The Fake Mate by Lana Ferguson
Finally deciding to take the plunge into omegaverse, I picked up The Fake Mate by Lana Ferguson which was wildly spicy and hot, but also a bit of a letdown with the predictability.
Shattered Hearts by Tina Spencer
Despite balancing issues, Shattered Hearts by Tina Spencer brings a satisfying conclusion to the Hudson Yards duology and packs plenty of spice.
The Croning by Laird Barron
I had heard some pretty good things about The Croning by Laird Barron and with such an intriguing cover, I thought okay, let’s give this a shot. I needed something to listen to at work and I liked the narrator’s voice. Turns out, I should’ve dug a little deeper because this was absolutely the most boring and pointless ‘horror’ novel I’ve read in ages.
Lights Out by Navessa Allen
Lights Out by Navessa Allen was a good erotic kink romance, but left a lot to be desired if reading as a dark, stalker romance. Don’t go into this expecting good plot.
Castle of the Cursed by Romina Garber
I was super excited when I was offered a copy of Castle of the Cursed by Romina Garber. Not only have I been wanting to read her work, but I am always looking for good gothic, vampire, latine fiction so to have all of that in one seemed like a great package deal. And it was, for the most part!
Monster’s Mate by Anne Hale and Celeste King
I saw Monster’s Mate by Anne Hale and Celeste King randomly while browsing for my next read and thought you know what? Why not! Why not pick this up since I typically need a no thought predictable fun book to read as a palate cleanser between ‘heavier’ things. I still want to get into monster romances despite that wild disappointment that was Honeysuckles by January Rayne and looking at the cover, I figured okay this’ll do! I picked up the audiobook and got straight to it. Unfortunately “it” was continued disappointment.
Double Pucked by Lauren Blakely
As a hockey romance, Double Pucked by Lauren Blakely was a real letdown. From poorly fleshed out characters, to the lack of hockey, it fails at anything other than MFM erotica.
Lovely Bad Things by Trisha Wolfe
I picked up Lovely Bad Things by Trisha Wolfe when I was searching for interesting dark romances a few months back. The cover looked gorgeous, the narrators sounded great, and I thought the concept was interesting. An investigator teaming up with a murderer to solve some wild killings while falling for him. In reality, it […]
Piranesi by Susanna Clarke
Piranesi by Susanna Clarke was an absolutely rollercoaster ride of a book. I didn’t know what to expect when I began but was hooked instantly and as the mystery of the House, of Piranesi, and of the book itself began to unravel, so did my emotions. It is an absolutely beautiful story told from the point of view of a beautifully broken man.
Tidal Creatures by Seanan McGuire
Tidal Creatures by Seanan McGuire was one of the releases I was most excited to pick up this year. I loved and cried during the first book in this series, Middlegame. I loved and cried even more during the second book of the series, Seasonal Fears. I thought I would love and cry during this third installment. Instead, I was left disappointed. This is a book that feels like 464 pages worth of filler.
Bound to the Shadow Prince by Ruby Dixon
I was so excited to pick up Bound to the Shadow Prince by Ruby Dixon. One, because I really liked her Ice Planet Barbarian series. Two, because I really enjoy darker and monster romances. Three, because I thought this was going to be vampy. While I did enjoy the book, it was very different compared to […]
Cosmic Kiss by Clio Evans
I’d seen Cosmic Kiss by Clio Evans floating around for a bit and finally decided to give it a read, just to see what the hype was about. Unfortunately, it didn’t take a hold of me as I hoped it would. Part of it might be the fact that I listened to this as an audiobook, but I think the stronger part is simply that I’ve read better.
The Handyman Method by Nick Cutter and Andrew F Sullivan
I really enjoyed The Handyman Method by Nick Cutter and Andrew F Sullivan. Yes, the social commentary is heavy but so is the gore and horror imagery. I think everything meshes so well that eventually the knowledge that this is commentary fades to the background and all you can focus on is how everything is so incredibly wrong all the time. If you like horror, are okay with gory animal and body descriptions, I think this is definitely something worth picking up. I did listen to this as an audiobook which I really enjoyed and I think made the experience so much more visceral.
The Magicians by Lev Grossman
The Magicians by Lev Grossman is a book that grows with you. Reading it as the age of the characters, you feel their strife. Reading it as an older person with more experience, you feel the heartbreak that you know is unavoidable because there is nothing to be done to avoid the sorrows that come with growing up. I wholeheartedly recommend this book but please understand, this isn’t a grown up or dark Harry Potter. It’s depression and yearning and growing pains that can’t be avoided with magic thrown in.
Jade City by Fonda Lee
I have danced around picking up Jade City by Fonda Lee since it was first released. I’ve heard the praise and it seemed interesting, but for whatever reason, I could not motivate myself to pick it up. I guess I was worried it would be some weird and boring fantasy with a stronger focus on martial arts over the intricacies I usually gravitate toward. Well, I can readily admit I was an idiot. This was absolutely amazing and mind-blowing. The politics involved rival A Song of Ice and Fire and the worldbuilding is astounding.