Mimi

I liked this book OK.

The love story was really cute and not dark at all compared to other Sam Mariano books. The FMC is a naïve positive ray of sunshine. The hitman MMC starts off with good intentions but almost immediately after decides the FMC is his, slowly coaxes her to his car while activating a jammer so she can't call her ex and kidnaps her because he knows that even he would be a better boyfriend to her than Brady. When the MMC explains his plans that he wants her to act as his fake boyfriend, the FMC is so sweet she's instantly onboard and agrees to help him out. The FMC's excitement over the old towns and various shops was so endearing to me. And the way they were even talking about their future kids and future marriage despite the fake relationship was adorable too.

All the smut between them was good, especially the dubious consent scene.

I initially didn't put it together this book was linked to the Morelli series even when Jasper called Adrian but when the book mentioned Mrs Morelli omg, I almost squealed with joy. I loved Mia and Mateo and just had to go back to reread their scenes together - of course skipping everything with Meg in it.

What led this book down was the plot and pacing. The pacing at times felt slow. And I disliked the third act breakup - it felt so out of place and unnecessary. I also don't buy that Mateo would allow Jasper to move them into his mansion. He can't exactly let every single one of his staff members stay in the house. Every single one of his staff members would love Mateo's level of protection to protect themselves and their family members but it's not feasible.

The jump to the epilogue also felt really sudden. There wasn't a breeding kink scene but at the very least, a proposal scene, marriage scene or even a pregnancy test in between would have been nice.

I was looking for a spicy read but there were so many references to the FMC being plus-sized and chubby that it became distracting to me. Sex in the public bathroom scenes also give me the ick. DNF 67%

I already had the heads up that this book was essentially a rewrite of the first book but from Casteel's POV so I intentionally took a break from the series before reading this one. And oh my gosh, I completely forgot how much I love Casteel, Poppy and their love. Casteel's possessiveness and protectiveness of Poppy, how rebellious Poppy is and I had heart eyes reading about how adorable Casteel finds Poppy and how attracted he is to her violence... actually, just how attracted he is to her all the time. And he just loses his mind any time she puts herself in danger or if anyone tries to hurt or insult her. Poppy's love for cheese was cute and Kieran/Casteel noticing and offering their cheese portion made it even cuter.

Jennifer Armentrout really knows how to write romance. I loved every single scene of them together. The chemistry, banter, romantic scenes, blood drinking and smut were so good.

I'm not a fan of the action plot so much anymore since I felt the plot started to drag from the War of Two Queens and I do hate the forced pairing of Malik and Millicent, so I didn't mind that the plot didn't progress and really enjoyed that 90% of this book was just pure romance between Poppy and Casteel.

I would definitely be down to read the second book or even the third book in Casteel's POV

I'm not a fan of this writing style unfortunately. To me, it read choppy and I didn't feel like there was any plot, romance, chemistry or sexual tension. There is closed door smut but it didn't feel spicy either. I was pretty tempted to DNF but skimmed through because it was short. I probably should have DNF though.

Almost pure smut but the smut was forbidden and spicy.

We saw hints of breeding kink so I was disappointed we didn’t get an epilogue with kids or pregnancy. I was also a bit weirded about the mum being OK with everything and am confused how she fits in the picture now

I probably should have DNF. I liked the start of the book: cold mafia MMC sees fmc and adopts her as a stray, spoils her and touch-her-and-die. There is age gap dynamics and the FMC is naive. Initially FMC thinks she'll be only staying with MMC temporarily but she loves being taken care of and then stops thinking about leaving.

It's when the romance became official after the FMC's birthday and the book started to bore me and it never recaptured my interest. Smut didn't feel spicy and I didn't really care or feel engaged about the romance or plot

The MMC was slightly controlling but wasn't dark at all, unless you count mafia drama.

The daddy kink in this book didn't do anything for me.

I was worried about the third act breakup but the miscommunication didn't last too long. The last epilogue was perfect though with the MMC still hating the FMC's father

This was actually so good omg. How naive and pure the FMC was, how manipulative the MMC - the lengths he went to and the extent of his planning left me in awe, his absolute refusal to let the FMC go, the FMC falling into his trap and the reveal of his engagement? My heart broke for Zoe even more, especially after everything she faced with Sylvia and the design school

I love how despite how sweet and in love with Maxime she was, she has enough self disrespect to leave him. Her whole escape left me on edge the entire time.

I can't wait to see Maxime go absolutely ballistic that he's lost her. I wonder how long she'll be able to escape and run for. Any chance she'll be secretly pregnant as well?

2.5 stars. Wow. I've read erotic horror and this was genuinely erotic horror. Kitty King is an incredible writer, especially their smut.

The only reason why I couldn't rate this higher is the horror was way too much for me.

The blood and phlegm the FMC was forced to swallow, the cutting of her tongue, forcing her to urinate on herself was way too much for me

The ending was prefect for the book

Another book that is short, abrupt and reads as finished. They're so short that I can't even tell you what they're about.

Even there is one smut scene in this, not much really happened in this book. I enjoyed this less than the last one

Cruel rich male lead holds female lead captive.

This book is OK. I'm interested in the dynamics between the leads enough to continue with the next book and I felt like things actually happened in this book - there was a bit more spice, the female lead was starting to develop feelings for the male lead under his manipulation and there was a bit more plot.

However, at this stage I no longer root for the leads together. Part of me wanted the female lead to jump into the ocean if anything to escape him because he doesn't deserve her. I can't believe he was having sex with his receptionist and had brought her into his office, the place the female lead was forbidden to go. I wasn't devastated because I can't say I was that attached to either of the leads or their relationship but it is gross that he'd do that, hide it from the female lead and do it without a condom.

The short length of the books still destroys any momentum it builds. It just annoyingly reads unfinished. The whole ‘reason why the MMC kidnaps the FMC' being hidden also feels like it's being unnecessarily dragged out. We're 4 books in and still nothing.

This was really good for the first half - male lead kidnaps the female lead because he’s too obsessed. But after the first half, when the female lead breaks and she’s called “Toy”, the degradation became too much and their dynamics became boring. The male lead had lost control of the female lead and his world was falling apart around him. It felt like the male lead lost all of his charisma.

I probably should have DNF at this point but I figured I was more than half way through the book, may as well keep going but I ended up skimming from 75% because it wasn’t holding my interest and I didn’t care about either of the leads anymore. Elizabeth added nothing to the plot and was just unnecessary.

The book became more plot-focused as well and I hated the plot. Instead of being blown away by the plot twist, I felt it was cliche.

I almost thought of rating this a 3 because of how engaging the book was. However, the initial chapters, while hooked me, giving me a taster of what's to happen, confused me with the time jumps. The events in the prologue never even happen in this book. In fact, nothing really happens in this book. The male lead doesn't even make an appearance in present day.

This book was OK. A lot more happened in this book than the last one but it was still unsatisfying too short and abrupt. It felt like an incomplete book and I really wish the author merged the whole series into one book instead.

The male lead has finally made an appearance. He's cruel, physically abusive and in control. There is a non con scene between the leads but it's brief - not detailed or spicy.

It had promise but I didn't like this book overall unfortunately. It was engaging straight from the start, wasn't slow at all.

A unhinged and obsessed male lead had kidnapped the female lead, deluded he was protecting and taking care of the female lead and all he needed was some quality time together. There was also good body betrayal by the female lead and a period in the book where the female lead found the male lead to be both her tormentor and biggest comfort, which is a trope I dig.

The ending with the male lead's mother being a good person and the male lead having an episode when he deluded himself into thinking the female lead asked to be crippled was unpredictable and while messed up, I think was a good fit for the book.

What this book lacked was relationship building between Poppy and Cillian. The book was short but also because the plot points were choppy, not developed enough or had holes. I still don't understand why Cillian had to wear the mask the whole time. When he revealed himself, nothing special really happened. The author didn't expand on how close the leads were in the past and how the female lead felt upon realising her captor was her old childhood friend, which made it seem pointless.

There was an arc where the male lead tattooed the female lead but it happened and wasn't expanded on. He didn't admire it or explain why it meant a lot to him for her to get it.

I also found it out of character of the male lead to give the female lead a knife to kill him, given he stated he'd kill the female lead to take her with him if he were to die.

I'm really struggling to rate this 2.5 stars as “just OK” or 3 stars as “I liked this book”. The ending though was so good

I loved the romance development between Caius and Romy. I really liked the smut where Caius can't get enough of her and his jealousy over other guys salivating over her or his brother getting close to her.

The book could have been more spicier and I didn't quite like that this is another bad guy turns out of to be good stories. But I liked the relationship between Caius and Romy enough to move past this, especially with how unpredictable, engaging and intriguing (while being totally messed up) the plot is. Although there was a brief moment when Caius was fighting his attraction to Romy where I felt really bad for him and stopped rooting for him. But he redeemed himself later on.

The plot... where do I even start? I did not expect it to go in that direction. So many unexpected plot points, Bastian turning out to be a bad guy, Megan being able to escape, Theo betraying Romy, Calista not being Caius's sister at all and I probably would have stopped reading the rest of the series because I kept rooting for Caius to save Romy but he gave up on her and she went through surgery BUT that ending!!!

Omg. She got married??? And she's completely brainwashed. I figured it wasn't to Caius and I thought maybe to Theo? But no, it was to Seth!!! And she's pregnant??? A big part of me is hoping the baby is Caius's but surely that unlikely? Seth wouldn't like that would he?

This was so good for the first 67% and I just could not put it down. It was a solid 4 stars and hit a “maybe-reread” reread rating. Age gap dark romance with a bad guy mafia MMC who on the outside is charming, generous, handsome but to the female lead shows his obsessive and dark side. He’s jealous, ruthless and doesn’t make empty threats. There is abuse and non con. The FMC initially is enamoured with him but when forced in captivity and forced to marry him, becomes utterly terrified of him. Time jumps can disrupt flow in a lot of books but it was well written and done well in this book.

What ruined the book was the male lead’s tragic backstory. I didn’t mind the male lead softening towards the female lead but the tragic backstory of how the male lead came to be how he is seemed like a forced attempt justify him to make him a good guy. It would have worked better if he was just a bad guy who showed his worst side because how obsessed he was. The male lead became too soft to the female lead as well. He suddenly became scared of her and while I didn’t mind him softening, that was too much and seemed out of character

It completely changed this story to a just OK rating and I wouldn’t reread this book.

I read this, finished it but I didn't see any romance or chemistry between the leads and didn't like the book. I hesitate to even call the MMC the lead because he wasn't even in more than half the book - just the start and the end of it.

This book was big on degradation, and while I do read books with this kink, it was too much for me. Choking, piercing, cum in dog bowl as food isn't for me.

I wouldn't say this is a smutty book and the smut in it I didn't find spicy.

Lilah Raine's writing has really improved and I'm so happy to see it.

I've tried a few of her books but I could never finish it as I thought the writing wasn't great.

The writing quality of this one is what I'm talking about. I hope she keeps this up. There were a few typos I wish weren't in there but it was a small number so I was able to move past this.

This book had so many tropes I absolutely love in a dark romance, MMC so obsessed with FMC he stalks her, plants surveillance, tampers with her birth control, touch her and die, the breeding kink, spit kink, cockwarming, loves seeing her pregnant with his baby and lactation kink.

I'm not a fan of blood play but there wasn't much of it so it didn't bother me.

I did like both the female and male lead. The female lead was sweet, naive and while normally I don't like stories where the FMC pursues the MMC, I did think it worked quite well. The male lead is obsessed with the FMC but surprisingly a cinnamon roll. He isn't really dark or manipulative apart from the birth control tampering and stalking. He's very respectful of the FMC's comfort.

I do tend to prefer my dark romances slightly darker. Despite how much the MMC liked the FMC he was going to stalk the FMC in the background forever. If it weren't for the FMC taking initiative, they would never have ended up together. He would not have manipulated the circumstances or forced the FMC.

The plot twist with the FMC's best friend took me off guard in a good way. It wasn't a strong plot line but I didn't see it coming.

I also wish we got to see the main couple with their babies but perhaps this is in the epilogue

I did really like this - age gap forbidden romance between a virgin heroine and her boyfriend's father, who schemes behind the scenes to move her in with him. I do wish the book was darker, the manipulation was so good but the FMC readily accepted it when confessed. There was a bit of smut but there wasn't a lot and not the most spicy.

I did like the breeding kink, mistaken identity, the MMC unable to resist going after the FMC into the club and birth control tampering but again, the FMC was very accepting of it so a bit anticlimactic as well. We also missed out on seeing much about the pregnancy despite the breeding kink

The ending felt anticlimactic as well. The meeting of FMC's mother bored me and felt unnecessary

This book is a twin MMCs/step sister FMC fic and it had a lot of tropes I read: breeding kink, obsessed MMC who kills anyone who touches the FMC, spit in mouth, forbidden romance. But the writing and dialogue felt like it wasn't flowing smoothly, the POV changes didn't work well and I found I wasn't really connecting with any of the characters, didn't care about them and wasn't feeling the chemistry.

The smut didn't feel spicy and the ending abrupt. No pregnancy in this book and though it was mentioned once, no lactation kink. The plot felt flawed, half-baked and disjointed. Eg the hunt sounded significant but nothing really happened, I still don't get why Sinkler hated Harper while supposedly being obsessed with her - I don't buy waiting for the hunt as the reason, it made no sense. It was a bit of everything where nothing was properly explored

It had potential but the writing wasn't great. It was all telling, no showing, descriptive language or even much dialogue.

It was an OK read. I do love reading spicy books but this book was full of spanking as opposed to smut. There is sharing but only for spanking. Essentially if spanking is your thing, you'd love this book.

For me, this book was actually rather slow and I found myself getting bored of the repetitive maintenance week spankings. I was interested in Lacey and Hunter's attraction to each other and the move to White Valley but took more than half the book to get to these plot points.

I wouldn't reread this one but I'm curious enough to see what White Valley is like.

I really liked the first half of this book. An unhinged male lead obsessed with the female lead he's secretly been stalking her for years, killing any men who hurt her including his brother. To the female lead, the male lead is her best friend and just the nicest guy. Secretly the male lead has already claimed her as his and is just waiting for all his scheming to pan out.

I was hooked on the first half but the second half lost me. I was bored from when the female lead and the male lead's friendship started breaking down. The male lead's niece suddenly became a huge plot point. I don't get why everyone just expected the female lead to be OK with her when she is the evidence of her fiancé cheating on her. I didn't like the whole Alicia plot and I didn't like her, especially the role she played in the end.

I also wish the male lead's schemes were kept hidden from the female lead and she never found out about any of it. I hated everything that happened from it. It instantly just dropped from 3-4 to 1-2 stars.

The non HEA ending was definitely 1 star. I would have liked the non HEA to be the two leads together though the female lead would be reluctant. Whatever that was just destroyed any positive feelings I still had about the book.

The HEA was a little better but again, I hated the direction of it, Alicia's role and the ending just felt like forced advertisement for the next book

I really wanted to like this one but this is more plot-heavy that the previous books and from 50%, the plot really fell apart with all the plot holes that didn't make sense and I just wanted to DNF. This is disappointing after I really enjoying the plot in the previous two books

While I was glad for the leads Romy's baby was Caius's, it doesn't make sense. Seth would definitely have aborted any baby that wasn't his to bind Romy to him and I'm confused why it isn't a possibility the baby was Seth's. That would have been more likely.

The brainwashing of Romy just seemed to stop working full stop in this book. Again, makes no sense that she just suddenly develops full resistance to something that was working for 6 months. It would have been more realistic if she had bouts again that she was in love with Seth. And while it suits the narrative that Seth is a disgusting pig, I find it hard to believe he wasn't obsessed with Romy that he'd shower her with affection and show her his best self, instead of not showering and treating her like his maid.

Theo also made no sense in this book. He gained nothing from betraying Romy. Initially I thought he did it to gain Romy as his wife but it looks like there was no motivation for his betrayal of Romy, apart from wanting to please his dad. It just doesn't make sense. He didn't even have a night with Romy after drugging her despite how much he liked her and handed her over to be Seth's wife. And even if fear of his dad was the motivator, why would he defect to Caius's side? Again, made no sense.

What really made no sense was the biker gang arc. It was so unrealistic Caius would run into a biker gang. Even less likely for him to run into a biker gang that would be willing to risk their lives, travel to another state to take down a human trafficking operation. Supposedly Caius was trained by the beat of the best hackers to learn the tech skills he has. However, in this book, we have an obscure biker gang that has tech skills that can disable the brain washing tech, which Caius the developer couldn't even deactivate, find Lulu's family despite her records being wiped by CUPS (even Caius couldn't find information on Lulu or Romy with his tech skills) and find this elusive psychological facility (which again would have been hidden as government classified information).

The plot really just fell apart after the introduction of the biker gang. What didn't help was how unrealistic it was that Vivienne would come out and help them, the biker gang being able to circulate information that dismantles the operation on social media despite how powerful Giden, Huxley and Orion and easily the trio are overpowered and killed/detained (they're rich and powerful, where's their security detail?!!)

There was so little romantic scenes or smut that even that couldn't carry the book with the plot holes. The MMC is pure good as opposed to morally grey like the trigger warnings said - that didn't lead to me rating it low though

I also thought the coupling of Lulu and Nees at the end felt forced and unnecessary

I love second chances but I really wanted DNF this book. It didn't hold my interest from the start. I only continued because it's an Emily Henry book.

There was some chemistry between the leads but I didn't care about either of the leads or any of the side characters. I really didn't like the plot from start to finish and the writing couldn't hook me at all. I found myself skimming all the way. The ending especially was disappointing - the female leads abandons her career to move in with her ex. It's framed as if she did it because she discovered she hated her job and discovered her lifelong passion for pottery.

Firstly, we commenced the book reading about how the female lead enjoyed even the menial aspects of her work at the hospital. She got along great with her coworkers. And pottery was only ever pursued as a relaxing hobby, she has never monetized it before.

Unless she's rich, the two leads are going to be stuck in the same situation as previously but reversed in Montana. She'll be stuck with a minimum wage job while her ex has a satisfying career. This seems like they're repeating the same mistakes as the past.