It would've been four stars if it wasn't for THAT OPEN FUCKING ENDING. Not even an HFN. It was a "may-or-may-not-have-an-hea-in-the-future".
This was liIt would've been four stars if it wasn't for THAT OPEN FUCKING ENDING. Not even an HFN. It was a "may-or-may-not-have-an-hea-in-the-future".
This was like Stolen but it's a romance. Which I would not call this, now. I'm let down by that ending, i thought it was a regular somewhat different captor-captive trope but the kidnapper decided to get hit by morality at the end which ruined it for me. That's not how kidnappers works, Kaden. Was a wonderful portrayal of Stockholm syndrome, albeit the ending which ruined it through realistic things. I'm seriously never looking for this type of realism when i pick a dark romance book. Reality can fuck right off, because when it does show its face in this world, we get these types of HEA-ambiguous books.
Vi Keeland's latest book has officially become my favorite of hers. It stands out as the kinkiest and most explicit piece of smut I've come across in Vi Keeland's latest book has officially become my favorite of hers. It stands out as the kinkiest and most explicit piece of smut I've come across in her repertoire. With a Vi Keeland book in hand, I don't feel the need to dive into the blurb or sift through reviews beforehand. Regardless of the plot, I can always count on her work to be light-hearted, fast-paced, and devoid of unnecessary delays when it comes to the main characters' initial encounter. Her stories never fail to make me burst into laughter and provide the perfect escape when I'm in the mood for something entertaining yet not overly heavy or cringe-inducing. True to form, this story wasted no time in introducing us to Beck Cross and Nora right from the very first page.
Their first and many conversations (banter and bickering more like it) never ceased to make me laugh. Their arguments were foreplay for both of them. The fact that they never hid their lust from each other while also maintaining the no-acting-on-it policy was delightful to witness. When they did get together for their casual no-strings-attached relationship, it was unexpectedly delicious because i was not expecting this level of dirty-talk as well as kinkiness from Vi Keeland.
From the start, Beck wasn't entirely enthusiastic about their relationship being solely based on sex. If Nora had been looking for something serious and wasn't hell bent on it being casual, he would've no issues being serious with her. This aspect of their dynamic, seen through Beck's perspective, remained consistent throughout the story, which I found refreshing. It wasn't a typical casual-turned-forever story where its sex till 90% then out of the blue with minimal character development and relationship growth, they fall in love and head to the hea. No, this story was all about showing, not just telling.
What sealed the deal for me was the fact that it wasn't limited to just that, It became emotional, intense, and even ventured into uncertain territory, which left me feeling anxious. Yet, throughout their journey, Beck's personality surprised me. Despite his initial portrayal as a rich, handsome, and delightfully crude billionaire "alpha" male, he exhibited undeniable sweetness, care, and love like a cinnamon roll with a pleasant twist.
What's more wonderful about this story is that there's no third party drama and no unexpected ridiculous third act breakup. ...more
“Loving you is realizing heaven isn’t a place, but a person.”
➺ I'm surprised by how much i love this book. This couple. Their banter. Their hilar“Loving you is realizing heaven isn’t a place, but a person.”
➺ I'm surprised by how much i love this book. This couple. Their banter. Their hilarious conversations and literally every fucking thing they do when they are with each other. I initially was planning to give this 3 stars until i realised there's 50% of the book still left.
➺ Fake relationship isn't the trope i prefer to read voluntarily. However, i went into this blind and thus this trope came outta nowhere and smacked me in the face. But the way that it happened made me feel a little less uneasy because it wasn't something i thought was going to be sticking around for a long time.
With this trope comes certain obvious things like characters second guessing every romantic moment between them and chalking it up to it being fake and something the other one clearly did for the "show". And that's something i dislike.
She’s like a rainbow after the storm, and I’ll be damned if she fades away once the sun breaks through the clouds.
➺ Here comes a twister. I saw i just reached 50% and there's still half the book left so i continued. And OMFG!!! They are perfect! They are cute! But most importantly, THEY ARE FUCKING HILARIOUS.
I don't think anyone understands me when i say I'd love to read funny romances where the MCs are actually hilarious like laugh-out-loud funny and not just some sarcastic remarks here and there. It's honestly rare to find.
➺Forget them fake dating and shit, they are so fucking cute, I honestly had to put the book down yesterday night to sleep because my single ass can't handle sweetness.
“Loving you is like being stranded in a desert without food or water. Like I’m half delusional, wondering if this whole damn thing is a mirage, because nothing should feel or look this good.”
➺ The fact that this book also deals with a serious topic of people dealing with disability and Santiago's obvious emotional struggle with his low self-esteem was phenomenally portrayed. And i absolutely freaking loved Chloe for always showing him she's sticking with him in such badass ways
➺ How she never gives up on him while also not being a doormat (mainly because Santiago is smitten and not an asshole despite being a grump) shows what rarely ever occurs in adult romances and it's : The couple sticking with each other, having each other's back, helping each other fight their demons and progress to a healthy relationship through communication and not just assumption. I loved how they just straight up came out with it and said they'll give this relationship a real chance and went from there, instead of assuming shit and never being on a same page.
➺ It's honestly amusing to me how I unknowingly chose the last book of this series and it ended up becoming not only my fav but also the author's most underrated one. Compared to the dreamland series -atleast the first two books- this is so much better and much worthy of being hyped imo!
I’ll love Santiago Alatorre for as long as the wildflowers keep growing in beautiful chaos.
The title could've been soo much better if it was just "The Twelve Milestones" or anything related to the number twelve. Would've been more significanThe title could've been soo much better if it was just "The Twelve Milestones" or anything related to the number twelve. Would've been more significant considering that's pretty much all i found unique in this trash story.
All i can is that there were so many dialogues/quotes/statements that perturbed me. And all of them had that ick factor i can't explain.
Also, why is it that when I'm halfway through the story and my feelings are going from dislike to hate, i have a perfectly planned list in my head listing all the reasons I am loathing the characters/their behaviour/the plot/the storyline, but by the time I actually finish the book, i am so exhausted, i can't bring myself to list those things????
Having said that, one of the thousand reasons i hate this(since I can't mention 10 reasons), is the same reason for my dislike towards the ending of the Beauty and the Beast fairytale. And considering this was a "modern retelling" of the original, i would've appreciated if it didn't went in that direction. But since it hinted on that from the beginning and throughout the book, i didn't had to pretend it's not happening and forget that is about to happen, since every second chapter is just reminding that this is indeed about to happen. ...more
I'm finding Ms. Bennett's books fast paced and easy to read through in one sitting.I'm finding Ms. Bennett's books fast paced and easy to read through in one sitting....more
Why have i never tried Linda Kage's books???! I can't believe I cried during reading this book. Why have i never tried Linda Kage's books???! I can't believe I cried during reading this book. ...more
Look , there's a difference between being strong & independent and stupidly independent. Unfortunately here the heroine falls in the latter category.
I Look , there's a difference between being strong & independent and stupidly independent. Unfortunately here the heroine falls in the latter category.
I got into this book because I was looking for a heroine being deaf or something , but I didn't expect an ungrateful bitch who does everything stupid in the name of "independent strong female".
The hero loved her way more than she did , 90% of the book was them living in denial , the constant '' I wanna have sex with you" , "why would he even like to date me" , "he must be looking for a casual fling" , "no we can't be more than friends" blah blah blah. I don't care , and I started skimming after 40% but even when I reached 91% of the book , they still have barely any interaction , I mean the hired bodyguard aka the heroine's best friend has way more potential of them being in a relationship than the hero and this bitch. (pfft , if only the bsf was not gay)
Anyways , whatever happens only happens in the last 5% of the book , and once we get the "I love you's" , the epilogue of five years later is shown in the name of HEA.
Oh well , the hero deserved better , or atleast someone NOT as ungrateful and pathetic the heroine was....more
Sweet , fast paced , adorable , funny and the best + rarest heroine I've read ...Viddy is just the most hilarious character I rarely came across.. likSweet , fast paced , adorable , funny and the best + rarest heroine I've read ...Viddy is just the most hilarious character I rarely came across.. like she is blind (technically...more
I actually liked this book as I was in the mood to read a theme-heroine-blind romance , so I downloaded a couple of books which has that theme . howevI actually liked this book as I was in the mood to read a theme-heroine-blind romance , so I downloaded a couple of books which has that theme . however, the first book I randomly picked from that stack was just going so well , when 2 chapters later the heroine did something I absolutely loathe , despise and criticize books because. The book was Black Out and what happened is that the h defended the actions of the bully not only in front of everyone but she also THINKS like this , makes excuses for their actions stating 'i am sure she didn't mean to hit me let alone be mean to me , maybe I AM the problem here because I AM the burden' , and guess what..?? the bully was none other than her own fucking SISTER..!!!
anyways enough ranting about that book and my hatred towards it.... immediately after that scene I deleted that book and picked Torch and realized that this was just the polar opposite of Black Out mainly because the heroine was a badass-not taking shit from anyone just because she is blind- type of heroine . just fucking look at this quote --
"I may be fucking blind , but I'm not a pushover"
YESS!! bitch that's what I'm talking 'bout here. and the romance was yet another insta-love situation , with the OTT alpha male I just loovveed.....more
Wow Vicious was a dick. Rosie got on my nerves half the book. Dean was in it for the long haul from the very beginning. If i hadn't rated 3 stars to ViciWow Vicious was a dick. Rosie got on my nerves half the book. Dean was in it for the long haul from the very beginning. If i hadn't rated 3 stars to Vicious, I would've nothing to compare this to, so in that regard, this wins.
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God! I checked out there is a spin-off series of all these characters' kids. AND ROSIE DIES!!!??? AAAAHHH...more