booksjenrecs's reviews
218 reviews

The Accidental Seraph by Maci Aurora

fast-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? N/A

3.5

Rubber Duckie Shifter Next Door by Mia Harlan

lighthearted fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A

3.0

I never thought I'd say it, but I wish I had more romance and spice from a rubber duckie. 

Listen, I'm not going to sugar coat this plot: 95% of the romance part of this story is fluff. It's cute, Sig is autocorrect personified, and there's not much substance to Rachel and Sig's courtship. They're fated mates, everything just clicks, the end. 

There was actually some really good relationship development between Rachel and her godchildren. I loved seeing their dynamic change and grow throughout the story, especially with Sig's involvement. All of the characters in the novella formed a fantastic family group, and I loved seeing that even if it felt like it took emphasis away from Sig and Rachel's budding romance.

This may be the cutest shifter romance I have ever read, but if the bath time fun that the blurb mentions drew you in, you may want to rethink this one. Sig and Rachel are beyond adorable, and Sig is as squeaky clean as a bath time toy. The plot was cute, the fluff was in abundance, but compared to other shifter romances, the spice was mild. 

Rubber Duckie Shifter Next Door can easily be read in just one sitting, and while it's part of Harlan's Shifter Bay universe, you can read Sig and Rachel's story without any prior knowledge of the previous books. 

Shades of Silver City by Miranda Joy

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? N/A

5.0

Mystery, magic, and secrets surround Tasia Foster in this fantastic urban fantasy from Miranda Joy. 

I loved and devoured everything about this book: the characters, the often-gritty settings, the romance, and the big reveals. The flow between character development, plot, and setting the scene was outstanding; I felt like Miranda paced the story and structure so well, leaving me consistently immersed in the story and continuously clamoring for what was coming next. 

Tasia and Archer were a great pair of main characters, but I can't discount how much I also enjoyed all the secondary characters. No one in this story was one dimensional, and I could see any number of characters taking center stage in their own stories down the line. But to be completely honest, I was shipping Archer and Tasia from the very beginning. These two immediately had my heart, and I knew their chemistry was going to be off the charts. A big, tough biker with eyes for only his woman? Yes, please. These two were absolutely explosive on the page, and I loved everything from their first meeting to their first time together and beyond. I need a whole series featuring these two and their friend group, solving cases in Silver City. Luckily, while this first book wrapped up nicely, Miranda created such a detailed world that it is clear there are so many more adventures these characters can go on and so much more trouble that they can get into.  

I truly loved the adventure I got to go on with Tasia and Archer, and cannot wait for the next Silver City book. Tasia was such a unique character, and I thoroughly enjoyed getting to uncover Archer's secrets with her. From the characters, to the plot, to the world building, Shades of Silver City will sweep you away into an urban paranormal fantasy with new things to discover around every corner. 

[A huge thank you to Miranda for sending me a review copy of her book! All opinions are my own.] 

Savor It by Tarah DeWitt

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? N/A

4.75

The Coveted and the Cursed by Lylah Taylor

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? N/A

3.5

I will always love a Beauty and the Beast retelling, and The Coveted and the Cursed had a lot of appeal. I really loved each and every character Taylor crafted for us, especially Mira and Dante, and it was so easy to fall into the world building and imagine myself right along with the characters. 

In the end, I thought the plot came together nicely. There were, however, several times when I lost the plot while reading, or wasn't sure why or how something happened; it all made sense in the end and was eventually explained, but I did have a couple times, especially regarding Mira's curse and Dante's past, where I had to just keep reading and trust that the answers would be revealed or explained later on. I ended up really enjoying the overall story, but I did feel like I was missing some details that I wished I'd had earlier in the story. 

Overall, though, Mira's story will resonate with fans of the fairy tale who have grown up dreaming of one day breaking free of their circumstances and maybe breaking a curse of their own. Taylor created a retelling that had lots of characters to love and plenty of spice. I absolutely want to know what comes next for some of our secondary characters as well as what comes after the HEA for Mira and Dante. Even when I had questions about characters or plots, I still had a hard time putting this one down. It was an intriguing story that pulled me in from start to finish, and I will definitely be picking up the next book to find out what's in store 

[A huge thank you to the author for providing a review copy of this title! All opinions are my own.] 

Hunger by Rebecca Rivard

medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? N/A
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A

4.0

Talon and Eden are definitely one of my favorite couples from the Vampire Syndicate series. Talon had the alpha male, protectiveness going on throughout the whole story, and Eden was smart enough to know when to stand her ground and when to fold. 

Talon came across as a complex, multi-dimensional character right from the start, and it was hard to not immediately love him. As a made vampire, Talon had a lot of thoughts and feelings on vampires, dhampirs, thralls, and just the syndicate in general. He (thought he) knew what he wanted, and it was entertaining to watch all those preconceived notions crumble once Eden was back in his life. 

Eden was a great love interest for Talon. She provided the flexibility and give-and-take that Talon was not initially able to offer, and owned up to her previous actions while also standing her ground. I don't usually gravitate towards romances, paranormal or otherwise, that involve pregnancy, but I didn't mind the trope at all in this story. It was a huge part of Eden's story, but it definitely wasn't her whole story. 

I loved how much Talon evolved as a character throughout this book. He's probably had the best character growth, emotionally speaking, out of anyone in this series so far. 

Hunger was, overall, a great vampire romance with plenty of action and spice in the plot to keep readers turning the pages. Not only was Talon and Eden's story full of action, but it also set up the next story nicely and I can't wait to see what comes next for the syndicate. 

[A huge thank you to Rebecca Rivard for providing a review copy of this title. All opinions are my own.] 

Haunted Ever After by Jen DeLuca

medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
• Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A

4.25

Always Only You by Chloe Liese

emotional hopeful tense 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? Yes

4.25

Grave New World by Gena Showalter, Jill Monroe

adventurous lighthearted 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? N/A

4.75

Grave New World was a bittersweet read. I love Jane and Conrad and all their friends, and it was sad to know while reading this one that it would be their last adventure together. I was not ready for Jane to set her investigative nature aside, so I definitely took my time reading this one, savoring it instead of devouring it like I have all the other Jane Ladling mysteries. 

Showalter and Monroe gave Jane a whirlwind of a final crime to investigate; I had no idea who the culprit would end up being, and I wasn't at all disappointed when we got to the big reveal. These cozy mysteries have always been a great blend of serious case solving coupled with Jane's effervescent personality, and those two elements combined better than ever in this final installment. 

Outside of the crime solving and investigation, I loved that we finally got to the endgame for Jane and Conrad. This romance has been building since the very first book, and it was so obvious just how gone Conrad was for Jane throughout this entire story. As a character who started off as more reserved, it was great to see just how much Conrad changed throughout his series' story arc. 

Grave New World was a fantastic way to end the Jane Ladling series. Jane and Conrad are just the sweetest couple and are surrounded by a wonderful cast of characters. This finale gave me everything I could've wanted while wrapping the series up nicely. If you're looking for a cozy mystery with an unlikely crime solver, look no further than Jane Ladling. 

[A huge thank you to both Gena Showalter and Jill Monroe for providing a review copy of this story. All opinions are my own.] 

Truly, Madly, Deeply by Alexandria Bellefleur

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? N/A

4.75

I loved Truly and Colin's story. It was low drama and full of fabulous back and forth between the two, and I never once doubted that they were each other's person. Colin could easily be the model for what a supportive, all-in boyfriend should look like, and I could've easily read another 200 pages of him giving Truly all the green flags when it comes to a relationship. 

This romance was just easy to enjoy. Most of the requisite conflict happened because of outside influences, or just completely outside of their relationship altogether, and it was refreshing to read a romance that didn't put my emotions through high and low after high and low. If you love low-angst romances that are just allowed to be, then Truly, Madly, Deeply is a must-read for you. 

Despite Truly's hang-ups on romance for most of the novel, both Truly and Colin together just made this novel feel like a warm hug. From their very first interaction, I just sunk into their banter and didn't want to resurface to the real world. Bellefleur's writing and storytelling was top-notch, making this my favorite of her books to date.