lauren

This was a wonderful collection of Oscar Wilde's fairy stories. I have never read Wilde's fairy stories before this, so this was completely new to me. I'm happy to say that I really enjoyed these stories. I am a huge fan of Wilde and I will continue to recommend his works. The hand-drawn illustrations were done so well and really added to the stories for me. These stories were written in such beautiful, lyric prose. Wilde's writing is something that works for me and I absolutely love reading his work. I really loved the afterword by Wilde's son, Vyvyan Holland which was written in 1961. The afterword was beautifully written and I like that they added that. This isn't five stars just because I found a couple of stories to drag, but other than that I really loved this collection.

Thank you so much to the publisher for granting me an eArc of this book in exchange for an honest review!

4.5*
This book was sooooo hot! I absolutely loved the taboo aspect, I just ate that up. The writing was very easy to follow and it was written really well. I loved that it included toys because that is something I LOVE in books. The only reason it's not five stars is I felt that the ending was rushed. I wish we got them telling people about their relationship and it being out in the open. Overall it was a nice, fast, smutty read!

4.5*

I absolutely adored this book! I read this book in 2 sittings and that never happens to me. This book hooked me from the beginning and I could not put it down. I loved how this book intertwines grief and loss with elements of horror. Caryn Larrinage does such an amazing job at making you care about the characters and want the best for them. The way Caryn Larrinaga portrays Dakota the main character's emotions as she deals with the death of her brother was beautifully done. The way Dakota is dealing with our emotions about her brothers' death was so real and raw, and I feel like people can really connect with her. Dakota is riddled with guilt and regrets about her brother and you really get to see how she deals with that. The reason this isn't getting five stars is that I felt that the ending was rushed. I really wished we got more at the end about how and why Dakota made the decisions that she did. Other than that this really was an amazing book, I highly recommend it!

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for arc in exchange for an honest review!

This book was so hot and I loved every second of it! This was really well written and I enjoyed the characters a lot. Even though this is short, I feel like we get to know the characters really well. I would consider this more of a slow burn because we really get to see how everything is going to develop. This was my first time reading from this author and I will definitely read from Lacey Cross again!

I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

This was such an amazing novella! We get an age gap, primal play, and a daddy kink, literally everything I love. Mason and Vic are so cute and I loved getting to know them. This was such a wholesome read with some spice that did not disappoint.

Mason and Vic met at the bar and from there they are obsessed with each other. I really enjoy insta-love so this was perfect. The age gap in this is big but honestly, that did not bother me. I loved how possessive Vic was and he wanted to take care of Mason with anything she needed. If you like age gap, primal play, daddy kink, and hot dirty talk, I definitely recommend this!

Thank you so much to M. Reeds for providing me with an ARC!

I don't even know where to start, this is my favorite book I have ever read!

I have never felt so connected to a set of characters in my whole life. I laughed, cried, blushed, I felt every emotion while reading this. I adore Eloise and Graham with my entire heart. Sarah had me hooked from the very beginning to the very end. I relate so much with Eloise, it's actually crazy how much. She is such an amazing character and I love how big her heart is. She cares so much about everyone, she is precious and I will love her forever. Graham is absolutely amazing. I loved seeing how much he cares about Eloise and wants to be with her. I love how Graham got to know everyone that is important to Eloise. THE FRIEND GROUPS OMG IM OBSESSED!! Seeing how much Graham and Eloise's friends care about them made me cry. I will never forget this book! Relating to Eloise made me feel seen. I cried so much while reading because I was so happy to see myself in Eloise. Graham and Eloise mean so much to me and I hope one day I found my own Graham! Everyone go read this now!!

Thank you so much to the author for providing an ARC in exchange for an honest review!

I am fully OBSESSED with this book! I care so much about Ian and Echo and their story and I can't wait to see what happens next. As soon as I started this I knew it would become my new favorite book. I love Echo so much and I see a lot of myself in her. We get to see her slowly start healing from emotional, mental, and physical trauma. Echo is gradually starting to become her true self and I can't wait to see more of that. Now Ian, OMG! He is completely obsessed with Echo. He is twisted and completely psychotic on so many levels but I am fully obsessed with him. This book is extremely dark and I loved every second of it! I need June to be here so I can read book 2! Also that ending?? I need more!!

I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

This was such a fun read! This book definitely has a mix of plot and smut which was amazing to read. I absolutely love Eliza. I enjoyed reading from her perspective and seeing how she felt about everything going on around her. It was so much fun learning about the court. I was kicking my feet and blushing while reading this! The smut scenes were so good and fun to read. Lord Marlow was HOT!! I love how he tried to stay away from Eliza but just couldn't. If you want a short, spicy read that also has a plot, definitely check this out!

I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

I don't think anyone understands how obsessed I am with this book! I LOVE our main character Katarina, I'm in love with her. Also Lucien, Aeon, and Zev OMG!!! I can't choose a favorite because I love them all. This was my first shape shifter book and I absolutely loved it. I feel like we reallyy got to know these characters. I went through every emotion while reading this!! I need the next book so bad! PLEASE read this now!!

Thank you so much to Mandy Muse and The Author Agency for the ARC in exchange for my honest review!

I'm obsessed and in love with this book! This is my new favorite book, I truly loved reading this. I adore Adam & Athena so much. This was my first femdom book and I ATE IT UP!!! I loved seeing Athena dominate Adam and take control. Seeing how much Adam trusted Athena and how he let her show him all of these kinks was amazing. Athena is so hot! I love her. I loved watching her be a femdom, and how she takes control of Adam. I enjoyed seeing Adam be a sub, watching him truly take on that role and become a sub was so much fun. Their very first scene together was SO HOT!! I am now obsessed with S.B. Hazel and I'm now going to read her entire backlist!

Thank you so much to S.B. Hazel for providing me with an ARC in exchange for an honest review!

DNF at 48%

While I was reading this book I was feeling very iffy about the disability rep. There were some things that I was reading that made me upset. I am not own voices, so please take a look at own voices reviews explaining why they were upset with this book. After I read own voices reviews I did not feel comfortable with finishing this. I am really upset because I want to LOVE this book.

Thank you, NetGalley for providing me with an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

This book was such a rollercoaster ride and I loved every second of it!

I honestly did not know how I would feel about this book when I started it. This was my first captive/captor book so I wasn't sure what to expect but I absolutely loved it. Alex and Ophelia are such interesting characters and I enjoyed learning more about them. I didn't know how I would feel about Alex but after finishing this I really feel for him. Alex is a complicated character, he has both good and bad in him. He doesn't know how to handle his loving feelings toward Ophelia. He's never experienced those types of feelings before so seeing him deal with those emotions was so beautiful. I love Ophelia so much. She's been through hell and is still standing. She has dealt with so much in her life and seeing her finally come to terms with everything was so powerful. Ophelia and Alex are both broken but they each put the pieces back together for one another. Their relationship is beautiful. This book is extremely dark so please check trigger warnings before reading.

I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

This was a nice quick spicy read. I really enjoyed the premise of this, I haven't read anything like it. I do wish this was a little bit longer because I really didn't know our characters. This didn't grip me as much as I thought it would. I do plan on reading more from this author because I did enjoy the writing.

I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

This book is completely unhinged and I loved every second of it. This book shocked me and disturbed me, and that's what makes this book amazing to me. Our main characters are so unique, I've never read from characters like them before. I don't know how Lauren does it but she makes me care about these characters that are completely wild. Lauren's books are always such a wild ride and I love every second of them!

Tropes include:

OMG, I AM OBSESSED! This book is literally perfect, I want to read it again. Tyrant is so possessive and obsessed with Vivienne, and I absolutely loved that. Tyrant knows what he wants and he will get it no matter what. You can feel his love for Vivienne and how much he wants to protect her and own her. He will go to the end of the world to have what's his. Tyrant is a walking red flag but that did not stop me from loving him. Vivienne is such a strong character who has gone through so much bad stuff. You really get to see her grow throughout this book and that was beautiful. Vivienne cares so much about the people she loves and she will do anything for them. Even though this book is dark it is still beautifully written. The smut was so good and written so well! Tyrant and Vivienne really balanced each other out and seeing their relationship develop was amazing. I am fully obsessed with this book, it is definitely in my favorites of the year!

Tropes include:

This book felt like a big warm hug! I love insta-love so that didn't bother me at all, I actually really loved that being in this book. Julie is such a wonderful character, she felt real, and I could relate to her in a couple of ways. She deserves all of the love and happiness in the world and I'm so happy she got that. Abe is amazing! The way he cares about Julie and wants to protect her but also lets her have her own space is so sweet. I loved this plot, the magic and the world-building were done so well. I wanted to cry so many times while reading this because I was so overwhelmed with happiness. This book is cozy while also dealing with some serious topics. I can't wait to read more from Mary Warren, because this book was excellent!

Thank you so much to Mary for the ARC!

Tropes include:
✨Slow Burn
✨Plus size Main Characters
✨Found Family
✨Witches
✨Shifters