Kiraz
F F contemporary romance with humor, lots of steam, sex positivity and many many toys.Cade from New York, who's been pigeonholed to be the “boring accountant” by her family, and the free-spirited ex-artist Selena come together to try to save Cade's aunt's sex toy shop. At the beginning I had some trouble with these two characters, who both seemed a little too one-dimensional. Especially Selena comes across incredibly naïve to the point of feeling unrealistic. But then about a third/half into the book, they both start being more balanced, and multi-faceted. This is also when they start opening up to each other, both on the business side as well as romantically. When the two get together... It's fireworks. They're so good together; supportive, sexy and cute. Even the conflict feels so real. I actually especially related to their conflict, since I almost broke up with my significant other that way at the beginning of our relationship.(We've now been together for almost 9 years)One of my favorite parts of the book was the sex positivity and all the sex toys that were introduced in the steamy scenes. Especially in straight romance books, this is never brought up, or if it is, it's considered to only be important for solo acts. I loved that this book addressed the fact that they can enhance the experience and talked about sex and genitals in a free way, without reservations.I loved the journey this book takes both of the characters through. I love that they realize they're more than who they or others thought they were. And no spoilers, but I loved where they ended up in the end, not tied to expectations of others.One final note is that the book does get a little spiritual at times. Just as a heads up, if this is an issue for you. I had a bit of trouble getting through those parts, but I didn't let that impact my overall experience of the book, or my rating.Overall, even though the beginning of the book was a little rough for me, I really enjoyed it once the romance started and found the sex positivity to be a fresh of breath air.
To Sir, with Love is a modern take on “You've Got Mail” the movie. Gracie is living her late father's dream and running the family business of a champagne shop. She has a very clear picture of the man of her dreams. Could the “Sir” she's been messaging on a dating app be him? Sebastian, a very real man, on the other hand, is trying to take her father's dream away. But she can't deny the immediate attraction she feels towards him. Will she fall in love in with the same men twice over?
Even knowing exactly how this book would go, I still enjoyed it so very much! Could it possibly have been better to not know that this was modeled after You've Got Mail (as some other reviewers mentioned) so you wouldn't know Seb and Sir were the same person? I'm actually not sure. I think knowing it helps with setting the right expectations. You know what you'll be getting when starting the book. But the journey is still incredibly sweet.
The best way to describe this book is: incredibly cute and quite funny. I highlighted so many parts for making me laugh out loud. And was grinning at the cuteness while reading.
I loved how the messages with Sir were interleaved with the chapters. This gave us a good look into their repartee, and at times Sebastian's thoughts as well.
If I had to nitpick, I'd say that I loved Sebbie & Gracie so much, I wish we got more of them together. I would totally be okay with a book that's longer if it meant we'd see more of their adventures.
This short and sweet version stays pretty true to the movie in terms of the flow of plot, while keeping it different enough to make it unique.
In terms of steam the book stays at a 1 out of 3.
To Sir, with Love was a joy to read from beginning to end, I read it in one sitting and it kept me until 4am until I finished it.
Heartbreak Incorporated is a supernatural romance with mystery and occult elements. In the book, Evie starts a new job working for Misha, a mysterious and sexy man whose job it is to break up couples by seducing one of the parties. Soon Evie realizes there might be more to Misha and what he does, while also falling for him.
This was such a great read! It was sexy, fun and hard to put down. This is a book that I would recommend to any paranormal romance reader.
First of all I really liked Misha. I thought he was a very well thought out character that was also enjoyable to read. There's especially something very spoilery about him that I liked, which I thought made him a very unique and cool character. Overall, yes he is a sexy mysterious male lead, but he feels different than other sexy mysterious male leads you read in most other supernatural romances.
I liked how the mystery unfolded. I was generally a few steps ahead of Evie, but actually this time that's a good thing. I liked that there are hints sprinkled along the way, so that the revelations that Evie has about halfway through the book don't come as a surprise to the reader. I enjoyed that I knew Misha's deal before Evie and enjoyed watching her get there.
I also really liked the overall pacing of this book. I read it all in two sittings, No part of it felt too slow or too fast, and considering how many subgenres this book is juggling that is extra impressive.
If I had any nitpicks, it would be that Misha and Evie don't get that much time to be together as a couple. tThey were really delightful (and spicy) to read.
This book ends open ended enough in a way that there could be more books coming afterwards, and if there are, sign me up! I want to read more about Evie and Misha's adventures, and them as a couple.
Thank you to Rebellion Publishing and NetGalley for providing me with an eARC.
I was drawn to How Sweet It Is because of it's cute cover, -which told me this was going to be a cute rom-com, and its premise: a wedding planner (Kate) plans a book release event for a horror book author (Drake). I expected a light, cute & sexy sunshine-grumpy read. And I did get that more or less. But there were a few things that didn't fully do it for me.
There was a good amount that I liked about this book. This is a classic feel good contemporary romance that will put a smile on your face. And I liked the romance, they were pretty cute together, and it got quite sexy at times. My favorite was their first time at the falls, from beginning to end a very romantic, fun and sexy adventure. It made me wish we had a bit more time of them together before the big conflict.
I really liked the plot of the book as well. A horror author, going around doing research and a wedding planner tagging along creates such a good juxtaposition that is immediately endearing. What makes it even better is Drake's side project which makes him a great multi-faceted character.
I also really liked the characters in the book, I especially liked Drake and his family. Drake's brothers were really fun and I'd love to get to know them better. This book was setup in a way that the door is open for one of the brothers and Kate's best friend might have their own book in the future. My least favorite was probably Kate, who seemed to be a woman of contradictions. She kept claiming to not be easily scared, while getting scared of everything, and kept making promises of a classy book release event, while planning a giant mechanical spider coming down the side of a building (though my fiance disagrees and says he'd find it classy), just to name a few.
Now onto what I didn't enjoy as much in this book.
First off, the writing was not really my style. I found it too flowery and overly adjective heavy. Since this is more of a preference thing, I'll give you an example. If the following quote don't bother you, then you should up my rating by at least half a point.
“Kate grinned with delight as the gorgeous red stove ticked several times and whooshed to life, a blue-white flame dancing merrily above the burner.” (tl;dr he turned on the stove)
The other issue I had with the writing was the unnatural/forced exposition. Some examples are, the daughter telling her mother about her work history, which you'd assume the mother would already know about her own daughter. The mother telling her daughter about how the daughter's best friend stayed with them for a year, which you'd expect the daughter to know. Speaking of which the best friend staying with the family comes up at least 3 times in the story, but never seems to have any bearing on it.
Finally, for me, in a romance book, the flirting, the will they won't they, the sexual tension, are the best parts. But in this book, the time where most of that would happen is just basically skipped through. So you see their meet cute, them kind of liking each other, but then all of a sudden it's 2 weeks later and they're much more comfortable around each other and talking about dating, which really comes out of nowhere.
Overall this was a book that was strong on the romance, but not as strong on style. If the author does write more books in this world involving Drake's brothers, I might still read them.
Thank you to Forever publishing and Netgalley for this ARC in exchange for my honest review.
Rating: 4.5
I received an ARC from the author/publisher for free. I am voluntarily posting an honest review.
This was a surprisingly great read for me. I loved it so much! It was a slow burn romance with the perfect romance pace, that was also deliciously steamy! I loved all the characters, they felt nuanced. I really related to Brooks since most of my life I went around claiming I would never marry anyone because I was around bad relationships.
The only issues I had with it was regarding overall pacing. At times it seemed to be moving too fast. Especially the end, after the first ball, I would have wanted more insight to both of the characters' inner thoughts into what was happening, but the resolution to that problem seemed to come too fast.
Also, I don't know if the author is planning this at all, but I would LOVE another book on Rosamund and Robert.
Read this if you're looking for a fluffy historical romance, that might be a little trope-y and historically inaccurate, but definitely very fun, lovely and cute.
Rating: 3.5
I had to read this as soon as I saw it was by Brandon Sanderson. He knows how to write a good fantasy, with great world building, intriguing characters, moral dilemmas and a story that hooks you in.
On a high level, this graphic novel is no different, most of those pieces are still there in this story. It asks interesting questions around hero vs villain, destiny, and goes in unexpected directions.
There were parts that I really enjoyed, especially Feotora and what she does, Nikka and her backstory, the court hearing... Really, most of what happens for most of the book, is pretty good.
On the other hand, I felt a little lost at times in the formal language that didn't flow naturally at all. Because of this, I'm still not sure that I grasped everything. I especially didn't understand what pushed Paul to drink for example. Initially he was so opposed to it, but then the story that convinced him... It felt like that should have convinced him to not drink it at all. I didn't get it. And that was just one of the things where I wasn't fully following the character motivation. But once that happened, the story kind of lost me. It got me back with the court hearing, and I was intrigued enough to want to read the next one, but not enough to think it was a great read overall.
It's also possible that one of the reasons I got lost at times was because the story was missing narrative context. The dense-ness of the story didn't seem to fit that well into a dialogue only format.
Overall, I'm intrigued enough that I'd want to read the next one, and hope that Volume 2 will explain some of the parts that confused me.
I received this book free from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
Instagram review
Overall rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐.7
Report:
Narrative voice: 3rd person past tense, multiple POV
Sexy: 1/3 (this is YA, so minimal kissing)
Romance: 1/3 (the romance is more in the background, unlike what the book blurb implies)
Writing: 2/3
Fantasy: 3/3
World building: 3/3 (a new world with its own politics, culture etc)
Surprising: 3/3 (I was shocked a few times)
Easy to read: 2/3
Will I read the next book? Yes! Can't wait!
TL;DR: Beautiful story filled with good representation and wonderful world building.
Spoiler-free review
Instagram Review
Overall rating: ⭐⭐⭐
(first 70%: ⭐⭐
last 30%: ⭐⭐⭐⭐)
Report:
Narrative voice: 3rd person past tense, multiple POV
Sexy: 3/3 (open door aka explicit sex scenes)
Romance: 2/3 (minimal focus on romance)
Fantasy: 3/3 (high fantasy)
World building: 3/3 (t
Easy to read: 2/3 (for this book this might be more subjective, that's why I chose middleground, it was a 1/3 for me)
Writing: 2/3 (good writing, nothing exceptional)
General thoughts
Will I read the next book? I'm not sure. This one felt like it kiboshed the characters and the heart of the previous ones. In a way that I either have to retroactively hate the previous books, or consider this one not canon. Because of that, I don't know if I can continue reading this series.
Basically, I'm angry at this book. I'm angry at it for so many reasons that I could probably write a 10 page essay on it, but here goes...
Instagram Review
Overall rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐.5
Report:
Narrative voice: 1st person past tense, single POV
Sexy: 3/3 (open door aka explicit sex scenes)
Romance: 3/3 (most of the focus on romance)
Funny: 1/3 (was funny at times but handled serious topics)
Easy to read: 3/3 (read in one sitting)
Writing: 2/3 (good writing, nothing exceptional)
CW: domestic abuse
TL;DR: This was a beautiful read with a great romance that handled real issues very well.
Overall rating: ⭐⭐⭐.7
Instagram Review
Report:
Narrative voice: 3rd person past tense
Trope: dating in secret, opposites attract
Sexy: 2.5/3 (somewhere between open and closed door, doesn't get too explicit)
Romance: 3/3 (purely focused on the romance)
Funny: 2/3 (never haha funny, but not sad either)
Easy to read: 3/3 (fast and sweet)
Writing: 2/3 (nothing exceptional, but not bad)
General thoughts:
The thing is, I had to dig deep to find stuff to say about this book, it wasn't amazing, but it definitely wasn't bad. It's a fine and cute romance read that lacks the oomph to make it a great one.
I'm more than halfway into this book and it is still so terrible. I've read a bunch of R.S. Grey's books and really liked them but this is such a major disappointment. This might end up being the book I give up on after already being mostly done with it. But I don't know if I can take hearing another word from the jerk who's supposed to be the heartthrob we all want the main character to end up with.
Putting aside how messed up the age difference and their living situation is,
First off, the main guy somehow goes from being a a super nice guy to a complete controling possessive rude asshole within a span of ten years and we're supposed to still like him?
The main girl stays exactly the same in her behavior and approach to men from the age of 17 to 27 and that's just... no. So wrong.
The best friend is more like a frenemy always being selfish or leading her down the completely wrong path.
The only redeeming characters are the parents and the guy the main girl passes to be with the weird asshole.
I definitely don't buy their chemistry (after the ten years) and I keep trying to give it a chance to see if it'll get better but instead it keeps getting worse and worse and WORSE.
I think this is a book that everyone who is interested in romance should read. Is it the best written book? No. It has a few issues like repetitions and some imbalances. However, it was a book that truly taught me more about my relationship and even myself. It had a lot of interesting ideas and facts. I can easily say that it changed the way I see a few things in my life and not every book can accomplish that.
Everyone should read this book.
It definitely has it's flaws and they aren't few. The author tries to criticize Islam by comparing fanatic Muslims to ordinary Christians/Jews. The oppression she talks about is definitely all there in Muslim religion but to say it is non-existent in other religions is just untrue. As she states in her book, the religious texts are about interpretation and she happens to experience the people who interpret one literally and the other more figuratively. There are countries and people who practice Christianity or Judaism with as much passion as the Muslims in her life and she could just as easily see some of the same problems within those religions if she were to compare that to a more relaxed view of Islam.
But this book deserves these 5 stars for everything that happens before it becomes more about the politics and the press. She draws a very vivid picture of life with a Muslim upbringing, with severe oppression against women. The picture she draws is definitely not pretty but it makes you question things no matter what your religion is. More importantly, she does a great job of understanding and explaining what oppression does to a person, to a nation. This book is relevant to everyone because it's not just about a family, a country or a religion that perhaps some don't think about in their daily life, but it's also about the people in our lives, friends and family, that are abused behind closed doors.
This was amazing! A beautiful, intriguing cute story, can't wait to see its continuation.
First of all, this is one of the prettiest graphic novels I have ever read. I just absolutely loved the art style.
But also, I loved the story overall. Elle is starting at a new school, making new friends, navigating the social and school life while dealing with the stressors that come with all that. Even putting the other subplots aside, that alone would have been interesting enough. But then other layers come in and it builds up into a good light mystery on top of everything else. It definitely ends abruptly with a cliffhanger, so watch out because you're going to want to read the rest!
Elle's new friends are all awesome, getting a beautiful found family feeling there.
I really liked the representation on dissociative identity disorder. To be clear, I have no personal experience with it and I don't know if the author does, so I can't comment on how well or accurately it was portrayed, but from my limited perspective, it was still respectfully and beautifully done.
This was a great first step to what seems like will be a great, interesting and beautiful story.
I will most definitely be reading the next one, and when/if the physical book comes out in English, I will be buying that one too, so I can have and share the beautiful art.
Thank you to Netgalley and Le Lombard/Europe Comics for the eARC of this title in exchange for an honest review.
In Dust and Grim Molly discovers a brother, Dustin, she never knew she had when her dad passes away. Molly moves in with Dustin until they figure out inheritance details but she soon discovers there's a lot more to this funeral home than one would expect.
A great middle grade read for children and the young at heart, especially for the spooky season! It has lots of monsters, spookiness, silliness and humor while still being heartwarming and it teaches good lessons. I'd recommend it for people who like plot-driven books more than likeable characters.
The plot was fast paced and intriguing. The mystery was set up well and it made you wanna keep reading to figure out what was going on. I was hooked on the adventure they went on especially after the monsters were introduced.
I really enjoyed all the creatures that were in the book. They were cool, unique and fun to read. And I really enjoyed their characters, they truly were one of the biggest highlights for me. As you'll read below, I liked them a lot more than any human in the book
There are very clear lessons in here about family, responsibility, jealousy... I'd think that this part would be great for the younger reader but maybe a bit obvious for the older ones.
Overall, I enjoyed the plot a lot more than characters which is why I really struggled at the beginning of the book. I found the main characters highly unlikeable. Molly is very abrasive and hardened for her age, which, to be fair, makes sense with her background. But then Dustin and Vivacia who are old enough to know better, treat a 13 year old unnecessarily bad. At times it felt like those old movies/books where people would treat kids badly for no reason. Especially considering none of the conflict of the book would have happened if they were just slightly nicer to one another. I can't call it the miscommunication trope, since it was more like no commnunication.
Overall though, I'd think that this would make a great read for the younger audience. The author really created a fun and unique world in this book with some great messages and lessons.
Dream On is about Cass who wakes up from a coma with a full memory of a three month long relationship with Devin. But there is no such relationship. Just as she's ready to move on from the imaginary relationship, she runs into Devin! Is he her dream or, or should he just stay in dreams?
Overall rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐.2
I enjoyed reading this book so much! From the beginning, I didn't want to put this book down. I enjoyed its message, its romance, its characters...
The main conflict of this book is an internal one; do you choose to follow your heart, or do you choose to follow success? Do you stick to your idea of what you should be doing or do you listen to your instincts? This isn't limited to just the romance, but also general direction of life, career and so on.
Even though I don't usually like love triangles because of all the angst and drama it generates, I thought this one was handled very well. And it played very well with the overall message of the book. Plus the romance I was rooting for won out, so definitely can't complain.
A heartwarming opposites-attract romance with great setting, awesome characters, and thoughtful handling of deeper topics. Recommended to romance lovers who like their books to cover more than just the romance.
I love a small town setting! And in this book the town was like another character. I loved that the love interest had such major ties to the town with his family legacy. One of my favorite things about a small town setting is all the side characters and the support of a community. There was also some semi-magical realism with the town interfering with the main relationship.
I really appreciated that the book covered abuse in its different forms; emotional, physical, parental. The book also handled the abuse cycle very well, emphasized the fact that abuse can happen to anyone, and even had some ideas on how to help others around you who might be facing a similar issue.
I loved how even though they were “from two different worlds”, they actually had a lot of similarities. They were both feeling familial pressures of legacy while actually wanting to do something different. They both felt trapped, and needed a push to find a new balance in their lives and prioritize themselves instead of trying to make others happy. Speaking of which, I loved how that pressure was handled as well. The internal struggles Alexis had between not wanting to disappoint her family and following her heart were very authentically handled.
I really loved their romance, and in a lot of ways it reminded me of my own: opposites attract, long distance, one of them a romantic and another logical. I loved how they couldn't stay apart, how much Daniel loved Alexis, and how he slowly helped her put down her walls.
This book also has: A baby goat, a town pigs and an overexcited dog. Need I say more?!
Overall rating: 4.5⭐
Thank you to Forever and NetGalley for the opportunity to read this as an eARC!
The Ballad of Perilous Graves takes place in Nola. Nine of the city's songs have disappeared.In the center of the story are three kids: Perry, Brendy and Peaches, tasked with a quest to find all the stolen songs of the city, and an adult: Casey, a trans man trying to get back someone he lost. All of them are on a magical journey of self-discovery and growth.
This book feels as enchanting and magical as its world. Just like Nola, it has an undefinable character that's hard not to love. The book will take you on a journey where you won't know up from down, real from dream.
The storytelling and world building are masterful, combining hoodoo and fantasy. It's filled with haints, zombies, graffiti that comes to life, p-bodies that get addicted to the high of graffiti, giant rats, and many other creatures and magical beings.
I loved the way the story was told. This book does not hold your hand through the story. In fact it runs ahead of you, not waiting for you to catch up. It requires you to trust the process and wait for things to start clicking into place. I won't lie, there are aspects of the book I'm still confused by at the end, but in general it all comes together beautifully.
The writing illustrates everything in such a vivid manner, its easy to see Nola, its music, its magic, and its people as if it's all playing out in front of you.
The only drawback for me was that I was more into the way the story was told, the characters, and the setting, than the plot itself, which kind of gets buried under the weight of all the other aspects. Combined with the fact that it's a longer and denser read than I was expecting, it felt like a really slow read and I felt like no matter how much I was reading I was making no progress.
This is a book I would recommend anyone who likes fantasies with a strong world, and people looking for something a little different in their books.
Thank you very much to Redhook Books and NetGalley for the eARC!
I'm a Mhairi McFarlane fangirl. I've only read 3 of her books (I really need to get through that backlog) but even in just the first few pages, her writing brings me joy. The humor, the heart, the depth of characters, they just work for me. Just like her other books, once I started reading Mad About You, I just couldn't put it down.
I think Mhairi McFarlane is really fantastic at handling deep emotions. One of the many reasons why her books are easy to connect with and why they feel special. The depth and delicacy with which emotional abuse and gaslighting is handled in this book is really superb. Throughout most of the book Harriet grapples with aspects of her past, her grief of losing her mom, and the terrible exes that took away her confidence.
The romance takes a bit more of a back seat in this book but I still loved Cal, the love interest, and all the deep conversations they have together about themselves, their families and their past. I loved watching their love slowly develop. One thing that slightly annoyed me here was that Harriet made so many snap judgments about Cal and kept keeping him at a distance because of these, even though at the same time, she was coming to realize that her judgement when it comes to reading people wasn't always accurate. Despite this, they were really so cute together, that I was reading the ending with a big silly grin on my face, melting into a puddle. I enjoyed their romance so much, I just really wish there was a lot more of it :D
There were some terrific women friendships in this book (and one bad one). So many great moments of women supporting women and really making a difference in each others' lives.
Overall, just another amazing Mhairi McFarlane book that is superbly written in both form and content.
Overall rating: 4.2⭐