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terrivansteen's reviews
18 reviews
This Spells Disaster by Tori Anne Martin
3.0
This book was….ok. I really enjoy the writing style of the author and found her book very easy to read which is great. I enjoyed the world she created and could imagine it really easily in my head.
The thing I wasn’t such a fan of was, well, the plot I guess. It’s a fake dating romance where inevitably something goes wrong and instead of immediately talking about it they dry all kinds of different things first and it leaves you eye rolling and wanting to shout out loud “just talk to each other”!
Not a bad book at all but yeah, just ok.
The thing I wasn’t such a fan of was, well, the plot I guess. It’s a fake dating romance where inevitably something goes wrong and instead of immediately talking about it they dry all kinds of different things first and it leaves you eye rolling and wanting to shout out loud “just talk to each other”!
Not a bad book at all but yeah, just ok.
House of Light and Ether by Leia Stone
5.0
I went into this book a little dubious of how it would be as I honestly wasn’t sure how it could be as good as the others and what more in the story could be done. But wow I was so impressed! There were so many twists and turns that I didn’t see coming. I absolutely loved being absorbed in this world and devoured the 3 books so quickly! I highly recommend this trilogy!!
House of War and Bone by Leia Stone
5.0
Another 5 star read for me. I absolutely love this world and these characters. I really enjoyed getting to know a lot of the secondary characters. Watching friendships evolve and potential future relationships makes me feel really happy for Fallon, she deserves to have decent people in her life!
House of Ash and Shadow by Leia Stone
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
mysterious
sad
tense
fast-paced
5.0
What a fantastic fluffy fantasy!! It was a lovely fast paced easy read but boy does it have some unexpected twists and what a cliffhanger ending! I had to buy book 2 immediately so I could find out what happened next.
If you want to dip your toes into the fantasy genre but aren’t sure where to start this could be a great one for you. There isn’t too much excessive world building that it gets too complicated and the characters are all really likeable. I highly recommend giving this book a go!!
If you want to dip your toes into the fantasy genre but aren’t sure where to start this could be a great one for you. There isn’t too much excessive world building that it gets too complicated and the characters are all really likeable. I highly recommend giving this book a go!!
Season of Secrets by Melissa McSherry
dark
tense
fast-paced
4.0
This is the first dark hockey romance I’ve read and I was a bit dubious going into it but I really enjoyed it!
It was a lovely easy to read story with really likeable characters. The chemistry between Duke and Aspen was fantastic! The smutty scenes are written incredibly well if you catch my drift! The only downside for me was the speed in which our 2 main characters went from not knowing each other at all to willing to wreck their entire lives for each other. It was lightening fast to say the least. That’s not necessarily a bad thing at all, just personally I would have liked a bit more in the middle.
Overall I really great read though, I really recommend
It was a lovely easy to read story with really likeable characters. The chemistry between Duke and Aspen was fantastic! The smutty scenes are written incredibly well if you catch my drift! The only downside for me was the speed in which our 2 main characters went from not knowing each other at all to willing to wreck their entire lives for each other. It was lightening fast to say the least. That’s not necessarily a bad thing at all, just personally I would have liked a bit more in the middle.
Overall I really great read though, I really recommend
The Baker and the Cowboy by Carolyn Kay Hanson
hopeful
lighthearted
fast-paced
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
5.0
This book is a really sweet, quick and easy read. I have read several short stories and novellas in the past and have often been left feeling like the story is unfinished but that wasn’t the case here at all! Beau and Bethany although have a rough start are so cute together, it’s really enjoyable to watch them fumble their way to each other! I really want to taste Bethany’s cooking and go on a horse ride with Beau. Oh and I want Beau’s dad to be Grandad, I think he would make an awesome Grandad! I can’t wait to read the rest of the books, I’m hooked!
Of Ice and Heartbreak by Marianne A. Scott
5.0
Loved!!!!!
If you are someone that really wanted to get into the world of ACOTAR but found it too much/too overwhelming, this is the perfect book for you! It’s got ACOTAR vibes but is a much easier read, an easier world to get into, easy characters to get to know. I would highly recommend it!
The world that Marianne has created is just stunning, at least in my brain lol. I love that the human world knows about the faerie world and they interact with each other from time to time with liaisons etc. I love that we have a strong fmc. Yes she may be dealing with trauma etc but she very much has a f*ck it, this is who I am, take me or leave me attitude and I love it!!
It would be wrong of me if we didn’t talk about the spice for a moment because holy moly!!! 🥵 The whole book is very smex positive which I absolutely love. There is group smex, female on female, polyamory, the works! The writing of the scenes is just……hot as hell!!!
If you are someone that really wanted to get into the world of ACOTAR but found it too much/too overwhelming, this is the perfect book for you! It’s got ACOTAR vibes but is a much easier read, an easier world to get into, easy characters to get to know. I would highly recommend it!
The world that Marianne has created is just stunning, at least in my brain lol. I love that the human world knows about the faerie world and they interact with each other from time to time with liaisons etc. I love that we have a strong fmc. Yes she may be dealing with trauma etc but she very much has a f*ck it, this is who I am, take me or leave me attitude and I love it!!
It would be wrong of me if we didn’t talk about the spice for a moment because holy moly!!! 🥵 The whole book is very smex positive which I absolutely love. There is group smex, female on female, polyamory, the works! The writing of the scenes is just……hot as hell!!!
More with You by Elin Kind
5.0
I really enjoyed this book. I like books with a dual point of view and really liked that it started off with Ollie’s.
Even though we didn’t get to learn the full extent of what Kasey had to go through when she was a child, my heart hurt for her. My family has been foster caring for the last 25 years and seeing first hand what some of the children have to deal with is just so so sad. I’m glad she found Ollie and though their relationship may have been a little tumultuous I definitely think they were right for each other and helped each other get past their hurts and move on to a happier life!
Ugh and can we talk for a moment about how cute Dion is please???!!! I’m so glad that Ray came into his/their life! He seems wonderful.
Even though we didn’t get to learn the full extent of what Kasey had to go through when she was a child, my heart hurt for her. My family has been foster caring for the last 25 years and seeing first hand what some of the children have to deal with is just so so sad. I’m glad she found Ollie and though their relationship may have been a little tumultuous I definitely think they were right for each other and helped each other get past their hurts and move on to a happier life!
Ugh and can we talk for a moment about how cute Dion is please???!!! I’m so glad that Ray came into his/their life! He seems wonderful.
Frost and Retribution by Makayla Wheland
5.0
Wow!!! I need to know when book 3 comes out because I can’t wait to continue this story!!!
I’m a fan of strong female characters in a book and with Ember, Thalia and Storm we have really hit the jackpot. Each of them so strong in their own unique ways!
My heart broke when Thalia died, she deserved so much better and I think there will be a huge hole in both Ember and Azarel’s lives forever! The torture that Ember had to go through was just…..pff I’m not sure I have the words! It was written so well that it really put me in her shoes in those times and I could feel both the strength from Ember when it first started but also the desperation after a few weeks/months.
I can’t wait to see what Ember brings in the next book, no more Miss nice Queen by the sounds of it! I’m also looking forward to learning more about the dragons and hopefully to meeting the fourth one!
Great read!
I’m a fan of strong female characters in a book and with Ember, Thalia and Storm we have really hit the jackpot. Each of them so strong in their own unique ways!
My heart broke when Thalia died, she deserved so much better and I think there will be a huge hole in both Ember and Azarel’s lives forever! The torture that Ember had to go through was just…..pff I’m not sure I have the words! It was written so well that it really put me in her shoes in those times and I could feel both the strength from Ember when it first started but also the desperation after a few weeks/months.
I can’t wait to see what Ember brings in the next book, no more Miss nice Queen by the sounds of it! I’m also looking forward to learning more about the dragons and hopefully to meeting the fourth one!
Great read!
Shadow and Torment : Book One in the Ember Queen Series by Makayla Wheland
4.0
I enjoyed this book so much!!!
My heart hurt for what Ember had to go through, both at the hands of her “parents” but also Zia and Julian! I was so happy when she met Chamber and the 3 ladies, thank god they were there!!
Umbra sounds like an amazing, welcoming, inclusive place to live! Azarel seems to be so patient and understanding with Ember which is a joy to read. Thalia is definitely my favourite character and I want a friend like her!! Oh and Storm! I love her also!
The book has some really nice artwork at the beginning also which I love, especially for anyone that has a hard time imagining what characters look like.
There’s only a couple of reasons why this is a 4 star read and not a 5 for me because honestly this is a 5 star story! I found her acceptance of becoming the Queen of Umbra to be quite rushed. I feel like it would have taken her longer to get used to the idea. The only other reason is that there were so many mistakes! Spelling, grammar, repeated words etc. Even character names were spelt differently throughout. I definitely think that a better editing job would have made a world of difference. With that being said it doesn’t put me off reading the next book in the slightest, I can’t wait!!
My heart hurt for what Ember had to go through, both at the hands of her “parents” but also Zia and Julian! I was so happy when she met Chamber and the 3 ladies, thank god they were there!!
Umbra sounds like an amazing, welcoming, inclusive place to live! Azarel seems to be so patient and understanding with Ember which is a joy to read. Thalia is definitely my favourite character and I want a friend like her!! Oh and Storm! I love her also!
The book has some really nice artwork at the beginning also which I love, especially for anyone that has a hard time imagining what characters look like.
There’s only a couple of reasons why this is a 4 star read and not a 5 for me because honestly this is a 5 star story! I found her acceptance of becoming the Queen of Umbra to be quite rushed. I feel like it would have taken her longer to get used to the idea. The only other reason is that there were so many mistakes! Spelling, grammar, repeated words etc. Even character names were spelt differently throughout. I definitely think that a better editing job would have made a world of difference. With that being said it doesn’t put me off reading the next book in the slightest, I can’t wait!!