I did for my review, but after the last couple of chapters, it just isn't worth my time to finish a book with so many problems.

I honestly don't know how it has a decent rating with such subpar writing from top to bottom. I feel incredibly unsatisfied, so if someone has a rec for a better tentacle monster romance, M/M or M/F, PLEASE drop it ‘cause I don't have enough of that in my life and would love to find one written with a lot more zeal.

3.5 rounded up

The Necromancer's Light has loveable characters, great plot, and a very cool world, and while it could have benefited from some elaboration on that world and perhaps some prior-set goals along the way for the characters on their journey north, it was a solid fantasy romance that I would recommend to anyone a fan of the genre.

The Necromancer's Light Trigger Warnings located at the bottom of the review

Through snippets, sidebars, and character development, we learn a little about the world this story is set in, full of deities, demons, and darkness. However, since the story takes place primarily on the road between settlements, we don't get to see a lot of the structure of anything from government to landscape. Overall, this is fine, since the story is about Shae and Arthur, and we get plenty of their personal stories along the way. However, if only the structure of the path they're traveling or the appearance of the greenery around them, or even the weather, the story could have benefited from a little more spatial development, at least.

Besides Shae and Arthur and their pasts coming back to haunt them, both literally and metaphorically, the plot was an exciting fight of light versus dark, or dark magic versus darker magic. Although a driving force with an exciting culmination, the plot, world, and Shae's character would have been strengthened with some elaboration or explanatory information as well, like how necromancy works in general in this world, a flashback to when Shae first approached the demon, or why the options are to trap or kill the demon, only one of which would give Shae more options with his magic.

However, I really appreciated that this is a world that seems to accept all kinds of sexuality without pause, and there were more than one religious character who was obviously gay/bi because that was normal and no need to be hidden or scorned. I love books that include that type of acceptance and escapism.

Shae and Arthur and their problems and magnetism make is easy to ignore the background most of the time, anyway.
Shae is dark and small with a tragic past and no idea how to love someone, even though he wants to, more than anything in the world, and for that person to love him back. He's such a gentle, wounded spirit, who will protect the man he cares for with every piece of his soul if he has to, that my heart was his very early on (As a side note, I loved the way the narrator of the audiobook for this one voiced him, so soft and shielded, even when he was lashing sharp words <3).
While Arthur, his polar opposite in appearance and admiration, was the definition of brave, strong, and true. His protective qualities and the way he was always willing to touch Shae when most would be disgusted by the idea, were instantly appealing, and my appreciation for him only grew as their story progressed.
Overall, these are beautiful, lovely characters that fit together like ying and yang, and while the slightly tropey instant attraction between them wasn't new, it was very adorable, and continued to be so as they tiptoed around each other and how much they both liked touching the other.

Overall, the focus to this story was very much the romance, which was lovely and spicy and warm, but left the rest of the story a little unbalanced. Regardless, I thoroughly enjoyed The Necromancer's Light and would recommend it to anyone looking for a romance novel in a fantasy setting.
I'll probably skip the second book of this series, since it follows a character I'm not really interested in, but I want to pick up the third and will be keeping a lookout for this author (and the audiobook narrator!) in the future.


The Necromancer's LightTrigger Warnings (Some Spoilers Below)

~Self-harm, current and past, for blood in the use of necromancy
~Mentioned past suicide of parents
~Phobia against a class of people (necromancers are outcasts and treated cruelly and with disgust)
~Religion/worship (one of the MCs belongs to a church and prays/worships his deity)
~Touch-starved MC
~Blood/wounds

EDIT:

As this author has begun using generative AI covers across many of her books, I'm updating my rating to 1* star and will be removing any books by this author that were on my TBR. I'll also be blacklisting R.A. Steffan in perpetuity. There's no excuse to use genAI slop for your covers, and I won't support authors who do so.

EDIT:

As this author has begun using generative AI covers across many of her books, I'm updating my rating to 1* star and will be removing any books by this author that were on my TBR. I'll also be blacklisting R.A. Steffan in perpetuity. There's no excuse to use genAI slop for your covers, and I won't support authors who do so.