Reviews with content warning for Blood - How Sweet It Is

Reviews tagging 'Blood'

How Sweet It Is by Dylan Newton

4 reviews

natashareadsbooks's review

lighthearted slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.0

So, I picked up this book because I was recommended this book because my favorite movie is Nightmare Before Christmas, & I decided to finally give it a go over Christmas break to round out my reading goal.

Kate Sweets is the Queen of Happily Ever Afters. She is a event planner- who plans weddings and more, and is known for her "aww moment." When she gets ripped into planning a book launch event for THE Drake Matthews- the Knight of Nightmares, horror writer extraordinare, how could she say no? Especially if it results in her winning a top reward- and possibly her parents approval, what could possibly go wrong?

So, I was hesitant diving into this book, bc I'm not usually a fan of the illustrated covers- I love art prints, and graphic novels/comics, but for some reason, I often skip over illustrated book covers (mostly romance ones). They don't just have that allure to draw me in. But I finally decided to dive in over the holidays. I needed something light that I could read. And being recommended it because of my favorite movie ever? Count me in!

It was a cute story. It was supposed to be a rom-com with some disasters between the characters- but besides a few parts that made me laugh, or smile, it was mostly just a cute contemporary romance (& reminded me why I don't often read traditional romance). It was a slow-burn... Kinda. While yes it took about 80% before anything happened between the characters (well, sex- there was one kiss scene shortly before but not by much) there wasn't as much build up between the characters. I would have preferred more push and pull between the characters. The will they or won't they leading up to finally getting together. And then of course, shortly after their first get together- there was conflict & a break up, so closely to them getting together, I wasn't really that invested in them together.

So, this was nothing like my favorite movie- the Knight of Nightmares was just a horror author who wanted to branch out into romance. And the Queen of HEA was just Sweet (like her name).

So while this wasn't really for me, it was a cute contemporary read, that might just be someone else's favorite.
3 ⭐ out of 5⭐.
1🌶️ out of 5🌶️ - "sweet" romance, fade to black

Tropes:
→ contemporary romance
→ rom-com
→ slow burn

Content Warnings

kalin_grace's review

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lighthearted medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

2.5

Content Warnings

meganpbennett's review

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funny lighthearted medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.0

How Sweet It Is is a study in contradictions, with the Queen of Happy Endings and the Knight of Nightmares being forced to work together for a book launch. Kate Sweet is an event planner, and she's good. She's famous for her "Awww" moment and working with the groom to do something extra special for the bride. Drake Matthews is a horror writer, but he's really a nice guy and he's looking to get out of the horror genre and into the... historical romance genre?

The book's mostly a sweet romance - complete with a massive misunderstanding just before the book launch party and a HEA - but there are elements of horror scattered throughout the book, starting with Kate thinking she's being chased by an attack dog and including Kate getting a bat in her hair while lying in a crypt.

Content Warnings

spearly's review

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lighthearted fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? No

3.5

Thank you NetGalley for the e-ARC for review!

Love is probably the only thing on this planet worth fighting for. Worth losing everything for. You’re a fool if you let pride stand in your way.

What do you get when The Queen of Happily Ever After meets the knight of Nightmares? Sparks.

Kate Sweet is an event planner who, as a favour to her best friend, agrees to plan a book launch for one of the most prolific horror writers in the world. But he's certainly not what the rumours make him out to be. Can Kate and Drake keep their relationship professional, even as their feelings grow?

This book oozes with cheese. I know, I know, it's chick-lit ~romance~, what do you expect? And How Sweet It Is definitely delivers!

The book really found its groove about halfway through.The romance build-up was believable (thanks to a few time jumps, rather than having our leads fall head over heels in, like, a week), and the drama made sense to the story. Sure, there were a few moments of doubt from Kate and Drake where they presumably couldn't tell for sure how the other felt about them - when it was pretty dang obvious - but other than that, I really believed the final conflict. Kate, who never wants to let anyone down, who has something to prove after not following in her parents footsteps, and Drake, who was screwed over by his ex and terrified of rejection.

The first half of the book, however, dragged. I found it too expositional for my taste. There's a fine line between having characters that ramble and having long speeches of needless description, and both Kate and Drake crossed it a few too many times for it to be a passed off as a character trait. Honestly, this was nearly a DNF for me until things started to pick up, and I don't DNF things lightly.

All that said, and despite the obvious issues, I enjoyed both Drake's and Kate's character. Kate didn't step down when faced with challenges (or a slimy ex), and Drake was just so dang sweet. Maybe it's the reader in me, or maybe it's one of those quirks people don't like to admit, but I write/act out scenes in my head, too.

I wish there had been a bit more character development. I think that's the trade-off when writing a dual-POV, 3rd person novel; everything was very plot-based, and readers don't really get the chance to see characters deal with their own faults, their own insecurities, their own feelings. It makes them seem a bit one-dimensional.

Overall, a fine romance, a quick fluff read that tickles your fancy.

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