A real page turner. Be warned though that this may not be for everyone especially if abuse (both child and adult) is a t**spoiler alert** 4.75 Stars!
A real page turner. Be warned though that this may not be for everyone especially if abuse (both child and adult) is a trigger for you. If not, grab your copy then. ...more
Started great. But was a bit disappointed with how it ends. It was a bit abrupt in my opinion and everything seems to be tied up perfectly 3.75 stars!
Started great. But was a bit disappointed with how it ends. It was a bit abrupt in my opinion and everything seems to be tied up perfectly just so there were no loose ends. ...more
The ANGST. The banter. The push and pull. The mystery. Everything!!!
Before anything else, three 5 "Unconventional and unpredictable" stars!!!
The ANGST. The banter. The push and pull. The mystery. Everything!!!
Before anything else, three words.. GO IN BLIND.
Ms. Ann never fails to amaze me with her unconventional characters and unconventional stories. Not quite the same as what's usually available nowadays. And I LOVE it!
This book jumps from past and present. Though it wasn't that much of an issue to me, I would've preferred it better had the chapters indicate who's pov is it.
Everything falls into place and just when I thought my hunch is correct.. I am left dumbfounded.
This book is only a part of a bigger mystery that will be unveiled in the next book.
In the meantime, this is me as I eagerly wait for the next installment.
This duet is part of "The Life series" but is totally unrelated. You can read it separately.
ARC provided in exchange for an honest review. ...more
Contrary to most people, I don't feel any connection between Killian and Una. The rejection is meh.... removing their bond would've been greatDNF @55%
Contrary to most people, I don't feel any connection between Killian and Una. The rejection is meh.... removing their bond would've been great since she wouldn't feel any pull towards him but alas... our heroine has body betrayal syndrome. ...more
It's brutal (not for the faint heart) It contains non-con (triggers to some) It's in parallel universe (scary, especially during the hunt) It's 5 Stars!!
It's brutal (not for the faint heart) It contains non-con (triggers to some) It's in parallel universe (scary, especially during the hunt) It's about Dax Lahn (sigh) and Circe (picture Khal Drogo and Daenerys) It's hot.
I LOVE this book. Took me years before I finally dive in... and I didn't regret it.
Lahn maybe be brutal but when he love, he loves fiercely. I don't agree to all his wrongdoings so I have to remind myself that this is only fiction, and that he is a warrior, a king. Then, I'll understand his actions.
Some betrayal and grovel. Quite satisfying, at least for me...
"That's the thing about books. They let you travel without moving your feet." Jhumpa Lahiri
I don't know how Ms. Ann manages to create yet another book boyfriend because guess what?? SHE. DID. IT. AGAIN. I love Emmett!! other tha5 Stars!!!
I don't know how Ms. Ann manages to create yet another book boyfriend because guess what?? SHE. DID. IT. AGAIN. I love Emmett!! other than Luke and Slade, of course. ...more
After reading Inhale, Exhale, I must say that I also love Toby's character from that book, his funny and caring personality.. and did I ment2 Stars!
After reading Inhale, Exhale, I must say that I also love Toby's character from that book, his funny and caring personality.. and did I mentioned hot? Yes, he is. That's how I see him.. Now, what happened???
I have high hopes in reading his story, but where as Inhale, Exhale is an emotional read, I cannot say the same for this one. Why? It lacks romantic aspect. Instead of reading how he and Joey fell in love, it just happened. Unlike the first book where you understand how he fell (view spoiler)[and how he spends time with Lo. (hide spoiler)] I expected the same here, but sadly, it's all about f*cking. Their exhibition tendencies, her desire to be manhandled and their insatiable appetite for sex. A lot of chapters, and I mean A LOT were dedicated to sex. No offense, I'm not against it, I just prefer story depth over it.
Sorry, but try as I may, I really cannot see or believe how much Toby loves Joey.. I just can't. For me, it's all about lust. I cannot see how Toby became who he is, how he hurts Joey. Toby, sweet Toby? No! I mean, even Ace can't believe what he did.
Also, the similarity of Book 1 and 2 is so apparent. (view spoiler)[ the heroine's suicidal tendencies, her miscarriage, her inability to leave the hero and cheating!! * smacks head* (hide spoiler)] like there's no other option.
The lack of ending/ knowledge on some side characters made me questions why they were even brought there in the first place. (view spoiler)[
- Gray (even when Joey witnessed how Ace harass her, she never tried to talk to her bestfriend about it.) - Francis ( how he became closed to Joey is beyond me.. I don't know how it happened and what happened to him later) - Joey's dad - Joey's step mom - Joey's real mom (what's the use of her character???) (hide spoiler)]
Also, the constant jumping of time frame once again, is really not helpful. I really hope the next book will not be written in this manner.
***Although this book could be read as a standalone, I highly recommend that you read Inhale, Exhale first as that is where the history / background of Toby's character begins.***
"Everett Tucker doesn’t have to break my heart, because I broke it myself by loving him."
What draws me into reading this is the blurb! Be4 stars!
"Everett Tucker doesn’t have to break my heart, because I broke it myself by loving him."
What draws me into reading this is the blurb! Because it says it's angsty 😁. Yes, it does include cheating, which is not an issue to me as long as it's fictional because I am not at par with it in real life.
This book was sort of a coming of age, especially the first part as it talks about the past. I was rooting for them on the first few chapters. Sadly, Everett didn't live up to being my book boyfriend! 😔 I love him when they were younger but I ended up disappointed in him later. Even if he is a man of his word.
"Tuckers don’t break promises."
Because to me, it doesn't feel like it, rather he seemed like a guy who doesn't have the balls. You know who I love most in this book? Oliver! I love how he accepts River and how he is protective of her. 😍
I'm gonna rate this based on the writing and the story.
The writing was engaging, otherwise, I would've dropped it early on. But since I was able to finish it till the end, it was good. - 4.5 Stars
The story got me the feels, especially when they were younger, but eventually, my connection to them fell out. I don't know when. Also, there were some unnecessary drama ....(view spoiler)[ what happened 2 days after River returned and the suspect behind was a bit OTT. Everett wrote a letter to River! Unfortunately, I have no idea what's inside because it wasn't included in this book. Too bad.... I was actually looking forward to reading it. I was also puzzled after knowing that Robert already knew about Everett's feeling for River.. I was wondering why he didn't confront Everett when he was already sober? After all, it was his daughter we're talking here? 🤔 (hide spoiler)] - 3.5 Stars
The final epilogue was expected. What I SHOCKED ME was the SNEAK PEEK of the next book which is something I AM LOOKING FORWARD TO READING! It's the story of Oliver (obvious) and someone I didn't expect. 😁
Overall, if cheating wasn't a trigger factor to you, you might want to give this book a try.
ARC won through contest provided by Ms. B. Celeste in exchange for an honest review ...more
I really enjoyed my first read from this author which is The Unwanted Wife. So I was hoping for an angsty read.
It was angsty alright but so2.75 stars
I really enjoyed my first read from this author which is The Unwanted Wife. So I was hoping for an angsty read.
It was angsty alright but somehow it didn't deliver the "omph factor" in it. Why? Because it was going around in circles.
What Harris did to Tina 10 years ago, the push and pull which originally doesn't bother me, yet somehow it did. And most especially, the how can you love me? I don't deserve your forgiveness blah blah.
It's tiring. I doze off on more than one occasion even if I was reaching the end because it wasn't holding my interest anymore. A miracle I was able to finish it but I'll admit, I did some skimming 🙁 just so I wouldn't add this to my dnf.
Another it's not you it's me.
ARC copy provided by Publisher in exchange for an honest review....more
A clean historical romance that is not focused on the the usual burning passion for both main characters.
It dwells on the love between two 4.25 Stars
A clean historical romance that is not focused on the the usual burning passion for both main characters.
It dwells on the love between two people separated by misunderstanding but their feelings remained strong despite everything. Even if they both tried to deny it. Their love were mostly shown through actions, not by words. I love Edmund's sweet gesture without taking any credit from it. I love that this story doesn't involve any lust. At all. It felt pure.. if you know what I mean.
It also gives us a bigger picture on how the people look down on someone that is not of their standard. How one scandal can easily destroy your family's reputation.
Warning though, possible trigger (view spoiler)[ death and maybe cheating? though to me it doesn't really count as one. (hide spoiler)]
Even if I love Edmund's character, I was disappointed to know that (view spoiler)[ he really planned to ask for Ms. Coombs' hand even if he dreaded it and his heart belong to someone else just because it was the honorable thing to do. I hate that he had no plan to fight for his love for Eleanor, despite his strong feelings for her and if it wasn't for the easy way out of the situation - that his and Ms. Coombs' way of thinking weren't the same, our hero would probably be married to another. (hide spoiler)]
I snipped 3/4 of a star because of the many Miss and Mr. in the story. To be honest, I'm having a hard time grasping who is who. 😂My fault.
This is a forbidden stepbrother romance you wouldn't want to miss. The young love, the judgement, betra4.5 Stars!!!
Angst-lovers, this one's for you!
This is a forbidden stepbrother romance you wouldn't want to miss. The young love, the judgement, betrayal and forgiveness all rolled into one angst filled read.
Written in dual perspective and is categorized in the past and present.
I really love the past. I love their innocence, their budding relationship and how the author pictured their growing up together. Their love tasted so pure until one happening led to their fall out.
The present was great as well, filled with anger and revenge to the point that I really wanted to get inside the book and slap Jack personally.
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Really, for me, he is not someone I would root for Willa because I just hate how he treats her. I like Willa's unfailing love for Jackson, her willingness to do just about anything in the name of love. But as for Jackson, Grrrrrrr I guess, that pretty much says how I feel about him.
Unexpected twists were revealed that led me to think why they would do that? But I guess people reacted differently in a given situation.
Overall, a great "pull your hair frustrating" read.
ARC provided in exchange for an honest review ...more
I chose this book thinking it would be a "throw you kindle on the wall" kind of thing, but as it turns out, it dwells more on the emotional si4 Stars!
I chose this book thinking it would be a "throw you kindle on the wall" kind of thing, but as it turns out, it dwells more on the emotional side - how people deals differently in a given situation.
I love the first part of this book, the writing was really good, characters are well developed. Everything was perfect.
Had this book have the similar flow as that of the first part, I would've been more invested emotionally. However, the constant jumping from past to present with various time line is making me dizzy.
It's no question that this book contains triggers to some readers (view spoiler)[ cheating and death (hide spoiler)] However, I was actually looking forward to emotional anger that I would get while reading the (view spoiler)[ infidelity part. I thought this book was about cheating... it is actually, but it tackles more on the after effect of the H's infidelity. (hide spoiler)] I love that it creates a big and realistic picture on how it destroys not only the wife but also it's effect on their children.
I LOVE that it involves Ace's POV.. it was perfect! A first for me actually, to read about a son's POV about the situation.
Ms. Matthews was able to capture the hurt and anger of a child who went through a lot during the time his family is falling apart
As I mentioned earlier, this book is emotional and is quite heavy for some readers who easily cry. And since I'm not a crier, I didn't. ...more
The first part started out slow, but I'm okay with it. The push and pull scenario? I'm okay with it. The many names of their friends? I could2.5 stars
The first part started out slow, but I'm okay with it. The push and pull scenario? I'm okay with it. The many names of their friends? I could live with it.
However, can someone please tell me who wrote the last 10ish of this book? Because it doesn't co-relate that much. Seems like for most part, it was slow then I was thrown with unnecessary scenes, drama and to top it all, Reagan's action. Then everything just fell smoothly in the end. Like nothing's happen... and hey, we're okay. It felt like it was forced to have a happy ending just so everyone is happy.
There were some good parts, like the stolen kiss and the scene in the pool area.
For most of first part - 4 Stars max but for the last part... a sure 1 star. So overall, 2.5 Stars.
To be honest, I hate it when this happen. Everybody seems to love this book, why can't I? Answer - it wasn't for me or I'm just being choosy.
Still, I wouldn't give up on this author. I'd still give her other books a try.
ARC provided by Publisher in exchange for an honest review. ...more
“A person can endure almost anything if it’s to protect someone they love. Far more than they could ever endure for their own sake.�
I didn't expect this book to be this good but it is.
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To be honest, my initial reaction after getting approved is
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Not because I wasn't expecting this to be a great read, but because it ends in a cliffy and I don't normally read books when I have to wait that long for the next installment since my memory is pretty bad.
However, I would like to say thank you to Ms. Geissinger that her main characters in this story weren't plenty so I only have to write a short detail on my personal note to serve as my reference while waiting for the next book.
I'm so glad that I enjoyed this despite ending in a cliffhanger, because the story line was great, characters were strong and the (view spoiler)[ betrayal part wasn't played out too long (hide spoiler)]. To sum it up, this book was a real page turner because everything was laid out perfectly.
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I ended up having a huge smile on my face for my first great read this year . This was actually my first book from this author and it certainly won't be my last.
If you don't mind having to wait for the next two books of this series, I highly recommend this.
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This book is the first installment of a three part book and should be read in order.
ARC provided by Publisher in exchange for an honest review ...more
“No love is fully requited . No love is equal. No love is fair. There is always one side that loves more. And you better not be tha
5 Stars!!!
“No love is fully requited . No love is equal. No love is fair. There is always one side that loves more. And you better not be that side� because it suffers.�
This is by far the BEST book from LJ Shen in my opinion because she is able to stir a lot of emotions from me. My heart also goes out for these damaged characters.
It has a complete list of my favorite trope.. all packed in one read.
- Enemies to lovers - Arranged marriage - Miscommunication - somehow forbidden - Damaged hero - Enough groveling - BEST of all, it's angsty!!!
So you can only imagine my reaction before diving in.
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What. A. Rollercoaster. Ride!!! I enjoyed devoured every single pages of this book. �
Wolfe is someone you'll love and hate. He is snobbish and ruthless yet sometimes he is sweet and caring. No wonder Francesca's feelings towards him is puzzled.
"..I felt safe, but not secure. Desired, but unwanted. Admired, but unloved."
There were a scene where some might find degrading. But not to me. In fact, I find her courageous enough in doing so especially after she explained her action pretty well. Francesca for me is not a spineless doormat but feisty and a fighter.
“I prayed for one thing that morning—that this wasn’t a sweet lie, but a forbidden truth."
Needless to say, our hero redeemed himself in the end.
It started out great until lust came in and now it's full of hate fuck.... Then eventually, it's "I love you".. and I was like huh?!! What 3 Stars!!!
It started out great until lust came in and now it's full of hate fuck.... Then eventually, it's "I love you".. and I was like huh?!! What the... when? How??
Apparently, it's not developed over time. Then Bram's mouth was just too much.. and for a second, I hate Bethany as well.
If you're looking for angst, the best will probably be just chapter 21. Nothing else.
Overall, an okay read because the heroine is feisty with a backbone. ...more
No because I want more picture of why Jenzy decided to file for a divorce.
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(view spoiler)[ especially the part where Chris didn't invite Jenzy on the party (hide spoiler)] so I could punch Chris in the face.
To be honest, I only notice that what the heroine keeps on babbling about was that Chris didn't seem to notice her anymore and that she and her husband haven't had any sex in two years.
Now this part is what I find unrealistic. I mean both has a voracious appetite for sex and you're telling me Chris haven't touch her in two years?
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He's not having an affair... So what happen to his appetite? Judging that he had his reasons why he started to treat her badly - which by the way was just lame. - Ever heard of open communication?
I might understand if they still do it but that Chris wasn't giving her release and was beginning to be selfish and just satisfies himself. That's more possible. But be celibate for two years while still loves your wife? Eh, no.
Moses was an extra in the story - I actually didn't like that Jenzy was stringing him along while still having feelings for Chris.
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I don't know what to say about Moses. He's sweet, caring but knowing that your friend is the husband of the heroine you're trying to pursue just didn't sit well for me. Especially since you knew that the husband is trying to win back his wife.
It would've been better had she just stood her ground for the divorce while try to find herself and live her life independently. While the hero tries to woo her and grovel in the end.
I cannot say that the hero grovels enough. Because at first, it really does looked like Chris just wanted to get something that wasn't his anymore. But the (view spoiler)[ letter in the end (hide spoiler)] won me over.
Quite an angsty read although I wasn't emotionally invested.
The story was written in past and present and in dual POV. It was great and the 3 Stars
Quite an angsty read although I wasn't emotionally invested.
The story was written in past and present and in dual POV. It was great and the time jump wasn't that bothering to me.
The past talks about how Dean treats Dallas while they were still young and Dean try to suppress his feelings for her by avoiding her and do flings. Because apparently, our hero thinks she was still young. (Duh!) Mind you, he was very much in love with our heroine.
The present is about their lives now.
I cannot believe the reason behind their separation even after the revelation as to why he did what he did. And why it took him freaking seven years to come back.
His reasons?
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It was just a lousy excuse in my opinion. So instead of swooning over this statement....
“You have the other half of my heart and I can’t live without it.�
What I really felt was this.
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I can feel how the heroine grieved for the lost of her love (even if it was only told by Cammie) but I cannot say the same for Dean. In fact, I think he was quite over it because come on... (view spoiler)[he got engaged. (hide spoiler)]
By the way, the sexual tension was off the charts.
Just my thoughts... (view spoiler)[ I hate Dean for not being true to his words when he proposed to Dallas, I think it should've been him who waited for her instead of the other way around since it was Dean who was really serious about the proposal.
And if it wasn't for his friend telling him that Dallas was still single, I don't think our dear hero will go back to be with the love of his life - yeah right. Keep telling that to her. She's the only one believes you. (hide spoiler)]
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