Maybe one day I'll manage to get my irritation under control enough that I can write an actual review...but today is not that dLiterally, I'm so mad.
Maybe one day I'll manage to get my irritation under control enough that I can write an actual review...but today is not that day.
Not a SINGLE character was likable and instead of having to think about them to type out a review, I'd rather work towards erasing this book from my memory all-together.
Here's a bunch of gifs that summarize how I felt, instead:
Which, like, is very sweet obvi but respectfully, BRING BACK THE 'TUDE.
WHAT DO WE WANT!?SASSY-AND-EMOTIONALLY-COBrad has entered his Soft Boi Era™.
Which, like, is very sweet obvi but respectfully, BRING BACK THE 'TUDE.
WHAT DO WE WANT!?SASSY-AND-EMOTIONALLY-CONSTIPATED BRAD! WHEN DO WE WANT HIM!? NOOOOOW!
Yo, also - FUCK that bitch Catalina. What I wouldn't give to just [image] BRAD WAS RIGHT ABOUT YOU. Fuckin' lemme in this book, I'll kill her myself.
Also, big fan of when intense/serious conversations are happening and I suddenly remember that everyone is having this convo buck-ass naked because they just shifted. I wouldn't last a minute in this world, I'd just be standing there [image] [image]...more
Pretty sure if you shook this book hard enough, cum would splatter out of the pages & lemme tell ya -Why think critically when I can think clitically?
Pretty sure if you shook this book hard enough, cum would splatter out of the pages & lemme tell ya -that's exactly what I was looking for. When I get that itch, no one but Roe knows how to scratch it juuust right. What makes it even better is that this is probably my new favorite of all of his books that I've read so far.
As always, the plot and world-building is fairly minimal but again, this is probably my favorite world that Roe has introduced us to. I loved the magic, the shifting, the lore - and the characters? UGH, I FUCKING LOVE WOLF AND BEAR but especially Wolf. His pouty, possessive, impatient ass had me wrapped around his clawed finger.
I truly see myself cumming coming back to this one for a reread when the mood (read: horniness) strikes....more
What book did the rest of you fucking read? (Disrespectfully)
Cause it can't be what I just suffered through.
On paper, this book should be everythingWhat book did the rest of you fucking read? (Disrespectfully)
Cause it can't be what I just suffered through.
On paper, this book should be everything that I look for in a palate cleanser - MM, Mpreg, dragons!? Fucking sign me up. I was SO excited about the eggs! Now, the only thing that I wish could be cleansed is my BRAIN. With BLEACH. In the hopes that I can forget the time it took to get through this book and endure these INSUFFERABLE. ASS. CHARACTERS.
Let's get into it, shall we?
Nate, our resident omega, initially comes off as confident and sarcastic and sexy and somehow turns into the whiniest, most aggravating person & any inkling of a personality just vanishes. And SAME THING with Alistair. In their first interaction, he seems mysterious and hot and then suddenly, he's speaking all formal and weird and does HARDLY ANYTHING to explain to Nate WHAT THE FUCK IS GOING ON. And APPARENTLY, him knowing FUCK ALL is true to character because we are reminded again and again and AGAIN what a fucking loser he is in the dragon world. WHY!?! Why is one of our MCs being constantly mocked and made to look like a two-bit moron?? There is NOTHING attractive or endearing about that! And those two TOGETHER? Omg, they hop between indifference, affection, and hostility like a fucking pinball machine.
And don't. even. get me started on Harry. If I had to choose one character in the history of ever that was the personification of NAILS ON A FUCKING CHALKBOARD it would be this annoying ass motherfucker.
And WHAT THE FUCK were the scenes of Alistair's brothers constantly walking in unannounced while they're having sex like we're in some poor attempt at a parodical Shakespearean play!?
Idk if it was the authors' goal to avoid any semblance of sensibility but this story is just so...ridiculous. And NOT in a good way. Listen, I've read many a book that are meant to be more fun than anything but there is a big difference between satire and juvenile absurdity. There's a place for everything if it's done right but the way the authors' chosen dramatization style mixed with this particular genre? Oil and water, babe.
Maybe it works for other readers but unfortunately, it didn't work for me at all. This falls right into the uncanny valley of serious vs. campy.
What really sucks is that the structure of the plot had SO MUCH POTENTIAL.
Ugh, I need to stop because any more time spent thinking about this book will drive me to smashing my head repeatedly against a brick wall....more
For the record, I'm not complaining; I can confidently say that this is my favorite of Roe's that I've read so far for tWho put this plot in my smut?
For the record, I'm not complaining; I can confidently say that this is my favorite of Roe's that I've read so far for that reason alone. But also, don't misunderstand me - we are still very much in the heart of Smut City, where cum rains from the skies and every store is dedicated to a different kink. If you're here for a PWP fix, I promise you'll still get your money's worth.
Lawrie & Ernest are adooooorable! I love the way their story unfolds and I especially love that even though it's a fated mates story, Lawrie reacts fairly realistically and, at first, is like "this is fucking crazy, I'm out." The way his character is written makes the "soulmate" thing waaay more palatable than it usually is for me. His sarcasm and sass carries the whole book and I fucking loved it.
I even really liked the background plot with Sullivan and Burnes - it added to the story and gave our MCs a lot more depth than these types of books usually provide.
Also, lover's milk!? Yeah, I fucks with it. ...more
A good continuation of the series, but nooot my favorite.
Latif is indeed defiant but also stinkin' adorable and I love the moments in the story whereA good continuation of the series, but nooot my favorite.
Latif is indeed defiant but also stinkin' adorable and I love the moments in the story where he feels empowered by finding someone as likeminded as Blaine. I also really like that the plot behind Latif & Blaine's romance addresses the way unmated omegas are treated and how the nassa can work towards more equality between alphas and omegas.
Do I generally agree with everything Blaine was saying about how unmated omegas are mistreated? I mean, yeah. But fuck, there's just something about him that annoys the shit outta me. It's like when someone you hate is saying something that you actually totally agree with but because they're the ones saying? Oh, look at that, I've changed my mind cause you suck. He's just so fucking cocky about everything and DON'T even get me started on how he threatened to take Alex off-planet. Like bro, you're gonna spend this whole time bitching and moaning about how unmated omegas don't have choices and their voices aren't heard and then you're just gonna threaten to rip your friend away from the happiness that he's found (mind you, completely disregarding his thoughts & feelings) and LITERALLY KILL HIS MATE?? How very fucking alpha of you. Nice one, Blaine. *cough* hypocrite *cough*
Like I said, I still really liked the story but there was a certain point where I was kinda just over it and I just wanted more Alex & Saar. We get a bit at the end but it's not enoughhh. There was also some hinting at Latif's brother, Addy, getting a book next but I'm honestly not sure if I'll read it. If Alex & Saar get another novella, though? Yeah, fuck me up with that shit.
Smut was excellent, esp the library scene -goddamn....more
Call me biased but I want this whole series to just be focused on them; they're just so cute! I LOVED this sweet little novellYAY, more Alex & Saar!!
Call me biased but I want this whole series to just be focused on them; they're just so cute! I LOVED this sweet little novella. I really liked that the author used very realistic human emotions to develop their relationship. It makes perfect sense that Alex would be feeling objectified and alienated and I just wanted to hug him!
The entirety of this novella lines up with Book 2; there's even some scenes repeated word for word, but through Saar/Alex's POV. While it was enjoyable to hear their inner dialogues during those scenes, I don't think all of them were necessary - some could have just been summarized.
I ALSO really, really, really wish we got more of their story with Alex's pregnancy further developed. I will be soooo sad if they don't get another novella with late-stages of pregnancy/birth scenes. Or even them raising their child - ugh, I just want more! LOL Especially if we get some of it in the third book but not from their direct POVs. So, fingers crossed!
I'm interested to see how Blaine's story is going to go. I know he's Alex's friend or whatever but as of now, I'm totz on Saar's side with that whole thing. ...more
In which Devin flips the Nassa's belief of what an omega should be on its head - and then literally flips Eisa on his head.
With how much of cocky alphIn which Devin flips the Nassa's belief of what an omega should be on its head - and then literally flips Eisa on his head.
With how much of cocky alpha Eisa seemed to be in the first book, I thoroughly enjoyed him getting his ass handed to him by Devin. This book was just as fun as the first, made more enjoyable because we got plenty of Saar & Alex in this story as well.
Maybe I just wanted more Saar & Alex but the romance didn't seem as believable as the first book. I know it's meant to be super insta-lovey, but Devin went from zero to a hundred real quick. I will say, though, I appreciated that the author at least gave inner dialogue explanations as to why he was falling for Eisa so quickly. And as much as I loved their romance, the whole "I am an alpha who just wants ANY omega, it doesn't matter whether it's you or not", while also present in the first book, was a little more grating in this one.
But overall, I still really enjoyed the story. I liked that the plot was given a little more depth than the first one with Devin's background/injury and I LOVED the scenes with Devin & Alex becoming friends; it was so sweet! Now I want more human-omega-besties-on-an-alien-planet scenes!
A sweet and exciting ending to the Luna Brothers series!
Finally, it's Arthur's turn to find love and it turns out he found it already - his best frienA sweet and exciting ending to the Luna Brothers series!
Finally, it's Arthur's turn to find love and it turns out he found it already - his best friend Perry from 13 years ago. When Perry comes back to town after running away from his horrible husband & marriage, the Luna Clan is more than ready open their arms to their newest member and his adorable little daughter Jupiter.
I really liked this one! I loved that these two already had a history because it gave valid excuse for the insta-love and the book was more about them staying together than getting together. On top of that, all the interactions between the Luna family and Perry & his daughter were stinkin' adorable! The pacing of this one was so much better than the previous books, too!
I got suuuper invested in the wolf-bike racing and the whole concept of it, really - it sounds fucking cool. I'm glad that the ending was predictable but not completely predictable.
As with the previous books, there are minor spelling/grammar issues and some plot holes here and there but overall, I had a really good time reading this one!...more
First 50%? Five stars. Slammin'. Bangin'. Last 50%? *big sigh* WE WERE SO CLOSE!
So, like I said, the first half of this book was fucking phenomenal. NFirst 50%? Five stars. Slammin'. Bangin'. Last 50%? *big sigh* WE WERE SO CLOSE!
So, like I said, the first half of this book was fucking phenomenal. Not only was the writing better (besides a few minor spelling/grammar mistakes), the pacing of the story was significantly slower and more well-rounded than the first two books in this series. It's also a much slower burn; our MCs don't even TOUCH each other until like 60% into the book, which was very refreshing and it allowed for a much more compelling build-up to Christophe & Mason's inevitable fated mates relationship.
At the halfway point, when our MCs finally get together, our slow-burn becomes a raging inferno and noooot necessarily in a good way. The story kind of just snowballs; all that lovely slower pacing that we were given in the first half is thrown out the fucking window and the remaining plot is just a sequence of summaries (some of which I wasn't a big fan of, especially those concerning Christophe's dad and that whole clusterfuck). It's as if halfway through the story, someone accidentally sat on the remote and fast-forwarded through the whole book.
As far as the actual characters, I loooved Christophe - especially in the first half, obvi. His character is given a little more depth than I expected and oh, I felt for him. He's so lonely and has nothing to really call his own and it broke my heart! And then Mason, that little spitfire - I adored how he was able to bring Christophe out of his shell, it was so sweet! Even though they're fated mates, I'm so glad that the beginning of their relationship was slow-going and entailed more of them actually getting to know one another. Obviously not a ton; they do still get together within the span of like a week but STILL.
Since I loved the first half and...tolerated the second half, I'm just going to put my rating smack dab in the middle to average it out....more
Move aside IPB, there's a new sexy af adorably-confused alien male in town.
I've said it before, I'll say it again: NOTHING BEATS AN ALIEN CONFUSED BY Move aside IPB, there's a new sexy af adorably-confused alien male in town.
I've said it before, I'll say it again: NOTHING BEATS AN ALIEN CONFUSED BY MUNDANE HUMAN CONCEPTS. Saar freaking the fuck out about Alex getting a sunburn absolutely sent. me. Hilarious and so so so cute.
This book was so much fun to read! So much so that I read the first two books & novella in the series before stopping to write my reviews; I just had to keep going. While the concept of the story is not wholly original, it was done very well!
There were miscommunications galore and things that could have definitely been avoided if someone just said something, but I'm just going to lean into the whole *two very different species meeting for the first time and having no idea how to communicate with one another* thing, because fuck it; sometimes, we do it for the plot. And it makes for a great fucking time.
YES, I bought it for the cover - sue me. This thing is a work of art and I needed it on my shelf.
Thankfully, the story holds up most of my expectationYES, I bought it for the cover - sue me. This thing is a work of art and I needed it on my shelf.
Thankfully, the story holds up most of my expectations for the cover. I do have a few criticisms but overall, I really enjoyed this. It's a really quick read-it-in-a-day type of book and for the most part, was exactly what I was looking for.
Loch and Tresten are freakin' adorable. The story is very much insta-love/fated mates that goes from 0 to 100 in 0.2 seconds flat so if that's not your jam, this isn't for you. I'm glad, though, that even our MCs were bamboozled by how quickly they were falling for each other. It's a lot more intolerable when the MCs just immediately get on board after hardly any interaction; so that was a little refreshing, at least. I still would have liked soooome more dialogue that played into the actual emotional investment, but that's not what this book is so I'm not super mad about it.
What I thought the book was (MM A/B/O mpreg smutty smut) didn't quite meet my expectations either, though. The sex was just...good. Not bad, but not anything to write home about either (not that you would be writing home about OV smut, but I digress) I kind of expected a little more after all the buildup in the beginning of the book. Also, this might just be a personal preference, but when a book is advertised as being mpreg, I want the mpreg - not a quick "I'm pregnant" and then fast forward 5 years in the epilogue. I'm not counting that particular criticism in my rating because I do think that's more of a me thing than a book thing.
The book is wholly predictable but that is exactly what I wanted: something easy, quick, sweet, and a little dirty. Still very much recommend this for anyone who just wants to read something fun that doesn't require much brainpower (which I'd like to point out is a compliment in this case)....more
There is only one sex scene. This has been a Pervert PSA.
This is not at all what I was expecting, but don't get me wrong, it was still pretty good.
IThere is only one sex scene. This has been a Pervert PSA.
This is not at all what I was expecting, but don't get me wrong, it was still pretty good.
I only wish I got a heads up that this was very story/worldbuilding/plot heavy and extremely light on what I consider to be traditional A/B/O romance dynamics. Apart from social status and the ability to give birth, there's really no differentiating qualities between alphas and omegas (i.e. heat, ruts, knotting, marking). Actually, it seemed like the more sexual aspects of A/B/O were completely avoided all together and I don't think anyone was even mentioned as being a beta in the story.
The one sex scene that is present is just a sweet (and quick) scene between our two MCs but it didn't exactly...wow me. Partly because the scene itself wasn't anything special and partly because the chemistry between Darien and Raine just wasn't quite there for me? At first I just thought it was going to be a slower burn; it was definitely slow but there wasn't much burn...the romance was just a step above lukewarm, at best. Still very wholesome and sweet, but it was missing that something.
Part of that something, at least for me, was the very conspicuous lack of physical descriptors. Beyond Darien saying ONE TIME that Raine was beautiful (and I think maybe another omega mentioned the color of Raine's eyes?), I couldn't tell you a single physical attribute of any character in the book. A big part of building chemistry and attraction is describing how the characters see each other or even just how they feel around each other, but that was noticeably lacking for me too. Having nothing like that in the story just made the romance feel dry.
BUT, will all that said - thankfully, I did end up really enjoying the story itself. I thought the worldbuilding, the magic, the relations between kingdoms, and so on were really unique and interesting (especially the alchemy & steampunk-ish elements). It was enough that the lack of romance/heat wasn't as disappointing as it could have been. I feel like I'm saying more negative than positive things, but I swear the story is actually really good.
I will say it again, though, cause it's for your own good: if you're here for omegaverse smut, look elsewhere....more
Kelex!? More like Kleenex! (she said with all the love in the world)
WOW THE TEARS I CRIED. Listen, I obviously knew going in that this was gonna hurt Kelex!? More like Kleenex! (she said with all the love in the world)
WOW THE TEARS I CRIED. Listen, I obviously knew going in that this was gonna hurt but goddamn, I was a mess; because it hurt so beautifully! This is a very, very, very complex story/premise and one that can only come across effectively if it's written well and I think Kelex more than did the story justice. I've been somewhat hesitant to read this book for that reason alone but I'm SO GLAD I finally decided to just go for it.
If you thought MM mpreg omegaverse was unconventional, this book takes it up another notch and I am HERE FOR IT. I love when omegaverse authors really lean in to their writing and make an already unique genre that much more unique.
The characters were also beautifully written - especially Jamie, our shining star. His relationship with Gray made my heart so warm I wanna cry just thinking about it. Again, props to the author because the dynamics between Jamie, Rohan, & Gray COULD HAVE been an absolute shit-show but it wasn't in the least. It was absolutely magnificent - everything that happened made sense for their characters and it was so lovely to see how everything played out, even if it was so very bittersweet.
MM Omegaverse: my go-to cure when I've hit a reading slump.
While I liked that the story was exactly what I would expect from a typical MM non-shifter MM Omegaverse: my go-to cure when I've hit a reading slump.
While I liked that the story was exactly what I would expect from a typical MM non-shifter A/B/O book (a quick read with plenty of smut and a straightforward plot), I was kind of hoping that this would have some of the sophistication that Blake's Heat of Love series had.
Don't get me wrong, I still really enjoyed the story and the book did what it was supposed to and got me out of my slump; it was just a little harder to get invested in the characters than I would've preferred. I loved sweet Adrien as a character but as much as I enjoyed their dynamic together, Heath didn't totally win me over. ADORED Simon though. Kind of wish Blake wrote about his and Earl's story too.
I'm also interested to see how the second book will be knowing that I've already started to form an opinion of Ned in my mind - hopefully he's not completely irredeemable....more
These books are literally perfect for moments when you want to read something simple but still absolutely lovely.
My life has been chaotic & all-consuThese books are literally perfect for moments when you want to read something simple but still absolutely lovely.
My life has been chaotic & all-consuming and I couldn't bring myself to read anything even remotely complex but I still wanted to read something with quality and lemme tell ya, this delivered.
Isak, nine months widowed from a marriage that tore him down, is to be remarried to Emil - a kindhearted but foreign Alpha. Isak comes in with every single conceivable shield up and at the ready and Emil gently tears them down one by one. It's such a sweet story of healing and love with some yummy added spice. ...more
Classic Roe PWP, but I desperately wanted just a liiittle bit more plot.
Actually, let me correct that - I don't think I needed plot so much as charactClassic Roe PWP, but I desperately wanted just a liiittle bit more plot.
Actually, let me correct that - I don't think I needed plot so much as character development. Which, I know, I know, is not what we're all here for, BUT I think for this particular story I personally needed a little bit more from Burke & Em to really get invested in the smut scenes. Were they still absurdly hot? Absolutely. But I think I needed more depth to their characters to really enjoy it.
Oof, that was BAD. I'm sorry, but I'm just glad it's over.
I literally don't even know where to start. I feel like the concept had a lot of promise butOof, that was BAD. I'm sorry, but I'm just glad it's over.
I literally don't even know where to start. I feel like the concept had a lot of promise but the actual execution was, frankly, terrible. What a waste of a gorgeous cover.
If this was a debut novel, I would maybe give a bit of grace, but it's very clearly not so I'm kind of shocked at how rough the writing was. For one, the entire book was written in past tense. Normally, that's not a huge issue, because I'm aware that that's a personal preference of mine - but if it's done well, I would never count it against the book. This was not done well. It felt (as a friend of mine once put it) like the MC was on their deathbed telling a story of their youth and it made it feel rushed; some scenes especially were just glossed over as if there were holes in their memory. More to that point, there was hardly any actual significant dialogue between the characters. What little dialogue they did have very quickly became clunky and cringey.
Second, the writing overall was just, I'm sorry to say, amateurish. Nearly every sentence felt stunted and harsh like the story was being told by a kid who hasn't yet learned what information is actually interesting or pertinent to a story. Not to mention how repetitive it was - a lot of things were repeated not just in the narrative, but by the actual characters speaking to each other. Like, they would say things to each other as if they hadn't already told them chapters before.
And omg, the plot.
Like I said, the idea for the book was interesting - I wouldn't have picked this up unless I thought so. But, wow, the story didn't just take a nosedive; it crashed and burned - fiery explosion and all.
I'm trying so hard not to be outright mean but I'm really having trouble.
∘₊✧─── POSSIBLE SPOILERS AHEAD!! ───✧₊∘
So without further ado, here's my shit list:
• Let's start with the fact that Rory doesn't show any evidence of using magic until the Alphas take him away from Igella. You're telling me that up until that point, he NEVER had any instances of magic use? I find that very unlikely with how easily his magic was incited by Lex and the others. Not to mention his newborn baby was already using magic in the crib? And Rory didn't know he had magic until he was 19??
• The "I love you" after two days thing? Come on. I like insta-love as much as the next person but when you have next to no dialogue showing any actual emotional connection growing between the MCs? Yikes. I understand that the author tried to use the whole "true mates" thing to hurry it along but even still, it made their relationship seem so shallow. And, ugh, the terms of endearment that came outta nowhere - so cringey.
• Why, why, WHY are we calling the folded up fabric that he uses for his slick "pads"? It's giving Always Maxi Pad with Wings. I am so bothered.
• The "binding" or, the exorcism, as I'd prefer to call it. You're telling me that in order to "bind" a warlock's dark magic, you need to chant in Latin and touch his head? When did this become an episode of Supernatural?
• From like 70% on, information is just dropped. No finesse, no dialogue, no context - just "Oops, Rory's pregnant", "Oops, now he's dead", "Oh wait, now he's not cause of true love's kiss or whatever". It very quickly stopped being a story; you're just saying things to me and none of them matter.
• Lex is just leaving his entire country? The PRINCE!? Fine, yes, it's for his "true mate" and the Queen done fucked up when she "killed" Rory but it cannot possibly be that easy for him.
• And OH, the pièce de résistance...a healer in Igella (a.k.a. the COUNTRY WHERE PEOPLE DON'T BELIEVE IN MAGIC) just casually gives Rory & Lex an explanation for why Rory's power is the way it is. Because the healer used a "healing blue flame" and because Rory's fire is also blue, it's "protective" magic. Oh, but he doesn't actually tell them this. No, there's no actual dialogue. It's just another of the hundreds of summarized sentences that was just thrown in to explain crucial plot points. You would THINK that someone somewhere (maybe someone with extensive knowledge of magic *cough* Lex *cough*) would have already known this information, no?