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kavuyi's reviews
206 reviews
Nightshade by Autumn Woods
dark
emotional
lighthearted
mysterious
medium-paced
5.0
What to expect:
World-famous students
Hate to Love
Creepy events
Cosy libraries
Email banter
Rainy weather
Isolated Setting/Scottish castle
Rugby player MMC
Academic Romance
Grumpy x Grumpy
Swimmer FMC (but it's not a sports romance)
An old grudge & a mysterious murder
And one anonymous stalker
He falls first
Chileee this is the last time I’m reading a cliffhanger book. What do I do with my life now?
When is the next book coming out?
I love Ophelia and Alex. They are amazing together. That cliffhanger though.
Let’s go to square one.
Ophelia goes to Sorrowsong University to digging into her parents’s death and finds herself being trailed by a stalker.
Alex goes to Sorrowsong University to get away from his family and find himself falling for Ophelia.
A death. Attempted murder is what pulls them together. The book being a dual POV is what makes it all the more emotional. If it was Ophelia’s POV only we would hate Alex as much as she does but because we also have Alex’s side and he wants to love this girl and he can’t because he doesn’t understand it is so sad to read.
This is enemies to lovers between grumpy MCs but when they fell they took me with them. The ending!!!! I want book two now.
You gotta read this.
Stolen Vows by Penelope Black
inspiring
medium-paced
4.25
Tropes:
He calls her sunshine
He calls her sunshine
Marriage of convenience
Slow burn(ish)
Mutual pining
Small town romance
Grumpy x sunshine
Family drama
Francesca’s family is trash. Let’s get that out of the way.
We have an heiress, Francesca, who can only access her trust if she gets married. And we have Graham who can only get his inheritance if he gets married.
I don’t wanna call its serendipity, but that’s what it looks like when they met 10 years ago, 5 years ago and in present time. This man hacks (calls it cybersecurity) into systems and put a notification to find this lady. I love Graham Carter.
This is an Insta love written the right way. They just click and the skirt around the Insta love itself, but don’t really fall into it right there and then.
I love how the characters were built up and we just didn’t rush into the marriage of convenience. We read the characters in their element first and then head into the marriage next. What a marriage!!!
I went through whiplash, one moment Graham is this quiet, soft guy. Next moment, Graham is speaking filthy, wearing glasses, has tattoos and he’s pierced. What?
You have to read it yourself to believe it.
It’s amazing, loved it.
A Ship of Bones & Teeth by Karina Halle
adventurous
dark
fast-paced
4.5
Tropes:
Vampire x Syren/Mermaid
Little Mermaid x Pirates of the Caribbean retelling
Dark Romance
Pirates
Fall for the villain
Fantasy romance
Fairytale mashup
Gothic
Enemies to lovers
Sea setting
Close proximity
Magic
Adventure
Found family
Witches, mermaids, skeleton crew, the Kraken
Captor x captive
I wish I could be part of that world.
What if she has regrets for giving up her fins and tail? What if the prince was abusive and she wanted to go home? What if she got kidnapped by a pirate? What if she wanted revenge on the witch who manipulated her?
I love how my memory of the Little mermaid sort of merges with this book. I saw hints of Pirates of the Caribbean as well and it just worked well for this book.
Basically this book starts off from little mermaid being married for 10 years and going through physical and emotional abuse in her marriage. She wants out of all of this and she gets a chance, totally random, when they get captured by a pirate ship and you have pirate/Captain Ramsey bones at the helm. A chance for revenge on the sea witch.
Captain bones has had his fair share of sea witches, taking part of his life away. He wants revenge and he wants it now. Totally random, his pirate ship captures Maren’s ship and he keeps her, marks her, claims her and off the travels they go looking for the same sea witch.
If you wanna read a book about a man who has the most foul mouth, the most filthy words coming out out of it this is it. It took me getting to the 50% marker to understand what they both are in totality. Karina Halle shines in this book and I absolutely love it. Amazing!!!!
The Merger by Adriana Locke
lighthearted
medium-paced
4.0
ARC Review:
Tropes:
Age gap
Surprise pregnancy
Workplace romance
Best friends brother
Grumpy x sunshine
Opposites attract
After reading Ripley’s story, I was kind of curious about Gannon. And his book is finally here.
Imagine grumpy, broody, no nonsense, billionaire Gannon hiring free spirited down on her luck, plant saving heroine Cary and it turns into a no hearts attached but are attached romance.
It’s an opposite attract kind of thing. Hiding relationship. Sneaking around.
I loved how he wanted her, but didn’t show it until it was time to show it, and I loved how she was the opposite of him, show it until you make it. From the get go. When Gannon fell, he fell. The grumpy man became a happy man.
It was also clear to see that they had different family structures. Gannon is close with his mother and brothers and that’s remained true throughout the series. Cary on the other hand, had a pretty horrible father, and I was ready to throw hands at some point, alas it ended well.
The mini journals!!!! Swoon!!!!
It’s always the broody ones with the craziest thoughts.
Tropes:
Age gap
Surprise pregnancy
Workplace romance
Best friends brother
Grumpy x sunshine
Opposites attract
After reading Ripley’s story, I was kind of curious about Gannon. And his book is finally here.
Imagine grumpy, broody, no nonsense, billionaire Gannon hiring free spirited down on her luck, plant saving heroine Cary and it turns into a no hearts attached but are attached romance.
It’s an opposite attract kind of thing. Hiding relationship. Sneaking around.
I loved how he wanted her, but didn’t show it until it was time to show it, and I loved how she was the opposite of him, show it until you make it. From the get go. When Gannon fell, he fell. The grumpy man became a happy man.
It was also clear to see that they had different family structures. Gannon is close with his mother and brothers and that’s remained true throughout the series. Cary on the other hand, had a pretty horrible father, and I was ready to throw hands at some point, alas it ended well.
The mini journals!!!! Swoon!!!!
It’s always the broody ones with the craziest thoughts.
Paid to the Pirate by Una Rohr, Una Rohr
adventurous
lighthearted
fast-paced
4.0
Tropes:
Touch Her And ☠️
Possessive MMC
Dual POV
He Falls First
Enemies To Lovers
Dark/Captive Romance
Amnesia
Pirates
Historical romance
They each have a secret. but her lips are scaled
Let’s start by saying, when the book starts we are dumped in the middle of a secret. Charlotte has amnesia and does not remember anything about her life. Stuck in a little town, working in an inn, she finds herself at the Mercy of pirates, their captain none other than Captain Colt and he is known for being cruel.
He wants her back. She doesn’t understand why.
Charlotte finds herself on Captain Colt’s ship, and first things first he wants to know something that she is hiding and that she did two years ago that she does not remember. The tension between these two was something else even with the “punishment.” With no memories of her past it was easy to understand how the FMC could fall for the MMC.
The book starts in the present and then goes back in the past to show us where we began from. That feeling of being dumped in the middle of the secret reveals everything at some point. It all comes together.
I loved the MCs. Colt literally loved the FMC even when he thought she was a man. Part two of the book I loved most, seeing how everything added up to part one. Read this in one sitting and I loved it. The side characters were amazing. Loved everything.
Read this in one sitting. Got me out of a reading slump.
Touch Her And ☠️
Possessive MMC
Dual POV
He Falls First
Enemies To Lovers
Dark/Captive Romance
Amnesia
Pirates
Historical romance
They each have a secret. but her lips are scaled
Let’s start by saying, when the book starts we are dumped in the middle of a secret. Charlotte has amnesia and does not remember anything about her life. Stuck in a little town, working in an inn, she finds herself at the Mercy of pirates, their captain none other than Captain Colt and he is known for being cruel.
He wants her back. She doesn’t understand why.
Charlotte finds herself on Captain Colt’s ship, and first things first he wants to know something that she is hiding and that she did two years ago that she does not remember. The tension between these two was something else even with the “punishment.” With no memories of her past it was easy to understand how the FMC could fall for the MMC.
The book starts in the present and then goes back in the past to show us where we began from. That feeling of being dumped in the middle of the secret reveals everything at some point. It all comes together.
I loved the MCs. Colt literally loved the FMC even when he thought she was a man. Part two of the book I loved most, seeing how everything added up to part one. Read this in one sitting and I loved it. The side characters were amazing. Loved everything.
Read this in one sitting. Got me out of a reading slump.
Gothikana by RuNyx
dark
medium-paced
4.0
Tropes:
Dark academia
Haunted Castle
Forbidden romance
Professor x student
Dark Romance
Thriller
Dual POV
He falls first
Mystery
We have death and mystery going on in this book.
People die without an explanation. People go missing every year of every black ball; and it just so happens to be the year that Covina joins the university.
She has secrets, she has dreams, she sees things and she hears things that aren’t really there. In all this, we meet her professor, Vad. He is all broody, silver eyes and hot. It’s a forbidden romance between a professor and his student, dark academia, gothic castle vibes and mystery.
Some secrets are plot twists. I had my jaw dropping in shock. I loved the book enough, but I feel like it’s a cliffhanger book. I have questions, a lot of questions. The ending didn’t give me the answers I was looking for and now I want answers. My epilogues raised more questions. I don’t know how to feel about that part.
I loved the mystery and the supernatural side to it, though it wasn’t really taken in depth. I loved the MCs, I loved the set up the vibes in the book and some plot twists. The ending not so much.
My main question? Will there be a book 2? Is that even possible?
Loving The Liar by Lola King
dark
emotional
fast-paced
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
4.5
Tropes:
Breathe her way you will suffer a worse fate than death
Elite college
Her ex is obsessed with her
Dethroned queen bee
Secret society
Dubcon / noncon
He's promised to someone else
Second chance romance
Dark romance
I thought Killian Carson from God of Malice was bad, Christopher Murray is worse.
So we have the Queen E of SFU who learns bad news about her family, demoted from popular status and finds out her ex is also back at SFU. Imagine Queen E losing her popularity status and falling down the food chain and having her ex fix the mess.
We have a secret society trying to get her. Fiancées trying to ruin her, horrible parents using her for their own gains and some gossip girl wannabe going mad. There was a lot going on.
What bridge did this unhinged man not cross?
I love Christopher and that says a lot about me at the core. He is undeterred in getting that second chance. He will do anything to get this girl back. Anything. I took his side in the book and it makes sense as you read the book further that Christopher is just an amazing guy, though unhinged, slightly.
I won’t lie. I got whiplash reading this book. One moment I’m awwwwww swoon next I am like WHAT!!! That man!!!
I didn’t know who was where like, who’s being honest? Who’s lying?
I was taken!!!
Shouldn’t support toxic relationships.
Breathe her way you will suffer a worse fate than death
Elite college
Her ex is obsessed with her
Dethroned queen bee
Secret society
Dubcon / noncon
He's promised to someone else
Second chance romance
Dark romance
I thought Killian Carson from God of Malice was bad, Christopher Murray is worse.
So we have the Queen E of SFU who learns bad news about her family, demoted from popular status and finds out her ex is also back at SFU. Imagine Queen E losing her popularity status and falling down the food chain and having her ex fix the mess.
We have a secret society trying to get her. Fiancées trying to ruin her, horrible parents using her for their own gains and some gossip girl wannabe going mad. There was a lot going on.
What bridge did this unhinged man not cross?
I love Christopher and that says a lot about me at the core. He is undeterred in getting that second chance. He will do anything to get this girl back. Anything. I took his side in the book and it makes sense as you read the book further that Christopher is just an amazing guy, though unhinged, slightly.
I won’t lie. I got whiplash reading this book. One moment I’m awwwwww swoon next I am like WHAT!!! That man!!!
I didn’t know who was where like, who’s being honest? Who’s lying?
I was taken!!!
Shouldn’t support toxic relationships.
Lies that Break Us by Rae Douglas
adventurous
dark
emotional
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Loveable characters? Yes
5.0
Tropes:
Enemies to lovers
Stalker romance
Obsession
Blackmail
Marriage of convenience
Mr & Mrs smith vibes
One night stand
Slow burn
Kill her or kiss her
Operation find a husband.
That’s what Clara is on about, finding a husband. Lucky her, unlucky her, she meets and blackmails Deniz. Lucky her because she gets a husband, but unlucky her because Deniz ensured this would happen since he’s her stalker.
She’s the heir matriarch of The Syndicate and he wants to know why his brother was killed on a hit meant for Clara’s mother. The action. The secrets. The moments between them.
This is a strong FMC, I loved her no nonsense approach. The enemy to lovers part was giving. The dynamics. I loved it.
Burn for Me by Effie Campbell
dark
fast-paced
3.5
Tropes:
Forced Proximity
Captive
Scarred MMC
Mute MMC
Phantom Of The Opera Vibes
Body Betrayal
Trauma
Recovery
Morally Grey Arsonist
He’s Obsessed With Her
Mafia related deaths
What would you do if the man you thought loved you put a bullet in your chest?
What would you do if you woke up with a bullet onto your chest and a stranger sewing up the wound?
What would you do if said stranger who saved you and sold up your bullet boot kept you captive on his tiny island?
Well, this is what happens to Laura when instead of preparing for her wedding she gets shot by the groom and left for dead. In comes arsonist and scarred hero Phoenix who decides to keep Laura for himself on his tiny island. She fights him at every turn, while keeping the heat at bay. Until it all comes to a head and they fall.
I had mixed emotions on this book. Phoenix had been through a lot. Gosh some parts had me cringing. This man ripped his lips apart. For her. All in all I actually liked it.
Forced Proximity
Captive
Scarred MMC
Mute MMC
Phantom Of The Opera Vibes
Body Betrayal
Trauma
Recovery
Morally Grey Arsonist
He’s Obsessed With Her
Mafia related deaths
What would you do if the man you thought loved you put a bullet in your chest?
What would you do if you woke up with a bullet onto your chest and a stranger sewing up the wound?
What would you do if said stranger who saved you and sold up your bullet boot kept you captive on his tiny island?
Well, this is what happens to Laura when instead of preparing for her wedding she gets shot by the groom and left for dead. In comes arsonist and scarred hero Phoenix who decides to keep Laura for himself on his tiny island. She fights him at every turn, while keeping the heat at bay. Until it all comes to a head and they fall.
I had mixed emotions on this book. Phoenix had been through a lot. Gosh some parts had me cringing. This man ripped his lips apart. For her. All in all I actually liked it.
The Hermit by Michelle Heard
fast-paced
3.0
Tropes:
Dark Mafia
Arranged marriage
Forced proximity
OTT Possessive/Protective MMC
Grumpy vs Grumpy
Violence
Kidnapping
Panic attacks/PTSD
Instant attraction
Breeding (very light)
No Cheating!!!!
Touch her and ☠️
Grace and Dominic
A widow who experienced abuse gets into a second marriage (as a replacement for her sister) with an assassin and arms dealer who hate’s people and is basically a hermit.
This man shoots her father for slapping her.
He gets her through a panic attack.
He waits until she’s ready to consummate their marriage
He protects her
This book was fast paced. Insta love. One minute we have Grace who hates all men, and within a week or two or three she is in love. Dominic falls day one and keeps falling. I was expecting more, more fights between the MCs what with their personalities, more pages added to this. More finding a balance with a man who hates people.