ljamison01's reviews
1104 reviews

Scorned Heir by Victoria Paige

dark emotional medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

3.5

I love mafia books especially when it contains an arranged marriage. Sera knows that she has to have an arranged marriage because of her family. But she is smitten with her best friend’s brother. So Matteo convinces her that fake dating will make the guy think he has some competition and decide to finally make his move. However, Matteo is really lying about why he wants to fake date her and suddenly these two have intense feelings for each other and then they are in a marriage of convenience. Can Sera forgive all the lies her husband hid from her? This was a great story with action, spice and a mystery. 

Dared by Becca Steele

hopeful lighthearted slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

3.5

This is a college MM double bi-awakening book. Finn and Leo are online gaming buddies, who get along and play often. One day Finn mentions a story to Leo and then discovers who Leo is. These online buddies become friends who support one another. Leo is an extremely shy, introverted person who has a hard time opening up and communicating with others so Finn dares him often to push Leo out of his shell. Leo is able to meet these dares and steps out of his comfort zone. But, suddenly Leo dares Finn to teach him how to kiss. These instructions involve long kissing moments where they are just “practicing” until the kissing leads to touching. This is a very sweet, non angsty story of two friends who discover their friendship is actually masking the love and affection they feel for each other. 

His Prince by Cora Rose

emotional medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

2.75

His Prince is a MM mafia romance. Except most of the book, I was waiting for the mafia part to kick in. I wanted on page action, a mystery to solve and that was lacking to me. Now the romance between Angel and Mikhail is certainly interesting. Angel married Mikhail after his father set up this marriage. He was expecting a fairy tale marriage and that everything would be roses and cream. Well Mikhail pulls those rose colored glasses off real quick. He has them consummate their marriage in a room he uses to entertain stay over guests. He is not a perfect gentleman. In fact he is cold and abrupt. Suddenly Angel realizes he’s been duped and he decides that he will make Mikhail pay. Suddenly he’s no angel but in fact a wise, pushy devil. The romance between them is so cute and it pretty much is the bulk of the book. I enjoyed the story, except I want more mafia, violence and action in my mafia books. 

Between Now and Forever by Adriana Locke

funny medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

5.0

Gabrielle and her two boys have moved back to her home town. Her boys have just lost their father, her ex-husband. Her oldest son is a little snarky and mouthy ( as most teenagers are) her younger son is warm, open and energetic. Gabrielle is eager to have a life with friends and a man, a man who can make her feel appreciated and supported. Jay her next door neighbor is definitely an eligible man but he is not interested. Jay has some personal issues that he is still working through so he is not open to being with Gabrielle. Gabrielle’s openness to being involved with Jay and her need to have so many repairs done on her house and Jay having a week free keep these two in constant contact. I enjoy a story of an older woman with children who is looking for love. These two were a great fit. Jay wasn’t a grump, he wasn’t a cinnamon roll, he was just this guy trying to figure out life. This romance was so sweet, I loved Jay’s interactions with her sons, he never talked down to them. Great story with some nice spice and I loved the side characters who I assume will have their own books. 

Forbidden Professor by Vivian Wood

emotional medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.0

I enjoy a forbidden romance especially when it’s a teacher -student relationship and to complicate matters a little family connection as well. Carter and Eve had this connection that they couldn’t resist. The attraction was strong, the push and pull was great. I love when characters are torn about their feelings or contemplating the rights and wrong of their relationship. It’s just so juicy, the angst. Great book with lots of spice and a great story. 

Pure Country: A Central Texas MM Romance by Kelly Fox

dark emotional informative medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.0

This was a very sweet romance book between Rowdy and Kessler. Rowdy is this simple cowboy who is shy and incredibly kind and thoughtful to the child and teenagers he volunteers with. He does his best to help them out of their difficult situations and listen to their issues. Now Kessler is an older man who is selling off his companies and retiring to the quiet, slow life on a ranch where he has built a beautiful new home. Now these two have known each other for over 2 years and exchanged lots of very sexy, cheeky texts with loads of innuendos. They both are attracted to each other but when Kessler makes a move on Rowdy at his house warming party, Rowdy runs for the hills. Suddenly Kessler is starting to realize he doesn’t know the real Rowdy and learning about him became an education for me. Kessler was the best character doing his best to help Rowdy and being willing to move at his pace so that they could both get where they wanted to be. 
I learned so much that I didn’t know. There were terms I had to google and read so that I could understand the characters rationale or personality. I enjoy these kind of books because reading helps to open up our minds and help us to understand others and learn about their plight and situations. I truly applaud this author for such a wonderful way to educate us on different facets within the LBGTQ community. 

The Cleopatra Aspect Series Boxed Set by A.J. Channing

dark medium-paced

2.5

This was a strange book. It switches POV between 2 female characters (Tia and Julia) in the first part of the book and then the remaining 2 parts of the book only focus on just Tia and her life. The first part tries to explain the differences between two women after graduation and their quest for money and love. One focuses on the so called easy way and the other on a longer, difficult process. I really enjoyed the first part although it was dark and a little uncomfortable to read. What upset me about this book was that there was no follow up about Julia. We suddenly lose all of her POV’s. She is mentioned briefly but not in depth about how she is living. Later in book the cleopatra reference is explained, although it’s a loosely connected to the story. This book began one way and then the author just changed the direction but just made me confused. The later half of the book is interesting but this book needed more work. 

Baby Cakes by S.J. Tilly

funny lighthearted fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

3.5

Baby Cakes is three novellas about Alice and Michael who meet during a baking competition. Michael is a pastry chef and a judge on the baking show that Alice’s cousins have signed her up for. Alice has had a crush on Michael forever, she loves everything about him and really wanted to meet and get to know him. Michael did not want to judge this competition he really wanted some time off to relax and maybe get a life (date), however when he sees Alice it is love at first sight but unfortunately for both of them they are not allowed to be close or involved during the show. The remaining two novellas are about Alice and Michael during the holidays of Christmas and New Year day. This story was so stinking cute, the longing they felt for the other, the spice between the two of them and the way Michael felt toward Alice and how he treated her. If your looking for some lighthearted novellas that are light, sweet, sexy and spicy then you will enjoy these. 

Crucible by B.B. Reid

dark emotional medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

I have read many books by B B Reid and yet she always has the ability to shock me. This book is a reverse harem, close proximity book. This book focuses on Aurelia she is America’s sweetheart, pop diva, amazing singer but she is a total WITCH! She has done some shocking and very nasty things to people she works with. She is rude to her staff and she doesn’t know their names. So her uncle who is her manager has sent her away so that he can clean up her mess and let America forget about the awful things she has done. While on this flight to Canada her plane crashes and she is left alone in this wilderness, but sheer strength and determination she makes it to this cabin where she waits for her rescue. Unfortunately Aurelia has landed with three men Thorin, Khalil, and Ezekiel (and his multiple personalities). At the beginning of the book you get that Three Bears and Goldilocks vibe. Her behavior and treatment of these men is shameful especially since she wants to be helped, yet their behavior is no better after they decide they want to keep her. This book is riveting, it moves fast, there is so much going on and your constantly discovering new tidbits of information and wondering what’s going to happen next. I enjoyed this book and it’s a long book and a duet but it is worth the time investment. I loved that these characters were all morally gray to me. They were intense there was a lot of personal trauma that they had experienced and needed to learn and grow from. As always I appreciate that her characters are multicultural. 

Ruthless Guardian by Sienna Cross

dark emotional medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

3.5

Isabella is a mafia princess in all respects. So when her former bodyguard is killed while protecting her she needs to choose a new one. Along comes Raf who had spotted her at the club during the unfortunate incident. Raf is a very tough and demanding bodyguard. He has oodles of rules and protocols he wants Isabella to follow. Things seem great until she is offered a medical internship in Rome and Raf is forced to accompany her. It’s bad for him since he didn’t leave Rome under the best circumstances and Isabella is always trying to thwart the rules. Raf was very endearing at how protective he was over her, he would try to literally destroy anyone who put a finger on her. Isabella was very annoying to me. I dislike when characters know they need to be protected and go against advice and sneak out. I do warm up towards her as their relationship develops because she is torn knowing that she wants to be with him and that she shouldn’t cross those line. These two had great banter and I enjoyed the romance between them.