Neon Gods (Dark Olympus, #1) by Katee Robert Review

This is a spoiler-free review! You can read my review of Stone Heart on my blog, now!

In an attempt to continue on with series that I have not seen through, Neon Gods finally had me intrigued enough to crack it open. I honestly do not know what I was expecting, especially since I was well aware these are interconnected stand alones, but good lord why does it feel like this series literally makes no sense. The world-building should be much more concise, considering you do not need to read the prequel novella in order to read the series. I just cannot seem to be fine with hearing Greek gods talk about trust funds, jobs, and the mortal world. I still find it odd that people can "become" one of the Thirteen and that they are just not set in stone like the original mythology calls for.

Persephone, girl... I need you to LOCK IN and fight back against your mother. The woman set you up with a known wife killer and you do not seem to be nearly as angry as any rational person would be. Totally understandable response to high tail it out of that situation because your life definitely depended on it, but perhaps you should be more vocal about your displeasure towards her. I am glad that her sisters sided with her and did not try to make her see that marriage through. She spends nearly the entire book just going on and on regarding how she just needs to make it to her next birthday so she can get her trust fund and leave... like girl I think you have much bigger problems than just leaving home to deal with.

Hades is broody and moody and honestly a more refreshing take on him than what I have seen in other retellings. He is honestly the most rational of everyone in this book and actually thinks about his actions before doing anything, which is more than what I can say for the rest of the characters. However, it still feels as though the author was holding back on expanding on who he was as a character. Sure, we get his background in bits and pieces throughout the book, but there was never a point where I felt as though I knew his character in its entirety. I would have loved to see some more fleshed out chapters focusing on him rather than reading about Persephone begging him for a thousand sexual favors at every waking moment.

This is some of the worst dialogue I have ever read. I literally wish I could wash my eyes out after reading the nonsense that Persephone would say to Hades. You are an adult, please, for the love of god, speak like one!! The writing honestly feels juvenile, which is strange considering the subject matter is anything but so. Do not even get me started on the smut... it was below average and read like a bad nightmare. The author attempts to dive into a BDSM aspect but falls so incredibly flat it becomes unbearable at times. I totally understand that this series is just "dark romance with Greek mythology" but I fear it does not even resemble the structure of a dark romance novel.

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This Man (This Man, #1) by Jodi Ellen Malpas Review

This is a spoiler-free review!

I wish I could get every minute I spent reading this book back. The premise of this book reminded me subtly of Fifty Shades of Grey only in the slightest, but good grief Jesse Ward is hands down one of the most ridiculous male leads I have ever come across. He is a man child and a whiny little boy when he does not get exactly what he wants. And when what he wants is Ava to basically never leave his sight, you can only imagine how out of control he becomes. Jesse basically is terrorizing the town whenever Ava has to go to work, sees her friends, or literally just tries to go to the office to do her job. His hobbies are literally stalking and mild breaking and entering in order to have eyes on her at all times. Get a grip!!

That being said, Ava is basically no better than Jesse, but in a different regard. She is setting feminism back decades every minute she spends with Jesse. Yes, she does have her moments where she tries to hold her ground and give him a reality check, but it literally never works and always ends up with her crying, fleeing the scene, or having Jesse barge in like a caveman at her place of work or her apartment. I wanted so badly for her to actually grow a spine at some point, and just when you would think she was about to, all of her progress would go out the window. I found myself rolling my eyes at nearly everything she did - she became unbearable towards the end. What grown woman acts this way?

I literally cannot express it enough on how much this book gave me a migraine. Jesse keeps far too many secrets and Ava does not seem to have the motivation to even uncover them. For crying out loud, she does not even know how old Jesse is!! Like girl, if the man you are sleeping with will not even tell you his age, you need to be running across state lines, not running into his bed. I was literally losing brain cells while reading this book - there was not a redeemable quality of this story that I could find - even the side characters would not get involved in Ava and Jesse's drama. Jesse's friends low key are just as evil as he is because what do you mean you literally instigate so many situations where you know he will freak out on Ava? Ava's friend is relatively fine in the sense she kind of just hangs around - I will give her props for giving Ava a place to live though.

The smut scenes were... something. I have read better material written by a 13-year-old on Wattpad. We seriously need to be reevaluating the content of books that are being published because how in the world did anyone ever think that this was readable content? The writing is not nearly at the caliber it should be and the plot is mind-numbing. Now if you see me reading the rest of the series in the future... mind your business. I like to see series through to give a cohesive opinion.

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Soul to Possess (The Artmaker Trilogy, #1) by E.M. Adams Review

This reviews contains very minor spoilers - no major plot points are revealed.

A Stuff Your Kindle Day hates to see me coming, and this dark romance was one of many more recent downloads. Considering the first two installments of this trilogy were available for free, I knew I had to at least explore what this author had in store for their readers. When Gennie sees an ad in the newspaper of a man who is looking for a wife, she decides she has nothing to lose and sends him a letter. She did not expect to receive one in return, and thus Gennie and Marvin's letter conversation is born as they reveal more about one another. With Marvin sending her means to come to him, Gennie embarks on a journey to meet the man she may very well marry, but fate has other plans as she ends up hundreds of miles away from Marvin and in the hands of a murderous stranger who is intrigued by her innocence.

Atticus is no stranger to commanding control and getting what he wants - when Gennie stumbles upon his door in the middle of horrendous weather after being dropped off at the wrong stop, he knows exactly what he needs to do to keep her there forever. He basically spoon feeds her little bits of information screaming that he is dangerous, yet Gennie does not take the bait. Sure, she is definitely on edge and is not viewing him as trustworthy right from the start, but she certainly does not have the best survival instincts. That being said, if I was trapped in a cabin in the middle of nowhere with a hot guy sending off major red flags, I would probably do anything I could to make sure I make it out of there alive. The man is a murderer for crying out loud and he certainly is not trying hard at all to hide it.

While this first installment is short, the author really gets straight to the point and does not waste time once Atticus and Gennie's paths cross. We are able to see the "relationship" between Marvin and Gennie grow and expand as they converse through their letters, then see the drastic change in tone once Gennie passes through into Atticus' door. I enjoyed the change in writing style choice as well - showing readers the letters between Marvin and Gennie definitely gives a much more impactful experience to the reader as they are able to get to know Marvin without ever meeting him or seeing his internal dialogue like what we get with Gennie.

I will admit that this book has me intrigued and I will at minimum continue on to the second installment, which is already downloaded on my Kindle and calling to me. The plot definitely has my attention and I am interested to see how the author takes this story and in what capacity - the initial build up took a little too much page space for me so hopefully that will not be a problem in the second book. If you are on the hunt for a short and more psychological approach on a dark romance, this may be your next read.

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Tough Guy (Game Changers, #3) by Rachel Reid Review

This is a spoiler-free review! You can read my reviews of Game Changer and Heated Rivalry on my blog, now! Heated Rivalry is now streaming on Crave in Canada and HBO Max in select countries.

Ryan and Fabian's relationship was certainly... interesting. On one hand, you have hockey star Ryan who has been playing in the league for years and on the other hand, you have musician Fabian who hates hockey. I think their personalities definitely complimented one another, but they also brought out things in each other that were not being explored when they were not together. I really enjoyed how Reid explored Ryan's anxiety throughout the book and did not shy away from the struggles he faced and how it impacted his daily life and his hockey career. Ryan's chapters were definitely the most compelling to me as a reader - it felt as though his character had more care taken in developing his internal development. While Fabian did have development as well, I just could not find myself leaning towards his story. He was not as likable as Ryan in my eyes, and I found him constantly stating how much he hated hockey while literally dating a hockey player becoming increasingly annoying.

Ryan's journey with his anxiety was the most captivating plot of this book. Since Reid makes it clear from the beginning that Ryan is out, there were no undertones of him being in the closet or hiding his relationship from the public for the sake of his career. This meant that we were able to explore new avenues with his character and see how even though Ryan is a "tough guy," he still had a lot going on in his life that was outside the world of hockey. Fabian was sympathetic towards Ryan's anxiety, but it still seemed that Fabian wanted Ryan to quit playing hockey every single chapter, which I felt fed into his anxiety even more.

Fabian has reasoning for not liking hockey players, but I found it odd that he basically let it fester his whole life and then when he finally is dating a hockey player. he spends the majority of his time thinking about how he wants Ryan to quit or watching Ryan's games and wondering why he would play. There were a few times in the book where Fabian was watching a game on television and thinking "why would Ryan be this violent during the game?" which I found absurd because it is literally hockey... they fight every two seconds during a game. I found myself becoming more agitated with Fabian as the book went on because of this, and truly tried to like him more, but just could not find it within my to want to take his side.

I really enjoyed the little Shane and Ilya crumbs in the book - while they were only mentioned a few times and made a guest appearance briefly, it was nice to see how they were being perceived by other hockey players. Ilya's one-liners are still a hit in my eyes and he truly is a hilarious character, even when he is not trying to be.

I think I was expecting a lot more out of this book than what was given, and was hoping Fabian and Ryan's relationship would be as enticing as Scott and Kip's or Shane and Ilya's relationships. Instead, I honestly found myself wanting Ryan to stop dating Fabian multiple times during the book - I did not think in the beginning and middle of their relationship that Fabian was the right man for Ryan. I am glad they both were able to be more vulnerable with each other and have their own growth, but would have loved if Fabian's character was not always on a mission to have Ryan literally quit his career because of his hatred towards hockey players. 

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The Sunshine Court (All for the Game, #4) by Nora Sakavic Review

This is a spoiler-free review! You can read my reviews of The Raven King and The King's Men on my blog, now! Please read trigger warnings - reader discretion is advised.

I would actually lay down my life for Jean Moreau and I am not even joking. This boy deserves nothing but sunshine - literally and figuratively - and I want him to live in peace and never have to look over his shoulder ever again in his life. His responses remind me so much of Andrew and Neil's when confronting the trauma they have endured. Reading bits and pieces about him throughout the first three books and considering the horrors he went through in The King's Men, I knew that I would be in for a tough read when Nora announced his and Jeremy Knox's trilogy installment for the series. Jean's internal monologue is gut-wrenching and at times literally nauseating to read about the way he speaks about himself and how he blames himself for the years of abuse.

I would personally like to thank Nora for giving us multiple perspectives - seeing Jean and Jeremy's internal thoughts truly made their introduction and development so much deeper as we were able to actively follow along on Jeremy's end as he digested everything Jean revealed to him, as well as follow Jean as he slowly works his way through understanding that what the Ravens - mostly Riko and Grayson - put him through, was horrendous. Their development is very much sunshine and grump, and that is putting "grump" on Jean very loosely as he is more so sheltered and does not understand what was done to him is not normal. He is basically forced to leave an environment that he only remembers, and while it was incredibly toxic, it is the only thing he knows.

Jeremy's entire character is like if you put a ray of sunshine in a jar and walked it around town. I am in love with this kind little soul and would also lay down my life for him as much as I would for Jean. The way he does not overly push Jean into revealing what he has been through but also does not hold back on explaining to him that what he experienced is not normal is fantastic character establishment. I loved the way we could see Jeremy work with what he was given and make sure that he was able to create some sort of balance between having Jean still continue with his "normal" but also try to move on and create a life of his own.

Reading everything that Jean had to go through at the Nest... my stomach was in knots. It was so sick and twisted - every single time something was uncovered or Jean accidentally let something slip, my heart dropped and I just wanted to give him a hug. I desperately need him, Neil, and Andrew to heal emotionally together, but I know their personalities would never allow that to happen. At least Neil and Andrew are able to lean on each other, and hopefully Jean will be able to lean on Jeremy once he opens up more.

You can pry this series out of my cold, dead hands. I will read whatever Nora publishes with enthusiasm and hope that she will never leave this series alone. I obviously will be continuing on with the next installment and can only hope that my dear Jean and Jeremy see some peace - even if it is only for a minute.

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Heavenly Bodies (Heavenly Bodies, #1) by Imani Erriu Review

This is a spoiler-free review!

I remember seeing blurbs for this book on TikTok ages ago and adding it to my TBR shelf because it intrigued me so much. Three and a half years later, I should have known that my memories of the blurbs may have combined with other blurbs I have seen over the years. Looking back at my track record with TikTok recommendations, I should have known that I did not have a good chance of finding my next favorite romantasy series. The premise of the series is well-intended and I love the aspect of incorporating Greek mythology into the world, but I felt as though the plot lacked some serious development and character arcs that could have pushed this over from a "sure, read it" to a "definitely need to read" when it comes to recommendations.

Elara's journey was certainly the most gripping aspect of this book - I could very much get a sense that her character development was more thought out compared to the other characters. Yes, she is the female lead, but I am still a firm believer that all characters should be treated equally when it comes to development, especially when the majority of side characters were playing some part in aiding her and Enzo on their quest. That being said, watching Elara's development was refreshing in the sense that she was able to acknowledge her own disadvantages and was able to open up about past experiences that lead her to making certain choices. I felt like she was written slightly more "modern" compared to other characters - at one point she notes while reading a book that she "hates when the female characters lose their powers in the end" - and I could not agree more - but it did feel slightly out of scope for the setting of the book.

Enzo is much more mysterious, and he has that brooding, reluctant aura that tends to draw readers in. I enjoyed that he had this guarded exterior when Elara came along - he did not trust her, and while we knew her intensions were well-intended, she was keeping a few secrets, so it was fair that he did not immediately become vulnerable around her. His personality throughout the book was the one with the most depth in my opinion - he became more intriguing to me than Elara as his actions and development definitely captured me while reading. Elara's development was definitely up there, but there was just something missing in her story that was not pushing me over the line from enjoying her to rooting for her.

While this is not what I expected from this book - was I expecting greatness? No, but I was expecting a much more intricate story with well-developed lore. I did appreciate the guide in the beginning of the book that detailed pronunciation and the basics of who everyone was, but I typically prefer for that to be worked into the story rather than just information being provided to the reader. I will likely continue on with this series to see it through and can only hope that the storytelling improves with the next installment.

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