steca2's reviews
136 reviews

Breakaway by Kris Butler

fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated

1.5

I almost DNF’d this book. It wasn’t great. I liked the premise and there were parts I did enjoy — usually when things were slower and felt more grounded in reality — but the plot with The Society felt too big and poorly executed. The fact that this was set in a high school/minors Hockey league made the drama laughable too. The characters were often one dimensional and while there was spice, it felt very formulaic and redundant. 

In the Likely Event by Rebecca Yarros

adventurous emotional funny 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? Yes

4.5

Oh I LOVED this! Read it AND listened to the audiobook, it was that good. Teddy Hamilton is my favorite male narrator so love that he is our Nate.  I love dual POV and need alternating timelines for second chance romances, and this one was done SO well. Now that I know everything that happened in the past, I want to reread it to catch all the references in the beginning when they see each other for the first time! My only complaint is that I wish there were like 50 more pages towards the end to flesh out their reconciliation and to address Nate’s mental health

and choosing to leave the military

.  I would also have loved to see Izzy standing up for Nate and confronting her parents while also having moment of Nate reflecting and apologizing for  ghosting Izzy after NYC. And the epilogue needed a little more to flesh out their future. Also I feel like I was JUST about to bawl

when Izzy realized the dog tag was Torres’ and that she had always assumed Rowell died

, definitely loudly gasped and teared up a little, but I wish there was a little bit more of a punch with that to really push it over the edge. 
I feel like this could have EASILY been an all time favorite five-star read if the author just expanded the ending a little. I really wanted to see more of Nate's mental health journey throughout the book, and it's not like the author didn't have an opportunity to explore it since the past was also told in alternating POVs.  
I feel like this would make an amazing movie too. I know war romances are a little taboo in our current pop-culture but I feel like a film adaption could really explore their past more, Nate's experiences, and give a more nuanced portrayal of the war. 

Pucking Ever After: Volume 2 by Emily Rath

emotional funny 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

4.5

This was so good!! I really loved all of the Tess and Ryan chapters —

and the chapter when Ryan is scared waiting with the Rays while Tess is in surgery definitely made me tear up.

The Mars and Caleb chapters were also incredibly heartfelt

and maybe one of the spicier scenes in the series!

Pucking Wild by Emily Rath

emotional funny fast-paced

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

4.75

This book could easily be written off as a cute, very spicy hockey rom com — because it is those things - but it’s so much more. If this book wasn’t so spicy (and don’t get me wrong, I loved the spice) this would be one of my go-to reading recommendations to everyone! 
The author handled Tess’ DV history with care and the abuse from Troy was so well done. Tess’ abuse history could have been easily just a one-note “evil villain” story with no long term consequences but the author created a nuanced and complex trauma which made me anxious and uncomfortable when reading it — exactly what you should be feeling when reading about DV. Tess’ history not only shaped how she viewed her romantic relationship with Ryan but how she interacted with the world as a whole. Tess was full bodied and real. I wish we learned a little bit more about Ryan, delve a little deeper into his personal history, but he was still wonderful and very well written. 
My only edit would be the timeline as it felt really fast and unrealistic. Excluding the romance (bc instalove/he falls first is a trope for a reason…), just the logistics of taking over a charity and planning a gala, that alone takes more than 6 weeks. For it to make sense, in my head I made the timeline closer to 3 months lol 
And while I do love Rachel, Mars, Jake, and Caleb’s story, I think I may like this one more as it’s more grounded and realistic. Oh but I LOVED Mars’ in this book, he was truly a gem! Rachel was also great but I appreciated that she wasn't the perfect friend. She let Tess make her own choices -- even when she was acting out of fear -- and supported her.  

The Fake Mate by Lana Ferguson

emotional 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

4.5

How could I KNOT love this book! First omegaverse book and it was a great introduction! I love fake dating and workplace romances are always so fun, so it makes sense that I’d pick this one up. My only complaint is that some things (like how and why do people get their status?) were not explained so  the omegaverse lore gets a little confusing at times. 

Butcher & Blackbird by Brynne Weaver

dark funny lighthearted fast-paced

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

4.25

I never thought I’d like a serial killer rom com but this was fun! Definitely read it more like a fantasy rom com which helped me like the characters. Parts made me gag for sure

I won’t be able to look at beef Nicoise, ice cream, fishing line, or the mandolin the same

but this book was laugh out loud funny at times! And the spice! It wasn’t throughout the book but the scenes with spice were spicy. Only complaint is that characters are introduced, like Anna, and there’s zero character development but we’re supposed to just know who they are. I had to look up to see if this was a spin off series (it isn’t) to confirm if I was missing anything. There are also a lot of time jumps and normally I hate that but I didn’t mind it as much. Definitely read the trigger and content warnings 

Assistant to the Villain by Hannah Nicole Maehrer

funny lighthearted medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes

4.5

Such a fun read! It was exactly as advertised — a lighthearted, quirky, low stakes, cozy fantasy. The twists were completely unexpected (I would have been convinced

the mole was Blade or Tatianna if I hadn’t been following the author’s TikTok’s, and I was shocked that it was the dad! Very well done!

and the character’s trauma was handled with care. At times it read very YA but I hope that as the series progresses, we see the author step into the deep end a little more. 

Catwoman: Soulstealer by Sarah J. Maas

adventurous funny medium-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? It's complicated

4.75

Honestly, I loved this! Listened to the audiobook and it’s great — loved the PTSD rep, CF rep, commentary on the failing American healthcare system/social services, and acknowledgment of racism and major mental illness. Only complaint is I would have aged up everyone,  like make Selina in her mid-twenties and Poison Ivy’s “experiment” happening during her PhD instead of BS …  If SJM wrote a series following Selina, Ivy, and Jake I’d read it in a heartbeat. 

House of Flame and Shadow by Sarah J. Maas

adventurous dark fast-paced

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

4.0

This book was a little disappointing to be honest. If I didn’t love the characters so much, I’d probably rate it 3.5… My biggest complaints are some of the lore errors and the timelines. There were so many sudden POV shifts at first, it felt a little chaotic and was hard to hold my attention.  It felt like SJM didn’t remember her previous books and forgot things and instead of looking it up, she just ignored it.

First, the Avallen Murder Twins’ names are different in HOSAB and HOFAS. The whole healing magic lore was confusing too — like how did Baxian, Ruhn, and Hunt survive the torture that was described while Sabine died from similar injuries? And in CC1, the Fallen are all enslaved but now they’re all dead? And in HOSAB Celestina knew Hunt killed Sandriel but in HOFAS it was new news? And even in the same book the facts changed! At the end, Baxion says there are 2 dozen Pegasus and then in Bryce&Hunt’s bonus chapter, there are only 6.  And they have 9 nights mentioned specifically in the story but then Bryce says it’s been a week? I’m convinced SJM-universe has a different weeks/months designation than normal.

These should have been caught when proofreading… There was also a number of times that could have been an emotional gut punch that, instead of just letting the reader sit in it, SJM just kept everything moving along. Things that should have been heartbreaking were just glossed over, with lots of “Tells” not “Show.” It made me not super invested in the plot after a while. I feel like if she had an extra 6m to edit, it could have been a 5⭐️, perfect read but instead it’s a 4⭐️ (honestly maybe 3.5). Also, it’s not great when the best character development chapters are the bonus chapters. The timeline was also so wonky. They make references to sleeping, and next days, etc but at one point Bryce says it’s only been a week… but that’s inaccurate based on the number of sleeps and days they’ve had. I feel like that was definitely an editing error and should have said a month. 
Also this is a minor complaint but there was very little spice and the spice that was written wasn’t super spicy… it was like SJM heard all the faerieporn jokes and was like, well I’ll show them! 

Thinking more about this, I feel like there are a lot of plot holes and just things where SJM forgot her own lore? Like

why when Bryce killed  the asteri on Midgard, Hunt said they bled red blood but when Bryce and Nesta killed the asteri on prythian, it bled black blood? And for a tech savvy world like Midgard, how did no one see a parasite in the water/why was it so easy for Hypaxia to cure it? Why not use wyrdspells like they did in TOG?

I feel like this really should have been two books -- have it end

when everyone is reunited on the Depth Charger or even on Avallen (and maybe have Bryce immediately bring her mom and Randall to Prythian so they spent more than 2 days there...) and end it on the cliff hanger of the asteri bombing the Meadows.

I also really hated how one dimensional the Autumn King became when

he hunted Bryce and was about to kill her. Like where did all the morally grey hints go? I wish he went along to Avallen to find Bryce to help her and when the Avallen king went to kill her, he stepped in and fought him, dying in the process.

Blindsided by Amy Daws

funny lighthearted fast-paced

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

3.0

This book was a laugh out loud funny, spicy, friends to lovers rom-com…I should have loved it! But the author really missed an opportunity to make Freya ace/demi to explain her complete lack of sexual knowledge — not to explain away her virgin status, but there sexual phrases that have become so common in our cultural vernacular that it’s hard to believe a heterosexual 29 year old would not have ever heard the terms. I also didn’t love how emotionally immature Mac was at times,

especially during the third act break up and then the proposal.

I also didn’t know this was an interconnected standalone when I started this book but it’s so clear that this is the last book in a very long series, bc there were one or two time references to characters that felt like they should be important but I had no real idea who they were. I might go back and read Allie’s book or Sloane’s to see what I’ve missed.