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poetry_drive's reviews
298 reviews
Eyes on Me by Sara Cate
4.0
I just want to hug Garrett. I liked this story way more than I disliked some of the tropes.
Give Me More by Sara Cate
4.0
I was not expecting a why-choose out of this series but I’m HERE for it.
Plier by Jane Washington
4.0
I wasn’t super into this until like 30% in. I think much of that stems from not understanding omegaverses but also, there’s so much world building and setup. The meekness of Isabel is annoying at times, but I understood that it’s part of her nature, being a Sigma.
Her friendship with Theo was sudden and quick, it almost didn’t make sense. There’s so much that happens after the 40% mark and it’s hard to skim. The writing style isn’t ideal— it was a little hard to follow. POV changes mid-chapter, the introduction of a lot of characters all at once, and bombshells placed in random paragraphs.
However, by the end, I was hooked. I just need to know what’s going to happen next!
Spice was almost non-existent but there is angst, so there’s that. This is probably one of the rare times I haven’t griped about the lack of spice.
Her friendship with Theo was sudden and quick, it almost didn’t make sense. There’s so much that happens after the 40% mark and it’s hard to skim. The writing style isn’t ideal— it was a little hard to follow. POV changes mid-chapter, the introduction of a lot of characters all at once, and bombshells placed in random paragraphs.
However, by the end, I was hooked. I just need to know what’s going to happen next!
Spice was almost non-existent but there is angst, so there’s that. This is probably one of the rare times I haven’t griped about the lack of spice.
Nanny for the Neighbors by Lily Gold
4.0
So I like the guys, a lot. Beth is OK and Cami is adorable.
Everyone has a pretty sad background, which ultimately unites them. The spice is good, classic Gold-style why-choose which is done really well.
I debated between 3 or 4 stars because there were parts that were cheesy and cringey, in an eye-rolling sort of way. The immediate “i love yous” from the dudes to Beth just because she didn’t answer was knee-jerk and a little random from Jack and Seb. Not so much from Cy because he spent the most time with her and they had real intimate moments that propelled their personal relationship in a way that made sense. I didn’t feel that same sense of satisfaction from her interactions with Seb or Jack.
Everyone has a pretty sad background, which ultimately unites them. The spice is good, classic Gold-style why-choose which is done really well.
I debated between 3 or 4 stars because there were parts that were cheesy and cringey, in an eye-rolling sort of way. The immediate “i love yous” from the dudes to Beth just because she didn’t answer was knee-jerk and a little random from Jack and Seb. Not so much from Cy because he spent the most time with her and they had real intimate moments that propelled their personal relationship in a way that made sense. I didn’t feel that same sense of satisfaction from her interactions with Seb or Jack.
Butcher & Blackbird by Brynne Weaver
5.0
Fuck this shit is twisted and I loved Every. Fucking. Moment. Not only is it a rom-com, it’s also a slow-burn. Jesus, how many tropes can you fit into 1 book? All of them I guess. There’s mafia vibes, gruesome death, romance, trauma, friendship, action, soooo much angst, all the spice, a HEA, MORE action, and then a second HEA. It was so much and not enough at the same time.
Weaver is an AMAZING storyteller. Everything is detailed so you can picture every scene in your head, right down to the hand placement of each character during their first dance. To some that might seem tedious and, generally, I like a little bit of vagueness so I can fill in the smaller details but I actually appreciated Weaver’s attention to detail in this story and the descriptions of places and other people. The entire story practically came alive in my head like a movie. This was so easy to read and I blazed through the 300+ pages in no time.
My *only* gripe is the passage of time is so subtlety mentioned that if you DON’T read every word and paragraph, you miss it. Sometimes it’s just a sentence, sometimes it’s inferred. There is a decent passage of time in their relationship too, which I was a little surprised about.
My takeaways:
1. I’ve never had beef noicose but fuck, if I won’t think of this if I ever eat that fancy.
2. I will, henceforth, always read the ingredients of ice cream.
3. Any old-lady Halloween skeleton decor will now, and forevermore, be named “Mama Mead”.
4. Piercings are hot AF.
5. Always question everyone, even the ones you think are ‘harmless’.
I can’t wait for Lachlan and Lark’s book. I also can’t wait to read about Fionn and Rose and whatever is happening there. IDK how I feel about Phantom but I am intrigued… the Silas-from-the-Da-Vinci-Code character could be interesting, although I am so-so about the seemingly religious aspect of it.
Weaver is an AMAZING storyteller. Everything is detailed so you can picture every scene in your head, right down to the hand placement of each character during their first dance. To some that might seem tedious and, generally, I like a little bit of vagueness so I can fill in the smaller details but I actually appreciated Weaver’s attention to detail in this story and the descriptions of places and other people. The entire story practically came alive in my head like a movie. This was so easy to read and I blazed through the 300+ pages in no time.
My *only* gripe is the passage of time is so subtlety mentioned that if you DON’T read every word and paragraph, you miss it. Sometimes it’s just a sentence, sometimes it’s inferred. There is a decent passage of time in their relationship too, which I was a little surprised about.
My takeaways:
1. I’ve never had beef noicose but fuck, if I won’t think of this if I ever eat that fancy.
2. I will, henceforth, always read the ingredients of ice cream.
3. Any old-lady Halloween skeleton decor will now, and forevermore, be named “Mama Mead”.
4. Piercings are hot AF.
5. Always question everyone, even the ones you think are ‘harmless’.
I can’t wait for Lachlan and Lark’s book. I also can’t wait to read about Fionn and Rose and whatever is happening there. IDK how I feel about Phantom but I am intrigued… the Silas-from-the-Da-Vinci-Code character could be interesting, although I am so-so about the seemingly religious aspect of it.
Stealing the Troll's Heart by Lyonne Riley
5.0
Telise is a sassy, independent hellcat and she’s my favorite FMC that Riley’s written thus far. Raz’jin is the classic playboy rogue who takes it day by day, but everything changes when he comes across Telise. Both are strong, stubborn and independent; thankfully too stubborn for the typical mated-fates, insta-love storyline. There’s not even insta-lust because they’re so busy trying to hold onto their independence
Long Shot by Kennedy Ryan
5.0
There is permanent scar on my heart from the darkness that was Iris’s life. I don’t think I’ve felt such strong emotions from a book before. I THOUGHT I had, but this book proved me wrong with a hard slap in the face. Of course, it WOULD be a Kennedy Ryan book.
It was fucked up and raw. Readers are not spared any niceties or given any quarter in the description of events that occur. This isn’t a happy book. To clarify, there is a HEA, but by the time you get to it, you’re heart is in shreds on the floor and you can’t piece it back together fast enough to feel any gratification from it. All you can do is finally take the breath you didn’t realize you were holding for 300+ pages, and unclench.
At only 30% in, I needed a hug and hard liquor. I just felt so hopeless reading it— but I couldn’t DNF because HOW could one NOT want to know if she perseveres?
I don’t know if I regret reading this book or not. Of all the messed up stuff I’ve read; all the “dark” romances are nothing compared to the profound despair and sorrow Ryan forces into your soul in this book.
There was spice but I didn’t even care about that for the first time in never. I just wanted to survive to the end of this book. I’d recommend this book to someone I don’t like.
It was fucked up and raw. Readers are not spared any niceties or given any quarter in the description of events that occur. This isn’t a happy book. To clarify, there is a HEA, but by the time you get to it, you’re heart is in shreds on the floor and you can’t piece it back together fast enough to feel any gratification from it. All you can do is finally take the breath you didn’t realize you were holding for 300+ pages, and unclench.
At only 30% in, I needed a hug and hard liquor. I just felt so hopeless reading it— but I couldn’t DNF because HOW could one NOT want to know if she perseveres?
I don’t know if I regret reading this book or not. Of all the messed up stuff I’ve read; all the “dark” romances are nothing compared to the profound despair and sorrow Ryan forces into your soul in this book.
There was spice but I didn’t even care about that for the first time in never. I just wanted to survive to the end of this book. I’d recommend this book to someone I don’t like.