One of the most forgettable books from this author. I'm sad as it's based on a Jane Austen novel but I expected it based on the reviews. Still fun forOne of the most forgettable books from this author. I'm sad as it's based on a Jane Austen novel but I expected it based on the reviews. Still fun for what it was though!...more
This is a forbidden, student-teacher/priest romance and it is so my cuppa since I love angst in my books. I did like this book a lot, but, surprisinglThis is a forbidden, student-teacher/priest romance and it is so my cuppa since I love angst in my books. I did like this book a lot, but, surprisingly, I loved this author's other book, Sea of Ruin, more even though I was sure I would hate that one. The thing with this book is that the heroine acted very juvenile IMO and also Magnus did not struggle enough with his feelings for my liking and didn't really have a strong vocation anyway so the angst was lower than I hoped for and I love angst! It was sort of a missed opportunity but I still thoroughly enjoyed as it has so many tropes I love....more
Meh. I'm giving this 3 stars because it has a favourite trope of mine. However, there is honestly 0 character development here. What do we know about Meh. I'm giving this 3 stars because it has a favourite trope of mine. However, there is honestly 0 character development here. What do we know about the main dude apart from the fact that he's got skills in bed? And what made him fall in love with such a younger woman? This is no Birthday Girl for sure. You want this trope done right? Then read Birthday Girl....more
Really love this author's sci-fi romance series and this one is noexception. I think it's my second favourite, coming right after book #3.
I w4.5 stars
Really love this author's sci-fi romance series and this one is noexception. I think it's my second favourite, coming right after book #3.
I was really looking forward to reading this installment about Grand Master Idhron and his apprentice after catching a glimpse of them in the previous book and it was exactly what i was hoping for this to be.
It was a bit of a change of pace from the previous novel, which was the most romantic in the series, but I like the cold older man/emotional younger man combination we had in this book, I totally loved this one.
I love this author and I find her sci-fi series even better than her CR series, Straight Guys. I have read every single book she's published so far and I can't see myself stopping to read everything she comes out with anytime soon!
I didn't check out any reviews before reading this, so I was expecting to read an age-gap, Disney-inspireThe low rating for this one is totally on me.
I didn't check out any reviews before reading this, so I was expecting to read an age-gap, Disney-inspired romance, but this was erotica with minimal plot and exactly the kind of kink i don't enjoy reading about.
Definitely go ahead and read it though if that's your thing, just read a couple of reviews first to know what you're getting yourselves into.
As for me, I'm probably staying away from this author as we all like what we like and this is definitely not my cup of tea....more
Book #5 isn’t my favourite in the series but all the books are sooooo good. Anyta Sunday still hasn’t done my sign (lThis series is just so adorable!!
Book #5 isn’t my favourite in the series but all the books are sooooo good. Anyta Sunday still hasn’t done my sign (libra) and I’m looking forward to that.
Also, is it me or was this way steamier than the other books?
Just a note that the kind of cluelessness the guys have in this series is a bit over the top. They wouldn’t know what flirting looks like if it hit them in the face, lol. ...more
Last weekend i was in the mood for a romance and I wanted to read one with an age gap because I love this trope in fiction (not in real life 2.5 stars
Last weekend i was in the mood for a romance and I wanted to read one with an age gap because I love this trope in fiction (not in real life though).
I have read most of the books people recommend as good age gap romances so I thought I would give this a try, even though it's an MC romance, and I just have never been interested in that. It's actually my first one I believe.
Turns out I was right. Man, MC romances are not for me. I just can't deal with the OTT alpha men, I don't like them and I don't find them sexy anymore.
I still enjoyed this book, I'm not gonna lie, because I'm a sucker for this trope even though this one was cringy in my opinion. Lou very much felt to me like a teenager, she is underaged, she's only 17, and if the author was going to go there, I wish she would make the main characters struggle a bit with the fact that a romance between them is unnatural in a sense.
Plus, I know Lou was supposed to be mature and everything, but I didn't see that. I felt like Zeus got a kick out of how young she is instead of struggling with the fact that he's falling for a teenage girl who's not even 18 yet.
I don't know, I'm just rumbling at this point but this trope has been done better. Birthday girl, for example. I adore this book and the heroine was so mature and such an amazing woman, I could see why a 36-year old guy would still fall for her and not think of her as a child but here I don't get it. I think Zeus actually liked how young she is and everybody just accepted that these two people are in a romantic relationship like it's something normal.
Anyway, I still enjoyed this book despite myself, but it wasn't a great book in my opinion and I don't know if I will be continuing with the series. Probably not as I have so many books to read and so little time....more
Ir's getting them anyway as this series is my guilty pleasure. I don't know what it is that I like so mucDoes this book deserve 4 stars? Probably not!
Ir's getting them anyway as this series is my guilty pleasure. I don't know what it is that I like so much but I just can't put the books down every time! I read this in one sitting.
We have an age gap here, with one hero being 31 and a CEO and the other one being a 20-year-old student. There are definitely power plays here and Ian is quite domineering. There was some kink here as well but luckily it's nothing like the previous book, which I just couldn't deal with!
All the books are problematic in this series one way or another and the premises are ridiculous. I still love them anyway! What sorcery is this?...more
Really liked this book, but it was a bit hard to get through at times.
I love angsty novels though and that wasn’t a problem for me. It’s just that we Really liked this book, but it was a bit hard to get through at times.
I love angsty novels though and that wasn’t a problem for me. It’s just that we got to know Riley so well in the first part of the book and it was such a hit when he died.
Not only that, but every single conversation the main characters had came back to Riley and I just wanted to forget about him for a moment and enjoy their relationship. It was realistic but hard, I’m telling you.
Regarding these two men getting together, I did expect this to be more angsty with a lot more indecision on their part as it’s kind of a taboo relationship with a big age gap, but that didn’t happen. I do love my angst so I wouldn’t have minded having more struggle but then again, I don’t know how much more pain my poor heart could take.
A very emotional read in general, if you’re in the right mood for it I think you will really enjoy it. ...more
This was such a sweet book, but for a gfy story, I found it a bit unrealistic how quickly Clay accepted his feelings for a man.
The reason I enjoy thisThis was such a sweet book, but for a gfy story, I found it a bit unrealistic how quickly Clay accepted his feelings for a man.
The reason I enjoy this trope so much is the angst and where is my angst here, dammit?
Also, I understand the plotline the author went for has limitations but I do think this romance came about too quickly. But I guess Ethan was on a two (three?)-week holiday so I don’t know how this could be realistic.
I’m not sure where I stand with this author really. “Kidnapped by the Pirate” is one of my favourite mm romances, I have such a huge crush on this book. But everything else I’ve read from her I enjoyed but was almost too sweet?
I still enjoy her books though and I’ll keep reading them. I still haven’t read “A Forbidden Rumspringa”, which seems to be really up my alley. ...more
Oh my God! Oh my God! I should probably sleep on it before making any dramatic announcements but this is the 85th book I've read in 2 1 billion stars
Oh my God! Oh my God! I should probably sleep on it before making any dramatic announcements but this is the 85th book I've read in 2019 (yep, I need a life!) and at the moment I feel like it's the best one I've read this year, and I've read some pretty good books!
Maybe it's because I've read a great variety of genres this year instead of just romances, but I feel like I'm finding my lost enthusiasm for romance again.
This book was everything I love! Everything! It's like Karina Halle wrote this book just for me.
Yes, sure, the book is escapism, but let me explain why it's so right for me.
The pacing Spectacular! - The book takes place over the course of a year so there is no insta-love here. Insta-lust maybe but the MCs didn't act on it until much later on. - Which leads me to point #2, roughly 50% of the book was before the characters got together and the other 50% was after they did. This was so right!!! - It was a such an amazing slow-burn and it really paid off when these characters got together. It was explosive! - The main characters were already deeply in love with each other by the time anything happened between them and they were just struggling to find a way to express their feelings without being turned down. How amazing is that? And their struggles were so real. Aurora was the nanny for Aksel's kids and she didn't want to jeopardise her job and lose all the people she came to love if she was turned down and Aksel was Aurora's boss and a king so he didn't want to make a move and force her to sleep with him because she might think that her turning him down would result in her losing her job. - There was still enough substance and issues to be resolved to carry the book forward even after the characters get together. I think the reason why a lot of books end when the couples admit/realise they love each other is because it's hard to carry the story forward without the book losing steam after the "I love yous" have been said but not here!
A contemporary Jane Eyre story I could definitely see where Karina Halle got inspiration from Jane Eyre, I called it early on as there were a couple of scenes where I thought "this reminds me of that scen from Jane Eyre" - plus the whole nanny plotline obviously - and I was right! She said in the acknowledgements that she did get inspired by Jane Eyre when writing this book. And Jane Eyre is my favourite classic novel of all time so I'm not complaining.
Enemies to lovers Yes, this trope has been done a million times but I feel like it's a reader favourite and it can be so good if done right! The hero was a bit of an asshole early on in the book (later though, OMG, the man is perfection!) but he didn't do anything unredeemable, he was just rude to the heroine but she never took his BS, our girl has spunk!
The cliche factor Who cares?! I love cliches if they're done right! And this one was done so right!
The kids Normally I'm not too fond of kids, but they were so cute here!
The cheese factor Yeah, it was there, but instead of making the book silly and sickeningly sweet it was so utterly romantic. I'm swooning so hard! SWOONING
That hero, man! How perfect can this man be?! He was such a great combination of different qualities, self-assured and cocky but vulnerable, sexy and bossy but so sweet and supportive. I LOVE THIS MAN. Can I have one for myself? Where do they make them?
The heroine I don't know about you, but I don't usually read romances for the heroines. They can destroy a book though if not done right but I really liked this one.
The audiobook If you like audiobooks, go for it, it's free on Scribd too. Really really loved the male narrator's voice, there was something regal about it that really fit Aksel. The female narrator was really good too with female and kids' voices. The only thing I didn't like was her voice for Aksel but it wasn't a big deal.
I don't know, there's just something so wonderful about a guy being so much in love he would literally do anything for a woman. This king was brought down to his knees by love. Like I said, SWOONING!
On the negative side, I'm terrified this book will throw me in a reading slump because how does anything top that?
Also, I'm not fond of covers with naked men but it's decent for a cover of this type (and the cover is honestly the only thing I can think to complain about). Also, this is Denmark, why is the dude naked on a beach? I guess he's a King so he could go anywhere he wants though so a beach for the photoshooting it is....more
Poorly written with uninteresting characters that all they could think about was sex, a doormat and immature heroine and hero who fell in lust wit dnf
Poorly written with uninteresting characters that all they could think about was sex, a doormat and immature heroine and hero who fell in lust with her out of the blue but kept stringing along his girlfriend.
This is one my favourite tropes ever, so it goes a long way to show that it's not just about what you write but how you write it as well.
I cannot finish this book, let alone go on for 4 more books so I'm out now that it's still early....more
I'm bummed that I can't give this book more than 4 stars. There are so many rave reviews about it, and I guess 4 stars is still a pretty good rating bI'm bummed that I can't give this book more than 4 stars. There are so many rave reviews about it, and I guess 4 stars is still a pretty good rating but, damn! Expectations! There's no worse thing than a book not meeting your expectations.
What I didn't like -I'm not sure if this can be considered an MC romance because I've never read one. I've never read a rock star romance to this day either because neither lifestyle appeals to me and I don't like guys with tattoos everywhere. So there's that. -I'm very sorry, but it seemed to me that this author wasn't very good at building tension. A lot of the big moments, the first kiss, the first time, and several other moments that are supposed to be very emotional happened without a huge previous build-up, they were a bit unexpected really, and I didn't get the anticipation rush I get from other books. Again I have to mention how good Birthday Girl by Penelope Douglas was in this respect because I freaking loved this book! -The whole dog rescue thing the hero was involved in. I love dogs and animals, I really do, but I thought it was so unrealistic the way it was depicted here! And also I think that some of the things the hero did would have gotten the hero killed in real life or at least sent to the hospital. -The ending. For me, this ending was so bad because it didn't make any sense to me. (view spoiler)[Why would the heroine chase after the hero the entire book, trying to convince him they belong together and that she doesn't care what her father or anyone else would say, only to leave for an entire year when the truth is revealed until things calm down? Not only that, but she left when the hero was in the hospital after her father beat him to a pulp, maintained almost zero communication with the hero for a year, even tried to date (and failed thank God!) a couple of other guys to make sure what she felt for the hero was the real deal, even though she had told the hero that she just needed some time away and that they would still be together when she returned. If that's not enough, she then decides that the hero is definitely the love of her life and she can only be happy with him and what does she do? She goes back, is in the same town as the hero, doesn't contact him for a month because she wants to settle down first, then they accidentally bump into each other one day, she reassures him she would have called, they get together again and it's THE END. (hide spoiler)] The ending was so abrupt and I really hated it. It was a 2-star ending but because 95% of the book was a 4-star read, it seemed unfair for me to bring down my rating.
What I liked -This book was very romantic! These two characters weren't afraid to express their feelings for each other. -The theme of the book. It's a taboo romance and I love these! Duh?! -The characters were very mature and they talked things out like adults. Especially the heroine was very mature for her age so their love story worked very well for me and it wasn't creepy. I normally love taboo romances though I don't condone age gaps in real life because as a reader I feel longing, and heartbreak when reading these stories and they give me such a rush of emotions. This doesn't mean I will love every taboo romance I read. If the characters don't make sense to me as a couple and if I can't see why their love is so strong they would put up with the entire world to be together, then the book can go downhill fast for me.
All in all, it may seem that there is more about this book that I didn't like than what I did like, but it isn't so. I loved most things about this book and I do highly recommend it....more
This was a short read but unfortunately it wasn't very entertaining for me. Of course, going into it, I wasn't expecting a literary masterpiece, I wasThis was a short read but unfortunately it wasn't very entertaining for me. Of course, going into it, I wasn't expecting a literary masterpiece, I was fully expecting to read a short, kinky romance with a taboo relationship. I'd already read and enjoyed a lot another book by this author, Misbehaved, and I am disappointed in this one. Maybe because the book was too short, everything happened too fast, the characters weren't realistic for me, there was zero struggle with the fact that they were going into a complicated relationship and the mother was a caricature - I do like some depth in my characters even when I read a short story.
The sex scenes weren't that great either in my opinion so there is nothing really that would make me recommend this book, not even as porn material. I am still probably going to read the full novels by Charleigh Rose - I saw what she can do when I read Misbehaved and I think it's probably just this series that doesn't work for me....more
I want to make it clear that I do not condone teacher/student relationships in real life but I like angst so much iThis is a solid 4-star read for me.
I want to make it clear that I do not condone teacher/student relationships in real life but I like angst so much in books and taboo romances can definitely give me that so I find one, I will read it.
This could have easily been a five for me if not for the fact that I think Rem and Pierce didn't fight the attraction hard enough - I wanted even more angst, even more unresolved sexual tension and heartbreak and... more of everything I guess.
Normally when I read a taboo romance, I need to feel there is something special about the hero and the heroine that will make them fall hard for each other despite how hard it would be for the world to accept them as a couple. Birthday Girl by Penelope Douglas is a book that did this right 100% and I not only gave that book 5 stars but also added it to my favourites shelf. This is not to say that I didn't like Rem and Pierce, they were both amazing and I could definitely see an older man falling for a girl like Rem because she felt more like a woman than a young girl. My only problem is that there was a lot of sexual attraction from literally the first moment they laid eyes on each other and a big part of their relationship and their initial interactions revolved around this sexual attraction and not their emotional connection. If it was sexual gratification Pierce was after, I'm sure he could get that from another woman that was not his student.
However, by the end of the book I was completely convinced they belonged together and that they could work as a couple.
It was a very good book and I will definitely read more from this author. Highly recommended for readers who enjoy taboo romances....more
For me this book was perfection and it goes straight in my favourites self.
It was everything that I could ask for, a taboo slow-burn love story with sFor me this book was perfection and it goes straight in my favourites self.
It was everything that I could ask for, a taboo slow-burn love story with so much longing, angst, love and a happy ever after that I couldn't help but cheer for....more
I love this author! Basically anything I said for Act Like It is true for this book.
Lovely hero and heroine! Lucy Parker is an amazing author4.5 stars
I love this author! Basically anything I said for Act Like It is true for this book.
Lovely hero and heroine! Lucy Parker is an amazing author who knows how to create strong characters.
I liked the first book just a tad more because Luc Savage is a great hero but he is no Mr. Darcy like Richard and because the previous one was even more slow-burn and the sexual tension was sizzling, but this one is so close!!!
I think we can expect great things to come from this author. In a genre that most books are oversexualised, Lucy Parker writes about real feelings and about people who respect and genuinely like each other before falling in love....more
It's been over 4 months since I read this book so I can't write a proper review to do it justice. I remember that I read this in one day and I went toIt's been over 4 months since I read this book so I can't write a proper review to do it justice. I remember that I read this in one day and I went to work with 2 hours of sleep just to finish this book, it was that good!
It is tropey as hell - seriously, the author hit all the tropes that you could except from an old-school m/f historical romance with pirates - but is so, so good! Definitely in my top two mm historical romances, I can only think of one other book in this category I loved that much....more