lauren_miller's reviews
701 reviews

Passion or Penalty by Leah Brunner

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emotional funny medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? No
  • Loveable characters? N/A
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
the most basic, wholesome, clean, tidy, and ultimately uninteresting hockey romance I've had the privilege to read. needless to say, I probably won't be picking up the actual series...
The Girl Who Fell Beneath the Sea by Axie Oh

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

4.5

in the end, this was a lovely and heart-aching story. the pacing felt a bit off to me, but the mix of myth and reality, the theme of family (both blood and found), and the characterizations—the relationships formed and tested and solidified—made it so incredibly beautiful. i'm looking forward to reading more of Oh's work in the future!

4.5, maybe even 4.75 out of 5, ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
His for the Holidays by Samantha Chase

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emotional lighthearted tense medium-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
irritating, emotionally unavailable fmc is ultimately romanced by a much more realistic, forgiving and emotionally mature mmc. oh, and it’s christmas. not really worth your time…
Blade Bound by Chloe Neill

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adventurous emotional hopeful tense medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? It's complicated
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? No
what an ending...

there were so many things I enjoyed about this series because I went in having read the sequels. it was fun to know things and watch how they came to fruition—though I still found myself surprised and shocked plenty of times! In the end, while Sorcha's ending kinda felt like a copout, the actual ending and epilogue were pretty satisfying (and adorable!). I'm actually looking forward to reading Heirs of Chicagoland now knowing all that the first series entails. It'll be interesting to take in the new characters and Elisa's perspective on becoming a novitiate, dating you know who, etc. against the background of her parents' story. 

overall, I really did find this to be so much fun! sure, there were a lot of convoluted plot lines and bureaucracy for days, but in the end, the characters (all of them, side characters especially) were engaging and created such a great found family vibe, the breadth of the world-building was impressive, and the depths of emotion that this series wrung out of me... it was all worth it. I would absolutely recommend to those interested in paranormal fantasy and paranormal romance. 
Blood Games by Chloe Neill

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adventurous challenging emotional hopeful medium-paced
another favorite installment, maybe one of the best. 
Howling For You by Chloe Neill

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adventurous hopeful reflective 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? No
it annoyed me greatly that abdication was the ONLY option. I know Gabe is progressive given who his son ends up with, so why the fuck are we rolling with such antiquated standards?? ugh. that aside, i adore Fallon and Jeff and I love that they’re happy.
High Stakes by Chloe Neill

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too short! I need more Luc and Linds in my life.
Biting Bad by Chloe Neill

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All I can say is good riddance. So much murder in this installment and yet still so little actually grabbed me. I do appreciate Gray and Cadogan cooperating though. Now if only Morgan would get his head out of his ass... 
House Rules by Chloe Neill

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my favorite installment thus far...
Hard Bitten by Chloe Neill

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adventurous challenging emotional medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? It's complicated
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
holy hell. I did NOT see that ending coming. I truly thought I couldn't be surprised having read Heirs of Chicagoland and yet here we are... I have no. idea. how we come back from this, but I am so freaking excited now.