shanaepraystoo's reviews
848 reviews

The Hood's Alpha by K. Nicole

adventurous mysterious tense fast-paced

5.0

I don't read paranormal literature - seriously. The only other book even remotely close to The Hood's Alpha that I've ever read is Tacarra's Khan's Choice. I've read so few books in the genre that I know exactly what books I've read and when lol.

That said, I really enjoyed The Hood's Alpha by K. Nicole. The synopsis is short and confusing for someone who doesn't read paranormal literature, like me. So I had no idea what I was getting myself into with this novelette. Because it was engaging from the first page, I kept reading and was optimistic about the ending. And K. Nicole gave a reader like me exactly what I needed: well developed and likable characters, good writing, and a fun story - there were even a few spicy scenes. I highly recommend The Hood's Alpha to those who like paranormal stories, urban fiction, and novelettes. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Cursing, Sexual content, and Blood

Moderate: Gore, Physical abuse, and Abandonment

Minor: Death, Drug use, Dementia, and Death of parent

Deeply In Love With A Country Thug by B. Monaye

lighthearted fast-paced

3.0

Pretty bad writing with lots of spelling and grammatical errors along with bad storytelling make Deeply In Love With A Country Thug a boring read. B. Monaye should've followed other writers in the genre, giving us a story about Harlow and Beau Brix, introducing Harlow's sister Harmony and Beau's brother Duke in the story, but keeping the focus on Harlow and Beau, then give us a book about Harmony and Duke. A lot happens in just 152 pages and none of it is really fleshed out, it's just ideas and internal dialogue, then another major event that's not fully developed. I wouldn't recommend this book and I am not reading book 2. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Sexual content

Moderate: Cursing, Gun violence, and Abandonment

Minor: Child abuse, Drug use, Infidelity, and Toxic relationship

She From The Gutta by BriAnn Danae
Did not finish book. Stopped at 33%.

DNF’d at 33%. Boring, immature characters I’m not invested in. 

One Eighty Too by Charity Shane

dark emotional mysterious sad tense medium-paced

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

4.25

So much of One Eighty Too was way too slow for me. I really loved One Eighty, so I was excited to read One Eighty Too and for much of the book, the energy just wasn't the same to me. But towards the latter half of the book, when we learn more about Brie, her mother, and her estranged father as well as Amon's troubled relationship with his mother and bond with the Powers family, the book really got more interesting to me and made me revise my negative perception of the book. In the end, that's where the story really shined for me! All in all, I'm glad that I kept reading and didn't bail on the series. While Brie and Amon weren't my favorite characters initially, they both really grew on me. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Cursing, Sexual content, Stalking, Abandonment, Sexual harassment, and Injury/Injury detail

Moderate: Emotional abuse, Gun violence, Mental illness, Violence, Forced institutionalization, Police brutality, and Murder

Minor: Death, Toxic relationship, Blood, and Grief

One Eighty by Charity Shane

adventurous dark emotional funny reflective sad 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

So many people have praised One Eighty by Charity Shane' and I put this book on my TBR, knowing I'd get to it one day...it checks my favorite boxes: rich MMC, feisty FMC, marriage of convenience. Ding ding ding! I finally got around to reading it when I saw the audiobook available and it was sooooo good. OMG THIS IS WORTH THE READ! I highly recommend One Eighty because it's engaging and well written, it's emotionally charged, and the narrators are amazing. One Eighty might be one of my favorite reads for the year. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Sexual content, Medical content, and Injury/Injury detail

Moderate: Cursing, Violence, Blood, and Alcohol

Minor: Gun violence, Infidelity, Grief, Death of parent, Pregnancy, and Sexual harassment

Blood Ties: A Rich Family Saga by Mz. Lady P

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? Yes

1.0

Not worth the read in my opinion. The characters are unlikable, the story is poorly written, and there are many spelling and grammatical errors. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Cancer, Child abuse, Confinement, Cursing, Domestic abuse, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Incest, Infidelity, Physical abuse, Sexual content, Suicide, Toxic relationship, Violence, Kidnapping, Abortion, Death of parent, Pregnancy, Gaslighting, Toxic friendship, and Alcohol

A Loving Heist by Mya

funny 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? Yes

3.75

I really liked A Promising Remedy - Love's Infusion Book 1. The Bowers brothers were fun to read about, so I was excited to see the stories of the remaining brothers, Nahmir and Nicholas. I finished A Promising Remedy and quickly downloaded A Loving Heist. 

I really like the MMC, Nahmir Bowers - his character has grown tremendously over the course of 2 books. However, I did not like the FMC, Amora Morris. I felt that she came from a violent family and didn't really grow enough

to overcome the pain inflicted unnecessarily on the MMC, pain she knew her violent brothers would inflict.

The cliffhanger regarding the third brother, Nicholas, was one of the most interesting parts of the story. While I don't think this book in the series is as good as the first book, I'm still excited for the next one. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Drug use, Sexual content, Pregnancy, and Injury/Injury detail

Moderate: Cursing, Violence, Grief, Death of parent, and Alcohol

Minor: Confinement, Infidelity, and Toxic relationship

A Promising Remedy by Mya

emotional funny hopeful inspiring relaxing 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

5.0

This instalove romance is perfect. When you are looking for this trope, you’re hoping to get A Promising Remedy. The FMC overcomes significant challenges but her vulnerability leads to a perfect love with the most amazing MMC. The MMC’s brothers are well written and they make you want to read the next book in the Love’s Infusion series.  A Promising Remedy is funny, thought provoking and  engaging. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Sexual content

Moderate: Cursing, Death, Drug use, Medical content, Grief, and Abortion

Minor: Toxic relationship, Abandonment, and Alcohol

Inflamed In His Love by Tay Mo'Nae

emotional funny hopeful slow-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

4.0

I got way more than I expected with Tay Mo’Nae’s Inflamed In His Love. This slow burn is emotional and heartwarming with dynamic, diverse characters who you want the best for. The MMC Tripp is everything you want in a romance novel, while there’s something really profound about the FMC and her maturity that you don’t often find in female characters in romance novels.

I also loved how regular these characters were. It’s nice change of pace to read a romance novel with everyday regular characters - no drug dealers, no billionaires, no family inheritance. While I love a good billionaire romance, it is fun to read a book about good hardworking people managing everyday struggles.

I highly recommend Inflamed In His Love to anyone who likes the single dad trope. It definitely fits the bill. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Toxic relationship

Moderate: Addiction, Cursing, Drug abuse, Sexual content, Medical content, Pregnancy, and Abandonment

Minor: Bullying, Drug use, and Infidelity

Who You Belong To by ML Bash
Did not finish book. Stopped at 43%.

I really don’t like any of these characters. And I am reminded why I don’t like the author’s writing style with every page turn. I am not investing more time into this unrealistic, badly written story. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Child abuse, Confinement, Cursing, Sexual content, Toxic relationship, Violence, Abandonment, Alcohol, and Injury/Injury detail