shanaepraystoo's reviews
911 reviews

Here Comes The Sun by Bella Jay

lighthearted fast-paced

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

3.0

Here Comes The Sun is a solid novella, but it lacked something for me. The ending also felt a bit rushed

and I don't like that the FMC ruined the MMC's night when he was being honored, it showed that she's still a selfish brat and there's no explanation as to why the MMC, who's obviously caring and successful, is interested in someone who is so negative and nasty.

I like Bella Jay's writing though, so if you're a fan of hers, then Here Comes The Sun might be a quick palate cleanser for you. 

Knasim by Tacarra

lighthearted fast-paced

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

4.0

While this is an engaging story, there were too many spelling and grammatical errors to give it 5 stars because those errors really hurt the quality of the story. I’ll keep reading the story because for the most part I enjoyed the characters and I like the author’s books.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Cursing

Moderate: Death, Gun violence, Misogyny, Sexual content, Toxic relationship, Injury/Injury detail

Minor: Drug use, Emotional abuse, Infidelity, Blood, Alcohol

Sincerely, Her Gangsta by Mya

challenging emotional funny hopeful inspiring mysterious reflective sad tense fast-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? It's complicated

5.0

Outta nowhere Mya has become one of my favorite authors and Sincerely, Her Gangsta is an example of why I love her books. In Sincerely, Her Gangsta, we meet single mother of twins, Honesty Samuels, and troubled gangster, Sincere Allen. Mya does a great job at developing the FMC and MMC, giving us dynamic and complex characters that you sympathize with and want the absolute best for, at every turn. Even the secondary characters are intriguing enough that you want to learn more about them. Though Sincere is a stereotypical character initially, he undergoes a serious transformation, showing the power of love and that's what Sincerely, Her Gangsta is really all about. I thoroughly enjoyed the writing, the storytelling, and the characters. I highly recommend Sincerely, Her Gangsta to everyone who enjoys contemporary or urban romance for a feel good romance story with serious themes  that show the importance of love and positive, healthy relationships.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Cursing, Sexual content, Abandonment

Moderate: Addiction, Death, Emotional abuse, Gun violence, Physical abuse, Violence, Medical content, Grief, Death of parent, Murder, Injury/Injury detail

Minor: Bullying, Domestic abuse, Toxic relationship, Blood, Kidnapping, Stalking, Abortion

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, Blood

Moderate: Gore, Physical abuse, Abandonment

Minor: Death, Drug use, Dementia, 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, Abandonment

Minor: Child abuse, Drug use, Infidelity, 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, Injury/Injury detail

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

Minor: Death, Toxic relationship, Blood, 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, Injury/Injury detail

Moderate: Cursing, Violence, Blood, Alcohol

Minor: Gun violence, Infidelity, Grief, Death of parent, Pregnancy, 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, 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, Injury/Injury detail

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

Minor: Confinement, Infidelity, Toxic relationship