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averyslibrary's reviews
227 reviews
A Fate Inked In Blood by Danielle L. Jensen
adventurous
funny
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.5
oh boy oh boy oh boy. a viking-type fantasy romance??? say LESS my friends say less!! i didn't realize that i was missing this in my life but now that it's here i will never go back. dear sweet heavens. i was hooked from the beginning. all i could picture was the cast from vikings: valhalla and that was a very welcome image.
the world building was so well done, i love when i don't have an info dump lol, my brain cannot take it. i loved freya and bjorn both individually and together. i love me a good slow burn and this definitely delivered. the flirting! the banter! the arguments and sword fights! so well done. it was a fast paced slow burn which = my bread and butter.
some of the twists were a little obvious, but I like to know that I'm not stupid and am actually able to see the foreshadowing happen ahead of time, so I enjoyed that part.
I know you're probably thinking "Avery, if you love it so much why isn't it 5 stars?" ill tell you why. the word 'screaming' was used to describe how dialogue was delivered WAY TOO MUCH. y'all everything was screamed. "blah blah blah," she screamed. he's screamed, 'blah blah," at her. she disagreed she screamed. he was scared he screamed. they were mad they screamed. EVERY SINGLE THING WAS SCREAMED. instead of portraying urgency it made everyone seem hysterical. I loved the book, but I would have loved it a lot more if something other than 'screamed' was used sometimes lol.
overall, highly recommend, it was 'screamingly' good lolololol
the world building was so well done, i love when i don't have an info dump lol, my brain cannot take it. i loved freya and bjorn both individually and together. i love me a good slow burn and this definitely delivered. the flirting! the banter! the arguments and sword fights! so well done. it was a fast paced slow burn which = my bread and butter.
some of the twists were a little obvious, but I like to know that I'm not stupid and am actually able to see the foreshadowing happen ahead of time, so I enjoyed that part.
I know you're probably thinking "Avery, if you love it so much why isn't it 5 stars?" ill tell you why. the word 'screaming' was used to describe how dialogue was delivered WAY TOO MUCH. y'all everything was screamed. "blah blah blah," she screamed. he's screamed, 'blah blah," at her. she disagreed she screamed. he was scared he screamed. they were mad they screamed. EVERY SINGLE THING WAS SCREAMED. instead of portraying urgency it made everyone seem hysterical. I loved the book, but I would have loved it a lot more if something other than 'screamed' was used sometimes lol.
overall, highly recommend, it was 'screamingly' good lolololol
Project Hail Mary by Andy Weir
adventurous
funny
hopeful
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
i went into this completely blind so every single moment was unexpected. i’m genuinely a little speechless, those couple of twists at the end got me so badly, and the end was perfect. 5 stars.
i listened to the audiobook for this and & definitely think that helped me like it this much! highly recommend.
i listened to the audiobook for this and & definitely think that helped me like it this much! highly recommend.
Ready or Not by Cara Bastone
funny
lighthearted
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
the cutest cringey romance of our time. shep is an adorable sweet man who i love so much. eve’s growth was so sweet and well done.
I don’t usually like friends-to-lovers romances all that much but this was a good one. probably helped that it was a SLOWWWW burn.
love that this didn’t turn into a “the baby daddy is a terrible person” kind of book, that’s so overdone & it’s nice to see people actually attempt to be amicable coparents lol. also people’s families were actually… good people??? and *fairly* normal?? that never happens. it’s so nice 😭
I don’t usually like friends-to-lovers romances all that much but this was a good one. probably helped that it was a SLOWWWW burn.
love that this didn’t turn into a “the baby daddy is a terrible person” kind of book, that’s so overdone & it’s nice to see people actually attempt to be amicable coparents lol. also people’s families were actually… good people??? and *fairly* normal?? that never happens. it’s so nice 😭
How You Get The Girl by Anita Kelly
emotional
funny
hopeful
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
okay okay i ADORED this. i regret not deciding to annotate/tab because sooo many things would have been marked. but now i have an excuse to reread i guess??
such a sweet friends to lovers story where the girl gets her LITERAL teenage dream girl. Also, fake/practice dating???? Are you SERIOUS??? i ate it up.
Julie is another soul character of mine. her uncertainty of labels and nervous confidence spoke to me so much.
i loved Elle’s journey with foster care and her own mental health, and that there was a moment where Julie had to acknowledge that although Elle pulling away from her always hurt, she could know that it wasn’t something that was necessarily going to change. depression is a beast lol.
i also loved the depiction of foster care in this. the characters were allowed to root for karly while also being angry that she had put her daughter in that situation. we also didn’t have a last minute relapse to make the story more interesting. i feel like foster care is never seen as a transition in these kind of books?? It’s always just a step to adoption, so I loved seeing the actual reunification happen here.
as a whole, loved this book to pieces, i will read anything Anita Kelly writes.
such a sweet friends to lovers story where the girl gets her LITERAL teenage dream girl. Also, fake/practice dating???? Are you SERIOUS??? i ate it up.
Julie is another soul character of mine. her uncertainty of labels and nervous confidence spoke to me so much.
i loved Elle’s journey with foster care and her own mental health, and that there was a moment where Julie had to acknowledge that although Elle pulling away from her always hurt, she could know that it wasn’t something that was necessarily going to change. depression is a beast lol.
i also loved the depiction of foster care in this. the characters were allowed to root for karly while also being angry that she had put her daughter in that situation. we also didn’t have a last minute relapse to make the story more interesting. i feel like foster care is never seen as a transition in these kind of books?? It’s always just a step to adoption, so I loved seeing the actual reunification happen here.
as a whole, loved this book to pieces, i will read anything Anita Kelly writes.
Something Wild & Wonderful by Anita Kelly
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
so so sweet. loved watching alexei come into himself and become more comfortable with who he is. ben is a perfect cinnamon roll man. this was also a surprisingly realistic read, usually romances feel a little out there, but this one feels like it could actually happen somehow??
alexei’s struggle with both his family and their expectations and his anger at who HE is and trying to become alexei 2.0 broke my heart but then put it back together. i loved that although he lost religion he didn’t necessarily lose god.
so so good, Anita Kelly can do no wrong.
alexei’s struggle with both his family and their expectations and his anger at who HE is and trying to become alexei 2.0 broke my heart but then put it back together. i loved that although he lost religion he didn’t necessarily lose god.
so so good, Anita Kelly can do no wrong.
The Duchess Deal by Tessa Dare
funny
hopeful
relaxing
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
did I read this book specifically because it’s referenced in Chloe Liese’s Bergman Brothers series?? yes i did. And it didn’t disappoint, I love Ashbury & Emma. They’re both the perfect amount of ridiculous.
The Brightest Light of Sunshine by Lisina Coney
Did not finish book. Stopped at 54%.
Did not finish book. Stopped at 54%.
I hated it. Terrible uncomfortable kind of cheesy? And the term orbs was used PAGE TWO. I couldn’t do it.
Everything for You by Chloe Liese
emotional
funny
lighthearted
medium-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
4.0
love my bergman’s. gavin & ollie’s story is a win everytime.
With You Forever by Chloe Liese
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
love this book every time i read it, and the neurodivergent rep is done with such care. Rooney & Axel’s story is so tender, and y’all know i love a marriage of convenience turned love story.
Bride by Ali Hazelwood
adventurous
funny
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
ali never disappoints. as soon as lowe asked why misery smelled like that i immediately went FERAL for this man. as ali hazelwood normally does, we had a quirky fmc who loves some sort of stem field and a large mmc who easily becomes obsessive. & you know what??? i ate it up!!!
although i LOVE ali hazelwood’s contemporary romance books, i feel like paranormal romance is where she *shines*. i devoured this in one sitting in the middle of the night. i swear it had some illegal addictive substances in it because i couldn’t put it down.
i cannot stress enough how much i loved these characters. lowe is perfect (even if he needs to be a little more selfish sometimes). misery holds the keys to my HEART. she is devastating. homegirl’s relationship with 7 year old ana was one of my favorite parts. seeing lowe interact with her was cute, but misery’s reluctant acceptance was sooo much fun.
all his little moments where he’s internally agonizing over her scent or when she’s feeding off of him had me gnawing at the bars of my enclosure. paranormal romances just HIT DIFFERENT.
loved that we had an fmc that wasn’t 4 feet tall for once, tall (or even average height) queens for life!
i really really wanted more pack dynamics, but i had to remind myself that this was essentially a contemporary romance novel with paranormal aspects, not a standard shifter book lmao.
if you can’t tell, i loved it. impatiently waiting for a book 2!!
although i LOVE ali hazelwood’s contemporary romance books, i feel like paranormal romance is where she *shines*. i devoured this in one sitting in the middle of the night. i swear it had some illegal addictive substances in it because i couldn’t put it down.
i cannot stress enough how much i loved these characters. lowe is perfect (even if he needs to be a little more selfish sometimes). misery holds the keys to my HEART. she is devastating. homegirl’s relationship with 7 year old ana was one of my favorite parts. seeing lowe interact with her was cute, but misery’s reluctant acceptance was sooo much fun.
all his little moments where he’s internally agonizing over her scent or when she’s feeding off of him had me gnawing at the bars of my enclosure. paranormal romances just HIT DIFFERENT.
loved that we had an fmc that wasn’t 4 feet tall for once, tall (or even average height) queens for life!
i really really wanted more pack dynamics, but i had to remind myself that this was essentially a contemporary romance novel with paranormal aspects, not a standard shifter book lmao.
if you can’t tell, i loved it. impatiently waiting for a book 2!!