trice

I was so excited to see that R Cooper had a book set in the same universe as A Suitable Consort, but this novel wasn't as good. A large proportion of the book was devoted to mutual obliviousness of each others' feelings, and it wasn't until the end that the main characters actually got together, which made the beginning a bit boring. The world building could do some work as well, maybe more introductions to the different noble families. The climax felt like it occurred way too late and ended way too quickly.

The plot was generally okay and I did love the tender moments between Zelli and Tahlen. The fae part of the book was interesting and it gave insight to the fae's favor for Arden.

This book was honestly incredible. The writing was so metaphorical, compelling and vivid and hauntingly beautiful, it was what drew me in and made me continue reading. The romance was interesting - a vampire struggling to find meaning after living for thousands of years, and an artist, brilliant in his talent yet battling a sever mental illness. I almost gave a five star but bumped down a star because

- the instalove (and the lube-less sex)
- the killer was obvious from the start
- Grace's history with Seth could have been explored more to further amplify her importance to Seth
- the atmosphere switched from ‘dark and terrifying' to ‘sweet and romantic' very quickly in some scenes and it was rather jarring
- the MC's backstories were quite vague (and Seth's history was important to the development of his character especially but it wasn't mentioned much except to show how many years he lived more than other people)

also personally I wanted an epilogue because I wanted to see how the dynamics changed in Seth's household (since after Bruce falsely accused Seth of murder and Seth nearly killed him and Fransisco), how they are helping Blondie (because Drew and Blondie's relationship was my favorite in the novel) and Drew's progress with his mental illness.

I've read some really well-written slavefics recently so I wanted to give this a try. But the novel didn't really hit the mark. The characters themselves didn't have much depth to them, so it was hard to see why they liked each other since the chemistry wasn't great either. Besides, Hunter's change from hate to love was really sudden; Michael hadn't done anything special or memorable in particular except from stopping his escape attempt which Hunter shouldn't be happy about to make Hunter like him more imo. So the whole romance part fell flat for me.

Also, after finishing Sold I still have no clue about Michael or Hunter's family and friends except for some vague bits. Side characters could have been included for fresher content, instead of just having Michael and Hunter snipe and hold hands the whole book.

My last peeve is that Michael, at the latter part of the book, was reflecting on his reasons for wanting a slave, and he seemed to be doubting if his choice was right. But he never acted upon these thoughts and the matter was dropped entirely. The author probably wanted to show that Michael still had some morality there, but unfortunately it wasn't wrapped up well.

I received a copy of this book from Gay Romance Reviews, and this is my honest review.

a great ending for the slave breakers verse

I was really excited when I got my hands on a copy, since I'd just finished reading Lords of Discord earlier this year and absolutely loved it. I will definitely read Princes of Mayhem as Sky featured quite a lot in this book and I've probably already exposed myself to a fair number of spoilers.

Each character had a unique personality (it was startling when Moon started flirting so boldly with Chen when they first met), so while character development was not the greatest, the MC's personality were by no means flat or one-dimensional. It was also fun to see the Variks again.

The plot was a perfect blend of action and romance, but also sets the stage for the series' main plot about the fae. However, I don't think the ‘underworld' scene was particularly neccessary for the plot. The romance was okay. I didn't feel major chemistry between the MC's. Also the romance developed relatively quickly - around a week or so if I'm correct (but the book does span over a few months). But Chen and Moon's relationship is really sweet and Chen's protective side was chef's kiss.

And as a Chinese (Hong Kong!) person, my favourite MC is obviously Chen. I loved the little tidbits of Chinese/Cantonese culture; it was obvious the author did put heart into researching Chinese history and traditions, which I really appreciate. Although I would say Moon calling Chen ‘gege' felt weird since the word is best suited and used most often for family, and people rarely call their lovers ‘gege' anymore (‘Chen-ge' is probably a better term of endearment). Just personal preference, though.

An amazing installment! Lots of fluff, Zander spoils Max wayyy too much, and unexpectedly quite a lot of action too. I do want more on Dante and Jin and their mates.

3.5 stars rounded up.

I've read a fair share of shifter books, and this has one of the most unique take on shifters I've seen. But I'm giving three stars because although this book has an unusual shifter system, I feel like there wasn't enough explanation about what exactly is special about zodiac shifters. Given that the series is centered about zodiac shifters, there should be more detail about their history and purpose aside from having special blood and fated mates.

Plot-wise the book was pretty well-done. Going in the first part was a bit boring but it picks up speed halfway through, and has lots of action and romantic tension. Plus the book definitely deals with the darker sides of things. I was definitely not enthusiastic reading about Levy with someone outside the main couple though, even if Eliot (grudgingly)agreed to Jun doing it.

4.5 stars

This was much, much better than book 1. There was action(so much!), romance, and some fluffy moments despite the darker premise. I read till 60% in one sitting before reluctantly putting it down. I definitely expected the romance to be between Jun and Jarek but it seems like it's going in a spoke-and-wheel direction, which is going to be interesting, and I'm so here for it. More info on zodiac shifters were added in this book, which I appreciate. Plus characters are more developed in this book imo. Bonus points that we get to look more closely at Jun's cunning mind.

Although there was some things that kind of didn't really add up, like so many zodiac shifters being in Jun's class despite them being so rare and Avro as a myth-like, strong warlock being so easily defeated. Also I didn't really understand why Jun didn't feel a mate pull towards Gavin since I thought mate pulls were almost irresistible. Nontheless, they were minor enough that it didn't really affect the flow of the story.

I definitely look forward to the next installment of the series, and to see how Jun and Levy and the others' relationships evolve!!

4.5 stars

okay this is the first Emmy Sanders book I've read(unconventional place to start, yes). i don't know much about demisexuality so i can't really judge on that accuracy of the representation but, overall this turned out to be a really sweet romance. pretty steamy. bonus points for the hilarious moments - the snake scene was one of the most memorable scenes i've ever read.

lots of character growth, the characters were in no way underdeveloped and were super loveable(brad, i'm looking at you). it was nice to see cas forging his own path and shedding his previous insecurities- and so glad the author went with the supportive family route with both mc's.

the only thing i'm even mildly disappointed about is that jason kept procrastinating telling cas about the disease and brad kinda ended up forced jason into spilling the beans, like, jason please communication is key.

My first Lee Blair book. It is definitely part of a universe, and generally the book is wholesome, really low-angst. Aside from Arlo's dare to admit his identity to his dad's family, there's also a side plot on Lucas's struggles about being on stage. For the romance, there's hurt/comfort, and Arlo and Lucas's relationship is sweet and honestly quite communicative. The romance doesn't happen too fast either, it progresses in a fairly steady and realistic pace. The supportive family members, queer-friendly townspeople and the celebratory, Christmassy setting make for an overall comforting and cheery setting. The book isn't super steamy too.

But many parts of the book was composed of mundane daily back-and-forths, and ngl I got slightly bored and skimmed through some of the latter half of the book. A few scenes like dates(since Arlo and Lucas had like 3-4 dates in detail in the book) can really just be cut down in number.

I might check out the other books in the universe, idrk.

My thanks to GRR and the author for providing an ARC.

Really sweet and wholesome. Gay guy + pan deaf pudding chef meet at a cat cafe. It's very fluffy(both cats and relationship wise). The awkwardness when Zu finds out Kiitan is deaf is so real.

The sex scene felt a bit out of place because the vibe of the story is supposed to be an endearing meetcute and sex is definitely more of an intense, passionate thing. It was also kind of insta-love and insta-lust but it's a short story, how else would you fit in the romance?

Bonus points for the disability rep!

i've read some of this author's books before but not the 2 series that this collection is connected to. this collection is pretty much a standalone though; it was enjoyable all the same. the stories were all really fluffy and wholesome and not as dark and gritty as the author's other books. the characters are pretty developed and have soo much chemistry with their LI's. my favorite story is probably Angels in the City because Sacha's humor and initial emotional distance from Jonah makes for such a wonderful slow-burn(ish) romance.

although i really wouldn't describe this collection as a short story collection because the stories' length can almost rival a full-length novel (Angels in the City alone is like 250 pages).

less magical realism than the first book, plus the plot is far more thrilling. the biological warfare present here is not often seen in novels, and it's been an interesting topic to read about. we see lots of characters from EO and Ascendent return; relationships form and break and strengthen under this new pressure. the ending is pretty open, but i don't see another spinoff (and i don't think there'll be one since this book came out in 2019 and the author has published loads of books since), which is kind of sad. this is honestly one of the few books i wish had more pages...

good prose good plot good characters though. i probably won't reread because this whole universe is very emotional and intense...but i'll check out the author's other books.

amazingly well written for a debut. the concept of having powers is not uncommon in books, but characters being able to control blood is very rare and so intriguing. dante & leone definitely use their power well, and have the personalities to go with it. i certainly did not expect leone to have as ruthless a streak as dante - both of them are so wonderfully morally grey.

romance is not the main focus though; action is. the plot is genuinely, unexpectedly, fantastic. i really honestly expected to face a shallow storyline with a quick happy ending, but nope! instead, there are twists & turns at every corner, secrets unearthed(did barbara romantically like bruno?? i'm just so curious for some reason), and heaps of thrilling shootings and explosions. bonus points for some surprising character developments (i root for sofia).

although i (grudgingly) gave 4 stars because, well, while there was a lot of utilization of the characters' powers/bloodcurses, the worldbuilding was lacking. the background of bloodcursed is unknown, and stuff like origins and regulations of bloodcursed, the types(or even power levels) of bloodcursed, and the government stance on bloodcursed were not really explained in depth(or at all).

the ending was interesting, it's definitely an HFN/open ending, and even though the arc sign up mentioned this book is a standalone, i certainly would not mind a sequel, or heck, an entire series :))

this was a pretty good book. i have Reforged deep in my tbr and it seems like i should have read that first because although the religions and the cultures of this world was very well built, super interesting and seamlessly embedded into the narrative, i felt like the magic system(the gedroks and the arcane etc) was not as detailed. i assume that's because Reforged has already established the magic system? so i'll likely be reading it next. the characters were developed and personalities distinct - i particularly love the contrast between Radek's flirty and bold character vs Izra's conservative nature haha.

plot-wise, it was a pretty standard resisting-the-villain type storyline, and pretty slow-paced. i think even at 40% they were just traveling and sending messages. the romance, though, is very sudden - they jump from practically strangers to lovers real quick after the binding ceremony. starting from halfway stuff gets fun and the pace speeds up. as a side note i love how unique a role Radek's playing cards(which have similar characteristics to tarot cards) have in the plot and the arcane.

overall Reborn is an engaging novel with immersive storytelling - i'll definitely look out for the author's other releases!

disclaimer: i received an advance review copy for free, and i'm leaving this review voluntarily.

debating if it should be 2.5 or 3 stars.

the first thing i thought when i started this: wattpad vibes (the ones that feel like its written by a 15 yo)

the reason i thought this was because, well, the traumatized but unique and overpowered MC, the dialogue that sounds like it fits a middle/high-schooler's persona more (“dweeb”), the constant biting of lips etc.

the characters were okay, kind of bland(plus Micah and Zeke have so much trauma but it's so easily brushed off). the romance wasn't really that slow paced, it honestly started earlier than halfway through(for Micah/Zeke/Hyde). the action portion of the plot was okay as well, it's nothing too surprising and didn't take up a lot of the chapters since the romance was the main focus. also, do the LI's have to get a hard-on every time they see Micah?

the ending destroyed me emotionally
left me numb for a week
why am i rereading this?

i'll watch kimcom smile and grieve and fight and i'll watch kdj die over and over again until they reach ??????

this was a rideee

there's so much action and double the romantic tension in book 1. general madigan and his spies are everywhere while jack, ethan & sergey's allies are steadily losing ground, in the midst of public disfavor.

there are explosions and shootings and chaos almost every chapter of the book - i read for stress relief and this decidedly does not make me less tense. i binged the book and that cliffhanger-

sigh. on to the third book i go!

honestly i was so mad at jack at first after leslie resurfaced but he definitely wanted to stay with her not because of love but more of loyalty to his marriage vows and guilt soooo jack was likely going to make amends and choose ethan

but not gonna lie the writing was slightly questionable solely because of one sentence:
“feel the slick, hot slide of someone's eyeballs against his skin”
what - no one's gaze is going to feel so physically slimy like that

Generally pretty well-done. Cute romance, lovable main characters(and pixies!), cheekily supportive side characters. The romance happens quite slowly, and the bad guys appear pretty far along the book as well. The fantasy aspect is interesting with the living languages - would love to learn more honestly :D The book had a fairytale-like vibe reminiscent of Megan Derr's romances.

I don't think Tlory and Macati's romance was developed enough(they barely acted amiably toward each other until the end), and neither was the storyline with the Sullivans wrapped up properly(Guylian goes away for a week and the persistent Sullivans are mysteriously gone).

Overall a sweet charming, (small town?)romance though.

An okay installation. I haven't picked up a Rick Riordan book for at least a year now and was looking forward to this book. It was definitely more emotionally deep than I expected, with a more detailed look into Nico's past scars, with some mentions of the struggle with coming out as well. There was also much more relationship-related stuff than Percy Jackson novels.

The book was able to juggle both the quest with the heavier topic of facing your inner demons. Will and Nico are one of my favorite couples, and I'm glad to see their characters develop throughout the book. And yes they fought, but talked it out later (communication for the win!!). I was surprised to see the villain was Nyx, since she was ancient, powerful, and one book was definitely not enough to defeat her but I was wrong and she was dealt with nicely. I also really liked the inclusion of Will and Nico's little ‘stories' about their relationship. The struggle between Will and Nico and trying to accept each other's different judgments on the Underworld was real. Persephone, though, unexpected savior??
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But some issues held me back. First, Will. I didn't like that Will's POV suddenly popped up in chapter 10. As the book went on, Will's POV kept popping up randomly. It was really abrupt and hard to adjust, especially if the last couple chapters were all Nico. Also, I feel like Nico's portion took over most of the time. Will didn't really get to shine as much. Persephone said Will should share his darkness. That never happened or was elaborated on. Will felt alone sometimes too. What? When? Why? Answered only briefly and in one sentence.

Second, the pacing. The plot dragged on for the first half because they were all dominated by dreams and flashbacks, so the quest barely made any progress, then really accelerated in the second half. Plus the switches between the present and the dreams were a bit messy and confusing.

Third, the writing style. Maybe it's just me because this is YA and I've basically been consuming adult fiction for the past months, and now I'm older than when I first came upon Percy Jackson, I feel that the dialogue did get cringey at times. Naming the cacodemons 'Cocoa Puffs' ? Really? And the babyish nicknames... Imo it was too childish. I believe that Nico, who's about 14-15, and Will, who's a year older, would use more grown-up vocabulary. Especially since they've been through multiple battles and should have a more mature mentality. And honestly the fighting just felt...anti-climactic. Maybe because it was co-authored? I haven't read a Mark Oshiro ever before, so the writing may be understandably strange. It didn't help that a lot of the plot entailed of trudging back and forth and sleeping.

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Another thing: this book is best for people who've read the all prior series (Percy Jackson, Heroes of Olympus, Trials of Apollo). There were a lot of mentions and appearances of other characters from those said series that new readers would definitely not know about. I didn't read the last 2 books in ToA, so there were characters and events referenced that I didn't get.

I know that many people loved this book, but it didn't hit the spot for me, so 3.5 stars it is.

can goddesses even get hay fever?

i- this was genuinely so stressful to read
but it was so thrilling
and emotional
and hopeful
and glorious in the masterful plot execution
and made me swear a lot
so...5 stars it is.

4.5

4.5 stars!

It's been a few months since I've read a BrandoSando and this book is definitely a great way to reconnect with the cosmere. Lots of cosmere info here, I'm sooo curious about what the SA and MB characters are up to now. There's unexpected stuff about Threnody too. Fingers crossed that the Night Brigade is going to be dealt with sometime in the future to give Nomad some peace.

3.5 stars

Didn't love this as much as Prince and Assassin.

The worldbuilding and magic system could have been better. And you're telling me that Arthur left his order of seven years for a man he met some weeks ago...plus the showdown with Izen felt quite anticlimactic. I wasn't sure what Izen's death meant - I thought that meant Shae's magic would disappear but it seems that's not the case, so that could also be explained in more detail. More important side characters would have been appreciated, but that's just personal preference. The chemistry between the MCs wasn't very apparent imo.

The book was okay, the plot and romance feels kind of bland. Although I usually love Tavia Lark's novels, this just didn't hit the spot for me I suppose.

2.5

It's incredibly maddening because the setting had promise - dragons and angels and reincarnation. But the execution was done poorly. Shallow characters, a rather unexciting plot, a shoddy romance and incomplete world building. We have our main characters, Trystan and Asagoroth, who basically spent three quarters of the book working out their (underdeveloped) romance and one quarter of anticlimactic showdowns. Everyone except for the main characters and Annalise(Trystan's sister) was portrayed as one-dimensional villains. And even the three characters mentioned above didn't have any character development either. It seemed odd that all opposition to Trystan and Asagoroth's relationship was automatically shut down simply because of the death of Trystan's father.

The extremely strong power of Asagoroth felt really convenient (as convenient as the sudden discovery of how angels and demons all have a complementary mate to make Trystan and Asagoroth's relationship seem more normal/progressive) as Asagoroth could simply appear and he would defeat any enemy(boring). Not to mention the normal demons were barely mentioned until the very end for the mate thing which made it feel like the existence of demons was just a tool to complete the ending. Finally, the idea of “unchosen” people of the angel world was half-baked. Trystan was originally an “unchosen” and a lot of his thoughts was about how he felt like he didn't belong, but once Asagoroth came along the “unchosen” were all forgotten. If the theme of outcasts was meant to be depicted in the book it wasn't done well.

Also, how random was the dream of meeting with Roland?? I get the reincarnation thing but the dream just felt cringey.