crumbofcare's reviews
404 reviews

Blood at the Root by LaDarrion Williams

adventurous medium-paced

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

5.0

I received a gifted audiobook copy of this book from PRH Audio. I voluntarily read this book and I'm leaving an honest review.

I enjoyed the beginning of this book, but around 55% I got HOOKED. I loved this and I'm excited to continue reading this series. I have so many theories and questions and can't wait to get the answers for them. I'll definitely continue reading this series.

The Duke Gets Desperate by Diana Quincy

medium-paced

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

4.75

Sweet Nightmare by Tracy Wolff

adventurous mysterious medium-paced

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

4.5

I was gifted a physical ARC copy of this book from Entangled. I voluntarily read it and am leaving an honest review. 

I loved this book and will definitely keep reading the series. I don't know if it would be as enjoyable without first reading the Crave series. I felt like the Crave series dragged on a little toward the end (but I read it all because I LOVED the characters) and I'm hoping that won't be the case here. I won't be screaming this book recommendation from the rooftops, but for people who have already read and enjoyed the Crave series I recommend that they also read this book. It was fun to revisit the world even if Calder academy is VERY different vibes from Katmere. 

The author said book 3 will be where we get the most Remy and Izzy, but I enjoyed getting to see them both a fair bit in this book. 

Dungeons & Drama by Kristy Boyce

funny 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

5.0

I was gifted an audiobook copy of this from PRH audio influencer program. I voluntarily read it and am leaving an honest review. 

I laughed; I cried; I calculated how many days until I can play D&D again. I loved this so much. As a former theatre AND choir kid turned gaming nerd & D&D player, I felt like this was made for me. My husband got me into DND and a few of the board games mentioned in this book so it felt very relatable seeing her slowly falling in love with gaming and other nerdy things at the same time that she fell for MMC.

The Letters We Keep by Nisha Sharma

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? No

5.0

I was gifted an advanced audiobook copy of this from Netgalley. I voluntarily read it and am leaving an honest review. 

I JUST finished this book and I feel so at peace right now. I haven't had this content of a feeling after a book in a long time. This was such a good book and it had me HOOKED. Nisha Sharma remains an auto buy author for me and I want to do nothing more than go through her entire backlist now. 

A Tempest of Tea by Hafsah Faizal

adventurous mysterious medium-paced

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

5.0

Six of crows and peaky blinders but add vampires and themes of colonialism. I loved it and can't wait for book 2

The Roommate Risk by Talia Hibbert

funny 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? Yes

3.25

I was gifted an audiobook copy of this book from Netgalley. I voluntarily read it and am leaving an honest review. The audiobook narration was great (although they sometimes pronounced the MMC's name as Raul and sometimes as Rahul which was a bit distracting). 

I have LOVED LOVED LOVED the other Talia Hibbert books that I've read (which I think is 5 books prior to this one) so my hopes were high, but I was disappointed in the execution of this friends to lovers trope. I read the whole book because I love Talia Hibbert's writing style and enjoyed reading this book, even if the plot execution wasn't my favorite. (Slight spoilers ahead)

The FMC's reasons for not wanting a relationship seemed juvenile and flimsy. The MMC's decision to stay her friend and stop the benefits side when she Said she doesn't sleep with her friends felt disingenuous when he was secretly hoping she would change her mind. I also found a few of the descriptions and lines during the "spicy" scenes to be cringe worthy. 

 Talia Hibbert's other book Highly Suspicious and Unfairly Cute (YA) is one of my favorite friends to lovers books (well, childhood friends to rivals to lovers) so I think my hopes and expectations were high going into this. 

Five Broken Blades by Mai Corland

adventurous funny medium-paced

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

4.75

I was gifted a physical ARC from Red Tower Books. I read this voluntarily and am leaving an honest review. 

#NoSpoilers (nothing beyond what is found in the blurb) 

An exiled Prince, a poison maiden, a muscle for hire, the King's spy master, a nobleman, and a thief have to work together to try to kill the king.... Hopefully that rumor that he's actually a god isn't true.

I really enjoyed this book and can't wait for book 2. I was immediately hooked. I've got so many questions and theories already. I wouldn't say this is my top 10 of the year, but I was fully engaged the entire time and the short chapters made it easy for me to stay up way to late just reading "one more chapter" so many times in a row. 

Don't let the multiple POVs/main characters intimidate you. This book has very short chapters (the arc was 474 pages and 86 chapters- final copy may vary) so it was really easy to learn all the characters and keep them straight because you got to revisit their POV fairly regularly and they all meet up early on in the book so you don't have to keep up with separate storylines/locations that don't cross for multiple books like in some fantasy series.

Patron Saints of Nothing by Randy Ribay

emotional informative mysterious medium-paced

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

5.0

This Could Be Us by Kennedy Ryan

emotional hopeful inspiring medium-paced

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

5.0

Kennedy Ryan just doesn't miss! The audiobook is fantastic. 

As a stay at home homeschool mom who loves being with my kids I related so much to Soledad's desire to be home with her kids. 

Ethan sucks and Soledad and Judah are amazing. I loved her journey in this book and thought it was perfectly imperfect and beautiful.