The first in a new series by LJ Shen, Hunter really sets the scene and tone for what promises to be a super addictive selection of stories set in BostThe first in a new series by LJ Shen, Hunter really sets the scene and tone for what promises to be a super addictive selection of stories set in Boston and starring alpha holes, fuck boys and strong female leads.
This really is my guilty pleasure these days, completely OTT but I can't help but love the type of heroes that Shen excels at.
Hunter is a character from the previous All Saints High series and I feel like I've been waiting years for his book. Ripped from his dudebro life in Cali, he now finds himself in Boston alongside his horrendously rich and toxic family.
Meet Sailor, the daughter of an Irish mob boss (See Sparrow) and the girl whose been tasked to keep Hunter in check.
I loved getting to know the story behind Hunter and his reasons for keeping girls at arms length. He truly craved love but was equally scared of rejection. Sailor was an interesting character, and it was nice seeing how she always had Hunters back when his whole family seemed to be against him.
The story was good, none of the usual drama llama that you may expect but also by the same token I found it a little bit... bland? Without spoiling it I did wonder why she had an about turn on her Archery career at the end, but maybe I missed something.
Overall, I thought this was a fantastic way to start the series and introduce us to new characters that will be featured. I'm especially excited to read about Sailor's brother Sam, and Hunter's brother Cillian!
Ever since the very beginning of this series I have been worrying and wondering how Shen would redeem this broken moody hero, he's been hard characterEver since the very beginning of this series I have been worrying and wondering how Shen would redeem this broken moody hero, he's been hard character to warm to for sure. But, Vaughn and Lenny worked well together, and I did feel their connection and the depth of their feelings were believable.
This book explored dark themes, and I feel that it was dealt with sensitively.
My only criticism was the drama with Arabella, I felt it was unnecessary and detracted from the main story. Also, why so many public blow jobs? Does this activity really take place in American High schools?
Overall, I really did enjoy this story, even though Daria & Knight's books were by far the better books in this series.
Where do I begin? I stayed up as late as I possibly could on a Saturday night reading, and woke up early Sunday to finish - that's how gripped I was. Where do I begin? I stayed up as late as I possibly could on a Saturday night reading, and woke up early Sunday to finish - that's how gripped I was. I admit I went in completely blind and the only thing I knew about the book was that the male lead was Irish (always a bonus).
This was a story of 2 young strangers who lived in different continents, with lives headed on very different paths. But fate was not going to keep them apart forever as fate is meant to be.
What starts as an intense 24 hour one-night-stand in a small town in Ireland, ends up with harboured feelings of resentment, a plan for revenge and more than a few fucked up secrets.
Flawed characters are my favourite and this was no exception - Rory and Mal learn that love is not always easy or fair, but in the end it's all that really matters.
I loved this enemies to lovers, second chance romance - 5 Star Perfection...more
A good debut novel by Sarah Smith, I really enjoyed the first half of this enemies to lovers office romance. Set around their workplace in the construA good debut novel by Sarah Smith, I really enjoyed the first half of this enemies to lovers office romance. Set around their workplace in the construction industry, they spend a lot of time together... But for some reason Tate treats Emmie with disdain and she has no idea why. .
I would have preferred a bit more push pull and I felt like once they became friends it kinda fell flat for me but that's a personal preference - I like to feel a little more angst and emotion in my love/hate tropes.
Told from the point of view from both Mother & Daughter, this story was emotional and heartfelt. We follow three different relationships and are treatTold from the point of view from both Mother & Daughter, this story was emotional and heartfelt. We follow three different relationships and are treated to an angsty second chance romance, a new adult high school romance AND a roller-coaster journey between 2 women who are learning to live with a new normal - all rolled into one spectacular read. . Absolutely loved it ...more
It's so hard to put into words how I felt whilst reading this book, it was such a complex and emotional story and one that will stay with me for ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
It's so hard to put into words how I felt whilst reading this book, it was such a complex and emotional story and one that will stay with me for a very long time. I'm already such a huge fan of this world, having read the original series with all the parents and now getting to do it all again with their children.
Luna & Knight have loved each other from little kids, but teenage angst and jealousy can be toxic - lump that together with parental illnesses and feelings of rejection, they have one hell of a journey to travel before they can even start thinking about pursuing a relationship.
"There were two Knight Coles. One was mine. The other everyone else’s."
I fell in love with Knight, a mamma's boy who was so sensitive and loving but with rejection issues so bad he often acted 'cocky' as a defense mechanism. Luna has always been a mystery to me so it was great getting to know her and find out how and why her selective mutism manifested itself.
As always, the writing was stunning and beautiful and everything I love about a gritty type of romance. Definitely not a fluffy series, it is raw and emotional, grab your tissues for this one because its a killer!
“There will be no one else, Moonshine. I will never let you get over me.”...more
Another winner for me, Sara Ney has completely pulled me in with this series and this new addition to the family is no disappointment.
This was a c🌟🌟🌟🌟
Another winner for me, Sara Ney has completely pulled me in with this series and this new addition to the family is no disappointment.
This was a cute book, easy to just get comfy and immerse yourself in the story. Plus, bonus points for the humour - The Lying Hours was such an entertaining read and I really loved both characters.
Pretty Reckless is the first in a series that follows the children of this series -> Vicious
Here's what I loved about this book - the heroine is 🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟
Pretty Reckless is the first in a series that follows the children of this series -> Vicious
Here's what I loved about this book - the heroine is flawed, she's a bitch, and she is 100% real. I am now in my forties, but this story really took me back to my teens. Girls are often brought up to be "kind always" and all that jazz. But, the fact of the matter is that girls have emotions, huge angsty teenage feelings that are not always pleasant and nor should girls have to be kind to people that do not take their thoughts and feelings into consideration.
Daria is the daughter of Jaime and Melody from Defy. She is a spoilt brat, of course, and she has a very complicated and tumultuous relationship with her mother. She gets jealous a lot and hits back using her defence mechanism of being a complete an utter mean girl.
However, I adored her and I mostly loved how Penn Scully is the one who 'sees her' and the girl who just wants to be loved.
Penn was an interesting character too, and although he didn't realise it yet, he also yearned for love because he'd been let down in the past by the only two females in his life who were important to him. When Jaime & Melody take him in after becoming homeless, he has a chance to break down Daria's walls, the girl he was always intrigued by, and who hates him as much as he hates her. Enemies to lovers at it's finest.
Pretty Reckless for me, was an unputdownable story of raw emotions. I absolutely loved it!...more
I have a bit of a thing for Mafia princesses, I love how, even though they are pampered, sheltered and perhaps a bit enslaved, they 🌟🌟🌟🌟 3.5 - 4 Stars
I have a bit of a thing for Mafia princesses, I love how, even though they are pampered, sheltered and perhaps a bit enslaved, they still turn out to be strong willed women. The heroine in The Kiss Thief is a character that I instantly bonded with. Francesca is certain her life is destined one way, but her father has other plans and she is forced into an arranged marriage with a man she despises.
Here's the thing... I did too. For the first half of the book I hated the hero, which of course I was expecting because villainous arseholes are Shen's MO, but I can't say I loved this one so much. Did he redeem himself? Yes. Did I end up rooting for him? Yes. Did I fall head over heels for him? No. For the first part of this story he was a mysonigistic pig and the way he spoke about females was pretty unforgivable, I'm not going to lie.
But saying that, all the other alpha-hole misdemeanours I can handle like a champ, everyone knows I love a bad boy and I did thoroughly enjoy the love/hate dynamic between Wolfe and Francesca AKA Narcissus & Nemesis.
The story does need a bit of suspension of disbelief, which is fine by me - it's fiction after all. It's a story of a beautiful, brilliant, kind young woman who falls in love with the first person who gives her a bit of freedom, a freedom that she's never experienced before. A man who she is forced to marry and has many walls to penetrate, but who we discover is a good honest person with a lot of love to give.
If you love Mafia - villains & heroes, you will probably love this book. It has a whole lot of plot and is spectacularly written.
As always, LJ Shen delivers a fantastically worded story that will be remembered for a long time to come. I love that she takes risks and writes from the heart....more
My mind is all over the place, what an unexpected surprise from Colleen Hoover!
A romantic thriller, that absolutely blew my mind, c★★★★★ 5 Stars ★★★★★
My mind is all over the place, what an unexpected surprise from Colleen Hoover!
A romantic thriller, that absolutely blew my mind, creeped me the heck out, and got me hot under the collar all in the space of a few pages. When I first began to read Verity, I admit that I wasn't too sure what all the fuss was about, I wasn't really sure where it was going, but then boom, it led me into a weird and wonderful rabbit hole of craziness.
A very uplifting and gratifying read, I enjoyed catching up with characters Sam and Amanda from a previous book, Wrecking Ball, where★★★★ 4 Stars ★★★★
A very uplifting and gratifying read, I enjoyed catching up with characters Sam and Amanda from a previous book, Wrecking Ball, where I first fell in love with author P Dangelico.
Ex-Alcoholic Amanda and her son Sam are off to spend the summer in the Hamptons, but an unexpected and naked roommate takes them by surprise. Grumpy Grant, an NFL giant who doesn't realise he is, in fact, a gentle giant, is the hero of our story who tries very hard to avoid the feelings Amanda brings out of him.
Both are incapable of accepting love, they don't feel like they deserve it - but it was lovely to watch the walls break down and see them finally accept that they were two broken people who had hearts of gold and lots of love to give each other.
This story felt very different from the rest of Dangelico's backlist, but I enjoyed it all the same. The lack of angst and drama was a welcome change, but I would like to see some of that back in force again in the future.
I had a good time reading this one, I loved the characters, the witty banter, and the storyline wasn't too shabby either.
If you are a fan of office roI had a good time reading this one, I loved the characters, the witty banter, and the storyline wasn't too shabby either.
If you are a fan of office romance, alpha holes, feisty heroines and a slow burn romance, then this is a good book to pick up.
I did love Célian and his inevitable fall - he fought his feelings, but not so much that he was an a-hole throughout the entire book. I was glad to see the relaxed side to him, and the caring side that he rarely showed when he was being the ruthless newsroom director.
Jude was a relatable heroine, and although there was the predictable 'other woman' drama, it didn't detract me from enjoying the story.
I always get excited when LJ Shen releases a new book, and this latest did not disappoint.
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