Zhan

So, it took me a while to get warmed up to this story. The love and attraction was so insta that I was sure this was a fated mates story, but nope, it's not.

There was a lot of characters, all related and connected in some way or the other, but all of that just flew right over my head.

The world-building and plot were intriguing enough, but as I already said, it took me a while to get into romance between the two characters.

But there were many things I did like, such as:
-How gentle and understanding Axe was with Caden
-Caretaking and praise was chef's kiss
-How Caden treated the lone wolf
-that scene (I won't spoil it!) with Caden screaming with everything he had, I quote, “like a terrified goat.”
-Huxley, Zayden and Cy. They were great characters and I'm so excited for their books.
-the banter was really good. Caden is quite witty and made me laugh a couple of times.
-as shitty as Caden's parents were, they were quite entertaining. I howled when they found themselves in the middle of chaos and Caden's dad just showed Caden's mom in front of him, to protect himself.
-And the way the book ended was really sweet. That very last scene, the last paragraph. I really liked it.


(Caden screaming)
“What the hell is that?” Zayden asked. “A dying sasquatch?”

“You heard my scream.”“Hard not to,” Zayne commented over his shoulder. “Sounded like a cat in heat being forced into a bathtub.”

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General Notes
-human witch x werewolf, hurt/comfort, arranged bonding
-gentle werewolf, clumsy human

Intimacy Notes
-Top/bottom/verse: strict roles, Axe tops and Caden bottoms
-Kinks: praise, knotting... (will add more if I remember)
-Other: foodtimacy (Axe likes to cook for Caden), possessiveness and protectiveness, scenting, mating bite...

A quick, easy read.

I was surprised to find that I liked Ander. At first I thought his whole identity would be “popular” and that's it, but he actually did have personality. He's mischevious, goofy, a bit dramatic and sometimes really sweet. I wouldn't say he was arrogant, just really confident.

Unfortunately, I didn't feel like I could get a picture of Elliot's personality. He was nice, but I think most of his focus was on pining for Ander and trying to get over his hurt feelings. Ander says at some point that Elliot is the sweetest person ever, but there weren't any situations where we could see that.

I didn't really get why the two of them were best friends in the first place. There was a lot of running away and lack of communication too, and it felt like they confided more in side characters than in each other.

And I didn't like the epilogue. It felt really rushed and the fade-to-black ending didn't really work for me.

What I really liked was:
-Ander's interactions with side characters. The banter was entertaining and some scenes made me laugh so hard.
-Both Ander and Elliot were so respectful of each other's boundaries and they both wanted the other one to be happy no matter what.
-That flashback of the memory of Ander accidentally setting the poster of Zac Efron on fire. That was so silly and adorable, and it made me laugh so much. Loved it.
-Ander's sweet gestures. Protecting Elliot, making sure he's okay, taking him out on dates and helping him rewrite that sad memory at the end. Maybe a little cheesy, but I thought it was sweet as heck.

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General Notes
-best friends, childhood friends, protectiveness
-gay MC x straight(?) MC
-GFY

Intimacy Notes
-Top/bottom/verse: verse
-Kinks: (idk, I can't recall any)
-Other: very touchy MC (the straight one)

Oh man, my heart. I really, really enjoyed this one.

First of all, I don't know anything about baseball, but reading about it here, about MCs reasons for playing it and love for it, made me want to start watching it.

It was quite low-angst and drama-free. Slow, unhurried, but sizzling. And lots of hurt/comfort with bigger focus on comfort.

Jake and Nico were so lovely and so perfect together. But I have a soft spot for gentle and caring giants like Jake who love to take care of their partners (and his teammates, and people in his life in general), so I enjoyed this immensely. And shy, but bratty Nico fit so well with him.

I'm really struggling with writing reviews lately (I don't know what's going on with me), so maybe I'll come back to rewrite this properly. Right now, all I can say is that this book gave me so many feels and that I loved it.

But I bawled my eyes out when Jake hurt his knee badly and knew he won't be able to play again. That scene in the hospital, where Nico thought about how he won't be able to see Jake flash their sign on the field ever again. Where Jake admitted that he's sad, because few months ago he didn't care about retiring early, but just as his love for baseball returned thanks to Nico, it was taken away from him. :( ❤️‍

I really like Colin, as well as friendship and history between him and Newt. The alpha behavior was chef's kiss. I didn't quite manage to connect with Newt, but the two of them were sweet together, so, it's not a big deal.

I especially enjoyed the scenes where Colin stalked Newt through the forest and my biggest complaint is that there weren't more of them (two is way too little). Colin is so impossibly gentle and caring with Newt all the time, so it was so nice to see this predatory, dangerous side of him (even though Newt was 100% safe and protected the whole time).

The plot was... a little silly, but at some point I even forgot that Newt was blackmailed. I didn't really like how that was resolved. But the romance was good and I swallowed this up in two days. :)

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General Notes
-human scientist x werewolf, childhood best friends
-gentle werewolf x oblivious human

Intimacy Notes
-Top/bottom/verse: strict roles, Newt bottoms and Colin tops.
-Kinks: primal kink...
-Other: protectiveness, knotting, mating bite...

Tavia Lark writes some amazing fantasy and this little gem is no exception. The plot is so clever and all the little details added are beautiful and engaging. I definitely want to see more of this world she built.

I loved both MCs, though Yarrow definitely stole my heart with his witty and flirty personality, but also his kindness, gentleness and vulnerability. Folly was quite easy to connect to; anxious and insecure, but so brave and sweet.

What I struggled to get into was the actual romance between them. It was insta-love and too fast-paced for me. Maybe because the plot takes place within only a couple of days, but the connection between them felt really shallow. I think I would've enjoyed it way more if this was a slow-burn and if it took longer for their connection to develop.

And for some reason, this always happens when I read Tavia Lark's books: I swallow down the first 60-70%, then I get a little disatisfied with the pacing and I decide to pause for a bit... then it takes me few months to get back to finish it. Even though I genuinely enjoy the plot and the characters, and I can usually ignore the insta-love thing.

So, for me personally, except the romance being too fast-paced for my taste, the rest was absolute delight and I'd definitely recommend it.

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General Notes
-height difference, human MC, fae LI, transported to fae world, hurt/comfort...

Intimacy Notes
-Top/bottom/verse: strict; Yarrow tops and Folly bottoms.
-Kinks: some rope play, restriction, soft D/s I guess...
-Other: //

It's a sweet short story about Ellis, an outcast who lives with his dog on outskirts of a village, and Styx, a monster from the woods.

Before anything, the cover of the book is simply gorgeous and it's what drew me to pick up this book. I love it to bits.

Even though it's a short story, the romance is quite slow-paced, which is usually my preference. The writing is dreamy and poetic, which is also another plus for me.

I was really intrigued at first, with Ellis meeting this wild, mysterious, dangerous-looking creature from the legend in the middle of woods. But one thing that kinda ruined the experience for me was that we are mostly told, not shown.

I'd say the book mostly consists of Ellis' inner monologue. The interactions that we do get to see are really engaging, and the ones with Styx are especially beautiful. But a lot (most) of it is Ellis telling us about it, or rather, reminiscing about what happened. He tells us that Styx and him became more comfortable around each other as they spent more time together; that he was more talkative than he was with anyone else because Styx is mostly silent; he tells us about that time he discovered what Styx's favorite type of bread is.
And I just really wanted to see more of their interactions, because like this, it felt like so many stuff happened off-page.

But I liked both characters, especially Styx. The little details about them, their likes and dislikes, really added to their personalities. I liked how they bonded over loneliness and how soft and loving they were towards each other.

The spice at the very end didn't work for me, mostly because of situation in which it happened and location where it happend. I really don't understand why the author chose to have their first and only sex scene happen where it did and under such circumstances, and turn it into some sort of “revenge”. It's really baffling and it made the scene so uncomfortable for me. As someone else also noted in their reviews, it would've made more sense if it happened in Ellis' garden, or even in the woods or in the cottage.

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General Notes
-human outcast x monster from the woods
-monster MC (antlers, black feet and hands...)

Intimacy Notes
-Top/bottom/verse: strict roles, Ellis bottoms and Styx (the monster) tops.
-Kinks: primal play (sort of), humiliation kink...
-Other: //

What kind of sorcery is this? It's absolutely stunningly beautiful.

This is my first book by this author and I don't think I have the words to describe how much I loved it. The writing is poetic, the scenes and emotions so vivid and beautifully written. It's a lengthy book and really slow-paced, but I enjoyed every moment of this delicious slow-burn.

I'll admit that there is one thing at the very beginning of the book that made me a little uncomfortable and I just want to get that out of the way first. This is indeed a slow-burn, but there is attraction and connection between Imre and Luca from the moment Luca steps off the bus. Considering that they last saw each other when Luca was 9 years old, that Luca was in love with Imre since he was a kid, that Imre is demisexual and that he only knew Luca as that little kid, the fact that he felt instant attraction towards Luca was a little bit... too much for me personally.

And hear me out, Luca is very mature for his age, having been forced to grow up early, like some people (some of us, if I may say) sometimes are, but it takes time for reader to see that. At first, he comes across as 19 years old kid, lost and in desperate need of comfort. That's why I would've been more comfortable if Imre developed attraction later, after getting to know this new Luca a bit more, instead of having this instant attraction at the first sight of him.

But if you can move past that, you'll soon see that Imre is such a huge green flag. He is so gentle, kind, honest, calm, respectful and understanding. He never pushes or forces anything, and he tries his hardest to treat Luca as his equal, as his friend (as he tries to deny romantic feelings at first) and fights against the power balance that comes with difference in their age. There is some possessiveness on Imre's side later on, when they get together, but even that possessiveness is a healthy kind, the one that respects boundaries and offers safety, love and care.

And Luca really compliments him well; his little wildfire, his angyalka, as he calls him. As mentioned above, Luca comes across as lost at first, afraid and unsure about a lot of things, but later on you see another side of him; you can still feel how younger than Imre he is, but he's also really mature, reasonable, he knows what he wants, he doesn't run away from problems and he's willing to work on things and meet Imre (and also his father) halfway.

The emotional connection is strong in this book. And even though there's connection from the beginning, the romance takes time to develop. It's slow and sizzling, and the intimate scenes are scorching and so worth the wait.

The story is definitely a little bit taboo, because of the age gap betwen them, and the fact that Imre knew Luca since he was a kid. I'd disagree with the pseudo-uncle/nephew type of relationship, as I really didn't feel that between them; Imre came across more as a family friend, one that they occasionally visited and that Luca was secretly crushing on. The issues and differences that come with their age gap were adressed and dealt with in a rather thoughtful manner.

And lastly, I don't remember when I've last found a character as easy to relate and to connect to, as I did to Imre. His personality, (demi)sexuality, his restlessness and the way he sees the world, relationships, the way he feels and all other little things. It truly made me feel heard and seen in a way that I haven't felt for a long time.

So, I really loved every bit of it and this book made me so damn happy, I don't think I have words to describe it well. It's my new comfort read, going straigth to my “favorites” shelf, and I just know that I'm going to be rereading it, over and over again. :) <3

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General Notes
-childhood crush, may-december age gap, size difference, virgin MC, gentle giant, demisexual MC...
-slow burn
-self harm by neglecting himself, sick farm animals (no death), power imbalance...

Intimacy Notes
-Top/bottom/verse: strict roles; Imre tops and Luca bottoms.
-Kinks: (will add)
-Other: foodtimacy (Imre cooking for Luca), caretaking, handtimacy...

This was really steamy, maybe a little bit too much for my taste, but these scenes were still hot as heck and there were also some sweet moments between the characters. I do wish we had and saw more of these sweet, bonding scenes, as we were mostly told about it, though I don't think this is necessarily a bad thing if you're looking for smutty read (which this mostly is).

The characters were interesting, but it takes some time to really see their personalities because the focus is mostly on smut. I didn't connect so much to Nate, but I liked Eric, who was mysterious at first, but we learn about some things from his past and he turns out to be quite wild. I would've liked if we could've learned even more about the two of them, but oh well.

The jump from friends to benefits to boyfriends to “I love you” was just a little sudden, but other than that their relationship felt realistic.

And the writing is good and the dialogue is really entertaining. Overall, I enjoyed it and I'm going to check out another book from the series when the mood strikes me for something steamy.

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General Notes
-roommates

Intimacy Notes
-Top/bottom/verse: verse, but Eric is more dominant and Nate sort of prefers to bottom
-Kinks: (will add)
-Other:

I expected pure smut, but I was surprised with some rather sweet moments between all three MCs.

I really liked how alpha brothers controlled themselves. The omega was like, “but I was always told that when alphas touch omega in heat, they lose control” and brothers were like, “Oh no, we ARE in control, your scent is driving us nuts but there's no way we'd ever hurt you”. Most would argue that alpha losing control is hot, but here, two alpha brothers refusing to lose control was somehow really well-done and sexy. The alpha brothers were so gentle and caring, and they indeed worshipped the omega, just like the title promises.

But the misunderstandings between them were kinda silly, exaggerated and dragged out. And the actual smut scenes didn't work for me; they were quite simplistic and some scenes I was looking forward to (double-penetration, marking, brothers stopping the omega from mating with another alpha) just fell short for me.

Short (only 12 pages), but it was hot and sweet too.

I don't usually read short stories (especially not THIS short) and I seriously don't know what made me pick up this one. I liked it, would definitely read it if it was longer too (I'm craving some good friends-to-lovers, pining post-apocalyptic story), but for a 12 pages story, it was good.

The only thing that gave me the ick (I gotta mention it) was Raj calling his own cum “slimy”. "Before he could warn Logan, his hips were jerking, filling the blond's mouth with slimy cum."

Other than that, I liked the little pining going on between them and the sex scene.

2.5-2.75 stars from me.

I read this while simultaneously listening to the audiobook and I gotta say, the narrator was amazing (5 huge stars!!!), but I didn't enjoy the book much.

Somehow, I got really invested in characters from the first chapter (Garret, Kegan, Paris, Eli, Helix and Sasha) but then they never appeared again. There's also an emphasis on the first group's appearances, so I kinda logged it in my brain as important right at the start. Then we got a skip to one year ago and follow different characters (Alec, Zaden, Chet, Noah, Bailey and Jamis) until the end of the book. I definitely connected to the first group way better than the second one, and I'm still baffled about how that's possible considering there's only one chapter with them.

This kinda read like a story that started as purely smut, but then at the very end you get unexpected introduction to some plot. I knew there was an orgy scene and I was so looking forward to it. Some scenes before that were really hot (for example, scene with Zaden and Naydo in the river, and the twins and the two scientists while they were bathing) but the orgy itself was a little disappointing for me personally.

The only characters (from the second group) I was invested in were Zaden ‘Z' Ryes (Alec's copilot) and the Kríe Naydo, and also Chet (Alec's bodyguard) because he had such fierce personality. I wasn't invested in our main character Alec and his experience. Considering that this was a prequel to his book with Zercy, it's not really surprising that his connection with Miros was so shallow (I still liked Miros more than Zercy though). But I wish we had someone else's POV, because I feel like anyone else's (Zaden, Chet, Noah or one of the two scientists) would've been more enjoyable for me.

For a leader, Alec really... wasn't very bright, as Kríe put it. At first I didn't mind how he naively fell for Gesh' trap because I thought this was just a porn plot. Gesh tricked them into eating aphrodisiac fruit, but it still took Alec a while (and one silly game of guessing, where Gesh tells him that he finds humans delicious, alluring, that he wants to do something indulgent, that they're nothing but playthings etc) to figure out why and what they're going to do with them. Further, Kríe were so puzzled at the mentions of “women” and “female”, they only use their “backdoors” for copulating (yeah, they don't do “the big business” at all, they only urinate), they explained to Alec that males can get pregnant in their world etc... It was so obvious that there are no women on that planet, but at the end of the book Alec was still like “Why are there only men? Where are their women? Oh, they are probably hiding somewhere.”

And the way he just justified everything that happened and said that he was even glad that Gesh put them in that position. Like, just why? It's difficult to get invested in Alec's next book when he's being like this.

I do kinda want to know what happens with Zaden and Naydo, though. Naydo was super gentle to Zaden and I really want them to be together. If the next book was about them I'd definitely read it (but sadly, it isn't).

My heart broke for Noah. The poor boy fell in love with Gesh and I don't think Gesh deserves him. And even though Gesh promised that he'll get him back, I kinda wish that won't happen. I hope that Noah somehow ends up with someone from that group 1 (from first chapter) who came to rescue them.

I'm so torn about whether to continue to the next book. I really want to know what happens with Zaden and, well, the rest of the characters, but I also don't really feel excited about Alec and Zercy's story.

“Does that mean I get five stars?”“There are not enough stars in the universe for what you deserve.”

That was amazing. Short, but sweet with a little bit of steam. I love friends-to-lovers trope so this absolutely hit the spot. Aiden and Zayn were so sweet together and the way the astrophysics metaphors were used was so damn romantic. I loved it to bits.

I want more! Can't wait for the next book by this author.

Oh man, this was such an emotional ride. I absolutely loved our golden retriever Win and his little Nordic warrior Lars so much.

There's a time skip at the beginning, so them falling in love happened off-page, but I prefered it that way tbh, as I already read Wish and I was eager to continue from where the Wish left off.

Wish is forever my favorite, but damn if I didn't find Lars so easy to relate to. He's so anxious, precious little baby, and all he wants is to feel safe. But he also had this sassy side of him that I liked a lot. And Win is so damn charming and hilarious (I cackled whenever his “inner Yoda” spoke lmao). Both of them are so good to each other and they compliment each other so well.

I was so damn happy that we got to see more of Max and Wes. I loved how they accepted Lars and made sure that he feels at home. And Max being all broody (“I'm not like Win. I don't have a sun to hide my dark.”), I love him XD There were some really love moments between Max and Wes, and also moments where Max was so supportive and understanding towards Lars. “You're the one with power.” - that one hit me especially hard.

I loved the dialogue in this book, it was really engaging and characters brought smile on my face so many times. I noted down one scene where Lars was yelling in angry Swedish and Win was like:
“It's okay,” I told him, trying to pull him in and calm him down. “It's okay now. You're safe.”“I don't care about me, you devil!” he yelled in English. “I care about you! You don't even deserve it!”“I know. Let me have it, angel,” I said, encouraging him to get it out. “Tell me what else is wrong with me.”

And lastly, the entire group of Elite is one big precious family that take care of each other. They f-ing stormed out in nothing but Speedos in the winter to catch Oskar and that was everything. I didn't read MF books in this series, cuz I really don't enjoy FM romance, but I like the side-characters so much that I'm seriously tempted to read them all.

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General Notes
-possessive love interest, shy x sunshine, traumatized MC, hurt/comfort, abusive ex boyfriend, found family, gentle love interest...

Intimacy Notes
-Top/bottom/verse: strict roles; Win tops and Lars bottoms.
-Kinks: It's been a while since I read this so I'll have to add this when I reread it... I only remember docking scene and I think there was some praise kink.
-Other: //

That was heavier than I expected. I probably should have expected it, considering this is a very taboo story (so you're warned), but oh well.

There was some good character development, especially in Kaiden. He goes from immature, inconsiderate and self-destructive, to more confident, responsible and kinder. Emma and Bradley also change and become more mature after their experiences, but this didn't feel so smooth because I legit forgot about them by the time they were brought into the story again lol.

Same for Alexa, I forgot about her so many times throughout the story. As I read, I felt like the whole sub-plot with Alexa was unnecessary, but then that bomb dropped at the end and it made sense.

I couldn't feel that tension between Emerson and Kaiden for most of the story. I couldn't feel it when Emerson used his "commanding voice" nor when they kissed for the first time. I just didn't feel the connection and chemistry between them. Also, Emerson's possessiveness started kinda suddenly at more than 50% of the story. I love possessive MCs, so I didn't mind it that much, I just wished there were more hints before that. And the steamy scenes were hot as heck.

There were some scenes with side-characters that really weren't engaging and it was a little hard to push through them, BUT! I do appreciate that we got to see Emerson and Kaiden's friendships with other people and understand the connection, because it all tied well at the end. It's just that I wish the scenes with side-characters were more engaging.

Emerson came across as a really caring brother (even if it felt like their bond was kinda lacking). He didn't want to take advantage of Kaiden and wanted to do what's best for him. He made sure to be there for Kaiden when their mom didn't even acknowledge his existence (The scene with anniversary of Elijah's death where their mom is recalling Elijah's childhood, mentioning Emerson here and there, but completely ignoring Kaiden was heartbreaking.) And Emerson also took so much burden upon himself and remained calm in the most stressful situations, all for Kaiden's sake. And while he was battling his own feelings, I could really feel his loneliness and isolation, because obviously he couldn't tell a single soul about what's going on between him and his brother.

“Every gut-curdling fear was my own because there wasn't a single soul in the world I could go to for support.”

Some parts of the story left a huge impression on me. For example, seeing how much Emerson loves his job, how much effort he puts into his teaching and understanding his students. And how much students love him too. His heartfelt conversations with his best friend, Jagger, who is Emerson's rock. And all while we, as readers, know the dirty little secret he's hiding. “Fuck. Wow. You think you know a guy.” That made the above mentioned “bomb” so much more impactful imo.

And Jagger is definitely too good of a person. Risking his career for the sake of Emerson, because he considers him his brother. Damn. It really makes me think whether I'd be able to react the same way.

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General Notes
-incest, protective and possessive older brother, unhappy childhood, neglectful mom...

Intimacy Notes
-Top/bottom/verse: strict (if I remember correctly). Emerson tops and Kaiden bottoms.
-Kinks: (been a while since I read this, so I'll add this when I reread it)
-Other: //

So, I wanted to drop it around 65% mark, but I pushed through because I was over 50% mark and it's not a long book. But while I read the first part in two days or so, after that it took me more than a month to finish that last 45% because I was so uninvested.

I liked Jack at first (his personality suddenly shifted later on) but I disliked Nikolae. They hated each other for the first 40% or so, then they suddenly started loving each other.

This is how it happened: (and big spoilers ahead) Because they both hate each other (and there was no chemistry between them until that point), Nikolae decides to place his mark - a tattoo - on what is supposed to be the most degrading place and that is the base of Jack's neck. This "degradation" is never addressed again (nor explained more than that). Anyways, as Nikolae finishes the tattoo, Jack goes into heat and manifests as omega on the spot, so Nikolae looks at him with surprise and awe, touches him with love and affection, and never treats him badly from that point on. Of course, Jack also suddenly has utter trust in him, although for a while longer he still believes that he's just a toy for Nikolae.

Basically, they hated each other with passion and then suddenly they loved each other.

I didn't understand if werewolves' eyes change their color or what? Because Nikolae's eye color at the beginning (golden) was different from his eye color mentioned later (“stormy blue eyes”). We're told that Nikolae had the exact same eye color as Francesca and Ellie, whose eye color never changed throughout the book and who were also both alphas, just like Nikolae. So what the heck was that about?

At some point after manifesting as omega, Jack's personality kinda shifted. At some point Nikolae tells him “You're a natural mother” and I think that describes the shift. I just didn't like how sudden this was and how his personality before, while still fitting the image of a caring father, wasn't exactly that of a mother hen that he suddenly turned into.

I had so many “what the heck?” moments. From the notes I took: What the heck happened? Why are they suddenly so caring towards each other? Why is Jack going all mamma on everyone? How come Jack and Nikolae are suddenly talking so lovingly to each other? “I know you, Jack. Better than you think. Better than I know myself sometimes”. What the heck, how, when???

The big reveal that Francesca was alive was quite anticlimatic for me.

The reason I'm giving it one star more is because of that scene at the end, where Nikolae agrees to bottom for Jack (though he said it was just one-time thing). The alpha bottoming for his omega, trusting him enough to be vulnerable in a way that's so different from what he's used to? I really like that.

So, that little bit I liked. This is subjective, but I have no complaints about author's writing style (and I'm open to checking out their other books), I just didn't like this story, its plot, the characters, I wasn't invested in anything.

This was so damn good.

I liked it so much that I'm struggling to put it into words. Usually, I take a lot of notes as I read, but I swallowed this up without taking a moment to note down anything ahaha.

Characters are so complex and interesting. Both Stephen and Lucien had some unexpected sides that amazed me. Stephen, despite his small figure, is far from helpless. And Lucien, a Shanghai dock rat, as he called himself. And I love his loyal and protective manservant/henchman Marrick too.

The dialogue was so engaging. The characters are so witty and a little snappy and I loved it. The mystery and plot are a bit dark, but interesting. The focus is definitely on the mystery, but there is romance, lots of tension between the characters throughout the story and the intimate scenes were so hot.

I gotta say this, but almost to the very end, I was so convinced that Graham is behind everything. And I was totally wrong lmao.

Amazing read, I recommend it 100%.

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General Notes
-animosity to lovers, height/size difference, magician MC, earl LI...

Intimacy Notes
-Top/bottom/verse: strict; Lucien tops and Stephen bottoms.
-Kinks: soft D/s, (somewhat?) rough play...
-Other: //

Consent is a huge thing in this books. It's full of it and I loved it. Kurt says at some point:

“Consent was paramount.”

“Hunter smelled like home, not the home Kurt knew but the one he wanted. If he could bury himself in it, smother himself in Hunter, then Kurt felt he might finally rest easy. That his wolf might be tamed by it, and he could himself be safe. Safe to be around and also safe, himself, from a world that he had never fully felt himself to be part of.”

-“Then you think we should carry it around forever? All that guilt for the things we did to survive?”
-“You know you'll never undo the things you did, but you can make better choices. You don't have to live like you've ruined yourself forever and there's nothing you can ever do to make up for it.”

It was quite OTT and insta, but there's something in the story (and in this author's writing) that worked well for me, though “Wish” is still my favorite in the series.

There were two things that I didn't like much, but it's nothing I can't forgive. The first one is insta-love; it worked well in “Wish” because characters already had some history, but for Arsen and Prism, who have never interacted before the start of the book, it felt lightening-fast. From the very first night they got arrested, Arsen behaved like he'd give a world to Prism (and Prism deserves this btw). But this is something that I can ignore, and it was good that Arsen actually acknowledged this. He said to his father something along the lines “I know it's fast, but this is how I feel about him”. I really liked that.

The second thing is pacing, which bothered me a bit more than insta-love. This book has 36 chapters, but the first 31 chapters cover the period of around 3-4 days (I actually took notes). Then there are few time skips in the rest of the chapters. I don't see why the events from these 3-4 days couldn't be set apart a bit more and cover the period of few weeks, for example. It would also feel less insta that way too. But oh well.

Other than that, I loved Arsen and Prism and their story. I love how Prism's mental struggles were portrayed, I find it quite realistic and relatable and I also think that the author has written it with all respect and care. I loved everyone from the elite and how protective they were of Prism. I loved the romance, the swoony moments, protectiveness, possessiveness and caretaking. I absolutely loved the little family that all characters made together. Some things seemed a bit too perfect and unrealistic, but you know what? Sometimes I just crave stuff like this.

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General Notes
-opposites attract, disability, hurt/comfort, hurt/anxious MC, possessive love interest, ptsd(?)...

Intimacy Notes
-Top/bottom/verse: strict; Arsen tops and Prism bottoms.
-Kinks: praise... (been a while since I read it, so I'll add more when I reread it)
-Other: Arsen is OTT possessive and protective of Prism.

I read this as standalone, and I had no problem following the story, but I do feel like it took me a while to grasp what exaactly Coffin Nails is.

At first I thought they were just biker club who earned money in somewhat shady ways and are supposed to take care of each other like a family (this wasn't the case, the rest of the members were really a**holes), but was surprised to find out later in the book that killing is also normal thing for them. I didn't realize it was (supposed to be) that dark.

I enjoyed dynamic between Jed and Ryder in the first half of the book. I loved the angst and pinning. The relationship fell a little short in the second half. I liked how protective Ryder was, and how he always had Jed's back no matter what. How he never was all in for him and never doubted or hesitated despite everything. Their intimate scenes were also hot as heck.

I disliked everything outside that. The whole club, the plot, the ridiculous drama. The bad decisions the club members made that honestly read as very immature, which you wouldn't expect from supposedly dangerous club. The thing with Dana that was so OTT and dramatic. The whole mess with Jess and then Tony at the end. The story ended the way I hoped from the beginning, but this only made the whole thing with Tony even more shitty and unnecessary. Tony was unnecessary.

Also, there was a lot of gasping for some reason (?). Especially Ryder, he'd gasp at everything and it came off so awkward in some scenes. It felt like the word “gasped” was just thrown around a lot even when the dialogue didn't call for it.

Why the heck did Jamie behave that way at the end is beyond me. Even for a college student, that was so ridiculously immature and insensitive. I wanted to smack him. And that sex scene at the end was so damn uncomfortable to read. Screw the “they couldn't help themselves”, how can they not help themselves in a situation like that? Ffs.

However, this was a rather good read, except the few things that bothered me. For example, the comments both Kage and Jamie made about being a “real man”. Kage looking like a real man, eating the food for a real man, sitting sprawled like a real man, showing Jamie “what a real man feels like” etc. It annoyed the heck out of me.

But if I ignore the “real man” bs, Kage was intriguing enough. He's got this rough side of him, but can also be surprisingly gentle and considerate. He's overly (unhealthily) possessive, but also very loyal and gives his all to people he accepts in his life. He's definitely got some red flags, but it got my interest. I want to see just how scary and out of control he can really get.

I don't get why everyone likes Jamie and what's so special about him. I don't get why Kage took interest in him (but I do get why Jamie was fascinated by Kage). He's supposed to be innocent and oblivious, but sometimes he said and did things that made it come across as if he's just fishing for stuff. He was lusting after Kage the whole time, idealizing him, but he showed little concern for him as a person.

When Kage had a panic attack., Jamie wasn't even curious to know what's going, didn't check up on him, didn't ask him about it. Just brushed it off and went back to lusting after him. Even at the very end, when it (supposedly) finally hit him how Kage was feeling, he was still like “please, f*** me”, even though Kage told him he feels like Jamie only wants him in his bedroom, but not in his life.

I just really don't like Jamie.

The tension between them was delicious, but their first kiss was anticlimatic. So much build up to it, so much anticipation, and when it happened, we were just told that Kage doesn't kiss like a girl, his lips are sexy and soft, Jamie says that they are supposed to be doing something work-related, Kage is like “Hmmm... okay!” and then they spend an hour with Jamie showing him his social media presence. Then they go steamy once again, but I was like, what the f? XD

But I am still interested in checking out the second book. I hope it's better than the first one and I hope that Jamie shows some more maturity and tries to put himself in Kage's shoes.

“Who the fuck do you think you belong to if not me?”

Taboo, short, but really sweet and emotional.

I kinda wish it was longer so I could see more of Nathan and Simon, but then again, if the story was longer, the pinning would probably drag out for longer too and I think this was plenty. Nate's desperation and longing was basically palpable, and I just couldn't wait for them to confess to each other.

I loved all the possessiveness, it was hot as heck.

In all honestly, there isn't a book by this author that I've read and haven't loved.

Dear author, please, please, give us Max and Hardin's book. Pretty please.
Also, that “MATEHUB: Search MateHub” photo at the end of each chapter gave me so much trouble, because it's so big and indecent and I had to hide the screen whenever someone was near me (ahaha)...

There, now that I got this out of the way... I loved the characters and this is the most important thing for me. It takes some time to get to know them, as the first half of the book is pretty much focused on steamy scenes, but they have interesting personalities and their interactions were so entertaining. I loved Richard especially, because his character has so much depth; he seems arrogant and cold, but he's so far from that. Like Hunter said, he's the softest softie to ever soft, and is so considerate and caring of others.

This was overall a great read, but I'll admit that my rating jumped from three stars to five stars after around 70% of the book and I'll explain why.

I'd say this was quite a slowburn. Richard and Hunter bond through contract at the beginning, they have sex and there's immediate attraction, but it takes a while for their feelings to develop. Their sex scene are so unbelievably intimate, both steamy and tender, and convey a strong connection between the characters (seriously, one of the best intimate scenes I've read), but my issue at first was that I couldn't feel that connection outside of intimate scenes. Probably because characters were barely talking for the first 15 chapters or so, so you couldn't see chemistry between them. Like, even when they were in the same room, Hunter would be talking with Richard's friends (and I enjoyed these parts so much), but there was barely any interaction between the two of them.

And I thought this is how it's gonna be until the very end and that the connection between them will feel forced, but that wasn't the case, because this issue is addressed when somewhere in chapter 15 Max and Hardin tell Richard to just talk with Hunter, get to know him, see where that goes... From then on, it was all sweet and romantic, them interacting and getting to know each other. It still takes some time (few more chapters) for Hunter to start showing interest in Richard (which is why I say it's a slow burn), but it developed so naturally.

So, lots of pinning from Richard's side for the most of the book. Also, so many things that I was skeptic about at first tied so well at the end. My only complaint is, as mentioned above, that the hottest scenes were so early in the book, while the feelings between characters developed later... But this is not a big deal.

I kinda feel like, for me personally, this was a little complicated first read, but it's going to be amazing reread.

I really liked it.

I actually don't like daddy kink but wanted to give this book a try, but there's no daddy kink until around 80% of the book. And when the daddy kink finally came into play, I can't say I got into it, but I didn't mind it either. I really enjoyed the book.

The book focuses on Logan and his struggles growing up neglected and living in abusive home. There is a lot of Logan's inner monologue, but I didn't dislike that and it helped me connect to him well.

The hurt-comfort was done so well, and Caleb was so damn gentle and good to him. He still remained somewhat of a mystery, but I'm hooked enough to check out the second book to learn more about him. Their relationship was quite realistic too; they're compatible and have chemistry, but there was no insta-love. In fact, this book was literally just the beginning of their relationship.

There were some things that were a little off. Like, it was mentioned that Logan weighs 200 pounds and is all muscles, but he barely had food to eat at home. Like, the only real meal he had was lunch at school (which was described to be quite bad) and other than that, in two or three days he only had half a can of Spaghettios outside of that. It was also mentioned that he'd buy himself cheap food that could last long, like cup ramen and stuff. How do you get big and jacked when eating like that? It was mentioned later on that the coach was roasting him for losing so weight, but honestly, I'm surprised he's not all scrawny. But oh well.

And this was the first time that I've read such a long intimate scene. Like, they “paused” what they were doing a couple of times and there was (again) a lot of Logan's inner monologue, but, like... they basically started it at the end of chapter 16 and finally got it done by the end of chapter 20. I was thinking, did they just drag out their sex scene for 4 chapters, lmao? At some point I was literally like “Come on, just get it over with”.

Still enjoyed the book though.

I DNFed it after finishing 6th chapter (out of 18 chapters).

So, I knew in advance that this was insta-love and that there's no conflict at all in the book, but I wanted to read something fluffy and comforting and with no angst. As for the reason I'm dropping it... In ch6, Avery and Warwick officially meet and interact with each other for the first time. They go out to the park so they can talk in private, Warwick holds Avery's hand (which is sweet) and then this happens:

"In a smooth move, if he did say so himself, Warwick removed his hand from Avery's back and grasped his hand. So what if his fingers brushed across the top of Avery's ass? And from the quick feel he had, it appeared to be a spectacular ass too.The look Avery flashed in his direction let Warwick know Avery was fully aware of what he'd done. At least Avery hadn't tried to punch him. It was a promising start."

I understand some people might not find it a big deal, but personally, I found it really uncomfortable, especially after reading 5 chapters of Avery being pretty much emotionally abused by his father and, well, the rest of his family too. And Warwick was encouraged to do this because he could feel arousal coming from Avery, which was Avery's body reacting to his mate's scent. Like, Avery does find him attractive and his body is reacting, but that isn't the same as giving consent to touch him in that way.

Then Warwick barely heard what his clerk (who was there with them) was telling him because he was, I quote, “busy staring at Avery's ass”. And then they kissed but were interrupted by the clerk who told him that there are children in the park and that some moms are glaring at them. Finally, the chapter ends with Warwick saying “It appears chemistry is not a problem for us.” But because this is insta-love, and this was literally their first interaction, we as readers don't feel that chemistry.

Then I stopped and checked other reviews and saw that the issue with Avery's emotionally abusive father wasn't handled in any way... I can't confirm that since I haven't finished the book, but if that's true, that's disappointing because Alpha Montgomery was an utter ass. Like, threatening to throw your kid out of the pack if they don't marry who you tell them to... Ffs.

The writing and all wasn't really that bad, but I did barely push through few parts with long descriptions that didn't add much or parts where the information that we already knew was repeated. At the end, I just don't think this is my cup of tea.

This was such amazing read, gosh.

Granted, I really wasn't into the whole thing with Zane choosing which guys Ishir will sleep with, but this kinda ends after 30% and we're not forced to read details about Ishir having sex with other people - at least not too much. Like, when they get to the point where Ishir leaves with another (chosen) guy, we were told just a little bit about the first sex scene - and it was very brief - and then we're just told about the next... one or two? I forgot, but that was over quickly, thankfully!

Zane was so damn possessive, and yet so respectful. Don't really know how to describe it - you gotta read it to understand - but even though Zane was so damn possessive and all over Ishir, it was never to the point of restricting Ishir in any way nor getting in the way of his life and friendships and his sexual life. I really love how the possessiveness was handled in this story and I enjoyed their relationship to the max.

That bit of drama at end was dragged out a bit too much for me, considering what was the cause of it, but it's not a big deal. I'm also one of these people that don't enjoy sex scenes in epilogues... And I loved all intimate scenes between Zane and Ishir, but that last one (in the epilogue) wasn't entirely my cup of tea - but again, not a big deal.

And still, I enjoyed every second of it, from the beginning to the end.