thebookishmechanic's reviews
275 reviews

Birthday Girl by Penelope Douglas

medium-paced

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

3.5

The Wiener Across the Way by Amy Award

funny hopeful inspiring lighthearted medium-paced

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

5.0

Avalon Tower by Alex Rivers, C.N. Crawford

adventurous challenging emotional hopeful tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.5

Fey spy academy really only has one big rule, well two if you count don’t die. The big rule is no relationships. Seems easy right? Not for Nia. 
In this enemies to lovers SLOW BURN, and I do mean slow, not so human Nia finds herself at Avalon Tower against her will with the boy who broke her heart, only he’s not a boy anymore. 
The tension in this book had me literally begging for them to kiss I couldn’t stand it any longer. 

I was in a reading slump when I picked up this book and I still found myself unable to put it down. This book had everything I look for in a novel, fey, dragons, enemies to lovers, sexual tension up the wazoo. Nia is a character that I think all bookworms can relate to, she literally works at a bookstore before she finds herself swept away into the Avalon spy academy. 

Thank you for the authors for the Advance Review Copy. 

Nightfall by Penelope Douglas

adventurous dark emotional sad tense medium-paced

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

5.0

Fire Night by Penelope Douglas

dark tense medium-paced

3.5

Conclave by Penelope Douglas

dark emotional reflective tense medium-paced

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

3.5

Hideaway by Penelope Douglas

adventurous challenging dark sad tense medium-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? It's complicated

4.0

Fall of Ruin and Wrath by Jennifer L. Armentrout

adventurous dark emotional tense slow-paced

4.5

Corrupt by Penelope Douglas

dark emotional tense medium-paced

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

4.0

I read this book for the first time back in 2021, I enjoyed it but I was in my fantasy era so I never continued the series. Years later many of the girls from my book club have read them all and I own the entire series. So l decided to pick it up again, boy am I glad I did. My tastes have changed and this book is exactly what I was in the mood for. Dark, tense and moody. Even though I knew what was going to happen next it still kept me hooked the entire time. 

When two people are thrown together over and over again, is it a coincidence or someone playing a cruel joke? Erika thinks is a surprising coincidence when she moves into her new apartment in a new town and finds out the boy she always wanted but could never have lives on the next floor. Michael just wants revenge. 

Through every twist and turn you're left wondering when will Erika finally decide she's had enough, and better yet when will Michael realize that revenge might not be the only thing he's craving. 

This story is spicy but still has enough plot to keep you interested. I'm looking forward to reading the next

Hawke by Jescie Hall

dark emotional sad tense slow-paced

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

3.5

Cameron Hawke is an interesting character. He’s has a hard life and when you look at him you see someone who was hardened by those experiences but as you get to know him you meet a man who is hurting and so desperate to be loved. Nic is everyone woman who had ever been in a relationship that looks healthy from the outside but isn’t. She thinks that because her partner is willing to pay her bills while she works on her dream that everything is hunky dory and never having an orgasm is acceptable. 

While I don’t particularly enjoy the cheating trope and I certainly don’t condone cheating I did find the book to be enjoyable and emotional. There were multiple occasions where I found myself crying along with the characters or texting my friends who recommended this book to me and asking them “what the fuck”