Cringe. So cringe. And so bad. If I have to read “She’s a teenager� or “my teenage wife� to describe the FMC one more time, I’m absolutely going to loCringe. So cringe. And so bad. If I have to read “She’s a teenager� or “my teenage wife� to describe the FMC one more time, I’m absolutely going to lose it. And the relationship in here is so stupid. The writing is mostly questionable at best, and laughable at worst. Did I even believe these characters had a connection besides sex in the end??? No, not really. These characters are also having sex every 15 pages. And I kept wondering, “Where tf is this man’s daughter that he supposedly has?� How are they having sex so much with a kid around? Also, the amnesia plot used in this one is so lazily done, and fixed in 15% by the end. This is truly some of the silliest and corniest, Wattpad esc shit ever. And yet? I kind of ate this up. It’s definitely better than book 1—which I DNF’ed twice. That book was terribly written. At least this one has somewhat better writing (but the bar is in the trenches of hell. The writing in here still sucks lol).
This one also had a somewhat compelling plot which got me invested enough to continue on. I liked the pining on Isa’s end of things. Thats about all I thought was decently executed. So I’m really confused why I liked this. I’m trying not to question it because I’d think it may have gotten me out of slump, but don’t go in to this book thinking it’s going to be good. It’s not. I guess it was a “don’t think� book to fly through. And maybe if I’m in a slumpy mood again I’ll go back to book 2 (for science, of course).
Anyways, this review is so bad…it’s 3 AM so cut me some slack....more
Is Kaya a bit of a doormat? Oh absolutely. And is the Director toxic asf? Without a doubt. But you better believe I ate this volume up. We’re back immIs Kaya a bit of a doormat? Oh absolutely. And is the Director toxic asf? Without a doubt. But you better believe I ate this volume up. We’re back immediately after the end of volume 1, and Kaya is figuring out what she wants for herself, and her priorities. I loved how gradually the Director is realizing how in love he is with Kaya. It’s definitely going to be a “she fell first, but he fell harder� situation. His scenes where he’s all protective of her and he can’t understand why are great! Anyway, I’m really enjoying this manga series so far! It’s tropey goodness, with some smutty scenes and a toxic as hell main couple....more
Wow, this was really good! I haven’t dappled a whole lot in manga/manhwa yet, although the ones I’ve read haven’t really impressed me. I saw someone tWow, this was really good! I haven’t dappled a whole lot in manga/manhwa yet, although the ones I’ve read haven’t really impressed me. I saw someone talking about this one being an older Josei manhwa that holds up, and I decided to give it a go! I’m so glad I did. This does feel vaguely male gazey with the FMC being so devoted to the MMC right off the bat, but I just went with it and had a pretty good time. I really loved the underlying politics with the MMC, and the lowkey family drama he had going on. Also the small amounts of banter between the main couple were really good and even had me grinning a few times. And not to mention how beautiful this art style is! I love how both of the main characters are drawn: especially the heroine. I’m so glad I’ve gotten to this one! It’s definitely motivated me to try more manga-type graphic novels. I’ll definitely be continuing on with this one!...more
Damn, what a letdown this was. I have genuinely been slogging through this book since November 16th, 2024. Exactly two whole months I’ve been reading Damn, what a letdown this was. I have genuinely been slogging through this book since November 16th, 2024. Exactly two whole months I’ve been reading this damn book. And I’m done. I just can’t do this anymore. I’ve loved everything I’ve read from this author, including all her serial killer romances. But this was? A mess? I think my main issue with this book was that Lark and Lachlan have no chemistry and barely any interactions despite this book being over 400 pages. Like, they don’t get together till about 70% into the book but? they fell so flat to me as a couple. The arranged marriage plot was so flimsy. I honestly still don’t even understand why they got married. It didn’t make sense.
Also, Sloane’s family’s mystery plot was one of the main plots of the book and it was absolutely terrible? Is this book supposed to be a thriller?? Because it’s one of the worst I’ve ever read. The side characters—besides book 1’s couple—all were super 1 dimensional and have no large significance to the plot. These main characters felt like an outline of characters. They have hobbies, careers, family issues. But it was all so half-baked that everything fell so incredibly flat.
And honestly, this book is literally just book 1, but a whole lot worse. I loved book 1. It was one of my favorites I read last year. The banter was great, the couple was romantic, sweet, and badass. This book has literal scenes copied and pasted with word changing from book 1, but none of the fun to go along with it. I just genuinely don’t even know what else to say about this book because everything I do have to say is bad.
I’m going to be so honest and say I slogged through 85% of this book, but I can’t do it anymore. I genuinely could care less. I don’t care about these characters, I don’t even know wtf is going one with the mystery, the romance is so boring, the writing is such a downgrade from Weaver’s other stuff. I suffered through almost all of this so I’m rating it and counting it as read....more
”When everyone else leaves, when they never come back, Khiran does. He flits in and out of her life like the seasons, but when he fades away from her ”When everyone else leaves, when they never come back, Khiran does. He flits in and out of her life like the seasons, but when he fades away from her life, it’s with the unwavering faith that she’ll see him again. Next spring, next fall. He’ll find her when she is falling to pieces or when ’s whole. There’s comfort in that. Comfort in knowing he’ll be there when no one else can be.�
”Alexa, play cowboy like me by Taylor Swift�
What a book. What a freaking book. If you liked The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue by VE Schwab, or even the concept of that book, Peaches & Honey is Addie LaRue’s more interesting, shorter, and slightly better written younger cousin (coming from someone who loved the book mentioned).
This story follow Anna, a girl born in the 11th century cast out of society due to her vitiligo. She lives in the woods, hiding in fear. One day, Anna finds a woman in need of saving in the woods and Anna brings her to her home home. The strange woman gives her a fruit, and when Anna and is found and captured for hiding the mysterious woman, ’s burned at the stake. Anna however doesn’t die, and discovers that the strange woman is actually a god who granted her the gift—or curse—of immortality. Over centuries, Anna learns from other people, living among them and trying to save as many mortals as she can. The one constant in her life is the shapeshifting god who saved her all the years ago, Kieran.
This book is effortless in its ability to blend sweeping writing with historical fiction and light fantasy. The writing is both poignant and has a haunting purple prose that makes a great story as amazing as it is. I’m honestly so surprised this author is self published, especially on kindle unlimited because their writing is just incredible. The writing is definitely the highest high about Peaches & Honey.
But the characters are also the other highlight of this story. Watching Anna’s journey and her development was beautiful. She travels to many different places, learns new languages, integrates herself with different cultures, meets new people, tries new things. She goes from a naive and young girl who tries to hide herself in the shadows, to a woman unafraid to stand up for what she believes in and be herself. Kieran is also such a great love interest, and helps Anna in her endeavors to make the world better. Her protects her, consoles her, and loves her through every century their together, and keeps it all to himself until he knows Anna is ready to love him too. I’ve seen other reviews say their relationship wasn’t something they cared for, but I adored them together. They way they lean on each other, and Anna slowly realizing what it’s like to live forever brought them together in so many ways. I just find them to be so beautifully written (and also very poignant).
The only thing I will complain about is I wish this was longer. We do a lot of time jumps, which make sense for the story, but I just wish we got more. I loved Anna so much and I wouldn’t have minded 100 to even 500 more pages of Anna going through the centuries and growing. I just adore her character.
Don’t be fooled by the marketing for this book though. It’s tagged on here as fantasy romance, and I’ve seen it discussed as such in fantasy romance/romantasy spaces, but it’s really not one. It’s a historical fiction book with fantasy/magical realism elements and a romance on the side. Don’t let that deter you from this book though. I pretty much immediately realized this wasn’t fantasy romance as it was marketed, but I adored it all the same.
This was such a fantastic book, I’m so excited to continue on with book 2....more
Every second of listening to this my mind was like, “This feels so familiar. It’s Ali Hazelwood, so of course it’s going to be familiar, but it’s almoEvery second of listening to this my mind was like, “This feels so familiar. It’s Ali Hazelwood, so of course it’s going to be familiar, but it’s almost uncanny�. And then as the book ended and I went to go look at Ali’s other stuff, it clicked. This is quite literally a shortened version of one of Hazelwood’s earlier books, Love on the Brain. This is unsurprising because it’s Ali Hazelwood, and she recycles the same plot and points in every single book.
But do you think I care? No, I don’t. I said I liked it, I didn’t say it was good. And let me tell you, I liked the fuck out of this cute little novella. It has all of Hazelwood’s usual plots; he acts indifferent to her but is secretly in love with her, she hates him but is mildly attracted to him, they are rivals or in similar fields of study (specifically STEM), and have to work together which then causes a forced proximity situation, and the token queer couple as side characters. But I’m a simple bitch. I really am. The world is too rough right now for me not to consume junk food sometimes.
I also am just obsessed with all of Ali’s hero’s being mildly creepy but writing it as if their creepiness is romantic. I need to manifest this type of energy for myself. I really need a man who has secretly been in love with me for years, and remembers what I wore on an exact date 4 years ago. Maybe it’s the daddy issues, maybe it’s just because I’m lonely. Idk. Just give me a lowkey stalker boyfriend who’s pathetically obsessed with me and whimpers. Is that too much to ask for ...more
I want to start off by saying that this is not a badly written book. In fact, the writing is gorgeous. However, the book itDNF & 70%, SKIMMED THE REST
I want to start off by saying that this is not a badly written book. In fact, the writing is gorgeous. However, the book itself was just not for me—and I probably should have DNF’ed earlier when I realized this was going in the “literary horror� direction. The plot is almost nonexistent, the characters are fine but not very deep, and the romance could have been great but just ended up being boring. I feel like if this author made this more of a romance story, I would have really liked this. Unfortunately, this book is very “all vibes, no plot� and I just didn’t enjoy it. And again, this book was really well written and the “all vibes, no plot� will work for some people because of the writing. But it just didn’t work for me unfortunately....more
So good! Alpha, domineering, and toxic hero with a sweet, shy, and proper heroine. Fantastic dynamics, and often times super cute (in a very toxic waySo good! Alpha, domineering, and toxic hero with a sweet, shy, and proper heroine. Fantastic dynamics, and often times super cute (in a very toxic way lol). It would have been a 5 star, but the middle was really slow. It also ended in a weird place. If you love slice of life and/or Alice Coldbreath, read this!!
There is some major dub con and a marital rape scene between the MC’s in the beginning though so if that bothers you, don’t read!
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OMG I was OBSESSED with the this during 2020 or 2021. I’m so happy this author is getting traditionally published, I can’t wait to read this version!...more
This reminded me a lot of stuff that Emma Scott and Mariana Zapata has put out. It’s slice of life, a little angsty, slow burn, and quiet. The MC’s boThis reminded me a lot of stuff that Emma Scott and Mariana Zapata has put out. It’s slice of life, a little angsty, slow burn, and quiet. The MC’s both had rough childhoods and early adulthoods, and are now both on their on and protecting themselves in their own ways. The heroine has been abused her entire life, both by her stepfather and her ex-husband. The hero also has went through abuse from his alcoholic father and brother.
The hero reminded me a lot of Mariana Zapata hero’s. He’s gruff and quiet and a little mean. He doesn’t know how to express himself without coming across as an asshole. But when he gets comfortable with the heroine, he is a completely sweet and kind guy.
So I enjoyed the characters. And I really thought about giving this one a 4. But the third act just lost me. I don’t know if it was because I’d listened to this one in a day and I was sick of it, or if it really was the third act. But the breakup, the cause of the breakup, and these characters being separated for long really made no logical sense for me. If these just gave each other a day or two to cool down, they could have had a normal conversation and gotten together like adults. And I think that’s what really made me give this a three.
I also don’t think these characters read like they were upper 30s-early 40s. They honestly read like 20 somethings. Which is fine, but they both didn’t really act their age. And that didn’t bother me, but I think it will bother a lot of other readers (especially ones who came looking for older MC’s).
This was a cute book, and I liked seeing the slow progression between the MC’s. Both of them working with animals was sweet. And the spice is also super hot and romantic. There’s not any dirty talk at all. It’s just sweet and you can tell these characters really love each other when you’re reading the smut.
But this just also wasn’t a new favorite. Still a sweet book, but I don’t think it’ll be very memorable....more
I take back most of what I said in my glowing review of book 1. I’m so sad about this book. It was a complete mess. The politics—which I loved in bookI take back most of what I said in my glowing review of book 1. I’m so sad about this book. It was a complete mess. The politics—which I loved in book 1–were all over the place, the pacing was slow and disjointed, the characters were boring compared to book 1, and the ultimate reunion of the MC’s was so lackluster that I just became angry that I slogged through so much nonsense go get to that part. Nothing about this was compelling, and it honestly felt like another author wrote it. I will not be continuing on with this series, unfortunately.
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wow…what a disappointment this was. anyways probably RTC I need to catch up so badly on reviews....more
I wasn’t expecting very much from this book after my slightly better-than-lukewarm feelings about book one, and I got exactly what I thought I was getI wasn’t expecting very much from this book after my slightly better-than-lukewarm feelings about book one, and I got exactly what I thought I was getting with Summoned to the Wilds. Book 1, Throne in the Dark, had an interesting set-up, but ultimately failed to wow me in any way. I enjoyed the characters, but found everything else about the story very lackluster. That’s exactly how I felt about this sequel. In fact, this book took me a good half a month to read because the story was just not captivating enough. I didn’t care much for where the plot was going, and I still find the world and magic system completely one-dimensional. My one big thing is that I do really like the characters as well as the two MC’s romance. I love how much Amma influences Damien to be better, and how utterly obsessed he is with her. So I will probably end up reading the last book just to finish off the series. The ending was interesting enough, and I’m kind of excited for this couple to finally get it on (because the slow burn was slowwww burning). But this is definitely not a fantasy romance series to write home about....more
This was ok. I didn’t really hate it or love it either way. It was very middle of the road. I didn’t really find these two characters loving each otheThis was ok. I didn’t really hate it or love it either way. It was very middle of the road. I didn’t really find these two characters loving each other by the end believable at all. It honestly felt like they spent no time together besides having sex. So for you to try and tell me they were in love had me raising an eyebrow. I found their interactions together very ehh overall. Honestly I feel nothing towards this book and I don’t know if that’s a good thing or a bad thing. It definitely will not be memorable in the future for me....more
“You broke me. And in the process I broke you. And now I fear the only way we will ever be whole again is together, all your jagged edges ne� 4 stars
“You broke me. And in the process I broke you. And now I fear the only way we will ever be whole again is together, all your jagged edges nestled against mine. I hate that I want that. But I do. I want to be whole with you.�
Tropes: � Post-Apocalyptic Romance � Fantasy/Paranormal Romance � Dark Romance � Mostly Singular POV; First Person � Enemies to Lovers � Captor/Captive � Forced Allies to Lovers � Life Debts � Strong Sexual Tension
I’m really surprised that I’ve managed to almost complete an entire book series in a decent time frame. After book 2, War, I was super ready to hop right into book 3, which very rarely ever happens. I decided to go with the instinct though and I really ended up enjoying this one. There’s not much I can really say since this is pretty deeply connected to the last 2 books, but I will say I quite enjoyed this installment.
Ana was such a fearless and fun heroine. I feel like all the girls are very similar at this point, as are the overall plots (I’m not really going to fault Thalassa because how much different can you really make each book in a series about the apocalypse?) but I thought Ana was badass regardless. She’s a sex worker when the book starts, and is very unashamed about it. I thought it was a breath of fresh air to read about a heroine who does do sex work and doesn’t look down upon it (even thought it was forced on Ana at first unfortunately).
Famine was a great addition from his brothers and stood out the most as different. He has a very dry sense of humor, takes no bullshit, and is the most ruthless brother yet. His and Ana’s banter was delightful, especially when Ana kept trying to rile him up. The power play dynamics were a great addition too, and felt different from the other scenarios form books 1 and 2. And as always these books always tend to have a good ‘ol captor/captive situation, which is unabashedly one of my favorite fantasy couple tropes. This book was no different, and while it does follow the same type of formula’s from books 1 and 2, I’m trash so it still was worth the read.
Overall I really enjoyed this and I’m so excited for the finale of this series! I believe we’ll finally get the team up of all the brothers and the girls I’ve desperately been waiting for, and I can’t wait to see all the couples back together. This was a great addition to an already super fun series and I’ll be picking up the final book soon!
I probably shouldn’t have even read this in the first place because Holly Renee’s other fantasy romance series is supposedly in the same styleSPOILERS
I probably shouldn’t have even read this in the first place because Holly Renee’s other fantasy romance series is supposedly in the same style as this one. However, I was hopeful, especially since I’ve seen so much praise about this book going around recently, but I’m once again in the minority. In theory, I like fantasy romance. In fact, in theory, it’s one of my favorite genres. However in actuality, I shit on so many fantasy romances, and this isn’t an exception.
Where is, I don’t know, anything??? This doesn’t even feel like a real book. It genuinely feels like the author wrote a few scenes and called it a day. There’s no world building. This book is trying to tell me the king is evil, and the rebellion is happening. What king? In fact, what fucking kingdom? What rebellion? I genuinely don’t know because this world is just there. What about the magic? Funny you asked, because I can’t tell you anything about it either. It exists. What is this magic, how does it work, who has it, how is it important? None of these questions were answered. I’m serious, none of them were answered!! These characters are also apparently fae, which was mentioned once and has also, zero significance to this story.
Who are these characters? Their personalities are nonexistent, their motivations are unclear, and the chemistry between the leads is fucking dryer than the Sahara. They interact maybe three times before fucking, they “hate each other� for really no reason, and make the dumbest decisions purely to plot the nonexistent plot forward. The side characters come in also maybe three or four times over the book, and we’re supposed to care about them? We’re supposed to believe our main characters are best friends with the side characters? Please be so frl Holly Renee?
You may want to know what is the plot if nothing else? I don’t know, because again, it doesn’t fucking exist. The FMC, a princess, escapes the palace from her (apparently?) abusive father and is captured by the rebellion. She trains to be a soldier with the rebellion for a week (literally not even kidding, this bitch is there for maybe 9 days at most), and then “betrays them�. The end. The plot actually doesn’t exist.
And my point is, this book shouldn’t even exist because it just doesn’t make sense. Nothing happens. The characters are one dimensional, dumb, and have maybe 5 interactions before “falling in love�. In fact, I’d go as far as saying this book is terrible. Or a burning dumpster fire. And honestly, this authors writing isn’t even that bad. I thought I may get a three star at the beginning of this book because this read like your average YA fantasy. And then it just made no sense.
Case in point, I will probably never read another book from this author (despite the fact her prose wasn’t awful), and this is genuinely one of the worst books I’ve read all year. If you’re a fantasy romance girlie who likes any of the following: semblance of a plot. fleshed out characters, world building, a decent magic system, and a swoony romance, trust me when I say, this book will not be for you.
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I may or may not have seen a really good smut scene and decided I needed to read it�...more
Tropes: � Historical/20th Century Romance � Billionaire Romance � Darkish Romance � Dual POV; First Person � Instalove � Age Gap � Second Chance/Mar� 5 stars
Tropes: � Historical/20th Century Romance � Billionaire Romance � Darkish Romance � Dual POV; First Person � Instalove � Age Gap � Second Chance/Marriage in Trouble � Surprise Pregnancy � Groveling & Angst
I’ve previously tried something by Cate C. Wells (Against a Wall) and hated practically every second of it. It was way too redneck for my taste, and I’ve kind of been scared off from this author for a bit. However, I’m trying to go through my kindle and (very slowly) reduce the number of unread books on there. I got Return to Monte Carlo as a freebie a few months back, and I decided to pick it up mainly because of the “unwanted wife� trope—one of my favorite things if any of you are new. And I’m so happy I decided to give this author another try because this was such an excellent story.
If you like classic romance books, especially the ones written in the 70s-80s and published by Harlequin, then you will absolutely love this. Return to Monte Carlo follows the formula pretty closely. The FMC Diane married Marco, a rich billionaire who lives in Monte Carlo. Their marriage started great, but since then, Diane has been let down a number of times by Marco and once again tossed aside. His family hates her and tries to sabotage her at every turn, and Diane has finally had enough. She leaves back to the states, and finds out ’s pregnant with Marco’s baby. Marco, terrified by the idea of losing his wife, searches high and low for her and vows to bring her back to Monte Carlo to fix their marriage.
This was exactly what I was expecting from this book and I wasn’t disappointed. There is a huge age gap (which I love), Diane is a bit of a doormat, Marco is as alpha as it gets, there’s some body betrayal, mildly unhealthy BDSM elements, and everything is as 80s as it gets. But I really loved every second of it. I love the “scorned wife/extreme groveling� stories, and this really hit the mark for me. The sex was hot, the chemistry was sizzling, and the drama as so juicy. I wasn’t bored a single second reading this at all, and I’m intrigued to try more from this author, especially her shifter stuff!
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UMM HELLO??? This was so so good!!! I was so in love with this story! RTC...more
What an unhinged time (nervous smile plastered on my face). Usually in dark romances, you have the hero being the OTT stalker/murder/something mor*3.5
What an unhinged time (nervous smile plastered on my face). Usually in dark romances, you have the hero being the OTT stalker/murder/something morally depraved. However in here, the heroine is the nuts one.
Dolly lives with her 2 sisters, and has been in love with her neighbor Hudson since he moved in next door with his wife and young son over half a decade before. Dolly immediately becomes obsessed with Hudson, and starts stalking him. After his wife leaves, she takes her stalking to new bounds and becomes Hudson’s son’s babysitter. Now an adult, Dolly will do anything to get Hudson to notice her, and to fend off all unwanted female attention.
Dolly is absolutely unhinged. Like, fucking crazy. She breaks into Hudson’s house, sucks on his tooth brush, will only drink his leftover coffee, watches him through her window with binoculars, and takes pictures of him without him knowing. And I loved her. I couldn’t even dislike her if I tried. She’s so sweet and ernest in her crazy that the stalking just becomes kind of…endearing?
This is honestly such a cozy book for how fucking dark it really is. Everything is written in such a fun and tight knit small town feel you often times see in small town romances. The hero is a single dad cowboy who adores his son and is quite awkward around the women in town, the towns people are sort of meddling in his affairs, and then there’s Dolly who’s an absolute sunshine sweetheart but is crazy and stalks and tracks the hero every second of the day.
This is also borderline erotica because Dolly is nuts as we’ve covered, and gets turned on by everything Hudson does. She rubs some out because she likes sucking on his toothbrush. Did I mention that Dolly is crazy? Because she is very crazy. But leave it to Daisy Jane to write hardcore smut with some out there kinks, and still have a super sweet and cozy romance? Even with the stalking? I feel like it takes a really skilled writer to do that.
Unfortunately for me, I think there was a little too much banging and not enough relationship development. It’s obviously very instalove, at least on Dolly’s side because ’s been in love with Hudson forever. We’re mostly in Dolly’s POV, so I just feel like there wasn’t a lot of build up from friends to fucking. Don’t get me wrong, if there’s one thing Daisy Jane can do, it’s write super hot spice. I just wish there was more romance. But it’s a Daisy Jane book so I think I hyped myself up a little too much for that department.
Still a really great book if you want cozy and crazy. I like if you’ve enjoyed SJ Tilly’s Alliance series, you might like this a lot. There’s absolutely no mafia in this book, but if you like that very dark vibe with a cozy little setting, you’d probably really enjoy this book.
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God forbid a woman have hobbies????
RTC.
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Apparently ’s the stalker in this book, so I’m very excited for that ...more
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