lanidon's reviews
1840 reviews

The Queen of Blood

Sarah Beth Durst

DID NOT FINISH: 48%

It lost me about halfway in and I can't even give a reason why. The scope of the book is very broad and I think it made it less gripping. You're seeing all across the land over multiple years. The school parts were the best for me, but you also couldn't write out the other parts entirely without creating holes in the story

A bit shallow and fast but cute enough

Impromptu Match

Lily Mayne

DID NOT FINISH: 66%

DNF @ 66%

I found the book quite charming and funny at the start, my issue is that it never graduated from sweetly goofy into any true, deep emotion. Charm can hook me, but I need depth to keep me

The Goddess of Nothing At All

Cat Rector

DID NOT FINISH: 14%

It's just the exact same Loki myths as always but now his wife is there and they make some gay comments in the middle

It feels like we never dig below a surface level on any of these characters which is really unfortunate in a book that entirely revolves around the life paths of four characters. Every jump between worlds really slows things down without adding a new perspective to the characters or anything, it feels like we're skating in circles and not in a fun Groundhog's Day way

The ending is what really gets me though
we're supposed to believe that the two constants between tons of universes are this one woman ending up with different versions of a dud man and this other woman being stalked and killed, that's so bleak

The Shots You Take

Rachel Reid

DID NOT FINISH: 6%

DNF @ 6%

This book starts off with such intense whiplash that I don't think it could ever recover. We open at the funeral for one character's dad and then immediately start graphically recounting the sexual history of this couple. Weird choice to say the least

I personally don't like books that feel like the emotion happened in past tense and we're just supposed to jump on board. I want to be taken along for the journey, I want to see the build, the collapse, and the reconstruction in a second chance romance

This feels derivative in many ways, it's quite repetitive throughout, the emotional elements are sort of skated over, yet I still found it quite charming. I personally needed more depth and meat to it, but it's a fun and sweet cozy-ish romantasy. I may read the sequel if it stumbles in my path since this really felt like a preamble

Hers for the Weekend

Helena Greer

DID NOT FINISH: 45%

Holy sexual coercion Batman! 

This book is not a romance and it should not be read as a standalone. You have to read the first two to really vibe with this one and I didn't know that going in. 

The book is more about friendship than love, which is cool but means it's being marketed incorrectly.I think it would be improved by removing the romance entirely, especially since the love interest basically bullies her into a sexual relationship. It didn't feel flirty or natural, it felt predatory to me.

 I can't believe I haven't seen people talking about the LI begging and bagging and pressuring this woman for sex after scheming to change their room to have only one bed. The LI is strangely obsessed with this woman, her customer, to the point she decides she can't move from a city she hates until she has sex with her. She manipulates the entire situation to get a weekend alone with her, then immediately starts hounding this woman for sex when they barely know each other. I swear this is one quick rewrite away from a thriller...

My Funny Demon Valentine

Aurora Ascher

DID NOT FINISH: 30%

This book got 'Mr. Mistoffelees' from Cats stuck in my head and that's considered a war crime it certain jurisdictions 

It also lacked depth and the dramatic irony started wearing thin immediately