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bookishspy's reviews
287 reviews
Shadow Heart by Morgan B. Lee
challenging
emotional
funny
hopeful
reflective
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Love. This. Series.
That ending had me gagged tbh. I did not see that coming at all. Not even slightly.
Though this book did have some lulls compared to the first book, it was still great
I honestly love the dry sense of humour in this book as well. Honestly I should not have found myself laughing out loud as often as I did
Also poor Professor Frosts pants 😂 that had me laughing my head off.
Immediately starting the next book!
➛ 𝟒.𝟓 𝐬𝐭𝐚𝐫𝐬
That ending had me gagged tbh. I did not see that coming at all. Not even slightly.
Though this book did have some lulls compared to the first book, it was still great
I honestly love the dry sense of humour in this book as well. Honestly I should not have found myself laughing out loud as often as I did
Also poor Professor Frosts pants 😂 that had me laughing my head off.
Immediately starting the next book!
➛ 𝟒.𝟓 𝐬𝐭𝐚𝐫𝐬
Blood Oath by Morgan B. Lee
adventurous
challenging
dark
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
A slump fixer! I'm so relieved omg
I'm actually so obsessed that I don't even really want to write this review, I just want to read the next book like literally this second
Current favourite MMC is Frost, I'm so curious about him 🥹
The FMC is stabby, which is my favourite kind of FMC. Also very damaged and I need to know more about her past
Kenzie is like every other bouncy sunshiney sidekick, but I still absolutely love her
Also why was this book actually the perfect mixture of hilarious and serious? This deserves so much more appreciation
Overall, I'm leaving this review short and sweet because I want to go binge the next one now
➛ 𝟓 𝐬𝐭𝐚𝐫𝐬
I'm actually so obsessed that I don't even really want to write this review, I just want to read the next book like literally this second
Current favourite MMC is Frost, I'm so curious about him 🥹
The FMC is stabby, which is my favourite kind of FMC. Also very damaged and I need to know more about her past
Kenzie is like every other bouncy sunshiney sidekick, but I still absolutely love her
Also why was this book actually the perfect mixture of hilarious and serious? This deserves so much more appreciation
Overall, I'm leaving this review short and sweet because I want to go binge the next one now
➛ 𝟓 𝐬𝐭𝐚𝐫𝐬
The Auction by Krista Wolf
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
1.0
Literally, WTF WAS THAT?!
I am the kind of person who always tries to put the good and bad into my reviews, but truly the only good part was the starting concept. Not even the writing. The concept.
That is it. Everything after that was an actual mess.
If you want to talk plot, there wasn't really any? It kept veering off. At one point, it even became the cousin's mums fault somehow? But that was never followed up on.
Writing wise? Still terrible. There was no showing. Only telling. Even the night they spent together initially was mostly just skipped over? We were barely able to interact with these people, and everything was just told to us after some random bonding seshs?
I had zero feelings for these characters because how can I when I honestly could barely tell Shane and Darius apart 98% of the time and Christian was essentially just beyond rich for no reason?
After all of this, there were some glaringly obvious issues to this story that made me facepalm..
Here's just a couple of dot points that made me go wtf -
• a bullet supposedly lodged in one of the boyfies "6th rib behind his scapula" can't be removed because it was "too close" to his heart 🤦♀️ your shoulder blade and your heart are very far apart...
• one if the boyfies was called "OCD" randomly because he apparently always wanted to match a spank mark that was on one butt cheek to the other butt cheek?
• her cousins repeatedly committed violent crimes against her, including breaking and entering, assault, harassment, and vandalism, and somehow they decided calling the police was a bad idea?
• her lawyer boyfriend literally told her cameras were pointless and wouldn't help at all?!
• 🛑SPOILER🛑 all the crimes ended with her OFFERING 40% OF THE BUSINESS TO THESE COUSINS BECAUSE THEYRE "FAMILY"?!?!?!
Keep in mind that these people could've easily gotten her and her men killed. Multiple times over.
Bonus dot point
• even I know In N Out isn't in New York, and I'm Aussie
These are just the highlights, but you see what I mean, yeah?
Overall, I hated this with every fibre of my being. I'm sorry, but I did.
➛ 𝟏 𝐬𝐭𝐚𝐫
I am the kind of person who always tries to put the good and bad into my reviews, but truly the only good part was the starting concept. Not even the writing. The concept.
That is it. Everything after that was an actual mess.
If you want to talk plot, there wasn't really any? It kept veering off. At one point, it even became the cousin's mums fault somehow? But that was never followed up on.
Writing wise? Still terrible. There was no showing. Only telling. Even the night they spent together initially was mostly just skipped over? We were barely able to interact with these people, and everything was just told to us after some random bonding seshs?
I had zero feelings for these characters because how can I when I honestly could barely tell Shane and Darius apart 98% of the time and Christian was essentially just beyond rich for no reason?
After all of this, there were some glaringly obvious issues to this story that made me facepalm..
Here's just a couple of dot points that made me go wtf -
• a bullet supposedly lodged in one of the boyfies "6th rib behind his scapula" can't be removed because it was "too close" to his heart 🤦♀️ your shoulder blade and your heart are very far apart...
• one if the boyfies was called "OCD" randomly because he apparently always wanted to match a spank mark that was on one butt cheek to the other butt cheek?
• her cousins repeatedly committed violent crimes against her, including breaking and entering, assault, harassment, and vandalism, and somehow they decided calling the police was a bad idea?
• her lawyer boyfriend literally told her cameras were pointless and wouldn't help at all?!
• 🛑SPOILER🛑 all the crimes ended with her OFFERING 40% OF THE BUSINESS TO THESE COUSINS BECAUSE THEYRE "FAMILY"?!?!?!
Keep in mind that these people could've easily gotten her and her men killed. Multiple times over.
Bonus dot point
• even I know In N Out isn't in New York, and I'm Aussie
These are just the highlights, but you see what I mean, yeah?
Overall, I hated this with every fibre of my being. I'm sorry, but I did.
➛ 𝟏 𝐬𝐭𝐚𝐫
Content Warnings
Graphic: Physical abuse, Sexual content, Violence, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Blood, Stalking, Car accident, and Death of parent
Minor: Medical content and Fire/Fire injury
Don't Get Caught: A Masked Men Novella by Jaye Pratt, Jaye Pratt
adventurous
reflective
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
2.5
Spicy with almost zero plot.
The spice is great, super hot. I loved how everything was as consensual as anyone can get in those situations and Im weirdly in love with Eli and his stalkerish tendencies
But omg, I was getting annoyed at some of the dialogue. It felt so unnatural I wanted to scream half the time
Side note, what was with the random sleezy man? Literally, nothing came from that lol for such a short book, that just seemed a bit pointless to me?
Overall, read this if you just want mindless masked men spice, including mm scenes!
➛ 𝟐.𝟓 𝐬𝐭𝐚𝐫𝐬
The spice is great, super hot. I loved how everything was as consensual as anyone can get in those situations and Im weirdly in love with Eli and his stalkerish tendencies
But omg, I was getting annoyed at some of the dialogue. It felt so unnatural I wanted to scream half the time
Side note, what was with the random sleezy man? Literally, nothing came from that lol for such a short book, that just seemed a bit pointless to me?
Overall, read this if you just want mindless masked men spice, including mm scenes!
➛ 𝟐.𝟓 𝐬𝐭𝐚𝐫𝐬
Iron & Embers by Helen Scheuerer
adventurous
challenging
emotional
hopeful
mysterious
reflective
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
This was a ride! But one that I'd definitely recommend you read The Legends of Thezmarr series before even touching.
I went into this blind, having not read the previous series. While that was possible to do, and this book was amazing, it didn't feel read like a standalone at all. It read more like a next book in a series after a time skip.
Sure, there was a bit of backstory, thankfully, but I don't think I felt for the characters the way I would've with the full previous series behind it.
Also, I will say, this seemed to spoil a lot of major moments about said previous series, so... if you dont want that, read that series first 😅
Despite that, I loved Wren and the other characters. Torj was also great, but his indecision was even starting to grate on my nerves a bit 🫠
But by far, the most interesting character to me was Zavier! Absolutely loved him, and I need to know more about him immediately!
Overall, this was a great start to a series, I just wish I'd read Legends of Thezmarr first
➛ 𝟒 𝐬𝐭𝐚𝐫𝐬
I went into this blind, having not read the previous series. While that was possible to do, and this book was amazing, it didn't feel read like a standalone at all. It read more like a next book in a series after a time skip.
Sure, there was a bit of backstory, thankfully, but I don't think I felt for the characters the way I would've with the full previous series behind it.
Also, I will say, this seemed to spoil a lot of major moments about said previous series, so... if you dont want that, read that series first 😅
Despite that, I loved Wren and the other characters. Torj was also great, but his indecision was even starting to grate on my nerves a bit 🫠
But by far, the most interesting character to me was Zavier! Absolutely loved him, and I need to know more about him immediately!
Overall, this was a great start to a series, I just wish I'd read Legends of Thezmarr first
➛ 𝟒 𝐬𝐭𝐚𝐫𝐬
A Thorn in Every Heart by Kate King
adventurous
challenging
hopeful
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Wow! This was a great read, and though it was not perfect, it was definitely fun!
To start with the good, I loved the FMC. She was my age, going through real struggles and it was refreshing not to be reading about another 18 year old.
The whole bar scene and what came afterwards was perfect! I absolutely loved that. It felt realistic, and it was really hot 😂
Sadly, I think where this book lacked was the fantasy world-building. We got a brief overview but not really enough to understand the world or the magic system fully.
On top of that, the King was more of a side character than the side characters were. Which is odd considering he was supposed to be more main? This seemed like a bit of a mistake. Tbh I kept forgetting he existed. I think it would've been amazing if he made us feel torn or gave us more to think about. He felt extremely flat.
But the side characters really were so great otherwise! I loved them all, especially Fox, Kastian, and Odessa. Plus, of course, Pooka 🥹
Overall, this was a great book and with a few tweaks, it would've been perfect! I will definitely be reading more from this author in the future!
➛ 𝟒 𝐬𝐭𝐚𝐫𝐬
𝘛𝘩𝘢𝘯𝘬 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘵𝘰 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘢𝘶𝘵𝘩𝘰𝘳 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘱𝘳𝘰𝘷𝘪𝘥𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘮𝘦 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘈𝘙𝘊. 𝘔𝘺 𝘳𝘦𝘷𝘪𝘦𝘸 𝘪𝘴 𝘩𝘰𝘯𝘦𝘴𝘵 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘮𝘺 𝘰𝘸𝘯.
To start with the good, I loved the FMC. She was my age, going through real struggles and it was refreshing not to be reading about another 18 year old.
The whole bar scene and what came afterwards was perfect! I absolutely loved that. It felt realistic, and it was really hot 😂
Sadly, I think where this book lacked was the fantasy world-building. We got a brief overview but not really enough to understand the world or the magic system fully.
On top of that, the King was more of a side character than the side characters were. Which is odd considering he was supposed to be more main? This seemed like a bit of a mistake. Tbh I kept forgetting he existed. I think it would've been amazing if he made us feel torn or gave us more to think about. He felt extremely flat.
But the side characters really were so great otherwise! I loved them all, especially Fox, Kastian, and Odessa. Plus, of course, Pooka 🥹
Overall, this was a great book and with a few tweaks, it would've been perfect! I will definitely be reading more from this author in the future!
➛ 𝟒 𝐬𝐭𝐚𝐫𝐬
𝘛𝘩𝘢𝘯𝘬 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘵𝘰 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘢𝘶𝘵𝘩𝘰𝘳 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘱𝘳𝘰𝘷𝘪𝘥𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘮𝘦 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘈𝘙𝘊. 𝘔𝘺 𝘳𝘦𝘷𝘪𝘦𝘸 𝘪𝘴 𝘩𝘰𝘯𝘦𝘴𝘵 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘮𝘺 𝘰𝘸𝘯.
Stuck On Them by Maya Nicole
challenging
funny
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.5
So it took me ages to finish this. I got a bit bored halfway through, but thankfully, I picked it back up!
I know this wasn't a long book, and therefore it probably went as slowly as it could, but gosh I needed their relationships to be better developed. Even the relationships at work just didn't feel completely fleshed out.
Was it still cute? Sure. But it just wasn't enough for me.
Side note: Why did every spicy scene except the first one make me cringe randomly?
Like, I'm sorry, but if some man ever said "Holy mother of cannoli" during spicy time, i would absolutely leave him. Especially when that man's mother makes him cannoli. I just... no.
Anyways, overall this story is fun if you just want a spicy rh book, but I don't think this was my favourite
➛ 𝟐.𝟓 𝐬𝐭𝐚𝐫𝐬
I know this wasn't a long book, and therefore it probably went as slowly as it could, but gosh I needed their relationships to be better developed. Even the relationships at work just didn't feel completely fleshed out.
Was it still cute? Sure. But it just wasn't enough for me.
Side note: Why did every spicy scene except the first one make me cringe randomly?
Like, I'm sorry, but if some man ever said "Holy mother of cannoli" during spicy time, i would absolutely leave him. Especially when that man's mother makes him cannoli. I just... no.
Anyways, overall this story is fun if you just want a spicy rh book, but I don't think this was my favourite
➛ 𝟐.𝟓 𝐬𝐭𝐚𝐫𝐬
Promised in Blood by Sadie Kincaid
challenging
emotional
mysterious
reflective
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
I don't know how to process that ending at all
What the?!
I'm crying but shocked.
I can say I saw *something* coming, obviously. I mean, it's the end of the book... but... THAT?!
Nah. Fix it.
I'm beyond invested in this series and I need the next book asap.
Also I do have to note I listened to the audiobook for this, and so I think the FMC was a bit easier to handle that way. Though she was still insufferable.
She has three moods: annoyingly curious to the point of asking questions like a toddler, so h*rny that she ignores all the important things, and super sad but only enough to cry for absolutely no reason but then forget the issue two seconds later.
Overall, the pacing is a little off with smut, but otherwise, the plot is good and I will be reading the next book!
➛ 𝟒 𝐬𝐭𝐚𝐫𝐬
What the?!
I'm crying but shocked.
I can say I saw *something* coming, obviously. I mean, it's the end of the book... but... THAT?!
Nah. Fix it.
I'm beyond invested in this series and I need the next book asap.
Also I do have to note I listened to the audiobook for this, and so I think the FMC was a bit easier to handle that way. Though she was still insufferable.
She has three moods: annoyingly curious to the point of asking questions like a toddler, so h*rny that she ignores all the important things, and super sad but only enough to cry for absolutely no reason but then forget the issue two seconds later.
Overall, the pacing is a little off with smut, but otherwise, the plot is good and I will be reading the next book!
➛ 𝟒 𝐬𝐭𝐚𝐫𝐬
Forged in Blood by Sadie Kincaid
adventurous
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
Okay look... this book is not objectively good, but the audiobook was so that has probably skewed my opinion somewhat lol
I binged this in 24 hours. And I want to read the next one asap.
The professor is hot AF and it seems I have a thing for vampire professors at the moment 😂
I will say that the relationships did seem extremely underdeveloped. And their personalities were quite shallow. We realistically know absolutely nothing about these men apart from two of them were absolutely horrible until they weren't and one was lovely but only compared to them.
And then we have the professor who is somehow the one we know the most about and yet we still know so little because he's all mysterious and old lol
Also there's so much smut in this book that I started skipping it. It really didnt add literally anything to the story and a girl can only care so much 😂
Overall, this was a fun, super smutty read that wasn't super deep. I would suggest you read it only if you're into these things! I will be continuing however I'm not sure if I'll get all the way through the series or not. Depends on the next book I suppose
➛ 𝟑.𝟓 𝐬𝐭𝐚𝐫𝐬
PS there was a period scene and just.. I didn't need that lol the idea of a tampon frozen as a lollipop was unnecessary, to say the least 🤢
I binged this in 24 hours. And I want to read the next one asap.
The professor is hot AF and it seems I have a thing for vampire professors at the moment 😂
I will say that the relationships did seem extremely underdeveloped. And their personalities were quite shallow. We realistically know absolutely nothing about these men apart from two of them were absolutely horrible until they weren't and one was lovely but only compared to them.
And then we have the professor who is somehow the one we know the most about and yet we still know so little because he's all mysterious and old lol
Also there's so much smut in this book that I started skipping it. It really didnt add literally anything to the story and a girl can only care so much 😂
Overall, this was a fun, super smutty read that wasn't super deep. I would suggest you read it only if you're into these things! I will be continuing however I'm not sure if I'll get all the way through the series or not. Depends on the next book I suppose
➛ 𝟑.𝟓 𝐬𝐭𝐚𝐫𝐬
PS there was a period scene and just.. I didn't need that lol the idea of a tampon frozen as a lollipop was unnecessary, to say the least 🤢
Content Warnings
Graphic: Bullying, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Blood, and Murder
Moderate: Kidnapping, Grief, Fire/Fire injury, and Sexual harassment
Minor: Misogyny, Rape, Stalking, and Car accident
Rejection by Meg Anne, K. Loraine
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Okay.. this was a good book, but sadly, I've walked into a trope I absolutely hate. So with that, I will now have to nope out of this series...
Ignoring that, this was entertaining and fun. I had my suspicions of some things but others took me by surprise.
Caleb I am 100% obsessed with, and I'm sad to leave him behind now
The story was just amping up, so I hope that people without my particular ick will enjoy the rest of it!
Overall, it's a great book and a fun series, but for me that particular trope is a no-no. I wouldn't have started this series had I known but it wasnt a warning on the first book 😭
(My rating will ignore that trope)
➛ 𝟒 𝐬𝐭𝐚𝐫𝐬
Ignoring that, this was entertaining and fun. I had my suspicions of some things but others took me by surprise.
Caleb I am 100% obsessed with, and I'm sad to leave him behind now
The story was just amping up, so I hope that people without my particular ick will enjoy the rest of it!
Overall, it's a great book and a fun series, but for me that particular trope is a no-no. I wouldn't have started this series had I known but it wasnt a warning on the first book 😭
(My rating will ignore that trope)
➛ 𝟒 𝐬𝐭𝐚𝐫𝐬
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body horror, Sexual content, Violence, Pregnancy, Abandonment, and Injury/Injury detail