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| B0CTHSHRD9
| 4.25
| 1,775
| Jul 15, 2024
| Jul 19, 2024
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it was amazing
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**spoiler alert** Tropes: fake dating, grumpy/sunshine, Golden retriever/black cat, actor/actor Feels: 5/5 Steam*: 3.5/5 Kinks: n/a Angst: low HEA: yes Pai **spoiler alert** Tropes: fake dating, grumpy/sunshine, Golden retriever/black cat, actor/actor Feels: 5/5 Steam*: 3.5/5 Kinks: n/a Angst: low HEA: yes Pairing: MM Triggers/potential icks/content warnings: banter, touch starved / cuddling I loved this book! This was right up my alley. Chase and Amos are in college studying acting, they both want to be actors. They haven't really interacted a lot but they've been in each other's periphery as they participate in drama classes and such together. I think they're both in their last year? Chase is a golden retriever carefree fuckboy who doesn't do relationships and everyone on campus knows that, he's bi. Amos is a gay grumpy black cat, friendless because he's antisocial but hot and mysterious. The college is doing a reality TV 90210/Friends story that follows three couples and two friends. It's supposed to be method acting, with their characters being as close to who they are as people as possible. They get paired together as an established relationship, a gay couple who has been together for over a year, so they have to be very comfortable with each other. Chase is very cuddly and inserts himself directly into Amos's space. They develop an intense comfort with each other, they so easily slip into sharing physical space and having deep talks. They constantly get lost in their own little world and are oblivious to people around them watching them, trying to talk to them, or filming. They had beautiful bickering and bantering. Amos is a grump and Chase just goes to work at battering down any distance between them and worming his way closer and closer to Amos. And Amos bickers back, but secretly he loves every moment. I'd call this relatively slow burn, they don't even talk about doing anything until the 56% mark, first real kiss at 59%. This was a beautiful story, I really loved the humor and the feelings they had. It was hilarious how oblivious the guys were to their surroundings and everyone shipped them and were fascinated by them. Some notable moments: The snuggling in this book was top tier!! "I went over and tapped his knee, then sat down right in between his legs leaning back against him. I was beginning to think this could be my new favorite spot. “Are you okay there?” “I am now.” I sighed as I made myself comfortable, which included taking his hand and draping his arm over my chest. “I’m just going to assume that if you need less people time that does not include me. I’ll be quiet, I just don’t want you to be alone.”" Words cannot describe how much I love this dynamic. I love a clingy grabby touch starved for their person, cuddle monster! And the grump begrudgingly putting up with it but secretly loving it. "Deirdre came over for the iPad. “Well, you two look very relaxed.” I made a point of trying to remove Chase’s arm from my waist and failing. “He’s like those dryer sheets,” I said. “You know the staticky ones that stick to everything. He’s like that.” “He’s called me worse,” Chase mumbled, seemingly undeterred. “Staticky dryer sheet is a compliment coming from him.” I sighed. “It’s not too late for a partner change, right?”" Their bickering is adorable "“You are insufferable. Has anyone ever told you that?” “You do. A lot,” he said, pouting because I was kind of squishing his cheeks. “But you’re really fucking cute. And you drive me so crazy I could scream.” “In a good way?” “No.” He made a squishy sad face. “Oh.”" "“Oooh, I know. You could do me.” “I thought you said—” “That was past-me. Now-me wants it, and future-me agrees.” “Chase,” he murmured. “Just a little orgasm. It doesn’t have to be a big orgasm. Just a little one.” He looked up to the sky and sighed." *FYI about steam: I rate steam based on a combination of quality & quantity. I note kink separate from steam because I don't want to underrate steamy reads that don't have much kink. **Note about spoilers: I like to comment on the plot of a book in reviews, so I almost always mark my reviews as containing spoilers. But I try to avoid spoiling the big dramatic moments! As a reader, I personally like to know what I'm getting into before I read a book so I know more about the content and if it's to my taste/mood, so I try to give that information in my reviews for myself when I'm considering rereading and also for other readers. ...more |
Notes are private!
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1
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Jul 25, 2024
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Jul 26, 2024
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Jul 25, 2024
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Kindle Edition
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| B0D5R53NFK
| 4.47
| 2,223
| Jul 09, 2024
| Jul 09, 2024
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really liked it
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**spoiler alert** Tropes: woke up married, fake relationship, forced proximity, small town, cowboy, rich/poor Feels: 3.5/5 Steam*: 3/5 Kinks: n/a Angst: **spoiler alert** Tropes: woke up married, fake relationship, forced proximity, small town, cowboy, rich/poor Feels: 3.5/5 Steam*: 3/5 Kinks: n/a Angst: low HEA: yes Pairing: MM Triggers/potential icks/content warnings: dead dad, mom left, tons of responsibility, estranged parents, shooting 3.75 stars This book is about Waylon and Silas. Silas is gay and a secret billionaire, hiding his money so he doesn't get taken advantage of, he's a corporate fixer consultant, who lives in New York. Way is 28 and he is a man who's taking on a lot of responsibility for his age. His dad died when he was in college and his mom left then, leaving him with finishing raising his 12-year-old sister, helping his other sister, and keeping the family ranch which is huge and having financial difficulties afloat. He left college to come back home and take on all that. And then his town of Majestic was defrauded of millions of dollars by its mayor, and Waylon took on being the mayor and trying to keep the whole town afloat financially. He's been doing a damn good job and there's been huge progress. Especially because he's attracted a company called AdventureSmash and he's in negotiations to have them use the town of Majestic as one of their destinations, which will drive huge revenue on an ongoing basis to their town. Way proposes to former high school sweetheart and sometime hook up Eden, who thinks she's pregnant by some other guy. When she realizes she's not pregnant, she turns down him. Way gets drunk that night in Vegas and meets Silas at the bar. They talk and drink and dance into the night and end up getting married that night. This is a shock to Way because he's never been with a guy and his attraction to Silas is his bisexual awakening. They intend to get a quick divorce, but when people in Way's Town accidentally find out about the marriage, he doesn't want to disappoint people and lose face, so he gets Silas to agree to pretend the marriage is real and a love match for a few months and then they'll divorce. During this time Silas lives with him and they really get to know each other and build a rapport. And they had sex to the mix. And feelings come about. It took me a while to warm up to this book. It was kind of boring earlier on. But it was a warm hearted story once it got its legs under it. Way and Silas were both nice men that cared a lot about the people around them and they fit really well together as a couple. They were both with the other person needed. Way needed someone to help him in a way that was a partnership. Silas needed a good man who didn't want him for his money, and he needed the challenge that Way and Majestic presented, because he's a fixer. This was a pleasant low angst story. A random vent... At 51% into this book, Silas is thinking to himself about how he doesn't really have feelings for Waylon, but he's not in love with him. And that's realistic, if you look at the timeline of their relationship I think they had only been together for like two and a half weeks at this point so completely fair. But this triggered frustration in me because I have seen this in other books. I feel like I need to vent about authors in general doing this, where they have their character say that they genuinely don't have strong feelings or care about their love interest. And I don't mean in a "I'm trying to hurt my love interest feelings way" or an "I'm in denial way", I mean the character genuinely is analyzing their feelings and coming to the conclusion that it's not that deep. I think that it's really stupid for authors to do that and it wrecks my enjoyment of the love story that's developing. Every reader has their own moments as they're reading a story where they start seeing that this couple has feelings for each other and they start having those kicking their feet moments shipping the couple. When the author says a comment like this, you kind of get slapped with reality that the romance isn't there yet, and it kills the perceived romance that the reader was seeing, it wrecks the romantic momentum that has been building up. I also have expectations for a relationship to be at a certain point by particular percentages of a book. These genuine denials of feelings existing makes me think that the book hasn't developed the relationship enough. And it just kills the perception of romance, because the motivation of the character for what they've done so far isn't romantic, it isn't love. I feel like authors need to avoid this particular type of factual, cold and honest self-assessment of a lack of feelings and just let the reader read into what they are observing. Some notable moments: Cackle. So relatable. "“He looks upset,” she said, setting a canvas bag on the wooden planks before throwing herself down on the bench next to the front door. “Just found out about the Wi-Fi situation,” I said with a grin." This is a nice warm moment of comfort. "Instead of continuing the fight, I stepped forward and tucked my face into the side of his neck. I was so damned tired, and he looked steady and strong, like he could handle my irrational anger and all of my imperfections and hold the weight of the world off my shoulders for a little while. “Sorry,” I murmured against his warm, salty skin." "“Silas Concannon, you could vomit and step in horse shit at the same time, and I’d still want you in my pants.” “That… isn’t the come-on you might think it is.”" *FYI about steam: I rate steam based on a combination of quality & quantity. I note kink separate from steam because I don't want to underrate steamy reads that don't have much kink. **Note about spoilers: I like to comment on the plot of a book in reviews, so I almost always mark my reviews as containing spoilers. But I try to avoid spoiling the big dramatic moments! As a reader, I personally like to know what I'm getting into before I read a book so I know more about the content and if it's to my taste/mood, so I try to give that information in my reviews for myself when I'm considering rereading and also for other readers. ...more |
Notes are private!
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1
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Aug 04, 2024
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Aug 09, 2024
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Jul 12, 2024
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Kindle Edition
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| B08BJ6LX3D
| 4.04
| 1,430
| Jun 26, 2020
| Jun 26, 2020
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it was amazing
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**spoiler alert** Tropes: dragon/human, forced proximity Feels: 5/5 Steam*: 3/5 Kinks: n/a Angst: medium HEA: yes Pairing: MM Triggers/potential icks/conte **spoiler alert** Tropes: dragon/human, forced proximity Feels: 5/5 Steam*: 3/5 Kinks: n/a Angst: medium HEA: yes Pairing: MM Triggers/potential icks/content warnings: cheating (not between MCs), sleeping with the wrong people and pissing everybody off, curse, near death experience 4.5 Stars This is a paranormal romance set in like, medieval times. Deven is 26, a lowly commoner, working for his aunt and uncle. He is a self-proclaimed Tomcat who will sleep with anyone, man or woman, single or taken. He pissed off the entire town bye sleeping with somebody or another's spouse or sibling or child (over the age of consent). A dragon has moved into the city and someone on the Town Council needs a dragon scale from the Dragon because it's rumored to have healing properties. Deven is voluntold to be an the offering to the Dragon, a not so virgin sacrifice, but really intended to seduce the Dragon and convince him to part with a scale. He reluctantly moves into the dragon's Castle. The dragon's name is Fiora. He's an unusually short and human form dragon and he's very self-conscious and sensitive about his height and appearance. He hides from people. 5 years ago, he was cursed by a witch. He accidentally slept with the husband of the witch and she took it out on him. She cursed him that if he sleeps with someone he doesn't love they will die and if he sleeps with someone he does love he will die. So he's been living a reluctantly celibate life and trying to find a cure for the curse. This is a very different book from the first book in the series. Fiora has none of the confidence that Corin did, and because of the curse it is slow burn with spice only from around 66% on. As I was reading, at first I thought I wasn't going to like this book because they had only interacted superficially, barely exchanged any words by the 37% mark. And while I am fine with a slow burn, characters need to at minimum be interacting with each other! LOL. But they had such meaningful interactions from 37% onwards, that I have to give the author creative license and just consider that part of the slow burn element. Also, both of them had bad attitudes towards cheating which just isn't attractive to me. But these guys were accidentally perfect for each other and their love was so heartwarming it had me crying at intervals. Also, both Deven and Fiora have an intense love of books and there were some beautiful moments about treasuring books and stories. That just really appealed to the reader in me. There were so many beautiful and subtle moments. There was complex plot and suspense and nuances of character and emotion. With humor thrown. I would reread this book for sure! Some notable moments: Andrei was a great character. He was masterful about conveying threats and settle to use with a respectful veneer. And he was so protective of Fiora! "Deven stared after him for a moment. “Does he have a problem with old books?” he asked, and turned to look at Fiora, his eyebrows raised. “Is there some reason he said that like he was threatening to kill me?” “It’s not Andrei you need to worry about,” Fiora muttered. Rabbit. Ugh, he hated rabbit. “Check your meals carefully before you eat them for the next few days. If you get fed at all.” “Oh, fuck,” Deven said, his face falling. “Andrei’s really going to tell her?” “Count on it. We may both need to forage for our own food for a while.”" "Deven’s careful storage of his tatty old books touched Fiora down to the most draconic part of his soul. His vision blurred, and he dashed away a few drops from below his eyes. These books had been collected with love. They had been hoarded, in fact." Omg, Fiora's growly possessiveness over the rose that Deven gave him was adorable. He treasured it! "“I’m sorry,” he said roughly. “I’ll — give it to Fred to stick in a vase in the hall —” “No!” Fiora cried, darting out his hand and gripping Deven’s wrist with surprising strength as Deven tried to withdraw the offered rose. “No, it’s mine, it’s for me!” His eyes glittered silvery-gold in the faint moonlight as he gazed up at Deven. And then, in a truly draconic growl, he said, “It’s mine.”" I f****** sobbed at Fiora wanting to die in his garden and then Deven showed up and Fiora smiled just thinking of him. "“It’s me. It’s Deven.” “Deven,” Fiora murmured, his lips twisting into a pitiful little smile. His eyes fluttered open. Their gold was dimmed, almost silvery-gray in the moonlight. They widened in shock. “Deven? Oh no, don’t look at me,” he moaned, and turned his face away." *FYI about steam: I rate steam based on a combination of quality & quantity. I note kink separate from steam because I don't want to underrate steamy reads that don't have much kink. **Note about spoilers: I like to comment on the plot of a book in reviews, so I almost always mark my reviews as containing spoilers. But I try to avoid spoiling the big dramatic moments! As a reader, I personally like to know what I'm getting into before I read a book so I know more about the content and if it's to my taste/mood, so I try to give that information in my reviews for myself when I'm considering rereading and also for other readers. ...more |
Notes are private!
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1
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Jul 15, 2024
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Jul 16, 2024
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Jul 10, 2024
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Kindle Edition
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| B096KVMKPJ
| 4.16
| 2,541
| Jun 02, 2021
| Jun 02, 2021
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really liked it
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**spoiler alert** Tropes: forced proximity, hurt/comfort, paranormal Feels: 3.5/5 Steam*: 4/5 Kinks: knotting Angst: medium HEA: yes Pairing: MM Triggers/p **spoiler alert** Tropes: forced proximity, hurt/comfort, paranormal Feels: 3.5/5 Steam*: 4/5 Kinks: knotting Angst: medium HEA: yes Pairing: MM Triggers/potential icks/content warnings: kidnapping (not between MC's), torture, medical experimentation, violence, gore Calder is in his mid to late 30s. When he was 12 years old he rescued 2-year-old Bobcat shifter Arik who had been abandoned. He raised him until Arik's early teens and it was a struggle. He made a lot of sacrifices and he had to do a lot of dark s***. Then he had to leave to protect Arik. 15 years went by between him leaving and the present. For the last 6 years called her was held captive and subjected to medical experimentation. There's a group that's doing very unethical s*** to try to harness shifter powers and suppress the powers of certain shifters. He was tortured in horrible ways. And kept solitary. Jared is 27. He got involved with Jonathan Hawthorne and his evil plots. Jonathan in part used magical influence to control him but also Jared's greed and selfishness put him in that position where he was an easy target for jonathan. Jared was a villain for a while and he did something pretty unforgivable, he seduced Nate Hawthorne as part of the plots of his father, even though he knew that his cousin and best friend Ian was obsessed with Nate. That's a pretty big betrayal. After Nate broke up with Jared when Jared was 24, Jonathan didn't have the same use for Jared and decided to instead use him in the medical use him in the medical experimentation that he was involved in. Jared spent the last 2 years being tortured horrifically just like Calder. Jared and called her meet when they're captors decide to throw Jared in with Calder basically as food, because they've made Calder also some kind of cross between a shifter and a vampire. They're only together in captivity for a few days and Calder is convinced he's going to kill Jared at some point soon. Jared starts getting ideas and seeing possibilities and puts forth an idea that they try to escape by mating and allowing Calder to access Jared's magic so he would be strong enough to break free. It works. And now they're mated and free and Jared's trying to get his old life back with Calder along for the ride. But there's a threat hanging over there head that they're going to break the bond because it wasn't intended to be a permanent relationship. But they are pulled together and feelings developed quickly because of the mate bond and because of the unique situation they were in the real nature of the other person when they were at their worst in captivity and they're also very physically attracted. I had a lot of positive feelings about this book. I felt more sympathy for Jared than I thought I would. To me, it was so unforgivable when I read Nate and Ian's book and heard that Jared betrayed Ian by seducing Nate even knowing about Ian's feelings and even with Ian being his cousin and best friend. But he was kind of under the magical influence of Jonathan Hawthorne. Jared had suffered a lot and he was still trying to fight for his life, he wanted his family back, and even when he thought he was going to die he was brave about it as long as it meant something. He was a very vulnerable character. I liked that Calder was this wild strong beast but he was always so gentle with Jared. When Jared expressed fear about being treated inhumanely or roughly f***ed when they made the deal to mate, Calder heard and promised him that he'd never hurt again after this and he kept his word to the best of his ability. Jared kept trying to get Calder to break his promise and be rough with him, to f*** him roughly, but Calder always worshiped his body and made love to him. And Jared despite his protests just sucked up that affection and reciprocated, clinging to Calder. The steam was strong in this book. And I thought their sex was romantic in a way because it was very affectionate and there was a lot of cherishing and worship there. But also it was funny how they would proposition each other. At times Calder would just loom and calmly grab lube and approach Jared and just his looming would convey what was coming. And Calder would just drop these bombs on Jared about how he was going to rail him six ways to Sunday and proceeded to do so. And Jared fought his instincts so hard but just submitted so sweetly. I didn't like some of the coincidences in this book. Like it was quite a coincidence that Arik and Calder had that history and met up again because Arik is mated to one of Jared's cousins. And at the end of the book Calder comes into money in a really convenient way. Some notable moments: "“You might as well turn around,” he rumbled, his voice deep and echoey in the shower stall. “What? I—what?” “Turn around,” he repeated implacably. “I don’t know how many times you like to shower in a day, but I’m going to fuck you again, here or back in bed. If you don’t want to end up in here a third time, you might as well turn around and spread your legs.”" "“He didn’t want to take it.” I stroked Calder’s chest, running my fingers through his hair and savoring his warmth. “He didn’t want to hurt me.” Arik snorted. “Fucking idiot.” I looked up at him, taking in the wrinkled-nosed disgust on his face—and I laughed. It felt so goddamn good. “Yeah. But he passed out, so he didn’t have any choice.” “Good,” Arik said firmly." "Being mated was fucking awesome. Although Matt and Arik, whose room was the closest occupied one to ours, had started hinting strongly that we ought to move into one of the smaller buildings on the pack lands, one that didn’t have any close neighbors. Well, Matt had hinted. Arik had poured a cup of coffee while glaring at me, and then said as he stomped out of the room, “Move the fuck out of the house, Jared. If I have to hear you begging for my big brother’s knot in the middle of the night one more time, I’ll fucking bite you. And not in the fun way.”" *FYI about steam: I rate steam based on a combination of quality & quantity. I note kink separate from steam because I don't want to underrate steamy reads that don't have much kink. **Note about spoilers: I like to comment on the plot of a book in reviews, so I almost always mark my reviews as containing spoilers. But I try to avoid spoiling the big dramatic moments! As a reader, I personally like to know what I'm getting into before I read a book so I know more about the content and if it's to my taste/mood, so I try to give that information in my reviews for myself when I'm considering rereading and also for other readers. ...more |
Notes are private!
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1
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Jul 08, 2024
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Jul 08, 2024
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Jul 08, 2024
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Kindle Edition
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| B08GP2LFJ5
| 3.99
| 3,822
| Aug 25, 2020
| Aug 25, 2020
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really liked it
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**spoiler alert** Tropes: captor/captive, paranormal, forced proximity Feels: 3.5/5 Steam*: 3.75/5 Kinks: knotting Angst: medium HEA: yes Pairing: MM Tri **spoiler alert** Tropes: captor/captive, paranormal, forced proximity Feels: 3.5/5 Steam*: 3.75/5 Kinks: knotting Angst: medium HEA: yes Pairing: MM Triggers/potential icks/content warnings: past rape, violence, murder, slightly blurry consent because of magic Arik is 27, he is a shaman and a felid shifter. He has been on his own since his early teens. He's been used and abused his whole life. People have wanted to control his magic. Alphas have raped him and forced mating bonds on him to control him. He's managed to escape them and break bonds. But no matter where he runs, someone always comes across him and tries to use him. His latest round of bad luck is that he's being used by Jonathan Hawthorne and the Kimball pack of werewolf shifters. He's had to use his magic for their purposes. And as part of their plan against the Armitage pack, Arik put a love spell on Matthew Armitage the alpha of his pack. So that Matthew will do what he wants and be able to be influenced for the Kimball's purposes, but Arik was also smart in choosing to use the love spell because it means Matthew is bound to protect Arik and be more loyal to him than to the bad guys. Matthew's family have realized what's happening though and in a clash against the Kimball pack, they captured Arik. They don't know that Arik is a bit of an unwilling weapon, they think he's more part of the plan and they don't trust him as they shouldn't. They keep him prisoner for a while while they figure out what to do about the love spell and what to do with Arik going forward. During this time Matthew and Arik spend a lot of time together and attraction simmers and confusing feelings start to happen, what's the bond and what's real. I enjoyed this book. This author's writing appeals to me because they infuse a lot of humor into it and a good possessive obsessive love dynamic. I've decided to dive right into this series. Be prepared for my reviews to be temporarily taken over by books by this author as I tear through her back list! LOL. Arik had been through a lot in his life, and I loved that he was still so strong independent and resilient. He wasn't weak or meek or in need of being rescued. He was the one doing a lot of the rescuing. And he wasn't a pushover, he was fully prepared to leave and look out for himself. Matthew had his good moments too, though he wasn't perfect. I liked that he had a hard time realizing when the spell started or when the spell ended because he was still feeling consistently a lot for Arik. I kind of wish we had seen the moment when they met and when Arik put the spell on him. FYI this was a single POV story told in Arik's POV. A scene that bothered me and one of the reasons why this wasn't a five-star read for me was the below. I didn't like that Matthew was judging Arik for things he'd done in his life, you don't get to judge a victim who has been abused as much as Arik, for what he does to get by! Matthew knew what he had been through, no excuses. "“Don’t push me,” he growled, leaning in until his lips were a breath away from mine. “I’m sorry you didn’t have anywhere to go but the Kimballs. I’m sorry you — none of what Taft did to you was your fault, even remotely. But Nate never did half the shit you did, even when he didn’t have any good choices to make. The only person he hurt was himself.”" Some notable moments: The desperation here in this scene, the love and hate. "“Matthew?” “Yeah?” His voice was thick, like his fangs were showing. “Are you going to break the door down?” A long pause. “Jury’s still out on that,” he said ruefully, and I laughed a little despite myself. “Look. I hate you. You got my pack members killed. And I’m fucking crazy in love with you. I hate myself. I want to tear the door off its hinges and fuck you through the wall, rip you to pieces and then tuck you in bed and hold you all night while I tell you how beautiful you are.”" "“When you had that spell on me, I couldn’t think about anything but you. I craved you. I would’ve done anything to protect you, and to win you. And I’ve felt that way ever since. If I’m being honest…I think I started to feel that way before the spell, too. I’m not quite sure when you put it on me, for one thing. Seems like a change I should’ve noticed.”" "“I left the ball in your court. Did you really want me following you around like an idiot all day every day, begging you to let me knot you and bite you and keep you forever?” Well…yes? Fuck. I couldn’t admit that." *FYI about steam: I rate steam based on a combination of quality & quantity. I note kink separate from steam because I don't want to underrate steamy reads that don't have much kink. **Note about spoilers: I like to comment on the plot of a book in reviews, so I almost always mark my reviews as containing spoilers. But I try to avoid spoiling the big dramatic moments! As a reader, I personally like to know what I'm getting into before I read a book so I know more about the content and if it's to my taste/mood, so I try to give that information in my reviews for myself when I'm considering rereading and also for other readers. ...more |
Notes are private!
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1
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Jul 05, 2024
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Jul 05, 2024
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Jul 05, 2024
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Kindle Edition
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| B08635QL8L
| 3.76
| 7,508
| Mar 20, 2020
| Mar 20, 2020
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really liked it
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**spoiler alert** Tropes: captor/captive, paranormal, forced proximity, forced mating Feels: 3/5 Steam*: 3/5 Kinks: knotting Angst: medium HEA: yes Pairi **spoiler alert** Tropes: captor/captive, paranormal, forced proximity, forced mating Feels: 3/5 Steam*: 3/5 Kinks: knotting Angst: medium HEA: yes Pairing: MM Triggers/potential icks/content warnings: cousin's ex, pining of sorts, dubcon because of magic 3.5 stars Nate and Ian grew up in each other's periphery. Nate thinks that Ian hates him because he's always stared at him and never talks to him. Nate was the son of a Warlock and a warlock himself. For years and years, Jonathan Hawthorne tied his son Nate's magic and harnessed it for himself and used Nate. Ian is the second son and second in command in the Armitage pack of werewolves. Jonathan's s*** has dragged Nate down. Nate let himself get distracted by a bathroom hookup at a bar, and he got drugged, captured and bad guys are trying to use him in a takedown of the Armitage pack. Nate manages to escape while people are in the middle of trying to do magic with him. Nate crawls beaten on to Armitage land and they pick him up. Someone needs to mate with Nate because of the magic that was started on him. There aren't many options and Ian gets cornered into the job. They somewhat reluctantly mate, knowing it's difficult to break but maybe they'll be able to break it down the line. That buys them time and now they need to decide what they're going to do with the immediate threat of the attack on the pack and what they're going to do longer term about the mating bond that they created. This author's writing appeals to me because they infuse a lot of humor into it, good steam, and a good possessive obsessive love dynamic. I've decided to dive right into this series. Be prepared for my reviews to be temporarily taken over by books by this author as I tear through her back list! LOL. It was a fun wild ride. There were two things I didn't love though. Nate was with Jared in the past, Jared was Ian's cousin and best friend and now he's dead. I'm not a huge fan of romances where an MMC dates to people from the same family, it's an ick for me. I also didn't love the plotline that Ian was secretly crushing on Nate since childhood. I didn't think it was handled well, if you're going to go there go there and use the angst, but they didn't really go there, they just left all the bread crumbs and just never really picked them up to do more than hint at it. But then on the other side, that type of plot line wouldn't have been appealing to me anyway because I hate unequal feelings and pining so I'm torn. Should I be relieved that they didn't fully go there? But I feel like they kind of did just poorly so I'm conflicted. Some notable moments: It was the 'I'll stop calling him an idiot' that did it for me. "And then I got out to the main room and found the bed neatly made with fresh sheets — or at least, different sheets. He’d changed the bed while I got in the shower. Fuck it. Ian was my alpha, and no one else was getting him. I’d stop calling him an idiot." I love grabby hands! "I woke as Ian tried to sneak out of bed. And that was not happening. He was warm. I was sleepy. No way. I rolled over, doing my best impression of a needy, grabby octopus. Would it be easier to keep him in bed if I had eight limbs and those cool little suction things? Probably, but I managed anyway, wrapping my hands around one big bicep and flinging a leg over his. Ian stilled, halfway out of the bed and halfway underneath me." "At least, frustration was what I meant to send. But when I opened myself up, everything else I was feeling went pouring through without my volition: my soul-deep need to belong somewhere, my terror that if I didn’t make myself useful I’d be cast aside, my nearly frantic desire to be more than what I’d been, to be as competent and able as Dor. Ian staggered back a step, eyes wide. “That’s what’s going on inside your head?” He sounded shell-shocked, sort of like I felt. “That’s — completely — that fucking sucks.”" *FYI about steam: I rate steam based on a combination of quality & quantity. I note kink separate from steam because I don't want to underrate steamy reads that don't have much kink. **Note about spoilers: I like to comment on the plot of a book in reviews, so I almost always mark my reviews as containing spoilers. But I try to avoid spoiling the big dramatic moments! As a reader, I personally like to know what I'm getting into before I read a book so I know more about the content and if it's to my taste/mood, so I try to give that information in my reviews for myself when I'm considering rereading and also for other readers. ...more |
Notes are private!
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1
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Jul 04, 2024
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Jul 05, 2024
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Jul 04, 2024
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Kindle Edition
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| B0D57KY9KY
| 4.21
| 735
| unknown
| May 30, 2024
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really liked it
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**spoiler alert** Tropes: captor/captive, secret identity, f*** or die, paranormal, forced proximity Feels: 3/5 Steam*: 3.75/5 Kinks: spanking, brat An **spoiler alert** Tropes: captor/captive, secret identity, f*** or die, paranormal, forced proximity Feels: 3/5 Steam*: 3.75/5 Kinks: spanking, brat Angst: low HEA: yes Pairing: MM Triggers/potential icks/content warnings: dubcon, kidnapping 3.5 Stars, I enjoyed it quite a bit but it kind of limped to the finish line a bit. Cyril is 27. He is a rich Lord and the second son, so responsibility isn't on him. He's goofed off a lot of his life. He is a dawn mage, which means his magic is cursed and he needs to get rogered every 7 to 10 days unless he's taking a potion to suppress his magic. If he doesn't he'll be in agony and die. It's a bit of a crazy lore and it's not my favorite for reasons I get into below. Cyril develops allergy to the potion in his adulthood and he sleeps around, enjoying it for the most part. He messes with the wrong person accidentally at a masked masquerade though and pisses off his family because one of his family members is engaged to the guy. With his bad luck he manages to get kidnapped by highwayman named Enzo. Enzo tries to Ransom him back to his family for money but the family doesn't want him because they're so pissed at him. Cyril stays at Enzo's home and Enzo won't let him seduce his men, so Enzo is Cyril's only option. They get to know each other, they banter and bicker throughout the book. There are a lot of hilarious moments in this book, I love the humor in it. They also have an undeniable chemistry that draws them together. They kind of start out as hate f******. And then the cuddling enters the dynamic. There's some good mystery and plot happening. I probably would have enjoyed the book a bit more though if Enzo hadn't done some stupid stuff at the end and the conflict kind of becoming so avoidable and predictable that it annoyed me. Things I didn't like: - I really don't like the lore of the curse behind this. It really is horrible. The fact that it's all about someone else's pleasure, that only they need to get off for the sufferer to be temporarily cured is so bad. It reminds me about how women's pleasure has always been unimportant and second to men's. And it's so unsafe too and it's so against their will - I felt better about the curse and how it was used in book one because in book one, the MMC was able to use the potions to have some choice and autonomy for the majority of his adult life and he didn't have to find someone to sleep with every 7 to 10 days regardless of whether he really wanted to. For Cyril, the potion didn't work on him, he developed an allergy or something to it. At one point he was talking about how years ago he broke up with his lover and was heartbroken and didn't want to sleep with someone, and then he had to because of his allergy. It just felt unfair, icky, dubcon for Cyril even though Cyril really enjoyed sex for the most part. - Enzo was such a jerk in this moment and he had no reason to be, so it was out of nowhere and totally at odds with his actions in a couple days when he chases after cereal and doesn't want him to be f****** someone else. Andreas from book one was a much better book boyfriend. "“You have a week before your curse is going to affect you,” he said heavily. “You can seduce your escort on your arduous four-hour journey, if you must. Or anyone else you want. You’re not my captive anymore. And I don’t have any say in who fucks you. It’s not my concern.”" Maybe if we'd seen Enzo's point of view it would have been better, but this was single POV. - The conflict at the end where Enzo was caught at the castle was so dumb. This conflict was created because Enzo let Cyril go when he never should have. He didn't have a good enough reason to. They should have talked before Cyril left, and maybe he wouldn't have left at all. Some notable moments: Fair point! "“And if you don’t want to be taken for someone who’d treat a dawn mage poorly, don’t make remarks about how you think I’d use phallic vegetables in unnatural ways.” “I already said, I didn’t know you were a dawn mage!” “You shouldn’t be accusing anyone of wanting to fuck a zucchini, Enzo!”" "“You told me your ass wouldn’t even notice if I fucked you,” he said softly, but with an edge that raised all the hair on the back of my neck. I stared at the rucked-up bedding, at the flicker of the torchlight on the stone wall. My body lay hot and heavy and throbbing, at his mercy. “Do you remember that?” I let out a whimper, pathetically muffled in the blanket. Enzo pushed forward slightly, the head of his cock starting to force me open. “I think you’re going to notice,” he growled, sounding unbecomingly pleased with himself, and thrust inside." "“Fortitude,” he gasped. “You! Forti—oh, gods. Hardly…complain…I can’t…” I lay rigidly still, face burning, biting my lower lip to shreds, as he practically roared with mirth and then slowly wore himself down. Fuck. Him. I’d wait until he was asleep and I’d take all of his pillows—except for the one I’d use to smother him." *FYI about steam: I rate steam based on a combination of quality & quantity. I note kink separate from steam because I don't want to underrate steamy reads that don't have much kink. **Note about spoilers: I like to comment on the plot of a book in reviews, so I almost always mark my reviews as containing spoilers. But I try to avoid spoiling the big dramatic moments! As a reader, I personally like to know what I'm getting into before I read a book so I know more about the content and if it's to my taste/mood, so I try to give that information in my reviews for myself when I'm considering rereading and also for other readers. ...more |
Notes are private!
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1
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Jul 02, 2024
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Jul 03, 2024
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Jul 02, 2024
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Kindle Edition
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| B0D63VSQ88
| 4.06
| 416
| unknown
| Aug 15, 2024
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really liked it
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**spoiler alert** Tropes: forced proximity, friends to lovers Feels: 3.5/5 Steam*: 3/5 Kinks: n/a Angst: low HEA: yes Pairing: MM Triggers/potential icks/co **spoiler alert** Tropes: forced proximity, friends to lovers Feels: 3.5/5 Steam*: 3/5 Kinks: n/a Angst: low HEA: yes Pairing: MM Triggers/potential icks/content warnings: mom left, getting dumped/cheated on (not MCs), third act break up 3.5 stars (really wish we didn't have to decide about rounding up or down because this really doesn't deserve 4 stars but I also don't want to be mean and give it 3) This story is about Warren and Kyle who have been best friends since childhood. They are 19 years old. Kyle has only ever been with one person, his ex-girlfriend Marissa. They were together for a year and she just broke up with him. Kyle is a real serious dude and a monogamous so this really hit him hard. Warren is the opposite of Kyle and he only does casual, he's been around. But he's been hooking up with a girl regularly recently, and she cheated on him. With both of them single and the summer upon them, they decide to swear off girls for the summer and go on an RV trip for a few weeks. These guys are really close friends, they live in each other's pockets. Warren doesn't have a mom because she walked out when he was a kid, and he's really close to Kyle's mom. Their families are very close because of their friendship. They go off on their trip and the forced proximity of sharing the RV and the only bed in there leads to them having to confront the fact that they are attracted to each other. They've written off the lingering looks they've given each other over the years but now they're realizing it's sexual attraction and they act on it. Warren is very open to different experiences. Sex is always just been something fun to him. And well he hasn't hooked up with men before, he has jerked off with friends from school. So he accepts his bisexual awakening easier and leans into the feelings a little harder than kyle. Kyle is legitimately confused by what he's feeling. He's never had a high drive before and even with Marissa he took things slow. Kyle's confused by the fact that he has this attraction to Warren and doesn't trust it, because he really doesn't think he's gay and he doesn't think this can last. Kyle eventually comes to identify as demisexual and that makes things make more sense to him. They spend their trip hooking up all the time and getting really close. Having the time of their lives. But then when the summer trip is over, can they survive as a couple in the real world? Do they want to? There is a third act break up but they get back together quick enough. This is a pleasant enough story. They are sweet together and they do have an interesting connection. The steam was pretty good. There was good tension between them. Took me a little while to get into it though. Kyle also wasn't my favorite character, he was a little to much of a jerk accidentally as it were too Warren, internalized homophobia isn't the most likeable of traits and when he also immediately rejected the idea of bottoming himself it icked me. I'm not a huge fan of the flashbacks to Kyle and Warren being kids and talking in kind of baby talk. It's a little much. I know they're trying to show Warren having issues with his mom leaving him when he was a kid. And they're trying to draw parallels to the present where Kyle's mom is making a difference in Warren's life, being a maternal presence for him too. Just a little too much childishness sprinkled in a romance. And also, these guys are so young even in the present, they are 19 and they can't adult and take care of themselves. They're so childish and carefree in their behaviors, I wish they were a little bit more mature. I'm not a huge fan of romances with characters of this age and maturity. I like the couples to have a little bit more maturity to them so that they are more solid in who they are and their feelings and they're happily ever after is more believable and right for them as people. At least the epilogue flipped forward 3 years and you see them a little more solid. Some notable moments: "Kyle shakes his head, reading my mind. “I really don’t want to explain to my mom how you were accidentally killed by her cookie sheet.”" It's not what he thinks, lol. "“Why am I naked with a sore ass?” Ren mumbles groggily into his pillow. “I would have wanted to remember something as monumental as losing my butt virginity.”" *FYI about steam: I rate steam based on a combination of quality & quantity. I note kink separate from steam because I don't want to underrate steamy reads that don't have much kink. **Note about spoilers: I like to comment on the plot of a book in reviews, so I almost always mark my reviews as containing spoilers. But I try to avoid spoiling the big dramatic moments! As a reader, I personally like to know what I'm getting into before I read a book so I know more about the content and if it's to my taste/mood, so I try to give that information in my reviews for myself when I'm considering rereading and also for other readers. ...more |
Notes are private!
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1
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Aug 15, 2024
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Aug 20, 2024
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Jun 05, 2024
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Kindle Edition
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| B0D31W84HC
| 4.03
| 238
| unknown
| May 23, 2024
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really liked it
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**spoiler alert** Tropes: forced proximity, prison cellmates, opposites attract Feels: 3.5/5 Steam*: 3.5/5 Kinks: slightly dubcon, one scene that start **spoiler alert** Tropes: forced proximity, prison cellmates, opposites attract Feels: 3.5/5 Steam*: 3.5/5 Kinks: slightly dubcon, one scene that starts as somnophilia, mild Dom/sub, marking Angst: low HEA: yes Pairing: MM Triggers/potential icks/content warnings: murder, violence, crime, physical assault, threats of SA but no SA Milo is a rich young man, gay. He is a meek character. His dad did some white collar crimes in his business, and he makes Milo take the fall for it. Milo gets sentenced to 5 years in prison. In prison, he meets his cellmate Angelo Torres who is a cartel remember doing time. Angelo is supposed to get out in 2 months. Milo is small, a little effeminate looking, and clearly weaker than other men around him. He's a sitting duck for someone to make him his b****. Angelo quickly starts feeling strangely protective of Milo. He decides to claim him as his b****, but at first it's platonic, he makes Milo do chores and he only makes a show of his public claim to keep other people away from Milo. But as time passes he quickly realizes that Milo is attracted to him and he sees the appeal in Milo. Their relationship turn sexual. You'd think based on this being a dark romance that Angelo would be using Milo more and that they're dynamic would be more on the toxic side. But from the beginning, it's actually pretty light as far as dark romances go. Angelo always treats Milo so well even if he talks dirty. And Angelo is not sexually selfish, their sexual relationship actually starts with Angelo touching Milo without expecting anything in return. Angelo gets obsessed with Milo, with how submissive he is and the affection that Milo clearly feels for him. Angelo just sinks in to the feeling and wants more. Angelo has to do some messy things to keep himself and Milo safe in prison. And with their different release dates coming up there's some tension about whether they would be together outside of prison. They have a nice enough happily ever after. I liked this book. It was a nice light short read with some good steam. I love a possessive and obsessive relationship. I like reluctant feelings sneaking in and tenderness creeping in to the sexual relationship the way that it did in this book. The one thing that I would have liked more would have been if at the end, Milo had managed to stand up to his father and save himself. It would have been a nice character arc and shown development if Milo had learned some street smarts and skills and been able to get himself out of the pickle he was in on his own. I wasn't a huge fan of Milo still being weak and needing to be saved from his metaphorical glass tower. A feisty Milo would have been nice to see. There were also a few typos. Some notable moments: Tee hee. Angelo definitely wasn't just pretending. "“I know he’s just pretending to bend you over at night so he’s got an excuse to take care of you. But you have to make sure people believe it. So just do whatever he tells you, okay?” Milo shivered. Just pretending. Was that what was happening? Or was that just what Torres had told Rafael? It didn’t feel like pretending. Torres’s fingers around his balls had felt pretty real." "But Angelo didn’t care. Let them gossip. All he cared about was Milo, and the way Milo melted so sweetly under his hands. The way Milo looked at him, equal parts terrified and worshipful. Like Angelo was his entire world. Mine, Angelo thought fiercely as he watched Milo across the yard. All mine." "Slowly, they came down from the peak. Angelo leaned his brow against Milo’s, his breath rough and heavy. “I’ll never let you go,” he said harshly. Milo closed his eyes, feeling the words seep through him like warm honey. Yes, he thought. This. I’ll keep it forever." *FYI about steam: I rate steam based on a combination of quality & quantity. I note kink separate from steam because I don't want to underrate steamy reads that don't have much kink. **Note about spoilers: I like to comment on the plot of a book in reviews, so I almost always mark my reviews as containing spoilers. But I try to avoid spoiling the big dramatic moments! As a reader, I personally like to know what I'm getting into before I read a book so I know more about the content and if it's to my taste/mood, so I try to give that information in my reviews for myself when I'm considering rereading and also for other readers. ...more |
Notes are private!
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1
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Jun 03, 2024
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Jun 04, 2024
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May 25, 2024
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Kindle Edition
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| B08QDJX3VB
| 4.04
| 120,852
| Dec 10, 2020
| Dec 10, 2020
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liked it
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**spoiler alert** Tropes: age gap, captive/captor, dark mafia romance, grumpy /sunshine Feels: 3/5 Steam*: 3/5 Kinks: rough sex Angst: low HEA: yes Pairing **spoiler alert** Tropes: age gap, captive/captor, dark mafia romance, grumpy /sunshine Feels: 3/5 Steam*: 3/5 Kinks: rough sex Angst: low HEA: yes Pairing: MF Triggers/potential icks/content warnings: murder, violence, drug dealing, human trafficking, trafficking of minors, reference to minor characters being raped, attempted SA, unsafe sex, virgin heroine 3.25 stars Mila has just turned 20. She is the spoiled daughter of an absentee father with a mysterious career that turns out to be Russian mafia. She's being set up with a rich Playboy that her dad wants her to marry, carter. She doesn't want to settle for him. And she's tired of her father being absentee and evasive so she decides to chase after him, and go to Moscow. Immediately when she arrives there she's almost raped, and she's rescued by Ronan age 32. She's immediately grateful to him and starts crushing on him, spends some time with him. Then she finds out he's her father's enemy and wants her father dead. That kills her crush. Ronan takes Mila captive and holds her for a few weeks. Over that time they get to know each other. They banter and bicker. She is a sunshiny innocent vegan with a soft heart. No street smarts, a little too stupid to live. But kind. Ronan grew up really rough and he's a hard man, but from the beginning there's something that draws him in about her and he keeps making capitulations when it comes to her, he keeps giving in and giving her things that she wants because he wants to make her as comfortable and as happy as he can even while he's threatening her verbally and talking a big game. He definitely fell first even though he won't say it. He rekindles that flame of desire she had for him before she knew who he was. They slip into a sexual relationship after a couple weeks I'm feeling slowly start to develop on her side. But the conflict is her father wants her back and Ronan wants her father dead. My thoughts while reading: - I was angry that Ronan secretly recorded Mila and him having a sexual encounter and sent it to her father. That was such an unnecessary low move. I get it's a dark romance and the book was pretty tame as far as dark romances go, but to me that's just a line. - I enjoyed Ronan being as obsessive about Mila as he was. Him taking any excuse to hold on to her for as long as he could was sweet. So was him giving her everything that she needed even when she was being an utter brat and causing him chaos. He was whipped for her and he folded so quick. - I didn't like how incompatible they seemed. Her soft-heartedness and his violence just don't seem compatible long term. - I didn't like the virginity shit. He gets all assholey when he f**** her for the first time and realizes she's a virgin. He's all I don't f*** virgins. And he stops their hook up. He rants. Then he folds later the next day and f**** her for real. He questions her about anything and everything she's done with other guys but won't volunteer any details about his sex life in return and it's completely hypocritical of course because he's lived a very active life. And after he periodically makes these comments about her virginity and him being possessive of her sexuality. It's so hard for an author to actually do justice to a virgin character without making female readers mad. - On the topic of feminism, of course there was a villainous whore other woman. No cheating, and past hookups were before he even met Mila, he had no desire for her after he met Mila. But just from the feminism perspective this book kind of annoyed me with some of the representations of female characters with Nadia as an example. They literally got into a hair pulling fight and she was your stereotypical villain other woman. Gianna is okay and Yulia was a hard woman but she had a decent spine and personality. - I liked that he fell first. I liked that Mila didn't cower when she was talking to him, she held on to a bit of power. He was concerned that he was more emotionally invested than she was. He was worried about her relationships with Carter and Ivan. I liked that that gave her a bit more power. - Unsafe sex. I didn't like him talking her into not using a condom. Like, no wonder HPV has spread as much as it has. - it was kind of sweet how Ronan protected her from learning about the bad things her father had done. - Big violent dogs don't just get to fly commercial in a seat. Especially one like Khaos. He's an a****** to everyone else. He's not just going to sit on a plane seat - SPOILER... I didn't love the 4-month time jump. I didn't like how it was done because it was very deliberate and kind of condescending. Later on we hear from him and he thinks he let her go for good reasons. And yeah she needed to stop relying on her dad and then on him. But he didn't even give her any insight into what was going on in his head. He didn't tell her he had any feelings for her, he just sent her away. He didn't give her any choice to communicate with him. She's not a mind reader. And really it would have been nice if he had talked to her like an adult and give her some choice in her life. Even if after talking with her he wanted to make her leave, at least that it went to Ben just all him and his machinations behind the scene. - Not even a moment of grovel at the end. The moment she saw him again, she jumped into his arms. She folded so fast. Disappointing. I would have expected her to give him more s***. Some notable moments: This is a great description of why he kept her. "Though something else—something visceral, violent—swept through me at the thought of giving Mila up before I got what I wanted from her. I had a better idea: Prolong Alexei’s suffering by holding onto his precious daughter for a while. If this was like-for-like, I’d send her mutilated body back to him. But I didn’t want to mar her skin. I wanted her naked underneath me, her nails in my back, while I saw how many times I could make her come." "Masochistically, I wondered if Nadia was on the other end of the line. And then I consoled myself with the fact it was probably just a henchman who Ronan was ordering to drown some poor soul in a toilet." "I hadn’t seen Ronan in four months. I’d been burning up for eight hours waiting for him to touch me, kiss me, and drag me to the convenient bed in the back. But he hadn’t done any of that. When I got tired of waiting, I’d straddled his lap, ran my lips down his neck, and cupped his erection as it grew harder beneath my hand. I thought I was finally going to get what I wanted, but then he shoved me off him to the couch and said, “I’m saving myself for marriage, kotyonok.” I glared at him. He thought it was funny." *FYI about steam: I rate steam based on a combination of quality & quantity. I note kink separate from steam because I don't want to underrate steamy reads that don't have much kink. **Note about spoilers: I like to comment on the plot of a book in reviews, so I almost always mark my reviews as containing spoilers. But I try to avoid spoiling the big dramatic moments! As a reader, I personally like to know what I'm getting into before I read a book so I know more about the content and if it's to my taste/mood, so I try to give that information in my reviews for myself when I'm considering rereading and also for other readers. ...more |
Notes are private!
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1
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Apr 28, 2024
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Apr 30, 2024
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Apr 23, 2024
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Kindle Edition
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| B0D26BR76F
| 3.36
| 254
| Apr 18, 2024
| Apr 18, 2024
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really liked it
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**spoiler alert** Tropes: friends to lovers, horse proximity Feels: 3.5/5 Steam*: 2.5/5 Kinks: n/a Angst: low HEA: more of a hfn given the book spans 3 day **spoiler alert** Tropes: friends to lovers, horse proximity Feels: 3.5/5 Steam*: 2.5/5 Kinks: n/a Angst: low HEA: more of a hfn given the book spans 3 days and they've only been together two and a half days. Pairing: MM Triggers/potential icks/content warnings: awkwardly naive character, emotionally abusive ex, some pining, unsafe sex (they used aloe vera for lube, they certainly didn't have condoms if they didn't have lube) Ollie and Wesley have been friends for 3 years. They met in freshman year after Ali had broken up with his boyfriend and was very vulnerable. They are 21 years old now and nearing the end of college. They go on a winter hiking trip as friends. Other friends were supposed to join but it ends up just being them. And they end up in a one-bedroom cabin due to a misunderstanding when booking. They have to share a bed because of the cold. They both obviously secretly been pining for the other person. And the sexual tension explodes and they hook up. I'm a hard person to win over with novellas. To me, it's hard to have a story told well in a novella length book. This book was also a debut for this author. So I feel like I have to judge this book according to newbie and novella standards. With that in mind it was probably 3.5 stars but I'll round up. This was a sweet friends to lovers short story. The physicality was well written. The physical awareness and the tension between them was good. The little touches, the movements, the significant glances and the abrupt movements conveyed the tension well. The smut was pretty well written. The worst thing about this book was the awkward and unbelievably naive way that they questioned each other about their sexual pasts. 21-year-old men asking each other have you done more than kiss - for real?! And after Wesley tells Oliver that yes he's had sex, mostly guys, some girls, Ollie asks him, what about on your own, do you touch yourself? I was just facepalming at the awkwardness and naivety. It was painful - unless you're asexual, if you have a dick, you're going to touch it. To me, this book sounded like it was about 17-year-olds rather than 21-year-olds. Just based on the mentality of the characters, particularly Ollie. The characters were juvenile but I'm blaming this on creative choices the author made about who these characters are as people. Some notable moments: I liked the physical awareness here. "I watch him in the dim light as I undress. First my jacket, then the undershirt, and finally the vest I wore on Wesley’s request. Lifting my hips, I’m unbuckling my belt when I hear a sharp inhale, and a large hand slams over mine, stopping me. I blink up at Wesley. “What are you doing?” His eyes are wide, disheveled hair falling over his forehead." There's something about impulsively straddling someone and gently pushing up their shirt. Ollie is so innocently horny. Yum. "I want nothing more than for him to feel as good as I did. Without thinking, I force myself to sit up despite the lethargy coating my limbs and straddle his thighs. Absently, I use my clean hand to push up his sleep shirt to expose his tight stomach, watching his abs flex with each thrust. He looks good spread out like this. “What— what are you doing?” Wesley says. “Watching,” I say. “You look amazing.”" *FYI about steam: I rate steam based on a combination of quality & quantity. I note kink separate from steam because I don't want to underrate steamy reads that don't have much kink. **Note about spoilers: I like to comment on the plot of a book in reviews, so I almost always mark my reviews as containing spoilers. But I try to avoid spoiling the big dramatic moments! As a reader, I personally like to know what I'm getting into before I read a book so I know more about the content and if it's to my taste/mood, so I try to give that information in my reviews for myself when I'm considering rereading and also for other readers. ...more |
Notes are private!
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1
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Apr 20, 2024
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Apr 20, 2024
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Apr 19, 2024
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Kindle Edition
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| B0CWW6J9GJ
| 3.90
| 2,107
| Jul 05, 2024
| Jul 05, 2024
|
really liked it
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**spoiler alert** Tropes: age gap, grumpy/sunshine, professor/TA, forced proximity, roommates, workplace romance, forbidden romance Feels: 3/5 Steam*: **spoiler alert** Tropes: age gap, grumpy/sunshine, professor/TA, forced proximity, roommates, workplace romance, forbidden romance Feels: 3/5 Steam*: 3.5/5 Kinks: stripper, getting off in public, toys Angst: low HEA: yes Pairing: MM Triggers/potential icks/content warnings: Silas is kinda icky, premature ejaculation, toilet humor, inappropriate use of the word professional, unsafe sex (seriously, people need to at least talk before they f*** without condoms) I'm conflicted about what I want to rate this. If I was reading Silas, I would give him a three. But I really loved the Cora humor and ridiculousness and sexual tension. So maybe 3.5 stars and I'll be kind and round up? Silas is 35 and he is a buttoned up reserved grumpy professor. He goes to a bachelor party at a strip club and gets a lap dance from a hot guy working there, he embarrasses himself and comes in his pants. Then he finds out that the guy 21-year-old Everly, is a student at the college he works at, and he's the TA that has been hired to work with him. Silas loses his mind anytime he's near Everly, he's an absolute horndog for him. And it turns out Everly has seen him around campus and had a crush on him for a year. So they both want each other. Silas tries to keep it professional. He tries not to give in to the attraction. He fails miserably. And it's a slippery slope for him. When he gives in to a one-time hookup, that leads to him asking Everly to live with him because Everly's roof falls down in his Hazmat apartment, and if they're living together they might as well be having more sex and they might as well be boyfriends right!? And then meeting the family. And then maybe I might want to marry this guy. There were things that I liked about this book. It's a funny and steamy Cora romp. I really like the humor in it. Everly was great. I liked the use of the side characters in this book. There were tons of moments of ridiculous humor that I just loved sprinkled throughout this book. If Silas had been more likeable as a romantic lead, this book could have been a lot better. Silas was an unhinged character, off the wall. Normally I really like unhinged characters, it's entertaining to me, it's usually humorous and it's usually an obsessive possessive love which are some of my favorite things. Silas did not pull off unhinged well. I wish Silas had been a bit more likeable as a romantic lead. He came off a bit too pervy and horny, he got boners in public at inappropriate times all the darn time and had no control over his libido, coming in his pants often in less than 3 minutes often untouched. I like when a MMC is horny for their love interest, but have a little bit of class, restraint and some propriety line so that you don't come off as skeevy. Also, I wish Silas had had more romantic thoughts about Everly. I don't think he ever actually had non-sexual romantic thoughts about Everly, so it seemed like it was just sex to him until all of a sudden at the end he said something about marrying him. Everly at least had some romantic thoughts and made some romantic gestures, though it did seem a little forced. Silas also isn't very smart, he does dumb things that will get them caught and at times he also comes off as a selfish lover. Some notable moments: Jealousy scene (Everly is faking it with a guy and Silas loses his mind) "Speaking of the big man, he shows up at the end of office hours and strides over to Everly in my office and nuzzles up against him, making my entire body stiffen in anger. Honestly, they really should get a room. If they start kissing in front of me, I will flip the table over." "“Fine,” he says, looking slightly defeated. “I will.” “You should.” Our eyes clash, and I suck in a breath, feeling my heartbeat triple just from how close he is. And then without warning, Everly is on me, his lips crashing into mine, my back shoved up against the door with a small thump. His hands tangle in my hair, his tongue pressing into my mouth unbidden, and I let him. I let him kiss me. Let him devour my mouth as I clutch onto him for dear life." The ribbon dancing scene! "“Look at that ass!” a voice suddenly shouts from the audience. My heart stutters, and I stop moving, my eyelids fluttering open. I know that voice. I fucking know it. “That’s my man! Mine!” he shouts." *FYI about steam: I rate steam based on a combination of quality & quantity. I note kink separate from steam because I don't want to underrate steamy reads that don't have much kink. **Note about spoilers: I like to comment on the plot of a book in reviews, so I almost always mark my reviews as containing spoilers. But I try to avoid spoiling the big dramatic moments! As a reader, I personally like to know what I'm getting into before I read a book so I know more about the content and if it's to my taste/mood, so I try to give that information in my reviews for myself when I'm considering rereading and also for other readers. ...more |
Notes are private!
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1
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Jul 12, 2024
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Jul 13, 2024
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Apr 09, 2024
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Kindle Edition
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| B0CW179VMD
| 4.24
| 2,285
| unknown
| May 31, 2024
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really liked it
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**spoiler alert** Tropes: woke up married, amnesia, rich/poor Feels: 3.5/5 Steam*: 2.5/5 Kinks: toys, touch starved Angst: low HEA: yes Pairing: MM Trigger **spoiler alert** Tropes: woke up married, amnesia, rich/poor Feels: 3.5/5 Steam*: 2.5/5 Kinks: toys, touch starved Angst: low HEA: yes Pairing: MM Triggers/potential icks/content warnings: homophobia Matt is 28 and a high school PE teacher. He is a brother of Magnus. He was a homophobic ass in the past to Magnus and his other brother Max who is also now married to a man. But he's trying to change and make it up to him and be involved in his brothers' lives. He goes to Vegas to attend his brother Max's wedding and he wakes up in bed with Cooper, a friend of his brother-in-law's. Cooper's 26, loud and proud gay, and rich. He doesn't work because his parents are super wealthy and he's got a trust fund. Cooper met Matt a couple weeks before the wedding and was attracted to him and riling him up before the wedding. Neither of them remember them drunkenly getting married or how they spent their wedding night, but they both woke up covered in cum so shiz happened. Matt wants an instant annulment or divorce, but he's broke and can't afford it so Cooper would have to pay for it. But Cooper doesn't want to get a divorce, he wants to have Matt for longer, he wants to play with him for longer. Cooper manages to convince frugal Matt that he should move in with him to save money. Matt agrees. Matt is actually a sensitive soul and starved for affection and touch. Cooper picks up on that pretty quickly and gives Matt what he needs. Real affection grows between the two of them. This book spans a number of months and over that time they build a relationship. They go from platonic snuggling to satisfy Matt's need for affection and adding in sexual touch, and slowly over time they get more and more wrapped up in each other and invested in keeping this marriage going. But they don't talk as they should and there's a bit of a miscommunication at the end that almost leads to a breakup. I was trepiditious about reading this book. Max and Beau's story kind of scarred me and burned my eyes out. I was pleasantly surprised by this book. There was almost no other man drama. They both committed from the beginning to being faithful. And one thing that absolutely makes me weak for a couple is platonic snuggling, it's a favorite of mine, and this book had it in spades. So this book really was right up my alley. If I wasn't so burned by the book that came before it in this series I might have enjoyed it even more. I loved how Cooper accepted Matt and gave him what he needed without him having to ask. And when I say what he needed, I mean snuggles, emotional support, reassurance that he was normal, validation of his interests and feelings, and yes a little bit of financial support too. But I have to say I'm actually not a really big fan of books where one character financially Bankrolls their love interest's life. Buying someone's affection can be a bit cringe and not romantic. Also a side note, I like my main characters to have jobs/vocations, having so much money that you don't need a job makes you unrelatable to me and a lack of ambition and interest in doing something of value with your life is not very attractive. I liked when Cooper started volunteering so he was doing something he was enthusiastic about. Another thing I didn't love about Cooper was how he kept saying that he knew that Matt was straight but he kept on pursuing him, if he didn't think that Matt was at least a little queer he shouldn't have been pursuing him - it just is a bad dynamic, he shouldn't have been saying know, he should have just been expressing he hoped Matt was a little queer. Too many of their encounters early on started with one of them waking up hard after a platonic snuggling session and I wasn't a huge fan of that because sex after that was more about biologic needs than the other person. Though I loved that as time passed we had many weeks of sexual encounters where they were completely focused on the other person and wanting the other person. I liked that Matt and Cooper had a slow journey into sexual exploration. It fit Matt and it let his emotions kind of lead before the physical, so you could understand why he was comfortable with being with a man when it was Cooper and previously he had only been with women. It was so sweet seeing Matt being tortured by the physical distance between him and Cooper at times, and him just needing to close that Gap and have Cooper touching him, the fact that he didn't sleep well unless he was snuggling Cooper, that he loved to be the little spoon so hard. And how happy it made him that Cooper accepted his interests. All the moments of them collecting treasures together were adorable. I do think the ending came too fast though. Matt only felt comfortable doing anal at 92% and they had a huge misunderstanding at three pages before the end of the book and it went straight from apologizing for the misunderstanding to that being the end of the book. I needed to see a little bit more. I went absolutely feral for the appearances made by Cora's past characters. I was so happy with the little moments of Sem and Magnus, Whit and Caleb, and Emery and August. I smiled and laughed a lot in their appearances. I highlighted so many funny moments. We started off with a bang with Sem showing up the morning Matt and Cooper woke up in bed, and him seeing them covered in cum and grinning wildly and telling Maggie immediately. When Sem abducted Matt, and took him to the cabin, I was sold on whatever Sem was doing no questions asked. Them accidentally stumbling across Whit and Caleb f****** in the shack and Sem just being so done with their s***, tired of walking in on them having sex was hilarious. Sem was intending to rough him up and intimidate him only for it to turn into a gay sex education session... I howled. Sem, Caleb, and Whit were all recommending gay sex experiences that were their personal favorites and raving. I loved getting to see Emery playing with Maggie's kids so exuberantly, Emery deserves so much happiness. Cooper in the dollar store was also a hilarious scene. I loved that there were a bunch of humorous moments. With that and all the positive vibes of their platonic snuggling and the touch starved plot line, this book was a happy headspace for me. Mitch's story is going to be interesting. He's very different from Max and Matt. Mitch has been with a lot of guys whereas Max and Matt had never been with a guy before. A little toxic and shitty of him though to not be one for reciprocating. But color me intrigued. Some notable moments: "By the time we make it to the register, both carts are full and the poor kid behind the counter just sighs, his shoulders slumping." I loved Whit putting it together and the gasp that Caleb gasped! "“Magnus’s brother, Matt. Remember Sem told us about how they went to Vegas for Max’s wedding and Sem found Matt and another guy naked, covered in—” “Splooge,” Caleb gasps and then turns toward me, and the O of his mouth transforms into a Cheshire Cat smile. “You’re the dude.”" I love Sem so much "I run a hand down my face. “So, is the sex talk over?” “Yeah. I’m a little sad we didn’t get a chance to scare you,” Sem says, reaching down and pulling out a flamethrower. He turns it on and Caleb chuckles. “But then you just looked kinda sad and lost, so we decided to pivot.”" *FYI about steam: I rate steam based on a combination of quality & quantity. I note kink separate from steam because I don't want to underrate steamy reads that don't have much kink. **Note about spoilers: I like to comment on the plot of a book in reviews, so I almost always mark my reviews as containing spoilers. But I try to avoid spoiling the big dramatic moments! As a reader, I personally like to know what I'm getting into before I read a book so I know more about the content and if it's to my taste/mood, so I try to give that information in my reviews for myself when I'm considering rereading and also for other readers. ...more |
Notes are private!
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1
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Jun 2024
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Jun 02, 2024
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Apr 09, 2024
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Kindle Edition
| ||||||||||||||||
| 1958002062
| 9781958002063
| B0CLZVSX3K
| 4.35
| 1,956
| Jan 15, 2024
| Jan 15, 2024
|
really liked it
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**spoiler alert** Tropes: paranormal, pornstars, forced proximity Feels: 3.5/5 Steam*: 3.5/5 Kinks: knotting, toys, exhibitionism, roleplaying noncon, **spoiler alert** Tropes: paranormal, pornstars, forced proximity Feels: 3.5/5 Steam*: 3.5/5 Kinks: knotting, toys, exhibitionism, roleplaying noncon, pornstar stuff Angst: low HEA: yes Pairing: MM Triggers/potential icks/content warnings: panic attack, some jealousy, fear of unequal feelings, feeling like their relationship has an expiry date Richard is about 29. Hunter maybe 23ish? Richard is a wolf shifter who's been a pornstar for 7 years, his recent claim to fame is that he temporarily mates other pornstars for 3 months so that he can record knotting videos with them, then he breaks the bond. It's all agreed to in advance and there's contracts in place, but is co-stars keep developing feelings for him and not wanting to break the bond. Hunter is a human who just found out about the paranormal two years ago and has been doing p*** with supernatural creatures for the last year or so. He is the latest to be matched with Richard. They agree to the 3-month bond. But this time it's Richard who's developing feelings. In this lore, when you break a bond, you can never bond with that person again. And also the company they work for does not hire any mated couples. Will they figure out before the 3 months are done but they're perfect for each other, or will they put their careers first? This was a fun book. I liked how obsessed and possessive Richard was over Hunter. From the very first meeting he was breaking all of his rules for hunter. And Hunter was a little s*** who gave him a hard time and bantered well with him. Every time they touched each other they just forgot about everything happening around them. It was hilarious to see people's reactions to them because they all knew what was what and saw it coming. They got so immersed in each other that just made the sex scenes so much hotter. They had an agreement in the contract to not have sex between scenes that they were filming, because it would only make the bond stronger and make it harder to break later. They abided by that deal for a huge percentage of the book. I kind of wished that they had broken that rule earlier so that we could have seen them longer in that stage where they were so soft for each other and started feeling the other person's emotions more as part of their deeper bond. But that's just personal preference. It was fun when they did break and started making excuses to hook up and then excuses to snuggle in bed all night. Some notable moments: Shortly after meeting for their first scene... Richard ignores the director and just hauls Hunter to bed. "“Well,” Brandt said, face as shocked as Hunter felt. “I had other questions, but, uh… I think we can skip those? Yeah, let’s skip those. Why don’t… why don’t you two make your way to the bed before you get too carried away, and we’ll get started.” Before Hunter could think about getting up, Richard stood, then grabbed him, tossing him over his shoulder like he weighed nothing and stalking toward the bed." I love that Richard is so good at taking care of the creatures in the video game. "“Lord Dick Softflu—Wait a minute. Go back. Is your Pegasus family’s happiness maxed out?” “Yeah.” “How? Those prissy bastards are never happy about anything.”" "Don’t get me wrong, we did eventually figure out such culinary masterpieces as grilled cheese, but it was after some trial and error. FYI, I do not recommend using the iron you borrowed from the only kid on your floor who didn’t walk around looking like a wrinkled slob.” “You didn’t.” “Oh, yes, we did. And let me tell you, we had neither food nor iron by the time we were done. After that, we just used the microwave.” “You put two slices of bread with cheese in a microwave and called the sad end result grilled cheese?” “Listen, it wasn’t the proudest moment of my life.”" *FYI about steam: I rate steam based on a combination of quality & quantity. I note kink separate from steam because I don't want to underrate steamy reads that don't have much kink. **Note about spoilers: I like to comment on the plot of a book in reviews, so I almost always mark my reviews as containing spoilers. But I try to avoid spoiling the big dramatic moments! As a reader, I personally like to know what I'm getting into before I read a book so I know more about the content and if it's to my taste/mood, so I try to give that information in my reviews for myself when I'm considering rereading and also for other readers. ...more |
Notes are private!
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1
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Mar 24, 2024
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Mar 25, 2024
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Mar 24, 2024
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Kindle Edition
| ||||||||||||||
| 3.99
| 22,280
| Aug 06, 2022
| Aug 08, 2022
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really liked it
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**spoiler alert** Tropes: woke up married, forced proximity, mafia Feels: 4/5 Steam*: 3.5/5 Kinks: n/a Angst: medium HEA: yes Pairing: MF Triggers/potential **spoiler alert** Tropes: woke up married, forced proximity, mafia Feels: 4/5 Steam*: 3.5/5 Kinks: n/a Angst: medium HEA: yes Pairing: MF Triggers/potential icks/content warnings: violence, murder, kidnapping, permanent injury This book is about 34-year-old Luca and 26-year-old Mariya. Their families are both Mafia, Luca is the head of his Mafia family. Their families are incredibly close. She considers his parents aunt and uncle, her father is his godfather. They've always had distance between them, neither of them thought the other one liked them. But secretly they both had feelings for each other for years. He's always considered her his future wife, he just wasn't ready to start fighting for her, he had a lot going on with work and he wanted to be in a position to offer her a solid future. At her 26th birthday party, she gets drunk and they walk by a chapel in Las Vegas and she decides they should get married. He leaps on the opportunity because he wants her married to him and this is a gift horse he's not going to kick in the mouth. He pretends he's drunk too but he wasn't. Their parents decide they should stay married for 6 months before they I know the marriage, to give it a real shot. He has no intention of allowing an annulment. They start living together and spending time together. And they open up to one another. But there are threats from enemies and their lives are in danger, so that presents a challenge to their relationship. I really enjoyed this story. I've been on a rut recently with MF romance where the books I've read have only been two stars. This book had a lot of things going for it. There wasn't much about the book that got on my nerves. I loved the communication in this book. Luca did not play games. He told her from the very beginning that he didn't want an annulment. And it wasn't that much longer into the book before he reveals that he really has strong feelings for her. And he loves things about her beyond her looks. He loves her strength, her feistiness, her stubbornness. He's so proud of her. He never looks down on her or tries to coddle her, he respects her and she's his Queen. It was nice her sexual history meant nothing to their relationship. Sometimes mmc's get stupidly butt hurt over women living their lives before they get together, so I appreciated that wasn't made an issue. I liked the FMC. Mariya was strong and stood up for herself. But she was also vulnerable, a bit of a daddy's girl, but that just showed she valued her family and she felt deeply. She has a lot of really relatable thoughts and reactions throughout this book. She wasn't an annoying FMC. I liked how she expressed that she felt like she missed out on things with their Vegas wedding. The only thing I didn't like about her, was that I wish she had her own career and wasn't such a fan of shopping. It would make her more empowering of a character. She is feisty and strong, but it undermines her a little, to have her only interest being shopping. I like to see a character with different interests and some real life goals, someone with a drive to achieve things with their life. I also kind of wanted to ding the book for Mariya not being able to orgasm with men other than luca. But I have to give that a pass because the book did say that in the past men were only willing to have sex with her as a one-nighter because they were afraid of her father. So it's realistic that those men might have been selfish lovers or not known her body well enough, or she may not have been comfortable enough with them. The number of public shootouts they had made it a little unbelievable that they didn't catch police attention. But that wasn't a big deal, I could give it a pass in the grand scheme of things. Some notable moments: I love this reaction to being caught in bed together. "“It’s not what it looks like,” Luca says, then I groan, “It’s worse.” “Worse?” I get up from the bed to tell Viktor the news, but Luca steps partially in front of me. “We’re married.” Jesus, I can’t believe it. Is this really happening? Viktor blinks a couple of times, then slowly tilts his head. “I don’t think I heard right. You’re married?” He gestures between Luca and me. “The two of you?” “Yes,” Luca replies. “We got married while drunk.” I expect Viktor to lose his shit, but instead, he bursts out laughing until he’s struggling to get air in." Yes! Clear communication and the woman being firm that she's not going to be used, she's setting her boundaries. "“I’m okay with kissing.” Thank you, Jesus! Relieved, I smile at her. “Hugging?” “A definite yes. I’m a hugger.” Her smile matches mine, setting me at ease. “Good to know.” I tap my fingers on the table, then raise a more sensitive topic. “Sex?” This time she glances away, but I can see she’s thinking, so I give her the time she needs. Finally, she locks eyes with me again. “Only if it comes naturally and actually means something. It’s not to be used as a weapon or tool to control me.”" *FYI about steam: I rate steam based on a combination of quality & quantity. I note kink separate from steam because I don't want to underrate steamy reads that don't have much kink. **Note about spoilers: I like to comment on the plot of a book in reviews, so I almost always mark my reviews as containing spoilers. But I try to avoid spoiling the big dramatic moments! As a reader, I personally like to know what I'm getting into before I read a book so I know more about the content and if it's to my taste/mood, so I try to give that information in my reviews for myself when I'm considering rereading and also for other readers. ...more |
Notes are private!
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1
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Mar 14, 2024
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Mar 15, 2024
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Mar 14, 2024
| ||||||||||||||||||
| B08QDPPRVC
| 4.11
| 9,217
| Dec 10, 2020
| Aug 2021
|
really liked it
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**spoiler alert** Tropes: forced proximity, enemies to lovers, codependency Feels: 4/5 Steam*: 4/5 Kinks: cock warming, consensual non-consent Angst: low **spoiler alert** Tropes: forced proximity, enemies to lovers, codependency Feels: 4/5 Steam*: 4/5 Kinks: cock warming, consensual non-consent Angst: low HEA: yes Pairing: MM Triggers/potential icks/content warnings: homophobia, internalized homophobia, plane crash with only them as survivors, grief, trauma bonding March 4, 2024 - Reread today. Reviewing now because I wasn't writing reviews back when I read it previously. Logan is 33 and openly gay, from a supportive family, owning hotels. Andrew is 32. He's been married to Vivian Rutledge for 9 years and worked his way up in her father's company. Andrew had a s***** childhood, he was raised by an aunt who resented him and was a bit of a bully though she does care in her own way. She's not accepting, she's homophobic. So Andrew is homophobic / battling internalized homophobia. Throughout this book Andrew has a bi awakening. Logan and Andrew are the only survivors of a plane crash. Vivian dies. They are trapped alone on an island for 9 months and have to survive. At first they hate each other because Andrew was open with his homophobia and Andrew is lost in his grief. But they develop a real codependent relationship. They are the only human interaction the other has for 9 months. Andrew in particular is a very needy person who needs someone to take control, to reassure him, and to feed his need for affection. Logan starts using him, taking out his sexual frustration on him, and Andrew just takes it because it feeds all these needs in him. They go from enemies to hate hooking up to codependent lovers. When they are rescued off the island, they separate and go back to their normal lives but neither can settle comfortably. They miss each other. They seek one another out and glomp on to each other. They kiss, they touch, they f***, they pull one another closer so tightly they're living in each other's skin basically. And then they seek therapy because they know that this is not healthy and they are not adjusting well. They both want to be with each other. But Andrew's internalized homophobia rears its ugly head and pushes them apart once again. Can Andrew take a risk and bridge the gap between them one more time? Andrew wasn't a very likable character in Derek and Shawn's book or at the start of this book. But I really enjoyed this book. I'm a sucker for a codependent relationship. I love when characters just glomp on to each other and are so obsessed with each other, they can't see anything else, they are touch starved for each other. It's a very intense relationship dynamic. These guys hated each other to start and they slowly over time developed a relationship out of the need for human contact and support. I loved how they kept reeling each other closer and how they saw nothing but each other when they were together. They ignored all the people around them and their surroundings and just focused so hard on each other. Alessandra can take the most toxic of circumstances and unlikable of characters and turn the heat on, and whip up feelings of intense possessive love. Some notable moments: "This felt… so familiar. Disturbingly comforting in its familiarity. All that was missing was a hard body pressed against his back or better yet, a… He pushed his thumb into his mouth and made a contented noise as he sucked on it. “Christ, are you jerking off?” Andrew froze. “No,” he said around his thumb. “You’re lying.” “Am not.” “You’re doing something. I know how you sound when you—” Logan cut himself off, muttering something frustrated under his breath. “Tell me.”" "The mattress dipped. Logan stretched out next to him on his back. Andrew immediately rolled on top of him. Logan made an annoyed noise but didn’t push him off. Taking it as permission, Andrew unbuttoned Logan’s shirt and put his face on the other man’s pecs, enjoying the familiar sensation of Logan’s sparse chest hair tickling his cheek. His body went boneless, a feeling of warm contentment spreading through him. “Just this time,” Andrew mumbled. “We’ll go to a therapist tomorrow.”" "Logan put his free hand on Andrew’s lower back, pressing their bare stomachs together. “Just imagine, Drew,” he said, his voice so deep and husky it didn’t even sound like his own. “You said I’m the only thing that makes you feel whole. Imagine having me inside of you physically too. It’ll feel so good. My cock moving inside you. My come filling your stomach. Me—in you. So deep there’s nothing between us.”" *FYI about steam: I rate steam based on a combination of quality & quantity. I note kink separate from steam because I don't want to underrate steamy reads that don't have much kink. **Note about spoilers: I like to comment on the plot of a book in reviews, so I almost always mark my reviews as containing spoilers. But I try to avoid spoiling the big dramatic moments! As a reader, I personally like to know what I'm getting into before I read a book so I know more about the content and if it's to my taste/mood, so I try to give that information in my reviews for myself when I'm considering rereading and also for other readers. ...more |
Notes are private!
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2
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Mar 04, 2024
Mar 15, 2023
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Mar 05, 2024
Mar 15, 2023
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Mar 04, 2024
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Kindle Edition
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| B0CTMH8B8T
| 4.11
| 2,013
| Feb 16, 2024
| Feb 16, 2024
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really liked it
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**spoiler alert** Tropes: workplace romance, grumpy/sunshine, forced proximity Feels: 3/5 Steam*: 1.5/5 Kinks: n/a Angst: low HEA: yes Pairing: MM Triggers **spoiler alert** Tropes: workplace romance, grumpy/sunshine, forced proximity Feels: 3/5 Steam*: 1.5/5 Kinks: n/a Angst: low HEA: yes Pairing: MM Triggers/potential icks/content warnings: none This Novella was about Ash and Dominic. They've been working together for three and a half years and share an office. Dominic is a grump, Ash is the sunshine in this relationship. They bicker, banter, and insult each other all the time, that's their dynamic. But they're both secretly attracted to each other. When Ash finds out that Dominic knows sign language, Dominic signs something at him mysteriously. And Ash eventually figures out that it was something about wanting him. And that makes Ash aware of his feelings and have to contemplate making a move, whether it would be worth the risk to their working relationship. Spoiler, it is. LOL I have to say first of all, I have a complex relationship with novellas. I generally don't like them because they're just not long enough to tell a decent story most of the time. I can't compare a novella to a regular full size book in a fair way. So when I'm judging novellas, I always judge them according to lower standards, what I call novella standards. So with that in mind I would say this is a 3.5 star read for a novella. It was cute but kind of syrupy. Unrealistic and kind of kitschy with the repeated sign language references. But I did like the grumpy/sunshine element and their banter. Some notable moments: "How did I not realize Dominic was tense about giving his presentation? The signs are all there. The tightness in his jaw. The small crease in his brow. The way his eyes keep darting around the gathered crowd. I lower my voice. “What do you need? Do you want me to grab you a cup of coffee? A glass of water? Vial of the tears of twenty unicorns?” His lips quirk up slightly. “While I’m interested to see your unicorn procurement skills, a glass of water would be great.”" "My ears roar in the stretched-out silence before he finally speaks. “Are you seriously asking me to marry you while wearing Spandex?” The vice around my chest loosens. “We kissed for the first time when you were wearing your Where’s Waldo hat. I figure we don’t have much of a standard to live up to.”" *FYI about steam: I rate steam based on a combination of quality & quantity. I note kink separate from steam because I don't want to underrate steamy reads that don't have much kink. **Note about spoilers: I like to comment on the plot of a book in reviews, so I almost always mark my reviews as containing spoilers. But I try to avoid spoiling the big dramatic moments! As a reader, I personally like to know what I'm getting into before I read a book so I know more about the content and if it's to my taste/mood, so I try to give that information in my reviews for myself when I'm considering rereading and also for other readers. ...more |
Notes are private!
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1
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Feb 26, 2024
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Feb 26, 2024
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Feb 16, 2024
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Kindle Edition
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| B0CFVXC9QV
| 4.05
| 972
| Aug 15, 2023
| Aug 15, 2023
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really liked it
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**spoiler alert** Tropes: dragon/human, size difference, paranormal, forced proximity, forbidden romance Feels: 4/5 Steam*: 4/5 Kinks: knotting, massiv **spoiler alert** Tropes: dragon/human, size difference, paranormal, forced proximity, forbidden romance Feels: 4/5 Steam*: 4/5 Kinks: knotting, massive dragon cock Angst: low HEA: yes Pairing: MM Triggers/potential icks/content warnings: bad exes, cheating not between MCs, third act break up Corin is 37. He is a dragon shifter and a knight who has fallen out of favor. He used to be engaged to Aster's sister Belinda 2 years ago, but she cheated on him spectacularly, f****** another guy in public and getting caught by tons of people. That torpedoed the engagement. He thought it was love. He was really betrayed. He lashed out at the guy who was a nobleman, scarring his face, and he ran to a remote home his family considered a shack to lick his wounds. He hasn't really been taking care of himself for the last 2 years. He's avoided people and he hasn't slept with anyone. He wasn't sleeping with Belinda either by the way, she was holding out to get him to marry her. Aster is 23. He's Belinda's little brother. He was engaged to a guy, it was an arranged marriage his parents set up. He found out that the other guy has a lover and doesn't intend to be faithful to Aster, and that he's using him and is unkind. He runs. He runs straight to Corin! Aster and Corin are both nights and they interacted a little, Aster has always watched Corin from afar and respected him and crushed on him. He thinks Corin can help him. And he does. Corin starts to return Aster's feelings. He finds him attractive because he has a type and both siblings are it. But unlike Belinda, Aster is a really good person and adorable and sweet and Aster respects him and thinks the world of him. So Corin develops serious feelings. They give in to the attraction between them and have some really kinky body breaking sex. But Aster is still being forced to marry, and he has to do it or else his family will be ruined financially. So there's the conflict there. I quite liked the book. The characters were likeable. Corin was grumpy and antisocial and had no shame. People could stuff it and accept him. And Aster was so sweet and genuine and awkward. They were so thirsty for each other. And Corin just had all these thoughts about Aster, he just wanted to nuzzle and own him. There were also a lot of funny moments. It was a good book. Some notable moments: "But Aster’s little sighs as he settled into the water, the way his hand hung over the side, his faint smile as he tipped his head back…every sign of comfort and satisfaction, of ease and contentment, soothed something in Corin’s soul he hadn’t even known he possessed. Corin had made Aster happy, and that made Corin happy, and that was…fuck." "Something warm and utterly unfamiliar bloomed in Corin’s chest, a heavy, almost painful sensation that drove him to—he had no idea what. Hold Aster even closer, crush him in his arms until he cried out, until they were one. Fuck him so deeply his insides would be hollowed out forever into the shape of Corin’s cock. Press the softest possible kiss to the smooth skin of his thigh." "Aster would be leaving. He wouldn’t stay where Corin had put him. He’d be leaving, and doing so with some man who’d take him and fuck him and marry him and bloody well own him, and Corin wouldn’t have any right to tear that motherfucker’s head off of his shoulders and roast him alive and crack his skull between his massive jaws like a fucking walnut, possibly not in that order." "“What?” Corin snapped. “I’m not allowed to propose in peace, Sir Gustave?” “Propose?” Sir Gustave’s voice rose to something like a screech. “You, sir, are before the king, and you’re not wearing any pants!"" *FYI about steam: I rate steam based on a combination of quality & quantity. I note kink separate from steam because I don't want to underrate steamy reads that don't have much kink. **Note about spoilers: I like to comment on the plot of a book in reviews, so I almost always mark my reviews as containing spoilers. But I try to avoid spoiling the big dramatic moments! As a reader, I personally like to know what I'm getting into before I read a book so I know more about the content and if it's to my taste/mood, so I try to give that information in my reviews for myself when I'm considering rereading and also for other readers. ...more |
Notes are private!
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1
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Jul 14, 2024
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Jul 15, 2024
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Feb 13, 2024
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Kindle Edition
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| 1952646022
| 9781952646027
| B07NK59922
| 4.32
| 120,509
| unknown
| Feb 09, 2019
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really liked it
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**spoiler alert** Tropes: forced proximity, second chances Feels: 4/5 Steam*: 4/5 Kinks: n/a Angst: high HEA: yes Pairing: MF Triggers/potential icks/conten **spoiler alert** Tropes: forced proximity, second chances Feels: 4/5 Steam*: 4/5 Kinks: n/a Angst: high HEA: yes Pairing: MF Triggers/potential icks/content warnings: murder, violence, drugs, rape, CSA, bad parents, over-protective parents, blind FMC, manipulation, suicidal character, sex with others, self-harm Winter and Damon have a complicated history together. They are 3 years apart in age. They met initially when Winter was eight and Damon was 11, and Damon was part of the accident that caused Winter to go permanently blind. Damon had always had a rough childhood, but shortly after this interaction his mother who had been grooming him started sexually assaulting him. Damon coped by using self-harm, escaping into wild behavior, developing a relationship with pain that is extremely unhealthy, and getting off on manipulating others. A few years later, Damon meets up with Winter again. To him, she's something pure. He hides who he is from her and sneakily interacts with her a little bit. And then cuts their relationship off because he's attracted to her and she's too young, he doesn't want to sully her. But then, when she's 16, he reappears and he can see her blossoming and he's worried another man is going to snatch her up. So he gives in and has sex with her a few times, with her still not knowing who he is. Winter feels very betrayed when she finds out who it is she's been interacting with and sleeping with. Unfortunately, a video of them having sex is leaked, and Damon is charged with statutory rape and sent to prison for 3 years. Winter truly felt violated, because he used deception to sleep with her, even though she willingly slept with him, she wouldn't have if she knew who he was. A couple years later once he's out of prison, they meet again, and this time Damon has forced her sister to marry him. But he really doesn't have any intention of being with the sister, he's using the situation to pull Winter close to him. Damon relentlessly pursues her and they end up in a sexual relationship again, and winter is realizing how damaged Damon is and that the kind person that he was to her when he was hiding his identity is part of who he is. This book was okay. It was really dramatic and tension filled. There were a lot of twists. There was a lot of chemistry and emotion between the characters. I liked how obsessed Damon was with her. The book had a lot of dark themes, so it was a bit of a tough read emotionally. One thing I didn't really enjoy about how the book was told was all the flipping through time that they did. They kept flipping between the present and all these different moments in the past. I kind of prefer a more linear telling of a story, all the flipping back and forth kind of messed with the flow, it was a bit over the top how many flips there were. It was heavy-handed as a storytelling tool! Some notable moments: "I didn’t want her first time. I wanted every time." "“I will never have your children,” I told him. It was Damon. It was my sister’s husband. And I’d rather die than raise a family under his thumb. He’d be a terrible father. But I felt him approach and stop just in front of me, his deep voice quiet but steady. “You’re going to have lots of my children,” he informed me." The fact that Damon said this when he was 11 years old was sweet. "He turns away and lets out a breath as he stares ahead. “I might kiss you again when we’re older,” he says. “Just so you know.”" *FYI about steam: I rate steam based on a combination of quality & quantity. I note kink separate from steam because I don't want to underrate steamy reads that don't have much kink. **Note about spoilers: I like to comment on the plot of a book in reviews, so I almost always mark my reviews as containing spoilers. But I try to avoid spoiling the big dramatic moments! As a reader, I personally like to know what I'm getting into before I read a book so I know more about the content and if it's to my taste/mood, so I try to give that information in my reviews for myself when I'm considering rereading and also for other readers. ...more |
Notes are private!
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1
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Jan 21, 2024
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Jan 22, 2024
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Jan 24, 2024
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Kindle Edition
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| B085N15GRY
| 3.80
| 1,045
| Mar 28, 2020
| Mar 28, 2020
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really liked it
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**spoiler alert** SPOILER ALERT - I can't really review this book without commenting on a crap load of spoilers so this review has more spoilers than
**spoiler alert** SPOILER ALERT - I can't really review this book without commenting on a crap load of spoilers so this review has more spoilers than usual Tropes: forced proximity, second chances, enemies to lovers, revenge, magic, small town Feels: 4/5 Steam*: 4/5 Kinks: rough and dirty sex, toys Angst: medium/high HEA: yes Pairing: MM Triggers/potential icks/content warnings: violence, murder, CSA (incest), rape, gang rape, addiction/overdose/prostitution (minor character), drug use, abuse, porn, dyscalculia, suicide attempt, poverty, forced outing, driving drunk and high, homophobia Roach is 32, a biker, closeted. His mom was a hooker and died when he was young. Leaving him and his brother with his biker father. Roach AKA Reed was abused his entire life. When he was young his dad SA'd him often until he got big enough to fight back. Roach has in his adulthood been cowed by his dad and MC cronies, he's been a biker himself, he's done a lot of dirty work for the MC. One day Zane walks in to their bar to perform music. Roach is instantly attracted to him. Roach never hooks up with guys even though he's gay. He only hooks up with women out of fear. But he wants to risk it with Zane and hook up. After his performance, they hook up, but it ends badly when Zane tries to pickpocket Roach and outs Roach to the MC. Roach runs away from the confrontation that night and leaves Zane with the other bikers. Zane gets brutalized and raped. As he's left for dead, Zane manages to set fire to the bar and kill everyone inside. Someone takes Zane to the hospital. 2 years later, Zane is almost 30. He's traveling with two brothers he's in a band with. They're taking advantage of him because he has dyscalculia and can't understand money. He gets convinced to come back to the town where he was attacked to perform. He meets Roach again because he's a bouncer at the bar. Zane wants revenge on Roach, he hates him and blames him for what happened to him. Roach has no idea what went down and no idea Zane was responsible for the fire. Roach is glad that he has a second chance and all those people he hated are dead. He's living a clean life. He's poor and still closeted but he's making an honest living and he's a good person now. He wants another hook up with Zane. He doesn't hate Zane. But Zane sure hates him. They realize that they can feel each other's pain, so Zane is not going to be able to kill Roach until they separate themselves. Zane dumps his awful band mates and stays in town with Roach, moving in with him, trying to figure out what's going on and separate their lives. They quickly add f****** to their arrangement. Roach is happy as a clam to have Zane on any terms. It takes them months before they make any headway to what's going on. Over that time they get to know each other. Zane starts to understand Roach isn't the evil person he thought he was, and he gets fond of him begrudgingly. They don't have an easy ride. I won't spoil absolutely everything, but they do get a happily ever after. I like this book and I think it was well done. There was a lot of intensity to it. There was a lot of plot and character development and relationship building. It was nice that it was done slowly over time. I feel like the pages of this story were well spent in telling the story. It was dark and gritty. I empathize with both of the characters, and they fit well together. There wasn't much that I disliked. I think the authors were a little brief in their trigger warnings. I read this book while I was sick and miserable, and some of the topics were just very very dark. The things that I didn't like were really just my personal taste, and not the authors' writing. I don't like characters that drive under the influence so that just wasn't likeable to me. Give me a dark book where they commit murder and that's fine, but yeah I draw the line at driving under the influence. Also Zane attempted to cheat on Roach and forcibly outed Roach twice, that's not likeable to me. Some notable moments: "“Sooo…” Gale licked his parched lips. “Your new boyfriend stabbed you yesterday, and I’m the one making bad life choices?”" Roach was so good to Zane without asking for anything "“…I’ll work it out somehow, I promise, we’ll get you the best rehab. I just… Zane’s got no savings, and I don’t wanna tell him that Culver pays him peanuts. He’s always so happy when he talks about his earnings. It would crush him. He’s got this problem with numbers, but he’d never admit it, he’s too self-conscious about it. I just went with it so he wouldn’t be embarrassed, and… fuck. If you knew what a doormat I am, you’d laugh at me so hard.”" I love how Roach described Zane, and Roach always came back for more "Like a human slot machine. Could get sex and a cuddle, could get a punch in the nuts." "A new tattoo. The size of Reed’s palm, it depicted a cockroach with wings spread to create the shape of a heart. Reed was so shocked he opened a message from Zane without thinking. It read, [Roachie <3] Reed should’ve been mad at Zane for marking his body without asking, he knew he should, but it was impossible, because the ink meant Zane now also had a roach on his heart. Right where it belonged." *FYI about steam: I rate steam based on a combination of quality & quantity. I note kink separate from steam because I don't want to underrate steamy reads that don't have much kink. **Note about spoilers: I like to comment on the plot of a book in reviews, so I almost always mark my reviews as containing spoilers. But I try to avoid spoiling the big dramatic moments! As a reader, I personally like to know what I'm getting into before I read a book so I know more about the content and if it's to my taste/mood, so I try to give that information in my reviews for myself when I'm considering rereading and also for other readers. ...more |
Notes are private!
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1
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Jan 17, 2024
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Jan 19, 2024
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Jan 09, 2024
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Kindle Edition
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Jane aka Coughy019
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forced-proximity
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| 4.25
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it was amazing
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Jul 26, 2024
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Jul 25, 2024
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| 4.47
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really liked it
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Aug 09, 2024
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Jul 12, 2024
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| 4.04
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it was amazing
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Jul 16, 2024
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Jul 10, 2024
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| 4.16
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really liked it
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Jul 08, 2024
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Jul 08, 2024
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| 3.99
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really liked it
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Jul 05, 2024
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Jul 05, 2024
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| 3.76
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really liked it
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Jul 05, 2024
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Jul 04, 2024
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| 4.21
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really liked it
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Jul 03, 2024
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Jul 02, 2024
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| 4.06
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really liked it
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Aug 20, 2024
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Jun 05, 2024
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| 4.03
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really liked it
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Jun 04, 2024
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May 25, 2024
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| 4.04
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liked it
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Apr 30, 2024
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Apr 23, 2024
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| 3.36
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really liked it
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Apr 20, 2024
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Apr 19, 2024
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| 3.90
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really liked it
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Jul 13, 2024
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Apr 09, 2024
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| 4.24
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really liked it
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Jun 02, 2024
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Apr 09, 2024
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| 4.35
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really liked it
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Mar 25, 2024
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Mar 24, 2024
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| 3.99
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really liked it
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Mar 15, 2024
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Mar 14, 2024
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| 4.11
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really liked it
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Mar 05, 2024
Mar 15, 2023
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Mar 04, 2024
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| 4.11
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really liked it
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Feb 26, 2024
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Feb 16, 2024
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| 4.05
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really liked it
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Jul 15, 2024
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Feb 13, 2024
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| 4.32
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really liked it
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Jan 22, 2024
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Jan 24, 2024
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| 3.80
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really liked it
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Jan 19, 2024
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Jan 09, 2024
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