Janee
I loved it! This is the third book I've read from this author and she never disappoints me. Can't wait to read the next book in this series ❤️
I have no major complaints. It's everything I could've wanted in a vampire fated mates story. Fun banter between the couple, interesting side characters, a villain who is a real threat to the couple. I enjoyed this and will be continuing with the series. I have to know what happens with Soren and Luc's stories!
5 stars! It was everything I wanted it to be. I've been waiting for Charlie' story since I finished book 2 and I could not be happier with this installment. The rollercoaster of emotions this book takes you through is perfect! We learn about Moth's lonely life out in the wastes, his tragic past with his parents, and we learn all about his secrets that he's never told anyone. Charlie is fantastic. So accepting of Moth's appearance and understanding of his hang ups. They are so perfect for each other! This has been my favorite book in the series hands down.
When I picked up this book I thought it was going to be a silly little enemies to lovers baseball story. I wasn't expecting anything else from it. I was so pleasantly surprised that it was much more impactful for me. I loved the disability representation in the book and I think it was done very well. It also seems like the other stories in this series have disability rep so I'll have to read them.
Reading about Thierry's struggles, his pain, his PT, and his emotional trauma from being paralyzed was very real and made me downright emotional a few times. I was rooting for him the entire book. And I loved Pietro, who was struggling with his own self worth and ADHD. I was also rooting for him the whole book.
It's a slow burn but the reading was easy and I got through the book quickly. I love Thierry and Pietro as a couple. I think the author did a great job writing these two and making their fears and dreams and insecurities feel realistic and not like fodder for plot drama.
While I do feel like this first book would've been too long if we continued with the story...Im also a bit annoyed the way things have ended in this installment. I saw that this was a duology but I was thinking we would wrap up all the loose ends of book 1 and a NEW conflict would start in the last chapter that we would continue with in book two. This installment was more like “part 1” of the story and the second novel is part 2. It ends very abruptly and literally none of the conflicts have been resolved. I got the book for free so I don't have too much to complain about. The storyline was simple, even slightly predictable, but it was interesting enough and fast paced. I like Drew and Aron together. They balance each other out. We'll see how book 2 wraps everything up.
3 to possibly 3.5 stars. Not going to lie I was slogging through this one at certain points. The story is still good and I do enjoy Rig and Gloam as a couple but I did not enjoy this book as much as the other books in the series. First, I don't think Rig is good as a main character. He is entertaining as a side character but when we're in his head all the time it was like being with Ghost all over again. Reading the crippling anxiety and worry was just like Ghost's thoughts but Rig isn't as capable as Ghost so it's frustrating. I was also frustrated that the ONE THING Rig is named for (being able to rig together machinery) hardly came into play. I was expecting him to MacGyver together random tools until he could free Gloam but the solution to the main problem of getting the cage off Gloam's head was so simple I got mad. Lastly, this book is too long. There are key portions where very interesting bits of the bigger plot are sprinkled in but a lot of the book is just Rig going on about how anxious he is that he's going to killed out in the wastes or that he's not going to be able to free Gloam. Overall not as fun as the previous books.
DNF @ 25%. It wasn't for me. I wanted more horror and more monsters. But it's mostly focused on these LGBT teens surviving the apocalypse and their interpersonal relationships with each other. Just wasn't what I was looking for. Great premise though.
Content wise this book was probably on par with the other novels in the series. However, I love stories with demons and there was a grumpy/ sunshine dynamic so it gets 5 stars from me. Loved the couple. Loved the drama. Loved the third act twist.
Adorable and pure fluff. The whole thing is written in a series of letters and loved it.
A cute enough story but not my favorite
I'd give a 3.5/ 5 stars but I think this will be my last Jasmine Guillory book. I really didn't like Royal Holiday after the 50% mark and with By The Book I remained interested until the 75% mark only because Izzy and Beau took so long to finally get together. And why is it that the two JG books I've read have long distance relationship as one of the major conflicts in the story? Jasmine is very good at writing the pining stage of the romance but once her characters get together I find my interest in them waining due to the constant overthinking, silly misunderstandings, and sometimes cringe flirting. Overall, I liked this book enough to finish it but I was skimming the writing towards the end. It became obvious early on who was antagonizing Izzy at work. Beau blowing up at Izzy anytime she brought up the hard parts of his life started to get old (sir you're writing a memoir. People want to know about the difficult parts of your life!). And Izzy constantly thinking the absolute worst about the situation when she and Beau had a fight or didn't talk to each other for a few hours got annoying.
I enjoyed this a lot. It was fun seeing into the mind of the “villain” from the first novel. And learning about Karis and his secret talents was also interesting. This book also really ramped up the stakes compared to the first novel.
A simple and cozy book. The whole time I was reading I kept thinking it has House in the Cerulean Sea vibes. The romance was very sweet and I truly liked all of the side characters and the children. Even Primrose! Some elements of the conflict were a little predictable but still very enjoyable. This book goes down easy. 4.5 stars!
I love that the author manages to make me deeply love every couple from book to book. I couldn't pick a favorite right now because they're all great for different reasons. Ghost and One are no different. They are both too precious for this world and I love them. And the last little bit of this novel makes me want to get to Moth's story EVEN SOONER!
It's supposed to be a darker romance but I think the author spent too much time making the prince unlikeable. I didn't agree with his mindset about humans, I thought he was too vengeful and sadistic, I REALLY didn't like the things he did to Ren and Kormac. So when he starts to get his character arc at the end I really didn't care to support him. And I also only feel lukewarm to Kormac. He's kind of dumb and he's not asking enough questions and blindly following the unseelie. I don't think I'll continue with the series.
I was about to be upset at the end of the book but it turned itself around at the last minute. I love the couple and I had a great time with their banter. This was a very fun and easy read.
I really don't know how to feel about this book. On one hand, I enjoyed the reading experience throughout and I fully plan on reading Alecto the ninth when it's released. On the other hand, this entire book functions like a filler episode in a tv series. Background information and side stories play out throughout the novel and that information is interesting and entertaining; however, we were dancing around continuing the main storyline the entire time. Almost nothing that happened in book 2 was expanded upon, explained, or resolved in this novel. All the buildup to what I thought was going to be an epic reveal and climax to the novel fizzled out in the last chapter and the epilogue was clearly just getting us excited for what's coming in the next book. Much like a post credit sequence at the end of a marvel movie would.
So if you're really into the book lore and what to know exactly how John became a god then pick this up. But if you want to dive right back in Harrowhark and Gideon's story after the events of book 2 then this book will very much be lacking for you. As a side note, I greatly enjoyed seeing more of Camilla and Palamedes' relationship so maybe it gets an extra half star for that.
It took 7 months but I finally finished this dang book! It's not a long book, but I had a rough start with it and I thought about DNF-ing. I'm glad I decided to continue though! 3.5/ 5 ⭐️
The book is very enjoyable but I had to give it a 1.5 star deduction for a couple reasons. 1) The first maybe 5 chapters of the book are written like mediocre fan fiction in my opinion. The dialogue is a bit cringy. All the characters speak in the same voice. I found it hard to get into the story with all the modern day humor that's peppered in by our main character Cinnamon. However, once the demon Fallon is introduced and their epic quest begins it gets MUCH better.
2) The humor. So, I did chuckle at some of the writing but other times it got to be a little bit cringe and very modern for a fantasy story about a girl and demon hunting a false God. For example, “Intruders will catch these flames” as a warning sign. “Pillage and chill” as the name of a brothel. And the puns kept on coming. Most of this type of humor comes from Cinnamon, but there is a bit of an ensemble cast so they balance out her humor.
Overall, once I got past chapter 7 I started to enjoy myself and the book became an easy read. Fallon and Cinnamon are a great couple. Very cute together. I love them. There are some pretty steamy romance scenes in this book and mention of a couple kinks. So, be aware if that kind of thing makes you uncomfortable. The pacing of the plot is good and I think the action sequences are well done. I would recommend this book if you want a cozy- fantasy romance read. The stakes aren't too high and it's a breeze to read.
Overall the story was very enjoyable and funny. However, the plot was extremely slow moving. Even though we see the dragon very early in the novel nothing seems to get going until around the 60% mark. And the writing style is funny but the author adds so many asides that it made the whole book extremely long winded. Like an entire paragraph would be dedicated to a funny description or a comment from the author about word choice or Mildred's internal monologue about one thing a person said. It was always funny but it made the chapters feel so long.
5 stars. Did the book blow me away? No. However, I have no real complaints or reasons to deduct stars. The characters were both sweet and had their own troubled pasts to deal with. The conflict of a demon breaking through his binds was compelling and a real threat. Arthur and Shae's romance was sweet and a little spicy. I enjoyed everything.
This had no business being as good as it was. I was not expecting emotional damage from a little monster romance story. I have already started the next book in the series.
The only thing I'm upset about is that I have to wait until book FIVE to get Charlie's story! I am loving this book series.
Edin is a big teddy bear and his heart is made of gold. I love him to bits and I want to be his friend. Hunter is a grump but his unyielding loyalty to his friends was so wonderful. He was willing to follow monsters to the ends of the earth to save Charlie and that was beautiful.
We also got some snippets of information on the big picture plots so I can't wait to see where those go.
What can I say other than I loved it. A heartfelt and haunting story. It does remind me of the movie Crimson Peak but not in any bad ways. And I think it's good to have a story where a mute girl is the protagonist because representation matters. ❤️
A perfectly fine story but it was nothing groundbreaking. I liked Wil and Jack as a central couple and I liked the inclusion of a black, lesbian woman as a side character who was a strong and reliable lady. I even liked the magician shows and the descriptions of the illusions. All that was whimsical and fun.
The problems that I had with this book were as follows. It took forever for the central conflict of the plot to unfold. At several points different characters get into trouble that could lead them to physical harm but instead of just telling someone and asking for help they try to play the martyr card by saying things like “I can handle this on my own” or “telling you will only put you in danger!” And that is stupid. Teddy, who is the villain of the story, was so despicably evil and I felt that his storyline wasn't resolved in a satisfying way. We've seen him torture, murder, poison, and abuse his way through this book and yet we don't even get the satisfaction of seeing him get beaten up or anything? I would have liked more physical harm to come to Teddy after everything he did in this novel.
My biggest issue was with the last 30% of the book. Wil is too naive and too trusting for him to be realistic. You'd think that after being kidnapped as a child and forced to do horrible things for Teddy he wouldn't trust him and yet whenever Teddy says “take this medicine” or “do this or I'll hurt someone” he goes along with it? It made me angry that Wil KNOWS Teddy is a lying bastard who is willing to hurt people if he doesn't get his way but Wil also trusts that if he does whatever Teddy says that he won't hurt people? WHY WOULD YOU TRUST HIM WHEN YOU KNOW HES KILLED PEOPLE FOR LESS!?! Will's state of mind the entire book is essentially “If I don't help Teddy then he's going to hurt this person but if I do help Teddy then he's still going to hurt this person if I fuck up in the future”. Okay, so why are you helping him at all if he's going to hurt people either way? It doesn't make any sense and made me think of Disney movies were the “hero” couldn't possibly commit any act of violence because it would ruin their pure soul. Even if they would be doing so to save their own life or the life of someone else.
Overall, I enjoyed the book but I was getting very frustrated with the slow pace and Will's naïveté toward the end of the story.