shamrock kisses is the third installment in the high five novella series, featuring the intriguing story of rachel and patrick. p— ( ☘️ ) arc review ⊹
shamrock kisses is the third installment in the high five novella series, featuring the intriguing story of rachel and patrick. patrick, a dedicated nerd, opts for a st. patrick's day escape from chicago, seeking a digital detox at his friend brandon's lakeside retreat. meanwhile, rachel, the last single member of her friend group, is a confident entrepreneur whose cleaning business is thriving, currently working at her largest client's home. when patrick, completely enchanted by rachel—who seems far beyond his reach—is inivited to a st. paddy's celebration, she is caught off guard by his nerdy charm. will this encounter lead to a fleeting romance, or could it blossom into something deeper?
౨ৎ ⋮ I’m imagining our life together, imagining what it would be like to do this every night. To have her by my side, to keep learning everything there is to know about her.
this was my first experience reading a book by serena pier, and i have to say, i wasn't blown away, but I wasn't let down either. the novella has a charming and lighthearted vibe. i'm definitely a fan of nerdy characters, and this story delivered on that front. given that it's a novella, i didn't anticipate too much depth, but i did wish the characters had a bit more chemistry.
⤿ reverse age gap ⤿ strangers to lovers ⤿ insta love ⤿ small town ⤿ holiday romance ⤿ nerdy guy gets the girl
thank you author and grey's promotion for providing me an e-arc in exchange for my honest review!...more
okay goodreads here’s my official application to lead the north shore series hate club. if there’s a council dedicated to dissing this series, i’m youokay goodreads here’s my official application to lead the north shore series hate club. if there’s a council dedicated to dissing this series, i’m your queen. if there’s a city founded on loathing it, i'm ready to be the mayor. and if there’s a whole country built on this disdain, i'm claiming the presidency.
the next time i spot a book from this series, i'm going to burn it. just kidding. or am i? let's find out.
‼️ okay first, this rant will contain spoilers, so if you haven't read this series yet, i prefer you stop scrolling. and also if you loved this series, these are my opinions, so don't come at me.
starting, can we take about how everyone is obsessed with eachother in this series?
billie — xi caden — ethan jade — caden billie — jake nathan — jamie emma — kayla (i wish) elliot — ethan (could have done wonders)
─ ♟️⊹ the plot
kayla, the so-called ruthless king of north shore, is having a major meltdown. she’s lost her grip on everything—her precious lead, that totally forgettable guy ivan, and her territory to the NSC. just when she thought it couldn’t get worse, she gets snatched up by nathan white, the very dude she tossed in the prison a few years back. surprise! he’s out and ready to make her life a living nightmare. buckle up, because this drama is just getting started.
so, the rest of the story is basically nathan playing the villain and kayla just rolling over like a doormat. seriously, she gives in way too easily. the plot twists? yawn, totally saw them coming from a mile away. and let’s be real, these two have zero chemistry. that’s all she wrote, folks.
this book was fucking corny. seriously, it was a disaster, but also a cornucopia of ridiculousness and cornfest. when you dive into a "dark romance," you’re hoping for some real grit—think death, drugs, and all that juicy stuff. instead, we get a stupid psychopath who’s a white supremacist and a female main character so annoying she thinks she’s the queen.
─ ♟️⊹ the characters
oh my god. OH MY GOD you guys you cannot believe how shit these two were. they're so dumb, have zero chemistry and are so obsessed with playing the "name it game". two peas in a pot.
i'm writing this review because i'm feeling messy tonight and i got my messy boots on.
on to the front—delightful sins by lola king—zeros across the bi'm writing this review because i'm feeling messy tonight and i got my messy boots on.
on to the front—delightful sins by lola king—zeros across the board. when i tell you main characters in this book are the most INSUFFERABLE characters i've ever read in a book, i mean they're insufferable. i feel like me and manas should be compensated for reading this book. it's wild to think someone wrote this, had it edited, and a whole squad of people read it before it hit the shelves, and yet here we are ...more
before i dive into this review, let me get a couple of things off my chest. first off, i swore i wouldn’t be a hater and would keep it generous while before i dive into this review, let me get a couple of things off my chest. first off, i swore i wouldn’t be a hater and would keep it generous while rating this book, but guess what? this book shattered that little promise like it was made of glass. so, yeah, thanks for that. secondly, if you’re one of those people who adored this book, save your breath. everyone’s entitled to their opinions, and i’m not here to swipe your precious kitty, so just relax. and if you haven’t read this book yet, do yourself a favor and stop right here because this review is about to drop some serious spoilers.
*claps twice* alright, alright, gather 'round for the latest episode of rant with vee. i know, i know, it’s been ages since i unleashed my book rants, but this one really got under my skin, so here we are, ready to spill the tea.
heartless beloved is the second installment in the north shore stories series, serving up all the juicy tropes you crave: good girl meets bad boy, gang wars, and a boy who's totally obsessed. and of course, it’s dripping with dark romance. the author thought it’d be cute to sprinkle in some dub con because, you know, our main man is an anti-hero and all that jazz. but let’s be real—it wasn’t just dub con; it crossed the line into SA territory. yikes!
if you have already read the first book in the series, my serious condolences to your brain cells but i hate to break it to you, you're in for the same ride in this book as well.
part 1: prologue
I startle awake. “Don’t scream.” The coldness of the gun against my forehead forces me to inhale sharply. My body freezes as my eyes dart around. He’s wearing a balaclava, dark eyes looking down at me...
the prologue kicks off with our leading lady sprawled in bed, a gun pressed to her forehead—classic dark romance nonsense, right? but what really grinds my gears is how our male lead, xi, is just a walking red flag, abusing alex in every possible way—mentally, sexually, physically, you name it. and to top it off, he does this in front of his buddies, who think it’s a great idea to film the whole thing and send it to her dad. seriously, it’s like the darkest temptation 2.0. come on, lola, you can do so much better than this.
row row row your boat the fuck away from me.
part 2: the plot
welcome to the north shore, where the dudes are full of shit and love raping their ladies.
seven months after all that drama with xi, alex is still reeling from the trauma of his abuse. she decides to enroll at silver falls university, where the students are basically the offspring of billionaires and old money. classic. being the ultimate people pleaser, she’s desperate to fit in with the elite crowd, especially xi ep the ridiculous club that nobody really cares about. while trying to find her way to silver falls, she hilariously ends up on the north shore instead. and guess what? she spots xi and instantly starts drooling over him. as the plot thickens, it turns out xi has his own agenda—he’s looking to use alex because his gang is running low on drugs. they’re planning to hit up an Italian Don for a little supply boost to take down their rivals, the kings. drama alert. in the midst of all this chaos, xi suddenly gets all mushy on her. like, seriously, possessive much? and then he starts calling her cupcake and baby chick. i can't even. this book is dripping with insta-love vibes, and honestly, it was so over-the-top that i felt like i might just pass out from the absurdity.
the ending had me grinding my teeth, pulling my hair out, and cackling like a maniac because it was just that ridiculous. so, xi is at it again, assaulting her and casually admits, "uep, it was me who assaulted you," (he wore a ski mask during the kidnapping, so of course, she couldn't recognize him.) amd get this—her own dad was the one who gave xi and his crew the heads-up to snatch her, all in the name of family values. i mean, he’s a senator, so clearly, family image is his top priority. i wanted to throw up.
part 3: characters
the main characters were such a hot mess that i seriously considered giving them a good smack. elisabeth alexandra delacroix, or alex for short, is a total victim with some serious trauma from her kidnapping. but she’s also your classic doormat sunshine heroine who just lets everyone trample all over her while trying to find the silver lining in every cloud. and don’t even get me started on her obsession with fuchsia—because apparently, pink just doesn’t cut it for her. it's like the author had a fuchsia quota to fill, mentioning it a hundred times. oh, and she’s a die-hard taylor swift fan, dropping a swiftie reference in every single scenario. can we get a little originality here.
ziad benhaim, or should I say xi, is your classic anti-hero who’s head over heels for his girl and ready to take out anyone who dares to lay a finger on her. and “no” isn’t in his vocabulary—consent? what’s that? to top it all off, he’s rocking a mix of albanian and moroccan heritage. as someone from an arab country, i can’t even begin to express how much this irks me. i'm all for authors creating diverse characters, but can we please get it right.
"Why is it that all I want to do is wrap you in my arms and protect the fuck out of you, so only person who can hurt you is me."
first of all, there are 6600 languages in the world and you decide you wanna talk shit. second, no man in love would hurt his woman intentionally. take notes.
part 4: conclusion
this book was a total dumpster fire. it had a glimmer of potential, but the characters were a hot mess. honestly, i couldn't stand any of them—except for zara, you're my queen!
i don't even know what i wrote in this review because i'm freaking brain dead after reading this book.
and i am sooo exhausted with dark romance authors throwing in sexual assault and rape like it’s just another plot twist. rina kent, shantel tessier, i'm looking at you.
big thank you to manas for being my rock through this chaotic journey. i seriously couldn’t have made it without you ...more
okay guys so is it just me, or do you all sometimes find yourselves loving those so-called "trash" books? because let me tell you, this one was a totaokay guys so is it just me, or do you all sometimes find yourselves loving those so-called "trash" books? because let me tell you, this one was a total feast. did i call it trash? you bet i did. but did i have an absolute blast reading it? oh, you know it.
it's another book that’s just recycling the same old tropes. dark fantasy romance? check. a brooding shadow daddy as the main man? double check. mind reading powers? yawn. so why did i devour this like it was the last slice of pizza? we shall find out. lemme calm down while typing this because it was so so good. i'm so glad i picked up this bad boy and regret not reading it on the wattpad because my obsessed ass kept re-reading insatiable and psychotic obsession by this author.
౨ৎ ⋮ "You think I don't know you, little mortal? I'm fucking haunted by you."
the plot was rushed to the max. seriously, cramming this book into just 200 pages should be illegal because i am absolutely starving for more. the beginning was like a speed race from point A to B, leaving me utterly baffled. but hold up—this is an enemies-to-lovers story, and the banter? absolute perfection. i couldn’t care less about their school drama or whatever nonsense was going on, but that banter? it was served, devoured, and left me wanting seconds.
౨ৎ ⋮ "You'll never be free of me. That's a promise. After we're done with the academy, I will follow you to the ends of your world and make your meaningless life hell."