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806 reviews
That Time I Got Drunk And Yeeted A Love Potion At A Werewolf by Kimberly Lemming
funny
lighthearted
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
Content Warnings
Moderate: Sexual content
Minor: Violence and Kidnapping
The End of the World by Drake LaMarque
emotional
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
4⭐️ 2🌶️
MOOD: emotional, reflective
TROPES: GENRES: contemporary, fantasy, lgbtq romance
MAIN CHARACTERS: Ash Harrison and Hallow of the Lonely Forest
TAROT CARD: The World
THE GOOD: This is a fairly quick read. It does cover some heavy concepts but it's not a dark book. Ash and Hallow balance each other is a really interesting way. This is the second book in this series, that I've read, where a family is involved instead of just the two main characters.
THE NEUTRAL: Out of the books I've read in this series, cause I haven't read all of this, this one felt the most reflective as opposed to having an external antagonist driving the conflict.
THE MEH: I don't want to spoil anything but the family dynamics leave much to be desired - and I guess that was the point - but especially towards the end when certain familiar traits are revealed. I also got a little lost towards the end when literal missing pieces were being filled in.
CW: sexual content, violence, death
DISCLAIMER: I received an advance review copy. This is my honest review.
MOOD: emotional, reflective
TROPES: GENRES: contemporary, fantasy, lgbtq romance
MAIN CHARACTERS: Ash Harrison and Hallow of the Lonely Forest
TAROT CARD: The World
THE GOOD: This is a fairly quick read. It does cover some heavy concepts but it's not a dark book. Ash and Hallow balance each other is a really interesting way. This is the second book in this series, that I've read, where a family is involved instead of just the two main characters.
THE NEUTRAL: Out of the books I've read in this series, cause I haven't read all of this, this one felt the most reflective as opposed to having an external antagonist driving the conflict.
THE MEH: I don't want to spoil anything but the family dynamics leave much to be desired - and I guess that was the point - but especially towards the end when certain familiar traits are revealed. I also got a little lost towards the end when literal missing pieces were being filled in.
CW: sexual content, violence, death
DISCLAIMER: I received an advance review copy. This is my honest review.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Sexual content
Minor: Violence and Death of parent
A Highland Gargoyle's Lucky Star by Chloe Archer
emotional
funny
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
4⭐️ 2🌶️
MOOD: lighthearted, funny, emotional
TROPES: fated mated,
GENRES: contemporary, fantasy, lgbtq+
MAIN CHARACTERS: Noah Price and Elryk Darkwing
TAROT CARD: The Star
THE GOOD: This is a super cute story revolving luck, or the lack of it, and a Scottish gargoyle - how could you not want to read that? The luck angle was super interesting and since I'm someone who does enjoy magical things like ley lines and Loch Ness, those aspects of the story were enjoyable too. As always, Chloe Archer knows how to write a low angst, cozy monster romance.
THE NEUTRAL: Not so much MEH but I guess a heads up - this is a spinoff from Chloe's Monsters Hollow universe, which is mentioned in the preface materials, with a repeat overall villain and some of the Main characters are mentioned. I did notice a name switch - Elryk is called Vash (another Darkwing gargoyle and MC of The Gargoyle and the Romance Writer) at one point but I'm hoping that was fixed before wide release and that didn't affect my rating but if you hadn't read the Monster's Hollow you wouldn't know who that was
THE MEH: I got stuck at like 80% (around Chapter 17) and just didn't have the desire to finish. The final battle was worth it but for a shorter story I did kind of have to force myself to read a few chapters to get there.
CW: sexual content, violence, attempted kidnapping
DISCLAIMER: I received an advance review copy. This is my honest review.
MOOD: lighthearted, funny, emotional
TROPES: fated mated,
GENRES: contemporary, fantasy, lgbtq+
MAIN CHARACTERS: Noah Price and Elryk Darkwing
TAROT CARD: The Star
THE GOOD: This is a super cute story revolving luck, or the lack of it, and a Scottish gargoyle - how could you not want to read that? The luck angle was super interesting and since I'm someone who does enjoy magical things like ley lines and Loch Ness, those aspects of the story were enjoyable too. As always, Chloe Archer knows how to write a low angst, cozy monster romance.
THE NEUTRAL: Not so much MEH but I guess a heads up - this is a spinoff from Chloe's Monsters Hollow universe, which is mentioned in the preface materials, with a repeat overall villain and some of the Main characters are mentioned. I did notice a name switch - Elryk is called Vash (another Darkwing gargoyle and MC of The Gargoyle and the Romance Writer) at one point but I'm hoping that was fixed before wide release and that didn't affect my rating but if you hadn't read the Monster's Hollow you wouldn't know who that was
THE MEH: I got stuck at like 80% (around Chapter 17) and just didn't have the desire to finish. The final battle was worth it but for a shorter story I did kind of have to force myself to read a few chapters to get there.
CW: sexual content, violence, attempted kidnapping
DISCLAIMER: I received an advance review copy. This is my honest review.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Sexual content
Minor: Violence
Honey Sunshine by Gen Blackwell
lighthearted
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
4⭐️ 2🌶️
MOOD: lighthearted
TROPES: age gap, office romance, fake dating
GENRES: contemporary, lgtbq+
FAV QUOTE: "To think, you'd also be investing in love! Tell me more! I bet the meeting was a cute-meet."
MAIN CHARACTERS: Zach Bower, Harvey Cooper
THE GOOD: This is a quick, low angst read. Zach and Harvey pretend to be each others' boyfriends at different times to fool different people but they're only fooling themselves if they think they're feelings aren't real.
THE NEUTRAL: It's called the Bower Brothers series but Zach's brother is introduced super late and it's a short story so that felt a little jaring/unnecessary. It probably should have at least come up that he had a brother - I don't think it did, he just talks about his friend Alex not his brother Austin (two A names is also not ideal in such a short story).
THE MEH: There is a line, during the sex scene that mentions the nickname of Honey and nectar and it didn't break my suspension of disbelief but it was also an odd line. It felt like a mixed metaphor - maybe a flower or a bee was needed, I don't know.
CW: sexual content
DISCLAIMER: I received an advance review copy. This is my honest review.
MOOD: lighthearted
TROPES: age gap, office romance, fake dating
GENRES: contemporary, lgtbq+
FAV QUOTE: "To think, you'd also be investing in love! Tell me more! I bet the meeting was a cute-meet."
MAIN CHARACTERS: Zach Bower, Harvey Cooper
THE GOOD: This is a quick, low angst read. Zach and Harvey pretend to be each others' boyfriends at different times to fool different people but they're only fooling themselves if they think they're feelings aren't real.
THE NEUTRAL: It's called the Bower Brothers series but Zach's brother is introduced super late and it's a short story so that felt a little jaring/unnecessary. It probably should have at least come up that he had a brother - I don't think it did, he just talks about his friend Alex not his brother Austin (two A names is also not ideal in such a short story).
THE MEH: There is a line, during the sex scene that mentions the nickname of Honey and nectar and it didn't break my suspension of disbelief but it was also an odd line. It felt like a mixed metaphor - maybe a flower or a bee was needed, I don't know.
CW: sexual content
DISCLAIMER: I received an advance review copy. This is my honest review.
Content Warnings
Minor: Sexual content
The Crimson Wolf by G.M. Fairy
adventurous
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
2.0
2⭐️ 2🌶️
MOOD: adventurous, tense
GENRES: Fairytale Retelling, contemporary
MAIN CHARACTERS: Mildred "Red" Hoodson, Jack Lumberton, Cameron Badson
My gut reaction when I read the characters' last names was, WTH, and I probably should have listened to that reaction and not read the rest of the book (Cameron's sister is named Carmen - that feels lazy, pick another name with different letters). Red is the worst journalist character I've ever read and that broke a lot of my suspension of disbelief - in a story about werewolves. The first half, when Red gets home and talks to Jack was hard to read because she was stuck in their high school past and it's coloring how she views the town. There is also a lot of back and forth where she just listens to whatever someone tells her - thus the bad journalist comment.
I had to go back and look at the description for this book cause there are tropes/themes I don't do - like Love Triangles. Towards the end, there were more mistakes popping up that became harder to overlook - like a character not wearing jeans but then someone opening their jeans - stuff that should have been caught in editing or a beta read.
It was a struggle to finish and it's sad cause there was a really interesting plot in there about the Blood Moon and the Wolves and the Hunters but everything involving Red was difficult to read.
CW: death, death of parents, violence, blood, sexual content, threatened sexual assault
DISCLAIMER: I received an advance review copy. This is my honest review.
POSSIBLE SPOILER:
The first sex scene is horrible because it is beyond mediocre, there is no indication that Red finishes but she acts like it's amazing. I really hope that was done on purpose for that MMC's character but given the rest of the writing, I don't know what to think.
MOOD: adventurous, tense
GENRES: Fairytale Retelling, contemporary
MAIN CHARACTERS: Mildred "Red" Hoodson, Jack Lumberton, Cameron Badson
My gut reaction when I read the characters' last names was, WTH, and I probably should have listened to that reaction and not read the rest of the book (Cameron's sister is named Carmen - that feels lazy, pick another name with different letters). Red is the worst journalist character I've ever read and that broke a lot of my suspension of disbelief - in a story about werewolves. The first half, when Red gets home and talks to Jack was hard to read because she was stuck in their high school past and it's coloring how she views the town. There is also a lot of back and forth where she just listens to whatever someone tells her - thus the bad journalist comment.
I had to go back and look at the description for this book cause there are tropes/themes I don't do - like Love Triangles. Towards the end, there were more mistakes popping up that became harder to overlook - like a character not wearing jeans but then someone opening their jeans - stuff that should have been caught in editing or a beta read.
It was a struggle to finish and it's sad cause there was a really interesting plot in there about the Blood Moon and the Wolves and the Hunters but everything involving Red was difficult to read.
CW: death, death of parents, violence, blood, sexual content, threatened sexual assault
DISCLAIMER: I received an advance review copy. This is my honest review.
POSSIBLE SPOILER:
The first sex scene is horrible because it is beyond mediocre, there is no indication that Red finishes but she acts like it's amazing. I really hope that was done on purpose for that MMC's character but given the rest of the writing, I don't know what to think.
Content Warnings
Minor: Death, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Violence, and Death of parent
Cute But Psycho by Beatrix Hollow
challenging
dark
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A
3.0
3⭐️ 3🌶️
MOOD: challenging, dark-ish
TROPES: forced proximity, stalker, enemies to lovers
GENRES: contemporary, supernatural/paranormal, lgbtq+
FAV QUOTE:
MAIN CHARACTERS: Bree, Baz, Nemo, Orson
This is a shorter review. I probably should have read this before asking for an ARC of Cute but Creepy but I didn't since I've read books by Beatrix Hollow before so I figured I'd really like this one/this series. That wasn't fully the case. Some of the characters are interesting and the overall idea could have worked way better than it did. However, my three main issues were 1. Bree is annoying as hell and it was really difficult to read from her POV cause she just keeps repeating the same things over and over and it doesn't come across as a "crazy" thing just kind of an a**hole thing. 2. Out of the 4 main characters, I only think 1 really needs to be in Verfallen (not Bree, surprisingly) if we're really focusing on it being that specific type of asylum and 3. The book is too long for the amount of stuff that happens.
CW: sexual content, violence, blood, death, death of a parent
MOOD: challenging, dark-ish
TROPES: forced proximity, stalker, enemies to lovers
GENRES: contemporary, supernatural/paranormal, lgbtq+
FAV QUOTE:
MAIN CHARACTERS: Bree, Baz, Nemo, Orson
This is a shorter review. I probably should have read this before asking for an ARC of Cute but Creepy but I didn't since I've read books by Beatrix Hollow before so I figured I'd really like this one/this series. That wasn't fully the case. Some of the characters are interesting and the overall idea could have worked way better than it did. However, my three main issues were 1. Bree is annoying as hell and it was really difficult to read from her POV cause she just keeps repeating the same things over and over and it doesn't come across as a "crazy" thing just kind of an a**hole thing. 2. Out of the 4 main characters, I only think 1 really needs to be in Verfallen (not Bree, surprisingly) if we're really focusing on it being that specific type of asylum and 3. The book is too long for the amount of stuff that happens.
CW: sexual content, violence, blood, death, death of a parent
Content Warnings
Moderate: Sexual content, Violence, and Blood
Minor: Death and Death of parent
Trust in the Moon by Delaney Rain
funny
lighthearted
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
4⭐️ 3🌶️
MOOD: lighthearted, funny
TROPES: fated mates, bi-awakening, instalust
GENRES: fantasy, contemporary, LGBTQ romance
FAV QUOTE: Caught like a rabbit, I just stood there in stunned silence as a gorgeous and determined wolf stalked towards me.
MAIN CHARACTERS: Ezequiel "Zeke" Castro and Sacha Lupescu
TAROT CARD: The Moon
THE GOOD: I am biased cause I love Delaney Rain's monster romances and am happy to say that Trust in the Moon met my expectations and is another great read. This is a fairly quick read and kind of straddles the line between cozy & smutty monster romance but it does get spicy fairly quick. I'm a fan of Shifters having 3 forms so, know that that happens. It's not just the romance and relationship that made this a great read - there's also a B (and C?) plot going on which was enjoyable, mysterious, and had a satisfying outcome.
THE NEUTRAL: I had a hard time picturing Zeke based on the available description and the comparisons made between him and his friends. Sacha's family tree is also a little nutty so I'm glad Zeke worked to figure it out cause I couldn't.
THE MEH: The Owner comes off as more of an a-hole than he does in other books.
CW: sexual content, homophobia, mentions of parental death, some violence
DISCLAIMER: I received an advance review copy. This is my honest review.
MOOD: lighthearted, funny
TROPES: fated mates, bi-awakening, instalust
GENRES: fantasy, contemporary, LGBTQ romance
FAV QUOTE: Caught like a rabbit, I just stood there in stunned silence as a gorgeous and determined wolf stalked towards me.
MAIN CHARACTERS: Ezequiel "Zeke" Castro and Sacha Lupescu
TAROT CARD: The Moon
THE GOOD: I am biased cause I love Delaney Rain's monster romances and am happy to say that Trust in the Moon met my expectations and is another great read. This is a fairly quick read and kind of straddles the line between cozy & smutty monster romance but it does get spicy fairly quick. I'm a fan of Shifters having 3 forms so, know that that happens. It's not just the romance and relationship that made this a great read - there's also a B (and C?) plot going on which was enjoyable, mysterious, and had a satisfying outcome.
THE NEUTRAL: I had a hard time picturing Zeke based on the available description and the comparisons made between him and his friends. Sacha's family tree is also a little nutty so I'm glad Zeke worked to figure it out cause I couldn't.
THE MEH: The Owner comes off as more of an a-hole than he does in other books.
CW: sexual content, homophobia, mentions of parental death, some violence
DISCLAIMER: I received an advance review copy. This is my honest review.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Sexual content
Minor: Homophobia, Violence, and Death of parent
Raising the Sun by Eryn Hawk
emotional
funny
lighthearted
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
3.5⭐️ 2🌶️
MOOD: funny, emotional, lighthearted
TROPES: contractual relationship, forced proximity, virgin MMC
GENRES: contemporary, fantasy, lgbtq romance
FAV QUOTE: "No quite, pet." He grinned, smug and shark-like. "But I can be your savior, if you wish me to be."
MAIN CHARACTERS: Isaac Miller and Amadeus aka Ash
TAROT CARD: The Sun
THE GOOD: This is a cute, quick low-angst (for having a demon) story. Flower shop owner, Isaac suffers from really low self-confidence and Ash has waaaaay too much (among other things, he's a Demon). The Magician decides that they'd work well together and we get to see what happens.
THE NEUTRAL: The book is dual POV but there are more chapters in Isaac's POV. This is fine when reading but when I got to the end, it made some of Ash's character development feel abrupt given his POV at the start of the book.
THE MEH: This story was more cozy than I expected - cozy is fine, I love a cozy monster romance - but based on the content warnings provided by the author I was expected more immoral & devious behavior from Ash and different levels of sexual content. It could be because I have read a bunch of dark romance and/or monster romance so "morally grey" has a specific meaning to me.
CW: sexual content, mentions of torture and murder
DISCLAIMER: I received an advance review copy. This is my honest review.
MOOD: funny, emotional, lighthearted
TROPES: contractual relationship, forced proximity, virgin MMC
GENRES: contemporary, fantasy, lgbtq romance
FAV QUOTE: "No quite, pet." He grinned, smug and shark-like. "But I can be your savior, if you wish me to be."
MAIN CHARACTERS: Isaac Miller and Amadeus aka Ash
TAROT CARD: The Sun
THE GOOD: This is a cute, quick low-angst (for having a demon) story. Flower shop owner, Isaac suffers from really low self-confidence and Ash has waaaaay too much (among other things, he's a Demon). The Magician decides that they'd work well together and we get to see what happens.
THE NEUTRAL: The book is dual POV but there are more chapters in Isaac's POV. This is fine when reading but when I got to the end, it made some of Ash's character development feel abrupt given his POV at the start of the book.
THE MEH: This story was more cozy than I expected - cozy is fine, I love a cozy monster romance - but based on the content warnings provided by the author I was expected more immoral & devious behavior from Ash and different levels of sexual content. It could be because I have read a bunch of dark romance and/or monster romance so "morally grey" has a specific meaning to me.
CW: sexual content, mentions of torture and murder
DISCLAIMER: I received an advance review copy. This is my honest review.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Sexual content
Gray's Shadow by K.A. Merikan
challenging
dark
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
Content Warnings
Moderate: Sexual content, Violence, and Blood
Minor: Sexual assault
Maid for Her Snow Beast by Eva Priest, Evangeline Priest
adventurous
lighthearted
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.0
Content Warnings
Moderate: Sexual content
Minor: Stalking