Book Review: Shattered Dreams

Overall: 2/5

Plots and Themes: 3/5

Characters: 2/5

Writing Style: 3/5

Attention Grabbing: 2/5 

Lady Elyssa Prescott has consigned herself to a life of spinsterhood. It could be worse, she has a loving family who she knows will always support anything she does. And she has her horses that give her a sense of mobility and autonomy that she could never manage in her every day life. But when she meets Brentan Montgomery, she begins to wonder if there could be more to that life. 

Everything felt a lot more forced than I would have preferred. We have this inorganic romance forming where they're never really on the same page about anything. Then they're just sort of together automatically and we as readers are supposed to view it as a dramatic come-together but just feels icky in light of the secrets being kept and the lack of previous conversation. Plus, the random flips to the brother and best friend's side romance that is just a boring case of miscommunication stifled the drama. 

I like drama to an extent, but I don't like it when it has no build up and no motivation. Like of course, we knew from the second he told her to hide that she would somehow find herself perilously threaded into the narrative of the chase. I was just sick of it at that point. So while it had some good points, I had pretty much lost it by the end. 

Book Review: The King's Queen (Gate of Myth and Power #3)

Overall: 3.5/5

Plots and Themes: 3/5

Characters: 4/5

Writing Style: 4/5

Attention Grabbing: 3/5 

The King's Queen is the third and final book in the story for these two. They ended book two separated, knowing that they would be better off apart. But that isn't so easy, as things continue to go wrong and it continues to feel as though they belong together. 

I liked the other books in the series a lot better and this was a bit of a letdown. Sort of like a third act breakup but a third book in the series breakup. Where I don't even really know why they're breaking up because it really feels like it makes more sense to stay together in these trying times. But most of the book is that will they won't they despite knowing that they totally will because what kind of PNR would end on that sort of tragedy. Just felt like we were being robbed of a healthy dynamic. 

I still love the series and think this is particularly innovative magical concept, but I just wish we had gotten more of their relationship. I'm glad we got a little more of the sibling dynamic too but it all felt comparatively watered down. Disappointed but didn't exactly hate it. 

Book Review: How to Romance a Rake (Ugly Duckling #2)

Overall: 2/5

Plots and Themes: 2/5

Characters: 2/5

Writing Style: 3/5

Attention Grabbing: 2/5 

Juliet has been a wallflower (at best) ever since an accident gave her a limp several years ago. Any attention she receives is typically derogative and she's sick of it all together. When she meets Lord Deveril, she's surprised at his attention and the assistance he provides in the quest to find her missing friend. 

The best I can say about this one is that it had the unique inclusion of how a certain disability would have been dealt with in this time period. The author obviously did the research she could in seeking out the description. But beyond that, I found the plot sort of basic and boring. One of my biggest pet peeves in romances with characters with disabilities is when the able-bodied protagonist sort of falls in love with them based only on their disability? I don't know how else to phrase that, but it seemed like the most critical bonding that the two experienced centered around her uniqueness on that front. 

I don't know, very non-memorable. I wouldn't want to trash it too much cause it was definitely good enough to finish I just wanted more from either the mystery or the romance. Ideally both, but even one would've livened things up considerably. 

Book Review: Too Easy

Overall: 4/5

Plots and Themes: 4/5

Characters: 4/5

Writing Style: 4/5

Attention Grabbing: 5/5 

Too Easy by Jamie Bennett follows the story of Blake and Ryan. Blake who has been traumatized beyond all logical reason, Ryan just doing his best to figure it all out. 

When Blake arrives in the small northern Michigan town she was supposed to move into with her long-term boyfriend, she's basically given up. Everything has gone wrong for her, she doesn't have any friends and she doesn't know what she's doing with her life. When she meets Ryan, their unconventional friendship quickly takes root. They both have their hang ups but they help each other through them and end up becoming a fairly cohesive pair. 

Trauma is easily overdone in these sorts of the books to the point where it no longer feels real. But this is the sort of book where it fits, despite how dramatic it felt I was still on board 100%. Like the last book I read by Jamie Bennett, the protagonist sort of felt autism-coded but I think we're also supposed to just understand that she has had very limited socialization or any sort of access to educational or psychological support. So I allow it. I generally still liked it and liked the characters, it's a quick read but fun and easily addictive. 

Book Review: The Ex Hex (Ex Hex #1)

Overall: 3.75/5

Plots and Themes: 3/5

Characters: 4/5

Writing Style: 4/5

Attention Grabbing: 4/5 

Ten years ago, Vivienne accidentally got a little drunk and cursed the ex love of her life. She never thought anything came from it, but skip to present day and his return to her small home town is accompanied by a string of disasters. Disasters impacting him and the very magical source that maintains the power of her little world. 

I think this was a cute and quirky read, it was super quick and a little rushed through the end, but fun to read. My new niche is these paranormal rom coms, they're just your usual romcom but with that dash of Sabrina the Teenage Witch magic themed disasters. I don't usually like second chance romances, but I'll make an exception for relatively short teenage flings. At that point, you can both respect the growth you've gone through and acknowledge that you're only better of for having waited. 

I'd recommend this one, I think it's short enough to be appealing yet long enough to give you a little adventure threaded into the romance. I don't know if I'll read the other books in the series just because I like reading these romances as standalones, but I did enjoy this one. 

Book Review: The Bodyguard

Overall: 3.5/5

Plots and Themes: 4/5

Characters: 3/5

Writing Style: 4/5

Attention Grabbing: 4/5 

The Bodyguard is a little reverse of what you might expect if you're thinking of the sort Whitney Houston style Bodyguard of the 90s. Cause though Hannah is smaller than you might assume a bodyguard would be, she's perfectly capable of handling any threat. Including threats to her latest client, Jack Stapleton. Only, it doesn't quite feel like a regular assignment. She has to pose as his girlfriend in order to be close and casual enough to protect him, but it's not always feeling like pretending. 

I think this is a cute read in line with the other books I've read by Katherine Center. She has a nice way of making a slowburn feel significant all the way through, like you're not just building building building waiting for them to kiss but that you're building a foundation outside of physical intimacy and any sort of romance. She also seems to have a thing for workplace romances that she does her best to represent ethically. 

Generally a fun read with a bit of a twist on the traditional. I liked the characters despite how dense they could be. The best friend ex-boyfriend situation was a bit underdone to me, felt like it should've been more important or shouldn't have existed. Other than that, a quick book that won't feel like a waste of time. 

Book Review: Undercover Bromance (Bromance Book Club #2)

Overall: 2/5

Plots and Themes: 3/5

Characters: 2/5

Writing Style: 2/5

Attention Grabbing: 2/5 

Undercover Bromance is the second book in the Bromance Book Club which I did not read the first book in. Liv is a pastry chef, she works at a fancy restaurant for a jerk of a boss. When she spills the dessert on the night of Mack's very important dinner date and sees her boss making moves on a young server, she quickly loses her job and finds herself blacklisted. Now, she's enlisted Mack and his friends in taking her jerk of a boss down. 

The real chemistry between these two came from the fact that they are totally unlikeable and thus deserve each other. Liv is just annoying all the time and whiney and purposefully unhelpful, Mack thinks he's the best for the fact that he reads his little romance novels. It was way too much pandering in an attempt to cater to what one might think romance readers want from a man. Getting the jerky boss in trouble was great, but the way Liv tried to brutally bully the victims into coming forward was disgusting and even more unlikeable. 

I won't be continuing in the series. It's a cute premise it just didn't need to be forced down our throats the whole time. 

Book Review: More Than Anything (Broken Pieces #1)

Overall: 3/5

Plots and Themes: 3/5

Characters: 2/5

Writing Style: 3/5

Attention Grabbing: 3/5 

More Than Anything follows Tina and Harris, two adults who were romantically involved as teens, one of whom was much more impacted by the relationship than the other. Now they're both trying to figure their lives out in some way, and trying to figure out if they still have places in those lives. 

I give this book bonus points for making me cry. It was sort of overdone, making me wonder about how realistic everyone's apathy would be or if it was more of an attempt at continuing to force trauma on an already traumatized female protagonist. I nearly DNFed a couple of times because I was just tired of the sort of cloudy way all the emotions were being portrayed and received. Like it was all about target practice on Tina. None of the other characters had any chemistry and I was frankly a little confused about the family dynamic that I had jumped into. 

But yes, the defining success of the story was how they handled her ultimate trauma and revelation. I was crying at 2AM by the end, which is how you know it's at least good enough to be addicting. So I don't know if I would continue the series, but what I read here was fairly enjoyable. 

Book Review: Love on the Brain

Overall: 2.5/5

Plots and Themes: 3/5

Characters: 2/5

Writing Style: 3/5

Attention Grabbing: 3/5 

Love on the Brain is Ali Hazelwood's second book and pretty much just as quirky and ridiculous as her first but in the most addicting sort of way. Addicting as in it's like a car crash, you just can't look away. Bee gets her dream job heading a program that could be her saving grace, the only catch? She has to do it with her academic nemesis Levi. 

The biggest problem with the plot is that there was absolutely no mystery and suspense. We as readers knew that Levi was just in love with her the whole time, even more than we would usually know in a contemporary grumpy sunshine book of this variety. And if anyone read this and had any doubts about the identity of the anonymous and somehow equally viral identity of her saving grace blogging friend, you probably don't get out too much. Don't even get me started on the convenient placement of the fainting fits- I feel like a neuroscientist should be a bit more concerned about the effects of repeating black outs on your brain function but maybe that's just me. 

I can say it's pretty much what I expected. It's by no means poorly written, just with some questionable decisions by the characters and a tad too much forced drama. I can't say that I wouldn't ever read her books again, they're just addicting like that. But I wish she would give some more depth to them without making them all so needlessly quirky. 

Book Review: All Rhodes Lead Here

Overall: 4/5

Plots and Themes: 4/5

Characters: 5/5

Writing Style: 4/5

Attention Grabbing: 5/5 

All Rhodes Lead Here is the most chronologically recent release in the Zapataverse. It follows Aurora and Rhodes as they navigate sort of cohabitation when Rhodes' son secretly leases out their apartment. All Aurora wants to do is get away, get away from her flopped relationship and get closer to the mother she lost so many years ago. And if she has to live in the apartment of a man who couldn't want her around less, so be it. 

I think this book had so many unique elements. It felt different from Mariana Zapata's other books, probably because it was one of the few not set in Texas. Plus the characters were a tad older than they usually are and I think you feel that maturity. I loved Aurora's relationship with Rhodes' son it was so wholesome and built on such a mutual love and respect. And I also loved how special the whole family dynamic was, I haven't seen anything like it before. 

My only issue was the pacing of the big reveal. It felt the last forty pages were simultaneously too long and too short. The rest of the book was perfect, but the very end dragged. Other than that, it's an easy five stars and I will forever be obsessed with Mariana Zapata. 

Book Review: Druid Vices and a Vodka (The Guild Codex: Spellbound #6)

Overall: 3/5

Plots and Themes: 3/5

Characters: 4/5

Writing Style: 3/5

Attention Grabbing: 3/5 

This right here is the culmination of all the other books, finally some plot progression. Things are falling about, not only is Tori dealing with the whole Ezra's demon taking over, she's dealing with keeping a crystal druid away from certain death/imprisonment. She prides herself in her judgement most of the time, and despite what everyone around her tells her, she's going to trust him. 

These installments are weird because we're trying to build whole friendships and relationships while still providing sort of mundane snapshots into their lives. As I've said before, I prefer the Taming Demons half of this little situation but it's still interesting to get all this insight that I was missing during Taming Demons. I think this one was a lot more action-packed than the last two segments, and I'm finally feeling like something crazy has to happen in the next installment. 

Again, I don't love this series as much as Taming Demons but I'm appreciating seeing everything unfold book by book. 

Book Review: Love in the Time of Serial Killers

 

Overall: 4/5

Plots and Themes: 4/5

Characters: 5/5

Writing Style: 4/5

Attention Grabbing: 5/5 

Love in the Time of Serial Killers centers on Phoebe Walsh, a PhD candidate dealing with the death of a father she never really liked all that much. She has to clear out his house in the middle of writing her dissertation and dealing with her disaster of a personal life. Oh, and her dad's neighbor might possibly be a serial killer. Not probably, but possibly, signs definitely point to maybe. Except that he's not, actually he's one of the sweetest most down to earth male protagonists in a romance that I've ever read. 

Phoebe definitely had her moments where I was reading this and I wanted to shake some sense into her, but those moments were authentic to the characterization that was designed for her. I loved all her little quirks and I loved the way her interests were threaded into the narrative. I could tell that the author really took the time too look into academia and true crime and make it a realistic element of Phoebe's life- if the author isn't super invested in either of those things herself. It was all extremely realistic but extremely whimsical at the same time. You're reading about this love story and thinking about how cute and sweet and amazing it all is and how it's that sort of once in a lifetime story but it's definitely something you could see happening between two real life individuals. As basic as that sounds, I think it's a point that many contemporary romances struggle with when they're trying to add that cute factor. 

So I definitely loved it, I feel like we had a great balance of platonic and romantic relationships. I wish that Sam had gotten a bit more screen time without that end of second act conflict but that and a couple of overdone quirks were really the only things that kept it from five stars. 

Book Review: The Takeaway

Overall: 3/5

Plots and Themes: 3/5

Characters: 3/5

Writing Style: 3/5

Attention Grabbing: 3/5 

The Takeaway follows Hazel, a young woman still trying to figure her life out. She loves the piano, but she's afraid to play in public. She doesn't have too many friends her own age, she doesn't know how to interact with people and she's struggling to figure it all out. Then she meets Hatch, a star football player who she hears through their shared apartment walls. They become friends and they help each other navigate all the struggles that come with trying to figure out what to do with your life. 

I liked it well enough. A little bland and I felt like I was being spoonfed important details at times rather than being able to reason them out myself. Like we're not supposed to like this character and we know it because everyone says we shouldn't like them. But I like how their relationship progresses from a friendship to a romance, despite not getting a lot of the romance. The only issue there being she felt a bit infantilized at points, not in a completely overdone way, just that I would've liked to see a bit more independent thought. 

So enjoyable, definitely will be reading more by Jamie Bennett in the future and looking forward to reading more in her canon.

Book Review: From Lukov with Love

Overall: 4/5

Plots and Themes: 4/5

Characters: 3/5

Writing Style: 4/5

Attention Grabbing: 5/5 

From Lukov with Love is another installment of the Zapataverse following Jasmine as she pushes herself to the gold in Olympic figure skating. One issue though, she doesn't currently have a partner and she's a pairs skater. When one of the best pairs skaters in the world asks her to be his partner, it should be an automatic yes as it could be her last chance to get a true title. The only issue? He's been her public enemy #1 for a literal decade and she would rather do just about anything than work with him for hours every day. 

I think that my issue here was that Jasmine was type casted too much in Dear Aaron so she had to really play up being obnoxious in this one. While I feel Zapata books usually have a moment where everything becomes clear and their true love is declared and the slowburn is finally fulfilled, we got more of Jasmine's complaining and we were supposed to accept a lot more of their interactions on the premise of the significance of their history. So I wasn't as into it as I usually am with her books. 

That being said, she still had her moments where I was giggling and screaming so I think she still did her job. I also feel that, based on the hype I had seen for this one versus her other books, I was expecting a lot more but I just didn't connect with them as much as I've connected with other characters she's written. So still super good as I'm highly biased towards loving Zapata, but definitely could have been better.  

Book Review: In My Dreams I Hold a Knife

Overall: 4/5

Plots and Themes: 4/5

Characters: 5/5

Writing Style: 4/5

Attention Grabbing: 5/5 

In My Dreams I Hold a Knife is a non-chronological murder mystery. It starts at one point but we're gradually getting more and more information about their dramatic tragic backstories. It's the perfect blend of the realistic and the unhinged that really gets you to the point that you can't put it down. 

I hated Jess at first, but the author did a fantastic job of revealing her past in a way that gradually won me over. I still would hope I wouldn't deal with events the exact same way she did cause she was messed up. I appreciated it though, we weren't wholly on her side and we get frustrated with her being an unreliable narrator until the point that we see it all clearly. 

Definitely one of the best mysteries I've read in a while, I guessed the ending about halfway through but they kept introducing plot twists to the point that I wasn't 100% correct. I also enjoyed the slight dash of romance despite how messy and unrealistic it was. 

Book Review: The Right Move

Overall: 2/5

Plots and Themes: 3/5

Characters: 2/5

Writing Style: 3/5

Attention Grabbing: 2/5 

The Right Move follows Indy and Ryan, roommates of convenience. Indy found her boyfriend cheating eight months ago, now she wants her life back but can't afford to have that in Chicago. Her best friend offers her a place, but she just moved in with her boyfriend and Indy doesn't want to bother her- so she moves in with her brother instead. Ryan is a pro NBA player, he doesn't do distractions and that's exactly what Indy is. But it's all just temporary. Until he needs a fake girlfriend to convince his coach of his stability. 

I liked it for the first 100-200 pages, but I could not believe that this book went on for as long as it did. I thought everything was resolved and then we would just delve into another completely random topic. I didn't think the author held out on the confession of secrets long enough, because it made the whole miscommunication based faux pas feel much more insensitive at the end. And then it kept going. By the epilogue, I had lost interest in their lives completely. The actual issues weren't really issues at all, it felt sort of random after we got past that first roadbump. 

So the first two 30-40% was a typical fun sports romance, but it really lost me. I don't think I'll be reading the next about their friend because I don't care to be dragged along anymore. 

Book Review: Foundryside (The Founders Trilogy #1)

Overall: 4/5

Plots and Themes: 4/5

Characters: 4/5

Writing Style: 3/5

Attention Grabbing: 3/5 

Foundryside is a fantasy universe centered around the magic of coding. Not computer coding, but magical scrivings that can convince an object to be something that it isn't. Sancia can hear what these codes are saying, which makes her a decent thief but also ruins her life in just about every other way. When she steals a scrived object that actually talks back to her, she is thrust into a quest for the legendary items of their society's godlike missing figures that could also lead to the end of the world. 

I liked this book, Sancia was tough but also realistic in her struggles. I think it was a good balance of struggle and success that gave it all a good flow. I also don't think that the author is afraid to shock his readers and I feel he's pretty decent at doing so- especially through the actions of his main characters. 

My only issue would be the pacing. It wasn't all that excited to me as someone who reads more for characters than plots. I understand that's a personal preference, but the info dumps in the first 100-200 pages were a bit much. I just generally have issues with these sorts of complex magic systems when they are over-explained, I like to understand it all but there's also a point that if you're giving me too much all at once I will zone out. 

All in all, a good book with a lot of worldbuilding and a subtle but sweet romance. I will be reading the next one when I get around to it. 

Book Review: Dating Dracula (Dating Monsters #1)

Overall: 2/5

Plots and Themes: 2/5

Characters: 2/5

Writing Style: 2/5

Attention Grabbing: 2/5

Dating Dracula follows the story of Anna, a vlogger looking to expose the nefarious activities of the vampires who just went public last week. Unfortunately, her snooping gets her killed. Or undeaded at least, now she's a vampire and somehow this dude wants to kill her for a second time. Oh yeah, she was also changed into a vampire by Dracula himself, a man she's never met but can't seem to stay away from. 

I got this book for free from a list of free Kindle romances last week. I think the concept is fun, but the execution was a little all over the place. Anna was too much and Vlad was too little. It was enough to read through to the end, but I didn't feel invested in their story lines because it all felt a little obvious. Again, it was a fun premise, I just didn't connect with it. 

Book Review: The Wall of Winnipeg and Me

Overall: 5/5

Plots and Themes: 5/5

Characters: 5/5

Writing Style: 4/5

Attention Grabbing: 5/5

This is my second time reading this book this year, but I didn't review it the first time so I felt like I'd do it justice here. The Wall of Winnipeg and Me follows Vanessa Mazur, assistant to Aiden Graves AKA the Wall of Winnipeg. He's an NFL superstar and he's been annoying her for two year with his random demands and lack of gratitude. So she's quitting, not in a dramatic way (at first), just in a way that allows her to finally pursue her dream of freelance graphic design work. That is, until Aiden Graves decides he wants her back and is willing to do anything to rehire her, even if it's as his temporary wife to fulfill his visa requirements. 

This book isn't some super deep masterful book, but it's extremely entertaining and I think that's worth more than any classic. If you're the kind of person who appreciates all your standard tropes like marriage of convenience or trauma bonding, this is the one for you. It's not exactly like all the books you see on Tiktok with this trope though, because Vanessa is a well-rounded protagonist who makes her own decisions. She's a little weird at times, but she's entirely realistic and totally relatable. Mariana Zapata has a gift for writing situations that are obviously made for romances but animating them through female protagonists that feel like real people. 

I love Mariana Zapata and this is largely known as her best work. I think it definitely has a chokehold on me and it's just super comforting and I could read it a million times and find all new reasons to love them.  

Book Review: Devil in Spring (The Ravenels #3)

Overall: 3/5

Plots and Themes: 2/5

Characters: 3/5

Writing Style: 3/5

Attention Grabbing: 3/5

Devil in Spring is the third book in the Ravenels but can be read as a standalone. Lady Pandora Ravenel doesn't like balls, she's not looking to get married, all she really cares about is her family and her board games. When she's caught in an "it's not what it looks like" position, a family friend thinks he's helping by forcing the man into marrying her. She's obviously strongly against this. 

It was pretty mid until the end. A pretty standard wallflower-who-is-actually-gorgeous type situation until the author decides to throw a random little danger plot in at the end. That conflict didn't make a lot of sense to me, but it was obviously just for that little extra thrill. I feel it should have built a bit more throughout the book for it to really have that flare that I think the author was looking for. Without it, it was giving that sort of fanfiction-style strategy of throwing something in just for a reaction. Other than that though, a pretty entertaining read.