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806 reviews
Brutal Titan by E.V. Olsen
dark
funny
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? No
4.0
Content Warnings
Moderate: Sexual content and Violence
Minor: Bullying, Homophobia, and Suicide attempt
Savage Titan by E.V. Olsen
dark
fast-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? No
4.0
Content Warnings
Moderate: Sexual content and Violence
Minor: Bullying
Breeding Clinic by Alexis B. Osborne
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
lighthearted
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? No
3.5
3.5⭐️ 4🌶️
MOOD: adventurous, emotional, lighthearted, hopeful
TROPES: one-night stand, miscommunication, pregnancy
GENRES: omegaverse
MAIN CHARACTERS: Kat, Liam, Gabriel, and Matthew
THE MEH: I'm starting with the MEH cause I did this to myself. I don't like pregnancy in books. I knew this book was about pregnancy and I still read it cause I loved the first two books and I thought I could do it - but I couldn't. I got stuck Chapters 22 and 26 for days - I read other books so it wasn't a lack of desire to read.
THE GOOD: I enjoyed the writing. Up until about halfway through the book I enjoyed the spicy scenes. This is a me problem like stated above - I now know better, even if one of my fav authors writes pregnancy, I should not read it. The overall plot, outside all the smut, works well too - I liked the idea of everything in the relationship kind of being backwards and them having to find their own way of navigating it.
THE NEUTRAL: The last few chapters were super repetitive. I think they would have done better as an extended epilogue novella.
CW: Provided by the author but some big ones include sexual content, mentions of miscarriage
DISCLAIMER: I received an advance review copy. This is my honest review.
MOOD: adventurous, emotional, lighthearted, hopeful
TROPES: one-night stand, miscommunication, pregnancy
GENRES: omegaverse
MAIN CHARACTERS: Kat, Liam, Gabriel, and Matthew
THE MEH: I'm starting with the MEH cause I did this to myself. I don't like pregnancy in books. I knew this book was about pregnancy and I still read it cause I loved the first two books and I thought I could do it - but I couldn't. I got stuck Chapters 22 and 26 for days - I read other books so it wasn't a lack of desire to read.
THE GOOD: I enjoyed the writing. Up until about halfway through the book I enjoyed the spicy scenes. This is a me problem like stated above - I now know better, even if one of my fav authors writes pregnancy, I should not read it. The overall plot, outside all the smut, works well too - I liked the idea of everything in the relationship kind of being backwards and them having to find their own way of navigating it.
THE NEUTRAL: The last few chapters were super repetitive. I think they would have done better as an extended epilogue novella.
CW: Provided by the author but some big ones include sexual content, mentions of miscarriage
DISCLAIMER: I received an advance review copy. This is my honest review.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content
Moderate: Miscarriage
Minor: Emotional abuse
Puck & Plume: A Fangs on Ice Novella by Rhea Fox
lighthearted
sad
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
Content Warnings
Moderate: Sexual content
Minor: Death
Camelot's Tower by Brooke Matthews
emotional
funny
lighthearted
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
Content Warnings
Moderate: Sexual content and Violence
Minor: Death, Sexual assault, Suicide attempt, Death of parent, and Alcohol
4⭐️ 2🌶️
MOOD: emotional, lighthearted, mysterious, tense, funny
TROPES: fated mates, found family
VIBES: slow-burn, revenge quest
GENRES: contemporary, fantasy, lgbtq romance
MAIN CHARACTERS: Will Towers and Arthur Pendragon
TAROT CARD: The Tower
THE GOOD: Did I think it was funny that Will's last name is Towers? Yes. Overall, I enjoyed this story since I do have some Arthuriana knowledge but in some places it definitely felt like a grown up version of The Kid Who Would be King (2019) more so than a romance story and I think that's just because Will's family was around the whole time and I wasn't expecting that going in.
THE NEUTRAL: I lost track of The Treasures and sometimes the level of challenge felt really inconsistent. Arthur also felt really dumb sometimes, more so than just naive about modern technology, and since don't read time-travel type romance and most of that people go to the past I'm not sure what I expected but it was off putting.
THE MEH: The beginning, first 2 chapters, was really hard to get into and I'm not sure why - it could have just been the writing style or the pacing. And something about the Author provided T&CW bothered me cause "brief mention of past incestuous dubcon" was listed and that took me a moment to figure out, I know there are MANY versions of Arthur's story but I would have just said SA for how Mordred came to exist...dubcon feels like an odd label for that whole scenario.
CW: (summarized from what was provided by the Author) violence, death, sexual assault, death of a parent, suicide attempt, alcohol
DISCLAIMER: I received an advance review copy. This is my honest review.
Arcanum by Ashlyn Drewek
challenging
dark
emotional
hopeful
tense
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
5.0
5⭐️ 3.5🌶️
MOOD: challenging, dark-ish, emotional, hopeful, tense
TROPES: boy next door, bi-awakening, miscommunication-lite
GENRES: contemporary, fantasy, small-town, lgbtq romance
FAV QUOTE: "I've never kissed a guy." "I've never kissed a cop." "Why does that matter?" "Why indeed?"
MAIN CHARACTERS: Greyson Darkholme and Chris Brandt
TAROT CARD: Temperance
THE GOOD: I normally don't read books with cops as main characters so I'm not sure exactly what had me adding this to the list besides K9 and gay witch but I'm glad I picked it up because I couldn't put it down. The banter in the beginning of the book between Greyson and Chris as they get to know each other is amazing and even as they move into the friendly-neighbor zone before their relationship develops they carry that with them. Watching both of them find their place in this town, where Greyson is new but Chris has been is whole life, was also a great trip. Not to mention the whole murder mystery-type aspect to the plot line. I could definitely see myself reading this one again. I'm not sure about the police stuff but even the witchcraft stuff felt very grounded in reality which made everything else, no matter how fantastical, feel real and have weight to it. Did I cry a little? Yes. Was it worth it? Also, yes. This was the first Ashyln Drewek book that I've read.
THE NEUTRAL: This is the most grounded in reality of the series (of the books of read) as such, even The Owner is more of a person than usual and I didn't really like that but I understand why it was necessary.
THE MEH: I kind of wanted to see Greyson cook chili in his cauldron. :( But seriously there is a mention of a name in chapter 17, that isn't mentioned before (it's paired with a name that has been mentioned) and then isn't mentioned again until WAY later. It was confusing because it's placed as if the reader knows who the person is and we don't at that point and by the time we do, I forgot about this - it wasn't until I was looking at my notes/highlights that I saw my note about this.
CW: death, domestic violence, cheating, attempted suicide, violence, stalking, alcoholism
DISCLAIMER: I received an advance review copy. This is my honest review.
MOOD: challenging, dark-ish, emotional, hopeful, tense
TROPES: boy next door, bi-awakening, miscommunication-lite
GENRES: contemporary, fantasy, small-town, lgbtq romance
FAV QUOTE: "I've never kissed a guy." "I've never kissed a cop." "Why does that matter?" "Why indeed?"
MAIN CHARACTERS: Greyson Darkholme and Chris Brandt
TAROT CARD: Temperance
THE GOOD: I normally don't read books with cops as main characters so I'm not sure exactly what had me adding this to the list besides K9 and gay witch but I'm glad I picked it up because I couldn't put it down. The banter in the beginning of the book between Greyson and Chris as they get to know each other is amazing and even as they move into the friendly-neighbor zone before their relationship develops they carry that with them. Watching both of them find their place in this town, where Greyson is new but Chris has been is whole life, was also a great trip. Not to mention the whole murder mystery-type aspect to the plot line. I could definitely see myself reading this one again. I'm not sure about the police stuff but even the witchcraft stuff felt very grounded in reality which made everything else, no matter how fantastical, feel real and have weight to it. Did I cry a little? Yes. Was it worth it? Also, yes. This was the first Ashyln Drewek book that I've read.
THE NEUTRAL: This is the most grounded in reality of the series (of the books of read) as such, even The Owner is more of a person than usual and I didn't really like that but I understand why it was necessary.
THE MEH: I kind of wanted to see Greyson cook chili in his cauldron. :( But seriously there is a mention of a name in chapter 17, that isn't mentioned before (it's paired with a name that has been mentioned) and then isn't mentioned again until WAY later. It was confusing because it's placed as if the reader knows who the person is and we don't at that point and by the time we do, I forgot about this - it wasn't until I was looking at my notes/highlights that I saw my note about this.
CW: death, domestic violence, cheating, attempted suicide, violence, stalking, alcoholism
DISCLAIMER: I received an advance review copy. This is my honest review.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content
Moderate: Violence and Stalking
Minor: Alcoholism, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide attempt, and Alcohol
Guarded by the Snake by Layla Fae
adventurous
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content
Moderate: Death and Violence
Minor: Drug use, Gun violence, and Death of parent
A Study of Blood and Ichor by Katia Black
emotional
funny
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
4⭐️ 3🌶️
MOOD: tense, emotional, funny
TROPES: enemies to lovers,
GENRES: fantasy, dark-ish romance
FAV QUOTE: "And yet you still hesitate," he said on a whisper. "Is that because perhaps you are beginning to realize that I'm not the villain you first took me for?"
MAIN CHARACTERS: Ava Helacourt, Rory Masters, and Vain
THE GOOD: This book made me cry. I enjoyed the world-building and the dynamics between the characters - particularly Rory and Vain. It is a slower burn which works given the setup characters. I also liked the cover - which just feels important to say cause I do pick books by cover and title.
THE NEUTRAL: Not sure how to explain this but it felt like the ending (last 20%) was written first and then the rest of the book was created to get to the ending. There is an organization that is never spelled out - D.A.R.C. - I thought I missed it at first, maybe I did, but it's introduced early on and I have not idea what those letters stand for. There were character facts introduced that didn't seem to matter, to the plot or other characters, so then I was confused as to why they were introduced. This feels a little spoiler-y, even though some of it is in the CWs so I'll place it further down in a spoiler section.
THE MEH: I didn't like Ava for a good 70% of the book. Maybe I'm too trusting, maybe I read too much monster romance but her hard stance on not trusting Demons got old fast. Even more true after Demons give her facts that were previously hidden from her and are true.
CW: (provided by the author, summarized) demonic possession, violence and gore, torture, death, sexual content, explicit language, abandonment, depression, suicide attempt, emotional abuse, mentions of infertility
DISCLAIMER: I received an advance review copy. This is my honest review.
*
*
*
*
POSSIBLE SPOILER: Ava's infertility is first presented as if it matters for her family and their line so I expected that to go somewhere. It doesn't - not because it's a red herring or anything but because her family sucks and would have abandoned her anyway so it's kind of irrelevant to the story. I can see where it can be refreshing for something like infertility to be in a story and not the main focus of the plot but the way it was presented here just felt off.
MOOD: tense, emotional, funny
TROPES: enemies to lovers,
GENRES: fantasy, dark-ish romance
FAV QUOTE: "And yet you still hesitate," he said on a whisper. "Is that because perhaps you are beginning to realize that I'm not the villain you first took me for?"
MAIN CHARACTERS: Ava Helacourt, Rory Masters, and Vain
THE GOOD: This book made me cry. I enjoyed the world-building and the dynamics between the characters - particularly Rory and Vain. It is a slower burn which works given the setup characters. I also liked the cover - which just feels important to say cause I do pick books by cover and title.
THE NEUTRAL: Not sure how to explain this but it felt like the ending (last 20%) was written first and then the rest of the book was created to get to the ending. There is an organization that is never spelled out - D.A.R.C. - I thought I missed it at first, maybe I did, but it's introduced early on and I have not idea what those letters stand for. There were character facts introduced that didn't seem to matter, to the plot or other characters, so then I was confused as to why they were introduced. This feels a little spoiler-y, even though some of it is in the CWs so I'll place it further down in a spoiler section.
THE MEH: I didn't like Ava for a good 70% of the book. Maybe I'm too trusting, maybe I read too much monster romance but her hard stance on not trusting Demons got old fast. Even more true after Demons give her facts that were previously hidden from her and are true.
CW: (provided by the author, summarized) demonic possession, violence and gore, torture, death, sexual content, explicit language, abandonment, depression, suicide attempt, emotional abuse, mentions of infertility
DISCLAIMER: I received an advance review copy. This is my honest review.
*
*
*
*
POSSIBLE SPOILER: Ava's infertility is first presented as if it matters for her family and their line so I expected that to go somewhere. It doesn't - not because it's a red herring or anything but because her family sucks and would have abandoned her anyway so it's kind of irrelevant to the story. I can see where it can be refreshing for something like infertility to be in a story and not the main focus of the plot but the way it was presented here just felt off.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Sexual content and Violence
Minor: Suicide attempt
Gotten By The Gator by Lizzie Strong
emotional
funny
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.5
3.5⭐️ 3🌶️
MOOD: lighthearted, emotional
TROPES: instalust, age gap, grump/sunshine
GENRES: contemporary, fantasy, monster
MAIN CHARACTERS: Aurora and Yuri
THE GOOD: This a cute and sweet monster romance.
THE NEUTRAL:
THE MEH: Yuri's physical description seems inconsistent. How much of a gator is he? Is it just that he's over-critical of his appearance? I didn't think much of this until someone from out of town just calls him ugly - granted he's kind of in the shadows during this scene but no one is running away from the local cryptid.
CW: mentions of bullying, death of parents (off page), emotional abuse
DISCLAIMER: I received an advance review copy. This is my honest review.
MOOD: lighthearted, emotional
TROPES: instalust, age gap, grump/sunshine
GENRES: contemporary, fantasy, monster
MAIN CHARACTERS: Aurora and Yuri
THE GOOD: This a cute and sweet monster romance.
THE NEUTRAL:
THE MEH: Yuri's physical description seems inconsistent. How much of a gator is he? Is it just that he's over-critical of his appearance? I didn't think much of this until someone from out of town just calls him ugly - granted he's kind of in the shadows during this scene but no one is running away from the local cryptid.
CW: mentions of bullying, death of parents (off page), emotional abuse
DISCLAIMER: I received an advance review copy. This is my honest review.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Sexual content
Minor: Emotional abuse
Spooky Level Up by J.F. Miev, Aria Clark
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⭐️ 2🌶️
MOOD: lighthearted, funny
TROPES: second chance, brother's best friend, nerd/jock
VIBES: low angst, Halloween
GENRES: contemporary, lgbtq+
MAIN CHARACTERS: Charlie and Ben
THE GOOD: This was a quick, low-angst read. Charlie and Ben are extremely cute together no matter how much Charlie, who has given up on love, tries to fight against it at first. The story has a little bit of everything - an asshole ex, a Halloween haunted house, brother's best friend, and a plan for revenge.
THE NEUTRAL: The epilogue. It wasn't bad it just seemed a little out of left field since nothing similar was mentioned in the rest of the story.
THE MEH: I could have done without the additional info on Charlie's ex. I didn't need to know how much of an ass he was and I didn't need more of a reason for Charlie/Ben to get him out of their lives.
CW: emotional abuse, sexual content
DISCLAIMER: I received an advance review copy. This is my honest review.
MOOD: lighthearted, funny
TROPES: second chance, brother's best friend, nerd/jock
VIBES: low angst, Halloween
GENRES: contemporary, lgbtq+
MAIN CHARACTERS: Charlie and Ben
THE GOOD: This was a quick, low-angst read. Charlie and Ben are extremely cute together no matter how much Charlie, who has given up on love, tries to fight against it at first. The story has a little bit of everything - an asshole ex, a Halloween haunted house, brother's best friend, and a plan for revenge.
THE NEUTRAL: The epilogue. It wasn't bad it just seemed a little out of left field since nothing similar was mentioned in the rest of the story.
THE MEH: I could have done without the additional info on Charlie's ex. I didn't need to know how much of an ass he was and I didn't need more of a reason for Charlie/Ben to get him out of their lives.
CW: emotional abuse, sexual content
DISCLAIMER: I received an advance review copy. This is my honest review.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Sexual content
Minor: Emotional abuse