thaliareads's reviews
143 reviews

You're Not Supposed to Die Tonight by Kalynn Bayron

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adventurous dark emotional mysterious sad tense medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Plot
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.0

I wasn't sure how I'd do with this one. I love Kalynn but I can barely handle suspense or spookiness. In the end I was very pleasantly surprised. This had twists and turns and didn't end up where I thought it would. Also, OMG that epilog! While I can't say this has converted me to thrillers it has left me more open to exploring some new books. 
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Highly Suspicious and Unfairly Cute by Talia Hibbert

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adventurous emotional funny hopeful lighthearted 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? Yes

4.0

This wasn't my favorite of Talia's books, but it was still a cute read. I really enjoyed seeing the angst as Celine and Bradley actually came to an understanding over the course of the book over what had actually transpired in the events that led them to stop being friends. 
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One Night in Hartswood by Emma Denny

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adventurous emotional funny hopeful mysterious 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

4.5

 Thanks to NetGalley and Harper 360 for the opportunity to read this as an ARC! 

A queer historical romance, set in the late 1300s, this book follows the tale of two men whose fates are woven together closer than they would have ever imagined. Penn, William to his father, can’t imagine being married to a woman he doesn’t know and that he knows he’ll never love in the way that his family claims he eventually will. Raff is suspicious about letting his sister marry a man they know nothing about, especially when the rumors of the family are not kind. In an attempt to escape his abusive father and his unwanted engagement, Penn flees into the woods – not considering how ill equipped he is to take care of himself. Raff, unsuccessful in his search for his sister’s missing fiancé, is drawn to this man who’s trying so hard to survive his escape from an unforgiving lord. Raff invites Penn to join him in his journey back home in the north – expecting him to find a good place to settle along the journey. Little do the two men know how much the journey would draw them together. With both of their true identities hidden, what will happen when these secrets are forced into the light? Is their new and fragile love worth risking their lives and the lives of those they love? 

All I can say is I’m in love. This was such a heartwarming romance, and I couldn’t get enough of it. I adored how considerate both men were of the power imbalance between their real life position and the mistaken identity of the opposing man. They put the idea of a romantic relationship on the backburner to protecting each other. I also thought it was incredibly nice that while they obviously acknowledged the stigma and dangers of being in a queer relationship in the 1300s, ultimately that wasn’t the main barrier to a happily ever after. The real villain and obstacle was an innately abusive father who can’t stand his son being anything other than an exact replication of his expectations. This book had tons of twists and turns that I didn’t see coming and was overall an absolute delight to read (I read this book in two sittings). My only complaint was that I’m not used to seeing both characters’ perspectives in one chapter, and I was a bit confused at first as I got my bearings for the story. 
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Chase Me by Tessa Bailey

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emotional funny hopeful 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

4.5

This was a cute read, and I love Roxy's reluctance to let new friends and people into her life and how that changes as the book progresses. I do think Louis messed up getting Roxy the audition with so little thought into how he knew the director, but it was all with the best intentions. 

Overall, I think they are a well balanced couple and I'm glad they ended up together. 
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The Tyrant's Tomb by Rick Riordan

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adventurous challenging dark emotional funny hopeful mysterious medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Plot
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

I wasn't sure how this would end up going, but I gotta say that I'm relieved that Apollo and Meg have made it as far as they have. I'm relieved that Rick decided not to put us through more pain after the last book. I'm still not sure how they're gonna fix everything in the next book, but here's to hoping it all goes well. 
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Only When It's Us by Chloe Liese

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adventurous challenging dark emotional funny hopeful 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

While this started a little slow for me, as the plot started to unfold I really enjoyed it. I will say that miscommunication or a lack of communication is probably one of my least favorite tropes. While the initial miscommunication is a fun misunderstanding that sets the stage well, I wish that the characters had just been more honest with eachother later in the book. 

However, I love how Ryder truly stuck by Willa no matter how many times she pushed him away. I also love how Willa never made Ryder feel like less than because he chose not to speak or not to pursue hearing aids or learning sign language. She took him at face value and loved him for who he was at his core, regardless of everything else. 
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The Burning Maze by Rick Riordan

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adventurous challenging emotional funny hopeful mysterious sad tense medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Plot
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

This was actually my first read-through of this book, despite reading the second one two or three times already. These books are just getting more and more intense and complicated as details from all the series are at play together. 

This book was excellent. It was sad, but also handled so well. While I wish this part of the series didn't exist, it does. To be honest this isn't something I expected which makes it hit all the harder but also really highlights the severity in a way that otherwise just couldn't be captured.  I just hope that Apollo makes the most of their position in the next book. 
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Tools of Engagement by Tessa Bailey

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adventurous emotional funny hopeful 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

This is one of my favorite Tessa Bailey books that I've read to date. I love how both optimistic and yet realistic this novel was. While Bethany and Wes had an undeniable instant love connection, they both had real world issues to consider. Wes is now acting as the guardian of his niece, there's a very real age gap and suspected maturity gap between the two characters, and Bethany wants to prove herself outside of what Wes is contributing to the flip. 

For a romance novel, the pacing and resolution are realistic, giving the characters the time to discover what they truly want and need and who they are in their new roles in life. 

I'll need to get my hands on my own copy so I can have this available to read at all times!
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To Kidnap A Princess by Katee Robert

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adventurous 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

4.0

This was a pretty solid read! I was super excited to get to listen to it early through Katee’s Patreon. 

I love a good sapphic romance, but I especially love some pirates. I loved how Juliette took things into her own hands and got herself kidnapped. I also love how she has no intention on letting Maura get scared away from a relationship with her again. 
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Masters of Death by Olivie Blake

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adventurous challenging dark emotional hopeful medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.5

This was such a unique concept. I think I’ll enjoy a reread of the physical book. I typically listen to audiobooks while I work on other things and that was probably my problem here. I thought the book was really interesting but I think I missed a lot of the early transitions and got confused. Once I was able to place characters and really follow the plot, it was incredibly enjoyable. I’ll absolutely re-read at some point because i know I missed a lot that will make this book even better. 
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