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bookmarkedtbr's reviews
282 reviews
Between Desire and Denial by Shain Rose
emotional
mysterious
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
3.5
TROPES: fake dating, billionaire romance, possessive MMC, obsessed MMC, grumpy x sunshine, forced proximity, only one bed, touch her and d!e, friends with benefits to lovers, he falls first
FMC: Olive - PhD student, journalist, hair dresser, determined, hates being vulnerable, s*x positive, needs the confidence to truly be her entire self, loves her brother
MMCs: Dimitri - Part of the HEAT empire, playboy who falls hard and fast, loves his family, very protective, adoring, & caring
SPICE: on page - a LOT of d!rty t@lk, semi-public, exhibitionism, at the office, bareback, FMC likes being told what to do, kind of sort of a br33ding k!nk
THOUGHTS
Wow. I can't believe the Hardy Billionaires series is officially complete. It's been a wild ride with these brothers and Shain Rose has already set up her next series with this book.
Olive is incredibly relatable. She was in a relationship with someone who didn't respect her, took advantage of her naivety, and made her feel small. As she starts healing, there's a lot of righteous anger, sadness, and a thirst for revenge. Between him and her terrible father and stepmother, it's no wonder she has self-esteem issues and doesn't want to connect permanently with others. However, she has these breakthrough moments of courage and an inner fire that will get her through to a better place.
Dimitri. Goodness. It's going to take a while for me to get over him. The way he falls so fast, so hard, and so completely was truly magnificent to watch. His entire world shifts to only caring about Olive, protecting her, and making her happy. That amount of adoration and devotion is God-tier. I enjoyed seeing a possessive MMC give in a few times to things the FMC asks for that in any other circumstance his possessiveness would have stopped him from going along with.
I found the plot very interesting and twisty. You have Olive and Dimitri going back to the community Olive grew up in but hasn't seen in years, and Dimitri is investing in land surrounding it. There's a handful of subplots about the community, the people that live in it, and Olive's connections with them all. There's also casually a sprinkle of the mob, secret rooms in libraries, and mysteriously absent residents.
Okay. This secret society. It was definitely an interesting twist and made a lot of sense with Knox, Lucille, and the general vibe of the community. However, I'm still trying to wrap my head around the fact Olive finds out about all of this and then decides she's staying and planting roots???? I honestly wish she had taken Knox and Dimitri and left. The overdose was truly incomprehensible and I just think Olive would want to remove him from the situation permanently, not just temporarily while he's in rehab. Also, this entire birth control subplot really took me out of the story. I understand it's romance and not everything is what you'd actually want in real life (hello dark romance), but it just seemed super strange and antithetical to Dimitri's actions towards Olive. I know it's framed as he's protecting her health, but why couldn't he do that and also protect her right to choose? I don't know. The wives of the brother's randomly being involved in the end just didn't make sense to me. It just felt like a lot was going on and this book was more to set up the next series than to wrap up this one.
Dimitri was my favorite part of this book and the spicy scenes were immaculate. The rest of the plot, however, made me wonder if I had forgotten pertinent information from the previous books. (Which is possible). The end was a little strange and rushed in my opinion, but the dynamics between Dimitri and Olive saved the book overall for me.
FMC: Olive - PhD student, journalist, hair dresser, determined, hates being vulnerable, s*x positive, needs the confidence to truly be her entire self, loves her brother
MMCs: Dimitri - Part of the HEAT empire, playboy who falls hard and fast, loves his family, very protective, adoring, & caring
SPICE: on page - a LOT of d!rty t@lk, semi-public, exhibitionism, at the office, bareback, FMC likes being told what to do, kind of sort of a br33ding k!nk
THOUGHTS
Wow. I can't believe the Hardy Billionaires series is officially complete. It's been a wild ride with these brothers and Shain Rose has already set up her next series with this book.
Olive is incredibly relatable. She was in a relationship with someone who didn't respect her, took advantage of her naivety, and made her feel small. As she starts healing, there's a lot of righteous anger, sadness, and a thirst for revenge. Between him and her terrible father and stepmother, it's no wonder she has self-esteem issues and doesn't want to connect permanently with others. However, she has these breakthrough moments of courage and an inner fire that will get her through to a better place.
Dimitri. Goodness. It's going to take a while for me to get over him. The way he falls so fast, so hard, and so completely was truly magnificent to watch. His entire world shifts to only caring about Olive, protecting her, and making her happy. That amount of adoration and devotion is God-tier. I enjoyed seeing a possessive MMC give in a few times to things the FMC asks for that in any other circumstance his possessiveness would have stopped him from going along with.
I found the plot very interesting and twisty. You have Olive and Dimitri going back to the community Olive grew up in but hasn't seen in years, and Dimitri is investing in land surrounding it. There's a handful of subplots about the community, the people that live in it, and Olive's connections with them all. There's also casually a sprinkle of the mob, secret rooms in libraries, and mysteriously absent residents.
Dimitri was my favorite part of this book and the spicy scenes were immaculate. The rest of the plot, however, made me wonder if I had forgotten pertinent information from the previous books. (Which is possible). The end was a little strange and rushed in my opinion, but the dynamics between Dimitri and Olive saved the book overall for me.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content
Moderate: Emotional abuse and Gaslighting
Minor: Addiction, Bullying, Death, Drug abuse, Drug use, and Pregnancy
The Fine Print by Lauren Asher
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
4.0
Terms and Conditions by Lauren Asher
emotional
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
Not Another Love Song by Julie Soto
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
lighthearted
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
Knot Her Fight by Ari Wright
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
4.0
TROPES: Only soft for her, touch her and d!e, fated mates
FMC: Serena, omega, student - healing from a traumatic upbringing, doesn't go down without a fight, kind
MMCs: Tristan, alpha, senator - pack leader, takes care of everyone, puts himself last, solid moral compass
Spencer, alpha, professor - intelligent, touch adverse, type A, not afraid to speak his mind
Avery, alpha, UFC fighter - covered it tattoos and piercings, lone wolf, extremely loyal, devoted
Jonah, alpha, football player - cinnamon roll, easy going, perceptive, peacekeeper, attentive, caring
SPICE: on page - kn0tting, group, dvp, professor, exhibiti0nism, praise, hand necklace, d0minance
THOUGHTS
Another great read from Ari Wright. Her series tend to be pretty consistent in terms of story structure, and this installment was no different. While Serena has a traumatic past, she's able to move past it with the help of her alphas. The self-esteem issues were incredibly relatable, as was her not believing that something good was finally happening after all of the bad. I loved her journey to self-confidence and her gradual departure from her shell. I wish she had shared a bit more with her pack, like what her inner voice would accuse her of whenever she dressed for herself.
The alphas were great. Each had a distinct personality so there was no worry about confusing them. I absolutely adored Avery and Jonah. The way they immediately rearrange everything to be there for Serena as soon as they meet was incredibly romantic. Spencer and Tristan grew on me, which I think was purposeful. It's clear all 4 alphas are devoted to Serena, and the ways they each show it are thoughtful and mesmerizing.
This book lost a star for me because of the conflict that appears. I won't spoil anything, but it just felt random and not what was promised at the beginning. Ari's writing tends to lean more towards fluff with some added spice, which I definitely enjoy, but I was yearning for some heart-racing conflict and was left wanting.
FAVORITE (SFW) QUOTES
- You bow to her, my Alpha says. Only, always her.
- “I can take it,” I promise, nestling my face into her crown. “Just leave it all with me.”
- "...I get the feeling that no one’s ever made it all about you. And I want to be the man who does that, okay?”
- "...finding you was my dream."
- "Serena, where you’ve been doesn’t matter to me. I only need to know where you want to go. So I can take you there.”
- ...I fully believe he would challenge any alpha I pointed to. And then k!ll them.
-...I only remember looking into her eyes. And not being able to waste one more g**d*** second not being with her.
- Now, I’m barreling toward the omega who has my entire world on a string. Or maybe she is my entire world, the one thing tying me to existence.
- “I told you. Whatever you want, I’m going to give it to you. Even when you don’t know how to ask.”
FMC: Serena, omega, student - healing from a traumatic upbringing, doesn't go down without a fight, kind
MMCs: Tristan, alpha, senator - pack leader, takes care of everyone, puts himself last, solid moral compass
Spencer, alpha, professor - intelligent, touch adverse, type A, not afraid to speak his mind
Avery, alpha, UFC fighter - covered it tattoos and piercings, lone wolf, extremely loyal, devoted
Jonah, alpha, football player - cinnamon roll, easy going, perceptive, peacekeeper, attentive, caring
SPICE: on page - kn0tting, group, dvp, professor, exhibiti0nism, praise, hand necklace, d0minance
THOUGHTS
Another great read from Ari Wright. Her series tend to be pretty consistent in terms of story structure, and this installment was no different. While Serena has a traumatic past, she's able to move past it with the help of her alphas. The self-esteem issues were incredibly relatable, as was her not believing that something good was finally happening after all of the bad. I loved her journey to self-confidence and her gradual departure from her shell. I wish she had shared a bit more with her pack, like what her inner voice would accuse her of whenever she dressed for herself.
The alphas were great. Each had a distinct personality so there was no worry about confusing them. I absolutely adored Avery and Jonah. The way they immediately rearrange everything to be there for Serena as soon as they meet was incredibly romantic. Spencer and Tristan grew on me, which I think was purposeful. It's clear all 4 alphas are devoted to Serena, and the ways they each show it are thoughtful and mesmerizing.
This book lost a star for me because of the conflict that appears. I won't spoil anything, but it just felt random and not what was promised at the beginning. Ari's writing tends to lean more towards fluff with some added spice, which I definitely enjoy, but I was yearning for some heart-racing conflict and was left wanting.
FAVORITE (SFW) QUOTES
- You bow to her, my Alpha says. Only, always her.
- “I can take it,” I promise, nestling my face into her crown. “Just leave it all with me.”
- "...I get the feeling that no one’s ever made it all about you. And I want to be the man who does that, okay?”
- "...finding you was my dream."
- "Serena, where you’ve been doesn’t matter to me. I only need to know where you want to go. So I can take you there.”
- ...I fully believe he would challenge any alpha I pointed to. And then k!ll them.
-...I only remember looking into her eyes. And not being able to waste one more g**d*** second not being with her.
- Now, I’m barreling toward the omega who has my entire world on a string. Or maybe she is my entire world, the one thing tying me to existence.
- “I told you. Whatever you want, I’m going to give it to you. Even when you don’t know how to ask.”
Content Warnings
Minor: Bullying, Child abuse, Confinement, Emotional abuse, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Self harm, Sexual content, Abandonment, Sexual harassment, and Dysphoria
Lost in the Never Woods by Aiden Thomas
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
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? No
4.0
Content Warnings
Moderate: Child death
Minor: Kidnapping, Grief, and Stalking