revel_in_reading's reviews
28 reviews

adventurous funny lighthearted mysterious relaxing fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A

4.5

I can not get enough of this series!

Summers End is the 5th installment of this series and just like the others, this was a fun, relaxing read and a much appreciated palette cleanser. One of the sweetest treats in this series is that all the characters are animals, usually a cozy mystery will feature an animal on the cover but they have no real importance, but nope! No people here! Anyone who knows me will tell you if there is a Raccoon involved, I'll be there, so I was over the moon to see Lefty make an appearance again as a core character in this world!

Once again we are following Vera Vixen (our favorite foxy ~~detective~~ news reporter) as she tries to find the truth.

Summer is at it's close and where better to celebrate this change of seasons than in the town of Summers End. Summers End is a historical archeological site that would be comparable to Stonehenge. While the school is talking their field trip, Vera and Lenore decide they can volunteer to help keep all the littles ones in line. They are prepared for sneak outs and general trouble making, but what they are not prepared for is seemingly ritualistic murder.

While a few fan favorites critters are present, Vera and Lenore for the most part will have to navigate this mystery with new shop owners, new law enforcement, new towns folks and new suspects!

I enjoyed the new scenery presented in this title as well as the new cast of characters! It's always a delight to see this world expand.

I found the mystery itself to be entertaining and easy to read. These books are great for people looking for something lighthearted and simple. I had my suspicions but was pleased to be left guessing for the majority of the novel!

I will say I was delighted with what felt like a bonus at the end of this story. While I was excited to see who done it, I was also thrilled to see an extra discovery made before it's conclusion. No spoilers, but it was just a little treat in my opinion how things wrapped up.

Not in Love by Ali Hazelwood

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adventurous funny lighthearted relaxing fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? N/A
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

ARC Review
🌶🌶🌶🌶

"𝔻𝕠 𝕪𝕠𝕦 𝕥𝕙𝕚𝕟𝕜 𝕥𝕙𝕒𝕥 𝕞𝕒𝕪𝕓𝕖 𝕥𝕙𝕖𝕣𝕖'𝕤 𝕒𝕟𝕠𝕥𝕙𝕖𝕣 𝕧𝕖𝕣𝕤𝕚𝕠𝕟 𝕠𝕗 𝕦𝕤, 𝕤𝕠𝕞𝕖𝕨𝕙𝕖𝕣𝕖 𝕚𝕟 𝕒𝕟𝕠𝕥𝕙𝕖𝕣 𝕥𝕚𝕞𝕖𝕝𝕚𝕟𝕖? 𝕎𝕙𝕖𝕣𝕖 𝕨𝕖'𝕣𝕖 𝕟𝕠𝕥 𝕛𝕦𝕤𝕥 𝕒 𝕞𝕖𝕤𝕤𝕖𝕕-𝕦𝕡 𝕝𝕦𝕞𝕡 𝕠𝕗 𝕤𝕔𝕒𝕣 𝕥𝕚𝕤𝕤𝕦𝕖, 𝕒𝕟𝕕 𝕨𝕖'𝕣𝕖 𝕨𝕙𝕠𝕝𝕖 𝕖𝕟𝕠𝕦𝕘𝕙 𝕥𝕠 𝕓𝕖 𝕔𝕒𝕡𝕒𝕓𝕝𝕖 𝕠𝕗 𝕝𝕠𝕧𝕚𝕟𝕘 𝕠𝕥𝕙𝕖𝕣𝕤 𝕥𝕙𝕖 𝕨𝕒𝕪 𝕥𝕙𝕖𝕪 𝕨𝕒𝕟𝕥 𝕥𝕠 𝕓𝕖 𝕝𝕠𝕧𝕖𝕕?"

We're introduced here to another classic Ali Hazelwood (unusual names, women in STEM, hot tall guys with a mysterious past and the illusion of being the enemy) but there were a few breaks in the pattern here and I was definitely about them!

Rue is not in it for the love, the relationships, the 𝐹𝑒𝑒𝓁𝓈. She just wants sex. Career centered and working through trauma she just wants to feel good and there is nothing wrong with that! But, (yes here is the but!) but, what if she only wants that because she doesn't believe herself capable of more? Deserving of more?

Eli is in the same mindset, career focused but horny. He's not looking for forever, that is, until he sees ✨️her✨️. How can someone be so dry, so deadpan, too the point, naturally amazing? Even with no makup and plain clothes, Rue is a woman who knows what she wants and just says it, and man, does that do something for him... untill what she wants is to remind him this is a one-time deal.

Enter the ✨️𝓯𝓮𝓮𝓵𝓲𝓷𝓰𝓼✨️this would be easier for Rue if Eli's company wasn't planning on acquiring her best friends life work through a loan assignment. It would also be easier for Eli of Rue knew the truth behind said friends life work.

But that invisible string is strong, and no matter how much the both of them try and pull away, try to believe "this is the last time" they just keep being thrown into eachothers laps.

❤️ Beautifully written and 🌶 spicy as hell, this book will definitely be on top of my recommendations list for a while to come. Rue and Eli both were incredible characters dealing with both internal and external control battles. The way their relationship developed but in a consentual and well evaluated way was something that this genre is often missing.

Salt in the Wound by Sierra Simone

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dark medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? N/A
Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? No
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

2.5

Alright, so I have already read Salt Kiss and Honey Cut as ARCs, and will say I was SO excited to but this, but I don't think it was the 5 star I was hoping for.

I enjoyed the little back story, and did enjoy seeing how Isolde and Mark started. I will say if I had read this first before book 1 and 2, I probably would have been lost and bored. This book made our main character look pretty dull and the story a little falt.

This book IMMEDIATELY lost a full star when the author perpetuated dangerous myths about womens virginity. Virginity is not tangible, it's not provable. I was so disappointed that the author would have characters and scenes that back the outdated myth.

"You should know that your father has intimated to me that he's already bribed your phsician to keep him abreast of any physical changes or lack thereof"

What? What "physical changes?" There are no physical changes... that's not how vaginas work! That's how any of this works! That's how incels on reddit think it works but they only get their info from other angry celibate men.

"The pain was shimmering in me now, settling into my bones, and when I looked down, I saw blood, slick and red, covering his fingers"

Again, what??? Like mind you this is from inserting 1 finger into a VERY wet, VERY turned on vagina... I just... I can't.

A Fate Inked in Blood by Danielle L. Jensen

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adventurous emotional lighthearted mysterious relaxing fast-paced