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theheelerbooklife's reviews
1771 reviews
Midnight Whispers by P. Rayne
dark
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
3.5
Thank you, VPR, and P. Rayne for the arc in exchange for an honest review.
Rating: 3.5/5 Stars
Spicy Rating: 🌶🌶🌶🌶
Midnight Whispers is book three in the Midnight Manor series. Although this is a series, each book can be read individually.
I have never read a book by P. Rayne prior to Midnight Whispers and did not find myself lost without reading the first two books in the series.
P. Rayne excels at pulling you in from the very first page, and I found myself flying through this book. It was a short read, but I never felt bored because it was very fast-paced.
However, I did struggle connecting with the writing. At times, the writing felt off to me and came off cheesy. Other than that small issue, I really enjoyed this book.
Cinder and Nero are a match made in heaven. They get one another and understand each other on a whole different level. They do not judge one another for their traumatic pasts or their current issues. They listen and support one another.
Cinder is the sweetest and is really resilient with all the crap that life threw at her. She is thoughtful, understanding, compassionate, helpful, and kindhearted.
Nero, even though he has stalkerish vibes, he does come off as a hopeless romantic that wants Cinder to know she is loved in any shape or form. He goes out of his ways to make her happy, her dreams come true, and to make her feel a part of his family.
Midnight Whispers is a dark romance fairytale retelling, but I found this to be on the lighter side of a dark romance. Still, check trigger warnings prior to diving in.
I'm curious about the other Voss' brothers and will pick up the first two books to learn more about Asher and Kol. Plus, I'm curious about Sid with how this book ended.
Tropes:
♡ Cinderella Retelling
♡ Angsty
♡ Billionaire
♡ Anti-Hero
♡ Traumatic Past
♡ Close Proximity
♡ Small Age-Gap
♡ Spicy
♡ Secret Society
♡ Gothic Romance Vibes
Rating: 3.5/5 Stars
Spicy Rating: 🌶🌶🌶🌶
Midnight Whispers is book three in the Midnight Manor series. Although this is a series, each book can be read individually.
I have never read a book by P. Rayne prior to Midnight Whispers and did not find myself lost without reading the first two books in the series.
P. Rayne excels at pulling you in from the very first page, and I found myself flying through this book. It was a short read, but I never felt bored because it was very fast-paced.
However, I did struggle connecting with the writing. At times, the writing felt off to me and came off cheesy. Other than that small issue, I really enjoyed this book.
Cinder and Nero are a match made in heaven. They get one another and understand each other on a whole different level. They do not judge one another for their traumatic pasts or their current issues. They listen and support one another.
Cinder is the sweetest and is really resilient with all the crap that life threw at her. She is thoughtful, understanding, compassionate, helpful, and kindhearted.
Nero, even though he has stalkerish vibes, he does come off as a hopeless romantic that wants Cinder to know she is loved in any shape or form. He goes out of his ways to make her happy, her dreams come true, and to make her feel a part of his family.
Midnight Whispers is a dark romance fairytale retelling, but I found this to be on the lighter side of a dark romance. Still, check trigger warnings prior to diving in.
I'm curious about the other Voss' brothers and will pick up the first two books to learn more about Asher and Kol. Plus, I'm curious about Sid with how this book ended.
Tropes:
♡ Cinderella Retelling
♡ Angsty
♡ Billionaire
♡ Anti-Hero
♡ Traumatic Past
♡ Close Proximity
♡ Small Age-Gap
♡ Spicy
♡ Secret Society
♡ Gothic Romance Vibes
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content and Cursing
Moderate: Stalking
Minor: Domestic abuse
False Start by Kandi Steiner
5.0
Wow, just wow.
I can firmly say I am 100% a fan of Kandi Steiner. In April, read Learn Your Lesson, and that book made me fall in love with Kandi's writing and storytelling. I knew Learn Your Lesson would not be my last book by her. Now, having read False Start, I will be exploring her backlog.
Kandi has a way of pulling you in from the very first page and making you care about these characters. Madelyn is a single mother who is dealing with her crazy ex-husband and his abuse. She never expected Kyle, her high school ex-boyfriend, to waltz back into her life. Kyle, who is starting his rookie season with the Seahawks, never expected to see Madelyn again, but some cosmic force brought them back into one another's lives as she is now his realtor Both Madelyn and Kyle have a past, and both blame one another for each other's heartache.
When it comes down to Madelyn and Kyle's heartbreak, we do not know what happened, and as the story unfolds, we see that there is a huge miscommunication. I, for one, am not a fan of the miscommunication trope. Kandi excelled at pulling off this trope to work with the characters' situations. It leaves a punch to the gut, and you cannot help your heartbreaking for these two characters.
I enjoyed every aspect of the story and the growth of Madelyn and Kyle. Both learned that they still had a soft spot for one another, and Madelyn was able to slowly come out of the disappearing shell that her ex-husband left her in. Also, I loved the dynamic between Madelyn's son, Sebastian, and Kyle. Then, the WAGS and Madelyn were a great treat.
I haven't devoured a book so fast in a while now.
Pick this up if you are a fan of:
♡ Sports Romance
♡ Second Chance Romances
♡ Fake Dating
♡ Who Hurt You?
♡ Single Parent
♡ One Bed
♡ He Falls First
♡ Found Family
♡ HEA
I can firmly say I am 100% a fan of Kandi Steiner. In April, read Learn Your Lesson, and that book made me fall in love with Kandi's writing and storytelling. I knew Learn Your Lesson would not be my last book by her. Now, having read False Start, I will be exploring her backlog.
Kandi has a way of pulling you in from the very first page and making you care about these characters. Madelyn is a single mother who is dealing with her crazy ex-husband and his abuse. She never expected Kyle, her high school ex-boyfriend, to waltz back into her life. Kyle, who is starting his rookie season with the Seahawks, never expected to see Madelyn again, but some cosmic force brought them back into one another's lives as she is now his realtor Both Madelyn and Kyle have a past, and both blame one another for each other's heartache.
When it comes down to Madelyn and Kyle's heartbreak, we do not know what happened, and as the story unfolds, we see that there is a huge miscommunication. I, for one, am not a fan of the miscommunication trope. Kandi excelled at pulling off this trope to work with the characters' situations. It leaves a punch to the gut, and you cannot help your heartbreaking for these two characters.
I enjoyed every aspect of the story and the growth of Madelyn and Kyle. Both learned that they still had a soft spot for one another, and Madelyn was able to slowly come out of the disappearing shell that her ex-husband left her in. Also, I loved the dynamic between Madelyn's son, Sebastian, and Kyle. Then, the WAGS and Madelyn were a great treat.
I haven't devoured a book so fast in a while now.
Pick this up if you are a fan of:
♡ Sports Romance
♡ Second Chance Romances
♡ Fake Dating
♡ Who Hurt You?
♡ Single Parent
♡ One Bed
♡ He Falls First
♡ Found Family
♡ HEA
Walk of Shame by Avery Flynn
funny
lighthearted
relaxing
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
Walk of Shame starts with Astrid vowing never to fall again and only to have one-night stands. She does not want to bring public humiliation to herself again and not to her father, a famous hockey coach. Astrid meets Cal at a bar, and they are instantly attracted to one another. She thinks this will be like any of her one-night stands, but will it? Her father convinces her to work under him for his last hockey season, and guess who works for her father, too? Cal! Um, major awkwardness because now she must find a way to fight her attraction to him while he finds ways to woo her.
Walk of Shame was my first Avery Flynn book and will not be my last.
It was cute and funny, and it made my heart melt. Cal is definitely book-boyfriend material who pays attention to things Astrid likes and will go out of his way to do anything for her. Plus, I love the trope of the guy falling first.
Astrid was a good character, too, and had some growth. I get why she vows never to date again and does not want public scrutiny again, but a part of me wanted to scream at her to open her eyes and see how good Cal is. Plus, the girl needed some significant therapy from the trauma her ex put her through. Astrid did not annoy me because she was trying to find ways to navigate through her feelings and move past what her ex did to her. So many moments in this book made me laugh because Astrid would end up awkwardly avoiding Cal.
Overall, this was a fun book; I just loved every aspect.
Walk of Shame was my first Avery Flynn book and will not be my last.
It was cute and funny, and it made my heart melt. Cal is definitely book-boyfriend material who pays attention to things Astrid likes and will go out of his way to do anything for her. Plus, I love the trope of the guy falling first.
Astrid was a good character, too, and had some growth. I get why she vows never to date again and does not want public scrutiny again, but a part of me wanted to scream at her to open her eyes and see how good Cal is. Plus, the girl needed some significant therapy from the trauma her ex put her through. Astrid did not annoy me because she was trying to find ways to navigate through her feelings and move past what her ex did to her. So many moments in this book made me laugh because Astrid would end up awkwardly avoiding Cal.
Overall, this was a fun book; I just loved every aspect.