please note that the trigger warnings and topes/themes may contain spoilers I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this booplease note that the trigger warnings and topes/themes may contain spoilers I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own. HEA: HEA POV: dual 1st person POV spice: many open-door spicy scenes TWs: abuse, non-consensual body mutilation, emotional abuse, gore, manipulation, portrayal of mental illness, attempted sexual assault, torture, violence Kinky Content: anal, biting, double penetration, “eyes on me”, grinding, marking, oral, praise, prehensile magic play, spanking, triple penetration standalone: book 3 of Love and Fate series final thoughts: this book broke my heart and put it back together. I love a morally dark MMC who would burn the world for his FMC while being soft just for her. This was another huge twist and plot change from book 2 (just like book 2 was for book 1) that kept me guessing, nervous, and giddy. Persephone is a badass who gets to know herself all while fighting an internal battle and falling in love with Hades all over again. The side characters, once again, make this book amazing. I’m excited to read the novella of Mellie and Helios since it takes place during the same timeframe as The Queen & The King. A great wrap-up but I didn’t want their story to finish!
please note that the trigger warnings and topes/themes may contain spoilers I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this booplease note that the trigger warnings and topes/themes may contain spoilers I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own. HEA: cliffhanger POV: dual 1st person POV spice: many open-door spicy scenes TWs: child abuse, deprivations of gore, kidnapping, manipulation, narcissism, PTSD, self harm, torture, violence, war Kinky Content: ass play, biting, dirty talk, double penetration, “eyes on me”, grinding, marking, mirror sex, oral, praise, prehensile magic play, shower sex, spanking, voyeurism standalone: book 2 of Love and Fate series final thoughts: book 2 did not disappoint! So much adventure and banter continued in this series into book 2. This book focuses a lot more on the adventure/war/world building aspects with the romance taking a backseat… but definitely still very prevalent in the story with many spicy scenes throughout. We get a lot more of Cerberus and Mellie in this book and I love the side characters just as much as I love the main characters.
please note that the trigger warnings and topes/themes may contain spoilers I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this booplease note that the trigger warnings and topes/themes may contain spoilers I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own. HEA: cliffhanger POV: single 1st person POV spice: several open-door spicy scenes TWs: housefire (non-fatal), torture, murder, possession, drugging, human trafficking, kidnapping, gore, threats, blackmail standalone: book 2 in the Bewitched series final thoughts: WOWWWW I’ve been anxiously waiting for this book to get myself off the cliffhanger that was book 1 and this DID NOT DIAPPOINT. Another 5⭐ read from Laura Thalassa with so many tropes, an incredibly intriguing plot, great characters, intense action and drama, and a Shadow Daddy. This series has everything, and I can’t wait to see where Selene and Memnon go from here! What an edge-of-your-seat adventure this series is!!
please note that the trigger warnings and topes/themes may contain spoilers I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this booplease note that the trigger warnings and topes/themes may contain spoilers I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own. HEA: yes POV: multi 1st person POV spice: a few open-door spicy scenes TWs: stalking, violence, attempted SA, sexual harassment, dubcon, murder, death of a parent (recounted), drug abuse, child abuse (recounted), underage sex (MCs first time both are under 18), bullying, death of a child, mutilation (of fantasy creatures) standalone: yes final thoughts: overall this book was entertaining, but I had a hard time staying connected with the story due to the timelines changing so often. I loved the concept of Hook being an alternate personality to Peter- I wish there was more of it! I loved the angry fae, mermaids, etc and wished we got more interactions within Neverland and built up the drama between the characters. Parts of this story felt extremely rushed (especially the ending) and as always, in my opinion, more groveling needed to be done. If only there was a single conversation between the MCs, this entire book would not exist ...more
please note that the trigger warnings and topes/themes may contain spoilers I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this booplease note that the trigger warnings and topes/themes may contain spoilers I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own. HEA: yes-ish cliffhanger POV: multi 3rd person POV spice: one open-door spicy scene (the slowest of burns) TWs: war, manipulation, death, cheating, death of family members (recounted), bullying standalone: book 3 in The Elf Queen series final thoughts: J.M. Kearl how and why are you invested in ripping out our hearts?! This book was devasting in the best and worst ways. This series has me in a chokehold and I’m eager for what happens next. Silly me... I went into this book thinking it was the end of a trilogy only to be sidelined realizing that there is (at least) one more book in this series coming in Fall 2024. We once again follow an engaging cast of characters looking to eliminate evil, get back home, and find their place as they uncover memories long forgotten.
please note that the trigger warnings and topes/themes may contain spoilers I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this booplease note that the trigger warnings and topes/themes may contain spoilers I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own. HEA: yes POV: dual 1st person POV spice: several open-door spicy scenes TWs: mentions of parental death, grief, lots of OW/OM drama standalone: yes final thoughts: CASEY! This book put me through the wringer in the first half!! The POVs are split up with Theo having the first half POV and Kit having the second half POV which was confusing at first, but it really built up the angst and miscommunication which are big tropes in this book. This book made me want to take the same tour they did, eat all the delicious food that was described, and meet other fun backpackers along the way. Theo and Kit engage in a sex-off bet by seeing who can sleep with the most people by the end of the trip which they think will help prove they’re both over their past relationship… sounds foolproof right?
please note that the trigger warnings and topes/themes may contain spoilers I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this booplease note that the trigger warnings and topes/themes may contain spoilers I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own. HEA: yes spice: several open door scenes TWs: traumatic brain injury, mental illness, mentions of death, kidnapping, war, murder, curses standalone: book 2 in the Matchmaker Monster Romance series final thoughts: monster romance is one of my favorite genres and this hit so many of the tropes you want to see in a monster romance! Plenty of romance, reluctance, adventure, and possessive monster MC displays. And you know krakens=tentacles so…. Didn’t disappoint
please note that the trigger warnings and topes/themes may contain spoilers I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this booplease note that the trigger warnings and topes/themes may contain spoilers I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own. HEA: yes-ish – cliffhanger and I need book 3 now! spice: 1 mildly open-door spicy scene – VERY SLOW burn TWs: violence, abuse, murder, torture, manipulation standalone: book 2 in the Iron Crystal Series final thoughts: the writing and readability continue to be similar to the first in the series- bridge between YA and NA reading (but in a good way). We get more world building, new fun characters, hidden secrets revealed, and plenty of drama and magic!
the cover: drew me in immediately- perfect depiction of a dark humor book… and look at that cute little pony!!! FMC: Emma- we enter this book with Emmathe cover: drew me in immediately- perfect depiction of a dark humor book… and look at that cute little pony!!! FMC: Emma- we enter this book with Emma ready to take her life. As a 30-something with an unfulfilled life, a boatload of debt, and a dead-end job that takes her for granted she longs for a purpose- will she find one in her afterlife? MMC: Mark- after some attempts at talking Emma off the ledge… literally… he instead pushes them both to their death. Except they don’t quite die. They offer to help Death by agreeing to reap souls in exchange for a second chance but those second chances look very different for Emma and Mark. Will they find common ground? Will they get their second chance? POV: 3rd person, multiple perspectives HEA: yes spice: there are a couple fade-to-black or suggestive scenes, but this book does not focus on a true romantic relationship, so they are very minimal TWs: death, suicide (multiple characters, nongraphic), murder, child death (nongraphic) standalone?: yes final thoughts: Death, Veronique, Charon, and the Four Horsemen were funny, interesting, and were very interesting to read. They were great side characters (and we get most of their POVs at different times throughout the book) that added different layers to this novel. I loved nearly everything about this book except a few concepts that were introduced toward the end (I’ll block the spoilers below if you want to read)
(view spoiler)[Mark confessed his love for Emma basically on page 1, she was very clear this was not reciprocated yet he mentioned it in almost every chapter until the end. It felt like we were beating a dead horse (pun intended? (hide spoiler)]...more
4.5 rounded up to 5 please note that the trigger warnings and topes/themes may contain spoilers I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanc4.5 rounded up to 5 please note that the trigger warnings and topes/themes may contain spoilers I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own. FMC: Selene- a witch who has made it her life goal to be accepted into Henbane Coven. Every time she uses her magic, she loses random memories, so she needs to add an extra oomph to get the Coven to want her. To make her resume more exciting, she decides to take a last-minute trip to South America where she finds an unlikely friend, has an epic magical adventure, and follows an ethereal voice who happens to lead her to a tomb with the hottest guy she’s ever seen. The biggest problem? He wakes up and is convinced she’s his wife and is pissed at her for curing him. MMC: Memnon- after being encased in a tomb for who-knows-how-long he is finally awoken only to find his wife to be the one who freed him and now he is set on revenge. Memnon tries to convince Selene of who she is and how they are connected but she is positive they’ve never met and have no history together. He’ll make her remember him, fall back in love, and get his revenge for cursing him. POV: 1st person, single POV HEA: no, cliffhanger spice: several open-door spicy scenes and so much steam TWs: place crash (nonfatal), memory loss, murder, using dark magic, sacrifice, kidnapping, attempted murder, mental/emotional abuse, technically non-consent vibes but I’m squinting here standalone: book 1 in the Bewitched series final thoughts: Oh. My. Gods. This book was so great and had me hooked from start to finish. Perfect murder mystery with an unreliable narrator and the cliffhanger left me NEEDING MORE. Book 2 is very anticipated for me. Usually, I don’t love a cliffhanger, but I do think this ended exactly how it should and leaves the next book wide open to answer so many remaining questions. This was a wonderful book with great world building, interesting characters, a strong FMC, and an absolutely swoonworthy alphahole MMC. Laura Thalassa Not me (and the FMC) losing all sense of feminism when Memnon walks in a room…..
please note that the trigger warnings and topes/themes may contain spoilers I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this booplease note that the trigger warnings and topes/themes may contain spoilers I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own. HEA: yes spice: a few open-door spicy scenes TWs: mild misogyny, kidnapping, claustrophobia, attempted murder. Cheating (not MCs) standalone: book 5 in the First Comes Love series - can definitely be read as a standalone final thoughts: a fun book that has plenty of action, adventure, danger, banter, and “will they/won’t they” angst. I did think there were some minor plot holes that didn’t fully round the book for me, but overall, it was a fast, easy, and good read. Some tense and scary moments but the relationship evolution was fun to follow