This was a lovely and undoubtedly sweet romance. It’s about a rare, exceedingly humble beauty and a scarred, disabled war-hero in a cla|| 3.0 stars ||
This was a lovely and undoubtedly sweet romance. It’s about a rare, exceedingly humble beauty and a scarred, disabled war-hero in a classic beauty and the beast retelling in true historical romance fashion.
Philly and Arthur are both exceedingly gentle people, and so all of their interactions were incredibly soft. They were both insanely selfless, and were always preoccupied with making the other person as happy as possible. Philly adored Arthur, and Arthur seemed to think Philly hung the moon and stars. Their love for each other felt very genuine, and I especially liked how enamored Arthur appeared with her. He was protective and possessive, of course, but above all, incredibly grateful for and astounded by his luck to have gotten to marry a woman so beautiful and kind as Philly.
By heaven, but she was beautiful. More than beautiful. She was radiant. Glowing.
Nonetheless, the romance’s overt and excessive sweetness was a little overdone for my tastes. I had reached the maximum of my tolerance towards sugary sweetness at at least the halfway point, and I was desperately waiting for a modicum of angst or drama or some sort of intensity to come along. Granted, there was some suspense with regards to a creepy villain threatening their happily ever after, but the relationship itself was steadfast and rock-solid. They were so… healthy and communicative, it was almost a bit boring. Even more, Philly’s selflessness, naivety, and overall perfection reached certain heights during this book that I just did not deem believable nor did I find it very enjoyable. I honestly felt like I was reading about a Disney Princess, which, in all fairness, was very cute and nice at first, but after a while became a bit repetitive, and dare I say, even slightly annoying. It made her seem like a flat, empty shell of a human being; not real and without true emotions. I wanted her to lash out at east once or otherwise show a hint of tension or genuine feeling, but that never happened. She remained the perfect Work of Art from beginning to end.
Thank you to my dear friend Dab for recommending this book to me!...more
Although it may sound slightly contradictory, this book was somehow way too smutty and way too sappy all at the same time. The result e|| 2.0 stars ||
Although it may sound slightly contradictory, this book was somehow way too smutty and way too sappy all at the same time. The result ended up being pretty boring and far from engaging.
This was just another superficial romance with a ridiculous premise and two unlikable main characters. There’s nothing new here and ins|| 2.0 stars ||
This was just another superficial romance with a ridiculous premise and two unlikable main characters. There’s nothing new here and instead, it only rehashes silly cliches (with poor execution) I’ve never liked in the first place, let alone enjoy reading the billionth replica of. In short, this book brought me nothing but boredom, eye-rolls, and a whole lot of skimming.
'Dreamland Billionaires' series: 1. The Fine Print - 2.0 stars 2. Terms and Conditions - 2.0 stars...more
This story is about two sisters; one of them, Marianne, represents “sensibility”, while the other, Elinor, represents “sense”. If I eve|| 3.5 stars ||
This story is about two sisters; one of them, Marianne, represents “sensibility”, while the other, Elinor, represents “sense”. If I ever had any doubts as to which category I am most attached to, I can now vehemently proclaim it to be “sense”, because, wow, I cannot even begin to explain in words how much Marianne got on my nerves. Her ungratefulness, her superiority complex, her dramatics, and her general selfishness were just too much to excuse on her simply being a “spirited girl”. I honestly felt so bad for Elinor that she had to be subjected to this person, day in, day out. I’d go mad!
Opposingly, Elinor was truly an amazing heroine and it was a joy to see her navigate all social situations in such a mindful, kind and clever way. I often admired her selfless perseverance and her ability to know right from wrong. She was very resolute as well as astute, and always composed herself in a confident yet gentle manner, and I therefore had difficulty finding any fault in her at all. If I must name one thing, however, that bothered me about her, it would be her tendency towards excusing the behaviors of disgusting men (her immediate forgiveness of Edward and, even more, her eventual forgiveness of Willoughby, never sat right with me).
This was also why it pained me to see a good, honorable man such as Colonel Brandon pine after Marianne when everything would have pointed towards Elinor as the better match! Marianne treated him so unkindly, so uncivilized, so judgmental, so dismissively (as she did everyone, actually), and it was almost painful to witness. What he saw in her, I will never understand. Was it truly just because of her pretty face? It does my opinion of him no good if that really were the truth… In any case, his love for Marianne was especially baffling to me when someone so much better than her was right there! Elinor and the Colonel actually suited each other quite perfectly, so much unlike their respective partners. Because truly, let me not even begin to speak of Edward, as it physically pained me to see Elinor settle for a man who never fought for her. She deserved much more passion and affection than that man could ever give her.
When it comes to all the many side-characters, I fear it would take up too much time to express my opinion on all of them, but be sure that I had many and excessive opinions of them all. I could feel genuine affection, but also vexation or even hatred, towards a multitude of them. I really admired this novel for its ability to bring forth such strong opinion on so many characters in me. The warmth I felt towards Mrs. Jennings was strongest of all, while my judgment and disgust towards the Ferrars (I am, of course, also including John and Fanny in this, even if their surname was technically Dashwood, as well as Lucy, even if she only acquired the surname near the end) was unmatched.
All in all, I have to say that this book was far from what I was expecting it to be, but I did not find myself feeling disappointed nonetheless. Whereas I expected to find a story of grand romance, I got nothing in that regard at all. Instead, I received a detailed story of two sisters traversing the intricacies of gentry social life in Regency England. And although I must proclaim the writing to have been a little dense at times, these characters truly did captivate my interest to a high enough degree to have me consider this novel to be rather engaging and certainly intriguing....more
This was such an adorable, fun, heartwarming, and swoon-worthy romance! It’s about a grumpy single dad and the sunshiny firecracker he || 3.5 stars ||
This was such an adorable, fun, heartwarming, and swoon-worthy romance! It’s about a grumpy single dad and the sunshiny firecracker he hires as a nanny for his five-year old son.
I realize in that moment maybe I am heartless after all, because the beautiful girl with the copper hair grinning back at me right now is the one who stole it.
I’m honestly not sure where to start, because I really enjoyed a lot of things about this book. First, I think I just want to point out how much I genuinely liked all of the characters. Willa was such a fiery, passionate, carefree, fun, loyal, and witty woman I couldn’t help but adore in every way. She was the perfect combination of soft and fierce! I needed a little longer to warm up to Cade, but I quickly fell for him as well. He was super crabby and ill-mannered, but I found it to be oddly charming. And Luke… Well, Luke was just the cutest little boy on the planet, wasn’t he?
I need to pick my next words carefully so I don’t come off like a condescending asshole. I know I often come across that way, and I don’t want to with Willa. It’s an unfamiliar feeling, wanting someone to like me.
The funny thing is, I just know that Cade could have been a very annoying character if he had been judgemental or condescending to Willa, but he was luckily never like that. He was so in awe of the happiness and lightness that always hung around her, and, even though he wore a permanent scowl on his face, he could never find it in his heart to be mean to her. He adored her so much, and it became insanely obvious in the way she was the only person in the world, other than his son, who could make him smile and feel genuine warmth. He truly put her up on a pedestal and was scared she was way out of his league. He felt jealous and possessive of her, but never wanted to drag her down to his level. He genuinely thought the world of her, which is why I could never judge him for the scowls and grumpiness he gave her from time to time. That was just the way he was, and it made his gentle moments all the more sweet.
How hard would it be to smile more, to laugh more, if it made her look this happy?
It wasn’t just the romance that stole my heart in this book, though. I was also melting at the true love that developed between Cade’s son, Luke, and Willa. Not only was Luke the cutest little boy ever, it was also really obvious that he was craving a mother’s love so much. He was so enamoured with Willa’s free spirit and fondness for fun, and I could tell he fell in love with Willa just as quickly and just as deeply as his dad. Their bond was simply the best thing ever.
“Do you think . . .” He peers back up at me now. “Do you think it would be okay if I called you mom too?”
Nonetheless, despite, the many things I loved about this book, I do have to say that it lost me a little in the second half. The beginning had a lot of delicious pining and tension, whereas the book became a little more boring to me after they finally gave in and had sex for the first time. I was actually surprised at how long it took them to get to this point, so I do have to give the book credits for that, but when it did happen, the book lost a lot of its intensity for me. It was still really sweet and did make me feel all warm and fuzzy, but I wasn’t as engaged as I was before.
“See, Dad? I told you not to be sad. I told you she’d come back. Our wishes came true! She loves us too much to leave.”
All in all, I really thought this was a nice read. I especially enjoyed the way Cade’s grumpy scowling slowly and reluctantly melted away by Willa’s fiercely happy attitude, and I loved seeing their little family click together. It was very wholesome!
➛First read: March 2024 | ★4.0 stars ➛Second read: September 2024 | ★3.0 stars
EDIT after my re-read: I still really liked this and I ate || 3.0 stars ||
➛First read: March 2024 | ★4.0 stars ➛Second read: September 2024 | ★3.0 stars
EDIT after my re-read: I still really liked this and I ate up the angst and tension, but the fact that he kept choosing his adult, deadbeat son over her was what made me feel like he didn’t love her enough.
ORIGINAL REVIEW: Oh wow, I’m actually very pleasantly surprised! After having experienced the intense horror and pure torture of reading Punk 57 I honestly did not have high hopes for this book. However, for some reason I wanted to give it a chance anyway, and I’m super glad I did. Unlike Punk 57, this book wasn’t raunchy or icky or toxic or excessively erotic. It didn’t have a horrible hero who treats the heroine like dirt, while she just swoons over it. Nope. It was actually quite a sweet story with a genuine slow burn. I honestly felt like these two fell in love with each other, and it wasn’t just lust. They build a strong foundation before getting romantically involved and they genuinely got to know each other really well. They supported each other and really understood how the other person worked. It truly felt like a good and perfectly matched relationship. That said, there is also a lot of angst involved because of the forbidden aspect to their relationship, and I have to admit I ate that up too. I loved how much they pined for each other, and it actually made sense why they couldn’t give in to their feelings for all that time. It definitely made the unresolved tension between them so strong, and it just had me hooked!
P.S. I do wish the hero would have fought for her a little harder sometimes. I know it’s wrong of me to say it but I kind of wanted him to toss his son aside for her, especially because the son was such a major dickhead and the hero didn’t even really have any emotional bond with him anyway. I just wanted her to be more important to him than his arsehole manchild of a son. And I also wanted the son to actually suffer some consequences for his actions, but he never did. That part annoyed me so much....more
This book genuinely gave me the biggest headache. It was so slow and so repetitive and so long. Not to mention, the non-stop drama and a|| 1.0 star ||
This book genuinely gave me the biggest headache. It was so slow and so repetitive and so long. Not to mention, the non-stop drama and angst was really getting on my nerves, especially since it never actually led anywhere. Nothing actually ever happened; every relationship, every character, every situation, they all pretty much stayed the exact same from beginning to end.
This whole book honestly felt like a big trauma dump without anything else happening. These characters are literally nothing more than the heroine HAVING trauma and the hero OBSESSING over her trauma. It got old very quickly. Johnny no longer seemed to care about any of his own future plans or passions and only spent his time worrying about Shannon, while she did nothing other than shiver at the big, bad world and needing constant reassurance about the most basic things. Which, admittedly, makes sense for a girl who went through as much trauma as she did, but she never grew from it. She stayed the same fragile and scared girl with no personality and no brain from start to finish.
Furthermore, how is it possible that there have been so many pages about this couple, and I still felt like there was NO DEPTH to their relationship?? There was no development whatsoever and all of their interactions were beyond dramatic or just about sex. There was no lightness, no romance, no true feelings. It was just non-stop intensity about her being a fragile mess and him wanting to bulldozer all over everything to save her. It was cute the first few times, but almost 2000 pages into their relationship, and I can safely say it became boring and annoying as hell. I just got the ick over her acting like a child 24/7 and him treating her like she was made out of glass all the time. It was definitely not a normal relationship dynamic; it was trauma bonding for Shannon and a savior complex for Johnny. Also, their dialogue was literally the exact same every single time; all of their scenes together were pretty much identical. I kid you not. It was insufferable and so badly written.
I’m actually convinced every other relationship in this book was better written and developed than the main couple. I actually especially liked Gibsie. His friendship with Johnny was probably the best, and his potential romance with Claire was also full of life and banter. Shannon’s brothers had a few heartbreaking scenes with Johnny’s family as well. Ollie was a sweetheart, but Sean? Oh my, that sweet little baby broke my heart. The way Johnny took care of him was the sweetest thing.
I also just want to say one last quick thing: The whole Bella storyline never made sense to me and just pissed me off beyond compare. The fact that nobody ever put this horrible girl in her place was just insane. You’re telling me the most popular guys in school can’t ruin a slutty, jealous girl who’s behaving like a deranged stalker? No way. I’m not buying it. She should have been at the bottom of the food chain at that school in minutes, but somehow it never happened? Insane.
Anyway, long story short, this was just a very very bad book. The whole thing literally read like Wattpad to me and this author desperately needed an editor to skim the hell out of these million pages about absolutely nothing.
I’m not entirely sure how I feel about this. I was totally ready to fall completely in love with this book, but there were a few things that just didn’t quite work for me. That’s not to say I didn’t enjoy this book, because I did. It had a very addictive quality to it that made me want to keep reading and reading (despite it having about a million pages) until I literally fell asleep from pure and utter exhaustion. However, like I said, it was a very long book, and despite not ever wanting to put it down, it did feel pretty drawn out at times, and perhaps even repetitive. There was nothing happening in this story that warranted the excessive page count, and I do think the book could have been a lot better with a fewer amount of pages.
Now, when it comes the main characters I have to say I am also a little conflicted. Don’t get me wrong, I really liked Shannon and Johnny; they were struggling a lot, but definitely had their hearts in the right place. I felt a lot of sympathy for these two, especially Shannon. However, they also played into their stereotypes a little too much. I understand Shannon was a broken little girl with heaps and heaps of trauma, but sometimes I felt like that’s all she was. We never got to see much personality of her other than being shy, scared, timid, insecure, fragile and quiet. I wanted to see the girl on the inside, the girl outside of all the trauma. But that girl never really showed herself. Same thing with Johnny; I understand he was a jock under a lot of stress with an obsessive amount of dedication, but I also wanted to see who he was outside of rugby. Granted, we did get to see hints of a sarcastic, funny personality when he was with his best friend, Gibsie, and I really enjoyed seeing their banter, but I would have appreciated to see more of that.
Similarly, I also have mixed feelings about the romance. I loved seeing Johnny’s obsessive and possessive streak when it came to Shannon, but I have to admit that I didn’t really understand why he felt that way. What made him fall in love with her so badly, and so suddenly? Was it her scared, frigid attitude? Because that’s pretty much all he got to see from her. And if that’s it, then that’s a little weird to me. I understand wanting to protect the people you love, but I kind of felt like he only loved her because he felt like she was someone he could protect. Does that make sense? Anyway, as previously stated, this book is super long, and this can definitely qualify as a slow burn. They take forever to admit their feelings to each other, and don’t even get together for the entirety of the book. We will have to wait until the sequel for that. And really, I love a good slow burn. The weird part about this one, however, was that it was also a little bit like insta-love. Johnny was obsessed with her from the very first moment, so it felt a little silly for him to take ages upon ages to finally give in to his feelings. That said, I did appreciate all the tension between them and all his insane pining, because I’ll always be a big sucker for those things. All in all, I feel like this romance certainly had all the right ingredients, but also had a little bit of a wonky execution that made some things feel slightly uncomfortable or ridiculous to me. Still, I liked them together and I was definitely rooting for them to find happiness with each other. They could be very sweet and tender, and Johnny’s protectiveness of Shannon never really got old.
Overall, this was a very entertaining book with a gentle slow-burn and a protective love interest, and it even managed to pull on a few of my heartstrings due to Shannon's heartbreaking home life, but I do believe a big part of this book could have been a lot better.
I definitely liked this more than I thought I would. It’s been a while since I enjoyed anything in this series and I was really getting|| 3.0 stars ||
I definitely liked this more than I thought I would. It’s been a while since I enjoyed anything in this series and I was really getting sick and tired of Domenico, so I guess it’s not surprising that I liked this book better now that it was finally about a different couple!
Mark and Griffith were incredibly different from Seth and Domenico, and it really did feel like a breath of fresh air (or innocence, I guess). There was no toxicity and they were actually very cute. There was a sweet build-up with a lot of tenderness. I didn’t expect Mark to be so gentle, but he was. And Griffith was just a complete sweetheart, who deserved the absolute best.
I really liked the first half of this book the most, and got a little bored in the second half. I lost quite a lot of interest in them after they had sex for the first time since I enjoyed the build-up much more and the book became more smutty than I would have liked after that as well. I also didn’t appreciate Mark dumping Griff for the son he didn’t know he had. Sure, he eventually changed his mind pretty quickly but it irked me that he even entertained the idea of shoving Griff to the side like that. Especially since he is supposed to adore Griff completely!
The idea behind this was good, the premise had a lot of potential and the characters had the kind of dynamic that I normally love, but,|| 2.0 stars ||
The idea behind this was good, the premise had a lot of potential and the characters had the kind of dynamic that I normally love, but, unfortunately, the right execution was just not there. It’s supposed to be a hurt/comfort romance, but everything was just based on lust. There was no emotional depth and no true comfort.
Lucas never really showed empathy or sympathy towards Sage’s pitiful situation, and he was only ever focused on how horny Sage made him. Whenever Sage cried, which was a lot of times, Lucas didn’t even feel that bad or really tried to make him feel better; no, it only ever turned him on. So, all he ever thought about in every situation and all he ever suggested as help was sex, sex, sex, sex. Meanwhile, Sage remained an absolute mess throughout the entire story, and Lucas didn’t really care.
This relationship was just very smutty and even a bit dirty; it was definitely not sweet. The only thing that connected these two was their lust for each other. Which is honestly just not what I’m looking for, especially not in a hurt/comfort romance....more
Oh, what a lovely book this was. It’s a classic, but somehow doesn’t suffer from the same afflictions that would make it a boring, pret|| 4.0 stars ||
Oh, what a lovely book this was. It’s a classic, but somehow doesn’t suffer from the same afflictions that would make it a boring, pretentious and drawn-out read like so many other “classics” are. Is it because this was written by a woman, unlike most other older classics? Well, I won’t say so in fear of sounding a little offensive, but secretly I think: Yes, duhh.
This story really had such pure warmth and feeling with such lovely and tender characters, you truly couldn’t help but love every person that appeared on the page. Everyone had a special little something about them that made them uniquely sweet and endearing; even the characters that were only there for a little while. I can’t quite explain it, but every person just felt so fleshed out and real, yet better somehow: This book showed quite an idealistic world since I don’t think everyone is quite so fair and good in real life, but it was a very idyllic and peaceful world to reside in for a while!
The sisters were all probably a little too good to be true, but I didn’t mind it too much and just decided to admire them for their sweetness and humbleness: I couldn’t help but be charmed by Meg’s pretty and calm poise, I couldn’t help but laugh at Jo’s wild and unabashed antics, I couldn’t help but feel affection for Beth’s selflessness and purity, and neither could I help but adore Amy’s charming and graceful nature. I have to admit to having a secret favourite in Amy, whom I personally thought had the most fun and interesting scenes and personality; she was so funny to me as a child and so perfectly lovely as an adult. Her growth was really nice, and I just loved everything about her.
[SPOILERS FROM HERE ON OUT]:
I know there’s quite a debate about who Laurie should have ended up with as many people are not happy with the author’s choices, but I personally think all ended as it should have. Jo and Laurie were never more than friends, and neither do I think they could have successfully been anything more. Their friendship was very brother/sisterly and well-suited in that way, but it never, not once, felt romantic to me. Opposingly, Laurie’s interactions with Amy always seemed more tender and gentle to me, even when they were young. There were already quite a lot of little scenes that showed how well he cared for her and wanted her to feel good. And of course, when they grew older it became even more apparent that they would make a good match. Especially the way they acted with each other when they were abroad truly settled the matter for me and showed me that Laurie could find no better match for him than Amy. What they had was romantic love, while him and Jo had pure platonic love. It was very obvious to me. And I admire the author for making the right choice, despite knowing it would upset a lot of readers.
However, although an entirely different matter, I did have one big complaint: I personally think Beth should have died in part 1 instead of part 2. I don’t quite understand why the author let her survive her illness in the first place if she was simply going to ignore Beth’s existence after that, just to kill her anyway, only now when we don’t care as much for sweet little Beth as we used to when we knew her well. It was just an odd choice, since it really limited the emotional impact her death could have had for me.
All in all though, this was a really nice and warm book that I treasured reading. Even if it could be a little preachy and sanctimonious sometimes....more
This wasn’t bad, but it wasn’t good either. It had a very cliché premise with an extremely subpar execution. There was absolutely no de|| 3.0 stars ||
This wasn’t bad, but it wasn’t good either. It had a very cliché premise with an extremely subpar execution. There was absolutely no depth to this whatsoever, and neither did we see any details of the story, characterization or romance.
We skipped in time about a billion times, which meant we didn’t get to see any of the actual development between the couple. We don’t see them falling in love, we don’t get to understand why they develop feelings; honestly, we aren’t even told why either of them become attracted to the other, which is odd considering the less than stellar circumstances these two find themselves in, meaning it wasn’t exactly likely anyone would feel any lust in that situation, so an explanation as to why they did would have been appreciated.
Considering it’s a story about human trafficking and the main character finds himself in a ‘prison’-like situation with his ‘love interest’ as captor I would have expected more hate, mistrust and resentment, so it was pretty weird to see that they suddenly had this giant amount of sexual chemistry, let alone an intimate or romantic connection. It just wasn’t explained properly, and therefore, failed to show me a relationship with true feelings and emotions. It was mostly just lust, especially at first, and after that it seemed there was merely an unhealthy obsession between them. Not love.
Aiden crawled into Zain’s lap and looped his arms around his neck. “Hey,” he said with a small, fond smile. “What’s got you brooding now?” Fond. He had no business looking at him this way. Sometimes Zain wanted to shake him. He might not have kidnapped Aiden himself, but he had treated him horribly at the beginning. Zain didn’t deserve his fondness. He didn’t deserve the soft smiles. He still craved them like a thirsty man craved water in the desert. He wanted everything—every smile, every millimeter of skin, every molecule.
This book was Stockholm Syndrome at its finest, I suppose. Although I would have loved more proper development for it to be believable. But that’s probably too much to ask of this author. It’s just mindless fun with a toxic, possessive couple doing obsessive and insane things; a typical AH book. Yet, still, there was something missing here that I did find in a bunch of her other books. Something about the couple just didn’t work that well.
This is the first thing I have ever read by this author and I hope it will be my last. Of course I already knew about her infamous habi|| 2.0 stars ||
This is the first thing I have ever read by this author and I hope it will be my last. Of course I already knew about her infamous habit of writing without quotations marks, but jesus, it’s even more aggravating to read than I imagined it would be. It’s just so wholly unnecessary that it truly pisses me off.
The story itself wasn’t bad… but I don’t think there actually was that much of an actual story to speak of? And even if you argue that there was, we definitely did not get a resolution to any part of it.
Also, Sukie and Nathan’s relationship was just weird and I don’t think I get what it was trying to be. Like, was it meant to be creepy or cute? I genuinely can’t tell. All I know for sure is that this chick had some serious daddy issues.
Lastly, the writing was literally the most stilted thing ever: The characters talked like robots and the inner monologue was simply emotionless....more
This book is about Ezra and Frank, who are polar opposites in a lot of ways. Ezra is beautiful, pampered, sunny and delicate with a lot|| 3.5 stars ||
This book is about Ezra and Frank, who are polar opposites in a lot of ways. Ezra is beautiful, pampered, sunny and delicate with a lot of body-image issues while Frank is big, strong, grumpy and dangerous with a secret heart of gold.
“I love you, Frank,” Ezra whispered straight into his ear. “I love you too. I love you so much. You’re my treasure.”
They meet in an escort/client situation and Frank is pretty much smitten from the beginning. Ezra isn’t sold on him for a long time though, because he already has other plans for his future; namely, snagging himself a rich husband after earning as much money as an escort as he can. Meanwhile, Frank literally lives at a junkyard, so he is not exactly what Ezra pictured for himself.
Frank chuckled, closing his eyes, but when Ezra’s breath steadied after a while, he opened them again to take in the treasure in his arms. Ezra didn’t know it yet, but after tonight, all bets were off. Frank would fight to keep him.
However, when Ezra is threatened by one of his former clients after witnessing something he shouldn’t, he decides to seek refugee with the one man he feels can protect him and keep him safe: Frank. And Frank is all too willing to take care of Ezra in any way the beautiful man will let him. In the meantime, Frank just hopes Ezra won’t find out that he is just as involved in criminal activity as the man Ezra is running from (or at least not before he can make Ezra fall in love with him too).
This man was the most precious person he’d ever met, and he’d bend over backwards to make him happy.
The reason I think I enjoyed this book the most was because Frank was just so in love with Ezra. He adored him in every single way, and he would have done anything for him. It was very swoony.
P.S. Jag was, once again, literally the cutest person ever and his little friendship with Ezra was super adorable.
'Wrong Side of the Tracks' series: 1. Scum - 3.0 stars 2. Primal - 4.5 stars 3. D!ckhead - dnf 4. Grind - 3.5 stars 5. Wanted - 3.0 stars...more
I’ve always loved Stevie and Evan’s teasing banter in the previous books and the tension between them has obviously been through-the-ro|| 3.0 stars ||
I’ve always loved Stevie and Evan’s teasing banter in the previous books and the tension between them has obviously been through-the-roof since the beginning, so I was really looking forward to reading their story.
I was hoping for a little more of a slow-burn here, but instead we got a relationship that moved at breakneck speed. That was disappointing, but I tried to just go with it. I luckily succeeded pretty well at that, especially because these two did know each other for a very long time already, so I could accept that their deep affection and love for each other was something that was based on years of knowing each other before the book started!
Their dynamic was honestly just absolutely awesome. They’re an age-gap couple with a huge size difference, and Evan truly has a very nurturing attitude towards Stevie. They’re both obsessed with each, but Evan would seriously give him an arm and a leg if only it would make Stevie happy. Stevie created quite a bit of drama between them, but Evan was always there to pick up the pieces and run after him. Evan was seriously whipped and I love that.
All in all, I had a lot of fun with this, and I wish these two had gotten their own full-length novel, because I don’t think I have had enough of this couple just yet!
This pretty much had a lust-at-first sight thing going on and surely cannot be praised for its depth or anything remotely like that, bu|| 3.0 stars ||
This pretty much had a lust-at-first sight thing going on and surely cannot be praised for its depth or anything remotely like that, but it was still fun with a hint of angst and I really loved the relationship dynamic here.
This was an age-gap romance with a big size difference between Mike (a big handsome biker who very much enjoys his status as a ‘ladies man’) and Arden (a fiery, feminine boy who’s afraid to commit his heart again after being burned before). Mike is pretty much instantly obsessed with how cute and pretty Arden is, and he tries very hard to get the boy to give him a chance. Mike doesn’t want a relationship though and Arden wants more than a friends with benefits situation, so they dance around each other for a while. Yet, it’s clear they both care for each other a lot: They want to be around each other all the time, and Mike has a very nurturing vibe towards Arden. It was all pretty sweet.
I just cannot get enough of this beautiful family!! The love between Asa and Jude is so vivid, and their banter is still going strong a|| 3.5 stars ||
I just cannot get enough of this beautiful family!! The love between Asa and Jude is so vivid, and their banter is still going strong as ever. The way they always pay attention to the little things and are so considerate of each other will never stop making my heart swell. And of course little Billy just makes every moment even more adorable with his mere presence! I just love them all so much.
➛First read: September 2023 | ★4.0 stars ➛Second read: September 2024 | ★4.0 stars
Even though I really liked that the love journey betwe|| 4.0 stars ||
➛First read: September 2023 | ★4.0 stars ➛Second read: September 2024 | ★4.0 stars
Even though I really liked that the love journey between Jude and Asa was mostly smooth-sailing in the original book (especially since that highlighted the mature and loving relationship between the witty spitfire and the gentle giant), I do have to admit that I truly enjoyed getting some angst and drama with this short story!
I am a big sucker for jealousy scenes and even more for scenes where the love interest feels like he fucked up and starts having this inner monologue about how he is desperately afraid to loose that one person who means the most to him! We definitely get these scenes here in abundance.
I have to say, though, that Asa was uncharacteristically dumb and unable to read the room in this story, which I found a bit odd. I just can’t imagine the real him ever shoving aside Jude’s concerns like that or him not understanding that what he was doing with Hayden was wrong until it was pointed out to him. Thus, I do have to take this story with a bit of a pinch of salt. Regardless, I really did enjoy it a lot. I liked seeing both men jealous, and I especially enjoyed seeing Asa be a little insecure about losing Jude, and have him spiral about how that would literally devastate him.
Also, if anyone wants to see more of Malachi, they need to read Spring Strings, because that’s his book and it's honestly amazing.
Oh my god, this was absolutely amazing! The first half of this book was so hilarious, I nearly pissed myself laughing more times than I|| 4.5 stars ||
Oh my god, this was absolutely amazing! The first half of this book was so hilarious, I nearly pissed myself laughing more times than I can count. Eventually, though, this developed into something so much deeper: It turned into a beautiful love story between two men with a true connection, who created the sweetest family possible with the cutest five year-old boy I’ve ever seen.
Jude is the main narrator of the story, and oh what a joy it was to be inside this guy’s head! He was the kindest, funniest, most loyal and most likable character imaginable. I adored him so much. Jude is a model and the book starts with him needing to find a home to stay in after the roof of his flat collapses, which will take a few months to repair. He can stay with his best friend, Dylan, and his boyfriend, Gabe, but doesn’t particularly want to subject his delicate ears to the non-stop love-making these two get up to, so, no matter how much he loves them, he’d rather find some other place to stay. After a hilarious misunderstanding, he becomes the live-in assistant to the 15 years older moviestar, Asa, who seems to have some negative presumptions about models and their “lazy attitudes and airy brains.” Jude isn’t too bothered by his judgements, but he does find some glee in taking his revenge, which means he pretends to be a dumb airhead whenever he’s around Asa, and manages to mess up all his given tasks in the most hilarious ways possible. It doesn’t take Asa very long, however, to realise his mistake, and they both end up playing their game of pretending Jude is brain-dead, even though Asa is becoming increasingly more intrigued by the smart, funny, gorgeous man living in his house. Especially when he sees Jude interacting with his son, Billy, whom Jude shares an immediate bond with.
Billy’s relationship with both Asa and Jude was just absolutely heartwarming; they both cared about him so much, but also had a lot of fun with him. They joked around, but also treated him super softly and delicately. It was a beautiful display of perfect parenting and you could see how much that little boy loved them both; it truly warmed my heart.
Seriously, though, I loved this book so much! Jude and Asa had the best banter, and the overall story was just so freaking funny. It has a very dry wit and displays the perfect example of well-executed British humour! Moreover, it was beautiful to see these two men grow closer and closer. They learned such intimate details about the other, and they truly saw the other for who they were inside. I can’t really explain how gorgeous the slow-burn relationship between them was, because I just cannot sum it up in a few sentences. I loved how full of life these two were when they were together, and how much they both adored every little part about the other’s personality. They had true love between them. Honestly.
A romance between the Heir to the British Throne and the British Prime Minister apparently results in the sweetest, yet most impossible|| 4.0 stars ||
A romance between the Heir to the British Throne and the British Prime Minister apparently results in the sweetest, yet most impossible, forbidden love story imaginable!
I think what mostly made this book stand out for me was the fact that the love between Callum and Oliver felt so incredibly genuine. They truly connected on a deeper level, and their chemistry was palpable from beginning to end. The dynamic between these two was insanely cute and they were crazy compatible together. I honestly just loved seeing their bond grow stronger and stronger over time.
I really liked Oliver and Callum as characters. They were both very sweet, clever and loveable, but Callum definitely stole the show for me. He was geeky, clumsy and awkward, but in the absolutely best way possible. He was just utterly endearing, and I adored the hell out of him. It melted my heart to see Oliver adore him in every possible way as well; he cherished every odd quirk about Callum, and treasured every single thing about him. It was so lovely to see, and Callum honestly deserved someone who loves him like that.
I do have to say that, even though I thought this story, the characters and their romance were all incredibly charming, the writing itself wasn’t my favourite. It dragged a lot. Sometimes it felt more like I was reading an informational textbook than a cute contemporary, which was a bit jarring considering the fluffy and unrealistic nature of this book. I mean, the ending, for example, was absolutely batshit crazy, so I don’t think this book was really trying too hard to take itself seriously, which makes it odd to choose such an informational writing style. But oh well.
All in all, this book gave me a lot of happy vibes and Callum and Oliver were an amazingly sweet couple to read about....more
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