Katherine

I always loved My Little Mermaid, and now that I am into dark romance, fantasy, and monster romance, how could I not love Of Song and Scepter?

Mermaid dark romance? yes please. Who knew mermaid/fish getting it on would be spicy and not weird, but Liesl West did a great job at making each scene so steamy!

I love that our FMC is a stabby, assassin, unhinged and disheveled mermaid, who clearly doesn't know how to interact with other people. It is funny and I found it so interesting that the prince was obsessed with her unhinged dark nature.

I liked the storyline, it was similar to the OG Disney story in enough ways that it reminded you of it, but also so so different that it had it's own unique retelling nature. I thought the end was great, and I hope we get more in this world, maybe the head guard could have her moment to shine??

All in all, I enjoyed this book and if you like darker retellings, you will love this too!

I enjoyed Night of Death and Flowers, and wished it had kept going!

Callista was a great FMC, I loved her skeptical nature, questioning attitude, and overall boss babe vibe. She has a secret dark power that no one is supposed to know about, and she tries not to let it bother her.

Azkiel is a bundle of joy... I mean a trauma suppressed god of death who is arrogant and bewildered by Callista. I loved it so much, I could live off of their interactions!

The island portion of the book was a-la hunger games style, and I can never get enough of these types of story lines. I just find them so interesting and good!

The way the magic worked was great, I enjoyed seeing how it manifested in each type and character.

While I truly enjoyed the story and the whole island portion of the book, I felt like the relationship between her and Azkiel was forced to progress and it didn't need to. I personally felt like the tension between them was enough for this book, and they did not need to *seal the deal* towards the end. It didn't make a ton of sense to me, but I get it!

I am SO intrigued about what happens in book 2, because I feel like things are about to get so much more interesting!

Chasing the Wild was my first ever cowboy romance, and I do not think it will be my last! I was SO into Colt, like a lot, and for MANY reasons, but the cowboy aspect of him was very attractive.

It is a bit taboo - ex bf's dad + age gap, but honestly that is a major reason I was interested. There is something about it that makes it so much spicier!!

Colt is like the grumpiest cowboy man in the world, living mostly alone on the top of a mountain at his ranch, brooding his days away.

Layla is a final year vet student over her ex bf's crap, desperate to start her next placement so she can check off the box and graduate with her full degree. She is a fire-y feisty redhead with a no nonsense attitude, and I enjoyed her character a lot! She makes her way to Devil's Peak Ranch to dump her ex's stuff back with him, and then again to make him settle a debt he put in her name. What she finds instead is a gorgeous ranch, an even more gorgeous older man, and a 2 month placement at the ranch while being snowed in with none other than her ex's dad. Whom she is SO into.

I simultaneously enjoyed and and hated their push and pull; it was full of so much tension, attraction, and resistance! I think Colt could have been a little nicer to Layla instead of a grumpy cranky a hole when trying to resist her, but that is part of who he is! We get to see them tear down each other's walls, and when they collide? WHEW!!

The spice was so spicy, and I am living for it! Colt sure did know what he was doing, and there was just something about the taboo nature of it that took the spice to new levels.

The world building was excellent, I loved reading about the animals, the ranch, the mountains, storms, cabin, etc. All of it was so beautiful and I felt like I was there at times!

It has an HEA, and I am interested in the stories for the other characters in the book too!

Overall, I really enjoyed Chasing the Wild and I can't wait for the next installment with Storm... it's going to be a good one I think!

Dreaming of Darkness is the next installment in the story about Addy and her 4 guys.

I enjoyed it! I love a good reverse harem and this group fits together like a glove! The guys are all special in their own ways, aside from their actual mysterious 'special powers', they all bring something to the table for Addy and their family unit.

Austin continues to be the one I am most intrigued about, there is just something primal about him that just hits right. Cain is the one I would pick, and sweet Piper and Wyatt are also wonderful. I am also super interested in learning more about Wyatt's gift and how he deals with it, it is one of the more interesting ones! One of my favorite parts was the piercing scene (IYKYK) - so so so good!!

I personally don't normally enjoy pregnancy tropes, but this story was enjoyable for me regardless. The depiction of depression and anxiety, and fear about not being safe was so well done! The twist and what ended up happening was super interesting as well.

I will be interested to see where the next book takes us in their story.

I am SO GLAD I found the ACOMAF Rhys perspective from Illyrian Tremors on A03. I have always wanted to read this from his perspective, because I imagine there is a lot behind the scenes we don't get to see from him.

This was heartbreaking and so incredible. If SJM ever needed a ghost writer, Illyrian tremors is the one.

The story from Rhys' perspective is so powerful, and shows just how much someone in love is willing to give and push to the side and sacrifice for their love/mate/partner.

He has major PTSD, trauma, anxiety and depression too, but tries to keep it together as much as he can for Feyre and his inner circle. It is heartbreaking, watching him try to be strong for everyone.

I loved getting insight into his thoughts and feelings, and loved seeing his reactions to the note passing - I loved Feyre's but his utter delight was so good omg.

I personally think this should be canon with the series, and I will be reading it every time I reread.

So much crying.

First off, I loved Feyre in this book - unercover boss b*tch, sly cruel High Lady of the Night Court, so powerful and hell bent on stopping the war and Hybern as a whole.

Second, I was heartbroken watching everything with her sisters. It is devastating seeing it from her perspective.

The war was written so so so well, and again, so.many.tears. This is my third reread and I still cried through like half of this book. It was so powerful, so full of emotion, it just got to me every single time.

We got to see the Suriel again, we saw war, we met with the high lords, we loved and lost, just so many things and emotions happened in this book.

Ill say it again in this review, but I think Tamlin deserves a redemption arc. I also think Lucien deserves so much more than he has now.

I would absolutely go feral for novellas about the other high lords, especially a super spicy one about Helion! Can we please have this?

This book has so much packed into it I don't even know how to coherently write my review.

The one negative thing I have to say about this book is that I hated that Rhys died and we did the kernel of power thing to bring him back. I don't think he should have died at all! It could have been Feyre putting it back together and loses a bunch of her powers, or Nesta and Elaine come help her, or all the high lords work together with her to close it. I just think he was 1 person to many to die and come back to life. I don't want him to sacrifice like that, and it was unnecessary. The dad coming and then dying was enough sadness.

Everything else was oh so good!

This is my favorite book in the ACOTAR series. I dream about Rhys and the way he helps Feyre, it is genuinely the most beautiful thing. She doesn't want to admit she needs help, but he does it anyways. She pushes back and is a bit cruel, he takes it in stride and makes her write "Rhysand is the most handsome High Lord" over and over again until she can read.

I loved this book not only for their relationship progression, but also for the depiction of depression, trauma, PTSD, anxiety, and healing. Both of them are struggling, and I thought Sarah J Maas did such a great job depicting these feelings and thoughts in the book. It is so powerful to read experiences like this in a popular book, because it helps normalize mental health issues and bring recognition to what it can look like from the outside.

Watching Feyre heal slowly and find joy again with Rhys is incredible, and I will never not love this book. It is an always must read each year, if not more than 1x in a year.

I feel for Rhys and can only imagine what he is going through on his own, but admire him and can't believe he pushes his own issues aside to help her with hers.

Thankfully we get another interaction with the beloved Suriel, and unfortunately, we get to see a desperate and horrid part of Tamlin. I do not like Tamlin, but I will say I do think he deserves a redemption arc.

The end of the book brings me to tears every damn time, and I love it so much. This book and series as a whole is a must read!

Well this is my favorite read of the early summer so far! Assistant to the Villain is a delightful read, and an instant favorite and 5⭐️ book for me.

I normally read heavy, dark, spicy, etc. books and this wasn't that, but I still LOVED it.

The banter was witty, the FMC was smart and a little bit odd but so relatable. The MMC was broody and villainous, there was resistance to the attraction, a grumpy sunshine vibe, and so much more.

I loved this book so much! It was a perfect read and I cannot wait for the second one!

The way I and any other oldest sibling/sister can relate to Evie caring for her sister and taking care of her family is uncanny, and then watching the villain fall for her despite his best attempt at remaining detached? My heart 😍

I loved the chapters from the villain's POV. It was wonderful to see him breaking down his unfeeling walls one by one against his will, because he couldn't resist Evie. Ugh! Just loved it so much.

August cannot come fast enough for me to get my hands on book 2, Apprentice to the Villain! I recommend everyone pick this one up!

This one wasn't my favorite. Sloan's story didn't make a lot of sense to me, and the virgin to immediately pregnant trope is horrible in my opinion. Genuinely I hated this. I loved her and Jude's debauchery, and submissive to his dominant, it was really sexy and spicy. But why god why did she have to be a virgin, never have any experience, and then get pregnant?? I feels like a cop out and I hate it.

I hated her refusing to acknowledge her sister Carrigan, and idk I think this one in the series just wasn't for me. Book 2 still prevails!

I am however very interested in the next book of the series, and can guess who ends up with who. I hope it's as good as I hope!

This is Cillian and Olivia's story. Also really interesting, and I enjoyed it, although book 2 is still my favorite of the series.

I loved him turning from playboy to serious contender, and being so open to Olivia for whatever she needed. I felt for Olivia and her daughter, and loved the angle she brought to the story.

This one felt like the highest stakes out of the 3 books so far, and it was captivating! I breezed through this book in 1 evening, and enjoyed it a lot. I also really liked how we wrapped the Russian mob family back into the story.

I liked this one more than the first one. Carrigan's story was really interesting, I loved the 'resistant to being sold off in a marriage/falls for the super enemy' plot line.

It was dark, spicy, and oh so enjoyable. I really liked James and Carrigan, their push and pull, and their cocky attitudes towards each other. Carrigan is so strong and I loved her as a character and FMC.

This is definitely my favorite of the series!

Mafia romance, arranged marriage, rival families.

Pretty good story, I enjoyed reading it. You'd think the 2 in the arranged marriage would hate each other a bit more, but it was moreso an insta-love situation and I think Katee Robert did a good job with it!

There was a lot more to the story than just the romance, and I felt like it was interesting. It was a quick read for me, but enjoyable!

Teague and Callie are great MC's and the plot was interesting. It was nice to read about a mobster MMC who isn't all bad, but is actually a decent human. Now I love a good morally grey character, but Teague was a good guy and I liked that.

How does it feel was... well honestly, I don't know how I feel.

I read it in a day, and while it was a quick interesting read, there were many parts I didn't like.

The FMC Callie was not my favorite. She was very much a 'pick me, i'm not like other girls' character, and was written to have no friends, be a real life barbie with blonde hair, perfect figure and short (and have it mentioned like 20 times) and doesn't cuss, but is a very intelligent scientist. Idk, I don't like the vibes of everyone loving her, like a snow white situation, it was giving special snowflake... and turned me off of her as a character. To add to this, her weird story about some professor who belittled her, then asked her out, and then she was offered his job right after? Idk, it didn't make sense. Also, she was tortured and imprisoned by the MC and then still was into him? I do not understand.

Then we have the MMC who is trying to kill her, imprisons her with a weird creature who tries to r*pe and SA her, and who gets off on her fears while hurting her. He avoids her for the whole time and then suddenly is deeply in love with her after like 1 conversation.. Idk, I didn't like that either. Sure he was hot, but no intelligent woman is going to fall for a man like that, i'm sorry. He is not a Rhys in acotar situation, he is 1000x worse.

The trial thing was similar to the acotar trial but also totally different. It was not particularly original, but it was interesting to read. I didn't love the romance portion, again, it didn't make any sense to me at all and went from 0-100 so fast I was confused.

Finally, the ending. I HATED the twist. I did not like it, and it didn't make sense for the story being from her POV. It was too much of a twist to be plausible and just information withheld from the reader. I honestly felt betrayed as the reader and I did not like it. It was weird and out of the blue and felt like a different plot line, but it didn't fit into this book.

While I am writing this review I have already read the second one and it got even worse... so that's great.

Overall, I think this just was not for me. I didn't love it. It had potential and I idea was super interesting, but it was not for me.

I LOVED this book.

It was a quick read, but so interesting, detailed and oh so good. The tension between Misery and Lowe was incredible, the tension between the vampires, werewolves, and humans was great, and the plot was super good!

I loved Misery as our FMC, and really felt for her and everything she has gone through in her life. She didn't deserve any of it and still continued to sacrifice over and over. To feel as though you don't belong anywhere? I cannot imagine, and I loved seeing her persevere regardless. She held her own in werewolf territory, and all while continuing to try and find her sister and staying under the radar.

Lowe can take me as his mate anytime... he is sexy, smart, a good man, and a great leader. I loved him going back and forth with Misery, wanting her and wanting to trust her, trying to protect his sister and his people, all while dealing with his new role as alpha.

Then we have the spice, the spice tension, and knotting??? 10/10 spice for me. It was so good and there was so much build up, I loved it!

I loved this book so much, I did not want it to finish. I truly hope Ali Hazelwood continues to write more in this universe, because there are at least 2 other couples' stories I would love to read!

Quick little spicy kidnapping novelette.

It was an enjoyable read, and the spice was written so well!! It was very steamy and enjoyable. The rest of the story was quick, but being a short novelette that is to be expected.

If you are looking for a fast spicy kidnapper read, then pick this one up!

Legends & Lattes is phenomenal and such a kindhearted found family read, perfect for a gloomy day.

I normally read things that are much heavier than this, but I have to say Viv and her crew were exactly what I didn’t know I needed. Viv was such a good FMC, she had such big hopes and dreams, and was determined to start her new life no matter what. I loved how she gathered her found family, each interaction was so perfectly timed and wonderful, It warmed my heart so much! I normally read high stakes, dark, high action reads, but this cosy fantasy book was great for my soul. It didn't have a lot of action, but painted a picture of Viv's story so well that I enjoyed it nonetheless.

Anyone else read this and feel the urge to open their own coffee shop?

Honestly this was so happy and cosy and I loved it so much! Definitely recommend everyone give it a read!

This is my first dip into HEA witchy romance and it will not be my last.

I LOVED this story! Lucinda and Benedict have the most heartwarming story, and I loved being a part of it alongside them. Lucinda is a great FMC, full of knowledge, goodness, pranks, and wanting the best for those she loves. Benedict puts the town first even though they don't all deserve it, he is handsome and smart, logical and kind even when he tries to hid behind his put together professional facade.

Watching them come together against all odds, and put their prank rivalry aside for something more powerful was so heartwarming. I loved watching them learn more about each other, push each other to be better, and care for one another when vulnerable (this trope gets me every time!).

Honorable mentions go to Rosie, Grams, and Chaos the cat.

I cannot wait for the next book in this series, and would definitely recommend!

Threads of fate is such a unique concept, I was sucked into the story right away and unable to stop thinking about it until I finished... and then have continued to think about it afterwards.

I absolutely loved the premise of the secret garden door in-between worlds, and a shadow daddy who doesn't open up to people on the other side. Except you know, for the girl who literally walked into him from another world. I am dying to learn more about the world - I want to see all the lands, learn about them all, and see what they are like. I also need to know what happens in book 2 because I am not dealing with what happened in book 1 until I make sure it all actually turned out OK.

One of my favorite parts was the slow burn. It was super realistic that she was resistant to falling for someone she most likely would never see again, and I liked that. I also hated it because I wanted them to get together sooner, but it was good writing.

I also loved the training with Jes. This whole story line of her getting stronger and working on her powers, working through her trauma, it was just fantastic. I am a sucker for an FMC who wants to take control of her life, get strong, learn her powers, and kick some butt.

The ending was a lot, and I didn't particularly like it (for obvious reasons once you read it), so I hope we get to undo or change what happened - otherwise I may never recover.

Overall, I feel like we are set up for so much action and plot and twists in book 2, and I cannot wait to see what happens.

Shattered Vows is book 2 in the Midnight Manor series, and I am so glad we got to Kohl's story!

This is a loose modern dark retelling of Rapunzel, and I enjoyed it. Their backstory is so sad, and SO full of miscommunication and lies.

Controlled/Abused girl meets military boy, whirlwind romance, she leaves him at the altar.

My favorite part of this story was watching Rhapsody come out of her shell. She was clearly severely controlled by her mother and emotionally manipulated and abused, and oh man does it show. It hits really hard reading these types of parent/child relationships, but it is so therapeutic and enjoyable to read at the same time. I loved seeing her finally get to experience life on her terms, and realize how things are with her own thoughts. Kohl thought he would be able to resist her for the ultimate revenge, and obviously that failed, but wow I loved him getting to experience her firsts alongside her. It was so sweet, and I loved watching them fall for each other.

The twist at the end was a bit obvious knowing the story of Rapunzel, but I still loved it! I can't wait for Nero's story next!

This book is excellent. I am so glad I got the opportunity to arc read Bespelled, and I cannot wait for it to come out!

We start off following the huge cliffhanger Laura left us with in book 1, and things just keep going from there. Selene's memories are back, Memnon has realized maybe he shouldn't be the worst person ever to the woman he loves, and the stakes are much higher. There is a darker take to Bespelled compared to Bewitched, and I really enjoyed it. We delve into dark magic, disappearing witches, and supernatural trafficking. It really added to the larger plotline and I am excited to see where it takes us in book 3. I think the author did a great job handling the supernatural trafficking, it was written very well.

In this book, Selene is having to adjust to life without losing her memories, and also trying to not fall in love with Memnon - although you can imagine how well that goes. She gets mixed up in some trouble, and our morally grey MC swoops in to support her and help however he can. It helps that his whole motto this book is 'grovel and worship her however much she lets me', because how can you resist that? His character arc as a whole was fantastic and I loved it.

That was my one thing in this book - how on earth did Selene resist him so much? I wanted her to accept him faster, but at the same time I understood where she was coming from. Also, the times she did give in like Samhein??? SPICE ALERT. So good!

Overall, I really enjoyed this book and cannot wait for the next one in the series. I liked that we took a darker turn and raised the stakes, and I hope we get to see more in book 3 - although I would love to see Selene and Memnon united as a couple and figuring something out together. Also, I am curious if Selene's parents will play a larger role?

I love Laura Thalassa's books, and Bewitched is no different!

The premise for Bewitched is so so interesting. Selene is a witch who has the unusual side effect of losing memories each time she loses her magic. She wants to attend this specific school, but has to prove herself extra hard to get accepted. In doing so, she awakens a sorcerer named Memnon and all hell breaks loose in her life.

I really enjoyed this story. Selene and Memnon are quite the pair, going at each other over and over. I love watching Selene work to figure out what his deal is, and try to live a normal life with her condition. I also enjoyed watching Memnon navigate life in the modern world and stumble here and there - it was endearing when he didn't understand something.

Don't get me wrong, he is ruthless and cruel and not really a good person, but he has a softer side he reserves for Selene when her guard is down.

It was so so delicious watching Selene resist Memnon but also want him as the same time. She wanted to get with Kane but it felt wrong. She didn't want Memnon, but she also desperately wanted him. I loved the push and pull!

I also loved Kane, and quite honestly he can bite me and I wouldn't mind one bit! While Kane and the rest of the shifters weren't the focus of the story, it really awakened my enjoyment of shifter possessiveness and I am quite obsessed with it. You know who else is possessive? Memnon and WHEW I love it so much.

Overall, I really enjoyed this book! The ending was a major cliffhangar and I am so glad I was able to start book 2 as an arc immediately after so I didn't have to agonizingly wait for it. I recommend!

Beta Read through!

It's like Clue but with Multiple Personality Disorder.

This book was.... interesting. I am glad I read it, but I am not sure if I would actively recommend it to others.

I think my main issue was that it went on too long for me personally. I felt like we could have done a heavy edit round and still not lot the essence of the story - in fact, I think we would have gained more from this. I kept getting confused and a little bored throughout the story. Not because the story was uninteresting, but because we had way too much detail, and I can only read the same scene so many times before it gets to be overkill. I think we could have experienced it with less detail each time and it would have kept my interest longer.

The other issue I have is that the women in the story are either described as meek, petite, and good to their men, OR they are super bad people. We did not get an intelligent neutral woman, and none of the hosts were women. I personally felt this took away from the story for me - and maybe this means I am not the right audience for the book.

Finally, I did not like the ending. Personal preference, but it wasn't for me.

NOW, there was plenty of things that were for me.

I liked the hosts and how he navigated the story with them - it was very interesting to see how your mind and physical state affect the outcome so much. I enjoyed the mystery aspect and felt that the plot was awesome. I liked the plague doctor as a character, and I enjoyed how the events unfolded.

Overall, it was a good book, it just went into too much unimportant detail for me, and I wish it ended differently.

I do have a few theories about the prison though - My favorite coming out of my book club discussion this past month. We thought it might represent purgatory - and now that they are 'out' they get to suffer through what comes next. We also considered it to be a simulation style prison, which was interesting!

Blood on the Tide is a great sequel to Hunt on Dark Waters, and quite honestly, I liked it way more than the first one! Lizzie is cruel and wicked and ruthless, and she really needed to be toned down by someone soft but mentally sharp and able to stand up to her. And Maeve is perfect for that role.

I really enjoyed the relationship building for Lizzie and Maeve - we got to see them develop individually and also together. I love a good reluctant dark and broody character who is pulled out of her shell via a give and take question-for-a-question banter with the soft fmc.

A sapphic romance is always refreshing and this one did not disappoint! And adding in an orgasmic vampire bite, pirates, selkies, and other mystical creatures? Super interesting.

I enjoyed their relationship progression a lot more than the one in the first book, with Evelyn and Bowen... Something about it felt more genuine and natural - it seemed like it was the perfect match and the progression was done really nicely. I was totally invested in them, and melted every time Maeve stood up to Lizzie and made her take down her walls... so good!

There were high stakes, murder, lust, love, personal growth, and so much more. I am interested in seeing what happens next, and will definitely go back and read Katee Roberts other series about the bloodline vampires to get a deeper level of understanding in Lizzie's background.

Overall, I enjoyed Blood on the Tide by Katee Robert, and can't wait to both read the next one and dive into the other connected series!

I enjoyed this book, but I enjoy a lot of Kate Robert's other books a lot more.

This one felt forced to me. I liked the story, but the push and pull, and enemies to lovers didn't really hold up very well. It was a halfhearted resistance, and I just was not super into the storyline. I liked both of the characters, and loved Lizzie, but idk, there was something about it that didn't immerse me. The spice was good, and I enjoyed the world it was set in, and already have read book 2 (which was great!). I think this book set us up nicely for the rest of the series for sure!