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704 reviews
The Monster in my Basement by M.L. Smith
adventurous
emotional
funny
lighthearted
sad
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.5
Content Warnings
Moderate: Emotional abuse, Violence, and Drug abuse
Silent Domination: A Neurodivergent meets Deaf Language Barrier Erotic Romance by MJ Creed
adventurous
challenging
emotional
hopeful
sad
tense
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
4.0
4⭐️ 4🌶️
MOOD: adventurous, challenging, emotional, sad, tense, hopeful
TROPES: hurt/comfort, billionaire, forced proximity
GENRES: contemporary, dom/sub, inclusive
FAV QUOTE: But this Dom couldn't be deaf by the way he deliberately controlled the surrounding sounds. Could he?
MAIN CHARACTERS: Tacy (neurodivergent FMC) & Domier (d/Deaf MMC)
Reviews are personal but this one might be more biased than most since I'm a little neurodivergent. It's been a while since I've read a book that was only from one point of view but completely makes sense for this type of storytelling. Having minimal dialogue and having to rely solely on Tacy's inner monologue was both extremely frustrating a times but also eerily familiar.
The story and relationship develop over a relatively short period of time and within that time, pieces are given to Tacy, including Dom's name, which doesn't appear until at least half way through the story. Even details of his life, like his d/Deafness take time for Tacy to figure out. It was interesting and made the trust and attention that is required during the dom/sub scenes even more apparent.
Two things prevented me from giving this a 5 star rating. First, I got stuck towards the end. I was at 73% for over 2 weeks and just didn't feel like reading/finishing it. Part of that was because I was moving and strapped for time but even afterwards I had to kind of remind myself to get back into it. Second, the ending felt a little abrupt.
CW: self-harm, emotional abuse, death of a parent
MOOD: adventurous, challenging, emotional, sad, tense, hopeful
TROPES: hurt/comfort, billionaire, forced proximity
GENRES: contemporary, dom/sub, inclusive
FAV QUOTE: But this Dom couldn't be deaf by the way he deliberately controlled the surrounding sounds. Could he?
MAIN CHARACTERS: Tacy (neurodivergent FMC) & Domier (d/Deaf MMC)
Reviews are personal but this one might be more biased than most since I'm a little neurodivergent. It's been a while since I've read a book that was only from one point of view but completely makes sense for this type of storytelling. Having minimal dialogue and having to rely solely on Tacy's inner monologue was both extremely frustrating a times but also eerily familiar.
The story and relationship develop over a relatively short period of time and within that time, pieces are given to Tacy, including Dom's name, which doesn't appear until at least half way through the story. Even details of his life, like his d/Deafness take time for Tacy to figure out. It was interesting and made the trust and attention that is required during the dom/sub scenes even more apparent.
Two things prevented me from giving this a 5 star rating. First, I got stuck towards the end. I was at 73% for over 2 weeks and just didn't feel like reading/finishing it. Part of that was because I was moving and strapped for time but even afterwards I had to kind of remind myself to get back into it. Second, the ending felt a little abrupt.
CW: self-harm, emotional abuse, death of a parent
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content
Moderate: Self harm
Minor: Emotional abuse and Death of parent
Daddy of the Sea by Jillian Graves
hopeful
lighthearted
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
I'll Be Your Beast: A Dark Shifter Romance by Darcy Rose
adventurous
hopeful
fast-paced
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content
Grind by K.A. Merikan
dark
emotional
funny
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content
Moderate: Eating disorder, Violence, and Blood
Minor: Gun violence
To Desire Her: A Dark Shifter Romance by Nicole Briones
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.5
2.5⭐️ 3🌶️
MOOD: dark, emotional, tense, mysterious
TROPES: fated mates,
GENRES: contemporary, supernatural/paranormal
FAV QUOTE: Dear MOther Moon, I pray for happiness. But if I'll only be sad for the rest of my life, I pray never to wake up.
MAIN CHARACTERS: Ayla (FMC, Omega) and Warren (MMC, Alpha)
PROMINENT SIDE CHARACTERS: Luka (Ayla's older brother), Dean (Warren's Beta)
This book had potential and there are parts of the world I really liked but overall it was disappointing. I wouldn't say it's a dark romance so much as it's a place for the FMC to get the crap beat out of her at every turn and with no resolution - so if that's your thing then dive right in. It reminded me of when people conflate horror romance with dark romance but honestly, I was waiting for Ayla's revenge or some shift in the world that never happened.
I'm a huge fan of fated mates, instalove, and instalust and that didn't even work here. The things I did like were the shifter elements that I hadn't come across before like scents smelling different for every wolf, their healing elements, and how they had to integrate into society. I think this might be a probable spoiler so I'll label it and you can scroll down for it but even the way the SA on page happened, I couldn't figure out why it was in the story beyond shock value. There were some spicy scenes that caught my attention but otherwise, I could have passed on this one.
CW (provided by author): Mentions of SA, CNC, SA on the page, Cannibalism, Domestic abuse/violence, spitting, snotting, sexism, fated mates, hierarchy system, graphic violence, pregnancy, deflowering, blood, gore, breeding, kidnapping, bullying, toxic masculinity, murder, marking, urination, exhibitionism, voyeurism
DISCLAIMER: I received an advance review copy. This is my honest review.
PROBABLE SPOILER: I don't think the SA on page scene should have gone as far as it did but if nothing changed about the scene itself, it could have been a perfect opportunity for the male shifters to have a single moment of realizing that the female weren't safe - especially with them! so whatever they were doing, whatever rules, etc regarding the world, it didn't matter - but that didn't happen - I would have accepted it even if it was a blip that was then overshadowed by the very present toxic masculinity and overall misogyny.
MOOD: dark, emotional, tense, mysterious
TROPES: fated mates,
GENRES: contemporary, supernatural/paranormal
FAV QUOTE: Dear MOther Moon, I pray for happiness. But if I'll only be sad for the rest of my life, I pray never to wake up.
MAIN CHARACTERS: Ayla (FMC, Omega) and Warren (MMC, Alpha)
PROMINENT SIDE CHARACTERS: Luka (Ayla's older brother), Dean (Warren's Beta)
This book had potential and there are parts of the world I really liked but overall it was disappointing. I wouldn't say it's a dark romance so much as it's a place for the FMC to get the crap beat out of her at every turn and with no resolution - so if that's your thing then dive right in. It reminded me of when people conflate horror romance with dark romance but honestly, I was waiting for Ayla's revenge or some shift in the world that never happened.
I'm a huge fan of fated mates, instalove, and instalust and that didn't even work here. The things I did like were the shifter elements that I hadn't come across before like scents smelling different for every wolf, their healing elements, and how they had to integrate into society. I think this might be a probable spoiler so I'll label it and you can scroll down for it but even the way the SA on page happened, I couldn't figure out why it was in the story beyond shock value. There were some spicy scenes that caught my attention but otherwise, I could have passed on this one.
CW (provided by author): Mentions of SA, CNC, SA on the page, Cannibalism, Domestic abuse/violence, spitting, snotting, sexism, fated mates, hierarchy system, graphic violence, pregnancy, deflowering, blood, gore, breeding, kidnapping, bullying, toxic masculinity, murder, marking, urination, exhibitionism, voyeurism
DISCLAIMER: I received an advance review copy. This is my honest review.
PROBABLE SPOILER: I don't think the SA on page scene should have gone as far as it did but if nothing changed about the scene itself, it could have been a perfect opportunity for the male shifters to have a single moment of realizing that the female weren't safe - especially with them! so whatever they were doing, whatever rules, etc regarding the world, it didn't matter - but that didn't happen - I would have accepted it even if it was a blip that was then overshadowed by the very present toxic masculinity and overall misogyny.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Blood, Violence, and Sexual content
Moderate: Cannibalism, Sexual assault, and Mental illness
Minor: Infertility, Gun violence, and Car accident
Stone Heart by Katee Robert
challenging
emotional
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
Puck Like A Girl by Wynter Ryan
funny
lighthearted
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.0
3⭐️ 2🌶️
MOOD: funny, lighthearted
TROPES: note: the book has really light versions of the tropes - enemies to lovers, instalust, forced proximity
GENRES: contemporary, sports, why choose
FAV QUOTE:
MAIN CHARACTERS: Teagan Hayes, Coulter Collins, Fin Baxter, Royal Reynolds
THE GOOD: It's a really quick read and it made me laugh.
THE MEH: Everything is generic: the characters, the plot, the tension and the drama. The name of the college is literally State College. I could be more forgiving of this - or even ignore it - if there was something else going on: either a focus on the hockey or the smut but those areas are also lacking. I also really dislike the lack of prep for an*l during the spicy scenes especially when it's at least one of the character's first times (update: this had been fixed in the released version). If that's in your why choose story then you need to figure something out. For a hockey romance that takes place in college, there is very little hockey or college. For a romance, there's also not a lot of their relationship and I can't even put it in the smut or erotica category.
CW: mentions of sexual assault
DISCLAIMER: I received an advance review copy. This is my honest review.
MOOD: funny, lighthearted
TROPES: note: the book has really light versions of the tropes - enemies to lovers, instalust, forced proximity
GENRES: contemporary, sports, why choose
FAV QUOTE:
MAIN CHARACTERS: Teagan Hayes, Coulter Collins, Fin Baxter, Royal Reynolds
THE GOOD: It's a really quick read and it made me laugh.
THE MEH: Everything is generic: the characters, the plot, the tension and the drama. The name of the college is literally State College. I could be more forgiving of this - or even ignore it - if there was something else going on: either a focus on the hockey or the smut but those areas are also lacking. I also really dislike the lack of prep for an*l during the spicy scenes especially when it's at least one of the character's first times (update: this had been fixed in the released version). If that's in your why choose story then you need to figure something out. For a hockey romance that takes place in college, there is very little hockey or college. For a romance, there's also not a lot of their relationship and I can't even put it in the smut or erotica category.
CW: mentions of sexual assault
DISCLAIMER: I received an advance review copy. This is my honest review.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Sexual content
Minor: Sexual assault
Here Kitty, Kitty by Jenika Snow
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
4.0
Velvet Steel by Dalia Davies
adventurous
hopeful
sad
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
4.0