booksjenrecs's reviews
327 reviews

Slaying the Vampire Conqueror by Carissa Broadbent

medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

Kiss of Midnight by Lara Adrian

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

The Never List by Jade Presley

medium-paced

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

5.0

I generally enjoy why-choose romance, but The Never List absolutely sucked me in and blew me away from start to finish. This was another easy five-star read for me from Red Tower Books.

Rylee’s character grabbed my attention right away, and it was so easy to imagine her trying to navigate her new, unexpected situation while keeping her secrets safe and looking for her sister. It was a precarious balance, all while surviving the Choosing’s trials and falling in true love with four very different princes. 

It was so easy to fall in love with all these main characters, even the more prickly of the princes. The four dashing princes - Kal, Axl, Pierce, and Jax - make up Lumathyst’s Legends of Chaos: the Dreamer, the Player, the Mind, and the Nightmare. Each prince was crafted with distinct personalities and proclivities in the bedroom, and, just like Rylee discovered, it was hard to pick a favorite. They each loved Rylee in their own way, and it was reassuring to see the way each one supported her, especially as her secrets started coming to light. Presley gave us chapter POVs from Rylee and all the princes, and the POV changes only pulled me further into the narrative. 

While this was a very sexy why-choose romance, it was hard not to love the underlying story involving classism and rebellion, set against a backdrop of political scheming. Rylee and her princes had to overcome a lot of differences to find their happiness with each other, but with many big revelations at the end, their story as true mates is only just beginning. 

I loved every bit of The Never List, and I can’t wait to see what comes next for Rylee, her mates, and her friends. 

A Touch of Midnight by Lara Adrian

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? It's complicated

4.25

A Quick Bite by Lynsay Sands

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? Yes

4.0

The Stolen Bride by Gena Showalter, Jill Monroe

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

4.25

Okay, it’s official. I love these berserkers, and I need a book for the whole lot of them asap. Did I love Viktor as much as the ultra-broody Callen? No, but Viktor definitely made me fall for him, despite how often I questioned his sanity. 

I knew I’d love this book right from the very beginning, as Gena and Jill worked little references to their Jane Ladling series right into the very first chapter. If you haven’t read that series, you’re going to miss out on several cute references in both books in this series so far, and I can only imagine how both authors will work Jane into the rest of this series. I love that not only does Jane appear in numerous references in this series, but the writing itself is very akin to the writing style of their cozy mystery series. The leading ladies in the Kings of Fury series have been very flippant in regards to their berserker kings power and authority, and the writing style matches that attitude. It’s funny and lighthearted, and I constantly find myself smiling my way through any and all types of scenes. 

Clover was a very different kind of character from Elle in the first book, and I loved all these unexpected characteristics so early in a series. Clover was a perfect foil to both Viktor and Elle, hot-tempered enough to match Viktor’s moods while proving that berserkers don’t have any one type of love interest. 

The Stolen Bride has already proven that Gena and Jill aren’t just following some formulaic plot structure for this series. Clover and Viktor’s romance takes us to the wilds of an alternate dimension, all while physically and mentally battling everything from fellow berserkers, goddesses, and fate. I loved their adventure as they defeated enemies and found solace in each other. 

Clover was quirky and had a temper, Viktor was on the edge of madness, and I loved how they played off of each other. I was engaged with their romance from first meeting until happily ever after. And the added appearances of Malachi and Elle (via a manual on berserkers, of course) made this a wonderful continuation of the Kings of Fury series. 

I received a review copy of The Stolen Bride directly from the authors. My opinions are my own, and are based on an uncorrected proof and not the final, published copy. 

The Au Pair Affair by Tessa Bailey

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

4.0

I haven’t met a Tessa Bailey romance that I haven’t loved yet - and add in the fact that this was a hockey romance - and I pretty much loved Tallulah and Burgess right from the very beginning. 

One of my absolute favorite parts of this romance was Burgess’s journey as an aging hockey star. At the ripe old age of 37, Burgess no longer felt like he was at peak performance on the ice and his rookie teammates were a constant reminder of that. Burgess was grumpy, feeling like his best days of hockey stardom and wedded bliss were behind him. It was all he could do to keep up with his younger teammates on the ice and give his daughter the love and attention she needed at home. 

Enter Tallulah. Often alone by choice, Tallulah took the au pair position as a means to get by; getting to spend time with Lissa was just a bonus. And growing closer to Lissa’s burly and surly father? He was as unplanned as Tallulah’s planting roots in Boston. 

I loved this age gap romance, even though I had to keep reminding myself that Burgess wasn’t that old; some of the comments he made about himself made me picture him a lot older than his 30s. Burgess and Tallulah’s growing relationship was sweet and spicy, and I loved how Tallulah fit into Burgess and Lissa’s lives. The writing was standard Tessa Bailey: it was easy to escape into and easy to picture each scene as it unfolded. I would’ve loved more time on the ice with Burgess, but it was fun to see Tallulah falling in love with the game as she was falling in love with Burgess. The Au Pair Affair was a perfect combination of age gap and hockey romance, paired with the easy-to-love writing of Tessa Bailey. 

Twisted Love by Ana Huang

medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

Waiting for a Girl like You by Katie Delahanty

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

3.75

I’ll be completely honest: it took me quite a while to truly get into this story. It unfortunately felt like the story and eventual romance was dragging for most of the book, and I couldn’t get into Gwen and Duncan’s relationship potential until the 75% mark. I spent a lot of the story knowing where the plot was headed, but it felt like it took forever to arrive at the destination. 

This isn’t to say I didn’t enjoy this romance; I did, and ended up giving it a fairly high rating. But, I did contemplate DNF-ing the book a few time, as it felt like it was taking a long time to move through the plot. I wanted more for Gwen. Her job as a bridesmaid-for-hire meant she was constantly living out other peoples’ dreams, and I just wanted her to find her own peace and happiness. 

Overall, I liked the premise and I loved the characters. Both Duncan and Gwen had their hearts guarded for a reason, and it might’ve taken a little fumbling, but they both found their happiness in the end. But for me, the pacing was off, and there was just too much time taken up in the plot that didn’t really matter in the end. 

Waiting for a Girl Like You was a fun, summery read and took me away to the Amalfi Coast. The romance was solid, if a bit too slow burn at times, and I loved seeing Gwen and Duncan get their happily ever after in the end. 

In Scandal with the Duke by Stacy Reid

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? Yes

4.0