Hello hello - I’m pleased to introduce you all to Dante, my latest hot grumpy billionaire CEO boyfriend.
Dante aTLDR; Ana can literally do no wrong!!!
Hello hello - I’m pleased to introduce you all to Dante, my latest hot grumpy billionaire CEO boyfriend.
Dante and Vivian are EVERYTHING to me. The tension, the family issues, the high spending lifestyle, the SPICE!!!! God bless my queen Ana Huang. I loved every little glimpse we got of characters from the Twisted series. Seeing the other side of some scenes from Twisted Lies was perfection!
This book was amazing. Every single page was enjoyable and I was hooked from beginning to end.
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Merged review:
TLDR; Ana can literally do no wrong!!!
Hello hello - I’m pleased to introduce you all to Dante, my latest hot grumpy billionaire CEO boyfriend.
Dante and Vivian are EVERYTHING to me. The tension, the family issues, the high spending lifestyle, the SPICE!!!! God bless my queen Ana Huang. I loved every little glimpse we got of characters from the Twisted series. Seeing the other side of some scenes from Twisted Lies was perfection!
This book was amazing. Every single page was enjoyable and I was hooked from beginning to end.
Sarah Adams writes books with great characters, hilarious banter, amazing settings, and sizzling tension. I have thoroughly enjoyed everything I’ve reSarah Adams writes books with great characters, hilarious banter, amazing settings, and sizzling tension. I have thoroughly enjoyed everything I’ve read from her, and I was super excited to pick up this book as a continuation of the When in Rome series (the first book was in my top 10 of 2023!).
I really liked this one. I was a little iffy on it at the beginning (for reasons I’ll expound upon later) but this one really came together for me and I very much enjoyed myself reading this one. Will and Annie are so sweet with each other. They both treat the other person with such care and omg it makes my heart want to melt. ...more
Victorian era romance meets haunted house meets light fantasy! Olivia Atwater has a super engaging writing style that I absolutely love. It is so descVictorian era romance meets haunted house meets light fantasy! Olivia Atwater has a super engaging writing style that I absolutely love. It is so descriptive and I very much enjoy how she uses it to develop her world building. As usual in her books, there’s a light and airy magic system and characters with tons of personality, but this one touched on some more serious topics that I really enjoyed. I wasn’t 100% sold on the romance and it felt a bit rushed, especially in the last quarter of the novel, but overall it was cute and I did enjoy the connection between Winnie and Quincy.
Winnie is a wonderful character. Her internal monologue is hilarious and she has personality and spunk in spades. She really developed as a person throughout this book by learning more about herself, overcoming difficulty with intimacy due to past trauma (men suck tbh), and trusting others and herself enough to let them in and really care about them. Mr. Quincy was a bit of a dark horse to me, honestly. Besides the… uhm…. tail?…. he seemed great, but his character just felt a bit flat. He really came into his own when he and Winnie are making their way through the Witchwood Knot, but for the first half of the book I just really was not getting the vibes. Robert was a great character growth piece for Winnie — as she gets to know him better she goes from begrudgingly putting up with him to genuinely caring for him and trying her hardest to save him from a life within the Witchwood Knot. Winnie’s familiar Oliver (Ollie) was a super fun addition to the story as well!
Plot wise, looking back, I don’t really think much happened? It was a fun story that I enjoyed while reading, but there are only two plot points that I can really recall as being important. The first half is dedicated to character specifics that, in my opinion, could have been integrated with other areas of the story to make it more cohesive and exciting.
Holy CROSSOVERS! There were soooo many callouts to Olivia Atwater’s Regency Fairytales series which was a fun surprise as well. ...more
This was fun fun FUN!! I didn’t know I needed to read a story about a werewolf and a vampire falling in love, but alas, I did. I really felt like Ali This was fun fun FUN!! I didn’t know I needed to read a story about a werewolf and a vampire falling in love, but alas, I did. I really felt like Ali Hazelwood’s writing came to life here! Her contemp romances are great, but I’d be very interested to see more from her in this space.
Not gonna lie, I was a little thrown for the first 20-25% if this one. It was arranged marriage/marriage for alliance, but for some reason I didn’t connect with the MMC, Lowe. Misery, the FMC, wasn’t ticking all the boxes for me. I felt like there was tension missing there. I didn’t like the Weres at all. And of course the Vampires suck (no pun intended).
And then BOOM. Something happened in the second quarter of the book that really sucked me in. I don’t know what it was, but it worked. Misery’s internal monologue had me cracking up every other page, Lowe was hitting us with copious amounts of “my wife” (...more
An easy and quick read, but not my favorite. I agree with the title: this was is love story. To me, there’s a difference between a love story and a roAn easy and quick read, but not my favorite. I agree with the title: this was is love story. To me, there’s a difference between a love story and a romance novel, and I think this perfectly embodies what a love story is: the good, the bad, and the ugly, life getting in the way, and imperfect people just making it work. The characters are just SO immature. Yes, I know this is a coming-of-age, second chance, college loves who lost touch story. But even in the adult timeline, I was bothered by the lack of communication and maturity between Matt and Grace. I had trouble taking them seriously, but I did enjoy how purely they loved each other. All this plus a rushed ending and it just didn’t hit home for me.
It’s so silly but a character that is only in like the last 10% of this book was the bright spot for me. They made the other characters around them feel more connected to the story and made the writing come alive for me, which I desperately needed.
Either way, I enjoyed the writing and how easy it was to read, but it just wasn’t exactly what I was hoping for. It’s angsty and full of naivety in the college timeline. It’s angsty and full of immaturity in the adult timeline. I can see why other people love this book, but sadly, as someone who is SUPREMELY character driven, I just didn’t connect with this one. ...more
I was so excited for this book. I’ve seen it all over bookstagram & booktok and I couldn’t wait to jump in! Sadly, this bookstWell. I have…. Thoughts.
I was so excited for this book. I’ve seen it all over bookstagram & booktok and I couldn’t wait to jump in! Sadly, this booksta darling missed the mark for me.
I’d like to preface this review by saying that this book WAS quite entertaining. It’s an enjoyable read, but I really feel like there are some major issues here. Another thing to keep in mind: this is Lauren Roberts’ first book, so there is, of course, room for improvement!
Let’s start with what I liked: 1) The characters. The MMC, Kai, felt dynamic and jumped off the page at me on multiple occasions. The FMC grew on me as the story went on, and the side characters had just enough detail that I cared about them, but not too much that it was overkill. 2) Banter and tension. Kai and Paedyn have GREAT banter. They’re perfectly funny and flirty and ferocious & I loved the dialogue between them. 3) The ending. I’m intrigued! The last 75ish pages were action packed and set up a great opening for the next installment in the series. 4) Ease of reading. As I said earlier, this was an enjoyable read. It reads quickly and kept me interested.
However, I don’t think there was an original storyline/plot point anywhere in this book. The entire book feels very….. “inspired”….. by the popular dystopian novels of the 2010s, which is great — I love those books — but my issue comes when there are exact scenes portrayed in the exact same way. I noted 3 scenes in the first half of the book alone that were identical to scenes from Divergent. Parts of the Trials, like the interview portion leading up to the competition, were very similar to the press appearances in The Hunger Games. I just wanted more originality? It felt like reading every other YA fantasy I read in middle school. I understand taking inspiration, but the similarities were WAY too similar. For me personally, the pacing was off in the middle 300 pages. I wasn’t a fan of the writing style either - it was very choppy and disjointed. Then there’s also a love triangle that I REALLY wasn’t a fan of… ...more
This was my second book from Catherine Walsh and I can say with confidence that her voice might be one of my favoritWONDERFUL! AMAZING! I AM OBSESSED!
This was my second book from Catherine Walsh and I can say with confidence that her voice might be one of my favorites in the romance space. Her books are unbelievably readable — super fun and filled with banter but still emotional and rooted in romantic reality — and always leave me with aching cheeks from smiling so big and so often.
I read and loved Holiday Romance last year, so coming in to the 2023 season of Christmas reads, I knew Snowed In had to be on my list. And of course, it did NOT disappoint! I really, really loved this. ADD THIS TO YOUR HOLIDAY TBRs NOW. I demand it!! ...more
This book has AMAZING banter, but holy slow burn….. 340 pages and the best we can get is a pretend kiss and lingering hug???? Overall, I did really enThis book has AMAZING banter, but holy slow burn….. 340 pages and the best we can get is a pretend kiss and lingering hug???? Overall, I did really enjoy this, but felt the fantasy elements were a bit lackluster and I thought both of the main characters were so clueless to the other’s very obvious feelings. Idk, I just don’t think the romantic payoff was there, but maybe in the next book? ...more
What do you mean? Of course I loved this. Emily Henry wrote it.
EmHen just writes the MOST readable books. You sit down to read and look up 5 hours laWhat do you mean? Of course I loved this. Emily Henry wrote it.
EmHen just writes the MOST readable books. You sit down to read and look up 5 hours later like "oh sh-". I really enjoyed this one. However, this isn't my fav of her books. BEACH READ SUPREMACY FOREVER. Anyways, I digress.
When Daphne's fiance, Peter, tells her he's running off with his best friend Petra and leaving Daphne high and dry before their wedding, she's not left with many options. The best one? Move in with Petra's ex, Miles. When they both receive invitations to Peter & Petra's upcoming wedding, what else is there for Daphne and Miles to do besides pretend to date and show up to their exes' wedding TOGETHER? Chaos and banter and tons of feelings ensue, of course, and Daphne and Miles fall very much in love.
I'll be honest, Daphne and Miles are not my favorite Henry-verse characters. I never connected with Daphne much at all, and I didn't "get" Miles, but they were still so fun to read about. They had great banter and I found myself literally LOLing at them so often. Their relationship did develop very naturally, from reluctant roommates, to reluctant friends, to more. BUT, Daphne is a librarian, and Miles loves wine, so. We're all bound to be besties. It took a long time for them to open up to each other (both characters have LOTS of childhood trauma), but once they did it was so honest and loving. Both of them were so reaffirming and comforting to each other. I loved it.
HOWEVER, the third act conflict was not the move for me. In my opinion, both characters acted, well, out of character. It sent the book and the characters into a tailspin that just didn't make sense to me. I don't even think this story needed a third act conflict; Miles and Daphne had so much development and tension and buildup that by the time they got together, they story was progressing so nicely that it could have finished the book out that way.
All that said, I ate this book up and finished it in like 2 days because everything Emily Henry touches turns to gold. There's something about her writing style that just tugs on my heart strings. Her word choice literally makes me cry on multiple occasions. She can do no wrong. If Emily Henry has a gazillion fans, I'm one of them. If she has one fan, it's me. If she has no fans, I'm dead. ...more
I want to start off by saying that the writing here is absolutely GORGEOUS. However… pacing in this one was WAY off to me, unfortunately. The romance I want to start off by saying that the writing here is absolutely GORGEOUS. However… pacing in this one was WAY off to me, unfortunately. The romance was lackluster and the actual fantasy elements were pretty slim. I loved the pen pals situation, the premise was good, and it reads super quickly, but I just wasn’t super super invested in the world or the plot/romantic developments....more
Quick and enjoyable! Missing just a little bit of the magic that’s present in Devney’s other books that makes you love the characters more than life. Quick and enjoyable! Missing just a little bit of the magic that’s present in Devney’s other books that makes you love the characters more than life. I liked the MCs, but didn’t love them. A fun read for lovers of sports, second chance, and workplace romance. ...more
I don't know what my expectations were going into this book, but it took those expectations, passed them, and then blCRACK. THIS BOOK CONTAINS CRACK.
I don't know what my expectations were going into this book, but it took those expectations, passed them, and then blew the whole thing out of the water. I absolutely could not put it down. I loved how the fantasy elements blended with the world building and the Hunger Games-esque aspect of the trials.
Oraya, by all accounts, was adopted by Vincent (the current vampire king) as a young girl after her village of humans was raided and torn to the ground. She was raised as Vincent's daughter in the land of the vampires, but she is always on guard as a human in such a dangerous land. When she reaches the correct age, she enters the tournament of the Kejari where the winner receives a wish of their choosing from the goddess of death. Oraya wants to use this wish to become immortal and be officially recognized as Vincent's daughter. Raihn, a member of the other race of vampires that Vincent usurped in order to take his reign, is also in the tournament, and obviously, he doesn't much care for Vincent or anyone associated with him. There's hatred and venomous words when the two become partners for one of the tournament's trials and tempers (and sparks) fly from there.
Raihn and Oraya were super fun characters that were well rounded and HOLY SH*T THE BANTER. There was so much back and forth and endless funny jabs and inside jokes and incredible tension that I thought I was going to D I E. Also, the side characters here really played well into the story — a lot of times secondary characters and their purpose can get lost in the plot but these were very fun and kept the story moving all while adding depth and backstory to our main characters. I also really loved the writing here! Very readable and fun and really conveyed the intricacies of this complex (and bloody) world, especially with the power dynamic between humans and vampires.
REALLY enjoyed the romance here as well. Slooooooooow burn that simmered and waited for the right time, and just when I thought it would never burst into flames, the tension completely broke and I was DEAD. As I mentioned earlier, Raihn and Oraya have incredible banter, and the development of their relationship from rivals to reluctant partners to friends to more was genuinely one of the best reading experiences I've had in a while. You can tell how much they care for and value each other from day one and it just made my heart feel allll sorts of warm and fuzzy over them.
And that ENDING???? PLEASEEEEEEEE SOMEBODY SEDATE ME. This book is certainly not short on drama and plot twists. LOVE it.
Anyways, I can't stop thinking about Raihn (he owes me some serious groveling btw), and I can't wait to jump into book 2!
Delaney || delaney.reads
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