LainieLibrary's bookshelf: 2023 en-US Wed, 06 Mar 2024 10:56:21 -0800 60 LainieLibrary's bookshelf: 2023 144 41 /images/layout/goodreads_logo_144.jpg <![CDATA[Rain of Shadows and Endings (Legacy, #1)]]> 123349658
Rain of Shadows and Endings is book one in The Legacy Series and ends on a cliffhanger. This is new adult dark fantasy romance series and includes elements that may be triggering to some readers.]]> 670 Melissa K. Roehrich LainieLibrary 1 2023, fae, fantasy, romance
3/6/2024 Edit - I read the reviews for the next book and I will not be continuing. I did not realize going into this that the series would have a MFM main relationship - I have no idea if this was even posted in the trigger warnings before the first book, but nevertheless Theon is a part of that relationship to it's a no from me either way.

0.5 star each for 1. The writing and pacing was good and it was hard for me to put this down and 2. I will read the next book in the series. Otherwise, this would get a 0.

But this was absolutely awful, and frankly I'm mad. I need to ask - Why? Why would someone write a fantasy romance - again, a romance - and have the (hopefully not, but I think?) MMC be quite possibly the worst MMC I've ever read. He is WORSE than Tamlin. Let that sink in. And I'm not confident we will get a switch in the next book. I will stop reading the series if Theon is not killed in the next book. He is a truly unbearable, beyond abusive, incredibly stupid, HORRIBLE character. He is a (very very rarely) empathetic (too nice of a word, but yeah...) slave owner to Tessa (FMC). He treats her like an item he owns for 100% of the book and I cannot fathom why the author chose this, and if he doesn't die in the next book, a redemption arc isn't remotely possible. I've never been so disgusted by an MMC. As other reviews have mentioned, this entire book is Tessa being abused. She's a fae and Theon (a Legacy, which is a species descending from the gods) selects her to be his Source aka he can drain her to have more power. That's one of the uses of fae in their realm, otherwise they are in other types of serving work (sex work, maids, servants, etc.). So Tessa is bonded to him, and will become increasingly bonded to him via four different marks.

The world is actually unique, and I would have really enjoyed this if it wasn't for Theon. His behavior is completely inexplicable. Sure, his father is abusive and and even worse than he is, but he just sits there as his father does horrific things throughout the whole story - and proceeds to blame Tessa for it. I can go on and on about this - but the level of abuse and control that Theon inflicts on Tessa is beyond.

Honestly, I'm almost convincing myself to not continue this series but I'm holding onto the (very minimal) hope that Tessa kills Theon and ends up with Trystan. I'm sure that's extremely unlikely, especially because we get many many chapters of Theon's POV (which, just helps you better realize how weak and awful he is). Ugh, I'm so mad I read this.
]]> 4.01 2023 Rain of Shadows and Endings (Legacy, #1)
author: Melissa K. Roehrich
name: LainieLibrary
average rating: 4.01
book published: 2023
rating: 1
read at: 2023/12/21
date added: 2024/03/06
shelves: 2023, fae, fantasy, romance
review:
1 Star

3/6/2024 Edit - I read the reviews for the next book and I will not be continuing. I did not realize going into this that the series would have a MFM main relationship - I have no idea if this was even posted in the trigger warnings before the first book, but nevertheless Theon is a part of that relationship to it's a no from me either way.

0.5 star each for 1. The writing and pacing was good and it was hard for me to put this down and 2. I will read the next book in the series. Otherwise, this would get a 0.

But this was absolutely awful, and frankly I'm mad. I need to ask - Why? Why would someone write a fantasy romance - again, a romance - and have the (hopefully not, but I think?) MMC be quite possibly the worst MMC I've ever read. He is WORSE than Tamlin. Let that sink in. And I'm not confident we will get a switch in the next book. I will stop reading the series if Theon is not killed in the next book. He is a truly unbearable, beyond abusive, incredibly stupid, HORRIBLE character. He is a (very very rarely) empathetic (too nice of a word, but yeah...) slave owner to Tessa (FMC). He treats her like an item he owns for 100% of the book and I cannot fathom why the author chose this, and if he doesn't die in the next book, a redemption arc isn't remotely possible. I've never been so disgusted by an MMC. As other reviews have mentioned, this entire book is Tessa being abused. She's a fae and Theon (a Legacy, which is a species descending from the gods) selects her to be his Source aka he can drain her to have more power. That's one of the uses of fae in their realm, otherwise they are in other types of serving work (sex work, maids, servants, etc.). So Tessa is bonded to him, and will become increasingly bonded to him via four different marks.

The world is actually unique, and I would have really enjoyed this if it wasn't for Theon. His behavior is completely inexplicable. Sure, his father is abusive and and even worse than he is, but he just sits there as his father does horrific things throughout the whole story - and proceeds to blame Tessa for it. I can go on and on about this - but the level of abuse and control that Theon inflicts on Tessa is beyond.

Honestly, I'm almost convincing myself to not continue this series but I'm holding onto the (very minimal) hope that Tessa kills Theon and ends up with Trystan. I'm sure that's extremely unlikely, especially because we get many many chapters of Theon's POV (which, just helps you better realize how weak and awful he is). Ugh, I'm so mad I read this.

]]> <![CDATA[Return to Wildsyde (Wicked Sons #3)]]> 199895062 Their mothers dared all for love...
Their sisters did the same.
Something wicked this way comes...

The oldest trick in the book�
When Lyall Anderson, Viscount Buchanan, starts a passionate affair with Miss Lilith Fulbright, he realises too late that he’s been playing with fire. Caught in a compromising position by her parents, it’s all too obvious the beautiful, amoral young woman is only hungry for wealth and a title and has no regard for him whatsoever. Humiliated and furious, Lyall does his duty as an honourable man, knowing that his future with such a woman will be one of misery.

Adding insult to injury�
When Lilith discovers her husband is not one she can manipulate, she takes her chance to run off with another man and comes to a disastrous end, drowning in a shipwreck.

In the aftermath of his wife’s death, Lyall is stunned to discover he has been named as guardian to her cousin, Luella, and Jack, who is only twelve. Knowing full well this is just another scheme from a family who are infamous for being fraudsters and conmen, Lyall refuses to trust his new wards so much as an inch.

Tarred by the same brush�
Luella does not blame her new guardian for his suspicion and anger at being manipulated into providing for them. Her opinion of her late father is little different from the viscount’s, and all she wants is her inheritance, so she can begin a new life with her brother and give him a decent future, away from the shame of their family’s scandalous ways. Lyall is determined to stick to the letter of his guardianship, however, and refuses to let the two out of his sight for fear of the tricks they may play.

When attraction overrules good sense�
Little by little, and with a deal of nagging from both his mother and his housekeeper, Lyall is forced to admit that his new wards are not exactly what he expected, and a grudging admiration pushes aside resentment and suspicion.
Whisky has a lot to answer for, however, and a moment's indiscretion could change everything.

This is the third book in Wicked Sons and while it can be read as a stand alone, it is much more enjoyable when read as part of of not only Wicked Sons series but Daring Daughters and Girls Who Dare series.
The Devil To Pay - Book 1
Wrecking Belle - Book 2
Return to Wildsyde - Book 3]]> 307 Emma V. Leech 2487015101 LainieLibrary 4 2023, historical_romance
I very much agree with the reviews here - this was super enjoyable and makes me feel like some of Emma’s magic is back. The last few books in this series, and honestly a lot of the Daring Daughters books, have felt particularly lackluster. I found myself always looking forward hoping the next couple/book would be better - but I felt very immersed in this story and loved the development. Even with Emma moving towards less spice - this proves there can still be tension and angst in the story!

I read this in one sitting - I couldn’t put it down. The relationship development is perfect. I loved Luella and her genuine attempt to be a good person given her horrible family and how much she cared for her little brother. It was super sweet seeing Lyall interact with her brother as well. Lyall was the perfect amount of gruff, and jaded from his experience, while being a big softy underneath it all. I’m hoping the next book is just as good - it already seems super intriguing!]]> 4.40 2023 Return to Wildsyde (Wicked Sons #3)
author: Emma V. Leech
name: LainieLibrary
average rating: 4.40
book published: 2023
rating: 4
read at: 2023/12/25
date added: 2024/01/05
shelves: 2023, historical_romance
review:
4.5 Stars

I very much agree with the reviews here - this was super enjoyable and makes me feel like some of Emma’s magic is back. The last few books in this series, and honestly a lot of the Daring Daughters books, have felt particularly lackluster. I found myself always looking forward hoping the next couple/book would be better - but I felt very immersed in this story and loved the development. Even with Emma moving towards less spice - this proves there can still be tension and angst in the story!

I read this in one sitting - I couldn’t put it down. The relationship development is perfect. I loved Luella and her genuine attempt to be a good person given her horrible family and how much she cared for her little brother. It was super sweet seeing Lyall interact with her brother as well. Lyall was the perfect amount of gruff, and jaded from his experience, while being a big softy underneath it all. I’m hoping the next book is just as good - it already seems super intriguing!
]]> <![CDATA[Dark Escapes (McGowan Mafia #1)]]> 123394463 I’m supposed to marry the man who killed my mother, but I’ll do anything to escape my fate.

When I flee into the night I’m hoping to find a better tomorrow.

All hope is dashed when Alec is sent to drag me home.

He’s tall, tattooed and ruthless. I’m screwed.

But I fight. Escape after escape, I will make every second of his job miserable.

The more I fight, the more heat sizzles between us, both of us battling to avoid giving into baser desires.

He’s going to return me to my intended whether I like it or not, but will his growing feelings give him a reason to fight with me instead of against me?

Dark Escapes is a stand alone dark romance involving Scottish mafia and adult themes. Heat level is high. Expect one bed trope, other man drama, road trip and plenty of pining and angst with an occasional ‘good girl� for good measure. ]]> 308 Effie Campbell LainieLibrary 1 2023, mafia, romance, dnf
Just no. I'm surprised I made it to 45%. It was intriguing enough at the beginning - FMC (mafia princess) is sold off to marry some nasty old mafia head (he killed her mother???) and runs off. Alec, a lower level guard (?) works for her father and is sent off to bring her back. He finds her in Spain and is attempting to drag her home (she's making this extremely difficult). Of course, they have this attraction between them and can't help but hook up with each other in the midst of the cat and mouse chase/constant fighting.

It's not even well done. So lackluster - both MCs have the depth of a puddle. Their attraction is based on both being hot (which, sure, that's the basis of 99% of books in this genre but this felt especially thin and lacking). The chase is extremely repetitive and I find myself not caring. ]]> 3.75 Dark Escapes (McGowan Mafia #1)
author: Effie Campbell
name: LainieLibrary
average rating: 3.75
book published:
rating: 1
read at: 2023/12/17
date added: 2023/12/18
shelves: 2023, mafia, romance, dnf
review:
1 Stat - DNF @ ~45%

Just no. I'm surprised I made it to 45%. It was intriguing enough at the beginning - FMC (mafia princess) is sold off to marry some nasty old mafia head (he killed her mother???) and runs off. Alec, a lower level guard (?) works for her father and is sent off to bring her back. He finds her in Spain and is attempting to drag her home (she's making this extremely difficult). Of course, they have this attraction between them and can't help but hook up with each other in the midst of the cat and mouse chase/constant fighting.

It's not even well done. So lackluster - both MCs have the depth of a puddle. Their attraction is based on both being hot (which, sure, that's the basis of 99% of books in this genre but this felt especially thin and lacking). The chase is extremely repetitive and I find myself not caring.
]]> <![CDATA[A Cursed Love (Myths of Airren, #3)]]> 122753330
While the blight rages on, Aveen and Rían face troubles of their own. Between confronting ghosts from the past and fending off the Phantom Queen’s thirst for vengeance, peace and happiness seem too far out of reach.

It isn’t a matter of if the Princes of Tearmann will fall, but when .

Because the Queen is coming for them all�
And the cost of crossing her may finally be too high to pay.

A Cursed Love is the final book in the Myths of Airren series, following the events of A Cursed Kiss and A Cursed Heart , as told by Tadhg, Rían, Aveen, and Keelynn.]]> 498 Jenny Hickman LainieLibrary 1 dnf, 2023, fantasy, romance
Books 1 & 2 in this series were fantastic, but I cannot get into this one and am giving up. I'm having a hard time connecting this back to the previous books, maybe I should have done a re-read, but I'm so lost. Everyone is being AWFUL, and kept apart from one another, so I have no urgency to finish. It's simply not very enjoyable. We are told over and over again how the Phantom Queen is such a threat, so evil, etc. but it's never shown. At least up until I DNF'd she was barely "on screen". I feel like the entire story was Rian being worked up about the queen for no reason.

I wish the story focused on either Aveen/Rian or Tadhg/Keelynn. The characters are all so similar I honestly would get confused with the current POV, thinking it was someone else, and then would have to go back and re-read. Aveen/Keelynn and Rian/Tadhg are literally the same people. I understand the attempt to tie everything up as the final book of the series, but it didn't work.

The entire thing actually made me furious. Rian being so so annoying pushing Aveen away and refusing to be around her for ages. Also the fact it took him so long to decide if he wanted Aveen or Leesha??? WHAT?! Then we have Tadhg being an absolutely f*ck up by leaving Keelynn to literally raise the child he had WITH SOMEONE ELSE (which was basically him being SA'd). That whole situation was so unnecessary I cannot fathom why it was added to the story. Both MMCs were absolute garbage. The OM/OF drama was completely unnecessary and left a horrible taste in my mouth. Not to mention the entire book was so repetitive and it felt like the same "issue" was rehashed over and over again - only to be broken up with the occasionally smutty scene. Ugh. Truly, I did not enjoy a single plotline.

I'm disappointed, but I will continue to look out for this author considering how much I loved the other books in this series.]]> 3.69 A Cursed Love (Myths of Airren, #3)
author: Jenny Hickman
name: LainieLibrary
average rating: 3.69
book published:
rating: 1
read at: 2023/12/14
date added: 2023/12/14
shelves: dnf, 2023, fantasy, romance
review:
1 Star - DNF @ ~50%

Books 1 & 2 in this series were fantastic, but I cannot get into this one and am giving up. I'm having a hard time connecting this back to the previous books, maybe I should have done a re-read, but I'm so lost. Everyone is being AWFUL, and kept apart from one another, so I have no urgency to finish. It's simply not very enjoyable. We are told over and over again how the Phantom Queen is such a threat, so evil, etc. but it's never shown. At least up until I DNF'd she was barely "on screen". I feel like the entire story was Rian being worked up about the queen for no reason.

I wish the story focused on either Aveen/Rian or Tadhg/Keelynn. The characters are all so similar I honestly would get confused with the current POV, thinking it was someone else, and then would have to go back and re-read. Aveen/Keelynn and Rian/Tadhg are literally the same people. I understand the attempt to tie everything up as the final book of the series, but it didn't work.

The entire thing actually made me furious. Rian being so so annoying pushing Aveen away and refusing to be around her for ages. Also the fact it took him so long to decide if he wanted Aveen or Leesha??? WHAT?! Then we have Tadhg being an absolutely f*ck up by leaving Keelynn to literally raise the child he had WITH SOMEONE ELSE (which was basically him being SA'd). That whole situation was so unnecessary I cannot fathom why it was added to the story. Both MMCs were absolute garbage. The OM/OF drama was completely unnecessary and left a horrible taste in my mouth. Not to mention the entire book was so repetitive and it felt like the same "issue" was rehashed over and over again - only to be broken up with the occasionally smutty scene. Ugh. Truly, I did not enjoy a single plotline.

I'm disappointed, but I will continue to look out for this author considering how much I loved the other books in this series.
]]> <![CDATA[Craving Danger (Kings of Mafia #2)]]> 199800746
When the man Samantha’s paired with doesn’t stick to the rules, I step in to take his place. Wearing a mask protects my identity, and soon the little wildcat from the office is telling me all her darkest secrets and fantasies.

During the day, she gives me hell, but at night, she becomes my wounded kitten.

I know I’m playing a dangerous game.
She doesn’t know I’m one of the heads of the Cosa Nostra.
She doesn’t know her boss and her nightly visitor is the same person.

With my enemy on the attack and her past coming to haunt her, our secrets come out in the most explosive way possible, threatening to rip Samantha away from me.

But my wildcat has another thing coming if she thinks I’ll ever let go.

A Mafia Romance full-length novel. 18+ only. Please read responsibly.THIS NOVEL CONTAINS TRIGGERING CONTENT.]]> 427 Michelle Heard LainieLibrary 2 2023, mafia, office_romance
I'm now questioning if I loved the first book in this series as much as I remember. I thought the first book was great, so I'm a bit stunned by how horrible this was. I'm not even sure where to start, but from the plot being a bit ridiculous, the love story being completely rushed and unbelievable, and the characters being so lackluster I'm extremely disappointed. Out of series I've read, this has to be in the top 5 worst sequels following a book I actually enjoyed.

So I am giving this 2 stars because I enjoyed the beginning. Samantha is Franco's assistant. Franco is one of the heads of the Cosa Nostra, but also runs a business (hence, an assistant for the legal portion there). He's a horrible boss (very rude), but Samantha is pushing through and determined to be an amazing assistant. Then, she joins a sex club as a way to help move past some past trauma (she just wants to have conversations with men in a safe space). Ofc, Franco owns the club, realizes his assistant is attending, and finds himself paired with her for these conversations and her attempt to heal (she doesn't know it's him bc of a uniform disguise). That portion is interesting and I liked how Franco helped Sam and seeing their trust grow. And I enjoyed the angst around Sam not knowing she's spending so much time with Franco.

But then the story takes an absolute dive downhill. After 2 seconds of getting to know one another Franco is obsessed with Sam and is telling her that he's in love with her (!!!). And Sam is saying it right back even though she literally has not seen his face and doesn't know his name. I'm sorry, that's absurd and the dialogue surrounding all of this was especially cringy. I almost wanted to DNF because it was ridiculous. Then things never get better. Sam all of a sudden has a "mystery man" boyfriend that she's super in love with and has known for like 2 weeks. Eventually there's the reveal at the climax of the story, some mafia conflict that was honestly pretty meaningless and low stakes, and then the two are getting married 1 second later. I'm not going to pull exact quotes, but I cannot express enough how cringy the dialogue was and the spicy scenes were equally as bad. Sam had a bit of a personality at the beginning, but it quickly turned into gushing about being in love with Franco and she seemed almost sickly sweet and innocent. And the mafia bits felt over the top and boring.

I think I'll stay away from this author going forward - I'm pretty sure Tempted by the Devil was a fluke.]]> 4.03 Craving Danger (Kings of Mafia #2)
author: Michelle Heard
name: LainieLibrary
average rating: 4.03
book published:
rating: 2
read at: 2023/12/13
date added: 2023/12/14
shelves: 2023, mafia, office_romance
review:
2 Stars

I'm now questioning if I loved the first book in this series as much as I remember. I thought the first book was great, so I'm a bit stunned by how horrible this was. I'm not even sure where to start, but from the plot being a bit ridiculous, the love story being completely rushed and unbelievable, and the characters being so lackluster I'm extremely disappointed. Out of series I've read, this has to be in the top 5 worst sequels following a book I actually enjoyed.

So I am giving this 2 stars because I enjoyed the beginning. Samantha is Franco's assistant. Franco is one of the heads of the Cosa Nostra, but also runs a business (hence, an assistant for the legal portion there). He's a horrible boss (very rude), but Samantha is pushing through and determined to be an amazing assistant. Then, she joins a sex club as a way to help move past some past trauma (she just wants to have conversations with men in a safe space). Ofc, Franco owns the club, realizes his assistant is attending, and finds himself paired with her for these conversations and her attempt to heal (she doesn't know it's him bc of a uniform disguise). That portion is interesting and I liked how Franco helped Sam and seeing their trust grow. And I enjoyed the angst around Sam not knowing she's spending so much time with Franco.

But then the story takes an absolute dive downhill. After 2 seconds of getting to know one another Franco is obsessed with Sam and is telling her that he's in love with her (!!!). And Sam is saying it right back even though she literally has not seen his face and doesn't know his name. I'm sorry, that's absurd and the dialogue surrounding all of this was especially cringy. I almost wanted to DNF because it was ridiculous. Then things never get better. Sam all of a sudden has a "mystery man" boyfriend that she's super in love with and has known for like 2 weeks. Eventually there's the reveal at the climax of the story, some mafia conflict that was honestly pretty meaningless and low stakes, and then the two are getting married 1 second later. I'm not going to pull exact quotes, but I cannot express enough how cringy the dialogue was and the spicy scenes were equally as bad. Sam had a bit of a personality at the beginning, but it quickly turned into gushing about being in love with Franco and she seemed almost sickly sweet and innocent. And the mafia bits felt over the top and boring.

I think I'll stay away from this author going forward - I'm pretty sure Tempted by the Devil was a fluke.
]]> <![CDATA[Divine Rivals (Letters of Enchantment, #1)]]> 60784546 After centuries of sleep, the gods are warring again�

All eighteen-year-old Iris Winnow wants to do is hold her family together. With a brother on the frontline forced to fight on behalf of the Gods now missing from the frontline and a mother drowning her sorrows, Iris’s best bet is winning the columnist promotion at the Oath Gazette.

But when Iris’s letters to her brother fall into the wrong hands � that of the handsome but cold Roman Kitt, her rival at the paper � an unlikely magical connection forms.

Expelled into the middle of a mystical war, magical typewriters in tow, can their bond withstand the fight for the fate of mankind and, most importantly, love?

An epic enemies-to-lovers fantasy novel filled with hope and heartbreak, and the unparalleled power of love.]]> 357 Rebecca Ross 1250857430 LainieLibrary 5 2023, fantasy, romance, ya
It's whimsical, sweet, touching, and so magical. I love love love Iris and Kitt. The two are lovely together - their relationship and the magic connecting them is precious. Overall, this was such a good read. Almost a historical war romance, but we have gods and magic. It's a super interesting combination, a bit odd, but it works perfectly. I came into this knowing nothing actually, so I was pleasantly surprised by how the story unfolded and the little "surprising" twists that came up.

The scenes that more closely highlighted the war made me so anxious! I knew something "bad" had to happen by the end, but absolutely dreaded it. The ending was a bit awful, but I'm so excited for the next book. Also, I love duologies so that's another huge plus for this story!!!]]> 4.14 2023 Divine Rivals (Letters of Enchantment, #1)
author: Rebecca Ross
name: LainieLibrary
average rating: 4.14
book published: 2023
rating: 5
read at: 2023/12/08
date added: 2023/12/14
shelves: 2023, fantasy, romance, ya
review:
4.5 Stars

It's whimsical, sweet, touching, and so magical. I love love love Iris and Kitt. The two are lovely together - their relationship and the magic connecting them is precious. Overall, this was such a good read. Almost a historical war romance, but we have gods and magic. It's a super interesting combination, a bit odd, but it works perfectly. I came into this knowing nothing actually, so I was pleasantly surprised by how the story unfolded and the little "surprising" twists that came up.

The scenes that more closely highlighted the war made me so anxious! I knew something "bad" had to happen by the end, but absolutely dreaded it. The ending was a bit awful, but I'm so excited for the next book. Also, I love duologies so that's another huge plus for this story!!!
]]> <![CDATA[White Horse Black Nights (The Godkissed Bride, #1)]]> 195934852
Locked away for twelve years, Sabine Darrow’s only friends are animals she communicates with using magic. Now, sold as a bride to a villainous high lord, her greatest fear is trading one prison for another. But a potential escape lies in the form of her gruff yet achingly handsome guard, whose loyalty she is determined to break.

A huntsman with heightened senses, Basten “Wolf� Bowborn has more important things to do than transport his master’s new bride. With ancient creatures reawakening along the kingdom's border wall, he is torn between his duty and his desire to investigate—until a forbidden attraction becomes an unyielding obsession.

Welcome to Astagnon—a kingdom of cruel games and corrupted courts, where the only thing more dangerous than the secrets slumbering underground is falling for the one person you can’t have.

Drawing inspiration from Snow White and the Lady Godiva legend, WHITE HORSE BLACK NIGHTS is a dark enemies-to-lovers fantasy romance that will take you on a journey you’ll never forget. This captivating story of a girl with a special gift is perfect for fans of Sarah J. Maas and Jennifer Armentrout!]]> 416 Evie Marceau LainieLibrary 2 2023, fantasy, romance
I was a caught off guard when I realized a large part of this story was our FMC being forced to ride a horse naked for 21 days on her journey to her future husband. Obviously this author has never ridden a horse (yes, there would be a lot more damage after such a ride beyond "Ouch I have some thigh chaffing), but I digress. Also - I need to mention the FMC has hair down to her feet, which is cool I guess.

Anyways, our MMC is the hot (very dangerous and beastly man vibes) guard whose job is to physically fight anyone who dares to look at our naked FMC. His name is Wolf, naturally. But, I found him extremely off-putting. He's completely obsessed with Sabine after realizing she smells like flowers and has very nice skin. It's a bit creepy and I was not sold on the two of them together.

Now to actually touch on the world - the gods are fae who are currently sleeping. Random people in their world are born with some sort of power (aka they are godkissed). The godkissed are kind of coveted because yeah, powers. Sabine can talk to animals, which fits the sickly sweet girl vibe. Wolf, fitting with his ruggish persona, is basically beefed up animal man. He's super strong, fast, can see super far, and has a very intense sense of smell. He can even smell virgins! (ew). The plot appears to be this general issue of Sabine falling for Wolf, but also the fae/fae monsters may or may not be waking up in the north. There's another kingdom up there (separated by a wall/they are the bad guys) who were extra into the fae/worshipping them when they were still awake.

Sabine's fiancé, who actually grew up with and saved Wolf from his previous living condition, is maybe one of the bad guys (making her ride the horse was mean!)... but I found him 100x more interesting than Wolf the second he steps onto the page. I wish he was some sort of morally grey love interest vs. Wolf who just exists and is a bit of a simp.

This was moderately entertaining, but I cannot rate this more than 2 stars when I find the MCs insufferable. And the spicy scenes were almost gross...]]> 3.79 2023 White Horse Black Nights (The Godkissed Bride, #1)
author: Evie Marceau
name: LainieLibrary
average rating: 3.79
book published: 2023
rating: 2
read at: 2023/12/07
date added: 2023/12/14
shelves: 2023, fantasy, romance
review:
2.5 Stars

I was a caught off guard when I realized a large part of this story was our FMC being forced to ride a horse naked for 21 days on her journey to her future husband. Obviously this author has never ridden a horse (yes, there would be a lot more damage after such a ride beyond "Ouch I have some thigh chaffing), but I digress. Also - I need to mention the FMC has hair down to her feet, which is cool I guess.

Anyways, our MMC is the hot (very dangerous and beastly man vibes) guard whose job is to physically fight anyone who dares to look at our naked FMC. His name is Wolf, naturally. But, I found him extremely off-putting. He's completely obsessed with Sabine after realizing she smells like flowers and has very nice skin. It's a bit creepy and I was not sold on the two of them together.

Now to actually touch on the world - the gods are fae who are currently sleeping. Random people in their world are born with some sort of power (aka they are godkissed). The godkissed are kind of coveted because yeah, powers. Sabine can talk to animals, which fits the sickly sweet girl vibe. Wolf, fitting with his ruggish persona, is basically beefed up animal man. He's super strong, fast, can see super far, and has a very intense sense of smell. He can even smell virgins! (ew). The plot appears to be this general issue of Sabine falling for Wolf, but also the fae/fae monsters may or may not be waking up in the north. There's another kingdom up there (separated by a wall/they are the bad guys) who were extra into the fae/worshipping them when they were still awake.

Sabine's fiancé, who actually grew up with and saved Wolf from his previous living condition, is maybe one of the bad guys (making her ride the horse was mean!)... but I found him 100x more interesting than Wolf the second he steps onto the page. I wish he was some sort of morally grey love interest vs. Wolf who just exists and is a bit of a simp.

This was moderately entertaining, but I cannot rate this more than 2 stars when I find the MCs insufferable. And the spicy scenes were almost gross...
]]> <![CDATA[The Ever King (The Ever Seas, #1)]]> 75384035 They stole his crown, so he stole their daughter�

For years Erik, the scarred king of the Ever Kingdom, has thought of nothing but vengeance against the man who killed his father and trapped him beneath the waves, making him a prisoner in his own realm.

Until his enemy’s daughter unintentionally breaks the chains on the Ever, and Erik makes her the unwitting pawn in his vicious game of revenge.

She’s innocent. He’s vicious. But he will take back what he lost, no matter the price.

Unless she steals his heart first.

Welcome to the passionate world of the Ever Kingdom where pirates, sirens, and fae collide with Vikings in a dark fantasy romance between a villain and the innocent princess who holds his heart.

*Please note: This series is set in the same world as the bestselling Broken Kingdoms series, but can be read independently, and readers are encouraged to read the list of triggers inside*]]> 408 L.J. Andrews LainieLibrary 3 2023, fae, fantasy, romance
This was a fun read! I read Curse of Shadows and Thorns awhile ago - which occurs 20 years prior to this series (the FMC in The Ever King is the daughter of the MCs in that series) - but never finished the series as I lost interest. But this was lovely and super easy to get sucked into. It felt fast paced and I really enjoyed the pirate/ship vibes. The MMC and FMC are pretty basic, but I liked them both. I'm sure this would have been slightly more enjoyable if I finished The Broken Kingdoms series (references to certain characters and past events got pretty confusing), but it didn't take much away from my enjoyment as a whole.

This is a pretty basic story, Livia (FMC) is captured by Erik Bloodsinger (MMC) who is her kingdom's main enemy. Erik is trying to blackmail Livia's father - and there's a touch of past between the two since Livia read to and spent time with Erik when they were children (he was a prisoner for a bit before being released). The story pretty much goes from there. Their chemistry and development was pretty decent and I didn't want to put this down. Honestly, what made the story was the actual plot and side characters. Overall, it's a pretty solid read.

I can't give this 4 or 5 stars because no, it's not groundbreaking and I think there was a slight lack of tension/angst/real stakes. I wasn't on the edge of my seat and I can't describe this as amazing, but hey it's pretty good! I will be reading the next book!]]> 4.14 2023 The Ever King (The Ever Seas, #1)
author: L.J. Andrews
name: LainieLibrary
average rating: 4.14
book published: 2023
rating: 3
read at: 2023/11/30
date added: 2023/12/06
shelves: 2023, fae, fantasy, romance
review:
3.5 Stars

This was a fun read! I read Curse of Shadows and Thorns awhile ago - which occurs 20 years prior to this series (the FMC in The Ever King is the daughter of the MCs in that series) - but never finished the series as I lost interest. But this was lovely and super easy to get sucked into. It felt fast paced and I really enjoyed the pirate/ship vibes. The MMC and FMC are pretty basic, but I liked them both. I'm sure this would have been slightly more enjoyable if I finished The Broken Kingdoms series (references to certain characters and past events got pretty confusing), but it didn't take much away from my enjoyment as a whole.

This is a pretty basic story, Livia (FMC) is captured by Erik Bloodsinger (MMC) who is her kingdom's main enemy. Erik is trying to blackmail Livia's father - and there's a touch of past between the two since Livia read to and spent time with Erik when they were children (he was a prisoner for a bit before being released). The story pretty much goes from there. Their chemistry and development was pretty decent and I didn't want to put this down. Honestly, what made the story was the actual plot and side characters. Overall, it's a pretty solid read.

I can't give this 4 or 5 stars because no, it's not groundbreaking and I think there was a slight lack of tension/angst/real stakes. I wasn't on the edge of my seat and I can't describe this as amazing, but hey it's pretty good! I will be reading the next book!
]]> <![CDATA[House of Bane and Blood (Order and Chaos, #1)]]> 195138739
An heiress in the most notorious family in Lynchaven, Camilla Marchese is doing all she can to keep her family’s syndicate, the Iron Saint Railway, from slipping into bankruptcy. When the gorgeous and depraved Nicolai Attano, the leader of a rival family, offers to pay off the Inspector in exchange for her hand, she has no choice but to give up not only her throne—but her name.

Nico has his own motivations for their union beyond maintaining peace with her family. A serial kidnapper known as The Collector has been ravaging the streets of Remnant Row, stirring up mistrust between natives and descendants. If Milla can help restore safety to his streets, he’ll have no need for her or her family’s company. Find the Collector, prevent a war between their sides of the city, and pay off the family debt before she turns twenty-one. If Milla can fulfill her end of the bargain, she’ll walk away with more freedom than she’s ever had before.

But this deal plunges Milla into the city’s dark underbelly where remnant magic and arcane science compete in a deadly game of depravity. When forbidden feelings rise for her new husband and dark family secrets come to light, Milla must discover the truth about her past before it gets them both killed or worse—collected.

Set in a post-industrial age setting on a magical Isle, Peaky Blinders meets the magic system of the Grishaverse in this rivals-to-lovers adult fantasy romance.]]> 432 Alexis L. Menard LainieLibrary 4 2023, fantasy, romance
Wow, this was kind of amazing. Steampunk/Peaky Blinders gang vibes? Love. I was sucked in from page 1 and would have stayed up to finish this in one sitting if I could have. Camilla was an extremely likable FMC and I'm obsessed with our MMC, Nico.

The worldbuilding was a bit confusing, I'm still not 100% sure what's going on, but I'm not concerned. It's a unique world with the most random words for the different powers/magic/creatures, so it was a bit hard to keep track of what species there are. There wasn't a big info dump, but I almost wish there was? I gathered this the isle they live on is England-esq but the workhouses/bad side of town consists of the people who have bits of power from the gods (remnants)? Those with the remnants came over from the continent and then there are other territories too. I know nothing about the continent, why the remnants came to the isle, or what the other territories are. Maybe that's just me, but even the politics and names of those on the isle make little sense. Inspectors, the Society, but then there's the families who settled (?) the isle? Anyways, I hope things are better explained in the next book.

This was super fast paced. We hit the ground running with Nico intervening on Camilla's upcoming arranged marriage and the two make a deal to help one another with their objectives. Camilla and Nico's families have very bad blood between them, which adds a layer of distrust between the two. But the progression of their relationship and their chemistry is great, and the ending makes me so excited for the next book.]]> 3.98 2023 House of Bane and Blood (Order and Chaos, #1)
author: Alexis L. Menard
name: LainieLibrary
average rating: 3.98
book published: 2023
rating: 4
read at: 2023/12/03
date added: 2023/12/06
shelves: 2023, fantasy, romance
review:
4.5 Stars

Wow, this was kind of amazing. Steampunk/Peaky Blinders gang vibes? Love. I was sucked in from page 1 and would have stayed up to finish this in one sitting if I could have. Camilla was an extremely likable FMC and I'm obsessed with our MMC, Nico.

The worldbuilding was a bit confusing, I'm still not 100% sure what's going on, but I'm not concerned. It's a unique world with the most random words for the different powers/magic/creatures, so it was a bit hard to keep track of what species there are. There wasn't a big info dump, but I almost wish there was? I gathered this the isle they live on is England-esq but the workhouses/bad side of town consists of the people who have bits of power from the gods (remnants)? Those with the remnants came over from the continent and then there are other territories too. I know nothing about the continent, why the remnants came to the isle, or what the other territories are. Maybe that's just me, but even the politics and names of those on the isle make little sense. Inspectors, the Society, but then there's the families who settled (?) the isle? Anyways, I hope things are better explained in the next book.

This was super fast paced. We hit the ground running with Nico intervening on Camilla's upcoming arranged marriage and the two make a deal to help one another with their objectives. Camilla and Nico's families have very bad blood between them, which adds a layer of distrust between the two. But the progression of their relationship and their chemistry is great, and the ending makes me so excited for the next book.
]]> <![CDATA[Tempted by the Devil (Kings of Mafia #1)]]> 199284545
Attending a party with my stepbrother, I’m in for the surprise of my life.
It’s not a regular party, but instead, my wedding.
To Angelo Rizzo.
A coldhearted man who’s feared by all. Including me.

Turns out my stepbrother owes the Cosa Nostra money, and I’m being used to repay his debt to Angelo Rizzo.

Do I have a choice?
No. Not when it comes to matters concerning the Cosa Nostra.

Three hours later, I have a new shiny wedding ring on my finger and a husband I’m terrified of standing by my side.
Yep, my life just took a turn for the worse.
There’s no hiding. No running.
All I can do is face the nightmare that awaits me and pray I’ll survive being married to Angelo Rizzo.

STANDALONE: A Mafia Romance full-length novel.
WARNING: 18+ only. Please read responsibly.
THIS NOVEL CONTAINS TRIGGERING CONTENT.]]> 377 Michelle Heard LainieLibrary 4 2023, mafia, romance
I read this in one sitting, so this is automatically shelved as a win. Not sure if it's just the timing, or the story itself, but I loved this.

Tori is super innocent, and since her parents died, she's had to live with her abusive step-brother. He beats her up and is altogether a terrible human. He's wracking up debts, so his only hope is to wait for Tori to turn 25 so he can take her half of their inheritance.

Meanwhile, Angelo is a boss of the Cosa Nostra and essentially makes a deal with Tori's step-brother to trade Tori in exchange for settling his debts. Angelo is a generic mafia boss, but he has a sweet side for Tori and seems a bit more developed than other mafia MMCs I've come across. I really did like him.

Sure, the dialogue (especially Tori's weird inner monologues) could be a bit rough, but I still liked this. There was a ton of chemistry and angst - I just couldn't put this down. Tori, while far too innocent, was oddly very likable. I was rooting for her and with all she's gone through, I cheered her relationship with Angelo on. They were so cute together and I loved how their relationship grew. Maybe it was a bit insta-love?

I certainly can acknowledge this wasn't perfect, but at the end of the day it was a super entertaining and enjoyable read.

Merged review:

4.5 Stars

I read this in one sitting, so this is automatically shelved as a win. Not sure if it's just the timing, or the story itself, but I loved this.

Tori is super innocent, and since her parents died, she's had to live with her abusive step-brother. He beats her up and is altogether a terrible human. He's wracking up debts, so his only hope is to wait for Tori to turn 25 so he can take her half of their inheritance.

Meanwhile, Angelo is a boss of the Cosa Nostra and essentially makes a deal with Tori's step-brother to trade Tori in exchange for settling his debts. Angelo is a generic mafia boss, but he has a sweet side for Tori and seems a bit more developed than other mafia MMCs I've come across. I really did like him.

Sure, the dialogue (especially Tori's weird inner monologues) could be a bit rough, but I still liked this. There was a ton of chemistry and angst - I just couldn't put this down. Tori, while far too innocent, was oddly very likable. I was rooting for her and with all she's gone through, I cheered her relationship with Angelo on. They were so cute together and I loved how their relationship grew. Maybe it was a bit insta-love?

I certainly can acknowledge this wasn't perfect, but at the end of the day it was a super entertaining and enjoyable read.

Merged review:

4.5 Stars

I read this in one sitting, so this is automatically shelved as a win. Not sure if it's just the timing, or the story itself, but I loved this.

Tori is super innocent, and since her parents died, she's had to live with her abusive step-brother. He beats her up and is altogether a terrible human. He's wracking up debts, so his only hope is to wait for Tori to turn 25 so he can take her half of their inheritance.

Meanwhile, Angelo is a boss of the Cosa Nostra and essentially makes a deal with Tori's step-brother to trade Tori in exchange for settling his debts. Angelo is a generic mafia boss, but he has a sweet side for Tori and seems a bit more developed than other mafia MMCs I've come across. I really did like him.

Sure, the dialogue (especially Tori's weird inner monologues) could be a bit rough, but I still liked this. There was a ton of chemistry and angst - I just couldn't put this down. Tori, while far too innocent, was oddly very likable. I was rooting for her and with all she's gone through, I cheered her relationship with Angelo on. They were so cute together and I loved how their relationship grew. Maybe it was a bit insta-love?

I certainly can acknowledge this wasn't perfect, but at the end of the day it was a super entertaining and enjoyable read.]]> 3.85 Tempted by the Devil (Kings of Mafia #1)
author: Michelle Heard
name: LainieLibrary
average rating: 3.85
book published:
rating: 4
read at: 2023/10/23
date added: 2023/12/01
shelves: 2023, mafia, romance
review:
4.5 Stars

I read this in one sitting, so this is automatically shelved as a win. Not sure if it's just the timing, or the story itself, but I loved this.

Tori is super innocent, and since her parents died, she's had to live with her abusive step-brother. He beats her up and is altogether a terrible human. He's wracking up debts, so his only hope is to wait for Tori to turn 25 so he can take her half of their inheritance.

Meanwhile, Angelo is a boss of the Cosa Nostra and essentially makes a deal with Tori's step-brother to trade Tori in exchange for settling his debts. Angelo is a generic mafia boss, but he has a sweet side for Tori and seems a bit more developed than other mafia MMCs I've come across. I really did like him.

Sure, the dialogue (especially Tori's weird inner monologues) could be a bit rough, but I still liked this. There was a ton of chemistry and angst - I just couldn't put this down. Tori, while far too innocent, was oddly very likable. I was rooting for her and with all she's gone through, I cheered her relationship with Angelo on. They were so cute together and I loved how their relationship grew. Maybe it was a bit insta-love?

I certainly can acknowledge this wasn't perfect, but at the end of the day it was a super entertaining and enjoyable read.

Merged review:

4.5 Stars

I read this in one sitting, so this is automatically shelved as a win. Not sure if it's just the timing, or the story itself, but I loved this.

Tori is super innocent, and since her parents died, she's had to live with her abusive step-brother. He beats her up and is altogether a terrible human. He's wracking up debts, so his only hope is to wait for Tori to turn 25 so he can take her half of their inheritance.

Meanwhile, Angelo is a boss of the Cosa Nostra and essentially makes a deal with Tori's step-brother to trade Tori in exchange for settling his debts. Angelo is a generic mafia boss, but he has a sweet side for Tori and seems a bit more developed than other mafia MMCs I've come across. I really did like him.

Sure, the dialogue (especially Tori's weird inner monologues) could be a bit rough, but I still liked this. There was a ton of chemistry and angst - I just couldn't put this down. Tori, while far too innocent, was oddly very likable. I was rooting for her and with all she's gone through, I cheered her relationship with Angelo on. They were so cute together and I loved how their relationship grew. Maybe it was a bit insta-love?

I certainly can acknowledge this wasn't perfect, but at the end of the day it was a super entertaining and enjoyable read.

Merged review:

4.5 Stars

I read this in one sitting, so this is automatically shelved as a win. Not sure if it's just the timing, or the story itself, but I loved this.

Tori is super innocent, and since her parents died, she's had to live with her abusive step-brother. He beats her up and is altogether a terrible human. He's wracking up debts, so his only hope is to wait for Tori to turn 25 so he can take her half of their inheritance.

Meanwhile, Angelo is a boss of the Cosa Nostra and essentially makes a deal with Tori's step-brother to trade Tori in exchange for settling his debts. Angelo is a generic mafia boss, but he has a sweet side for Tori and seems a bit more developed than other mafia MMCs I've come across. I really did like him.

Sure, the dialogue (especially Tori's weird inner monologues) could be a bit rough, but I still liked this. There was a ton of chemistry and angst - I just couldn't put this down. Tori, while far too innocent, was oddly very likable. I was rooting for her and with all she's gone through, I cheered her relationship with Angelo on. They were so cute together and I loved how their relationship grew. Maybe it was a bit insta-love?

I certainly can acknowledge this wasn't perfect, but at the end of the day it was a super entertaining and enjoyable read.
]]> <![CDATA[Black Ties & White Lies (Black Tie Billionaires, #1)]]> 63336417
One minute you’re a struggling graphic designer in LA that's finally coming to terms with being single forever, and the next you're flying to New York in a private jet to get engaged to your ex-boyfriend’s older brother.

At least...that’s what everyone thinks. Forced to clean up his playboy image in order to protect his company, Beckham Sinclair, the city’s most eligible billionaire bachelor, wants me to be his fake fiancée and personal assistant.

Now I'm spending every spare second with a man I thought I’d never see again.

My freshly mended heart has barely recovered from the first time a Sinclair broke it. But with each passing day, Beck’s dirty mouth and lingering stares make me question his motives—and mine.

As the line blurs between real and pretend, only one thing is certain: there are secrets hiding in this city full of black ties and white lies.

Black Ties and White Lies is a billionaire, fake relationship, forced proximity, and ex's older brother novel and a complete standalone by Kat Singleton.]]> 418 Kat Singleton LainieLibrary 1 2023, office_romance, dnf
A disappointing mix of insta-love and absolutely no chemistry. The ex-boyfriends older brother trope could have been so antsy and amazing - but it almost seemed to be a non-issue? Why were they so obsessed with each other for no reason? And our FMC (his assistant) getting the corner office bc she would appreciate the view better? *rolls eyes* altogether disappointing - I don’t recommend. Seriously, there is absolutely 0 chemistry between the couple in this.]]> 3.80 2023 Black Ties & White Lies (Black Tie Billionaires, #1)
author: Kat Singleton
name: LainieLibrary
average rating: 3.80
book published: 2023
rating: 1
read at: 2023/03/13
date added: 2023/11/30
shelves: 2023, office_romance, dnf
review:
1 Star - DNF

A disappointing mix of insta-love and absolutely no chemistry. The ex-boyfriends older brother trope could have been so antsy and amazing - but it almost seemed to be a non-issue? Why were they so obsessed with each other for no reason? And our FMC (his assistant) getting the corner office bc she would appreciate the view better? *rolls eyes* altogether disappointing - I don’t recommend. Seriously, there is absolutely 0 chemistry between the couple in this.
]]> <![CDATA[Once You're Mine (Possessing Her, #1)]]> 199244880
Murder brought us together.
Only death can keep us apart.
The

Calista belongs to me... she just doesn’t know it.
The first time we met, I wanted her.
The next time, I was obsessed.
I watched her.
I followed her.
It only deepened my need to possess her.
Once she's mine, I'm never letting her go.

The
Hayden Bennett is a monster, in and out of the courtroom.
Unfortunately, I need his help.
What was supposed to be a simple transaction turns into something else.
Something intense.
He’s always there when I need him,
but I don't know if trusting him is a good idea...

Once You're Mine is Book 1 in the Possessing Her Duet that ends on a cliffhanger. It contains a morally gray hero that's OTT/JP, a stalker who falls first, has Touch Her & Die energy, and is willing to do whatever it takes to have her.
(A complete list of the TWs can be found on the author's website) ]]> 308 Morgan Bridges LainieLibrary 1 dnf, 2023, dark_romance
I remember there’s a cafe that the FMC and MMC sort of meet at or whatever and the stalker is absolutely absurd. This is so bad and dumb. The dialogue is spectacularly cringeworthy. ]]> 3.61 2023 Once You're Mine (Possessing Her, #1)
author: Morgan Bridges
name: LainieLibrary
average rating: 3.61
book published: 2023
rating: 1
read at: 2023/11/06
date added: 2023/11/27
shelves: dnf, 2023, dark_romance
review:
1 Star - DNF

I remember there’s a cafe that the FMC and MMC sort of meet at or whatever and the stalker is absolutely absurd. This is so bad and dumb. The dialogue is spectacularly cringeworthy.
]]> <![CDATA[A Curse of Malice & Mercy (Courts of Malice, #1)]]> 124948300
Alessia is a dreamer. To protect her heart from growing hard, she chooses to see the best in others. After a life of enslavement and losing her only friend, she flees to the fae realm of Avylon, desperate for freedom. There, she meets Rainer, an enigmatic fae prince who is as enticing as he is unpredictable. He claims to detest humans, yet he teaches her how to fight, protects her, and empowers her. She can’t help but fall for him, even when his moods become increasingly volatile and it’s clear he’s hiding something dangerous.

She’s his little rose with beautiful buds and thorns so fatal�

The only thing Rainer hates more than humans is the curse he was born with. The one that flows through his veins and leaks into the surrounding forest. He’s dangerous, undeserving, and wears his reputation like armor. But when he meets Alessia, his perception shifts. If he’s malice, she’s his mercy. He needs to stay away, but it’s impossible to fight the temptation between them.

As their fates intertwine, can Alessia overlook Rainer’s dark past and overcome their differences? Or will Rainer crush his little rose in his fist?

A Curse of Malice & Mercy is a new adult, romantic fantasy book intended for mature readers. This book contains language, themes, and content that may not be suitable for all readers. Reader discretion is advised. It is book one in the Courts of Malice series and must be read in order.]]> 412 Miranda Joy LainieLibrary 4 2023, fantasy, romance
I really enjoyed this!! It's nothing super unique and does feel like other things I've read mashed into one (shadow fae/vampires/beauty & the beast vibes/human treated terribly & escaped her owners and she may or may not be human). Nothing about that is unique but I enjoyed the characters and the story a lot. There were some annoying grammar/editing errors but I was able to look past them.

I'm excited for the next book to see how Rainier and Alessia's relationship develops and how the story evolves. It's an interesting world and the writing hooked me just enough.]]> 3.79 2023 A Curse of Malice & Mercy (Courts of Malice, #1)
author: Miranda Joy
name: LainieLibrary
average rating: 3.79
book published: 2023
rating: 4
read at: 2023/11/26
date added: 2023/11/27
shelves: 2023, fantasy, romance
review:
3.75 Stars

I really enjoyed this!! It's nothing super unique and does feel like other things I've read mashed into one (shadow fae/vampires/beauty & the beast vibes/human treated terribly & escaped her owners and she may or may not be human). Nothing about that is unique but I enjoyed the characters and the story a lot. There were some annoying grammar/editing errors but I was able to look past them.

I'm excited for the next book to see how Rainier and Alessia's relationship develops and how the story evolves. It's an interesting world and the writing hooked me just enough.
]]> Iron Flame (The Empyrean, #2) 90202302 “The first year is when some of us lose our lives. The second year is when the rest of us lose our humanity.� —Xaden Riorson

Everyone expected Violet Sorrengail to die during her first year at Basgiath War College—Violet included. But Threshing was only the first impossible test meant to weed out the weak-willed, the unworthy, and the unlucky.

Now the real training begins, and Violet’s already wondering how she’ll get through. It’s not just that it’s grueling and maliciously brutal, or even that it’s designed to stretch the riders� capacity for pain beyond endurance. It’s the new vice commandant, who’s made it his personal mission to teach Violet exactly how powerless she is–unless she betrays the man she loves.

Although Violet’s body might be weaker and frailer than everyone else’s, she still has her wits—and a will of iron. And leadership is forgetting the most important lesson Basgiath has taught her: Dragon riders make their own rules.

But a determination to survive won’t be enough this year.

Because Violet knows the real secret hidden for centuries at Basgiath War College—and nothing, not even dragon fire, may be enough to save them in the end.]]> 623 Rebecca Yarros 1649374178 LainieLibrary 4
I'm so torn - if I was rating this on the last two chapters I would say this is an easy 5 stars, but the remaining what 590 pages consisted of entirely too much filler. Another review said it perfectly, but it's almost as if Rebecca is writing this series FOR the Netflix series. It feels very episodic at times, with plot lines that exist for seemingly no reason as they have zero impact on the real meat of the story (i.e., the survival class). It took me ages to get through this - I had absolutely no problem putting this down and not reading for a few days from 0% - 65% of the way through. Then things picked up and I was able to power through. Another 3 books in this series? Sure, I'll read them, but buckle up for what must be loads of filler to come.

The first half is centered around the war college and Varrish being an evil monster. Then the second half is when the revolution really comes into play and when the dragon action happens - which honestly is why I keep reading. Tairn and Andarna <3. The absolute best characters here.

In my mind, this series is more plot based/a fantasy rather than a romance. Especially considering Violet and Xaden are fighting/having trust issues THE ENTIRE TIME. It dragged on and on and on. I'm so over Xaden telling Violet to "just ask the questions". Clearly, SHE DOESN'T KNOW WHAT TO ASK. Their conversations followed the same loop over and over again. We get it, Violet doesn't trust Xaden and he has a lot to hide. I did appreciate her ability to stick with him, she's not fickle, but the back and forth was awful. Again, clearly this was filler.

There were certainly twists and turns I expected, but most caught me by surprise (though the reveals pretty much all happened at the end of the book) so huge props there. And the ending - I am unwell !!!! I need the next book asap and it's painful that it's likely going to be awhile.

Overall, I did like it but not much happened considering how long this was. Also, Violet's character development felt extremely lacking. I can't think of a single way she grew, matured, or changed from the end of Fourth Wing to now (at least not off the top of my head). And yeah, I think she desperately needs some growth.

I feel like this series got so overhyped that it's working against the story. Now the author kind of has to cater to all the shows and plans that may be in play due to the insane success this has had, it's sad, and I am confident that's what's happening here. Sure this is a pretty decent series, but the hype it's had is completely overblown considering we have no idea how this series will play out. I'll follow along for now, but I'm not planning to slog through two more books of filler before getting to the conclusion. So, my fingers are crossed.]]> 4.33 2023 Iron Flame (The Empyrean, #2)
author: Rebecca Yarros
name: LainieLibrary
average rating: 4.33
book published: 2023
rating: 4
read at: 2023/11/19
date added: 2023/11/27
shelves: 2023, fantasy, dragons, romance
review:
3.75 Stars

I'm so torn - if I was rating this on the last two chapters I would say this is an easy 5 stars, but the remaining what 590 pages consisted of entirely too much filler. Another review said it perfectly, but it's almost as if Rebecca is writing this series FOR the Netflix series. It feels very episodic at times, with plot lines that exist for seemingly no reason as they have zero impact on the real meat of the story (i.e., the survival class). It took me ages to get through this - I had absolutely no problem putting this down and not reading for a few days from 0% - 65% of the way through. Then things picked up and I was able to power through. Another 3 books in this series? Sure, I'll read them, but buckle up for what must be loads of filler to come.

The first half is centered around the war college and Varrish being an evil monster. Then the second half is when the revolution really comes into play and when the dragon action happens - which honestly is why I keep reading. Tairn and Andarna <3. The absolute best characters here.

In my mind, this series is more plot based/a fantasy rather than a romance. Especially considering Violet and Xaden are fighting/having trust issues THE ENTIRE TIME. It dragged on and on and on. I'm so over Xaden telling Violet to "just ask the questions". Clearly, SHE DOESN'T KNOW WHAT TO ASK. Their conversations followed the same loop over and over again. We get it, Violet doesn't trust Xaden and he has a lot to hide. I did appreciate her ability to stick with him, she's not fickle, but the back and forth was awful. Again, clearly this was filler.

There were certainly twists and turns I expected, but most caught me by surprise (though the reveals pretty much all happened at the end of the book) so huge props there. And the ending - I am unwell !!!! I need the next book asap and it's painful that it's likely going to be awhile.

Overall, I did like it but not much happened considering how long this was. Also, Violet's character development felt extremely lacking. I can't think of a single way she grew, matured, or changed from the end of Fourth Wing to now (at least not off the top of my head). And yeah, I think she desperately needs some growth.

I feel like this series got so overhyped that it's working against the story. Now the author kind of has to cater to all the shows and plans that may be in play due to the insane success this has had, it's sad, and I am confident that's what's happening here. Sure this is a pretty decent series, but the hype it's had is completely overblown considering we have no idea how this series will play out. I'll follow along for now, but I'm not planning to slog through two more books of filler before getting to the conclusion. So, my fingers are crossed.
]]> The Ritual (L.O.R.D.S., #1) 58941251
I vow. You vow. We vow.

Barrington University is home of the Lords, a secret society that requires their blood in payment. They are above all—the most powerful men in the world. They devote their lives to violence in exchange for power. And during their senior year, they are offered a chosen one.

People think growing up with money is freeing, but I promise you, it’s not. My entire life has been planned out for me. I never got the chance to do what I wanted until Ryat Alexander Archer came along and gave me an option for a better life. He offered me what no one else ever had—freedom.

I chose to be his. He made me believe that anyway, but it was just another lie. A way that the Lords manipulate you into doing what they want.

After being sucked into the dark, twisted world of the Lords, I embraced my new role and allowed Ryat to parade me around like the trophy I was to him. But like all things, what started out as a game soon became a fight for survival. And the only way out was death.

This book can be read as a standalone but the timeline of the Lords books is as follows:
The Ritual
The Sinner
The Sacrifice
Sabotage (the H isn't a Lord but he works for a Lord)]]> 606 Shantel Tessier LainieLibrary 3 2023, dark_romance
Sometimes I'm in the mood for an unhinged dark romance like this with. College students and basically a secret society/cult. Will I read the rest? No. Was it dramatic and a bit ridiculous? Absolutely. But I was entertained.]]> 4.06 2021 The Ritual (L.O.R.D.S., #1)
author: Shantel Tessier
name: LainieLibrary
average rating: 4.06
book published: 2021
rating: 3
read at: 2023/11/20
date added: 2023/11/27
shelves: 2023, dark_romance
review:
3 Stars

Sometimes I'm in the mood for an unhinged dark romance like this with. College students and basically a secret society/cult. Will I read the rest? No. Was it dramatic and a bit ridiculous? Absolutely. But I was entertained.
]]> <![CDATA[Wrecking Belle (Wicked Sons #2)]]> 199325902 Like most titled young men with no financial concerns and doting parents, Conor Baxter, Lord Harleston, hasn’t a care in the world. Reckless and fun-loving, he enjoys life to the full, until a terrible riding accident changes his life. The horrifying hours spent alone in the dark with a badly broken leg, and the months of recovery that follow, give him time to reassess the way he lives. The realisation that life is fragile and that his death would have had a profound impact on those who love and rely upon him, forces Conor to remake himself.

The new Lord Harleston is a careful man, one who likes quiet and order and avoids the world he inhabited with his old friends.

And then came Lucy.

Enter the wrecking belle�
Miss Lucy Carleton is the daughter of a self-made man but comes a poor second to his business interests. After her mother dies when she is a child, he gives her into the care of his sister and forgets about her, until the moment she becomes useful to him. Mr Carleton has ambitions that need a title, and Lucy is going to get it for him.

An accident looking for a place to happen�
Lucy is a spirited girl, but one whose nerves make her act without thinking. As these actions are generally accompanied by accidents and occasional catastrophes, her entrée into the ton does not go smoothly. Sadly, Conor is not only there to witness her humiliation, but to share in it, too.

Soon, all Conor has in mind is to stay as far away from Lucy as he can get.

When fate, and doting mamas, have other plans�
Caught in a compromising situation together, it seems Conor may be stuck with Lucy for good. Determined to rid himself of his Miss Apocalypse, Conor continues to endure her mishaps and plots his escape.

Yet when the time comes to let her go, it is not so easy to do, but it will take a man of action to keep her in his life.]]> 341 Emma V. Leech 2487015020 LainieLibrary 4 2023, historical_romance
This was cute and I stayed up way too late to read it. It's also a bit longer then other books Emma has released lately - which I loved! I LOVED Lucy, her clumsiness and nerves were super endearing and honestly I can relate haha. Conor was also lovely, and I really liked their interactions together. Kitty is awesome too, so I loved getting glimpses of her outrageous, meddling, personality.

Like the first book in the Wicked Sons series, this seemed to have a fun dash of humor added in! I found myself laughing at little quips. Overall I really enjoyed this and liked the hints of other couples. Vi and Leo at some point???

I do wish there was a bit more spice in these, having read so much of Emma's work, I feel like the overall trend has been moving towards less tension and spice? Not that I'm totally complaining here, but I enjoyed some of the tension and chemistry in her older books.]]> 4.26 2023 Wrecking Belle (Wicked Sons #2)
author: Emma V. Leech
name: LainieLibrary
average rating: 4.26
book published: 2023
rating: 4
read at: 2023/11/06
date added: 2023/11/07
shelves: 2023, historical_romance
review:
4 Stars

This was cute and I stayed up way too late to read it. It's also a bit longer then other books Emma has released lately - which I loved! I LOVED Lucy, her clumsiness and nerves were super endearing and honestly I can relate haha. Conor was also lovely, and I really liked their interactions together. Kitty is awesome too, so I loved getting glimpses of her outrageous, meddling, personality.

Like the first book in the Wicked Sons series, this seemed to have a fun dash of humor added in! I found myself laughing at little quips. Overall I really enjoyed this and liked the hints of other couples. Vi and Leo at some point???

I do wish there was a bit more spice in these, having read so much of Emma's work, I feel like the overall trend has been moving towards less tension and spice? Not that I'm totally complaining here, but I enjoyed some of the tension and chemistry in her older books.
]]> <![CDATA[Ruthless Knight (Ruthless Billionaires #1)]]> 198552500 � A TOP 100 AMAZON BESTSELLER �

My villain. My monster. My Ruthless Knight�Knight Grayson isn't just one of New York's elite billionaires.
He's the embodiment of Hades in a tailored suit and a beautiful devil waiting to destroy.
He always gets what he wants, no matter the cost.
Including me.

One harmless, sexy encounter places him in my path and before I know it, I'm caught in his strategic trap.
Although he insists I’m not his Persephone, he steals me away from my almost-fiancé́.
And my life.

This isn’t like the mythical tale of old driven by love.
To him, I’m a pawn in a game of power because I have something he wants.
In order to build his empire and get his legacy, he needs my inheritance.
Since the only way to get that is to marry me, he forces my hand by using my father.

Six months of marriage, along with the ownership of my inheritance, and my father’s extortionate debts will go away.

To save my father, I signed Knight's contract, binding myself to every term and condition.
But then, the boundaries between us begin to blur.

Each public kiss, intended for show, feels dangerously genuine and pulses with undeniable attraction.
As his hunger for power evolves into a craving for me, we start to forget that our marriage is a contract.
Yearning for his touch was never part of the plan.
Neither was becoming his new obsession.

But when the veil lifts, revealing his dark secrets and twisted lies, we both realize we have more to lose than just ourselves.

Ruthless Knight is a billionaire, forced proximity, fake relationship, and arranged marriage novel inspired by the Hades and Persephone myth. It is a complete standalone with mature language, themes, and content intended for mature readers only. ]]> 418 Faith Summers 1915383994 LainieLibrary 1 dnf, 2023, mafia, romance
I was about to give this 2 stars and then remembered how absolutely cringeworthy the spicy scenes are in this, so 1 star it is. [spoilers removed]

And aside from the cringe, it's boring. The MMC and FMC have no personality. They are married but very concerned about a 1940s hotel. The FMCs mom owned it and it's very special to her, the MMC wants the hotel because it allows him to be the CEO of his family's company in a weird deal he has with his grandpa (hence the marriage... for a hotel...). Yeah, it's strange. Then they kinda sorta start falling in love, but there's exactly 0 chemistry between the two. And again, there's no personality to be seen. The MMC has an ex that died - and he's seemingly still obsessed with her - but I'm almost to the end and nothing has been revealed about it. Which is strange and I could care less about that plot line.

The MMC isn't even that much of a "monster" or "villain" as the description says. He's pretty nice and a bit of a mama's boy. Also, the comparison to Hades and Persephone makes no sense - it's simply not a thing.]]> 4.15 Ruthless Knight (Ruthless Billionaires #1)
author: Faith Summers
name: LainieLibrary
average rating: 4.15
book published:
rating: 1
read at: 2023/11/04
date added: 2023/11/07
shelves: dnf, 2023, mafia, romance
review:
1 Star - DNF @ 72%

I was about to give this 2 stars and then remembered how absolutely cringeworthy the spicy scenes are in this, so 1 star it is. [spoilers removed]

And aside from the cringe, it's boring. The MMC and FMC have no personality. They are married but very concerned about a 1940s hotel. The FMCs mom owned it and it's very special to her, the MMC wants the hotel because it allows him to be the CEO of his family's company in a weird deal he has with his grandpa (hence the marriage... for a hotel...). Yeah, it's strange. Then they kinda sorta start falling in love, but there's exactly 0 chemistry between the two. And again, there's no personality to be seen. The MMC has an ex that died - and he's seemingly still obsessed with her - but I'm almost to the end and nothing has been revealed about it. Which is strange and I could care less about that plot line.

The MMC isn't even that much of a "monster" or "villain" as the description says. He's pretty nice and a bit of a mama's boy. Also, the comparison to Hades and Persephone makes no sense - it's simply not a thing.
]]> <![CDATA[Cruel Paradise (Oryolov Bratva, #1)]]> 198717640 What’s more embarrassing than a butt dial?
Butt dialing your boss�
And leaving a dirty voicemail when you’re uhh� “thinking� about them.

Working as Ruslan Oryolov’s personal assistant is the job from hell.
After a long day spent tending to the billionaire’s every whim, I need some stress relief.
So when I get home that night, that’s exactly what I do.

Problem is, my thoughts are still stuck on the bosshole who’s ruining my life.
That’s fine—because of all Ruslan’s many sins, being gorgeous might be the most dangerous.
Tonight, fantasies of him are just what I need to push me over the edge.

But when I look down at my phone squished next to me,
There it is.
A voicemail for 7 minutes and 32 seconds�
Sent to Ruslan Oryolov.

I panic and throw my phone across the room.
But there is no undoing the damage done by my very vocal O.

So what can I do?
My plan was to just avoid him and act like it never happened.
Besides, no one that busy checks their voicemails, right?

But when he schedules a one-on-one meeting with me for exactly 7 minutes and 32 seconds,
One thing is for
He.
Heard.
Everything.

CRUEL PARADISE is Book One of the Oryolov Bratva duet. Ruslan and Emma’s story concludes in Book Two, CRUEL PROMISE. ]]> 560 Nicole Fox LainieLibrary 1
This was rough. It could have been okay, but this was 1. Utterly unbelievable. Really, you accidentally leave your boss a 7 min voicemail of you getting off� to him in your imagination�? And then he recruits you as his…mistress (to put it nicely). Yikes. And 2. Boring. There’s no suspense or tension, it’s just endless amounts of (not even good) spicy scenes and then they are falling in love. I didn’t feel the angst or tension or chemistry between the FMC and MMC. It was so bland. I did like the kids and the general family vibe there, but the rest sucked. Also, there are basically 0 mafia vibes in this. It became too unrealistic and annoying so I had to DNF. I do not recommend. ]]> 4.35 Cruel Paradise (Oryolov Bratva, #1)
author: Nicole Fox
name: LainieLibrary
average rating: 4.35
book published:
rating: 1
read at: 2023/10/25
date added: 2023/11/01
shelves: 2023, dnf, mafia, contemporary_romance
review:
1 Star - DNF @ 65%

This was rough. It could have been okay, but this was 1. Utterly unbelievable. Really, you accidentally leave your boss a 7 min voicemail of you getting off� to him in your imagination�? And then he recruits you as his…mistress (to put it nicely). Yikes. And 2. Boring. There’s no suspense or tension, it’s just endless amounts of (not even good) spicy scenes and then they are falling in love. I didn’t feel the angst or tension or chemistry between the FMC and MMC. It was so bland. I did like the kids and the general family vibe there, but the rest sucked. Also, there are basically 0 mafia vibes in this. It became too unrealistic and annoying so I had to DNF. I do not recommend.
]]> The Pact 123216414 Their partnership would be no more than a business transaction, but what’s the point in holding out for love when it had granted her no guarantees in the past?
Maybe they could make a marriage work. Maybe. One thing is for certain: with the wounds of loss heavy on their souls and the fact that he’s given up on finding the big L again, friendship would be all they’d have.
Love would never enter their picture. Ever. Not even for a moment.
Right?]]> 581 Suzanne Wright LainieLibrary 4 2023, contemporary_romance
I really enjoyed this, but I think it would have been better (and would have received better reviews overall) if it was completely disconnected from Dane and Vienna. I think it's way too soon to imagine Dane and Vienna being in their 60s with a 30 year old daughter - I'm sorry. I'm happy I was aware of this going in so I could mentally prepare myself, but I still didn't love it. We see Wyatt, Melinda, and Heather which didn't add much to the story either outside of a dramatic plot line. Also, why does Addison continually call her parents Dane and Vienna? We get it, that's her mom and dad, we don't need to hear their names over and over again. Also, there were a ton of random characters dropped into the story that are from past books (I think?) but it felt awkward and like I was missing something.

But, I loved Addison and Dax. This felt true to Suzanne's writing - tons of ongoing drama and our main characters are breaths of fresh air with their ability to be rational. I loved Dax and Addison's chemistry and thought their relationship was very nicely developed. There were loads of side characters (drama with exes, their families, a huge cast of friends, a sheriff lol), but I thought it all fit into the story nicely. I will admit, Dax's "dark" background was a bit unclear and didn't make a ton of sense, but that's my main complaint with him. He probably could have been a bit more developed, but I mean his character is very reserved.

Honestly, the bad reviews are a tad shocking. I think a lot of people are directly comparing this to The Favor, which I get that's one of my all time favorite reads too... but I think amazing compared to a lot of other books in this genre.]]> 4.04 2023 The Pact
author: Suzanne Wright
name: LainieLibrary
average rating: 4.04
book published: 2023
rating: 4
read at: 2023/10/29
date added: 2023/11/01
shelves: 2023, contemporary_romance
review:
4.5 Stars

I really enjoyed this, but I think it would have been better (and would have received better reviews overall) if it was completely disconnected from Dane and Vienna. I think it's way too soon to imagine Dane and Vienna being in their 60s with a 30 year old daughter - I'm sorry. I'm happy I was aware of this going in so I could mentally prepare myself, but I still didn't love it. We see Wyatt, Melinda, and Heather which didn't add much to the story either outside of a dramatic plot line. Also, why does Addison continually call her parents Dane and Vienna? We get it, that's her mom and dad, we don't need to hear their names over and over again. Also, there were a ton of random characters dropped into the story that are from past books (I think?) but it felt awkward and like I was missing something.

But, I loved Addison and Dax. This felt true to Suzanne's writing - tons of ongoing drama and our main characters are breaths of fresh air with their ability to be rational. I loved Dax and Addison's chemistry and thought their relationship was very nicely developed. There were loads of side characters (drama with exes, their families, a huge cast of friends, a sheriff lol), but I thought it all fit into the story nicely. I will admit, Dax's "dark" background was a bit unclear and didn't make a ton of sense, but that's my main complaint with him. He probably could have been a bit more developed, but I mean his character is very reserved.

Honestly, the bad reviews are a tad shocking. I think a lot of people are directly comparing this to The Favor, which I get that's one of my all time favorite reads too... but I think amazing compared to a lot of other books in this genre.
]]> <![CDATA[Queen of Chaos (Legacy of the Nine Realms, #5)]]> 123251045 A kingdom left in ashes . . .
A fate that may turn to ruins . . .
A king who continually stokes her flames�.

What’s a girl to do?
Some women rise from their ashes, Aria tends to be the one making the ashes nowadays.
Aria’s world is unraveling into utterly, beautiful chaos. Will she become the savior the Nine Realms need, or will she become the monster they’ve made?

Are you brave enough to enter the Nine Realms?

There’s a queen rising, and in chaos, she’ll reign.

A note from the publisher.
This book is a true enemy to lover’s tale. It deals with death and adversity. It is merciless, savage, and a view of how broken things overcome against inconceivable odds.
The steam between these two burns the pages.
Knox is savagery in motion. Aria is a chaotic beauty. So, what happens when brutality and beauty collide? Aria and Knox burn so hot together that they may well leave the Nine Realms in nothing more than ashes.]]> 560 Amelia Hutchins 1952712165 LainieLibrary 5
I have loved every single book in this series. The last book left us with such a cliffhanger, so it feels like I've been waiting ages for this (2 years I think). Unsurprisingly, Amelia did amazing here. I truly had no idea what to expect going into this, there are so many characters and twists and turns that you're constantly on your toes. I had a bit of an idea, obviously Aria has finally found her father, but otherwise I had no clue what would happen. And luckily it was better than I could have imagined. Amelia is not a writer who loses steam or gets lazy mid-series. She thoughtfully plans and crafts these very intricate worlds, and puts so much into her books. Huge props to her - especially after the year she has had. Also, I have to say that I love that she lives in my hometown.

Anyways, I had such a hard time putting this down. I absolutely adore every single character. They are all well developed and way too easy to love. I'm so afraid for all of their futures and will be crushed if we lose any of them in the upcoming conflict.

I am so happy for Knox and Aria to reach this point in their turbulent relationship - but I'm even more grateful that Amelia is keeping up the angst and drama. They can't get a break, but hey that's what's entertaining. I can't stand book couples that settle down and lose all their personality.

I highly highly recommend this series - no, it's not perfect - but this is a series I can't help return to!]]> 4.40 2023 Queen of Chaos (Legacy of the Nine Realms, #5)
author: Amelia Hutchins
name: LainieLibrary
average rating: 4.40
book published: 2023
rating: 5
read at: 2023/10/16
date added: 2023/10/17
shelves: 2023, dark_romance, dragons, fantasy
review:
4.5

I have loved every single book in this series. The last book left us with such a cliffhanger, so it feels like I've been waiting ages for this (2 years I think). Unsurprisingly, Amelia did amazing here. I truly had no idea what to expect going into this, there are so many characters and twists and turns that you're constantly on your toes. I had a bit of an idea, obviously Aria has finally found her father, but otherwise I had no clue what would happen. And luckily it was better than I could have imagined. Amelia is not a writer who loses steam or gets lazy mid-series. She thoughtfully plans and crafts these very intricate worlds, and puts so much into her books. Huge props to her - especially after the year she has had. Also, I have to say that I love that she lives in my hometown.

Anyways, I had such a hard time putting this down. I absolutely adore every single character. They are all well developed and way too easy to love. I'm so afraid for all of their futures and will be crushed if we lose any of them in the upcoming conflict.

I am so happy for Knox and Aria to reach this point in their turbulent relationship - but I'm even more grateful that Amelia is keeping up the angst and drama. They can't get a break, but hey that's what's entertaining. I can't stand book couples that settle down and lose all their personality.

I highly highly recommend this series - no, it's not perfect - but this is a series I can't help return to!
]]> <![CDATA[Fae Champion (Royals of Embermere, #2)]]> 131811607 436 Lucía Ashta LainieLibrary 1
The first one was rough (seriously, it was so bad), but I found myself inexplicably committed to knowing what happens. Who is Elowyn's mom? Is it actually the queen because they look so much alike?? Why is her father unbearably stupid? Do either Rush of Elowyn develop a personality at some point? I need to know (p.s., someone please tell me). But, that need to know lost out compared to how absolutely boring this story is. Elowyn continues to be a horny teenager (that's as much of a personality she was awarded by the author), Rush is as bland as water, and the queen is almost cartoonish and entirely overpowered. When Elowyn starts talking about how she LOVES Rush (after knowing him for like 2 weeks, maybe) - I realized I could not handle the rest of the story. There's a continuous loop of Elowyn being obsessed with Rush to then saying she needs to stay away from him because he's evil/a spy/working with the queen. That's the entire plot up until I gave up. Oh, and there's a lot of crotch grabbing for some reason? Yuck.

As with the first book, the whole thing comes off incredibly juvenile and I cannot find it in me to care one ounce for the characters or the (almost nonexistent) plot.]]> 4.00 2023 Fae Champion (Royals of Embermere, #2)
author: Lucía Ashta
name: LainieLibrary
average rating: 4.00
book published: 2023
rating: 1
read at: 2023/10/13
date added: 2023/10/13
shelves: dnf, 2023, dragons, fae, romance
review:
1 Star - DNF @ 23%

The first one was rough (seriously, it was so bad), but I found myself inexplicably committed to knowing what happens. Who is Elowyn's mom? Is it actually the queen because they look so much alike?? Why is her father unbearably stupid? Do either Rush of Elowyn develop a personality at some point? I need to know (p.s., someone please tell me). But, that need to know lost out compared to how absolutely boring this story is. Elowyn continues to be a horny teenager (that's as much of a personality she was awarded by the author), Rush is as bland as water, and the queen is almost cartoonish and entirely overpowered. When Elowyn starts talking about how she LOVES Rush (after knowing him for like 2 weeks, maybe) - I realized I could not handle the rest of the story. There's a continuous loop of Elowyn being obsessed with Rush to then saying she needs to stay away from him because he's evil/a spy/working with the queen. That's the entire plot up until I gave up. Oh, and there's a lot of crotch grabbing for some reason? Yuck.

As with the first book, the whole thing comes off incredibly juvenile and I cannot find it in me to care one ounce for the characters or the (almost nonexistent) plot.
]]> <![CDATA[Bite the Woman That Feeds (Dirty Blood, #1)]]> 124947766 Kingsnake only wanted my blood—but now he wants all of me.

A sickness has claimed the kingdoms of men. Everyone is either sick or dying, weak to a curse that has no cure—except for me. I’m immune to this mysterious illness, and I do my best to heal the sick and ease the pain of the dying. I was supposed to marry the Prince of Raventower, but after his father and elder brother succumbed to the sickness, he’s now king—and can only marry someone of his station. He broke all his promises to me—and broke my heart.

Kingsnake, King of Vampires and Lord of Darkness, marches upon our gates and demands a handful of our healthiest citizens. The vampires have always stuck to their lands and never invaded ours, but their lack of food has made them desperate. King Elias not only succumbs to his demands—but he offers me on the condition that Kingsnake never return. The man I loved betrayed me—and will feed me to a monster.

I become a prisoner to the vampire king and witness his cruelty and malice first-hand. I knew I would hate him, but I didn’t know how much I would hate him. The feeling is mutual, because I can feel the emotions of those around me, and his emotions burn with rage anytime he’s in my presence. But the second he tastes my blood everything changes�

His anger is replaced by an intensity I’ve never felt in my life. It’s so powerful it smothers me until I can’t breathe. His stare is like wildfire, so searing hot it makes my skin melt. I know he wants me—and he wants me more than anyone else ever has. Even the man I loved never wanted me like this�

I would never sleep with a vampire…but Kingsnake is no ordinary vampire.]]> 452 Penelope Barsetti LainieLibrary 2
LMAO this one was insane. Vampires but snake themed. Want to guess their names? We have Kingsnakes, Cobras, and a general named Viper. The FMC, Larissa, is insufferable.

The vampire snake king (who is snakey but also has a snake friend, think Nagini) heads to the human kingdom to fetch humans to eat (bc too many are dying from a plague or something and his people are starving). BTW his name is Kingsnake (but that's also his vampire species name I think??). Anyways - Larissa is immune to the plague so she's the lucky prize for Kingsnake himself to snack on. She's incredibly stupid and tries to run away, fights, etc because vampires are bad. Kingsnake tastes her and is like wow she's powerful and I like this blood and that somehow leads to "I am going to do anything I can to fuck her". Eventually some evil faeries are introed.

The sex scenes are atrocious. There's exactly 0 explanation on how people become vampires, how they started, etc. Then there's also some big plot holes regarding why Larissa is immune. She seems to know why, talks about hiding "what she is", but them Kingsnake seemingly reveals what she is TO her. Anyways - this was absolute chaos and very poorly written. 2 stars because I finished it and it was entertaining enough.]]> 3.91 Bite the Woman That Feeds (Dirty Blood, #1)
author: Penelope Barsetti
name: LainieLibrary
average rating: 3.91
book published:
rating: 2
read at: 2023/09/27
date added: 2023/10/09
shelves: 2023, fantasy, romance, vampires
review:
2 Stars

LMAO this one was insane. Vampires but snake themed. Want to guess their names? We have Kingsnakes, Cobras, and a general named Viper. The FMC, Larissa, is insufferable.

The vampire snake king (who is snakey but also has a snake friend, think Nagini) heads to the human kingdom to fetch humans to eat (bc too many are dying from a plague or something and his people are starving). BTW his name is Kingsnake (but that's also his vampire species name I think??). Anyways - Larissa is immune to the plague so she's the lucky prize for Kingsnake himself to snack on. She's incredibly stupid and tries to run away, fights, etc because vampires are bad. Kingsnake tastes her and is like wow she's powerful and I like this blood and that somehow leads to "I am going to do anything I can to fuck her". Eventually some evil faeries are introed.

The sex scenes are atrocious. There's exactly 0 explanation on how people become vampires, how they started, etc. Then there's also some big plot holes regarding why Larissa is immune. She seems to know why, talks about hiding "what she is", but them Kingsnake seemingly reveals what she is TO her. Anyways - this was absolute chaos and very poorly written. 2 stars because I finished it and it was entertaining enough.
]]> <![CDATA[Fae Heir (Royals of Embermere, #1)]]> 123977323 Win the trials, earn a crown—or fail and lose everything.

The heir of Embermere has unexpectedly died, and now a new prince and princess must be crowned.

I’ve been hiding out with the dragons, but then mysterious fae show up at the dragons� stronghold and abduct me at the king’s command.

The royals of Embermere are hosting the Fae Heir Trials to find their successors. The winners will marry and become the next to rule the fae lands. Turns out I’m the king’s illegitimate daughter and the wicked queen intends to kill me off during the challenges.

I find myself thrust into a barbaric tournament where death is all but guaranteed. I’m competing against the most gorgeous, deadly fae warriors of the realm. Determined, agile men who’ve been training to claim this chance all their lives—including clan leader Rush Vega.

Rush Vega is the Crown’s favorite, devastatingly charming and dangerously tempting. His combat skills and dark secrets will be my undoing. With my survival on the line, my heart must resist his pull and those intriguing moonlight eyes. He’s the queen’s spy, and that makes him my number one enemy.

My life might have become a game of savage brutality, but the Queen of Embermere underestimated me.

I was born a fighter. And I intend to win.

* This novel is slow-burn fantasy romance with lots of adventurous action, along with some graphic violence and sexual scenarios. Fae Heir is the first book in the Royals of Embermere series. Its books are best read in order as the storyline continues until the final book in the series, which will conclude with a happily-ever-after.]]> 434 Lucía Ashta LainieLibrary 2 2023, fantasy, fae, romance
Really a 1 star read, but I was curious enough finish and I kept hoping things would improve (they didn't). I assumed this was the authors debut, but it looks like she has released other books. To be frank, this was bad. I finished the book and the most memorable parts are a. The FMC is a complete idiot who doesn't know how to bide her time. She's warned 100x that the fae queen is completely evil, but she constantly runs her mouth and puts the people she loves at risk. b. The FMC has to rush from place to place... a lot. I'm not kidding, I think 10% of the scenes in this book are the FMC being physically rushed and told to move faster by her goblin servant. It became so repetitive and annoying. "Move, hurry, we have to get to the queen or she will kill us!" then the FMC literally just stands around. Then the queen is like "You are late, I will kill everyone you love". I'm not even sure why these sequences were included??? c. The FMC is a virgin and seems to talk about it a lot. It's apparently why she has the hots for the guard (the MMC). See, she is a virgin and can't control herself because of that!

Yeah, so to say the least, this was very odd. The dialogue feels childish and cringey - like this is an NA book, but everyone acts as if it's a YA. The actual plot is that the FMC was raised by dragons and then is kidnapped and brought to the fae (who we are then told are elves at one point???). Anyways, the king is her dad and the queen is not her mom. The queen wants to kill her so she makes her go through this strange competition to keep the blood off her hands (note, she's supposed to die in said competition). Oh, and then there's this threat off to the side of people randomly being murdered. The MMC is her guard and has the personality of a leaf. He's also a spy for the queen. The FMC also has no personality - she's just annoying. The world has 0 worldbuilding, I have no idea how things work. We are supposed to know about the dragons, but even that is confusing. Are dragons shifters, are they just dragons, are there also humans that just... guard?.. said dragons? Nothing makes sense.

I'm not going to explain every example, but there are a lot of plot holes. In short, the FMC has a spell that prevents her from speaking about her past to people and the writer seems to mix up what people already know vs. what she tries to tell them. Like the MMC will already know some things, but then later on it's as if he doesn't know X thing the FMC is trying to tell him.

Oh, and the romance is abysmal. The scenes throughout the book have horrible flow, and the characters are incredibly one-dimensional, so unsurprisingly there's not even an ounce of chemistry between the FMC and MMC. And the ending was extremely abrupt, it felt like the story ended mid-paragraph. I did download the next book (mostly out of curiosity) and will give it a try, but I have low expectations.]]> 4.04 2023 Fae Heir (Royals of Embermere, #1)
author: Lucía Ashta
name: LainieLibrary
average rating: 4.04
book published: 2023
rating: 2
read at: 2023/10/08
date added: 2023/10/09
shelves: 2023, fantasy, fae, romance
review:
2 Stars

Really a 1 star read, but I was curious enough finish and I kept hoping things would improve (they didn't). I assumed this was the authors debut, but it looks like she has released other books. To be frank, this was bad. I finished the book and the most memorable parts are a. The FMC is a complete idiot who doesn't know how to bide her time. She's warned 100x that the fae queen is completely evil, but she constantly runs her mouth and puts the people she loves at risk. b. The FMC has to rush from place to place... a lot. I'm not kidding, I think 10% of the scenes in this book are the FMC being physically rushed and told to move faster by her goblin servant. It became so repetitive and annoying. "Move, hurry, we have to get to the queen or she will kill us!" then the FMC literally just stands around. Then the queen is like "You are late, I will kill everyone you love". I'm not even sure why these sequences were included??? c. The FMC is a virgin and seems to talk about it a lot. It's apparently why she has the hots for the guard (the MMC). See, she is a virgin and can't control herself because of that!

Yeah, so to say the least, this was very odd. The dialogue feels childish and cringey - like this is an NA book, but everyone acts as if it's a YA. The actual plot is that the FMC was raised by dragons and then is kidnapped and brought to the fae (who we are then told are elves at one point???). Anyways, the king is her dad and the queen is not her mom. The queen wants to kill her so she makes her go through this strange competition to keep the blood off her hands (note, she's supposed to die in said competition). Oh, and then there's this threat off to the side of people randomly being murdered. The MMC is her guard and has the personality of a leaf. He's also a spy for the queen. The FMC also has no personality - she's just annoying. The world has 0 worldbuilding, I have no idea how things work. We are supposed to know about the dragons, but even that is confusing. Are dragons shifters, are they just dragons, are there also humans that just... guard?.. said dragons? Nothing makes sense.

I'm not going to explain every example, but there are a lot of plot holes. In short, the FMC has a spell that prevents her from speaking about her past to people and the writer seems to mix up what people already know vs. what she tries to tell them. Like the MMC will already know some things, but then later on it's as if he doesn't know X thing the FMC is trying to tell him.

Oh, and the romance is abysmal. The scenes throughout the book have horrible flow, and the characters are incredibly one-dimensional, so unsurprisingly there's not even an ounce of chemistry between the FMC and MMC. And the ending was extremely abrupt, it felt like the story ended mid-paragraph. I did download the next book (mostly out of curiosity) and will give it a try, but I have low expectations.
]]> The Inmate 61149872 1) Treat all prisoners with respect.
2) Never reveal any personal information.
3) Never EVER become too friendly with the inmates.

But none of the staff at the prison knows Brooke has already broken the rules. Nobody knows about her intimate connection to Shane Nelson, one of the penitentiary's most notorious and dangerous inmates. And they certainly don't know that Shane was Brooke's high school sweetheart―the star quarterback who is now spending the rest of his life in prison for a series of grisly murders. Or that Brooke's testimony was what put him there.

But Shane knows. And he will never forget.]]> 388 Freida McFadden LainieLibrary 3 2023, mystery
This was a solid 4 stars until I got to the last 30%, but then the ending completely fell apart.

Brooke Sullivan is a nurse practitioner who moves back to the town she grew up in after her parents passed away. She hasn't so much as visited in the last 10 years, but when her and her son need a change, she decides to move into her childhood home. The only job she is able to find is at the nearby men's maximum security prison, so she takes it, but not without reservation because her ex/high school sweetheart (Shane Nelson) is sentenced to life there based on her testimony as an 18-years old.

The story can be summed up by Brooke's inability to take a step back and look at things objectively. She starts to waver on her past testimony, now that she's back in town, as she's reconnected with her friends and enemies from the past. The story alternates from present day to the past and the lead up/occurrence of the grisly crime that resulted in Shane's incarceration.

Like I said, I enjoyed the first 70% and thought the present to past chapters worked well. Sometimes it can be super annoying, but I thought it fit in very well here. I could barely put this down and overall it's a super easy read.

But, Brooke is a terrible MC. With everything going on, and all the uncertainty, I found Brooke to be incredibly stupid. Almost every event that happened in this book could have been prevented by Brooke just taking a moment to use her brain and pay attention to what's going on. She was incredibly trusting, which was even more shocking considering she has a son. I didn't hate her, but she was incredibly hard to like.

The ending is what ruined everything. It wrapped up way too quickly and was entirely unbelievable. I won't spoil anything, but truly, you can't convince me that the ending made any sense. It was too convenient and felt thrown together. Then the epilogue was even worse and was an awful note to end on. Overall, the ending was an absolute mess and was complete nonsense.

Still, I would recommend because it wasn't terrible. It felt kind of similar to The Luckiest Girl Alive, which I loved. ]]> 4.03 2022 The Inmate
author: Freida McFadden
name: LainieLibrary
average rating: 4.03
book published: 2022
rating: 3
read at: 2023/06/23
date added: 2023/10/08
shelves: 2023, mystery
review:
3.5 Stars

This was a solid 4 stars until I got to the last 30%, but then the ending completely fell apart.

Brooke Sullivan is a nurse practitioner who moves back to the town she grew up in after her parents passed away. She hasn't so much as visited in the last 10 years, but when her and her son need a change, she decides to move into her childhood home. The only job she is able to find is at the nearby men's maximum security prison, so she takes it, but not without reservation because her ex/high school sweetheart (Shane Nelson) is sentenced to life there based on her testimony as an 18-years old.

The story can be summed up by Brooke's inability to take a step back and look at things objectively. She starts to waver on her past testimony, now that she's back in town, as she's reconnected with her friends and enemies from the past. The story alternates from present day to the past and the lead up/occurrence of the grisly crime that resulted in Shane's incarceration.

Like I said, I enjoyed the first 70% and thought the present to past chapters worked well. Sometimes it can be super annoying, but I thought it fit in very well here. I could barely put this down and overall it's a super easy read.

But, Brooke is a terrible MC. With everything going on, and all the uncertainty, I found Brooke to be incredibly stupid. Almost every event that happened in this book could have been prevented by Brooke just taking a moment to use her brain and pay attention to what's going on. She was incredibly trusting, which was even more shocking considering she has a son. I didn't hate her, but she was incredibly hard to like.

The ending is what ruined everything. It wrapped up way too quickly and was entirely unbelievable. I won't spoil anything, but truly, you can't convince me that the ending made any sense. It was too convenient and felt thrown together. Then the epilogue was even worse and was an awful note to end on. Overall, the ending was an absolute mess and was complete nonsense.

Still, I would recommend because it wasn't terrible. It felt kind of similar to The Luckiest Girl Alive, which I loved.
]]> <![CDATA[The Broken Vows (The Windsors, #4)]]> 150062296 She was his first love, his first heartbreak, and his only regret.

Zane Windsor always loved the way Celeste Harrison’s eyes light up when he infuriates her. It just took him years to realize that what he felt for his childhood rival wasn’t hatred.

When they begin working for their family businesses, competing on a larger scale than ever before, he decides he wants it all with her � and what Zane Windsor wants, he gets.

Zane and Celeste discover just how thin the line between love and hate truly is, falling harder than either of them thought possible...

…until an unexpected tragedy leaves them wondering if any of it was ever real at all.

Led by a desire for revenge, Zane brings Celeste’s company to the brink of bankruptcy, leaving both of their grandparents no choice but to intervene.

The Windsors and Harrisons agree to a merger � on one condition: Zane and Celeste must marry each other.]]> 557 Catharina Maura LainieLibrary 3 2023, contemporary_romance
Entertaining as always, but the actual plot was so so strange. I can say that I liked this overall, but it was objectively bad..?

The first 150 pages felt like an outlandishly scripted play. The dialogue was SO absurd, I found myself skimming. A lot of flowery, beyond dramatic, monologues about how obsessed Zane is with Celeste. It kept taking me out of the story because I couldn't stop thinking WTF. Celeste and Zane were a bit slim in the personality department and the only thing I can say about the beginning (in the past) portion is "That was super cringey".

After the *very dramatic event* happened and we fast forward 5 years the story VASTLY improves. Seriously, it was like night and day. The drama and angst held me hostage... until it became unbelievable repetitive. We get it - Zane and Celeste are forced to marry and can't move on together due to the tragic breakup and *very dramatic event* that happened. The back and forth between "Let's try to make this work" and "We are beyond unhappy and will never return to our former selves" lasted like 20% of the book. I couldn't help skimming at a certain point because nothing new was being introduced to the story. Eventually I made it to the end, and it was predictable and fine. I can't say this lives up to some of the other stories in this series. I did like Celeste and Zane together, and felt their chemistry, but things dragged... a lot.

Also, I have to say (without spoilers) the *very dramatic event* was SO poorly portrayed. And the miscommunication the followed was beyond aggravating. I am excited for the next book in the series, and still have high hopes, but this was a bit of a flop.]]> 4.05 The Broken Vows (The Windsors, #4)
author: Catharina Maura
name: LainieLibrary
average rating: 4.05
book published:
rating: 3
read at: 2023/10/06
date added: 2023/10/08
shelves: 2023, contemporary_romance
review:
3 Stars

Entertaining as always, but the actual plot was so so strange. I can say that I liked this overall, but it was objectively bad..?

The first 150 pages felt like an outlandishly scripted play. The dialogue was SO absurd, I found myself skimming. A lot of flowery, beyond dramatic, monologues about how obsessed Zane is with Celeste. It kept taking me out of the story because I couldn't stop thinking WTF. Celeste and Zane were a bit slim in the personality department and the only thing I can say about the beginning (in the past) portion is "That was super cringey".

After the *very dramatic event* happened and we fast forward 5 years the story VASTLY improves. Seriously, it was like night and day. The drama and angst held me hostage... until it became unbelievable repetitive. We get it - Zane and Celeste are forced to marry and can't move on together due to the tragic breakup and *very dramatic event* that happened. The back and forth between "Let's try to make this work" and "We are beyond unhappy and will never return to our former selves" lasted like 20% of the book. I couldn't help skimming at a certain point because nothing new was being introduced to the story. Eventually I made it to the end, and it was predictable and fine. I can't say this lives up to some of the other stories in this series. I did like Celeste and Zane together, and felt their chemistry, but things dragged... a lot.

Also, I have to say (without spoilers) the *very dramatic event* was SO poorly portrayed. And the miscommunication the followed was beyond aggravating. I am excited for the next book in the series, and still have high hopes, but this was a bit of a flop.
]]> <![CDATA[A Kingdom This Cursed and Empty (Kingdom of Lies, #2)]]> 123385361 Or be destroyed by it.

In a world darkened by deceit, the truth is a light that won’t be dimmed. Even when it illuminates Lorian’s betrayals more starkly than I could ever want to see.

They call him the Bloodthirsty Prince.

His reign of terror has left a trail of blood across this continent. A trail that intertwines with my own past–not even my parents were spared from his merciless slaughter.

To save my brother’s life, I agreed to another bargain with the fae prince. Now, I’m forced to work with him. Forced to travel to the fae lands. Forced to spend my every waking moment with the man who betrayed me. All because King Sabium has woven a deadly tapestry of manipulation, using those we least suspect for his wicked schemes.

There are no lines I won’t cross to protect the people I love. So I’ll work with former enemies. I’ll manipulate, blackmail, and deceive potential allies. I’ll swallow my pride, bury my shattered heart, and cooperate with the fae to prepare for the coming war.

Because there are creatures far more monstrous than the fae.

And some of them masquerade as men.]]> 536 Stacia Stark LainieLibrary 3 2023, fantasy, fae, romance
Welp, I marked this as 4 stars when I finished and planned to write a review later... now it's later and I'm having a tough time remembering what happened. For whatever reason my brain keeps crossing the events of this book with the plot of Lady of Darkness. The two feel so similar with only slight variances.

This is the one with the misunderstood prince (he's not really a killer!) and the girly whose entire species name is "hybrid". Prisca is the heir and needs to rule her scattered subjects (or whatever). She seems to make pretty terrible decisions and won't listen to anyone with real knowledge and experience because of course she wouldn't. I'm overall losing interest in this series - I need more chemistry and angst between Prisca and Lorian. This is 508 pages and I can't think of anything fantastic or memorable. ]]> 4.07 2023 A Kingdom This Cursed and Empty (Kingdom of Lies, #2)
author: Stacia Stark
name: LainieLibrary
average rating: 4.07
book published: 2023
rating: 3
read at: 2023/09/17
date added: 2023/10/02
shelves: 2023, fantasy, fae, romance
review:
3 Stars

Welp, I marked this as 4 stars when I finished and planned to write a review later... now it's later and I'm having a tough time remembering what happened. For whatever reason my brain keeps crossing the events of this book with the plot of Lady of Darkness. The two feel so similar with only slight variances.

This is the one with the misunderstood prince (he's not really a killer!) and the girly whose entire species name is "hybrid". Prisca is the heir and needs to rule her scattered subjects (or whatever). She seems to make pretty terrible decisions and won't listen to anyone with real knowledge and experience because of course she wouldn't. I'm overall losing interest in this series - I need more chemistry and angst between Prisca and Lorian. This is 508 pages and I can't think of anything fantastic or memorable.
]]> <![CDATA[My Temptation (Kingston Lane, #1)]]> 123179559 475 T.L. Swan 1662512740 LainieLibrary 3 contemporary_romance, 2023
I hoped this would be as good as the Mile High series, but alas it is not. I suppose I can only blame myself for the disappointment because comparing a series about chaotic hot billionaire brothers to people who live in a cul-de-sac isn't exactly fair.

Sure, the trope of "neighbors" is fine but not particularly exciting. There was the whole "they hooked up in the past" thing + a dash of miscommunication, but overall this fell a bit flat. Henley is a garbage can. He's a huge jerk at times, but isn't so unhinged that it's funny? The FMC chases after him the entire time, but he treats her like dog shit. I wanted her to run off with the interior designer.

Still spicy and entertaining though!]]> 4.00 2023 My Temptation (Kingston Lane, #1)
author: T.L. Swan
name: LainieLibrary
average rating: 4.00
book published: 2023
rating: 3
read at: 2023/09/28
date added: 2023/10/02
shelves: contemporary_romance, 2023
review:
3 Stars

I hoped this would be as good as the Mile High series, but alas it is not. I suppose I can only blame myself for the disappointment because comparing a series about chaotic hot billionaire brothers to people who live in a cul-de-sac isn't exactly fair.

Sure, the trope of "neighbors" is fine but not particularly exciting. There was the whole "they hooked up in the past" thing + a dash of miscommunication, but overall this fell a bit flat. Henley is a garbage can. He's a huge jerk at times, but isn't so unhinged that it's funny? The FMC chases after him the entire time, but he treats her like dog shit. I wanted her to run off with the interior designer.

Still spicy and entertaining though!
]]> <![CDATA[Peaches & Honey: These Immortal Truths (Peaches and Honey, #1)]]> 62691790 an immortality granting peach,
and a woman gifted with forever.

England, 1184: Anna is used to hunger and hardship. Ever since she was seventeen, when the pale shadows of her vitiligo were spotted, she has spent more than a decade struggling to survive alone and in exile. Then a single act of kindness towards a beautiful stranger and the taste of a divine peach changes Anna's life forever.

Suddenly, her body is as untouched by Time as it by harm. As she watches the world change around her, knowing every human connection is only temporary, there is only one person she trusts to always return no matter the years or distance...

The shapeshifting god who gifted her with immortality.]]> 320 R. Raeta LainieLibrary 5 2023, fantasy, romance
Wow - I loved this. Like Age of Adeline but better and I bawled my eyes out! The romance is barely there until like 70%, so the plot was basically Anna's view of this everchanging, unfair, world after being granted immortality. And it was SO good. I'm not going to spoil anything but gosh it was so dang emotional at times. I loved the magical elements so much, I don't think I would change a thing. Sure, a bit more romance and spice would have been fun - but it's not really necessary and it seems like that will pick up/be explored more as the series goes on.

I'm anxiously awaiting the next book in the series!]]> 4.21 2023 Peaches & Honey: These Immortal Truths (Peaches and Honey, #1)
author: R. Raeta
name: LainieLibrary
average rating: 4.21
book published: 2023
rating: 5
read at: 2023/09/29
date added: 2023/10/02
shelves: 2023, fantasy, romance
review:
5 Stars

Wow - I loved this. Like Age of Adeline but better and I bawled my eyes out! The romance is barely there until like 70%, so the plot was basically Anna's view of this everchanging, unfair, world after being granted immortality. And it was SO good. I'm not going to spoil anything but gosh it was so dang emotional at times. I loved the magical elements so much, I don't think I would change a thing. Sure, a bit more romance and spice would have been fun - but it's not really necessary and it seems like that will pick up/be explored more as the series goes on.

I'm anxiously awaiting the next book in the series!
]]> <![CDATA[The Devil to Pay (Wicked Sons #1)]]> 75452186
Their mothers dared all for love...
Their sisters did the same.
Something wicked this way comes...

A Wicked Son�

Tall, dark and handsome, ridiculously wealthy, and the heir to a title. With so many blessings in his life, for this Wicked Son there is very little point in being anything more than ornamental. Or at least� that is what everyone believes, but this man has a secret. For a man in his position, if anyone discovered he is the mysterious author of The Ghosts of Castle Madruzzo , it would make him a figure of ridicule.
His first novel was a tremendous success, and though his sales are excellent, he is aware he has never quite recaptured the dynamism of that first book. His readers don’t seem to care and clamour for more, yet a certain lady critic keeps plaguing him with bad reviews. Somehow, she has guessed he is a nobleman, and delights in finding fault with his less elevated characters.

A little time undercover should do the trick, to prove to himself, and the lady, that he is nothing if not committed to his art.

A lady to be reckoned with�

As the eldest–and only sensible sibling–in an overburdened family, Selina Davenport is holding onto sanity by a thread. The absolute last thing she needs is the presence in her life of an over privileged nob pretending to be something he’s not. Like she can’t tell at a glance that he is not the lowly gardener he is purporting to be. The nincompoop.

That’s not to say she isn’t prepared to have a little fun at his expense.

A game that gets out of hand�

But when an immovable object meets an irresistible challenge, sparks are bound to fly, but will they burn down everything around them?

This is the first book in the new series, Wicked Sons.]]> 337 Emma V. Leech 2492133680 LainieLibrary 3 2023, historical_romance
Finally, Jules' story. I liked it, but didn't love it ya know? It was sweet - I thought Selina was a fantastic FMC, it was well paced, and it felt a touch more humorous than some of the other books (I found myself laughing out loud a couple of times), but there was something missing. It almost felt like Jules picked Selina because she was the correct choice/would help him grow up vs. actually having chemistry? Selina is a formidable, no-nonsense woman who can command a room and would be a lovely duchess - just like his mother. That felt like the reason Jules found himself falling in "love" - out of duty almost? I did love Selina, and I love Jules, but I'm not convinced by the two of them being together...]]> 4.37 2023 The Devil to Pay (Wicked Sons #1)
author: Emma V. Leech
name: LainieLibrary
average rating: 4.37
book published: 2023
rating: 3
read at: 2023/10/01
date added: 2023/10/02
shelves: 2023, historical_romance
review:
3.5 Stars

Finally, Jules' story. I liked it, but didn't love it ya know? It was sweet - I thought Selina was a fantastic FMC, it was well paced, and it felt a touch more humorous than some of the other books (I found myself laughing out loud a couple of times), but there was something missing. It almost felt like Jules picked Selina because she was the correct choice/would help him grow up vs. actually having chemistry? Selina is a formidable, no-nonsense woman who can command a room and would be a lovely duchess - just like his mother. That felt like the reason Jules found himself falling in "love" - out of duty almost? I did love Selina, and I love Jules, but I'm not convinced by the two of them being together...
]]> <![CDATA[Lady of Shadows (Lady of Darkness, #2)]]> 62987128 SHOW ME YOUR DARKNESS, AND I'LL SHOW YOU MINE.
*THE STARS ARE FADING.
*THE SHADOWS ARE CALLING.
*THE DARKNESS THREATENS EVERYTHING.

ANOTHER PRETTY CAGE.
Whisked away to the Fire Court, Scarlett Monrhoe finds herself in the hands of the man who killed her mother. The Prince of Fire. Thrust amongst the Fae court she loathes, she is at their mercy. She doesn't know what plans he has for her, but she has plans of her own. She just hasn't decided how thoroughly she wants to break him yet. If only he didn't tempt her with every breath, every touch, every kiss. It's another dangerous game that has her wondering if she will be the one irreparably broken in the end.

ANOTHER DANGEROUS GAME.
The Fae Queen has plans of her own. She's determined to get to Scarlett in any way she can, and that includes using a mortal prince that followed the lost Fae princess across the border. Crown Prince Callan is desperate to get Scarlett back from the Fire Prince and return to Baylorin. The question is, what is he willing to sacrifice for the Wraith he loves who's trailed by shadows?

ANOTHER RACE AGAINST TIME.
Every day that passes, Lord Tyndell and Mikale get closer to finding where she is hidden in the Fire Court. Every day that passes puts those Scarlett left behind in more danger. Every day that passes, more secrets are revealed. Truth has been buried in history that has long-since been rewritten, but in order to separate facts from lies, they will be forced to cross other borders and seek answers from kingdoms far more terrifying than the Fire Court.

Lady of Shadows is a new adult dark fantasy and romance novel. It's a slow-burn, enemies-to-lovers troupe. It may have triggers of love-hate themes, sexual scenes (both consensual and non), violence, and jealous/possessive themes. Fans of Sarah J. Maas, Jennifer L. Armentrout, and Leigh Bardugo will fall in love with this series.]]> 560 Melissa K. Roehrich LainieLibrary 2 2023, fae, fantasy
This took me forever to read and forever to review, which probably sums up my feelings on this. Sure, the world and plot is a bit different from ACOTAR, but then we have almost exact copying of specific scenes which is... odd.

I found myself begin to hate Scarlett. She's dumb and getting way way way overpowered. She clearly knows nothing but continues to make important decisions while completely ignoring the advice everyone is giving her. I thought the first book was interesting and loved the direction of the story, but this somehow feels way too similar to other books I've read and is entirely unoriginal. Also, admittedly a bit of a pet peeve of mine, why do MMCs lose their entire personalities after they ~fall in love~? There's a ton of characters but do I like any of them? Eh, no... This is entirely too long and by the end I was just happy I didn't DNF.

Talwyn is cool actually, and seems to have an interesting personality and past. I wish the series was about her instead! ]]> 4.16 2021 Lady of Shadows (Lady of Darkness, #2)
author: Melissa K. Roehrich
name: LainieLibrary
average rating: 4.16
book published: 2021
rating: 2
read at: 2023/08/29
date added: 2023/09/08
shelves: 2023, fae, fantasy
review:
2 Stars

This took me forever to read and forever to review, which probably sums up my feelings on this. Sure, the world and plot is a bit different from ACOTAR, but then we have almost exact copying of specific scenes which is... odd.

I found myself begin to hate Scarlett. She's dumb and getting way way way overpowered. She clearly knows nothing but continues to make important decisions while completely ignoring the advice everyone is giving her. I thought the first book was interesting and loved the direction of the story, but this somehow feels way too similar to other books I've read and is entirely unoriginal. Also, admittedly a bit of a pet peeve of mine, why do MMCs lose their entire personalities after they ~fall in love~? There's a ton of characters but do I like any of them? Eh, no... This is entirely too long and by the end I was just happy I didn't DNF.

Talwyn is cool actually, and seems to have an interesting personality and past. I wish the series was about her instead!
]]> <![CDATA[Lady of Darkness (Lady of Darkness, #1)]]> 62987104 A CAGE.

Owned by a ruthless Assassin Lord, Scarlett Monrhoe and her two sisters have been trained since they were children to torture and take life. They are the most feared trio on the continent, but they are also wild and unpredictable. A tragic night has Scarlett finding herself locked away in a noble's household, trapped and forgotten, until she's ready to fall into line.

A CHOICE.
Until the day she is presented with a job. If she completes the assignment, her payment will be something she has coveted for ten years. Revenge against the Fae Fire Prince who brutally killed her mother ten years ago. Is she willing to sacrifice her ideals for retribution?

A MYSTERY.
But when children begin disappearing from her home, all her plans are put on hold as she races to save the most innocent. With the help of old friends, a jilted lover, and a mysterious newcomer who claims the magic of the Fae is possible in the mortal lands, Scarlett delves into the darkest corners of the world. Forgotten secrets will come to light, and she will discover the darkness extends far beyond her own kingdom.

Lady of Darkness is a new adult, fantasy, enemies-to-lovers romance and adventure novel that will appeal to lovers of possessive Fae, wicked Witches, sexy Shifters, and arrogant Vampires. It may have triggers of love-hate themes, sexual scenes (both consensual and non), violence, and jealous/possessive themes.]]> 525 Melissa K. Roehrich LainieLibrary 4 2023, fantasy, romance, fae
This was awesome. I don't know what kept me from picking this up, I've been seeing it pop up for ages, so I'm very happy I finally gave it a try. I will say I had to push through the first 10% though. The beginning didn't pull me in? But once I gave it a far try I was absolutely sucked into the story and stayed up until 3:00am in an attempt to finish it.

Sure, this isn't revolutionary, but I thought the world was intriguing and very well explained. There are the fae courts, human kingdoms, shifters, and witches occupying this world. The beginning starts off with barely anything explained to the reader, then the gaps are filled as we make our way through the story. I found this style frustrating at times, and there were moments when I felt a bit lost, but that wasn't a huge issue. Learning about the world didn't feel confusing or particularly info-dumpy, which was great. There was a very good flow.

I loved Scarlett. She was raised as an assassin in the Black Syndicate, but then something happened and she was shipped off to live with Lord Tyrell. She is strong and has a great heart. The romance was also very very well developed. Such a good slow burn with a (kind of) enemies-to friends- to lovers thing going on.

Overall, this was reminiscent of TOG but not in a bad reproduction way. It's a long book, and a ton happens throughout, but the pacing was superb.]]> 3.98 2020 Lady of Darkness (Lady of Darkness, #1)
author: Melissa K. Roehrich
name: LainieLibrary
average rating: 3.98
book published: 2020
rating: 4
read at: 2023/08/15
date added: 2023/08/16
shelves: 2023, fantasy, romance, fae
review:
4.5

This was awesome. I don't know what kept me from picking this up, I've been seeing it pop up for ages, so I'm very happy I finally gave it a try. I will say I had to push through the first 10% though. The beginning didn't pull me in? But once I gave it a far try I was absolutely sucked into the story and stayed up until 3:00am in an attempt to finish it.

Sure, this isn't revolutionary, but I thought the world was intriguing and very well explained. There are the fae courts, human kingdoms, shifters, and witches occupying this world. The beginning starts off with barely anything explained to the reader, then the gaps are filled as we make our way through the story. I found this style frustrating at times, and there were moments when I felt a bit lost, but that wasn't a huge issue. Learning about the world didn't feel confusing or particularly info-dumpy, which was great. There was a very good flow.

I loved Scarlett. She was raised as an assassin in the Black Syndicate, but then something happened and she was shipped off to live with Lord Tyrell. She is strong and has a great heart. The romance was also very very well developed. Such a good slow burn with a (kind of) enemies-to friends- to lovers thing going on.

Overall, this was reminiscent of TOG but not in a bad reproduction way. It's a long book, and a ton happens throughout, but the pacing was superb.
]]> <![CDATA[Nectar of the Wicked (Deadly Divine, #1)]]> 63308923
To find those who discarded me at birth, I must sneak into Faerie.

But my deceased guardian left more than scars upon my heart. Debts are owed to the madam at the Lair of Lust, and I’m forced to repay them.

My first client is a faerie king who offers to give me everything I’ve always wanted. The king will take me to Faerie if I make a blood vow to marry him. A collection of sweltering meetings fool me into believing his reasons for choosing me to be his queen—a changeling without so much as a name.

For upon my arrival in his kingdom, I receive the answers I’ve craved and the truth behind his motives.

My wonder and infatuation for the king and his wintry realm are snuffed by hatred and fear. Though loathing him is futile when venomous words and spiteful games only prove to excite him. Once again, I’m trapped. This time, with an enemy I cannot hide from. One with enough heat in his eyes to melt my resolve, and enough power at his frosted fingertips to accomplish his sinister goals.

To survive all I’ve discovered, not only will I need to unearth King Florian’s dead heart—I will need to guard my own before he tricks it, too.]]> 338 Ella Fields LainieLibrary 4 2023, fantasy, romance, fae
Ella Fields has been hit or miss for me - I either love or hate the book, so I'm happy to report this falls in under "love". My bar may be a little low, since I've been having terrible luck with fantasy romances, but overall I do think this was very good.

First of all, the pacing was absolutely on point. This is a duology, which is perfect, so the story kept moving along at a great pace. We didn't get a book of slowly traveling through a forest to pack pages in a 5 book series - which I have to say happens in 9 out of 10 fantasy books I have read in the last year. And yes, I'm so bitter about this fact.

Now for the actual story - Flea is a young woman who was raised by an absolute monster of a women (hence, the name Flea). See, she's a changeling in the human "portion" of her world, and the women who raised her has only kept her alive in hopes of trading Flea for her real daughter. Not surprisingly, this doesn't work and Flea finds herself alone in the world. Her only goal and hope in life is to find her real family, but getting into the fae kingdoms is almost impossible. She then meets an extremely handsome man at a brothel and eventually finds herself making a deal to marry him for his help with finding her family.

I actually really liked Flea. She overcame an abusive upbringing and was absolutely sheltered because she basically wasn't allowed to do anything/barely left her home. She cleaned and had a very sad existence, but stayed strong and hopeful. When she's finally on her own, sure, she didn't make the best decisions at times, but she doesn't know anything. She can't really be blamed there. Then, towards the end, my heart was breaking a bit for how she was treated by everyone around her. I'm truly rooting for her and I didn't expect to get a little choked up??

Florian is the handsome stranger that Flea makes a deal with and he's the classic morally grey (dark grey? because he's awful) character. I'm sure he will be redeemed, but I'm all for Flea going off on her own and living her life away from the evil people she is surrounded by. And yes, this is spicy and it's great. Their relationship is very much unresolved by the end of this, and has a ton of angst and tension.

Also, to be clear, the whole Flea name thing is changed/revealed but trying to avoid any spoilers here. Please don't think you'll have to read a book with the FMC named Flea the whole time. Usually they just don't refer to her as having a name and then we get her real name eventually. ]]> 3.95 2023 Nectar of the Wicked (Deadly Divine, #1)
author: Ella Fields
name: LainieLibrary
average rating: 3.95
book published: 2023
rating: 4
read at: 2023/07/30
date added: 2023/08/16
shelves: 2023, fantasy, romance, fae
review:
4 Stars

Ella Fields has been hit or miss for me - I either love or hate the book, so I'm happy to report this falls in under "love". My bar may be a little low, since I've been having terrible luck with fantasy romances, but overall I do think this was very good.

First of all, the pacing was absolutely on point. This is a duology, which is perfect, so the story kept moving along at a great pace. We didn't get a book of slowly traveling through a forest to pack pages in a 5 book series - which I have to say happens in 9 out of 10 fantasy books I have read in the last year. And yes, I'm so bitter about this fact.

Now for the actual story - Flea is a young woman who was raised by an absolute monster of a women (hence, the name Flea). See, she's a changeling in the human "portion" of her world, and the women who raised her has only kept her alive in hopes of trading Flea for her real daughter. Not surprisingly, this doesn't work and Flea finds herself alone in the world. Her only goal and hope in life is to find her real family, but getting into the fae kingdoms is almost impossible. She then meets an extremely handsome man at a brothel and eventually finds herself making a deal to marry him for his help with finding her family.

I actually really liked Flea. She overcame an abusive upbringing and was absolutely sheltered because she basically wasn't allowed to do anything/barely left her home. She cleaned and had a very sad existence, but stayed strong and hopeful. When she's finally on her own, sure, she didn't make the best decisions at times, but she doesn't know anything. She can't really be blamed there. Then, towards the end, my heart was breaking a bit for how she was treated by everyone around her. I'm truly rooting for her and I didn't expect to get a little choked up??

Florian is the handsome stranger that Flea makes a deal with and he's the classic morally grey (dark grey? because he's awful) character. I'm sure he will be redeemed, but I'm all for Flea going off on her own and living her life away from the evil people she is surrounded by. And yes, this is spicy and it's great. Their relationship is very much unresolved by the end of this, and has a ton of angst and tension.

Also, to be clear, the whole Flea name thing is changed/revealed but trying to avoid any spoilers here. Please don't think you'll have to read a book with the FMC named Flea the whole time. Usually they just don't refer to her as having a name and then we get her real name eventually.
]]> <![CDATA[A Court This Cruel & Lovely (Kingdom of Lies, #1)]]> 122779502
The day I meet him, the ruthless mercenary leaves me for dead.

Just hours after humans are born, the gods take what little power we have. In return, they protect our borders from the vicious, merciless fae.

The humans who manage to keep their power are known as the corrupt.
And they are burned.

When my forbidden power is discovered, I’m forced to flee my tiny village and the life I adore.

To survive, I make a desperate bargain with the mercenary who abandoned me at my weakest.

Our deal is simple: I’ll help him and his mysterious friends sneak into the city. And he’ll help me learn to wield the strange, dark power I’ve always kept hidden. The power that may just be the key to my survival.

But the ruthless mercenary is hiding secrets of his own. Secrets that threaten the safety of everyone I love. Secrets that could tear this kingdom—and perhaps even this world—apart.

Please note: A Court This Cruel and Lovely is an NA/adult romantasy book with steam. While this series is slow burn, the chili pepper rating will increase for each book.]]> 562 Stacia Stark LainieLibrary 4 2023, fantasy, romance
I was fully expecting a generic/half-hearted fantasy romance that I DNF at 60% here, on par with my reading luck lately, but this fully took my be surprise. I mean look at the title... I can't tell if I love this because everything else has been so meh lately, or because it's truly good? I'm leaning towards this being truly entertaining.

It kinda sorta felt like a mash up of other things I've read, but it was put together so well and I thoroughly enjoyed the characters and the world. The world consists of fae and humans. Years and years ago there was a war and the humans made a deal with the gods in order to protect themselves from the fae. As part of the bargain, all humans give up their magic in an offering to the gods just days after birth. Then, at 25 years old, a very small portion of their power is returned. But, some humans somehow keep their powers, thus are known as the corrupt. The corrupt are hunted and killed, and there are checks in place so they are unable to live with their magic. Our FMC, Prisca, is one of the corrupt and has been living most of her life in fear of discovery. She is finally caught with magic and finds herself on the run, leaving behind her family and everything she has known. Almost dead and completely unprepared to live while on the run, she makes a tentative alliance with a group of mercenaries. One of which, Lorian, looks exactly like the man she's been dreaming about for years... The story goes from there - we follow their travels, see how the deal they made unfolds, and secrets about Prisca's life and the world she lives in are revealed.

Prisca is a great character. She absolutely selfless and courageous but also has a great backbone and stands up for herself. The balance is excellent, because I find characters can stray too far into being nice or sassy and end up being super annoying. The worldbuilding and the magic system is very well done - I never felt confused. It was so well written and paced that the events and explanations of the world just had the best flow. This is pretty low on spice, for now, but I didn't care because the magic, world, the plot points, all of the questions left unanswered absolutely pulled me into the story. Sure, this was a bit predictable at times, I definitely saw the ending coming, but there are still a number of questions and reveals that need to happen so I'm not too upset about it. Overall, this was wildly entertaining, all the characters were fantastic (even the side characters had surprising depth???), and I was sucked in pretty quickly. I'm glad I only have a couple of weeks to wait for book 2!]]> 4.09 2023 A Court This Cruel & Lovely (Kingdom of Lies, #1)
author: Stacia Stark
name: LainieLibrary
average rating: 4.09
book published: 2023
rating: 4
read at: 2023/08/03
date added: 2023/08/16
shelves: 2023, fantasy, romance
review:
4.5 Stars

I was fully expecting a generic/half-hearted fantasy romance that I DNF at 60% here, on par with my reading luck lately, but this fully took my be surprise. I mean look at the title... I can't tell if I love this because everything else has been so meh lately, or because it's truly good? I'm leaning towards this being truly entertaining.

It kinda sorta felt like a mash up of other things I've read, but it was put together so well and I thoroughly enjoyed the characters and the world. The world consists of fae and humans. Years and years ago there was a war and the humans made a deal with the gods in order to protect themselves from the fae. As part of the bargain, all humans give up their magic in an offering to the gods just days after birth. Then, at 25 years old, a very small portion of their power is returned. But, some humans somehow keep their powers, thus are known as the corrupt. The corrupt are hunted and killed, and there are checks in place so they are unable to live with their magic. Our FMC, Prisca, is one of the corrupt and has been living most of her life in fear of discovery. She is finally caught with magic and finds herself on the run, leaving behind her family and everything she has known. Almost dead and completely unprepared to live while on the run, she makes a tentative alliance with a group of mercenaries. One of which, Lorian, looks exactly like the man she's been dreaming about for years... The story goes from there - we follow their travels, see how the deal they made unfolds, and secrets about Prisca's life and the world she lives in are revealed.

Prisca is a great character. She absolutely selfless and courageous but also has a great backbone and stands up for herself. The balance is excellent, because I find characters can stray too far into being nice or sassy and end up being super annoying. The worldbuilding and the magic system is very well done - I never felt confused. It was so well written and paced that the events and explanations of the world just had the best flow. This is pretty low on spice, for now, but I didn't care because the magic, world, the plot points, all of the questions left unanswered absolutely pulled me into the story. Sure, this was a bit predictable at times, I definitely saw the ending coming, but there are still a number of questions and reveals that need to happen so I'm not too upset about it. Overall, this was wildly entertaining, all the characters were fantastic (even the side characters had surprising depth???), and I was sucked in pretty quickly. I'm glad I only have a couple of weeks to wait for book 2!
]]> <![CDATA[When She Tempts (The Fallen, #2)]]> 62040146
Martina De Rossi is off-limits, and not just because her brother is about to become the Don.

When I agree to protect her while he’s out waging a brutal war, it isn’t only out of loyalty.

It’s because Martina is the perfect pawn in my game of revenge.

Unfortunately, she’s also temptation personified.

Innocent eyes. A body to die for. Silky blond hair that begs to be wrapped around my fist.

I’m a master of staying in control, but with each day she spends with me inside the walls of my remote Italian castle, I can feel my resolve cracking.

My gaze starts to drift.

My touch starts to linger.

And when she tempts, I realize this game we’re playing might be one I won’t win.]]> 472 Gabrielle Sands LainieLibrary 3 2023, mafia, romance
I can't tell if I like this one as much as the first book in this series. It takes place right where the first book ended and doesn't miss a beat. But this time our FMC is Martina (Damiano's sister) and Giorgio (a lower-ish ranking member of their clan, but he's incredible smart and has a decent amount of respect). Damiano has Giorgio take Martina away to keep her safe during the upcoming takeover.

I enjoyed the Italian castle setting, and I liked Giorgio 100x more than I liked Damiano. Giorgio seemed a bit more developed and interesting as a character, and I adored Martina. Sure, she fits the basic mafia FMC mold, but she's very likable. Their chemistry is pretty decent, honestly a lot better than Damiano/Valentina, but it could have been better. The spice was great. The plot felt a tad repetitive - bad guys are still trying to kidnap Martina - but it wasn't terrible. The story definitely focused on Martina/Giorgio vs. any plot. It wasn't the worst thing I've read, and I was overall entertained, but I can't say I loved this.

Similar to the first book, I was ready for the end when I got to the 80% mark. And I kind of skimmed a lot after that. It felt like a lot of fluff and random drama to draw out the ending. The double wedding was slightly laughable. Also, I feel like Damiano's clan takeover thing (which has been built up since book 1) was slightly rushed and seemed too convenient. The little twists ([spoilers removed]) was super predictable and I sort of shrugged my shoulders.

It's a true 3 star read for me - but perhaps others will like it more? I do recommend giving it a try, at the very least it's entertainment for a couple of hours.]]> 4.05 When She Tempts (The Fallen, #2)
author: Gabrielle Sands
name: LainieLibrary
average rating: 4.05
book published:
rating: 3
read at: 2023/08/07
date added: 2023/08/08
shelves: 2023, mafia, romance
review:
3 Stars

I can't tell if I like this one as much as the first book in this series. It takes place right where the first book ended and doesn't miss a beat. But this time our FMC is Martina (Damiano's sister) and Giorgio (a lower-ish ranking member of their clan, but he's incredible smart and has a decent amount of respect). Damiano has Giorgio take Martina away to keep her safe during the upcoming takeover.

I enjoyed the Italian castle setting, and I liked Giorgio 100x more than I liked Damiano. Giorgio seemed a bit more developed and interesting as a character, and I adored Martina. Sure, she fits the basic mafia FMC mold, but she's very likable. Their chemistry is pretty decent, honestly a lot better than Damiano/Valentina, but it could have been better. The spice was great. The plot felt a tad repetitive - bad guys are still trying to kidnap Martina - but it wasn't terrible. The story definitely focused on Martina/Giorgio vs. any plot. It wasn't the worst thing I've read, and I was overall entertained, but I can't say I loved this.

Similar to the first book, I was ready for the end when I got to the 80% mark. And I kind of skimmed a lot after that. It felt like a lot of fluff and random drama to draw out the ending. The double wedding was slightly laughable. Also, I feel like Damiano's clan takeover thing (which has been built up since book 1) was slightly rushed and seemed too convenient. The little twists ([spoilers removed]) was super predictable and I sort of shrugged my shoulders.

It's a true 3 star read for me - but perhaps others will like it more? I do recommend giving it a try, at the very least it's entertainment for a couple of hours.
]]> <![CDATA[When She Unravels (The Fallen, #1)]]> 61674305
I’ve been raised to be the perfect mafia wife, but when my marriage turns into a horrific nightmare, I have no choice but to leave everything behind and start a new life.

I find myself alone in Ibiza—a place that swallows innocent girls like me alive. I’m robbed the day I arrive, left with nothing but a few euros and the clothes on my back.

My desperation leads me right to Damiano De Rossi. He rules over this island with an iron fist and beneath his strikingly handsome face lies a wicked darkness. I ask him for a job. He gives me far more than that—degradation, jealousy, and toe-curling lust.

When my resistance to him is all but gone, a secret is revealed, and we fall apart like a house of cards.

I know what I have to do. Run.

But when I try, I discover…he’s already got me bound.

Note: When She Unravels is an 18+ dark mafia romance with mature themes, profanity, and plenty of steam. It's book one in The Fallen series but can be read as a standalone.]]> 392 Gabrielle Sands LainieLibrary 3 2023, mafia, romance
A fairly basic mafia romance in the grand scheme of things, but it was a fun read. Valentina escapes her psychotic husband and ends up in Ibiza. She begins working for Damiano De Rossi, who is of course another made man, and gets pulled back into the world she was trying run from.

Valentina and Damiano are both quite lackluster. Valentina is the classic FMC for this genre - sweet and innocent but has a splash of bravery and backbone thrown in. But not too much. Damiano is the dangerous closed off one. Their relationship definitely lacked depth. Damiano looked at Valentina and basically decided to "keep" her based on her looks. There was literally no other explanation or development between the two outside of their mutual attraction. Which is fine, the smutty bits were good, but Valentina and Damiano could have been so much better together.

I actually enjoyed the plot with the family drama and Valentina's husband. There was a "twist" about halfway through that was wildly predictable, but it was a fun addition. There was a point around 80% when the story started to lag and I was ready for it to end, but then things picked up and improved a bit.

I'm already reading the next book in the series, so I do recommend!]]> 3.96 2022 When She Unravels (The Fallen, #1)
author: Gabrielle Sands
name: LainieLibrary
average rating: 3.96
book published: 2022
rating: 3
read at: 2023/08/06
date added: 2023/08/07
shelves: 2023, mafia, romance
review:
3 Stars

A fairly basic mafia romance in the grand scheme of things, but it was a fun read. Valentina escapes her psychotic husband and ends up in Ibiza. She begins working for Damiano De Rossi, who is of course another made man, and gets pulled back into the world she was trying run from.

Valentina and Damiano are both quite lackluster. Valentina is the classic FMC for this genre - sweet and innocent but has a splash of bravery and backbone thrown in. But not too much. Damiano is the dangerous closed off one. Their relationship definitely lacked depth. Damiano looked at Valentina and basically decided to "keep" her based on her looks. There was literally no other explanation or development between the two outside of their mutual attraction. Which is fine, the smutty bits were good, but Valentina and Damiano could have been so much better together.

I actually enjoyed the plot with the family drama and Valentina's husband. There was a "twist" about halfway through that was wildly predictable, but it was a fun addition. There was a point around 80% when the story started to lag and I was ready for it to end, but then things picked up and improved a bit.

I'm already reading the next book in the series, so I do recommend!
]]> <![CDATA[A Daring Desire (Daring Daughters #19)]]> 172833088
Lady Catherine Barrington—Cat to her friends—the irrepressible and impetuous daughter of the Marquess of Montagu, was always used to getting whatever she wanted. However, when she set her sights on Ciarán St. Just, Marquess of Kilbane, the ton’s most notorious rake, it seemed she’d made a dreadful mistake. Marrying Kilbane put Cat’s reputation on the line, but his refusal to be her husband in anything but name has crushed her heart. And yet, despite everything, when disaster strikes, Cat is still determined to help her husband.

A marriage in haste, repented at leisure�

Kilbane is the hell-born libertine mothers warn their daughters about, the kind of man spoken of only in hushed whispers among high society. It’s a reputation he’s worked hard to cultivate. Everyone knows the St. Just bloodline is tainted with cruelty and madness, and anyone who believes Ciarán is not beyond saving is touched in the head themselves—not least his little fool of a wife. He may have been trapped into marriage, but that’s where his involvement with her ends. He’s certainly not the lost little boy she seems to think he is� but he’s not cruel enough to destroy her, either.

Dare to see what lies beneath�

The scandal incurred by Cat’s unconventional marriage—and the gossip occasioned by her husband’s departure for France—might break lesser women. But Cat is every inch her father’s daughter, and she won’t give up on the man she knows exists beneath the armour of Kilbane’s notorious persona. Besides, she loves him. As Cat pours her stubborn heart out in letter after letter, she can only hope Ciarán will read them.

When illness strikes, a vulnerable and pained Kilbane finds not only that his wife flies to his aid, but that her correspondence has opened up a brilliant, brave, thoughtful woman where, before, he had seen only a spoiled child. Has he left it too long to forge a relationship with her? And can he find the strength to share himself with the courage Cat has shown? When pride and necessity has built such high walls, it will take both daring and desire to tear them down.

****
This is the nineteenth book in the series and focuses on the children of The Girls Who Dare series. They can be read separate from Girls Who Dare; however for a more intimate experience, one should read the Girls Who Dare first. Reading order for Daring Daughters is as follows:

Dare to be Wicked
Dare to be Brazen
Dare to be Wild
Dare to Cause a Scandal
Dare it all for Love
The Trouble with a Dare
Dare to Risk it All
The Mistletoe Dare
Just a Little Daring
An Enchanting Dare
To Dare the Devil
Sinfully Daring
To Dare the Darkness
Wildly Daring
The Dare Before Christmas
Indecently Daring
Truly, Madly, Daring
Truth or Dare

Heat rating of 3: spicy, descriptive, and provocative, but not erotica.]]> 347 Emma V. Leech 2492133907 LainieLibrary 4 2023, historical_romance
I've been waiting awhile for Cat's story and while this was overall very good, it didn't quite live up to my expectations. As someone else mentioned, it felt like Cat's and Kilbane's story had already been told with all the build up? This didn't bring anything new other than the predictable reconciliation. I still loved reading this, and it certainly brought me out of my recent reading slump (always know I can trust Emma with that), but something was missing. There was angst, but it's all situations/drama we have been aware of? So it felt a tad repetitive. I wasn't bored, but I had hoped for something to make this a bit more interesting?

Kilbane returns to England and is so sick he's practically dying. Cat nurses him back to health and he finally realizes he loves her (and has loved her via the letters she sent for years and years). He had a messed up childhood - never knew real love and had no idea how to receive it from others. But see, that's kind of the entire plot? Toss in a side of Montagu hating Kilbane and yeah, that's the whole book. Which again - we already knew all these things and it was super clear Cat would have to nurse Kilbane back to health in the last book... Again, this was enjoyable overall but predictable and nothing new was brought to the table.

In this series in particular, it feels like all the love interests are edgy and interesting but then are "reformed" and become exactly the same. The Comte, for example, Kilbane, Montagu in the previous series, etc... They all morph into the same "nice husband devoted to his wife" thing. Which is great, I just wished they kept a bit of their personalities and didn't become the exact same person.

Anyways, I love Emma and her historical romances - this just fell a little flat for me!]]> 4.46 2023 A Daring Desire (Daring Daughters #19)
author: Emma V. Leech
name: LainieLibrary
average rating: 4.46
book published: 2023
rating: 4
read at: 2023/07/25
date added: 2023/07/26
shelves: 2023, historical_romance
review:
4 Stars

I've been waiting awhile for Cat's story and while this was overall very good, it didn't quite live up to my expectations. As someone else mentioned, it felt like Cat's and Kilbane's story had already been told with all the build up? This didn't bring anything new other than the predictable reconciliation. I still loved reading this, and it certainly brought me out of my recent reading slump (always know I can trust Emma with that), but something was missing. There was angst, but it's all situations/drama we have been aware of? So it felt a tad repetitive. I wasn't bored, but I had hoped for something to make this a bit more interesting?

Kilbane returns to England and is so sick he's practically dying. Cat nurses him back to health and he finally realizes he loves her (and has loved her via the letters she sent for years and years). He had a messed up childhood - never knew real love and had no idea how to receive it from others. But see, that's kind of the entire plot? Toss in a side of Montagu hating Kilbane and yeah, that's the whole book. Which again - we already knew all these things and it was super clear Cat would have to nurse Kilbane back to health in the last book... Again, this was enjoyable overall but predictable and nothing new was brought to the table.

In this series in particular, it feels like all the love interests are edgy and interesting but then are "reformed" and become exactly the same. The Comte, for example, Kilbane, Montagu in the previous series, etc... They all morph into the same "nice husband devoted to his wife" thing. Which is great, I just wished they kept a bit of their personalities and didn't become the exact same person.

Anyways, I love Emma and her historical romances - this just fell a little flat for me!
]]> <![CDATA[House of Striking Oaths (The Kingdom of Crows, #3)]]> 78299952 I WILL BECOME QUEEN OF LUCE� OR DIE TRYING.

There are few people I loathe more than Dante Regio, but my aunt Bronwen, my former grandfather Justus, and my Shabbin grandmother Meriam sit right alongside the Faerie monarch on my list of despicable beings. Especially after they assist the pointy-eared ruler with my kidnapping.

Locked in an obsidian underworld no Crow can reach, not even their king, I soon learn things aren’t as they seem. People aren’t as they seem. And history� I’m still attempting to reconcile the truth with what I was previously told.

My new allies have an agenda, but I have one of my own. Though there’s overlap—we all agree Dante must die—what I desire more than anything is to return to Lore before he levels the kingdom to find me� or loses his humanity trying.

I may favor crowns over coffins, but I refuse to live in a world where my mate only exists as a bird.

Strap in for one last romantic and pulse-pounding adventure in a world governed by magic and hearts.]]> 510 Olivia Wildenstein LainieLibrary 1 dnf, 2023, fantasy, romance
I really tried to get through this, I really did, but I don’t have it in me to keep forcing it. I loved the first book but the story nosedived in book 2 and is crashing to the ground with this one.

There are way too many characters, the world building is confusing, the dialogue is strange, Fallon is incredibly stupid and hard to like, the side characters exist but have absolutely no substance, and honestly the story is boring. It’s gone so far off track that I barely understand what’s happening. The first portion of the book was Fallon captured and Justus suddenly becoming the most developed and interesting character in the book. I don’t have specific examples but it feels like the magic and just point of the series keeps changing to the point where I am left absolutely confused. There was even another hunt for one of Lore’s crows which was entirely unnecessary and honestly we have had enough hunting for crows. It’s time to move onto something meaningful to drive the plot forward.

Lore was previously the only semi-likable character, but like many NA fantasy love interests, his entire purpose seems to have shifted to being Fallon’s cheerleader. His personality now is to be obsessed with her. So boring and Fallon is so awful I can’t root for them.

Also, the huge amount of characters is almost laughable. People die but I can barely remember their purpose/who they were.

Altogether this felt incredibly meaningless and a huge waste of time. The story is an endless rambling mess taking nonsensical turns for the purpose of additional pages. I truly believe the author wrote the first book, which again I liked, and then shrugged her shoulders and didn’t bother with planning the rest of the series. Every single plot point feels either entirely disconnected to the rest of the story or is just 100% repetition.

This turned out a bit harsher than I intended, but I’ve been in such a slump lately and am continually disappointed in sequels that are being churned out. I think most readers agree that we would prefer quality vs. pumping out a 6 book series in 3 years that ends up being awful. ]]> 4.02 2023 House of Striking Oaths (The Kingdom of Crows, #3)
author: Olivia Wildenstein
name: LainieLibrary
average rating: 4.02
book published: 2023
rating: 1
read at: 2023/07/24
date added: 2023/07/26
shelves: dnf, 2023, fantasy, romance
review:
DNF @ 79%

I really tried to get through this, I really did, but I don’t have it in me to keep forcing it. I loved the first book but the story nosedived in book 2 and is crashing to the ground with this one.

There are way too many characters, the world building is confusing, the dialogue is strange, Fallon is incredibly stupid and hard to like, the side characters exist but have absolutely no substance, and honestly the story is boring. It’s gone so far off track that I barely understand what’s happening. The first portion of the book was Fallon captured and Justus suddenly becoming the most developed and interesting character in the book. I don’t have specific examples but it feels like the magic and just point of the series keeps changing to the point where I am left absolutely confused. There was even another hunt for one of Lore’s crows which was entirely unnecessary and honestly we have had enough hunting for crows. It’s time to move onto something meaningful to drive the plot forward.

Lore was previously the only semi-likable character, but like many NA fantasy love interests, his entire purpose seems to have shifted to being Fallon’s cheerleader. His personality now is to be obsessed with her. So boring and Fallon is so awful I can’t root for them.

Also, the huge amount of characters is almost laughable. People die but I can barely remember their purpose/who they were.

Altogether this felt incredibly meaningless and a huge waste of time. The story is an endless rambling mess taking nonsensical turns for the purpose of additional pages. I truly believe the author wrote the first book, which again I liked, and then shrugged her shoulders and didn’t bother with planning the rest of the series. Every single plot point feels either entirely disconnected to the rest of the story or is just 100% repetition.

This turned out a bit harsher than I intended, but I’ve been in such a slump lately and am continually disappointed in sequels that are being churned out. I think most readers agree that we would prefer quality vs. pumping out a 6 book series in 3 years that ends up being awful.
]]> <![CDATA[A Path of Darkness and Runes (The Fallow Trilogy)]]> 58733446 New Adult Epic Fantasy - *Trigger warnings below*
The Fallow, a hallowed place and sanctuary for the beasts and creatures of the Continent, has been desecrated. The balance between the human and magical world has been ruptured.
Rhona is haunted by memories and revolts against the natures and traditions to which she has been born into. Marrying her betrothed, Elias, being one of them. She is part of a travellers community known as the 'Unwanted'.
When a night time raid, causes her brethren to flee across the Continent in search of safer dwellings; Rhona, along with her brother, Roman, and Elias, cross paths creatures of the Fallow - which sets them on a course of self discovery, redemption and magic.
Rhona must fight the dark forces at work from the Fallow, as well as battle the dark memories which threaten to break her at every turn. Now a pawn in a potential war between the magical folk and humans, Rhona must look past her own trauma to work at hunting the Lycan. Rhona must now put her life on the line to redeem her soul in a life debt against the Trinity, the Maiden, Mother and Crone.

Trigger warnings]]> 470 Marnie L. Norton LainieLibrary 0 2023, dnf, fantasy, romance
No rating because though I was unable to connect with or like any of the characters, and found this altogether boring, this is the authors debut novel. Which is shocking, because it’s almost pretty good. Not for me - but the writing is solid and if there was a bit more romance and if the pacing didn’t lag so much I would have probably enjoyed this. Our FMC is so hard for me to like and is somehow so grating. I have no idea why, but she comes off as annoying and I didn’t get to know her even with this being entirely her POV.

I liked the world building enough (though it was missing some interest? It was okay, but a bit lackluster since it wasn't described well?) and the traveler group was lovely, but the plot started to lose me around 30%.]]> 3.78 A Path of Darkness and Runes (The Fallow Trilogy)
author: Marnie L. Norton
name: LainieLibrary
average rating: 3.78
book published:
rating: 0
read at: 2023/07/24
date added: 2023/07/26
shelves: 2023, dnf, fantasy, romance
review:
DNF @ 55%

No rating because though I was unable to connect with or like any of the characters, and found this altogether boring, this is the authors debut novel. Which is shocking, because it’s almost pretty good. Not for me - but the writing is solid and if there was a bit more romance and if the pacing didn’t lag so much I would have probably enjoyed this. Our FMC is so hard for me to like and is somehow so grating. I have no idea why, but she comes off as annoying and I didn’t get to know her even with this being entirely her POV.

I liked the world building enough (though it was missing some interest? It was okay, but a bit lackluster since it wasn't described well?) and the traveler group was lovely, but the plot started to lose me around 30%.
]]> <![CDATA[The Sweetest Oblivion (Made, #1)]]> 39083635
In the murky waters of New York’s underworld, Elena’s sister is arranged to marry Nicolas Russo. A Made Man, a boss, a cheat—even measured against mafia standards. His reputation stretches far and wide and is darker than his black suits and ties. After his and Elena’s first encounter ends with an accidental glare on her part, she realizes he’s just as rude as he is handsome. She doesn’t like the man or anything he stands for, though that doesn’t stop her heart from pattering like rain against glass when he’s near, nor the shiver that ghosts down her spine at the sound of his voice. And he’s always near. Telling her what to do. Making her feel hotter than any future brother-in-law should. Elena may be the Sweet Abelli on the outside, but she’s beginning to learn she has a taste for the darkness, for rough hands, cigarettes, and whiskey-colored eyes. Having already escaped one scandal, however, she can hardly afford to be swept up in another. Besides, even if he were hers, everyone knows you don’t fall in love with a Made Man... Right?]]> 384 Danielle Lori 1721284443 LainieLibrary 5 mafia, 2021, 2023
7/9/2023 re-read: bumping this up to 5 stars! It’s a fantastic mafia romance and I haven’t found many that compare to the tension and angst in this one.

I stumbled upon this book when I was scrolling through KU and I'm so happy I took a chance on it. I liked pretty much everything about this book.

Elena has grown up knowing the business her father and family is involved in. Basically Italian mafia vibes. Even though she is the oldest sister her father basically arranges a marriage between Elena's younger sister and Nico, who is the head of another mafia type family. Her sister is in love with someone else, so she despises the arrangement. At the same time Elena and Nico are fighting their burning attraction for one another.

I love Elena and Nico. Their sexual tension is INSANE. Whew there are some steamy steamy scenes.

I also thought the many side characters were well developed and likable. Luckily I read this book on a super long plane ride because I wouldn't have been able to put it down if I had things to do! The storyline moved along well and while the whole mafia thing could have been cheesy I found it super well done. I will probably re-read this in the future, I loved it that much!]]> 3.98 2018 The Sweetest Oblivion (Made, #1)
author: Danielle Lori
name: LainieLibrary
average rating: 3.98
book published: 2018
rating: 5
read at: 2023/07/09
date added: 2023/07/12
shelves: mafia, 2021, 2023
review:
4 Stars

7/9/2023 re-read: bumping this up to 5 stars! It’s a fantastic mafia romance and I haven’t found many that compare to the tension and angst in this one.

I stumbled upon this book when I was scrolling through KU and I'm so happy I took a chance on it. I liked pretty much everything about this book.

Elena has grown up knowing the business her father and family is involved in. Basically Italian mafia vibes. Even though she is the oldest sister her father basically arranges a marriage between Elena's younger sister and Nico, who is the head of another mafia type family. Her sister is in love with someone else, so she despises the arrangement. At the same time Elena and Nico are fighting their burning attraction for one another.

I love Elena and Nico. Their sexual tension is INSANE. Whew there are some steamy steamy scenes.

I also thought the many side characters were well developed and likable. Luckily I read this book on a super long plane ride because I wouldn't have been able to put it down if I had things to do! The storyline moved along well and while the whole mafia thing could have been cheesy I found it super well done. I will probably re-read this in the future, I loved it that much!
]]> <![CDATA[My Dark Romeo (Dark Prince Road, #1)]]> 123008168 My fairy tale turned into a cautionary one.
Inked in tar and sealed in tears.

From Wall Street Journal bestsellers L.J. Shen and Parker S. Huntington comes an explosive marriage of inconvenience...between a tarnished Romeo and a reluctant Juliet.

It was supposed to be a harmless kiss at a lavish debutante ball.
A clandestine moment with a handsome stranger.

But unlike his namesake, my Romeo isn’t driven by love.
He’s fueled by revenge.

To him, I’m a chess piece. Leverage.
His rival’s betrothed.

To me, he is a man deserving of poison.
A dark prince I refuse to marry.

He thinks I’ll accept my fate.
Well, I plan to rewrite it.

And in my story, Juliet doesn’t die.
But Romeo? He perishes.

Authors� Notes: My Dark Romeo is a standalone reluctant arranged marriage romance between a cruel billionaire heir and a feisty heiress unafraid to fight back. It is set in the decadent Dark Prince Road world.]]> 366 Parker S. Huntington 1950209075 LainieLibrary 5 2023, billionaires, romance
4.5 Stars

This was fantastic. I have no idea if this was me reading this at the right time - but I truly loved this book while I admittedly can see why there are some bad reviews. Is Dallas moderately annoying and unhinged? Absolutely. Does the story stall (a tiny bit) in parts/seem a bit chaotic? Also yes. But dang I loved every single second of reading this and could barely put it down.

I'm realizing I have a soft spot for billionaire romances with A LOT going on. This reminded me of The Favor or kind of the Miles High Club series (I know, I know - those may not be the best comparisons but stay with me). The drama was constant and unhinged, it kept going and going and I never wanted it to stop. I was laughing out loud to myself SO MUCH, and I adored Romeo and Dallas together. This was super spicy, hilarious, and filled with so much angst and tension. BRB while I read all of Parker S. Huntington's books.

I would like to point out that I'm not a fan of L.J. Shen - so if you're also not a fan - just know this didn't read like her other books, IMO.

I will concede that some of the plot points, and the emotional aspects of Dallas/Romeo's relationship were a bit half-baked - [spoilers removed] - I would have liked more build up/explanation around why the two decided to love one another. There was an obvious attraction, but if felt like Romeo and Dallas had a change of heart out of nowhere and went from enemies to being completely in love. That's not to say I didn't adore their connection and all the build up - I just think the actual "why" could have been more fleshed out.]]> 3.59 2023 My Dark Romeo (Dark Prince Road, #1)
author: Parker S. Huntington
name: LainieLibrary
average rating: 3.59
book published: 2023
rating: 5
read at: 2023/07/03
date added: 2023/07/04
shelves: 2023, billionaires, romance
review:
7/3 re-read: Updating to 5 stars. I love this book.

4.5 Stars

This was fantastic. I have no idea if this was me reading this at the right time - but I truly loved this book while I admittedly can see why there are some bad reviews. Is Dallas moderately annoying and unhinged? Absolutely. Does the story stall (a tiny bit) in parts/seem a bit chaotic? Also yes. But dang I loved every single second of reading this and could barely put it down.

I'm realizing I have a soft spot for billionaire romances with A LOT going on. This reminded me of The Favor or kind of the Miles High Club series (I know, I know - those may not be the best comparisons but stay with me). The drama was constant and unhinged, it kept going and going and I never wanted it to stop. I was laughing out loud to myself SO MUCH, and I adored Romeo and Dallas together. This was super spicy, hilarious, and filled with so much angst and tension. BRB while I read all of Parker S. Huntington's books.

I would like to point out that I'm not a fan of L.J. Shen - so if you're also not a fan - just know this didn't read like her other books, IMO.

I will concede that some of the plot points, and the emotional aspects of Dallas/Romeo's relationship were a bit half-baked - [spoilers removed] - I would have liked more build up/explanation around why the two decided to love one another. There was an obvious attraction, but if felt like Romeo and Dallas had a change of heart out of nowhere and went from enemies to being completely in love. That's not to say I didn't adore their connection and all the build up - I just think the actual "why" could have been more fleshed out.
]]> Never Lie 62080187
But when they visit the remote manor that once belonged to Dr. Adrienne Hale, a renowned psychiatrist who vanished without a trace four years earlier, a violent winter storm traps them at the estate� with no chance of escape until the blizzard comes to an end.

In search of a book to keep her entertained until the snow abates, Tricia happens upon a secret room. One that contains audio transcripts from every single patient Dr. Hale has ever interviewed. As Tricia listens to the cassette tapes, she learns about the terrifying chain of events leading up to Dr. Hale’s mysterious disappearance.

Tricia plays the tapes one by one, late into the night. With each one, another shocking piece of the puzzle falls into place, and Dr. Adrienne Hale’s web of lies slowly unravels.

And then Tricia reaches the final cassette.

The one that reveals the entire horrifying truth.]]> 286 Freida McFadden LainieLibrary 2 2023, mystery, thriller
This is my fourth Frieda McFadden book (I'm on quite the streak at the moment) and I feel a bit disappointed. I can't expect all of her books to be great, but this was below average in my opinion.

This has two POVs with past/present perspectives. The present POV is Tricia, a well off women from NYC who is looking to buy a home with her husband, Ethan. They head out to tour a beautiful home and find themselves stuck there due to a massive snow storm. The house is secluded and they are unable to leave, and to add another creepy layer to the story, the house they are touring is Adriene Hale's. A famous author/psychologist who has been missing for years. The past/"before" POV is Adriene. The story alternates between Tricia exploring Adriene's home + listening to Adriene's recorded therapy sessions, and Adriene's actions leading up to her disappearance.

I thought the story was okay up until 70% - I was entertained but didn't connect to any of the characters. Adriene was off and seemed to need psychological help herself. Ethan seemed a bit evil, and Tricia was also a bit off, anxious, and maybe a bit dumb? The setting of being trapped in a giant house alone and the mystery of Adriene and the tapes kept me interested just enough. But then the ending absolutely sucked and made no sense.

~Spoilers ahead~

Okay, so the ending. As soon as the twist was revealed, I most certainly gasped and didn't see it coming. BUT if you even think about it a little bit, it makes zero sense. Tricia's character after the 70% mark did a complete 180 and her "voice" entirely changed. A little foreshadowing/keeping her
tone at least partly the same would have made a huge difference. If I read her earlier chapters vs. her later chapters I wouldn't even identify them as being the same person. Which is dumb - there needs to be something connecting the chapters/before and after the twist to actually make sense. It's almost as if the author was writing, got to the 70% mark, and right then decided on the twist with Tricia being a patient/being a literal killer right then. There wasn't a SINGLE hint of this previously, so it comes off as very lazy and convenient.

Then, we have all the red herrings with EJ. It was clear that we were being "thrown off" by making EJ appear to be Ethan (the Spanish wine thing, his favorite wine being super distinct, the mention of the voice being super familiar, their physical description, etc.). We were hit over the head with this enough times that it ended up being annoying and just so out of the blue.

The only aspect of the ending I did appreciate was Ethan's mom being a patient of Adriene's. I didn't see that coming, and it made sense (kind of). But Tricia targeting him the entire time, then their little killing spree at the end, felt SO disconnected from the rest of the story. Turns our Tricia (the anxious soon to be mom) is apparently more hardcore than Ethan who was described, at the very least, as extremely sketchy and maybe angry/could be abusive? I am not at all convinced that Tricia is this conniving mastermind that planned out her marriage and getting stuck in the house to begin with - and that Ethan is actually a softy who might crack and give them away at the end (i.e., after killing Luke).

I hoped Adriene was alive and involved in some way.. Idk. I think the ending could have been so much more compelling. Instead, we are left with a ton of super random twists and convenient connections that don't tie in with the rest of the story.]]> 4.09 2022 Never Lie
author: Freida McFadden
name: LainieLibrary
average rating: 4.09
book published: 2022
rating: 2
read at: 2023/06/26
date added: 2023/06/27
shelves: 2023, mystery, thriller
review:
2.5 stars

This is my fourth Frieda McFadden book (I'm on quite the streak at the moment) and I feel a bit disappointed. I can't expect all of her books to be great, but this was below average in my opinion.

This has two POVs with past/present perspectives. The present POV is Tricia, a well off women from NYC who is looking to buy a home with her husband, Ethan. They head out to tour a beautiful home and find themselves stuck there due to a massive snow storm. The house is secluded and they are unable to leave, and to add another creepy layer to the story, the house they are touring is Adriene Hale's. A famous author/psychologist who has been missing for years. The past/"before" POV is Adriene. The story alternates between Tricia exploring Adriene's home + listening to Adriene's recorded therapy sessions, and Adriene's actions leading up to her disappearance.

I thought the story was okay up until 70% - I was entertained but didn't connect to any of the characters. Adriene was off and seemed to need psychological help herself. Ethan seemed a bit evil, and Tricia was also a bit off, anxious, and maybe a bit dumb? The setting of being trapped in a giant house alone and the mystery of Adriene and the tapes kept me interested just enough. But then the ending absolutely sucked and made no sense.

~Spoilers ahead~

Okay, so the ending. As soon as the twist was revealed, I most certainly gasped and didn't see it coming. BUT if you even think about it a little bit, it makes zero sense. Tricia's character after the 70% mark did a complete 180 and her "voice" entirely changed. A little foreshadowing/keeping her
tone at least partly the same would have made a huge difference. If I read her earlier chapters vs. her later chapters I wouldn't even identify them as being the same person. Which is dumb - there needs to be something connecting the chapters/before and after the twist to actually make sense. It's almost as if the author was writing, got to the 70% mark, and right then decided on the twist with Tricia being a patient/being a literal killer right then. There wasn't a SINGLE hint of this previously, so it comes off as very lazy and convenient.

Then, we have all the red herrings with EJ. It was clear that we were being "thrown off" by making EJ appear to be Ethan (the Spanish wine thing, his favorite wine being super distinct, the mention of the voice being super familiar, their physical description, etc.). We were hit over the head with this enough times that it ended up being annoying and just so out of the blue.

The only aspect of the ending I did appreciate was Ethan's mom being a patient of Adriene's. I didn't see that coming, and it made sense (kind of). But Tricia targeting him the entire time, then their little killing spree at the end, felt SO disconnected from the rest of the story. Turns our Tricia (the anxious soon to be mom) is apparently more hardcore than Ethan who was described, at the very least, as extremely sketchy and maybe angry/could be abusive? I am not at all convinced that Tricia is this conniving mastermind that planned out her marriage and getting stuck in the house to begin with - and that Ethan is actually a softy who might crack and give them away at the end (i.e., after killing Luke).

I hoped Adriene was alive and involved in some way.. Idk. I think the ending could have been so much more compelling. Instead, we are left with a ton of super random twists and convenient connections that don't tie in with the rest of the story.
]]> <![CDATA[The Housemaid's Secret (The Housemaid, #2)]]> 62848145 As he continues showing me their incredible penthouse apartment, I have a terrible feeling about the woman behind closed doors. But I can't risk losing this job � not if I want to keep my darkest secret safe . . .

It's hard to find an employer who doesn't ask too many questions about my past. So I thank my lucky stars that the Garricks miraculously give me a job, cleaning their stunning penthouse with views across the city and preparing fancy meals in their shiny kitchen. I can work here for a while, stay quiet until I get what I want. It's almost perfect. But I still haven't met Mrs Garrick, or seen inside the guest bedroom. I'm sure I hear her crying. I notice spots of blood around the neck of her white nightgowns when I'm doing laundry. And one day I can't help but knock on the door. When it gently swings open, what I see inside changes everything...

That's when I make a promise. After all, I've done this before. I can protect Mrs. Garrick while keeping my own secrets locked up safe. Douglas Garrick has done wrong. He is going to pay. It's simply a question of how far I'm willing to go...]]> 318 Freida McFadden 1837901317 LainieLibrary 4 2023, crime_thriller, mystery
We love Millie, but girl! Stop doing this to yourself. I get it, she's fighting the good fight helping abused women but dang she walks right into these situations doesn't she? We have Millie starting a a new job, and the concern is the frail wife hidden in the bedroom because she's "ill". Of course, Millie tries to help her and the story goes on from there.

I remember thinking around the half way mark huh I suppose this one won't have much of a twist, which makes sense there's only so much that can happen in these books. Obviously, that thought was immediately proven incorrect and I am yet again appalled and how dumb I was being. I read a lot, I should be able to figure things out. I'm the problem - I'm sure this was a bit predictable to the average person reading this.

Anyways - I thought the Millie/Enzo backstory thing was a bit strange! I can't forget about him hooking up with Nina. He's really a sucker for women in need! But, I did like them together. Which made Millie's boyfriend, a lame (and I would argue slightly manipulative/abusive) lawyer, even more surprising. I thought there would be more of a twist there because I could not understand why Millie was with him. She seemed to dislike him for the most part?

Anyways, this was good! There was less surprise/gasping than the first book, hence the 4 stars, but this was a super entertaining read that I flew through. Excuse me while I go read all of Freida's books.]]> 4.21 2023 The Housemaid's Secret (The Housemaid, #2)
author: Freida McFadden
name: LainieLibrary
average rating: 4.21
book published: 2023
rating: 4
read at: 2023/06/23
date added: 2023/06/23
shelves: 2023, crime_thriller, mystery
review:
4 Stars

We love Millie, but girl! Stop doing this to yourself. I get it, she's fighting the good fight helping abused women but dang she walks right into these situations doesn't she? We have Millie starting a a new job, and the concern is the frail wife hidden in the bedroom because she's "ill". Of course, Millie tries to help her and the story goes on from there.

I remember thinking around the half way mark huh I suppose this one won't have much of a twist, which makes sense there's only so much that can happen in these books. Obviously, that thought was immediately proven incorrect and I am yet again appalled and how dumb I was being. I read a lot, I should be able to figure things out. I'm the problem - I'm sure this was a bit predictable to the average person reading this.

Anyways - I thought the Millie/Enzo backstory thing was a bit strange! I can't forget about him hooking up with Nina. He's really a sucker for women in need! But, I did like them together. Which made Millie's boyfriend, a lame (and I would argue slightly manipulative/abusive) lawyer, even more surprising. I thought there would be more of a twist there because I could not understand why Millie was with him. She seemed to dislike him for the most part?

Anyways, this was good! There was less surprise/gasping than the first book, hence the 4 stars, but this was a super entertaining read that I flew through. Excuse me while I go read all of Freida's books.
]]> <![CDATA[The Housemaid (The Housemaid, #1)]]> 60556912
Every day I clean the Winchesters� beautiful house top to bottom. I collect their daughter from school. And I cook a delicious meal for the whole family before heading up to eat alone in my tiny room on the top floor.

I try to ignore how Nina makes a mess just to watch me clean it up. How she tells strange lies about her own daughter. And how her husband Andrew seems more broken every day. But as I look into Andrew’s handsome brown eyes, so full of pain, it’s hard not to imagine what it would be like to live Nina’s life. The walk-in closet, the fancy car, the perfect husband.

I only try on one of Nina’s pristine white dresses once. Just to see what it’s like. But she soon finds out� and by the time I realize my attic bedroom door only locks from the outside, it’s far too late.

But I reassure myself: the Winchesters don’t know who I really am.

They don’t know what I’m capable of�

An unbelievably twisty read that will have you glued to the pages late into the night. Anyone who loves The Woman in the Window, The Wife Between Us and The Girl on the Train won’t be able to put this down!]]> 329 Freida McFadden 1803144378 LainieLibrary 4 2023, crime_thriller, mystery
Over the last 3 years I've been making my way through an endless stream of romances, so I practically forgot about the good ol' psychological thrillers with female leads and terrible men genre! There's something *almost* nostalgic about the classic 2014 - 2018 era thrillers like Gone Girl and The Woman in the Window. This hit the same mark. Do I need to start binging psychological thriller/crime/mystery books now? Yes. This book has certainly rekindled my love for these books.

Millie is a very likeable FMC. She's strong, interesting, and not entirely stupid. I mean she is, at times, but I also can't help but root for her? I wish we learned more about her past and family in this one, because she really is such an oddly likable character. I wanted to scream at her at times - we all agree that living in the Nissan is better than working for a lunatic insisting you live in an attic closet, right?

This had all the twists and turns one can expect from this genre. I'm off my game, clearly not having read anything like this in ages, so I didn't quite guess the twist until right before it all happened. Everything seemed to be revealed in a timely matter? I didn't guess something and wait 100 pages for the reveal - which can be super annoying.

I will say the ending crumbled and is mainly why I can't give this 5 stars. The convenient wrap up with Enzo and the police felt lazy and entirely unbelievable.

I read this in one sitting and couldn't help but turn over to my husband and try to explain everything that happened. I was gasping to myself and was thoroughly entertained. Highly recommend!]]> 4.31 2022 The Housemaid (The Housemaid, #1)
author: Freida McFadden
name: LainieLibrary
average rating: 4.31
book published: 2022
rating: 4
read at: 2023/06/23
date added: 2023/06/23
shelves: 2023, crime_thriller, mystery
review:
4.5 Stars

Over the last 3 years I've been making my way through an endless stream of romances, so I practically forgot about the good ol' psychological thrillers with female leads and terrible men genre! There's something *almost* nostalgic about the classic 2014 - 2018 era thrillers like Gone Girl and The Woman in the Window. This hit the same mark. Do I need to start binging psychological thriller/crime/mystery books now? Yes. This book has certainly rekindled my love for these books.

Millie is a very likeable FMC. She's strong, interesting, and not entirely stupid. I mean she is, at times, but I also can't help but root for her? I wish we learned more about her past and family in this one, because she really is such an oddly likable character. I wanted to scream at her at times - we all agree that living in the Nissan is better than working for a lunatic insisting you live in an attic closet, right?

This had all the twists and turns one can expect from this genre. I'm off my game, clearly not having read anything like this in ages, so I didn't quite guess the twist until right before it all happened. Everything seemed to be revealed in a timely matter? I didn't guess something and wait 100 pages for the reveal - which can be super annoying.

I will say the ending crumbled and is mainly why I can't give this 5 stars. The convenient wrap up with Enzo and the police felt lazy and entirely unbelievable.

I read this in one sitting and couldn't help but turn over to my husband and try to explain everything that happened. I was gasping to myself and was thoroughly entertained. Highly recommend!
]]> Darling Venom 150304767 My second began with his brother.

From Wall Street Journal bestseller Parker S. Huntington comes a broken love story laced with angst and forbidden romance.

I wasn’t supposed to be on that roof on Valentine’s Day.

Neither was Kellan Marchetti, the school’s designated freak.

We met on the verge of ending our lives.

Somehow, the tattered strings of our tragedies tangled and tightened into an unlikely bond.

We decided not to take the plunge and agreed to check on each other every Valentine’s Day until school ended.

Same time.

One roof.

Two restless souls.

We kept our promise for three years.

On the fourth, Kellan made a decision, and I was left to deal with the consequences.

Just when I thought our story ended, another one began.

They say all love stories look the same and taste different.

Mine was venomous, disgraceful, and written in scarlet scars.

My name is Charlotte Richards, but you can call me Venom.]]> 470 Parker S. Huntington 1950209032 LainieLibrary 2 2023, contemporary_romance
Giving this 2 generous stars for the premise and what this could have been. This could have been a compelling dive into dealing with grief and finding love when you're heading down to your rock bottom. That's clearly what was attempted here, but it failed on both accounts.

The story starts with Charlotte (Charlie) when she's 14 years old. It's her birthday, Valentine's Day, and she's planning to commit suicide. She arrives and finds Kellen, the outsider/bullied guy at her high school, already there with the same plans. After some talking they both decide to hold off and commit to meeting there on Valentine's Day each year. They don't really become friends, since Kellen refuses to speak with her at school or in public, but they certainly have forged a bond/connection. Fast forward 4-years and Kellen decides to follow through with his plan, and leaves his brother, father, and Charlie behind. Then the rest of the (700 !!! page) book is Charlie attempting to pick up the pieces for herself, but she's also (for some reason) shouldering a huge responsibility to fix/help his family as well.

The grief, suicidal thoughts, and the depth this was attempting to reach was just not there. It's sad, yes, but I also felt extremely disconnected from Kellen and Charlie. See - when you look at everything, I would argue Charlie was barely friends with Kellen. Sure, they had a moment, and spoke with each other once a year for a few years, but that's the extent of their interactions. He was horribly bullied at school, she was living her life. Then, when he commits suicide, she's suddenly attached and inserts herself into the thick of it? The extent of her grief and guilt seem inauthentic. Especially paired with her own mental health struggles that ended up going away about 10-minutes into her conversation with Kellen on the 1st night they spoke on the rooftop. Not to spoil too much, but even after finishing this, I still don't understand Kellen and why he did it. The whole story kind of revolves around finding answers but in the end we are left questioning. Which I suppose may be the point? But on the other hand, we are continually told the book is his explanation. Yet we never get a real look at the book? It's a lot of telling rather than showing.

Then, ignoring the issues with how trauma, guilt, depression, etc. was handled here - maybe I could be convinced that okay this is a romance. Well, no. It's not even that. Tate has exactly 0 depth. He hates himself and feels a lot of guilt, but we don't get to know him. At all. Honestly, he comes off as so unlikable considering he's done exactly nothing for Charlie, and barely seems to like her. I am 100% convinced they do not love one another and instead developed a trauma bond. That's the only explanation that makes sense here. Not even a thread of chemistry exists.

Charlie is fine. Not entirely likeable, but I didn't hate her. It was sad watching her pour herself into every single person in her life, but then never received any love or support back. We see her do this with her sister, with Tate, and with Terry. Heck, even with her boss at work!

Even the scenes between the two (ugh like that horrific pap smear that was somehow supposed to be hot) fell flat. There was no angst or tension. Just a push and pull with Kellen being at the very center of their relationship. It was terrible. I probably would at least give this 3 stars if it stopped at the 500 page mark, but not, it kept going for another 200 pages of absolute nonsense that I would argue added nothing to the story. Even the random reveal in the epilogue with Terry - I predicted that so far in advance it felt meaningless and out of place to shove that in at the end.

I think overall this is having a bit of an identity crisis and while the idea is super compelling, the writing and execution didn't do it justice.]]> 4.08 2021 Darling Venom
author: Parker S. Huntington
name: LainieLibrary
average rating: 4.08
book published: 2021
rating: 2
read at: 2023/06/22
date added: 2023/06/22
shelves: 2023, contemporary_romance
review:
2 Stars

Giving this 2 generous stars for the premise and what this could have been. This could have been a compelling dive into dealing with grief and finding love when you're heading down to your rock bottom. That's clearly what was attempted here, but it failed on both accounts.

The story starts with Charlotte (Charlie) when she's 14 years old. It's her birthday, Valentine's Day, and she's planning to commit suicide. She arrives and finds Kellen, the outsider/bullied guy at her high school, already there with the same plans. After some talking they both decide to hold off and commit to meeting there on Valentine's Day each year. They don't really become friends, since Kellen refuses to speak with her at school or in public, but they certainly have forged a bond/connection. Fast forward 4-years and Kellen decides to follow through with his plan, and leaves his brother, father, and Charlie behind. Then the rest of the (700 !!! page) book is Charlie attempting to pick up the pieces for herself, but she's also (for some reason) shouldering a huge responsibility to fix/help his family as well.

The grief, suicidal thoughts, and the depth this was attempting to reach was just not there. It's sad, yes, but I also felt extremely disconnected from Kellen and Charlie. See - when you look at everything, I would argue Charlie was barely friends with Kellen. Sure, they had a moment, and spoke with each other once a year for a few years, but that's the extent of their interactions. He was horribly bullied at school, she was living her life. Then, when he commits suicide, she's suddenly attached and inserts herself into the thick of it? The extent of her grief and guilt seem inauthentic. Especially paired with her own mental health struggles that ended up going away about 10-minutes into her conversation with Kellen on the 1st night they spoke on the rooftop. Not to spoil too much, but even after finishing this, I still don't understand Kellen and why he did it. The whole story kind of revolves around finding answers but in the end we are left questioning. Which I suppose may be the point? But on the other hand, we are continually told the book is his explanation. Yet we never get a real look at the book? It's a lot of telling rather than showing.

Then, ignoring the issues with how trauma, guilt, depression, etc. was handled here - maybe I could be convinced that okay this is a romance. Well, no. It's not even that. Tate has exactly 0 depth. He hates himself and feels a lot of guilt, but we don't get to know him. At all. Honestly, he comes off as so unlikable considering he's done exactly nothing for Charlie, and barely seems to like her. I am 100% convinced they do not love one another and instead developed a trauma bond. That's the only explanation that makes sense here. Not even a thread of chemistry exists.

Charlie is fine. Not entirely likeable, but I didn't hate her. It was sad watching her pour herself into every single person in her life, but then never received any love or support back. We see her do this with her sister, with Tate, and with Terry. Heck, even with her boss at work!

Even the scenes between the two (ugh like that horrific pap smear that was somehow supposed to be hot) fell flat. There was no angst or tension. Just a push and pull with Kellen being at the very center of their relationship. It was terrible. I probably would at least give this 3 stars if it stopped at the 500 page mark, but not, it kept going for another 200 pages of absolute nonsense that I would argue added nothing to the story. Even the random reveal in the epilogue with Terry - I predicted that so far in advance it felt meaningless and out of place to shove that in at the end.

I think overall this is having a bit of an identity crisis and while the idea is super compelling, the writing and execution didn't do it justice.
]]> A Ship of Bones & Teeth 138358709
Princess Maren is a woman with a secret.

Ten years agoshe sold her soul to the sea witch Edonia, giving up a life underwater in exchange for the love of Prince Aerik on land. But after a decade of abuse and misery inflicted by the cruel prince, Maren wants nothing more than to leave him and her royal role behind and find Edonia to reverse the spell.

An opportunity for escape presents itself when the prince and princess are traveling overseas and are taken hostage by a band of notorious pirates, led by the fearsome Captain Ramsay "Bones" Battista. Maren has heard the sordid stories about the infamous pirate--not only is his ship supposedly haunted and crewed by the damned, but that no prisoners ever survive.

Fortunately for Maren, she learns that the captain also has a score to settle with the sea witch. With any luck, Maren may be able to get her old life back, even if it's being held in the captain's wicked hands.

But Ramsay gets more than he bargained for when he learns who--and what --Maren is, and that her appetite for revenge, freedom, and bloodlust rivals his.

Meanwhile Maren finds herself falling for the pirate's dark nature, even as she discovers that Ramsay has a secret more deadly than her own.

When it comes to the high seas, not all monsters lurk beneath the surface.]]> 442 Karina Halle LainieLibrary 2 dnf, 2023, fantasy
I thought this was fine at the beginning and enjoyed the little mermaid/pirates of the caribbean feel - but I quickly lost interest.

This was practically a story of the events after the little mermaid if Eric Aerik ended up being an abusive husband. Then, 10 years later, Maren//our Ariel and Aerik's ship is overtaken by pirates and she falls for the hot pirate captain. That's basically as far as I made it because the story lost it's steam after all that. Honestly, the final strike for me was finding out the pirates are actually... vampires? An odd choice there, IMO. That reveal felt almost laughable.

I didn't find Maren, or Captain Ramsay "Bones", all that likable and I wasn't able to connect to either of them. It was all a bit lackluster and once I lost interest I couldn't make myself continue reading.]]> 3.77 2023 A Ship of Bones & Teeth
author: Karina Halle
name: LainieLibrary
average rating: 3.77
book published: 2023
rating: 2
read at: 2023/06/19
date added: 2023/06/19
shelves: dnf, 2023, fantasy
review:
2 Stars - DNF @ 50%

I thought this was fine at the beginning and enjoyed the little mermaid/pirates of the caribbean feel - but I quickly lost interest.

This was practically a story of the events after the little mermaid if Eric Aerik ended up being an abusive husband. Then, 10 years later, Maren//our Ariel and Aerik's ship is overtaken by pirates and she falls for the hot pirate captain. That's basically as far as I made it because the story lost it's steam after all that. Honestly, the final strike for me was finding out the pirates are actually... vampires? An odd choice there, IMO. That reveal felt almost laughable.

I didn't find Maren, or Captain Ramsay "Bones", all that likable and I wasn't able to connect to either of them. It was all a bit lackluster and once I lost interest I couldn't make myself continue reading.
]]> <![CDATA[Truth or Dare (Daring Daughters, #18)]]> 128566177
Agatha de Montluc’s life is a fairy story.

Born in the rookery and alone in a dangerous world, the day she picked the Comte de Villen’s pocket might have seen her transported, or even hanged. But the beautiful comte’s past was dark too, and he sees himself in the grubby urchin he determines to save.

Now, Aggie is a lady, the Comte de Villen, her adopted father, and she is living in the lap of luxury, with a family that loves her, and the best friends a girl could ask for.

And then there is Fred.

Not a wicked son�

Lord Frederick Adolphus is the kindest, most honorable man in the world. A younger son of the Duke of Bedwin, he is titled, handsome, rich and popular, and hopelessly in love with his childhood sweetheart.

So when Aggie disappears without a trace, leaving only a brief note explaining that she had to go, she destroys his world and his happiness.

The greatest sacrifice�

Leaving Fred and the people she loves is the hardest thing Aggie has ever done, but too late, she realizes her fairytale cannot come true. Too late she discovers Fred has been fighting his friends, because of her, because of the things they say about her, because she will never be a lady. A girl born in squalor can never marry the son of a duke.

The world will never let them be together.

A surprising alliance�

When she runs away to France to start a new life, hidden far from her beloved and those that care for her, Aggie does not expect to cross paths with her best friend’s estranged husband, Lord Kilbane. For five long years, an uneasy entente exists between them as they both do their best to forget England, and avoid a world they can no longer bear to live in.
So when the Marquess of Kilbane gets himself into the kind of trouble that might finally ruin him for good, Aggie determines to help him, for his wife’s sake. An adventure ensues that sends Aggie to England, and crashing headlong back into Fred’s life.

And no matter how hard Aggie tries to escape, this time Fred is not letting her out of his sight.]]> 295 Emma V. Leech 2492133885 LainieLibrary 4 2023, historical_romance
I flew through this in one sitting, so obviously I very much enjoyed it, but I found this to be more of a book to set up Kilbane/Cat's story vs. a story about Aggie and Fred.

The story picks up after Aggie runs off to France in an attempt to protect Fred from being associated with her. For the first 25% or so it's Aggie making her way to Paris, picking up a companion (Fliss) along the way. She even starts her own version of a women's club, and is in France during the revolution. This goes on for 4 years until the story picks back up again. Aggie has grown and she even encounters Kilbane a few times throughout the years and her opinion of him (slightly) changes since he ends up helping her out. Back in England, we are told Cat has been humiliated by Kilbane leaving her before they even have a wedding night - and she has to deal with whispers and rumors for years. But eventually she grows in her confidence and is dazzling the ton again. All of this is fine - but it felt like so much telling vs. showing.

Eventually, Aggie decides to return to England, but has to help Kilbane along the way. The bits here after she's finally reunited with Fred are very sparse. They interact a bit, Aggie explains why she left, and then they get married. Since this book was technically theirs, I wished there was a bit more of a focus on the two with more showing of their relationship. I don't "feel" the love between Aggie and Fred outside of knowing their interactions throughout the rest of this series while they were growing up. I think the childhood love could have been highlighted differently - like I said this felt more about Kilbane and Cat.

I am loving Cat and Kilbane's tense relationship and I'm super excited to read their book next. I also like Rose (Phoebe's daughter) coming to stay with Cat! ]]> 4.51 Truth or Dare (Daring Daughters, #18)
author: Emma V. Leech
name: LainieLibrary
average rating: 4.51
book published:
rating: 4
read at: 2023/06/19
date added: 2023/06/19
shelves: 2023, historical_romance
review:
4 Stars

I flew through this in one sitting, so obviously I very much enjoyed it, but I found this to be more of a book to set up Kilbane/Cat's story vs. a story about Aggie and Fred.

The story picks up after Aggie runs off to France in an attempt to protect Fred from being associated with her. For the first 25% or so it's Aggie making her way to Paris, picking up a companion (Fliss) along the way. She even starts her own version of a women's club, and is in France during the revolution. This goes on for 4 years until the story picks back up again. Aggie has grown and she even encounters Kilbane a few times throughout the years and her opinion of him (slightly) changes since he ends up helping her out. Back in England, we are told Cat has been humiliated by Kilbane leaving her before they even have a wedding night - and she has to deal with whispers and rumors for years. But eventually she grows in her confidence and is dazzling the ton again. All of this is fine - but it felt like so much telling vs. showing.

Eventually, Aggie decides to return to England, but has to help Kilbane along the way. The bits here after she's finally reunited with Fred are very sparse. They interact a bit, Aggie explains why she left, and then they get married. Since this book was technically theirs, I wished there was a bit more of a focus on the two with more showing of their relationship. I don't "feel" the love between Aggie and Fred outside of knowing their interactions throughout the rest of this series while they were growing up. I think the childhood love could have been highlighted differently - like I said this felt more about Kilbane and Cat.

I am loving Cat and Kilbane's tense relationship and I'm super excited to read their book next. I also like Rose (Phoebe's daughter) coming to stay with Cat!
]]> <![CDATA[Contractually Yours (The Lasker Brothers, #4)]]> 152946781
She only plans to stay married until her control is firmly established. But she does the unthinkable and falls in love with her husband...

When the ruthless and iron-willed Sebastian Lasker is forced to marry a woman fully as scandalous as his embarrassing, disreputable father, he vows revenge. Nobody manipulates him and gets away with it. He’s going to strip her of what she wants from the marriage and get rid of her.

But pride and fortune aren’t the only things at stake as he realizes he can’t let her go...

Contractually Yours is full of a yummy arranged marriage, dislike-to-love, forced proximity, my wife moments, man-groveling and a happy ending.


✔️ Arranged marriage
✔️ Possessive hero
✔️ My wife
✔️ Her cheating ex-fiancé’s older (and hotter) brother
✔️ Sassy jewelry heiress
✔️ Grumpy jewelry CEO (hero)
✔️ Childhood encounter
✔️ Enemies(?)-to-lovers / dislike-to-love
✔️ Forced proximity
✔️ Revenge
✔️ He grovels
✔️ Power couple]]> 350 Nadia Lee LainieLibrary 4
A good read, but not as gripping as other billionaire/arranged marriage romances I've read. Also, I'm just now realizing this is book 4 of the series, which makes way more sense.

Anyways - Lucy is rich girly with an awful (and very sexist) family who needs to marry to have full access to her shares of the family diamond company. The company is based in some archaic country that doesn't allow women to own anything/do what they want unless they are married and/or 30. Sebastian is the guy she chooses to enter into this necessary marriage - it's very much a business deal with very specific rules and legalities. His family owns another jewelry/diamond business. The drama of it all is that Sebastian was basically forced into the marriage by his family, who didn't ask for his input, so he sort of hates Lucy. Ofc they fall for one another amid various crises.

The beginning was a bit slow, and didn't quite work for me, but as the story moved on and picked up I really enjoyed it. Sebastian is a bit one dimensional, but I liked Lucy overall. She's been continually hurt by everyone close to her, so she's had to craft a very hard exterior. Once she's marries Sebastian, she finally has someone to care about her and treat her like a real person. I felt so bad for Lucy throughout this, and towards the end at the climax of the story, I thought what Sebastian did was almost unforgiveable considering all that has happened to Lucy. She deserved so much better.

Outside of Sebastian's betrayal, he didn't have a ton of distinguishing qualities. Not that Lucy had much depth, but Sebastian had almost nothing memorable about him other than being nice and protective. Also - the tattoo he gets should be illegal!!! For that alone I should round this done wow I thought it was a joke. Sadly - it wasn't.

It's entertaining enough, so I can recommend giving this a try, but don't have the highest expectations. And there was a LOT of typos - it got to the point where I kept being pulled out of the story because there were so many, and I usually don't mind.]]> 3.96 2023 Contractually Yours (The Lasker Brothers, #4)
author: Nadia Lee
name: LainieLibrary
average rating: 3.96
book published: 2023
rating: 4
read at: 2023/06/18
date added: 2023/06/19
shelves: 2023, contemporary_romance, billionaires
review:
3.5 Stars

A good read, but not as gripping as other billionaire/arranged marriage romances I've read. Also, I'm just now realizing this is book 4 of the series, which makes way more sense.

Anyways - Lucy is rich girly with an awful (and very sexist) family who needs to marry to have full access to her shares of the family diamond company. The company is based in some archaic country that doesn't allow women to own anything/do what they want unless they are married and/or 30. Sebastian is the guy she chooses to enter into this necessary marriage - it's very much a business deal with very specific rules and legalities. His family owns another jewelry/diamond business. The drama of it all is that Sebastian was basically forced into the marriage by his family, who didn't ask for his input, so he sort of hates Lucy. Ofc they fall for one another amid various crises.

The beginning was a bit slow, and didn't quite work for me, but as the story moved on and picked up I really enjoyed it. Sebastian is a bit one dimensional, but I liked Lucy overall. She's been continually hurt by everyone close to her, so she's had to craft a very hard exterior. Once she's marries Sebastian, she finally has someone to care about her and treat her like a real person. I felt so bad for Lucy throughout this, and towards the end at the climax of the story, I thought what Sebastian did was almost unforgiveable considering all that has happened to Lucy. She deserved so much better.

Outside of Sebastian's betrayal, he didn't have a ton of distinguishing qualities. Not that Lucy had much depth, but Sebastian had almost nothing memorable about him other than being nice and protective. Also - the tattoo he gets should be illegal!!! For that alone I should round this done wow I thought it was a joke. Sadly - it wasn't.

It's entertaining enough, so I can recommend giving this a try, but don't have the highest expectations. And there was a LOT of typos - it got to the point where I kept being pulled out of the story because there were so many, and I usually don't mind.
]]> <![CDATA[The Unwanted Wife (Unwanted, #1)]]> 17346553
Delicate, titian-haired Theresa Noble has met her father’s associates in the past, but the gorgeous, Italian-born Sandro De Lucci leaves her speechless. Eighteen months into their marriage, however, Sandro has turned to ice. Desperate to escape a relationship that has proven to be as stubbornly passionate as it is cold and hateful, Theresa summons up the courage to ask for a divorce. But before he’ll grant her request, Sandro demands something from Theresa: a son.

The stalemate sickens her. Never mind that Sandro has yet to introduce Theresa to the large family that means so much to him. Or that Theresa overhears her husband on the phone with a mystery woman. Most damning is that Theresa senses, in Sandro’s treatment of her, the behind-the-scenes machinations of Jackson Noble, her cruel father. From the depths of her anxiety, Theresa must seek an empowering truth about the husband who calls her, with such cold affection, his cara, his beloved.

Revised edition: This edition of The Unwanted Wife includes editorial revisions.]]> 247 Natasha Anders 1477868062 LainieLibrary 2
Well, this was incredibly boring. I thought I would enjoy the marriage in crisis/groveling here, but it became repetitive since that was pretty much the entire storyline. There's some terrible family members thrown in so Theresa (the wife) can be traumatized a bit more, but that's all we get here.

After 18 months of being treated like absolute trash by her husband (Sandro), Theresa decides she needs a divorce. Sandro is surprised (yeah, he's an idiot), and basically says something like "no, you know we can't. You need to give me a son first". Which is pretty confusing because Theresa has no idea what he's talking about. This goes on for about the first ~30% - Theresa wants a divorce and finally takes a stand to distance herself from Sandro, and Sandro is somehow confused by this and is trying to force her to stay.

Then, Sandro finally puts 2 and 2 together and realizes that Theresa was not in on this big bad scheme that's made him treat her so terribly. This leads into the rest of the book where Sandro is groveling... and groveling... and groveling. It gets so repetitive and boring. There aren't any interesting reveals and I see 0 chemistry between the two. Their development is slow and completely devoid of angst/tension/literally anything to make their eventually reconciled relationship seem believable. This overall wasn't written very well, in my opinion.

Also, I just have to add that we are told Theresa is tiny like 20 times. She's continually described as slight, skinny, delicate, etc. that it got a little annoying. We get it - she's small - it doesn't need to be repeated over and over again.]]> 3.66 2012 The Unwanted Wife (Unwanted, #1)
author: Natasha Anders
name: LainieLibrary
average rating: 3.66
book published: 2012
rating: 2
read at: 2023/06/14
date added: 2023/06/15
shelves: 2023, billionaires, contemporary_romance
review:
2 Stars

Well, this was incredibly boring. I thought I would enjoy the marriage in crisis/groveling here, but it became repetitive since that was pretty much the entire storyline. There's some terrible family members thrown in so Theresa (the wife) can be traumatized a bit more, but that's all we get here.

After 18 months of being treated like absolute trash by her husband (Sandro), Theresa decides she needs a divorce. Sandro is surprised (yeah, he's an idiot), and basically says something like "no, you know we can't. You need to give me a son first". Which is pretty confusing because Theresa has no idea what he's talking about. This goes on for about the first ~30% - Theresa wants a divorce and finally takes a stand to distance herself from Sandro, and Sandro is somehow confused by this and is trying to force her to stay.

Then, Sandro finally puts 2 and 2 together and realizes that Theresa was not in on this big bad scheme that's made him treat her so terribly. This leads into the rest of the book where Sandro is groveling... and groveling... and groveling. It gets so repetitive and boring. There aren't any interesting reveals and I see 0 chemistry between the two. Their development is slow and completely devoid of angst/tension/literally anything to make their eventually reconciled relationship seem believable. This overall wasn't written very well, in my opinion.

Also, I just have to add that we are told Theresa is tiny like 20 times. She's continually described as slight, skinny, delicate, etc. that it got a little annoying. We get it - she's small - it doesn't need to be repeated over and over again.
]]> <![CDATA[The Unwanted Marriage (The Windsors, #3)]]> 104659050 From the author of The Wrong Bride and The Temporary Wife comes an angsty and steamy billionaire arranged marriage romance

�
Faye is the last woman Dion Windsor wants to be near, let alone marry� yet there’s no escaping the alluring pianist he’s been engaged to since they were children.

For years, he made his unwillingness known, but his attempts to keep Faye at a distance fade to dust at the sight of her with another man � mere months before their wedding.

One look at her, and he realises he’s done running. Time is up, and whether she likes it or not, she’s his.

Or she could be, if the secrets he keeps didn’t hold the power to destroy her.


Publisher's Note: Each book in the Windsors series features a different Windsor sibling, and as such, each book can be read as a standalone. The Unwanted Marriage contains a guaranteed happily-ever-after and no cheating.]]> 374 Catharina Maura LainieLibrary 4
The best one in the series, by far! I enjoyed the other two, but this one hit a better balance of interesting characters who didn't quite cross over into the frustrating/annoying area. (like Raven and Ares in #1). I liked the effort in making Dion be the (slightly) edgy brother - while Ares and Luca were a bit too sweet in my opinion. Faye was awesome too - she has a traumatic backstory that I did not see coming, so I was very impressed by how much she has overcome, while still being a really really good person.

The romance development was amazing, like I knew it would be. Catharina Maura (at least with this series) writes the angst/development/tension very well! From the other two books, we know Dion has been engaged with Faye for years, but actively avoided her. He basically thought she was meek and uninteresting. Then when he finds her with her boyfriend, he sees her in an all new light and decides to finally step up into his role as her fiancé. There's a bit of an age-gap situation too, which semi-explains why he avoided her for so long, which I thought was a nice touch. Lol.

Good ol' Grandma was a little less unhinged in this one - which was a nice change of pace. But only because [spoilers removed] She would have to be particularly rotten to stay on her chaotic train of ruining her grandkids lives once she found out about Faye's situation. Which, I have to add - WHY did it take sooo long for Dion and Granny to find out about Faye's home life..? You're telling me that neither of them bothered digging into/checking in on her life? That's a bit unbelievable. Also, Dion you're dumb, the signs were their the entire time.

The third act drama was much less grating in this than the other two books. Was it absurd? Yes. But I'll let it pass.

Overall - I highly recommend this series and will continue to read these as soon as they are released. But - I'm a bit hesitant for the next one because Celeste seems to suck. Grandma is clearly hopping back onto the chaos train - and is already trying to make up for lost time because she had to hold back with Dion and Faye. I'm sure she was seething underneath it all - and when she saw this Celeste situation she knew exactly how to put Zane in his place.

Also - I just need to mention that Dion being a literal [spoilers removed] felt SO out of place. Luca and Ares are so vanilla, and then Dion had to be THAT ~dark~? It didn't connect for me and felt a bit over the top. ]]> 4.03 2023 The Unwanted Marriage (The Windsors, #3)
author: Catharina Maura
name: LainieLibrary
average rating: 4.03
book published: 2023
rating: 4
read at: 2023/06/04
date added: 2023/06/15
shelves: 2023, contemporary_romance, billionaires
review:
4 Stars

The best one in the series, by far! I enjoyed the other two, but this one hit a better balance of interesting characters who didn't quite cross over into the frustrating/annoying area. (like Raven and Ares in #1). I liked the effort in making Dion be the (slightly) edgy brother - while Ares and Luca were a bit too sweet in my opinion. Faye was awesome too - she has a traumatic backstory that I did not see coming, so I was very impressed by how much she has overcome, while still being a really really good person.

The romance development was amazing, like I knew it would be. Catharina Maura (at least with this series) writes the angst/development/tension very well! From the other two books, we know Dion has been engaged with Faye for years, but actively avoided her. He basically thought she was meek and uninteresting. Then when he finds her with her boyfriend, he sees her in an all new light and decides to finally step up into his role as her fiancé. There's a bit of an age-gap situation too, which semi-explains why he avoided her for so long, which I thought was a nice touch. Lol.

Good ol' Grandma was a little less unhinged in this one - which was a nice change of pace. But only because [spoilers removed] She would have to be particularly rotten to stay on her chaotic train of ruining her grandkids lives once she found out about Faye's situation. Which, I have to add - WHY did it take sooo long for Dion and Granny to find out about Faye's home life..? You're telling me that neither of them bothered digging into/checking in on her life? That's a bit unbelievable. Also, Dion you're dumb, the signs were their the entire time.

The third act drama was much less grating in this than the other two books. Was it absurd? Yes. But I'll let it pass.

Overall - I highly recommend this series and will continue to read these as soon as they are released. But - I'm a bit hesitant for the next one because Celeste seems to suck. Grandma is clearly hopping back onto the chaos train - and is already trying to make up for lost time because she had to hold back with Dion and Faye. I'm sure she was seething underneath it all - and when she saw this Celeste situation she knew exactly how to put Zane in his place.

Also - I just need to mention that Dion being a literal [spoilers removed] felt SO out of place. Luca and Ares are so vanilla, and then Dion had to be THAT ~dark~? It didn't connect for me and felt a bit over the top.
]]> <![CDATA[Asher Black (The Five Syndicates, #1)]]> 34705192 From USA Today bestselling author Parker S. Huntington comes a steamy, slow-burn love story full of unexpected love and banter.

It started with my bladder.

I didn't mean to witness a shady deal in the restroom hallway.
I didn't think twice when I called the cops.
And I certainly didn't know who the club belonged to.

Asher Black.
Former mafia hitman.
Billionaire CEO.
New York's most eligible bachelor.

When he shows up at my college, looking for the girl who called the cops on his business, I know I'm as good as dead.
What I don't expect is his offer--he'll pay my tuition and set me up with a cushy job after I graduate.
All I have to do is... be his fake fiancée.

Asher Black is a 90,000-word standalone novel in The Five Syndicates mafia romance series.]]> 307 Parker S. Huntington LainieLibrary 2
This was fine for the first ~70%, but then it started to nose dive. Honestly - the whole thing was quite forgettable, but I was entertained enough by the first part.

Anything with a fake fiancé can take my money - so I flew through the beginning. Lucy sees a sketchy situation in a club, she calls the police, the club owner (Asher Black) figures out she called the police and decides he needs to deal with her. He has loose ties to the mafia (he's sort of trying to get out of that) and is thinking he needs to maybe kill Lucy. Surprise - he doesn't kill her, instead he decides to force her into being his pretend fiancé. Something to do with his job as a CEO and needing to be viewed as stable (i.e., has a wife/is settling down). Ofc along the way they actually develop feelings.

But okay, pausing here, that's genuinely all I remember... There isn't anything that sets this book apart, and I'm usually very generous with anything that has a hint of mafia/billionaire/fake fiancé. I'm trying to read other reviews now to trigger my memory and someone mentioned a tragic backstory and I have no idea what that's referring to. I only finished this book 4 days ago, so I suppose that says enough about the book right there. Oh, I do remember a lot of random typos! And they hooked up in an ally at the very beginning but then there's nothing spicy until almost the very end. ]]> 4.00 2017 Asher Black (The Five Syndicates, #1)
author: Parker S. Huntington
name: LainieLibrary
average rating: 4.00
book published: 2017
rating: 2
read at: 2023/06/11
date added: 2023/06/15
shelves: 2023, billionaires, mafia, contemporary_romance
review:
2 Stars

This was fine for the first ~70%, but then it started to nose dive. Honestly - the whole thing was quite forgettable, but I was entertained enough by the first part.

Anything with a fake fiancé can take my money - so I flew through the beginning. Lucy sees a sketchy situation in a club, she calls the police, the club owner (Asher Black) figures out she called the police and decides he needs to deal with her. He has loose ties to the mafia (he's sort of trying to get out of that) and is thinking he needs to maybe kill Lucy. Surprise - he doesn't kill her, instead he decides to force her into being his pretend fiancé. Something to do with his job as a CEO and needing to be viewed as stable (i.e., has a wife/is settling down). Ofc along the way they actually develop feelings.

But okay, pausing here, that's genuinely all I remember... There isn't anything that sets this book apart, and I'm usually very generous with anything that has a hint of mafia/billionaire/fake fiancé. I'm trying to read other reviews now to trigger my memory and someone mentioned a tragic backstory and I have no idea what that's referring to. I only finished this book 4 days ago, so I suppose that says enough about the book right there. Oh, I do remember a lot of random typos! And they hooked up in an ally at the very beginning but then there's nothing spicy until almost the very end.
]]> From Rags 13524900
Connor McKenzie is busy trying to shake off his crazy ex-girlfriend � another woman who thought she could get around his no marriage rule � when he sees Jaxxon on the cover of a magazine. Remembering how close they had once been, he’s shocked when she doesn’t respond to his attempts to contact her and then acts indifferently to him when they meet. But Connor can’t let it go. The only reason he had kept his hands off her ten years ago was that she had been younger than him. Now that they’re adults, he isn’t prepared to allow anything � not even Jaxxon � to stop him from having her.

Warning: This novel contains a bitchy female who curses like a sailor, a persistent alpha male who doesn’t understand the word ‘no�, and explicit hot sex in some very public places.]]> 292 Suzanne Wright LainieLibrary 3 2023, contemporary_romance
Okay - so I LOVE The Favor. Love. And every so often I would search for more contemporary romances by Suzanne Wright and would never find any??? But then when I did a re-read of The Favor I noticed this book and another listed as Suzanne Wright contemporary romances?? Genuinely do not know how I missed this.

Anyways - I really wanted to like this more than I did. It was good - I certainly was entertained and I overall liked the characters, but something was missing. And that something is A Plot. Of course, things are happening in the story, but it's SO character driven there isn't really a singular plot line tying the story together. It's just random things happening to Jaxx, our FMC.

Jaxx grew up in foster care with her sister, but when her sister, Leah, (who is a lying selfish narcissist, more on this later) turns 16 she leaves Jaxx all alone and has quite the parting words to kick Jaxx down while she's being abandoned. Even Jaxx's best friend/guy she's in love with, Connor, leaves as soon as he can, so Jaxx is truly all alone.

Fast forward - the story picks up when Jaxx is in her 20s working at a very crappy bar. She's gorgeous and ~discovered~ by a modeling agency type guy and her career skyrockets. She's now wealthy, famous, and has entirely left her old life behind. Yet - she still keeps her very fierce and strong personality. Then Connor, yeah the bestie who essentially abandoned her, sees her on a magazine covers and essentially thinks "Dang, I haven't thought about Jaxx at all in the last 10 years, but wow she's hot I should stop by and say hi". Mind you - he didn't visit or speak to her at all over the last 10-years/while she was stuck in foster care. EVEN when he promised her that he would. Can you tell I don't love Connor?

The story progresses from there, ofc Jaxx eventually forgives him. blah blah. That's sort of the plot - this reunion between Connor and Jaxx and then they hook up a ton. There's a sprinkling of drama from a stalker (I wouldn't *really* call that a plot line though because it felt so inconsequential to the story). The story felt a tad directionless at times because there was such a lack of a central theme?

The story was still fun, even with the plot issues, but my biggest problem was Connor. Because how can I possibly believe he loves Jaxx at the end of this when he failed to even acknowledge/visit/check on/MAKE SURE SHE WAS OKAY for 10 years?!?! EVEN after he became a famous F1 driver. His reason for not visiting was absolute nonsense and doesn't remotely explain why it was 10 years later. He completely forgot about her until he saw the magazine cover and wanted to check in on the super hot girl he grew up with. It's honestly sad and Jaxx deserves A LOT better. [spoilers removed] It's even a tad out of character IMO because why in the world would Jaxx put up with this behavior? We know she has a strong backbone - this is the time to use it!

Tying in with all of that - Connor and Jaxx certainly have a ton of chemistry but I didn't ever buy the emotional connection between the two. It was more lust/sleeping together than anything else. I am convinced that Jaxx loved Connor in an unhealthy, never had anyone to love and care for her in her life, sort of way but I do not believe Connor loved her too.

But still would 100% recommend this. It's entertaining and fluffy - but not nearly as amazing as The Favor. ]]> 3.87 2012 From Rags
author: Suzanne Wright
name: LainieLibrary
average rating: 3.87
book published: 2012
rating: 3
read at: 2023/06/01
date added: 2023/06/02
shelves: 2023, contemporary_romance
review:
3 Stars

Okay - so I LOVE The Favor. Love. And every so often I would search for more contemporary romances by Suzanne Wright and would never find any??? But then when I did a re-read of The Favor I noticed this book and another listed as Suzanne Wright contemporary romances?? Genuinely do not know how I missed this.

Anyways - I really wanted to like this more than I did. It was good - I certainly was entertained and I overall liked the characters, but something was missing. And that something is A Plot. Of course, things are happening in the story, but it's SO character driven there isn't really a singular plot line tying the story together. It's just random things happening to Jaxx, our FMC.

Jaxx grew up in foster care with her sister, but when her sister, Leah, (who is a lying selfish narcissist, more on this later) turns 16 she leaves Jaxx all alone and has quite the parting words to kick Jaxx down while she's being abandoned. Even Jaxx's best friend/guy she's in love with, Connor, leaves as soon as he can, so Jaxx is truly all alone.

Fast forward - the story picks up when Jaxx is in her 20s working at a very crappy bar. She's gorgeous and ~discovered~ by a modeling agency type guy and her career skyrockets. She's now wealthy, famous, and has entirely left her old life behind. Yet - she still keeps her very fierce and strong personality. Then Connor, yeah the bestie who essentially abandoned her, sees her on a magazine covers and essentially thinks "Dang, I haven't thought about Jaxx at all in the last 10 years, but wow she's hot I should stop by and say hi". Mind you - he didn't visit or speak to her at all over the last 10-years/while she was stuck in foster care. EVEN when he promised her that he would. Can you tell I don't love Connor?

The story progresses from there, ofc Jaxx eventually forgives him. blah blah. That's sort of the plot - this reunion between Connor and Jaxx and then they hook up a ton. There's a sprinkling of drama from a stalker (I wouldn't *really* call that a plot line though because it felt so inconsequential to the story). The story felt a tad directionless at times because there was such a lack of a central theme?

The story was still fun, even with the plot issues, but my biggest problem was Connor. Because how can I possibly believe he loves Jaxx at the end of this when he failed to even acknowledge/visit/check on/MAKE SURE SHE WAS OKAY for 10 years?!?! EVEN after he became a famous F1 driver. His reason for not visiting was absolute nonsense and doesn't remotely explain why it was 10 years later. He completely forgot about her until he saw the magazine cover and wanted to check in on the super hot girl he grew up with. It's honestly sad and Jaxx deserves A LOT better. [spoilers removed] It's even a tad out of character IMO because why in the world would Jaxx put up with this behavior? We know she has a strong backbone - this is the time to use it!

Tying in with all of that - Connor and Jaxx certainly have a ton of chemistry but I didn't ever buy the emotional connection between the two. It was more lust/sleeping together than anything else. I am convinced that Jaxx loved Connor in an unhealthy, never had anyone to love and care for her in her life, sort of way but I do not believe Connor loved her too.

But still would 100% recommend this. It's entertaining and fluffy - but not nearly as amazing as The Favor.
]]> The Favor 53608355
Of course, if she’d known he’d request that she be his wife for twelve months, she’d have hesitated in accepting his help. Because what she’d learned from Dane was that the devil wasn’t ugly and terrorising. He was seductive and captivating. He hummed with whispers of temptation � the temptation to sin and surrender, to let him brand and possess you. He awakened every need and fantasy you had.

He could even make you love him.]]> 388 Suzanne Wright LainieLibrary 5 2021, office_romance, 2023
5/30/2023 reread - I ADORE this book. It's perfection.

I have really high standards for what I give 5 Stars - and I never consider stand alone romances like this as 5 Star books - but this was fantastic.

The characters:
Vienna is amazing and is written perfectly. She’s strong, intelligent, kind, loving and also a badass. She’s super classy too. I adore strong female characters who are also classy. Too often the strong female is written so cliche, annoying and crass - but Vienna was amazing.
Dane is the perfect strong brooding type. He’s mysterious, strong, and has a bit of a dark side. I’m obsessed.

The romance:
The slot burn is perfection. Seriously - the tension and relationship building between these too is absolutely on point. This is why I love slow burn romances - the tension and anticipation is 90% of the fun! I’m completely on board with their relationship.

The plot:
Unsurprisingly it’s amazing. No stupid misunderstandings or other annoying factors causing drama. No annoying tropes. The external factors (both their families, Vienna’s ex, etc.) are perfect ways to inject drama into the story. It also helps that Vienna and Dane were amazing characters and always “made the right decision�.

The ONE thing I would have liked to be different - I wish it was more flushed out on when Dane actually fell for Vienna. He says it was their trip to New York, but I was hoping/felt like it was hinting he had been obsessed with her the whole time he knew her. I sort of hoped it was revealed that Dane used the whole marriage ruse to win her over from the start - but we are told that wasn’t the case. This doesn’t take anything away from the story, it’s just something I wish was different.

Ugh I loved this. I highly recommended. I’ve never read a book by this author, but it looks like I’ll be diving into her other books starting now!]]> 3.97 2020 The Favor
author: Suzanne Wright
name: LainieLibrary
average rating: 3.97
book published: 2020
rating: 5
read at: 2023/05/26
date added: 2023/05/30
shelves: 2021, office_romance, 2023
review:
5 Stars

5/30/2023 reread - I ADORE this book. It's perfection.

I have really high standards for what I give 5 Stars - and I never consider stand alone romances like this as 5 Star books - but this was fantastic.

The characters:
Vienna is amazing and is written perfectly. She’s strong, intelligent, kind, loving and also a badass. She’s super classy too. I adore strong female characters who are also classy. Too often the strong female is written so cliche, annoying and crass - but Vienna was amazing.
Dane is the perfect strong brooding type. He’s mysterious, strong, and has a bit of a dark side. I’m obsessed.

The romance:
The slot burn is perfection. Seriously - the tension and relationship building between these too is absolutely on point. This is why I love slow burn romances - the tension and anticipation is 90% of the fun! I’m completely on board with their relationship.

The plot:
Unsurprisingly it’s amazing. No stupid misunderstandings or other annoying factors causing drama. No annoying tropes. The external factors (both their families, Vienna’s ex, etc.) are perfect ways to inject drama into the story. It also helps that Vienna and Dane were amazing characters and always “made the right decision�.

The ONE thing I would have liked to be different - I wish it was more flushed out on when Dane actually fell for Vienna. He says it was their trip to New York, but I was hoping/felt like it was hinting he had been obsessed with her the whole time he knew her. I sort of hoped it was revealed that Dane used the whole marriage ruse to win her over from the start - but we are told that wasn’t the case. This doesn’t take anything away from the story, it’s just something I wish was different.

Ugh I loved this. I highly recommended. I’ve never read a book by this author, but it looks like I’ll be diving into her other books starting now!
]]> Slaying the Vampire Conqueror 123368729 She was commanded to kill him with a single strike to the heart. She didn’t expect her own to betray her.

Sylina has sacrificed everything for her goddess–her soul, her freedom, her eyes. Life in service to the Arachessen, a cult of the Goddess of Fate, has turned Sylina from orphaned street-rat to disciplined killer, determined to overthrow Glaea’s tyrannical king. But when a brutal vampire conqueror arrives on their shores, Sylina faces an even deadlier adversary. She’s tasked with a crucial mission: infiltrate his army, earn his trust� and kill him.

Atrius is a terrifying warrior carving an unstoppable path through Glaea. Yet when Sylina becomes his seer, she glimpses a dark and shocking past–and a side of him that reminds her far too much of parts of herself she’d rather forget. Sylina’s orders are clear. The conqueror cannot live. But as the blood spilled by Glaea’s tyrant king runs thicker, her connection with Atrius only grows stronger. A connection forbidden by her vows. A connection that could cost her everything.

Slaying the Vampire Conqueror is a standalone fantasy romance set in the Crowns of Nyaxia world, full of heart-wrenching forbidden romance, dark curses, and epic battles � perfect for fans of The Bridge Kingdom and the From Blood and Ash series.]]> 369 Carissa Broadbent LainieLibrary 5 2023, fantasy, romance
This was fantastic. I very much enjoyed the Crowns of Nyaxia duet, so after seeing the amazing reviews for this one and knowing it's set in the same world, I assumed I would enjoy it. But guys - this is BETTER than the Crowns of Nyaxia! Which I was absolutely not expecting. I'm shocked by how action, character development, an ~actually good~ plot, and tension can be pulled together like this for a standalone.

I thoroughly enjoyed Sylina as a character. She has overcome so much and has fought with total control and discipline to get to the place she is now - a human (but very powerful) acolyte for Arachessen (the Goddess of Fate). She's controlled, super smart, and such a strong character. I adore her. She's not the cookie cutter snarky FMC we often see - she's badass.

I also loved Atrius - for basically the same reasons I love Sylina. They are such a perfect pairing - and the tension between the two is amazing.

Sylina is sent to kill Atrius - a vampire who is making his way through Glaea (a human continent/country thing), set on taking it over. Sylina's cult sends her to kill him - and she gladly takes the orders. See, even though her cult is mostly removed from the human world and cares more about balance vs. human lives - Sylina still has her heart and compassion. She wants to protect the lowly humans of the realm (even though it seems like most are suffering from very awful leadership). Of course, Sylina joins Atrius and her eyes are opened to what's truly happening within her realm. The plot is amazing, I truly didn't guess the little twist we get, and I thought the pacing was fantastic.

My only complaint is there was an odd disconnect between this standalone and the Crowns of Nyaxia books. They are apparently happening at the same time, but I truly thought this story was like 100 years prior or something. It felt more ancient somehow? And there wasn't even a mention of the events in Crowns of Nyaxia - which felt like a bit of a miss. I suppose that would mean spoilers possibly? But I think something could have been snuck in.

Overall, I highly highly recommend giving this a try.]]> 4.10 2023 Slaying the Vampire Conqueror
author: Carissa Broadbent
name: LainieLibrary
average rating: 4.10
book published: 2023
rating: 5
read at: 2023/05/22
date added: 2023/05/26
shelves: 2023, fantasy, romance
review:
5 Stars

This was fantastic. I very much enjoyed the Crowns of Nyaxia duet, so after seeing the amazing reviews for this one and knowing it's set in the same world, I assumed I would enjoy it. But guys - this is BETTER than the Crowns of Nyaxia! Which I was absolutely not expecting. I'm shocked by how action, character development, an ~actually good~ plot, and tension can be pulled together like this for a standalone.

I thoroughly enjoyed Sylina as a character. She has overcome so much and has fought with total control and discipline to get to the place she is now - a human (but very powerful) acolyte for Arachessen (the Goddess of Fate). She's controlled, super smart, and such a strong character. I adore her. She's not the cookie cutter snarky FMC we often see - she's badass.

I also loved Atrius - for basically the same reasons I love Sylina. They are such a perfect pairing - and the tension between the two is amazing.

Sylina is sent to kill Atrius - a vampire who is making his way through Glaea (a human continent/country thing), set on taking it over. Sylina's cult sends her to kill him - and she gladly takes the orders. See, even though her cult is mostly removed from the human world and cares more about balance vs. human lives - Sylina still has her heart and compassion. She wants to protect the lowly humans of the realm (even though it seems like most are suffering from very awful leadership). Of course, Sylina joins Atrius and her eyes are opened to what's truly happening within her realm. The plot is amazing, I truly didn't guess the little twist we get, and I thought the pacing was fantastic.

My only complaint is there was an odd disconnect between this standalone and the Crowns of Nyaxia books. They are apparently happening at the same time, but I truly thought this story was like 100 years prior or something. It felt more ancient somehow? And there wasn't even a mention of the events in Crowns of Nyaxia - which felt like a bit of a miss. I suppose that would mean spoilers possibly? But I think something could have been snuck in.

Overall, I highly highly recommend giving this a try.
]]> <![CDATA[Beauty Dares the Beast (Wagers and Wallflowers Book 11)]]> 61074185
Heroine: Lady Drusilla Evans
Hero: Ambrose, the Duke of Collingswood]]> Alyssa Clarke LainieLibrary 2 2023, historical_romance
My least favorite book of the series so far. These stories are so so short that it's nearly impossible to see meaningful chemistry between the MMC and FMC (Lady Drusilla Evans and Ambrose, the Duke of Collingswood). This was a lightening speed Beauty in the Beast "retelling". It all happened so fast - Lady Drusilla shows up at the Dukes home (pretending to be a man so she can write his memoir as requested) and then 10 pages later they are having s*x in a hidden passageway (I think, tbh the writing was tough at times and I couldn't fully grasp the setting of each scene). For a historical romance, the immediate hook up/ruining of Drusilla made 0 sense. And from a readers perspective I need way more build up and tension to be even a little convinced the two love each other.

There wasn't any external issue or plotline outside of "oops Drusilla just spent 2 weeks alone at a Duke's home (who she doesn't even know) without a chaperone - now she's ruined". It was pretty boring. There's a little drama with this guy her parents want her to marry - and he sucks - but it was such low stakes and just a tiny part of the story. Basically he was used as a bit of drama towards the end.

I think this series has the ability to be really good, and I do enjoy this author overall, but the stories are so short and surface level I barely remember them after reading. Lots of people are referenced, because there's this whole ladies club, but I cannot remember any of their stories or distinguish their personalities. The heroes and heroines are all exactly the same person.

I may give the next in the series a try, because I know I enjoyed some of the books in this series, but my expectations will be lowered.]]> 3.98 Beauty Dares the Beast (Wagers and Wallflowers Book 11)
author: Alyssa Clarke
name: LainieLibrary
average rating: 3.98
book published:
rating: 2
read at: 2023/05/16
date added: 2023/05/17
shelves: 2023, historical_romance
review:
2 Stars

My least favorite book of the series so far. These stories are so so short that it's nearly impossible to see meaningful chemistry between the MMC and FMC (Lady Drusilla Evans and Ambrose, the Duke of Collingswood). This was a lightening speed Beauty in the Beast "retelling". It all happened so fast - Lady Drusilla shows up at the Dukes home (pretending to be a man so she can write his memoir as requested) and then 10 pages later they are having s*x in a hidden passageway (I think, tbh the writing was tough at times and I couldn't fully grasp the setting of each scene). For a historical romance, the immediate hook up/ruining of Drusilla made 0 sense. And from a readers perspective I need way more build up and tension to be even a little convinced the two love each other.

There wasn't any external issue or plotline outside of "oops Drusilla just spent 2 weeks alone at a Duke's home (who she doesn't even know) without a chaperone - now she's ruined". It was pretty boring. There's a little drama with this guy her parents want her to marry - and he sucks - but it was such low stakes and just a tiny part of the story. Basically he was used as a bit of drama towards the end.

I think this series has the ability to be really good, and I do enjoy this author overall, but the stories are so short and surface level I barely remember them after reading. Lots of people are referenced, because there's this whole ladies club, but I cannot remember any of their stories or distinguish their personalities. The heroes and heroines are all exactly the same person.

I may give the next in the series a try, because I know I enjoyed some of the books in this series, but my expectations will be lowered.
]]> <![CDATA[The Devil of London (Red Flag #1)]]> 142265081 Now, I intended to topple his entire empire of sin down on his seductive, narcissistic head. Soon, he’ll understand why queens are a power piece on the chessboard. I’m about to remind him just how much damage an angry, vindictive woman can do.
Before humans walked the earth, Aderyn and I were creatures of darkness. She thinks I recently claimed her soul, but she has always been mine. Then the gods made her forget, punishing us both when she crossed them; allowing us to be near, but never together. Now, I planned to do anything to break the cycle and get her back for good. Even if the gods prevented me from giving her what she craved.

This book is not suitable for anyone under 18. It contains subject matter and scenes which may be difficult to read. Please see the authors warning inside cover before proceeding.]]> 325 Amelia Hutchins LainieLibrary 2
I'm starting this review and I truly have no idea what my rating should be. Clearly, this book is not written for a reader like me. I've read Amelia Hutchins in the past and love her Nine Realms series - I feel like I'm always saying that as I rate her other books 2 stars - but it's truly interesting to me that I haven't found any other books of her that I enjoy while the Nine Realms may be one of my favorite series?? And yes, I read the very thorough warning at the beginning of this book, but I still wish this would have been toned down a couple of notches because it could have been SO good.

The premise itself is why I wanted to read this, even after reading the warning at the beginning. That warning is there for a reason! This entire book is one red flag after another, to the point where it's entirely over the top and I don't understand why it had to go SO far. It's incredibly dark and honestly f*cked up. At some points I genuinely could not believe what I was reading, but at the same time I couldn't put this down because I was so intrigued.

I've had this complaint reading Bulletproof Damsel, but right off the bat if felt like I started this book at 50% of the way through, but I was only on page one. I felt like I missed a previous book or something, because at times I didn't have the background to know what was happening. Considering how dark and intense this is from the very beginning, I would have liked some connection to the characters. I never fully got a grasp on who they are, especially Khaos.

The plot is a bit muddy but essentially we have Khaos Nasir and Aderyn. They are soulmates who were cursed by the gods. Aderyn is cursed to be reborn over and over again, never remembering who she was or who Khaos is. To top that off, every time she's reborn it's into an incredibly horrible family/situation (think r*pe, molestation, etc...). Khaos is an incubus, but if he ever f*cks Aderyn, she will be dead forever (aka, not reborn... I think). He can never have the one he truly wants, but he has to have sex bc he's an incubus and will go mad without it. Then Aderyn hates him for that reason alone, because he will never be with her but can never explain why. Then, one of Khaos' men (who Aderyn was actually with in the past then left when she met Khaos (her soulmate)) is cursed to only be able to have sex with Aderyn. So yeah, super messy and it's never explained why that curse is in place. Basically, Aderyn did something really bad and the gods cursed her and everyone in their circle as punishment. Oh - and there's something that if Aderyn and Khaos ever do get close enough/fall in love - they are cursed to hate one another. It's all very confusing, and not clearly explained.

At the time this story takes place, Aderyn is 300 years into her most recent life and has her love/hate relationship with Khaos. Then 99% of the book is just grotesque situations, people dying, people hunting her, flashbacks to horrible torture Aderyn has endured, etc. Honestly, I'm not sure what even happened with the plot, I was too distracted by all the gore, sex, and unhinged things happening. Somewhere in the midst of all of this I did comprehend that Aderyn is trying to take down Khaos' like immortal mafia (?). He's building this said mafia/syndicate for reasons unknown (something to do with breaking the curse, but I have no idea how). No spoilers, but then we have the ending and it feels like the next book with just be restarting at the beginning..?

Also, I hate this whole "sharing" thing. And Khaos has to/does share Aderyn with other men... quite a lot. And those situations happen in front of others, including the guy who is in love with Aderyn and needs to have sex with her to not go crazy. Honestly, for that reason alone I kind of hate the book and ~maybe~ could have dealt with the rest a bit better.

Truly, if the plot was more flushed out and less repetitive and the unhinged torture and things were dialed back even like 20% + toss out the sharing stuff (which was odd just for the fact that Khaos seemed to possessive of Aderyn) - I would have probably enjoyed this. Yes, that's a long list of corrections but I really wanted this to work!

Argh - overall I guess I'll just say I can't recommend unless you're looking for and enjoy this type of thing. It's clearly not for me. But at the same time I want to read the next book just to see what happens??]]> 4.21 2023 The Devil of London (Red Flag #1)
author: Amelia Hutchins
name: LainieLibrary
average rating: 4.21
book published: 2023
rating: 2
read at: 2023/05/14
date added: 2023/05/15
shelves: 2023, dark_romance, paranormal_romance
review:
1.5 Stars

I'm starting this review and I truly have no idea what my rating should be. Clearly, this book is not written for a reader like me. I've read Amelia Hutchins in the past and love her Nine Realms series - I feel like I'm always saying that as I rate her other books 2 stars - but it's truly interesting to me that I haven't found any other books of her that I enjoy while the Nine Realms may be one of my favorite series?? And yes, I read the very thorough warning at the beginning of this book, but I still wish this would have been toned down a couple of notches because it could have been SO good.

The premise itself is why I wanted to read this, even after reading the warning at the beginning. That warning is there for a reason! This entire book is one red flag after another, to the point where it's entirely over the top and I don't understand why it had to go SO far. It's incredibly dark and honestly f*cked up. At some points I genuinely could not believe what I was reading, but at the same time I couldn't put this down because I was so intrigued.

I've had this complaint reading Bulletproof Damsel, but right off the bat if felt like I started this book at 50% of the way through, but I was only on page one. I felt like I missed a previous book or something, because at times I didn't have the background to know what was happening. Considering how dark and intense this is from the very beginning, I would have liked some connection to the characters. I never fully got a grasp on who they are, especially Khaos.

The plot is a bit muddy but essentially we have Khaos Nasir and Aderyn. They are soulmates who were cursed by the gods. Aderyn is cursed to be reborn over and over again, never remembering who she was or who Khaos is. To top that off, every time she's reborn it's into an incredibly horrible family/situation (think r*pe, molestation, etc...). Khaos is an incubus, but if he ever f*cks Aderyn, she will be dead forever (aka, not reborn... I think). He can never have the one he truly wants, but he has to have sex bc he's an incubus and will go mad without it. Then Aderyn hates him for that reason alone, because he will never be with her but can never explain why. Then, one of Khaos' men (who Aderyn was actually with in the past then left when she met Khaos (her soulmate)) is cursed to only be able to have sex with Aderyn. So yeah, super messy and it's never explained why that curse is in place. Basically, Aderyn did something really bad and the gods cursed her and everyone in their circle as punishment. Oh - and there's something that if Aderyn and Khaos ever do get close enough/fall in love - they are cursed to hate one another. It's all very confusing, and not clearly explained.

At the time this story takes place, Aderyn is 300 years into her most recent life and has her love/hate relationship with Khaos. Then 99% of the book is just grotesque situations, people dying, people hunting her, flashbacks to horrible torture Aderyn has endured, etc. Honestly, I'm not sure what even happened with the plot, I was too distracted by all the gore, sex, and unhinged things happening. Somewhere in the midst of all of this I did comprehend that Aderyn is trying to take down Khaos' like immortal mafia (?). He's building this said mafia/syndicate for reasons unknown (something to do with breaking the curse, but I have no idea how). No spoilers, but then we have the ending and it feels like the next book with just be restarting at the beginning..?

Also, I hate this whole "sharing" thing. And Khaos has to/does share Aderyn with other men... quite a lot. And those situations happen in front of others, including the guy who is in love with Aderyn and needs to have sex with her to not go crazy. Honestly, for that reason alone I kind of hate the book and ~maybe~ could have dealt with the rest a bit better.

Truly, if the plot was more flushed out and less repetitive and the unhinged torture and things were dialed back even like 20% + toss out the sharing stuff (which was odd just for the fact that Khaos seemed to possessive of Aderyn) - I would have probably enjoyed this. Yes, that's a long list of corrections but I really wanted this to work!

Argh - overall I guess I'll just say I can't recommend unless you're looking for and enjoy this type of thing. It's clearly not for me. But at the same time I want to read the next book just to see what happens??
]]> <![CDATA[Fourth Wing (The Empyrean, #1)]]> 61431922 Enter the brutal and elite world of a war college for dragon riders...

Twenty-year-old Violet Sorrengail was supposed to enter the Scribe Quadrant, living a quiet life among books and history. Now, the commanding general—also known as her tough-as-talons mother—has ordered Violet to join the hundreds of candidates striving to become the elite of Navarre: dragon riders.

But when you’re smaller than everyone else and your body is brittle, death is only a heartbeat away...because dragons don’t bond to “fragile� humans. They incinerate them.

With fewer dragons willing to bond than cadets, most would kill Violet to better their own chances of success. The rest would kill her just for being her mother’s daughter—like Xaden Riorson, the most powerful and ruthless wingleader in the Riders Quadrant.

She’ll need every edge her wits can give her just to see the next sunrise.

Yet, with every day that passes, the war outside grows more deadly, the kingdom's protective wards are failing, and the death toll continues to rise. Even worse, Violet begins to suspect leadership is hiding a terrible secret.

Friends, enemies, lovers. Everyone at Basgiath War College has an agenda—because once you enter, there are only two ways out: graduate or die]]> 528 Rebecca Yarros 1649374046 LainieLibrary 5
This was a fantastic read. So refreshing in the age of endless fantasy romances that seem to blur together (not that I'm complaining too much, but recently the genre has felt a bit repetitive). This felt set apart - and is just very well done - which is why it gets 5 stars in my book. I could rate this more of a 4/4.5 stars, but it was truly enjoyable and I'll be thinking about it until the next book in the series is released. I actually don't think this is over hyped at all - which could have easily been the case - and I'm a bit surprised by.

The world/kingdom/country... whatever... (Navarre) that Violet inhabits has been locked in a seemingly never-ending war with a neighboring kingdom. This is why her (and all those her own age) only option is to "enlist" in what essentially is their future job - all for the benefit of the kingdom. There's the Scribe Quadrant (those who record and teach history), the Dragon Riders, the Healers (I think?), and the infantry who are basically used as fodder at the front lines. Violet has always prepared to follow in her father's footsteps, joining the Scribe Quandrant. Her mother has different plans though (she's a high ranking dragon rider general), and Violet is forced to fight for her life in what is basically dragon rider academy. The Basgiath War College. Violet has seems to have EDS - which is another layer difficulty for her to bond with a dragon, they only pair with the physically fit and elite humans.

The plot is 98% Violet's time at the war college + the dragons. Which honestly, I don't mind in the slightest. I came into this thinking it would be a bit heavier on the romance (we have Xaden, the Fourth Wingleader, come into the picture pretty early on), but it's very much on the backburner for pretty much the whole book. And when their relationship finally does blossom, it progresses quite quickly. Honestly, if the romance was a bigger part of the story, I don't think I would have enjoyed this as much. Because dragons!! Mystery!! Fighting!! The plot was superb.

I love Violet and Xaden (and the side-characters who are all introduced), but I will say that Xaden is supposed to be this super dangerous, intense guy... but even from the very beginning he honestly seemed nice? I didn't see a true enemies to lovers situation here. I wish there was a little more oomph between the two of them, but I loved them nonetheless.

Overall, I LOVED the relationships between the dragons and their riders, and all the interactions between characters. It truly is an amazing story that I highly highly recommend. There are a few twists, but nothing that can quite be classified as unpredictable. We end on a bit of a cliffhanger, but nothing too tragic.

I can't wait to get back into this world and back to Tairn and Andarna ahh my favorite characters!]]> 4.56 2023 Fourth Wing (The Empyrean, #1)
author: Rebecca Yarros
name: LainieLibrary
average rating: 4.56
book published: 2023
rating: 5
read at: 2023/05/12
date added: 2023/05/15
shelves: 2023, fantasy, romance, dragons
review:
5 Stars

This was a fantastic read. So refreshing in the age of endless fantasy romances that seem to blur together (not that I'm complaining too much, but recently the genre has felt a bit repetitive). This felt set apart - and is just very well done - which is why it gets 5 stars in my book. I could rate this more of a 4/4.5 stars, but it was truly enjoyable and I'll be thinking about it until the next book in the series is released. I actually don't think this is over hyped at all - which could have easily been the case - and I'm a bit surprised by.

The world/kingdom/country... whatever... (Navarre) that Violet inhabits has been locked in a seemingly never-ending war with a neighboring kingdom. This is why her (and all those her own age) only option is to "enlist" in what essentially is their future job - all for the benefit of the kingdom. There's the Scribe Quadrant (those who record and teach history), the Dragon Riders, the Healers (I think?), and the infantry who are basically used as fodder at the front lines. Violet has always prepared to follow in her father's footsteps, joining the Scribe Quandrant. Her mother has different plans though (she's a high ranking dragon rider general), and Violet is forced to fight for her life in what is basically dragon rider academy. The Basgiath War College. Violet has seems to have EDS - which is another layer difficulty for her to bond with a dragon, they only pair with the physically fit and elite humans.

The plot is 98% Violet's time at the war college + the dragons. Which honestly, I don't mind in the slightest. I came into this thinking it would be a bit heavier on the romance (we have Xaden, the Fourth Wingleader, come into the picture pretty early on), but it's very much on the backburner for pretty much the whole book. And when their relationship finally does blossom, it progresses quite quickly. Honestly, if the romance was a bigger part of the story, I don't think I would have enjoyed this as much. Because dragons!! Mystery!! Fighting!! The plot was superb.

I love Violet and Xaden (and the side-characters who are all introduced), but I will say that Xaden is supposed to be this super dangerous, intense guy... but even from the very beginning he honestly seemed nice? I didn't see a true enemies to lovers situation here. I wish there was a little more oomph between the two of them, but I loved them nonetheless.

Overall, I LOVED the relationships between the dragons and their riders, and all the interactions between characters. It truly is an amazing story that I highly highly recommend. There are a few twists, but nothing that can quite be classified as unpredictable. We end on a bit of a cliffhanger, but nothing too tragic.

I can't wait to get back into this world and back to Tairn and Andarna ahh my favorite characters!
]]> Nocticadia 136470356 A dark, atmospheric tale of deadly secrets and forbidden love.

Mortui vivos docent.
The dead teach the living.

After watching my mother succumb to a mysterious illness, I promised myself two things. I’d find the cure for what ravaged her. And leave the godforsaken city where she abandoned me.

Four years later, I receive an acceptance letter from Dracadia University, one of the oldest, most prestigious schools in the country. Nestled on a secluded island off the coast of Maine, it’s rumored to be haunted by the souls of the mental patients exiled there centuries before. Those whose bones are said to make up the island’s white sandy shores.

And restless ghosts aren’t even its most daunting peculiarity.

Devryck Bramwell, known on campus as Doctor Death, is a brilliant pathologist in charge of the midnight lab. He’s also my devastatingly handsome professor, who seems to loathe tenacious first-years, like me. Except, his dark and enigmatic gaze tells me all the ways he’d devour me if given the chance, and his stolen kisses burn my lips with forbidden jealousy.

I crave his authority.
He aches for redemption.
Together, we’re toxic. Delicious fodder for the prying eyes hellbent on exhuming the rotted skeletons of our pasts.

For the dead have much to teach, and it’s only a matter of time before Dracadia’s most depraved secret is resurrected.

Nocticadia is a standalone dark academia gothic romance.]]> 682 Keri Lake LainieLibrary 3 2023, academia, dark_romance
Alright, I liked this, BUT there was just something missing. I can't quite put a finger on what - it had the classic Keri Lake staples - the secret society, the overall dark themes, plus an age-gap/teacher student situation. There's the circling mystery of what exactly led to Lilia's mother dying and how Lilia was randomly invited to/accepted into Dracadia University. What's not to love?

I even enjoyed the explanations of the parasites and the general research Lilia helped with - but again - something was missing? I think it almost could have played up the dark academia parts a bit more? Sure, there was great tension between Lilia and Professor Bramwell - but I almost could want more angst and higher stakes around their relationship? It's almost as if the actual research, secrets of the past, and the random side characters took over the story - while Lilia and Bramwell's development could have been stronger/more of a focus? Don't get me wrong - their development was angsty, slow, and interesting - but I wanted something more.

Also, when the story starts to wrap up and secrets are revealed, the writing almost lost me. There was so much going on with characters, their connections, the secrets being revealed, etc. that the story almost became muddled. Not to mention the references to Schadenfreude (from Keri Lake's Master of Salt & Bone - which is amazing btw) - I almost didn't follow what was happening. Or I did - but I didn't have the will to care and re-read to understand fully? Especially with how many characters there are, lots of L first and last names (!), I kept mistaking which character was actually on scene and who they were. The ending was fine, but it wasn't anything unexpected or extraordinary. I actually loved the first half, but thought the second half fell off a bit. It's almost as if the author had too many ideas and crammed them all together.

Now - Spoilers ahead -

One specific addition that didn't seem to add to the story was Spencer's character. He sort of wanted to be Lilia's friend, but he seemed sketchy, then we find out his father isn't his father (yay bc we find out Lilia's biological father is his "not father but thought was his father") I don't know, his character was connected to a lot of "things" but he also was completely forgettable and seemingly un-important? I felt this way about a lot of little connections/characters towards the end. Even Professor Bramwell's evil twin who didn't die when they were 17 - I still don't understand exactly why he didn't die or what happened with their father I guess not giving into demands to save his son after he was kidnapped? And the bad guys faked his death why? Then he comes back and tries to kill Bramwell... again WHY? Because he's messed up from torture but then a few minutes later decides he's going to just head out and restart his life? See how strange and convoluted that is??? Am I the only one that thinks this?? Then Lilia joining the Rooks? It's like the ending moved at lightening speed and things happened that didn't entirely make sense or connect with the story? Why are the Rooks - apparently a very secret, powerful, organization - just going to let Lilia join bc Branwell very much stretches the truth on some research she is doing (thus, making her seem "valuable")..? I figured the Rooks would kill her and have Branwell take over the research, but I suppose that doesn't give us a HEA. And I'm not even going to get started on Mel's character or the random girl who somehow found research and then was burned alive (how did she even find that research, I swear that was never explained???)

Anyways - there we go. It's a good story for the most part, but I'll just end this by saying the ending could have used some work because the massive amount of plot points and characters didn't tie together nicely in the end.]]> 4.22 2023 Nocticadia
author: Keri Lake
name: LainieLibrary
average rating: 4.22
book published: 2023
rating: 3
read at: 2023/05/08
date added: 2023/05/09
shelves: 2023, academia, dark_romance
review:
3.5 Stars

Alright, I liked this, BUT there was just something missing. I can't quite put a finger on what - it had the classic Keri Lake staples - the secret society, the overall dark themes, plus an age-gap/teacher student situation. There's the circling mystery of what exactly led to Lilia's mother dying and how Lilia was randomly invited to/accepted into Dracadia University. What's not to love?

I even enjoyed the explanations of the parasites and the general research Lilia helped with - but again - something was missing? I think it almost could have played up the dark academia parts a bit more? Sure, there was great tension between Lilia and Professor Bramwell - but I almost could want more angst and higher stakes around their relationship? It's almost as if the actual research, secrets of the past, and the random side characters took over the story - while Lilia and Bramwell's development could have been stronger/more of a focus? Don't get me wrong - their development was angsty, slow, and interesting - but I wanted something more.

Also, when the story starts to wrap up and secrets are revealed, the writing almost lost me. There was so much going on with characters, their connections, the secrets being revealed, etc. that the story almost became muddled. Not to mention the references to Schadenfreude (from Keri Lake's Master of Salt & Bone - which is amazing btw) - I almost didn't follow what was happening. Or I did - but I didn't have the will to care and re-read to understand fully? Especially with how many characters there are, lots of L first and last names (!), I kept mistaking which character was actually on scene and who they were. The ending was fine, but it wasn't anything unexpected or extraordinary. I actually loved the first half, but thought the second half fell off a bit. It's almost as if the author had too many ideas and crammed them all together.

Now - Spoilers ahead -

One specific addition that didn't seem to add to the story was Spencer's character. He sort of wanted to be Lilia's friend, but he seemed sketchy, then we find out his father isn't his father (yay bc we find out Lilia's biological father is his "not father but thought was his father") I don't know, his character was connected to a lot of "things" but he also was completely forgettable and seemingly un-important? I felt this way about a lot of little connections/characters towards the end. Even Professor Bramwell's evil twin who didn't die when they were 17 - I still don't understand exactly why he didn't die or what happened with their father I guess not giving into demands to save his son after he was kidnapped? And the bad guys faked his death why? Then he comes back and tries to kill Bramwell... again WHY? Because he's messed up from torture but then a few minutes later decides he's going to just head out and restart his life? See how strange and convoluted that is??? Am I the only one that thinks this?? Then Lilia joining the Rooks? It's like the ending moved at lightening speed and things happened that didn't entirely make sense or connect with the story? Why are the Rooks - apparently a very secret, powerful, organization - just going to let Lilia join bc Branwell very much stretches the truth on some research she is doing (thus, making her seem "valuable")..? I figured the Rooks would kill her and have Branwell take over the research, but I suppose that doesn't give us a HEA. And I'm not even going to get started on Mel's character or the random girl who somehow found research and then was burned alive (how did she even find that research, I swear that was never explained???)

Anyways - there we go. It's a good story for the most part, but I'll just end this by saying the ending could have used some work because the massive amount of plot points and characters didn't tie together nicely in the end.
]]> <![CDATA[The Umbra King (Vincula Realm, #1)]]> 60446482
After the brutal murder of her twin sister, Aurora “Rory� Raven spends years forging herself into a ruthless vigilante killer.

She never gave up her search for the man who killed her sister, but when she is convicted of thirteen murders and sentenced to five-hundred years in Vincula, the prison realm, she knows her sister’s death will never be avenged.

After arriving in Vincula, Aurora discovers her opportunity for retribution is closer than she thought.

Caius is the notorious Umbra King, ruler of Vincula, King of the Monsters, and the thing nightmares are made of. After being locked in his own realm for a crime he didn’t commit, his only focus has been revenge.

But when Aurora drops into his throne room, representing everything he despises, they begin a game of cat and mouse, and before long, their hatred turns into something else.

Circumstances draw them together, but revenge might tear them apart.

The Umbra King is book 1 in the Vincula Realm Duology and ends on a cliffhanger.

Not suitable for those under 18. Please check the author's website for content warnings.]]> 385 Jamie Applegate Hunter LainieLibrary 2 fantasy, romance, 2023
This was okay-ish. Fine enough to finish, but I never felt a strong connection to the world or any of the characters. The world building/the royals and how everything fit together was surprisingly unclear. More is revealed throughout the story, but it didn’t make a ton of sense even after explanations are given. There’s a prison realm and the the realm where everyone else lives, which made the world seem oddly small - and thinking about it now - it’s a bit strange?

The main couple has absolutely no chemistry - and the fated mates situation felt forced and I still didn’t buy the two together. I did like all the drama that happened, and the ending does have me curious about the next book, but there was an overall vibe of tropes thrown together without much planning or finesse.]]> 3.93 The Umbra King (Vincula Realm, #1)
author: Jamie Applegate Hunter
name: LainieLibrary
average rating: 3.93
book published:
rating: 2
read at: 2023/04/10
date added: 2023/05/09
shelves: fantasy, romance, 2023
review:
2 Stars

This was okay-ish. Fine enough to finish, but I never felt a strong connection to the world or any of the characters. The world building/the royals and how everything fit together was surprisingly unclear. More is revealed throughout the story, but it didn’t make a ton of sense even after explanations are given. There’s a prison realm and the the realm where everyone else lives, which made the world seem oddly small - and thinking about it now - it’s a bit strange?

The main couple has absolutely no chemistry - and the fated mates situation felt forced and I still didn’t buy the two together. I did like all the drama that happened, and the ending does have me curious about the next book, but there was an overall vibe of tropes thrown together without much planning or finesse.
]]> <![CDATA[The Ashes & the Star-Cursed King (Crowns of Nyaxia, #2)]]> 62335396 Love is a sacrifice at the altar of power.

In the wake of the Kejari, everything Oraya once thought to be true has been destroyed. A prisoner in her own kingdom, grieving the only family she ever had, and reeling from a gutting betrayal, she no longer even knows the truth of her own blood. She’s left only with one certainty: she cannot trust anyone, least of all Raihn.

The House of Night, too, is surrounded by enemies. Raihn’s own nobles are none too eager to accept a Turned king, especially one who was once a slave. And the House of Blood digs their claws into the kingdom, threatening to tear it apart from the inside.

When Raihn offers Oraya a secret alliance, taking the deal is her only chance at reclaiming her kingdom–and gaining her vengeance against the lover who betrayed her. But to do so, she’ll need to harness a devastating ancient power, intertwined with her father’s greatest secrets.

But with enemies closing in on all sides, nothing is as it seems. As she unravels her past and faces her future, Oraya finds herself forced to choose between the bloody reality of seizing power � and the devastating love that could be her downfall.]]> 626 Carissa Broadbent LainieLibrary 5
Loved it! Vincent is still my absolute favorite character - how I wish there's a book just about him!

Overall, I thought this story had fantastic pacing and so much happened in this duet. I find (especially lately) so many series are stretched into 3 or 4+ books with SO much filler - this duet proves you can write a fantasy romance very well, and not fill unnecessary pages. A lot happens in this, so much is answered, and at the end everything is tied up nicely. Oraya and Raihn are amazing together - I highly recommend this series and I'm excited to read the rest of the duets as they are released. I haven't read the novellas in this world, but I plan to eventually.

The world is quite unique, and I love the complex father/daughter relationship between Oraya and Vincent that we get to explore even more here.

I will say - the beginning was a bit of a slow start for me. Oraya hated Raihn (which, I understand), but after awhile it felt unnecessary and I was ready for her to get over it. But once things picked up, I couldn't put this down!]]> 4.10 2023 The Ashes & the Star-Cursed King (Crowns of Nyaxia, #2)
author: Carissa Broadbent
name: LainieLibrary
average rating: 4.10
book published: 2023
rating: 5
read at: 2023/05/01
date added: 2023/05/09
shelves: fantasy, romance, 2023, vampires
review:
4.5 Stars

Loved it! Vincent is still my absolute favorite character - how I wish there's a book just about him!

Overall, I thought this story had fantastic pacing and so much happened in this duet. I find (especially lately) so many series are stretched into 3 or 4+ books with SO much filler - this duet proves you can write a fantasy romance very well, and not fill unnecessary pages. A lot happens in this, so much is answered, and at the end everything is tied up nicely. Oraya and Raihn are amazing together - I highly recommend this series and I'm excited to read the rest of the duets as they are released. I haven't read the novellas in this world, but I plan to eventually.

The world is quite unique, and I love the complex father/daughter relationship between Oraya and Vincent that we get to explore even more here.

I will say - the beginning was a bit of a slow start for me. Oraya hated Raihn (which, I understand), but after awhile it felt unnecessary and I was ready for her to get over it. But once things picked up, I couldn't put this down!
]]> <![CDATA[Truly, Madly, Daring (Daring Daughters, #17)]]> 123024921 A nefarious plot�
Leander Steyning, The Marquess of Wrexham, was the ton’s most eligible bachelor. Handsome, charismatic, rich and titled, everything Wrexham wanted came to him with ease.

Until the day he went blind.

Three years on and losing his sight has dashed his confidence and given his avaricious father and half-brother the opportunity they need to take control of his finances and get rid of him. He is living on a battleground, where dangers lurk in his sightless world, and the future looms with fears of madness, and even death.

A tenacious young lady�
Miss Emmeline Knight is a good girl. Her sisters may have made their poor father tear his hair out at the roots with their exploits, but despite having an inability to hold her tongue when she ought to know better, she has never given her parents a moment's concern.

Until now.

A mad plan�
When Wrexham asks her to run away with him, offering her title and fortune for a marriage in name only, Emmeline knows she ought to refuse. Wrexham’s bloodline is tainted, and his blindness is the first symptom of a disease which will end with insanity. Though she knows it's ridiculous to run away with a man she barely knows and whose future is uncertain, Wrexham needs her, and Emmeline is prepared to risk everything, her reputation, her heart, and even her life, for the only man who has ever risen to the challenge of her sharp tongue.

A surprising love story�
Two near strangers, eloping to Gretna Green, is a challenging enough adventure for anyone, but for Wrexham, the outside world is fraught with difficulty. As Emmeline comes to understand her husband to be, she falls harder for a proud man with a fierce determination to live on his own terms, but saving him from his vile family is only part of the challenge she faces.

Winning his heart is another thing entirely

**** This is the seventeenth book in the series and focuses on the children of The Girls Who Dare series. They can be read separate from Girls Who Dare; however, for a more intimate experience, one should read the Girls Who Dare first. The reading order for Daring Daughters 'Heat rating of 3' -Spicy, descriptive and provocative, but not erotica.]]> 305 Emma V. Leech 249213377X LainieLibrary 5 2023, historical_romance
I adore Emmeline and Wrexham together. The snippets we saw of the two together in previous books was super promising, so I have been waiting for their story. Both are lovely characters, and I appreciate that Wrexham is blind and Emmeline is stepping in to save him from his father.

Their relationship development is so sweet - and I enjoyed their story. The father/drama with Wrexham's step-brother was the main conflict, along with Wrexham and Emmeline's elopement. This didn't have the highest stakes or complexity - but that's a very minor complaint. Overall, it was super enjoyable - it just lacked a bit of tension and angst. Not that I was bored at all - but a little something would have been appreciated. Wrexham and Emmeline fell in love so quickly, I was a bit surprised there wasn't more back and forth there.

The snippets of Cat and Kilbane, and that turn of events!, was lovely and unexpected. And Fred/Aggie - I'm excited to see how both stories play out.

It appears the next book is taking place after a 5-year time jump, and will focus on Aggie/Fred - but it seems like Kilbane and Cat will be in the story somehow! I'm super excited, and love the direction Cat and Kilbane's story is heading (i.e., forced marriage + reconciliation).]]> 4.55 2023 Truly, Madly, Daring (Daring Daughters, #17)
author: Emma V. Leech
name: LainieLibrary
average rating: 4.55
book published: 2023
rating: 5
read at: 2023/04/22
date added: 2023/05/09
shelves: 2023, historical_romance
review:
4.5 Stars

I adore Emmeline and Wrexham together. The snippets we saw of the two together in previous books was super promising, so I have been waiting for their story. Both are lovely characters, and I appreciate that Wrexham is blind and Emmeline is stepping in to save him from his father.

Their relationship development is so sweet - and I enjoyed their story. The father/drama with Wrexham's step-brother was the main conflict, along with Wrexham and Emmeline's elopement. This didn't have the highest stakes or complexity - but that's a very minor complaint. Overall, it was super enjoyable - it just lacked a bit of tension and angst. Not that I was bored at all - but a little something would have been appreciated. Wrexham and Emmeline fell in love so quickly, I was a bit surprised there wasn't more back and forth there.

The snippets of Cat and Kilbane, and that turn of events!, was lovely and unexpected. And Fred/Aggie - I'm excited to see how both stories play out.

It appears the next book is taking place after a 5-year time jump, and will focus on Aggie/Fred - but it seems like Kilbane and Cat will be in the story somehow! I'm super excited, and love the direction Cat and Kilbane's story is heading (i.e., forced marriage + reconciliation).
]]> Scarlet Angel (Mindf*ck, #3) 33304878
Logan Bennett makes me want to have a future not tainted by the constant hunger for revenge. Doesn't mean I can stop. Doesn't mean I want to stop. It just means I want more...one day.

But how do you make a good man love the monster inside you without stripping his soul away as well? He is all the best parts of me right now, resurrecting bits of my heart I forgot could even exist.

He makes me feel something other than cold.

He also thinks I'm weak and fragile. Something I laugh about to myself, while secretly soaking in all his protectiveness and concern.

If anyone touches him, harms him, or even threatens him, then they should probably run. Because his girlfriend is a little bit crazy. They just don't know it yet.]]> 139 S.T. Abby LainieLibrary 4
Well the review I typed out didn't save - so I'm just going to say I still love this story and cannot wait to see how things turn out. I'm constantly on edge - worrying about Lana's secret getting out, what will happen with her and Logan's relationship, and learning what even happened years ago in her hometown. The suspense is killing me - and it's amazing how the author has this story unfolding. I'm reading these slowly to half savor them, but also partly putting off finishing because I know this can't end well.

Merged review:

4 Stars

Well the review I typed out didn't save - so I'm just going to say I still love this story and cannot wait to see how things turn out. I'm constantly on edge - worrying about Lana's secret getting out, what will happen with her and Logan's relationship, and learning what even happened years ago in her hometown. The suspense is killing me - and it's amazing how the author has this story unfolding. I'm reading these slowly to half savor them, but also partly putting off finishing because I know this can't end well.]]> 4.40 2016 Scarlet Angel (Mindf*ck, #3)
author: S.T. Abby
name: LainieLibrary
average rating: 4.40
book published: 2016
rating: 4
read at: 2023/02/05
date added: 2023/05/08
shelves: dark_romance, 2023, crime_fiction
review:
4 Stars

Well the review I typed out didn't save - so I'm just going to say I still love this story and cannot wait to see how things turn out. I'm constantly on edge - worrying about Lana's secret getting out, what will happen with her and Logan's relationship, and learning what even happened years ago in her hometown. The suspense is killing me - and it's amazing how the author has this story unfolding. I'm reading these slowly to half savor them, but also partly putting off finishing because I know this can't end well.

Merged review:

4 Stars

Well the review I typed out didn't save - so I'm just going to say I still love this story and cannot wait to see how things turn out. I'm constantly on edge - worrying about Lana's secret getting out, what will happen with her and Logan's relationship, and learning what even happened years ago in her hometown. The suspense is killing me - and it's amazing how the author has this story unfolding. I'm reading these slowly to half savor them, but also partly putting off finishing because I know this can't end well.
]]> The Risk (Mindf*ck, #1) 33131867 Left too little.
I had nothing to lose...until him.

**

~Lana~

I didn't expect him.
I didn't want to fall in love.
But I can't let him go.

Logan Bennett makes the world a safer place.
He's brilliant.
He's a hero.
He locks away the sick and depraved.
But while he's saving lives, I'm taking them. Collecting the debts that are owed to me.

Ten years ago, they took from me. They left me for dead.
They should have made sure I stayed dead.

Now I'm taking from them.
One name at a time.

I've trained for too long.
I've been patient.
I can't stop now.

Revenge is best served cold...

They never see me coming, until I paint their walls red.

Logan doesn't know how they hurt me. He doesn't know about the screams they ignored. He doesn't know how twisted that town really is.

He just knows people are dying.
He doesn't know he's in love with their killer.

No one suspects a dead girl.
And Logan doesn't suspect the girl in his bed.

They're looking for a monster.
Not a girl who loves red.
Not a girl in love.

I'm a faceless nightmare.

At least until I tell them the story they've pretended never happened.

But in the end, will Logan choose them? Or will we watch them burn together?

**Graphic
**Adult language
**Some triggers could be too much for the easily disturbed reader
**Sexual content
**Fucked up moral compass; read at your own risk.]]> 132 S.T. Abby LainieLibrary 4
I love Lana and Logan together. For how short this is, I’m shocked by how believable the two of them are together. This so angsty and I’m very afraid of what’s to come (aka when Logan inevitably finds out about Lana’s� activities).

This book is short and sweet, leaves off on a cliffhanger, and I’m already reading the next one. I have to say I’m pleasantly surprised and highly recommend.

Merged review:

4 Stars

I love Lana and Logan together. For how short this is, I’m shocked by how believable the two of them are together. This so angsty and I’m very afraid of what’s to come (aka when Logan inevitably finds out about Lana’s� activities).

This book is short and sweet, leaves off on a cliffhanger, and I’m already reading the next one. I have to say I’m pleasantly surprised and highly recommend.]]> 4.21 2016 The Risk (Mindf*ck, #1)
author: S.T. Abby
name: LainieLibrary
average rating: 4.21
book published: 2016
rating: 4
read at: 2023/01/28
date added: 2023/05/08
shelves: dark_romance, crime_fiction, 2023
review:
4 Stars

I love Lana and Logan together. For how short this is, I’m shocked by how believable the two of them are together. This so angsty and I’m very afraid of what’s to come (aka when Logan inevitably finds out about Lana’s� activities).

This book is short and sweet, leaves off on a cliffhanger, and I’m already reading the next one. I have to say I’m pleasantly surprised and highly recommend.

Merged review:

4 Stars

I love Lana and Logan together. For how short this is, I’m shocked by how believable the two of them are together. This so angsty and I’m very afraid of what’s to come (aka when Logan inevitably finds out about Lana’s� activities).

This book is short and sweet, leaves off on a cliffhanger, and I’m already reading the next one. I have to say I’m pleasantly surprised and highly recommend.
]]> <![CDATA[Devious Lies (Cruel Crown, #1)]]> 49240812
“She could enjoy her pretty, perfect world a little longer. Soon enough, everything she owned would be mine.�

I had a plan to escape the friend zone.
Step one: sneak into Reed’s room.
Step two: sleep with him.

But when the lights turned on, it wasn’t familiar blue eyes I saw.
These were dark, angry, and full of demons.
And they belonged to Reed’s much older brother.

Four years later, Nash Prescott is no longer the help’s angry son.
I’m no longer the town’s prized princess.

At twenty-two, I’m broke, in need of a job.
At thirty-two, he’s a billionaire, in need of revenge.

Who cares if my family ruined his?
Who cares if he looks at me with pure loathing?
Who cares if every task he assigns me is designed to torture?

I need the money.
Simple as that.

I’ll suffer his cruelty in silence, knowing there’s one thing he wants more than revenge�
Me.

Note: Devious Lies is a 145,000-word standalone in the Cruel Crown series. If you love banter and angst, this book is for you! Welcome to Eastridge. Enter if you dare.]]> 822 Parker S. Huntington LainieLibrary 1
This sounded promising, and after finishing my first Parker Huntington book (and loving it), I was super excited to read this - but it was awful. I attempted to finish it, but it read less like a romance and more like a... idk, something else? But definitely not a romance.

Emery grew up with her best friend, Reed. His parents worked for her extremely wealthy parents and they became close. She also had some interactions/knows his older brother, Nash, but was always closer with and fell in love with Reed. They grow up, Emery always pining for Reed, and she finally sees a chance to reveal her feelings to Reed. She attempts to seduce Reed, but oops - she ends up having sex with Nash instead. Emery is 18 and Nash is 28 - so they decide to pretend it never happened, but Emery knows she can never be with Reed. Fast forward a bit - her family loses all their money, there's a massive fraud scandal, and she becomes a complete outcast. In the time Emery is scrapping together pennies and trying to survive/get through college (*rolls eyes* more on this later) - Nash builds a hotel empire and is extremely rich. In a turn of events she starts working with him - and the story goes on from there.

I actually love the idea of the rich girl>poor girl///poor guy>rich guy role reversal situation, and Emery accidentally sleeping with her best friends brother - but the execution here was awful. It's such a disappointment.

In short, Emery and Nash are annoying and I hate them together. Nash treats Emery terribly the entire book, up until I stopped (so at least 50% of the book). They don't even have many interactions with one another, which might be the bigger issue. I was bored. And, his hate made absolutely no sense. He hated her because he thought she knew about the fraud her father committed, back when she was young. 1. The piece of "incriminating" conversation he heard was not at all damning. 2. Even if she did know, how in the world can you expect a high school student to... what?... go to the police to report her father's fraud? It makes no sense and made me hate Nash for the sole reason of him clearly being an idiot. I'm not going to get into this too much, other reviews explain it, but Nash's dialogue was extremely cringey (I guess Emery's was too) and at points I was completely taken out of the story by the writing itself. (Lots of pop culture references, Nash constantly talking about how hot and manly he is, etc.)

Emery - on the other hand - is also stupid, but at least she's nice (I guess)? Her trust fund is controlled by her awful mother, and she's paying for a girl's college, so she's working and barely staying afloat. She has to eat at a soup kitchen, and is kind of homeless (living in a closet at the hotel she works at). The pity party/starving here is way overplayed and makes 0 sense. I get that her mother is a witch, but really? She's a trust fund baby who is starving? Why not play along with your mother's demands and get enough money to idk... survive? Easily pay for the girl's college? No - that would be the intelligent thing to do, so of course she doesn't.

Even though Nash and Emery are certainly not my favorite characters, I think I could have finished this if there was an ounce of chemistry between the two/any sort of interesting plot progression - but there wasn't. Nash treats her terribly, Emery is stuck in her self-inflicted poverty, and again - they interact only a tiny bit. Don't even get me started on their internet profile chatting thing - bc ofc they would be anonymously sexting each other for 3 years without knowing. *rolls eyes again*.
Seriously though - the plot was dragging on. Nash would be mean to Emery, they would lust for one another, there will be some reference to Emery being hungry - repeat. Truly, I didn't see any chemistry between them and just didn't buy it.

I may give this author another try - but I recommend skipping this one.]]> 3.95 2019 Devious Lies (Cruel Crown, #1)
author: Parker S. Huntington
name: LainieLibrary
average rating: 3.95
book published: 2019
rating: 1
read at: 2023/04/21
date added: 2023/04/21
shelves: 2023, billionaires, romance, dnf
review:
1 Star - DNF @ 50%

This sounded promising, and after finishing my first Parker Huntington book (and loving it), I was super excited to read this - but it was awful. I attempted to finish it, but it read less like a romance and more like a... idk, something else? But definitely not a romance.

Emery grew up with her best friend, Reed. His parents worked for her extremely wealthy parents and they became close. She also had some interactions/knows his older brother, Nash, but was always closer with and fell in love with Reed. They grow up, Emery always pining for Reed, and she finally sees a chance to reveal her feelings to Reed. She attempts to seduce Reed, but oops - she ends up having sex with Nash instead. Emery is 18 and Nash is 28 - so they decide to pretend it never happened, but Emery knows she can never be with Reed. Fast forward a bit - her family loses all their money, there's a massive fraud scandal, and she becomes a complete outcast. In the time Emery is scrapping together pennies and trying to survive/get through college (*rolls eyes* more on this later) - Nash builds a hotel empire and is extremely rich. In a turn of events she starts working with him - and the story goes on from there.

I actually love the idea of the rich girl>poor girl///poor guy>rich guy role reversal situation, and Emery accidentally sleeping with her best friends brother - but the execution here was awful. It's such a disappointment.

In short, Emery and Nash are annoying and I hate them together. Nash treats Emery terribly the entire book, up until I stopped (so at least 50% of the book). They don't even have many interactions with one another, which might be the bigger issue. I was bored. And, his hate made absolutely no sense. He hated her because he thought she knew about the fraud her father committed, back when she was young. 1. The piece of "incriminating" conversation he heard was not at all damning. 2. Even if she did know, how in the world can you expect a high school student to... what?... go to the police to report her father's fraud? It makes no sense and made me hate Nash for the sole reason of him clearly being an idiot. I'm not going to get into this too much, other reviews explain it, but Nash's dialogue was extremely cringey (I guess Emery's was too) and at points I was completely taken out of the story by the writing itself. (Lots of pop culture references, Nash constantly talking about how hot and manly he is, etc.)

Emery - on the other hand - is also stupid, but at least she's nice (I guess)? Her trust fund is controlled by her awful mother, and she's paying for a girl's college, so she's working and barely staying afloat. She has to eat at a soup kitchen, and is kind of homeless (living in a closet at the hotel she works at). The pity party/starving here is way overplayed and makes 0 sense. I get that her mother is a witch, but really? She's a trust fund baby who is starving? Why not play along with your mother's demands and get enough money to idk... survive? Easily pay for the girl's college? No - that would be the intelligent thing to do, so of course she doesn't.

Even though Nash and Emery are certainly not my favorite characters, I think I could have finished this if there was an ounce of chemistry between the two/any sort of interesting plot progression - but there wasn't. Nash treats her terribly, Emery is stuck in her self-inflicted poverty, and again - they interact only a tiny bit. Don't even get me started on their internet profile chatting thing - bc ofc they would be anonymously sexting each other for 3 years without knowing. *rolls eyes again*.
Seriously though - the plot was dragging on. Nash would be mean to Emery, they would lust for one another, there will be some reference to Emery being hungry - repeat. Truly, I didn't see any chemistry between them and just didn't buy it.

I may give this author another try - but I recommend skipping this one.
]]> <![CDATA[Captured Light (King of Ice & Steel Trilogy, #1)]]> 59739191 Olivia

Olivia Barone has had her future planned out for her from the moment she was born. Grow into a beautiful, manicured mafia princess and marry underboss, Lucien Esposito. But when she finally meets him, she realizes he’s more dangerous than she ever imagined.

He’s handsome, ice cold, and hungry for power. But is that exactly what she needs to become the woman she was born to be?

Lucien

After being falsely accused, Lucien endured horrific torture at his boss’s hand before his name was cleared. For years, he waited, biding his time and pretending to be the ideal mafia underboss. Now it’s time to make his move.

In the midst of turmoil and betrayal, Lucien finds himself falling for his new wife. After years of operating alone, she might just be the perfect queen to sit at his side.

Captured Light is an age gap, arranged marriage, mafia romance. It can be read as a standalone or the first book in the King of Ice & Steel Trilogy. It's set in the same world as the Captured Standalones and falls second in the reading order.

This book contains situations not suitable for those under the age of 18. Some content may be triggering. Please see content warning inside book.]]> 323 Raya Morris Edwards LainieLibrary 3 2023, mafia, romance
This isn't the worst mafia romance I've read, but there wasn't anything outstanding about it either. I quite liked the beginning - Olivia's arranged marriage to Lucien, Lucien's plans & his hunger for power and revenge, and their relationship + the age gap - but then the story started to fall a bit flat.

After Olivia and Lucien are married, the remainder of the book is basically them having sex. The plot and everything else interesting about the story completely falls away, so it quickly becomes repetitive. It's not that I disliked the two of them together, but they both were a bit lackluster and didn't have much going on in terms of personality/character development.

Overall - I did finish it, and certainly didn't hate it, but I think there are much better books in this genre.]]> 3.53 Captured Light (King of Ice & Steel Trilogy, #1)
author: Raya Morris Edwards
name: LainieLibrary
average rating: 3.53
book published:
rating: 3
read at: 2023/04/16
date added: 2023/04/18
shelves: 2023, mafia, romance
review:
3 Stars

This isn't the worst mafia romance I've read, but there wasn't anything outstanding about it either. I quite liked the beginning - Olivia's arranged marriage to Lucien, Lucien's plans & his hunger for power and revenge, and their relationship + the age gap - but then the story started to fall a bit flat.

After Olivia and Lucien are married, the remainder of the book is basically them having sex. The plot and everything else interesting about the story completely falls away, so it quickly becomes repetitive. It's not that I disliked the two of them together, but they both were a bit lackluster and didn't have much going on in terms of personality/character development.

Overall - I did finish it, and certainly didn't hate it, but I think there are much better books in this genre.
]]> <![CDATA[To Bleed a Crystal Bloom (Crystal Bloom, #1)]]> 58293539
Nineteen years ago, I was plucked from the heart of a bloody massacre that spared nobody else.

Small. Fragile.
An enigma.

Now ward to a powerful High Master who knows too much and says too little, I lead a simple life, never straying from the confines of an imaginary line I've drawn around the castle grounds.
Stay within. Never leave.
Out there, the monsters lurk. Inside, I'm safe ... though at a cost far greater than the blood I drip into a goblet daily.
Toxic, unreciprocated love for a man who's utterly unavailable.

My savior. My protector.
My almost executioner.

I can't help but be enamored with the arcane man who holds the power to pull my roots from the ground.

When voracious beasts spill across the land and threaten to fray the fabric of my tailored existence, the petals of reality will peel back to reveal an ugly truth. But in a castle puddled with secrets, none are greater than the one I've kept from myself.

No tower is tall enough to protect me from the horror that tore my life to shreds.

To Bleed a Crystal Bloom is a dark Rapunzel reimagining full of immersive imagery and breathtaking angst. A unique new fantasy series perfect for fans of Sarah J. Maas and Jennifer L. Armentrout, guaranteed to grip you from the very first page.]]> 488 Sarah A. Parker LainieLibrary 5
Update 10/19: Had to bump this up to 5 Stars. It truly is a fantastic book. I picked this up and re-read in one sitting, and I am a very reluctant re-reader (even with books I love), so I know this truly is a 5 Star for me! I cannot wait for the next book! I am beyond obsessed with Orlaith and Rhordyn. I can tell this is going to be a very dramatic and wild ride, but I'm so excited.

4.5 Stars

I am always looking for good fantasy romance books on Kindle Unlimited, but truly good ones are few and far between. That's why I am pleasantly surprised that this was SO GOOD. Honestly, the description seemed a bit convoluted, so I wasn't sure to expect, but the story unfolded nicely.

The story is about Orlaith (or Laith) and her caregiver, Rhordyn. Rhordyn came across a tragic massacre 19 years before and found Orlaith. He made a promise to care for her, so he took her to his castle and provided for her as his ward. Due to the tragedy (she was 2 years old at the time) Orlaith has may lingering effects of trauma. She has horrible nightmares, and has a number of triggers that induce fear - such as loud noises. She has put these mental and physical barriers around herself for safety. She self medicates, will only interact with strangers at the bare minimum, and will not cross a very specific barrier surrounding the castle. Giving that this is reminiscent of Rapunzel I was concerned Orlaith would be truly trapped in her tower by Rhordyn, but this isn't the case. Her barriers are of her own making, while Rhordyn is her protector.

As the story moves along I will say it's quite hard to follow. Did this effect how much I liked this book? Not really, because I believe the next book will reveal a lot. Basically, Orlaith has been so sheltered she literally knows nothing of what occurs outside the castle walls. I believe that's why we as readers also know nothing. A lot of this book is from Orlaith's perspective, but we do have a couple chapters from Rhordyn's and Kai's POV (Kai is a friend she made. He's basically a merman).

My true complaint is the actual world building. This is clearly a fantasy, there is magic and strange creatures, but I have no idea what Rhordyn and Orlaith are. Or what the other High Mistresses/Masters (?) of the other territories are. They all seem to be sort of humans? We know Rhordyn has powers and seems to be stronger - but it's not clear in regards to other characters. What I think we really do need to know, but don't - 1. How the "government" structure works 2. Where this world even is/how big is it 3. How the magic/powers work. That fantasy element is sort of included in this story, but it's wildly unclear how it works, where it's from, what species can use it, etc.

A huge thing I was questioning this entire book was how does aging work??? Are they immortal? Do they age super slow? Rhordyn seems to be exactly the same as he was 19 years before when he found Orlaith, but obviously Orlaith has aged. Does that make the attraction between the two creepy or no? Because I have no idea if Rhordyn is like 40 and Orlaith is 21, or is Rhordyn like 400 and Orlaith is 21 and it's normal for their species to just be good to go once everyone has reached maturity.

The story mainly revolves around this relationship between Orlaith and Rhordyn and Orlaith's huge character development throughout the story. Orlaith is very attracted to him. She sees him as her protector and person. She gives him a blood offering each night, so she enjoys that he seems to need her. Rhordyn does everything he can to push her away, sees her affections as silly and concerning, and essentially wants nothing to do with her in that regard. The push and pull of their relationship is really well written and there is a ton of tension and angst. I personally loved it. Also, I just love Orlaith as a character. She's kept in the dark about a lot of things, some due to her own choosing and some because Rhordyn shares nothing, and lives in her box fighting against her traumas. Even with all that she still has great humor and is an extremely likable and entertaining character. Rhordyn is much harder to read, but is super interesting. Mysterious, brooding, strong, super protective, kind of a jerk and of course is gorgeous. I love where their development is going - literally so much angst and questions.

One of the side plots our characters have to face is the growing concern Vruks (sp?). Vruks are these nasty, huge cat/dog creatures that are evil and attack people and villages. They were at the scene when Rhordyn found Orlaith. Their threat is obviously growing and the leaders of this world, or at least the leaders in Orlaith and Rhordyn's little piece of it (since I have little idea how this world works) are gathering forces together to snuff out the Vruks before it's too late.

At the very end of the book Rhordyn and Orlaith each make opposing decisions based on how they are going to deal with the issue of the Vruks. I'm super excited to read the next book and cannot wait to see how this all unfolds.]]> 3.76 2021 To Bleed a Crystal Bloom (Crystal Bloom, #1)
author: Sarah A. Parker
name: LainieLibrary
average rating: 3.76
book published: 2021
rating: 5
read at: 2023/03/16
date added: 2023/03/29
shelves: 2021, fantasy, favorites, 2022, 2023, dark_romance
review:
Update 3/29 (after my 5th...6th? read): I need to add in that this series is tragically underrated! If you love fantasy romances, you absolutely need to read this. The worldbuilding, characters, how this everything is weaved together is truly nothing less than amazing. The mystery and intrigue of the story is better than anything I've read before. I just finished the 3rd book in this series (most recently released as of now) and I can definitely say this the story continues to get better and better. Read this series!

Update 10/19: Had to bump this up to 5 Stars. It truly is a fantastic book. I picked this up and re-read in one sitting, and I am a very reluctant re-reader (even with books I love), so I know this truly is a 5 Star for me! I cannot wait for the next book! I am beyond obsessed with Orlaith and Rhordyn. I can tell this is going to be a very dramatic and wild ride, but I'm so excited.

4.5 Stars

I am always looking for good fantasy romance books on Kindle Unlimited, but truly good ones are few and far between. That's why I am pleasantly surprised that this was SO GOOD. Honestly, the description seemed a bit convoluted, so I wasn't sure to expect, but the story unfolded nicely.

The story is about Orlaith (or Laith) and her caregiver, Rhordyn. Rhordyn came across a tragic massacre 19 years before and found Orlaith. He made a promise to care for her, so he took her to his castle and provided for her as his ward. Due to the tragedy (she was 2 years old at the time) Orlaith has may lingering effects of trauma. She has horrible nightmares, and has a number of triggers that induce fear - such as loud noises. She has put these mental and physical barriers around herself for safety. She self medicates, will only interact with strangers at the bare minimum, and will not cross a very specific barrier surrounding the castle. Giving that this is reminiscent of Rapunzel I was concerned Orlaith would be truly trapped in her tower by Rhordyn, but this isn't the case. Her barriers are of her own making, while Rhordyn is her protector.

As the story moves along I will say it's quite hard to follow. Did this effect how much I liked this book? Not really, because I believe the next book will reveal a lot. Basically, Orlaith has been so sheltered she literally knows nothing of what occurs outside the castle walls. I believe that's why we as readers also know nothing. A lot of this book is from Orlaith's perspective, but we do have a couple chapters from Rhordyn's and Kai's POV (Kai is a friend she made. He's basically a merman).

My true complaint is the actual world building. This is clearly a fantasy, there is magic and strange creatures, but I have no idea what Rhordyn and Orlaith are. Or what the other High Mistresses/Masters (?) of the other territories are. They all seem to be sort of humans? We know Rhordyn has powers and seems to be stronger - but it's not clear in regards to other characters. What I think we really do need to know, but don't - 1. How the "government" structure works 2. Where this world even is/how big is it 3. How the magic/powers work. That fantasy element is sort of included in this story, but it's wildly unclear how it works, where it's from, what species can use it, etc.

A huge thing I was questioning this entire book was how does aging work??? Are they immortal? Do they age super slow? Rhordyn seems to be exactly the same as he was 19 years before when he found Orlaith, but obviously Orlaith has aged. Does that make the attraction between the two creepy or no? Because I have no idea if Rhordyn is like 40 and Orlaith is 21, or is Rhordyn like 400 and Orlaith is 21 and it's normal for their species to just be good to go once everyone has reached maturity.

The story mainly revolves around this relationship between Orlaith and Rhordyn and Orlaith's huge character development throughout the story. Orlaith is very attracted to him. She sees him as her protector and person. She gives him a blood offering each night, so she enjoys that he seems to need her. Rhordyn does everything he can to push her away, sees her affections as silly and concerning, and essentially wants nothing to do with her in that regard. The push and pull of their relationship is really well written and there is a ton of tension and angst. I personally loved it. Also, I just love Orlaith as a character. She's kept in the dark about a lot of things, some due to her own choosing and some because Rhordyn shares nothing, and lives in her box fighting against her traumas. Even with all that she still has great humor and is an extremely likable and entertaining character. Rhordyn is much harder to read, but is super interesting. Mysterious, brooding, strong, super protective, kind of a jerk and of course is gorgeous. I love where their development is going - literally so much angst and questions.

One of the side plots our characters have to face is the growing concern Vruks (sp?). Vruks are these nasty, huge cat/dog creatures that are evil and attack people and villages. They were at the scene when Rhordyn found Orlaith. Their threat is obviously growing and the leaders of this world, or at least the leaders in Orlaith and Rhordyn's little piece of it (since I have little idea how this world works) are gathering forces together to snuff out the Vruks before it's too late.

At the very end of the book Rhordyn and Orlaith each make opposing decisions based on how they are going to deal with the issue of the Vruks. I'm super excited to read the next book and cannot wait to see how this all unfolds.
]]> <![CDATA[To Flame a Wild Flower (Crystal Bloom, #3)]]> 61913327 It’s not in my nature to beg, but I’ll stay on my knees until I feel that flame sputter out.
And then �
I’ll rip the world to shreds.

I’ve tumbled into a darkness so deep it’s hard to see the light, my petals curling inward as I tip my face from the sun. Hide from my monstrous actions.

Traitor. Murderer.
High Mistress.

My mistakes hunt me down, and I’m pulled into a political tug-of-war, balancing Ocruth’s welfare on the edge of a bloody blade. The moon is swelling, the weight on my shoulders compacting, and my unfailing curiosity keeps weaving its roots in the wrong direction.

Horrible truths unravel, casting explosive light on everything I thought I knew. I’ll have no choice but to shed my morals, my withering self-preservation, and sow the seed of a plan set to bloom beneath a bloated moon.

One wrong move could destroy everything.
Destroy me.

Lines will blur, blood will spill, and I’ll learn how fragile I really am—at a cost far greater than I could have imagined.

Fate is a ravenous beast, and there’s only so far I can run.

To Flame a Wild Flower is the third book in the Crystal Bloom series—a dark fantasy romance full of immersive imagery and breathtaking angst.]]> 591 Sarah A. Parker LainieLibrary 5
First, I want to thank Sarah for this arc. I've been anxiously awaiting this book since Stem was released - like most of us - and am so grateful I had the chance to read this a bit early.

I downloaded this last night and pulled an all-nighter because I absolutely could not put this down. I already know this review won't do this book justice, but let me say this addition to the series is a complete masterpiece. Sarah's writing continues to awe - her storytelling is beyond. I felt ALL the emotions reading this and find myself absolutely in love with this world and characters. Orlaith is my favorite FMC, seeing her growth and development throughout the each book has been so rewarding and special.

This truly is the best addition of the series so far. So much is revealed (my cynical self was shocked, as I was anxiously expecting less?) but wow - I'm floored by how much we learn, while at the same time we have barely scratched the surface of what this world holds, and new questions are quickly cropping up. Again - I'm continually surprised by the depth of the magical world, characters, connections, everything - that Sarah has weaved. Just when I think I can't possibly fall deeper into this story, I find myself re-reading and picking up on another clue or connection. Is there a limit to how many times a book can reasonably be re-read? No? Okay awesome, because I will be re-reading this series over and over again. And I am absolutely not a re-reader.

I loved everything about this, but seeing Orlaith grow and begin healing was especially sweet. I won't say much about the rest of the story - because wow spoilers - but I'll just say I think most readers will be very pleased with how this story unravels. I had no idea what I was getting my self into with this one - sure, I have about a million theories - but the way this came together went beyond my expectations.

I adored every single POV - and felt so many emotions reading this. It's angsty, heartbreaking, and so so good - I even found myself laughing at some points. Overall, the pacing in this was much faster than Stem. I felt like we are launched right back into the story starting on page 1, and we aren't given a chance to catch our breath until the very end. I will say this ends on quite a cliffhanger, but it's not quite as tragic as the ending of Stem. Will I have a book hangover and need some recovery time? Absolutely, but it's a bit more bearable. Lol.

I'll probably add a lot more here after the book if officially released - because my head is filled to the brim with thoughts and theories.]]> 4.14 2023 To Flame a Wild Flower (Crystal Bloom, #3)
author: Sarah A. Parker
name: LainieLibrary
average rating: 4.14
book published: 2023
rating: 5
read at: 2023/03/28
date added: 2023/03/28
shelves: 2023, fantasy, dark_romance, favorites
review:
5 Stars

First, I want to thank Sarah for this arc. I've been anxiously awaiting this book since Stem was released - like most of us - and am so grateful I had the chance to read this a bit early.

I downloaded this last night and pulled an all-nighter because I absolutely could not put this down. I already know this review won't do this book justice, but let me say this addition to the series is a complete masterpiece. Sarah's writing continues to awe - her storytelling is beyond. I felt ALL the emotions reading this and find myself absolutely in love with this world and characters. Orlaith is my favorite FMC, seeing her growth and development throughout the each book has been so rewarding and special.

This truly is the best addition of the series so far. So much is revealed (my cynical self was shocked, as I was anxiously expecting less?) but wow - I'm floored by how much we learn, while at the same time we have barely scratched the surface of what this world holds, and new questions are quickly cropping up. Again - I'm continually surprised by the depth of the magical world, characters, connections, everything - that Sarah has weaved. Just when I think I can't possibly fall deeper into this story, I find myself re-reading and picking up on another clue or connection. Is there a limit to how many times a book can reasonably be re-read? No? Okay awesome, because I will be re-reading this series over and over again. And I am absolutely not a re-reader.

I loved everything about this, but seeing Orlaith grow and begin healing was especially sweet. I won't say much about the rest of the story - because wow spoilers - but I'll just say I think most readers will be very pleased with how this story unravels. I had no idea what I was getting my self into with this one - sure, I have about a million theories - but the way this came together went beyond my expectations.

I adored every single POV - and felt so many emotions reading this. It's angsty, heartbreaking, and so so good - I even found myself laughing at some points. Overall, the pacing in this was much faster than Stem. I felt like we are launched right back into the story starting on page 1, and we aren't given a chance to catch our breath until the very end. I will say this ends on quite a cliffhanger, but it's not quite as tragic as the ending of Stem. Will I have a book hangover and need some recovery time? Absolutely, but it's a bit more bearable. Lol.

I'll probably add a lot more here after the book if officially released - because my head is filled to the brim with thoughts and theories.
]]> <![CDATA[To Snap a Silver Stem (Crystal Bloom, #2)]]> 58627455 I want him to hurt. To bleed.
I want him to snap, just like he snapped me.

Once upon a time, my world was small and sheltered. Everything changed the moment I stepped over my Safety Line, barreling towards a coupling with a man I hardly know.

He wants me. All of me.

Dunked in a charged political pit, I must secure the ships needed to quell the spill of murderous beasts still flooding the continent. But one wrong move could spur the war I’ve worked so hard to avoid.

I’ll wear the dress and the cupla and the shoes. I’ll do it all with a smile on my face. Because everyone's watching.
He’s watching—hunting a fissure in my frosty shield, trying to scrape back the layers and see my ugly insides.

He’s unyielding. Unguarded.
Changed.

Why is he looking now when I’ve got everything to hide?

Secrets sprout, truths bloom, and more than one of us will snap.
Crowned in the crippling weight of my mistakes, I must atone. Even if it costs me my life.

Fear was my overlord. Now, it’s my prisoner.

To Snap a Silver Stem is the explosive sequel of To Bleed a Crystal Bloom—a dark Rapunzel reimagining full of immersive imagery and breathtaking angst. A unique fantasy series perfect for fans of Sarah J. Maas and Jennifer L. Armentrout, guaranteed to grip you from the very first page.]]> 538 Sarah A. Parker LainieLibrary 5
1st re-read: Ah I love this so much. Like the first book, I'm sure I'll pick up on little hints/clues every time I re-read this.

1st Read: I powered through this last night, attempted to sleep, and now here we are. All I can say is wow. I had my predictions coming into this, but I couldn't have imagined how this addition would play out. I'm absolutely gutted by some of what's revealed, and I can't help but love our characters so much more than I already did.

I think Orlaith is truly one of my favorite FMCs. Watching her journey through this was absolutely heartbreaking, but still felt so authentic and relatable. Her entire view of the world has been shattered, she's traveling away from the only place she's ever know as home, and after knowing what happened to her family - she's steeped in self-loathing. At times I was so frustrated with her decisions, but you know what? It's truly how someone would react being in her shoes. She's spiraling, and honestly I know I would be too... I couldn't help cheer her on along the way, and I'm excited to see her push up from her rock bottom (well, I hope this is her rock bottom, although I doubt that it is, but dang idk how much more my heart can take).

So much is revealed in this addition, probably the amount I was expecting, but there is soooo much more to learn about this world, it's history, the characters... All of it. We almost entirely focus on Orlaith, and her development, which was so necessary. Some of the revelations I did guess, but others were truly surprising.

I adored the bits we get with Kai, they were almost a reprieve from angst and intensity of the rest of the story. He's such a lovely character, and I'm so excited to learn more about his back story. And I mean Baze... I loved getting a few glimpses into his inner-workings as well.

Then of course, I absolutely LOVED getting to see so much more of Rhordyn, and seeing inside his head. We get a better understanding of his motivations - which truly could be seen from all his actions in the TBACB - but everything is solidified. I was so so frustrated by him in this, but I ultimately I adore him.

And the ending... I'm honestly speechless. While there were so many twists and turns during this entire read, I was floored by the ending and just need the next book immediately.

The writing, as always, is absolutely beautiful. I couldn't put this down, and am already planning when I can re-read. I'm sure there are loads of Easter eggs that I missed, and it will take me a few reads to piece everything together.

Alright, so now to the spoilers because I have to get these thoughts out of my head. BEWARE reading ahead:

Obviously, what makes this book so heartbreaking is Orlaith's struggle with her consuming self-loathing. I felt like I was screaming at her to talk to someone, anyone!, to be reassured that she isn't a monster. And to just ask people to explain the world to her. Honestly, just anything to stop her from ripping herself apart. I even wanted her to spill everything to Rhordyn. But after TBACB, I get why she isn't. He's someone who has pushed her away every single time she's gone to him at her most vulnerable. She's changing, staying true to herself, but she's learning and trying to make better decisions. Which is why I was SO pissed at Rhordyn during this. As Orlaith said, Too Much. Too Late. We finally see Rhordyn (seemingly?) wanting Orlaith, but it's not enough. There are still too many secrets, and even while attempting to bring Orlaith home, he doesn't want to tell her the full truth and receive her forgiveness. The two are just absolutely heartbreaking together, and they are both suffering so much. But I am thrilled that he is (???) her endgame! At least I'm fairly certain at this point.

I mean Cain... I feel like he isn't even an option? It's almost as if he's the one who truly sees Orlaith as an object he can mold to his liking - while trying to still paint Rhordyn as the bad guy.

Which brings me to the ending. I just cannot believe how that ending, and really want to know how in the world we are getting past that... Like....?????? Again, I just need the next book in my hands right now.]]> 3.84 2022 To Snap a Silver Stem (Crystal Bloom, #2)
author: Sarah A. Parker
name: LainieLibrary
average rating: 3.84
book published: 2022
rating: 5
read at: 2023/03/20
date added: 2023/03/28
shelves: 2022, fantasy, favorites, 2023, dark_romance
review:
5 Stars.

1st re-read: Ah I love this so much. Like the first book, I'm sure I'll pick up on little hints/clues every time I re-read this.

1st Read: I powered through this last night, attempted to sleep, and now here we are. All I can say is wow. I had my predictions coming into this, but I couldn't have imagined how this addition would play out. I'm absolutely gutted by some of what's revealed, and I can't help but love our characters so much more than I already did.

I think Orlaith is truly one of my favorite FMCs. Watching her journey through this was absolutely heartbreaking, but still felt so authentic and relatable. Her entire view of the world has been shattered, she's traveling away from the only place she's ever know as home, and after knowing what happened to her family - she's steeped in self-loathing. At times I was so frustrated with her decisions, but you know what? It's truly how someone would react being in her shoes. She's spiraling, and honestly I know I would be too... I couldn't help cheer her on along the way, and I'm excited to see her push up from her rock bottom (well, I hope this is her rock bottom, although I doubt that it is, but dang idk how much more my heart can take).

So much is revealed in this addition, probably the amount I was expecting, but there is soooo much more to learn about this world, it's history, the characters... All of it. We almost entirely focus on Orlaith, and her development, which was so necessary. Some of the revelations I did guess, but others were truly surprising.

I adored the bits we get with Kai, they were almost a reprieve from angst and intensity of the rest of the story. He's such a lovely character, and I'm so excited to learn more about his back story. And I mean Baze... I loved getting a few glimpses into his inner-workings as well.

Then of course, I absolutely LOVED getting to see so much more of Rhordyn, and seeing inside his head. We get a better understanding of his motivations - which truly could be seen from all his actions in the TBACB - but everything is solidified. I was so so frustrated by him in this, but I ultimately I adore him.

And the ending... I'm honestly speechless. While there were so many twists and turns during this entire read, I was floored by the ending and just need the next book immediately.

The writing, as always, is absolutely beautiful. I couldn't put this down, and am already planning when I can re-read. I'm sure there are loads of Easter eggs that I missed, and it will take me a few reads to piece everything together.

Alright, so now to the spoilers because I have to get these thoughts out of my head. BEWARE reading ahead:

Obviously, what makes this book so heartbreaking is Orlaith's struggle with her consuming self-loathing. I felt like I was screaming at her to talk to someone, anyone!, to be reassured that she isn't a monster. And to just ask people to explain the world to her. Honestly, just anything to stop her from ripping herself apart. I even wanted her to spill everything to Rhordyn. But after TBACB, I get why she isn't. He's someone who has pushed her away every single time she's gone to him at her most vulnerable. She's changing, staying true to herself, but she's learning and trying to make better decisions. Which is why I was SO pissed at Rhordyn during this. As Orlaith said, Too Much. Too Late. We finally see Rhordyn (seemingly?) wanting Orlaith, but it's not enough. There are still too many secrets, and even while attempting to bring Orlaith home, he doesn't want to tell her the full truth and receive her forgiveness. The two are just absolutely heartbreaking together, and they are both suffering so much. But I am thrilled that he is (???) her endgame! At least I'm fairly certain at this point.

I mean Cain... I feel like he isn't even an option? It's almost as if he's the one who truly sees Orlaith as an object he can mold to his liking - while trying to still paint Rhordyn as the bad guy.

Which brings me to the ending. I just cannot believe how that ending, and really want to know how in the world we are getting past that... Like....?????? Again, I just need the next book in my hands right now.
]]> <![CDATA[White Nights (White Nights, #1)]]> 58010582 Power. That’s what I think of when I spot him across the ER. Power and danger.

One of the wealthiest Russian oligarchs, Alex Volkov is as ruthless as he is magnetic. He always gets what he wants, and what he wants is me, in his bed.

He’s the kind of trouble every woman should run from. The bullet his bodyguard took for him proves that.

I should stay far away, but for one night, I give in to temptation. Before I know it, he’s pulling me deeper into his world of excess and violence, invading not only my life but my heart.

How much trust can I place in a man so dangerous? How much do I dare risk for his love?]]> 330 Anna Zaires 1643662589 LainieLibrary 1
I started reading this awhile ago, wasn't impressed, then gave up. I came across this again, not realizing I already attempted a read, and quickly remembered why I put this down in the first place. I'm all for mafia romances and unhinged MCs, but this lacked the plot and dare I say "depth" of other mafia romances I've read. The plot of this is purely a Russian mafia guy (Alex) who becomes obsessed with a nurse (Katerina) at a local hospital after she nursed him back to health - that's literally it. They don't even have any chemistry - they find each other hot and that's about it. The only personality traits either have are Alex = possessive, Katerina = is a nurse. It's SO bland.

The only other memorable thing from the story is that Katerina's mother has quite the dating life...

Of course - I don't really read mafia romances for some great plot, but this felt especially thin and pointless - to the point of there being exactly 0 intrigue. Alex is instantly obsessed with Katerina - insta-love vibes here - and Katarina, sensibly, is like "no thanks i don't want you to run my life". Alex forces her to use his driver to and from work right after meeting her (creepy) and then he proceeds to beat a guy up who she is on a date with - after she keeps asking Alex to leave her alone... (creepy x2). I don't even typically mind the possessive guy thing - but for some reason it doesn't work for me in this? Maybe because we see so little of Alex, and we don't have his POV, that's why he seems like a such creepy stalker.?

I wouldn't recommend! Also, we are told Alex is a part of the mafia, but nothing else in the story is in that setting/speaks to that.]]> 3.88 2021 White Nights (White Nights, #1)
author: Anna Zaires
name: LainieLibrary
average rating: 3.88
book published: 2021
rating: 1
read at: 2023/03/23
date added: 2023/03/28
shelves: dnf, 2023, contemporary_romance, mafia
review:
1 Star - DNF @ ~65%

I started reading this awhile ago, wasn't impressed, then gave up. I came across this again, not realizing I already attempted a read, and quickly remembered why I put this down in the first place. I'm all for mafia romances and unhinged MCs, but this lacked the plot and dare I say "depth" of other mafia romances I've read. The plot of this is purely a Russian mafia guy (Alex) who becomes obsessed with a nurse (Katerina) at a local hospital after she nursed him back to health - that's literally it. They don't even have any chemistry - they find each other hot and that's about it. The only personality traits either have are Alex = possessive, Katerina = is a nurse. It's SO bland.

The only other memorable thing from the story is that Katerina's mother has quite the dating life...

Of course - I don't really read mafia romances for some great plot, but this felt especially thin and pointless - to the point of there being exactly 0 intrigue. Alex is instantly obsessed with Katerina - insta-love vibes here - and Katarina, sensibly, is like "no thanks i don't want you to run my life". Alex forces her to use his driver to and from work right after meeting her (creepy) and then he proceeds to beat a guy up who she is on a date with - after she keeps asking Alex to leave her alone... (creepy x2). I don't even typically mind the possessive guy thing - but for some reason it doesn't work for me in this? Maybe because we see so little of Alex, and we don't have his POV, that's why he seems like a such creepy stalker.?

I wouldn't recommend! Also, we are told Alex is a part of the mafia, but nothing else in the story is in that setting/speaks to that.
]]> Twist Me (Twist Me, #1) 31847592 This is a previously-published edition - ASIN: B00IC8E3MI

***New Adult Dark Erotic Novel***

Kidnapped. Taken to a private island.

I never thought this could happen to me. I never imagined one chance meeting on the eve of my eighteenth birthday could change my life so completely.

Now I belong to him. To Julian. To a man who is as ruthless as he is beautiful � a man whose touch makes me burn. A man whose tenderness I find more devastating than his cruelty.

My captor is an enigma. I don’t know who he is or why he took me. There is a darkness inside him � a darkness that scares me even as it draws me in.

My name is Nora Leston, and this is my story.

WARNING: This is NOT a traditional romance. It contains disturbing subject matter, including themes of questionable consent and Stockholm Syndrome, as well as graphic sexual content. This is a work of fiction intended for a mature, 18+ audience only. The author neither endorses nor condones this type of behavior.

]]> 312 Anna Zaires LainieLibrary 0 dnf, 2023, dark_romance
No rating - just adding this in for my reference. I keep trying, but Anna Zaires isn't for me. I'm not opposed to dark romances, at all, but this read as unnecessarily creepy? The FMC is so young (just turned 18/graduated high school) and is kidnapped and kept at an island by the MC. It's a bit too much for me - and there's nothing to temper this with to make it seem partly okay.]]> 3.70 2014 Twist Me (Twist Me, #1)
author: Anna Zaires
name: LainieLibrary
average rating: 3.70
book published: 2014
rating: 0
read at: 2023/03/25
date added: 2023/03/27
shelves: dnf, 2023, dark_romance
review:
DNF

No rating - just adding this in for my reference. I keep trying, but Anna Zaires isn't for me. I'm not opposed to dark romances, at all, but this read as unnecessarily creepy? The FMC is so young (just turned 18/graduated high school) and is kidnapped and kept at an island by the MC. It's a bit too much for me - and there's nothing to temper this with to make it seem partly okay.
]]> <![CDATA[The Coven (Coven of Bones, #1)]]> 75396525
There are no whispered words here. No condemnation for the blood that flows through my veins. The only animosity I face comes from the beautiful and infuriating Headmaster, Alaric Grayson Thorne, a man who despises me just as much as I loathe him and everything he stands for.

But that doesn’t mean secrets don’t threaten to tear the school in two. No one talks about the bloody massacre that forced it to close decades prior, only the opportunity it can afford to those fortunate enough to attend.

Because for the first time in fifty years, the Coven will open its wards to the Thirteen: thirteen promising students destined to change the world.

If the ghosts of Hollow’s Groves� victims don’t kill them first...

The Coven is book one in the Coven of Bones series and ends on a cliffhanger. This is a gothic, dark-academia, paranormal romance and includes elements that may be triggering to some listeners.]]> 298 Harper L. Woods LainieLibrary 1 dnf, 2023, academia, romance
It's probably because I'm in a bit of a reading slump, but I couldn't get through this. The beginning is so lackluster and seemed to be dragging along from almost the first couple of pages. There wasn't anything particularly interesting or intriguing about the story - and the way it's written, it's almost as if the author assumes we know the world and characters already. There wasn't much explained, but the information about the workings of their world didn't read as being hidden for intrigue?

The main character, Willow, immediately came off as annoying. She has this whole plan for revenge, which includes her being at the university, but when the vessels come to take her she gives chase and the story takes way too long to actually get her to the school. Just enough was explained about her family and motivations to cause a bit of confusion - but it didn't make me interested in the story. Also, there's a vessel who is referred to by 3 different names - Grey/Alaric/Thorne - but it almost seemed like 3 different characters? Like Grey said..., then at another point Thorne said... Which the names are just his full name - but it was super frustrating because why are we referring to a character with 3 different names? Especially at the beginning of the book when we don't know who anyone is? An odd choice and a bit of a pet peeve of mine.]]> 3.73 2023 The Coven (Coven of Bones, #1)
author: Harper L. Woods
name: LainieLibrary
average rating: 3.73
book published: 2023
rating: 1
read at: 2023/03/22
date added: 2023/03/23
shelves: dnf, 2023, academia, romance
review:
1.5 Stars - DNF

It's probably because I'm in a bit of a reading slump, but I couldn't get through this. The beginning is so lackluster and seemed to be dragging along from almost the first couple of pages. There wasn't anything particularly interesting or intriguing about the story - and the way it's written, it's almost as if the author assumes we know the world and characters already. There wasn't much explained, but the information about the workings of their world didn't read as being hidden for intrigue?

The main character, Willow, immediately came off as annoying. She has this whole plan for revenge, which includes her being at the university, but when the vessels come to take her she gives chase and the story takes way too long to actually get her to the school. Just enough was explained about her family and motivations to cause a bit of confusion - but it didn't make me interested in the story. Also, there's a vessel who is referred to by 3 different names - Grey/Alaric/Thorne - but it almost seemed like 3 different characters? Like Grey said..., then at another point Thorne said... Which the names are just his full name - but it was super frustrating because why are we referring to a character with 3 different names? Especially at the beginning of the book when we don't know who anyone is? An odd choice and a bit of a pet peeve of mine.
]]> <![CDATA[The Tie That Binds (Serendipity, #1)]]> 53588853

When Alyssa Moriani loses her father, she's faced with an impossible choice: fulfil her father's last wish and marry Daniel Devereaux, her best friend's older brother... or lose her father's company to the one person that'll burn everything she's worked for to the ground.

Her marriage to Daniel was never meant to be more than a business arrangement. They were never meant to be so perfect together, and they were definitely never meant to fall in love. After all, they started their marriage with an end date in sight.


Author's Note: Full length novel with a guaranteed happily ever after. This book contains steamy scenes and an alpha-hole hero.]]> 312 Catharina Maura LainieLibrary 1
I didn't mind the beginning of this one - we have our FMC, Alyssa, who has always been in love with her best friend, Dominic. She finally confessed her feelings for him - but he quickly pushed her away and found a girlfriend. Then, in a random turn of events, Alyssa's father (who passed away) requires Alyssa to marry Daniel- aka Dominic's older brother who was a co-CEO with Alyssa's father - if she wants her full inheritance.

The story is certainly angsty - Dominic decides he does like Alyssa, Daniel is constantly jealous, Alyssa is constantly jealous, etc. - but it's not a fun, tense angst? It's more annoying/repetitive and Daniel being emotionally abusive - and I found Daniel and Alyssa both came off as incredibly immature. I probably could have finished this, but at 60% of the way in with no end in sight, and having already lost my interest in the two as a couple - giving up was the best choice. I don't recommend - but I do think Catharina Maura's most recent series (The Windsors) is much much better, so don't give up on this author entirely.]]> 3.92 The Tie That Binds (Serendipity, #1)
author: Catharina Maura
name: LainieLibrary
average rating: 3.92
book published:
rating: 1
read at: 2023/03/18
date added: 2023/03/20
shelves: dnf, 2023, contemporary_romance, office_romance
review:
1 Star - DNF @ ~60%

I didn't mind the beginning of this one - we have our FMC, Alyssa, who has always been in love with her best friend, Dominic. She finally confessed her feelings for him - but he quickly pushed her away and found a girlfriend. Then, in a random turn of events, Alyssa's father (who passed away) requires Alyssa to marry Daniel- aka Dominic's older brother who was a co-CEO with Alyssa's father - if she wants her full inheritance.

The story is certainly angsty - Dominic decides he does like Alyssa, Daniel is constantly jealous, Alyssa is constantly jealous, etc. - but it's not a fun, tense angst? It's more annoying/repetitive and Daniel being emotionally abusive - and I found Daniel and Alyssa both came off as incredibly immature. I probably could have finished this, but at 60% of the way in with no end in sight, and having already lost my interest in the two as a couple - giving up was the best choice. I don't recommend - but I do think Catharina Maura's most recent series (The Windsors) is much much better, so don't give up on this author entirely.
]]> <![CDATA[A Rogue to Remember (The Hellion Club, #1)]]> 53087327 Welcome to Book One in "The Hellion Club", the nickname for the Darrow School, where miscreant noblemen send their illegitimate daughters to keep them out of sight, out of mind, and to make them employable.

It's propriety, secrets, and passion in this scorching new series!

Douglas “Devil� Ashton, Lord Deveril, was forced by his father to join the army and was exiled to India. It was punishment for all his many wicked, wild and reckless ways. While serving his country, the unthinkable happens at home. Devil’s sister is seduced by a fortune hunter and cast out by their father. By the time Devil returns to England, he’s too late to save her� but if he can obtain the right governess, one who specializes in working with children others have deemed unmanageable, he might be able to save his niece.

There is only one problem - no respectable woman would ever consent to be employed in the house of the Devil Lord. If she did, she’d never be able to be employed elsewhere again, as his very name is synonymous with ruin.

But Wilhelmina Marks is no ordinary governess. She’s a graduate of the Darrow School, an integral member of The Hellion Club, and a determined lady in her own right. Marina, Lord Deveril’s niece is a challenge� but not nearly as challenging as her uncle. He is all that they have said of him. Hedonistic. Rakishly charming. Too handsome by far. But also kind and perhaps a little broken. It’s that combination which draws Willa to him and makes him irresistible to her.

But danger looms when Marina’s wastrel, fortune hunting father returns, intent on claiming his daughter.

Willa and Devil must work together to keep the little girl safe... is it a recipe for disaster or a recipe for love? ]]> 222 Chasity Bowlin LainieLibrary 2 dnf, 2023, historical_romance
More romance, less babysitting! There were some good parts here - but I spent a majority of the time wondering why there wasn't more romance/connection between the two main characters. The plot and Devil's niece took up too much of the story. It started to drag along and I quickly lost interest once it became clear the romance is on the backburner. ]]> 4.20 2019 A Rogue to Remember (The Hellion Club, #1)
author: Chasity Bowlin
name: LainieLibrary
average rating: 4.20
book published: 2019
rating: 2
read at: 2023/03/12
date added: 2023/03/14
shelves: dnf, 2023, historical_romance
review:
2 Stars - DNF @ 68%

More romance, less babysitting! There were some good parts here - but I spent a majority of the time wondering why there wasn't more romance/connection between the two main characters. The plot and Devil's niece took up too much of the story. It started to drag along and I quickly lost interest once it became clear the romance is on the backburner.
]]> <![CDATA[First Ritual (Supernatural Battle: Coven Caves, #1)]]> 68000428
Two issues:
The magus probably lives in The Buried Knolls.
The coven there might have murdered my family.

My plan? Kiss the hot guy at the bar in case I die tonight. Knock on the coven’s door. See if the council kills me at the next full moon. Foolproof.

Whether it’s fake relationships, a supernatural game, or unfathomable matching runes showing up on me and a gorgeous male grimoire, I’ll do whatever it takes to find the person on the other end of this bond.

Just try to stop me.]]> 410 Kelly St. Clare LainieLibrary 3
First off, I liked both the vampire and shifter series that take place in this same "world", but this felt more.. convoluted? than the other series. It actually took me awhile to realize this takes place in the same word because the story felt different?

Not a ton of explained at the beginning, which does make a little sense based on Tempest's situation, but I never felt drawn into/connected to the story. Even the romance parts fell flat - and maybe a slight spoiler here - but Wild's weird robotic connection/obsession with Tempest came off as creepy, not romantic or interesting. I actually felt like the two had 0 chemistry, which is part of the story - their attraction does have a "forced" element... But still, I needed something more here. Rooke and Sven have like 3 interactions and I felt like their chemistry was better than Tempest/Wild's.

Also, the "game" in this one (following the template of the vampire and shifter versions of this book) is extremely confusing. I understood the games/the rules in the other series - but I have 0 idea what's happening in this one. Maybe it's a comprehension issue on my part, but I genuinely had no idea what was happening in Caves. And in general - the magic system/their affinities made little sense to me. How do the magic/spells even work?

Overall, I'm pretty disappointed with this but I do plan to read the next book in the series.

Oh, and do we all agree that the girl on the cover looks exactly like young Rhaenyra Targaryen?

~Spoilers~

Another thing I found quite confusing is the point/goal of the demons. It was explained at the very end, during the flashback/memory thing with Tempest's mom and grandma, but I am still SO confused. The demons want to destroy all other species by forcing unbalance by planting seeds for never ending games..? Why do the demons want this? What is all the nonsense about gates and demon territories? Why exactly did Tempest's mother need to run away while pregnant? It was pretty obvious that Tempest would be half-demon, but I don't understand the consequences. I should probably just re-read the last chapter, but it should have been explained in a much clearer way.]]> 4.24 2023 First Ritual (Supernatural Battle: Coven Caves, #1)
author: Kelly St. Clare
name: LainieLibrary
average rating: 4.24
book published: 2023
rating: 3
read at: 2023/03/04
date added: 2023/03/06
shelves: 2023, paranormal_romance, witches
review:
2.5 Stars

First off, I liked both the vampire and shifter series that take place in this same "world", but this felt more.. convoluted? than the other series. It actually took me awhile to realize this takes place in the same word because the story felt different?

Not a ton of explained at the beginning, which does make a little sense based on Tempest's situation, but I never felt drawn into/connected to the story. Even the romance parts fell flat - and maybe a slight spoiler here - but Wild's weird robotic connection/obsession with Tempest came off as creepy, not romantic or interesting. I actually felt like the two had 0 chemistry, which is part of the story - their attraction does have a "forced" element... But still, I needed something more here. Rooke and Sven have like 3 interactions and I felt like their chemistry was better than Tempest/Wild's.

Also, the "game" in this one (following the template of the vampire and shifter versions of this book) is extremely confusing. I understood the games/the rules in the other series - but I have 0 idea what's happening in this one. Maybe it's a comprehension issue on my part, but I genuinely had no idea what was happening in Caves. And in general - the magic system/their affinities made little sense to me. How do the magic/spells even work?

Overall, I'm pretty disappointed with this but I do plan to read the next book in the series.

Oh, and do we all agree that the girl on the cover looks exactly like young Rhaenyra Targaryen?

~Spoilers~

Another thing I found quite confusing is the point/goal of the demons. It was explained at the very end, during the flashback/memory thing with Tempest's mom and grandma, but I am still SO confused. The demons want to destroy all other species by forcing unbalance by planting seeds for never ending games..? Why do the demons want this? What is all the nonsense about gates and demon territories? Why exactly did Tempest's mother need to run away while pregnant? It was pretty obvious that Tempest would be half-demon, but I don't understand the consequences. I should probably just re-read the last chapter, but it should have been explained in a much clearer way.
]]> Until You (Off-Limits, #1) 60872655
Their lives weren’t meant to collide � but everything changes when Grayson realizes that Aria is the mysterious woman behind a wildly popular vigilante platform.

She’s the woman he’s been falling for online, the one whose coding skills outdo his, the one he’s been trying to track down.

It’s her. And she’s off-limits.]]> 328 Catharina Maura 9887531936 LainieLibrary 1
I got through most of this, but ultimately decided to give up because I didn't like any of the characters.

Honestly, I'm not convinced Grayson and Aria have any chemistry? Once Aria's awful boyfriend cheated on her/she left him, Grayson basically decides he's obsessed with Aria. Why is he obsessed with her? I guess because she's nice? The author goes through the trouble to have Aria's ex bash her (it was a full monologue) - saying that she's ugly and fat - so after that, I wasn't able to put together a good picture of Aria in my mind, if that makes sense? Both Grayson and Aria just felt odd, and adding in their lack of tension and chemistry, it didn't work for me.]]> 3.81 2021 Until You (Off-Limits, #1)
author: Catharina Maura
name: LainieLibrary
average rating: 3.81
book published: 2021
rating: 1
read at: 2023/02/20
date added: 2023/03/03
shelves: dnf, contemporary_romance, 2023
review:
1 Star - DNF'd

I got through most of this, but ultimately decided to give up because I didn't like any of the characters.

Honestly, I'm not convinced Grayson and Aria have any chemistry? Once Aria's awful boyfriend cheated on her/she left him, Grayson basically decides he's obsessed with Aria. Why is he obsessed with her? I guess because she's nice? The author goes through the trouble to have Aria's ex bash her (it was a full monologue) - saying that she's ugly and fat - so after that, I wasn't able to put together a good picture of Aria in my mind, if that makes sense? Both Grayson and Aria just felt odd, and adding in their lack of tension and chemistry, it didn't work for me.
]]> <![CDATA[Sinners Consumed (Sinners Anonymous, #3)]]> 61886125
My world is on fire, and I’m obsessed with the girl who lit the match.

Bloodied knuckles and a lifeless body at my feet confirm it: Penny is my demise.

My gentlemanly facade is nothing but a memory.

My sins are seeping through my shirt like ink.

I tried to leave her. Couldn’t do it.

I tried to snuff the life out of her. Couldn’t do that, either.

So we’ll slow dance in the flames until I’m nothing but ash and embers.

I’ll only rise like a phoenix when she’s gone.

The problem is, I’d never let her go.

No, she’d have to run far, far, away to escape me.

And maybe she will if I just told her the truth:

I own the Sinners Anonymous Hotline.

And I’ve listened to every call she’s ever made.

DARK MAFIA ROMANCE - ENEMIES TO LOVERS - AGE GAP - SLOW BURN

***

SOMME’S NOTES:

Sinners Consumed is part two of a duet. Rafe & Penny’s story starts in Sinners Condemned, which will be out September 7.

For a better reading experience, please read Sinners Anonymous before reading Sinners Condemned & Sinners Consumed.

You should know that I write dark romance, and my stories–including this one–aren’t for the faint of heart. They contain several triggers, so aren’t suitable for everyone.]]> 319 Somme Sketcher LainieLibrary 4
A good ending to Rafe and Penny's duet! There wasn't any unnecessary filler, and the drama stayed at a perfect level, so I'm very happy. I see how duets can quickly go downhill in the second book, but this really did not disappoint. Rafe and Penny are perfect.

I'm super excited for Gabe and Wren's duet next - truly I cannot wait.

I will say, I was a bit bummed with the ending and not having Rafe and Penny at least be engaged, but I get it. I wish we would have gotten an epilogue at least, because it didn't feel quite like an HEA after all Rafe and Penny went through.]]> 4.24 2022 Sinners Consumed (Sinners Anonymous, #3)
author: Somme Sketcher
name: LainieLibrary
average rating: 4.24
book published: 2022
rating: 4
read at: 2023/02/26
date added: 2023/03/01
shelves: 2023, contemporary_romance, mafia
review:
4 Stars

A good ending to Rafe and Penny's duet! There wasn't any unnecessary filler, and the drama stayed at a perfect level, so I'm very happy. I see how duets can quickly go downhill in the second book, but this really did not disappoint. Rafe and Penny are perfect.

I'm super excited for Gabe and Wren's duet next - truly I cannot wait.

I will say, I was a bit bummed with the ending and not having Rafe and Penny at least be engaged, but I get it. I wish we would have gotten an epilogue at least, because it didn't feel quite like an HEA after all Rafe and Penny went through.
]]> <![CDATA[Sinners Condemned (Sinners Anonymous, #2)]]> 60160772
No good ever comes from a red-head in a stolen dress with her worldly possessions at her feet.

I should have known she was trouble when smoke and sin followed her into my bar and she challenged me to a game.

She may have won my watch, but she started a war.

As she slipped my Breitling off my wrist and onto her own, she gleefully announced she was the luckiest girl in the world.

Yeah, lucky to everyone but me.

Because the moment her muddy boots stomped down the stairs and up my spine, my empire started to crumble.

My cashmere charm is wrinkling.

My gentlemanly facade is cracking.

My enemies are closing in.

Maybe the gypsy was right:

The Queen of Hearts will drag me down to hell.

At least it’s wonderfully warm among the flames.

DARK MAFIA ROMANCE - ENEMIES TO LOVERS - AGE GAP - SLOW BURN

***

SOMME’S NOTES:

Sinners Condemned is part one of a duet, and because of this, it ends on a cliffhanger. Rafe & Penny’s story continues in Sinners Consumed, which will be out September 7.

For a better reading experience, please read Sinners Anonymous before reading Sinners Condemned.

You should know that I write dark romance, and my stories–including this one–aren’t for the faint of heart. They contain several triggers, so aren’t suitable for everyone.]]> 316 Somme Sketcher LainieLibrary 4
This was fantastic. I've been looking for another great mafia romance series, and this was really it for me. It has the mafia elements I love (a bit different from other books of the same genre though) and the characters are amazing. The tension, angst, and chemistry between Penny and Rafe (hello Angelo's younger brother) was off the charts. This was significantly better than the first book in the series. It's much more character driven - which I loved - but I will say some of the mafia family conflict seemed to drop off the face of the earth.

Penny is a swindler, having lived most of her life scamming men out of their money, and Rafe is the perfect person for her to take advantage of. I loved the constant back and forth between the two. I never felt bored or the need to skim while reading this. It was charming, such a slow burn, and overall a really good story.

The only thing I disliked - at the end of book 1 there is a random redhead at the bar of Angelo and Rory's wedding, and Angelo recognizes her as the person who sold him a fortune cookie. He gets mad, I think pulls a gun on her, and Rafe is like no, no she's with me. Anyways - I was 100% convinced this random girl was Penny but guess what?! It's NOT. I kept waiting for the scene to be "replayed" in Penny/Rafe's POV (because book 2 starts before Rory and Angelo's wedding) but it never connected. It seemed so strange and I'm shocked the two instances were not connected.]]> 4.16 2022 Sinners Condemned (Sinners Anonymous, #2)
author: Somme Sketcher
name: LainieLibrary
average rating: 4.16
book published: 2022
rating: 4
read at: 2023/02/24
date added: 2023/03/01
shelves: 2023, mafia, contemporary_romance
review:
4.5 Stars

This was fantastic. I've been looking for another great mafia romance series, and this was really it for me. It has the mafia elements I love (a bit different from other books of the same genre though) and the characters are amazing. The tension, angst, and chemistry between Penny and Rafe (hello Angelo's younger brother) was off the charts. This was significantly better than the first book in the series. It's much more character driven - which I loved - but I will say some of the mafia family conflict seemed to drop off the face of the earth.

Penny is a swindler, having lived most of her life scamming men out of their money, and Rafe is the perfect person for her to take advantage of. I loved the constant back and forth between the two. I never felt bored or the need to skim while reading this. It was charming, such a slow burn, and overall a really good story.

The only thing I disliked - at the end of book 1 there is a random redhead at the bar of Angelo and Rory's wedding, and Angelo recognizes her as the person who sold him a fortune cookie. He gets mad, I think pulls a gun on her, and Rafe is like no, no she's with me. Anyways - I was 100% convinced this random girl was Penny but guess what?! It's NOT. I kept waiting for the scene to be "replayed" in Penny/Rafe's POV (because book 2 starts before Rory and Angelo's wedding) but it never connected. It seemed so strange and I'm shocked the two instances were not connected.
]]> <![CDATA[Indecently Daring (Daring Daughters, #16)]]> 68683787 A frosty reception�
Staying with her Aunt Harriet and Uncle Jasper at the beautiful Holbrook House seems the ideal place for Alana Cadogan after breaking things off with her best friend and long-term fiancé, Oliver Cootes. All of Alana’s plans for the future have come to naught and the horrifying prospect of the season and the marriage mart looms large on her horizon. Still, at least she has the comfort of family, her dear friend Lady Catherine ‘Cat� Barrington, and�
Well, there’s always a catch.

A man of God�
The Reverend Harry Martin has just about had enough. If it isn’t young women following him about, lying in wait for him, and trying their best to get him in a compromising situation, now there’s Miss Cadogan to deal with. The dreadful girl is outspoken, opinionated and rubs Harry up the wrong way whenever they cross paths. She’s also beautiful, kind, and on his mind far too often.

When confession is good for the soul�
The problem is, clergymen ought not look like Harry Martin. It just isn’t natural. A vicar ought to be old and dusty and smell of mothballs. The Reverend Martin is young and vigorous and, yes—a bit of a prig, but looking like a fallen angel can only lead a girl into temptation, and trouble, and Alana is more than ready for both.

Salvation comes in many forms�
As Alana hears Harry’s confession and comes to understand him, and to love him, Harry must come to terms with the fact he can never be a fit husband for anyone, let alone lovely Lana. But when good triumphs over evil and Alana helps make all right with the world, perhaps she can bring him salvation too, if only Harry dares to believe it.]]> 303 Emma V. Leech 2492133664 LainieLibrary 3 2023, historical_romance
Per my typical 3 month cycle, I finished my quarterly Emma V. Leech historical romance. I never want Emma to stop writing these!

But, I will say this didn't quite hit the right mark for me. It was fine (ok, maybe more on the 2-star side, I physically cannot rate this lower bc I LOVE this series)... but there was something off with the chemistry between Alana Cadogan and Reverend Harry Martin.

The first ~50% of the book almost didn't feel like a romance at all. Harry found Alana attractive and decided to ignore her, and Alana ran around with Cat to prepare for an auction to raise money for... something (the church?). Anyways - the story was really missing the romance/a real plot? Don't get me wrong, I adored the side story progressions with Emmeline and the blind marquess//Cat and Kilbane, but I shouldn't have preferred reading those chapters/letters more than the actual story, ya know?

I also didn't love the setting. Usually we have more characters around and it creates a very charming scene of house parties and lovely interactions. This felt very much set apart - with Alana and Cat having a pretty quiet visit to the St. Clair estate before the season starts. It wasn't bad, per say, but it wasn't my favorite.

Then towards the end of the story, when we finally receive information about Harry's past, I was left a bit disappointed. I expected Harry to have a very very sordid past - like drunkenly killing a family in an accident/leaving a women with a bastard child - something extreme right? No, it ends up that he was an alcoholic and... that's it. I felt like the story was alluding to a dark, specific event (connected to him waking up in an alley/when the Reverend found him) that happened. But there was almost no follow up on that - which makes me wonder if it will be revealed in a later book (Kilbane/Cat's since Kilbane seems to have some sort of connection to Harry), or maybe it's nothing.]]> 4.43 Indecently Daring (Daring Daughters, #16)
author: Emma V. Leech
name: LainieLibrary
average rating: 4.43
book published:
rating: 3
read at: 2023/02/28
date added: 2023/03/01
shelves: 2023, historical_romance
review:
3 Stars

Per my typical 3 month cycle, I finished my quarterly Emma V. Leech historical romance. I never want Emma to stop writing these!

But, I will say this didn't quite hit the right mark for me. It was fine (ok, maybe more on the 2-star side, I physically cannot rate this lower bc I LOVE this series)... but there was something off with the chemistry between Alana Cadogan and Reverend Harry Martin.

The first ~50% of the book almost didn't feel like a romance at all. Harry found Alana attractive and decided to ignore her, and Alana ran around with Cat to prepare for an auction to raise money for... something (the church?). Anyways - the story was really missing the romance/a real plot? Don't get me wrong, I adored the side story progressions with Emmeline and the blind marquess//Cat and Kilbane, but I shouldn't have preferred reading those chapters/letters more than the actual story, ya know?

I also didn't love the setting. Usually we have more characters around and it creates a very charming scene of house parties and lovely interactions. This felt very much set apart - with Alana and Cat having a pretty quiet visit to the St. Clair estate before the season starts. It wasn't bad, per say, but it wasn't my favorite.

Then towards the end of the story, when we finally receive information about Harry's past, I was left a bit disappointed. I expected Harry to have a very very sordid past - like drunkenly killing a family in an accident/leaving a women with a bastard child - something extreme right? No, it ends up that he was an alcoholic and... that's it. I felt like the story was alluding to a dark, specific event (connected to him waking up in an alley/when the Reverend found him) that happened. But there was almost no follow up on that - which makes me wonder if it will be revealed in a later book (Kilbane/Cat's since Kilbane seems to have some sort of connection to Harry), or maybe it's nothing.
]]> <![CDATA[Paint It All Red (Mindf*ck, #5)]]> 60546028 Will Logan choose them? Or will we watch them burn together?
It's time to
fuck with their minds. It's time to finish it all. It's time to paint it all red...
Monsters don't usually wish for happily-ever-afters.]]> 176 S.T. Abby LainieLibrary 4
Finally - the end of the series. I wasn't let down in the end, but I will say I skimmed a bit through the middle of the book. I would almost say this could have been shorter? A lot of time was spent showing Lana and Jake terrorizing the town - which needed to happen - but I felt like we spent a ton of time on it. Ultimately, it became a bit outlandish and unbelievable (hello bugging everyone's home living room and broadcasting their faces on the TV).

I still loved all the characters and appreciate how the mystery around the original killer unraveled.

~Spoilers ahead~

To expand a bit on what I didn't love - I thought Jake's dad being the original killer was a bit out of left field. Don't get me wrong - I appreciated that I wasn't able to guess this, I truly was kept wondering who the killer would be until the very end - but I don't think there was enough foreshadowing/hints for it to be Jake's dad. We had no idea/there were 0 hints that he had dated Jasmine - so it almost felt as though the author decided last minute to toss that in and pin everything on Jake's dad almost entirely from that incriminating detail? Which I know she didn't do... I'm explaining this poorly, but the only thing that "connected" to what the reader knew is the fact that Jake's dad was sick - which ended up being part of his punishment.

Also, I kind of hated the epilogue. I don't really understand how Logan is now bringing Lana someone to kill yearly? 1. Based on everything we know about Logan, I really feel like this is out of character to support/do for Lana. 2. It was super clear that Lana was only killing for revenge (and that's why Logan was okay with Lana doing this - remember he was actually pissed when he though Lana was only Kennedy/was killing by proxy?) - so why does she now need to kill... just to kill? As if she "needs" it? She's literally killing by proxy (killing criminals who can't be punished the "normal" way) - which was apparently really bad/psychotic and why Logan almost couldn't forgive her. I felt like this detail didn't tie into the rest of the story - so I almost wish I hadn't read the epilogue! ]]> 4.33 2016 Paint It All Red (Mindf*ck, #5)
author: S.T. Abby
name: LainieLibrary
average rating: 4.33
book published: 2016
rating: 4
read at: 2023/02/18
date added: 2023/02/20
shelves: 2023, dark_romance, crime_fiction
review:
4 Stars

Finally - the end of the series. I wasn't let down in the end, but I will say I skimmed a bit through the middle of the book. I would almost say this could have been shorter? A lot of time was spent showing Lana and Jake terrorizing the town - which needed to happen - but I felt like we spent a ton of time on it. Ultimately, it became a bit outlandish and unbelievable (hello bugging everyone's home living room and broadcasting their faces on the TV).

I still loved all the characters and appreciate how the mystery around the original killer unraveled.

~Spoilers ahead~

To expand a bit on what I didn't love - I thought Jake's dad being the original killer was a bit out of left field. Don't get me wrong - I appreciated that I wasn't able to guess this, I truly was kept wondering who the killer would be until the very end - but I don't think there was enough foreshadowing/hints for it to be Jake's dad. We had no idea/there were 0 hints that he had dated Jasmine - so it almost felt as though the author decided last minute to toss that in and pin everything on Jake's dad almost entirely from that incriminating detail? Which I know she didn't do... I'm explaining this poorly, but the only thing that "connected" to what the reader knew is the fact that Jake's dad was sick - which ended up being part of his punishment.

Also, I kind of hated the epilogue. I don't really understand how Logan is now bringing Lana someone to kill yearly? 1. Based on everything we know about Logan, I really feel like this is out of character to support/do for Lana. 2. It was super clear that Lana was only killing for revenge (and that's why Logan was okay with Lana doing this - remember he was actually pissed when he though Lana was only Kennedy/was killing by proxy?) - so why does she now need to kill... just to kill? As if she "needs" it? She's literally killing by proxy (killing criminals who can't be punished the "normal" way) - which was apparently really bad/psychotic and why Logan almost couldn't forgive her. I felt like this detail didn't tie into the rest of the story - so I almost wish I hadn't read the epilogue!
]]> All the Lies (Mindf*ck, #4) 60546023 inside their heads. It's a dangerous place to be, especially
when you start to empathize and lose your own sense of
morality. But that's never happened to me�.
I've never felt conflicted on any case. Right is right and wrong is
wrong. It's simple. Black and white. There's no such thing
as a gray area. But fuck this case. I don't even know what
side I'm on anymore. I don't understand how this town can
continue to function without breaking under the weight of
all the lies they've spun and lived. Every time I find a
shard of truth, my gut twists, my heart beats faster, and I
hate this place a little more. Every time I think I've heard
the worst, another truth is dug up from the ashes of more
burning lies. Worst of all, I don't even know who to trust
anymore. My head is all messed up. I pride myself on
being imposible to fool. I'm an expert at knowing when
someone is lying to me. I never believed in being blinded
by love……until Lana.
**BE WARNED: Some flashbacks can
get intense to readers with a sensitive trigger. Skip the
blocks in italics if that's the case.]]> 141 S.T. Abby LainieLibrary 5
This is by far the best book in the series so far. The murder investigation and secrets of the past are all coming to a head - and I couldn't put this book down. The writing is, of course, incredibly well done. I'm actually shocked at the emotions I felt while reading this, and how heavy the story gets. I was gasping, wanted to cry, and felt so attached to all the characters. The author took incredibly heavy topics such as abuse, corruption and murder - and unpacked it all into a heavy hitting story that truly makes the reader think and feel.

I still love Lana and Logan, their relationship is amazing. And the side characters are equally as lovable. I highly highly recommend this series!]]> 4.29 2016 All the Lies (Mindf*ck, #4)
author: S.T. Abby
name: LainieLibrary
average rating: 4.29
book published: 2016
rating: 5
read at: 2023/02/18
date added: 2023/02/20
shelves: 2023, crime_fiction, dark_romance
review:
5 Stars

This is by far the best book in the series so far. The murder investigation and secrets of the past are all coming to a head - and I couldn't put this book down. The writing is, of course, incredibly well done. I'm actually shocked at the emotions I felt while reading this, and how heavy the story gets. I was gasping, wanted to cry, and felt so attached to all the characters. The author took incredibly heavy topics such as abuse, corruption and murder - and unpacked it all into a heavy hitting story that truly makes the reader think and feel.

I still love Lana and Logan, their relationship is amazing. And the side characters are equally as lovable. I highly highly recommend this series!
]]> <![CDATA[Sinners Anonymous (Sinners Anonymous, #1)]]> 59818980
My name is Rory Carter and I do bad things.
There’s a charred soul under this angelic exterior and sometimes, I wonder if my weekly confessions to the Sinners Anonymous hotline will be enough to heal it.

Marrying the seventy-something head of the Cosa Nostra to save my father is the only good deed I’ve ever done.
I’m burning and bitter under the fake smile and tight dresses, but I was keeping it together.
Was.
Until my fiancé’s nephew turns up to dinner uninvited.

Angelo ‘Vicious' Visconti.
A beautiful monster with cheekbones as sharp as his tongue.
They say I shouldn’t be scared of him, because nine years ago, he went straight.
He’s barely a Made Man anymore.
But I say, he’s the most dangerous Visconti of all.
It’s not just because his cold sneer makes my pulse flutter.
Or the way his syrupy drawl trickles down my spine.
No. He holds all of my sins in his big, rough hands.
And the only sins darker than mine are his own.

DARK MAFIA ROMANCE - FORBIDDEN LOVE - AGE GAP - ENEMIES TO LOVERS]]> 348 Somme Sketcher LainieLibrary 4
The story follows our main character, Rory Carter (Aurora) - a 20-something year old woman who is engaged to Alberto - a 70-something made man who heads the Cosa Nostra. Rory made her choice and is now tied to quite a disgusting man. She's miserable, but did what she needed to do.

Now enter Angelo (Vicious) - Alberto's very handsome nephew. He's dangerous, brooding, and it's not clear why he came back to his family's territory, since he's been living in London and left the mafia life years ago.

Angelo and Rory can't fight their attraction to one another, so of course our story progresses from there.

The best part of this book is the insane tension between Rory and Angelo. The spice and tension and drama is entirely why I'm giving this 4 stars. The chemistry was off the charts and I really liked the two of them together. I also liked Angelo's brothers and didn't mind some of the mystery around Angelo's parents and why he's back in town.

There was a lot I didn't like though. Rory had a bit of a personality change between the first and second half of the book. At first I thought she was damaged but strong, went through some insane trauma, and had a heavy reason she needed to marry Alberto. And with the sinner's hotline - I thought she had a massive secret. Then in the second half we find that her sins were juvenile at best, her reason for marrying Alberto didn't make a ton of sense (and felt unbelievably far fetched), basically nothing "bad" happened to her in her past... It was kind of a let down because I expected the unraveling mysteries to be... darker? That may not be the best way to describe it, but when the story comes together I felt disappointed and everything felt a bit dumb. Basically - a ton of build up that didn't deliver.

Even Angelo's reason for coming back/all his "secrets" ended up being rushed and fell flat. I still liked the tension and the romance, but the rest of the story was a bit laughable at times.]]> 3.82 2021 Sinners Anonymous (Sinners Anonymous, #1)
author: Somme Sketcher
name: LainieLibrary
average rating: 3.82
book published: 2021
rating: 4
read at: 2023/02/17
date added: 2023/02/20
shelves: 2023, mafia, contemporary_romance
review:
4 Stars

The story follows our main character, Rory Carter (Aurora) - a 20-something year old woman who is engaged to Alberto - a 70-something made man who heads the Cosa Nostra. Rory made her choice and is now tied to quite a disgusting man. She's miserable, but did what she needed to do.

Now enter Angelo (Vicious) - Alberto's very handsome nephew. He's dangerous, brooding, and it's not clear why he came back to his family's territory, since he's been living in London and left the mafia life years ago.

Angelo and Rory can't fight their attraction to one another, so of course our story progresses from there.

The best part of this book is the insane tension between Rory and Angelo. The spice and tension and drama is entirely why I'm giving this 4 stars. The chemistry was off the charts and I really liked the two of them together. I also liked Angelo's brothers and didn't mind some of the mystery around Angelo's parents and why he's back in town.

There was a lot I didn't like though. Rory had a bit of a personality change between the first and second half of the book. At first I thought she was damaged but strong, went through some insane trauma, and had a heavy reason she needed to marry Alberto. And with the sinner's hotline - I thought she had a massive secret. Then in the second half we find that her sins were juvenile at best, her reason for marrying Alberto didn't make a ton of sense (and felt unbelievably far fetched), basically nothing "bad" happened to her in her past... It was kind of a let down because I expected the unraveling mysteries to be... darker? That may not be the best way to describe it, but when the story comes together I felt disappointed and everything felt a bit dumb. Basically - a ton of build up that didn't deliver.

Even Angelo's reason for coming back/all his "secrets" ended up being rushed and fell flat. I still liked the tension and the romance, but the rest of the story was a bit laughable at times.
]]> <![CDATA[The Secret Diaries of Miss Miranda Cheever (Bevelstoke, #1)]]> 110387 2 March 1810... Today, I fell in love.

At the age of ten, Miranda Cheever showed no signs of Great Beauty. And even at ten, Miranda learned to accept the expectations society held for her—until the afternoon when Nigel Bevelstoke, the handsome and dashing Viscount Turner, solemnly kissed her hand and promised her that one day she would grow into herself, that one day she would be as beautiful as she already was smart. And even at ten, Miranda knew she would love him forever.

But the years that followed were as cruel to Turner as they were kind to Miranda. She is as intriguing as the viscount boldly predicted on that memorable day—while he is a lonely, bitter man, crushed by a devastating loss. But Miranda has never forgotten the truth she set down on paper all those years earlier—and she will not allow the love that is her destiny to slip lightly through her fingers...]]> 373 Julia Quinn 0061230839 LainieLibrary 2 2023, historical_romance
On one hand, I liked that this didn't seem to follow the normal Julia Quinn formula for the main characters - I LOVE Bridgerton and have no issues there, but I've found Julia's spin off series to blur together a bit too much (the characters are all so so similar/kind of do and say the same things). I enjoyed how this felt a bit fresh and unique from the others. But, unfortunately, I didn't actually like either character in this story.

Our main characters are Miranda Cheever and Turner Bevelstoke. The prologue is a brief interaction between the two when Miranda is about 10 and Turner is 19, then the story jumps ahead to Miranda being 19/20. Miranda is best friends with Turner's little sister, Olivia, and they have basically grown up as sisters. Miranda's mother passed away and her father is very focused on his writing and basically forgets he has a daughter. Although the family views her as one of their own, she's been in love with Turner (the oldest brother) since their first interaction years ago.

Holding off on my opinions of Miranda and Turner (for now), I will say their relationship development is objectively all over the place. There's a drunken make-out session, then nothing, then another drunken make-out session, then nothing... you get the picture. There's a lot of back and forth between the two and everything is happening in secret because they (mostly Turner) doesn't want his family to know he keeps making these "mistakes" with Miranda.

So already their relationship isn't terribly romantic, but it gets even worse because Turner is the absolute worst MC. He doesn't even seem to love Miranda (like, he's not even romantically interested in her, at all), while Miranda is desperately in love with him. Each of his drunken advances are honestly heartbreaking because it's giving Miranda hope that they may be together, yet he feels nothing at all and goes on to avoid her for as long as possible. Again and again. There are several descriptions of how Miranda can see no affection in his eyes, even after some seemingly intimate moment... yikes! I'm not sure what Julia Quinn was thinking here because Turner is anything but romantic - and the whole story is a bit depressing when it's clear that Miranda needed to let go of her feelings and find literally anyone else to be interested in. Especially towards the end, a lot of the things Turner did were pretty unforgiveable. I almost hated him, to be honest. There was just enough charm injected into his character that he wasn't completely terrible and maybe I can be convinced he's just incredibly imagine/stupid - but it bordered on malicious and that he is just a really bad guy.

Then, Turner suddenly realizes he's in love with Miranda out of no where. Well, not out of no where but faced with the thought of losing her, he sort of decides oh wait I do love her (mind you, after not being able to say I love you for AGES).

I think based on characters alone, this is the worst Julia Quinn book I've read, but I did enjoy the plot being a bit unique.

Oh also, ~spoiler~ there is an unexpected pregnancy situation, which I automatically hate. ]]> 3.85 2007 The Secret Diaries of Miss Miranda Cheever (Bevelstoke, #1)
author: Julia Quinn
name: LainieLibrary
average rating: 3.85
book published: 2007
rating: 2
read at: 2023/02/12
date added: 2023/02/15
shelves: 2023, historical_romance
review:
2 Stars

On one hand, I liked that this didn't seem to follow the normal Julia Quinn formula for the main characters - I LOVE Bridgerton and have no issues there, but I've found Julia's spin off series to blur together a bit too much (the characters are all so so similar/kind of do and say the same things). I enjoyed how this felt a bit fresh and unique from the others. But, unfortunately, I didn't actually like either character in this story.

Our main characters are Miranda Cheever and Turner Bevelstoke. The prologue is a brief interaction between the two when Miranda is about 10 and Turner is 19, then the story jumps ahead to Miranda being 19/20. Miranda is best friends with Turner's little sister, Olivia, and they have basically grown up as sisters. Miranda's mother passed away and her father is very focused on his writing and basically forgets he has a daughter. Although the family views her as one of their own, she's been in love with Turner (the oldest brother) since their first interaction years ago.

Holding off on my opinions of Miranda and Turner (for now), I will say their relationship development is objectively all over the place. There's a drunken make-out session, then nothing, then another drunken make-out session, then nothing... you get the picture. There's a lot of back and forth between the two and everything is happening in secret because they (mostly Turner) doesn't want his family to know he keeps making these "mistakes" with Miranda.

So already their relationship isn't terribly romantic, but it gets even worse because Turner is the absolute worst MC. He doesn't even seem to love Miranda (like, he's not even romantically interested in her, at all), while Miranda is desperately in love with him. Each of his drunken advances are honestly heartbreaking because it's giving Miranda hope that they may be together, yet he feels nothing at all and goes on to avoid her for as long as possible. Again and again. There are several descriptions of how Miranda can see no affection in his eyes, even after some seemingly intimate moment... yikes! I'm not sure what Julia Quinn was thinking here because Turner is anything but romantic - and the whole story is a bit depressing when it's clear that Miranda needed to let go of her feelings and find literally anyone else to be interested in. Especially towards the end, a lot of the things Turner did were pretty unforgiveable. I almost hated him, to be honest. There was just enough charm injected into his character that he wasn't completely terrible and maybe I can be convinced he's just incredibly imagine/stupid - but it bordered on malicious and that he is just a really bad guy.

Then, Turner suddenly realizes he's in love with Miranda out of no where. Well, not out of no where but faced with the thought of losing her, he sort of decides oh wait I do love her (mind you, after not being able to say I love you for AGES).

I think based on characters alone, this is the worst Julia Quinn book I've read, but I did enjoy the plot being a bit unique.

Oh also, ~spoiler~ there is an unexpected pregnancy situation, which I automatically hate.
]]> <![CDATA[The Temporary Wife (The Windsors, #2)]]> 63095160 From the author of The Wrong Bride and Forever After All comes an angsty and steamy marriage of convenience romance featuring a billionaire boss and his secretary.

When Luca Windsor’s secretary quits her job shortly after he’s forced into an unwanted engagement arranged by his family, he sets out to solve both problems.

� by secretly marrying his secretary instead.

The rules are simple:

1. Don’t fall in love
2. Keep their marriage a secret at work
3. Share a bed every night

It was meant to be a straightforward and mutually beneficial deal, but with each day that passes, it becomes clearer to Luca that the only thing Valentina wants is the one thing he can never do.

Letting her go.]]> 384 Catharina Maura LainieLibrary 4
This series is similar to the Miles High Club series (which I love) but add in a grandmother who is the matriarch of the family, more siblings, arranged marriages, and the men are much more emotionally intelligent. I have super high hopes for this series and have enjoyed both books I've read so far.

My main complaint is how the ending/3rd act drama felt too frustrating - similar to the first book, it made me almost dislike the characters. Up until the end, I loved seeing Luca and Valentina's relationship develop. Valentina worked for Luca for years, then finally they realize how much they mean to each other. The story starts off with Luca finally realizing his attraction for Valentina when he sees her dancing with a man at his brother's wedding. The story sort of overlaps with the first books timeline, so we already know Luca and Valentina get married, but then this story is the before and after. Overall, I love their chemistry.

The ending is what I didn't love. Seriously - I hate the grandma. She may mean well, but I truly think she's a bit awful. I really wanted Luca and Valentina to stand up for themselves more, especially against their terrible families. Also, Valentina's crisis towards the end of the book - I really disliked how much this set back their relationship and how she treated Luca. It was so sad, and it made me dislike Valentina as a character - also it seemed almost unbelievable that she would crumble as much as she did - especially given how much we know about her character throughout the rest of the story.

Even with the disappointing endings, I do high recommend this series and can't wait for the next book to be released. ]]> 4.03 2023 The Temporary Wife (The Windsors, #2)
author: Catharina Maura
name: LainieLibrary
average rating: 4.03
book published: 2023
rating: 4
read at: 2023/02/08
date added: 2023/02/11
shelves: 2023, office_romance, contemporary_romance
review:
4 Stars

This series is similar to the Miles High Club series (which I love) but add in a grandmother who is the matriarch of the family, more siblings, arranged marriages, and the men are much more emotionally intelligent. I have super high hopes for this series and have enjoyed both books I've read so far.

My main complaint is how the ending/3rd act drama felt too frustrating - similar to the first book, it made me almost dislike the characters. Up until the end, I loved seeing Luca and Valentina's relationship develop. Valentina worked for Luca for years, then finally they realize how much they mean to each other. The story starts off with Luca finally realizing his attraction for Valentina when he sees her dancing with a man at his brother's wedding. The story sort of overlaps with the first books timeline, so we already know Luca and Valentina get married, but then this story is the before and after. Overall, I love their chemistry.

The ending is what I didn't love. Seriously - I hate the grandma. She may mean well, but I truly think she's a bit awful. I really wanted Luca and Valentina to stand up for themselves more, especially against their terrible families. Also, Valentina's crisis towards the end of the book - I really disliked how much this set back their relationship and how she treated Luca. It was so sad, and it made me dislike Valentina as a character - also it seemed almost unbelievable that she would crumble as much as she did - especially given how much we know about her character throughout the rest of the story.

Even with the disappointing endings, I do high recommend this series and can't wait for the next book to be released.
]]> <![CDATA[Ruthless Creatures (Queens & Monsters, #1)]]> 56241268 An explosive new novel of love, lies, and obsession from bestselling author J.T. Geissinger.

Five years ago, my fiancé disappeared. He left me with a wedding dress I’d never wear. Left me with the kind of scars that can’t be healed. The man I built my future on vanished like a ghost. All that remained were my broken heart and unanswered questions.

Until a mysterious stranger arrives in town.

Tall, dark, and dangerous, Kage is as full of secrets as he is sex appeal. Though I know he’s hiding something, I’m drawn to him like a moth to flame.

The intensity of our connection is addictive, unlike anything I’ve ever felt before. Heat crackles between us with every look, desire flares into passion, and I fall hard, unable to resist.

But when I discover how he’s tied to the darkness in my past, I learn what happens when you fly recklessly into fire:

You get burned.]]> 378 J.T. Geissinger LainieLibrary 2 2023, dnf, mafia
Bleh. Was not a fan. It’s basically a knock off mafia romance, but take away all the fun tropes, and insert insta love with no plot line. Seriously - why do Kage and (what’s her name?) even like each other? They are both hot? Ok cool.

Over halfway through this book - we don’t even know the full details of Kage’s line of work or what even happened to the missing fiancé, much less if the fiancé somehow is connected to Kage. I’m bored. Without the plot moving or being even the slightest bit interesting, I’m not interested in the weird, not at all convincing, romance we are left with.]]> 4.11 2021 Ruthless Creatures (Queens & Monsters, #1)
author: J.T. Geissinger
name: LainieLibrary
average rating: 4.11
book published: 2021
rating: 2
read at: 2023/01/26
date added: 2023/02/08
shelves: 2023, dnf, mafia
review:
2 Stars - DNF @ 55%

Bleh. Was not a fan. It’s basically a knock off mafia romance, but take away all the fun tropes, and insert insta love with no plot line. Seriously - why do Kage and (what’s her name?) even like each other? They are both hot? Ok cool.

Over halfway through this book - we don’t even know the full details of Kage’s line of work or what even happened to the missing fiancé, much less if the fiancé somehow is connected to Kage. I’m bored. Without the plot moving or being even the slightest bit interesting, I’m not interested in the weird, not at all convincing, romance we are left with.
]]> Sidetracked (Mindf*ck, #2) 60546007 Untouchable. Or at least I was……until her.
**** LOGAN
I've had tunnel vision for one main goal for so long, that I
forgot there was a whole other world just outside. Until
Lana.
She's everything I never expected, and I love the
fact I can never guess her every move or reaction. It's part
of the reason I keep falling. But I also know she shuts me
out, hides things from me she feels she can't share.
One
day, I hope she trusts me enough to share. It isn't until my
job puts her at risk that I realize just how fierce she is, but it
doesn't stop me from doing all I can to protect her. I should
walk away to protect her better, but I can't. Instead, I'm
forced to find other ways to keep her safe. I just hope it's
enough.]]> 116 S.T. Abby LainieLibrary 4
Continuing this series - this is another awesome addition. We learn a bit more about Lana's past and her relationship with Logan is still equal parts sweet, spicy, and angsty. This is such a good series - and I really did not expect to love it this much. Lana and Logan are the best characters.

I'm surprised this wasn't just written as one ~500 page book. I won't give this 5 stars because I think this does lack a bit of depth (understandably, it's a short book), but that's just the nature of writing basically novella length books.

Again - I highly recommend this series!]]> 4.08 2016 Sidetracked (Mindf*ck, #2)
author: S.T. Abby
name: LainieLibrary
average rating: 4.08
book published: 2016
rating: 4
read at: 2023/01/29
date added: 2023/02/08
shelves: 2023, dark_romance, crime_fiction
review:
4 Stars

Continuing this series - this is another awesome addition. We learn a bit more about Lana's past and her relationship with Logan is still equal parts sweet, spicy, and angsty. This is such a good series - and I really did not expect to love it this much. Lana and Logan are the best characters.

I'm surprised this wasn't just written as one ~500 page book. I won't give this 5 stars because I think this does lack a bit of depth (understandably, it's a short book), but that's just the nature of writing basically novella length books.

Again - I highly recommend this series!
]]> <![CDATA[House of Pounding Hearts (The Kingdom of Crows, #2)]]> 62879353 I meant to capture the prince's heart... and ended up with a king's.

My desire to sit upon the Lucin throne led me to revive an ancient, winged monarch; one I deemed a friend until that friend duped and imprisoned me.

Lorcan claims he’s holding me captive for my own safety, but then he also claims I belong to him. Slumbering for five centuries has evidently given the Crow King severe delusions.

We may share an unfortunate mind-link, but we are still masters of our own destiny, and I intend to steer mine away from the Sky Kingdom and its prophecies . . . away from him.

I quickly find out there is no escaping the possessive male. In all honesty, I’m no longer certain I want to.]]> 520 Olivia Wildenstein LainieLibrary 3 fantasy, 2023
If rating this solely based on the first 70% - this would be a 2 Stars + DNF. Harsh, yes, but truly for the first 70% this book is almost unbearable. Book one, the last 30% of this, and Lore's character are fueling that 3rd Star and are the only reasons I powered through to the end.

Why did I dislike the first 70%? Because Fallon decided to be the absolute worst for that entire chunk of the book. I truly enjoyed her character throughout the first book, which is why her 180 here is so shocking to me. She's annoying, immature, and makes truly irrational decisions for the longest time. She does have another 180 around the 70% mark - hence why the story became more bearable and why I'll read the next book - but it's still disappointing that she was awful for SO LONG.

Lore is amazing and can do no wrong in my eyes. I honestly don't know what it is about him but he's respectful, strong, smart and a bit brooding? Those descriptors don't really capture what I'm trying to say, but trust me, he's lovely and makes this book worth reading.

I continued to enjoy their world and the different politics in play, but at times it became quite confusing. There is such a large cast of side characters - so names/people are already a bit difficult to follow - but then there are loads of random connections between everyone. Aunts/uncles, grandmother/mother/daughter, friends since childhood, ex-lovers, mates, etc. There is so much going on I honestly lost sight of who was who and how they played into the overarching politics/past wars. I honestly couldn't explain to you what started the fighting between the 3 kingdoms and what had happened. I'm sure it's explained, but it's all so hazy and there aren't any "reminders" built into the story. Something will be explained quickly one time, and then only ever kind of referenced after that. There are the Shabbe, the crows and the fae (but different royalty within the fae lands I think?).

Even with all the issues, I'll be reading the next book as soon as it's out. The ending left on a good cliffhanger, Fallon got her life together, and Lore ofc was perfect.

~Spoilers~

To expand on Fallon's character personality transplant - she feels so betrayed by Lore hiding his identify from her that she decides she hates him and would rather live with the fae. Yes, the fae who treated her like garbage (their ruler being Dante, who also treated Fallon terribly), and oh yeah her fake mother and nanna aren't even there. It made no sense that Fallon would be so terrible to Lore for so long, especially considering all the other circumstances. Even her best friends wanted to stay with the crows. It's like the author added this in only to extend the story, because it did come off as filler/annoying drama. ]]> 4.32 2023 House of Pounding Hearts (The Kingdom of Crows, #2)
author: Olivia Wildenstein
name: LainieLibrary
average rating: 4.32
book published: 2023
rating: 3
read at: 2023/02/04
date added: 2023/02/08
shelves: fantasy, 2023
review:
3 Stars

If rating this solely based on the first 70% - this would be a 2 Stars + DNF. Harsh, yes, but truly for the first 70% this book is almost unbearable. Book one, the last 30% of this, and Lore's character are fueling that 3rd Star and are the only reasons I powered through to the end.

Why did I dislike the first 70%? Because Fallon decided to be the absolute worst for that entire chunk of the book. I truly enjoyed her character throughout the first book, which is why her 180 here is so shocking to me. She's annoying, immature, and makes truly irrational decisions for the longest time. She does have another 180 around the 70% mark - hence why the story became more bearable and why I'll read the next book - but it's still disappointing that she was awful for SO LONG.

Lore is amazing and can do no wrong in my eyes. I honestly don't know what it is about him but he's respectful, strong, smart and a bit brooding? Those descriptors don't really capture what I'm trying to say, but trust me, he's lovely and makes this book worth reading.

I continued to enjoy their world and the different politics in play, but at times it became quite confusing. There is such a large cast of side characters - so names/people are already a bit difficult to follow - but then there are loads of random connections between everyone. Aunts/uncles, grandmother/mother/daughter, friends since childhood, ex-lovers, mates, etc. There is so much going on I honestly lost sight of who was who and how they played into the overarching politics/past wars. I honestly couldn't explain to you what started the fighting between the 3 kingdoms and what had happened. I'm sure it's explained, but it's all so hazy and there aren't any "reminders" built into the story. Something will be explained quickly one time, and then only ever kind of referenced after that. There are the Shabbe, the crows and the fae (but different royalty within the fae lands I think?).

Even with all the issues, I'll be reading the next book as soon as it's out. The ending left on a good cliffhanger, Fallon got her life together, and Lore ofc was perfect.

~Spoilers~

To expand on Fallon's character personality transplant - she feels so betrayed by Lore hiding his identify from her that she decides she hates him and would rather live with the fae. Yes, the fae who treated her like garbage (their ruler being Dante, who also treated Fallon terribly), and oh yeah her fake mother and nanna aren't even there. It made no sense that Fallon would be so terrible to Lore for so long, especially considering all the other circumstances. Even her best friends wanted to stay with the crows. It's like the author added this in only to extend the story, because it did come off as filler/annoying drama.
]]> The Emperor (Dark Verse, #3) 53473056
What happens when a legacy of ruin mates with a realm of blood?

Heir to the notorious Tenebrae Outfit, Dante Maroni has been trained since birth. A silent rebel in the shadows, he has learned to hide his ruthlessness under his charm, his brutality under his suits, and his love for one woman under his silence. Infiltrating the Syndicate responsible for the missing children, Dante discovers information that shatters his reality and forces him to trigger a lethal game.

Daughter of the Maroni housekeeper, Amara has loved Dante for longer than she's known it. Abducted and tortured at the young age of fifteen, she loses herself, her life, and her home as she knows it. Years after, unknowingly protected, she's found some semblance of normalcy when her world collapses again, forcing her to join the game.

Mysteries are unraveled. Secrets are discovered. And their young love is transformed, replaced by a deep intimacy, power, and survival.

The reluctant king and inevitable queen play.

An empire of death is born.

---

This book contains graphic violence and sexual content recommended for 18 years and above. This is a dark, contemporary mafia romance.]]> 443 RuNyx LainieLibrary 3 dnf, 2023, mafia
A weird rating for something I DNF'd - I know - but I did like this story overall. I loved the childhood (sort of) friends to lovers thing, and that Amara is Dante's housekeepers daughter. I adored the beginning of the book and all of Amara and Dante's interactions when they were younger.

Then Amara is kidnapped and raped/tortured and becomes a completely different person. I feel like the trauma she went through, and how she overcame what happened, was very well written. And seeing Dante become her rock was so so sweet. I actually love the two of them together.

There was so much to like, honestly the first ~60% of this is probably 4 stars for me, but then the story quickly went downhill.

I'll share spoilers so read the rest of this with caution -

1. The first strike was the sudden 7 year (or 6 year?) time gap that happens. As soon as Amara and Dante decide to be with one another (after some drama with Dante's father) they realize their relationship needs to remain hidden. That's fine - have no issues there - but then it lasts YEARS and we see absolutely none of it. There's some snippets, but basically it's skipped through with some vague mentions that it's getting harder and harder for Amara to deal with the limitations of their relationship. Gah so frustrating! I wish some of this was at least shown to the reader because it feels like a massive amount of their actual development happened off screen during those years. Or better yet - just have this period detailed as part of the story and cut it down to a year or two. I felt a bit cheated to be honest?

2. An unexpected pregnancy + Amara running away from Dante to live in some random country. I absolutely hate both unwanted pregnancies (sorry, I don't like babies or kids in romance novels outside of the epilogue) and the whole "running away" thing. 0/0 here and I was already ready to DNF.

3. This isn't so much of a strike, but Dante and Amara are quickly reconciled and then the story still has 20% to go... I was a bit confused because I felt like there was a clear ending/time to stop and I didn't feel the need to continue at all. It felt like there was already this climax with the pregnancy/Dante going to find Amara/being kidnapped + surviving AGAIN - and then we gear back up for... something? I wouldn't know because I DNF'd at that point - but I assume they either take down/get closer to taking down the Syndicate.

Maybe I would have enjoyed this more if I read the first 2 books of the series - I just happened upon this one and thought it looked better than the first two, so I jumped in here. I'll probably go back and read book 1 and 2 at some point!]]> 4.20 2021 The Emperor (Dark Verse, #3)
author: RuNyx
name: LainieLibrary
average rating: 4.20
book published: 2021
rating: 3
read at: 2023/02/05
date added: 2023/02/08
shelves: dnf, 2023, mafia
review:
2.5 Stars - DNF @ 79%

A weird rating for something I DNF'd - I know - but I did like this story overall. I loved the childhood (sort of) friends to lovers thing, and that Amara is Dante's housekeepers daughter. I adored the beginning of the book and all of Amara and Dante's interactions when they were younger.

Then Amara is kidnapped and raped/tortured and becomes a completely different person. I feel like the trauma she went through, and how she overcame what happened, was very well written. And seeing Dante become her rock was so so sweet. I actually love the two of them together.

There was so much to like, honestly the first ~60% of this is probably 4 stars for me, but then the story quickly went downhill.

I'll share spoilers so read the rest of this with caution -

1. The first strike was the sudden 7 year (or 6 year?) time gap that happens. As soon as Amara and Dante decide to be with one another (after some drama with Dante's father) they realize their relationship needs to remain hidden. That's fine - have no issues there - but then it lasts YEARS and we see absolutely none of it. There's some snippets, but basically it's skipped through with some vague mentions that it's getting harder and harder for Amara to deal with the limitations of their relationship. Gah so frustrating! I wish some of this was at least shown to the reader because it feels like a massive amount of their actual development happened off screen during those years. Or better yet - just have this period detailed as part of the story and cut it down to a year or two. I felt a bit cheated to be honest?

2. An unexpected pregnancy + Amara running away from Dante to live in some random country. I absolutely hate both unwanted pregnancies (sorry, I don't like babies or kids in romance novels outside of the epilogue) and the whole "running away" thing. 0/0 here and I was already ready to DNF.

3. This isn't so much of a strike, but Dante and Amara are quickly reconciled and then the story still has 20% to go... I was a bit confused because I felt like there was a clear ending/time to stop and I didn't feel the need to continue at all. It felt like there was already this climax with the pregnancy/Dante going to find Amara/being kidnapped + surviving AGAIN - and then we gear back up for... something? I wouldn't know because I DNF'd at that point - but I assume they either take down/get closer to taking down the Syndicate.

Maybe I would have enjoyed this more if I read the first 2 books of the series - I just happened upon this one and thought it looked better than the first two, so I jumped in here. I'll probably go back and read book 1 and 2 at some point!
]]> <![CDATA[Dreams of the Deadly (Massacred Dreams, #1)]]> 59121785
Now I’ll take everything from them.

I was never meant to fall in love with her.

We were children when they betrothed us—an obligation I didn’t want.

Before long, her amber eyes had pierced right through me,

transforming my indifference into gentle devotion.

Then, they stole her from me—banished me from my home and robbed her of my protection.

They damaged her in my absence, and the girl I cared for hardened into a woman I cannot resist.

I’ve bided my time, amassing my strength; now none who stand in my way will survive.

The time has come to take back my kingdom.

The time has come to make Thalia mine.

Author's note: Massacred Dreams is a dark mafia romance duet with elements that may be triggering to some readers.]]> 316 Adelaide Forrest LainieLibrary 1 dnf, 2023, mafia
I liked the idea of this, but the execution fell flat and it started to get a little creepy? The two love interests (Calix and Thalia) are arranged to be married when they are pretty young. Calix is like 12 I want to say, and Thalia is 5 ish? Then Calix decides to protect her while he's that young - which was super strange because his "voice" sounded more like a 30 year old man than a child. It was a huge stretch to have a 12 year old go against the adults and decide that Thalia needs to be protected from knowing their marriage is arranged and to essentially stop her father from abusing her. It came off as almost creepy due to their age + how old Calix was acting?

Then they get older, Calix's family is exiled, and Thalia is back to being abused. Fast forward years late - Calix comes back for her.

I couldn't get into the premise of this, their mafia/6 families thing didn't work for me, and the older version of Calix had over-the-top possessive vibes towards Thalia when he only knew her for a short time when he was super young. Again - kind of creepy? The obsession he had with her made very little sense, and she seemed to be his only reason for trying to come out of being exiled. It all felt unbelievable. ]]> 3.65 2022 Dreams of the Deadly (Massacred Dreams, #1)
author: Adelaide Forrest
name: LainieLibrary
average rating: 3.65
book published: 2022
rating: 1
read at: 2023/02/06
date added: 2023/02/08
shelves: dnf, 2023, mafia
review:
1 Star - DNF @ 30%

I liked the idea of this, but the execution fell flat and it started to get a little creepy? The two love interests (Calix and Thalia) are arranged to be married when they are pretty young. Calix is like 12 I want to say, and Thalia is 5 ish? Then Calix decides to protect her while he's that young - which was super strange because his "voice" sounded more like a 30 year old man than a child. It was a huge stretch to have a 12 year old go against the adults and decide that Thalia needs to be protected from knowing their marriage is arranged and to essentially stop her father from abusing her. It came off as almost creepy due to their age + how old Calix was acting?

Then they get older, Calix's family is exiled, and Thalia is back to being abused. Fast forward years late - Calix comes back for her.

I couldn't get into the premise of this, their mafia/6 families thing didn't work for me, and the older version of Calix had over-the-top possessive vibes towards Thalia when he only knew her for a short time when he was super young. Again - kind of creepy? The obsession he had with her made very little sense, and she seemed to be his only reason for trying to come out of being exiled. It all felt unbelievable.
]]> <![CDATA[The Wrong Bride (The Windsors, #1)]]> 62316382 She’s his fiancée’s younger sister. He’s the man she’s always loved.

When her sister doesn’t show up on her wedding day, Raven has no choice but to take her place � but marriage to Ares Windsor is nothing short of torture.

The elusive billionaire media mogul is the man she’s always loved� yet he’s only ever had eyes for her sister.

Married to him at last, Raven is determined to win him over.

After all, everything is fair in love and war.

And this?

This is war.]]> 382 Catharina Maura LainieLibrary 3 2023, contemporary_romance
After I got past my general dislike of how over the top famous our characters are (A-list celebrity billionaires!) - I really enjoyed the beginning. I found Raven and Ares quite likable, but there was something missing that I can't put my finger on exactly. Maybe any sort of edge? They were both good characters, but a little lackluster.

I did enjoy their development and chemistry, the general trope of having to marry your sister's fiancé (whom she left at the alter), and the side characters were pretty enjoyable. It's not the best rom com ish book I've read, but I would say the first 70% is a solid 4 stars.

But then we have the final dramatic situation - which made me so so so mad. No spoilers - but the drama was way over the top and so stressful. It certainly delivers on angst, but Raven's reaction made me dislike her. She had absolutely no backbone, and was being so accommodating while her jealous, narcissistic, sister is actively trying to ruin her life. I also thought Ares grandma was horrible during this part too. Basically - it felt like an odd thing to tack on the end, and because it was so predictable how it would be resolved, I was annoyed reading it. All it did was make me hate pretty much all the characters because they were acting like idiots.]]> 3.87 2022 The Wrong Bride (The Windsors, #1)
author: Catharina Maura
name: LainieLibrary
average rating: 3.87
book published: 2022
rating: 3
read at: 2023/01/22
date added: 2023/01/22
shelves: 2023, contemporary_romance
review:
3 Stars

After I got past my general dislike of how over the top famous our characters are (A-list celebrity billionaires!) - I really enjoyed the beginning. I found Raven and Ares quite likable, but there was something missing that I can't put my finger on exactly. Maybe any sort of edge? They were both good characters, but a little lackluster.

I did enjoy their development and chemistry, the general trope of having to marry your sister's fiancé (whom she left at the alter), and the side characters were pretty enjoyable. It's not the best rom com ish book I've read, but I would say the first 70% is a solid 4 stars.

But then we have the final dramatic situation - which made me so so so mad. No spoilers - but the drama was way over the top and so stressful. It certainly delivers on angst, but Raven's reaction made me dislike her. She had absolutely no backbone, and was being so accommodating while her jealous, narcissistic, sister is actively trying to ruin her life. I also thought Ares grandma was horrible during this part too. Basically - it felt like an odd thing to tack on the end, and because it was so predictable how it would be resolved, I was annoyed reading it. All it did was make me hate pretty much all the characters because they were acting like idiots.
]]> <![CDATA[Archangel's Consort (Guild Hunter, #3)]]> 7307503 Nalini Singh steps back into the shadows of her “heartbreakingly original�* world where angels rule, vampires serve, and the innocent can pay the greatest price of all�

Vampire hunter Elena Deveraux and her lover, the lethally beautiful archangel Raphael, have returned home to New York only to face an uncompromising new evil�

A vampire has attacked a girls� school—the assault one of sheer, vicious madness—and it is only the first act. Rampant bloodlust takes vampire after vampire, threatening to make the streets run with blood. Then Raphael himself begins to show signs of an uncontrolled rage, as inexplicable storms darken the city skyline and the earth itself shudders.

The omens are suddenly terrifyingly clear.

An ancient and malevolent immortal is rising. The violent winds whisper her name: Caliane. She has returned to reclaim her son, Raphael. Only one thing stands in her way: Elena, the consort who must be destroyed�

*Errant Dreams Reviews]]> 324 Nalini Singh 0575095776 LainieLibrary 2
Alright, I'm giving up. I flew through the first two books of this series, but I'm not able to make myself finish this. I found myself not in the mood to read it, and was looking for anything else to read instead.

I think it's because the story seems to be moving at a snails pace. I want our characters to grow, the plot to move forward, just something. It feels like the plot is stalling in this, and I'm ready for Elena to finally do something/learn how to be an angel. It seems like this is following the same formula as the last book, just insert Caliane (Raphael's mother) for Lijuan (book two). Even the relationship between Elena and Raphael is in the same spot, while I'm sitting here ready for more.

Maybe I'll give this another try at some point, but I'll mark it as DNF for now.]]> 4.22 2011 Archangel's Consort (Guild Hunter, #3)
author: Nalini Singh
name: LainieLibrary
average rating: 4.22
book published: 2011
rating: 2
read at: 2023/01/19
date added: 2023/01/19
shelves: dnf, 2023, angels, paranormal_romance
review:
2 Stars - DNF

Alright, I'm giving up. I flew through the first two books of this series, but I'm not able to make myself finish this. I found myself not in the mood to read it, and was looking for anything else to read instead.

I think it's because the story seems to be moving at a snails pace. I want our characters to grow, the plot to move forward, just something. It feels like the plot is stalling in this, and I'm ready for Elena to finally do something/learn how to be an angel. It seems like this is following the same formula as the last book, just insert Caliane (Raphael's mother) for Lijuan (book two). Even the relationship between Elena and Raphael is in the same spot, while I'm sitting here ready for more.

Maybe I'll give this another try at some point, but I'll mark it as DNF for now.
]]> Shallow River 56354926
When River McAllister escaped from Shallow Hill, she left her innocence behind--and some of her sanity, too. Now she's rebuilding her life with her dream man and life couldn't be better.

Ryan Fitzgerald is everything you'd want in a man. Attractive, rich, an aspiring lawyer, and would do anything to keep River. But that's not the only thing that attracts her. It's his attentiveness, his possessiveness... maybe not so much his temper.

When her relationship takes a dark turn, Ryan's estranged brother, Mako, is the only one who sees it. He knows exactly what Ryan is capable of, and it's not the first time he had to be a knight in shining armor.

River came from Shallow Hill, though. She's never needed saving before. What Mako doesn't see, is that River is perfectly capable of taking care of herself.

The only one who should be scared is Ryan.


Trigger Warning: Shallow River is a dark romance that contains domestic violence, rape, violence, and sexual situations.]]> 437 H.D. Carlton LainieLibrary 2 2023, dark_romance
I really really want to like H.D. Carlton - I really liked both Hunting Adeline and Haunting Adeline - but the books I've read outside those two weren't as good.

Maybe this is one of the earlier books released? This takes the idea of a dark romance - but then makes the romance minimal, and then "dark" is defined as "woman who has lived an absolutely horrible life continues to suffer and live in total misery". That's about 70% of the book. Sprinkle in a good serial killer hunt (don't worry, our FMC gets to suffer from that plot line too) and you have a dark depressing book. There wasn't much going well in this book to counteract the awful parts, such as a nice romance or whatever, so it felt like it was depressing to be depressing. Which isn't really why I read books!

Seriously though - if the romance was developed in a more believable way, or if I felt the chemistry between River and Mako, I would be totally happy. Well almost totally happy - because... [spoiler warning but tbh not a huge spoiler and I would have wanted to know this prior to reading]...
River, after she meets and has sort of started developing something with Mako, has sex with her abuser's ex-girlfriend. And it's in detail... I really dislike when characters are with someone else after they've met their love interest, so this was particularly annoying to me.

Anyways, it's a bit of a mess but also it does all tie together in the end and if you're into books like this - maybe it won't disappoint you!]]> 4.13 2020 Shallow River
author: H.D. Carlton
name: LainieLibrary
average rating: 4.13
book published: 2020
rating: 2
read at: 2023/01/18
date added: 2023/01/19
shelves: 2023, dark_romance
review:
2 Stars

I really really want to like H.D. Carlton - I really liked both Hunting Adeline and Haunting Adeline - but the books I've read outside those two weren't as good.

Maybe this is one of the earlier books released? This takes the idea of a dark romance - but then makes the romance minimal, and then "dark" is defined as "woman who has lived an absolutely horrible life continues to suffer and live in total misery". That's about 70% of the book. Sprinkle in a good serial killer hunt (don't worry, our FMC gets to suffer from that plot line too) and you have a dark depressing book. There wasn't much going well in this book to counteract the awful parts, such as a nice romance or whatever, so it felt like it was depressing to be depressing. Which isn't really why I read books!

Seriously though - if the romance was developed in a more believable way, or if I felt the chemistry between River and Mako, I would be totally happy. Well almost totally happy - because... [spoiler warning but tbh not a huge spoiler and I would have wanted to know this prior to reading]...
River, after she meets and has sort of started developing something with Mako, has sex with her abuser's ex-girlfriend. And it's in detail... I really dislike when characters are with someone else after they've met their love interest, so this was particularly annoying to me.

Anyways, it's a bit of a mess but also it does all tie together in the end and if you're into books like this - maybe it won't disappoint you!
]]> Beautiful Beast 54885712
When circumstances compel him to rescue bold, beautiful Layna and take her to his home, those secrets are put at risk of discovery. The greatest danger, however, lies in the powerful attraction growing between them. Giving in could prove deadly.

Despite the dark, sexy appeal of her mysterious rescuer, Layna senses that he’s hiding something. He’s intense and difficult to read, and his desolate castle puts her on edge—not to mention the eerie wood just beyond.

But these mysteries pull at Layna in a way she doesn’t understand, and the erotic draw is too powerful to resist. Even as she begins to suspect that Axis isn’t quite human…]]> 463 Katherine Diane LainieLibrary 3 2023, fantasy
It wasn't bad, but I don't think I can call this objectively good either, so the rounded up 2.5 stars is what feels right to me.

It's a (very smutty) retelling of Beauty and the Beast, so we really can't have super high expectations. Its definitely good enough, and the characters/plot have no glaring issues, but this also wasn't the best thing I've read. The basic details - such as the setting/time period - were pretty much never made clear. I kept questioning these details, which aren't important necessarily, but it took away from the story and my ability to imagine things? Example - They seem to ride in carriages/horses for transportation but then everyone is wearing like modern pants/leggings (that's at least all the FMC wore)? Also, there appeared to be a city (I imagined London but honestly it was barely described so idk) and then where Axis lived - a country estate surrounded by woods. Nothing else about their world was explained - which again, I realize isn't the purpose of the book - but if you're going to create a semi-fantasy world, these details would be super helpful. Also - it's referenced that Axis and his pals are "stuck" on the estate (makes sense, bc Beauty and the Beast curse), but then at the same time it's never explained that the curse is keeping them there. Yes, Axis can't really leave (kind of his decision though, because of curse consequences), but his pals can come and go.

Honestly, the curse cause is never fleshed out or resolved. I'm not really sure what was happening there - then again I did sort of skim the end... As I'm writing this, I'm convincing myself I just can't read any standalone romance with fantasy elements, because I clearly care about the backstory way too much.

Moving on to the romance, because that's really the point of reading this book, it's also meh. A bit insta-love (understandable) but I can deal. It's just the chemistry, angst and tension could have hit a bit deeper.

I would say give this a try, it's really not bad, but be aware and set your expectations accordingly. ]]> 3.65 2020 Beautiful Beast
author: Katherine Diane
name: LainieLibrary
average rating: 3.65
book published: 2020
rating: 3
read at: 2023/01/17
date added: 2023/01/19
shelves: 2023, fantasy
review:
2.5 Stars

It wasn't bad, but I don't think I can call this objectively good either, so the rounded up 2.5 stars is what feels right to me.

It's a (very smutty) retelling of Beauty and the Beast, so we really can't have super high expectations. Its definitely good enough, and the characters/plot have no glaring issues, but this also wasn't the best thing I've read. The basic details - such as the setting/time period - were pretty much never made clear. I kept questioning these details, which aren't important necessarily, but it took away from the story and my ability to imagine things? Example - They seem to ride in carriages/horses for transportation but then everyone is wearing like modern pants/leggings (that's at least all the FMC wore)? Also, there appeared to be a city (I imagined London but honestly it was barely described so idk) and then where Axis lived - a country estate surrounded by woods. Nothing else about their world was explained - which again, I realize isn't the purpose of the book - but if you're going to create a semi-fantasy world, these details would be super helpful. Also - it's referenced that Axis and his pals are "stuck" on the estate (makes sense, bc Beauty and the Beast curse), but then at the same time it's never explained that the curse is keeping them there. Yes, Axis can't really leave (kind of his decision though, because of curse consequences), but his pals can come and go.

Honestly, the curse cause is never fleshed out or resolved. I'm not really sure what was happening there - then again I did sort of skim the end... As I'm writing this, I'm convincing myself I just can't read any standalone romance with fantasy elements, because I clearly care about the backstory way too much.

Moving on to the romance, because that's really the point of reading this book, it's also meh. A bit insta-love (understandable) but I can deal. It's just the chemistry, angst and tension could have hit a bit deeper.

I would say give this a try, it's really not bad, but be aware and set your expectations accordingly.
]]> <![CDATA[One Dark Window (The Shepherd King, #1)]]> 58340706
Elspeth Spindle needs more than luck to stay safe in the eerie, mist-locked kingdom of Blunder—she needs a monster. She calls him the Nightmare, an ancient, mercurial spirit trapped in her head. He protects her. He keeps her secrets.

But nothing comes for free, especially magic.

When Elspeth meets a mysterious highwayman on the forest road, her life takes a drastic turn. Thrust into a world of shadow and deception, she joins a dangerous quest to cure Blunder from the dark magic infecting it. And the highwayman? He just so happens to be the King’s nephew, Captain of the most dangerous men in Blunder…and guilty of high treason.

Together they must gather twelve Providence Cards—the keys to the cure. But as the stakes heighten and their undeniable attraction intensifies, Elspeth is forced to face her darkest secret yet: the Nightmare is slowly taking over her mind. And she might not be able to stop him.]]> 399 Rachel Gillig 0316312487 LainieLibrary 4 2023, fantasy
This was very enjoyable! I liked the main characters quite a bit, and thought the world/magic system was super unique and well thought out. Not to mention the "venom syndrome" thing we have going on - Elspeth has something "other" in her mind that she cannot get rid of. I actually thought Nightmare was the most interesting character.

Plot wise it was well paced and I didn't find myself bored or confused. It was maybe a bit info-dumpy at times, but I kind of appreciated it with the magic system being so different.

Minus 0.5 stars because the romance/spice in this is really low - and I think would have made the story a true 5 stars if there was a little more oomph there. It's not that there was 0 romance, but it was overshadowed by the (really good!) plot. Also, the main reveal/twist was very predictable.

This does end with a bit of a cliffhanger - so I'm excited for the sequel.]]> 4.25 2022 One Dark Window (The Shepherd King, #1)
author: Rachel Gillig
name: LainieLibrary
average rating: 4.25
book published: 2022
rating: 4
read at: 2023/01/16
date added: 2023/01/19
shelves: 2023, fantasy
review:
4.5 Stars

This was very enjoyable! I liked the main characters quite a bit, and thought the world/magic system was super unique and well thought out. Not to mention the "venom syndrome" thing we have going on - Elspeth has something "other" in her mind that she cannot get rid of. I actually thought Nightmare was the most interesting character.

Plot wise it was well paced and I didn't find myself bored or confused. It was maybe a bit info-dumpy at times, but I kind of appreciated it with the magic system being so different.

Minus 0.5 stars because the romance/spice in this is really low - and I think would have made the story a true 5 stars if there was a little more oomph there. It's not that there was 0 romance, but it was overshadowed by the (really good!) plot. Also, the main reveal/twist was very predictable.

This does end with a bit of a cliffhanger - so I'm excited for the sequel.
]]> <![CDATA[More than Tempted (Scandal Sheet Survivors, #1)]]> 61314053
Miss Helen Langley felt the first pangs of love seven years ago when her brother’s best friend examined her sprained ankle. She has suffered in silence ever since. A lady might engage in mild flirtation, but Nicholas St. Clair is considered part of her family and acts like a brother. When a fortune-teller insists Helen will find her future husband sitting in a cowpat, she fears she is destined to marry a farmer, not the impeccably dressed Mr St. Clair.

Honour demands he treat her like a sister.

Nicholas has sworn never to marry. His parents� disastrous relationship was enough to keep any man from the marriage mart. Besides, the only woman to capture his heart treats him like a brother, leaving him no choice but to maintain an indifferent facade.

Fate has other plans.

But when Nicholas and Helen are embroiled in a case of blackmail and murder, they must work together to find the villain.

Will Helen’s secret love for Nicholas ever be more than an obsession?

Will Nicholas defy his friend and tell Helen how he feels?]]> 268 Adele Clee LainieLibrary 2 dnf, 2023, historical_romance
Okay, I liked this at the beginning. The "brothers best friend/both being in love with each other without knowing it" thing really worked for me. The development was cute, I liked the two characters, and there was a good amount of tension to keep me hooked.

And then it stopped... All of a sudden the story transitioned to a murder mystery situation, with the romance seemingly resolved (?) and thrown to the back burner. Needless to say, I got bored and wanted to get back to the romance angst and tension. The murder mystery investigation started to really drag on, and the twists weren't anything special. I didn't want to slog through this, so to the DNF pile it goes.]]> 4.23 More than Tempted (Scandal Sheet Survivors, #1)
author: Adele Clee
name: LainieLibrary
average rating: 4.23
book published:
rating: 2
read at: 2023/01/15
date added: 2023/01/19
shelves: dnf, 2023, historical_romance
review:
1.5 Stars - DNF @ 75%

Okay, I liked this at the beginning. The "brothers best friend/both being in love with each other without knowing it" thing really worked for me. The development was cute, I liked the two characters, and there was a good amount of tension to keep me hooked.

And then it stopped... All of a sudden the story transitioned to a murder mystery situation, with the romance seemingly resolved (?) and thrown to the back burner. Needless to say, I got bored and wanted to get back to the romance angst and tension. The murder mystery investigation started to really drag on, and the twists weren't anything special. I didn't want to slog through this, so to the DNF pile it goes.
]]> <![CDATA[A Dawn of Onyx (The Sacred Stones, #1)]]> 62949147 Captured by a king of darkness. Forced to find the light within.

Arwen Valondale never expected to be the brave one, offering her life to save her brother’s. Now she’s been taken prisoner by the most dangerous kingdom on the continent, and made to use her rare magical abilities to heal the soldiers of the vicious Onyx King.

Arwen knows better than to face the ancient, wicked woods that surround the castle on her own, which means working with a fellow prisoner might be her only path to freedom. Unfortunately, he’s as infuriating as he is cunning—and seems to take twisted pleasure in playing on Arwen’s deepest fears.

But here in Onyx Kingdom, trust is a luxury she can’t afford.

To make it out of enemy territory, she'll have to navigate back-stabbing royals, dark magic, and dangerous beasts. But untold power lies inside Arwen, dormant and waiting for a spark. If she can harness it, she just might be able to escape with her life—and hopefully, her heart.]]> 456 Kate Golden LainieLibrary 2 2023, fantasy, fae
I read the reviews saying this was a bit generic, so I was aware of that possibility going into this, but unfortunately it didn’t exceed my expectations.

I enjoyed the beginning and really thought the poor reviews were being too critical, but as I continued to read I think I understand now. The plot itself isn’t even really introduced until 40% ish or the way through, and when it is the “twists� and reveals that follow fall flat and were incredibly predictable. Overall, there weren’t any original plot points at all and the dialogue came off super cringey at times. And probably my biggest complaint is the non-existent world-building. Once the plot is finally introduced I still had no idea how their world and magic worked. The humans, fae and witches weren’t really explained in a meaningful way. I’m still a bit confused about how things work.

I didn’t even like the characters. We have our H, Kane, who is apparently a dangerous guy but he actually seems.. nice? Nice and extremely dull.? There wasn’t anything unique or interesting about him. And Arwen was pretty much the same, but also incredibly stupid. She came off as really weak and had awful judgement any time something important happened. Both were almost juvenile? Yet this is supposed to be NA� in the same way, their relationship development didn’t do anything for me. Sure there was a bit of tension and steam at times, but it was all way too insta-love for me. There needs to be some intrigue or something added in.


The ending was a bit jumbled, and again the twist ending up being confusing yet predictable� Will I read the next book? Possibly? I’m a bit interested to see how things turn out, and I do believe it’s possible the next book will be better, but I don’t have high hopes.]]> 3.86 2022 A Dawn of Onyx (The Sacred Stones, #1)
author: Kate Golden
name: LainieLibrary
average rating: 3.86
book published: 2022
rating: 2
read at: 2023/01/08
date added: 2023/01/10
shelves: 2023, fantasy, fae
review:
2.5 Stars

I read the reviews saying this was a bit generic, so I was aware of that possibility going into this, but unfortunately it didn’t exceed my expectations.

I enjoyed the beginning and really thought the poor reviews were being too critical, but as I continued to read I think I understand now. The plot itself isn’t even really introduced until 40% ish or the way through, and when it is the “twists� and reveals that follow fall flat and were incredibly predictable. Overall, there weren’t any original plot points at all and the dialogue came off super cringey at times. And probably my biggest complaint is the non-existent world-building. Once the plot is finally introduced I still had no idea how their world and magic worked. The humans, fae and witches weren’t really explained in a meaningful way. I’m still a bit confused about how things work.

I didn’t even like the characters. We have our H, Kane, who is apparently a dangerous guy but he actually seems.. nice? Nice and extremely dull.? There wasn’t anything unique or interesting about him. And Arwen was pretty much the same, but also incredibly stupid. She came off as really weak and had awful judgement any time something important happened. Both were almost juvenile? Yet this is supposed to be NA� in the same way, their relationship development didn’t do anything for me. Sure there was a bit of tension and steam at times, but it was all way too insta-love for me. There needs to be some intrigue or something added in.


The ending was a bit jumbled, and again the twist ending up being confusing yet predictable� Will I read the next book? Possibly? I’m a bit interested to see how things turn out, and I do believe it’s possible the next book will be better, but I don’t have high hopes.
]]> The Invitation 56692458
The first time I met Hudson Rothschild was at a wedding. I'd received an unexpected invitation to one of the swankiest venues in the city.

Hudson was a groomsman and quite possibly the most gorgeous man I'd ever laid eyes on. He asked me to dance, and our chemistry was off the charts.

I knew it wasn't a good idea to get involved with him, considering the wedding I was at. But our connection was intense, and I was having a great time.

Though the fun came to a screeching halt when Hudson figured out I wasn't who I'd said I was. You see, that unexpected invitation I received? Well, it hadn't actually been addressed to me—it was sent to my ex-roommate who'd bounced a check for two months' rent and moved out in the middle of the night. I figured she owed me an expensive night out, but I guess, technically, I was crashing the wedding.

Once caught, I couldn't get out of there fast enough. As I bolted for the door, I might've plucked a few bottles of expensive champagne off the tables I passed, all while the gorgeous, angry groomsman was hot on my tail.

Outside, I jumped into a taxi. My heart ricocheted against my ribs as we drove down the block—but at least I'd escaped unscathed.

Or so I thought.

Until I realized I'd left my cell phone behind at the table.

Take one guess who found it?

This is the crazy story of how Hudson Rothschild and I met. But trust me, it's only the tip of the iceberg.]]> 396 Vi Keeland 1951045475 LainieLibrary 3 2023, office_romance
I found this to fall right in the middle of okay and good... I enjoyed the writing and the characters (I adore when the characters act like adults - no senseless drama, immature behavior, and there is a semblance of self-awareness!), but something was missing.

The plot was interesting enough - we have almost an office romance thing going on, which is fun, but this veered a little bit boring? The romance took a lot time to development, it was was pretty slow. The tension and chemistry wasn't there for me. I still finished this in two sittings, so it's not that the pacing was terrible or there was anything explicitly wrong, it just could have been better/more exciting? There is some (very predictable) drama towards the end... but that's about it. Oh - and the bad people/drama at the end never felt dealt with or resolved, which was a little frustrating. Someone else worded it well, but basically the book was mainly 1. Business talk 2. emotions 3. heat/spicy scenes - in that order... the spicy was surprisingly very minimal with lots of fade to black.

The main love interest has a daughter, which I normally hate, but it didn't annoy me very much here. The daughter was super sweet and actually added to the story, which was really nice.

Overall, I would probably recommend this since it's a fun read - but it's not the best contemporary office romance I've read.]]> 4.20 2021 The Invitation
author: Vi Keeland
name: LainieLibrary
average rating: 4.20
book published: 2021
rating: 3
read at: 2023/01/09
date added: 2023/01/10
shelves: 2023, office_romance
review:
3.5 Stars

I found this to fall right in the middle of okay and good... I enjoyed the writing and the characters (I adore when the characters act like adults - no senseless drama, immature behavior, and there is a semblance of self-awareness!), but something was missing.

The plot was interesting enough - we have almost an office romance thing going on, which is fun, but this veered a little bit boring? The romance took a lot time to development, it was was pretty slow. The tension and chemistry wasn't there for me. I still finished this in two sittings, so it's not that the pacing was terrible or there was anything explicitly wrong, it just could have been better/more exciting? There is some (very predictable) drama towards the end... but that's about it. Oh - and the bad people/drama at the end never felt dealt with or resolved, which was a little frustrating. Someone else worded it well, but basically the book was mainly 1. Business talk 2. emotions 3. heat/spicy scenes - in that order... the spicy was surprisingly very minimal with lots of fade to black.

The main love interest has a daughter, which I normally hate, but it didn't annoy me very much here. The daughter was super sweet and actually added to the story, which was really nice.

Overall, I would probably recommend this since it's a fun read - but it's not the best contemporary office romance I've read.
]]> <![CDATA[Return of the Wicked Earl (The Shadows, #1)]]> 57777320 A mistake she will regret for a lifetime...
Lady Annalise was a wide-eyed debutante when she fell in love and married Blake, the Earl of Payne. But their time together was ill-fated and brief. After being treated poorly by her new husband, soon Annalise's love for Blake is shattered. When he disappears entirely, their marriage seems to have ended as soon as it began.

A terrible betrayal...
Blake, the Earl of Payne, had it all: a hefty inheritance, a respectable title, and a beautiful wife. But it all crumbles when he is abducted, tortured and almost killed three months after his wedding. Now that he's back he is determined to win back his wife and take revenge on whoever is responsible for his abduction. Neither task is going as planned, especially since his wife has moved on and his abductors have a plan of their own.

A love that is stronger than hate�
As suspicions flare, dark secrets emerge, and old passions are rekindled, Blake and Annalise must decide if they can trust each other again... or let go of one another forever.

This work of fiction contains adult content, strong language, violence, off page death, bullying, nightmares and other situations that might be offensive.

Reader discretion is advised.

]]> 236 Sadie Bosque LainieLibrary 1 dnf, historical_romance, 2023
I think this is the least romantic historical romance I've ever read - which is saying a lot because I've read a ton.

Lady Annalise has a lovely courtship with Blake (the Earl of Payne) and ends up marrying him. Turns out he's an awful husband for those three months, and then he unexpectedly disappears. No one knows where he is, and he's assumed dead, until he stumbles into Annalise's betrothal party 14 months later. He was kidnapped and tortured and Annalise, obviously having no idea, was attempting to move on.

That's not a terrible start, in fact I was really intrigued and was pretty excited to give this a try. The problem though is that Blake is the absolute worst. I'm not kidding - THE WORST - hero in any historical romance I've read. He acts incredibly childish, condescending, jealous and is downright rude to Annalise as soon as he returns. He is pretending he never treated her like garbage and gets angry that she remembers that time and isn't eager to jump in his bed now that he's home. It's actually awful and I feel so bad for Annalise - I'm so sad she's stuck with Blake. He won't even tell her what happened to him while he was gone for over a year because of her delicate small woman brain (puke). He's every awful character trait thrown into one man, yet we are supposed to root for him? Oh - and minor spoiler - he treated her terribly the whole time they were married (before the kidnapping) because on his wedding day his father sat him down and said something along the lines of "Wives don't like sex so don't even try to make it pleasurable for her - oh and if it's awful it actually prepares her better for childbirth so she won't die"... Literally what? Blake is like "Thanks for the great advice" and just goes with this. Let's add stupid to his list of character traits.

I probably could have attempted to push through this, but Blake continues to treat Annalise horribly and all of a sudden things get spicy and Annalise has the betraying body syndrome. Gah I can't handle it - it's not romantic at all!]]> 4.05 2021 Return of the Wicked Earl (The Shadows, #1)
author: Sadie Bosque
name: LainieLibrary
average rating: 4.05
book published: 2021
rating: 1
read at: 2023/01/04
date added: 2023/01/04
shelves: dnf, historical_romance, 2023
review:
1 Star - DNF @ 42%

I think this is the least romantic historical romance I've ever read - which is saying a lot because I've read a ton.

Lady Annalise has a lovely courtship with Blake (the Earl of Payne) and ends up marrying him. Turns out he's an awful husband for those three months, and then he unexpectedly disappears. No one knows where he is, and he's assumed dead, until he stumbles into Annalise's betrothal party 14 months later. He was kidnapped and tortured and Annalise, obviously having no idea, was attempting to move on.

That's not a terrible start, in fact I was really intrigued and was pretty excited to give this a try. The problem though is that Blake is the absolute worst. I'm not kidding - THE WORST - hero in any historical romance I've read. He acts incredibly childish, condescending, jealous and is downright rude to Annalise as soon as he returns. He is pretending he never treated her like garbage and gets angry that she remembers that time and isn't eager to jump in his bed now that he's home. It's actually awful and I feel so bad for Annalise - I'm so sad she's stuck with Blake. He won't even tell her what happened to him while he was gone for over a year because of her delicate small woman brain (puke). He's every awful character trait thrown into one man, yet we are supposed to root for him? Oh - and minor spoiler - he treated her terribly the whole time they were married (before the kidnapping) because on his wedding day his father sat him down and said something along the lines of "Wives don't like sex so don't even try to make it pleasurable for her - oh and if it's awful it actually prepares her better for childbirth so she won't die"... Literally what? Blake is like "Thanks for the great advice" and just goes with this. Let's add stupid to his list of character traits.

I probably could have attempted to push through this, but Blake continues to treat Annalise horribly and all of a sudden things get spicy and Annalise has the betraying body syndrome. Gah I can't handle it - it's not romantic at all!
]]> <![CDATA[Archangel's Kiss (Guild Hunter, #2)]]> 6582637 New York Times bestselling author Nalini Singh returns to her world of angelic rulers, vampiric servants, and the woman thrust into their darkly seductive world�

Vampire hunter Elena Deveraux wakes from a year-long coma to find herself changed—an angel with wings the colors of midnight and dawn—but her fragile body needs time to heal before she can take flight. Her lover, the stunningly dangerous archangel Raphael, is used to being in control—even when it comes to the woman he considers his own. But Elena has never done well with authority�

They’ve barely begun to understand each other when Raphael receives an invitation to a ball from the archangel Lijuan. To refuse would be a sign of fatal weakness, so Raphael must ready Elena for the flight to Beijing—and to the nightmare that awaits them there. Ancient and without conscience, Lijuan holds a power that lies with the dead. And she has organized the most perfect and most vicious of welcomes for Elena…]]> 323 Nalini Singh 0425233367 LainieLibrary 4 2023, paranormal_romance
I really really enjoyed this! So far, it appears the series is following Raphael and Elena, and their relationship and some plot points carry through each book, but there's a different protagonist/conflict in each addition. It's a format I'm really liking, but I wish there was a bit more depth dedicated to Raphael and Elena's relationship development. It's not completely stagnant - they are very much together - but there are conflicts and lots of getting to know each other that needs to happen.

I would say overall, this book runs at a much slower pace than the first. Elena spends a lot of time adjusting and training after the events at the end of book #1, and and we see Raphael and Elena's relationship continue to develop. It's hard to put my finger on exactly, but even though a lot of time is spent on the two, something is missing. Maybe it's because their relationship is moving at a slow pace and there's still so much to be revealed? Even by the end of this, I still do not have a clear picture of Elena's past and I'm not sure if she does either. I still very much enjoyed this though, and loved the intensity and conflicts they were facing. I didn't want to put this down!

Another issue I have is this weird undertone of other men? There's an angel in Raphael's service who is gorgeous and Elena seems to really take a liking to him. It's as friends, but then there's these weird undertones of attraction? And then we are getting hints that the angel is also interested in Elena? Idk what the point of including this is, but it's really annoying and I hate that it's even included. I hope it doesn't develop into an actual conflict.
]]> 4.20 2010 Archangel's Kiss (Guild Hunter, #2)
author: Nalini Singh
name: LainieLibrary
average rating: 4.20
book published: 2010
rating: 4
read at: 2023/01/02
date added: 2023/01/04
shelves: 2023, paranormal_romance
review:
4.5 Stars

I really really enjoyed this! So far, it appears the series is following Raphael and Elena, and their relationship and some plot points carry through each book, but there's a different protagonist/conflict in each addition. It's a format I'm really liking, but I wish there was a bit more depth dedicated to Raphael and Elena's relationship development. It's not completely stagnant - they are very much together - but there are conflicts and lots of getting to know each other that needs to happen.

I would say overall, this book runs at a much slower pace than the first. Elena spends a lot of time adjusting and training after the events at the end of book #1, and and we see Raphael and Elena's relationship continue to develop. It's hard to put my finger on exactly, but even though a lot of time is spent on the two, something is missing. Maybe it's because their relationship is moving at a slow pace and there's still so much to be revealed? Even by the end of this, I still do not have a clear picture of Elena's past and I'm not sure if she does either. I still very much enjoyed this though, and loved the intensity and conflicts they were facing. I didn't want to put this down!

Another issue I have is this weird undertone of other men? There's an angel in Raphael's service who is gorgeous and Elena seems to really take a liking to him. It's as friends, but then there's these weird undertones of attraction? And then we are getting hints that the angel is also interested in Elena? Idk what the point of including this is, but it's really annoying and I hate that it's even included. I hope it doesn't develop into an actual conflict.

]]>