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amandamant's reviews
213 reviews
Beauty in Summer by Ella Goode
3.0
It’s okay. It was a re-read for me because I saw it mentioned in a Facebook group and I forgot how I feel about it. Honestly, I didn’t really get Beauty and the Beast from it and from the blurb, I’m supposed to. It was sexy, sure, but even more nonsensical than the plethora of far fetched paranormal romance I’ve read in the last couple of years. It was good reading for super short and sexy before I go to sleep, but I don’t think I’d consider it a good book. That said Ella Goode is a favorite author of mine so it’s not going to change my feeling about her.
The Virgin Cowboy by Alexa Riley
4.0
A re-read for me. Fun, before bed reading that’s totally over the top, but very sweet! It’s typical Alexa Riley in the best way.
Whitney, My Love by Judith McNaught
2.0
Okay, first off - this book was written in the 1980s and literally began the movement for popularity of historical romance. There is a serious time gap that many 21st century reviewers seem to ignore. In its time, this book was a well written stepping stone to romance as we know it today.
That said....it’s seriously problematic. Seriously. Big time.
I read this book for the first time when I was 14. I loved it. It was one of my favorite books. I, like the heroine, saw all of the good in Clayton. I, like the heroine, forgave all of his transgressions. As a preteen in the throes of hormonal craziness surrounded by scaredy-cat little boys who were either mean like the hero or too frightened to admit they liked me, I found the Duke’s willingness to do anything for his bride violently sexy.
Well, now I’m in my 30s and Clayton Westmoreland has lost his sex appeal. He’s horrible. Time and maturity and frankly, my own horrendous experiences have proven that to me.
I love an over-the-top hero who will go to any length to make his heroine love him. There are scores of recent books that play on this very theme. Many modern heroes are not always the kind of guys you’d like to hang with in real life. It’s fantasy. And I am not the only one who eats it up like the sweetest candy. Which may be why this book was so popular in its time. Where nearly all other romances featured heroes who were frankly just kind of there, the Duke took what he wanted. It’s a very hot idea. Even now, romance readers flock to it. Dark romance is an entire sub genre and some of those stories definitely feature worse heroes.
But when looked at against modern historical romances - or 90% of modern romances in general (dark romance being the only exception) - this book is just not okay. The hero’s treatment of Whitney is appalling. His blatant inability to just speak to the woman he wants to marry is insane. And her incredible potential as a strong heroine is stifled as she simpers and forgives every single heinous thing that Clayton does to her. The emotional and physical abuse, the bruising stealing or kisses, the painful grabs, his penchant for continuing these things while she cries, oh...and the whole raping a virgin thing are well, there frankly aren’t words. He’s abusive. Horribly so.
Each huge misunderstanding could have easily been avoided. I can understand his reasoning to a point. He wanted to make her want him. Fair. But seriously y’all - the letters? Both of the letters, the one he sent and the one he read, stupid. His reactions? Dangerous and uncomfortable.
I don’t need to continue with this books’ issues. In fact, I’m fairly certain my review will disappear in a see of of many vehement reviews that love or hate this book.
As a re-reader who has read this book enough that my hardback copy from a 1999 re-release has been glued together multiple times I finally have to rate this book the way it should have been from the start. In 2021, this is a one star read. My recent re-read has left a horrible taste in my mouth and made me wonder why I ever loved this book. But, because this story is nearly 40 years old and because it opened the door for much more acceptable historical romance, I must add a star.
That said....it’s seriously problematic. Seriously. Big time.
I read this book for the first time when I was 14. I loved it. It was one of my favorite books. I, like the heroine, saw all of the good in Clayton. I, like the heroine, forgave all of his transgressions. As a preteen in the throes of hormonal craziness surrounded by scaredy-cat little boys who were either mean like the hero or too frightened to admit they liked me, I found the Duke’s willingness to do anything for his bride violently sexy.
Well, now I’m in my 30s and Clayton Westmoreland has lost his sex appeal. He’s horrible. Time and maturity and frankly, my own horrendous experiences have proven that to me.
I love an over-the-top hero who will go to any length to make his heroine love him. There are scores of recent books that play on this very theme. Many modern heroes are not always the kind of guys you’d like to hang with in real life. It’s fantasy. And I am not the only one who eats it up like the sweetest candy. Which may be why this book was so popular in its time. Where nearly all other romances featured heroes who were frankly just kind of there, the Duke took what he wanted. It’s a very hot idea. Even now, romance readers flock to it. Dark romance is an entire sub genre and some of those stories definitely feature worse heroes.
But when looked at against modern historical romances - or 90% of modern romances in general (dark romance being the only exception) - this book is just not okay. The hero’s treatment of Whitney is appalling. His blatant inability to just speak to the woman he wants to marry is insane. And her incredible potential as a strong heroine is stifled as she simpers and forgives every single heinous thing that Clayton does to her. The emotional and physical abuse, the bruising stealing or kisses, the painful grabs, his penchant for continuing these things while she cries, oh...and the whole raping a virgin thing are well, there frankly aren’t words. He’s abusive. Horribly so.
Each huge misunderstanding could have easily been avoided. I can understand his reasoning to a point. He wanted to make her want him. Fair. But seriously y’all - the letters? Both of the letters, the one he sent and the one he read, stupid. His reactions? Dangerous and uncomfortable.
I don’t need to continue with this books’ issues. In fact, I’m fairly certain my review will disappear in a see of of many vehement reviews that love or hate this book.
As a re-reader who has read this book enough that my hardback copy from a 1999 re-release has been glued together multiple times I finally have to rate this book the way it should have been from the start. In 2021, this is a one star read. My recent re-read has left a horrible taste in my mouth and made me wonder why I ever loved this book. But, because this story is nearly 40 years old and because it opened the door for much more acceptable historical romance, I must add a star.
Ruled by her Daddies by Laylah Roberts
5.0
A fantastic start to a new series by my favorite ageplay author! Laylah is just plain fantastic! I cleared my schedule today knowing this book was coming out and I don’t regret it for a second. What a great story!
Vivi was sweet and fun. She’d had a rough time of things for a while so she spent a lot of this book fighting her inner demons. But her men had work to do on themselves as well. It was wonderful how this family worked their way from a once happy past that ended badly, into a strong relationship.
The steam factor in this one is wonderful! Vivi gets a lot of time with her men individually which I really liked. They only have one moment with all of them interacting at once. There is a lot of watching happening throughout, but it’s only a full on menage once. Personally, I tend to like a little more action with everyone as opposed to so much one on one. But it was really lovely seeing each individual relationship bloom and deepen.
As always with Laylah, there is some intrigue as well. I could see certain bits coming, but the overall ‘who done it’ surprised me. I really appreciated that.
Overall, I highly recommend this book to any and all lovers of ageplay. Even ageplay adjacent fans who are looking to better understand the lifestyle via books need to check out Laylah’s work. I also recommend it to those who like reverse harem, those who like a little suspense with their romance, and lovers of BDSM.
I guarantee this one will end up being a re-read for me. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
OH and Laylah - that recommendation I made on your fan page about getting someone to write the CJ Bennett books for you? You should seriously consider it! I need to read me some CJ Bennett!!!
Vivi was sweet and fun. She’d had a rough time of things for a while so she spent a lot of this book fighting her inner demons. But her men had work to do on themselves as well. It was wonderful how this family worked their way from a once happy past that ended badly, into a strong relationship.
The steam factor in this one is wonderful! Vivi gets a lot of time with her men individually which I really liked. They only have one moment with all of them interacting at once. There is a lot of watching happening throughout, but it’s only a full on menage once. Personally, I tend to like a little more action with everyone as opposed to so much one on one. But it was really lovely seeing each individual relationship bloom and deepen.
As always with Laylah, there is some intrigue as well. I could see certain bits coming, but the overall ‘who done it’ surprised me. I really appreciated that.
Overall, I highly recommend this book to any and all lovers of ageplay. Even ageplay adjacent fans who are looking to better understand the lifestyle via books need to check out Laylah’s work. I also recommend it to those who like reverse harem, those who like a little suspense with their romance, and lovers of BDSM.
I guarantee this one will end up being a re-read for me. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
OH and Laylah - that recommendation I made on your fan page about getting someone to write the CJ Bennett books for you? You should seriously consider it! I need to read me some CJ Bennett!!!
Hot to the Touch by Jaci Burton
4.0
Love Jaci Burton, love firefighters - had to love this!
It’s a good book for sure. I honestly adore books about kids in the foster system so having that as part of the hero and heroine’s past was really lovely to read. And I felt that it was really well handled.
The action was hot, and like all Jaci Burton books, the pages started to steam up in places.
My only issue with this was that our hero was just a bit too closed off and Becks let that slide a bit too much for me. There was a doormat-ish-ness about her that I didn’t really appreciate.
But yay for a tattoo artist heroine! I would’ve loved to see her ink!
It’s a good book for sure. I honestly adore books about kids in the foster system so having that as part of the hero and heroine’s past was really lovely to read. And I felt that it was really well handled.
The action was hot, and like all Jaci Burton books, the pages started to steam up in places.
My only issue with this was that our hero was just a bit too closed off and Becks let that slide a bit too much for me. There was a doormat-ish-ness about her that I didn’t really appreciate.
But yay for a tattoo artist heroine! I would’ve loved to see her ink!
Not the Marrying Kind by Kathryn Nolan
4.0
This is my first Kathryn Nolan book, and it definitely won’t be my last.
I loved Max and Fiona. She was such a firecracker and she was so well rounded. I loved watching her grow. I also loved how deep Max was. Here he is, this tattooed biker who’s constantly getting caught smelling Fiona’s hair. It was precious.
I will say though, he seemed a little less ‘manly’ than I’m used to. And I don’t mean that in a toxic masculinity expectations kind of way...even though maybe that is a tiny bit of it. He’s just very in touch with his feelings. His inner monologue is very aware and sensitive. I’m not complaining about that, but most of the men I know are a little more simple. It was a little unexpected.
The one complaint I had with this book is that it really feels like it should be part of a stand alone series. I loved hearing about Edward and Roxy, but there were a lot of things I felt like I was just supposed to know. Don’t get me wrong...I intend to read Strictly Professional very soon because these two were awesome. But I really felt like I should’ve read it first and I didn’t even know about it beforehand because this is listed as a standalone.
Overall though, I loved this book. I recommend it to any and all romance lovers. It’s well written and the characters are strong and believable. The sequence of events works and the pacing is perfect. There are also some fantastic one liners and scenes that will stick with you.
I loved Max and Fiona. She was such a firecracker and she was so well rounded. I loved watching her grow. I also loved how deep Max was. Here he is, this tattooed biker who’s constantly getting caught smelling Fiona’s hair. It was precious.
I will say though, he seemed a little less ‘manly’ than I’m used to. And I don’t mean that in a toxic masculinity expectations kind of way...even though maybe that is a tiny bit of it. He’s just very in touch with his feelings. His inner monologue is very aware and sensitive. I’m not complaining about that, but most of the men I know are a little more simple. It was a little unexpected.
The one complaint I had with this book is that it really feels like it should be part of a stand alone series. I loved hearing about Edward and Roxy, but there were a lot of things I felt like I was just supposed to know. Don’t get me wrong...I intend to read Strictly Professional very soon because these two were awesome. But I really felt like I should’ve read it first and I didn’t even know about it beforehand because this is listed as a standalone.
Overall though, I loved this book. I recommend it to any and all romance lovers. It’s well written and the characters are strong and believable. The sequence of events works and the pacing is perfect. There are also some fantastic one liners and scenes that will stick with you.
The Hot Mess and the Heartthrob by Pippa Grant
5.0
Oh I loved this book! I’m not going to go into a crazy review of it because I know it will get lost in a sea of 5-star reviews. But it is so cute! And hysterical! My husband thought I was going crazy because I was laughing so hard. I tried to explain, but...well, he’s not a reader lol.
This hot mess mama was just about the best single mom heroine I have ever read. She’s so well rounded lay written. Every single joy and frustration of her life is lovingly told. She never forgets who is most important right now - her kids. That’s not to say that she’s not important. But for her, the most important thing is that her kids get a happy childhood. She doesn’t deny herself the joys of having a sexy rockstar, but she keeps her priorities straight and I LOVE that about her!
And oh the chemistry in this book is
This hot mess mama was just about the best single mom heroine I have ever read. She’s so well rounded lay written. Every single joy and frustration of her life is lovingly told. She never forgets who is most important right now - her kids. That’s not to say that she’s not important. But for her, the most important thing is that her kids get a happy childhood. She doesn’t deny herself the joys of having a sexy rockstar, but she keeps her priorities straight and I LOVE that about her!
And oh the chemistry in this book is
The Revenge Pact by Ilsa Madden-Mills
5.0
I loved this book! I thought it was flat out adorable and I could not put it down. River was wonderful. I absolutely loved that he had learning disabilities, but was still very smart. It’s a lot more common than people realize and I love the way it was handled here.
People have complained about him being with other women and frankly they can stick a fork in it. River and Ana were not together until she broke up with Donovan. They both were well within their rights to sleep with or not sleep with whoever they wanted. You can want one person and sleep with another...it’s a loneliness thing. It doesn’t make him a jerk or a cheater...it makes him human. These people did not cheat. At all. And she had less experience because she didn’t want more experience. I mean for goodness sake - why do people who judge characters for having sex lives read romance novels? Go read ‘clean’ romance if you can’t handle college kids with hormones.
And seriously, I would like to borrow Ana’s confidence and wardrobe. She was absolutely wonderful!
The burn was slow and the pacing felt a tiny bit off. Things happened months between each other and in flashbacks in the beginning, but in days near the end. So, it’s a slow burn, but a fast resolution if that makes sense.
I want to read Benji and Lila’s story, but I don’t think that’s going to happen. Just for the record though, Benji is a 10 and I love that he got his HEA.
Also, 50 Shades ruined the name Anastasia. Completely. It works in this story because it’s her name, but frankly every time he said it I heard Jamie Dornan...and I didn’t want to because book Christian was superior. But I digress. This is more advice for future and for other authors...steer clear of the name Anastasia.
Overall, I loved this book. 5 stars for sure!
People have complained about him being with other women and frankly they can stick a fork in it. River and Ana were not together until she broke up with Donovan. They both were well within their rights to sleep with or not sleep with whoever they wanted. You can want one person and sleep with another...it’s a loneliness thing. It doesn’t make him a jerk or a cheater...it makes him human. These people did not cheat. At all. And she had less experience because she didn’t want more experience. I mean for goodness sake - why do people who judge characters for having sex lives read romance novels? Go read ‘clean’ romance if you can’t handle college kids with hormones.
And seriously, I would like to borrow Ana’s confidence and wardrobe. She was absolutely wonderful!
The burn was slow and the pacing felt a tiny bit off. Things happened months between each other and in flashbacks in the beginning, but in days near the end. So, it’s a slow burn, but a fast resolution if that makes sense.
I want to read Benji and Lila’s story, but I don’t think that’s going to happen. Just for the record though, Benji is a 10 and I love that he got his HEA.
Also, 50 Shades ruined the name Anastasia. Completely. It works in this story because it’s her name, but frankly every time he said it I heard Jamie Dornan...and I didn’t want to because book Christian was superior. But I digress. This is more advice for future and for other authors...steer clear of the name Anastasia.
Overall, I loved this book. 5 stars for sure!
His Forever Love by Lucy Darling
4.0
Well this story just ticked all of my boxes!
I love a coach/teacher-student romance. I love an age gap romance. I love a college football romance. This book did not disappoint.
My only issue was all of the drama with Tiffany (the OW). Frankly, I think it went a little too far when it didn’t have to. There were other obstacles to their romance. The OW could have been handled much sooner and you’d still get the same drama. Honestly, when all of the OW stuff came to a head at the end I wasn’t a bit worried. I felt like I wasn’t invested that stuff. It really wasn’t necessary.
But the story around it was awesome! And frankly, it’s pretty easy to ignore the OW drama because the rest of the story is so good. I highly recommend this one for lovers of short romance. Also if you love college romance with the slightly taboo teacher-student troupe, you’ll like this one.
I love a coach/teacher-student romance. I love an age gap romance. I love a college football romance. This book did not disappoint.
My only issue was all of the drama with Tiffany (the OW). Frankly, I think it went a little too far when it didn’t have to. There were other obstacles to their romance. The OW could have been handled much sooner and you’d still get the same drama. Honestly, when all of the OW stuff came to a head at the end I wasn’t a bit worried. I felt like I wasn’t invested that stuff. It really wasn’t necessary.
But the story around it was awesome! And frankly, it’s pretty easy to ignore the OW drama because the rest of the story is so good. I highly recommend this one for lovers of short romance. Also if you love college romance with the slightly taboo teacher-student troupe, you’ll like this one.
Billionaire Dragon's Nanny by Brittany White
1.0
This story really had promise. Dragon shifters in Texas! A huge battle between witches and shifters in Ireland that orphaned the hero and forced him and his brothers to a whole new country! A five year old boy that’s strong enough to throw other kids off the jungle gym!
But it’s just not told well. Key word there? Told. The reader is told every single thing that is happening in this story. I’m fine with a bit of telling over showing because it moves things along. But there was this wonderful world being built here and we are told it’s hot in Texas. Duh. We’re told the cliffs in Ireland are high. Duh. Let me know about the steam rising from the asphalt outside of the restaurant or the feelings of dizziness when standing at the edge of the cliffs. It honestly feels like reading an outline. None of the good stuff hasn’t been written yet. We don’t witness the conversations that convince the hero and heroine to give into their attraction. They just go for it one night after she’s lived with him for three weeks...three weeks that are totally skipped over.
And the steamy scenes were subpar at best. I’m totally okay with a hero who respects that his woman has had trauma. But his reactions are just not remotely sexy. “That was delightful and even better than the first time.”...ummm...an ‘Alpha’ man using the word ‘delightful’ right after intimacy doesn’t work. That’s not to say that Alpha men don’t use the word delightful to describe sexual encounters, but this is a man who insists that taking her from behind keeps her too far away from him. A man like that doesn’t catch his breath and say ‘that was delightful’ as if he just had a sip of tea. Also, there is no use using dirty words if you’re just going to string them together without any additional info. Repeatedly referring to the male genitalia with a certain ‘c’ word without actually using it in a naughty way makes no sense. The same scenes could have easily been written with the clinical terms and studied in a high school biology class.
Honestly, at times it feels like this book was written by one of those robots that read a ton of things over and over again and this was the result. Robot repeatedly reads naughty shifter romance and writes this story...human attempts to help it flow more naturally...human fails. I realize that probably seems harsh and that this writer clearly deserves better simply for doing the work and writing and publishing this story. But please get an editor. A comprehensive editor who works on flow as well as copy editing. There are a bunch of mistakes in grammar and flow. I rarely notice grammatical errors so I’m certain there were a lot more than the ones I saw. The issues with the actual flow of the story are severe and any editor worth their salt would’ve helped correct that.
This story had potential. It truly did. The cover is outstanding. The blurb is eye catching. The idea is solid. But it just doesn’t work. I give it one star in complete honesty. I wouldn’t give it 0 if that were an option...it’s good enough for a 1. But that one star is for the idea. For the potential of the story. Clearly, the cover and the blurb caught my eye so it’s successful in the respect that it can gain a reader, but I won’t be reading any more of this author’s work for a while. Hopefully, she’ll continue writing and improving with time and experience.
But it’s just not told well. Key word there? Told. The reader is told every single thing that is happening in this story. I’m fine with a bit of telling over showing because it moves things along. But there was this wonderful world being built here and we are told it’s hot in Texas. Duh. We’re told the cliffs in Ireland are high. Duh. Let me know about the steam rising from the asphalt outside of the restaurant or the feelings of dizziness when standing at the edge of the cliffs. It honestly feels like reading an outline. None of the good stuff hasn’t been written yet. We don’t witness the conversations that convince the hero and heroine to give into their attraction. They just go for it one night after she’s lived with him for three weeks...three weeks that are totally skipped over.
And the steamy scenes were subpar at best. I’m totally okay with a hero who respects that his woman has had trauma. But his reactions are just not remotely sexy. “That was delightful and even better than the first time.”...ummm...an ‘Alpha’ man using the word ‘delightful’ right after intimacy doesn’t work. That’s not to say that Alpha men don’t use the word delightful to describe sexual encounters, but this is a man who insists that taking her from behind keeps her too far away from him. A man like that doesn’t catch his breath and say ‘that was delightful’ as if he just had a sip of tea. Also, there is no use using dirty words if you’re just going to string them together without any additional info. Repeatedly referring to the male genitalia with a certain ‘c’ word without actually using it in a naughty way makes no sense. The same scenes could have easily been written with the clinical terms and studied in a high school biology class.
Honestly, at times it feels like this book was written by one of those robots that read a ton of things over and over again and this was the result. Robot repeatedly reads naughty shifter romance and writes this story...human attempts to help it flow more naturally...human fails. I realize that probably seems harsh and that this writer clearly deserves better simply for doing the work and writing and publishing this story. But please get an editor. A comprehensive editor who works on flow as well as copy editing. There are a bunch of mistakes in grammar and flow. I rarely notice grammatical errors so I’m certain there were a lot more than the ones I saw. The issues with the actual flow of the story are severe and any editor worth their salt would’ve helped correct that.
This story had potential. It truly did. The cover is outstanding. The blurb is eye catching. The idea is solid. But it just doesn’t work. I give it one star in complete honesty. I wouldn’t give it 0 if that were an option...it’s good enough for a 1. But that one star is for the idea. For the potential of the story. Clearly, the cover and the blurb caught my eye so it’s successful in the respect that it can gain a reader, but I won’t be reading any more of this author’s work for a while. Hopefully, she’ll continue writing and improving with time and experience.