Ray
This was a fun clever thriller, but some parts i felt were plot holey.
I don't like how for a big part of the book the author tries to distract you by talking about her abusive relationship with her husband and basically throw you off from what's going on, but then when the twist drops, the husband is suddenly the sweetest guy and they're the sweetest couple. I mean, it worked because the entire time I was thinking it has something to do with the husband.
I was recommended this for the ‘unreliable narrator' trope, but it didn't have much of that in my opinion, and for a title of “Sometimes I Lie”, Amber doesn't really lie very much. Just know that if you are going into this with similar expectations as I did.
The narrative was just too straightforward and boring for my liking, the banter was again, not my personal brand and kept taking me out of the story.
It almost felt YA to me and it's just not the type of books i enjoy anymore.
And maybe this is because I haven't read the first book in this series but why are there SO DAMN MANY CHARACTERS? AND THEY ALL SOUND THE SAME?! I completely lost track of who was who within the first 50 pages and had to write it down to not get confused.
And the characters themselves were very one dimensional and lacked any depth at all.
The mystery in itself was pretty obvious, and I was not a fan of the writing style.
Also I have to mention i feel very read-baited by the cover. I was expecting something more gory and creepy but I should've looked into the story, but again I like to go in blind with my books and so I feel very disappointed about that too.
Some of these stories were way too short to even form an opinion on, but a few were good. Overall, the experience of this book was very fun because all the stories are formatted in a unique way.
“My body is your temple to worship and defile. Defile me, master”
I loved the D/s dynamic in this book, how eager and willing Giovanni was to be submissive. The writing was beautiful too, I feel so connected to the characters.
How much Valentin cares for Gio, and their dynamic develops from such deep love for each other.
I also loved the added touch of them having random conversations about mythology.
Such an underrated book.
This is probably the best extreme horror I've ever read.
It's absolutely vile, disgusting and HEINOUS, and when you think it can't get any worse, it will.
It gets so much worse.
I loved the character building, even the perpetrator characters. I feel like the author mocks them in the best way possible.
That ending was so satisfying. Very disturbing. So well done.
As with any extreme horror it's important to be aware of what you're getting yourself into. The book intends to shock and this one accomplishes it very successfully.
I'll definitely be checking out more from the author.
This was a fantastic read for me, and apart from a few plot holes, this was a perfect thriller for me.
This has a very strong theme of domestic abuse and motherhood, intertwined perfectly together, I loved it. Plus added the slight sci fi aspect with the genetics? It was fabulous.
I think the emotions of Mahi connecting with her baby was done so well, and i was attached to the characters too.
The pacing was also well done, and it kept me flipping page after page because I couldn't wait to find out what happened.
The plot twist wasn't my favourite, but it still did bring the story full circle, which gave me enough closure.
Overall, I loved the rollercoaster ride this put me on, and i thoroughly enjoyed every minute. Definitely gonna be reading more from this author.
Another fast paced age gap MM romance.
It was fun for a while, I guess. The tension between them in the beginning, and the fact that Elias is a dancer and a cam boy, it was fun to watch his character. And Zeke was a absolutely the brooding, grumpy dom daddy I was expecting, it was so good.
Towards the end, though, things just feel apart, in my opinion. I guess it is difficult to deal with a stepson-stepfather romance, because how on earth would you actually get away with a good ending with that, but still, i couldn't overlook how Zeke was such a massive asshole to Elias's mom, and she was so hurt, it made me so uncomfortable.
Also with Jordan's character, he was such a sweetheart. I do not know why but I think I liked the side characters more than the actual protagonists lol
Spice was okay. Nothing too crazy, but okay.
Overall this was an okay story, definitely lacked the extra oomph.
All of the books in this series have felt like a rollercoaster ride for me but this one was a whole other level.
I loved Ashtyn and Saint's characters, and even Haidyn and Kashton and I loved that all of our boys from the previous books made it for this one! The plot twists in this story were absolutely insane and had me at the edge of my seat. This seriously felt like a telenovela to me lol
I would've rated it higher if not for some plot holes I was bothered with.
Nonetheless I was 100% entertained and even though this is a CHUNKY book I got through it fairly quickly
Unpopular opinion tho - Sin is my favourite from the series!
Rayne Havok truly is the queen of EXTREME horror. I have no idea how she manages to get into the mindset of such characters to be able to write them.
Lots of trigger warnings tho, most of these stories are extremely dark, gort and violent.
I liked this, yet i would still recommend volume 2 if you're into reading such stuff.
This was a different vibe from this author's other books, and generally I'm not the biggest fan of sweet romances like this so it was not my cup of tea.
I will say I liked reading about Ezra's character, although I can't say much about the autism rep.
Needless to say this is absolutely gut wrenching extreme horror. There was a lot of Gore packed into such a tiny book.
Few things I didn't like are the fact that half the book was a buildup to understand our main character, so I was getting a little impatient. But that's okay I suppose.
Sometimes the horror and gore was unrealistically ridiculous. I couldn't understand how our protagonist was still alive after everything she'd gone through. So that made me roll my eyes a little.
Next the female pov was very weird in my opinion. She was saying the weirdest things for the situation.
And there were times that the she contradicted her own descriptions.
TW she calls his cock “tiny manhood” one page and “mammoth” in the next. I was very confused.
SPOILER FOR THE ENDING I cannot for the life of me fathom how she got pregnant. There are vivid descriptions of him absolutely ruining her uterus.
But the positives was that this book was unhinged and that is what I was looking for. If you have any triggers at all don't read this.
Also the artwork accompanying each chapter was really good. And the writing was really good too, with a lot of alliterations used, it made for a fun reading experience. Overall this held up on the promised shock value.
Why was this actually so fun
Don't mind these guys having the shortest refractory periods known to mankind and you'll be fine
Prepare yourself, this is gonna be long.
For a straight man to be writing a book about the female experience in itself is a huge undertaking.
And some parts of this book makes me wonder if he ever talked to a single woman. The audacity to assume you know everything about a woman and write a novel about it.
I couldn't make it through this book completely because of how enraged I was. So i present to you some quotes straight out of this book.
Even though the girls protested at the boys coming here, they secretly liked it. This is how we girls are. At times we want to be wanted, even when we deny it.
I grumbled about the entire process of dressing up, which only women have to endure
Some problems in the world seem to exist solely for women. Like not having anything to wear.
For the rare breed of girls like me that hates shopping and has serious retardation in the areas of the brain that help you pick a dress-
The only shopping I did in my life was for textbooks.
The way this book is written is that it is an absolute nightmare, but it's so realistic, set in a very realistic world, with very real life plots. It was incredibly slow paced in my opinion, but i enjoyed it. I was rooting for the characters, and i was feeling real frustration, which i think is great that a book can make you feel such complex emotions.
I never thought I would enjoy a memoir this much, i read this all completely in one sitting. Absolutely unputdownable.
Her voice is so powerful. She is so powerful for all that she's been through, and I'm so proud of her for how she deals with all the topics mentioned.
I cried at the last chapter. So good.
I just did not get into the writing style, I felt like it tried to be too theatrical with the extremely short chapters and a cliffhanger at the end of every chapter.
Sad, because the story did sound like something I would enjoy but I didn't.
Maybe it was also because there were too many characters for me.
2.5 stars.
Such an entertaining and hilarious read! Great for a slump breaker. Anya is so cute she stole my heart <3
Fascinating to see the inherent asian misogyny though
There were quite a few problematic things with this book, firstly the fact that Blaise and Cole were literally identical to me. They both had the same toxic immature energy that immediately turned me off to them. Secondly Allie and Mia could've been blow up sex dolls and it wouldn't have made a difference to the story, they were both so dimensionless and had nothing going on for them except being stupid and clingy and slutty.
Especially with the first half of this book, it seemed to me like the boys were more interested in fucking things up with the girls to see just how far they can take it, instead of building chemistry with each other.
Also it was super repetitive with the “Allie/Mia doesn't really do it for me anymore, I feel nothing for her” like ok I got you the 12th time you said it
I honestly wanted to dnf but I had to find out if it had the same cliche of a third act break up and then the asshole dad comes back and harms one of them which forces them to band together amd eventually end up together and not really resolve any issues and i was absolutely right.
I'll check out other books by these authors but this wasn't it for me.
The world of men required certain sacrifices of me and I had simply tired of making them. It was high time for men to sacrifice for me.
A horror book about feminine rage?? Sign me up!
This book was so much more than i expected it to be, especially given how short it is, it surely packs a punch.
The writing was smooth, the commentary was fantastic, the plot was insane and unpredictable.
I loved this!
Definitely suspend your rationale a little bit for this one, very inappropriately timed horniness involved
This is a short and sweet novella, and it was good for what it was doing. Obviously with the 100 page length i could barely connect with either of the characters but if you just want a short spicy read this is it
This was a cool concept, I liked the setting, the almost paranormal aspect of the mindreading, it was fun.
I just did not connect with the characters, though. This is probably my 6th Nyla K book, and it's definitely my least favourite.
I just could not get over the tiny little plot holes, just couldn't sit with the story properly. While the world itself was fun I don't think the world building was very strong. I can't see how this cult of people completely isolated from society are so self sufficient. How they have a construction team. How they keep getting away from police.
Also I hated how insta love it felt with Abdiel and Darian and Drake, which is crazy because it took them like 200 pages to start getting together but it still felt rushed and I didn't enjoy it.
Another thing that i dont particularly enjoy, and this may be a personal thing but I just don't like books with jealousy of each other within a poly couple.
Lastly, I had read the White Snake (which is the Grimm brothers' fairy tale this is a retelling of)as a child, and to be honest i really did not make the connections and interpret the story as much as I should have. It was only after reading the author's note at the end I began drawing my conclusions. That just doesn't sit right with me, though, that the author had to come out and explain to you the aspects of her interpretation when you should've picked it apart on your own.
Also the author recommends rereading for a better understanding but i don't think I will
Stavros and Daniel again, they make such a hot pair together. They were so horny for each other and I was HERE FOR IT.
This book mainly entails them hunting down their enemies, dismembering the bodies and then having sex all over the blood. Yeah. Pretty dark that way.
There wasn't as much tension in this, since they're already together, obviously.
Also the way my jaw DROPPED when I found out why the book is called Dig Your Grave. That was such a shocking scene when you think about it.
Lots of other characters from her other series do play into the plot and I missed those refrences since I haven't read any of her other series, so i wish I'd started from the beginning of her backlist. I still enjoyed these two though.