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vicki_williams's reviews
2717 reviews
My Darcy by Lily Morton
funny
lighthearted
relaxing
medium-paced
- Loveable characters? Yes
4.0
Witty and romantic read ❤️
Freddie and Darcy have been friends since early childhood and it was in their teen years that Freddie knew he wanted an HEA with Darcy. Freddie is the tour guide whilst Darcy droves the bus on a Jane Austen themed tour. A tour with an eclectic group of guests, plenty of Jane Austen information (some of which is highly unusual) and two best friends who finally acknowledge their feelings for each other.
Loved the wit and banter, the affection/love between the two wonderfully likeable main characters and of course an HEA with very low angst and plenty of laughs - classic Lily Morton.
Baby Queen by Charlie Novak
hopeful
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Loveable characters? Yes
4.5
Loved it 😍
Circumstances have successful drag queen Anthony (aka Barbie Summers) back living with his mother in his childhood bedroom. A bedroom that is bursting at the seams with not only the things he could bring from his flat but the many boxes of drag paraphernalia as well.
Colin is busy with his studies for a PHD, is an introvert and lacks in self confidence. He has a love of pole dancing and a desire to explore the drag scene but doesn’t really know where to start.
When Anthony takes him under his wing a whole new world is opened and this world and Anthony is where Colin (aka Sugar Pill) feels he truly belongs.
Their attraction to each other and the chemistry between them is undeniable and it’s not long before they trust their feelings for each other and embark on a steamy relationship. Whilst both of these wonderful men navigate their way to their HEA their individual crushed self belief and self confidence is slowly improved until they become the men they were always meant to be.
This is a very enjoyable and engaging read with minimal relationship angst but there is some angst from external forces. The main character development and growth is perfectly paced, plenty of fun witty banter and of course the characters from previous books in the series are there as well to keep things interesting.
Temperance by Lark Taylor
emotional
hopeful
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Blaise certainly left a mark on my heart. He is so lonely and so hard and unforgiving of himself when it comes to his actions in the past that he really sees no way forward to begin healing his shattered self. That is until Toby comes along. He sees the internal pain and self loathing that lives within Blaise and is able to provide him with a sense of security and safety.
What begins as a time limited agreement between these two wonderfully strong but flawed men slowly evolves into more. The path to happiness for them is not an easy one with a couple of major obstacles to be navigated before they get their hard earned and well deserved HEA.
Blaise and Toby made me feel all the emotions - heartbreaking to heartwarming and everything in between. There’s some angst, some steam, Toby finally gets chosen by someone wanting to love him and Blaise gets to be his true self under Toby’s guidance and care. This is a fantastic instalment in the Damned Connections series with plenty of references to the previous books and of course their characters who play their parts in Blaise and Toby’s story.
Bromantic Puckboy by Eden Finley, Saxon James
funny
medium-paced
- Loveable characters? Yes
4.0
Fun read with great characters.
Bilson moves to Nashville to escape all his ex wives and to definitely not get involved/married again.
One of his new team mates is rookie goalie Miles, a goalie with some delightfully weird quirks thrown in for good measure. So begins a beautiful bromance between two wonderful men who just accept each other for who they are.
They really are hilarious with non stop witty banter and both unashamedly goof balls who just bounce off each other constantly. Underneath all the fun and games, Bilson just wants to give affection and be wanted whilst Miles needs to fit in and be accepted
Their bromance morphs into more as they both discover and explore their queer awakening together leading to plenty of steamy times but there’s also a dash of angst as decisions are made on the way to their HEA.
The Queer Collective are as loud and hilarious as usual (Ezra just being Ezra) whilst offering much appreciated advice and support. I really enjoyed this book which had me smiling and laughing from start to finish.
Hurt Me Not by Davidson King
4.75
Wonderful urban fantasy romance.
This is a very enjoyable and engaging read where darkness versus the light and when the rules are broken a price must be paid.
Finch is from the Fae realm but lives amongst humans working as a nurse. This brings him into contact with Easton and his family and these two wonderful characters soon develop a friendship beyond the hospital walls. A friendship that slowly morphs into more which leads to major repercussions within the Fae realm which spill into the human world.
The road to an HEA is not an easy one for Finch and Easton but they do prevail against a formidable enemy. There’s some angst and drama along the way along with some very sweet and tender moments. Finch doesn’t swear but his creative ways to express the sentiment certainly made me smile. Easton’s children and delightful and there’s plenty of interesting side characters adding to the story. This was a one sitting read for me.
Fen by Barbara Elsborg
emotional
medium-paced
5.0
Just brilliant!
I really don’t think I have the words or the eloquence to tell you how this book touched my soul.
Fen and Ripley are individually “broken” in their own ways but together are perfect. Fen is quirky, sassy , cheerful and utterly intriguing. Ripley is the epitome of a person with repressed emotions who lives behind a carefully constructed mask leading a rather lonely life. Circumstances have them coming into each other’s lives, making agreements and falling in lust (featuring plenty of steam mixed with pure tenderness) before love captures their hearts.
The author weaves together a beautiful tale of romance and heartache with two strong complex characters that fight for their well deserved HEA. I laughed, sighed and cried my way through this utterly endearing and engaging read and just let the waves of emotions wash through me as I knew the story telling ability of Barbara Elsborg would leave my heart full and happy at the end.
HEA: Happily Ever After by Molly Maddox, Lucy Lennox
funny
relaxing
medium-paced
- Loveable characters? Yes
5.0
Fantastic finale to the series.
The anti romantic Oscar finally meets in match in the very romance orientated Hugh and what a journey they have on the way to their HEA. Oscar clings to his emotional support hedgehog Frank whenever there’s talk of the possibility of the words “Oscar” and “feelings” in a sentence together whilst Hugh is constantly dating in search of his One. We soon discover that Oscar’s prickly exterior camouflages his tender heart which he preciously guards until the very patient Hugh breeches the walls.
I was laughing at their competitiveness when it comes to cheesy pick up lines, giggling at the text messages and travelled on the emotional roller coaster with these two wonderful characters before reaching their heartwarming HEA. There’s plenty of steam, some angsty moments and cameos from all the characters (Oscar’s ex boyfriends) from the previous books. It was a long wait for this final book in the series but well worth it and I loved being reunited with the entertaining After Oscar universe.
The Gargoyle and the Romance Writer by Chloe Archer
lighthearted
relaxing
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
5.0
I absolutely adore Ryder. He is a socially awkward loner, has no filter, can be rather blunt and that’s just to name a few of his marvellous eccentricities. He is a successful romance writer who doesn’t believe he will ever find his match. Then Vash, who appreciates Ryder’s absolute honesty, comes along to turn his views on romance around.
The two of them together provide so much entertainment in this very enjoyable read. There’s plenty of laugh out loud and “did Ryder really just say that” moments that are balanced with the stalker plot line. I had picked early in the piece who the villain was but that didn’t detract from my enjoyment of the story. With a little bit of drama, plenty of steam, two wonderful main characters and a cast of side characters (old and new) to keep things interesting I was fully engaged from the beginning as Ryder and Vash muddled their way to a heartwarming HEA. I can’t wait for more in this wonderful series.