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3.55 AVERAGE
3.55 AVERAGE
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I love a fake dating story! Plus monster human romance đ this was a fun short read with good spice đ„”
I did feel like overall the plot fell short. I donât mind a miscommunication trope but the third act break up + miscommunication was dragged on a bit longer than needed. I did like the way everything was resolved though.
For being 10 years out of high school they sure do think about things that happened in high school a lot more than I think is normal đ it also sounds like the Elderberry Falls is small so I find it hard to believe Mariah and Thorak havenât had any interaction prior to him going to the Inn.
Aside from those things it was a fun quick read - I see this is a series I will check the others ones out!
Thank you NetGalley, Tantor Audio, author Cora Crane and narrators Jack Calihan and Rose Dioro.
I did feel like overall the plot fell short. I donât mind a miscommunication trope but the third act break up + miscommunication was dragged on a bit longer than needed. I did like the way everything was resolved though.
For being 10 years out of high school they sure do think about things that happened in high school a lot more than I think is normal đ it also sounds like the Elderberry Falls is small so I find it hard to believe Mariah and Thorak havenât had any interaction prior to him going to the Inn.
Aside from those things it was a fun quick read - I see this is a series I will check the others ones out!
Thank you NetGalley, Tantor Audio, author Cora Crane and narrators Jack Calihan and Rose Dioro.
not a fan of bully romance (non-dark because dark bully romance has its own rules) where the bully doesnât even go out of their way to apologize! They just happen to land in a situation that forces the other person to accept their presence and magically (no actual magic used here) the bullied party starts having âfeelingsâ and thinking âwow maybe theyâve changedâ no just no. At this point in the book he has not even apologized once and we have had multiple remembrances of how terribly he treated her both emotionally and physically harmed her.
Also I canât wrap my head around him going to this much trouble to go into business with an obviously horrible bigot of a human.
43% in he realizes heâs in love with herâŠwhat? Excuse me?? He does not know her at all. Like has not asked her a single fucking thing about her or her life after they parted ways in high school. There is not one conversation between them to this point where she tells him anything about herself except the immediate money/infestation issue with her business which is the reason for the fake dating deal. I just canât with this.
Strike 3: when asked why he bullied her so terribly in schoolâŠhe uses the good ole boy âI had a crush on youâ excuse. I think this type of plot point in books is just not a good look. He horrifically emotionally and PHYSICALLY tormented her all through school (this was specifically stated by both parties and observers many times in the book) as well as lead a mob of other students to also terrorize herâŠ.for years!
One point I will give is I did get petty enjoyment out of the scene where he says Iâm sorry over and over while going down on herâŠof this I approve.
So the last half of the book was better. Still that 3rd act break up was mighty cringe with it being heavily involving the very likely and plausible âex slips on water and into the MMCâs arms right as the FMC walks in the front door.â Yup that feels right. Anyways she breaks up with him. He apologizes one more time and she sends him on his way. A month passes and she thinks maybe she judged him too harshly. SHE apologizes to him for overreacting and they live happily ever afterâŠI think I enjoyed side character Richardâs arc more than anyone one else in the book and I gotta say thatâs odd.
Funny story Iâve already read the 2 other books is this series (out of order because Iâm a chaos gremlin) and I enjoyed them. If this was the book I read first I likely would not have continued on in this series.
Decent Read
This book started of strong and really sucked me in, but then as I got to the 38% mark it lost me. The pacing was a bit off but I still enjoyed the premise of it. The story would probably be more enjoyable for a first time reader but as for me, I think the writing needs a bit more maturing. I think this story could have been fleshed out a bit more.
Its a good read.
This book started of strong and really sucked me in, but then as I got to the 38% mark it lost me. The pacing was a bit off but I still enjoyed the premise of it. The story would probably be more enjoyable for a first time reader but as for me, I think the writing needs a bit more maturing. I think this story could have been fleshed out a bit more.
Its a good read.
This book has everything and felt like a cozy warm hug! We have an enemies to lovers, groveling bullyâŠswoon, fake dating, super cute small town setting, a "billionaire vibes" entrepreneur orc, and an every women inn keeper (sheâs just a girl!). Angsty goodness without taking itself too seriously. Such a fun cozy magical debut. Will be preordering the next book in the series!âš
lighthearted
reflective
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
If you're into a cozy bully into lovers story that lacks depth, then this may be for you.
I personally found this book boring - it was very straightforward and predictable. This book was all smut and no character or relationship development.
I listened to the audiobook and was kind of creeped out by Thorak. No hate on the male narrator - I just think the author did a really good(?) job on making me NOT want Mariah to end up with Thorak. It seemed all he could focus on was her looks and being intimate with her so I was grossed out for a majority of the book.
Also, this book went 0 to 100 so quickly. Their relationship start from being a bully and victim in school in flashback to now him proclaiming his love for her all these years - it gave me an ick. I hate the idea that a guy has to torture and belittle you in order for him to admit he loves you.
I do have to give the narrators props. I think they did the best they could with this piece of work.
I personally found this book boring - it was very straightforward and predictable. This book was all smut and no character or relationship development.
I listened to the audiobook and was kind of creeped out by Thorak. No hate on the male narrator - I just think the author did a really good(?) job on making me NOT want Mariah to end up with Thorak. It seemed all he could focus on was her looks and being intimate with her so I was grossed out for a majority of the book.
Also, this book went 0 to 100 so quickly. Their relationship start from being a bully and victim in school in flashback to now him proclaiming his love for her all these years - it gave me an ick. I hate the idea that a guy has to torture and belittle you in order for him to admit he loves you.
I do have to give the narrators props. I think they did the best they could with this piece of work.
reflective
relaxing
funny
hopeful
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
N/A
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
N/A
funny
lighthearted
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Thank you to NetGalley and Tantor Audio for this arc.
This was one of my first monster romance book and I really enjoyed it. I liked the cozy vibes and the low stakes nature of the story. The world wasnât going to end and we werenât information dumped a bunch of lore that weâll need to hoard away for later. With that said the world was so cool I wanted to know more of it.
I liked that this audiobook was dual narrated. I felt the narratorâs voices were a good fit for the characters and the pacing was good. No complaints there.
Loved this story. Canât wait to read more of the series.