Brynn

This book starts out a bit hunger games-y which pulled me in, but the rest felt kinda all over the place.
The book is very fast paced, which can be a good thing, but in this instance it seemed like it contributed to being more event after event rather than seeing an emotional connection build to what it was.

Things I liked:
-hunger games/end of the world scenario
-possessive Golden retriever MMC
-badass FMC
-inner dynamics of the labyrinth

Things I didn't like:
-pace/length, could have been longer to not have the other issues
-lack of emotional/relationship growth on page
-conflict resolved so quickly
-relationship dynamics very inconsistent
I got this as an ARC for an honest review.

3.75 ⭐ rounding up to 4 for GR

Don't get me wrong, I enjoyed the book, I just like other Trisha Wolfe books better.
I was a part of the ARC team for this release, but all opinions are my own.

I enjoyed the ideas, motives, backgrounds for the main characters. You could definitely feel the manic periods, shifts in views etc. I wish we saw more relationship and conversation between the two so that you could fall in love with them as a couple more. That's honestly the only thing I can think to change. It personally just felt like the trauma created instalove and with the time frame they had .. it could have been deeper.
I loved London and Grayson's cameos. There was more of them than I expected so it was a nice treat.

Either way, if you like other Trisha Wolfe books.. you probably will like this as well. I just didn't get attached to the characters like I have the others

This is my first book that had a lot of religious shame in it, and it was an experience. While that trope/plotline doesn't seem to be for me, it wasn't because of the writing or the story.
I LOVED the MMC. I thought the smut was smuttin' and done very well. The characters were relatable and made sense. No weird turns for shock factor or pointless additions.

I read this with 2 friends and the group chat was lit. Highly suggest you pick a partner to read with. I'm looking forward to book 2.

Twisted by
4.5 ⭐

The only surprise here should be that I have this book ahead of release day. I'm a ho for @itsemilymcintire. I will forever read anything she puts out. She could write a book about a woman in love with a gummy worm and I'd beg to get an ARC, no questions asked.
Anywho, now that we got me professing my love out of the way

The dirty talk and scenes in this book are perfection. I have recommended it quite a few times in the last month for certain tropes.. and I said it enough times that I had to do a reread.
Daddy Dax, yes please. I'm sure that says something about me... and I don't care.

I'll happily meet him and the rest of you in hell.

Zade is perhaps the best you can get when it comes to falling in love with a stalker. You may get your hands dirty, meet some questionable people, find yourself in less than ideal circumstances... but he'll always be there.

I've read this book twice (so far). I find Addie hilarious. She's stronger than she knows. The Mask she puts on for her book signing was entirely too relatable for me. I think Zade challenges her in a good way. He is her living adrenalin rush.

I think this book kicked off my love of stalker books. A new problem I didn't expect to have in life, but alas.. Here we are. You wanna murder for me? Let's get married.
Anyway, less about my own red flags. Make sure you read trigger warnings for this and the second book. You don't want to stop at this one, but book 2 is much heavier. Just know what journey you are diving into.

The emotions this series makes you feel are so real. Something that would normally make me get the ick was written in a way that I could feel the emotions of the character instead of just being a bystander to something awful. I ended the duology with a book hangover that only mindless, smut books could cure, and that's saying something for me. It handles PTSD in such a good way to where you kinda feel like you are healing along with the character.

With that being said, the first 60% is nonstop triggers, so please keep that in mind.
If you are a delinquent like me, who seems to be fine reading all of those, I got a tattoo while rereading this

I think we can all agree that this + cat and mouse just shows that we need more sibby. I loved this peak into her previous life, it definitely explains a lot instead of her just being the crazy girl with an invisible harem. It is written well, for once I can fully picture the harem tetris compared to other group sex books.

Dante is #2 for me in the list of Ana Huang men. I still have yet to have someone top Christian... But he was very close. This is how I like the arranged marriage trope to go. The protectiveness, the confidence, the obsession

Merged review:

Dante is #2 for me in the list of Ana Huang men. I still have yet to have someone top Christian... But he was very close. This is how I like the arranged marriage trope to go. The protectiveness, the confidence, the obsession

Merged review:

Dante is #2 for me in the list of Ana Huang men. I still have yet to have someone top Christian... But he was very close. This is how I like the arranged marriage trope to go. The protectiveness, the confidence, the obsession

Merged review:

Dante is #2 for me in the list of Ana Huang men. I still have yet to have someone top Christian... But he was very close. This is how I like the arranged marriage trope to go. The protectiveness, the confidence, the obsession

Merged review:

Dante is #2 for me in the list of Ana Huang men. I still have yet to have someone top Christian... But he was very close. This is how I like the arranged marriage trope to go. The protectiveness, the confidence, the obsession

Merged review:

Dante is #2 for me in the list of Ana Huang men. I still have yet to have someone top Christian... But he was very close. This is how I like the arranged marriage trope to go. The protectiveness, the confidence, the obsession

Merged review:

Dante is #2 for me in the list of Ana Huang men. I still have yet to have someone top Christian... But he was very close. This is how I like the arranged marriage trope to go. The protectiveness, the confidence, the obsession

Merged review:

Dante is #2 for me in the list of Ana Huang men. I still have yet to have someone top Christian... But he was very close. This is how I like the arranged marriage trope to go. The protectiveness, the confidence, the obsession

Merged review:

Dante is #2 for me in the list of Ana Huang men. I still have yet to have someone top Christian... But he was very close. This is how I like the arranged marriage trope to go. The protectiveness, the confidence, the obsession

Merged review:

Dante is #2 for me in the list of Ana Huang men. I still have yet to have someone top Christian... But he was very close. This is how I like the arranged marriage trope to go. The protectiveness, the confidence, the obsession

Merged review:

Dante is #2 for me in the list of Ana Huang men. I still have yet to have someone top Christian... But he was very close. This is how I like the arranged marriage trope to go. The protectiveness, the confidence, the obsession

It's a dark romantic comedy and honestly I wasn't sure how that was possible but she did it and I loved it.
There is something about how she writes female characters, maybe it is the Brynn - Brynne mind we are sharing.. I'm really not sure... but her female killers always feel like they would be me if I had the guts to do that (pun intended), which always just has me cackling more.
Anywho, the MMC is named ROWAN ffs, so yes, you will love him.
The man has loyalty and commitment down perfectly.
He's an artist in the kitchen.
Creates a competition just to keep this woman in his life.
Cleans up the world's streets one bad guy at a time.
But he does it as a serial unaliver. Come on, everyone has their red flags. He's fine

The banter in this book was great and I enjoyed how it played out instead of just instalove. I'm excited for the next one.
I received this as an ARC for an honest review

I understand that this series is meant to be small books, but the storyline just wasn't as developed as I like.
The spice was decent, but I was very confused on the relationship dynamic until closer to the end, which I think should have been expressed earlier. I think the spice could have been a lot better if it was addressed earlier.

Overall, it is a fine dark reimagining of The Little Mermaid, but it isn't something I would recommend to a friend.

This was given to me as an ARC for an honest review.

NICK MF HUDSON
I'd sell my soul to him too.
This book is an omnibus and I actually think it works better this way. Mafia books are pretty hit or miss with me. Most of the time they are really cliche and have the same things happening... this book is not that. There is so much going on, it is basically mafia on steroids. The tit for tat/retaliation in this book is a perfect dick measuring contest.. and you will quickly learn who will always win those.

The spice, swoon, Nick Hudson, please come kidnap/buy/blackmail me into being yours. I promise to play hard to get and put up a believable front that I don't want to be there.

Anywho... I love alice in wonderland, but many retellings/inspired dark romances I've read just don't portray it in the way I would like. I loved how this one is done. There are parallels while also being a legitimate main point in the storyline and it felt cohesive and original instead of a bastardized portrayal.

I got this book as an ARC but all thoughts are my own.

The blurb for this book had me so excited to read it, but I wish it was executed better. I found I liked the storyline and mystery better than any of the relationship stuff, which is out of character for me.
I was excited about the prospect of completely unhinged love interests... but half of the relationships were just lust and there wasn't any real connection established.
Also with the way this is written... there is no mystery/build up as to who is/will be in the harem.

The mafia and witchy/mystery storyline is really good and part of what kept me invested. other than waiting for any kind of group sex It reminds me of The Lost Apothecary meets Gothikana... but multiple men.

Overall I think the series has the potential to be really good. I would say more male characters that aren't involved with the FMC need to be added and more substance to the relationships that already exist.

3.5 ⭐

I haven't read anything from this author previously, and considering Mafia isn't my favorite genre.. I was pleasantly surprised.

A lot of the bratva meetings/politics weren't my thing. The spice was written well, aside from some repetitive dirty talk. I feel like the “standalone” part of “interconnected standalone” was executed well. It didn't feel like you were getting a ton of asides as repetitive background content.

Overall it was a good, quick read. I would happily read more ARCs or new things put out.

I didn't think this book was going to be able to match the tension of book 1, but it honestly had even more. I described Lovely Bad Things as Season 1 of True Detective meets a philosophy Davinci Code and I stand by that. This one just gets wilder.
Kallum

Merged review:

I didn't think this book was going to be able to match the tension of book 1, but it honestly had even more. I described Lovely Bad Things as Season 1 of True Detective meets a philosophy Davinci Code and I stand by that. This one just gets wilder.
Kallum

This book was different than I expected for a mafia book, but not necessarily in a bad way. I am a dark romance reader through and through.. and that is what I thought I was getting with this. Don't get me wrong, it is mafia.. there is murder and beatings of bad guys.. so the darkness is there, but the banter and flirting and swooning... this felt like a cartoon cover mafia book if I ever read one. I didn't even know that was possible, yet here we are with a 4 ⭐ review and me giggling through the entire book.

You know that tiktok sound that is like “looks like a cinnamon roll.. could kill you”? ... Derek is both. He's going to stand outside your window in the rain playing music to win you back.. while also hunting down anyone that breathes wrong in your direction. Eva is his #! priority.

Eva.. girl... many of us have been blinded by dick but woman was straight up being stupid. With how he was described and acted though, I probably would have also short circuited and throw out all logic and years of training to get under him.

Look I'm not a cartoon cover book girlie, but Elle did a good job somehow finding the balance and I truly enjoyed the book.

3.75 ⭐

This one is definitely spicier than book one. Gotta love seeing a dom come into their own. This book was a journey. I was very frustrated in the beginning, as we are meant to be I think, but their relationship got better and more tolerable as it went on.
I enjoyed seeing this side of Zach. From what little we saw in Unfurl, I got the impression of him being meek and kind of a wet noodle of a person.... clearly I was incredibly wrong. I like unleashed Zach, a lot