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katvou's reviews
269 reviews
The Worst Pucking Deal by B. Lybaek
3.5
⭐️⭐️⭐️,5 / 🌶️🌶️🌶️
Overall I liked the concept and idea of the book. The story was a nice mixture of mafia romance and hockey romance.
I liked the relationship between Sawyer and Lucia. They weren’t exactly enemies at the beginning, but they weren't friends either. I liked how their relationship developed and evolved throughout the book. I enjoyed the touch her and die vibes.
The plot was good for most of the book, but unfortunately fell apart towards the end. The big showdown between Remus and Fabian was disappointing, the ending felt rushed, and the mafia elements at the end felt really unrealistic. Also I’m not a fan of the miscommunication trope.
I received an ARC of this book and I am voluntarily leaving a review. Receiving ARC didn’t affect my opinion of the book.
Overall I liked the concept and idea of the book. The story was a nice mixture of mafia romance and hockey romance.
I liked the relationship between Sawyer and Lucia. They weren’t exactly enemies at the beginning, but they weren't friends either. I liked how their relationship developed and evolved throughout the book. I enjoyed the touch her and die vibes.
The plot was good for most of the book, but unfortunately fell apart towards the end. The big showdown between Remus and Fabian was disappointing, the ending felt rushed, and the mafia elements at the end felt really unrealistic. Also I’m not a fan of the miscommunication trope.
I received an ARC of this book and I am voluntarily leaving a review. Receiving ARC didn’t affect my opinion of the book.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content
Moderate: Toxic relationship and Blood
Minor: Pregnancy
A Sword of Gilded Embers by B.C. FaJohn
3.0
A Sword of Gilded Embers is the second book in the A Throne of Ice series. While the first book in the series was more focused on the romance between the FMC and MMC, this second book was more focused on the plot and action.
I liked the MMC more in this book. I also found the relationship between the FMC and MMC to be better than in the first book. Unfortunately, I still didn’t like the FMC and found her to be quite annoying at times.
There was more history and world-building in this book compared to the first one, which was great. However, there were still some things that could have been explained a bit better, especially the magic system.
There was a lot happening and multiple plot twists I didn’t see coming.
I received an ARC of this book and I am voluntarily leaving a review. Receiving ARC didn’t affect my opinion of the book.
A Crown of Ash and Silver by B.C. FaJohn
2.0
⭐️⭐️ / 🌶️🌶️
“Little witchling.”
“In a world full of stars, Aurelie, I’d always find my way back to you.”
“You’re charming when you get protective.”
“You are my life. My reason to keep fighting.”
I really wanted to like this book. The cover looks great, the character art was beautiful, and the blurb sounds interesting, but unfortunately, I had a hard time reading it and almost DNF'd.
Enemies-to-lovers is my favorite trope, and even though this book was marketed as enemies-to-lovers & bodyguard romance, there wasn’t enough of either. The FMC & MMC didn’t really feel like enemies at the beginning and got past being “enemies” way too quickly. I would have loved to see a slower burn and them actually being enemies at the beginning.
I would have liked to see more world and character building and development. Also the magic system was quite confusing. I loved having some information about it at the beginning of the book, but I was still confused by it.
The writing could have needed a bit more work. It was sometimes hard to understand what was going on. Also, there were some inconsistencies, weird word choices, and overall things that would have needed to be explained a bit better.
In my opinion, there were a bit too many similarities to ACOTAR (for example, the court names, the beginning of the book etc). I’m okay with books being inspired by other books, but this felt like straight-up copying at times.
I received an ARC of this book and I am voluntarily leaving a review. Receiving ARC didn’t affect my opinion of the book.
“Little witchling.”
“In a world full of stars, Aurelie, I’d always find my way back to you.”
“You’re charming when you get protective.”
“You are my life. My reason to keep fighting.”
I really wanted to like this book. The cover looks great, the character art was beautiful, and the blurb sounds interesting, but unfortunately, I had a hard time reading it and almost DNF'd.
Enemies-to-lovers is my favorite trope, and even though this book was marketed as enemies-to-lovers & bodyguard romance, there wasn’t enough of either. The FMC & MMC didn’t really feel like enemies at the beginning and got past being “enemies” way too quickly. I would have loved to see a slower burn and them actually being enemies at the beginning.
I would have liked to see more world and character building and development. Also the magic system was quite confusing. I loved having some information about it at the beginning of the book, but I was still confused by it.
The writing could have needed a bit more work. It was sometimes hard to understand what was going on. Also, there were some inconsistencies, weird word choices, and overall things that would have needed to be explained a bit better.
In my opinion, there were a bit too many similarities to ACOTAR (for example, the court names, the beginning of the book etc). I’m okay with books being inspired by other books, but this felt like straight-up copying at times.
I received an ARC of this book and I am voluntarily leaving a review. Receiving ARC didn’t affect my opinion of the book.
Bound by Secrets by Mia Sian
challenging
dark
emotional
lighthearted
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
4.5
Please check the trigger warnings before reading!
This book truly was an emotional rollercoaster. There were a lot of really heavy and dark moments but also some funny and lighthearted ones.
I loved the bond that the FMC had with the twins and how they always took care of each other no matter what happened and how difficult things were. Also really enjoyed the found family aspect with their new friends.
The chemistry between FMC and the MMCs was so good. I loved how their relationship developed and how gentle and understanding the MMCs were towards her.
The pacing of the book was good and stayed consistent throughout the story. Even though there was a lot happening, the story never felt rushed.
Overall a well written, emotional and engaging book.
I received an ARC of this book and I am voluntarily leaving a review. Receiving ARC didn’t affect my opinion of the book.
This book truly was an emotional rollercoaster. There were a lot of really heavy and dark moments but also some funny and lighthearted ones.
I loved the bond that the FMC had with the twins and how they always took care of each other no matter what happened and how difficult things were. Also really enjoyed the found family aspect with their new friends.
The chemistry between FMC and the MMCs was so good. I loved how their relationship developed and how gentle and understanding the MMCs were towards her.
The pacing of the book was good and stayed consistent throughout the story. Even though there was a lot happening, the story never felt rushed.
Overall a well written, emotional and engaging book.
I received an ARC of this book and I am voluntarily leaving a review. Receiving ARC didn’t affect my opinion of the book.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Physical abuse, Blood, Violence, Child abuse, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Rape, Medical content, and Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Miscarriage, Pregnancy, Death, Torture, Vomit, and Alcohol
Of Song and Darkness by Jessica Spruill
adventurous
emotional
funny
lighthearted
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
4.5
“Your concern is touching. It almost seems like you care.”
“And here I believed you were just a heartless pirate.”
“Touch her again, and you won’t have to worry about your hand because I will cleave you to the brisket, savvy?”
I really enjoyed this book, it was easy to read and kept me engaged from start to finish.
The FMC Rhea is the siren princess of Aquarius, and she’s willing to do anything to save her world. I liked her character development and how she gained much more confidence throughout the story.
The MMC is a notorious pirate captain, Blackheart Kai. I enjoyed the banter and tension between him and Rhea. There were some things revealed about his history and how/why he ended up being a pirate captain. He seemed like a really interesting character and I would love to learn more about him and his past.
The storyline itself was easy to follow and interesting. There were some plot twists towards the end that took me by surprise, and I didn’t see those coming. There were a few times where the plot felt maybe a bit too easy and convenient for the main characters but overall I really enjoyed the story.
I received an ARC of this book and I am voluntarily leaving a review. Receiving ARC didn’t affect my opinion of the book.
Selah Gothic by Kat Blackthorne
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
5.0
Are you ready for your exorcism with Father Dante Amorth?
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ / 🌶️🌶️🌶️
“When Father Dante Amorth is ready for you… He will find you.”
“May the devil guide her. May the reaper find her.”
“We were two instantly ignited prayer candles, him and I, and I would gladly burn beside him until the wick met glass, and we were nothing but forgotten smoke in an empty cathedral.”
Please check the trigger warnings before reading.
I loved this book. It was so well and beautifully written, full of darkness, feminine rage and overcoming religious trauma. I loved the gothic vibes and the mysterious atmosphere.
Selah was a great main character. I enjoyed how she grew as a character, becoming more confident and embraced herself throughout the story.
Dante was a mysterious character and loved learning about him and his history. I enjoyed the chemistry and slow burn between him and Selah and how his darkness found its companion in her darkness.
The storyline itself was captivating and kept me hooked from the first page to the end.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Sexual content, Blood, Death of parent, Emotional abuse, Gaslighting, Murder, Religious bigotry, and Child abuse
Moderate: Child death and Violence
Minor: Alcohol, Sexual violence, and Rape
Veiled in Stars and Silver by J. Ann Curtis
Did not finish book. Stopped at 21%.
Did not finish book. Stopped at 21%.
The blurb sounded really interesting and I wanted to like this book, but unfortunately the writing wasn’t for me.
Punished by Nix Murguia
Did not finish book. Stopped at 10%.
Did not finish book. Stopped at 10%.
The blurb and tropes sounded interesting, but unfortunately, this book wasn’t for me.
The pov and time changes made it hard for me to get into the story. Additionally, since the chapters weren’t marked by numbers and whose point of view it was, it was difficult to discern who was speaking etc.
Shattered Vows by P. Rayne
I received an ARC of this book and I am voluntarily leaving a review. Receiving ARC didn’t affect my opinion of the book.
dark
emotional
funny
lighthearted
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
4.5
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️,5 / 🌶️🌶️🌶️🌶️
Shattered Vows is the second book in the Midnight Manor series. Dark & spicy contemporary romance retelling of Rapunzel.
I loved the first book in the series, and this one was a great continuation in a series of dark fairytale retellings.
Overall a well-written and intriguing story. Fast and easy to read. I enjoyed how the storyline resembled Rapunzel but also had its own twist on the fairytale.
The chemistry between Rapsody and Kol. was well-written. I loved watching their relationship grow and develop throughout the book.
Personally, I would have preferred to learn a bit more about the shared history between Rapsody and Kol.
I can’t wait to read the next book in the series
I received an ARC of this book and I am voluntarily leaving a review. Receiving ARC didn’t affect my opinion of the book.
Born Upon a Curse by Michael Dane
Did not finish book. Stopped at 10%.
Did not finish book. Stopped at 10%.
I wanted to like this book but unfortunately it wasn’t for me. The writing style didn’t work for me and I had a hard time trying to get into the story.
The FMC constantly underestimating herself was getting on my nerves.
The FMC constantly underestimating herself was getting on my nerves.