shanaepraystoo's reviews
911 reviews

lighthearted fast-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? No

3.0

Titus: Rodeo Season by Charity Shane' is a companion to Destry: Rodeo Season by K.C. Mills. We see some overlap in characters, but for the most part Titus's story is separate from Destry's. Readers get the chance to learn more about cowboying and cowboy culture with this series of books. They're short and sweet, get right to the point, but they advance so quickly that it's hard to build any connection with the characters. I recommend Titus to fans of Charity Shane's books and any fans of the country/cowboy trope in romance novels.

Content Warnings

Destry: Rodeo Season by K.C. Mills

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lighthearted relaxing fast-paced

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

3.0

Destry: Rodeo Season by K.C. Mills is a fast-paced Black romance with no angst or conflict. Maybe that's because of the length, the story is very short, but I would've appreciated a bit more character development and more conflict

beyond the MMC Destry's loss in a qualifying round - what was the point of mentioning characters Jace and Colt if not to explore that aspect of Destry's career?

to help develop Destry's character as a man who was finally caught my the feisty and independent FMC Savvy.

I recommend Destry to fans of K.C. Mills. If you're new to the author, don't start here - she's got way better stories in her catalog.

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Spousal Privilege by Charity Shane', Charity Shane'

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dark emotional funny 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? No

4.0

Spousal Privilege by Charity Shane' is a medium paced second chance romance with a marriage of convenience mixed in. This makes for an engaging story with some really, really wild characters. There's drama, murder, betrayal, infidelity and more in Spousal Privilege - I didn't expect any of that! As usual, it is a well-written story from the talented Charity Shane', but this one's definitely for anyone who doesn't mind some dark and urban elements in their romance novels. I highly recommend Spousal Privilege.

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Beyond Measures by Kimberly Brown

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challenging dark emotional funny hopeful 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? No

3.75

Beyond Measures by Kimberly Brown is another solid read from the talented writer. In the book, we meet two scorned individuals, Ari Ramirez, the FMC, and Simeon Cartwright, the MMC. Author Kimberly Brown takes readers on a really wild ride full of drama and violence as these two characters' love story unfolds.

If you're a fan of really emotionally charged, challenging urban romances with dark elements, then you'll definitely enjoy Beyond Measures, a very entertaining read.

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Unlucky You by K.C. Mills

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challenging emotional hopeful inspiring reflective sad medium-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

4.5

I don't know a lot about K.C. Mills' catalog, but after reading Christmas In Spite Of You last year, I knew I wanted to read more of her books. Then I found out that she released Unlucky You in January and I just knew I had to read it.

While I'm a huge fan of the billionaire romance and I appreciate the escapism offered by those books, it's always fun to read a romance novel with "regular" "everyday" people, like Grand and Saniya.

I had no expectations when I started Unlucky You, but I quickly learned that I was in for an emotional rollercoaster with Grand. K. C. Mills shares a complex story about a man overcoming a lot of emotional and physical struggles as he attempts to rebuild his life after a 5 year prison sentence.

If you enjoy books with challenging themes, like grief, confinement, and abandonment, then you'll get everything you need from Unlucky You. The book is engaging and well-written with well-developed characters that you'll want to root for.

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Sir by Ayelle Burke

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adventurous emotional funny hopeful lighthearted sad medium-paced

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

4.5

Wow. Ayelle Burke really did a great job with Sir. Malik and Saylor's relationship had ups and downs that kept me engaged at every turn. Saylor's growth as a female character was well-written and just what I needed as a reader to get even more invested in the story. I just love Malik - he's the perfect book bae. And Sir belongs on my list of well witten spicy books from black authors. Though not interconnected, Ayelle Burke's KING and Sir have an overlap of characters and explore similar topics - Black love, BDSM, self-discovery, and being open to love. I highly recommend KING, which I literally devoured in about 2 days because it was so good. Somehow, Sir is even better! Must read material for anyone who enjoys books about Black women being loved properly, fans of women's self-discovery in romance books, and anyone who loves very spicy books.

I hope we get more about Shani. Though a complicated character, I think Ayelle Burke does a decent job of depicting the character because she's so complex in her pain. I'd love to learn that she somehow gets connected with the mysterious new member of Pleasure'z that we meet in chapter 26 of Sir. Fingers crossed.

Content Warnings

KING by Ayelle Burke

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adventurous relaxing fast-paced

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

3.75

Ayelle Burke's KING is a well-written and engaging erotic friends to lovers romance. The book is spicy, there's chemistry between the characters, and KING is one of the only friends to lovers books I liked. I recommend this story to anyone looking for something quick, entertaining, and spicy.

Content Warnings

Nobody Loves Me Like You Do by Tacarra

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lighthearted fast-paced

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

3.0

Nobody Loves Me Like You Do by Tacarra is a fast-paced character driven forced proximity strangers to lovers urban romance. While I felt that the book started off pretty slow, all in all I think the pacing was decent and, while I'm able to suspend reality for the sake of the story, I have to admit that the story of Eve and Saint unfolded in a mostly believable way. While I found the story entertaining, there was very little character development and I didn't find the main characters Eve and Saint that likable. Saint had a pretty nasty attitude and Eve came across as judgmental, which was weird because she was in a longterm relationship with a cheating man who wasn't committed to her.

I wish Tacarra told us more about Kona, her background, and her relationship with Saint. I think this background would explain why the two were at odds and also would've been good character development for Saint, who is a pretty grumpy, angry character.

I also think more insight into Eve's relationship with Adrian would've benefited the story, too. The main characters don't even meet until about 30% in the book. All the chapters before the Friendsgiving, a crucial point in this story, could've been dedicated to character development.

To me, Nobody Loves Me Like You Do by Tacarra is a decent story and I recommend it to fans of urban romance who prefer drama, problematic characters and a HEA.

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10,000 Hours With A Rich Menace by Jahquel J.

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dark emotional funny fast-paced

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

3.0

I found 10,000 Hours with a Rich Menace by Jahquel J. to be a pretty middle of the road urban romance. While I think the story is intriguing, the storytelling wasn't enjoyable for me as a reader. I skipped much of Jahquel J.'s 'Delgato' series because I wasn't a fan of the writing style. But I've read other books from the author that I really enjoyed, so when I learned that she had a new series, I decided to give that one a try and that's how I ended up reading about the Caselli clan.

The author's note makes it clear that you don't have to have read the Delgato series or The Infernos series to read and follow the Caselli clan. That is not true, in my opinion.

While reading the book, I took notes asking the following questions:
Chapter 5 "Menace" - Who is Corleon to Skyler?
Chapter 5 "Menace" - How does Landon know Stevie and Skyler?
Chapter 7 "Stevie" - Finally we learn the Corleon-Skyler/Stevie-Landon connection.
Chapter 14 "Menace" - Is Corleon dating Jeffie and Skyler?

It's frustrating reading a story and you feel like you've been plopped right in the middle of it, especially when the author said that you wouldn't need additional context from their previous books to understand the story.

In chapter 30 of the book, Stevie reveals, in response to a conversation with Zoya, Kora, and Skyler, "I was never in on these inside jokes, or knew if they were inside jokes or not." And as a reader, I'm like, "None of us are in on these jokes!" It doesn't make sense to me as a reader to write the book this way, unless there's some omniscient narrator telling the story. It's particularly bad because Stevie is desperate for friends, it's how she ended up in this awful situation with Menace, and these new women, who she wants to befriend, have some relationship that she's on the outside of - and she doesn't want to be an outsider. One of the things I expected to see in the book was the character development that took Stevie from someone who's overly trusting with little discernment to someone who's more confident in herself and can scope the scene...then she becomes attached to a family where she doesn't quite fit in...ugh.

All in all, I might be done with Jahquel J.'s books. I know she has a huge fan base and I really like her early books, but this writing style is just way too confusing for me. However, I can't deny that she has great stories that are intriguing and engaging. If you like fast-paced stories with problematic figures and a little spice, then I recommend 10,000 Hours with a Rich Menace.

Content Warnings

Losin Control: Half on a baby or two by Ladii Nesha

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emotional funny hopeful reflective sad 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? No

5.0

At this point I'm wondering if Ladii Nesha is capable of writing a bad story! Everything she writes taps into all of my emotions - I'm laughing, I'm shaking my head, I'm getting angry alongside the characters...she really has me tapped into these stories. Losin' Control was one of the best books I read last year, a true 5-star urban romance with incredible character development, a really good plot, and it was well-written - like really well-written. I wasn't expecting a follow up on the main characters Marley and Czar, but when a friend told me about Losin Control: Half On A Baby Or Two, I quit everything else I was reading and quickly downloaded the novella.

That was the right call.

Losin Control: Half On A Baby Or Two is just so good! I have no criticism and highly recommend it to fans of Losin Control.

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shanaepraystoo's reviews 911 reviews

shanaepraystoo's reviews
911 reviews