RobV
Would've preferred less smut and more plot. The whole thing fell kind of flat for me. But still an enjoyable read overall.
I love reading m/m romance set in rural America (even though I'm European and far removed from it) and this is one of the best I've encountered so far. The prose was breathtaking at times, truly gorgeous. The author does such a wonderful job connecting you to the characters and making you empathize with them. The focus is very much on making this town and its people come alive on paper. This atmosphere adds so much suspense and anticipation despite the story being relatively bland at its core. I also loved the way Travis's deceased wife Shannon was remembered throughout the story, her presumed presence often adding a beautiful spiritual aspect despite none of the main characters being religious. It's something I really connected to as an agnostic person.
The pacing was very good, though I agree with some reviewers that the immediate time skip after they decide to give their relationship a go threw me off. I thought the explicit sex scenes were rightfully omitted, but those weeks definitely deserved another chapter. I also wanted to see more of Wesley becoming part of Travis's family rather than being told that it happened. There are enough bits here and there, but it was probably my favorite part of the story.
And while everyone felt very real, the John Wallace character was a bit of a caricature. The chapter from his PoV did not help in that regard. Actually, most of the villainous characters deserved a bit more depth.
All in all, the few nitpicks I had weren't enough to keep this from being a five star read. I look forward to reading more of this author's work.
I've now read this book three times and I seem to love it more every time. Yes, essentially it's about a man and a dog falling in love and having sex. Roman has only been human for two years. But somehow, it works? The magic in the story and the way it is written make it so easy to consider Roman a grown man. And the whole thing is just so, so emotional. Whenever I get to the first flashback (from Roman's dog years) I already start choking up. And so it continues through the story. I'm not kidding. Near the end I usually have tears running down my face.
I don't cry that easily. I'm not even a dog person. So yeah, I don't know what it is about this book. But it's truly special. The others in the series don't compare.
Enjoyed reading this one despite the heavy subject matter. I actually thought it would be more emotional, but the “whodunnit” mystery made it less realistic and turned it into a typical crime novel. Characters like Brian's dad and even Landon himself could've had more depth/nuance to make the story more interesting. No one in the story felt like a real person, they were more like TV characters. Still a good book though and I approve of its message.
Really enjoyed the first half of the story. The characters are incredibly charming and the attraction feels genuine and realistic. It is a slow burn to when they finally get together and I was looking forward to them tackling the mountain of problems that their relationship would face, both having a fairly traumatic past that still affects them in the present, the fact they both teach/coach at the same high school, how and where they would build a life together, etc.
Unfortunately once they do finally get together, the narrative focuses more on the sex than anything else. Months fly by in an instant and you are left filling in the blanks. So much of the depth introduced in the beginning is never addressed again, or addressed insufficiently. It felt like the authors were in a rush to finish the story. All in all it is an enjoyable read, but it had way more potential.
The synopsis sounded too crazy to be true and I did end up suspending my disbelief a little. But it's so well written and such an intriguing story that I couldn't put it down. I'm kind of puzzled that I was able to sympathize with a Nazi so easily, and even wish him a happy ending. Despite killing multiple people in this book alone. Enjoyable and thought-provoking read.
Four stars for the first half, two stars for the second half. Not a very satisfying read, the story was just too silly. But cute enough to be enjoyable.
I adored the first book in the series, and was eager to see Rick, Max and the kids build a life together and to see more of this crazy, wondrous universe. Unfortunately, this second book fell a little flat. There wasn't much of a story this time. Rather than diving deeper into this incredible alien society, I feel like more time was spent explaining humanity to aliens. It got a little boring. The setup for the next installment is quite promising, though.
I suppose this was mildly entertaining. The main character Mackenzie is like a moody, bratty, annoying child. And somehow this is an ex-cop turned PI, well into adulthood. The first chapters alone had me scratching my head. The “romance” was far from satisfying. The whole thing reads like a weird fantasy, a surreal comedy.
Definitely the weakest one in the series. The first half was hard to get through. The mystery started off boring, the usual humor was lacking, Tom and Phil seemed kinda off, the fun side characters were nowhere to be found, nor was there meaningful development of their relationship. Fortunately it picked up in the second half, but not enough to match the quality of the earlier books. The ending was great though. I hope this concludes their story, best to go out on a sort-of high.
Another poorly conceived mystery with numerous plot holes and wildly unrealistic characters. Darren and Andreas make it bearable by being such an adorable couple, but their relationship isn't given much time to grow outside of the context of the boring case. I'm gonna have to say goodbye to these two.
This isn't much of a romance. I didn't feel much of a connection between the main characters other than the insta-lust and both having to deal with being a closeted athlete in the MLB. They're either having sex or agonizing about hiding their “relationship”. I have no idea what kept Iggy so attached to Matt, especially when the sex was taken out of the equation. Still, it was a quick and easy read and I was reasonably entertained.
Loved the first half or so. Great characters, good pacing, nice slow burn romance. But then it fell apart when Jed ended up in the hospital for the rest of the book. Everything halted and the whole thing became unbearably dull. It's a shame, there was so much potential.
The most bizarre “sports” romance I've read in a while. The story begins when the guys have already been living like a married couple (without the sex) for years. Their whole arrangement and the reasons they haven't acted on their feelings defy all logic and reason. We spend the entire book waiting for them to grab what's right in front of them. Sadly, the necessary confrontations to make it happen are either glossed over or never happen at all. When they're finally forced to face the situation, there's a six month jump to the epilogue. What?! Despite rolling my eyes every chapter, I wanted more. Because no matter the flaws of the story, the two guys are freaking adorable.
Really enjoyed this one, though I was hoping for more of an emotional impact. Adam going to jail didn't allow him and Dan to forge the connection that we later have to assume was there. I also didn't feel much between Dan and Sullivan, just not enough time on page together. It's a great story but overall it fell a little flat.
Awesome way to wrap up the series, I was thoroughly entertained. But I do have some mixed feelings. The chaos took on epic proportions in this book, so much so that it was no longer realistic or believable in any way. It took away from the serious, compelling and detailed work that went into developing the psyches of the lead characters and main villain. The mystery was also a little disappointing, as the identity of said villain was already quite clear to me four books ago. Perhaps more could have been done to not give them away, or to make some of the other suspects more viable.
All in all this was a fantastic series, aside from the third book which for me was a little too miserable. I look forward to reading this author's next work.
For me this one was a return to form for the series, after the miserable third book. The kidnapping ring was way more interesting than the gang wars and the mystery felt a lot more personal and emotional. Levi and Dominic's relationship wasn't much healthier, but there was a thread of love and hope that was sorely missing in the last installment. The weakest part of the story was when Stanton got dragged into it. The aftermath was so strange too. I don't get that guy. 4.5 stars rounded up.
Didn't enjoy this one as much as the previous books. It was all so miserable and frustrating, and the main story wasn't very interesting or entertaining. Hope it gets better from here.
Really enjoyed this one. The focus is very much on the two main characters and their slowly progressing relationship. There's not much plot, it basically writes itself after the first chapter. Not much drama either. Highly recommended if you're just looking for a simple heart-warming romance with shifter/magic elements.
Very sweet. Wish there was more of them building a life together. That would've been even more captivating than just them getting together.
Enjoyable read but not much to rave about. I wasn't feeling the insta-love, especially Jory's feelings for Mal. But the eagerness to learn more about Dev's family made it hard to put down. Looking forward to Bran's story next.
There was a lot to like about this, Morris and Theo are a great couple. But I felt it was very lacking in terms of plot. A lot of time was spent on Morris's friends, but their lives were kind of boring and ultimately inconsequential to the main story. Morris and Theo needed more scenes together. The main conflict being their inability to make time for each other made for a frustrating read. Everything went so fast when they finally committed.
About 3.5 stars for me, rounding down because of how long it took me to finish. I enjoy the author's style, will try more of her work.