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chrysfey's reviews
671 reviews
Carnival Stalker by Selena Winters
challenging
dark
slow-paced
0.25
This is the second Selena Winters story I’ve read. The first was Carnival Monster. I also picked up Carnival Master, but after reading this one, I’m taking a break. I chose this one because I wanted to see how she handled the concept…and I didn’t like it.
*deep breath* I’m sorry but he kidnaps her, and she is terrified of him. But still attracted to him. But still afraid of him. Period. She tells him “stop” and “no” and that he’s hurting her, and he doesn’t stop. That’s r@pe. Sorry, but it it. (Actually, I’m not sorry for saying it.) It doesn’t matter if she later experiences pleasure and has an O. What matters is that she was terrified and tell him all the things we are taught to say to make it clear we’re not consenting. Again, doesn’t matter if he’s hot or that she ends up feeling pleasure. It is what it is, and it’s very clear what it is.
There’s several things I didn’t like aside from that.
* At the end of the story, Tilly somehow can run really fast. Fast enough to catch a woman who is not injured (Tilly is). This would’ve been believable if it was established that she ran track or something earlier in the story. But for all we know, she’s average at best with running and catches Veronica before the men do? I didn’t buy it.
* They bang each other immediately after catching Veronica. And I don’t mean that they realize they have more important things to do, like transport her somewhere and deal with her. Nope. They bang right there. In front of Ty and Veronica. I get have s*x after an intense situation, but right then and there? I couldn’t her behind that.
* Tilly is suddenly okay with m^rder and watching Phoenix commit m^rder and is no longer afraid of his darkness after being kidnapped away from him (pretty briefly) and cut with a kn!fe all because Veronica, Phoenix’s foster mom, wants to get back at Phoenix. Her having a slow transition to that, if a different tactic to why he kidnaps her (which I lay out below) would’ve made this more believable.
* Phoenix put a microchip to track her under her skin, but we don’t see this, and she never notices the scar he shows her or a fresh cut, no matter how small, or a bandage or feel anything?
* Veronica…she feels like an excuse to add something other than r@pe to the story, something to try to show us why Phoenix is the way he is, and to try to make it make sense when Tilly falls for Phoenix. We should’ve been introduced to memories about her from the very beginning. Phoenix kept telling Tilly that he kidnapped her to protect her. It would’ve been so much better if Phoenix caught Veronica in his system while he was stalking Tilly and realized that Veronica was going to go after Tilly because of him. Then he takes her to protect her. Then it would’ve made sense, and he would’ve been able to prove it to her, get her to trust him, while also having some hot s*x that was not r@pe.
* Tilly feels so guilty that her loved ones believe she’s dead but doesn’t convince Phoenix that she loves him and can tell her loved ones she’s alive. She could’ve lied to her loved ones t and said she ran away from her old life, which is essentially what Phoenix wanted her to do anyway. She’s a pretty shitty loved one.
* This story could’ve been edited again. There is so much repetition with certain words and phrases (‘unease’ and similar wording was used over and over again in the beginning). Their thoughts are also repeated countless times.
* This is a pretty lengthy story for barely anything happening. Because of the content, I ended up skipping half the book to get to the end.
Not for me.
*deep breath* I’m sorry but he kidnaps her, and she is terrified of him. But still attracted to him. But still afraid of him. Period. She tells him “stop” and “no” and that he’s hurting her, and he doesn’t stop. That’s r@pe. Sorry, but it it. (Actually, I’m not sorry for saying it.) It doesn’t matter if she later experiences pleasure and has an O. What matters is that she was terrified and tell him all the things we are taught to say to make it clear we’re not consenting. Again, doesn’t matter if he’s hot or that she ends up feeling pleasure. It is what it is, and it’s very clear what it is.
There’s several things I didn’t like aside from that.
* At the end of the story, Tilly somehow can run really fast. Fast enough to catch a woman who is not injured (Tilly is). This would’ve been believable if it was established that she ran track or something earlier in the story. But for all we know, she’s average at best with running and catches Veronica before the men do? I didn’t buy it.
* They bang each other immediately after catching Veronica. And I don’t mean that they realize they have more important things to do, like transport her somewhere and deal with her. Nope. They bang right there. In front of Ty and Veronica. I get have s*x after an intense situation, but right then and there? I couldn’t her behind that.
* Tilly is suddenly okay with m^rder and watching Phoenix commit m^rder and is no longer afraid of his darkness after being kidnapped away from him (pretty briefly) and cut with a kn!fe all because Veronica, Phoenix’s foster mom, wants to get back at Phoenix. Her having a slow transition to that, if a different tactic to why he kidnaps her (which I lay out below) would’ve made this more believable.
* Phoenix put a microchip to track her under her skin, but we don’t see this, and she never notices the scar he shows her or a fresh cut, no matter how small, or a bandage or feel anything?
* Veronica…she feels like an excuse to add something other than r@pe to the story, something to try to show us why Phoenix is the way he is, and to try to make it make sense when Tilly falls for Phoenix. We should’ve been introduced to memories about her from the very beginning. Phoenix kept telling Tilly that he kidnapped her to protect her. It would’ve been so much better if Phoenix caught Veronica in his system while he was stalking Tilly and realized that Veronica was going to go after Tilly because of him. Then he takes her to protect her. Then it would’ve made sense, and he would’ve been able to prove it to her, get her to trust him, while also having some hot s*x that was not r@pe.
* Tilly feels so guilty that her loved ones believe she’s dead but doesn’t convince Phoenix that she loves him and can tell her loved ones she’s alive. She could’ve lied to her loved ones t and said she ran away from her old life, which is essentially what Phoenix wanted her to do anyway. She’s a pretty shitty loved one.
* This story could’ve been edited again. There is so much repetition with certain words and phrases (‘unease’ and similar wording was used over and over again in the beginning). Their thoughts are also repeated countless times.
* This is a pretty lengthy story for barely anything happening. Because of the content, I ended up skipping half the book to get to the end.
Not for me.
Unhinged by Vera Valentine
2.5
I got this book because I was…curious. Simplest way to put it. LOL I thought the author wrote about the character as a door very well. In fact, I liked him better as a door.
The s*x scene that brings him to life…I’m still not sure how she manages it. Even after reading the scene a couple of times. Even after writing countless s*x scenes and reading them, I still can’t figure it out.
I understand that the story is meant to be short. That’s clear just by the length, but it could’ve been expanded upon quite a bit. The mystery could’ve been focused on more. We could’ve also seen more after Drys comes to life. The story wraps up so quickly that it felt rusted.
And, honestly, the story could’ve been edited more, like the use of hyphens to just name one error I kept seeing g repeated.
Regardless, this was an interesting read.
The s*x scene that brings him to life…I’m still not sure how she manages it. Even after reading the scene a couple of times. Even after writing countless s*x scenes and reading them, I still can’t figure it out.
I understand that the story is meant to be short. That’s clear just by the length, but it could’ve been expanded upon quite a bit. The mystery could’ve been focused on more. We could’ve also seen more after Drys comes to life. The story wraps up so quickly that it felt rusted.
And, honestly, the story could’ve been edited more, like the use of hyphens to just name one error I kept seeing g repeated.
Regardless, this was an interesting read.
Carnival Monster by Selena Winters
dark
tense
fast-paced
3.0
***Containers Spoilers***
***Content Warning***
The g/n scene had me going all “Girl, what the hell” to the FMC, but I chose this book as my first read of this series because the MMC is not the only one who is dark. She is, too, and I wanted to read that dynamic versus the psych0 dude and innocent girl pairing. In this one, she’s drawn to dark things and has traumas from her past that influence her and attract her to this guy. But the dude *is* a killer. Not even in the past tense. He kills a homeless, drunk man near the beginning of the story. I couldn’t get past how he wants to kill like everyone, even her in the beginning, but he was an interesting character.
The story could’ve been longer to show how they change and change each other and fall in love, though. That felt far too rushed.
I’m not sure how I’d really rate this, so I’m going with 3 stars.
I was prepared for some of it because I’d read snippets on IG (that’s how I discovered this book/series), so I wasn’t shocked. The writing was good, aside from the author repeating things a lot.
So, all in all…an interesting and entertaining read. I can’t say I liked it, but I didn’t hate. I’m not sure I’d recommend it, because of the whole fact that he’s a killer, but…idk. For my first dark romance, I just don’t have a scale to work off of. I’ve ordered two more from this series, Carnival Stalker and Carnival Master.
***Content Warning***
The g/n scene had me going all “Girl, what the hell” to the FMC, but I chose this book as my first read of this series because the MMC is not the only one who is dark. She is, too, and I wanted to read that dynamic versus the psych0 dude and innocent girl pairing. In this one, she’s drawn to dark things and has traumas from her past that influence her and attract her to this guy. But the dude *is* a killer. Not even in the past tense. He kills a homeless, drunk man near the beginning of the story. I couldn’t get past how he wants to kill like everyone, even her in the beginning, but he was an interesting character.
The story could’ve been longer to show how they change and change each other and fall in love, though. That felt far too rushed.
I’m not sure how I’d really rate this, so I’m going with 3 stars.
I was prepared for some of it because I’d read snippets on IG (that’s how I discovered this book/series), so I wasn’t shocked. The writing was good, aside from the author repeating things a lot.
So, all in all…an interesting and entertaining read. I can’t say I liked it, but I didn’t hate. I’m not sure I’d recommend it, because of the whole fact that he’s a killer, but…idk. For my first dark romance, I just don’t have a scale to work off of. I’ve ordered two more from this series, Carnival Stalker and Carnival Master.
Shadows in Death by J.D. Robb
1.0
I read the first 10 books of the In Death series and then stalled out because the endings were always predictable. Spoiler…Roarke always came to the rescue or got there before the arrest. At least for those first 10 books. But…the quotes Laura (Nora’s publicist) shared on IG for Shadows in Death earlier this year hooked me.
The problem was, the best parts of the story (for me) were the quotes that I read on social media. The rest of the story was slow going. Most of it was the same thing over and over again about how badly Cobbe wanted to kill Roarke and how he’d hurt or kill Eve and Summerset to get to him. At a certain point, I was internally shouting, “We get it already!” It only needed to be said once. Twice tops. Not once or twice in every chapter. I ended up skimming most of the book. Not much happened for a guy who was so dangerous and wanted Roarke so bad. And the takedown was far too simple and quick. I was very disappointed.
Girls Weekend by C.M. Nascosta
adventurous
funny
lighthearted
3.0
I had a fun time reading this story. I enjoyed the characters and pairings of Lurielle and Khash, and Silva and Tate. Lurielle is a curvy girl with insecurities and is super relatable. Khash is the sweetest heartthrob of an orc. Silva is struggling with what's expected of her and doing what she truly wants, be who she truly wants to be. Tate is a mysterious, "dangerous" (although I'm not convinced) part-orc character. I will read Book 2 because I really want to find out what happens with Silva and Tate.
With that said, there are some things that I did not enjoy as much:
1. My biggest critique is that Ris is an unnecessary character. Her main purpose was that she was the one who planned the trip to the resort with Lurielle (and they sort of tricked Silva into going). Now, I did not count, but her pages were far and few between. It feels like she had ten or less pages in her point-of-view throughout the entire story. She does not have any sort of storyline what-so-ever. This story would've held up just fine if Lurielle and Silva had been the two female characters who went to the resort together. Then Ris could've come along in Book 2 on their second trip, and the orc she passes on the sidewalk for a brief moment in one scene could've been saved for Book 2, as well. Because of this, I'm not interested in Ris at all. That may change while I read Book 2, because it seems her story actually begins there, but we will see. (One whole star removed.)
2. Then there was the fact that I never knew whose POV we were in. I started skimming to find the character's name before reading the next part. A reader shouldn't have to do that. If the character's name isn't used as a chapter title or scene break heading, then the character's name should be within the first sentence to prevent confusion. And apparently this is the case for Book 2, according to other reviews. (1/2 star removed)
2. (SPOILERS) The girls are super excited to go to this resort and have some fun times with orcs, and yet, none of them, not even Ris (who is far more adventurous than the other two), share their experiences with each other. They don't talk about what they did the night before or who they met. I didn't understand that at all. Why the secrecy? Why all of a sudden close-lipped? Why didn't any of them ASK each other what was going on when they saw the other dressed up and leaving to go somewhere else, or coming back to her room super late, or looking like something was very wrong with their friend? I expected them to get each other to spill on their drive home, but they don't even talk then. Nor do they share a word in the MONTHS following their vacation. None of that made sense to me. Even with Silva and the mysteriousness around what she had with Tate, she only hints at something in the last few pages, and it's not even her but Khash who reveals to Lurielle that the orc she was talking about was Tate. (1/2 star removed)
3. This leads off my previous point. There's no girls' time during this girls' weekend. I know they went with a specific goal...to get laid by orcs, but I was hoping for more fun amongst friends. The morning when they get drunk on champagne is the most we get of these three friends/coworkers together. The brief meals they share when they're all distracted don't really count. They could've spent more time together during the day before their nighttime fun in order to cement their friendships. (1/4 star removed, but because I did enjoy the story to a degree, I rounded the star rating back up to 3)
With that said, there are some things that I did not enjoy as much:
1. My biggest critique is that Ris is an unnecessary character. Her main purpose was that she was the one who planned the trip to the resort with Lurielle (and they sort of tricked Silva into going). Now, I did not count, but her pages were far and few between. It feels like she had ten or less pages in her point-of-view throughout the entire story. She does not have any sort of storyline what-so-ever. This story would've held up just fine if Lurielle and Silva had been the two female characters who went to the resort together. Then Ris could've come along in Book 2 on their second trip, and the orc she passes on the sidewalk for a brief moment in one scene could've been saved for Book 2, as well. Because of this, I'm not interested in Ris at all. That may change while I read Book 2, because it seems her story actually begins there, but we will see. (One whole star removed.)
2. Then there was the fact that I never knew whose POV we were in. I started skimming to find the character's name before reading the next part. A reader shouldn't have to do that. If the character's name isn't used as a chapter title or scene break heading, then the character's name should be within the first sentence to prevent confusion. And apparently this is the case for Book 2, according to other reviews. (1/2 star removed)
2. (SPOILERS) The girls are super excited to go to this resort and have some fun times with orcs, and yet, none of them, not even Ris (who is far more adventurous than the other two), share their experiences with each other. They don't talk about what they did the night before or who they met. I didn't understand that at all. Why the secrecy? Why all of a sudden close-lipped? Why didn't any of them ASK each other what was going on when they saw the other dressed up and leaving to go somewhere else, or coming back to her room super late, or looking like something was very wrong with their friend? I expected them to get each other to spill on their drive home, but they don't even talk then. Nor do they share a word in the MONTHS following their vacation. None of that made sense to me. Even with Silva and the mysteriousness around what she had with Tate, she only hints at something in the last few pages, and it's not even her but Khash who reveals to Lurielle that the orc she was talking about was Tate. (1/2 star removed)
3. This leads off my previous point. There's no girls' time during this girls' weekend. I know they went with a specific goal...to get laid by orcs, but I was hoping for more fun amongst friends. The morning when they get drunk on champagne is the most we get of these three friends/coworkers together. The brief meals they share when they're all distracted don't really count. They could've spent more time together during the day before their nighttime fun in order to cement their friendships. (1/4 star removed, but because I did enjoy the story to a degree, I rounded the star rating back up to 3)
The Woman in Me by Britney Spears
emotional
informative
inspiring
reflective
5.0
I finally finished reading Britney’s book. I’ve been reading it off and on while at work. If you are (or ever were) a Britney fan, was curious about the conservatorship, ever used the hashtag FreeBritney (I did), saw any of her IG posts and wondered about her, I recommend that you read her book. What everyone did to her is heartbreaking. I mean…this was Britney-effing-Spears. They never should’ve had the power that they did. Britney is stronger than any of us could ever imagine. 🌹 🌹🌹🌹
How To Marry A Marble Marquis by C.M. Nascosta
3.0
My first monster romance read. I’ve been lurking among the monster romance Instagram for a couple of years now, maybe longer. It’s been fascinating to say the least. lol C.M Nascosta was one of the first monster romance authors I followed after seeing so many readers raving about orcs and becoming obsessed.
I read this book quickly and enjoyed it. I haven’t felt that in a while…wanting to ignore everything and just read. It was nice.
I enjoyed the character of Silas, the marble marquise. He’s devilish and charming at the same time, and he knows it. He agrees to help Eleanor line up a future husband at the Monsters Ball as her last resort to provide for her family. Lessons on seduction are involved. Very intimate, in-depth lessons. Things get messy, because of course they do. And not just figuratively but actually when the characters get very…um…messy in one specific scene. (The one thing I did not like about him was that he does have s e x with someone else at some point.)
The lessons were detailed and fun and 🥵, making you want to skip ahead to each one. I wish there had been a little more between each lesson, though, to truly show Eleanor and Silas bonding. I also wanted more near the end, like the days leading up to the Monsters Ball. It was too rushed for me. We were given snapshots when I would’ve personally preferred to experience those moments fully.
The actual Monsters Ball was fun, as well as the conclusion, even the final sentence, and, yes, that epilogue…because I hoped Eleanor wouldn’t have offended him by not doing it. IYKYK 😘
There were some errors throughout, like spelling errors (even the FMC’s name near the end was spelled as Elanor) and dropped/missing words that unfortunately kept taking me out of the moment because I’d have to read the sentence again a couple of times. As an ex-editor and a writer, I couldn’t shake it, but that’s just me.
Originally 3.75 stars but lowered to 3 after some thought.
Originally 3.75 stars but lowered to 3 after some thought.