I don’t even know where to start with this review lol. This book was so much fun, had a lot more depth than I expected going in, and I loved all of these characters, though I wanted to throttle Atticus as much as Aurora did by the end.

I feel like the plot for this is something that’s really gonna crank itself up in the next books. It built up this great foundation with revenge-seeking morally grey men and a woman trying to build herself back up after escaping an abusive relationship, only to find herself mixed up in a different, but equally dangerous, world. There was a part in this book that felt almost like an Ocean’s 8 or 11 movie meets Jason Bourne or some shit, and I ate it upppp. I’m so ready for more scenes like this 😂. I feel like there is so much potential for where this could go now, and I can’t wait to see what happens next.

Now for the characters. I think I love Seven the most. He might be certifiably insane, but he’s also kind of a golden retriever. It’s like if the Joker and Batman were the same person dressed in a leather jacket. And sweet Elijah, who is kind of the glue to this little family, you really can’t help but love him. I loved these two with Aurora. Their chemistry was wonderful, and they all just fit so well together, especially with Aurora being a secret baddie herself. Atticus and his quirks are cute in their own right, too, but he’s definitely going to be the hardest to love, I think. However, I can appreciate his role in the story, and he really would do anything and everything to keep his family safe. He’s determined not to let Aurora get in their way, using her as a means to an end, but you can see his walls cracking, and it’s delicious. He has a lot of work to do after the way this ended, though, and I can’t wait to see it.

Why Choose Dark Romance Forced Proximity Who Hurt You? Found Family Morally Grey MMCs Damaged Hero Pierced 🍆 “Fuck It” Badass FMC

(3.75/5 stars)

This was so cute and bubbly, and I really couldn’t help but love the two main characters, Olivia and Carter.

This had heavy rom-com vibes with a reformed playboy trying to get the girl, and the ride there was delightful, if cringey at times lol. For example, I really would have preferred not to read the MMC refer to his 🍆 as “sword of thunder.” But I still loved them regardless, and I thought their romance was adorable and funny. This is definitely a good book if you need a pick-me-up kind of read.

I did feel like the story dragged a bit towards the second half, and was maybe a bit repetitive at times, but I was kind of just having fun and vibing with it. And while there really wasn’t much to the plot overall, there was a lot of growth within the main characters, and seeing them grow into themselves and each other was sweet. Gave me the warm and fuzzies in between the giggles and eyerolls lol.

I definitely plan to read the rest of the books in this series, but they will have to wait until I’m in the right mood again. I don’t think this is something I could have just randomly picked up and enjoyed, but I was in the mood for light, funny, and sweet with spice, and this for sure hit that mark.

Hockey Romance Reformed Playboy x High School Teacher Golden Retriever MMC He Falls First Boy Obsessed Found Family Dual POV

Once I picked this book up, I could not put it down. I didn’t expect to read this in one sitting either, but I did, and I have no regrets. I felt like I needed to know what was going on, but I also had a great time trying to piece the puzzle together myself while reading. I figured out some things, but others definitely snuck up on me amidst everything going on, and the ending was pretty satisfying overall.

This was written in a way that, after reading the first few sentences, I was completely hooked. It’s told in a past and present timeline, and I was a little skeptical about that at first because that isn’t my favorite thing in a book. However, I felt like the past chapters really helped to give context and also gave you some clues to think about along the way. I was honestly just riveted by this whole story and was hooked on trying to figure out this big mystery and how the hell Julia’s marriage had gone so wrong.

You see so much along the way, too: the red flags that might stop someone with experience from going all the way, but also the subtle manipulations of a man against an innocent woman, and subtle clues to what may have actually happened to Josh and the machinations behind his sudden end. It all culminates in this tragedy that forces Julia to face everything she dismissed or didn’t initially see in her husband. This was also a fantastic journey that really highlights how easily some men reduce women to objects meant to serve their own needs, using and discarding them while convincing themselves they are justified. It also speaks to how violence against women can be minimized or overlooked until it becomes impossible to ignore and how devastating the consequences of that can be.

I do wish Julia’s outlook on her marriage had changed by the end of this, but it is food for thought, and I was up for a while thinking about it long after I closed the book. I can’t really say much more without giving away spoilers, but I absolutely loved this read.

Science Fiction Murder Mystery He Dies Reality TV / Dating Show She’s a Synth, specifically made for him Deception & Betrayal Domestic Violence Black Mirror meets The Bachelor Small Town Feminine Rage & Revenge

Feminine rage, found family, a swoony love interest, and lovable, vigilante pirates? Yes, please. I need more of this, like yesterday 😂

I absolutely loved this read. I really wasn’t sure what I was getting into when I started this, since it was a recommendation from my book group and I went in relatively blind, but I was hooked almost right away. The characters in this drew me in ruthlessly and refused to let me go until they were finished lol. And the plot was just so fun. It was definitely dark and violent, so check your triggers first, but overall, I just had so much fun with this one. I can’t recommend it enough if you are looking for a standalone romantasy.

I adored the FMC. She went through something horrific and descended into her own darkness on her path to revenge, but she has a fantastic character arc. The mental health and trauma recovery representation in this was so good. We get to watch her confront the shame, guilt, and rage born from her trauma while she is still learning how to understand and process it for herself. By the end, she had grown so much. Trauma does not simply disappear, but the way she learns to move forward and reclaim parts of herself felt natural and deeply impactful, at least for me.

And then the MMC, Robb. I was a little put off at first because he seemed overly interested in Anne, but that made a lot more sense later in the book. Regardless, his character was absolutely amazing and swoon-worthy. He was completely obsessed with Anne, but he was also incredibly understanding and sweet with her, even when she was fighting him so aggressively. There was something almost innocent or wholesome about the way he loved her, and the way he consistently put her first and made her feel safe had my heart achingggg the entire time.

I did predict the plot twists, but to be fair, I thought I might have been wrong by the time the final climax of the book came around. The author really threw it out there when I least expected it, so it was still a shocking moment. I do wish Anne had found out about the role Robb was playing sooner, though, because I would have liked to see her work through her feelings more. The way it happened made her forgiveness or acceptance of Robb’s role feel a bit glossed over in my opinion, but I still loved this regardless, and it feels small to me compared to the rest of the story.

Dark Romantasy Pirate Captain FMC Obsessed Hero Revenge Feminine Rage One-Sided Enemies-to-Lovers SA Survivors Found Family Standalone Gender Reversed Retelling

These books were fun to read, but I wasn’t overly impressed with any of them. I think I did like this one most of all, though, with how much more emotional intensity and depth I found within the pages, but the plot and the writing were still just kind of meh for me.

Freya is supposed to be this strong and independent character, but she has so much trauma, and I felt like she wasn’t represented that well. She needed to work through a lot, but somehow being around the guys was like a balm to her mental struggles, and I really don’t love that, mainly because it feels like it takes the work out of getting better after trauma. There were some moments where one of the characters would say something or do something for Freya that made this more understandable, but overall, I felt like the fact that she needed to do real work for herself was glossed over by a spicy scene that somehow brought her back from the brink. I’ll be the first one to defend a kinky romance with mental health rep, believe me. I just felt like this one could have done a better job at highlighting some things, and its focus definitely felt skewed when it came down to it.

I am glad I read these, though. They were a lot of fun, even if they were frustrating at times, and I would still probably recommend them to someone looking for a fast-paced, relatively high-stakes why choose romance that doesn’t ask too much of you to enjoy.

Why Choose Contemporary Romance Dark Themes MMMMF FBI Agents x Serial Killer’s Daughter Groveling Forced Proximity Protective & Possessive MMCs High Spice w/ a Plot

I had fun with this one, but it felt a little less than relative to the other two. It was a little slower, and the plot I thought the books were following wasn’t as present as it had been before. I was also not the biggest fan of Lily. It felt like the author was trying to make her independent, but overdid it. Lily wasn’t able to admit when she was out of her depth and jumped to a lot of unfair conclusions while refusing to listen to the alien whose home she was in, often believing what she wanted to, and getting too angry to listen and learn at other times.

I never really did warm up to Lily, either. Actually, I liked her less as the story went on. She was just incredibly stubborn and insensitive to the fact that she was in a completely new world. She flat-out refused to listen and try to understand at times, and it almost felt like she was being self-righteous by the end. And her determination to be entirely independent had her ignoring a lot of important things, especially when Verakko was telling her the consequences of breaking the contract he had. But she didn’t care and wanted to be selfish without understanding their society. There was also quite a bit of miscommunication, and usually in alien romance, I don’t mind that; it’s almost a given that it’s going to happen, but a lot of the time Lily didn’t give Verakko the chance to even try to explain.

Verakko was always on my good side lol. All of these aliens so far are so wholesome in their own way, and you almost cannot help but love them. And the banter he had with Lily was also so good and played right into the chemistry they had with each other. I really loved how good they were together.

I think the main thing here was that I was just a little bored with the plot most of the time. I could have gotten over my dislike for Lily if I were more interested in what was actually going on in the storyline, but their time traipsing through the woods dragged for me. It left me wondering when things were actually going to happen, and their problems never really evolved during this time either, so it was a bit repetitive as well, if that makes any sense.

Alien Romance Forced Proximity Forbidden Romance Fated Mates Slow-Burn Matriarchal Society