Cameron

I don't know what I just read... that was the weirdest roller coaster. Not in a good way either. Definitely isn't horror. And that ending? Huh?

2 stars for the vibes and writing style.

This book was so beautiful. The final chapters had me ugly crying and my heart hurting. I did feel that the epilogue felt out of place. I understand where the author was trying to go with it, but I felt like the book could have been perfect without it. Either way this book was beautiful and I loved seeing how much Rune and Poppy truly loved one another over the course of their lives.

This is my first read of Kings and I have to say, I understand the appeal. He has a unique writing style and particular attention to detail. However, this was so repetitive that it took me over a month to finish. Every day was the same thing. I was so close to DNFing but pushed through. I'm glad I did and will definitely pick up other Stephen King books, but it felt like some action was missing. Overall a decent read.

Cassandra lives an unfulfilling life. She works a boring job, is haunted by her past insecurities, and is constantly taken advantage of by her terribly horrendous friends. One night after her friends ditch her at a club, Cassandra is attacked. Along comes Raven to swoop her up and unalive the men who harmed her.

After his superhero moment, Raven takes Cassandra back to his place where he promises to never leave her wanting for anything again. Essentially a paranormal sugar daddy. He lets her quit her job and live the life she was always searching for.

I was drawn to this novella based on the summary and it definitely gave what it was intending. I just think a few things hindered my rating of this story. The first was the need to suspend all beliefs. I am fully aware this is a paranormal story and that is the point, but I was thrown off by the fact that Cassandra wasn't at all shocked he was a monster or that monsters exist. She just jumped on that like it was nothing.

Second, the tone of voice for both characters were so similar that it made it hard to differentiate their personalities. It unfortunately took away from the story. Since Raven starts off as this murderous creature, it's hard to believe he immediately shifted his personality to be a golden retriever stereotype in seconds because of a woman. I think if he still had a bit of an edge to him, the tone shifts would be easier to notice and strengthen their character development.

All things considered, this is a good, quick novella that I would recommend if you enjoy paranormal romance with a “touch her and you d*e” MMC who is sweet despite his physical attributes. It's short, sweet, and to the point. Be aware there are possibly triggering moments of planned SA and drugging so be cautious when picking this up <3

I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

What lengths would you go to in order to fight for the ones you love?

After finishing her degree, Mara returns to her hometown where she quickly scores a job at The Facility. The Facility is the center of town gossip since no one knows what is beyond those secure gates except the employees that are sworn to silence. Mara is tasked with observing test subject X-13, The Nightmare. The more time she spends with him in her dreams, the more she realizes he is more intelligent than the directors lead her to believe.

I absolutely loved this story. I am a self proclaimed paranormal reading expert, but have never read a story about The Nightmare. The author clearly took their time to create a fleshed out monster based off mythology that isn't widely shown in books (at least none that I have read). The FMC, Mara, has such open, strong emotions toward The Nightmare that it immediately makes the reader empathize with his character. By the end my heart was pounding waiting to see the outcome of this story.

The only problem I had that hindered my experience was the abrupt scene changes. There occasionally weren't any markers between scenes which took me out of the story and made it hard to read. For example, one sentence is at her work and the next is her in bed. It was jarring and was what took me so long to finish the story despite liking it so much.

However, the plot, characters, development, and setting all shine in this story and create a beautiful tale with a strong message. This is a book that I know I will be thinking of constantly because of the moral questions it posed throughout. I highly recommend this book if you like paranormal romance with a strong FMC who will do whatever it takes to get what she wants. I'm looking forward to continuing the series as more books are released!

I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

If the world was coming to an end, what horrors would you face to survive?

Quinton has spent the last 30ish years alone in his cabin while a zombie apocalypse took over the world. As an HIV positive gay man, he will go to any lengths to find the medication he needs to survive. When he crosses paths with Billy, another HIV positive gay man, they team up for the adventure of a lifetime.

The story itself was filled with an eerie setting, great horror, cute banter, and shocking twists. I truly could not put it down. I loved the interesting take on the zombies while also using the situation as a vessel to share such an important message.

I only had some slight issues with which characters were speaking at times and some actions seemed to happen too quickly. If certain scenes were drawn out just a bit longer, it would help solidify the imagery. This definitely read as a debut novella, but it was still hard-hitting, fast-paced, and well written. It in no way hindered my overall experience with this story. I HIGHLY recommend you read this. I will now pick up anything Warren Wagner creates.

This novella was absolutely amazing. You can tell the author put so much heart and soul into writing this story. This book truly speaks to the horrors people have faced within the gay community. This definitely tugged at my heart strings. My heart absolutely breaks for those who have lost their lives. This is one of those stories that I know will stick with me for a long time.

I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

This is one of the worst books I've read. Not in the good way when talking about horror either.

The situation itself was naturally horrifying. However, even the gore wasn't well done. I was rolling my eyes constantly and was debating DNFing for the fact that this book is full of messy writing, one dimensional plot points, and a boring ending.

With every book I read, I typically take notes on my phone so I don't forget things when I go to write my reviews. For the first time ever, I'm sharing my unedited notes so you can feel the amount of annoyance I had for this juvenile writing.

Notes:
-Lauren's character traits contradict each other. She was raised not to curse but did in the first chapter when talking about her daughters future? Saw her husband was into kinks but wanted to be a cougar with a younger man? She couldn't watch action movies bc blood made her faint yet that's all she would watch with her daughter? She doesn't shame other women but she did it when she was young so that makes it okay?

-Periods don't work like that but okay

I have no words for this book. It was better than ACOTAR, and watching the friendships/relationships grow throughout the book was amazing. The plot was easy to follow and all came together in the end, full circle. Can't wait to start the next book in the series. Also Chapters 54-55 tho... 10/10.

I don't think I've ever highlighted a book more than this one.

Tabitha decides to move to the middle of nowhere to meet her demise. She is at her wits end when a Sasquatch comes into her life and changes everything. Now she must make impossibly hard decisions to save her child.

Okay I know what you're thinking. “Wtf” is right. This story was totally unhinged. However, this was one of the funniest books I've read. Something about the writing style and the main characters personality really struck a chord with me. I could not put this book down. The ending even had me feeling such sympathy for Tabitha and all she has gone through.

Despite my absolute love for the main character, the only issue I had was from the 60% mark onward it felt like a completely different book. The writing changed (obviously to reflect Tabitha's life changes) but it did not flow as well as I would have hoped. Nevertheless, I still extremely enjoyed the banter and will definitely be picking up more of Bethany Browning's work because this was such a fun time. I highly recommend picking this one up if you want a quick read. There's no spice, just a hilarious main character, and some gore if you can stomach it.

I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

A children's summer camp is the last place you'd expect to find love.

After Hudson's life turns upside down thanks to a manipulative ex, this former influencer needs to go off the grid. What better place than a sleepaway camp in the middle of nowhere Michigan? There, she meets the camp director and full-time grump, Lucas, who is unhappy with his life. When Hudson upends his world, they realize their true place in this world may be right in front of them.

This was such a fun read! Hudson was giving Major Alexis from Schitt's Creek vibes. She started extremely annoying, but she mellowed out as the book progressed. The author did an amazing job with Hudson's character development. Despite not liking her at first, I quickly began to empathize with her situation. Obviously, Lucas was the perfect opposite of her, but not in a degrading way. He was unhappy with the course of his life yet did not let that get in the way of his interactions with Hudson. It was the perfect match.

This is a “romance” with no spice and not a lot of actual romance. I wish we got more behind the scenes of their relationship where we can see their feelings blossom. It was definitely more of a subplot. It was filled with loveable characters and many adventures. If you're looking for a fun summer read with a social butterfly heroine and a grumpy cinnamon roll hero, this book is for you.

Huge thanks to BookSirens and the author for a free ebook copy in exchange for my honest review! I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

 Good writing. Insufferable characters.
 
The Long Game by Elena Armas is a romance following Adalyn, a woman who knows what she wants and sticks to her routines, and Cameron, a former soccer goalie who weirdly attracts animals. They have to work together on a children's soccer league, where their feelings for one another begin to grow.
 
The premise being a sports romance is something I typically enjoy reading, but I had quite a few issues with the characters of the book. This story was 95% her falling over and him catching her. It was ridiculous. This is supposed to be a strong-willed woman that's a hard worker with a serious personality, yet she couldn't stand upright for longer than two seconds.
 
Now Cameron is even worse. He does the bare minimum and is praised for it. She constantly asks him not to call her pet names, yet he ignores her. It's infuriating seeing these actions getting romanticized. If I took a shot every time he called her “darling” I would have died by the 50% mark. Also, everything they do is sexual. I don't mind spice in my books, but these scenes were just plain awkward.
 
The only redeeming characters were the kids. They were hilarious, witty, and a breath of fresh air after constantly reading about the main characters weird romance.
 
Despite everything, the writing was good. Elena Armas is a best-selling author for a reason. Even though her characters don't do it for me, I have to acknowledge she is a decent writer.
 
Overall, I wouldn't recommend this book to be your first introduction to Armas' books. If you've read her others, maybe give this one a shot. However, if you plan to start with this one, don't.