mdragoo's reviews
582 reviews

Twisted Hearts by Jagger Cole

dark mysterious medium-paced

• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes

5.0

5/5⭐️

4.5/5🌶️

thank you valentine pr management for this arc! this book will release on august 3rd, 2023.

from the very first time we met eilish in this series, i KNEW i was going to love eilish and i was so so excited for her story. needless to say, it definitely did not disappoint. 

eilish find herself in trouble during a hazing gone wrong and winds up indebted to gavan, who is the co-head of the russian bravata.

i loved eilish’s character. she was smart, independent, and kind. i loved how defiant she was in this book.

gavan is ruthless and a strong leader, but also cares strongly for those close to him and will do anything for them.

the two of them have explosive chemistry from the very beginning that very slowly builds to a genuine connection. i loved how possessive gavan was of eilish but also how unafraid eilish was to push his buttons. the spice between these two was absolutely OFF the charts! it is STEAMY! 😮‍💨

i also loved that we got more of the political side of what was happened in the bravata world and that we got to get reacquainted with characters from earlier in this series! eilish is such a strong connection point between the Kildares and the Drakos and i loved that we got to see both of those families again. the plot is full of twists and turns and villains at every turn that i found the book impossible to put down. one of my favorite things about jagger cole is that he includes dual pov in his books so that was definitely another plus. i CANNOT wait for Castle’s book!

“i’ve loved you since the night i saw you.”

Six Scorched Roses by Carissa Broadbent

5.0

5/5⭐️

2/5🌶️

the perfect little novella for this series! i waited to read this until after i have finished the crowns of nyaxia series but i definitely could have read it in between the two! regardless, this is such a nice story to see a completely different side of the world that carissa has built and to get a much better understand of vale and lilith. the deal that lilith makes with vale to save her town is the start of their relationship, but it quickly evolved to much more. the chemistry between these characters is so good and their banter was so perfect. i honestly enjoyed this much more than i thought i would. and vale is such a big sweetheart! he is a hopeless romantic and i loved her lilith brought him to his knees. 

the perfect little addition. to this universe!

“time is the most valuable resource of all, and some of us are perpetually short”

Meet Your Match by Kandi Steiner

5.0

5/5⭐️

4/5🌶️

thank you valentine pr and literary management for this arc! this book will release in july , 2023

i absolutely LOVED this book!! one thing about kandi steiner is that she NEVER MISSES. while leo hernandez is my #1 kandi steiner man, vince tanev is a very very close second. vince is a golden boy rookie who has an amazing and special relationship with his family, loves his kiln and clay kits, and is so grounded in his foundation. also the mouth on this man is absurd 😮‍💨. vince is full of surprises, from his generous heart, romantic tendencies, and just how playful he is. maven is sassy and strong. there were definitely some times within this book when i really didn’t like her character: i felt like she was really bratty at the beginning and i also felt like she let her insecurities rule her too much. while yes, i did find her relatable because she felt self doubt from her past relationship and in her career, i felt like she actions were not really fair to vince because she let one thing ruin everything for her and didn’t even attempt to see past that. regardless of that, it was refreshing to see her character overcome these challenges and because of how she overcame them, i found her character more likable. i also really loved all of the other key characters in this story. the teammates, the friends, the family members, and all the other things that made this book so fun. i cannot wait to see where the rest of this series will go!

i cannot recommend this book enough! if you are a sports romance lover, this should definitely be your next read!

“i found a home within the mayhem.”

Broken Beauty by Ketley Allison

2.5

2.5/5⭐️

3/5🌶️

thank you valentine pr and literary management for this arc! this book will release on june 30, 2023.

this book personally wasn’t it for me. i really wanted to enjoy it, but it just didn’t hit quite right for me. i really didn’t enjoy clover as a character. she felt really annoying to me and i just didn’t really feel like i connected with her at all so i felt really disconnected from the story. 2 of the 4 love interests were pretty decent (too and xavier) but i really didn’t enjoy rossi or morgan whatsoever. the witch mystery was interesting once i felt got interested in it. overall, i really wanted to enjoy this book but it just wasn’t quite it for me. 

“you don’t want a prince charming, you want a monster.”

Evidence of the Affair by Taylor Jenkins Reid

4.0

4/5⭐️

TJR never misses! this was the perfect 88 page read and i devoured it in less than 30 minutes. i loved the structure of this story and all of the different letters. i loved the ending and how both main characters (in a way) got their happy ending. i loved the connection with other stories by TJR. the perfect quick read with some of the best quotes!!

“it seems as if you see me exactly as I wish to be seen. there is no greater gift than that.”

Sinful Hearts by Jagger Cole

4.0

4/5⭐️

4/5🌶️

thank you valentine pr and literary management for this arc! this book will release on june 15th, 2023!

this series is so so fun and so so spicy! book 3 definitely did not disappoint!! hades drakes is the epitome of dark, unhinged, and  obsessive. this book had everything that i love in a mafia romance: suspense, secrets, tension, spice, and strong characters. i absolutely loved elsa and everything about her character. she was strong, passionate, and not only an amazing lawyer but also amazing at raising her sister. hades was so so hot and i loved everything about him. i loved that we got snippets from all of the other characters and their stories and i am so excited to see where book 4 will take this series!!

“i think i’m f*cking sick of pretending you’re not the first person i want to talk to in the morning and the last person i want to see before i go to sleep.”

Reckless by Elsie Silver

5.0

5/5⭐️

4/5🌶️

i’m almost never a fan of accidental pregnancy books, but once again elsie silver has proved that if she writes a book with a trope that i don’t enjoy, i will STILL eat it up. i have loved every single book of the chestnut springs series, but reckless definitely takes the cake. i loved winter and i felt so seen by her character descriptions. she didn’t have a strong example for what it means to be a good mom, but she steps right up to the plate for her daughter. she preserves and she’s so loyal and loving to those closest to her. theo was the perfect man and dad. i absolutely adored him and how he jumped right into his new role. and elsie silver did the pregnancy and baby trope just perfect. winter and theo are a bit of opposites attract and reverse grumpy x sunshine and i loved their dynamic and chemistry so much. overall, this book was so well done. the characters were perfection, the storyline was interesting, and the tropes were done so well. this had just the right amount of angst, steam, and family. elsie silver is quickly becoming one of my favorite authors and i can’t wait to see what hopeless has in store!

“that night we were reckless.” his voice cracks. “but god, i’d be reckless with you over and over again if it means ending up here.”

Maybe in Another Life by Taylor Jenkins Reid

4.0

4/5⭐️

i feel like i say the same things in all of my TJR book reviews but it’s honestly because it’s always true. TJR creates some of the most unique and most interesting stories that i have ever read, and this book was no exception. i really enjoyed hannah as a character in both timelines and i especially loved the dynamic between her and gabby and how gabby was always apart of the story, despite where hannah’s choices took her. although i did enjoy both timelines of this book, i do feel like i’m more team henry rather than team ethan. i also really loved how both timelines lead her to the same career choice and i felt like a lot of reasons why i personally want to be a nurse were described in why hannah also wanted to be a nurse. i loved the quotes in this book and i feel like i learned a lot from this read, even though it was fiction ?? overall, this is definitely another amazing TJR read

“that’s what you do when you want something. you don't look for reasons why it won't work. you look for reasons why it will.”

Queen of Myth and Monsters by Scarlett St. Clair

2.0

2/5⭐️

2/5🌶️

i went into this book knowing that i would likely be disappointed, but i was still so disappointed that i couldn’t enjoy this book. i LOVED king of battle and blood but i simply could not stay queen of myth and monsters. the ONE thing this book did well was adding in adrian’s pov but we only get 3 chapters and i honestly felt like his pov was so forced that i didn’t enjoy it as much as i would have liked to. i could not stand isolde this book. in book 1, she was so strong and independent and i loved that. in this book, she was whiny and complainy and literally felt like she was entitled to everything when she hadn’t done literally anything to be deserving of those things. she got mad at adrian for literally every single thing he did , even when that anger was undeserving 99% of the time. overall, she became one of the most annoying characters i have ever encountered. there were “spicy” scenes in almost every single chapter which at first felt great, but very very quickly became repetitive and boring. i was bored through the first 80% and then the last 20% was jam packed with way too many twists that i was almost overwhelming ?? pick one and go with it, don’t pick 10 and try to weave them all together. overall, i went in expected to be disappointed and i was still very disappointed.  

“you are my light.” “you are my darkness,”

Tools of Engagement by Tessa Bailey

4.0

4/5⭐️

3/5🌶️

the perfect ending to this trilogy! although book 2 was definitely my favorite of the three, book 3 is a very close second. ever since the buildup between bethany and wes and book 2, i was ecstatic for their story! bethany is a major perfectionist who is trying to branch out and make a name for herself and wes is the former bachelor turned temporary father figure for his niece laura who is just trying to make the best life for his niece. i loved absolutely everything about their relationship. it was cute, full of banter and passion, and honestly just so fun. i also really loved that while these characters are flipping a home, this book’s underlying message was that home is sometimes a person. this was such a fun and special way to end this series!

“expecting perfect can only lead to disappointment. besides, it's the flaws that give a person character. that’s where the beauty hides.”