alyssa
“You want me—”“I want. To kill you.”“Small detail—”“No, it's a massive one.”“Okay, fine, but we both know you want to fuck me too.”
[4.3] i knew a cat and mouse game between a hitman and his target would be entertaining but to this extent? i'm fully on board when it comes to this pleasantly unexpected outcome. i had the time of my life with this read in all of its nutty B-action movie glory (legit cackled at some scenes) and steamy bits—what i'd give to see the training montages as Donnie regains a sense of his former self
[2.8] i really enjoyed this author's debut book, so i was excited to add this to my list of holiday reads, but it didn't quite hit the right notes.
Matthew Prince, born with a silver spoon in his mouth, is a tricky character to warm up to with inner thoughts reeking of privilege—understandable considering where he comes from, but his pov carries us throughout the entire book, so it wasn't easy to muster up empathy past his experience with GAD. the hints of character development didn't kick in till too late and failed to bring his redemption arc full circle, plodding along at the same sloth pace as the plot. i was expecting the drama as is par for the course with romcoms, but then it was revealed the parents sacrificed their son's mental health to save their own hide and that crossed the line for me
[3.2] narcoleptic historian x Japanese-American FBI agent. maybe i would've enjoyed this more had i read up on their backstory beforehand since they're basically in a relationship at the start of the book, but their dynamic was cute enough to get a few aww's out of me. Aubrey has his fair share of TSTL moments, which is par for the course with amateur sleuths, but a few had me scratching my head here and there. the Victor Bayne shoutout though - that absolutely made my day
[3.8] not the strongest installment (too many moving parts, not enough depth and climactic action), but there's still nothing better than the escapist fun that comes with reclining back on the couch and relaxing to a cozy mystery on the weekend. i'm most intrigued to see where the plot re: a certain threat is heading, even if it does mirror another of her series
[3.3] a second chance at love for two grieving widowers. i really appreciated the time spent laying down the foundation for more between them via their friendship. admittedly, the somewhat uneventful pacing of daily life would've reached a prominent enough lull around the middle if not for the audiobook, but it was still a sweet story overall.
[4.5] SWEET CHICKEN TENDY MY HEART IS FULL
work this past week has me ready to call it a day....for the rest of my working life (letmeretireearlypls), but this was exactly what the doctor ordered. aside from a handful of side characters that took extra time to get a handle on, i loved every second of this. the pair's soft interactions proved to be the warm, firm hug that the romantic in me desperately needed
[2.9] when a wedding arrangement goes south after the bride goes missing, Ford forces her conman companion River to take her place at the altar.
this is one of those stories with a straightforward plot that i'd randomly pick up in the middle of night when feeling extra self-indulgent. i'll admit there's too much steam for my personal tastes, and the characters are fueled by rather one-dimensional motives, but if you're looking for a no thoughts, head empty read, this could be it :)
I received a complimentary copy of the book from GRR (thank you!), and this is my honest review.
rating for the mm couple only i really had a tough time connecting with the ff couple and their dynamic, and with a substantial chunk of the story allocated to their side of the story, my initial rating didn't want to budge past 3 stars. but then i got to thinking about my love for the mm pairing and decided it'd be enough to put on my blinders and let my rating reflect my enjoyment of their journey specifically. a huge part of me will forever cry over the missed potential though - if only they had been the sole focus of the book sans couple-jumping povs and fragmented plot lines
i've only read [b:Crybaby 56850248 Crybaby Marina Vivancos https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1611692934l/56850248.SY75.jpg 88867973] by this author previously, but now i'm wondering why i haven't checked out more of her work because my heart is once again feeling awfully warm & toasty right now
[4.25] ever since we were first introduced to Owen in Total Creative Control, i vowed to swoop in and snap him up if nobody claimed him by the end of this year. much to my chagrin, he is a taken man now, but since this story was such a pleasure, i won't complain too much..... (but you are more than welcome to introduce any similar Owens out there to me, thanks in advance