I thoroughly enjoyed reading the ending of David and Murdo's story. A high note on a series that I wasn't particularly impressed or annoyed by.
Where tI thoroughly enjoyed reading the ending of David and Murdo's story. A high note on a series that I wasn't particularly impressed or annoyed by.
Where the first two books felt like they were sorely lacking in romance and often felt like Murdo was a subplot as opposed a main character, this book solidly nails the romantic tension. Having Murdo be directly involved in how they rescued Elizabeth from her abusive husband was well done, both solving Murdo's desire to cut off his engagement and help David in one swift act.
And while the story and conflict itself was rather simplistic, the characterization was more than enough to fill in the bones and make things feel more real. I loved seeing both Murdo and David's affection towards each other and how that interplayed with their thoughts (primarily David's because he's the POV character) with David holding himself off because of what he believed to be an inevitable separation. And I loved how Murdo very clearly showed David that he was not ever going to leave him through his actions.
The only real criticism I had was that I wish David had gotten more scenes with William. I feel like that particular dynamic was a bit wasted and could've been better used to further ramp up the tension between David and Murdo as opposed to being solved in a single chapter.
Still, very happy to have read through the story and wil definitely be keeping an eye out for this author....more
Loved the small prologue that gave us Russell's backstory and the origin of the curse. The writing for that felt like I was reI absolutely loved this.
Loved the small prologue that gave us Russell's backstory and the origin of the curse. The writing for that felt like I was reading an old fairytale!
While the author definitely could've gone the route of having the curse itself be a source of conflict, I really liked how part of the curse was people immediately believing it was true because it let the conflict of the differences between the past and the present take center stage.
I loved Russell and how genuine and open he was with his emotions. I also really liked that despite his open he was with affection, his true feelings towards Caleb were still unclear because of their cultural differences.
Caleb was an amazing character. His justifiable fear of being outed warring with his desire to try and be open with Russell created amazing tension. That coupled with Caleb trying to teach Russell about how the present viewed homosexuality (unfortunately also teaching Russell that he thought it was wrong) and the aforementioned cultural differences upped that romantic tension to great heights.
The miscommunications were so well done and believable on both parts (Caleb not being a perfectly comprehensive teacher and Russell not fully understanding things).
And I loved the times when Caleb let his fear get the better of him, denying both him and Russell the chance to get what they want, but also ultimately letting both of them resolve their miscommunications and get on the same page.
I love love LOVED the climax when (view spoiler)[Russell fell under the curse again (hide spoiler)]. Amazing way of leveraging the premise and showing how much they truly loved each other.
TL;DR Amazing story. Amazing way to show miscommunication yet still have the characters seem like they were truly trying to connect. I loved both Russell and Caleb and loved how their romance progressed. 5 out of 5....more
Loved how the author was able to show us that Samuel was observant and clever without just resorting to telling us he was. His dialogue was very well Loved how the author was able to show us that Samuel was observant and clever without just resorting to telling us he was. His dialogue was very well written and characterized him amazingly. Similarly great for Ambrose and his silent suffocation under his dad's authority.
I liked how steamy Ambrose and Samuel's forst sex scene was, though I wasn't a super big fan of how the two seemed to take the small development in their relationship and ran with it, dumping both of their traumas to each other (particularly Samuel telling Ambrose about him killing his parents' killers, even though he later tells Elizabeththat he wasn't shy about that). It felt like they had just started to earn each other's trust but definitely not at the level of expressing their vulnerabilities to each other quite yet. But I did really enjoy their romance and how you could see the gradual change they went through as they spent time together. Ambrose becoming less angry and more affable while Samuel became less guarded as he began to feel safe and secure. I especially loved the conversation they had where Samuel was honest enough to plainly admit that his feelings for Ambrose were getting closer and closer to love each day. So romantic and sweet!
I did not like how the story seemed to paint Ambrose's dad as this stoic yet all knowing figure who could do no wrong when all I could see his broody silence doing was being cowardly whenever he chose to not intervene between Ambrose and his brother's arguments. The fact that even until the end he was still pulling the man of few words shtick with barely an acknowledgement of the mistakes he made that led to (view spoiler)[Joseph's betrayal (hide spoiler)] was super annoying.
The other side characters were all fine. I liked how Elizabeth was given agency and how she was rrady to take charge. The other convicts that Samuel came on were funny and distinct and I wish we got to see more of them (maybe they have their own book? I'll need to see).
I will say that Elias appearance (view spoiler)[someone from Samuel's past (hide spoiler)] felt a bit like it came out of nowhere? It makes sense considering how (view spoiler)[Joseph (hide spoiler)] clearly wasn't able to pull all of it off on his own, but I feel like there could've been a bit more foreshadowing rather than having him materialize out of thin air.
Also, I take issue with the book's blurb. Mentioning the betrayal in the summary was a bit of a spoiler imo considering it wasn't immediately obvious that it was happening (at least to me)
The epilogue was sweet but (view spoiler)[a bit lost on me because even though I read Max and Riley's book, I actually don't remember then very well and from the review I left, it seemed like their story didn't leave much of a lasting impression either (hide spoiler)] though I can see that being a nice little easter egg for people who did enjoy them.
TL;DR: Great romance, great character progression, great pacing. Love wasn't instant and actually satisfying, though I did feel like Ambrose and Samuel began to trust each other just a tad too quickly and the dad was super annoying, but I'm still reading this a 4.5 rounded up!...more
Would've rounded up to 5 stars if not for that (view spoiler)[annoying almost breakup at the end (hide spoiler)] but we're sticking with a solid 4.4 sWould've rounded up to 5 stars if not for that (view spoiler)[annoying almost breakup at the end (hide spoiler)] but we're sticking with a solid 4.4 stars for now.
Loved how we got Ty acknowledging he was gay instead of GFY or some other dumb thing. It looked like he was leaning towards that for a sec, but since him getting to know his sexuality was more of a slow exploration, assuming he was only attracted to Jace and not other men was an acceptable stepping stone.
I'm lukewarm on Jace's character. There wasn't anything about him was unlikable, but not very much to like either. I liked how flirty he was at the start, and liked how Ty was willing to encourage that flirtiness in the beginning, but that's about it. I appreciated his patience with Ty as he explored his newfound sexuality, but that really just comes with a well written sexual awakening story and wasn't specific to his character. I feel like his personal character conflicts sort of just fixed themselves? His relationship with his dad was seemingly getting better (with no action on his part) and the homophobic dude on his soccer team got expelled (again, little agency on Jace's part. In fact, there was a chance he made things worse by fighting back, but I could hardly blame him for that). Since I was generally indifferent to his character, that little (view spoiler)[last minute break-up thing (hide spoiler)] he pulled on Ty sort of soured me on him. (view spoiler)[I get it was very emotional, but I will never not hate "I'm breaking up with you because we'll never work even though long distance exists" AND it was only three months. Yes, there could've been extensions to his touring contract and yes, Ty was going into the NFL, but having characters break up because the future was going to be tough just screams melodrama and I'm not a fan. (hide spoiler)]
Wasn't a super big fan of how many bets there were on Ty and Jace's relationship/sexuality. It wasn't awful, but reading about how Ty's parents had put money on his and his siblings bringing men home felt like it was a bit too casual over something that took a lot of energy and courage on Ty's part. Don't get me wrong, I loved their acceptance, but I sort of wish there was a tiny bit more support and reassurance as opposed to benign indifference.
Side characters were fine. Tuck, Missy, and Lamar were ok and the others were meh/not memorable.
Sex was definitely steamy and I usually skip most of the sex scenes past the second one, but this one managed to keep things spicy enough all the way through.
TL;DR: Liked the story, would've loved it if not for the major fumble at the end (view spoiler)[which is thankfully rectified, but still soured me on the book a bit (hide spoiler)]. Will definitely read the next book! ...more
The start was pretty good as both a way to introduce Lou and the setting. The writing was funny, the monsters and paranomal stuff decently explained.
IThe start was pretty good as both a way to introduce Lou and the setting. The writing was funny, the monsters and paranomal stuff decently explained.
I really truly wished that there was some angst to Neil and Lou's relationship though. I wished that there was more to it than Neil randomly giving up and falling for Lou's flirting. I wished his fears that Lou was only doing it to get the Reliquary were proven true. I wished Lou actually saw Neil working at a flower shop and the plague's distribution through flowers + the drugs on the third floor as suspicious. As it is, the instalust turned instalove was disappointing because there wasn't any substance or reasoning to why Lou was so adamant about keeping Neil happy other than "he magically fell for a guy he only knew for like two days" and what's romantic about falling in love over that short a time and with nothing meaningful to have sparked that affection?
Relegating must of the "investigation" into the ribellis to "Lou ordered his subordinates to look into something" was a bit lazy and boring. We couldn't have cut one of the numerous sex scenes to show plot development?
The fight scene at the end was alright, if a little chaotic and a bit too "everything goes well for the heroes". I guess it was nice seeing all the Reliquary spirits but the lack of any real stakes sort of made it boring. Plus what the hell happened to the angel that was supposed to be protecting Neil? He sort of disappeared after two lines then never showed up again.
TL;DR: Story was just fine. Instalust into instalove was boring and the plot was very predictable, but there wasn't anything egregiously bad to make me stop reading. The witty lines unfortunately stop after like 30% which is about the same time Neil and Lou magically fall for each other, but the premise was just interesting enough to keep me reading (even if so much of it was progressed off page)...more
What a wonderfully emotional story. This book ranks among one of the heaviest I've ever read. A majority of the book is good with the underpinning thaWhat a wonderfully emotional story. This book ranks among one of the heaviest I've ever read. A majority of the book is good with the underpinning that Daniel and Gennady were evry going to be truly happy because of the circumstances that surrounded their star-crossed romance. Politics, their individual histories, their present lives, everything conspired against a HEA for them and it was almost depressing to read the story with such a negative emotion pervading every sentence. And nearly every scene was just so sad in the inevitability of Gennady and Daniel's separations.
I absolutely loved how well the author showed that Gennady truly cared about Daniel while also showing how defecting wasn't going to solve everything. My favorite scene had to be (view spoiler)[Gennady giving Daniel blackmail material on himself to make Daniel feel better (hide spoiler)] was so immensely sweet I legit teared up.
Daniel being so vulnerable when Gennady told him about the honeytrap, being vulnerable when he told Gennady about his past relationships, was so well written. It showed how difficult the time was for him and how he had suffered in different ways from Gennady.
I honestly wished that (view spoiler)[the story didn't have the timeskips. Part 1 was so good, and while I understand that time needed to pass to change the political situations, I felt like too much emotionality had been waved away into them. I wanted to see Daniel suffering for his loneliness. I wanted to see Gennady seriously considering defecting. I wanted to see them take on other relationships but have them pale in comparison to the other. Perhaps I'm just too much of a romantic but seeing both of them marry others (particularly Daniel being happy with Elizabeth) took a bit of the romance away because it just felt like they were alright with being convenient fwbs that missed their chance instead of actually still actively pining for each other. Part III was short but an ok resolution, but I wish it had more of a exciting and definitive HEA (hide spoiler)]
TL;DR: Story was so incredibly sad, but very worth reading. I loved Daniel and Gennady and the author did an amazing job making their journey heartwrenchingly good to read....more
Despite having very little stakes, I very much enjoyed Grady and Lake's friendship-turned not dating, but actuallyVery solid 4.5 that I'm rounding up!
Despite having very little stakes, I very much enjoyed Grady and Lake's friendship-turned not dating, but actually dating situation.
The slow burn between them meeting to finally acknowledging that they were more than just friends (even if they just moved to a FWB status) was very fun to read. The romantic tension of Grady trying, yet failing to keep Lake at arm's length because he couldn't say no to an attractive, gregarious man trying to weasel his way into his life. Lake's cluelessness about his feelings, but incredibly bright positivity that made him hard to dislike. I loved how both MCs had something that kept things from being too fluffy and kept the situation from falling into "could be solved by a single conversation". Grady's last two attempts at relationships hardened his heart and kept him wary of starting another while Lake's desire for companionship had him seeking out the mysterious man who hadn't turned him away. Though I feel like Lake could've used more to draw him to Grady because as it is, I feel like Lake could've latched onto another person and fallen in love with them whereas I feel like Grady could only fall in love with Lake given Lake's perfect mix of charm and lack of boundaries. If we'd seen Lake get rebuffed for being too needy or too talkative (emphasizing how patient Grady was in comparison) then Lake's connection would've been stronger, but that's sort of just my personal nit.
There were a ton of named characters here from the associated series, but thankfully the ones that do get more of the spotlight have distinct enough voices to keep them separate, though there were a handful of scenes that I honestly just skimmed after I realized I couldn't keep the fourth or fifth side character separate from the rest.
And while Grady finally accepting he and Lake were in a relationship was sweet, I wish there had been a bigger climax leading up to it. As it is, it sort of just happens after Lake decides its too much to not have the stability of being explicitly in a relationship, then Grady acquiesces (though not without an emotional moment of his own). That was fine and had a good amount of emotion, but I couldn't help but feel a little wanting at Grady choosing to trust Lake with his heart despite the trauma he held over his last two relationships. There had been some setup over Lake's helicopter having some sort of mechanical issue, that could've led to a scenario where Lake gets hurt and Grady realizes he can't live in fear of losing Lake by keeping him away. Or the car accident could've served a similar purpose. Something emotional and dramatic to help Grady move past the scars of his past to fully be with Lake in the present. But, like I said, it was decent enough as is.
TL;DR: Great story that has really good, emotional moments despite being relatively low stakes. Very thoroughly enjoyed Grady's pining and Lake's sunshine. Could've done with less side characters, but considering this comes following a polycule romance series, that's sort of inevitable. Will definitely be reading the next book when it comes out....more
I freaking love the amount of respect and support both Dominic and Silas gave each other despite being in diametrically opposite ends of the politicalI freaking love the amount of respect and support both Dominic and Silas gave each other despite being in diametrically opposite ends of the political spectrum. I love how Dominic found himself slowly opening to the "radical" ideas Silas was championing and Silas was becoming fearful because he was now gaining something to lose. I love how Dominic supported Silas in his rebellion when he was starting to lose hope, pushing him to not give up even though Silas was working against what Dominic was trying to keep stable.
The way the story progressed the conflict of Silas and Dominic's class divide was very well done. I could see Silas' fierce independence and Dominic's desire to help but not impede that value. And I love how Silas finally accepted Dominic's help.
The climax of Silas finding out that someone had set up the rebels and him being caught was deliciously suspenseful. I loved how we saw the nobles act in much the same way the rebels did when they lied and tried to keep Silas from being convicted (evem of it was only because the reputations of others hung in the balance).
I loved how the end had both Silas and Dominic coming to a middle ground of sorts, showing great evolution in character as they influenced each other. Silas realizing he had something else to live for and could try to affect change in ways other than martyrdom, and Dominic abandoning his position because he saw the government as corrupt.
Though it is rather bittersweet that neither of their ideals were realized and the reality of the situation was that the corrupt government had won and that the common people would continue to suffer under the excess of the nobles, but short of rewriting history and making it more palatable, this more grounded ending was the best the story could've gotten.
The sex was very very steamy and though the initial chapter was shocking and almost put me off considering we weren't informed of Dominic's tastes, I really really liked how considerate and respectful Silas was with regards to them and the author did a very good job of making each of the sex scenes worth reading.
TL;DR Loved the characters and how understanding they were of each other despite the opposing views. Loved the sex. Wish it had a happier ending for society, but I'll settle for an HEA between Silas and Dominic....more
Da Silva playing the flamboyant, attention grabbing secret agent was pretty fun to watch. The way he and Curtis end up on their first and second sexuaDa Silva playing the flamboyant, attention grabbing secret agent was pretty fun to watch. The way he and Curtis end up on their first and second sexual encounters was also pretty interesting considering the first was to throw off suspicion and the second was a sexy misunderstanding on both of their parts. I loved how Curtis wasn't homophobic despite what would've been expected for him (basically what Da Silva thought) and I loved Da Silva's cleverness finding the humor in their situation.
Pat and Fen being very clever and resourceful allies made for a deliciously tense back and forth where Curtis' team was trying to get out for help while keeping themselves hidden in plain sight.
Curtis' request to continue seeing each other in London and Da Silva's request for Curtis to think things through was heartbreaking because it showed how scared Da Silva was with regards to being thought of as an obligation. He truly believed that Curtis was the type of man to hold fast to his word, despite having changed his mind, and Da Silva's fear that Curtis was going to change his mind about wanting to see him was so sad yet amazingly romantic.
Curtis accepting Daniel's terms then asking for permission to actually continue contact after the fortnight was an equally great declaration of love.
The Armstrongs killing each other was a bit annoying considering it felt like they got off easy by dying.
I liked how Daniel fought Curtis' attempts to be together until the very end since it truly showed how scared he was over both running Curtis' future and being hurt. Curtis not giving up on his feelings was pretty good (if a little forceful at the end there)
TL;DR: Loved the story. Daniel presenting as the experienced secret agent that Curtis had to save was written amazingly and gave so much declicious romantic tension. I loved how Daniel was so scared about their relationship and how Curtis was adamant to try and disabuse him of those fears. The traitor plot was also pretty fun and a very nice vehicle of advancing the story, and more importantly, did not steal the spotlight from the romance, instead adding onto Curtis and Daniel's affections for one another.
Also, this book had the most incredible line I've ever seen in all the romance novels I've read.
"You are a viking." "What does that make you?" "The wrong side of Europe."
Just the right amount of unhinged and hilarious in a sex scene....more
Ok finding that this author tends to have very weirdly structure paragraphs that sometimes make it hard to follow the thread.
I feel like Jett gave in Ok finding that this author tends to have very weirdly structure paragraphs that sometimes make it hard to follow the thread.
I feel like Jett gave in too quickly to Malcolm's request. I'd have liked to have seen a little more bonding before he decided to help out personally. I did appreciate the very believable explainable explanation Jett gave for teaching Malcolm hockey and Malcolm seeing through Jett's fake excuse for hanging out and wondering what the actual reason was.
Malcolm was very endearing and I'm glad to see he wasn't just a walking nerd stereotype with his confidence and social awareness. Jett was less refreshing since he still stayed close to the typical jock role, but his confidence in his sexuality was appreciated.
I liked the little tutoring dates between them, though I wish we got to see Malcolm's thoughts between the timeskips to get a better look at his evolving feelings towards Jett and hockey as a whole. I understand "showing not telling" but this is a dual-pov novel and it felt like a missed opportunity to not have seen Malcolm's internal narrative after like the first session.
Actually, I didn't like all the timeskips/summaries in general. Time between games just handwaved as being filled by dates (which would've been nice to read), Malcolm's interview being summarized, Jett's Thanksgiving and time with his family being relegated to a few sentences instead of being played out to show how he interacted with his divorced parents, (view spoiler)[Malcolm comforting Jett after he was told to sit out the next few games (hide spoiler)].
The ending felt incredibly rushed. There was a semi decent explanation for a third act breakup, but blink and you'll miss the reconciliation as it turns into the epilogue without addressing any of the issues that came from getting back together.
TL;DR: A great story unfortunately brought down by a lack of storytelling. If there were less timeskips and less summarization, this would've been an easy 5 stars. As it is, the glaring lack of substance drags it down to a 3....more
Characterization was good. I loved seeing Joel let his emotions get the better of him and feel guilty after blowing up at Aaron, and I loved seeing AaCharacterization was good. I loved seeing Joel let his emotions get the better of him and feel guilty after blowing up at Aaron, and I loved seeing Aaron really stick to his values and get to the bottom of the mystery.
I liked the tension between them, Aaron trying to lie to himself about his attraction until he couldn't, then the subsequent fight over my being strong enough to choose to be with Joel.
I liked how they admitted that they didn't know each other very well, but they thought it was worth it to try.
I wasn't a big fan of how the conundrum about fighting against the corrupt police chief went about. I feel like we should've seen Aaron being threatened by Colthorne and should've seen Joel talk to the dead PI's landlady rather than get summaries. Those felt like very impactful scenes, so relegating them to a retelling felt like missed opportunities to make the story feel more real.
I really liked Aaron and Joel both arguing about Joel trying to protect Aaron by volunteering to leak the info in his stead.
The anti-climactic climax was a bit of a disappointment. It was clear that Joel knew that Colthorne had forced Aaron to write the telegram, so there was a bit of dramatic suspense in trying to figure out how he was going to save Aaron from it. Having Aaron's partner, Helen, come with other police officers was fine at first, but Colthorne magically choosing to just not kill people when he got caught and simply walking out despite everyone on the room knowing he was guilty felt very very weird and not satisfying.
That was actually a lot of my issue with this story. Too much felt like it happened in the background and we only get the resolution. It was good in the first 75%, but the last 25% needed to be fleshed out with more emotion and urgency. Still a decent read (but I misread the "Author of the 'A Charm of Magpies'" and thought this was in the same universe a la Jackdaw when it was a completely separate one)...more
I really liked Rainy's character development, going from someone very confident in his abilities and find with his job, to seeing the cVery good read!
I really liked Rainy's character development, going from someone very confident in his abilities and find with his job, to seeing the cracks start to form as he acknowledges this life isn't what he truly wants.
Adler was great as the aloof, and confusing rival/love interest. We can see the conflict of his loyalty towards Seong vs his feelings for Rainy (albeit very subdued) throughout their interactions.
The whole killer vs killer premise was great as the intro to their interactions. The emotion in their one-on-one scenes was palpable and very well written, (view spoiler)[particularly during the torture scene where Adler asks to not die alone, the fight scene where Rainy wishes Adler would stop fighting back so he could end his pain, or the scene where Adler gets stabbed in the chest (hide spoiler)]
The sex was extremely spicy ((view spoiler)[that MMM scene with Parish (hide spoiler)]) and the side characters were mostly memorable.
The romance was less getting to know each other k though the scenes where they do talk without wanting to kill each other were amazing) and more focused on the intense emotions of camaraderie and curiosity about the other, and that works so well for a story with such intense scenes.
My only true criticism of the romance was that it felt like Rainy was the only one of the two to truly choose Adler above everything else. Though Adler did spare Rainy a handful of times when he had the chance to kill him, it felt like at the end of it all, I could still see Adler killing Rainy if he was told whereas Rainy admitted and showed throughout the story that he no longer had it in him to kill Adler. Yes, there are justifications for why Adler may have a harder time not just choosing Rainy 100%, and perhaps it was just because we didn't see Adler's internal thoughts and POV that it seems that way, but I wish that we got the same declaration that (view spoiler)[Adler wouldn't have killed Rainy if he was told to (hide spoiler)]
Other than that, the story was amazingly told. Emotional and steamy, without feeling melodramatic or contrived. Am very excited to read the next book....more
Absolutely adored this story! The writing was a bit hard to follow sometimes and there was a tad too much summarization at the end imo but everything Absolutely adored this story! The writing was a bit hard to follow sometimes and there was a tad too much summarization at the end imo but everything leading up to it was so well done!
Joss was an amazingly sweet and endearing character. I loved how understanding he was and his dedication to being a safe space for Kai was so comforting and romantic. Even though it did feel a little intense to declare that he was going to be whatever Kai needed considering they were practically strangers, the author did a good job making that believable without leaning too far into instalove territory.
I really liked how both Kai and Joss acknowledged each others' struggles with mental health and helped support each other without expecting to be the cure-all.
Kai not hiding his attraction when Joss directly asked him about it was refreshing. Kai not really being scared about him possibly being attracted to men was so nice to read in a sea of sexual awakenings filled with denial. I particularly love how the author also didn't just commit to Kai being GFY and posited the possibility that Kai was bisexual, but since he already had Joss, other men or women didn't catch his eye anymore.
My only real criticisms come after the 80% mark where the story seemed to begin to timelapse and summarize things when showing them would've been so much more satisfying. For instance, Kai's family dinner being timelapsed over was so weird considering the amount of emotions Kai and Joss had just gone through a chapter prior. It was a big deal for Joss to show up particularly because it came after Jax's warning to Joss + Kai wasn't sure if Joss was going to show up given his shitty mood earlier. I'd have liked to have seen Joss interact with Kai's family or see Kai interact with Joss in their presence.
Also, the story sort of just abruptly ends and gets sent to the epilogue after Joss announces he's staying. Would've liked a tiny bit more resolution there so that it didn't feel so awkwardly curt. The epilogue was cute and helped give a picture of their life after things had settled down, but it didn't really make up for the sudden ending.
TL;DR: Kai and Joss were great. Their romance was decently paced and the sex was really steamy. The side characters were fine, just shy of being too heavily focused on. And the story, despite having little stakes, was far for fluffy. Very solid 4/5...more
Very cute and had really decent stakes that made the romance not feel fluffy or too easy!
Ethan was a decent MC (a little basic, but I think that was nVery cute and had really decent stakes that made the romance not feel fluffy or too easy!
Ethan was a decent MC (a little basic, but I think that was necessary because the story put emphasis on his purity) and I liked the development his character had with regards to realizing his crush on Kyle was just infatuation versus what true emotion felt with Mal (even though things felt like they happened too quickly). Ithink he did trust Mal too easily, especially since I feel like any sane person would've been incredibly distrusting of anything a self proclaimed demon would say, but that tracks with everyone saying Ethan was a very easy target.
Mal being a genuinely good person (but awful demon) made him endearing at the start and I kind of wish we got more of him trying to be a genuine demon but failing before he gave up.
(view spoiler)[Noah being an angel wasn't super surprising, but Mal turning back into a human was. It honestly felt a tiny bit deus ex machina-y but I'm willing to let it slide because it felt appropriate in a story where demons exist. (hide spoiler)]
My main criticism is that the writing felt a little fast and barebones. It could've used more imagery to slow down and fill in the emptiness or added more emotion and internal thoughts to make things feel more anchored.
TL;DR: Cute, very easy read. Characters and story are simple but enjoyable. Writing could've used more meat, but it wasn't a detractor from the general enjoyment of the story....more
I love love love a revenge story and the author really knocked it out of the part with the setup for th**spoiler alert** 4.75 out of 5 stars for this!
I love love love a revenge story and the author really knocked it out of the part with the setup for this one. Drew was appropriately angry for the pain that Justin put him all those years ago, and being insulted that Justin didn't even recognize him was a really nice cherry on top of the pain train.
The author did a magnificent job portraying Drew as conflicted over wanting to dish out his vengeance but also feeling bad at what he was doing since he realizes that revenge is never truly as satisfying as fantasies make it out to be. I love how that internal conflict isn't just immediately resolved as it's something that Drew struggles with for a very big portion of the story, his goal posts shifting slowly from wanting to embarrass Justin to wanting to make him feel guilty to not wanting to hurt him by revealing his identity. Character development win!
Justin chapters showing him as genuinely believing Drew and not knowing the initial deception gave some very intense dramatic irony. We see the effects of Drew's actions, building up Justin's confidence in himself, but the knowledge that all of that could be undone by Drew's deception was so very well done. The reveal that he has trouble recognizing faces was a shock, but didn't come across as a deus ex machina + gave a very nice avenue for Drew to show that he cared by making that app for him.
The only place the story stumbles, I feel, is during the third act breakup where Justin finally finds out about Drew. It was emotional, sure, but there didn't seem to be enough tension there? I'm not sure why I wasn't emotionally gutted when they ended things, but I think Drew in particular didn't wallow enough in his grief to really make things feel emotional. They broke up, Justin went to the US, and Drew went back to work and immediately resolved to apologize. Justin talked to his mom, and pretty much decided to make a grand gesture to tell Drew he forgave him. It might've been the dual POV that betrayed the story, but I'd like to have had one less POV to up the tension so that we weren't shown that both MCs had already basically decided to take each other back. If there was some reasonable doubt over Justin's forgiveness, or if we didn't know if Drew was coming back, then perhaps that would've made for a more satisfying breakup.
Also, the whole speech at the reunion thing was honestly a little cringe. Justin basically gave a speech saying "I love you" to Drew, which was sweet, but if you put it into context 99% of everyone at that reunion had no clue that they were fighting or keeping things secret in the first place, so the "everyone clapped" ending was a weak way of celebrating that.
Otherwise, I truly loved the story. The character development both MCs went through, the romantic tension, the dramatic irony. All of it was so satisfying and well done, even if it stumbled a little at the end....more
The mutual attraction between Kai and Hiro plus the respective responsibilities that kept them from each other (KaA very sweet and satisfying romance.
The mutual attraction between Kai and Hiro plus the respective responsibilities that kept them from each other (Kai's TV contract, Hiro's family inn) was very nicely balanced, creating a nice back and forth of romance and obstacles that helped ramp up the tension without feeling melodramatic or fluffy.
The very very Japanese setting and culture might not be familiar to everyone, but I found it incredibly refreshing, even if it made the world feel a little small being mainly confined in the Asada inn walls.
The story was great but stumbled a little towards the end, when Kai returned to America to try and get out of his contact. The realistic and believable portrayal of Kai and Hiro's problems unfortunately felt undermined by the unbelievable way that Kai gets out of his stopped ironclad contract by essentially threatening a rich, giant media conglomerate with bad press. Despite not having to suspend my disbelief for a majority of the story, having to believe that Kai was magically able to escape his Mom's tv show by just the threat of bad PR was disappointing (as if the TV people were incapable of managing or twisitng Kai's words).
I would've liked a messier conclusion where Kai got out of the contract but had to pay some sort of price on doing so and not the "Kai gets out of his contact, his TV boyfriend is outed as an awful person, AND, Kai gets money to start a charity foundation" fairytale ending we got.
Hiro, not being the main focus of the story, was fine even if it felt like he didn't have much agency. His problem about his parents not accepting his desire to marry a man wasn't really much of a problem since we're only told it and we don't really get to see that disapproval in action (that's a bit of it when Kai first starts serving tea to the guests, but after that, it's never a issue).
TL;DR Sweet, romantic, emotional. Grounded and believable until the last 20% where things kinda just wrap up nicely, unfortunately leading to a very clean and neat ending where an imperfect one probably would've been more satisfying....more
This was pretty good! I loved the premise and the emotion of part one, the sweetness of part two, and the good followthrough in part three.
Cillian's dThis was pretty good! I loved the premise and the emotion of part one, the sweetness of part two, and the good followthrough in part three.
Cillian's determination towards making it up to Finn was very admirable. I love how he recognized his mistakes from the first time and made a valiant effort to change for the better. I kinda wish he showed more exhaustion or despair over Finn's hesitation in going all in. As he is, he kinda felt a little too perfect? Recognizing his faults and not really falling in overcoming them (outside of his first initial blunder)
I loved how Finn acknowledged that his leaving was not great and apologized for his part in why their relationship feel apart, but I found myself slightly annoyed at him for calling out Cillian for things that they'd already discussed. Giving Cillian shit for how much he answered his phone was cathartic the first three or four times, the rest just felt like he was doing it to be spiteful. And while I appreciated Amrita calling Finn out for his he was essentially waiting for Cillian to mess up, I wish that we could've seen the toll that attitude was taking on Cillian and having Finn realize that he needed to change too instead of just laying it out on a single phone call.
The author also needs to cool it on the exclamation points. It made otherwise emotional sentences sound almost childish or funny when dramatic/serious was a better tone.
I feel like we could've gotten more drama though. The relationship wasn't fluffy by any means, but I would've liked to see more bumps on their road to reconciliation. More Cillian needing to make hard and explicit choices between work and Finn. More Finn needing to fight his urge to pull away and to be more explicit in his needs. I guess I really wanted more tension and back and forths because the story felt like it was just a tad bit too smooth, but that's really just a personal preference for more emotional stories.
Loved Laurent and hope that he gets a good book in the future too.
TL;DR: Great premise and execution on a second chance romance! Could've been more dramatic and emotional, but the story had enough in it to stop it from been fluffy....more
Solid read. Sequels where the main couple had already gotten together in the book prior always make me wary because writing about a relationship alreaSolid read. Sequels where the main couple had already gotten together in the book prior always make me wary because writing about a relationship already established tends to either be extremely boring and fluffy or melodramatic and rife with annoying miscommunication. This story did not fall into either bucket.
I liked how The the stress of keeping their relationship hidden had began affecting Wes and Jamie individually, then the added level of Jamie getting the flu + pneumonia pushed him to a bad spot. Even though nearly all of the conflict was internal, the tension between Wes and Jamie's strained relationship was well written such that it didn't feel like it was contrived or melodramatic. Yes, there was miscommunication (particularly on Jamie's part, since he kept on avoiding talking to anyone about his problems) but they were believable, even if he did get a little annoying.
The conflict felt a bit too unbalanced though. Wes' issue was that Jamie was unhappy, so all the plot progression really only came when when things happened to Jamie. And since Jamie was not at all pro-active in resolving his problems, the story felt like it was sort of progressing without agency from either of them because Wes could only stay on the sidelines, worrying about how he was making Jamie feel and Jamie was an observer in his life, being taken through health problems that caused him to be reliant on people (which he didn't really learn to accept because he eventually got better) and dealing with his homophobic coworker (who was already on thin ice after everyone else filed a formal complaint on him). The only proactive things Jamie did were: - leave Wes to go to California because he needed a change of scenery - go back and apologize to Wes for being an isolated asshole (which actually did piss me off a little because of how little he communicated with the supposed love of his life during a very last minute trip)
I liked Blake as the nosy neighbor, but I sincerely wondered why neither Wes nor Jamie had a strong enough spine to ask for privacy during the times he essentially invited himself over to their apartment. I did not like it when Jamie's sister, Jess, came in and supposedly had sex with him when they were supposed to be keeping an eye on Jamie. Idk what the point of that scene was since it only made me dislike both of them for being inappropriate (Jamie was coughing out a lung and needed to head to the ER for goodness' sake)
Will probably read the novella about them next....more
Didn't realize this was a follow-up to "You're my Beat" and kinda wish I read that one first considering how important that story seemed to be good ErDidn't realize this was a follow-up to "You're my Beat" and kinda wish I read that one first considering how important that story seemed to be good Eric's backstory. Still, this story did a good job summarizing the important parts, primarily Eric's troubled relationship history and low-ish self esteem with regards to his romantic prospects.
Adrian was rather a refreshing character. It's not often I read about ex-sex workers being proud of their history and being willing to use them in jokes. Very entertaining.
The main issue I have with the story is the slightly disconnected sources of conflict, Eric's lies of ommission, and the lack of truly satisfying payoffs for them.
Eric and Adrian assume the other wants to keep things casual, but they do everything except have a solid conversation about what they're doing. Like, a ten minute talk would've sufficed, even if they both lied/believed that they truly wanted to keep thins from getting too serious. That plot point leading up to Eric almost leaving before it died down with a non-argument and both of them still holding the "casual" idea was kind of disappointing.
Adrian's reaction to finding out that Eric was kinda famous felt off. He wasn't characterized as someone who distrusted wealthy people, so for him to be mad because of that as opposed to the fact that Eric had been omitting very big parts of his life was weird. Like we'd seen him not appreciate dishonesty with Kojo and his lie of ommission earlier, so it would've been more appropriate of he'd gotten angry because of that. The whole "do I even know you?" line might be a cliché, but 100% appropriate in this situation.
Also kind of ironic on Eric's part considering how he'd been touting how showing someone all your versions was a key aspect of love (as opposed to only seeing the good parts) when he'd been keeping his status hidden as though that wasn't a part of him too.
The hotel becoming some sort of popular destination was nice, but it story of felt like it missed one of the main reasons Adrian liked the place? He'd placed so much emphasis on how he didn't want to make things feel too different and how he still appreciated all the familiar people who visited them yearly, by making things super commercial (the epilogue stating that there was a festival there) kind of felt like it missed the mark? Sure, it was profitable now, but the old world charm sounds like it got lost and never really addressed.
Eric's choices to keep Adrian in the dark about both his past and his plan to get more people also rubbed me the wrong way. I get he wanted to help, but it was still Adrian's hotel and they should've talked about things explicitly as opposed to a vaguely cryptic hint about publicity. I'm happy that it didn't lead to very big miscommunications, but it grated in me seeing the absolute disregard for communication and conversation in favor of sweet nothings (which kind of underscored a lot of the otherwise great banner and romance)
TL;DR Romance was fine, but Eric's lies of ommission were kind of annoying. There isn't a big moment or climax that adds excitement some things sort of just progress at a steady pace. Adrian was great, the banter was good, and the romance was believable (just dying think too hard about how things would've been so much easier if the two had a decent conversation)...more
**spoiler alert** The story was wonderfully written. The hurt in Jude's emotions, the intrigue with how certain parts of the story were kept hidden un**spoiler alert** The story was wonderfully written. The hurt in Jude's emotions, the intrigue with how certain parts of the story were kept hidden until they unfolded at just the right moments (like finding out Cas was lying about who his older lover was, or the truth in Gideon's nature), the realness of the various relationships that Jude had went through. All of that was so well thought out and were a joy to read.
And this honestly would've been one of my favorite novels if not for one thing I couldn't really get behind. Jude's undying love for Cas. The whole underpinning of the novel was Jude's constant and unwavering love for Caspien. He made that decision years ago when he was a teen to give Cas the unconditional love that he realized he had been missing, and it somehow rang true through all of the hurt and pain that Cas had put him through. And I found myself questioning it every single time Jude found himself pining for Cas or abandoning another positive relationship in favor of the poison that Cas was injecting in his veins.
The physical attraction was very clear, the author did a good job establishing that Jude had become sexually aware of his attraction to men because of Cas. The initial emotional attachment was clear too, I understood why teen Jude had been so hung up and devastated when Cas had chosen Xavier over him. Even parts of their time in university, but the time Caspien showed up at Finn's birthday then fucked off again, I didn't get it anymore. It had been what? 3-4 years since the day Cas chose Xavier? Sure, the sex was a good indication that he was still physically attracted, but where did the emotional part come from? Teen Cas had still done things caring things like saving Jude from the Oleander plant and the time they spent tutoring each other was more than enough reason to foster some emotional attachment. College Cas did none of that and still treated Jude like shit afterwards. Why did Jude still carry a torch for him then? At least when they were teens, there was the promise that Cas would act nice and possibly affectionate the next time, but after this moment, Cas leaves and there's nothing that justified why Jude still held on to his affection.
Everything after that moment was sort of soured to me. Jude rejecting Finn then Nathan. Jude declaring his love for Cas even though he knew he was still with Xavier. Jude feeling protective of Cas at the dinner and fighting Xavier. I just kept thinking, "Why?" Why go through all of that for the guy who was so toxic? Actually, toxic implies that there's some back and forth. Abusive relationships hinge on the fact that toxic partners could be completely awful one moment, then tender or caring the next, creating a loop of "they didn't mean it" or "they'll change" but Cas was only ever awful after their teen years. I suppose the intimate sex they had together was supposed to take that part of the see-saw, but physicality in service of emotional connection wasn't good enough to make me believe that Jude would stick it out for that. Was the sex truly that mind-blowing that he was willing to endure such abuse?
Other than that though, the story was pretty good.
Cas' toxicity was very well justified. Him growing up under Gideon's wing and the fact that nobody was really there to counter all that negativity was set up and executed well. I particularly loved how he was honest in why he gave Jude the trust, saying that he thought that Xavier was a different person and that he wanted to apologize for doing what he did to him (playing around with him to keep him quiet)
Gideon's character was very interesting. Finding out that he was the one who orchestrated Xavier and Cas and how he was originally using Jude to teach Cas a lesson all those years was very well justified and believable. I still couldn't find it in me to hate him, but I love a complicated villain.
Luke and Beth's arc ended a bit too early imo and was unfortunately just explained away in fade to black, but I kind of understand since they were never really the main focus. I kinda wish we got to see Jude and Beth's reconciliation though as opposed to just being implied through an offhand comment. Ditto for Luke and Elspeth (who's age was unclear? I guess she was a teen and already working at the manor, but the implication sort of felt like she was already an adult when it happened, but I may have just missed a line regarding her age)
Jude's relationship with Ellie was also written pretty well I'd say. I loved his confusion regarding what he thought he should've wanted (Ellie) and what he knew he wasn't supposed to but still did (Cas). Nice sexual awakening + added a good bit of drama that paced the story nicely.
TL;DR Story was well written. Pacing was great, there were good heart-wrenching moments but all of them post ~55% sort of didn't work for me because I couldn't believe Jude's seemingly endless love for Cas. Probably a very personal thing though, so I'm still rating this 4 stars considering how enthralling the story was once I'd willingly just let go of my vindication of Cas (and just assumed that he did something so completely sentimental in his college years that Jude was unable to pull away)...more