crimsonkas's reviews
93 reviews

Mexican Gothic by Silvia Moreno-Garcia

dark mysterious 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? Yes

5.0

Beautiful Bastard by Christina Lauren

fast-paced

• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

This book has a relationship between an intern and her boss, so if that's a hard no for you, you'll want to pass on this one. I will say that although this does make me cringe, I did enjoy the way this book explores why an intern dating her boss is problematic. I still wouldn't condone this in real life, but for this book, I was able to get over it because it was able to acknowledge it was problematic and why they should either not work together, or not stay a couple. 

There were definitely things that I should have strongly disliked, but I felt strongly connected to the characters enough to find that this book strangely works for me. I enjoyed the banter a lot, and enjoyed watching these two go from hate to love. As the relationship developed, I found myself lost in an emotional landscape that I wanted to stay in. I think my only complaint, is that this part of the book is quickly over. Also, I could have used more groveling. Overall, I look forward to reading more from these authors.

Double Time by Olivia Cunning

medium-paced

• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

1.0

I want to start off by saying this is the first book I've read from this author, and it was a complete miss for me. There were many reasons, but the biggest revolve around a lack of character development/growth. I tend to be a reader who is drawn to characters, and so when I read, I need to feel emotionally invested in them. The characters were so inconsistent I couldn't get invested in them. Their internal conflicts were all over the place, and when it felt like the book was going to finally latch onto something interesting, it was often resolved in the next paragraph. Or maybe just never resolved at all. Anytime I came across a theme I thought was going to add interest, it, too, felt like it was eventually thrown out the window. I can't really think of any unifying theme to this book.