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charliauthor's reviews
503 reviews
A Monsoon Rising by Thea Guanzon
funny
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
2.5
I requested this because i didnt love the first book enough to buy it but wanted to know if anything would get better in the sequel.
Unfortunately, it didnt but then like….kinda did!?
Walk with me friends. Lets see where this goes.
So firstly, i had and continue to have no real grasp on what is happening or why. I never knew what the Hurricane Wars were or why? I dont know why Talasyn has lightpowers or why Alaric has shadow powers other than, its just something they can both do. I get that they need to use their powers together to stop some kind of cataclysmic blight but the urgency of this was lost on me because we spent so much time going back and forth with the couple to their respective countries and not really doing anything but eventually have sex.
Now, the romance/smut got so much better in this which ill get to but it was also irritating as well. In book 1 where they kept fighting their attraction, they still kept doing it even after they’d banged. Why!? Why are you fighting this!? Cause you both have to betray each other? Im not sure that matters anymore dude when youre balls deep in her and marking her with your man juice. For things so graphic it was extremely childish for them to keep acting like they werent in love.
Now, where it gets confusing is that both Talasyn and Alaric were virgins so even tho theyre in their 20s, neither of them have any experience or game. This is where it gets good because their couplings were so cute and funny and realistic. That was the pull here. Whenever they were actually honest with each other in intimate moments (not all sexual) i was sooooo invested. The tortured stoic young grump falling for the colourful, outlandish and quick witted sunshine. I was here for it but it kept getting put aside for like, the plot or whatever 😩🤣
My point is that all i cared about was Alaric being saved from his abusive father and he and Talasyn working out how to be together. Everything else was dry filler. The odd dragons, the unclear worlds and its inhabitants, the war, the rebels, i cared about none of it and near the end, found myself skimming through just to find the bits that interested me. A drunken scene between Alaric and his father in law was hilarious and if it had been more like that i might have liked it more.
Theres nothing wrong with this book per se, for me the romance was lost within a sea of over description, dialogue and characters that weren’t all needed in order to push the story she wanted to tell. This book was largely filler as book 2s are prone to be, but it didn’t have to be. The smut was great but things could’ve been wrapped up sooner without all the parties and other nonsense.
Thanks to Netgalley and Publishers for the eArc
Unfortunately, it didnt but then like….kinda did!?
Walk with me friends. Lets see where this goes.
So firstly, i had and continue to have no real grasp on what is happening or why. I never knew what the Hurricane Wars were or why? I dont know why Talasyn has lightpowers or why Alaric has shadow powers other than, its just something they can both do. I get that they need to use their powers together to stop some kind of cataclysmic blight but the urgency of this was lost on me because we spent so much time going back and forth with the couple to their respective countries and not really doing anything but eventually have sex.
Now, the romance/smut got so much better in this which ill get to but it was also irritating as well. In book 1 where they kept fighting their attraction, they still kept doing it even after they’d banged. Why!? Why are you fighting this!? Cause you both have to betray each other? Im not sure that matters anymore dude when youre balls deep in her and marking her with your man juice. For things so graphic it was extremely childish for them to keep acting like they werent in love.
Now, where it gets confusing is that both Talasyn and Alaric were virgins so even tho theyre in their 20s, neither of them have any experience or game. This is where it gets good because their couplings were so cute and funny and realistic. That was the pull here. Whenever they were actually honest with each other in intimate moments (not all sexual) i was sooooo invested. The tortured stoic young grump falling for the colourful, outlandish and quick witted sunshine. I was here for it but it kept getting put aside for like, the plot or whatever 😩🤣
My point is that all i cared about was Alaric being saved from his abusive father and he and Talasyn working out how to be together. Everything else was dry filler. The odd dragons, the unclear worlds and its inhabitants, the war, the rebels, i cared about none of it and near the end, found myself skimming through just to find the bits that interested me. A drunken scene between Alaric and his father in law was hilarious and if it had been more like that i might have liked it more.
Theres nothing wrong with this book per se, for me the romance was lost within a sea of over description, dialogue and characters that weren’t all needed in order to push the story she wanted to tell. This book was largely filler as book 2s are prone to be, but it didn’t have to be. The smut was great but things could’ve been wrapped up sooner without all the parties and other nonsense.
Thanks to Netgalley and Publishers for the eArc
Only for the Holidays by Abiola Bello
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
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? No
4.75
Loved it! Loved it, loved it!
Abiola Bello is now officially my auto buy author and I will devour anything YA she delivers. Its cute, its honest, its Black, its giving what its supposed to give and I am here for it so much!
City girl Tia and Country Boy Quincy are thrown together over the Christmas period when he needs to make his ex jealous and her boyfriend has asked for a break. Unsure where this leaves them, Tia tries to get back to her boyfriend in London but gradually falls for Quincy and his wonderful family set up on Saiyan Hedge Farm.
This is festive and fun and i found myself smiling and kicking my feet together with glee every time something cute happened which was all the time! Quincy is the ultimate nice guy and i dont have a bad word to say about him. He's gorgeous and sweet and kind and for a London girlie who hates all things animals and country unless its an aesthetically pleasing/Instagram worthy farmhouse in which I dont have to go outside, his reassuring Tia about horses and dogs and other field nonsenes, really spoke to me on a spiritual level LOL
My only complaint was the ending. I'm left hanging and im so so sad about that! (view spoiler) I need more! God damn it!! Moooree!
Pick this up right now if you like lighthearted feelgood cutesy romance!
Abiola Bello is now officially my auto buy author and I will devour anything YA she delivers. Its cute, its honest, its Black, its giving what its supposed to give and I am here for it so much!
City girl Tia and Country Boy Quincy are thrown together over the Christmas period when he needs to make his ex jealous and her boyfriend has asked for a break. Unsure where this leaves them, Tia tries to get back to her boyfriend in London but gradually falls for Quincy and his wonderful family set up on Saiyan Hedge Farm.
This is festive and fun and i found myself smiling and kicking my feet together with glee every time something cute happened which was all the time! Quincy is the ultimate nice guy and i dont have a bad word to say about him. He's gorgeous and sweet and kind and for a London girlie who hates all things animals and country unless its an aesthetically pleasing/Instagram worthy farmhouse in which I dont have to go outside, his reassuring Tia about horses and dogs and other field nonsenes, really spoke to me on a spiritual level LOL
My only complaint was the ending. I'm left hanging and im so so sad about that! (view spoiler) I need more! God damn it!! Moooree!
Pick this up right now if you like lighthearted feelgood cutesy romance!
The Blood Gift by N.E. Davenport
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
Finally finished and while I enjoyed this immensely, the latter part of this let it down a lot but as I was invested in the characters enough, i was able to get through.
Ikenna is very marmite in that you either love her or hate her. For me, I loved her. Even when she was very annoying and yes, a bit too rash, in a world of books with FMCs who talk the talk but dont walk the walk, Ikenna was a breath of fresh air. She was angry, she was strong, she was sexy, she has a hot boyfriend but doesnt let this define her. Ikenna is a great example of an FMC who takes noones shit for good reason but is also able to back it up. Yes, she has powers and while this book is about those powers and why she has them, she doesnt rely on them for her personality. She is strong with her without them, they dont define her and i love that about her.
Where this book and even book 1 has issues is that the dialogue is too wordy and scenes are drawn out unnecessarily. This particular book could have finished a lot earlier if not for Ikenna constantly going on about how bad she was and what she was going to do to her enemies. Coupled with there being 4/5 main villains for her to defeat, having the 'final' battle 5 times, let down the stakes for me in a big way. To have so much wordy dialogue woven in and around those battles made the latter half very tedious which is why it took so long for me to get through it.
However, the scenes themselves ie the fighting, the smut, the worldbuilding, the characters were absolutely awesome and i had such a great time. I would have liked more time with the rest of Ikenna's squad as it seemed to only be Reed, Dannica and Rossi who had extended backstory but when they were on page, they were so funny and sweet. a true band of brothers type vibe.
Generally, i enjoyed this book/series and love it simply for being different. The sci fi/fantasy blend, the action scenes, the romance that doesnt overshadow the plot, the bad ass FMC who is actually bad ass, i loved that the author did more than just lore inspired Gods. Yes, there was oppression in this which was the base of the fight but Ikenna was downtrodden because of it. She wasnt less because of the bigotry around her. She made it make her strong in a way that didnt feel like pageantry.
I really enjoyed this and want more people to read it.
Ikenna is very marmite in that you either love her or hate her. For me, I loved her. Even when she was very annoying and yes, a bit too rash, in a world of books with FMCs who talk the talk but dont walk the walk, Ikenna was a breath of fresh air. She was angry, she was strong, she was sexy, she has a hot boyfriend but doesnt let this define her. Ikenna is a great example of an FMC who takes noones shit for good reason but is also able to back it up. Yes, she has powers and while this book is about those powers and why she has them, she doesnt rely on them for her personality. She is strong with her without them, they dont define her and i love that about her.
Where this book and even book 1 has issues is that the dialogue is too wordy and scenes are drawn out unnecessarily. This particular book could have finished a lot earlier if not for Ikenna constantly going on about how bad she was and what she was going to do to her enemies. Coupled with there being 4/5 main villains for her to defeat, having the 'final' battle 5 times, let down the stakes for me in a big way. To have so much wordy dialogue woven in and around those battles made the latter half very tedious which is why it took so long for me to get through it.
However, the scenes themselves ie the fighting, the smut, the worldbuilding, the characters were absolutely awesome and i had such a great time. I would have liked more time with the rest of Ikenna's squad as it seemed to only be Reed, Dannica and Rossi who had extended backstory but when they were on page, they were so funny and sweet. a true band of brothers type vibe.
Generally, i enjoyed this book/series and love it simply for being different. The sci fi/fantasy blend, the action scenes, the romance that doesnt overshadow the plot, the bad ass FMC who is actually bad ass, i loved that the author did more than just lore inspired Gods. Yes, there was oppression in this which was the base of the fight but Ikenna was downtrodden because of it. She wasnt less because of the bigotry around her. She made it make her strong in a way that didnt feel like pageantry.
I really enjoyed this and want more people to read it.
Can I Tell You Something? by Holly June Smith
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? N/A
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A
4.25
haha this was awesome!
I laughed out loud through most of this because it was so funny and relatable and sweet! I've recently entered the world of audio erotica and this was simply the best way to explain what it is and how a lot of women use it. I immediately sent this book to my friend who has basically said the words that the FMC says to me, on more than one occasion! lol It was realistic and cutesie and just incredible fun and I enjoyed everything about it other than it being too short! Like where is the full length novel please haha although i wanted it to be longer, i also respect it wasnt dragged out for too long as well so i respect the vision, i just wanted mooore! Great stuff author lady, great stuff!!
I laughed out loud through most of this because it was so funny and relatable and sweet! I've recently entered the world of audio erotica and this was simply the best way to explain what it is and how a lot of women use it. I immediately sent this book to my friend who has basically said the words that the FMC says to me, on more than one occasion! lol It was realistic and cutesie and just incredible fun and I enjoyed everything about it other than it being too short! Like where is the full length novel please haha although i wanted it to be longer, i also respect it wasnt dragged out for too long as well so i respect the vision, i just wanted mooore! Great stuff author lady, great stuff!!
Hexed by Emily McIntire
emotional
funny
hopeful
sad
slow-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
3.5
Overall I really enjoyed this. I didn’t have any major issues with it, even though I am finding that I loved Emily‘s earlier work a lot more than I have her recent outings. However, the main issue was that there was not enough smut for me as we didn’t get round to them doing anything until about 55% into the story. While this was understandable because the MMC is in fact with another woman prior to this, it did felt dragged out, considering the attraction that Enzo and Vanessa have for one another.
I’ve read some people feeling as though this was Insta love or Insta lust but I actually liked the dynamic of Enzo not being convinced that love was real but still wanting to find it and having a love at first sight experience with Venesa. I enjoyed Venesa’s‘s backstory and that she wanted to be loved “out loud” and that phrase in and of itself was such a darling thing to read that I really enjoyed it. Enzo not being afraid to love despite his own upbringing was a nice addition to the alpha male trope. I loved his Italian American accent. I loved his dynamic with his father. He was pretty well done all around.
I did not have an issue with Vanessa per se, but I was frustrated that even though she worked as her uncle’s henchman she didn’t really do that much heinous things in my opinion and allowed her cousin to overstep her or more than one occasion when she could in my opinion have done a lot more to her without even getting caught.
I liked the Arial and King Triton characters as the villains. They were truly despicable all the way through which I enjoy but was not a surprise as Emily does villains very well. However I wasn’t able to get my head around the witch/supernatural element of this. I didnt understand why it was called hexed when she did not really do that much supernatural things.
Overall, I liked the set up of Enzo being with someone else and them having to fight their attraction. I have no issue with the cheating trope and I appreciate how this was handled for some people who may have an issue with it but the entire time I just wanted Enzo to clap Vanessa‘s cheeks because it was clear that he was not in love with Aria.
It gets to 3 because I did enjoy. I liked the characters they just wasn’t enough smart or dark elements for me in this one.
I’ve read some people feeling as though this was Insta love or Insta lust but I actually liked the dynamic of Enzo not being convinced that love was real but still wanting to find it and having a love at first sight experience with Venesa. I enjoyed Venesa’s‘s backstory and that she wanted to be loved “out loud” and that phrase in and of itself was such a darling thing to read that I really enjoyed it. Enzo not being afraid to love despite his own upbringing was a nice addition to the alpha male trope. I loved his Italian American accent. I loved his dynamic with his father. He was pretty well done all around.
I did not have an issue with Vanessa per se, but I was frustrated that even though she worked as her uncle’s henchman she didn’t really do that much heinous things in my opinion and allowed her cousin to overstep her or more than one occasion when she could in my opinion have done a lot more to her without even getting caught.
I liked the Arial and King Triton characters as the villains. They were truly despicable all the way through which I enjoy but was not a surprise as Emily does villains very well. However I wasn’t able to get my head around the witch/supernatural element of this. I didnt understand why it was called hexed when she did not really do that much supernatural things.
Overall, I liked the set up of Enzo being with someone else and them having to fight their attraction. I have no issue with the cheating trope and I appreciate how this was handled for some people who may have an issue with it but the entire time I just wanted Enzo to clap Vanessa‘s cheeks because it was clear that he was not in love with Aria.
It gets to 3 because I did enjoy. I liked the characters they just wasn’t enough smart or dark elements for me in this one.
Spice Road by Maiya Ibrahim
Did not finish book. Stopped at 32%.
Did not finish book. Stopped at 32%.
Okay, so in short, I found this really boring.
That's harsh but its the truth and before going into the reasons why, that's my overall feeling for the book: it was incredibly boring.
From the start its just endless dialogue and description and worldbuilding that doesn't actually really explain anything. I found it tiresome.
Imani is a warrior of some kind and her brother was a warrior of some kind goes missing for a while. They realise that he did not go missing but was in fact taken or ran off - im not sure which - because their leaders were lying to them about what's going on outside of their country. Considering Im not entirely sure what is going on inside their country, it really didn't mean much.
Imani manages to get a genie of some kind which is bad for reasons unclear. She hangs around a boy she thinks hates her, when its clear if she'd ever read any fantasy book would know that this means thats her soulmate.
The dialogue was repetitive throughout which characters hashing out things we've already discussed. Just endless talking with minimal action that I just did not care about at any point.
I finally gave in when there was a whole scene and description and back and forth about her horse dying just so she'd be forced to be on the same horse as the boy who hates/loves her.
I'm over it
That's harsh but its the truth and before going into the reasons why, that's my overall feeling for the book: it was incredibly boring.
From the start its just endless dialogue and description and worldbuilding that doesn't actually really explain anything. I found it tiresome.
Imani is a warrior of some kind and her brother was a warrior of some kind goes missing for a while. They realise that he did not go missing but was in fact taken or ran off - im not sure which - because their leaders were lying to them about what's going on outside of their country. Considering Im not entirely sure what is going on inside their country, it really didn't mean much.
Imani manages to get a genie of some kind which is bad for reasons unclear. She hangs around a boy she thinks hates her, when its clear if she'd ever read any fantasy book would know that this means thats her soulmate.
The dialogue was repetitive throughout which characters hashing out things we've already discussed. Just endless talking with minimal action that I just did not care about at any point.
I finally gave in when there was a whole scene and description and back and forth about her horse dying just so she'd be forced to be on the same horse as the boy who hates/loves her.
I'm over it
Heavenly Bodies by Imani Erriu
emotional
funny
hopeful
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? It's complicated
3.75
I actually quite enjoyed this one. There was a bit of a lag in the middle that i thought was dragged out but overall definitely one of the better romantasy books that have come out recently.
HB is set in a world ruled over by Stars who each claim a kingdom that has various traits and looks dependent on that star. Elara is the Princess of Darkness and is kidnapped by the Prince of Light in order to take down a start for… reasons.
While enjoyable, there were some moments that felt too easy, lacked real danger and Elara and Enzo’s time “training” felt a little weak but since i was invested in them as characters and really liked their personalities it didnt matter too much what they did or didn’t actually get up to.
I liked the build up to their relationship although how Elara could deny her feelings for so long was beyond me cause Enzo was super cute and funny the whole time. I liked the smut/romance in this and thankful that it was a tad more adult with its language than some other outings ive read.
The book itself is very isolated in that it feels like its just back and forth between the main characters but when we did get exposure to the secondary characters, i did enjoy them as well.
Im excited enough about it and like both main characters to read the sequel. I also ordered some special editions cause i would like to have this on my shelf for keepsies. A fun outing!
Heavenly Bodies is out November 28th!
Thank you to #netgalley and publishers for the arc. All thoughts are my own.
HB is set in a world ruled over by Stars who each claim a kingdom that has various traits and looks dependent on that star. Elara is the Princess of Darkness and is kidnapped by the Prince of Light in order to take down a start for… reasons.
While enjoyable, there were some moments that felt too easy, lacked real danger and Elara and Enzo’s time “training” felt a little weak but since i was invested in them as characters and really liked their personalities it didnt matter too much what they did or didn’t actually get up to.
I liked the build up to their relationship although how Elara could deny her feelings for so long was beyond me cause Enzo was super cute and funny the whole time. I liked the smut/romance in this and thankful that it was a tad more adult with its language than some other outings ive read.
The book itself is very isolated in that it feels like its just back and forth between the main characters but when we did get exposure to the secondary characters, i did enjoy them as well.
Im excited enough about it and like both main characters to read the sequel. I also ordered some special editions cause i would like to have this on my shelf for keepsies. A fun outing!
Heavenly Bodies is out November 28th!
Thank you to #netgalley and publishers for the arc. All thoughts are my own.
Forged in Blood by Sadie Kincaid
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? N/A
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
1.25
Really disappointed with this one.
Sadie is one of my auto buy authors for dark/mafia etc romance but this paranormal outing was just not it hunny.
Minimal plot, weak worldbuilding, insta lust, unnecessary bully romance, pathetic FMC, undistinguishable MMCs, teacher/student privilege abuse. The list goes on about how weak i found this. It was too slow, too dragged out, not entertaining enough.
Fantasy gets a lot of stick but there really is an art to writing it that not everyone can do. Just moving your setting to include magical creatures does not make something magical and it really upset me that none of what i like about Sadie's writing was really prevalent here outside of the smut
Sadie is one of my auto buy authors for dark/mafia etc romance but this paranormal outing was just not it hunny.
Minimal plot, weak worldbuilding, insta lust, unnecessary bully romance, pathetic FMC, undistinguishable MMCs, teacher/student privilege abuse. The list goes on about how weak i found this. It was too slow, too dragged out, not entertaining enough.
Fantasy gets a lot of stick but there really is an art to writing it that not everyone can do. Just moving your setting to include magical creatures does not make something magical and it really upset me that none of what i like about Sadie's writing was really prevalent here outside of the smut
Gravity by Sara Cate
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? N/A
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
1.5
This was silly. What could have been an incredible father/son taboo set up just made no sense and what made it worse was that the father was the better man so why not just be with him instead. absolutely ridiculous stuff. why are we talking about flying helicopters all the time? who even cares bro. Nash was a dick and his near rapes were exactly that, no matter the kink level or how wet the kitty is, how he treats you is abuse babes. when you have the father who is willing to worship you why even bother with the dickish son. ugh, so silly
Credence by Penelope Douglas
Did not finish book. Stopped at 78%.
Did not finish book. Stopped at 78%.
No plot. Stupid FMC. Ridiculous MMCs. Age gap was NOT cute. Writing was trash