sammis_bookshelf's Reviews (170)

The Sirens

Emilia Hart

4.25

emotional mysterious sad slow-paced

Plot or Character Driven: Character

Strong character development: Yes

Loveable characters: Yes

Diverse cast of characters: Complicated

Flaws of characters a main focus: Complicated

Phantom

H.D. Carlton

4.75

adventurous dark emotional hopeful mysterious sad tense fast-paced

Plot or Character Driven: Character

Strong character development: Yes

Loveable characters: Yes

Diverse cast of characters: No

Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

Content Warnings

Angel of Darkness

Stephanie Amaral

5.0

dark emotional fast-paced

Plot or Character Driven: A mix

Strong character development: Yes

Loveable characters: Yes

Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

Content Warnings

The Surf House

Lucy Clarke

4.75

adventurous mysterious medium-paced

Plot or Character Driven: A mix

Strong character development: Yes

Loveable characters: Complicated

Diverse cast of characters: Yes

Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

I was instantly hooked right from the start! The story is set in beautiful Morocco, with a surfer and traveler feel. You become immersed in the setting with the author's fantastic writing.

There is a mugging scene in chapter 2, and as a woman, I really felt the fear Bea experienced. The narrative is mostly from Bea's perspective, but we get some glimpses into the past from Savannah's POV—Savannah was a guest at The Surf House a year ago who disappeared. The characters are interesting and complex, each with their own secrets, which adds so much depth to the story.

There are some parts of conversation in French at the beginning that I couldn't quite grasp since there weren't any translations provided. Thankfully, reading on my Kindle allowed me to use the translate function, but I can imagine it would be a bit tricky if I were reading a physical copy.

Thank you to Harper Collins and NetGalley for this copy

The Bloke

Jacklyn Parker

4.25

Plot or Character Driven: Character

Strong character development: Yes

Loveable characters: Yes

Content Warnings

Rival

Penelope Douglas

4.25

challenging emotional hopeful fast-paced

Plot or Character Driven: Character

Strong character development: Yes

Loveable characters: Yes

Diverse cast of characters: No

This book follows Madoc - Jared's best friend who we met in the first book, and Fallon - his step sister. He comes across as a bit of a douche but you get to see a deeper side to him in this book.

"You've always wanted me. You know why? Because I don't try to kill your demons. I run with them"

I really enjoyed this book. Lots of angst, interfering parents, miscommunication and two people acting out of hurt.

Special mention to Jax in this book. He absolutely stood out compared to his appearance in Bully. I am desperate for his book now.