mk_loisirs's reviews
369 reviews

Pride and Protest by Nikki Payne

emotional funny hopeful reflective fast-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? Yes

3.75

A fantastic reimagining of Pride & Prejudice. It was fresh & sexy. I read this one after Sex, Lies & Sensibility and I think I prefer that one but this was still a solid read and a fun story! 

Sex, Lies and Sensibility by Nikki Payne

adventurous emotional funny hopeful fast-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

5.0

I. Ate. This. Book. Up. I love a good Jane Austen reimagining and this one was perfection. Did I get frustrated with the stubborn characters? Yes. But it made it all the better when they realized what they needed to do.  The nods to the source material were lovely and I very much appreciated the direction Nikki took it in instead of making it a slightly different “copy”. I could go into heavy detail about the nuances in this book and how they harkened to the original but I won’t bore you with all that….it was much more than a “little romance” novel and it was fabulous. And BEAR, my lord *clutches my pearls* he is top tier book boyfriend. *slow claps* 

One thing I learned is I will read anything Nikki Payne writes…


Additionally I very much appreciated the author’s note at the beginning. The care she put creating her book was clear. It’s purposeful and impactful. Like I said, this wasn’t just a little romance it was more. 

She's a Keeper by Ali K. Mulford

adventurous emotional funny lighthearted fast-paced

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

3.75

This was a silly romp of a story and I really enjoyed it. The zoo setting felt really unique and fun. I also loved how Ali wasn’t shy about the realities of being a zookeeper as well as being a woman 💩

Happy Place by Emily Henry

emotional funny hopeful slow-paced

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

2.0

I skipped forward a lot of this book and still didn’t feel like I missed anything. It felt drawn out. I love all Emily Henry’s other books but this one was just not for me. 

Bride by Ali Hazelwood

funny lighthearted tense medium-paced

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

2.75

It was a fun nerdy sexy time but it was missing *something*

The most intriguing part for me was the mystery surrounding her best friend. 

Dungeons and Drama by Kristy Boyce

lighthearted medium-paced

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

3.75

Such a wholesome & sweet YA romance. 

The Dead Romantics by Ashley Poston

emotional funny hopeful inspiring slow-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

4.75

The Only Good Indians by Stephen Graham Jones
Did not finish book. Stopped at 37%.

This books is a phenomenal book. I was hooked from the very beginning but unfortunately the animal trauma in this book really got to me (I can usually read a variety of traumatic events) but this really made me anxious and upset. I guess that should be considered a pro for the author! They did their job as a horror writer. Please don’t let me not finishing deter you from trying the book. Just check the TW/CW. I did not. 

The Seven Year Slip by Ashley Poston

emotional funny hopeful inspiring reflective sad medium-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

5.0

I need to compose myself before really writing a review…5 stars. I have no notes. I’ll just continue crying on my couch, hugging a book that’s become a new favorite. 

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Suicide and Grief

An Education in Malice by S.T. Gibson

dark mysterious medium-paced

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

2.75

*I received a digital galley in exchange for my honest review.*

I need to be entirely honest here when I say I was a little disappointed in this book. I am not saying this wasn't a good. I was just apathetic about it all. The story is set in the same world as "A Dowry of Blood" and that fact in itself excited me about the novel. However upon diving in I was left wanting. I felt like it was a very surface level exploration of the characters. The main subject of the book being a rivals-to-lovers with the twist of vampirism. I didn't grow particularly attached to either character as I didn't feel we got a "true" look into their psyche...it felt very shallow. I was most interested in De Lafontaine's character but considering she was the secretive professor and the POVs are from Laura and Carmilla's views...we don't get much. The vampirism aspect didn't play a huge roll other than adding another layer to the "wanting" between Laura and Carmilla. It emphasized the desire between the two. 

The prose was lovely as always but this was an area too which wasn't as exciting as Gibson's previous work. It wasn't as lyrical..it just flowed nicely but it didn't have as much passion and lushness as A Dowry of Blood. 

I think the most fantastic part of this book was that there were ZERO important male characters. There's some mentioned at the end but other than that it was all female cast. That was really interesting and fun addition! 

All in all I was just left wanting.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Murder, Blood, Toxic relationship, and Sexual content