thindbooks's reviews
1085 reviews

The Problem with Players by Brittainy C. Cherry

4.0

This is the second book in the series which follows a female coach whose past comes to the present where her ex-boyfriend is now the assistant coach. I really enjoyed this book written by Brittainy and loved the storyline she created. As this is the second book in the series but follows new characters, I didn’t feel lost in this small town. The conflicts were great and I enjoyed the pacing of the story. I loved the message behind the story and seeing mental health issues represented. This book is written in dual povs of both Avery and Nathan. 

 

Avery is a teacher/coach and needs a room. I loved her character and seeing her grow throughout the story. Then we have Nathan who’s a popular baseball player but is back to the small town and is now an assistant coach. I loved his character and seeing how he moved through his struggles to get to what he was. There are many side characters in this book and I believe some will have their own books in the future. The romance is second chance and forced proximity which was well done and I liked the chemistry between the couple. 

 

The ending was well done and overall I really enjoyed this story. I believe this might be my favorite Cherry book. I do have to say that I wasn’t really into the whole baseball aspect of the story which did downplay some areas but other than that it was great. I recommend checking out this story! 

 

*this e-arc was sent to me by the publisher to give an honest review in return*

Lucky Charm by Anne-Marie Meyer

3.5

This story is loosely based on Travis Kelce and Taylor Swift. The story follows an aspiring singer looking to further her career and decides to fake date her long-time football player crush. I love Taylor Swift so I was excited to read a loose story based of a singer’s career. I have to say that this story was pretty good. It was such a quick read and with the bit of mystery, you want to finish this book quicker. I do have to say that the storyline was good but didn’t have many strong conflicts. I felt there was a lot of background information missing that could have helped know more about the situation so readers can feel more attached to the books and the characters. This book is told from both Stone and Emerson’s pov. 

Emerson is a barista who wants to become a singer but so far nothing is happening. Then there is Stone who’s an NFL player and known to steal Emerson’s brother’s scholarship. Both characters were great and had good development throughout the book. I did wish we got to see more of their fake dating relationship playing out. There are many side characters in this book and I really loved Tilly who did anything she could to help Emerson but she did make questionable choices. The romance is cute and I loved the couple but I do have to say that there were too many tropes being played out. I did like the next door neighbor and fake dating part of the book. 

The ending was well done and we get a cute ending scene of how the couple ends up. This was an enjoyable read, perfect for the summer. I would have loved to see more fake dating playing out in this book and seeing the family approve of Stone as that was the main conflict of the story. 

*this book was sent to me by the author to give an honest review in return* 

Wounded Kiss by Willow Winters

3.0

This story follows two women who are taken by the werewolves as they are claimed to be their mates. This is my second Willow Winters book and I have to say that I’m a bit disappointed that there isn’t much of a plot to the story except the werewolves claiming their mates. We don’t get much background or too much information of the world to understand. This book is short but I have to say that 50% of the book was filled with steamy scenes. The pacing of this book is fast and this story is told from multiple povs. 

I won’t go into each character of this story but I can say that I enjoyed all the povs. They weren’t hard to keep track of and I loved seeing the different sides of everyone’s story in this story position they are in. We have an Alpha, a human, two reg werewolves, and a new werewolf. There aren’t side characters from what I remember but there are names mentioned in the book which I guess will make an appearance in the second book. The romance is fated mates with different tropes that are quite steamy. I do have to say that I liked the Alpha’s romance more than Lizzie’s due to the fact the Alpha was more patient and Lizzie’s mates were basically forcing themselves on her. 

The ending was kind of strange to say that there wasn’t a cliffhanger but the story wasn’t complete. I know there is a second book but I took a glimpse and there’s new povs so I wonder how this story will go. I will be reading the next book to see what happens next. 

*this book was sent to me by Verve Romance to give an honest review in return* 

Acquisition by Nana Malone

4.0

This is the second book in the series and the first book must be read in order to understand this book. This story picks up after the first one ended where Gwen is heartbroken after she is dumped. I enjoyed this book more than the first one as the story was much slower and well-formed. There’s more suspense to this story which I liked and a building to the previous conflict from book one. There is more drama and chaos in this book which was well written from the beginning to the middle. This book is told from both Gwen and Atticus’ pov. 

 

Gwen is heartbroken after she’s dumped but Atticus is back to steal her heart again. I liked her character as she’s such a sweetheart who wants love. I enjoyed seeing her develop throughout the story. Then we have Atticus who I didn’t enjoy in this book. I have to say that I didn’t like the decisions he made half of the time and if I was his gf I would leave him right away. He needed more of a character development which was lacking. We do have many side characters in this book and I liked Gwen’s sister and best friend who are so caring for her. The romance for this book was steamy with second chance romance. 

 

The ending was okay but it went way too fast compared to most of the book. I felt like too much happened that I didn’t fully grasp the information of what happened. Overall the book was great and I’m excited to see what Malone has in store for the next book in this series after the cliffhanger. I also hope we get more of Gwen’s sister and see her book, 

 

*this e-arc was sent to me by the author to give an honest review in return* 

Archangels of Funk by Andrea Hairston

3.0

This is a dystopian fantasy that follows a girl on the run and is threatened by the Darknet Lords. This book was easy to get into but very confusing to understand. The storyline wasn’t bad but it was a bit too chaotic. If the world-building was more introduced in the beginning, it would be a bit easier to understand but I felt things were being thrown into the story throughout the book. I did enjoy the main character, Cinnamon, and how she was badass. I liked her development in the story and seeing her grow throughout the book. The side characters were interesting and made the story enjoyable. Overall not a bad book but it would have been more enjoyable if I understood the world a bit more. 

 

*this arc was sent to me by the publisher to give an honest review in return* 

Heartless by Willow Winters, W. Winters

2.0

This story picks up after book 1 and I have to say that I’m a bit disappointed with the way this one went. We don’t get much information about the storyline and I feel that the story began to fall before it properly began. I was hoping to know more information about Carter’s business and what Aria may have to do with it but honestly, I just read a lot of sex scenes. Carter often gaslights and manipulates Aria’s feelings and Aria is not becoming the strong woman I was hoping to see. 

 

*this book was sent to me by verve romance to give an honest review in return* 

Barbarian's Taming by Ruby Dixon

4.0

This story follows Hassen who is exiled after stealing Maddie’s sister and Maddie who is doesn’t fit right in with the group. I have to say that I enjoyed this new approach to the story. This is a friends-with-benefits type of story without the mating thing happening in the beginning. I enjoyed the storyline and seeing two people lonely finding a way to each other. There were so many learning moments for both of these characters and I was here for it. There are new conflicts and a plot twist toward the end and I’m excited to see how it goes in the future books. 

 

Maddie is the FMC who is plus-sized and doesn’t fit well in the group. I loved how brave she was and found a way to make her happy no matter how hard it was. Then we have Hassan who’s exiled but learned his lesson. There are many side characters in this book throughout the story and new babies coming into the world. For the romance. I have to say that they aren’t my favorite couple out there. I  hated how long the friends-with-benefits and the cold shoulders throughout the book. 

 

The ending was well done and I love how this world is about to change. I’m excited to see how Dixon takes on this story so I can’t wait for book 9. 

 

*this e-arc was sent to me by the publisher to give an honest review in return* 

Merciless by Willow Winters, W. Winters

3.0

This story follows Aria who is stolen by Carter and tried to get her to fall in love with him. I’m all for a mafia romance book but I have to say that this book kind of laid flat for me. I have to say that there wasn’t much of a strong storyline in this book. The whole time it was just Carter persuading Aria to get on her knees of him. The pacing is very fast and this book is short so it’s an easy book to finish. This book is told from dual povs of both Aria and Carter. 

 

Aria is taken to Carter’s prison cell and she is told to surrender. I was hoping for Aria to be strong but I have to say that she was a weak character and didn’t show much development at all. I was hoping she would learn to fight or something in that area. Then we have Carter and usually I like my mafia men but he’s a very cruel man. I don’t understand his obsession with Aria and I don’t think we will find out much until the next book. There are some side characters in this book but none who played major roles for their positions. The romance is very spicy and is a dominant / sub romance which is very dark so I recommend reading trigger warnings. 

 

The ending ended with a cliffhanger and I would most likely be reading the next book just to find out what happens next. I do have to say that I’m a bit disappointed of this mafia story but I guess everyone’s perspective of the mafia is different. 

 

*this book was sent from Verve Romance to give an honest review in return* 

The Paradise Problem by Christina Lauren

5.0

This follows a story where two people get married for their own benefit and divorced but Anna is struggling with her job and West needs a wife. I have read Christina Lauren books in the past but I have to say that this one was my favorite. I loved the storyline and follow the povs of these two fun characters. This author duo did such an amazing job describing the scenery and including so many fun conflicts. The story also had funny moments, learning experiences and amazing chemistry. The pacing was well done and I really enjoyed reading both Anna and West’s pov. 

 

Anna is an artist who is looking to become big time in order to provide for her dad. I really enjoyed her character because she was quirky, fun, and normal. Then we have West aka Liam who is a billionaire son that wants to live a normal life. I really enjoyed his character as he showcased the bad sides of the rich world and how he wants to be away from it. There were many side characters in this book but there were none that I really enjoyed except for Anna’s best friend who we don’t get a much of. Now the romance in this book is a marriage of convenience, friends to lovers, and one bed. I really loved the romance aspect of this book because the romance slowly built and there was so much chemistry between the couple that it was so cute. There were minor steamy scenes but nothing explicit. 

 

The ending was well done and we get a cute epilogue of the MCs. I really loved this book and had such a fun time reading it. It’s perfect for this summertime season. 

 

*this arc was sent to me by the publisher to give an honest review in return* 

Love, Naturally by Sophie Sullivan

4.0

This story follows Presley who had a trip planned with her boyfriend but is dumped and decides to go on that trip herself where she meets a guy. I’ve read Sullivan’s books in the past and enjoyed them. This one was also well-written and I liked the small-town setting of Lake Michigan. The pacing was well done and I liked the cute story this book had to offer. I do wish there were more conflicts in the story as it did feel like a basic story most of the time. This story is told from both Beckett and Presley’s pov. 

 

Beckett is helping out at the lodge and decides to help Presley by offering is place. I really enjoyed his character and liked how caring of a person he was. I do wish we got to see more of him and his development. Then there is Presley who is proving that she can go on this trip without her ex and finds love again. I loved her character and seeing her development throughout the book. There are many side characters in this book and I really loved how caring they were of Presley. The romance is friends to lovers and instant love which was cute and well done. 

 

The ending was a HEA and very normal for the story. The book was great but I do have to say that there weren’t big conflicts or events that made the story remembering. I did enjoy it and would say it’s a good beach read but if I’m looking for a cute romance, this wouldn’t be it as there’s not much going on. 

 

*this e-arc was sent to me by the publisher to give an honest review in return*