hexentart's reviews
553 reviews

Tangling with Trolls by Hazel Mack

adventurous emotional funny hopeful lighthearted relaxing 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 only have two words…TROLL WHIP! 🤣

Honeysuckles by January Rayne

adventurous challenging dark emotional hopeful mysterious sad tense fast-paced

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

4.5

Whoo! Honeysuckles was something.

Disturbed, depraved, disgusting, and violent monster sex.

Just a touch of plot, for overall cohesion, but plenty of the dark goodness folks crave.

Dominant Alpha Monster?  ✓

Touch her and die?  ✓

Obsession, Possession, Stalking?  ✓

Mating, Claiming, Breeding?  ✓

Morally Gray MC?  ✓

Absolutely FERAL?  ✓

There's a lot going on in this book; 💀🕊️

I can't wait to read the next installment.

Fated Mates: An MM Paranormal Romance Charity Anthology by Sheena Jolie, Kelly Fox, Grae Bryan, Meghan Maslow, Jennifer Cody, Louisa Masters, A.J. Sherwood, Kiki Clark, Ariana Nash, Mia Monroe, Lisa Oliver, Michele Notaro, Kelex, Vinni George, J.P. Sayle, H.L Day, Nik Knight, Lee Colgin, Michelle Frost, Chloe Archer

adventurous challenging emotional funny hopeful lighthearted mysterious relaxing sad tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? N/A
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A

4.75

An entertaining selection of Achillean paranormal romances.

Some were pure fluff, others had a darker edge. A little something for everyone, short of the hardcore dark romance folks. This is all fairly light to middle of the road fare. YMMV, of course.

I enjoyed each story to varying degrees. Some were straight up my jam, others not as much. All stories were well written and I found some new-to-me authors to add to my TBR list.

This anthology supports a great cause, has a large number of wonderful stories, and won't break your book budget.

Wins all around.

West of Apocalypse by Bill Blume

adventurous challenging dark emotional sad tense slow-paced

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

3.5

The Alpha's Resurrection by Marlowe Roy

adventurous challenging dark emotional hopeful sad tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? N/A
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

The Alpha's Seduction by Marlowe Roy

adventurous challenging dark emotional hopeful sad tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? N/A
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

The Alpha's Salvation by Marlowe Roy

challenging dark emotional sad tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? N/A
• Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

A post-apocalyptic Omegaverse story made me cry.

Ugh, so good.

Getting It On with Gargoyles by Hazel Mack

adventurous dark emotional funny hopeful inspiring lighthearted tense medium-paced

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

4.0

Absolutely charming!

Iggy absolutely stole my heart! The way he just gravitates to the triplets and wraps his little tail around them…what a precious little guy!

Love the romance between Thea and Shepard,

the foreshadowing of romance between Wren and Ohken, the combativeness between Morgan and the Keeper,

and the overarching plot for the series. 

I'm invested in these characters and looking forward to the next installment.

Mortal Follies by Alexis Hall

adventurous emotional hopeful lighthearted sad tense slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? N/A
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

3.75

A whimsical tale of curses and love told by Robin Goodfellow aka Puck.

First and foremost, this is a story narrated by one of the fae folk, so it's colored by their perspective. It's a tale told in two acts rather than your standard fare, but both are equally important to the overall narrative. It does end in a HEA. 

If you've come for steamy sapphic sex, this isn't the book for you. Being as this is narrated by a third party, you'll find it lighter on spice but still full of love and affection, both platonic and romantic. 

I found this story to be unique and delightful in its narrative style. Robin is a chaotic narrator, prone to distraction and whimsy; it genuinely feels like it's narrated by an otherworldly being. That being said, the focus of said narrative is the trials of Miss Maelys Mitchelmore. Overcoming curses, a psychotic man, bitchy Gods, the struggles of society, a dawning sexuality, and a new found love is a lot for a young lady. 

This book is not for everyone. If you like your stories formulaic and simple, you may want to give this a pass. If you like your stories vibrant, chaotic, and leaving you guessing until the end, you'll enjoy Mortal Follies. 

I look forward to seeing what tale our good hobgoblin shares with us next!

Not Well Behaved Women: A Steamy Romance Anthology by Kris Jayne, Monique DuBois, Zoey Indiana, Jessa Kates, Carrie Lomax, Demelza Carlton, Elizabeth SaFleur, Blair Babylon, Brit DeMille, A.C. James, Candice Gilmer, Ann Gimpel, Kate Rudolph, Bianca Sommerland, Reina Torres, Tami Lund, Kate Richards, Cathryn Fox

adventurous emotional funny hopeful lighthearted sad tense medium-paced

3.5

The first story ends on a cliffhanger, which to me is a seriously rude thing to do in an anthology, but I won't hold that against the other authors.

There were a few stories I personally had little to no interest in, but again that's no reflection on the authors themselves. 

All the stories were well written and enjoyable. The contents run the gamut as to themes and tropes, a strong female element being the constant throughout.

Overall, a good read.