shaylee_reads's reviews
207 reviews

All I Want by J. Daniels

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Did not finish book. Stopped at 33%.
I just started reading other books. I will be finishing it one day tho.
Where I Belong by J. Daniels

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emotional funny lighthearted sad 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? N/A

5.0

Ratings:
Plot: ⭐⭐⭐⭐ /5 
Writing: ⭐⭐⭐⭐/5
Characters:⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ /5
Romance: ⭐⭐⭐⭐/5
Diversity:⭐⭐ /5
Overall: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐/5
Sadness:💧💧 /5
Spice:🌶️🌶️🌶️ /5
Tropes: best friends brother and enemies to lovers (sorta)
This is one of those books that I would normally give four stars due to the fact that there's a few things I disliked about this but I just can't give it anything less than five stars because I just loved it so much! 
It was so cute and addicting! I loved the romance between Ben and Mia though it did feel kinda instalovie and I don't like how fast Mia forgave Ben for how he treated her in the past. I feel like this story should have been a little longer for the story J. Daniels was trying to tell. Ben had treated Mia horribly in the past and I feel like the book needed to be longer to properly deal with these feelings and problems Ben caused Mia in the past. 
I found this book to not be as cringy as J. Daniel's other series Sweet Addiction and I enjoyed the writing alot more in this book. I loved the relationship between Ben and his son Nolan, I thought it was extremely cute and made me love Ben all that more. Going with that I loved seeing Mia and Nolan connect and their relationship that grew between them. 
One of my biggest problems with this book was how Tessa talked about her brother in such a sexual way. Tessa had wanted to know everything about Mia and Ben's (WHO'S HER BROTHER!) sex life. She even asked how big his penis is and if he was any good. The whole thing just made me feel really weird.
I really enjoyed this book, it is one of my favorites that I have read by her! I really enjoyed the snippets we saw of Tessa and Luke and I can't wait to read their book and see their relationship grow. 
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Sweet Obsession by J. Daniels

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funny lighthearted medium-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

Ratings:
Plot:⭐⭐⭐⭐ /5 
Writing:⭐⭐⭐⭐ /5
Characters: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐/5
Romance:⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ /5
Diversity:⭐ /5
Overall: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐/5
Spice:🌶️🌶️🌶️ /5
Sweet Obsession is the third book in the Sweet Addiction series by J. Daniels and it follows Brooke Wicks who has no interest in settling down and when a new hot yoga business opens up across from Dylan's Sweet tooth, Brooke is introduced to the gorgeous Aussie yoga instructor and owner Mason King. Brooke immediately knows that she wants him to be her next fling but Mason King wants more than that, he wants it all. If Brooke wants to get in Mason King's bed she has to play by his rules. 
Although this book is part of the Sweet Addiction series it can be read as a standalone, it will just spoil something from the first two books. 
Sweet Obsession has to be my favorite in the whole Sweet Addiction series. I absolutely loved Brooke, who in the first two books I found kinda annoying but she grew on me in this book and I began to love her. Don't even get me started on how much I love Mason! He was so incredibly sweet and kind and I absolutely loved his character. 
The relationship between Brooke and Mason is one of my favorites, they were incredibly cute and I loved seeing them grow and fall in love with each other. 
This series has some incredible smut scenes and this book is no different. This book is very steamy and I absolutely love it. 
Overall, the Sweet Addiction series has become one of my favorites and J. Daniels has quickly become a must read author for me and I definitely plan on reading more of her works. 
Sweet Possession by J. Daniels

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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? N/A

4.0

Ratings:
Plot:⭐⭐⭐⭐ /5 
Writing:⭐⭐⭐⭐ /5
Characters:⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ /5
Romance:⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ /5
Diversity: ⭐/5
Overall:⭐⭐⭐⭐ /5
Spice:🌶️🌶️🌶️ /5
Sweet Possession is the second book in the Sweet Addiction series by J. Daniels and it follows the newly engaged couple Dylan Sparks and Reese Carroll and days leading up to their wedding. 
This book was just as addicting as the first one and was a great way to check back in with the characters we grew to love in the first book. It was great to see Dylan and Reese grow as they got closer and closer to being husband and wife and of course it was amazing to see their wedding as well. 
Just like the first book, this book is STEAMY!! J. Daniels has some of the best smut scenes I have ever read. 
J. Daniels' writing is just so addicting and immersive and will always keep you coming back for more.
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What We Saw by Aaron Hartzler

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dark emotional sad tense medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? N/A
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

Ratings:
Plot:⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐/5 
Writing:⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐/5
Characters:⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐/5
Romance:⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐/5
Diversity:⭐⭐/5
Overall:⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐/5
Sadness:💧💧💧💧💧/5
Tropes: friends to lovers
I honestly have no idea how to put my thoughts about this book into words. This book has absolutely DEVASTATED me. This book is a beautiful written story that talks about rape culture, consent, corrupted school system that protects the accused instead of the victim, feminism, and seeing something and not saying anything makes you just as guilty. 
This book caused me to feel so many emotions such as heartbreak, confusion, denial, sickness, anger, and ultimately everything that the main character Katie is feeling. 
The most devastating part of this book is that it isn't just fiction but reality. Sadly this happens in real life, someone is sexually assaulted and when they find the courage to speak out they get told "well what were you wearing?", "How much did you have to drink?", "Did you actually ever say no?","did you do something to lead them on?" And so on and sadly people worry more about the accused then the person who was raped. 
The writing in this book does an amazing job at dealing with the hard topics included in it. The writing makes you feel like you are in katie's shoes, it makes you feel the giddy and happiness she feels at the beginning of her relationship with Ben, the confusion she feels once everything starts to unfold, the stomach turning sickness as she watches the video, the complete and utter heartbreak she felt when she found out how involved ben actually was. 
All together this book is so so important and is something that everyone should read in their life. 
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Sweet Addiction by J. Daniels

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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? No

4.0

Ratings:
Plot: ⭐⭐⭐⭐/5 
Writing:⭐⭐⭐⭐ /5
Characters:⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ /5
Romance: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐/5
Diversity:⭐ /5
Overall: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐/5
Spice:🌶️🌶️🌶️ /5
Sweet Addiction is the first book in the Sweet Addiction series by J. Daniels and it follows Dylan Sparks who has a steamy wedding hookup with the very handsome Reese Carrol who she meets at her ex-boyfriend's wedding. Dylan doesn't plan on it being more than a one time thing but Reese has other ideas, Reese wants more and Dylan is too addicted to him to say no. 

Just like the title would suggest this book is just as addicting as any sweet. I could not put it down, I just wanted to keep reading and reading. This book has everything you want in a steamy romance novel amazing characters that you can't help but love, an extremely cute relationship, a swoon worthy male lead, and of course very very steamy sex scenes. 

Once you pick up this book you will not want to put it down. 
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The Dare by Elle Kennedy

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emotional funny 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

Ratings:
Plot: ⭐⭐⭐⭐/5 
Writing:⭐⭐⭐⭐ /5
Characters:⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ /5
Romance: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐/5
Diversity:⭐⭐ /5
Overall: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐/5
Sadness: 💧💧/5
Spice:🌶️🌶️ /5
Trope & Kinks: Fake Dating, Hockey Romance, Sport Romance, College Romance, and Virgin MC
The Dare is the finale instalment in the Briar U series and the last book in the Off-Campus universe. The Dare follows Taylor who during a game of dare and dare at a college party is dared by her fellow Kappa Chi sorority members to seduce the self acclaimed F-boy hockey player Connor Edwards. Surprising Taylor, Connor agrees to help Taylor and helps her convince her sorority sisters that they slept together. What surprises Taylor more is the fact that Connor does want to stop after one night, so Taylor and Connor begin to fake that they are dating but resisting Connor's easy charm and surfer boy looks is a lot harder than you would think. 
I absolutely ADORED this book!! This book might even beat The Chase as my favorite book in the Briar U series. When I think about this book I can't think of anything I didn't like about it, I just absolutely loved it. 
One of my favorite aspects in this book is Taylor. I relate to her so much more than any of the other characters in the Briar U series… maybe even the whole Off-Campus series. Taylor is a midsize girl and struggles with her weight and body dysmorphia and as someone who is also midsize and struggles with the same things I related to Taylor so much. A lot of the thoughts Taylor had about herself and her body I also have had and it warmed my heart to see Taylor become more comfortable with her body and grow to love herself. I also loved the way Connor kept hyping Taylor up about her body and telling her how beautiful she was and how she should be ashamed. I loved how in Connors point of view he doesn't even point out her weight and only sees her as beautiful. This book I feel like is really important for people who struggle with their weight and it shows that no matter your size you are beautiful and someone out there is going to love your body just the way it is. 
I also loved Taylor because she was such a sweet and caring girl and I hated to see the way she was treated by her fellow Kappa Chi sisters. I loved seeing Taylor grow from someone who didn't stand up for herself to someone who did. I loved Taylors character development and how she went from this shy, self conscious, sad girl to someone who was confident and comfortable in her body and was bold and strong and happy. I just absolutely loved Taylor so much and I think she is my favorite girl in the Briar U series. 
In the last book The Play we are introduced to the self acclaimed F-boy hockey player Connor Edwards who is basically Dean 2.0 and if you know me you would know that Dean is my least favorite Off-Campus boy so I was expecting not to love Connor but boy was I wrong!! I absolutely loved Connor!! He was so incredibly sweet and cared so much about Taylor and was very clear with his intentions with her from the beginning. I loved how non judgemental he was and how he was always trying to get Taylor to see how beautiful she was. I also loved how he didn't push Taylor to do any thing she didn't want to do, he was very understanding and didn't pressure her to do anything for his sexual pleasure. It was always about her and what she was comfortable with and her pleasure. He's also very good looking and hilarious, there's just so much to love about him and he was just amazing. 
I absolutely loved the story between Connor and his stepfather. I actually cried when they finally sat down and talked for the first time. It was just so sweet and I loved seeing it play out.
Taylor and Connors relationship has to be my favorite out of the Briar U series. I just absolutely loved them together, they were so incredibly cute and I grew so attached to their story and relationship to the point that at the end when everything was falling apart I was absolutely balling my eyes out, like I could not stop crying because I loved them so much and it hurt to see them both hurting so much. I loved how Connor was the one to fall first and was always trying to get Taylor to see how much he cared about her and that she was beautiful. I loved how their sexual relationship went and how Connor never pressured her to do anything she wasn't ready and cared more about her pleasure then his own. I'm just ABSOLUTELY obsessed and I want more!
One thing that I can say is I could have not done with the two miscommunication plot twists in this book but honestly that's just a very small thing and I still love the book anyway.
Another part of this book that was absolutely hilarious and I loved was the storyline between Coach Jensen and Taylor's mom. Any time Coach Jensen, Taylor's mom, Breanna, Taylor, and Connor were together I was just dying with laughter especially at the end when Connor was running around naked. I absolutely loved Breanna's little comments throughout the scenes. Honestly they were just hilarious and so much fun. 
Overall, I felt that this was a very nice ending to the Briar U/Off-Campus series and I absolutely adored this book and I recommend everyone read it right now! I'm so sad to have to say goodbye to this world and these characters that I love so much. This series will always be one of my favorites and I have so much to thank it for because it was the book that introduced me to the smutty romance books. 
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Call Me Daddy by Jade West

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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? It's complicated

3.0

Plot:⭐⭐⭐/5 
Writing: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐/5
Characters:⭐⭐⭐ /5
Romance:⭐⭐⭐ /5
Diversity:⭐ /5
Overall: ⭐⭐⭐/5
Sadness: 0/5
Spice:🌶️🌶️🌶️🌶️ /5
Tropes & Kinks: Age Gap, Little Play, and Daddy Kink 
Jade West has done it again, she has written another amazing smut book! I'm telling you Jade West knows how to write smut and I absolutely love her books! Though I didn't love this book as much as I loved Sugar Daddies I did really enjoy it. 
There was a few things that I didn't love, the biggest being the Daddy kink but that's not really the books fault because I went into this book knowing that it was going to have a daddy kink and have age play which I knew I wasn't the biggest fan of but I decided to read it anyway because it was written by Jade West. This book just proved to me that daddy kinks just aren't my thing and that's okay! 
Another thing is I didn't really connect with the characters as much as I did with her characters in Sugar Daddies, It just felt like we didn't really know them very well. I also didn't really connect with the relationship. I thought they were cute but I didn't absolutely love them.
The main character did act very young throughout the majority of the book even though she kept saying she was an adult and could take care of herself she didn't really act like it. It got better at the end and she did start to act more like an adult. 
I also didn't like how they never had a conversation about everything that was going on and talked about things that I feel like are needed to be talked about in this type of relationship.
Another thing that bugged me was the fact that they never discuss the fact that there are other forms of birth control outside of the pill and condoms and they never sit down and look at all of their options. I know this may seem little for other people but for some reason it just really bugs me.
I know, I know there was a lot of things I disliked about this and you are probably wondering why I'm giving it such a good rating and that cause Jade West writing Is just so good and even though there was something I disliked in the book, her writing really pulled me in and kept me fully immersed in the writing. 
Overall, I enjoyed this book and I'm glad I read it. Jade West has become one of my favorite smut writers and I plan to continue reading her books.
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Sugar Daddies by Jade West

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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? No

5.0

Ratings:
Plot: ⭐⭐⭐⭐/5 
Writing:⭐⭐⭐⭐ /5
Characters:⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ /5
Romance: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐/5
Diversity:⭐ /5
Overall: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐/5
Spice:🌶️🌶️🌶️🌶️🌶️ /5
Tropes & Kinks: M/F/M relationship, Sugar Daddies, Boss/employee relationship, age gap, and double penetration. 
I recently got into reading the NA/ADULT romance genre (thank you off campus/Briar U series I'm addicted now) and I had seen this book all over BookTok and I saw that it was on Kindle unlimited sooo I thought why not. 
At first I didn't really think I was going to like this book but I absolutely LOVED IT!! It was equally cute as it was smutty and I loved the relationship between the three of them. It was so incredibly cute and it definitely was as hot as I was promised by all the people raving about it. 
I loved the moral in this book about not trying to hide who you are to appease the people around you. To be whoever you want to be and don't worry about what other people think because the only thing that matters is that you are happy. 
(Just in case you wanted to know Carl was my favorite character.)
All together I loved this book and will definitely be trying out some other books by Jade West in the future.
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Siege and Storm by Leigh Bardugo

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adventurous tense slow-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? No

2.0

Ratings:
Plot:⭐⭐/5 
Writing:⭐⭐⭐/5
Characters:⭐⭐⭐/5
Romance:⭐/5
Diversity:⭐⭐⭐/5
Overall:⭐⭐⭐ /5
Tropes: Friends to lovers
This book took me so long to get through! The reason for that was that this book was so SLOW! I was about 200 pages into this book and I felt like nothing had happened and I felt like I was still in the beginning of the book, not in the middle. I just felt like nothing was happening and this book could have been cut in half.
Another thing I disliked was Mal… just Mal. He got on my nerves so much in this book, to me he was a very manipulative, gaslighting person who made everything about himself and made Alina feel guilty for wanting to help people. He gaslighted Alina so much in this book! He made her feel like everything that was going wrong in their relationship was her fault and that she should change to make him happy and not be herself and it PISSED me off. Don't even get me started on the whole Zoya thing!! 
Another thing I'm not feeling Alina and Mal's relationship, it feels so forced and like we are supposed to believe that they are deeply in love but we don't ever see that because they barely spent any time together. Honestly Alina seemed to be so in love with him and wanting to be with him so much but Mal didn't seem to feel the same, he gave me so much F-boy vibes… like he was only pretending to care about her so he could get into her pants. I'm just not convinced in their relationship. 
Another thing is that The Darkling is supposed to be this monster but it's now really shown.. we are told that he is this terrible person but nothing he does seems to back it up. I'm not saying that he's not a terrible person because he is, I'm just saying that we are being told that he is this terrible person instead of being shown that he is.  
One thing I loved was Nikolai! He was amazing! Carried this book in his back! I'm in love with him and he saved this book. 
All together I enjoyed this book but it just wasn't as good as the first book and it was kinda a let down but I'm excited to finish the trilogy. 
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