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shaylee_reads's reviews
207 reviews
The Man of the Hour by Miranda Silver
The Man of The Hour by Miranda Silver is the long a waited third book in the Next Door series. The Man of the Hour is set five years after the last book and follows Ian's twin, Brandon O'Brien, and Diana's college roommate and best friend Sonia Jacobson.
Although the first two books in this series weren't my favorite books by Miranda Silvers, I was still extremely excited when I heard that she was writing a story following Brandon and I was even more excited when I found out that his love interest would be no other than Sonia.
I do have a few things that I dislike about this book, mainly the writing especially in the sex scenes. There's no argument that this book has some very sexy and kinky scenes but some of the words Miranda Silvers used in these scenes really give me the ick. For example, the use of cream, petals, ripe balls, and pucker, and I absolutely hate it when authors use the word roar in contemporary novels (I feel like that word should be saved specifically for fantasy). There were also quite a few times where the dirty talk just came off very cheesy.
Another thing I didn't love about this book was the fact that it felt kinda insta-lovey in a way. Sonia went from hating Brandon to mauling him really quick like it was literally in the same scene.
Overall, this book was a nice conclusion to the Next Door series and although it's not my favorite book by Miranda Silvers, I enjoyed getting to read about Brandon and Sonia again and see their love story.
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
3.0
Ratings:
Plot:⭐⭐⭐/5
Writing:⭐⭐⭐⭐/5
Characters:⭐⭐⭐⭐/5
Overall:⭐⭐⭐/5
Romance:❤️❤️❤️❤️/5
Spice: 🌶️🌶️🌶️/5
Genre: Adult Romance
Tropes: GrumpyxSunshine (She's the Grump), Enemies to Lovers, Sex Pact, BDSM Elements,
Kinks: CNC, Somnophila (W/ Prior Consent), Degradation, Praise, Switch MC’s, Primal Play, Impact Play, Bondage, Toys, Anal, Pegging, Role Play, and Semipublic Play.
Content Warnings: Parental Neglect
The Man of The Hour by Miranda Silver is the long a waited third book in the Next Door series. The Man of the Hour is set five years after the last book and follows Ian's twin, Brandon O'Brien, and Diana's college roommate and best friend Sonia Jacobson.
Although the first two books in this series weren't my favorite books by Miranda Silvers, I was still extremely excited when I heard that she was writing a story following Brandon and I was even more excited when I found out that his love interest would be no other than Sonia.
I won't say I was disappointed in this book because I liked it just as much as I liked the other books in the Next Door series but I definitely wouldn't say this book is one of my favorites by Miranda Silver.
I do think this was a nice addition to the series because I always felt that there was more story to be told about Brandon and I liked getting to see his love story with Sonia. I enjoyed getting to see Diana and Ian again and I loved getting to see their wedding.
I do have a few things that I dislike about this book, mainly the writing especially in the sex scenes. There's no argument that this book has some very sexy and kinky scenes but some of the words Miranda Silvers used in these scenes really give me the ick. For example, the use of cream, petals, ripe balls, and pucker, and I absolutely hate it when authors use the word roar in contemporary novels (I feel like that word should be saved specifically for fantasy). There were also quite a few times where the dirty talk just came off very cheesy.
Another thing I didn't love about this book was the fact that it felt kinda insta-lovey in a way. Sonia went from hating Brandon to mauling him really quick like it was literally in the same scene.
This book did feel a little longer than it needed to be especially with the third-act breakup, which felt pointless due to the fact that it was resolved very quickly.
Overall, this book was a nice conclusion to the Next Door series and although it's not my favorite book by Miranda Silvers, I enjoyed getting to read about Brandon and Sonia again and see their love story.
The GLAM Witch: A Magical Manifesto of Empowerment with the Great Lilithian Arcane Mysteries by Michael Herkes
informative
medium-paced
4.0
This was a great beginner's book for not only learning about working with Lilith but learning about witchcraft itself. I very much enjoyed reading this book and I learned a lot from it! I'm extremely interested in learning more about Lilith and working with her!
One thing I will say is that this book does briefly talk about smudging but it fails to mention that smudging is a part of a closed practice. Please do outside research into smudging and cultural appropriation.
One thing I will say is that this book does briefly talk about smudging but it fails to mention that smudging is a part of a closed practice. Please do outside research into smudging and cultural appropriation.
Thrive by Krista Ritchie, Becca Ritchie
challenging
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
sad
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
3.75
Ratings:
Plot:⭐⭐⭐/5
Writing:⭐⭐⭐⭐/5
Characters:⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐/5
Overall:⭐⭐⭐.75/5
Sadness:💧/5
Romance:❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️/5
Spice: 🌶️🌶️/5
Genre: New Adult Contemporary Romance.
Tropes: Best Friends To Lovers.
Content Warnings: Alcoholism, Addiction, Sex Addiction, Talk of Molestation (Falsely Accused), Accidental Pregnancy, Parental Abuse (Verbal, Slight Physical).
Thrive by Krista and Becca Ritchie is the sixth book in the Addicted Universe. Thrive takes place during the events of the last two book in the series, Kiss The Sky and Hothouse Flower but tell you the story from the point of view of Lily Calloway and Loren Hale.
I did not realize how much I missed being in Lily and Lo’s point of view until I started this book. Yes, Lily and Lo’s books haven't been my favorite in the Addicted Universe but I kept help but love their nerdy point of views especially Lily's.
One of my favorite things about Lily and Lo is how relatable and raw they are. Honestly, I relate to Lily way more than I'm comfortable with.
The characters are really what makes this series. My love for these characters and their romance is what is getting me through these books.
This book really reminded me how much I love Lily and Lo together. They are so freaking cute and the definition of soulmates. They are the reason I believe in love!
Their relationship is just so raw and real, I love seeing not just the good parts of their relationship but the bad parts as well. These two people really show how important love is and when you have the right person next to you, you can get through anything.
As much as I love Lily and Lo, this book did not need to be as long as it was. I honestly didn't really care about seeing their point of view of the events that happened in Kiss the Sky and Hothouse Flower and I was pretty bored during those scenes because I had already read them.
That being said, I really enjoyed the new scenes that we got in this book especially the ones with Lo and him dealing with his addiction but I would have enjoyed this book more with just those scenes and none of the others.
Overall, I didn't really think this book was really necessary but I enjoyed seeing Lily and Lo again, continuing their romance and watching them recover from their addictions.
Plot:⭐⭐⭐/5
Writing:⭐⭐⭐⭐/5
Characters:⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐/5
Overall:⭐⭐⭐.75/5
Sadness:💧/5
Romance:❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️/5
Spice: 🌶️🌶️/5
Genre: New Adult Contemporary Romance.
Tropes: Best Friends To Lovers.
Content Warnings: Alcoholism, Addiction, Sex Addiction, Talk of Molestation (Falsely Accused), Accidental Pregnancy, Parental Abuse (Verbal, Slight Physical).
Thrive by Krista and Becca Ritchie is the sixth book in the Addicted Universe. Thrive takes place during the events of the last two book in the series, Kiss The Sky and Hothouse Flower but tell you the story from the point of view of Lily Calloway and Loren Hale.
I did not realize how much I missed being in Lily and Lo’s point of view until I started this book. Yes, Lily and Lo’s books haven't been my favorite in the Addicted Universe but I kept help but love their nerdy point of views especially Lily's.
One of my favorite things about Lily and Lo is how relatable and raw they are. Honestly, I relate to Lily way more than I'm comfortable with.
The characters are really what makes this series. My love for these characters and their romance is what is getting me through these books.
This book really reminded me how much I love Lily and Lo together. They are so freaking cute and the definition of soulmates. They are the reason I believe in love!
Their relationship is just so raw and real, I love seeing not just the good parts of their relationship but the bad parts as well. These two people really show how important love is and when you have the right person next to you, you can get through anything.
As much as I love Lily and Lo, this book did not need to be as long as it was. I honestly didn't really care about seeing their point of view of the events that happened in Kiss the Sky and Hothouse Flower and I was pretty bored during those scenes because I had already read them.
That being said, I really enjoyed the new scenes that we got in this book especially the ones with Lo and him dealing with his addiction but I would have enjoyed this book more with just those scenes and none of the others.
Overall, I didn't really think this book was really necessary but I enjoyed seeing Lily and Lo again, continuing their romance and watching them recover from their addictions.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Addiction, Alcoholism, Emotional abuse
Hothouse Flower by Krista Ritchie, Becca Ritchie
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
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
3.75
Ratings:
Plot:⭐⭐⭐⭐/5
Writing:⭐⭐⭐⭐/5
Characters:⭐⭐⭐⭐/5
Overall:⭐⭐⭐.75/5
Sadness:💧/5
Romance:❤️❤️❤️❤️/5
Spice: 🌶️🌶️🌶️/5
Genre: New Adult Contemporary Romance.
Tropes: Age Gap (5 Years), Friends to Lover, Secret Relationship, Slight Forbidden Relationship, Grumpy/Sunshine.
Content Warnings: Body Shaming, Bullying, Eating Disorders, Panic Attacks, Parental Abuse, PTSD, Parental Abuse (verbal), Wrongful Incarceration, Nightmares, Fatphobia, Sexual Assault, Riots, Permanent Scaring, Parental Neglect.
Hothouse Flower by Krista and Becca Ritchie is the second book in Calloway Sisters series and the fifth book in the Addicted Universe. Hothouse Flower follows the youngest and wildest of the Calloway sisters, Daisy who is now officially eighteen and excited to explore not only the world but her career in modeling on her own. That is until Paris, Fashion week, where Daisy eyes are open to the bruilty reality of the modeling industry.
With her modeling career crumbling around her, Daisy calls the one person she can trust, Ryke Meadows. Together they explore Daisy's new found freedom and the feelings that may or may not be between them.
I'm gonna be honest, I wasn't very excited for this book. I wasn't really the biggest fan of Ryke in the other books and I wasn't really digging him with Daisy but I will say I was presently surprised by how much I enjoy this book.
I'm not gonna say that I absolutely loved this book because that wasn't the case and honestly, I don't really have a reason why I didn't love this book. There was just something about it that I wasn't really vibing with.
It could be the fact that I still don't absolutely love Ryke. Although this book made me like his character a lot more than I did in the last four books, I still wouldn't put him super high on my favorite characters list.
Once again I'm not 100% why I don't absolutely love Ryke. Honestly majority of my feeling towards this book and it's characters are just based off of vibes and vibes only.
I will say I liked being able to see Ryke’s point of view of his relationship with Lo and it broke my heart to see that Ryke thinks that he is expendable to Lo especially with how much he loves Lo and would do anything for him. I loved watching their relationship grow and become stronger.
I also liked seeing how he was dealing with his feelings towards his dad and watching their relationship change and grow.
I'm gonna be honest, I have a love hate relationship with Jonathan Hale. Yes, he was verbally abusive towards Lo but he also cares so much for his children and would do anything for them. Speaking of doing anything for his children, can we talk about the fact that he gave up drinking for them… honestly, I never thought he would do that.
I know a lot of people think that Ryke is a pedo and groomer and I'm not going to go much into this but I will say that I don't agree with that.
That being said I do think there was a better way KBR could have delt with the age gap between Daisy and Ryke that would have made it feel less icky. I think they should have had a time jump between Kiss The Sky and Hothouse Flower and made Daisy around the age of 24-25, yes that would have made it so Ryke is around 30-31 but in my personal opinion a 30 year old being with a 25 year old isn't as bad as a 25 year old being with a freshly 18 year old. Honestly I think that would have made it lot easier for people to get behind their relationship.
Now that we talked about all that, let's talk about the walking sunshine that is Daisy. I very much enjoyed Daisy's character and as the youngest of 3 girls, I could very much relate to her and what she was going through.
Just like Daisy, I have delt with mental health problems but never really brought them up because I felt like other peoples problems where worse them mine and deserved more attention. I loved watching Daisy find the strength to talk about what she was going through and realizing that her mental health and problems are just as valid as her sisters.
This book really shows that some of the happiest people can have some of the saddest times in their life.
I also loved watching Daisy start to become her own person and create her own path. Watching her stand up to her mother and stop doing everything her mother just to make her happy made so happy.
Speaking of her mother, Samantha Calloway can go suck a fucking dick.
Now let's discuss Raisy, like I said earlier I wasn't 100% behind them in the past books but I was surprised with how quickly I started to really like them together in this book. I think it's hard for me not to love them when Ryke was really the only person there for Daisy. He helped her through so much shit and allowed her to truly be herself. Ryke was truly Daisy's rock and I just couldn't help but love them.
Also, some of the spicy scenes between them had me shook especially the sun roof scene, like hot damn I was not expecting that. Also the fact that he calls her sweetheart *swoon*
Overall, I enjoyed this book way more than I thought I would and have really grown to love Daisy and Ryke and their relationship. I'm excited to see what more is in store for them.
Plot:⭐⭐⭐⭐/5
Writing:⭐⭐⭐⭐/5
Characters:⭐⭐⭐⭐/5
Overall:⭐⭐⭐.75/5
Sadness:💧/5
Romance:❤️❤️❤️❤️/5
Spice: 🌶️🌶️🌶️/5
Genre: New Adult Contemporary Romance.
Tropes: Age Gap (5 Years), Friends to Lover, Secret Relationship, Slight Forbidden Relationship, Grumpy/Sunshine.
Content Warnings: Body Shaming, Bullying, Eating Disorders, Panic Attacks, Parental Abuse, PTSD, Parental Abuse (verbal), Wrongful Incarceration, Nightmares, Fatphobia, Sexual Assault, Riots, Permanent Scaring, Parental Neglect.
Hothouse Flower by Krista and Becca Ritchie is the second book in Calloway Sisters series and the fifth book in the Addicted Universe. Hothouse Flower follows the youngest and wildest of the Calloway sisters, Daisy who is now officially eighteen and excited to explore not only the world but her career in modeling on her own. That is until Paris, Fashion week, where Daisy eyes are open to the bruilty reality of the modeling industry.
With her modeling career crumbling around her, Daisy calls the one person she can trust, Ryke Meadows. Together they explore Daisy's new found freedom and the feelings that may or may not be between them.
I'm gonna be honest, I wasn't very excited for this book. I wasn't really the biggest fan of Ryke in the other books and I wasn't really digging him with Daisy but I will say I was presently surprised by how much I enjoy this book.
I'm not gonna say that I absolutely loved this book because that wasn't the case and honestly, I don't really have a reason why I didn't love this book. There was just something about it that I wasn't really vibing with.
It could be the fact that I still don't absolutely love Ryke. Although this book made me like his character a lot more than I did in the last four books, I still wouldn't put him super high on my favorite characters list.
Once again I'm not 100% why I don't absolutely love Ryke. Honestly majority of my feeling towards this book and it's characters are just based off of vibes and vibes only.
I will say I liked being able to see Ryke’s point of view of his relationship with Lo and it broke my heart to see that Ryke thinks that he is expendable to Lo especially with how much he loves Lo and would do anything for him. I loved watching their relationship grow and become stronger.
I also liked seeing how he was dealing with his feelings towards his dad and watching their relationship change and grow.
I'm gonna be honest, I have a love hate relationship with Jonathan Hale. Yes, he was verbally abusive towards Lo but he also cares so much for his children and would do anything for them. Speaking of doing anything for his children, can we talk about the fact that he gave up drinking for them… honestly, I never thought he would do that.
I know a lot of people think that Ryke is a pedo and groomer and I'm not going to go much into this but I will say that I don't agree with that.
That being said I do think there was a better way KBR could have delt with the age gap between Daisy and Ryke that would have made it feel less icky. I think they should have had a time jump between Kiss The Sky and Hothouse Flower and made Daisy around the age of 24-25, yes that would have made it so Ryke is around 30-31 but in my personal opinion a 30 year old being with a 25 year old isn't as bad as a 25 year old being with a freshly 18 year old. Honestly I think that would have made it lot easier for people to get behind their relationship.
Now that we talked about all that, let's talk about the walking sunshine that is Daisy. I very much enjoyed Daisy's character and as the youngest of 3 girls, I could very much relate to her and what she was going through.
Just like Daisy, I have delt with mental health problems but never really brought them up because I felt like other peoples problems where worse them mine and deserved more attention. I loved watching Daisy find the strength to talk about what she was going through and realizing that her mental health and problems are just as valid as her sisters.
This book really shows that some of the happiest people can have some of the saddest times in their life.
I also loved watching Daisy start to become her own person and create her own path. Watching her stand up to her mother and stop doing everything her mother just to make her happy made so happy.
Speaking of her mother, Samantha Calloway can go suck a fucking dick.
Now let's discuss Raisy, like I said earlier I wasn't 100% behind them in the past books but I was surprised with how quickly I started to really like them together in this book. I think it's hard for me not to love them when Ryke was really the only person there for Daisy. He helped her through so much shit and allowed her to truly be herself. Ryke was truly Daisy's rock and I just couldn't help but love them.
Also, some of the spicy scenes between them had me shook especially the sun roof scene, like hot damn I was not expecting that. Also the fact that he calls her sweetheart *swoon*
Overall, I enjoyed this book way more than I thought I would and have really grown to love Daisy and Ryke and their relationship. I'm excited to see what more is in store for them.
Kiss the Sky by Krista Ritchie, Becca Ritchie
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
Overall:⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐/5
Sadness:💧/5
Romance:❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️/5
Spice: 🌶️🌶️🌶️🌶️🌶️/5
Diversity: MFC W/ OCD, Unlabeled Queer MMC
Genre: New Adult Contemporary Romance
Tropes: Academic Rivals to Lovers, BDSM
Content Warnings: OCD, Breast Cancer (Very Minor), Death of a Parent (Minor), Addiction, and Alcoholism.
Kiss The Sky by Krista and Becca Ritchie is the fourth book in the Addicted Universe and the first book in the Calloway Sisters series. It follows Lily's older sister Rose Calloway and her boyfriend Connor Cobalt as they both try to wade the waters of business, fame, and romance.
To be honest, I was underwhelmed with the first three books in the Addicted Universe and I wasn't sure I was going to love this series as much as everyone else but this book completely changed that for me. I LOVED this book! This book was everything!
Connor Cobalt was my favorite character since the moment he was introduced in Addicted to You and this book made me love him so much more. I love his smart-ass comments, his confidence, and the fact that he doesn't judge people before getting to know them (honestly he doesn’t even seem to judge people when he does get to know them.). I love how at first glance, Connor is just a smartass rich kid with narcissistic tendencies who only cares about himself but in reality, Connor is very caring and will do anything for the people he loves.
I loved how this book showed the different ways people love. At the beginning of the book, it is very clear that Connor surrounds himself with people that he admires, trusts, and cares for but he doesn't necessarily love them in the way you would expect him to. I love how despite this he still truly cares about the people around him and wants to see them happy, he doesn't stand by and allow people to hurt the people he cares about. I know that later in the book Connor starts to realize that he does indeed love the people around him but I still like the fact that the Ritchie sisters show that just because someone doesn’t love someone in the way society says they should, it doesn't mean their a cold-hearted person, who doesn't care for other people. I think this is a really important thing to represent especially for people with personality and mental disorders that affect the way they love people and how they show this love.
Connor's growth throughout this book was really well done and one of my favorite aspects of this book. In the first three books in this series and even the beginning of this book, Connor seems to be kind of a self-center person, who will do anything to get to the top even if it means manipulating the people around him to get there and he even says himself that he doesn’t think he's capable of love but by the end of this book Connor has come to realize that being at the top and having a million different achievements isn't what’s important and means nothing if he doesn’t have the people he loves around him when he gets to the top. I loved watching Connor come to realize that not only does he love Rose but also the family he has created with Lily, Lo, Ryke, and Daisy. I absolutely loved watching him grow and become a very great man.
Another one of my favorite parts of this book is the bromance between Connor and Lo, I was dying of laughter at their nonstop flirting. I loved watching Connor and Lo’s relationship grow and become closer and closer, with every book they seem to be more like brothers and I love it.
Just like Connor, I have loved Rose since the first book. Rose is such a strong, determined, and smart character who I can't help but adore. I love how she lets nothing stand in the way of what she wants and will fight tooth and manicured nail to achieve her dreams. One of my favorite parts of Roses's character is how much she loves and cares for her sisters, Rose would literally do anything to see both Lily and Daisy happy even at the cost of her own happiness.
I do wish we explored Rose's OCD a little bit more in this book but there is still another book following them so hopefully it will be discussed more in Fuel The Fire.
I was addicted to Rose and Connor from their first scene together and this book just made me even more addicted to them. I loved their banter and the fact that they challenged each other, they pushed each other to grow and become better people. Honestly, they are the type of couple that make me believe in love, they both care so much about each other and would do anything to see the other achieve their dreams.
Connor was so freaking sweet to Rose and it really melted my cold, dead heart. I loved how Connor knew exactly what Rose needed even when she didn’t, I love how he didn’t feel the need to make Rose look weak, Rose is a very strong and independent person and not once did Connor try to hide that, he knew Rose could take care of herself and he allowed her to do just that.
Also, can we just talk about how cute the scene was where they got high together! Seeing them let loose and be all giggly was so great and I honestly want more of it. Also, when Connor blew smoke in her mouth before kissing her… that part was so HOT!
One of my biggest letdowns of the past books in the Addicted to You series was the lack of spice but this book was a complete 180 from those ones and I absolutely loved it! The sex scenes in this book were way more explicit and so incredibly hot.
Connor Cobalt went from the smart, calm, and calculated man to everything Christian Gray wishes he was! I was honestly shook at some of the things that came out of this man's mouth. He had some of the hottest lines ever and honestly, I would let him do WHATEVER he wanted to me.
Honestly, a lot of the sex scenes in this book will live rent-free inside my head for the rest of my life.
I loved the dynamic between him and Rose in these scenes, I loved seeing Rose let down some of her walls and become valuable with Connor, she gave him her trust and It warmed my heart to see how careful Connor was not to break it.
The only negative thing I have to say about this book is the fact that there was just something off about the writing but I can’t quite put my finger on exactly what it is that I dislike about it. It's not that the writing is bad but I just don’t seem to 100% click with it.
Overall, This is my favorite book so far in the Addicted Universe, Rose and Connor have defiantly made it onto my top couples list and Connor is very high on my book boyfriend list as well. I’m very excited to continue with this series and I hope to enjoy Daisy and Ryke's story as much as I did this one.
Plot:⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐/5
Writing:⭐⭐⭐⭐/5
Characters:⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐/5
Overall:⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐/5
Sadness:💧/5
Romance:❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️/5
Spice: 🌶️🌶️🌶️🌶️🌶️/5
Diversity: MFC W/ OCD, Unlabeled Queer MMC
Genre: New Adult Contemporary Romance
Tropes: Academic Rivals to Lovers, BDSM
Content Warnings: OCD, Breast Cancer (Very Minor), Death of a Parent (Minor), Addiction, and Alcoholism.
Kiss The Sky by Krista and Becca Ritchie is the fourth book in the Addicted Universe and the first book in the Calloway Sisters series. It follows Lily's older sister Rose Calloway and her boyfriend Connor Cobalt as they both try to wade the waters of business, fame, and romance.
To be honest, I was underwhelmed with the first three books in the Addicted Universe and I wasn't sure I was going to love this series as much as everyone else but this book completely changed that for me. I LOVED this book! This book was everything!
Connor Cobalt was my favorite character since the moment he was introduced in Addicted to You and this book made me love him so much more. I love his smart-ass comments, his confidence, and the fact that he doesn't judge people before getting to know them (honestly he doesn’t even seem to judge people when he does get to know them.). I love how at first glance, Connor is just a smartass rich kid with narcissistic tendencies who only cares about himself but in reality, Connor is very caring and will do anything for the people he loves.
I loved how this book showed the different ways people love. At the beginning of the book, it is very clear that Connor surrounds himself with people that he admires, trusts, and cares for but he doesn't necessarily love them in the way you would expect him to. I love how despite this he still truly cares about the people around him and wants to see them happy, he doesn't stand by and allow people to hurt the people he cares about. I know that later in the book Connor starts to realize that he does indeed love the people around him but I still like the fact that the Ritchie sisters show that just because someone doesn’t love someone in the way society says they should, it doesn't mean their a cold-hearted person, who doesn't care for other people. I think this is a really important thing to represent especially for people with personality and mental disorders that affect the way they love people and how they show this love.
Connor's growth throughout this book was really well done and one of my favorite aspects of this book. In the first three books in this series and even the beginning of this book, Connor seems to be kind of a self-center person, who will do anything to get to the top even if it means manipulating the people around him to get there and he even says himself that he doesn’t think he's capable of love but by the end of this book Connor has come to realize that being at the top and having a million different achievements isn't what’s important and means nothing if he doesn’t have the people he loves around him when he gets to the top. I loved watching Connor come to realize that not only does he love Rose but also the family he has created with Lily, Lo, Ryke, and Daisy. I absolutely loved watching him grow and become a very great man.
Another one of my favorite parts of this book is the bromance between Connor and Lo, I was dying of laughter at their nonstop flirting. I loved watching Connor and Lo’s relationship grow and become closer and closer, with every book they seem to be more like brothers and I love it.
Just like Connor, I have loved Rose since the first book. Rose is such a strong, determined, and smart character who I can't help but adore. I love how she lets nothing stand in the way of what she wants and will fight tooth and manicured nail to achieve her dreams. One of my favorite parts of Roses's character is how much she loves and cares for her sisters, Rose would literally do anything to see both Lily and Daisy happy even at the cost of her own happiness.
I do wish we explored Rose's OCD a little bit more in this book but there is still another book following them so hopefully it will be discussed more in Fuel The Fire.
I was addicted to Rose and Connor from their first scene together and this book just made me even more addicted to them. I loved their banter and the fact that they challenged each other, they pushed each other to grow and become better people. Honestly, they are the type of couple that make me believe in love, they both care so much about each other and would do anything to see the other achieve their dreams.
Connor was so freaking sweet to Rose and it really melted my cold, dead heart. I loved how Connor knew exactly what Rose needed even when she didn’t, I love how he didn’t feel the need to make Rose look weak, Rose is a very strong and independent person and not once did Connor try to hide that, he knew Rose could take care of herself and he allowed her to do just that.
Also, can we just talk about how cute the scene was where they got high together! Seeing them let loose and be all giggly was so great and I honestly want more of it. Also, when Connor blew smoke in her mouth before kissing her… that part was so HOT!
One of my biggest letdowns of the past books in the Addicted to You series was the lack of spice but this book was a complete 180 from those ones and I absolutely loved it! The sex scenes in this book were way more explicit and so incredibly hot.
Connor Cobalt went from the smart, calm, and calculated man to everything Christian Gray wishes he was! I was honestly shook at some of the things that came out of this man's mouth. He had some of the hottest lines ever and honestly, I would let him do WHATEVER he wanted to me.
Honestly, a lot of the sex scenes in this book will live rent-free inside my head for the rest of my life.
I loved the dynamic between him and Rose in these scenes, I loved seeing Rose let down some of her walls and become valuable with Connor, she gave him her trust and It warmed my heart to see how careful Connor was not to break it.
The only negative thing I have to say about this book is the fact that there was just something off about the writing but I can’t quite put my finger on exactly what it is that I dislike about it. It's not that the writing is bad but I just don’t seem to 100% click with it.
Overall, This is my favorite book so far in the Addicted Universe, Rose and Connor have defiantly made it onto my top couples list and Connor is very high on my book boyfriend list as well. I’m very excited to continue with this series and I hope to enjoy Daisy and Ryke's story as much as I did this one.
Daisy Jones & The Six by Taylor Jenkins Reid
emotional
inspiring
reflective
sad
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Ratings:
Plot:⭐⭐⭐⭐/5
Writing:⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐/5
Characters:⭐⭐⭐⭐/5
Overall:⭐⭐⭐⭐/5
Sadness:💧💧💧/5
Romance:❤️❤️❤️❤️/5
Diversity: Black SC, Gay SC
Content Warnings: Cheating, Drug Abuse, Addiction, Parental Neglect, Unplanned Pregnancy, Death.
Daisy Jones & The Six by Taylor Jenkins Reed tells the story of one of the biggest bands in the 1970’s. Daisy Jones & The Six played to sold out crowds from coast to coast up until July 12 ,1979 when the band split leaving their fans shocked. Nobody knew why the band had come to an end until 40 years later when a documentary is released explaining everything.
I'm so upset with myself for not reading this book sooner because I absolutely devoured it. I loved the writing and I could not get enough of the story. I forgot multiple times that I was reading a book about a fake band and it honestly breaks my heart that Daisy Jones & The six arn’t real(I mean they kinda are a real band now sooo).
The characters where so 3 dimensional, I went from loving to hate to loving them over and over again. They where all so complex and they all really showed how messy love and life is.
By the way my favorite characters are Graham and Karen, who also happen to be my favorite couple as well, and no before you ask I'm still not over how they ended.
The only reason I'm giving this book only 4 stars is because I did feel like it was a little to long and I got a little bored at moments.
Overall, I very much enjoyed this book and I've already started another book by Taylor Jenkins Reed.
Plot:⭐⭐⭐⭐/5
Writing:⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐/5
Characters:⭐⭐⭐⭐/5
Overall:⭐⭐⭐⭐/5
Sadness:💧💧💧/5
Romance:❤️❤️❤️❤️/5
Diversity: Black SC, Gay SC
Content Warnings: Cheating, Drug Abuse, Addiction, Parental Neglect, Unplanned Pregnancy, Death.
Daisy Jones & The Six by Taylor Jenkins Reed tells the story of one of the biggest bands in the 1970’s. Daisy Jones & The Six played to sold out crowds from coast to coast up until July 12 ,1979 when the band split leaving their fans shocked. Nobody knew why the band had come to an end until 40 years later when a documentary is released explaining everything.
I'm so upset with myself for not reading this book sooner because I absolutely devoured it. I loved the writing and I could not get enough of the story. I forgot multiple times that I was reading a book about a fake band and it honestly breaks my heart that Daisy Jones & The six arn’t real(I mean they kinda are a real band now sooo).
The characters where so 3 dimensional, I went from loving to hate to loving them over and over again. They where all so complex and they all really showed how messy love and life is.
By the way my favorite characters are Graham and Karen, who also happen to be my favorite couple as well, and no before you ask I'm still not over how they ended.
The only reason I'm giving this book only 4 stars is because I did feel like it was a little to long and I got a little bored at moments.
Overall, I very much enjoyed this book and I've already started another book by Taylor Jenkins Reed.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Addiction, Alcoholism, Drug abuse, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Toxic relationship, Alcohol
Moderate: Death, Abortion, Death of parent, Pregnancy
Minor: Sexual assault
A Man Called Ove by Fredrik Backman
challenging
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
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
3.75
Ratings:
Plot:⭐⭐⭐⭐/5
Writing:⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐/5
Characters:⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐/5
Overall:⭐⭐⭐.75/5
Sadness:💧💧/5
Romance:❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️/5
Diversity: Presian SC & LGBTQ+ SC
Content Warnings: Suicidal Thoughts, Suicide Attempt, Death of a Spouse, Car Accident, Death of a Parent, Miscarriage, & Alzheimer’s.
The strongest aspect of this book is the writing. The writing is beautifully done, Fredrick Backman truly knows how to write a beautiful story with characters you can easily relate to and fall in love with. It really takes a good writer to make everyday things not boring and interesting to read about and this book did just that.
That all being said, this book did take me longer to read than I had expected. not because I was interested in the character or story but because I wasn’t really addicted to the story if that makes any sense. While I was reading the book, I very much enjoyed it but when I got to the end of the chapter, I had no problem putting the book down.
This book told a really beautiful story that really touched my heart, it made me cry but also laugh. I fell in love with all the characters especially our grumpy main character Ove who is really a teddy bear inside (Also am I the only person who thinks that Ove might have autism??).
There is an aspect of this book that I would like to talk about and that is the way the side character Jimmy is viewed and talked about. Jimmy is a bigger-sized character and throughout the book, Ove makes comments about his weight. In the scene where jimmy is introduced Ove almost immediately makes a comment about his weight, and how he could let himself get so fat. Almost any time he talks about Jimmy or he's in a scene, Ove at some point makes a comment about his weight. The way Ove talks about Jimmy just doesn’t sit well with me because of that I knocked it down a star.
Overall, I did enjoy this book though not as much as I thought I would. I thought that it was beautifully written with characters you couldn't help but fall in love with. I am definitely interested in reading more of Fredrik Backman’s books.
Plot:⭐⭐⭐⭐/5
Writing:⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐/5
Characters:⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐/5
Overall:⭐⭐⭐.75/5
Sadness:💧💧/5
Romance:❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️/5
Diversity: Presian SC & LGBTQ+ SC
Content Warnings: Suicidal Thoughts, Suicide Attempt, Death of a Spouse, Car Accident, Death of a Parent, Miscarriage, & Alzheimer’s.
The strongest aspect of this book is the writing. The writing is beautifully done, Fredrick Backman truly knows how to write a beautiful story with characters you can easily relate to and fall in love with. It really takes a good writer to make everyday things not boring and interesting to read about and this book did just that.
That all being said, this book did take me longer to read than I had expected. not because I was interested in the character or story but because I wasn’t really addicted to the story if that makes any sense. While I was reading the book, I very much enjoyed it but when I got to the end of the chapter, I had no problem putting the book down.
This book told a really beautiful story that really touched my heart, it made me cry but also laugh. I fell in love with all the characters especially our grumpy main character Ove who is really a teddy bear inside (Also am I the only person who thinks that Ove might have autism??).
There is an aspect of this book that I would like to talk about and that is the way the side character Jimmy is viewed and talked about. Jimmy is a bigger-sized character and throughout the book, Ove makes comments about his weight. In the scene where jimmy is introduced Ove almost immediately makes a comment about his weight, and how he could let himself get so fat. Almost any time he talks about Jimmy or he's in a scene, Ove at some point makes a comment about his weight. The way Ove talks about Jimmy just doesn’t sit well with me because of that I knocked it down a star.
Overall, I did enjoy this book though not as much as I thought I would. I thought that it was beautifully written with characters you couldn't help but fall in love with. I am definitely interested in reading more of Fredrik Backman’s books.
Little Guide to Protection Magic: Everything You Need to Know, Including Protection Spells by Tess Whitehurst
informative
medium-paced
3.0
Focused a little to much on archangels for my liking.
Kiss Her Once for Me by Alison Cochrun
funny
hopeful
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
3.75
Ratings:
Plot:⭐⭐⭐⭐/5
Writing:⭐⭐⭐⭐/5
Characters:⭐⭐⭐⭐/5
Overall:⭐⭐⭐.75/5
Romance:❤️❤️❤️❤️/5
Spice: 🌶️/5
Diversity: Bisexual & Demisexual MFC, Lesbian MFC, MFC W/ ADHD, MFC W/Anxiety, Nonbinary SC, & Transgender SC.
Tropes: Sapphic Romance & Holiday Romance
When I heard about Kiss Her Once for Me I instantly knew that I had to read it. I mean not only does it have spice but it’s also a sapphic romance that takes place at Christmas time… Yeah, sign me the hell up.
This book had a ton of things that I loved about it from the cast of diverse characters to the messy, chaotic romance that I could not get enough of.
This book was a great way to end my reading year for 2022 and I will defiantly be picking up more from Alison Cochrun.