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palmsygal's reviews
91 reviews
A Fine Line: An Ends World Novel, Book 3 by MercyAnn Summers
3.5
I shocked myself with this book as I didn’t think I would enjoy it. However, I ended up actually really liking this book.
It is very fast-paced, with insta-lust and insta-love, which is not something I typically like. But put together with the plot of the book, the action and the spice, I found myself simply overlooking what I tend to not enjoy!
Tony… ahh, Tony Tony Tony, where can I get one of you? The “touch her and you die” attitude had me giggling, we love a jealous and possessive MMC. And the sass and wit that Carolina provides? Immaculate! I loved her character and loved what she stands for: she would truly go through every hell just to protect those she loves.
I went into this with no clue as to what had happened in the previous books, and found myself coming out wanting to read them both to know every intricate detail I missed in this. I do love that it can be read as a stand-alone as you don’t miss too much and it does not spoil the experience of this book at all.
The “negatives” of this book are fairly short but I have to mention them for honesty. Some of the inner monologues and verbal dialogues in this book did strike me as quite unrealistic. I did overlook them slightly as obviously this is FICTION, but I did find myself sometimes going “nobody speaks like this in real life…”. Another point is the daughter plot: I liked it but wanted more! It seemed a little thrown in, I guess is the right phrasing? I wanted more bonding between Tony and Flora, I wanted more backstory on how she was captured, I wanted simply just more scenes with her. However, this may be something I missed in previous books so we hall see when I read them!
Overall though, I did enjoy this book and want to say my thanks again to Book Babes PR and Mercyann Summers for allowing me to read the ARC to this novel!
It is very fast-paced, with insta-lust and insta-love, which is not something I typically like. But put together with the plot of the book, the action and the spice, I found myself simply overlooking what I tend to not enjoy!
Tony… ahh, Tony Tony Tony, where can I get one of you? The “touch her and you die” attitude had me giggling, we love a jealous and possessive MMC. And the sass and wit that Carolina provides? Immaculate! I loved her character and loved what she stands for: she would truly go through every hell just to protect those she loves.
I went into this with no clue as to what had happened in the previous books, and found myself coming out wanting to read them both to know every intricate detail I missed in this. I do love that it can be read as a stand-alone as you don’t miss too much and it does not spoil the experience of this book at all.
The “negatives” of this book are fairly short but I have to mention them for honesty. Some of the inner monologues and verbal dialogues in this book did strike me as quite unrealistic. I did overlook them slightly as obviously this is FICTION, but I did find myself sometimes going “nobody speaks like this in real life…”. Another point is the daughter plot: I liked it but wanted more! It seemed a little thrown in, I guess is the right phrasing? I wanted more bonding between Tony and Flora, I wanted more backstory on how she was captured, I wanted simply just more scenes with her. However, this may be something I missed in previous books so we hall see when I read them!
Overall though, I did enjoy this book and want to say my thanks again to Book Babes PR and Mercyann Summers for allowing me to read the ARC to this novel!
Flowers For Dead Girls by Abigail Collins
4.5
This book was adorable and the representation was immaculate. The lack of explicit confirmation that Aster is perhaps on the spectrum or has any type of disorder was brilliant, in my opinion, and you could truly look into her character and understand how she feels about particular things.
The characters in this book were truly lovely: from the timid and kind Aster to the bright and bouncy Isla, from the unknowingly-cool and quirky mum to the outwardly hilarious and brave Oliver. There was not a single character I disliked in this book which made it even more enjoyable.
The plot kept me hooked from start to finish. The plot twist of the book had me squealing and hopeful. The ins and outs of Isla’s feelings were simultaneously heartbreaking and relatable. The cute romance? To die for!
I simply did not want this book to end.
I am new to this author and cannot thank her and NetGalley enough for the opportunity to read this ARC, I truly look forward to reading more from Collins!
The characters in this book were truly lovely: from the timid and kind Aster to the bright and bouncy Isla, from the unknowingly-cool and quirky mum to the outwardly hilarious and brave Oliver. There was not a single character I disliked in this book which made it even more enjoyable.
The plot kept me hooked from start to finish. The plot twist of the book had me squealing and hopeful. The ins and outs of Isla’s feelings were simultaneously heartbreaking and relatable. The cute romance? To die for!
I simply did not want this book to end.
I am new to this author and cannot thank her and NetGalley enough for the opportunity to read this ARC, I truly look forward to reading more from Collins!
The Queen of Monsters by Aria Mossi
2.75
This book was interesting… however, I am sad to say that I just don’t think it was for me.
I really did not like the main female character, Natalia, and felt her whole persona was very repetitive. The repetition of her tiny height, her young looks, and her giggling felt very childish to me, which made me feel “icky” (that is the best word I can use to describe it).
I wanted more from Leo rather than Tannon; I actually really liked Leo’s character and was sad when I figured out we wouldn’t be seeing him again in the last third of the book. I wanted him to have a happy ending, and felt he could’ve given so much more than the MMC. Tannon’s character, again, was slightly repetitive for me, with the constant back-and-forth of “stay away from me, completely, I’m dangerous” to “let me touch you and love you again before I ditch”. I just didn’t really like him, which made it hard to engage with him and his storyline.
I think the plot was interesting, when I could figure it out. This book apparently can be read as a standalone but, like other reviewers, I found I missed so much context and really had to concentrate to understand exactly what was going on. It was interesting though, and I did find myself wanting to continue to find out what would happen overall.
I think this book could be good for a lot of people, and there are some decent spice scenes. Fantasy lovers might enjoy this as there is a lot of lovely background and scenery within the genre, which I did like a lot. It is just unfortunate that it didn’t quite hit the mark for me personally.
A special thank you to the author and BBPR for allowing me an advanced copy of this book, I am very grateful.
I really did not like the main female character, Natalia, and felt her whole persona was very repetitive. The repetition of her tiny height, her young looks, and her giggling felt very childish to me, which made me feel “icky” (that is the best word I can use to describe it).
I wanted more from Leo rather than Tannon; I actually really liked Leo’s character and was sad when I figured out we wouldn’t be seeing him again in the last third of the book. I wanted him to have a happy ending, and felt he could’ve given so much more than the MMC. Tannon’s character, again, was slightly repetitive for me, with the constant back-and-forth of “stay away from me, completely, I’m dangerous” to “let me touch you and love you again before I ditch”. I just didn’t really like him, which made it hard to engage with him and his storyline.
I think the plot was interesting, when I could figure it out. This book apparently can be read as a standalone but, like other reviewers, I found I missed so much context and really had to concentrate to understand exactly what was going on. It was interesting though, and I did find myself wanting to continue to find out what would happen overall.
I think this book could be good for a lot of people, and there are some decent spice scenes. Fantasy lovers might enjoy this as there is a lot of lovely background and scenery within the genre, which I did like a lot. It is just unfortunate that it didn’t quite hit the mark for me personally.
A special thank you to the author and BBPR for allowing me an advanced copy of this book, I am very grateful.
Husband Material by Alexis Hall
3.0
After rereading Boyfriend Material recently and loving it all over again, I am so sad to say that I was a tad disappointed with Husband Material.
I love Luc and Oliver so much, so so much, and really wanted them to be okay and happy. However, this book frustrated me as even after such a long relationship, at least 85% of this book was them bickering and arguing, and simply disagreeing on everything. I understand both of their insecurities, fears and beliefs, but it appeared as if they couldn’t agree on anything, especially in cases where it mattered the most. It sometimes had me questioning their suitability, and then sometimes had me screaming when they argued about such SMALL things.
Contrary to a lot of opinions I have seen, I liked their ending as I think it really suited them and their beliefs. But, my goodness, was it rushed and sudden. Within essentially a page, everything was flipped and that was their ending. (If you cannot tell, I am trying to express my feelings without spoiling the end).
I did still finish this book in a day, as I was desperate to see how Luc and Oliver’s story would be tied up (since reading and reviewing, I have learnt there is possibly a third book for them coming out, but 🤷♀️).
I actually quite liked that we did see a lot of different stories throughout and that the side characters we grew to love in the first book were focused on a bit more: I did think it added to the book as a whole. Again, I still love Luc and Oliver, and do still love them together (99% of the time), but Husband Material just didn’t hit me as well as I hoped it would…
I love Luc and Oliver so much, so so much, and really wanted them to be okay and happy. However, this book frustrated me as even after such a long relationship, at least 85% of this book was them bickering and arguing, and simply disagreeing on everything. I understand both of their insecurities, fears and beliefs, but it appeared as if they couldn’t agree on anything, especially in cases where it mattered the most. It sometimes had me questioning their suitability, and then sometimes had me screaming when they argued about such SMALL things.
Contrary to a lot of opinions I have seen, I liked their ending as I think it really suited them and their beliefs. But, my goodness, was it rushed and sudden. Within essentially a page, everything was flipped and that was their ending. (If you cannot tell, I am trying to express my feelings without spoiling the end).
I did still finish this book in a day, as I was desperate to see how Luc and Oliver’s story would be tied up (since reading and reviewing, I have learnt there is possibly a third book for them coming out, but 🤷♀️).
I actually quite liked that we did see a lot of different stories throughout and that the side characters we grew to love in the first book were focused on a bit more: I did think it added to the book as a whole. Again, I still love Luc and Oliver, and do still love them together (99% of the time), but Husband Material just didn’t hit me as well as I hoped it would…
Number 10 Affair by Joanna Mazurkiewicz
3.0
I was lucky enough to receive an ARC of this book and I will say I enjoyed the main story.
Not only is it enemies-to-lovers and a romance, but it grips into themes of parenting and how a parent’s work can impact how a child is treated. I really liked this, as we got to witness the true feelings of children within powerful families.
WARNING (or encouragement, if you like!): This book is FULL of smut; I’d go so far as to say nearly every single chapter has some form of sexual act. I have not read a good smutty book in a fair while, so this I did enjoy! BUT, it almost felt more smut than plot, and the details were focused on this rather than storyline.
Pros that I would like to mention are the FMC, as she didn’t completely take everything the MMC said/did, she stuck up for herself when needed and kept to her beliefs throughout. Furthermore, the side characters all had their own personality and differed from each other. Each of them held their own opinions that were voiced and supported varying things. I would quite like to see Veronica’s story next.
However, I went into this thinking it was a slow burn romance and have to disagree. This whole novel felt super fast paced for me - the sexual tension, the falling in love, the “plot twist” of the book, it all happened extremely quickly.
I give this a 3 star review, because I liked it but I REALLY wanted to love it.
Not only is it enemies-to-lovers and a romance, but it grips into themes of parenting and how a parent’s work can impact how a child is treated. I really liked this, as we got to witness the true feelings of children within powerful families.
WARNING (or encouragement, if you like!): This book is FULL of smut; I’d go so far as to say nearly every single chapter has some form of sexual act. I have not read a good smutty book in a fair while, so this I did enjoy! BUT, it almost felt more smut than plot, and the details were focused on this rather than storyline.
Pros that I would like to mention are the FMC, as she didn’t completely take everything the MMC said/did, she stuck up for herself when needed and kept to her beliefs throughout. Furthermore, the side characters all had their own personality and differed from each other. Each of them held their own opinions that were voiced and supported varying things. I would quite like to see Veronica’s story next.
However, I went into this thinking it was a slow burn romance and have to disagree. This whole novel felt super fast paced for me - the sexual tension, the falling in love, the “plot twist” of the book, it all happened extremely quickly.
I give this a 3 star review, because I liked it but I REALLY wanted to love it.
The Secret Life of Bees by Sue Monk Kidd
3.5
I did enjoy this book, but felt I just could not focus on it for long periods of time. Regrettably, this took me a lot longer to read than I thought it would.
I would like to say that Sue Monk Kidd’s writing style is something I liked a lot: her use of bee facts at the start of each chapter resonated with me as I was able to relate a lot of that chapter’s unfolding to that small piece of knowledge. She uses simple imagery and metaphors, and yet they paint a picture you can see vividly. I always engage more with books that I can see in my mind fully, and I couldn’t stop myself from using her words to have a clear view in my mind of what she was telling.
Reading this book for March was perfect, due to Mothers Day. I have read a review recently that pointed out this book’s main point and focus is on mothers, and I could not agree more. Throughout Lily’s life so far, she holds guilt towards her mother’s death and always ponders on what could have been (in her early life when she was still alive and in present day where she should have been). We also see Rosaleen, a worker for Lily and her father, who holds another load of mothering qualities - she cares for Lily as if her own daughter, advises her as a mother would do, and shows love and compassion throughout. With Lily’s own doings, we see this reflected back as a daughter would do, as she continuously protects her, looks to her for guidance, and quite simply loves her back. The Boatwright sisters are just another example, with August providing the utmost mothering care, May providing both the laughter and empathy a mother should share with her daughter, and June providing the carefulness and stern attitude that a mother must sometimes have.
There is so much love in this book, which is what I wanted to focus on in this review. We, of course, have to mention this tale provides context into racism in that era and shows a true replica of how people were treated in those days - I am glad Lily was not portrayed as totally innocent in this, as she has grown up in this world and has had to tackle her own naivety and privileged opinions. I commend the author for this, as I feel it is sometimes easy for their own main characters to be seen as perfect and can do no wrong.
Overall, this is a story I recommend reading for all. The only thing I wished for is more detail to some things(eg: Zach and his release from jail, it would’ve been interesting to read this fully; T.Ray and Deborah’s story, what happened between them for things to go so sour seemingly suddenly?)
I would like to say that Sue Monk Kidd’s writing style is something I liked a lot: her use of bee facts at the start of each chapter resonated with me as I was able to relate a lot of that chapter’s unfolding to that small piece of knowledge. She uses simple imagery and metaphors, and yet they paint a picture you can see vividly. I always engage more with books that I can see in my mind fully, and I couldn’t stop myself from using her words to have a clear view in my mind of what she was telling.
Reading this book for March was perfect, due to Mothers Day. I have read a review recently that pointed out this book’s main point and focus is on mothers, and I could not agree more. Throughout Lily’s life so far, she holds guilt towards her mother’s death and always ponders on what could have been (in her early life when she was still alive and in present day where she should have been). We also see Rosaleen, a worker for Lily and her father, who holds another load of mothering qualities - she cares for Lily as if her own daughter, advises her as a mother would do, and shows love and compassion throughout. With Lily’s own doings, we see this reflected back as a daughter would do, as she continuously protects her, looks to her for guidance, and quite simply loves her back. The Boatwright sisters are just another example, with August providing the utmost mothering care, May providing both the laughter and empathy a mother should share with her daughter, and June providing the carefulness and stern attitude that a mother must sometimes have.
There is so much love in this book, which is what I wanted to focus on in this review. We, of course, have to mention this tale provides context into racism in that era and shows a true replica of how people were treated in those days - I am glad Lily was not portrayed as totally innocent in this, as she has grown up in this world and has had to tackle her own naivety and privileged opinions. I commend the author for this, as I feel it is sometimes easy for their own main characters to be seen as perfect and can do no wrong.
Overall, this is a story I recommend reading for all. The only thing I wished for is more detail to some things
Content Warnings
Graphic: Racism, Suicide, and Violence
In The Shadows by C.J. Cross
4.0
I really enjoyed this novella! Read in one sitting and very interested in seeing where it goes within the main series.
I feel for both the FMC and MMC, as both are clearly in major levels of distress, but I’m excited to see where they’re gonna go… the spice in this short book evidently promises a lot more to come too, which is always a good thing in my books (pardon the reading pun!)
I think the only reason I’d give this a 4 instead of a 5 was because some of the details seemed to be not too necessary (just some constructive criticism as I still enjoyed this a lot! EG: readers know how to make a coffee so the detailed explanation of what Calliope was doing at her shift may have been “unneeded”)
Side note: Calliope appearing in the dreams seemed abrupt, though im not complaining at the spicy dreams😉, but I’m hoping it’s explained more in the main series to come!
For a first time author too, amazing job! I look forward to your next works! <3
I feel for both the FMC and MMC, as both are clearly in major levels of distress, but I’m excited to see where they’re gonna go… the spice in this short book evidently promises a lot more to come too, which is always a good thing in my books (pardon the reading pun!)
I think the only reason I’d give this a 4 instead of a 5 was because some of the details seemed to be not too necessary (just some constructive criticism as I still enjoyed this a lot! EG: readers know how to make a coffee so the detailed explanation of what Calliope was doing at her shift may have been “unneeded”)
Side note: Calliope appearing in the dreams seemed abrupt, though im not complaining at the spicy dreams😉, but I’m hoping it’s explained more in the main series to come!
For a first time author too, amazing job! I look forward to your next works! <3
I Hope This Doesn't Find You by Ann Liang
4.5
I absolutely loved this book: this was a perfect enemies/rivals-to-lovers. The most original part? It wasn’t “I have loved you from the start, i always have done”, there was genuine rivalry and hatred between the two main characters.
The tension? Superb. The banter? Incredible. The falling in love and not even realising? Lock me up and throw away the key, as long as I have this book with me.
I actually think this is the only book that has ever had me literally kicking my feet and giggling.
Julius, oh Julius… I want to hug this poor boy so much. He deserves the world and is a sweetheart and just wants to do good. Sadie, my sweet girl… I also want to hug this poor girl so much. She is such a people pleaser, the epitome of “I just want to be nice and have nobody hate me”. I felt so bad for her: we all vent, it’s just unfortunate that her venting was broadcast! She deserves the best.
Their chemistry is also incredible, you can feel the angst and tension and competition, but you can feel just how badly they’re falling for each other and see how much they do actually care for the other.
Please read this book, I love it so much. Please.
The tension? Superb. The banter? Incredible. The falling in love and not even realising? Lock me up and throw away the key, as long as I have this book with me.
I actually think this is the only book that has ever had me literally kicking my feet and giggling.
Julius, oh Julius… I want to hug this poor boy so much. He deserves the world and is a sweetheart and just wants to do good. Sadie, my sweet girl… I also want to hug this poor girl so much. She is such a people pleaser, the epitome of “I just want to be nice and have nobody hate me”. I felt so bad for her: we all vent, it’s just unfortunate that her venting was broadcast! She deserves the best.
Their chemistry is also incredible, you can feel the angst and tension and competition, but you can feel just how badly they’re falling for each other and see how much they do actually care for the other.
Please read this book, I love it so much. Please.