Thursday, September 29, 2022

Keep (Romanian Mob Chronicles, #1) by Kaye Blue Review



This review contains spoilers for Keep by Kaye Blue. Trigger warnings include mentions of abuse, violence, and murder.

We are thrown right into the plot with Vasile and Fawn seeing each other for the first time in a less than desired situation. David, Fawn's not-so-nice boyfriend -- if you could even call him that -- is basically pawning her off to Valise to use as he pleases. And then basically three pages later Vasile has all but kidnapped Fawn and taken her for himself, away from David and the nightmares she has been enduring under his roof.

Honestly, Vasile and Fawn's relationship moved so fast that I blinked and they were getting it on before my very eyes, There was minimal build up to this, especially since they had only interacted with each other maybe three times before they were in each other's personal space. I do have to say that the smut is pretty decent and well done, and you can tell that both characters are holding back emotionally, for their own reasons.

Natasha and Fawn's friendship is sweet and something that Fawn definitely needed after dealing with David for however long she was subject to his terror. David is always popping up in the most inconvenient places, basically torturing Fawn with his presence. Esther's attitude and snark was something greatly appreciated -- she was a character that was needed to balance out the short sentences and cold glares that Valise and the other clan members adorned throughout the book.

David is an absolute psychopath and will not leave Fawn alone. When he killed Oleg and nearly killed Fawn when Vasile was out of the house, I was shocked. First, because even without going into heavy detail, you could understand the pain and horror that Fawn had gone through, and second, because I was confused on how David, on his own, was able to get into their house that should have been guarded.

I am not the world's biggest fan of the pregnancy trope, but it felt as though it was barely there because of the multiple time jumps and only mild mention of Maria after she was born. Especially with her being in the NICU for basically the rest of the book, Maria was used for as a reminder of what Fawn had been through rather than what Fawn and Vasile created together.

In regards to the "politics" that Vasile has to deal with, I was left confused for some of it -- I could not tell what they were talking about in some scenarios, whether that be a plot choice to have characters speak vaguely about their work, or if it was an oversight to just keep the plot moving instead of expanding on it.

If you are looking for a quick mafia romance with a dash of dark themes, Keep will keep you entertained in between reads.


You can add Keep and the rest of the Romanian Mob Chronicles series on Goodreads now, and follow the author to stay up to say on publications and releases.


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Tuesday, September 27, 2022

Finding Perfect (Hopeless, #2.6) by Colleen Hoover Review


This review does not contain spoilers for Finding Cinderella. This novella accompanies the Hopeless series by Colleen Hoover, which also includes Hopeless, Losing Hope, and Finding Cinderella. You do need to read Finding Cinderella and All Your Perfects prior to reading this novella.

You can read my review of Finding Cinderella on my blog, here.

We are back with Daniel's point of view from the Hopeless series, and he is struggling in the relationship department with Six, convinced that she is going to break up with him any day now. Daniel and Six are both going through some personal struggles that have left them somewhat isolating each other from their own relationship, and we get to see them slowly show their true thoughts and feelings as the story goes on.

I understand that Daniel was doing what he thought was best for himself and Six, but I personally thought he was crossing a lot of lines and boundaries regarding the situation that they were in. He wants to help Six, and he mildly wanted to help himself, but I kept reading it as he was putting stress on a number of people who did not need to be thrown back into a painful experience. And I get that they both needed to heal, but in reality I do not see this ever going in their favor or even getting the response that they did in the novella.

Six is able to basically come to terms with what she has gone through while Daniel is honestly still processing the information she told him and is confronted with a new reality that Six has been living with for almost two years. It was nice to see how supportive their families and friends were and how quick they were to feel for Six and Daniel.

There are a number of things in this story that just seem so far out of the park to even be a reality for Daniel and Six, especially with the way that their news is taken by everyone that they tell. I was not particularly attached to their stories, however, it was a sweet novella to wrap up Daniel and Six's journey, as well as take a look back at Quinn and Graham's story after a few years from reading All Your Perfects.


You can add Finding Perfect and the rest of the series on Goodreads now, and follow the author to stay up to date on releases and publications.


You can catch up with me and my current reads by friending me on Goodreads and following this blog, my Twitter, and my Instagram in order to stay up-to-date with any reviews, blog tours, and more!

Sunday, September 25, 2022

The Priory of the Orange Tree (The Roots of Chaos, #1) by Samantha Shannon Review

 

This is a spoiler-free review! A list of trigger warnings can be found here.

I have to admit, I was extremely intimidated to read this book. I received an ARC in 2018 at Book Expo America and it has been sitting on my shelf ever since, taunting me -- it's huge! But, it was finally time I picked up a high fantasy book, and I have to say that I was pleasantly surprised. I read The Bone Season a few years ago, and from what I can recall, I enjoyed Shannon's writing, and was excited to dive into a new genre of hers.

Like many readers, going into a book that is notorious for having tons of characters and interconnecting plot lines can lead you to push off reading a book. However, after reading the first four Game of Thrones books, I felt that I was up for the challenge. The author dives right into one of the main plot lines, but does not make it so convoluted that the reader is left spinning in circles trying to understand what is going on. As we switch perspectives between The West and The East in Part I, we follow groups of characters on their own journeys that affect other characters throughout the book.

Part II introduces us to The South, and we see characters begin to travel across lands and encounter each other in passing or through gossip. Unfortunately, Part II is also where many beloved side characters meet their fate and we are left in what seems to be in a constant state of characters dying left and right. The character development of Sabran and the Eastern dragons take precedence in the beginning, and we see the nature of religious differences between lands. I found that the more we discovered about one land, the more we are able to see the sides of this conflict arise, especially when the action finally gets rolling after the world-building was established in Part I.

Parts IV and V are where true conflict arises and revelations are made by the characters, in addition to characters moving to different parts of the world as their discoveries come together. For hundreds of pages, we see characters and their journeys, and at this point in the story they slowly start interacting with one another and searching for similar items and people.

Part VI absolutely blew me away. Everything comes together in a final encounter with nearly all of the characters we have been following throughout their own quests and travels. Seeing the Eastern dragons and the Nameless One together at the very end was cathartic and epic. After reading over 800 pages of world-building and adventures, you could feel the finale drawing in. The complexities of all the characters follow them and are interwoven through pain, suffering, and self-discovery. Relationships are built just as quickly as they fall, and Shannon brings such emotion into characters that were once struggling to open themselves to another.

If I had to critique one thing about The Priory of the Orange Tree, I would say that I wish that the author had explained more of the lore surrounding the creatures that exist in this world. While they were described physically sometimes, it was somewhat hard to imagine what they looked like, and even register that these creatures can speak with humans. The glossary at the back of the book did help with some things, but it was just a tad inconvenient having to flip back to the glossary and search for what they were talking about when it could have just been expanded on in the actual text.

I really enjoyed the defining characteristics of the dragons in this book -- we typically see dragons portrayed in media and literature as winged creatures who spew fire, but Shannon takes a different approach and has dragons forged from air and water, with only some adorned with wings. It differentiates the world we are reading, and it made it all the more interesting when first starting the book.

For fans of Game of Thrones, House of the Dragon, and Daughter of Smoke and Bone, this is the book for you. The Priory of the Orange Tree is a great gateway introduction to high fantasy if you are a newcomer to the genre.


You can add The Priory of the Orange Tree and the rest of Samantha Shannon's books on Goodreads now, and follow the author to stay up to date on releases and publications.


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Saturday, September 17, 2022

Eyes on Me (Salacious Players Club, #2) by Sara Cate Review


This review contains spoilers for Eyes on Me (Salacious Players Club, #2) by Sara CateA list of trigger warnings is provided in the beginning of the book.

You can read my review of Praise on my blog, here. While these books take place with the same characters, you do not have to read them in order or read all of them to understand the stories -- they can be read as stand alone books.

I left all of my morals at the door the day I read Credence by Penelope Douglas, and this is no exception. He's a voyeur, she's a cam girl. Step-siblings who barely know each other? Sign me up. Garrett is twelve years older than Mia, so the age gap is just big enough that it is noteworthy, and Mia is in her twenties so it is definitely not taboo. When Garrett decides to visit his family at their lake house for the week after seeing Mia on the cam girl site, he is in for an awakening he did not see coming.

Mia is witty and quick with comebacks to anything that Garrett says, and their bickering only makes their video sessions even more intense. With his video and audio off for the first session, Garrett edges on the fine line between watching and participating -- that is, until he turns his video on. And at the next session when he turns his audio on, the stakes become higher and the calls become hotter. The tension between them on calls and in person is off the charts, and after their second call when they are in the living room together, you could feel it in the air. I loved the way Garrett teases and digs at Mia to get information out of her, and the way Mia gives his energy right back to him.

Garrett is possessive of Mia as soon as he sees her interacting with a guy closer to her age than his, and the entire interaction of him and Reese in the bar had me kicking my feet in love with him. And everything that happened with Garrett and Mia immediately after he sucker-punched Reese? I did not think I could fall more in love and their chemistry is off the charts.

The way that Mia and "Drake" talk on the app was such a 180 turn from what we saw from Garrett and Mia in the beginning -- they are more personal in a way on the app, compared to their bickering and tension-filled encounters in person. Yes, they have both done some more than revealing things on the app, but when they start chatting after Mia thinks Garrett has rejected her, it reaches a new level.

I love the balance we get between Garrett and Mia -- they are either going at it in the woods or having deep conversations at three o'clock in the morning and discovering more about one another. The constant pull between Mia and "Drake" through the cam girl app and Mia and Garrett in "real life" shows two sides to Mia, and we are left wondering which one is really her and which one is an act. Garrett is teetering on the line of actually entertaining a relationship with Mia while also wanting to shield her from the club and his life.

Part Two is developed so well and with not just the sex scenes, but with character development. We see more of Garrett's inner struggles and thoughts as his and Mia's relationship progresses and they encounter obstacle after obstacle. I absolutely loved how we got to see them vulnerable, in more ways than one. Garrett and Mia's chemistry was off the charts and they actually acknowledged their feelings throughout the book -- to an extent -- without making insane decisions along the way.

I definitely recommend this series to fans of erotic romance books and are looking for something to kick start a romance-reading binge. Once you start, it's going to be hard to put the book down and it will leave you wanting even more.


You can add Eyes on Me and the rest of the Salacious Players Club series on Goodreads now, as well as follow the author to stay to up to date on publications and releases.


You can catch up with me and my current reads by friending me on Goodreads and following this blog, my Twitter, and my Instagram in order to stay up-to-date with any reviews, blog tours, and more!

Wednesday, September 14, 2022

Fallen (Fallen, #1) by Lauren Kate Review


This review contains spoilers for Fallen by Lauren Kate - reader discretion is advised if you have yet to finish the book.

I have to admit, I had never heard of this series until the movie adaption came out, and even then I was a few years behind the ball. I had always meant to read the book after I watched the movie, but during the surge of the 2014 tumblr book fandom, there was so much to read and this series slipped through the cracks for me. Luckily, I finally have the time to work through what appears to be an endless list of books to get through, and Fallen is next up on the list.

Our female lead, Luce, has been enrolled at Sword & Cross after a tragic accident where the blame landed on her. There she encounters Cam and Daniel, two mysterious yet intriguing boys who continue to pop into her life at the most interesting times despite Daniel wanting basically nothing to do with Luce. Cam, on the other hand, is immediately intrigued by Luce's arrival and is very much an active part of her daily life and appears genuinely interested in her. He actively seeks her out while Daniel takes every opportunity he can to get as far away from her as possible.

Now when it comes to love interests -- especially love triangles -- in romance books, I almost am always rooting for the female lead to end up with the brooding character, so Cam was officially no longer my concern in the book as I was fully on team Daniel. While Cam is charming in the beginning of the book, he was very much reminding of me of a lost puppy in the sense that he always seemed to be finding Luce when she was alone or following her wherever she went.

Luce's friendship with Penn and her constant battle with Molly adds both comfort and conflict to her time at Sword & Cross. Penn and Luce are basically using each other to grow as individuals in a sense, and Molly continues to whisper mild threats into Luce's ear at any chance she gets.

As I approached the halfway point of the book, I found myself questioning why Luce constantly seemed to be unsure of herself or very confident in what she was doing. She would hid in the hallways and listen to people's conversations, and then on the next page she would be confronting a random student about Daniel and his relationship status with a number of girls. She seemed to be very on the fence on who she was as a person, and how she wanted to approach everyone at Sword & Cross.

It was entertaining to see Gabbe always interrupting Luce whenever she was with Cam or Daniel, or even if she was just longingly staring at them from across the hall. Mostly because Luce's inner monologue was always giving "pick me" energy when Gabbe came around, as if it was Gabbe's fault that Luce was jealous of her always being around them.

When Luce's parents showed up at the hospital after the library fire, I was so surprised that they were not more comforting to their daughter, especially after everything that she has been through. The way that they basically checked to see that she was alive and then said "See you on Saturday" for Parents Day felt cold.

Once Luce finally knows about her and Daniel's past, the book really starts to pick up towards the end -- we see Luce racing to find Daniel as she connects the dots between them and slowly but surely believes what he has told her about their past love. Plus Cam decides to cosplay being a supervillain at the end of the book and has his little emo boy moment walking around the cemetery acting like mankind's greatest gift. They did my girl Penn so dirty -- I knew her death was coming since I had already seen the movie, but it still hurt to see her murdered in cold blood and then brushed off so quickly by Miss Sophia.

Overall, this was a fun read and felt like a good September read to put me in that autumn mood. It has slow burn, fated love with just enough tension to have the reader on the edge of who they want Luce to end up with. For fans of Hush, Hush by Becca Fitzpatrick and The Mortal Instruments series by Cassandra Clare, this is the book for you.


You can add Fallen and the rest of the series on Goodreads now, as well as follow the author to stay to up to date on publications and releases.


You can catch up with me and my current reads by friending me on Goodreads and following this blog, my Twitter, and my Instagram in order to stay up-to-date with any reviews, blog tours, and more!

Saturday, September 10, 2022

Number One Chinese Restaurant by Lillian Li Review


This review does not contain spoilers for Number One Chinese Restaurant.

As someone who worked in a Chinese restaurant for seven years as a summer job, I was very excited to read this book, not only to see if my experience was reflected in this work, but also to see what inner workings were going on in this family-run restaurant.

It took me a few chapters to really get into the book, and once I was able to devote time to sitting down and reading it at length rather than in small increments, I was immersed into the story. We are immediately placed into the restaurant and already you can feel the tension in the room, especially between the waitstaff and some of the family members that have been there for decades. 

The author slowly introduces us to some of the main family members, but as readers it is our responsibility to understand who the employees are and what they do at the restaurant. This was certainly made it easier with having the family tree inside the cover of the book to look back to when I was not sure who characters were referring to or if we were being introduced to someone new.

Jimmy and Pang are our two "black sheep" family members/acquaintances that prove to be trouble early on in the book. Their arrangement with the restaurant and involvement in not-so-legal activity quickly becomes more than just their problem -- it becomes a problem for the family and the employees of Beijing Duck House. As we progress throughout the book, we learn more about both of their pasts and what they have done that has led them into the situations they are in today. The more we uncover about the characters, the more "in the family" the reader feels, as they are slowly learning some family secrets.

Nan and her son, Pat, have a complicated relationship built on mild abandonment and resentment not for one another, but for the restaurant. We are exposed to a lot of their arguments and constant instigating each other as tensions rise after tragedy strikes Beijing Duck House. Nan does not approve of the choices that Pat makes, but she is shown to always be trying to do her best and make the situation better.

The dynamic between Nan, Michelle, and Jack is somewhat surprising yet comforting in a way. We are able to seem the relationships between Nan and Michelle, Nan and Jack, and Jack and Michelle evolve and learn more about them as the story progresses. While the author places more focus on Nan and Jack's relationship, she is able to incorporate all of their involvement in an organic way that does not feel overwhelming.

Towards the end of the book, it starts moving at a quicker pace and we see the fallout of the Beijing Duck House tragedy and the development and consequences of Li's characters and their actions. We see the repercussions of the characters' choices and actions, and a small time jump is able to bring closure to many of their struggles. Number One Chinese Restaurant ties in the complications of working with family and challenging loyalties.


You can add Number One Chinese Restaurant on Goodreads now, and follow the author to stay up to date on publications and releases.


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Sunday, September 4, 2022

Summer Unplugged (Summer Unplugged, #1) by Amy Starling Review


This review contains spoilers for Summer Unplugged. It is currently available for free on iBooks and other ebook platforms.

Bayleigh is boy-obsessed and critical thinking skills-lacking on so many levels. She does so many questionable things in the first five chapters that I felt as though I had whiplash. Bayleigh goes from sneaking out (unsuccessfully) to sending pictures of herself to her "boyfriend" in under twenty four hours, and is shocked that her mother does not approve of her behavior.

She is sent to spend the rest of the summer with her grandparents and with no phone, which we see her complaining about on every other page. And to get the attention of Jace, the boy next door, she breaks one of her mother’s childhood snow globes and does not even care. Bayleigh is probably one of the most unlikable characters I have ever read since she genuinely thinks she can do no wrong and that she does not deserve anything her mother has done to her.

Bayleigh has known Jace for all of maybe three or four days when she takes it upon herself to delete messages from his ex-girlfriend. I understand that she does not have any consistent contact with her friends or even her mom during the summer, but I do not think she had the right to do that, even if Jace's ex cheated on him.

Of course Ian, Bayleigh's situationship, is a "Can I get a hug?" boy, it totally checks out. When he visits her at her grandparents, he is so annoying and rude to Bayleigh that I was tempted to skip the pages he was on. The relationship between Bayleigh and Jace moved so incredibly quickly I felt as though I missed the entire thing -- it felt so rushed and not in a "love at first sight" kind of way, but in a "we are the only two people our age in this town, so let's make it work" kind of way.

If you are looking for a quick young adult romance read as a filler between books, Summer Unplugged will check that box. As a general disclaimer, the main character severely annoyed me with almost everything that she did. Yes, she is a teenager, but the way she acts towards her mother for doing the bare minimum when it comes to being grounded astounds me.


You can add Summer Unplugged and the rest of the series on Goodreads now, and follow the author to stay up to date on publications and releases.


You can catch up with me and my current reads by friending me on Goodreads and following this blog, my Twitter, and my Instagram in order to stay up-to-date with any reviews, blog tours, and more!