peristome's reviews
111 reviews

Hurt Me, Daddy by Misha Horne

hopeful tense medium-paced

3.5

I wanted to give this book 4 stars, but I think the beginning slogged on a little too much for my liking. Once we got to the spanking, though, it was really hot. I love both Logan and Caleb; I already started reading the next book because I can't get enough. The ending is also a pretty big cliffhanger, but the next book picks right back up where this one leaves off, so it's not a huge deal.

Also—and this is a minor pet peeve—there were quite a few typos and missing punctuation/quotation marks. I believe this is self-published, so I understand that it's not going to be as polished as a traditionally published book, but it was still distracting enough for me to mention. 

This book has me coming around on the DD/lb kink. A lot of the books I've read in this genre don't have the punishment aspect, which is what I've been missing. I recommend giving this one a shot even if you haven't liked any DD/lb in the past. 

His Christmas Conundrum by A.W. Scott

lighthearted fast-paced

3.0

This book was okay. Definitely better than other books I've read from this author, but still nothing special. 

I liked Milo and Trevor, although I feel like they started way too fast. At the very beginning, Trevor wanted a purely fake relationship, but from the jump it never felt like they had a "fake" phase. Milo literally calls Trevor his little for the first time in the same scene where Trevor asks for the fake relationship. I would have liked a little more easing into that. And I wish we got to see more sex here. I was surpsied by how little of it we got. 

If you like DD/lb dynamics with a Christmas theme, then you will probably enjoy this. 

Starling House by Alix E. Harrow

emotional mysterious reflective tense slow-paced

4.0

Starling House is a gothic fantasy that barely dips its toes into horror. The prose and illustrations are beautiful and the characters are interesting, but there's not much plot depth. The pacing also felt somewhat off to me.

The romance was really sweet, but I think it developed too quickly on Opal's end.

Opal says she wanted Arthur before they kissed, but I didn't feel it. I would have liked some more yearning.

I also felt like the arrest/interrogation scene was 1) really unrealistic; it didn't make sense at all and 2) dragged on forever.

It would have made more sense for Baine and her cronies to use the fire as a cover to kidnap Opal, rather than have her arrested. Because there are too many unanswered questions otherwise. Why would the constable allow an outside agency to take his newly arrested suspect into an interrogation room alone? Why would the constable even think she was a suspect after Bev, the owner of the fucking motel, said Opal wasn't there? Why did the constable care about why Charlotte was there? DOES HE NOT KNOW THEM? IT'S A SMALL TOWN! Why would Opal think Baine had any chance of sending her to jail when there were multiple witnesses saying she wasn't there versus Baine's one planted witness? And there's video evidence of Baine buying matches at Tractor Supply?

The scene is just so poorly constructed for something that's supposed to be so pivotal.

Then, the ending felt really rushed,

as if Eleanor gave up because the author needed her to so the story could wrap up, and not because it was earned. It didn't feel natural. The characters didn't have any room to breathe once we got to Underland, which is a real shame

. The book needed to be much longer, or (ideally) split into a duology. Getting to the ending area should have been the first book, and

exploring Underland/winning over Eleanor should have been the second

.

One of my favorite things the author did was jump between first person POV for Opal and third person POV for Arthur. It really made each of them feel distinct, while leaving Arthur a little bit more of a mystery than Opal. It was perfect. I also kept imagining Cillian Murphy as Arthur, which was really fun.

The other things I liked include: all the Easter eggs for other books and media to find, the "This is the story of Starling House" sections and how they came together

just like that map of the Mississippi River

, and the "character" of the House itself.

I was also surprised to learn that this is much closer to reality than I was expecting. One of the footnotes mentions a song called Paradise, which I looked up on a whim and it turned out to be real (although the lyrics were slightly altered for this book). That led me down a rabbit hole where I learned about the Green River area of Kentucky and all the shady stuff coal companies did (and still do) there. It's super interesting, and if you liked the book, I bet you would find this all really intriguing too!

Overall, I really liked this book. It was a bit dense, so if you aren't much of a gothic and/or fantasy reader, it might be hard to get into, but I think it's worth it.

P.S. Listen to evermore by Taylor Swift while reading this. The vibes are immaculate.

Mr. Romance by Louisa Masters

lighthearted slow-paced

3.5

This is a cute little story. I honestly don't have much to say about it beyond that. Although, I will say that there's not much romance in this book titled Mr. Romance. There is a cute romantic gesture at the end, but like... it happens within the last 20 pages and that's it.

Also, Charlie is a true himbo. A treat to read. If that doesn't convince you to read this, nothing will. 

The Dating Disaster by Saxon James

slow-paced

• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? No

2.0

My prediction of this book being 2.5 stars did end up being too generous. Hell, 2 stars might be too generous. I just didn't like almost anything about this book. I liked Marshall, he was a little cutie, and it was competently written, but... that's all I got. It doesn't help that miscommunication is literally my least favorite trope of all time.

And let me tell you, the main theme of this book is miscommunication. And it's not even a little quick one that lasts maybe one chapter before getting resolved—it literally lasts for, like, 90% of the book. This is not an exaggeration. The miscommunication in this book is off the charts. It drove me nuts. Everything would have been resolved if only they talked to each other for one (1) minute, but both if these characters suffered from severe head-in-sand syndrome.

I do not recommend this book. You might be tempted because Felix and Marshall were cute side characters in Playing Games, but you should just leave them in that little box. Trust me.

Playing Games by Riley Hart

funny lighthearted medium-paced

4.0

I am very happy to report that this book charmed me. Yeah, some parts are cringey (which is why I'm not giving it 5 stars), but I enjoyed it way more than I thought I would. The sexual tension between the two leads, Brax and Ty, was really palaple, and I applaud the author for how well they developed it. I also loved the side characters, especially Brax's grandma. 

I'm interested to read more by this author. I like their writing style. If you're looking for a cute, sports-adjacent gay romance, I would highly recommend this one!

A Valentine's Trade by Amy Aislin

3.5

This is such a cute short story! I was so happy that Mitch and Alex finally get to be together for real. Unlike On the Ice: Mitch VS Alex, nothing was spoiled. But there was a tease for a future book, which I liked. I'm looking forward to Taylor's book since I liked the little glimpse of him that we got.

I couldn't give this too high of a rating because everyone's favorite line ("six foot four of blank, blank, and blank") makes an appearance. I don't know why but it bugs the hell out of me. Overall, I think this is the best of the short stories about Mitch and Alex. 

On The Ice: Mitch VS. Alex by Amy Aislin

2.5

It's... fine. It's nothing special. Once again, the "six foot four of blank, blank, and blank" line makes an appearance. Do we really need this reminder? 

Also, this short story is a bit spoiler-y as it mentions some couples/events from later books. So watch out for that. 

Christmas on the Ice by Amy Aislin

3.0

The story was cute, but you can tell it's not as polished as the books. It also doesn't add a lot, so you can definitely skip this if you don't feel like hunting it down. Lots of typos and weird reminders (e.g. Alex is always described as "six four of blank, blank and blank" when I don't feel like we need that reminder). 

On the Ice by Amy Aislin

emotional funny hopeful lighthearted medium-paced

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

4.0

I have to say, I was pleasantly surprised by this book. It's well-paced, the demisexual representation is fantastic, and the characters are adorable. The story, unlike some other hockey romances that I've read, actually makes sense and seems grounded in reality (although I don't think real-life hockey players have that much free-time around Christmas).

Although it sucks that the characters stay closeted, I also know this is more realistic than the huge coming outs or forced outings I've read in other books.

I'm starting to get pickier after reading some duds in the hockey romance subgenre lately, but I'm definitely going to continue this series. I really felt the characters love in this one. Here's to hoping the rest of them can live up to Mitch and Alex!