Didn't quite live up to expectations following the strong first volume. I kept wondering when Zoe was going to seek help for her obvious anxiety and dDidn't quite live up to expectations following the strong first volume. I kept wondering when Zoe was going to seek help for her obvious anxiety and depression. I mean, she has a couple of textbook panic attacks and tons of intrusive thoughts. A good dicking is not a valid substitute for therapy and medication!
And I wanted more comeuppance for her awful parents. AND the whole suspense with what her brother will do when he finds out was kind of a fizzle. Still, I mostly enjoyed it and Dom's apologies/groveling was sufficient. ...more
DNF around 45%. Set up for some iddy angst/gut-punch/grovel/revenge, but it's just so blah blah boring pants. Both dudes suck (but one is obviously thDNF around 45%. Set up for some iddy angst/gut-punch/grovel/revenge, but it's just so blah blah boring pants. Both dudes suck (but one is obviously the wrong choice, and it's not the cheating one), and the heroine is gorgeous and perfect and makes homemade lasagne from scratch but she's soooo self deprecating and insecure (relatable amirite?). Ugh....more
Ooh, I liked this. Dom has been into Zoe since high school, but she's his best friend's little sister--and her brother has threatened actual murder ifOoh, I liked this. Dom has been into Zoe since high school, but she's his best friend's little sister--and her brother has threatened actual murder if he goes near her. Zoe is the family's scapegoat, who is neglected and abused, while her brother is the golden child who can do no wrong. So when her brother's BFF gives her the cold shoulder, it's business as usual.
As his career is taking off and she's starting college, they have one night together at a BDSM club masquerade. He knew who she was; she didn't know it was him. This night haunts both of them for years.
Now Zoe's crashing at her brother's place after being forced to transfer or lose her job. Dom's got PR issues when a bunch of women he's slept with (totally consensual one-night stands, the author is careful to tell us) start badmouthing him online. PR solution: fake girlfriend!
It's a very rom-commy setup, but Zoe's a hot mess of anxiety and near suicidal depression (seriously, her internal monologue is very visceral and potentially upsetting) who's never let anyone get close enough to date, while Dom's been obsessed with her for ages and uses meaningless sex to try and get past what he can never have.
Ends on a gut-punch cliffhanger with potential for some nice groveling. I'll definitely read the sequel!
(view spoiler)[I have to admit, I thought the mysterious BDSM chatroom guy was going to turn out to be her brother. He was gone when she texted during the hockey game! (hide spoiler)]...more
A fast-paced steampunk romance/adventure with clockwork cyborgs, vampires, and a His Girl Friday vibe. The banter crackles, the hero is SUPER dramaticA fast-paced steampunk romance/adventure with clockwork cyborgs, vampires, and a His Girl Friday vibe. The banter crackles, the hero is SUPER dramatic, the heroine is ultra-competent (but also a secret author/gambling addict) who has had just about enough from the hero. Great fun!...more
A slow burn but scorching when you get there mafia romance with bisexual leads, sexy consent, and mild femdom? Yes please!
Charlie needs to get marriedA slow burn but scorching when you get there mafia romance with bisexual leads, sexy consent, and mild femdom? Yes please!
Charlie needs to get married; Gwen needs to pay her little sister's massive medical bills. When they meet by fate one evening in a bar, they come to an agreement. What Gwen doesn't know is Charlie has known about her for months, having witnessed her dark side and become smitten. A mostly sweet, mostly low to medium low angst love story.
I'll tag it as mafia/oc even though it's more like opposite day mafia. The Syndicate is very Assassin's Creed-esque, using crime tactics to take down evil doers. (And the super handsome controlling/manipulating MMC is secretly a gooey cinnamon roll who just wants to get on his knees for his woman.) (view spoiler)[And yes, there's a pegging scene. (hide spoiler)]
Do note there's a couple of fairly graphic torture scenes. ...more
Loads of delicious angst and gut punches and groveling. Aspen and Ryan have a great, loving relationship that is clearly on the way to marriage until.Loads of delicious angst and gut punches and groveling. Aspen and Ryan have a great, loving relationship that is clearly on the way to marriage until... dun dun dun Ryan's childhood BFF Hadley, a stunning redhead, comes back to town because her father is on his deathbed.
Cue Ryan turning into the biggest dumbass in Dumbsville. Give her a key to the house? Sure! Skip meals and don't text or call? Absolutely! Ice out your GF while out to dinner to the point where strangers think the BFF is your girlfriend? On it! Don't believe your GF when she tells you the BS the other woman is saying behind your back? Man, that's dumbass 101! (view spoiler)[Lie by omission about having been MARRIED to the BFF in college and then take her on an island "honeymoon" because you "promised to do it before you turned 30?" (hide spoiler)] You better believe that's the last straw.
A nice full grovel period follows (about 50% of the book!). I was satisfied. TBH, I kind of wanted a little more post-novel insight into Hadley. (view spoiler)[She really did have a rough life and apparently will never know the reason why her parents treated her so coldly. Or the real reason Ryan was always accommodating and kind to her. I mean, she needs a mountain of therapy, but still. (hide spoiler)]...more
Okay so, Kaldur--Azur and Kythal's brother from the previous books--discovers that one of the servants (who has been secretly in love with him for a cOkay so, Kaldur--Azur and Kythal's brother from the previous books--discovers that one of the servants (who has been secretly in love with him for a couple of years) in his own spooky space gothic castle is his own fated mate kyrana. Does he:
A) Having learned from his brothers' mistakes, he declares who she is to him immediately, helps her with what she needs to learn to be his bonded partner, and supports her when she's feeling overwhelmed?
Or...
B) Having learned NOTHING from his brothers' mistakes, he lies about being fated mated, coerces her into signing a contract to feed him her blood on the reg, listens to people with a keen interest in keeping him single when they tell him vile falsehoods about her, and turns into a huge dum-dum jerk face meanie to her until he drives her and her love away?
C'mon, you know which one he chooses.
Erina is a likable artsy sunshiny orphan girl who daydreams fantasy stories as she does her chores, and nurses a longstanding crush on Kaldur. She's thrilled when he notices her, then disappointed when he offers her a cold contract spelling out his use of her blood. Still, she takes the crumbs she's given until he hurts her so deeply she can't take it anymore.
Huge ooof of a gut punch scene, followed by a deliciously long grovel. The only thing I wanted more was (view spoiler)[a scene where Kaldur's brothers give him all the shit. (hide spoiler)]...more
A mafiamance with some very nice "who did this" protectiveness, a sympathetic child character, and a couple of genuine surprise twists. But a little tA mafiamance with some very nice "who did this" protectiveness, a sympathetic child character, and a couple of genuine surprise twists. But a little too much insta-lust (particularly on the FMCs side considering her situation) and solving arguments with good dick. ...more
This novella kept showing up in my recommendations, so I checked it out and had a lot of fun! It's a fully parodic comedy take on the cheating/grovel This novella kept showing up in my recommendations, so I checked it out and had a lot of fun! It's a fully parodic comedy take on the cheating/grovel romance subgenre, and there were a few belly-laugh moments for me. I particularly loved Maverick's (the cheating husband) professor parents who immediately start trying to psychoanalyze him when they find out.
Do note that although this is all portrayed with tongue firmly planted in cheek, there is on-page cheating by the MMC and on-page revenge cheating by the FMC. A beach volleyball team might be involved at some point......more
A fun, romantic, mostly low-stress love story. Hannah and Maddox spent a week together in college falling in love. But Hannah suddenly had to leave scA fun, romantic, mostly low-stress love story. Hannah and Maddox spent a week together in college falling in love. But Hannah suddenly had to leave school when her mother had a stroke. And even though they are 21st-century college students, they have not exchanged phone numbers or even email addresses! She writes a letter and leaves it in his mailbox... You see where this is going.
15 years later, they meet again when he (now a retired NFL player) buys the company she works for. Each thinks the other ghosted them because, of course, he didn't get the letter. But they've both been low-key pining for each other since that week in college.
It could be a set up for an angst fest, but happily, the misunderstanding is sorted fairly quickly, and the conflict is mostly external. The love story is sweet and spicy and the whole book is a cuddlefest of happy feels.
I did get a little frustrated by how little they did to connect/find each other after that week. He could've gone to the library and asked her boss what was up. She could've actually mailed a letter instead of sticking a note in a mailbox. But dumb college students, right?...more
Starts out with a fantastic bang of a gut punch (it's literally on the first page), but the follow-up is more of a whimper.
We open with Stella watchiStarts out with a fantastic bang of a gut punch (it's literally on the first page), but the follow-up is more of a whimper.
We open with Stella watching the man she's spent three months falling in love with showing her father a sex tape he made to blackmail him into giving support for a development project. Oh, and I guess revenge for his sister, who Stella's father had set up to be filmed for blackmail purposes years before. Stella's initial reaction is deliciously angsty, and Noah almost immediately regrets it, particularly when he learns Stella's father really doesn't give a shit about her.
It should've been right up my alley, but it felt bloated and repetitive in the middle, and somewhat soulless by the end. I never believed she would take him back and honestly felt repelled the first time they kissed. I think I would've liked a time jump before the leads get back together, so Stella had time to heal and Noah had time to marinate in his regrets. I wanted her to quit the instant he turned up at her workplace.
Eh. I wanted to like it more than I did. But I added a star for that deliciously excruciating gut punch at the beginning....more
A paean to therapy in the guise of a small-town romance between two people who I believe were the OW/OM in a previous book. Both are emotionally closeA paean to therapy in the guise of a small-town romance between two people who I believe were the OW/OM in a previous book. Both are emotionally closed off and use sex in unhealthy ways.
She's learned since a far too young age that men value her looks and her willingness to have sex with them, but otherwise treat her like shit. (My heart seriously broke for her in the prologue (view spoiler)[in which an 18-year-old douchebag has clearly groomed the 14-year-old heroine. How dare he be a piece of shit grooming asshole AND make her steal condoms from her mom so she can 'prove her love' to him? He can't even lay down a couple bucks for a box of condoms while he commits his fucking sex crimes? I SO wanted him to get a proper comeuppance.) (hide spoiler)]
The hero is a widower whose wife died four years prior to to the start of the novel. He's been coping with the grief and loneliness by engaging in a series of brief sexual 'arrangements' that leave him feeling even more empty and guilty when they end. (His guilt is also (view spoiler)[being fed and nurtured by his manipulative sister-in-law, who doesn't want anyone in her family to move on from the grief of losing the hero's wife.) (hide spoiler)]
They have a rom-com meet cute in a coffee shop and feel an intense instant attraction. The hero's been pondering moving on and trying to find a real connection, while the heroine has decided not to engage in sex without a commitment to an exclusive relationship. It seems like they're both on the same wavelength until he (devastatingly) asks her for a no-strings FWB thing instead.
Cue a loooooong period apart in which both get some good therapy, and confront some things that have been holding them back emotionally. Yay therapy!
A bit overlong and very slow burn, but otherwise a sweet and cozy love story between two broken-but-working-on-it people. ...more
Cute rockstar romance with some angst and a very nice grovel. Adam (the rockstar) and Adelaide are neighbors who become friends and then possibly moreCute rockstar romance with some angst and a very nice grovel. Adam (the rockstar) and Adelaide are neighbors who become friends and then possibly more... until he puts his foot in it. Likeable characters, fun banter, a bit of kink, and her dad's name is SAUL GOODMAN omg how did that make it past the editors? Unless the author has a crush on Bob Odenkirk... ...more
Ooof, there's a very good gut punch and long subsequent grovel starting around the 50% mark, but I was a bit frustrated by the entire setup. Lucy shouOoof, there's a very good gut punch and long subsequent grovel starting around the 50% mark, but I was a bit frustrated by the entire setup. Lucy should never have been working in Felix's office, full stop. And both of these people need deep intensive therapy.
However, there's a lot of humor, I looooved the reveal when Felix found out why Lucy would never have to steal anything, and Felix's whole journey in the last half of the book from a cold ruthless CEO to a kind leader who cares about the wellbeing of everyone in his employ. ...more
I mean, it's mafia. It's an arranged marriage. It's a wounded bird heroine and an emotionally constipated hero with a bad case of "what is this feelinI mean, it's mafia. It's an arranged marriage. It's a wounded bird heroine and an emotionally constipated hero with a bad case of "what is this feeling in my chestal area when I look at her face?". Of course I am here for this.
Mafia Don Matteo must marry into the bratva to get allies in a brewing multi-mob war. He doesn't read up on his bride or even meet her until their wedding day. Sofiya has hypermobile Ehlers-Danlos syndrome and often needs to use mobility devices (such as a wheelchair) to get around. Her father finds this shameful and she's spent most of her life tucked away out of sight. Now she's being married off in a move her father intends as both a veiled insult to the mafia and an easy way to get rid of her.
Matteo's all "I'll never open my heart to anyone EVER I am a cold unfeeling mafia machine my wife will be only my roommate and even that is too much-- oh wait, she's like super pretty? And her wounded birdness activates my manly protectiveness! But it's not like I like her. I just want her to have a better wheelchair, a service dog, all the pretty jewelry, and everything she ever wanted... sigh..."
A very sweet romance with tons of charming banter surrounded by loads of hyperviolent mafia shit....more
A golden retriever porn star woos the grumpy artist hired to cast a dildo mold of his dick. This is Romancelandia fairy tale porn world, mind you. No A golden retriever porn star woos the grumpy artist hired to cast a dildo mold of his dick. This is Romancelandia fairy tale porn world, mind you. No one is exploited or trafficked, everyone gets full health insurance benefits, everyone gets along with no catty infighting, story-based emotional bisexual porn is the most popular porn in the biz, the hero can afford a penthouse in Pacific Heights after just two years of work, and the dildo company can afford to pay an art student six figures for a year's worth of dick casting.
But never mind all that because Tucker is the best. (He even made me overcome my association of the name Tucker with a whiney little weenie in a bow tie.) He's a gorgeous big-dicked bisexual ball of love and joy, and Vienna would be a fool not to snatch him up. (She's no fool, though it takes a while to get there.) Do note that he's a porn actor and doesn't stop working--in case that's a deal breaker. But luckily for Vienna, she discovers she's got a fairly intense voyeurism kink. It's almost like they were fated to be together.
The story is a bit overlong, and I'm not entirely happy with the Madeline-the-roommate character whose primary function is to be cunty towards Vienna, for no discernable reason. Why didn't Vienna move out? Hasn't she made any friends at art school she could bunk up with?
I did love Tucker's family and the 'twist' that the sex worker's family is loving and supportive while the artist's family are shitheels.
3.5ish. Sweet second chance early Victorian historical. Kenton and Violet marry far too young and far too quickly. She loves him; he suddenly needs he3.5ish. Sweet second chance early Victorian historical. Kenton and Violet marry far too young and far too quickly. She loves him; he suddenly needs her money when his rakehell father dies. Her father insists she be wooed and not told of the mercenary nature of their wedding. Of course she finds out, and it's off to Portugal for seven years for her. When Kenton learns of her probable death guilt and regret move him to go himself to fetch her body back. Only she isn't entirely dead after all, and he's not going to waste this miraculous second chance.
Brief, but packs a lot of plot. I wish we'd had a little longer in their courting period, just so the gut punch would hit so much harder. Gimme that pain! Once they're in the same place for longer than a day, it's mostly a sweet romance as they get to know each other....more
3.5ish. The cover subtitle, "A Modern Vintage Romance" is apropos: this has the brief, concentrated intensity of an old-school Harlequin/Mills & Boon 3.5ish. The cover subtitle, "A Modern Vintage Romance" is apropos: this has the brief, concentrated intensity of an old-school Harlequin/Mills & Boon category romance with maybe 70% less sexism. Not no sexism, just less.
Amias is a douchebag CEO hero whose type is "convenient". Naya is a shy, mousy, virginal heroine who's loved the hero from afar since she was a teen (and is a doormat for her huge d-bag of a brother and his social-climbing wife). Modern twist: she's not the hero's put-upon secretary, but a put-upon brilliant programmer.
There's some OW drama as Amias's long-term off-and-on gf Ann is witchy with a capital B in that old-school way (remember, less sexism, not no sexism). I didn't love how quickly Amias went from her to Naya, but it's an homage to category romances and those always moved quickly to fit everything in.
I did like that Naya had a spine, she just didn't show it in a flashy way. No matter how much I would've liked to see her deliver a set down to her brother, she wouldn't because a) he's her brother even if he's a douche and b) she loves her nephew. (And don't worry, she has pals who are great at delivering set downs.) I would've liked Amias to spend a bit more time on his self-reflection and personal growth. He was such a meanie for no good reason and for it to be (view spoiler)[ because he secretly liked her all along and didn't realize it (hide spoiler)] felt like a bit of a cop-out.
Novella that probably should have been a full-length novel. Rapunzel-like mafia princess gets arranged married to an already obsessed with her bratva Novella that probably should have been a full-length novel. Rapunzel-like mafia princess gets arranged married to an already obsessed with her bratva guy, planning to kill him for his past crimes. But things aren't what they seem.
Too rushed, could've been teased out into something more suspenseful.
Also, I hate the use of the word "unalive" in the blurb. If you can't say "kill" due to app censorship, find another way to word it. "My only way out is to eliminate/destroy/dispatch/do away with/execute/terminate/knock off/rub out/take bloody revenge upon my husband." ...more
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