Do You Want Me? (This Love Hurts, #0.5) by W. Winters Review

This is a spoiler-free review! Do You Want Me? is currently available for free on Kindle. You can read my reviews of It's Our Secret and A Single Glance on my blog.

Stuff Your Kindle Day strikes again with this final read of 2023 for me -- honestly, I did not even read the description before downloading -- I saw W. Winters and immediately hit download. As a prequel novella to a series, I was hoping to learn a little background on our main characters before deciding to continue on with the series. For the other books I have read by this author, I have been a one and done reader, with the possibility of returning to the series once I tackle more of my physical TBR pile.

Delilah has a lot of stressors in her life, not to mention the man she parted ways with finally coming back into her life years later. This novella takes us two years prior to the prologue, exploring Delilah's complicated life, along with perspectives from Cody, a detective, and Marcus, the man that just will not stop from making Delilah his own, but only in the future books.

We spend most of the time in Delilah's perspective, with the occasional appearance by Cody and just a dash of Marcus to add to the mix. I wish we spent more time with Marcus in his perspective -- he is so important to the story, yet we barely had two chapters of his thoughts, most of which focused on Cody rather than Delilah. Winters does provide readers with a decent amount of background information considering this is a prequel novella, but I do believe it could have been fifty pages longer, just to really seal the deal with how Delilah and Marcus are connected.

If the author included just a touch more bit of action or suspense in the prequel, it would have really engaged readers to keep moving forward. I took a few breaks while reading this short installment, only because I was not itching to finish it in one sitting, and the way that the plot was moving, I could tell there was not going to be a wild third act or final chapter. Looking back at how the novella started with the prologue, I would have loved to circle back to that moment at the end of the story.

The multiple perspectives did give the story a more well-rounded sense, especially when readers are able to get a wisp of how Delilah, Cody, and Marcus are connected. It was refreshing to see a main character that has some semblance of self preservation and a decent amount of common sense. Delilah is definitely one of the more structured adult female characters that I have encountered when reading romantic suspense novels.

I would not go far enough to say that this was suspenseful, or even wavering on the edge of dark romance, but that just may be due to the fact that the story is just getting started. Winters alludes to Delilah having some big secret or terrible past a number of times in the novella, but never goes further than having it as a lingering thought from Delilah -- I wish we could have gotten just a crumb of what happened. I am interested enough in this story to continue on, but I would not consider it one of my top priorities.

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Mafia Captive by Kitty Thomas Review

This is a spoiler-free review!

I am a sucker for a good mafia romance, and Mafia Captive's free download was calling my name as I searched through iBooks for my next read. It has been some time since I have come across a dark romance that really entertained me, and this book really got me back into the groove of things. I had so much fun reading this book -- the pacing was just right, and the inner conflicts of Faith and Leo shown through their dual perspectives makes readers get a great sense of their characters.

After Faith witnesses a horrible crime, she is gifted to Leo, a member of a powerful mafia family who maintains his doctoral duties while indulging in some debauchery when the sun goes down. This was a surprise age gap romance to me, with Faith only twenty-two and Leo in his early forties. Thomas does a great job at showing the restraint and maturity in Leo, while mirroring it with Faith's naivety and minimal knowledge of how casual crime is in this family.

At first I thought there was going to be some form of love triangle between Faith, Leo, and Leo's brother, Angelo, but that was quickly dismissed -- however, that did not mean that there would be an end to the conflict between the brothers and how they view Faith's role in their family. With Angelo only saving Faith to basically torment his brother, the dynamic between the three of them becomes complicated to say the least.

Faith is constantly on high alert, and I cannot blame the girl -- she really was just in the wrong place at the wrong time and was thrown into the most insane circumstance in order to survive. Her development throughout the story seems slower to Leo's in comparison, but she is really the one that has to adapt to a new life, whereas Leo needed to adapt to having Faith in his life. I truly felt bad for Faith, she never seemed to have a moment of peace without someone threatening her, forcing her to put up a farce, or scaring her at every corner.

Leo genuinely does not know what to do with Faith once she is thrown at his feet by Angelo, but his perspective really allows readers to work through his inner struggles as he confronts his past and who he wants to be now that Faith is tied to him. You can tell that Leo wants to do good by Faith, but he certainly had his faults that makes readers second guess on how saintly he really is, especially when it comes to what he wants to do to Faith.

For a stand alone novel, Thomas really captures the full story in a sufficient amount of pages without drawing out the plot -- I never felt as though there was a dull moment while reading this book, and honestly I had to force myself to not finish it in one sitting. Leo and Faith's story is complex and at times heartbreaking for both characters, as they are both going through so many adjustments in order to save themselves.

I will definitely be reading more works of Kitty Thomas -- this was a great introduction to her work, and I cannot wait to see what her other books have in store. If you are looking for a dark romance to read after Mafia Captive, I highly recommend Debit Inheritance by Pepper Winters.

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Playing with Fyre (Fyre & Ashes, #1) by Logan Fox Review

This is a spoiler-free review! Playing with Fyre is currently available on Kindle Unlimited. A list of trigger warnings is available on Goodreads and a more extensive list is available at the beginning of the novella.

Jumping back into my dark romance TBR pile after spending some attention on my fantasy shelf... it is good to be back. Clocking in at just above one hundred pages, this Stuff Your Kindle Day download was calling to me with its short page count and interesting premise. I have not dabbled too much in stalker romance books, with Haunting Adeline being the most notorious read in that genre.

I... literally do not even know where to begin with this novella. It only took me forty-five minutes to read it and yet I have sat with my thoughts for another two hours trying to comprehend what exactly I just subjected myself to reading. Charlotte is dealing with an intense trauma and her art therapy professor, Gideon Fyre, is stalking her for some unknown reason? Honestly I did not need the background for why he was obsessed with her, I just accepted it and moved on since he clearly has some other things to work on.

Charlotte is drawn to Fyre, and the author maintains most of her perspective throughout the novella on how she is dealing with the feelings she has towards him, as well as sprinkling in more information about the trauma she experienced. We as readers learn a lot about her past and her current state of mind, whereas we are left mostly in the dark when it comes to Fyre's own complicated past that has left him broken.

Fyre certainly trends towards the psychotic side, which he openly admits, especially when it comes to watching Charlotte at every chance he gets. He is always there in the background and knows just where to find her. Considering what she has been through, you would think even her stalker would be a little more considerate if he wants her to fall for him and be with her forever. He literally has access to her file and knows everything that she has suffered through, like man use your head for two seconds before you go breaking into her apartment.

There are a lot of complex emotions that Charlotte and Fyre are experiencing throughout the novella -- with Charlotte, she is confronting the attraction she feels towards Fyre, and with Fyre, he is literally suppressing his urge to be violent. One of these things is not like the other!! Fyre is blinded by his lust and obsession towards Charlotte, and essentially becomes her worst fear and most terrifying attraction in one swoop.

Understanding that this is a novella, if it was about fifty to seventy-five pages longer, I think I would have enjoyed the story more. A lot of the details felt rushed, and when the perspectives changed between Charlotte and Fyre, I had a bit of whiplash going from Charlotte's emotional state to Fyre's stalking. The premise and vision are there, the execution could have used some work. If you are looking for a quick dark read, this novella may be your next read.

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Faelorehn (Otherworld, #1) by Jenna Elizabeth Johnson Review

This is a spoiler-free review! Faelorehn is currently available for free on iBooks and Kindle.

The cover definitely drew me to this story, but the plot of a Celtic lore fantasy really pulled me in -- it is few and far between that we see Celtic lore take the forefront of young adult novels, so I was interested to see how this story played out.

Almost right away, I could tell that the writings style was not one of my favorites -- told in first person, I often find myself wishing for a third person perspective, or at least a dual perspective if the story absolutely must be told in first person. It is just a little irk of mine that does not take away from the story, but does make it harder for me to get into the book. Meghan's thought processes throughout this first installment are certainly something... she deals with the stereotypical highs and lows of high school while also being plagued by nightmares and strange creatures in the woods.

Meghan's group of friends are certainly an interesting bunch, and provide just a touch of benefit to the plot of the story -- I felt as though their presence, for the most part, was only to sprinkle in details of Celtic lore that normally would not have flowed well into the plot otherwise. When Meghan is researching Celtic lore, it gave me a flashback of Bella googling vampires in Twilight in the best way possible. A majority of the time, her friends are used to move the plot forward in the sense that Meghan is noticed to be distant or hiding things from them. Thomas, Tulip, Robyn, and Will are just present enough that you learn a little about their personalities without them overtaking the story.

Every single time a new little creature spawned itself in front of Meghan, I could not help but laugh -- her survival skills are not the best, but she has the spirit and that is what counts. I wish the author spent more time going into detail about these creatures or have their scenes more action-packed instead of one-offing their presence once Cade would appear. Cade's introduction into the story was well-fit for his character, maintaining that mysterious aura while still having a presence in Meghan's development. He was honestly more interesting to read about than Meghan was, as her character felt two-dimensional at times and was always conflicted on what to do.

As someone who is not a fan of insta-love, especially after having only a handful of interactions with the male lead, Meghan falling in love with Cade after only knowing of him for a little over a month was not my cup of tea. Yes, he is a handsome, mysterious guy that shows up out of nowhere and starts to protect you, but girl stand up and process everything else that is going on with you before you decide you love someone after speaking to them three times.

I was excited to get into a new fantasy series, any this is a great selection for someone looking for a quick read that sets up the world for future conflict. Regarding the pacing of the book, it moves a touch too slow for my liking and does not have a ton of action compared to other young adult fantasy novels. Given that it is the first installment, I will give it a pass, but even towards the end of the story, I felt as though nothing truly groundbreaking was happening. I may revisit the series on a rainy day, but for now, I am content with this introduction.

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The House of Hades (The Heroes of Olympus, #4) by Rick Riordan Review

This is a spoiler-free review! You can read my review of The Son of Neptune here.

Did I read The Mark of Athena eight years ago? Yes. Do I remember which godly parent each of these characters has? Maybe only three of them. Not a review video was in sight when I decided to dive right back into this series in the hopes that everything would come back to me in the first five chapters, and I was not not wrong. As I make my way through the remaining young adult fantasy books on my shelf, The House of Hades has been unironically haunting me since I first acquired the series, and then-high school me would be speechless at adult me for taking this long to read it.

As we all know, Percy and Annabeth are really going through it during this book based off the ending from The Mark of Athena. Their respective perspective chapters were a lot more action packed compared to the other demigods, and while they were entertaining, I wish I would have seen more Percy chapters if it meant that the story would pick up the pace. I found myself needing to force myself to dedicate time to read this book at times, especially when it was a constant monologue of being in the same situation. However, the more Percy and Annabeth had to fight towards their goal, I was more invested in the story.

Leo's journey was so much fun to read and really added a lot to the story when the plot was looking grim. It was definitely a great comedic relief to the underlying dread that hovered over Percy and Annabeth's journey and seemingly constant suffering. There was just something about this book that had me wishing it was shorter -- there were a number of times where it felt as though the plot was just not moving fast enough for characters who were definitely in a hurry.

There was not nearly enough Nico di Angelo in this book for me... why was he basically absent for two thirds of this book? And why were there so many Hazel chapters? I am not sure if it is me no longer being the same age as these characters anymore, but boy oh boy I was not entertained during any chapter that was in Hazel's perspective, and Frank's chapters were a close second. Jason finally was given a bit of a spotlight towards the end of the book, but this installment really felt removed from the rest of the series in terms of pacing and development.

I will obviously be seeing this series through to the end, and may dabble in Riordan's other series if I ever need to jump back into this writing -- I have been reading his books since I was nine years old, so maybe I will always end up back where it all began.

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

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