this was pretty cute, if not a little saccharine. it was a collection of comics that focused on the moments between the auththe milk & honey of comics
this was pretty cute, if not a little saccharine. it was a collection of comics that focused on the moments between the author and her boyfriend.
and i will say for those of us you in long term relationships, this will be really relatable and parts of it will have you saying "omg that's us!!!" which is why i compared this to milk and honey. it's got that tumblr-esque relatability that's pretty fun and easy to read.
but i think for me, comics/graphic novels etc can be a vehicle for so much more than just "wow that was cute because it had backrubs and i love backrubs too." and this didn't do much more than that. it wasn't really a story or even a collection of moments but more just one-off exchanges from cutely drawn stick figures.
not trying to roast here, because it's downright sweet and i know a lot people will enjoy this. but i think this would have worked better as like a weekly serial than a full blown book.
if you're interested in reading this, it is currently free & ready to download from netgalley ...more
dnf at like 50% although the titular story only goes until like the 38% mark... the rest of this is filled with like short sdisappointment on aisle 6
dnf at like 50% although the titular story only goes until like the 38% mark... the rest of this is filled with like short stories idfk.
i dunno this was set up to be really different than most of the other ridiculous smut i read simply to review. but it was just too brief for me to really sympathize with the characters.
unlike in most of these novellas/shorts/whatever the fuck you wanna call em, we get backstory for the two SEALS that our girl Cait decides to bang. but those backstories never develop into anything. the characters aren't really going to face any sort of real dilemma in like a 100 page story.
so i guess in that way, this kind of pissed me off more than your average smut. i felt bait & switched, in which i was given the beginnings to a solidly written sordid tale but was instead left with the same old, same old "banged her in both holes" tale.
"I found it- where I'm supposed to be. It's with you."
yep, maddox found where he's supposed to be and what he's supposed to be. surprise surprise:
[ima"I found it- where I'm supposed to be. It's with you."
yep, maddox found where he's supposed to be and what he's supposed to be. surprise surprise:
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ok technically that gif isn't 100% true but i'm not going to spoil the story for you. what i will say, is that this book was fcking awesome. i thought the whole fake boyfriend/fake fiance/fake relationship trope was pretty played out but i guess i just thought that because all the one's i've read have been straight. and boring.
this wasn't straight and it sure as hell wasn't boring. as the blurb says, maddox has been pretending to be gay and needs a bf to attend his ex-gf's wedding. damon is the fake bf. but this story was more than just a straight guy figuring out he isn't so straight. it's about self acceptance, fighting bigotry, and family. about finding your place and what you want out of life.
but in a totally fun & totally un-serious way. i adored it. no excess drama, no wild declarations of unrequited love. this book was so sweet & so wholesome. everybody needs to go read this, stat.
buddy read with my partner in all things gay: hayley ...more
well i promised myself i wasn't going to 5 star this, but then the author's note at the end made me cry like a lil bitch
this book was so excellent. liwell i promised myself i wasn't going to 5 star this, but then the author's note at the end made me cry like a lil bitch
this book was so excellent. like the blurb says, it's about a woman with autism who hires a male escort to help her with her own perceived social ineptitude. but honestly it's just a perfectly romantic story about two people who just really get and accept everything about each other.
what did i like: almost everything but here's an actual list - stella had a typically masculine job & michael had a traditionally female one!!! we love gendered job reversals!!!! (ALSO SWEDISH VIETNAMESE MALE LEAD) - stella was a REAL person and not just a diagnosis (who wasn't woe is me about it either!) - everything was on STELLA's terms... never pushed to have sex she was uncomfortable with - that being said there was a lot of hot sex™ that imo was not overdone - so many moments where i was GENUINELY clutching my chest at the romance
what i did not like - michael's hang ups.... ur a grown adult man. get a grip a little bit?? - douchey pervs that didn't have to meet their maker - wish there were more snippets of daily life to make the relationship a liiiiittle more fleshed out - that's literally it, i'm not satan in a sundress today folks, this book rocked
in general, i think you will love this if you feel like you haven't met your "person" yet or if you have and are really really happy about it. i love understanding, i love communication. thanks book, for having both.
******************** buddy read with a fellow romance loving pal, haley!...more
not to be dramatic, but this was the most disturbing book i've ever read and i only read 10% of it
i'm really torn here. i don't believe in shaming womnot to be dramatic, but this was the most disturbing book i've ever read and i only read 10% of it
i'm really torn here. i don't believe in shaming women for their preferences in romance: some people LOVE dark romances or age gaps or chick lit "fall into his arms" type shit. and that's great. whatever jazzes your jollies.
but i just sincerely wonder what some female authors are thinking when they write their male leads. there's douchey and then there's completely DEPRAVED. i understand that, again, men vary in personality. but romance is supposed to be a FANTASY, an escape, your most IDEAL man realized. and this entire series in my opinion, has none of those redeeming factors.
sorry if this spoils it for you but the main character rapes women after he injects them with paralyzing drugs and then murders them. and this is a ROMANCE/EROTICA. i am not squeamish, i like weird. but this is a hard no for me. you can't get me to be attracted to a man who has murdered and raped countless women with no remorse. i don't believe in bashing authors but what the hell was she thinking...
seriously... y'all got me all hyped with the gimmick of interconnected stories from 4 romance authors and THIS [image]
bad bad, no good very bad book.
seriously... y'all got me all hyped with the gimmick of interconnected stories from 4 romance authors and THIS is the shit you decided to lead with. rude as hell.
i probably should have known from the text on the cover or even from the opening 2 pages that this thing was going to be a disaster. but i held out hope that it might be a sexy disaster. kind of like taco bell.
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but no. this was about as sexy as rheumatoid arthritis.
please do yourself a favor and just read some free smut on amazon. because at least you'll laugh....more
"I'm an asshole, was an asshole, and have every intention of staying an asshole. It's the makeup of my fucking DNA. But I want to be YOUR asshole."
Th "I'm an asshole, was an asshole, and have every intention of staying an asshole. It's the makeup of my fucking DNA. But I want to be YOUR asshole."
This book was a train wreck, start to finish. Which GREATLY pains me, since LJ Shen writes some of my absolute favorite new adult books. But I think I can explain to you why this sucked so bad.
Someone asked lovely partner in crime for this read why anyone would like an asshole main character. And it really got me thinking about the psychology behind that trope. The quote I picked pretty much showcases what I think it is. Romance is wish fulfillment, and having a guy who is sexy and a total asshole is appealing in a lot of ways. He hates the world... but also would do ANYTHING for you. Hell, he can even be rude to you in the beginning and still be redeemed depending on how good the writing is. And 90% of the time Shen is an absolute master at the redeemable douche. But this time not so much.
The main issues were that the basis of the relationship was never consensual & that the male lead never really develops/changes. I don't want to spoil the book but take a look at these quotes:
"The way Troy touched me was worth every horrible, self-loathing feeling that I would have tomorrow. or "My love for Troy Brennan wasn't romantic or sweet- it was violent and needy."
To me, that doesn't read as a female character being won over by a douche. It's justification of a shitty, abusive relationship & stockholm syndrome. And most of Sparrow's sentiments about Troy read exactly like this. There was no point while reading this that I thought "oh I can really relate to her." She wasn't reluctant to fall in love she was just a victim to her shitty circumstance. So not sexy.
And then Troy as a whole: also a major book killer to me. I'll be the first one to tell you that I "get" gray morality, and that I really love it in my romance. I don't like sugary sweet dudes in literature or otherwise. But if he treats the heroine bad in any respect, that behavior does need to change throughout the course of the book. And it didn't here. Troy has seriously sociopathic tendencies (which he admits to) and there is no evidence that his love for Sparrow has changed him. Instead we're left with a lackluster epilogue that's supposed to convince us that a murderer & kidnapper essentially, is so so happy and welcome to ready his kid into the world (even though all prior evidence pointed to him hating children!!!!).
Last but not least, there is a really big lack of HONESTY in this book. If you have secrets, you better come clean in the end. Didn't really happen here. Troy's secrets are told to Sparrow by someone else and we're supposed to accept that. And it might be dumb to put this much thought into it but is that really foundational for a successful future in a relationship? Hell nah.
So yeah, this was a total disappointment. Seems that me & Sara seem to have all the luck in picking books to buddy read lol. But yeah, if you are an LJ Shen fan I'd suggest you skip this one....more
this was basically dawson's creek if dawson wasn't a stupid dickhead & he actually ended up with joey
we have two best friends, carter & arizona (ari) this was basically dawson's creek if dawson wasn't a stupid dickhead & he actually ended up with joey
we have two best friends, carter & arizona (ari) who have been platonic friends since the fourth grade. they've both recently graduated college and are figuring out their next moves. carter decides to go to law school, arizona decides to pursue her passion for cooking/baking. and their friendship takes a turn from platonic to sexy at a party one night when they are both coincidentally single at the same time.
i thought this was pretty sweet, if a little cliche. carter was sexy and fun, arizona was sweet and neurotic. they were a cute match. i think what was missing for me though was the depth. i think sometimes authors can get away with not providing a lot of back story with the excuse that characters have known each other for a while. but sometimes that's not enough to convey the depth of emotions that are supposedly latent.
which is kind of wild since we're actually given flashbacks of arizona & carter throughout the years. but for me those flashbacks weren't enough.
that being said, i thoroughly enjoyed this. there was an overall lack of stupid drama (even if the ending was a little cliche/overwrought) and the sex was pretty hot. i think you'd especially enjoy this if you didn't like "Rule" by Jay Crownover but were looking for a fun friends-to-lovers scenario. or if you enjoyed the vibe of "Anna and the French Kiss" but weren't a fan of the slut shaming. overall a good read, but not a standout for me....more
if i would have really processed the fact that this was written by d.h. sidebottom i probably would have run for the fucking hills.
but i'm glad i didif i would have really processed the fact that this was written by d.h. sidebottom i probably would have run for the fucking hills.
but i'm glad i didn't notice and i'm glad i read this, because it was genuinely a great MC read.
i know a lot of people complain in sports books/mafia books/MC books at the lack of research that can happen. at the inaccuracy/lack of nuance to the lives of the characters in those sorts of situations. but this was sufficiently gritty and seemed pretty accurate to me.
i'm not going to talk about the plot because i feel like this book would be easily spoiled. that being said, i really liked the overall plot of the book and the characters. avery had dreams that i could relate to and her man was surprisingly awesome. i usually kind of roll my eyes at the alpha male bullshit that goes on in a MC romance but he was actually really cool and respected avery's dreams.
the only thing that made me MEGA cringe were the side characters. again, i don't want to spoil anything but the things that some of the characters get into was beyond perverse and gross. and i don't cringe easily but i did cringe big time at some of the shit that was allowed to happen.
overall i thought this was a pretty great read, if a little cliche. if you like MC romances you'll probably love this, and if you're wanting to try a MC romance then this is definitely a good one to start with.
note: if you're curious about my d.h. sidebottom comment... she wrote one of my least favorite books of all time, "Caged." feel free to go find that review if you want a good laugh....more
this chick was constantly gooey EXCUSE ME are you a damn snail
seriously... this book was something else. I’m on mobile so unfortunately I won’t be athis chick was constantly gooey EXCUSE ME are you a damn snail
seriously... this book was something else. I’m on mobile so unfortunately I won’t be able to share any beautiful quotes but I URGE you to check this one out for yourself because it’s a wild ride.
the book is exactly what you’d expect: girl sleeps with her bf’s dad and falls madly in love after losing her sweet cherry to him *gag*. what was trippy for me was how the dad thought of his son... I distinctly remember highlighting multiple quotes of him calling him 18 year old “weak” “sickly” “boyish.” It was fucking weird.
also the obsession with milk and boobies in this was too fucking much for me. I started reading passages to my bf and we couldn’t stop laughing.
not going to get into plot cause there wasn’t one.
you don’t need to read this FYI, this review should be enough.
AND ALSO THE LEAD FEMALE HAS BROWN CURLS SO WHO THE FUCK CHOSE THIS COVER.
I was spent without compromise, sated without sacrifice, completely and totally head-over-heels in love.
this was fucking incredible??? big shout out tI was spent without compromise, sated without sacrifice, completely and totally head-over-heels in love.
this was fucking incredible??? big shout out to my lovely friend Sara, because I don't think I would have heard about this book/picked it up without her.
this book follows blue echohawk, abandoned by her mom at the age of 2, and what her life looks like as she tries to find her place in the world and come to terms with her personal history. throughout the story, her history teacher places an integral role in her self acceptance and growth.
the themes in this were what really really spoke to me. the idea that your history doesn't have to be your future, what motherhood looks like and how it's different for everyone, and also how love SHOULD be.
i wouldn't really call this a romantic love story, but more a story about learning to love yourself. that being said, there is an eventual relationship that develops between Blue and her teacher. the relationship develops long after graduation, and there's only a 2 year age gap. out of all of the student/teacher relationships i've read, this is without a doubt the most tastefully done.
also, i really thought the fact that there are no sex scenes in this book would really annoy me. but it strangely worked and didn't lessen the impact of the story. the quote i chose refers to that. not all deep, intense, love has to be immediately consummated and sometimes it's okay if it never is.
anyway, if you want something sweet but not cheesy i would highly recommend this one....more
saccharine & dark. and i really didn't like the combo
this really really didn't work for me. i think i need to stop trying to read Tillie Cole. i readsaccharine & dark. and i really didn't like the combo
this really really didn't work for me. i think i need to stop trying to read Tillie Cole. i read Riot, didn't like it, and for some reason i guess i didn't process that she wrote this before picking it up.
i could totally understand what people would like about this though! there are dark themes that are handled pretty well. lexi struggles with anorexia and self acceptance & austin deals with his former gang membership/trailer park upbringing and self acceptance. they find a way to open up to each other about their struggles and find comfort and acceptance. which is awesome, and important.
but for me, it was just not a romance i could enjoy. i don't have anorexia and couldn't relate AT ALL to lexi. as bad as it sounds, she annoyed the shit out of me and i felt guilty for not being sympathetic pretty much the whole time i was reading. and i also didn't find austin a sexy or likable character. i get that not everyone is intelligent but uh... his grammar and lack of intelligence was not sexy at all to me. sorry not sorry, full stop. i also guess mafias are sexy to me but not gangs? i digress.
i'm grateful that this book exists, i totally understand why people like it, but again. just was not for me.
hopefully my lovely pals Warda & Sara liked this more than I did....more
i think if you've been awake for more than a couple of days, and been on this site for more than first of all:
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cause this shit was GOOOOOOOOD.
i think if you've been awake for more than a couple of days, and been on this site for more than a few seconds you've probably seen the mixed reviews for this book. divisive, divisive, she is.
i can totally understand why people don't like this book. it's not exactly ground breaking in terms of unique characterizations or world building. and the use of language is... odd. i mean it's set in like a pseudo-medieval fantasy world but we're using words like "asshole" and "flesh wound."
but frankly my dear, i don't give a shit. this was fun and i don't mind a cliche.
let's talk about characters!!!!!
chloe - basic bitch, becky with the blonde hair - has "fire" within her but honestly not that impressed - she better come back with a revenge body plan
jona-bona - annoying, 2/10 - kind of clever though and has decent insights into people's manipulations - but who cares cause he's annoying
manga - sad boi, cries all the time, very EMOTIONAL - carries big things if u know what i mean [i'm talking about his sword, pervs] - gross, but i'm into it
lucky - seriously she's just lucky [image]
seriously though, if you're not expecting something GROUND BREAKING this was pretty fcking good. i'm interested to see where things go.
************************ tbh this is the most excited i've been for a book in a VERY long time. i'm ready to both love & hate it (be prepared for way too many updates whoops)
dnf at like 40%. alright so i'm going to rely on the always-apt in-shitty-situations quotes of Jean Ralphio Saperstein. buckle the fuck up, it[image]
dnf at like 40%. alright so i'm going to rely on the always-apt in-shitty-situations quotes of Jean Ralphio Saperstein. buckle the fuck up, it's going to be a bumpy ride.
as the above gif said, this book was... shitty. she was the worst, he was the worst. AND I LOVE NA. i feel like i always have to say that when writing these types of reviews because it gives me a lil more credibility. cause you could always say "but chan, that's just NA." and i'll reply "no sweetie, not ALL NA." side note: NA really is an underrated and overlooked genre that does have issues but also has some really great books and great authors writing them.
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BUT ALL OF THAT ASIDE! let's get into this review.
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yeah, you could have done better than RULE. i was willing to overlook the stupid name but HE IS JUST SO STUPID AND IT IS SO FITTING. book starts off with him sleeping with a girl and then proceeding to berate her when she got upset that he was kicking her out in the morning. "shouldn't sleep around if you don't want to be treated like that" kind of bullshit. and beyond people deserving basic decency, his whole intro was too sleazy. we get it, you smell like cum and have purple hair. not everyone wants to bone you.
and then!!! he's forced to go to his parents' house by his dead brother's "girlfriend" and he's all like
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like dude. your family is still grieving but you can't be bothered? i know your mom is a cunt but like just be less of a dickhead? maybe don't smell like spunk and stop tattooing your own name on yourself???
and THEN we get boring ass Shaw. typical NA heroine with big tits, blonde hair, SASSY personality, family problems, and of COURSE she's a virgin.
who proceeds to get plastered and "give away" her virginity in a lovely dubious consent scenario. not because he liked her, or respected her, but because she was hot and why the fuck not.
Rule sounds so hot right? and she sounds SO SMART right? and they sound so in love right?
[image]
at least that's how i envision that moment happening because i sure as hell wasn't going to keep reading to find out. i don't need build up for the first sexual encounter between two characters but to gloss over it and to make it THAT unsexy. NAH. this is fucking romance. i don't want boring ass real life i want FANTASY. so that's a no for me.
don't care if they fell in love, don't care if he got rid of his jizz mohawk, don't care if stupid rich girl is still stupid and rich.
thankfully, i had someone lovely to commiserate with aka Sara. this was a pretty entertaining buddy read. and for that, i am so so thankful.
if i didn't make it clear, don't read this....more
life literally is not complete without finding someone who fully accepts, cherishes, and loves every part of you
it doesn't even have to be with a romalife literally is not complete without finding someone who fully accepts, cherishes, and loves every part of you
it doesn't even have to be with a romantic partner.
buuuuuut obviously in this case, it is. i fucking loved this book. romance and erotica can be really tricky for me. it's often times hard to find that perfect balance of sexy, sweet, and depth of relationship building. and while for me, the first book in this series didn't have that, i was pleasantly surprised to find that this book.
the characters were really sweet, and had a little more depth than the previous books'. upon meeting maddox and isaac in the first book i knew there was going to be something sweet there. maddox had previous trauma from his time in the military. and isaac was running from his past. together they were able to help each other through it. and not just the "love conquers all" type shit you see in all romance novels.
but like i mentioned previously, the icing on the cake for me was really how deeply and innately these characters knew each other. i don't want to spoil anything but isaac is kind of non traditional. he wears makeup, he wears women's clothing, but he's firmly male. and maddox never questioned it. never made isaac feel bad. embraced him, loved him, DIDN'T FETISHIZE HIM. so. here. for. it.
ALSO NEWT WAS CUTE AF AND A LOVELY ADDITION.
if you're looking for something new or want a nice emotional MM to dip your toes in the water of MM with, give this a go. ...more
sometimes you see someone reading a book & you just have to know what all the fuss is about. thank you Sara, this was the perfect friday night read.
thsometimes you see someone reading a book & you just have to know what all the fuss is about. thank you Sara, this was the perfect friday night read.
the story is about sam and rikki (duh) and their hate-to-love relationship which spans roughly 5 years of their lives. they're both academically competitive, and seem to have real feelings and interests which didn't make them flat characters... HELL YEAH.
i genuinely liked everything about this story. we had lesbian moms, college hijinks, and some cute chemistry, my dudes. i also liked the tone of this, idk it was relatable and not corny.
only reason this wasn't perfect was the lack of *ahem* consummation. don't build me up if you ain't gon sex me up (or at least provide me with some gorgeous sexual imagery, ya feel). ...more
slaughter & skull-fuckery DOES actually equal romance
kidding, mostly. all jokes aside this was actually pretty damn entertaining.
i had no idea what tslaughter & skull-fuckery DOES actually equal romance
kidding, mostly. all jokes aside this was actually pretty damn entertaining.
i had no idea what to expect going into this, i thought "maybe vampires" "maybe weird freaking vampire sex" and sadly that wasn't the case. instead we get some weird russian mob/old money/misogyny type shit. russians, sweetie i am SO sorry an ugly bitch would even.
like... the plot: intriguing. the characters: nice (if a little one dimensional). the sex: HOT.
but holy shit, it was pretty hard to overlook the horrible fake Russia that was created. and the actions of the characters. i mean i don't typically flinch when a guy kills for his lady in fiction, it's just part of it ya know? but in this book... hope you love DISEMBOWELMENT before your sex.
and also maybe this was a set up for the rest of the "series" but there were no V games. like, none.
this was seriously hot mess central, but go ahead and read it. just maybe wash your brain out with bleach afterwards....more
who know double entendres about farming & impregnation could be so fun!!!!
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okay in all seriousness, this was bad. if you read my last review ofwho know double entendres about farming & impregnation could be so fun!!!!
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okay in all seriousness, this was bad. if you read my last review of Ridiculous Smut™ you know how FUN it was. like it was so so bad but also so so funny. but this was just bad. we get a TIME JUMP and TWO EPILOGUES!!! all so we could see the fertility struggles of 2 characters we don't give a fuck about. they have sex ONE FUCKING TIME in the 100 or so pages of this book. and it wasn't hot. just a lot of
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