shaesensual's reviews
16 reviews

adventurous funny hopeful lighthearted fast-paced

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

5.0

I loved getting a moment to revisit these characters! I saw some reviews before I got into the book and expected something less satisfying for each of these couples’ outcomes but I was just pleased for more of their stories! My only complaint was the Dean and Allie story and seeing their conflict just because it felt like something that would have been worked out earlier in their relationship. Still overall loved this and would even love more of these novellas/short stories to build their world in between the end of the series and the next generation! And honestly…I liked the Alexander bit. It was just a funny lighthearted way to connect their stories and something people do in long distance relationships all the time!

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The Goal by Elle Kennedy

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emotional funny lighthearted 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

4.25

Tucker and Sabrina are an unlikely couple and a fun one! I loved seeing this part of the timeline from their perspective and get some insight as to why Tucker was so private in the prior book! Tucker is such a patient and understanding character but I’m very glad his character flaws get addressed too. Some challenging topics in this one but I do love how things pan out for them! Sabrina is stubborn but thankfully comes around! Very grounded characters and a perfect match.

The spice in this book is dialed up at 100 starting from the very beginning. This couple has stellar chemistry and their relationship outside of the bedroom makes their steamy sessions all the better! Tucker’s flip from nice guy all the time to demanding in the bedroom is a nice touch.

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The Score by Elle Kennedy

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emotional funny hopeful lighthearted 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

5.0

I absolutely understand now why this book is one of the most highly praised in all of Kennedy’s series! Allie and Dean are so lovable and so compatible, you are rooting for them from the very beginning and each piece of information revealed about their chemistry just pushes their relationship right along. These characters can’t help but fall in love with each other even when they both try so hard not to! Seeing Dean’s mushy side develop until he’s getting Allie’s obscure French soap opera at his penthouse is truly character development. I also loved the Allie-cat nickname, seeing Summer’s actual introduction in the series and the start of her relationship with Allie, and understanding more about Hunter as a Dean 2.0. This book is also such a sweet spot in the series timeline where all of the characters you know and love are in the story or just on the outside of the story. I LOVED this book and might be the only one in the series I’d consider rereading.

I had also previously read about the major third act plot point in Summer’s Briar U book, but it was entirely different reading it from Dean and Allie’s perspective and seeing their growth through it. Truly handled so well with how the characters make decisions to better themselves and each other.

This might be the only romance book I’ve been embarrassed to read in public! Allie and Dean’s trade off of dominant and submissive behavior is fun, fun, fun. The kink is high in their encounters, putting some things in their sex life I’m sure some people only fantasize about. They are continually pushing each other’s boundaries in such a hot (and consensual) way. Dean’s exhibitionist kink explains so much about him and apparently Allie too!

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The Mistake by Elle Kennedy

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challenging dark funny hopeful fast-paced

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

4.0

This was a good read with maybe some of the least conflict I’ve seen between two main characters, but no complaints about that honestly! These characters handle their relationship very well and the outside factors around their relationship. They break two tropes by 1. Being overall good people from the start and 2. Being able to communicate. This truly just feels like a falling in love story where, though we have the false start in the first half of the book, the conflict resolution is fun and flirty (and they both know that Grace wants to say) vs. high stakes. We don’t even follow a typical third act breakup structure here, instead seeing an opportunity for the couple to come together as a team. Loved it!

The spice is pretty good in this book, but the chemistry of it all is the best part! These two already know each other so well before sex, so of course it’s going to be perfectly loving and also hot. And the 6 month celibate status reveal after their first time was honestly so wholesome!

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The Deal by Elle Kennedy

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dark emotional funny hopeful fast-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? Yes

5.0

I want to say first that I’m reading this series after having read Briar U and I just know this series is all going to feel like a fun flashback to the characters I have already seen in glimpses! I loved loved loved Garrett and Hannah and seeing this story be the foundation of their future in Briar U is sooooo fun. For a romance book with some of the darkest themes I have read to date, it might have also been the most fun! Garrett is such a lovable character all the way throughout, by respecting Hannah’s intelligence, gaining her trust, and being appropriately persistent (stubborn!). This might also be the most authentic development of sparks between characters I have ever seen…their first sleepover night is SO realistic for realizing you are truly comfortable with somebody’s company. The moment where this gets referenced again later in the book seriously brought me to tears because of how true their ease is with each other. I cannot compliment this book enough! So serious, but so fun.

Let’s not forget the spice because…wowow. Hannah’s sexual trauma is such a well handled topic and Garrett’s efforts are so sincere…and HOT. Their chemistry is intense and seeing their sexual tension develop in baby steps was so fun and flirty!

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The Dare by Elle Kennedy

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funny lighthearted fast-paced

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

2.75

"I'm too young to be this unhappy, and too loved to be this alone"

This quote really describes my change of heart about the final 15% of this book because this felt like something the main character had already discovered before reaching this point in the story.

Light spoilers ahead, but I've got a lot to rant about. So much time is spent building a foundation of trust, support, and honesty between these characters only for that to be thrown away in an instant. Not only do things blow up again, Taylor then takes the unnecessary step of insulting all of Conor's deepest insecurities. Taylor struggles with her self image due to her weight, which I wish took up less of this book because she's a more dynamic character than that, but when Conor has his own turmoil, he doesn't start calling her fat and saying nobody could possibly want to be with her. Taylor, on the other hand, says things to Conor that I might consider unforgivable even taking into consideration the circumstances. Her actions were just to harm him and it felt like taking 1,000 steps backwards in their growth as a couple. And he somehow manages to immediately forgive her and even says she was right. Additionally, there is a lot of gratitude for Conor's reaction in this final section of the book as if its so remarkable, but I can't honestly imagine an adult who would have reacted any differently. This book would have received a 4.25/4.5 rating from me without this major shift towards the end or bad just ended after the gala conflict.

Really wish this had a stronger ending overall as this was the weakest book in the series.

The positives: the fake relationship into real was really great. I loved all the "boyfriend" and "girlfriend" comments when they were still both unsure. I thought their flirting dynamic and conversations together were fun and cute. Overall a really fun couple to read about.

The spice was spicy in this book! I loved seeing repeated scenes of foreplay leading up to their first time having sex. Standalone, these scenes are great but the fact that their first time happens immediately following the biggest fight in their relationship and Conor's sudden change of heart makes it less sexy than it could have been because that conflict is still right there. And, in all honesty, I had no interest in the final sex scene after Taylor gets sexually exploited. The resolution with Conor and from that type of trauma was too quick for me. Not to mention “fuckturtles” was beyond weird.

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The Play by Elle Kennedy

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dark emotional funny hopeful lighthearted fast-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? It's complicated

5.0

I absolutely adore how seamlessly I transitioned into reading this book from the prior one in the series. Seeing the setup to the payoff in this book was so freaking fun! The relationship between the two main characters was great because it really was built as a friendship and it evolved. These characters both push each other to be better, more confident versions of themselves and played a fun game of toeing the line between friendship and more. I also loved the introduction of a female character that was not already hockey acquainted or hockey adjacent and seeing how she fit into this world.

I just have to say I’m a huge fan of how this book touched on what some may perceive as ”unconventional” sexual dynamics including nods to open relationships, threesomes, and exhibitionism. Not to mention just the spiciness of Hunter and Demi’s sex scenes! Their chemistry is off the charts hot and the tension was so strong given the circumstances too!

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The Risk by Elle Kennedy

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emotional funny hopeful lighthearted fast-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? Yes

4.25

I think this romance was perfectly set up by the author in the first of this series! By the end of The Chase I was already wanting Jake and Brenna to get together and then this book made it happen in an authentic way! Fun dynamics between these two stubborn, insistent characters. The tension between these enemies to lovers both verbally and physically was done so well, making you keep flipping the pages and hoping the next one would be the one where they made their move…or the next one…or the next one…or….I also loved the relationships of these characters with the people around them and how they discovered and managed their feelings about it all. And I always appreciate seeing two characters support each other in their goals and having shared passions!

Also have to comment on nicknames, because I love a snarky comment with attitude turning into their pet names. Hottie and Jakey are too cute!

My only complaint was how long some of the plot points in the book took to pay off/develop, specifically in the case of the flooding house, and both the characters “histories” with Eric and Hazel. There was a certain point where I was asking myself…why do we keep hearing about them? And…why do they keep not communicating about these peoole in their lives? Ultimately I thought these elements were used well in the conflict, but just thought the timing in the overall plot could have been different.

The spicy scenes may be some of the best I have read to date because of how well they reflect the relationship of the characters! The pace of these scenes were slow, but not drawn out, as these characters were so intentional with each next step they took. Not to mention the moments of flirting and teasing leading up to it were sooooo thick with tension and as much as both characters were hesitant, the chemistry was undeniable. Their dynamic in the spicy scenes also validated their chemistry (and honestly even love) from the beginning with every move they made, too.

Content Warnings

The Chase by Elle Kennedy

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dark emotional funny lighthearted fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.25

A fun grumpy/sunshine dynamic with a realistic crossover in their interests and their chemistry is off the charts! Summer and Fitz are maybe a little more toxic than I’d like, some of their bad traits being perceived as exciting, but all I could think was “nice is different than good” because the way these characters treated each other were almost objectively bad. You find out the reasonings, but it does seem like towards the end they are satisfied with the state of things instead of seeking more growth to change their bad habits. The only thing I can give Fitz credit for is not being an overly jealous boyfriend and continuing to give Summer the freedom to be herself! And a small thing: I do also love that this is a book where the major nicknames are not between the main couple, but exchanged between Summer and minor characters around her. I can’t wait to read the next book in this series!

I could have happily gone without two interrupted sex scenes that involved being walked in on and dialogue during penetration. It was somewhat funny the first time, but the second time it was like…really? I still thought the sexual tension was skillfully created between these characters that had every reason to hate each other but couldn’t force themselves to even when they wanted to. Definitely some quality spice/kinky situations that I was not expecting out of this book!

Content Warnings

Otherwise Engaged: A Fake Engagement Romance by Avery Keelan

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emotional funny lighthearted 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

5.0

This was such an enjoyable read! It look me longer than the other books I have read by this same author, but I don’t think it was a bad thing at all. There was so much conflict and tension to chew on that I didn’t want to speed through. Somehow this book pulls off fake engagement, enemies to lovers, and second chance romance all in one. Bennet and Thayer are such good characters with their own interests, passions, and perspective and yet they find a way to support each other in all areas. The payoff for this story was so sweet (and spicy)!!

The spicy scenes in this book were hot hot hot. The tension built in the moments of innocent kissing, hand holding, etc. really made their finally hooking up so satisfying!

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shaesensual's reviews 16 reviews

shaesensual's reviews
16 reviews