romancingthereader's Reviews (1.65k)

dark mysterious tense medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven: A mix
Strong character development: Yes
Loveable characters: Yes
Diverse cast of characters: Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus: No

 I wanted to see what all the hype was about, and it was for sure a wild ride.

๐Ÿ“• ๐—•๐—ผ๐—ผ๐—ธ ๐—œ๐—ป๐—ณ๐—ผ๐—ฟ๐—บ๐—ฎ๐˜๐—ถ๐—ผ๐—ป: Phantasma by Kaylie Smith

๐Ÿ“™ ๐—ฆ๐—ฒ๐—ฟ๐—ถ๐—ฒ๐˜€: Wicked Games character series. Book 1.

๐Ÿ“— ๐—ฅ๐—ฒ๐—ฎ๐—ฑ๐—ถ๐—ป๐—ด ๐——๐—ฒ๐˜๐—ฎ๐—ถ๐—น๐˜€: E-book on Kindle. ๐Ÿ†“ on KU.

๐Ÿ“˜ ๐—š๐—ฒ๐—ป๐—ฟ๐—ฒ: Paranormal romance

๐Ÿ“” ๐—ง๐—ฟ๐—ผ๐—ฝ๐—ฒ๐˜€: Dark, ghosts, blood play, deadly trials.

๐Ÿ“– ๐—ฆ๐˜†๐—ป๐—ผ๐—ฝ๐˜€๐—ถ๐˜€: Opheliaโ€™s mother passes, and itโ€™s revealed her family is in considerable debt. Her sister enters Phantasma, a deadly game run by devils, to save their family homeโ€ฆ and Ophelia follows her in despite the danger.

๐ŸŒŸ ๐—ฅ๐—ฒ๐˜ƒ๐—ถ๐—ฒ๐˜„: Thereโ€™s a ton of people who read this bookโ€ฆ and with the second coming out, I was jonesing to pick it up. I was even happier to find out it was a character series, meaning this wasnโ€™t some continuous story with a massive cliffhanger.

The story wasnโ€™t super unique, but it was a pretty good read. The idea of it being trials - and the dark & macabre nature of those trials - made the pacing feel quick. It definitely wasnโ€™t the cleanest book Iโ€™ve read, plot wise, but if I was just going on vibes I had a great time.

By far the standout was Opheliaโ€™s relationship with the playboy flirt of a Phantom, Blackwell. The way their love progresses was full of tension and push and pull, and the ending had me smiling. 

Iโ€™ll definitely go back in for Enchantra, no question.

๐—ฅ๐—ฎ๐˜๐—ถ๐—ป๐—ด: 4/5 โญโญโญโญ

๐—ฆ๐—ฝ๐—ถ๐—ฐ๐—ฒ ๐—Ÿ๐—ฒ๐˜ƒ๐—ฒ๐—น: 3/5 ๐ŸŒถ๐ŸŒถ๐ŸŒถ 
emotional funny reflective tense medium-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: Complicated

I have a secret - I DNFed the first two books in this series. But this time around, I got an advanced listeners copy, and man it was a game changer.

๐Ÿ“• ๐—•๐—ผ๐—ผ๐—ธ ๐—œ๐—ป๐—ณ๐—ผ๐—ฟ๐—บ๐—ฎ๐˜๐—ถ๐—ผ๐—ป: Bridesmaid by Chance by Meghan Quinn

๐Ÿ“™ ๐—ฆ๐—ฒ๐—ฟ๐—ถ๐—ฒ๐˜€: Bridesmaid for Hire character series. Book 3.

๐Ÿ“— ๐—ฅ๐—ฒ๐—ฎ๐—ฑ๐—ถ๐—ป๐—ด ๐——๐—ฒ๐˜๐—ฎ๐—ถ๐—น๐˜€: Audiobook

๐Ÿ“˜ ๐—š๐—ฒ๐—ป๐—ฟ๐—ฒ: Contemporary romance

๐Ÿ“” ๐—ง๐—ฟ๐—ผ๐—ฝ๐—ฒ๐˜€: Workplace romance, marriage of convenience, age gap, billionaire, London vibes.

๐Ÿ“– ๐—ฆ๐˜†๐—ป๐—ผ๐—ฝ๐˜€๐—ถ๐˜€: Sloane needs help purchasing her childhood home. Hudson needs a wife to secure him a business deal. The pair marry as part of an elaborate trip to London, but find their attraction might not be as fake as it seems.

๐ŸŒŸ ๐—ฅ๐—ฒ๐˜ƒ๐—ถ๐—ฒ๐˜„: This is going to be a pretty specific review. Mostly because I know a lot of you read Meghan Quinn, and you need a little more detail than just a "hey, this was good."

When it comes to an MQ book, you're always going to get a few things. You're going to get a broody MMC.  You're going to get the underlying romanticism of the billionaire genre - traveling, romantic moments with big price tags. You will always laugh - trust me, even if you don't to, you'll find yourself cracking up. And you're always going to get some solid spice.

It was a little formulaic, and felt familiar to some of Meghan Quinn's other books, but Bridesmaid by Chance delivered on all of that. There was a LOT of "will they or won't they" moments, so if you don't love the back and forth you'll probably want to steer clear of this one. For me, though, it made the slow burn payoff that much better.

Moreover, though, I really loved the narrators. It was done in duet, and Vanessa Edwin and Jason Clarke delivered in every way. They conveyed every scene perfectly, and toward the end of the book they had me quietly sniffling with the tension and emotion. It was a REALLY solid audio read.

๐—ฅ๐—ฎ๐˜๐—ถ๐—ป๐—ด: 4/5 โญโญโญโญ

๐—ฆ๐—ฝ๐—ถ๐—ฐ๐—ฒ ๐—Ÿ๐—ฒ๐˜ƒ๐—ฒ๐—น: 3.5/5 ๐ŸŒถ๐ŸŒถ๐ŸŒถ 
emotional informative reflective medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven: A mix
Strong character development: Yes
Loveable characters: Yes
Diverse cast of characters: Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus: Complicated

Letโ€™s be honestโ€ฆ the world right now is harsh. And it feels dark. And itโ€™s hard to keep fighting, especially when thereโ€™s no end in sight. And romance novels are largely seen as an escape from that reality. 

But what if I told you I had a romantic, super spicy historical romance that will also leave you feeling energized and inspired. Let me introduc you to the Doctora.

๐Ÿ“• ๐—•๐—ผ๐—ผ๐—ธ ๐—œ๐—ป๐—ณ๐—ผ๐—ฟ๐—บ๐—ฎ๐˜๐—ถ๐—ผ๐—ป: A Tropical Rebel Gets the Duke by Adriana Herrera

๐Ÿ“™ ๐—ฆ๐—ฒ๐—ฟ๐—ถ๐—ฒ๐˜€: Las Lรฉonas character series. Book 3.

๐Ÿ“— ๐—ฅ๐—ฒ๐—ฎ๐—ฑ๐—ถ๐—ป๐—ด ๐——๐—ฒ๐˜๐—ฎ๐—ถ๐—น๐˜€: E-book on Kindle. ๐Ÿ†“ on KU.

๐Ÿ“˜ ๐—š๐—ฒ๐—ป๐—ฟ๐—ฒ: Historical romance

๐Ÿ“” ๐—ง๐—ฟ๐—ผ๐—ฝ๐—ฒ๐˜€: Enemies-to-lovers, banter for days, he falls first.

๐Ÿ“– ๐—ฆ๐˜†๐—ป๐—ผ๐—ฝ๐˜€๐—ถ๐˜€: Aurora became a doctor against all odds, and is now running a clandestine clinic for the women. Apollo is a duke, defying tradition after unseating his father. She canโ€™t stand him, but canโ€™t stay away from him either.

๐ŸŒŸ ๐—ฅ๐—ฒ๐˜ƒ๐—ถ๐—ฒ๐˜„: I can not rave enough about this book. Itโ€™s one of my favorite reads this year, and maybe one of my favorite historical romance reads of all time.

Let me say, first and foremost, that Adriana Herrera is an excellent writer. Every single word in this book felt beautiful. Every scene felt purposeful. Her period knowledge is incredible. I just want to slow clap for her brilliance.

Aurora was an incredible FMC. Fierce, funny, independent, passionate. Her work for women, her past, her pull toward Apollo while also being desperate to maintain every piece of herself sheโ€™s fought forโ€ฆ I loved her through and through.

Apollo is impossible not to swoon for. He loves Aurora so deeply, and because of (not in spite of) everything she thinks are flaws. Heโ€™s big, strong, and impossibly sexy. 

Also, I say this is enemies-to-lovers, but the spice hits IN THE PROLOGUE. 

I canโ€™t wait to go back and read the first two books in this series. Iโ€™m so beyond floored.

๐—ฅ๐—ฎ๐˜๐—ถ๐—ป๐—ด: 5/5 โญโญโญโญโญ  

๐—ฆ๐—ฝ๐—ถ๐—ฐ๐—ฒ ๐—Ÿ๐—ฒ๐˜ƒ๐—ฒ๐—น: 3.5/5 ๐ŸŒถ๐ŸŒถ๐ŸŒถ
funny lighthearted reflective medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven: A mix
Strong character development: Yes
Loveable characters: No
Diverse cast of characters: Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

Funny, hot and super sweet. I put this book on my TBR because of the cover, and that feeling the cover gives you? Itโ€™s exactly what you get.

๐Ÿ“• ๐—•๐—ผ๐—ผ๐—ธ ๐—œ๐—ป๐—ณ๐—ผ๐—ฟ๐—บ๐—ฎ๐˜๐—ถ๐—ผ๐—ป: Just Our Luck by Denise Williams

๐Ÿ“™ ๐—ฆ๐—ฒ๐—ฟ๐—ถ๐—ฒ๐˜€: Standalone

๐Ÿ“— ๐—ฅ๐—ฒ๐—ฎ๐—ฑ๐—ถ๐—ป๐—ด ๐——๐—ฒ๐˜๐—ฎ๐—ถ๐—น๐˜€: E-book on Kindle. Borrowed from Libby.

๐Ÿ“˜ ๐—š๐—ฒ๐—ป๐—ฟ๐—ฒ: Contemporary romance 

๐Ÿ“” ๐—ง๐—ฟ๐—ผ๐—ฝ๐—ฒ๐˜€: Opposites attract, heโ€™s a baker, sheโ€™s a hot mess, ONS.

๐Ÿ“– ๐—ฆ๐˜†๐—ป๐—ผ๐—ฝ๐˜€๐—ถ๐˜€: Sybil is a little (ok a lot) of a mess, and in her haphazard one night stand she accidentally leaves behind her winning lottery ticket. Kieran is adamant about giving it back, but the two strike a deal that will help his struggling donut shop in return.

๐ŸŒŸ ๐—ฅ๐—ฒ๐˜ƒ๐—ถ๐—ฒ๐˜„: So very often, when a FMC is this much of a mess, Iโ€™m pretty quick to DNF. But this one kept me strung along with a solid MMC, some laughs, and I cute cast of characters.

Fake dating to save an ailing, historic donut shop was so adorable, especially as strait-laced Kieran struggled to accept Sybil. I loved a few things - especially the fact that Sybil didnโ€™t have to change and calm down to get her happy ending.

Fair warning, the 80% struggle was REAL. It was a hard one for me to get past. Obviously you go into a romance novel expecting a HEA, but Iโ€™m still a little salty at both of the main characters.

๐—ฅ๐—ฎ๐˜๐—ถ๐—ป๐—ด: 4/5 โญโญโญโญ

๐—ฆ๐—ฝ๐—ถ๐—ฐ๐—ฒ ๐—Ÿ๐—ฒ๐˜ƒ๐—ฒ๐—น: 3/5 ๐ŸŒถ๐ŸŒถ๐ŸŒถ
emotional tense medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven: Character
Strong character development: Yes
Loveable characters: Yes
Diverse cast of characters: Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

I mean Iโ€™m already a simp for this series but it should come as no surprise that I ate this up.

๐Ÿ“• ๐—•๐—ผ๐—ผ๐—ธ ๐—œ๐—ป๐—ณ๐—ผ๐—ฟ๐—บ๐—ฎ๐˜๐—ถ๐—ผ๐—ป: A Hunger in His Blood by Zoey Draven

๐Ÿ“™ ๐—ฆ๐—ฒ๐—ฟ๐—ถ๐—ฒ๐˜€: The Brides of Kylorr character series. Book 3.

๐Ÿ“— ๐—ฅ๐—ฒ๐—ฎ๐—ฑ๐—ถ๐—ป๐—ด ๐——๐—ฒ๐˜๐—ฎ๐—ถ๐—น๐˜€: E-book on Kindle. ๐Ÿ†“ on KU.

๐Ÿ“˜ ๐—š๐—ฒ๐—ป๐—ฟ๐—ฒ: Sci-fi romance

๐Ÿ“” ๐—ง๐—ฟ๐—ผ๐—ฝ๐—ฒ๐˜€: Reformed playboy, Cinderella vibes, accidental pregnancy, groveling.

๐Ÿ“– ๐—ฆ๐˜†๐—ป๐—ผ๐—ฝ๐˜€๐—ถ๐˜€: Erina has always had feelings for Kaldur, but when he approaches her about being his blood giver she canโ€™t help but romanticize the arrangement. Kaldur knows whatโ€™s at stake - heโ€™s a ruler, and Erina is a servant - but he canโ€™t help the call to his blood mate.

๐ŸŒŸ ๐—ฅ๐—ฒ๐˜ƒ๐—ถ๐—ฒ๐˜„: Iโ€™m personally so glad the rest of this series isnโ€™t out, because I know Iโ€™d be sucked in and do nothing but read until I was finished.

The third book in this series was SO GOOD. I love how so far, all three of these brothers have been drastically different in personality and the storylines have been different in tone as well. 

Kaldur being a playboy, his connection to Erina, it was all *chefโ€™s kiss*. I also loved that the majority of the drama happened around the 50% mark (brace yourself, this one hurts) and the rest of the book is just one long grovel. Erina deserved every bit of it.

Zoey Draven continues to be one of my favorite sci-fi authors.

๐—ฅ๐—ฎ๐˜๐—ถ๐—ป๐—ด: 5/5 โญโญโญโญโญ  

๐—ฆ๐—ฝ๐—ถ๐—ฐ๐—ฒ ๐—Ÿ๐—ฒ๐˜ƒ๐—ฒ๐—น: 3/5 ๐ŸŒถ๐ŸŒถ๐ŸŒถ
emotional funny hopeful reflective sad medium-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: No

Whew. I kind of need to sit in silence and stare at my wall after finishing this one.

๐Ÿ“• ๐—•๐—ผ๐—ผ๐—ธ ๐—œ๐—ป๐—ณ๐—ผ๐—ฟ๐—บ๐—ฎ๐˜๐—ถ๐—ผ๐—ป: Say Youโ€™ll Remember Me by Abby Jimenez

๐Ÿ“™ ๐—ฆ๐—ฒ๐—ฟ๐—ถ๐—ฒ๐˜€: Standalone

๐Ÿ“— ๐—ฅ๐—ฒ๐—ฎ๐—ฑ๐—ถ๐—ป๐—ด ๐——๐—ฒ๐˜๐—ฎ๐—ถ๐—น๐˜€: Hardcover

๐Ÿ“˜ ๐—š๐—ฒ๐—ป๐—ฟ๐—ฒ: Contemporary romance

๐Ÿ“” ๐—ง๐—ฟ๐—ผ๐—ฝ๐—ฒ๐˜€: Love at first sight, right person wrong time, long distance.  

๐Ÿ“– ๐—ฆ๐˜†๐—ป๐—ผ๐—ฝ๐˜€๐—ถ๐˜€: Samantha and Xavier have their meet cute and the first date dreams are made of only one day sheโ€™s due to move across the country to take care of her mother with dementia. Between Xavierโ€™s busy veterinarian practice and Samanthaโ€™s family, they struggle to keep each other even as they both refuse to let go.

๐ŸŒŸ ๐—ฅ๐—ฒ๐˜ƒ๐—ถ๐—ฒ๐˜„: This one was all gas and no brakes on the emotion. Yeah, I laughed. Yeah, I swooned. But I felt a lump in my throat nearly the entire book.

This felt like a โ€œbig girl book.โ€ Like it was full of sage advice and deep conversations and it left me with thoughts on aging and the ticking clock and how life throws you curveballs. It was really well-written, but unbearably real at times.

Xavier is the best. Samantha is hysterical. Youโ€™ll have stars in your eyes at the first date. Youโ€™ll have tears in your eyes when they struggle. I know a scene or two that will knock you right on your butt. But, manโ€ฆ it was a good book. 

๐—ฅ๐—ฎ๐˜๐—ถ๐—ป๐—ด: 5/5 โญโญโญโญโญ  

๐—ฆ๐—ฝ๐—ถ๐—ฐ๐—ฒ ๐—Ÿ๐—ฒ๐˜ƒ๐—ฒ๐—น: 2.5/5 ๐ŸŒถ๐ŸŒถ

Unromance

Erin Connor

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