jess_bythebook's reviews
450 reviews

Shadowed Heart by Kendra Moreno, K.A. Knight

dark emotional tense 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? Yes

5.0

It’s not often a sequel is better than the original, but this clearly is the exception. Filled with redemptions, self-love, and plenty of why choose spice, Shadowed Heart explores the process of rebuilding one’s self both physically and mentally. 

Picking up where Fractured Shadows left off, Kai is ready to end it all. She feels alone, forgotten, and utterly ruined by her past. Yet, when she discovers herself surrounded by frightening monsters, she slowly realizes the real monsters are actually the ones that look normal on the outside. And she’s done being afraid.

“Fairy tales are for children and I am not a child. I don’t want a hero. I want a monster.”

The focus on overcoming trauma was incredible and I absolutely loved how gentle these beasts were with Kai. This found family had quite a journey in such a short amount of time, but it never felt rushed. It only got better and better the deeper I delved into the book all the way to the epic ending! A fantastic duet.

I received this book in exchange for my honest review.

Happenstance by Tessa Bailey

emotional funny lighthearted fast-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? Yes

3.5

Love That Dog CD by Sharon Creech

emotional funny hopeful informative inspiring reflective sad medium-paced

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

5.0

Carnage by Shantel Tessier

dark emotional mysterious tense medium-paced

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

5.0

This series gets more and more wild as it goes! It’s dark, gritty, and oh so spicy. I am still processing what happened. But what I do know is this over the top, possessive, dangerous alpha might be my new favorite book boyfriend. 

Ashtyn always knew what her role was in the LORDS and accepted it a long time ago. In fact, she embraced it and looks forward to being exactly what they want her to be. But when too many people have a say over her life, she finds herself lost, on the run, and wary on who to trust in a world where everyone is out for themselves. 

“I’m not the type of girl who waits around for a hero. Or wants a Prince Charming. They’re the good guys—boring. I want someone who I know will fight for me. Even if they have to cheat to win.”

Saint had everything he wanted at one point. At least until she ran from him. And he’s not one who just allows his things to be taken from him. He will hunt her down and drag her back, screaming if necessary.

“When you’re raised in hell, heaven is a fairy tale that doesn’t exist.”

This book is like a train wreck - you can’t look away even though you see it coming. Everything from the previous series comes to a head with the Spade brothers. Even though you don’t need to read The Ritual and the rest of the LORDS series, I highly recommend you do before diving into Carnage. And you’re left with just enough questions to carry over into the next in the series. 

Check your triggers because this is one of the darkest books I’ve read in a while. But if you’re like me and use triggers as a shopping list, go in blind because you’re in for a wicked ride!

“Careful what you wish for, ladies. Sometimes the devil hears you and delivers exactly what you want, knowing it will be the last thing you ever get.”

I received this book in exchange for my honest review. 

Snow Place Like Home by Lacey Baker

hopeful lighthearted slow-paced

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

4.0

This is a super clean, Christian romance that’s so stinking cute it’ll melt all the grinchy hearts. With all the makings of a Hallmark Christmas movie, this story delves deep into learning to let go of the past in order to open your arms for what the future holds. However, even with forced proximity and a slight enemies to lovers trope, I wish the pacing was just a little bit faster. 

“Did you break his heart or did he break yours?”

“I like to think of it as a lesson,” she said. “Not a heartbreak.”

“And what lesson did you learn?”

“Never fall in love again.”

Ella lost her job, her fiancé, and now has nowhere to go. Going back to her aunt’s house for Christmas, she finds herself helping on the local committee to raise funds for a good cause. But being back in the town she grew up in means she now has to confront all the feelings she’s pushed aside for so long. Plus, reuniting with some old faces again brings up new feelings she’s not quite ready for yet. 

Seth is on the committee in honor of his late wife. If it wasn’t for her and the dedication she had to this town, he probably wouldn’t even be here. But a promise is a promise. However, when his old high school crush comes back into town, he finds himself suddenly being the first to volunteer.

“We don’t get to pick the time and the place that our prayers or our whispers are answered. And sometimes, Ella, sometimes the answer to our prayers is no.”

I actually loved the message this story sent. The aunt is the unsung hero for sure! And if this isn’t turned into a Hallmark or Netflix movie, they’re seriously missing out. I think if it was shortened, it’d be just about perfect. I love that it’s written and narrated both by black women. It brings a life to it in a way that not many Christmas books have done in the past. Plus it has a dog!

Thank you to NetGalley and Thomas Nelson for the audiobook in exchange for my honest review. 

Revolt by K.A. Knight

dark emotional mysterious tense medium-paced

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

4.0

If you liked Den of Vipers, you’re going to love this. This is not for the newbies. But if you’re a well-seasoned reader who enjoys extra spicy content, you’ve come to the right place. 

Reign Harrow always did what people told her to do. Don’t drink too much, don’t make a scene, be nice and generous and attractive and quiet and dull. Well, she’s done being a pushover and her new life starts now. 

“It was only in my pain and isolation when I realized the truth—they needed me more than I needed them.”

Hired to protect the rock princess, this group of bodyguards are the best at what they do. Raffiel, Astro, Cillian, and Dal are contracted to provide everything she could ever want. Everything… However, when secrets are revealed and safety is compromised, are they willing to sacrifice their emotions for what she needs? Or better yet, can they sacrifice hers?

“I might be hired to be her security guard, but I’m only a man. A man who wants Reign Harrow more than I want my next breath.”

I’ve read so many of KA Knight’s works that I think I was expecting more in terms of plot. A lot of it was repetitive and what plot there was didn’t really line up nor was it believable. But let’s be honest - if you’re familiar with her prior works, you’re not really here for the plot anyway. All in all, this book is fun, full of women empowerment, and kept me coming back wanting to know what was going to happen next. And the last 30% is edge of your seat drama you don’t want to miss!

“Nobody controls Reign. She’s ready to revolt.”

I received this book in exchange for my honest review.

Maybe Once, Maybe Twice by Alison Rose Greenberg

challenging emotional lighthearted reflective medium-paced

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

4.0

A love triangle done right! It feels real and chaotic and emotional all at the same time. Beautifully written and lyrically moving, this book left me guessing all the way to the last page. 

“‘Find someone who makes you laugh’ was a line I had always heard. But finding someone who made me see the world in psychedelic colors was equally intoxicating.”

Maggie Vine made a marriage pact with two people - one as a child and one as an adult. The problem, however, is that they both appeared back in her life the year she turned 35. With one having a hold over her past and the other offering her a dream of the future, she has to choose which one to let go of. 

“I would have walked away from anyone for you. Anytime. Anyone,” he said inches from my face, tears still holding tight in his eyes. 

“And now?” I cracked, my voice quivering.

“I’m getting married.”

Let me tell you, the grip this story had on me was strong. I could absolutely relate to her thoughts, her battle with letting go, and her heartbreaking struggle with infertility. And just when you think you know what’s going to happen, the author manages to flip everything with a single scene. 

I did have a hard time differentiating between the past and the present when the chapter titles are only numbers spoken briefly in the audio version. It made it somewhat difficult to follow along and got confusing very quickly. But other than that, this was really well done. I found myself wanting to get back into the story time and time again. Plus that ending? *chef’s kiss*

“All I wanted was everything. What’s so bad about that?”

Thank you to NetGalley and Dreamscape Media for the audio of this book in exchange for my honest review. 

Madame by Sara Cate

emotional inspiring reflective slow-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

This was not what I was expecting at all and I loved every minute of it. You’re going to need a pillow to hold on to for this one because the emotions are real. Add in Sara Cate’s notorious top notch spice and you’ve got a book that you cannot put down!

“Love is nothing more than a form of control. And from here on out, I will be the only one in control.”

Eden St. Claire has always been known as Madame Kink - the powerful, sexy, and confident Domme. However, when her professional life starts merging with her personal one, her walls protecting both her heart and her life start crumbling bit by bit. Pushing people out has always been her defense mechanism to keep her secrets safe. And if it will only bring pain and heartache, is it even worth breaking the habit to let someone in?

“If I could make myself bleed for her, I would. Not that it would make a difference. She’d still walk away.”

Clay Bradley thought he had it all with Eden. But it was all a lie. So when he shows back up with his new girlfriend, Jade, no one knows what to think. Especially not Eden. But night after night, their relationship grows as the three of them battle not just the outside world, but also themselves. Secrets are kept, mistakes are covered up, and before too long their lives explode in a mess of drama and passion. 

This wasn’t as kinky as I was expecting, but honestly I liked that she was so relatable. The transition from a couple to a FFM relationship felt very natural and empowering. The spice was superb, our favorite past couples made a guest appearance, and the story as a whole was a smooth conclusion to such an amazing series. But boy, I was not ready for that ending!

“Is loving a person truly enough when existing together requires so much more?”

I received this book in exchange for my honest review.

Emily Wilde's Map of the Otherlands by Heather Fawcett

adventurous challenging emotional funny lighthearted mysterious tense slow-paced

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

4.25

Full of mystery, detail, and adventure! This is such a cozy and fun read. Written from the point of view of a scholarly journal, you feel like you’re there in the countryside with the characters the whole time. 

Off on yet another quest to solve a mysterious case of faerie, Emily Wilde is the same wonderfully quirky dryadologist we grew to love from the first book. Only this time she’s brought along her coworker, Dr. Wendell Bambleby, who just so happens to have assassins sent by his mother to destroy him. 

“For how long will we be permitted to shelter here, after what we have done? What I have done. I have done this.”

Emily is used to making mistakes, especially when they include social gatherings. However, when one problem turns into another, she has to find a way to navigate her fiasco of an adventure while doing her best to keep everyone alive in the process. 

New characters, a fresh romance, and a trip to the faerie world just adds wonder to this already fascinating world. The first half is pretty slow, but the second half is nothing less than thrilling! Everything escalates to an edge of your seat conclusion and that ending left me with such a sweet and lovely feeling that I wanted to dive right in again. 

Thank you to NetGalley, Del Ray, and Penguin Random House for this book in exchange for my honest review. 

The Silent Patient by Alex Michaelides

challenging dark emotional mysterious reflective sad tense slow-paced

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

4.25

Loved that I did not see the plot twist coming! Hated being strung along after each chapter ending. But loved the characters and the story. But I wanted to throw it against a wall. It was a rollercoaster.