I recently (as in this week) read two Darkness novellas - this one and this one...which is supposedly considered a "full length" who2 Lackluster Stars
I recently (as in this week) read two Darkness novellas - this one and this one...which is supposedly considered a "full length" whole number installment, but at 99 overpriced pages, well...
[image]
In fact, I've come to two conclusions after finishing this last one:
1) Said novellas are not worth the price I paid for them. ($2.99 for each)
2) Katie Reus can't write good novella.
With both books, everything felt...half-assed and rushed, quite frankly.
And before people get their panties jammed and cry, "But they are novellas!"
I say,
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I have read a TON of fucking novellas in my time. And I KNOW they can be done right and done well.
Characters can still be fully fleshed out. Plots can still be solid. Scenes can feel smooth and finished.
But, alas, such was not the case with this one.
Scenes I had looked forward to, scenes which should have packed some major feels-punch, felt harried and without finesse...like their writing was a check mark on the to-do list of a proverbial book outline and not given their true diligence.
In fact, these last two series installments make me question whether or not I will continue with the series after this...although I really want to read Cynara's book (which I am hoping is next).
Something to ponder...
Still love Katie Reus...just not impressed by her short game.
I recently (as in this week) read two Darkness novellas - this one and this one...which is supposedly considered a "full length" whole number installment, but at 99 overpriced pages, well...
[image]
In fact, I've come to two conclusions after finishing this last one:
1) Said novellas are not worth the price I paid for them. ($2.99 for each)
2) Katie Reus can't write good novella.
With both books, everything felt...half-assed and rushed, quite frankly.
And before people get their panties jammed and cry, "But they are novellas!"
I say,
[image]
I have read a TON of fucking novellas in my time. And I KNOW they can be done right and done well.
Characters can still be fully fleshed out. Plots can still be solid. Scenes can feel smooth and finished.
But, alas, such was not the case with this one.
Scenes I had looked forward to, scenes which should have packed some major feels-punch, felt harried and without finesse...like their writing was a check mark on the to-do list of a proverbial book outline and not given their true diligence.
In fact, these last two series installments make me question whether or not I will continue with the series after this...although I really want to read Cynara's book (which I am hoping is next).
Something to ponder...
Still love Katie Reus...just not impressed by her short game.
This was a...different read. There was a whole lot going on - MC Club, mafia assassins, survivalist cults, bdsm...I mean, my God, practically every hot romance trope of the moment, for fucks sake- and at times I rolled my eyes a bit, for sure.
Plus, there were a LOT of sex scenes. Almost too many - yeah, I can't believe I just said that either - but seriously, a lot.
Not I saying I didn't enjoy them *ahem* just saying it might be a bit overkill in the sex department for some people.
Aside from that, there was some unevenness at times and the plot seemed occasionally disjointed but, in the end, I was able to buy in and enjoy this more than I expected when I was at the halfway point.
Swan - despite being a golden clam - was a very interesting character and I really started to like her as the story went on. Smoke was a hottie, of course, and so was Beach.
Regardless, I'm knee deep in this ish now, so I'm off to read the next one now, which I hear is better than this one. So...woohoo.
This was a...different read. There was a whole lot going on - MC Club, mafia assassins, survivalist cults, bdsm...I mean, my God, practically every hot romance trope of the moment, for fucks sake- and at times I rolled my eyes a bit, for sure.
Plus, there were a LOT of sex scenes. Almost too many - yeah, I can't believe I just said that either - but seriously, a lot.
Not I saying I didn't enjoy them *ahem* just saying it might be a bit overkill in the sex department for some people.
Aside from that, there was some unevenness at times and the plot seemed occasionally disjointed but, in the end, I was able to buy in and enjoy this more than I expected when I was at the halfway point.
Swan - despite being a golden clam - was a very interesting character and I really started to like her as the story went on. Smoke was a hottie, of course, and so was Beach.
Regardless, I'm knee deep in this ish now, so I'm off to read the next one now, which I hear is better than this one. So...woohoo.
This decently (albeit temporarily, as always) satisfied the endless black hole that is my mafia romance craving. Super solid and I will defin3.5 Stars
This decently (albeit temporarily, as always) satisfied the endless black hole that is my mafia romance craving. Super solid and I will definitely be reading book two when it comes out. ...more
I just realized that I never fully reviewed this. And I probably should since I've actually read it twice already. But I digress.
It's no secre4 Stars
I just realized that I never fully reviewed this. And I probably should since I've actually read it twice already. But I digress.
It's no secret that I love this author and this series. And I really, really enjoyed this book. Viper was very alpha and I liked Ella too. I will admit, however, that I seem to be destined to forever to chase the Knox/Harper dragon with this series. Nothing compares to them. And I also feel like there wasn't as much longing and chemistry as there should have been between Viper and Ella given their history. With Viper being a fallen archangel of his magnitude, I just feel like everything should have been a little...more all around.
Also, I think this was a missed opportunity to start a new spinoff series featuring the Black Saints. Which I hope Wright does. If so, can't wait!...more
It has been a minute since I read a Meghan March. And this one was written in 2017. So I'm not quite sure how or why this suddenly popped up 3.5 Stars
It has been a minute since I read a Meghan March. And this one was written in 2017. So I'm not quite sure how or why this suddenly popped up on my radar...or why it never has before...but no matter.
This was about a marriage on the rocks, a romance trope I am here for ALL the time. EVERY time. So if you have some good recs, hit my up.
Otherwise, I enjoyed this well enough and will definitely re-read (and probably upgrade) it at some point. ...more
This definitely wasn't the best thing I've read, by any means, and my rating is definitely inflated...the story was rough, there was3 Smut Scale Stars
This definitely wasn't the best thing I've read, by any means, and my rating is definitely inflated...the story was rough, there was a lot more telling than showing, it was light on the actual mafia element, and the sex scenes sometimes had a weird flow to them...
But this was exactly what I was in the mood for and I enjoyed it a lot.
Super mafia-lite. Super OTT obsessed alpha male. A little too insta-lovey.
Ya'll are probably sick of hearing this, but it's still true and still needs saying...Suzanne Wright is one of my ride or die authors and I sta4 Stars
Ya'll are probably sick of hearing this, but it's still true and still needs saying...Suzanne Wright is one of my ride or die authors and I stan all her books. Are they formulaic AF with lead characters that are usually variations of the same person? Yes. And I don't care. Because, for me, they are guaranteed guilty pleasure reads and I am here for it every single time.
So just know that.
For this book we revisited the Olympus Pride. And, while I will never love this series as much as my BELOVED Dark in You or Phoenix Pack series, I still enjoy it well enough. I will admit that, now that we are six books deep, the characters from previous books in this series are starting to all blend together a little bit...but that's neither here nor there.
As always, I enjoyed the pack world and dynamic. And I REALLY loved the whole added element of what amounts to a marriage of convenience/arranged marriage situation. Delicious.
Quinley and Isiah had great chemistry and I just enjoyed their story. I liked all the Olympus/Blackfoot drama as well. Could have gone for more of it actually. I also could have gone for a little more time and relationship development before their actual "moment." But I still really enjoyed this and foresee many re-reads to come. ...more
I liked this one a lot more than Brody's book (which is the last one I read...I skipped a couple as I had no interest in them). I thought Jud3.5 Stars
I liked this one a lot more than Brody's book (which is the last one I read...I skipped a couple as I had no interest in them). I thought Jude and Roni had really great chemistry and I really liked their history and connection. Jude was also my favorite kind of asshole.
I did feel like the author did a bit of a bit and switch with the ending...and completely changed the main point of contention between Jude/Roni at the last minute. And it felt a little bit like a cop out.
Otherwise, I enjoyed this and could see myself re-reading it again. ...more
I just love the world here. Cole and Delaney's story had such a delicious beginning and SO much potential...and while I didn't think Kent max3.5 Stars
I just love the world here. Cole and Delaney's story had such a delicious beginning and SO much potential...and while I didn't think Kent maximized this potential, I still enjoyed this overall.
Long story, short: This one wasn't my favorite, but I enjoyed it nonetheless. ...more
I LOVE marriage on the rocks romance and this book delivered on the front deliciously. Add in the mafia angle and I was hooked. The Catalina/Se4 Stars
I LOVE marriage on the rocks romance and this book delivered on the front deliciously. Add in the mafia angle and I was hooked. The Catalina/Severu parts (the couple from the next book, which is technically book two although this is billed as a prequel) was fine, but I was really here for Guilia and Rafe. And I loved every second of their story.
I will definitely continue with this series.
My review for book two (which I read prior to this one, because rule breaker) can be found HERE....more
If you have followed me for any decent amount of time, you know that I LOVE mafia romance. And I also really like Lucy Monroe. I also love me3.5 Stars
If you have followed me for any decent amount of time, you know that I LOVE mafia romance. And I also really like Lucy Monroe. I also love me some arranged marriage shtick. So I was excited to start this series. I know this was technically not the first book, but it called to me more at the time than the first book, which is billed as a prequel.
That said, I liked this a lot. I will say that the only reason I'm not rating this higher is because I think my expectations for the chemistry between the main couple were probably too high and while I liked them, I just wasn't feeling them all the way.
Regardless, I definitely enjoyed this and can see it being one of those books that I re-read and rate higher later. Much like the Cora Reilly mafia series, which I thought were okay the first read them, but now LOVE and re-read constantly. In fact, since reading this I have already gone back and read the aforementioned prequel and I really, really liked it.
I will definitely be continuing the rest of the series....more
So...not gonna lie, I had to go back and re-read book one before reading this as I had completely forgotten which series this stemmed from. And4 Stars
So...not gonna lie, I had to go back and re-read book one before reading this as I had completely forgotten which series this stemmed from. And man, I'm glad I did. Because boy was I WRONG about which series I thought this was about. Which would have been a very confusing start for this one.
But I digress.
As I pretty much always say now when reading anything from this author at this point: I am a huge Anna Zaires fan and will read anything she writes.
And, as I said for book one of this series, I (shockingly) did not like this book's precursor series (my review for book one in that duet can be found HERE). But book one for this was a slam dunk for me, so I had high hopes for this installment.
That said, book two was a lot of the things I love I love about Anna Zaires' brand of romance... a ruthless alpha male lead who is completely and unhealthily obsessed with the heroine. Great chemistry.
However, Alina grated on my nerves a bit here for some reason. Which led to a few other petty niggles. But I boil that down to just being me.
Otherwise, I thoroughly enjoyed this and cannot WAIT for book three. Especially after the bomb dropped at the end of this one.
***ARC received via the author in exchange for an honest review***...more
Trust me, no one is more surprised than me that I am rating this anything less than five stars.
As a long-term self-described uber fan of2.5 - 3 Stars
Trust me, no one is more surprised than me that I am rating this anything less than five stars.
As a long-term self-described uber fan of Suzanne Wright, I have read everything she has ever published. I adored the The Favor and figured I would love this just as much being that, 1) it was yet another gift from one of my favorite smut authors, and 2) paired with a beloved trope (arranged marriage/marriage of convenience).
I was surprised when I cracked this open and soon realized that this was featuring the oldest daughter of the main couple from The Favor, though. I somehow missed the memo on that one. And, I'll be blunt: it felt too soon for my tastes for books featuring Dane and Vienna's grown children.
But I digress.
I'm not sure what happened here, but I just didn't feel the raging connection I usually feel between Wright's lead couples. Don't get me wrong, these two had chemistry...just not the level that I know Wright can deliver.
I also felt like there was a lot less steam and sexual tension than normal. Almost like Wright is gearing up for an entrance into more mainstream romance writing, if that makes sense? That and the cover kind of make me get that vibe...
But again, I digress.
There are other things that I didn't love: the constant name-dropping of random characters and couples (future series characters, perhaps?), the BDSM-lite element between Dax and Addison (which actually made some of their love scenes feel trope-y and trite for me), the dead-ex factor on both sides (we didn't surpass the consolation stage to my satisfaction), and the murkiness surrounding Dax's supposed badassery.
The start was also REALLY slow. In fact, there were a lot of slow moments and I had no problem putting this down. Usually I polish off a Wright book in one evening, but this took me three as I just wasn't enthralled per usual.
Sigh.
Regardless, I did enjoy this. I just didn't love it like I though I would....more
Cate C. Wells has quickly become an auto-buy author for me ever since I read my first book by her in April of 2022. I just really li3.5 - 4 Smut Stars
Cate C. Wells has quickly become an auto-buy author for me ever since I read my first book by her in April of 2022. I just really like her obsessive male alpha leads and the over the top drama.
Cash was a little different from her normal male lead in that he was loquacious and charming as opposed to enigmatic and non-emotive. He was the typical flirty player. I am a diehard fan of the dark enigmatic mysterious dude, but the reformed flirty player is a close second favorite.
Iam also a sucker for the bully romance trope, so this was a super enjoyable read for me....more
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