lostcoffeemug's reviews
152 reviews

Unmasking Love by Erin Marie Bassett

emotional funny lighthearted medium-paced

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

2.0

Spice Level: ❤️‍🔥

Stars: ⭐⭐

I was excited to pick up ‘Unmasking Love’ by Erin Marie Bassett.  This book sounded like there was a lot of heart and character development throughout the story.  At first I was really enjoying the story and learning about Harper and Aiden.  But then once I stopped enjoying it I found other things that were not enjoyable and just ended up skipping over.

At the start of ‘Unmasking Love’ you really get to know the background to Aiden and Harper.  This is actually really great information to have as the past has really affected both of them in how they manage and deal with life and situations they are put in.  But Harper doesn’t seem to learn or move on so well from her issues and they happen over and over again. Towards halfway and three quarters of the way through the book I felt like I was just on a hamster wheel and reading the same thing over.

The other thing I felt was a bit too much was the spice scenes.  I am all for spice in a book but I like it when the spice is meant to help improve the story and move it along.  I felt like these were not in there to do that and there were a lot of them. I felt like well over half the book was just spice and when I got over half way through the book I actually just ended up passing over the scenes because I was like oh great here we go again.

As much as I wanted to like ‘Unmasking Love’ it just ended up being an okay book for me.  The book is getting 2 stars and on the Spice Level it’s a Burning Heart since over half of the book had spice scenes.

Now remember what I thought of the book might not be the same as what you all would think when reading the book.  I am here to just say what I thought. If you are wanting to give ‘Unmasking Love’ a try it is part of Kindle Unlimited so if you are a member that means the book is included in your membership.

Love to Hate You by Camilla Isley

funny lighthearted 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

Spice Level 🌶

Opposites Attract by Camilla Isley

funny lighthearted fast-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

Spice Level 🧁

Alpacas and Alibis by Ramey James

funny lighthearted mysterious 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

Spice Level: 🚫

Did not care for the narrator of the book so much. But the story of the book was done very well and I will be reading the next books in the series as e-book instead of audio.

Lucky Pucker by Hilary Rose

funny lighthearted mysterious medium-paced

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

2.5

Spice Level 🌶️🌶️🌶️🌶️

A Very Vegas St. Patrick's Day by Connor Crais, Kayley Loring

funny lighthearted fast-paced

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

2.0

Spice Level 🌶🌶

Hard Code by Misha Bell, Anna Zaires, Dima Zales

funny fast-paced

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

2.0

Spice level ❤️‍🔥

I Can Be the One by Ellie Blackbourne

emotional fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.5

Spice Level: 🌶️🌶️

Stars: ⭐⭐⭐ ½

I was invested in ‘I Can Be The One’ right from the start.  The way Ellie wrote this story made me interested in what could have happened in the past with the female lead, Alexis. Then came in the male Lead Blake.  He had a heart of gold, even tho he had plenty of money.  The fact that he had a crush on Alexis for years was just great to see.  Yes, he was labeled a playboy and did have one night stands but once he had Alexis he knew he didn’t want anything else.

Ellie wrote Alexis as a strong woman who was going through a lot. What was nice to see is that Blake showed her that she didn’t have to go through what she was dealing with alone.  She could lean on her family and him.  Towards the end of the book, it was great to see her realize that it's okay and she even was able to see more people than she thought cared for her.

Blake was great to read, but also his family tugged at the heart strings. To be honest with how he grew up and his past family, it is shocking not to see that he is more of a jerk.  It was great to see how much more mature he was than his age.  And not only was he there for Alexis, but his team and his friend.

Ellie Blackbourne wrote a great story with ‘I Can Be The One’.  This book is a nice three and a half star read with a spice level of two chili peppers.  The just right amount of spice was great to add to the story and went along with how Alexis learned to grow. 

‘I Can Be The One’ is out now and available wherever you get your books.  If you are a Kindle Unlimited member, this book is included in your membership.

 

When I Come Back by Alise Monroe

emotional lighthearted mysterious reflective sad tense medium-paced

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

4.0

Spice Level: 🌶️🌶️🌶️🌶️

Stars: ⭐⭐⭐⭐

I don’t know where to begin to talk about When I Come Back by Alise Monrore.  This book is like a train of emotions and it will keep hitting you almost every chapter when you read the book.  Alise Monroe did a great job having the characters with raw emotions that are hard to go through.  When I Come Back was also written with the characters not having a perfect family and realizing it was too late to fix things.  This helped the characters grow and learn from life.

Seeing not only the main characters admitting their mistakes but also the parents was huge. Having people see they could admit their mistakes helped and they could understand why people acted the way they did and understand the past.  I enjoy seeing characters that have strong development and not only did they have that with the main ones but also the side ones as well.

When I Come Back is truly a book that will have you feeling.  And the flashbacks to learn more about what happened and more backstories were done so well.  It wove into the story so effortlessly.  With the feelings there is romance but it’s not the happy-go-lucky and that is okay.  This is a different level of romance that isn’t often but is nice to see.

When I Come Back is a Four-Star read with a Spice Level that will have smoke coming out of your ears.  This book is a 4 Chili Pepper.  While the spice was written well I feel like it was a bit too much at times and was just there and not adding to the story.

When I Come Back is available now wherever you get your books.  And if you are part of Kindle Unlimited this book is included in your membership.

 

Whirlwind by Kayla Grosse

adventurous funny lighthearted medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

Spice Level: 🌶️🌶️🌶️

Stars: ⭐⭐⭐⭐ ½

When I see Kayla Grosse is going to be releasing a new book I can’t help but get excited.  If you don’t know her books you should.  She writes strong FMC who don’t fit the world's normal beauty standards as the characters she writes are plus-size. But instead of writing them like they feel that they need to change they are confident and get what they want.  Finley the female lead in Whirlwind is just like that and was such a joy to read.

Whirlwind is a book for all those people who like to watch storm chasers and enjoy the Twister movies.  I have to say the characters reminded me a lot of the original movie cast.  That is so great because that cast of all different people and walks of life blended so well and became a family they made and put together.  Sometimes those families are the best.

I know the main characters Ryker & Finley are great, but the secondary character Joey was so great.  He made me laugh almost every time he was on the page.  And of course, every ship needs a captain and he is the captain of the ship for Ryker & Finley.  I also have to say there is something he said that has stuck with me:

But if you don’t chase the storm, you’ll never know if you’ll catch it or not.

That quote could be used with anything in life not just relationships.

From action to great characters, Whirlwind will be a book you can’t put down.  Whirlwind makes Kayla Grosse the Tessa Bailey in Storm Chasing romance books.  This story alone was great and the spice that was added was great to add another element to the story.

Whirlwind is a 4 ½ star read and I can’t recommend this book enough.  The spice level is a solid 3 chili peppers.  Whirlwind is available where you get your books.  And if you are a Kindle Unlimited Member Whrilswind is included in your membership.