RobV
There was a lot to like about this, Morris and Theo are a great couple. But I felt it was very lacking in terms of plot. A lot of time was spent on Morris's friends, but their lives were kind of boring and ultimately inconsequential to the main story. Morris and Theo needed more scenes together. The main conflict being their inability to make time for each other made for a frustrating read. Everything went so fast when they finally committed.
About 3.5 stars for me, rounding down because of how long it took me to finish. I enjoy the author's style, will try more of her work.
Enjoyable read but not much to rave about. I wasn't feeling the insta-love, especially Jory's feelings for Mal. But the eagerness to learn more about Dev's family made it hard to put down. Looking forward to Bran's story next.
This isn't much of a romance. I didn't feel much of a connection between the main characters other than the insta-lust and both having to deal with being a closeted athlete in the MLB. They're either having sex or agonizing about hiding their “relationship”. I have no idea what kept Iggy so attached to Matt, especially when the sex was taken out of the equation. Still, it was a quick and easy read and I was reasonably entertained.
Loved the first half or so. Great characters, good pacing, nice slow burn romance. But then it fell apart when Jed ended up in the hospital for the rest of the book. Everything halted and the whole thing became unbearably dull. It's a shame, there was so much potential.
Very sweet. Wish there was more of them building a life together. That would've been even more captivating than just them getting together.
Fantastic slow burn romance, but the action scenes were a little hard to follow, not to mention unrealistic in the end. Jonah going through all that without dying, then personally delivering the deposit back to the bank, only to sleep it off and show up to work not much later, was utterly bizarre. It's a shame because most of the book was so real, I was completely transported to a different time and place.
Really enjoyed this one. The focus is very much on the two main characters and their slowly progressing relationship. There's not much plot, it basically writes itself after the first chapter. Not much drama either. Highly recommended if you're just looking for a simple heart-warming romance with shifter/magic elements.
Couldn't get into this at all. I suppose the world building was fairly interesting, but the characters in it didn't make any sense. The elves being captured at all was a ridiculous scene. Then the prince (who already has several wives and children) falls in lust/”love” with the prisoner who just killed 15 of his men, and decides to win him over with his kindness. And eventually it actually works. I just couldn't wrap my head around it.
Four stars for the first half, two stars for the second half. Not a very satisfying read, the story was just too silly. But cute enough to be enjoyable.
It was hard to put down despite the melodrama and wildly inaccurate and unrealistic military scenes. The very first words set the tone, as Farah is a town in Afghanistan, not Iraq. But it was quite riveting if you turn your brain off.
The first half of this book was pretty incredible. The weeks in Paris falling in love, then reality setting in back home in Texas. Beautifully written, gorgeous prose, the emotions jumping off the page. I was expecting the story to take some devastating turns and really tackle the reality of being a closeted celebrity athlete.
I suppose in a way it delivered, but any semblance of “reality” evaporated a little too much for my taste. I needed more side characters (why does Justin have no friends?), I wanted the characters that were there to have more depth and nuance (the coach and the other players are all ridiculous), I didn't want all the drama to be resolved so quickly and easily. In the end it felt like the author was getting bored of the story himself and just rushing to finish it. It's a shame because there was so much potential.
That said, a lot of that potential could still be unlocked if there's a sequel, and I'm definitely invested in this couple's future.
The most bizarre “sports” romance I've read in a while. The story begins when the guys have already been living like a married couple (without the sex) for years. Their whole arrangement and the reasons they haven't acted on their feelings defy all logic and reason. We spend the entire book waiting for them to grab what's right in front of them. Sadly, the necessary confrontations to make it happen are either glossed over or never happen at all. When they're finally forced to face the situation, there's a six month jump to the epilogue. What?! Despite rolling my eyes every chapter, I wanted more. Because no matter the flaws of the story, the two guys are freaking adorable.
I adored the first book in the series, and was eager to see Rick, Max and the kids build a life together and to see more of this crazy, wondrous universe. Unfortunately, this second book fell a little flat. There wasn't much of a story this time. Rather than diving deeper into this incredible alien society, I feel like more time was spent explaining humanity to aliens. It got a little boring. The setup for the next installment is quite promising, though.
Even though I'm European, I followed this year's Democratic primary with great interest and was very impressed by Pete Buttigieg, easily the most visionary and progressive in the race. This book seemed like a great opportunity to learn more about him and his husband Chasten, and get the most detailed behind-the-scenes look at the extraordinary campaign they ran.
Chasten did not disappoint. I was struck by how compelling his own story was, even before he met Pete. He writes beautifully and is very good at getting you to empathize with him. His life has not been easy, and the campaign wasn't easy, but he focuses on how the experiences shaped him or what he learned from them, rather than dwell on the negativity. It makes for a narrative that is both an emotional roller coaster yet also uplifting.
His story with Pete takes up about 60% of the book, so readers who don't care as much about Chasten's background still have plenty to get into. Those who were disappointed that Pete's excellent memoir Shortest Way Home was more about his relationship with his city than with his husband should find this a far more satisfying read. Chasten makes it very obvious how much he loves Pete, but also how much Pete loves him in return. They're one of those couples that just fit together perfectly.
While Buttigieg fans and LGBTQ people will no doubt get the most out of this memoir, I can easily recommend this to anyone.
Quite a nonsensical yet predictable story. The whole plot is in the blurb. The quality of the writing is subpar. But it was still easy to read and I liked the main characters, so I don't regret spending a few hours with this. It was nice.
Enjoyed reading this one despite the heavy subject matter. I actually thought it would be more emotional, but the “whodunnit” mystery made it less realistic and turned it into a typical crime novel. Characters like Brian's dad and even Landon himself could've had more depth/nuance to make the story more interesting. No one in the story felt like a real person, they were more like TV characters. Still a good book though and I approve of its message.
Would've preferred less smut and more plot. The whole thing fell kind of flat for me. But still an enjoyable read overall.
Awesome way to wrap up the series, I was thoroughly entertained. But I do have some mixed feelings. The chaos took on epic proportions in this book, so much so that it was no longer realistic or believable in any way. It took away from the serious, compelling and detailed work that went into developing the psyches of the lead characters and main villain. The mystery was also a little disappointing, as the identity of said villain was already quite clear to me four books ago. Perhaps more could have been done to not give them away, or to make some of the other suspects more viable.
All in all this was a fantastic series, aside from the third book which for me was a little too miserable. I look forward to reading this author's next work.
For me this one was a return to form for the series, after the miserable third book. The kidnapping ring was way more interesting than the gang wars and the mystery felt a lot more personal and emotional. Levi and Dominic's relationship wasn't much healthier, but there was a thread of love and hope that was sorely missing in the last installment. The weakest part of the story was when Stanton got dragged into it. The aftermath was so strange too. I don't get that guy. 4.5 stars rounded up.
Really enjoyed the first half, but then it slowly unraveled. The dialogue was off, the conflicts didn't seem realistic, the resolutions were cheesy. I thought it would be more emotional. It's a shame because the characters are great on the surface.
Didn't enjoy this one as much as the previous books. It was all so miserable and frustrating, and the main story wasn't very interesting or entertaining. Hope it gets better from here.
Definitely the weakest one in the series. The first half was hard to get through. The mystery started off boring, the usual humor was lacking, Tom and Phil seemed kinda off, the fun side characters were nowhere to be found, nor was there meaningful development of their relationship. Fortunately it picked up in the second half, but not enough to match the quality of the earlier books. The ending was great though. I hope this concludes their story, best to go out on a sort-of high.
The blurb was way more interesting than the actual book. The two main characters are basically in love with each other from the start, so there's not much of a story in terms of romance. The actual story is that they go on a ridiculous and brutal hike through the desert, even though they barely have any experience. To make matters worse, they take their dogs with them, don't even keep them on a leash, and just seem completely irresponsible and unprepared throughout their adventure. Their phones are already dead on the first day with no way to charge them. The characters have no redeeming features either. Tuck isn't so bad, but the first person MC, Ash, is a judgmental asshole.
The writing is good and I was curious enough about the “mystery” to keep reading, but I'm not gonna miss these two.
Another poorly conceived mystery with numerous plot holes and wildly unrealistic characters. Darren and Andreas make it bearable by being such an adorable couple, but their relationship isn't given much time to grow outside of the context of the boring case. I'm gonna have to say goodbye to these two.
Simply amazing. Much more emotional than the main series. I could not put it down and was both crying and smiling at the end. The despair was so intense, the rekindling relationship so powerful and real. I was right there with them. What a rollercoaster of feelings. Damn.