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ratetheromance's Reviews (659)
4 stars as Women's Fiction
2 stars as a Romance
This book is not a Romance. It just isn't. It's a decent book as General Fiction, although its pace is extremely slow. There were very funny parts and the characters are extremely likable.
The look at grieving the loss of a family member was extremely well done as you get to see the different ways in which three generations of women move through their grief.
There is a slight romantic element which only surfaces in the last few chapters. So if you're here for some steam, this ain't it.
I listened to the Audiobook version of this book. The narrators were both VERY good, although at times the younger narrator spoke a bit too quickly.
I received a free Audio Book version of this title from NetGalley in exchange for my honest review.
2 stars as a Romance
This book is not a Romance. It just isn't. It's a decent book as General Fiction, although its pace is extremely slow. There were very funny parts and the characters are extremely likable.
The look at grieving the loss of a family member was extremely well done as you get to see the different ways in which three generations of women move through their grief.
There is a slight romantic element which only surfaces in the last few chapters. So if you're here for some steam, this ain't it.
I listened to the Audiobook version of this book. The narrators were both VERY good, although at times the younger narrator spoke a bit too quickly.
I received a free Audio Book version of this title from NetGalley in exchange for my honest review.
DNF
I love a good neuro-diverse romance, but this book never found the correct balance between speaking in the main character's voice, but also keeping the reader engaged and maintaining a good narrative pace. In simpler terms: BOOORRRRIIIINNNGGG.
There are just too many rambling bird facts. You start to feel like you're reading a textbook instead of a novel. And the romance aspect gets buried under the very heavy-handed writing.
This book completely missed the mark.
I love a good neuro-diverse romance, but this book never found the correct balance between speaking in the main character's voice, but also keeping the reader engaged and maintaining a good narrative pace. In simpler terms: BOOORRRRIIIINNNGGG.
There are just too many rambling bird facts. You start to feel like you're reading a textbook instead of a novel. And the romance aspect gets buried under the very heavy-handed writing.
This book completely missed the mark.
3.5 STARS
*sigh*
It is with heavy heart that I give this book an under 4 star review. Guys, I looooved The Tourist Attraction, despite its very PG content (I usually go for more smut). It was funny and fresh and the writing was great!
WHAT I WASN'T FEELING:
MISTLETOE & MR. RIGHT feels a bit like an early book draft. There were 3 or 4 entire chapters that I felt could have been cut, mostly about Lana's family business. It's information we simply don't need.
There is also the slightly annoying way Lana calls everyone "Dearest". First, it is used in this book 42 times. It's too much. Second, I have not ever in my life heard someone under 97 years old use this term of endearment. It feels gimmicky.
It was also hard for me to believe that two adults, who have each been sexually active for decades, would make out for hours at a time without ever sealing the deal. It seems extremely unrealistic.
WHAT I LOVED:
Rick is a character we almost never see in contemporary romances: a shy leading man. I absolutely loved this aspect of his character. He's not socially awkward. He's not a loner. He's a nice guy who is truly shy and, in a literary world filled with cocky alphas, it was so refreshing a fun to read his story.
The same funny scenarios are in this book that I loved in T.T.A. There is a date gone so hilariously wrong that you will laugh out loud. I loved the quirky humor so much.
So many romances tie all loose ends up with a pretty bow by the epilogue. But real relationships are complex and sometimes complicated. This book gives is both a highly satisfying HEA while still acknowledging that there are semantics of a working relationship that continue to shift and change. I really enjoyed the happy, yet realistic, conclusion of this book.
*sigh*
It is with heavy heart that I give this book an under 4 star review. Guys, I looooved The Tourist Attraction, despite its very PG content (I usually go for more smut). It was funny and fresh and the writing was great!
WHAT I WASN'T FEELING:
MISTLETOE & MR. RIGHT feels a bit like an early book draft. There were 3 or 4 entire chapters that I felt could have been cut, mostly about Lana's family business. It's information we simply don't need.
There is also the slightly annoying way Lana calls everyone "Dearest". First, it is used in this book 42 times. It's too much. Second, I have not ever in my life heard someone under 97 years old use this term of endearment. It feels gimmicky.
It was also hard for me to believe that two adults, who have each been sexually active for decades, would make out for hours at a time without ever sealing the deal. It seems extremely unrealistic.
WHAT I LOVED:
Rick is a character we almost never see in contemporary romances: a shy leading man. I absolutely loved this aspect of his character. He's not socially awkward. He's not a loner. He's a nice guy who is truly shy and, in a literary world filled with cocky alphas, it was so refreshing a fun to read his story.
The same funny scenarios are in this book that I loved in T.T.A. There is a date gone so hilariously wrong that you will laugh out loud. I loved the quirky humor so much.
So many romances tie all loose ends up with a pretty bow by the epilogue. But real relationships are complex and sometimes complicated. This book gives is both a highly satisfying HEA while still acknowledging that there are semantics of a working relationship that continue to shift and change. I really enjoyed the happy, yet realistic, conclusion of this book.
Curse my über-religious upbringing!!! This book was really good, but it's hard to write a fair review because this book was definitely outside of my steam level comfort zone. It makes it tricky because while I'm reading I'm feeling kind of uncomfortable, which is ridiculous and stupid.
Anyhoo, sexual repression aside, this really IS a great book. It had likable characters, a good storyline, and seriously hot steamy scenes.
The only problems I had was everything seemed to be tie up with a slightly unrealistic bow by the end. A major relationship changes when a character just admits they are wrong and then immediately (and easily) fixes all traces of their wrong doings. There is also a resolution in the final chapter of a major theme in the book that feels fairly implausible. I like a happy ending, but it needs to be realistically attainable.
But those small issues don't take away from a strong and smart heroine, a seriously hot and alpha hero, likable side characters, a strong female friendship, and a HEA you are waiting for.
RATING: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
STEAM LEVEL: NC-17
TRIGGERS: sexual assault, physical assault against women
Anyhoo, sexual repression aside, this really IS a great book. It had likable characters, a good storyline, and seriously hot steamy scenes.
The only problems I had was everything seemed to be tie up with a slightly unrealistic bow by the end. A major relationship changes when a character just admits they are wrong and then immediately (and easily) fixes all traces of their wrong doings. There is also a resolution in the final chapter of a major theme in the book that feels fairly implausible. I like a happy ending, but it needs to be realistically attainable.
But those small issues don't take away from a strong and smart heroine, a seriously hot and alpha hero, likable side characters, a strong female friendship, and a HEA you are waiting for.
RATING: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
STEAM LEVEL: NC-17
TRIGGERS: sexual assault, physical assault against women
This was a great 2nd Chance at Love story! I loved the sweet and memory-filled romance between Lilah and Ethan.
Lilah was a great heroine. She is fiercely independent, but kind. Smart and driven and real. Ethan was a bit harder for me to like as a hero. He was a bit immature and emotionally needy. Regardless, he has really sweet moments and his small romantic gestures are swoon-worthy.
Once these two characters finally reconnect the steam level skyrockets. Wooo-wheeee! Melt-your-kindle hotness!
RATING: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
STEAM LEVEL: Rated R
Lilah was a great heroine. She is fiercely independent, but kind. Smart and driven and real. Ethan was a bit harder for me to like as a hero. He was a bit immature and emotionally needy. Regardless, he has really sweet moments and his small romantic gestures are swoon-worthy.
Once these two characters finally reconnect the steam level skyrockets. Wooo-wheeee! Melt-your-kindle hotness!
RATING: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
STEAM LEVEL: Rated R
3.5 STARS
I definitely liked the other books in this series more than A SECRET FOR A SECRET. These characters fell a bit flat for me and it was easy to guess the "twists" coming a mile away.
KINGSTON is a hero that seems a bit oddly. He is a mass of contradictions, but we never really cone to know why. Why is he so straight-laced and cautious about life? And why is he so dirty and hot in the bedroom? The author kind of dances around these contradictions, but we never really see who he is.
Similarly, QUEENIE is at once fierce and also a doormat. She is very open and brash in the bedroom, but is tentative and sometimes cowardly in her own life. I didn't connect with either of these characters.
The story is pretty good, the steamy scenes are hotter-than-hot, and this is a decent read. But it wasn't as good as the rest of the series.
RATING:⭐️⭐️⭐️1/2
STEAM LEVEL: NC-17
I definitely liked the other books in this series more than A SECRET FOR A SECRET. These characters fell a bit flat for me and it was easy to guess the "twists" coming a mile away.
KINGSTON is a hero that seems a bit oddly. He is a mass of contradictions, but we never really cone to know why. Why is he so straight-laced and cautious about life? And why is he so dirty and hot in the bedroom? The author kind of dances around these contradictions, but we never really see who he is.
Similarly, QUEENIE is at once fierce and also a doormat. She is very open and brash in the bedroom, but is tentative and sometimes cowardly in her own life. I didn't connect with either of these characters.
The story is pretty good, the steamy scenes are hotter-than-hot, and this is a decent read. But it wasn't as good as the rest of the series.
RATING:⭐️⭐️⭐️1/2
STEAM LEVEL: NC-17
This is the first book in a duet following the eldest brother in the HARRIS BROTHERS series by Amy Daws. This book ends in a cliffhanger (and, holy HELL, it is quite the cliff hanger). So, plan ahead, and make sure you have the final book on hand because I stupidly finished this one after midnight and was trapped into reading the beginning of the next book because Amy Daws is an evil genius.
This book is very NC-17. Very, very, adult content here. But, that content is an important part of the story and actually feeds the narrative. Despite how necessary the kinky sex is, I found it a bit too much. Not the content, but the actual quantity. I feels like over half of this book is detailed sex and it overwhelmed the story for my personally. But, hey, if you are here for some super-hot, BDSM sex then you are going to LOVE THIS.
The characters from previous books in the series are a big part of this book, but it does very well as a standalone. You don't feel out-of-the-loop or overwhelmed with backstories. This is something Amy Daws is excellent at! So you can definitely read this Duet as a stand-alone.
This book is very NC-17. Very, very, adult content here. But, that content is an important part of the story and actually feeds the narrative. Despite how necessary the kinky sex is, I found it a bit too much. Not the content, but the actual quantity. I feels like over half of this book is detailed sex and it overwhelmed the story for my personally. But, hey, if you are here for some super-hot, BDSM sex then you are going to LOVE THIS.
The characters from previous books in the series are a big part of this book, but it does very well as a standalone. You don't feel out-of-the-loop or overwhelmed with backstories. This is something Amy Daws is excellent at! So you can definitely read this Duet as a stand-alone.
Oh, my heart. This may be the perfect conclusion to the HARRIS BROTHERS series by Amy Daws. It's important to note that this the second book of a romance duet, so you MUST read book 4 first.
I loved this series and this was a fantastic conclusion. Amy Daws always manages to seamlessly blend the characters from past books in the series into her books. It never feels forced or overwhelming. This book, in particular, takes you on a roller coaster of ALL THE FEELS. I literally cried (and I never cry while reading books). Amy takes a character (the Patriarch of this family) that is truly difficult to understand and love and, by the end of this book, you understand him as his children make peace with his past wrongs. But this isn't some ridiculous writing where the Dad says, "Sorry" and suddenly everything is okay. Daws perfectly executes the varied reactions that each of his children has to his past wrongs. You get true and beautifully complex reactions. For me, this storyline of redemption is where this book truly shines.
But, the main characters also get a truly raw and beautiful love story. It's not easy or uncomplicated, but that is what makes it so good.
I loved this series and this was a fantastic conclusion. Amy Daws always manages to seamlessly blend the characters from past books in the series into her books. It never feels forced or overwhelming. This book, in particular, takes you on a roller coaster of ALL THE FEELS. I literally cried (and I never cry while reading books). Amy takes a character (the Patriarch of this family) that is truly difficult to understand and love and, by the end of this book, you understand him as his children make peace with his past wrongs. But this isn't some ridiculous writing where the Dad says, "Sorry" and suddenly everything is okay. Daws perfectly executes the varied reactions that each of his children has to his past wrongs. You get true and beautifully complex reactions. For me, this storyline of redemption is where this book truly shines.
But, the main characters also get a truly raw and beautiful love story. It's not easy or uncomplicated, but that is what makes it so good.
Usually these half-books drive me a bit nuts. It's always an explosion of series characters and nothing really happens. But, damn it if Amy Daws didn't change my mind!
This is a sweet and steamy novella that actually SERVES A PURPOSE in the Harris Brother series. It explores characters we have met before and adds something important to the narrative. I know, I didn't think it was possible either.
I loved this little book. I loved seeing the continuation of Cam and Indie's love story. And I loved the Harris family even more than before.
RATING:⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
STEAM LEVEL: Rated R
This is a sweet and steamy novella that actually SERVES A PURPOSE in the Harris Brother series. It explores characters we have met before and adds something important to the narrative. I know, I didn't think it was possible either.
I loved this little book. I loved seeing the continuation of Cam and Indie's love story. And I loved the Harris family even more than before.
RATING:⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
STEAM LEVEL: Rated R
I still can't figure out exactly why this book didn't quote work for me.
I think it might be that these characters never really got to know each other well. They have exactly ZERO meaningful conversations during the course of this book. They don't discuss their hopes and dreams. We don't know their hobbies. They don't gave anything in common.
There's chemistry, but not much else.
I think it might be that these characters never really got to know each other well. They have exactly ZERO meaningful conversations during the course of this book. They don't discuss their hopes and dreams. We don't know their hobbies. They don't gave anything in common.
There's chemistry, but not much else.