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brielleborgia's reviews
49 reviews
Nocticadia by Keri Lake
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
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? It's complicated
5.0
Love, Chai, and Other Four-Letter Words by Annika Sharma
emotional
reflective
tense
slow-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
3.5
3.5⭐️/5
This was my first time reading a romance book where the cultures collide with many challenges. Kiran is this optimistic, career oriented amazing woman from India who came over to the United States for undergrad. She sends money back to her parents in India and has no contact with her only sibling (which honestly really broke her apart). Then we have Nash who is a white American guy and grew up there from when he was born and lives in the same building as Kiran.
It was devastating to watch how much her parents could disown their own children for not staying within their traditional values of arranged marriages, or at the very least, an Indian man. Kiran was so loyal and knew that her parents would be so hostile towards Nash without even knowing who he is.
Nash, for the life of him, couldn’t understand WHYY was this barrier between them happening and why was he so disliked by people he had never met? When you don’t know about different cultures and are less exposed to them, you simply wouldn’t understand the traditions and values each culture has within their families. Kiran was frustrated because she knows he wouldn’t understand, but wish he could. He will never understand the way she needs him to.
Nash had a terrible home life which made me incredibly sad. Honestly, I felt this book made me a lot more sad than happy. There was ongoing dialogue for pages and I did skim through it, cause I didn’t really care about the little details they were saying. It wasn’t so much relevant to the story, but adding depth to why they are the way they are.
I loved the friends and the chai. I honestly felt like I got more of a glimpse into the Indian culture, although, the other reviews said that this was taken into dramatic effect and was worse than it actually should be portrayed. I do think the parents were harsh, but I’m not in a place to say it should’ve been different. I respected it as it was
The ending was very sweet and very predictable but I’m a sucker for predictable. Definitely closed door romance. I loved the main characters and this book was , obviously, diverse. Love conquers all and with the right amount of patience, you can do anything.
This was my first time reading a romance book where the cultures collide with many challenges. Kiran is this optimistic, career oriented amazing woman from India who came over to the United States for undergrad. She sends money back to her parents in India and has no contact with her only sibling (which honestly really broke her apart). Then we have Nash who is a white American guy and grew up there from when he was born and lives in the same building as Kiran.
It was devastating to watch how much her parents could disown their own children for not staying within their traditional values of arranged marriages, or at the very least, an Indian man. Kiran was so loyal and knew that her parents would be so hostile towards Nash without even knowing who he is.
Nash, for the life of him, couldn’t understand WHYY was this barrier between them happening and why was he so disliked by people he had never met? When you don’t know about different cultures and are less exposed to them, you simply wouldn’t understand the traditions and values each culture has within their families. Kiran was frustrated because she knows he wouldn’t understand, but wish he could. He will never understand the way she needs him to.
Nash had a terrible home life which made me incredibly sad. Honestly, I felt this book made me a lot more sad than happy. There was ongoing dialogue for pages and I did skim through it, cause I didn’t really care about the little details they were saying. It wasn’t so much relevant to the story, but adding depth to why they are the way they are.
I loved the friends and the chai. I honestly felt like I got more of a glimpse into the Indian culture, although, the other reviews said that this was taken into dramatic effect and was worse than it actually should be portrayed. I do think the parents were harsh, but I’m not in a place to say it should’ve been different. I respected it as it was
The ending was very sweet and very predictable but I’m a sucker for predictable. Definitely closed door romance. I loved the main characters and this book was , obviously, diverse. Love conquers all and with the right amount of patience, you can do anything.
A False Start by Elsie Silver
adventurous
emotional
lighthearted
slow-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
5.0
If you’re going to read any Elsie Silver book, start with this one. From the first page, literally, I was drawn into the lives of Nadia and Griffin.
💓Brothers Best Friend
💓Age gap (14 years)
💓Ex NFL Pro x Vet tech
💓Horses 🐴
💓Forced proximity
Their chemistry was completely undeniable and it felt powerful. I’m a sucker for anything taboo, so when I saw the synopsis start with “ I kissed my best friends little sister in the world stood still“ it was instant one click-buy. The characters are loveable and the progression of the plot was a great pace. HE bought her a horse. The bar is so high.
I love that Nadia’s brothers name is “Stefan” and his sons name is “Silas” - Elsie, was the vampire diaries an inspiration? I love that so much😭
Griffin nicknames Nadia as ‘wildflower’ and that really reminded me of my favorite book ‘The Confidence of Wildflowers’ by Micalea Smeltzer. Even the reasoning behind it is all the same! There were so many cute nicknames for the animals they have.
The truth is, they’ve both been through a lot. beneath the surface, Nadia has been through some awful things in her life. Griffin is a recovering alcoholic and used to be in the pro NFL until he had an accident. Throughout the whole story, these really dark topics come to light and Elsie silver really portrays them with great care.
I’m not happy with her brother, Stefan, with the way he left Nadia when she was growing up so he could avoid the abuse from their parents and she can endure it. But with how close they are now, it shows that forgiveness is the common theme and that you get to decide what you do and what your actions are going forward🥹😭💓
The last 40 pages were my favorite and was worth reading all 400 pages for. Trust me, you will want to read this.
Bound by Dragons by Alisha Klapheke
adventurous
challenging
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.5
4.5/5 ⭐️
This story has a lot of dragons and a badass FMC with such an optimistic attitude it’ll make you feel happy and jittery inside. I was thoroughly entertained from start to finish and it was such an easy, fast paced and loveable novella. You understood the world building just enough to get you through and it makes you want to pick up the author’s other work ‘The Fae Kings Assassin’ as those main characters are present in the book at certain points. Overall I loved this and the characters were lovable. It’s the dragon ride you need after finishing the fourth wing!
This story has a lot of dragons and a badass FMC with such an optimistic attitude it’ll make you feel happy and jittery inside. I was thoroughly entertained from start to finish and it was such an easy, fast paced and loveable novella. You understood the world building just enough to get you through and it makes you want to pick up the author’s other work ‘The Fae Kings Assassin’ as those main characters are present in the book at certain points. Overall I loved this and the characters were lovable. It’s the dragon ride you need after finishing the fourth wing!
Professor Valentine: A Student-Teacher Contemporary Romance Novella by Diana Vale
fast-paced
3.0
The FMC seems so naive and is quick to beg the MMC to basically love her. The chemistry was amazing and at first the fast pace was good. Then it went downhill. He rejected her SO much to the point where I didn’t think he even liked her? She started looking like a child with how much she kept begging him to see where it goes and that she’s never felt that way before. It felt…….immature. Like after a certain point, they were just arguing for him to stay and for her to understand why he doesn’t want to be with her. 💀💀💀 he’s honestly condescending and he talks to her like she’s a kid (and she does act like it a bit) and then he leaves. literally up and quits. And not long after, he comes back and apparently realized he wants her after pushing her away and he says “I LOVE YOU” 🚩
W H A T D O Y O U M E A N ?!!?¿¿ HOW
🚩Sir what- and he“joked” about her moving in before they even went on a real date. I’m so dead.
🚩The last sentence in the book from HIS point of view is “If heaven were a place, it would be inside Cassandra.” And then the end. Officially. Y’all I don’t even know what to tell you. Had Me in the first half NGL, but✅ kept me entertained
W H A T D O Y O U M E A N ?!!?¿¿ HOW
🚩Sir what- and he“joked” about her moving in before they even went on a real date. I’m so dead.
🚩The last sentence in the book from HIS point of view is “If heaven were a place, it would be inside Cassandra.” And then the end. Officially. Y’all I don’t even know what to tell you. Had Me in the first half NGL, but✅ kept me entertained
Between Commitment and Betrayal by Shain Rose
dark
emotional
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
3.5
A rich 🤑, toxic, and a possessive man? Sign me up.
This was a solid read, I got it during the stuff your kindle day and I went in without really knowing what it was about. Some of the storyline progressed really fast and then went slow. Sometimes it didn’t make any sense and the next sentence you had to try to follow what was happening. But it’s a good toxic romance where if you touch her you 💀. I’m curious to read the next book🤔
This was a solid read, I got it during the stuff your kindle day and I went in without really knowing what it was about. Some of the storyline progressed really fast and then went slow. Sometimes it didn’t make any sense and the next sentence you had to try to follow what was happening. But it’s a good toxic romance where if you touch her you 💀. I’m curious to read the next book🤔
Flawless by Elsie Silver
slow-paced
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
3.0
The only reason I give this three stars is cause I liked Rhett. Hated the plot. I didn’t feel that *peak* moment. I felt like something was missing. When the “peak” moments finally happened, I felt bored. I actually DNFd this pretty hard after page 280 and skimmed through the rest. I unfortunately have a lot to say, but will say only some.
🥛🥛🥛🥛🥛🥛🥛🥛🥛🥛🥛🥛🥛🥛
The whole milk thing was so stupid. Why was this the thing that made up the whole plot? He spoke badly about milk while the news camera was still running. It’s a bad thing because a dairy farm was one of his sponsors (I think?), so because he said he hated it, his career almost ⬇️ went down hill. Like WHAT. This is truly the pivotal moment in this man’s career🤣 it felt boring.
✨🚩🚩🚩🚩🚩✨
Kip was such a red flag. When he kept texting his daughter about keeping Rhett’s d*ck in his pants and or keep him away from her, it grossed me out. He WOULDN’T stop texting his daughter that. I felt Kip was talking inappropriate with his daughter. It made me feel weird. All the texts referred to was sex and to keep someone away from it. Why was he always thinking about Rhett having sex or his daughter having sex with him? It was too much. I wish I saw more of a relationship with Kip and Summer, but those texts were all we got (before I DNFd it- didn’t stick around to see anything else happen if it did)🫠
The good thing was that this book was pretty spicy and that Rhett was broody AF. I love the whole cowboy thing and her slowly becoming his #1 fan. When he had his eyes for her in the stands…. I fell in love. When he got jealous with Emmette…. In love🥵. When she got jealous and went with Emmett …. YES. I guess I’m a sucker for jealousy and possessiveness. There were some moments I felt fulfilled by the storyline, but man I’m disappointed. I’m wondering if the author’s work gets progressively better. 🫠🫠🫠
🥛🥛🥛🥛🥛🥛🥛🥛🥛🥛🥛🥛🥛🥛
The whole milk thing was so stupid. Why was this the thing that made up the whole plot? He spoke badly about milk while the news camera was still running. It’s a bad thing because a dairy farm was one of his sponsors (I think?), so because he said he hated it, his career almost ⬇️ went down hill. Like WHAT. This is truly the pivotal moment in this man’s career🤣 it felt boring.
✨🚩🚩🚩🚩🚩✨
Kip was such a red flag. When he kept texting his daughter about keeping Rhett’s d*ck in his pants and or keep him away from her, it grossed me out. He WOULDN’T stop texting his daughter that. I felt Kip was talking inappropriate with his daughter. It made me feel weird. All the texts referred to was sex and to keep someone away from it. Why was he always thinking about Rhett having sex or his daughter having sex with him? It was too much. I wish I saw more of a relationship with Kip and Summer, but those texts were all we got (before I DNFd it- didn’t stick around to see anything else happen if it did)🫠
The good thing was that this book was pretty spicy and that Rhett was broody AF. I love the whole cowboy thing and her slowly becoming his #1 fan. When he had his eyes for her in the stands…. I fell in love. When he got jealous with Emmette…. In love🥵. When she got jealous and went with Emmett …. YES. I guess I’m a sucker for jealousy and possessiveness. There were some moments I felt fulfilled by the storyline, but man I’m disappointed. I’m wondering if the author’s work gets progressively better. 🫠🫠🫠
The Seven Year Slip by Ashley Poston
emotional
inspiring
lighthearted
sad
fast-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? No
5.0
Wow. Incredible. AMAZING. I thank the heaves and the earth for my short term memory cause I WILL reread the hell out of it and fall in love again. Now I remember why I liked reading.
But first, where can I find an Aunt like Clemetine’s? We all know from the synopsis that she died, but your heart will break into pieces throughout this book. You will want to take Clementine out of this book and hug her until you can’t.
What’s simply not to love about the characters? The LGBTQ+ 🏳️🌈 representation through the side characters, the intimate connections, the way the aunt made me want to fall in love with life 🥹?
I truly felt inspired to run outside in the rain and say “f*ck it, I want to go on vacation” after reading this book. It made me want to buy a passport and travel to another country. Let’s go to Iceland 🇮🇸!
I want Iwan. I wannnnnnnnt iwan. I’m not usually a sucker for strangers to lovers or friends to lovers, but this was done so well and it was like crack in a book. I almost immediately understood all the connections at like page 30.
This is a HEA, deals with a BOATLOAD of grief, and will make you fall in love. Please pick this up. It’s slow at first but I promise it picks up.
But first, where can I find an Aunt like Clemetine’s? We all know from the synopsis that she died, but your heart will break into pieces throughout this book. You will want to take Clementine out of this book and hug her until you can’t.
What’s simply not to love about the characters? The LGBTQ+ 🏳️🌈 representation through the side characters, the intimate connections, the way the aunt made me want to fall in love with life 🥹?
I truly felt inspired to run outside in the rain and say “f*ck it, I want to go on vacation” after reading this book. It made me want to buy a passport and travel to another country. Let’s go to Iceland 🇮🇸!
I want Iwan. I wannnnnnnnt iwan. I’m not usually a sucker for strangers to lovers or friends to lovers, but this was done so well and it was like crack in a book. I almost immediately understood all the connections at like page 30.
This is a HEA, deals with a BOATLOAD of grief, and will make you fall in love. Please pick this up. It’s slow at first but I promise it picks up.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death and Grief
Moderate: Suicide
King of Battle and Blood by Scarlett St. Clair
Did not finish book. Stopped at 77%.
Did not finish book. Stopped at 77%.
It was for bookclub but never went back afterwards once it was spoiled for me