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racheyreads's reviews
36 reviews
Throne in the Dark by A.K. Caggiano
adventurous
funny
lighthearted
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
What a Gem!
I had this book recommended and it did not disappoint at all. Damien and Amma are an amazingly fun dynamic, I couldn't help but love them.
The story is intriguing at its core. I still don't believe the full narrative is being shown to us yet and it's quite a long book (over 400 pages). That being said the length of this book is not a negative at all. I found it kept me wanting to come back and keep reading more often than not. There's also all the time I spent not reading the book and coming up with all the ways it could be going - none of which I guessed correctly. That in itself was so enjoyable.
I immediately have picked up the 2nd book of the series and cannot wait to see where this goes!
I had this book recommended and it did not disappoint at all. Damien and Amma are an amazingly fun dynamic, I couldn't help but love them.
The story is intriguing at its core. I still don't believe the full narrative is being shown to us yet and it's quite a long book (over 400 pages). That being said the length of this book is not a negative at all. I found it kept me wanting to come back and keep reading more often than not. There's also all the time I spent not reading the book and coming up with all the ways it could be going - none of which I guessed correctly. That in itself was so enjoyable.
I immediately have picked up the 2nd book of the series and cannot wait to see where this goes!
A Court of Thorns and Roses by Sarah J. Maas
adventurous
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
It has taken me a long dang time to pick up this book and I am glad I did. Don't get me wrong, it didn't blow me out of the water, and I do think most of the value for this series comes from the later books. However, for a book one in a fantasy romance series it did a good job of explaining the world, some major characters within the story and touched briefly on the politics.
I do, however, understand why people would DNF this book at the half way mark. It kept me intrigued regardless so I knew I would have continued, but some of the plot points are quite silly when it takes almost 75% of the book to reach the info dump of an explanation as to why things have been as they are.
Feyre's blind love for Tamlin is a whole kettle of worms I'm not interested in exploring, save for the nagging feeling this was pulling a Shadow & Bone on me... a relationship purely for convenience and nothing else.
Overall though I enjoyed the story, the writing was for the most part easy to follow and I had no issues wasting a good few hours here and there within the book.
Now if only I can get more Lucien...
I do, however, understand why people would DNF this book at the half way mark. It kept me intrigued regardless so I knew I would have continued, but some of the plot points are quite silly when it takes almost 75% of the book to reach the info dump of an explanation as to why things have been as they are.
Feyre's blind love for Tamlin is a whole kettle of worms I'm not interested in exploring, save for the nagging feeling this was pulling a Shadow & Bone on me... a relationship purely for convenience and nothing else.
Overall though I enjoyed the story, the writing was for the most part easy to follow and I had no issues wasting a good few hours here and there within the book.
Now if only I can get more Lucien...
Love From Scratch by Amy Hutton
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
medium-paced
4.25
I wanted to thank NetGalley and Simon & Schuster Australia for giving me the opportunity to read and review this book early.
Ethan and Hazel couldn't be further in career paths. He's a budding movie star and she's a down on her luck chef. While Ethan is preparing to film his next movie, a sequel to the hit romcom 'Sit, Stay, Love', he requests some professional pet minding assistance for his dog Harry. While interviewing potential candidates, he is introduced to Hazel, and from then on their lives become acquaintances to friends to head over heels for each other.
When going into this, I didn't realise this novel was a sequel, and even if I hadn't known, it reads perfectly as a stand alone. I loved Ethan's character, I loved Hazel's character and together I loved their banter. They sounded like a genuinely fun couple to write and it made me very happy to see Ethan find love after his supposed shafting for another man in the first instalment.
There were some issues towards the beginning of the book with how choppy I felt the writing to be. It didn't seem to flow very well and was quite robotic in tone. However, as the novel progressed, I noticed this less over time as more dialogue was introduced into the book. Amy has a great way with writing characters conversing and I found myself laughing with all of her characters witty comments.
I would also really like to personally thank Amy for giving her characters a pet name and NOT OVERUSING IT! It's a huge peeve of mine and the nicknames felt really sweet, deliberate and personal. As they should!
I did at times think the editing might have chopped off bits of the story haphazardly. We would be reading about one scene and immediately the following paragraph could be hours or even the next day later. It was quite jarring and took me out of the book. This book is split POV, but not per chapter, so both characters perspectives and described events are concurrent.
Overall it was an enjoyable read and I would totally recommend it to anyone who loves a cosy and light-hearted romance.
Ethan and Hazel couldn't be further in career paths. He's a budding movie star and she's a down on her luck chef. While Ethan is preparing to film his next movie, a sequel to the hit romcom 'Sit, Stay, Love', he requests some professional pet minding assistance for his dog Harry. While interviewing potential candidates, he is introduced to Hazel, and from then on their lives become acquaintances to friends to head over heels for each other.
When going into this, I didn't realise this novel was a sequel, and even if I hadn't known, it reads perfectly as a stand alone. I loved Ethan's character, I loved Hazel's character and together I loved their banter. They sounded like a genuinely fun couple to write and it made me very happy to see Ethan find love after his supposed shafting for another man in the first instalment.
There were some issues towards the beginning of the book with how choppy I felt the writing to be. It didn't seem to flow very well and was quite robotic in tone. However, as the novel progressed, I noticed this less over time as more dialogue was introduced into the book. Amy has a great way with writing characters conversing and I found myself laughing with all of her characters witty comments.
I would also really like to personally thank Amy for giving her characters a pet name and NOT OVERUSING IT! It's a huge peeve of mine and the nicknames felt really sweet, deliberate and personal. As they should!
I did at times think the editing might have chopped off bits of the story haphazardly. We would be reading about one scene and immediately the following paragraph could be hours or even the next day later. It was quite jarring and took me out of the book. This book is split POV, but not per chapter, so both characters perspectives and described events are concurrent.
Overall it was an enjoyable read and I would totally recommend it to anyone who loves a cosy and light-hearted romance.
Charlie, Love and Cliches by Ella Maise
Did not finish book. Stopped at 42%.
Did not finish book. Stopped at 42%.
DNF @ 42%
I had issues from the beginning of this book and they continued to carry through and even get worse as it went on.
Charlie is insufferable. She doesn't shut up, she has family trauma that she uses as a shield to continue to justify living a miserable life, and she is so bland even water crackers have more flavour.
William is equally if not more in the same basket. It really annoyed me when he said basically "nope, don't do work relationships" and then proceeded to throw that entire concept out the window and continue to pine for Charlie.
It is supposed to be a second chance romance... and yes that is a concept... but I felt these characters had no chemistry and their banter was flavourless. There were times within the book that I had hope, and quickly it was crushed due to Charlie saying something stupid or really bad dialogue placement.
I may pick up another one of this authors works, but at this stage I won't be putting them on a watch list.
I had issues from the beginning of this book and they continued to carry through and even get worse as it went on.
Charlie is insufferable. She doesn't shut up, she has family trauma that she uses as a shield to continue to justify living a miserable life, and she is so bland even water crackers have more flavour.
William is equally if not more in the same basket. It really annoyed me when he said basically "nope, don't do work relationships" and then proceeded to throw that entire concept out the window and continue to pine for Charlie.
It is supposed to be a second chance romance... and yes that is a concept... but I felt these characters had no chemistry and their banter was flavourless. There were times within the book that I had hope, and quickly it was crushed due to Charlie saying something stupid or really bad dialogue placement.
I may pick up another one of this authors works, but at this stage I won't be putting them on a watch list.
The Push by Ashley Audrain
Did not finish book. Stopped at 68%.
Did not finish book. Stopped at 68%.
This book just was not for me.
I am not a maternal person so the main characters' inner demons and conflict was not relateable to me at all.
I appreciate the writing and how this could be a very chilling and suspenseful read, but it did not hit for me.
I am not a maternal person so the main characters' inner demons and conflict was not relateable to me at all.
I appreciate the writing and how this could be a very chilling and suspenseful read, but it did not hit for me.
The House in the Pines by Ana Reyes
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.25
For a mystery it was honestly quite lacklustre. Overall I felt this book was underwhelming. I was expecting to go into this as a fast paced, psychological thriller with twists and turns and audible gasps... and I got none of that. The plot premise was good - the writing was good and the "twist" at the end felt really far-fetched that it didn't hit the target for me. I appreciated learning a little about Guatemalan folklore, and if that sentiment feels out of place in my review, it also felt disjointed in the book.
Overall an easy read but it won't blow your mind.
Overall an easy read but it won't blow your mind.
Second Guess: A Dark Bully Romance by Vee Taylor
adventurous
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
Firstly I would love to send a huge thank you to Vee for allowing me to read an ARC copy of her novel.
For what this book brought to the table and what it's being advertised as, I did think there would be more dark aspects than there actually were. It started off strong with a luxurious and exclusive BDSM club, however, this seemed to tone down and become lost as the primary couple began interacting with each other.
I do appreciate this follows on from the first novel 'One Chance', though, it seems similar drama plot points have been used in this novel as well. There were also lingering phrases in the writing which were used a lot through this book, such as 'fingers through hair' in various ways.
That all being said, Chelsea was an amazing character and had a wonderful resilience. I loved how she knew what she wanted, and was willing to give up Alex for her own goals and ambitions if he did not align with her. The novel had a decent plot and was fast paced which allowed me to get through it quite quickly without feeling that it was missing important information.
I am excited to be exploring other characters from this series coming in Vee's next novel, and I look forward to reading future releases.
For what this book brought to the table and what it's being advertised as, I did think there would be more dark aspects than there actually were. It started off strong with a luxurious and exclusive BDSM club, however, this seemed to tone down and become lost as the primary couple began interacting with each other.
I do appreciate this follows on from the first novel 'One Chance', though, it seems similar drama plot points have been used in this novel as well. There were also lingering phrases in the writing which were used a lot through this book, such as 'fingers through hair' in various ways.
That all being said, Chelsea was an amazing character and had a wonderful resilience. I loved how she knew what she wanted, and was willing to give up Alex for her own goals and ambitions if he did not align with her. The novel had a decent plot and was fast paced which allowed me to get through it quite quickly without feeling that it was missing important information.
I am excited to be exploring other characters from this series coming in Vee's next novel, and I look forward to reading future releases.
Royals by Tegan Bennett Daylight
hopeful
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
2.0
This novel took a bit of getting used to in the first quarter for me to enjoy it. I felt the writing was a little all over the place and had some inconsistencies which annoyed me at the beginning. Once the plot and characters had been set up, it seemed to flow a lot better.
I loved the premise. What originally hooked me to read this book was a tagline I had seen describing the book as "The Breakfast Club meets Stephen King". I love weird and unsettling stories so this seemed to be a good pick up for me.
Personally I think that the character information would have been better written into the story as plot points rather than 50 or so pages of 'interviews' three quarters of the way through the book. As much as this irked me, I did enjoy reading about the characters and who they were. I understand where the author was coming from in terms of forgotten information leading to realisations in their situation, however, this could have been better implemented.
I loved the premise. What originally hooked me to read this book was a tagline I had seen describing the book as "The Breakfast Club meets Stephen King". I love weird and unsettling stories so this seemed to be a good pick up for me.
Personally I think that the character information would have been better written into the story as plot points rather than 50 or so pages of 'interviews' three quarters of the way through the book. As much as this irked me, I did enjoy reading about the characters and who they were. I understand where the author was coming from in terms of forgotten information leading to realisations in their situation, however, this could have been better implemented.