Melody

for a novella, it dragged a lot. it was still a cute read! 

i wouldn't categorize this as romance, it's way too heavy. definitely more women's fiction. 

i can't properly rate this because i keep comparing it to kate daniels and it pales in comparison. it's not bad, but not really up my alley? i might continue once i run out of audiobooks lol

this was so boring? the beginning was promising, but then it devolved into nonsense because of leona's stupidity. i think this would have been more enjoyable if i hadn't already read nino's book. this one pales in comparison. i didn't care for leona when she was mentioned in the next book and now i know why. fabiano really deserved a stronger woman to risk it all for. 

it was decent all the way until the brutal, unnecessary rape and the poor handling of the aftermath. i definitely won't be continuing this series.

i really hated the additional audio effects in this one, but can definitely see how they would add to the enjoyment of others.

this started off so well and then quickly went downhill. the book moved too slowly and the characters were far too unlikable.

3.5 stars

i definitely should have given up on this, it was not worth the suffering

this was so so so boring. the gruesome murders seemed over the top and unnecessary. i don't have a problem with brutal murders, but these just felt like they were used to make the story more interesting and it failed spectacularly at that. ericksen's narration really bothered me this time around and made peabody seem SO ANNOYING. i think i need a break from the series or maybe just from the audiobooks

really didn't enjoy this one :( something about how eve interacted with mavis regarding the case rubbed me the wrong way

this was so boring compared to the first one :(

can't wait to get back to tori. robin just isn't for me. even zylas couldn't save this book.

2.5 stars? not a fan of the trope, so this was my own fault

not sure if i'm burnt out on this series or if this one was just not for me, i couldn't bring myself to care about any of the characters

this was so boring. none of the twists helped. the characters were bland and i couldn't muster up a ounce of feeling for them

i need to accept that books written in verse just don't work for me :(

this was just bad. however, i like the side characters enough to read any possible stories from them. i just never want to read from the perspective of the two idiot main characters ever again or even hear about them

i would have given up on the book if not for the female friendships

i spent the second half of the book nonstop crying, i loved it

i wish we had gotten a bit more from the ending but still loved it overall!

the content in this book made me extremely uncomfortable and i almost DNF'd it a few times. i ended up skimming through some parts and was reinvested by the last quarter and let down by the ending. the world continues to interest me, but i can no longer stand the dynamic mac and barron have. however there's only one book left in mac's story, so on to the next one i go. hopefully the story redeems itself (i doubt it will tho)

i imagine this book would be much better as a reread.

this was a struggle? i spent so much of the book confused, either from the world building or the magic or the descriptive writing style that failed to explain anything. nothing happens until the last 20% and there was basically no lead up to it. it was just introduced in that 20% and we had that long to resolve. i am still just as confused after finishing the book as i am when i started it. it ends with a. cliffhanger but it's doesn't feel like one at all to me. i don't know if that's bc i don't care about the characters or if my confusion is hindering my understanding of the plot. also, i feel like it took me so long to realize hessa died, even though i had that spoiled for me. only once it was said on page did i even understand that scene.

honestly it was a boring mess and yet i'm still going to read the sequel.


also sorry this review is a mess, i'm writing it while falling asleep... i should come back to it in the morning

switched from the audio to the ebook and it didn't help at all. this was just bad and boring with barely any christmas atmosphere. such a disappointment.

tessa dare's was the best. i couldn't even get through the second one. the third one was better, but somehow the duke's actions made me feel icky. i wanted to castrate the “hero” in the fourth one. what an asshole.

this anthology was a waste of time. i'm staying away from historical romance for a while or at the very least, i'm done with stories about dukes.

i really enjoyed this! i don't think it should be be marketed as a light christmas read though. most of it is, but it does tackle some darker topics that people might not be looking for when hoping for a cute holiday romp. still very fun overall and i'm looking forward to more from this author!