Rule (Marked Men, #1) by Jay Crownover Review

This is a spoiler-free review!

I will be upfront and say that I did watch Marked Men: Rule + Shaw before reading this book - I wanted to make sure that the story was going to draw me in before embarking on this series. I have been in need a new book-to-movie adaptation to hook my claws into, and I have to say the movie was enjoyable. That being said, after reading the book, there are a number of differences and plot points left out of the movie, which I believe would have made the movie more intriguing.

Shaw and Rule have a complicated history, after knowing each other for years and yet staying away from any real connection, they find themselves in the same city and suddenly thrown together after a drunken night. Now that they have finally crossed the line from family friends to maybe something more, they have to navigate this new dynamic while handling their own personal dramas. They both have complicated family issues, with Shaw's family trying to force her into a life she does not want, and Rule's mother holding everything that happens to her against him.

Rule's brother and friends definitely are the highlight of this book - they care deeply for Shaw and treat her like a little sister, while also keeping Rule in check and defending him against people trying to knock him down. Plus, they are not afraid to throw a punch and send a message when Shaw is basically being harassed by her ex-boyfriend. I really enjoyed their relationships with Rule and Shaw, in addition to Shaw's friends who were just as protective of her. Considering their familial situations, it was nice to see that there were people looking out for Rule and Shaw.

Shaw is put through the ringer in this book - it literally felt like at every turn, she was in a Saw trap with the amount of insanity her ex-boyfriend and parents put her through. This girl was getting thrown around like a rag doll every other chapter, both emotionally and physically. She is a very strong character, and you can see that she puts her needs above what others want her do to satisfy their own agenda. However, she has her moments and there were plenty of times where I was rolling my eyes at her actions.

Rule Archer... the man who changes his hair color every chapter and yet still has hair follicles... where do I begin? He is the classic "bad boy" trope in new adult books, more so for just... being a tattoo artist and getting piercings? I do not understand how this throws him into bad boy territory, but considering when this book came out, it was rebellious. His and Shaw's initial "distain" for each other could be chalked up to childhood differences, but it did give them the tension I was looking for.

I think Shaw sees Rule through her own lens, which causes her to justify every bad decision he makes or thing that comes out of his mouth. She is blinded by her lingering feelings towards him, and somehow does not realize that as her defending him has all of these drastic consequences that directly impact her, yet leave him just as an observer on the sideline.

If you are a fan of Perfect Addiction or Beautiful Disaster - both now adapted for the big screen - this series may be right up your alley. A tortured male lead accompanied by the "perfect" female lead is always a recipe for some mildly toxic romance that I would eat up like my life depended on it.

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Immortal Dark (Immortal Dark Trilogy, #1) by Tigest Girma Review

This is a spoiler-free review! A list of content warnings is available at the beginning of the book.

Vampires!! I have not come across a vampire book that has sparked my interest in what feels like forever. Kidan, our female lead and narrator, is honestly not too likeable - I found her somewhat insufferable and incredibly impulsive as she continues to make rash decisions without any thought behind her actions. However, I find unreliable narrators and harsh main characters intriguing, and with her being coupled alongside an even more morally grey Susenyos, they made an entertaining pair. The persistent distain Susenyos and Kidan share for one another throughout this first installment is truly all-consuming - you see through Kidan's thoughts how she pushes herself to ignore his presence, yet she cannot stay away.

Susenyos is in the running for my top literary vampire - I loved the way Girma characterized him and kept his mystery looming over the story. I would have loved to see his perspective in this series, but I think having Kidan's sole perspective aids in the book's attempt to show her recklessness and how she centers herself - and her sister, June - at every turn. Susenyos has such an intriguing aura surrounding him, and while everyone at Uxlay University seems to cower at the sight of him, Kidan has no issues with getting on his nerves at any chance.

The side characters and their influence on the story and Kidan's own journey are so incredibly necessary for this story to work, and without them, this book would have gone in a completely different direction. While not every character is as they appear, Kidan's relationships outside of her search for her sister influence her actions, and in turn made her more well-rounded, while still maintaining her chaotic energy. She is forced to use them to her advantage in order to track down her sister and put away the draniac that took June from her - but not everyone is as trustworthy as they seem, and Kidan must navigate her new life at Uxlay University.

The human-vampire companionship aspect of this book is so much more than I expected it to be - it is intimate and full of power dynamics as they attempt to be equals in relationships that can only be seen as ticking time bombs. Kidan begins to risk everything she has ever stood for and been taught as she faces a series of murders and less-than-friendly faces in addition to Susenyos trying to get her out of inheriting her family home and drive her from the school. The dynamic between Susenyos and Kidan is intoxicating, I could not get enough of them- my jaw was dropping at nearly everything that came out of Susyenos's mouth.

Girma expertly details an extensive history in this first installment, and it adds so much to the book as a whole, as well as the background to the characters and the persistent struggles that they carry. I will say this is history-heavy as well as familial house-heavy - there was definitely a learning curve when I first cracked this book open, but reading the house names on the page and the texts being referenced made the background easier to understand once you settled in the story. Some moments are a bit hard to follow, and I did find myself flipping back a few pages a number of times to reorient myself to particular moments.

Immortal Dark perfectly blends dark academia, paranormal, and romantic aspects while pulling the reader in and holding them tightly. The enemies-to-lovers were truly enemy-ing it up to the fullest extent, and I had an absolute blast watching Kidan and Susenyos try to understand each other. I had heard rave reviews about this book, and was incredibly pleased to see that it lived up to the hype and solidified itself on my must-read recommendations to my friends. I cannot wait to see where this series takes us, and for fans of Ninth House by Leigh Bardugo, you are surely in for a treat.

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Book Lovers by Emily Henry Review

This is a spoiler-free review!

Emily Henry... I am sorry I doubted you without knowing anything about you. I am sorry I bought Happy Place a year and a half ago and still have not cracked it open. Please, forgive me. I honestly did not know what to expect when going into this book, but I was in the mood for a little romcom, and with the added bonus of what sounded like a very loose enemies-to-lovers, this caught my eye. They definitely are not conventional "enemies" but rather the multiple not-meet-cutes and first impression in the city sets them up for a grumpy beginning.

I truly believe Emily Henry has been following me around for my entire life simply because Nora feels like a carbon copy of myself, with the only difference being that our careers are different. In the very beginning of this book, every single time Nora began to describe her thought processes or how she approached life, I felt like she was staring into my soul and my brain. I will say, Nora's obsession with goat cheese salads was something I could not relate to, but the dirty martinis were certainly something that called to me.

Charlie is definitely up there as a solid book boyfriend - even after his and Nora's first encounter, I could tell this man was going to turn out for the best. After a fateful turn of events, they end up in each other's lives and somehow manage to become integral parts as they navigate their own obstacles while slowly becoming weaved into each other's days. It was low-key hot that he would come back to his town and help his mother run the store - he has already made a name for himself, and yet he is willing to drop things for his family.

If I was Nora... I would have strangled Dusty... for reasons I will not mention due to spoilers, that girl has some NERVE. Nora is a much better person than I am, and truly has the gift of patience when it comes to dealing with people doing the absolute most. She does nothing but sacrifice things for her sister or for others, and yet people constantly speak to her as if she is the selfish one for knowing what she wants and putting her career or routine first when the time comes.

No WiFi in these small town cafés... I would have gone absolutely insane. Especially in Nora's situation, where she constantly needs to be in contact with certain people, even when publishing somewhat dies down during the month of August. Dusty's presence as the needy writer was actually getting on my nerves so much, I felt as though I was her editor. I cannot fathom someone throwing fits if their editor does not immediately answer their calls, and considering what she was turning into Nora, she had no room for the dramatics.

"What are colleagues for?" What if I died. Nora and Charlie's unique relationship and dynamic was such an interesting thing to see in a romance novel, and given that Nora has been haunted my the small town trope, I rooting for her to find someone that matched her lifestyle and energy. Charlie matched Nora's energy so well, you could tell that he would be the one to appreciate the way she did things and be understanding when she would put work first at times.

By the end of this book, I was firmly standing on the belief that Nora should be allowed to kill someone. My word, the things that this girl has gone through, and on top of it all, being the eldest daughter? My girl needs a vacation immediately. The side characters were high-key putting Nora through the ringer, and as sweet as her sister, Libby, is, she seemed to be oblivious to some of the things she asked of Nora or situations she put her in.

If you are looking for a quick, fun read to get you out of a slump or something to cleanse a genre-binge, Book Lovers will do just that. I am glad that I finally gave this writer a chance, and was pleased to see how much I did enjoy this book. Since I tend to be a mood reader, a romcom was finally calling to me and I had to pick up the phone before the feeling passed.

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A Deal with the Shadow King (Curse of the Fae, #1) by Anya J. Cosgrove Review

This is a spoiler-free review!

I have an ever-changing relationship with my Stuff Your Kindle Day books, and A Deal with the Shadow King has landed itself on the top-tier shelf. I absolutely had the time of my life reading this book and really enjoyed Nell's journey accompanied with the obstacles she faced after being thrust into a new world. After being sold to the Shadow King by her father, she is forced to spend every two weeks of four for a year in Faerie, à la Persephone-style.

One, Two, Three... they're all for me! I have not read a book with this type of dynamic before, and while I did not expect it going into the book, I really enjoyed the way that Nell found her footing and was able to explore what she wanted after being sheltered for so long. The romance in this book was top tier - I was absolutely living for her romantic relationships, and the tension was literally falling off the page. This certainly trends towards more of a dark fantasy romance, and even though it is labeled as young adult, it is more new adult after taking into consideration the spicier chapters.

The relationships she forms with a number of side characters felt organic and authentic - she was able to create close friendships and some mild rivalries without being influenced by others. Nell has a very solid sense of self, even when she is naive to many things after coming to Faerie from the Old World. Being able to witness her life in the Old World with her sister and her life in Faerie with new acquaintances and love interests was a great balance to her characterization, as well as development to show the two different sides of her life. Considering her sister, Cece, is such a large presence in her life, Nell''s strongest relationship remains with her sister, even when she is not with her in the Old World.

One was the dark fantasy love interest we so desperately needed - he is mysterious, harsh, cold, and incredibly intriguing. Every interaction he has with Nell makes her want to know more about him, and she definitely took that as a challenge. The fact that we are given multiple perspectives in this book made their unconventional relationship dynamic even more drawing - I could not stop myself from reading any faster. His past and current situation was explored well enough that the reader is still left in the dark as much as Nell is, and we discover so much about him as he begins to reveal more of himself to Nell, or if one of his brothers takes liberty to spill some juicy information.

This was such a great read - the combination of dark fantasy and romance blended so well together, and created such an intense world built upon bets, curses, and lust. I cannot wait to see what is in store for Nell in the next installment, and if it is anything like this introduction, I will be just as pleased. If you are on the hunt to widen your library of dark fantasy and up the maturity level, Nights of Obedience by Rachel Mays is the perfect next read.

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The Final Gambit (The Inheritance Games, #3) by Jennifer Lynn Barnes Review

This is a spoiler-free review! You can read my reviews of The Inheritance Games and The Hawthorne Legacy on my blog, now!

Guys... I do not know how much longer I can go through this. The fake curse words, the inability to solve puzzles on their own despite being known for doing so, and the fact that Jameson is the love interest is making this series increasingly difficult to push through. I am a Grayson Hawthorne defender until my dying breath, and the fact that he continues to get put through the ringer at any chance causes me to become tired of the constant torment he suffers. Everything that happens to Avery in this book, let alone the series as a whole, is outlandish for a teenager to have to handle. While she does have a support system, it feels as though they are always looking out for the Hawthornes, rather than Avery.

Considering how The Hawthorne Legacy ended, it was no surprise to the twists that occurred in this installment - much like the second book, this was just as predictable and fell short of keeping me on the edge of my seat. Everyone in this book, sans Avery, seem to be incredibly trusting of random new individuals that just pop up out of nowhere and insert themselves into the Hawthorne family. It becomes hard to sympathize with these characters when they continue to make dumb choices and throw their common sense out of the window.

Despite how much I think Avery does not use her brain or is two seconds late to every discovery, she seemed to be the only person in this book that was weary of the right people and found a heap of common sense towards the end of the book when everything was on the line. I was not loving her decision by the end of the book, but it fits with her character and it would not have been true to her development if the book took a different direction at the end. That being said, I understand why she chose to do what she did, but I was not thrilled with her decision.

To the surprise of absolute no one, we learn that a number of characters are actually horrible people. Shocking! This could be seen from a mile away with one eye closed since the very first book with a particular someone who I will not name. I will say that the last few chapters of the book were actually interesting had pulled me into the story for about fifty pages - it was just unfortunate that the majority of the book felt lackluster compared to a few chapters towards the very end.

I truly wanted to enjoy this series, and while it is not my cup of tea, I can say that those looking for a young adult mystery will likely be pleased with these books. There was an improvement compared to The Hawthorne Legacy, and I was happy to see that I enjoyed this book more than its predecessor. If the stakes were more severe or the plot twists less predictable, this series could have won me over - I plan to see it through to the end, and am hoping that these characters have some more development by the last installment.

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Lick (Stage Dive, #1) by Kylie Scott Review

This is a spoiler-free review! Lick is now available to stream on Passionflix.

I will admit that I watched the movie before reading this book - sue me!! I had a great time watching the movie, and when I saw Lick available on Libby, I knew I had to give it a read. Accidental marriage trope will always be famous in my house, and I was eating this up. Maybe I am biased because I watched the movie first, but this book was fun to read and I had a blast the entire time. I am an absolute sucker for the "he falls first AND harder" trope, and this hit the spot - David is a true yearner, and it was actually hilarious to see how serious he took everything from the very beginning, even when Evelyn was utterly confused on what was going on.

After an accidental, drunken marriage in Las Vegas, Evelyn finds herself married to David, the guitarist of a popular rock band. I will say, I wish that she did remember what happened the night they had gotten married, and not have had to have it pieced back together for her throughout the book. While it did give bonding moments between Evelyn and David, it made David's feelings toward Evelyn seem much more genuine compared to Evelyn's feelings for David. You could literally feel his demeanor shift when he realized she did not remember anything that morning, and he held it against her for longer than was necessary, especially considering they knew each other for about four hours before getting hitched.

A five year age gap and they are acting like this man snatched her from the playground. Mal's nickname for Evelyn being "child bride" was funny though, and honestly endearing, considering everyone seemed to have their opinion on her and David's unconventional nuptials. I really enjoyed Mal's presence throughout this book - he was a great supportive character, and someone that Evelyn really needed in her corner as she navigated her unexpected marriage to a rockstar and being away from her family and roommate. David's protectiveness of Evelyn definitely came through anytime he felt threatened by literally anyone with a pulse breathing near Evelyn, and I ate it up.

The friendships and relationships in this book really tied everything together for me - it was well-rounded, and allowed David and Evelyn to have support systems in various places without having to constantly turn to each other. Since we only get Evelyn's perspective in this book, it was a treat to still be able to see how David interacts with other characters. I would have loved for him to have his own chapters, especially with the whole "he remembers, she doesn't" feelings realization the author created for them. I wish Evelyn's family was more supportive of her and her decisions - it felt as though they were never in her corner.

This was a quick read that is able to wrap up Evelyn and David's story nicely while setting up for the next character for their own relationship developments. The Passionflix adaptation is super true to the book, and is essentially a word-for-word recreation of Scott's story. If you are looking for a fun, mildly spicy read for a rainy afternoon, Lick will fill that void.

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Firewalker (Worldwalker, #2) by Josephine Angelini Review

This is a spoiler-free review! You can read my review for the first installment, Trial by Fire, on my blog, here.

A little over two years later but I am back to this series and determined to see it through. For the most part, when it has been years since I have read a book in a series, it will only take a few chapters for my memory to be jogged and everything will come back to me - that is exactly what happened in this case. I honestly forgot about Una and Breakfast until they showed up again in this book, and their presence throughout the story was definitely in a supportive role in Lily's journey. Tristan gives off major Adam Kent vibes from Shatter Me, and his continued pining for Lily made him mildly insufferable.

The side characters played a large role in Lily's own development, and without their presence, the story definitely would have been lacking in supportive roles. Some played larger roles than others, and Tristan lead the pack on that front, while Una and Breakfast were still secondary characters to his large presence. Juliet could have been written into the story more, as I believe her relationship with Lily needs to be explored more - even though they are sisters, I still think there is more to uncover in their dynamic.

Lily and Rowan's relationship is solid, and his protectiveness of her is certainly a plus - he is always looking out for her, and even when she thinks his choices are not the best, he does everything in her best interest. Since this is a young adult novel, their relationship is pretty PG and aside from kissing and alluding to other things, we are still able to see the intimacy of their relationship through mind-speak. Considering how the first book ended, it is no wonder to why he is protects her against everything that comes their way.

The pacing of this second installment was slow for about the first half in my opinion - it felt as though we were being given a refresher of everything that happened in the first book and dwelling on those events, when more time should have been spent on present issues. The last third of the book is where the action truly picks up, and I found myself much more intrigued with the story once the plot pivoted to actual obstacles. It would have been great if the entire book had that energy instead of just the ending, but the author was able to set up the third installment with a powerful ending to this book.

If you are looking for a way to enter the young adult fantasy genre, the Worldwalker series can be the first experience many need. Since I own the rest of the series, I will be seeing Lily and Rowan's story to the end, and with the ending Angelini has left readers with, I am sure we are in for some interesting developments.

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