kyras_reads's reviews
378 reviews

How My Neighbor Stole Christmas by Meghan Quinn

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adventurous funny lighthearted relaxing slow-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? It's complicated
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? N/A
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A

3.25

I flipped back and forth between the Grinch theme being charming and annoying here. Some of the story narrators lines cracked me up, he was probably my favorite even though he wasn’t actually a character. 

The overall plot, taking out the Christmas aspect, was what you’d normally expect for a romance. There was angst and spice and banter, as expected. 

For a VERY heavily holiday themed book, it was pretty entertaining. I think you just have to be in the mood for exactly that if you pick this book up! 

Tropes: 
Enemies to Lovers
Fake Dating
Small Town
Slow Burn
Holiday Themed (like, seriously)

Spice: 🌶️🌶️🌶️
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Gothikana by RuNyx

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

3.25

Well, I figured this was going to go one of two ways… love or hate. Oddly enough, it felt very much *meh* instead. I’m a little bit disappointed but there were some good parts too.

I don’t think I vibed with the writing style and the romance seemed to have almost no build up and I didn’t really see the chemistry between the main characters. 

Even though the plot was kind of lacking for me, I still enjoyed a lot of aspects. The mysterious school and the history behind it kept me intrigued. And I love the gothic feel!

I wasn’t a fan of Vad, I felt like he was kinda childish and way too possessive but not in a hot way. And for some reason, the spicy parts were a little cringey too. 

I didn’t have a terrible time or anything. I just don’t think this was my vibe. 

Tropes:
Age Gap
Forbidden Romance
Student/Professor 
Dark Academia
Preternatural

Spice: 🌶️🌶️🌶️
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Wicked Serve by Grace Reilly

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adventurous challenging emotional hopeful lighthearted medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? N/A
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A

4.25

How is this the last book in the series already? I had a great time with the Callahan clan and I am pretty sad it’s finally over.

I loved getting to check in with the other characters a little and see what they’re up to in their own lives. I also just LOVED seeing the relationship these two had play out! 

Izzy and Nik were a lot different than the other couples in the series and I really felt like their story was a lot deeper. They had history and such a strong connection. I really enjoyed how mature they approached most of the situations they were faced with. 

Weirdly, my biggest complaint with this book was that I listened on audio and didn’t really like the male narrator. That really came down to personal preference rather than an actual flaw with the character or writing. Just not my cup of tea! 

I’ll really miss this world and this family. I’m so glad I gave them a shot and read this series. 

Tropes:
Second Chance
Brother’s Rival
Forced Proximity 
Secret Relationship 
Sports Romance

Spice: 🌶️🌶️🌶️
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The Mistletoe Mystery by Nita Prose

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

4.0

Well, this was cute! I am such a big fan of Molly and this whole little universe. I love that we know Molly so well that you don’t get frustrated with her lack of picking up social cues and hints about what’s happening around her. She is just the worst at solving mysteries and I love it! This was a sweet little novella and I am so glad I found out it existed! 
Catch the Sun by Jennifer Hartmann

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adventurous challenging dark emotional hopeful inspiring lighthearted mysterious reflective sad tense medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? N/A
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A

5.0

Wow… I didn’t expect this story to be so deep and kind of dark. I thought this was going to be a sweet, light read but I should have known better. This author is the queen of trauma and building a beautiful backstory for her characters that provides so much depth… and this was SO good. 

Max and Ella are definitely on my list of favorite characters from her books. I think they’ll take a seat right next to Oliver and Sydney, my other friends to lovers couple from her books. Their romance was such a joy to experience. Even though they might not have been on the same page a lot of the time, they both knew that they were meant for one another and the level of patience displayed by both of them (okay, mostly Max) was almost more than I could stand.

I was not expecting a lot of that… from her brothers incarceration, to her drowning, to her assault/almost death, to her brother being home, to then a murder… I didn’t have any nails left at the end of this book! 

This story took so many turns I was on the edge of my seat for a lot of it. These two went through so much trauma and so much growth in such a short time. I enjoyed every single page. 

That HEA ending after she crushed my spirit temporarily by separating them?! PERFECTION! I always have to remind myself to trust the process because there has never once been an ending that left me unsatisfied.

And bonus… our favorite FMC is a die hard Dr Pepper lover?! Love to see it! 

Tropes:
Childhood Friends to Lovers
Angsty
First Love… First Everything 
Small Town

Spice: 🌶️🌶️
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The Legacy by Elle Kennedy

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

4.0

I can’t believe I almost listened to someone on the internet who said this book was pointless and wasn’t worth the time. What?! Who doesn’t love an entire story built around characters of a series in the future? Insanity! Epilogues are MY JAM. 

I enjoyed this book so much! I wish something like this existed for every series. I loved getting to check in with each couple and hang out with them for a bit. We got to see some big life changes for a couple of them and see some others navigate a hard season. 

And I just have to say… Three times now I have said it... Dean is a massive man child and a DICKKKKK. 🙂 

I’ll definitely miss (almost) all of these characters and I can’t wait to dive in to one of her other series’.

A wedding.
A proposal. 
An elopement. 
A surprise pregnancy.
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The Goal by Elle Kennedy

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adventurous emotional funny lighthearted medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? N/A
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A

4.5

Okay… officially swooning over good ole boy Tucker! 😩

I don’t have a lot of thoughts except that I’m shocked to once again love the accidental pregnancy aspect of this and can’t believe I might have to take that off my least favorite tropes list. 

I really loved both of these characters and the progression of their relationship was fun to witness. Even the frustration of them not quite being able to figure it out was fine because the end made it SO worth the wait. 

Also, off topic but after this, I still have the opinion that DEAN IS A DICK. That’s pretty much all on that.

Tropes:
Accidental Pregnancy
Sports Romance
He Falls First

Spice: 🌶️🌶️🌶️
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A Jingle Bell Mingle by Sierra Simone, Julie Murphy

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

4.0

I didn’t realize how much I missed this world until I was back in it. These two were a lot of fun and I enjoyed getting to know them and their backstories a lot more. And it was great seeing some of the other characters pop up here and there, too! 

This may be my favorite couple in this series so far. There are some things I had minor annoyances with but ultimately really liked them together. One is was that 70% in he’s kind of an asshole all of a sudden? And how are we gonna pine for each other the entire time and then act that way when she finally comes around and expresses feelings??? That was annoying. 🙄

BUT, overall I had a great time and enjoyed this little holiday romance. A good time was all I was here for and I’d say mission accomplished. 

Tropes:
One Bed
Second Chance
Grumpy X Sunshine
Small Town

Spice: 🌶️🌶️🌶️
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Hitched by Lauren Biel

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

4.0

I felt like the crescendo was too early in the book but the first 40-50% was absolutely 5 stars for me. So much tension and what a great set-up. I wanted to love the rest, and I did like it, it was just hard to top the first half of the book. 

This is my second book by this author and this one felt a lot more like a dark romance (definitely more than Captured did) and I really liked the forbidden, taboo aspects of their relationship. This was a situation where both had something to run from and found solace in one another. 

Lex is a pretty awful person and doesn’t deserve Selena BUT that’s never really why we’re here so… irrelevant, I guess! I really liked these two together. They brought things out in one another that no one else could. In the end, they were pretty perfect for each other. 

I’ll definitely be continuing on with the others in the Ride or Die series eventually! 

Tropes: 
Hitchhiker 
Forced Proximity
Age Gap
Touch Her and Die
Revenge

Spice: 🌶️🌶️🌶️
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Skyshade by Alex Aster

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adventurous challenging dark mysterious tense medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? N/A
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A

4.0

That love triangle? Yeah, still hanging strong. Not feeling great about that the whole time! But it seems like she was staying true to Grim so I was okay with it, since he’s my guy. 

This one got a little messy but overall I enjoyed the plot. It was easy to pay attention because the stakes felt so much higher. I’m wondering what we could see in the future… I just hope whatever it is ends up being done well and there is justice done for everyone. 

All I have to say about the ending is… there BETTER be some closure. It doesn’t have to be for Isla but at least for my boys (well okay, mostly Grim 😜).

Tropes:
Enemies to Lovers
Love Triangle
“Who hurt you”

Spice: 🌶️🌶️