booksjenrecs's reviews
327 reviews

Lights Out by Navessa Allen

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

4.75

Honeysuckles by January Rayne

medium-paced

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

3.5

Mated to the Gargoyle by Lisa Carlisle

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

4.0

I love a good gargoyle romance: big, stony protectors who are anything but cold-hearted towards their love interest(s). Add in a bookish leading lady, and the monster romance is a sure win for me.

I loved Anya and Hugo. They might have been fated mates, but their romance was the opposite of love at first sight. In fact, I loved that Anya was basically terrified of Hugo when she first encountered him outside of his stony, statue form. Face it, no matter how many monster romances you read, you would likely be scared senseless, too, if you encountered any of these creatures in real life. So I loved that aspect of the story and felt it added an extra layer of humanity to an otherwise paranormal plot.

This was a quick read for me, but I felt like there was actually quite a bit to the plot. A mysterious book, newfound enemies, family secrets, and a whole world full of gargoyle shifters to discover meant Anya had a lot on her plate.

It was hard not to like these two main characters. Even as fated mates, there was no immediate guarantee that Hugo was going to win Anya’s heart. He had to put in some work, and that made me appreciate their differences and their love even more. This was my first gargoyle shifter romance by Lisa Carlisle, but I will definitely be diving into her other gargoyle romances soon. 

The Wrong Bride by Gena Showalter, Jill Monroe

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

The Demon by Jenika Snow

fast-paced

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

3.75

I was initially drawn into this series because the first Monsters and Beauties book was Beauty and the Beast inspired, but this series has only gotten better from there and The Demon might just be my favorite of the series so far. 

Geraldine started the novella by truly coming into her own right from the start; we meet her as she finally takes her life into her own hands, running from a father who doesn’t show her love the way she deserves. Luckily, it doesn’t take long for Geraldine to run right into the Demon’s cave, and this novella definitely gets spicy from there. 

On the outside, the Demon is nightmare fuel. He’s big and scary, and would send anyone running in the other direction. But ensnared in his home, Geraldine gets to see the spicy, depraved creature beneath the surface and we get to see how the monster on the surface is so much more caring than the humans in Geraldine’s life. 

I loved how, at the surface level, it looked like Geraldine’s situation was going to get from bad to worse, but once Geraldine gets to know the Demon, the exact opposite occurs. It was an unexpected commentary on what truly makes a monster in a novella I picked up primarily for the spice. 

The Demon was a quick read containing plenty of Jenika Snow’s signature spice. With not a ton of plot in place, the story heats up quickly and only boils over from there. This is a recommended read for monster romance girlies who don’t like to wait too long to get to the good stuff. 

Say You'll Remember Me by Abby Jimenez

emotional reflective 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 don’t know how Abby Jimenez always manages to make me fall in love with her books more and more with each new release, but Say You’ll Remember Me pulled at so many of my emotions while simultaneously delivering such a good message about love. I’ve loved all of her previous releases, but this one might just have the biggest impact on me. This story was heartachingly beautiful and left me feeling so much for both Samantha and Xavier.

Anyone who’s ever been in a long-distance relationship knows that it’s not easy. Long distance love takes work, commitment, and energy. But when both people are already giving their all to keep themelves afloat (emotionally and financially), it makes the dedication that a long-distance relationship takes seem that much more impossible and out of reach. I felt so much for these characters, and spent most of this story on the edge of my seat, just hoping they’d both find a way back to each other.

Jimenez incorporated a lot of heavy topics in this romance. Financial instability, parental abuse (both mental and physical), and the mental and emotional toll of being the primary caregiver for an Alzheimer’s patient. All of the weight of both Xavier and Samantha’s situations made their time together that much sweeter, though. Those times felt like hope for the future, even when the characters couldn’t see it.

I truly loved this story, even when it felt like Samantha and Xavier’s happy ending was never coming. There was a heaviness to the plot that is unique to this Jimenez romance, and the issues both main characters face will feel all too real to so many readers. But despite all the tears and feelings of dispair, there is still happiness and love in story for both readers and the main couple. 

The Good Vampire's Guide to Blood and Boyfriends: A Novel by Jamie D'Amato

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

Hot Vampire Next Door: Season Three by Nikki St. Crowe

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

4.0

The Pucking Wrong Number by C.R. Jane

medium-paced

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

3.5

Immortal by Morning 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? N/A

4.0

It seems surreal to be thirty-seven books deep into a series and still finding new things to love, but Lynsay Sands does just that with the latest Argeneau vampire romance, Immortal by Morning.

We’ve seen Crispin in previous books in this series, and I was glad to see him finally take center stage with his own romance. Like many of the older immortals, Crispin is growing bored with his everyday routine; it doesn’t help that there’s little to no real detective work for this detective to do. But all that changes when Crispin gets a call about skeletons in a yard, and meets his life mate on the scene.

I actually really loved that so much of the conflict in Abril and Crispin’s courtship comes from outside their romance. There’s no real denial of their feelings for each other, like we’ve seen from many previous mortal life mates, and it was nice to see them both acknowledge and explore the possibility of love outside of the conflict happening around them. Abril also took all the new information about immortals really well, and after being this far into the series, it was great to sort of cut out all the unnecessary and drawn-out disbelief and just let the mortal character accept the new normal.

Given that Crispen has been alive for millennia, he of course knows all our favorite immortals from previous books. I loved getting to see Lucian out doing field work again, rather than in his home environment, and Bricker always brings some fun with him. I also loved getting that throwback mention of Basil and his many children, which we learned all about back in The Immortal Who Loved Me. For a while, the Argeneau books all seemed very self-contained within their own plots, but having all these tie-ins to previous books - events, relationships, locations - only adds to the series as a whole.

Immortal by Morning was another solid addition to the Argeneau lore. Readers get yet another unique introduction to a new life mate without over-explaining the immortal backstory that is present throughout the thirty-six previous books. I loved watching Crispin finally find love after millennia, and Abril had a well-developed story arc that was perfect for this story.

I received an advanced review copy of this title via NetGalley, and my review is based on the pre-published text. All opinions are my own.