I’m not a mega fan of bully / high school romances, but this one had rave reviews and it wasn’t a RH whi4ish stars … if you can get past the first 30%
I’m not a mega fan of bully / high school romances, but this one had rave reviews and it wasn’t a RH which isn’t my thing at all.
If you can get past the first 30% it gets tolerable. I felt like the first 30% was the Hero being really abusive, borderline, kind of rapey. Like because he’s rich, has power and she is nothing he can grab her and fondle her boobs? Yeah, it was hard to read.
Then when you get to the parts where he was a little nicer, I decided to finish the book.
The book isn’t original by any means, but I’m okay with that. I think the author writes fairly well and I like that it’s more dialogue than narrative writing.
Since the series is about different guys I didn’t realize this book would be a duet and be based on the same couple for two books. Even though the story doesn’t end, I’m not sure if I will finish it out. I might have to take a break.
It’s just all too intense. Like do I want to read the second book where the Heroine is angry at the Hero? I’m not sure.
The positive sides, the book is hot and steamy. So it delivers on that. ...more
Well, is this the little gem that could. When I opened up the book, it told me it would take 5 hours to re4.25 The cover doesn’t do it’s justice stars
Well, is this the little gem that could. When I opened up the book, it told me it would take 5 hours to read and I thought to myself oh no is this where the author combines two books in one to make more money? No, it’s not, it’s an actual full length book!
Wow, an alien book with storyline, depth and character building? I’m shocked and in a good way.
The only negative thing I can say about this book is that the cover doesn’t mirror the look and feel of the storyline, but you do what you got to do to get a reader right?
It kind of reminds of War by Laura Thalassa, so if you liked that book, you would like this one too.
The Heroine is taken from her village to live a nomadic life style with the Hero. It’s very primitive and she soon realizes the alien life is not what she thought it would be.
It’s actually a functional society.
What I liked best about this book is that it’s low angst and I just jived with the storyline. I liked reading the Heroine getting to know the people and of course her Hero. I liked that the Hero was different, but very alpha male and possessive. It was just a treat to read.
Also there was steam! So maybe the cover did the book justice. ...more
I’m not sure why I picked up this book. I was in the alien mood and thought why not. It’s a very light and quick read. I wouldn’t call Not bad 4 Stars
I’m not sure why I picked up this book. I was in the alien mood and thought why not. It’s a very light and quick read. I wouldn’t call it smutty, but with the amount of verbiage, it was just enough (although I think it could have gone smuttier).
There’s a lot of secondary character building so it really gets you in the mood to read future books because you want to know what happens to the character. Even though each book is on a different couple, I think you need to read them in order because it would be confusing to understand where the next character is coming from.
Not a bad intro to the series. Let’s see what happens next. ...more
I hadn’t read a Zavarelli read in a long time. There were certain aspects I liked about the book and there were certain aspects t3.5 it was okay stars
I hadn’t read a Zavarelli read in a long time. There were certain aspects I liked about the book and there were certain aspects that were just okay.
I liked that it was smutty! I didn’t realize I was in a smutty mood, but okay I’ll take it.
I like the teacher / student trope
I liked that the Hero / teacher was rich, but he didn’t care for the money and that is why he’s working as a teacher
I liked that there were some issues for both characters.
Here are the things I didn’t like …
The flow and storyline was a bit forced. I didn’t get the chemistry between teacher and student and I felt like it went from zero to insta-fuck in a nano second.
Don’t get me wrong, I like a smutty book, but that didn’t mean it made it a “good” book. It was an okay book.
The storyline was mega forced with too many issues, you got the bully kids, the “bully” teacher, the rich mom that doesn’t care for her, the dad that just left town, then the dead sister and just more kitchen sink thrown in there. I did like each character had a past, but it was really too much and too harsh for the tone of the book.
I’m not sure what to make of the read. I felt like it was more of an afterthought. Like something the author needed to churn out to make some cash, but I did like it. I wouldn’t mind more books like it, but if you wanted an in-depth story this wouldn’t be for you. ...more
You got to love kindle unlimited, I love that I can get audio books through kindle unlimited (not to 3.5 It was a lot better than the first book stars
You got to love kindle unlimited, I love that I can get audio books through kindle unlimited (not to be confused with audio escape). I wasn’t really a fan of the first book, The Second Chance. I find Meghan Quinn’s writing style a tad bit boring.
It’s basically a bunch of conversations, that’s what the book felt, but this one, had a little more storyline / plot.
I’m not sure how I feel about the past and present timeline. I think I found it confusing since I listened to it and at times the author doesn’t tell you if you are in the past or present. I think sometimes it’s mentioned but I don’t always catch it because I’m listening. That was really annoying.
I didn’t like that you had to listen to most of the book before you find out why they broke up. That’s not really a plot point I tend to like to listen to. It’s happened a lot before in many books and again it’s annoying.
The male narrator read really slowly and I had to speed up the pace at 1.25x, which to me read “normal”. But as the book got more dragged out, I finally picked up the pace at 1.5x just to finish the book.
The best part of the book was the last 2 hours only because I felt like the couple was going somewhere and THANK goodness the “curse” storyline was kind of washed out. It was really ridiculous. If you read the first book you will know what I am talking about.
I thought the hero was kind of jerk and when you realize what he did, man, I’m not sure if he had any redeeming quality. I felt like he should have begged more to get into her good side again. The only thing I felt like he had to offer her was the fact he was rich and he could support her, since she’s “finding” herself.
So far, it’s been a tepid series, but I’m holding out for hope it will get better with each book. ...more
2.5 It really is as bad as everyone is saying it as
Let’s face the facts, our reading preferences have changed over time. The Shades series was one of 2.5 It really is as bad as everyone is saying it as
Let’s face the facts, our reading preferences have changed over time. The Shades series was one of the first erotic series I’ve read that was modern. The formula that worked for that series won’t work years later.
I got The Mister on sale and even though everyone wrote bad reviews, I still wanted to see what the fuss was about.
I hate to say this because I’ve met E.L. James a book signing where she is REALLY nice and sweet, but after listening to 16 hours of The Mister, E.L. James is not a good writer. Her writing is immature and not original. The only thing that is selling this book is her name. That is all.
The Mister is a horrible piece of writing that didn’t have anything but steam and even those scenes were mediocre
I went into this book blindly and I’m not sure if that helped me or hurt me.
Maxim is no alpha. He spends the first beginning of the book sleeping with a bunch of women which the author goes into detail. Why? Why do I want to read in detail how he eats out women and has sex with them?
He’s immature and doesn’t speak like a male. He thinks and acts like a woman, maybe because the author is a woman? I couldn’t get into his character for the life of me. The only thing he brought to the table is his money and even then he didn’t earn it. Must be nice right?
Alessia is an immigrant and finds herself working for Maxium. I don’t even know where to begin with her. The narrator’s accent was really annoying and yeah I know she’s not American, but this character was so stereotypical. If you had to have a Caucasian author write about ethic people and you wanted to go really serotype, you have Alessia.
There was no chemistry between Alessia and Maxim but they sure had a lot of sex. Look this is an erotic book. I get it, I usually don’t have any problem with these types of book but the sex scenes were boring. Add some kink to it ya know?
The pace of the male narrator was so slow to listen at normal speed I had to put it at 1.25. Then the book was so boring and so long, I speed it up at 1.5 and for the first time ever at the last 25% mark, I sped the book up to 1.75.
If you have to speed the book up at 1.75x speed there is something saying about your writing.
Will I ever pick up another E.L. James book? I’m not sure, but if it goes on sale like this one, why not? ...more
Blindsides is a spin-off from the Harris series, but honestly it’s part of the Harris series, because all of the characters are in there3.75 – 4 Stars
Blindsides is a spin-off from the Harris series, but honestly it’s part of the Harris series, because all of the characters are in there! I hate it when authors do this. I truly wanted to start a new series with no background, but it was annoying getting introduced to other characters and see who they married and who had kids and how they are all friends.
Anyhow, that aside.
There were aspects of the book I liked and some I didn’t.
I liked the troupe. You had the cubby girl and the star football player (soccer for you Americans). I like the best-friends to lovers romance and I liked that it didn’t take long to get to the steam! Yay.
I did think the book was a touch too long and about 10-30% probably could have been edited out. Too many conversations with side characters and asking for opinions. Those is what I called filler chapters.
I did enjoy the banter between Mac and Freya and I liked that they fought like an old married couple.
I didn’t enjoy the last moment of angst because the characters always have to have a fall out in the end and oh how annoying that part is. Really? Do we really need this?
Overall, I think I would have enjoyed this book more in audio format because I tend to like light-hearted long books in audio. ...more
I have mixed feelings about L.J. Shen. I guess you can say overtime my reading preferences have chang4 Angsty Stars or 2 Don’t really like Angst Stars
I have mixed feelings about L.J. Shen. I guess you can say overtime my reading preferences have changed. I use to love her books, but I finding that her writing style isn’t my jam anymore.
Not even Jacob Morgan’s voice could have saved this for me.
The worst part of the book for me was the Hero, Knight Cole. I really hated him. I didn’t find anything redeemable about him and the only thing he had going for him was that he was loved very much and by a lot of good people.
I loved the way the words were writing and I felt like it was a witty book, but overall, the storyline, the angst, the tension throughout the entire book wasn’t for me. I tend to listen to light-hearted books and this is NOT it.
The entire book was about timing and making choice. Actually it’s about bad timing and bad choices. If you had to pick everything that could go wrong with a couple, it did and them some. Then you throw in an addict, more past issues and a tragedy, you got yourself a pot of angst.
I’m not sure if I can continue with L.J. Shen’s books or maybe take a huge break. I see everyone loving them and I want to be on the band wagon too, but I find that when I finish, I’m exhausted and feel a little sad and dirty. ...more
Julia Quinn is one of those authors I try to read all of her books. You start the first book of the series and then you sort of just get 3.5 – 4 Stars
Julia Quinn is one of those authors I try to read all of her books. You start the first book of the series and then you sort of just get sucked in. I’ve read all the books from the Bridgertons series and I like that one better. I find it a little more well-rounded and steamer!
I don’t need my historical romances smutty, but this one was really tame. I’m not sure I could consider it a slow burn because in my opinion there wasn’t any lead up. What I did like about the book was that it was light, easy to listen to and I really like the narrator.
I usually light high-pitched, girlie narrators, but she did a really good job in voice transitions so it worked for me.
Honoria is your typical historical romance Heroine. She’s innocent, young and has a crush on her brother’s friend.
Marcus is an Earl and Honoria is his brother’s little sister.
Like the plot right?
I liked that Honoria and Marcus are overall friends it was nice to see Honoria taking care of Marcus when he got sick. That was probably my favorite part of the book.
There was little to no angst in the book and I LOVED that. I love my light audio books and that probably saved the book for me.
I will of course finish out the series, it’s just a matter the time frame. ...more
I was hesitant to continue the series, only because the reviews of this one wasn’t so great as the first one, but to my surprise I liked it. I’4 Stars
I was hesitant to continue the series, only because the reviews of this one wasn’t so great as the first one, but to my surprise I liked it. I’m usually not fond of the rich Heroine and poor Hero trope, but the Hero, Harry was such a strong character I started to like the storyline.
Harry works on Georgina’s (George) land. George is rich on her own because of an inheritance, I didn’t think women could own their own money but what do I know. I like the banter between Harry and George and although the book was steamy and a little kinky, I found this to be a slow burn novel and I liked that.
I really enjoyed the side story of who was killing the sheep and why were they trying to frame Harry? So the added mystery was a bonus for me.
Overall, I like the series so far and I don’t have any expectations for the last book, only that it doesn’t suck. ...more
The cover was the wrong marketing for this book. You got to love Kindle Unlimited when they have the audio version to listen to. I had t3.75 – 4 Stars
The cover was the wrong marketing for this book. You got to love Kindle Unlimited when they have the audio version to listen to. I had this audio book for sometime, but I wasn’t really interested in listening to it because (based on the cover) it looked a little dark, serious and angsty. Ummm… no.
Do not be fooled by the cover, to my surprise, it’s a really light-hearted book which made me like it even more. I was in the mood to listen to something light and bam, I got what I wanted.
Honestly this book wasn’t anything out of the ordinary nor it was it great, but it was nice to have it on the background and I really liked the narrators which makes all the difference.
If you are looking for a smutty read, this is NOT your book. If you are looking for a book where it’s mainly about the main couple, this is NOT your book. This is the first book in the series and I think the author used this book as building block for the rest of the series.
You will get a lot of character development on the secondary characters, that might or might not be your jam. For me (and usually it isn’t) it was jam. I really liked listening to the brothers (who at times acted really stupid) they were entertaining to me.
Miranda has had a HUGE chip on her shoulder against Rich and when you find out the reason, it’s really stupid, but that wasn’t the bases of the story so it didn’t bother me. I liked that Rich was trying to get Miranda and I’m always a fan when the Hero chases after the Heroine.
Was there chemistry between the two main characters? No, not really, but (and I’m shocked as you are) it didn’t bother me. Was Rich a billionaire? Yeah, but did it matter? Not really. Besides the fact he flies private and he’s more well off than Miranda, that’s about it.
To me, this book was the introduction to the series, even though it’s a “stand-alone” about Miranda and Rich. I didn’t really care about them and I was just enjoying listening to the background noise.
I’m looking forward to Cade’s story, I found him the funniest in the book.
I wasn’t a fan of Remo’s story as much as I was for Nino. I guess because I didn’t like Remo to begin with. I think the only thing I liked ab3.5 Stars
I wasn’t a fan of Remo’s story as much as I was for Nino. I guess because I didn’t like Remo to begin with. I think the only thing I liked about Remo is that he is Capo, other than that, I think he’s a jerk and he’s kind of selfish.
It was hinted in the previous book that Remo was planning on kidnapping Serafina, so I was curious to how this story would go.
I think my main problem with Serafina and Remo is that I didn’t get the chemistry. Serafina doesn’t know Remo so I couldn’t see how she would be drawn to him because I think he’s a bit insane.
She is no damsel too and that’s usually my cuppa. She has to act tough and strong but she really wasn’t. I guess I just didn’t get her.
The book is long and honestly I felt like 20% of it could have been edited down. I considered this book broken into two parts. The first part is Serafina kidnapped and under Remo’s control and the second part is the aftermath. I didn’t care for the aftermath. I found it kind of boring.
Overall, it was okay. I liked that Remo was somewhat more redeeming and he isn’t the major of a monster, but I just didn’t see the chemistry. ...more
Now that is what I am talking about! Twisted Emotions goes back to the older books in sense of writing style, tension and storyline. I lo4.5 – 5 stars
Now that is what I am talking about! Twisted Emotions goes back to the older books in sense of writing style, tension and storyline. I loved reading Nino’s story and he wasn’t even my favorite brother.
The Camorra Chronicles is the spin-off series and you don’t have to read the other series, but I did have a hard time following the first 10% of the book because it has been ages since I’ve read all the other books. I felt like if you have read all the books, then it’s easier to follow the characters.
Once you get past the beginning, you will get into the heart of the story, the story of Kiara and Nino.
The thing that worked best for me in this book was Kiara. Oh how I love my damsel in distress storyline. She’s VERY damaged. She has major men issues and is very scared of men.
Nino is scary, strong and smart. He doesn’t show emotions because he doesn’t have any and I ENJOYED reading him so much. I love these kinds of Hero. I felt like I got to know and understand Nino through his actions and words. I love this writing style.
Nino is the second oldest brother and although he’s not head of the house, he’s his brother’s right hand man. He understands he must marry Kiara to have peace between the two families, but what kind of relationship will they have considering they don’t know anything about each other.
Kiara will be hit or miss with some people. She cries a lot and is very fearful of men. She can’t be around them, have her touch her and even speak to her. She tries very hard to do what she needs to do for her family, but you can’t help but FEEL for the girl. She has her reasons and it’s so sad.
This is a major slow-burn read, but it’s such a treat. I love the slow burn and it’s jam pack with steamy stuff too.
I gobbled up this book like mad and it really sets you up for the next book, which will be Remo’s. I’m on the fence with him, but hopefully I will enjoy it as much as I did with Nino. ...more
I’m not sure why I picked up this book. I guess I’ve seen it trending on Amazon for some time and decided to pick it up. I had no ide4.25 – 4.50 Stars
I’m not sure why I picked up this book. I guess I’ve seen it trending on Amazon for some time and decided to pick it up. I had no idea what it was about and I kind of like that. Going into blind is the best way to go into this book.
The first part of the book to me was really cheesy and I totally ate that up. You know the damsel in distress storyline? This is full on damsel in distress storyline. Cora is a country gal trying to make it in NY, but NY is kicking her butt.
You will feel REALLY bad for Cora. Anything and everything goes wrong for her. Her employment is awful. Her mom is awful and it seems she usually runs into men that try to harm her. What is a girl to do?
Until one day she ran into Marcus.
Marcus seems like he has it all. The money, the status and the power. He’s also very kind to her.
But not everything is what it seems.
The second part of the book is where everything transitions and it becomes “dark”. I wouldn’t call this book dark, but if you want a tame book, this one is very good to start out with.
I liked the way the book was written. I felt like it was more dialogue based and there was just enough character development to get me to really feel for the characters.
Sure, some stuff needed to be tweaked. There were some parts that were a little repetitive. I thought Marcus could have been a little meaner and I thought Cora could have had a little more back bone. I also thought the book should have been smutty, but there’s no naked man on the cover, so that is good.
Overall, the concept of the book isn’t unique, but I don’t always have to have that. Innocence totally sucked me in and I’m moving into the next book. ...more
I was looking for a smutty book and I hadn’t read one from this author. It was a decent read. I liked the fact it’s more dialogue based which is nice I was looking for a smutty book and I hadn’t read one from this author. It was a decent read. I liked the fact it’s more dialogue based which is nice since most smutty authors are heavily descriptive writers which isn’t my thing.
The scenes were mild at best and the storyline was okay. The side characters like joy was annoying and the main heroine was really stupid BUT she is 18. Although tip to the author no teenager uses Facebook. They say that is for old people (like me and probably the author). All the young kids use insta.
I liked the OTT hero though.
I would pick up other books by this author. I also liked that the full book was loaded on my kindle. I hate it when I read novellas and it ends at the 70% mark. ...more
I binged read the first four books in the series, but I took a break prior to reading To Sir Philip, with love and mainly due to REVIEWS.
I 4.25 Stars
I binged read the first four books in the series, but I took a break prior to reading To Sir Philip, with love and mainly due to REVIEWS.
I read a lot of bad reviews on this book and I just didn’t want to go through with it, but in the end, I disagree with the reviews and I did like this book. I read it basically in one night, yay for 4 hours of sleep.
I liked the single father storyline, yay for single-parents! I liked the banter and chemistry between Phillip and Eloise a lot. I know many people found fault in Phillip but I had no problem with him. The book needed some tension and I found his struggles at father-hood endearing.
Eloise is a spinster but by choice but is it all that great? As her brothers marry and even her best friend, Eloise is feeling a little envy. Maybe having a husband might be something she wants. I feel like you have to read the previous book to get the lead-up into Eloise’ story. She spent a year writing letters to Phillip and now she has an opportunity to maybe become his wife.
That is if they suit. And isn’t that a cute storyline?
I really liked the start of the book. I wished we got more letters, but I didn’t want boring letters either.
Phillip has a lot of faults. He’s a single dad and he’s married to his work. His children are very misbehaving and he just doesn’t want to deal with them.
Eloise is here to save the day. She’s sun-shine and happiness but she has a smart mouth. To my sadness her crazy talk isn’t really apparent in this book as much as it is in the previous book, but I really did like her.
So, sometimes I agree with the reviews and sometimes I don’t. I’m glad I finally read it though! ...more
It’s been awhile since I’ve read a historical romance with a southern theme. I was looking for a book where the Hero ha4-4.25 Slow Burn Yeee Haw Stars
It’s been awhile since I’ve read a historical romance with a southern theme. I was looking for a book where the Hero has some sort of disfigurement and although Texas Destiny probably doesn’t have the best plot, it was written well and I read it almost in one go. Lorraine Heath just knows how to suck you in.
Amelia is a mail-order-bride. She’s due in Texas and ready to marry Dallas, but Dallas doesn’t meet her in the train station, his brother Houston does.
Here’s the kicker, it’s a 3-week wagon ride to Dallas’ home.
Yeah, I never liked that kind of storyline. She’s engaged to Dallas and sure they have only written letters to each other for year, but Dallas is a nice guy.
The first half of the book is with Houston and Amelia on their journey and it was a wild journey they went on. With obstacles after obstacles, it was really addictive to read. Houston has a disfigurement on his face because of the war. I really did like the slow burn read, but I didn’t like that she was still in the end engaged to someone else.
The second half of the book is when she finally arrives at Dallas’ home. I really did like Dallas. He’s like the father figure and he is grand in all ways.
There’s a lot of tension between Houston, Amelia and sometimes with Dallas. It was sometimes hard to read about their past issues with war and how they each went through it, but it explains everyone’s burdens. Because everyone has them in this book.
Overall, if you are looking for a REALLY slow burn read, this one will do the job. ...more
I love Sarah MacLean but this series isn’t cutting it for me. I didn’t like the storyline in this one and because of th3 A little too much angst stars
I love Sarah MacLean but this series isn’t cutting it for me. I didn’t like the storyline in this one and because of that I couldn’t get into the characters nor did I feel any chemistry between Mara and Temple (which is a stupid nick name).
Mara for reasons we are NOT allowed to know, framed Temple for her death. BUT she didn’t mean to! If that makes sense.
REALLY?! So 12 years later she comes back to Temple to ask him to clear her brother’s debt and in exchange she would clear Temple’s name of her death.
REALLY? REALLY? What a stupid story line. She faked her death, he was accused of it and now she wants a FAVOR from him?
Yeah, it was really hard to get past this storyline. EVEN when the author tries to put it from Mara’s POV, I still couldn’t justify the cause.
I also didn’t think this book wasn’t all that steamy which was a major let down.
I liked that Temple try his might to get back at Mara, but in the end, I still didn’t like the falsely accused storyline.
The Wallflower Wager is by far the best out of the series. It was comical, sweet, entertaining and the audio was top notch! I loveFIVE Hilarious stars
The Wallflower Wager is by far the best out of the series. It was comical, sweet, entertaining and the audio was top notch! I love mary jane wells as the narrator, she’s one of my favorite British narrators and I could listen to her all day. If you had to do a version, do the audio version, you will not be disappointed.
The best part of the book was that it was just plain funny. From start to finish I was cracking up and I had a smile on my face. As much as I love my serious historical fictional romances, I LOVE the funny ones.
Penelope is 26 and is on the shelf. She’s perfectly fine with that too. She has her tons of animals and that is how she wants to live her life. However, her family want her to either go out in society again or go live back in the country and live her days as a spinster.
I adore Penelope. She’s such a sweet heart with the heart of gold. She loves animals but it’s nothing that’s out of the ordinary. I mean, she knows there are starving children, but she also knows she helps where she can.
Gabriel is a commoner, he rose from the ashes of poor street beggar to a very rich man. He’s all about buying low and selling high. So when he moved next door to Penny, well trouble seems to follow where ever Penny goes.
I love the Chemistry between between Penny and Gabe. It had the right sexual tension / friendship tension / love/hate tension. The interaction between the two made the book for me. I love how standoffish Gabe is, he doesn’t want to do anything with Penny, but he can’t help but be swept in her madness.
Oh and the steam in the book! Finally the cover matches the storyline.
Overall, this book was amazing. It was great entertainment and I only wished it was longer than 7 hours.
Jacqueline's Reads
>
Books:
v-card
(215)
