geekoncaffeine's Reviews (176)

Parallel

Elizabeth O'Roark, Elle O'Roark

5.0

adventurous emotional funny inspiring mysterious tense slow-paced

Plot or Character Driven: A mix

Strong character development: Yes

Loveable characters: Yes

Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

The Red Room

T.A. Cruz

4.5

dark mysterious sad tense medium-paced

Plot or Character Driven: A mix

Strong character development: Complicated

Loveable characters: Complicated

Diverse cast of characters: No

Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

My thanks to the author for an ARC of the book.

I thought for sure this was a stand alone book. So imagine my surprise swiping to find it ended on quite the cliffhanger! I’m going to be mad about this until ARC’s open for book two.

Anyway… I loved this new take on werewolves/shifters. I also appreciated that we have a curvy FMC and an MMC trapped in his own head a lot of the time. Natalie’s BFF grew on me and what happens to her made me cry (it doesn’t help she has my first name).

Is there gore in this book absolutely. Am I a giant chicken who doesn’t like gore (yet loved every episode of NBC’s Hannibal) absolutely. But in this book, like with the tv show it was needed to make the reader see how scary our MMC could be! Though then we find out that Nik is the Dexter of werewolves and only throwing bad people into the red room. I do wonder how humans couldn’t smell said room. I mean death/decay/blood smells. Maybe I missed that bit?

Did I love the story? You bet I did. I’m not at all happy about that cliffy if you didn’t realize that already. Which is the main reason for knocking it down half a star. Otherwise the story was compelling and the spice was very nice.

Content Warnings

The Secrets of Roan Island

Thea Masen, Maci Aurora

5.0

adventurous dark hopeful mysterious tense 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

I finished this book in TWO days! That should tell you everything you need to know. Ok, fine you want more I get it. I won’t be able to give you a lot because spoilers.

There are many secrets on the mysterious Roan Island. Secrets that Professor Ruby Rose truly had no intention of digging into. No she’s there to use the Roan’s vast library for research. She also hopes that the patriarch, Hammish Roan will fund her further research and therefore make her an accent to the university where she works. A place where her own secret lays and where she may no longer be employed if this funding isn’t secured.

There are two catches to this…well, 2.5. She has one month on the island, Hammish never seems to be around, and his eldest son wants her GONE asap. Naturally for a modern gal (this story takes place in the 1800’s in a gas lamp/steampunk/gothic time) that makes her want to stay all the more…especially once she discovers the one thing Noah wants to keep from her.

This story was amazing and it hurt me to have yo put it down to do anything else. The pacing and plot twists were perfect as was the slow burn. I know this is billed as written by two authors but they worked together so seamlessly you might swear there was only one. The Secrets of Roan Island is definitely one of those books I wish I could read over from the beginning and forget what I already know. That being said I hope an audiobook is in the works because I will need it.

Thank you Maci and Thea for the ARC!

Content Warnings

Phantasma

Kaylie Smith

3.75

adventurous challenging dark emotional mysterious tense slow-paced

Plot or Character Driven: A mix

Strong character development: Yes

Loveable characters: Complicated

Diverse cast of characters: No

Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

Reckless Fall

Nyssa Kathryn

3.75

emotional hopeful mysterious tense fast-paced

Plot or Character Driven: Character

Strong character development: Complicated

Loveable characters: Yes

Diverse cast of characters: No

Flaws of characters a main focus: Complicated

Hockey Boy

Brittanée Nicole

4.75

challenging emotional funny hopeful inspiring reflective medium-paced

Plot or Character Driven: Character

Strong character development: Yes

Loveable characters: Yes

Diverse cast of characters: N/A

Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

I really appreciated the care that the author gave to her MMC’s mental health struggle. I could see my own original struggle when first diagnosed in his. It was handled really well.

Content Warnings

The Marriage Debt

Clarissa Wild

5.0

dark emotional mysterious tense medium-paced

Plot or Character Driven: A mix

Strong character development: Yes

Loveable characters: Complicated

Diverse cast of characters: No

Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

I’ve read a number of mafia romances, but only listened to 3 total audiobooks in that category. Holy wow, MK Blackwood and Gideon Frost were amazing (and new to me narrators) and truly brought the story to life. This was my second audiobook to add in sound effects and it took me by surprise, but also added depth to the story. The story was a doozy…I could not stop listening to it! Highly recommend this one if you like mafia romance!