Finally! Finally we’re fully in Project Watchtower for The Watch series, the second Necessary Evils spin-off series by the genius Onley James (the firFinally! Finally we’re fully in Project Watchtower for The Watch series, the second Necessary Evils spin-off series by the genius Onley James (the first spin-off series being Jericho’s Boys). We’re starting off with The Bone Collector, which considering that’s the notorious name one of the project’s instructors, Park, went by when he was still active in the field (and the second book is going to be called The Sin Eater, which was the field operative name of the head of the project), it seems that all the books in The Watch series are going to be titled after field operative names. I’m down.
I’m not going to go over the whole synopsis with you. That’s just blase. Let’s go over the tropes you know, and then I’ll go over what I found of interest that doesn’t come across in the blurb, shall we?
*Age-Gap Romance (oh yeah, it’s a good gap, too!) *Teacher/Student (this one’s a little loosely interpreted, since Park, one of our MMCs, doesn’t teach much in this book because Gift, our other MMC, isn’t one of the students learning his speciality)
Tropes that the blurb doesn’t mention:
*Older brother/younger brother dynamic (they aren’t brothers, but Park insists on Gift using the honorifics for those roles) *Daddy k!nk (Ohhhhhh yes. Our Park is a Daddy Dom and our Gift is his sweet baby boy (no ageplay)) *Semi-public k!nk, virginity k!nk, slight degradation k!nk, edging, impact play, filthy talk *Touch him and you die *Gift is manipulative, secretive, touch-starved, and needy *Park is a possessive mofo *Park is essentially Gift’s legal guardian and full-time bodyguard
Besides the extremely high heat rating of this book (it is super dooper freaking hot, you guys) and how well-written that spice is (good lord, Onley is trying to kill us all, ffs), it needs to be known this book is FUN. It’s hilarious. It’s like “Necessary Evils: High School Edition”. Imagine if the Mulvaneys, Jericho’s Boys, The Feelings Faction (IYKYK), and Elite Protection Services ALL went to the same boarding school. Some are there on merit via scholarship and some are there because they have connections. Some are there because they have both money and merit. There’s all genders, all walks of life, neurotypicals, neuroatypicals, geniuses, people of average intelligence…you get the picture. The point of the place is for the neuroatypicals to be matched with an emotional support human to keep them tethered to their humanity. It’s brilliant. It’s volatile. It’s going to either be wildly successful or they’re going to burn the world down. Either way, I’m going to have a wild-ass and fun time reading to see what they do while they screw each other into every available surface and torture the bad guys along the way.
Please be mindful of your own mental health before attempting to read this book and read the list of CW/TWs before you start. I don’t ever need them but you might. Take care of you....more
Fifty Beasts to Break Your Heart is a stellar collection of 13 stories (and one incredible bestiary–more on that later) from the spectacularly creativFifty Beasts to Break Your Heart is a stellar collection of 13 stories (and one incredible bestiary–more on that later) from the spectacularly creative and brilliant mind of GennaRose Nethercott, who wrote the equally spectacular novel Thistlefoot.
I don’t think I’ve read a collection by a single author where I loved so many stories to the extent I loved the stories in this one. With one exception (Fox Jaw), I ate every story in this book up with a really sharp grapefruit spoon and then licked the bowl clean.
A quick summary of my thoughts on the remaining stories:
Sundown at the Eternal Staircase - Spectacularly eerie, fascinating, and great symbolism on how some people are just heading in different directions in life.
A Diviner’s Abecedarian - Tween girls can be mean as hell when not in possession of the sight. Give them the sight and that’s just horrifying.
The Thread Boy - Poignant, emotional, and magical story about a life well-lived even though there was pain.
The War of Fog - I read in a book coming out soon that war is a place, not a time. This story reminds me of that. War is endless and eternal and you’re stuck there.
Drowning Lessons - Cynical, sad, but neat story about what it’s like to be responsible for a sibling’s well-being.
The Autumn Kill - This one is angry, visceral, and vengeful. I loved the ending.
A Lily is a Lily - This one is hard to sum up in little words. Let’s just say it’s a haunting story about what can happen when we build people up in our minds so much they take up our entire existence.
Dear Henrietta - Provocative, creepy, and downright wicked. Dude, this one is good.
Possessions - Don’t mess around with sketchy witchcraft books you find at thrift stores. This one is hard to describe but it’s beautifully written.
Homebody - Awful to read, awful to describe, awful to think about. It’s sad and tense and made me want to punch something.
A Haunted Calendar - Funny, horrific, and imaginative.
The Plums at the End of the World - This was incredible. It’s heartbreaking, evocative, and all about how people fear anything different.
My last note is on the titular “story”, Fifty Beasts to Break Your Heart. It isn’t a story so much as a bestiary and it’s the crown jewel of this collection. Complete with eerie, creep-tastic sketches, each beast is named and described with short, incredible paragraphs. They’re utterly fantastic in every way. I couldn’t get enough of them. The bestiary is practically worth the price of admission.
This collection isn’t to be missed.
I was provided a copy of this title by NetGalley and the author. All thoughts, opinions, views, and ideas expressed herein are mine and mine alone. Thank you.
I thank the universe for sending the romance world Cora Rose. I honestly don’t remember what reading romances was like before her and I don’t think I I thank the universe for sending the romance world Cora Rose. I honestly don’t remember what reading romances was like before her and I don’t think I want to remember. What I do remember is that I wasn’t a huge rom com fan before her, but with one book she made me fall into instalove with her style, her characters, her charm, and the hilarious situations her characters somehow seem to end up in without it seeming completely cheesy. Let’s not forget her impeccable ability to embed her characters with dimension, depth, and a wealth of personality.
Exception is shorter than most Cora Rose novels simply because it’s part of a series in which all the novels are on the shorter side. They’re meant to be fast-burn and low-angst. But Cora wouldn’t be Cora if she didn’t do the book her way. It turned out magnificent.
Exception is hot, hot, hot! The spice is nice and plentiful, but not so plentiful that we don’t get plenty of plot and character development. The book is hilarious, full of marijuana-induced hijinks and a perverted kleptomaniac of a monkey. It’s also emotionally touching, with our opposites-attract main characters maybe not being as opposite as they think and coming together in the most auspicious of places.
It’s an excellent entry into the Unlucky 13 series and just a stellar rom com all on its own. I’m here for it.
I was provided a copy of this title by the author. All thoughts, opinions, ideas, and views expressed herein are mine and mine alone. Thank you.
It’s a little bit non-royal Mia Thermopolis is mistakenly chosen to compete on The Bachelor (but make it three super hot men), and a whole lot of fun It’s a little bit non-royal Mia Thermopolis is mistakenly chosen to compete on The Bachelor (but make it three super hot men), and a whole lot of fun and spice. Welcome to the Royal Trials, where one omega is chosen from each country that chooses to participate in sending a representative to potentially become the mate of the Royal Pack and eventually becoming Queen or King Consort.
Can I just say that I’m currently loving the current trend I’m seeing in the reality show approach to some omegaverse romances? Because I really am. Omegaverse romances are already a huge source of escapism for me, but adding in these made-up reality shows to a paranormal and fantastical genre not only adds a satirical kick but also allows for more variety in plot and some added facets of angst, comedy, and anger.
I loved this installment of the Knot Their Omega series almost purely for the sheer fairy tale feel of the whole thing. Kaz, Wolf, and Tai were all clearly drawn, which I appreciated, since some authors don’t take the time to make sure their MMCs are as distinctive and unique in personality and interests as they are in looks. I have a definite soft spot for Wolf, that’s for sure. I loved the relationship shared by the three men, the respect they had for one another, and the way they felt so deeply for one another and expressed it so eagerly. I loved how Maddie managed to get her feet under her and made brave choices, even if she knew they would hurt. She was honest with the people around her and with herself.
The spice is not lacking, people. It’s here, it’s polyamorous, it’s spicy, it’s swords-crossing as much as it can get away with, and it’s hot. I am here for it. I will always be here for it.
The only bone I really have to pick is how quickly some minds were changed around at the end and how rushed it seemed. I may be the only one that feels that way, though. Otherwise, it was a great book. Smashed it.
I was provided a copy of this title by the author. All opinions, thoughts, views, and ideas expressed herein are mine and mine alone. Thank you.
I’m sitting here humming “Moon River” as I start this review, because I’m thinking of Ely and Wyatt as the two drifters who are off to see the world aI’m sitting here humming “Moon River” as I start this review, because I’m thinking of Ely and Wyatt as the two drifters who are off to see the world and there’s such a lot of world to see. These two people who are so similar in many ways and yet have a large gulf between them, adrift in life and moored in their mutual, chosen loneliness. Two miserable dinghy-people, just bailing water out as fast as they take it on.
This book could’ve turned out so badly. A nudge one way and it comes out saccharine. A nudge the other way it comes out too pessimistic. Somehow, Victoria Lee kept it steadily walking that earnest and vulnerable line, where she opens up her characters for us and we fall in love with them and watch as they each fall apart and put each other back together, over and over again. This story is sensual, sweet, and optimistic (without coming across as so sunny you’d think Pollyanna was turning the pages for you).
In most romances, I don’t so much get on board for genuine, heartfelt happiness. For some reason, when it comes to LGBTQ romances, that’s all I want for them. I want all the genuine happiness. Maybe it’s a reflection of how many unhappy endings LGBTQ people (especially transgender) get in real life and how much that upsets me. Maybe since I’m LGBTQ and I have a LGBTQ child I just want to see the LGBTQ people in romance novels end up happy because I didn’t and I want better for my own kid someday. This book genuinely moved me. The way Wyatt and Ely propped each other up even when they weren’t romantically involved, the way they supported each other in their sobriety, and the way they were so reverential with one another’s bodies when they were together was an honest show of how much it meant to them to shed every layer and be bare before one another in every way. To drop every veil and reveal everything, including every insecurity and every scar.
Now, I’m new to Victoria Lee’s work, but not only did she show off some serious research chops in this book, but she also brought beautiful prose and excellent dialogue skills to the table. Her characters jumped off the page and added just enough background color and noise that they never took away from our two main protagonists–they just garnished them the right amount.
I loved that this book ended happily, but not with a tidy little bow. Because life is messy. We don’t always get everything we want. But what matters is that we keep trying and holding onto the ones we love. This book definitely conveys that.
I was provided a copy of this title by NetGalley and the author. All thoughts, opinions, views, and ideas expressed herein are mine and mine alone. Thank you.
I am a sucker for romance novels involving sex workers. I’m not ashamed to say that, considering there are myriad other romance novel tropes I won’t nI am a sucker for romance novels involving sex workers. I’m not ashamed to say that, considering there are myriad other romance novel tropes I won’t necessarily admit to many people. I’m all pro-sex worker over here, though, so I feel safe in admitting my love for rent boys, escorts, and call girls.
Fourth Attempt is the introductory novel to Lynn Burke’s latest romance novel series, Elite Escorts, which is indeed about a male escort agency. Our MMC in this story, Blake, is not an escort, however. He’s friends with the owner and sometimes fills in as a pinch hitter for non-sexual encounters from time to time though when asked. So I wouldn’t classify this story to be a male escort romance but more of a taster, if you will, of the Elite Escorts world and all the books to follow coming up in the series.
Fourth Attempt follows Wren, a touch-starved, poor, fiercely independent, and very hard-working pharmacology student at the local college who also works part-time at a local pharmacy. She’s got less than a year until she graduates and she’s just trying to keep her eyes on the prize. When her eyes get tired of looking at the prize, they stray across the street to where a construction company is building a luxury condo building that will eventually block her beloved view of the river. Yeah, she’s a little salty, but she knows there’s nothing to be done about it. In the meantime, though, she can ogle the workers, especially the man in charge, Blake. Blake is definitely something like a swift-moving river: look, but don’t touch. Dangerous to her fragile heart and her laser focus. So Wren keeps to herself and lets her fantasies stay where she thinks they belong: firmly in her head.
The hitch in Wren’s plans to be left alone to fantasize in private about Blake first come about when the two run into each other briefly in front of the Victorian she rents out the attic apartment on, and then again when Blake comes into her pharmacy to buy some sinus medication and realizes how attracted he is to her.
From this point on, Fourth Attempt alternates from being fluffy and sweet, emotional and endearing, and spicy hot. Not in any certain order, mind you, it simply has ups and downs and happy middles. The characters go through transformations, of course, and they have their highs, lows, and very lows. They also have their sweet, sour, gloomy, and absolutely desperate for one another moments.
I thought the pacing was a little off on the book as a whole, but it wasn’t bad enough to affect my enjoyment of the book. It’s a sweet, fluffy, racy romance that’s meant to let you escape the world for a while. Enjoy!
I was provided a copy of this title by the author. All ideas, thoughts, views, and opinions expressed herein are mine and mine alone. Thank you.
File Under: Book Series/Contemporary Romance/Erotica/LGBTQ Friendly/Romance Series/Sex Work Content/Spice Level 3 ...more
Cora Rose, oh Cora Rose. You consistently bring us to our knees with some of the hottest couples with the best chemistry doing some of the most spicy Cora Rose, oh Cora Rose. You consistently bring us to our knees with some of the hottest couples with the best chemistry doing some of the most spicy and sexy things together while simultaneously writing those characters with such sincerity and care…and I can’t figure out how you do both and hit the bullseye every single dang time. Woman, do you know how to write a bad book?
Grey and Quinn are absolutely combustible together from the start in the fast-burn age-gap romance, even as they both struggle with very similar demons at two very different ages. Neither feels wanted by anyone in their life or feels like a priority to anyone they love, but somehow how that struggle manifests in each character compliments the other, with Quinn needing to care for people and Grey longing to be cared for. Or, in more racy terms, it leaves Grey longing to be pounded into the mattress and that feeling of being owned, and it leaves Quinn longing to possess that which he covets and to make sure it never goes without feeling wanted.
And hoo boy does Quinn want Grey. On his back, on his knees, on his stomach, on his side, standing up, bent over...it doesn’t matter to Quinn. All that matters to Quinn is keeping Grey feeling desired and filled as often as possible. And all Grey wants is that feeling of constantly being filled, stuffed and sore so he can’t forget how much Quinn wants him.
That doesn’t mean that the only cure for what ails Quinn or Grey is sex. I would argue that Quinn likely needed a touch more attention to his issues in this book and should probably be in therapy, but we all handle our damage differently. To be honest, I identified a lot with Quinn in how he thinks about and handles his sexuality and past experiences, because I was much like that myself, so I may be biased in my opinion of that part of his life. Even though Cora Rose treats Grey and his issues compassionately and with great care, there is something to be said for the fact that Grey should’ve likely been seeing a mental health professional at some point.
The imagery we’re given of Michigan and the beautiful upper peninsula would’ve been lost in many other author’s hands. Cora took great pains to write out the road trip Quinn and Grey went on, painting vivid scenes of both the wilderness and all the little towns and villages that dot the region.
Mostly, I just loved how Quinn and Grey were so in sync, right from the start. Their quiet times, their laughing times, and the times when they knew they were about to tear each other to pieces.
And let us not forget Winter, because humans don’t deserve dogs. They are too good for us.
I was provided a copy of this title by the author. All thoughts, views, ideas, and opinions expressed herein are mine and mine alone. Thank you.
File Under: Bisexual Romance/LGBTQ Romance/Gay Romance/Contemporary Romance/5 Star Reviews/Age Gap Romance/Forbidden Romance/Road Trip/Spice Level 3/Standalone Romance
Merged review:
Cora Rose, oh Cora Rose. You consistently bring us to our knees with some of the hottest couples with the best chemistry doing some of the most spicy and sexy things together while simultaneously writing those characters with such sincerity and care…and I can’t figure out how you do both and hit the bullseye every single dang time. Woman, do you know how to write a bad book?
Grey and Quinn are absolutely combustible together from the start in the fast-burn age-gap romance, even as they both struggle with very similar demons at two very different ages. Neither feels wanted by anyone in their life or feels like a priority to anyone they love, but somehow how that struggle manifests in each character compliments the other, with Quinn needing to care for people and Grey longing to be cared for. Or, in more racy terms, it leaves Grey longing to be pounded into the mattress and that feeling of being owned, and it leaves Quinn longing to possess that which he covets and to make sure it never goes without feeling wanted.
And hoo boy does Quinn want Grey. On his back, on his knees, on his stomach, on his side, standing up, bent over...it doesn’t matter to Quinn. All that matters to Quinn is keeping Grey feeling desired and filled as often as possible. And all Grey wants is that feeling of constantly being filled, stuffed and sore so he can’t forget how much Quinn wants him.
That doesn’t mean that the only cure for what ails Quinn or Grey is sex. I would argue that Quinn likely needed a touch more attention to his issues in this book and should probably be in therapy, but we all handle our damage differently. To be honest, I identified a lot with Quinn in how he thinks about and handles his sexuality and past experiences, because I was much like that myself, so I may be biased in my opinion of that part of his life. Even though Cora Rose treats Grey and his issues compassionately and with great care, there is something to be said for the fact that Grey should’ve likely been seeing a mental health professional at some point.
The imagery we’re given of Michigan and the beautiful upper peninsula would’ve been lost in many other author’s hands. Cora took great pains to write out the road trip Quinn and Grey went on, painting vivid scenes of both the wilderness and all the little towns and villages that dot the region.
Mostly, I just loved how Quinn and Grey were so in sync, right from the start. Their quiet times, their laughing times, and the times when they knew they were about to tear each other to pieces.
And let us not forget Winter, because humans don’t deserve dogs. They are too good for us.
I was provided a copy of this title by the author. All thoughts, views, ideas, and opinions expressed herein are mine and mine alone. Thank you.
File Under: Bisexual Romance/LGBTQ Romance/Gay Romance/Contemporary Romance/5 Star Reviews/Age Gap Romance/Forbidden Romance/Road Trip/Spice Level 3/Standalone Romance...more
This book had all the components of a great LGBTQ+ Asian folklore remix turned into an epic high fantasy with great wuxia battle scenes: Great worldbuThis book had all the components of a great LGBTQ+ Asian folklore remix turned into an epic high fantasy with great wuxia battle scenes: Great worldbuilding, interesting characters, a great plot, fantastic prose, fantastic battle choreography, and the exposition is deftly woven into both the narrative and the dialogue and never dumped.
So why am I rating this book three stars? Because this book simply failed to make me care about any of it. There were so many characters I never got a chance to get invested in any of them, we got to the home of the Liangshan bandits and I didn’t ever feel very invested in their mission, we didn’t get to meet the Emperor until close to the end of the book so whether or not he actually cared about what his subordinates were doing was always a toss-up (at least to me), and I truly didn’t understand the character of Lu Junyi. I didn’t understand her motives, her goals, her aims, or her emotions. To be honest, there are so many characters it feels as if we don’t ever get to feel any of their emotions unless it’s pain, anger, or anxiety.
So what I felt like I read was a plot-and-atmopshere driven slog of a nearly 500 page novel I felt no investment in. I didn’t care what happened to anyone in it or what the outcome was.
So why did I keep reading? I genuinely like Huang’s prose, her worldbuilding, her imagery, the battle scenes, and the work she was doing with alchemy and physics. It was interesting enough for me to slog through. I wouldn’t read it again and I personally don’t recommend it.
I was provided a copy of this title by NetGalley and the author. All thoughts, opinions, views, and ideas expressed herein are mine and mine alone. Thank you. Personal policy dictates that this review will not appear in my social media accounts due to receiving a rating of three stars or less. ...more
I was really looking forward to reading this book and I’m so sad that I disliked it as much as I did. I had to fight to stay asleep through almost theI was really looking forward to reading this book and I’m so sad that I disliked it as much as I did. I had to fight to stay asleep through almost the entire first third of the book. Then I was a little better until the halfway mark, but not by much. I didn’t become truly invested until the halfway point and that, to me, is a huge problem. I don’t like slow burn novels. I don’t like waiting for halfway through the book for it to become truly interesting. It leaves me feeling cheated out of half a book and of time I could’ve spent reading other books that I would have enjoyed more fully.
On the upside, what comes after the 50% mark is really interesting and worth investing in, if you aren’t like me and like a slow burn. After that halfway point I felt like I needed to see it through to the end because there was just too much at stake and I absolutely needed to know how all the characters in this book were going to solve the boondoggle that is the plot.
It’s actually a really solid plot, too. Let me be clear: All of my problems with this book stem from it being a slow burn. The writing itself is impeccable. Caitlin Starling is a great writer in terms of prose, dialogue, plot, and characterization. Her worldbuilding and research are both excellent. I have a degree in geography and one of my concentrated areas of study is urban planning, so subsidence (the major plot point affecting the fictional city of San Siroco in this book) is a topic I know well, so I was actually very interested in that part of the plot. I’m also a big fan of the folklore surrounding doppelgangers, which was another reason why I was so excited to read this book. I love a good doppelganger book. It’s just too bad that this wasn’t my kind of book.
If you love a good slow burn, I think you’ll love this. If you aren’t the patient type (like me), then this may not be for you. I also think the romance subplot should’ve been cut entirely–not only did it feel like it came out of nowhere, but it didn’t need to be there for the story to work. Cutting it would’ve streamlined the story more and kept that third act a little tighter in terms of flow.
I was provided a copy of this title by NetGalley and the author. All thoughts, opinions, ideas, and views expressed herein are mine and mine alone. Thank you. Personal policy dictates that since this title received a rating of three stars or lower this review will not appear on social media. ...more
While I’ve been reading this over the last 1.5 days (in my bed, in the ER waiting room while my dad gets his heart checked out, while at home relaxingWhile I’ve been reading this over the last 1.5 days (in my bed, in the ER waiting room while my dad gets his heart checked out, while at home relaxing after, and then I finished it while lounging in bed this morning) and I’ve tried talking to anyone about this book, the first question I’ve gotten when I tell them the title is, “Wait. Like the song?” The second question I get is, “It sounds like that’s gotta be corny. Is it corny?”
My friends, as someone who totally dislikes The Chicks (I can’t listen to Natalie Maines because her voice grates on my nerves–it’s not about their music), I gotta tell you this book isn’t corny. I came into this book justifiably skeptical but willing to take a chance because I really loved the cover, and I ended up unexpectedly not only liking it, but loving it. It’s split up into three acts, takes places in two different story timelines (2004 when the four protagonists are seniors in high school and 2019 is the present day time in the book), and is told in turns by all four main characters (the author chose to use third person limited with each character when it’s their chapter instead of going with third-person omniscient for the whole novel).
But first, let’s get the two reasons why I didn’t rate this five stars out of the way really quick before I get into everything I did like.
One reason I had to dock the book some points: In the back half of the book (the book is split into three acts, so it might even just be in the third act), the 2004 and 2019 timeline narratives first have to make way for emails between all four of the girls as two of them have moved away after high school and two have stayed in their small hometown; and then the main storylines and those emails have to make space for transcripts of police interviews from various town citizens who come in to give voluntary statements. That’s a whole lot of stuff going on all at once, and it makes the book too busy and also too long. I would’ve recommended greatly reducing or even just removing the emails between the girls to reduce the length of the novel. I was ready for the book to end at least 50 to 75 pages before it did. That’s not much, but it’s enough to affect the reading experience.
The second reason I felt some points needed to be docked: Devon. What the heck was the point of all of that? It was confusing and then anti-climatic. I’m not going to spoil it. If you read this then maybe you’ll understand.
Now we’re onto the good stuff!
I don’t put stock into how companies like Amazon categorize a book, because it feels unfair to cage in books that are so many things down to only three categories. This book can’t just be pinned down to one thing. It’s part coming of age tale, part crime fiction, part revenge tale, and part “I will do anything for my family” story. It’s also a story about found family, abusers, victims, survivors, addicts, the patriarchy, the south, absentee parents, white privilege, racism, loss, grief, running from your problems, grief, first loves, trauma, sisterhood, misogyny, music, tradition, falling in love, the sweet cowboys, watching a lot of Dateline, and promises you keep no matter what.
These four girls became sisters from another mister at the age of five while playing in a church basement in their small southern town of Goldie, population just a little over 2,000. Kasey is biracial and being raised by a single mom. Ada has two loving and wealthy parents. Rosemarie is black and has two parents who are total hippies. And Caroline has two parents who divorced and then abandoned her to the care of her grandmother, Mimi. Four girls walking four totally different paths in life, but always stepping together, in sync, hand in hand with one another and never forgetting one another or leaving one behind. They make promises to one another and to the whole of them and they don’t break them. Kasey and Rosemarie left after high school but came back eventually, and with them came a reckoning.
I very obviously recommend this book. I laughed, I cried (it’s hard to get me to cry while reading), I felt touched, and I’m so happy I gave this book a chance.
I was provided a copy of this title by NetGalley and the author. All thoughts, opinions, views, and ideas expressed herein are mine and mine alone. Thank you.
File Under: Coming of Age/Crime Fiction/Found Family/General Fiction/LGBTQ Friendly/Vigilantes/Women’s Fiction...more
And Break the Pretty Kings, the first first book in the Sacred Bone series by debut author Lena Jeong, was a book I was really looking forward to thatAnd Break the Pretty Kings, the first first book in the Sacred Bone series by debut author Lena Jeong, was a book I was really looking forward to that unfortunately fell well short of the target. Sadly, not every new YA fantasy series can please everyone straight out of the gate.
The market for folklore and mythological retellings from cultures and nations that aren’t European has been going through a golden age for about three years now, with no signs of stopping. Due to the large amount of interest coming from America in Asian cultures, that’s where the most adaptations, retellings, and remixings are coming from. So, in order to shine bright in the YA Fantasy Asian Folklore Retelling Book Series market, you need to make sure your book stands out from the crowd in some way and that the writing is polished until it gleams.
Sadly, neither one of those things is true about And Break the Pretty Kings. The book is poorly paced: the beginning is messy and confusing, and up until almost the 50% point of the book the whole thing feels like a bunch of what a lot of people call, “Hurry up and wait”. This stutter-start-stutter-start feeling has all the hallmarks of poor story mapping, down to including the dreaded exposition dumps. After the 50% mark all you have is bad writing, scenery, and a poorly thought-out climax and rush to a cliffhanger ending that reminded me of a great many episodes of Dragonball Z.
It would’ve helped if I’d liked any of the characters or if any of them had stayed consistent. Mirae, our protagonist, is naive and obviously has a case of selective hearing for the sake of the plot. She’s also clever when the plot calls for it but ignorant when the plot calls for it too. She’s utterly clueless, but everyone treats her as if she’s totally fierce. I didn’t understand anyone in this book. No one.
This book could’ve been made a great many pages shorter if less time had been spent waxing eloquent about every shiny thing in every room or table Mirae came across. This isn’t necessary, people. This is called purple prose. This level of description and how many pages it takes up doesn’t have anything to do with the plot. If you need to fill pages gushing about fabric or pottery in the middle of what is supposed to be an urgent quest, then you’re doing something wrong.
Everyone else seems to really like this book, and I don’t know why, but I’m not going to yuck their yum. This book just wasn’t for me and I won’t continue the series. If you did enjoy it, many well wishes to you and to Ms. Jeong as you continue the adventure.
I was provided a copy of this title by NetGalley and the author. All thoughts, opinions, views, and ideas are mine and mine alone. Personal policy dictates that since this title received a rating of three stars or lower from me as a reviewer that it will not appear on any social media or bookseller website.
File Under: Coming of Age/Folklore Retelling/Historical Fantasy/Just Not For Me/LGBTQ Friendly/YA Book Series/YA Fantasy/YA Fiction ...more
I was trying to think of which of my March ARCs I should read before I start my April ARCs, and I decided on this book, feeling like I needed somethinI was trying to think of which of my March ARCs I should read before I start my April ARCs, and I decided on this book, feeling like I needed something fun and purely escapist as a palate cleanser before I started a pretty thriller-heavy month for me. Plus, I’ve never read a Marie Lu book before (I know, late to the game, right?) and I just wanted to give her writing a try, even though I know this isn’t her usual game.
While not perfect, this book is a ton of fun! Is it absolutely over-the-top ridonkulous? Yes, yes it is! Is it, as described inside, Kingsmen meets The Bodyguard? It totally is! Do I care about how much I had to suspend my disbelief? Heck-to-the-NO!
Marie Lu is an admitted fan of BTS, and when I sent my bestie (who is also a BTS fan) the summary of this book, my bestie said, “OMG I know exactly who she based Winter Young on!”. I could only laugh, because I am an occasional BTS listener and don’t know the difference between any of them. Winter Young, the male protagonist in this book, may be a pop superstar on par with the Taylor Swift’s of the world in this book in terms of stardom, but he’s much poorer in terms of family and the people who truly know him and love him. His brother died when he was a kid, his dad didn’t want him, and his mother hasn’t been able to really look at him or be around him since his brother passed. The three people closest to him, his manager and two main backup dancers, don’t even know about his brother. So really, no one truly knows him completely.
If you know me and have read a good deal of my reviews, then you know how much I love female spies and assassins. Our female protagonist is Sydney Cossette (also known as The Jackal), who works for The Panacea Group, the secret black ops company who recruits Winter for a secret mission to help take down one of the richest men in the world by having him perform at his daughter’s massive, private birthday gala while Sydney does her dirty work behind the scenes. She’s to pose as Winter’s bodyguard while Winter gets to know and distracts the birthday girl. Sydney was recruited by The Panacea Group at 15 when one of their agents was accompanying the CIA on a recruitment mission at her high school. The CIA couldn’t use her, but she was perfect for The Panacea Group. Eager to escape her nightmare life in her small town, Sydney left that day to become an international spy and never looked back. She feels alone too, clinging to her handler almost like he’s her father and keeping a great deal of secrets. (And can I just tell you how tickled I was that the girl from the poor side of the tracks had the last name Cossette? Shout out to Les Mis fans.)
Beyond these two protagonists, this book is like a popcorn movie hyped up on coffee, fandom, BAMF females, pretty boys, shiny toys, and glittering fun. It’s a quick, page-turning read that might actually make a solid movie or animated film. If you just want some escapism in a world less ordinary, pick it up!
I was provided a copy of this title by NetGalley and the author. All views, ideas, thoughts, and opinions expressed herein are mine and mine alone. Thank you.
File Under: Contemporary Romance/YA Romance/YA Fiction/Book Series/Coming of Age/Espionage Thriller/LGBTQ Friendly/YA Book Series/YA Drama/YA Mystery/YA Suspense/YA Thriller ...more
Note: The Knot Their Omega series is an interconnected series set in the same universe, but the books can be read as standalones at this point withoutNote: The Knot Their Omega series is an interconnected series set in the same universe, but the books can be read as standalones at this point without any issues. I am not aware if the author has plans to change that in future installments, however (the next installment is called Selection, and I guess we will see if there is further integration at that point). So you do not need to read Captivate (the first book in this series) to understand or enjoy Hypnotize at all.
Before I wrote this review I went back and read my review of Captivate, just to familiarize myself with how I felt about that book and see how it might compare to how I felt after reading Hypnotize. Even though I ended up giving them the same rating, I ended up enjoying Hypnotize just a bit more than Captivate, just because of a few different reasons. Both books did, however, have the same flaw that lowered their rating, but in different ways.
Juliet, our FMC, briefly had a cameo in Captivate as she was being promised to a pack in Alaska. It was almost a throwaway mention, but I somehow knew as I was reading that Juliet’s story was going to be the next book in the series. As you can obviously see, I was right. And as the summary states, Juliet never makes it to the pack she was promised to after something horrific happens during her flight. Instead, she ends up alone and stranded during a blizzard in the rural Alaskan wilderness. Thankfully, there are three alphas living off the grid in a cozy cabin and one of them finds a hypothermic Juliet stumbling through the snow before she succumbs to the elements.
Juliet’s promised to another pack, but now she and these three alphas have a few of big problems: Juliet lost everything in the crash (including her heat suppressants), all of their communication to the outside world is down because of the weather, and the snow just won’t stop coming down so any of them can get to the nearest ranger station to see if they have emergency heat suppressants on hand. Three male alphas who have been living in isolation for years without being in the vicinity of an omega? Juliet’s impending heat is bringing the urge to rut mercilessly upon one of the alphas, and the other two are just barely holding back by indulging in mercilessly hot alpha on alpha action (which is one of my favorite omegaverse kinks).
Speaking of kinks and tropes: Hypnotize has a leg up on Captivate by giving me that sweet, sweet forced proximity and deliciously filthy dirty talk. And talk about sexual tension! It’s a taut cord that’s woven between Juliet and Everett (one of our three alphas) throughout about half of this book, and it’s scorchingly hot. Do you have a kink for hot mountain men chopping wood? Then you will love this book. Lawson weaves a lot of commentary on female agency into this book and Captivate, and it’s much appreciated, but I also appreciate her dedication to bringing emotional depth to her male characters. It could be all too easy to give most of the emotional depth and trauma to the FMC, to make her the focus of everything and make the alphas strong men who know just what they want and how to get it. But Everett, Huck, and Dean aren’t living off the grid in isolated Alaskan wilderness because it was their dream. They’ve seen some stuff, been through some trauma, and have some good reasons to stay apart from society at large. In this book, it’s the alphas who need healing, not the omega. It’s refreshing, and I love that the forced proximity lends itself well to this part of the plot.
As to the big flaw in this book that I also found in Captivate: I found the ending to be too rushed and too easy. And, again, it was the events of the second act that left too little room for a more structured third act that would allow for a more well-rounded climax and ending. When the antagonist in the book has been built up to be such a big bad the entire book and then it seems laughably easy for the protagonist(s) to “escape their clutches”, so to speak, I end up disappointed that for as well written the rest of the book was that the author chose to waste an opportunity to write just as satisfying of an ending. Just because we know the book will end in a HEA doesn’t mean you need to rush through the section where we need to wrap up the section where everything comes to a head.
Still, it’s an excellent omegaverse novel with great characters. It’s a page-turner, and it’s going to cause some thigh clenching. That’s a good time, in my opinion.
I was provided a copy of this title by the author. All thoughts, ideas, views, and opinions expressed herein are mine and mine alone. Thank you.
It’s so unfair that I have to give this book (which is by all rights an entertaining slasher film romp where the frat boys aReal Rating: 3.5 / 5 Stars
It’s so unfair that I have to give this book (which is by all rights an entertaining slasher film romp where the frat boys are the ones in danger and not sorority girls for once) 3.5 stars. I would’ve loved to have rated it higher; but as it was, if it weren’t such a fun book to read (and I didn’t even manage to guess whodunit!) I would’ve rated it lower because this book has enough plot holes I felt like I might need to send for a work crew to come patch them all for author Cale Dietrich.
Why didn’t I guess who did it? Well, because it didn’t make any sense. If anyone else who has read this book can look back at any point in the book and tell me there was any hint that made you realize in hindsight the murderer was at least slightly suspect, then I’d like to know, because it’s driving me nuts.
And as for the leading suspect for the murders for the majority of the book: If Sam (our MC) was so skeptical, why didn’t he find a way to contact that person’s family and find out if they knew anything about where he was or what happened to him? Moreover, if said person had indeed disappeared suddenly, wouldn't law enforcement have contacted Sam as a matter of course, considering their shared history? I just felt like I kept stumbling into plot holes and if I was watching a horror film I’d be asking Sam out loud as I was watching the television, “Why don’t you make one simple phone call?”
I loved that this was a YA horror novel in the slasher genre with prominent LGBTQ representation and a LGBTQ main romantic relationship but that Dietrich never made this book about being queer. This wasn’t a slasher novel about being gay, this was a slasher novel that just happened to have a heavy amount of queer representation that was presented in a positive light. These young men are simply fresh meat in the college market, trying to find their people and their way in life. Yeah, they’re gay, but that’s never the point. And that’s not the motive for the murders, either.
It really is an entertaining, diverting, fun, and slasher-iffic read that’s good for when you just want to take some time to sink into a book that has the feel of a 90’s slasher film.
I was provided a copy of this book by NetGalley in conjunction with the author. All thoughts, views, and opinions expressed in this review are mine and mine alone. Thank you.
The usual caveat when it comes to reviewing indie, spicy romance novels versus the vast majority of other books applies here: I do not apply the same The usual caveat when it comes to reviewing indie, spicy romance novels versus the vast majority of other books applies here: I do not apply the same set of criteria to reviewing these types of books like I do the others. When reviewing spicy romance novels written by independent authors I review almost solely on my enjoyment level of the book.
I kind of plow through my way through omegaverse novels. You could say I’m a fan. Often I read them as soon as they come out and then just give them a star rating on GoodReads and move onto devouring another book, especially if I’m on an omegaverse binge. But I was given an opportunity to review this book by an author who’s new to me, so I snapped up the chance as soon as I could.
Immediately, I like the introduction to our FMC, an omega trying her hardest to hide her true nature and pretend to be a beta for quite a few good reasons (in her opinion, which is the only opinion that matters), and even though this isn’t a new plot set-up, I was impressed with Lawson’s take on the set-up and on how she wrote Riley, the FMC. Riley isn’t in a good place physically, mentally, or emotionally, but she loves her job and her independence. She’s lonely, but she’s resigned.
All it takes is one absent minded mistake, though, and Riley gets herself in some hot water and a conscientious alpha gets her out of an altercation with the authorities that could’ve ended far worse than it did. Said interaction, due to the overly patriarchal rules that permeate omegaverse novels, leads to the alpha who saved her from the cops having to take legal custody of her.
The romantic story arc between Riley and the pack who takes legal responsibility for her unfolds much like most omegaverse novels, with a good amount of sword crossing for all us thirsty readers who are into that. But what actually elevates this omegaverse novel for me is Riley, her trauma, her insecurities, her vulnerabilities, and how she differs in a significant way from typical omegas. (Being more specific would result in ye olde spoilers). Lawson must have had to do a lot of research to create Riley, as well as the characters of Thane (the alpha of her pack), and Thane’s parents so the plot could fully come together. I admire when authors do their leg work like this, bringing something that sounds so close to what women in real life might experience so the target audience might identify more with the FMC and also bringing a FMC to the pages with such a strong vulnerability.
I do think the ending was rushed a bit. In the second act there seemed to be some material that could’ve been moved around, combined, or excised in order to allow more room to breathe in the third act, but it’s not such a glaring error that I think it will turn away readers. It’s really a great omegaverse book that should garner a lot of attention. I hope it does.
I received a complimentary copy of this title from Courtney Dunham PA Services and the author. All views and opinions expressed herein are my own.
The usual caveat when it comes to reviewing indie, spicy romance novels versus the vast majority of other books applies here: I do not apply the same set of criteria to reviewing these types of books like I do the others. When reviewing spicy romance novels written by independent authors I review almost solely on my enjoyment level of the book.
I kind of plow through my way through omegaverse novels. You could say I’m a fan. Often I read them as soon as they come out and then just give them a star rating on GoodReads and move onto devouring another book, especially if I’m on an omegaverse binge. But I was given an opportunity to review this book by an author who’s new to me, so I snapped up the chance as soon as I could.
Immediately, I like the introduction to our FMC, an omega trying her hardest to hide her true nature and pretend to be a beta for quite a few good reasons (in her opinion, which is the only opinion that matters), and even though this isn’t a new plot set-up, I was impressed with Lawson’s take on the set-up and on how she wrote Riley, the FMC. Riley isn’t in a good place physically, mentally, or emotionally, but she loves her job and her independence. She’s lonely, but she’s resigned.
All it takes is one absent minded mistake, though, and Riley gets herself in some hot water and a conscientious alpha gets her out of an altercation with the authorities that could’ve ended far worse than it did. Said interaction, due to the overly patriarchal rules that permeate omegaverse novels, leads to the alpha who saved her from the cops having to take legal custody of her.
The romantic story arc between Riley and the pack who takes legal responsibility for her unfolds much like most omegaverse novels, with a good amount of sword crossing for all us thirsty readers who are into that. But what actually elevates this omegaverse novel for me is Riley, her trauma, her insecurities, her vulnerabilities, and how she differs in a significant way from typical omegas. (Being more specific would result in ye olde spoilers). Lawson must have had to do a lot of research to create Riley, as well as the characters of Thane (the alpha of her pack), and Thane’s parents so the plot could fully come together. I admire when authors do their leg work like this, bringing something that sounds so close to what women in real life might experience so the target audience might identify more with the FMC and also bringing a FMC to the pages with such a strong vulnerability.
I do think the ending was rushed a bit. In the second act there seemed to be some material that could’ve been moved around, combined, or excised in order to allow more room to breathe in the third act, but it’s not such a glaring error that I think it will turn away readers. It’s really a great omegaverse book that should garner a lot of attention. I hope it does.
I received a complimentary copy of this title from Courtney Dunham PA Services and the author. All views and opinions expressed herein are my own.
I knew when I read the previous book in this universe (don’t worry, both books can be read as standalones and you won’t miss a single thing), We Are WI knew when I read the previous book in this universe (don’t worry, both books can be read as standalones and you won’t miss a single thing), We Are Worthy, that I would want to read any other book Alisha Williams wrote that was set in the same universe. So, when We Are Destiny was announced, I signed up to read, review, and promote that book right away.
This book hit two huge omegaverse sweet spots for me: omega on omega action, and alpha on alpha action. It’s all well and good to read your standard omegaverse novel where it’s all just alpha(s) on omega action, but to be honest, I’ve really gotten tired of them. They’ve started to bore me in the same way that about 75% of heterosexual contemporary romances have, which is why I don’t usually read m/f contemporary romance unless it’s highly recommended to me by people I trust to make good recommendations. With omegaverse, I now see the standard alpha(s) x omega and I’m already pretty bored. I end up returning them to KU usually before the 20% point because I just need more from my omegaverse novels now. And mixing things up or adding up the kink and/or spice factor is a spectacular way to grab my attention and keep me reading.
While I loved We Are Worthy because of its unconventional yet BAMF FMC who was more into who her potential pack members were inside rather than what muscles they had on the outside, I loved We Are Destiny because of the two omegas in the book: our MMC, Spencer, and the feisty little omega Everlee, who is barely-controlled chaos with devious plans in mind that are meant to make everyone happy. The two together are so sweet and cuter than a pair of kittens who have just discovered their toe beans.
Also, bravo to Williams for tackling the struggles that come with depression and anxiety and the unhealthy coping mechanisms one might use in the dark times when it seems you’ve lost everything and don’t know if you’re ever going to come out of the dark pit you’ve found yourself in. As someone who has a panic disorder and an anxiety disorder (let’s not talk about the bipolar), I felt those scenes were written rather well and handled with appropriate care instead of exploitatively. While Spencer’s anxiety and depression are intrinsic to the plot, Williams did take care to not make Spencer all about his depression and anxiety, instead opting as often as possible to show as many different facets of Spencer as possible.
Now, we all know we don’t read omegaverse for plot. We read it for fun and for spice. You don’t have anything to worry about on that front. There is a lot of spice in this book, and the pairings are in every formation possible. It’s all hot, and it’ll make you squirm real good. Not only that, but you get a lot of sweet and soft intimate moments, which is always nice.
All in all, it’s another winner from Alisha Williams in this omegaverse universe. It’s a great book available on Kindle Unlimited and you should definitely check it out if you like your omegaverse novels spicy, diverse, and versatile.
I was provided a copy of this book by the author. All opinions, thoughts, ideas, and views expressed herein are mine and mine alone. Thank you.
They say true faith is blind faith. I say blind faith is willful ignorance. I think Seven Faceless Saints is about finding tReal Rating: 4.5 / 5 Stars
They say true faith is blind faith. I say blind faith is willful ignorance. I think Seven Faceless Saints is about finding the balance between this great divide: You shouldn't be blind in your faith because not even your saints are infallable but having faith in something gives you something to look forward to and something to live for.
Damian and Roz, the main characters of this book, both desperately need something to live for and something to cling to. For Damian, it's his faith in the saints and the belief he has in his father and the war effort. For Roz it's her rage, spite, and drive to overthrow the whole system in the name of her deceased father and all the other unfavored (those without magic), who are treated like dirt by those with magic (Disciples) in the city of Ombrazia.
M.K. Lobb has a lovely, romantic writing style that I fell in love with very easily. At times it feels reminiscent of Leigh Bardugo, but there's no doubt Lobb has made it her own. Her sentence structure is efficient but evocative, managing to put across so much without using a ton of words. That's a talent you don't see much and I love it because it allows for brisk pacing without taking away emotion and imagery.
The book did start off a little slow, but not so slow I minded too much. I also felt the final confrontation was a little too evil-monologue, but it could've been worse. Lobb's choice to make the setting of her world a quasi-Italy is unique for the genre but I felt like it could've been more fully developed.
In place of a more fully-developed world, we got more fully-developed main characters, so I hardly feel like it's worth complaining too much about. I truly love Damian and Roz. Damian feels like a true martyr figure and Roz feels like a true saint figure (which is ironic, given how much she dislikes them). Roz is very much in the grey morality terrirtory, while Damian is full of the tainted light of someone who's seen too much in his short life. Like some of the best hate-to-love-you pairings in literature, their chemistry comes from that continuous push-pull dynamic of, "Don't want you but can't live without you," that a lot of us can't help but go crazy for.
I have a feeling the worldbuilding will become more robust in Disciples of Chaos, which I can't wait to read. I have the eARC for that one, so watch out for my review in about a month or so. With that, here are some parting words from the book that I found absolutely stunning:
"Every time I looked up at the moon, I remembered when we were nine and I asked you what would happen if it fell from the sky. How you laughed yourself silly at me, and said although space was infinite, the moon never stopped circling earth. How it couldn't stop even if it wanted to. And even back then, I knew which one of us was the earth."
All thoughts, opinions, views, and ideas expressed herein are mine and mine alone. Thank you.
File Under: Book Series/Fantasy/Romantasy/Fantasy Series/LGBTQ Friendly/Mystery/Suspense Mystery/YA Fantasy/YA Romantasy...more
I have been with this series since book one and haven’t regretted one page of it. Sinclair Kelly is one of my favorite omegaverse writers, and this inI have been with this series since book one and haven’t regretted one page of it. Sinclair Kelly is one of my favorite omegaverse writers, and this interconnected omegaverse series has become one of my favorite things to read, review, and promote over the past year or so.
I have such a thing for BAMF omegas, and wouldn’t you know this book stars one of the best I’ve ever seen in Reese, who is a FBI SAC for their Undercover Narcotics Unit. She’s spent almost the entire time since she first perfumed suppressing her omega nature and urges and living as a beta in order to become one of the FBI’s most highly-decorated and talented agents. But once a job goes a little bit awry and she needs to take some down time so the aftermath can be cleaned up she finds herself in the same town as Bexley and Arden (our omegas from the first two books in this series), their packs, and the pack that is headed up by her father’s gorgeous silver fox best friend (who just happens to also be the town sheriff), a man she offered herself to when she was 18 and was rejected.
This book isn’t as good as the first installment of this series and isn’t as spicy as the second book, but it sure hits a lot of my buttons: age-gap, dirty talk, and some mm action being among those buttons. I greatly enjoyed the plot and the characters, as well.
The sole complaint I have about this book is how rushed it read to me. I know I often complain about books being too long, but in my opinion this book was too short and the story suffered for it. The relationship developments suffered for it. Reese’s evolution and character development suffered for it. And the ending? That was rushed too.
I do have a complaint that is applicable to other books but I saw in this book too: multiple epilogues. This was cute the first couple of times I saw it, but I really am sick of it now. Please, authors, do away with the multiple epilogues.
I was provided access to this title by the author. All views and opinions expressed here are my own. Thank you.
In this installment of author Lunn Burke’s Missing Link series we get to meet the masterminds of the Missing Link app, Ashton and Rhett, and the genesIn this installment of author Lunn Burke’s Missing Link series we get to meet the masterminds of the Missing Link app, Ashton and Rhett, and the genesis for the app’s development is also revealed (surprisingly, it’s not just because some dude bros wanted to get their poly freak on (kidding!)). We also get an introduction to the character who will possibly be the main character of the next ML novel, and we get to see Sinful Natures alum and star of the first ML novel, Haley, in a super cute cameo appearance.
I really enjoyed the first book in this series, but I had a completely different reaction to the second installment. As you can see from my rating here, I had a mixed reaction to this entry.
What you never have to worry about with a Lynn Burke book is the quality of writing. Lynn is a solid writer all around. She not only comes up with great settings and has excellent world building skills, but she also never skimps on exceedingly hot spicy scenes, swoon-worthy romantic scenes, witty banter, and thoughtful narrative.
If you’ve liked the first two books in this series then this book won’t disappoint you. The characters are unique and each has something to offer to the reader, which is always something I love from an author. I recommend picking it up for sure, even if I had my own mixed reactions.
I was provided access to this title by the author. All views and opinions expressed here are my own.
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