smakinde's reviews
151 reviews

Take A Chance by Miyeko May

5.0

This is such a cute Novella. The two main characters knew each other back in HS and when they meet again on a vacation, sparks fly. I love that the MMC had a crush on the FMC and that's all he could think about when he first sees her. The ending was super cute too. A great short read for in between books.

Now That I've Found You by Kristina Forest

4.0

Such a cute YA book. While the plot is clear, I don't mind that when the writing is good. The FMC is betrayed and heartbroken by her best friend. The MMC is trying to prove to his parents that he can find success in his music career. I love the push and pull of the two characters and it is exactly what you would expect from a YA book. I would definitely let my kids read it.

A Worthy Love by A.E. Valdez

5.0

This is one of those romance books that while it does have smut, the character development overruled it all. I love the FMC and the MMC. I love the rivals to lovers and the chemistry that they had. I was really in the mood for a good romance and I got that from this book. This is a part of a series, but I ended up reading this book first and I am so glad I did. It didn't ruin the rest of the series(which I did go back and read), and I laughed so much. A book that can make me laugh? I am IN. This author did a good job of really bringing the characters worlds together. Some unexpected things happened, so be sure to read the trigger warnings in the beginning.

Claimed by Evangeline Anderson

1.0

Don't even waist your time.

Holidays Ablaze by Lucy Limón

5.0

Ohhhh Lucy, Lucy, Lucy.. how could you write such a cute book? I would recommend reading this book with someone like my sister and I did. We fell in love. Simple. I love fantasy because when the MMC falls out of an airplane onto a frozen pond you don't even blink. It just is what it is and that's exactly how the FMC responded. I also didn't know cooking could be so sexy.... but the author did such a good job of sharing the story of these two characters in such a short book. I will be reading any and all books by this author.

A Bump In Boohail: A Mead Realm Tale by Kimberly Lemming

3.0

Short and smutty novella. I loved the ending when they scared the brother.

A Song of Wraiths and Ruin by Roseanne A. Brown

4.0

Overall, I really enjoyed this book. I loved the African folklore and I love how surprised I was with some of the twists towards the end of the book. I really thought I knew exactly where the plot was going, but then there were a few moments that I was not anticipating and I really loved that. I always love when I am wrong about a plot. Karina is the typical princess who rebels against anything and everything, but she has endured great pain. Malik--I just wanted to hug him. The anxiety that he deals with that haunts him day in and day out? I can relate. I loved the sibling relationships and I was heartbroken in the beginning when his sister was taken.

The biggest complaint... the magic/world building was really confusing the first 100-150 pages. I am an avid fantasy reader, but even for me, this was hard to navigate. It would have been a 5 stars for me if that aspect hadn't been so difficult....BUT I am still so glad that I kept going. I will definitely read the second book.

Before I Let Go by Kennedy Ryan

5.0

I really didn’t know what to expect from this book, but I am so glad I decided to read it. It’s definitely a heavier book and I would encourage everyone to not only read the trigger warnings, but take them seriously. As a parent, it really touched me and I definitely shed some tears. Overall a great read.

Unconditional: A Love Story by Shon

2.0

This is a really quick read which is what I wanted, but it was just soooooo repetitive that it made it hard to get through. I loved the perfect that Charlie and Damien worked on and they obviously have love for each other. I just couldn’t get over how slow it was and I wanted more character development.

When Life Gives You Vampires by Gloria Duke

2.0

This was a cute book, but nothing to write home about. I love that the FMC was a plus sized woman and there was definitely a quirkiness to her that was fun, but I just couldn’t get out the lack of communication between her and the MMC. It actually got annoying and took away from the story for me.