_isabel_'s reviews
1025 reviews

I loved this sooooooo much.
Joyful, fun, entertaining, wacky, steamy, lighthearted; the perfect series for my mood at the moment.
Brad, you hilarious, iconic king, I adore you to bits. He's the best kind of frat boy/himbo and I literally could not stop cackling at the sh*t his mind conjures up.
Raul's a dreamboat, and I adore them together. Their dynamic is damned fun, their chemistry is electric, and while I'm not usually a fan of fated mates or insta-love (even though this is more a one-sided insta-love), I loved it in this case: I love that Raul's already completely whipped for Brad, and it makes Brad's behaviour even more iconic and hilarious.
Reluctant, previously straight, frat bro fated mate/pining, earnest hot alpha idiot? My dream pairing. I can't wait to start book three.

What a ride.
"Just a Footnote" is an absolutely impressive, brilliantly written debut and I feel like I've been on the adventure of a lifetime with Aiden and Liam, Archer and Miles: my heart is simultaneously giddy with joy over that ending and heartbroken it's over.

It took me quite a few days to read this through, because I kept feeling the need to savour it, all the words and all the feelings, the love and the heartache, the absolutely incredible found family atmosphere and the gorgeous, complex romance between Liam and Aiden.

I've been so lucky recently with my reads: I keep meeting protagonists that think and feel things that seemed to be plucked straight from my head. My experience with Aiden was exactly like that: even though I spent half of the book wanting to shake him because of how stubborn he was, how blind, he still felt wholly relatable, and his insecurities and his self-doubt, his self-sabotaging instincts, the deep-set certainty of being unlovable and unknowable, the constant fear... I understood where he was coming from even when I wanted to scream in frustration, and I felt and cried alongside him. And his character arc, the growth! Now that's how you do it.

The characters around him were equally impressive and unforgettable. Archer and Miles, and their love story, made me feel so many things despite them being only secondary characters (I LOVE THEM SO MUCH), and Liam... Well, where do I start? Liam's the absolute best. He's the sunshine to Aiden's grumpy; he's got that irresistible golden retriever energy; he's so swoon-worthy I'm actually devastated that he isn't a real man; he's also H O T, and his possessive, mean streak in bed was *chef's kiss*
Yep, I have a huge crush on him.

Aiden and Liam's romance is a rollercoaster ride of pining, heartache, miscommunication and, especially, love. They made me tear up and swoon, and despite wanting to jump into the book to strangle Aiden at times in frustration, I KNOW that overcoming deep-set fears and trauma is never linear, and that convincing yourself that you deserve love and happiness feels impossible sometimes, so I totally understood where Aiden was coming from, and my heart broke over and over for him. Easy isn't realistic, and people are complex, contradictory messes, so I have to applaud Maya Jean not only for the way she depicted their relationship in such a realistic, but still heartfelt, manner, but also for the way she handled Aiden, and Aiden's development as a character.
Also, the writing? Freaking gorgeous.

I'm damned excited to read more by this author. I wonder if her next book will be in this same hockey universe? I hope so, because some minor characters felt promising, and I REALLY want to see Liam and Aiden again.

I wholly recommend.

TWs/CWs: childhood abuse, panic attacks.

I received an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

WHY HAVEN'T I STARTED THIS SERIES SOONER? I'm obsessed.
I was in need of something light-hearted, steamy and fun for a quick read before bed last night, and needless to say, I stayed up for two hours and INHALED "Bro and Beast" in a single sitting.
It was hilarious, steamy, wild, ridiculously fun and joyful, and Brad's an absolute icon of a protagonist: he's so damned funny, I think I cackled out loud from start to finish.
In some ways, I'm glad I started this now because I have all the books already available: I can already see myself binge-reading all of these.
If there's one thing I can't resist, it's the Surprise Omega™ trope, and I can already tell that Brad's way of dealing with this *waves hands* situation, will be a marvel to behold. I can't wait to continue. 

I loved this second installment! Two books in, and I'm wholly obsessed with Foxx and Harlow: their dynamic? Now, that is what I live for.

I thiiiiink I might have loved book one a smidge more (but it could have easily been my brain's fault; it's been Sanremo week here in Italy, and if you know any Italians or a bit of Italian culture, you'll know it's literally our holy week, our collective brains are hijacked by music and trashy meme culture, everything else be damned), but I still adored "Taste of Fear".

I was looking forward to discovering more of Foxx's past, and let me tell you, my heart broke into a million pieces witnessing all the trauma, past and present, he's been put through. Poor baby! I love that literal ball of sunshine (*with a sadistic streak to boot though!) to death: he deserves all the happiness, and all the safety and affection in the universe. Thankfully, he's got Harlow to protect him: I'm a SUCKER for hurt/comfort and the big, badass, cold grump going all protector mode on their love interest is always going to make my heart soar and swoon.

< “Shit, Foxx,” he heard Harlow swear. He flinched, whimpering as the human got onto the bed and pulled him into his arms. Foxx clung to Harlow, his tears breaking free again.
“Ah, fuck.” Harlow ran his hand down Foxx’s back. “I’m not really good at this shit, you know? Comforting is not really… in my vocabulary. I’m more of a ‘shoot the problem’ type of person,” Harlow mumbled, sounding out of sorts. “All I can say is I won’t let them hurt you.” >

I adored the slow-burn pace Shelby Rhodes has decided to set for this series: the steam and chemistry have been there from the start (and the steam is *chef's kiss* absolutely delicious), but seeing their relationship slowly deepen into something more has been a delight and I CANNOT WAIT to see what book three will bring.

CWs/TWs: religion motivated torture, abuse and SA (in the past, described), kidnapping, violence, torture, death. 

Disclaimer: so this novella is part of the new edition of "Waiting for the Flood", for which I received an ARC from Netgalley, but since I loved that one so much, I couldn't stand to write this not-so-positive review in the same section of a book that felt so special to me. So separate reviews it is.

So, where to start. The bundle of these novellas, "Waiting for the Flood" and "Chasing the Light", is the perfect example of why at times Alexis Hall's writing works for me perfectely ("Waiting for the Flood" is my favourite of his to date, and made me cry my eyes out) and why in other instances it doesn't work for me at all.
So yep, I really disliked this novella.
I love redemption arc stories, I really do, and I also love asshole characters that hide behind a mask of hurtful words and unlovable attitudes to protect their squishy, vulnerable hearts and hidden pains. Ash, in "Glitterland", is the perfect example: he's an asshole, he's mean, and he's also depressed, afraid, terrified, lost, and wholly relatable for it.
Marius, in some ways, has a bit of that in him too: he lashes out and makes a ton of mistakes, hides behing stupid, hurtful words and a self-distructive façade, but yeah... I don't know, unlike Ash, I didn't relate to him at ALL (despite the fact that (view spoiler)), and I just didn't like him. Not one bit. He's mean, he's entitled, he's insensitive, he's a brat (and not the fun type), he absolutely does not learn from his mistakes and keeps acting up and being an asshole up until the very end, when he suddenly has a change of heart. Yep, nope, not buying it.

Alexis Hall's humour walks a very fine line between being hilarious and heartfelt and snarky in a good way (i.e. "Ten Things That Never Happened", "Glitterland"), and being so mean it stops being funny; this was the case with Marius. He reminded me of Luc, and if you've read my reviews of Hall's stuff since my ill-fated reading of Husband Material, that is not a good thing.
Also, Leo was... bland. So very unlike Alexis Hall's usually incredible and unforgettable love interests. So not even the romance worked for me.

I'm giving this two stars only because of Marius's parents (I LOVED THEM TO BITS) and the Edwin and Adam crumbs (my precious babies).
Redemption arc? Not achieved.
I'm still excited for "For Real" though.
 

"Waiting for the Flood" is absolutely magical. The softest, loveliest book I've read in quite a while, and I think it might be my favourite Alexis Hall to date.

I started this book and immediately broke down in tears; yes, seriously.
Edwin is so near and dear to me: he's, quite possibly, the most relatable character I've ever had the pleasure of meeting, and his thoughts felt like my thoughts, and I spent half of the book either crying or smiling in helpless affection and hope. As a person who struggles with anxiety and self-consciosness and self-doubt a whole lot, his thoughts and feelings and fears and hopes felt plucked straight from my head, even though he struggles with something a bit different.

(Also, coincidence, I'm doing a masters on something similar to what his profession is, and reading this book, and meeting him, felt a bit like serendipity.)

Edwin's just, so damned real, and also, pretty much adorable and sweet and lovely, and I loved him to bits. And Adam; how does one find an Adam in life? I really want to know. Adam's the best. I think I spent half of the book swooning because of how charming and good and gentle he is (ALSO, HOW COMPETENT!!) and the rest, shipping him and Edwin together like I've suddenly teleported back to my teenage years: the next few days will involve a lot of giddy smiling and daydreaming. They're just so damned cute together, I LOVED THEM.

< He grinned, teeth and dimples and freckles moving, like dust in a ray of sunlight. “Ayup, petal.” Oh. >

"Oh" in romances: my roman empire. AND PETAL!!!!!!!! My favourite term of endearment ever.

< “Thank you.” I said. More marbles. P had once rebelled against me, so please was dangerous, but I was good at thank you. I could carry out whole conversations with it. >


I loved this book to bits. It had a magical, dream-like quality to it: fragile and hopeful, romantic and heartwrenching, wholly enthralling and enchanting. And the writing was lovely, absolutely gorgeous and I highlighted half of the book (that is, if I rememebered to do it amongst all the swooning and sobbing going on.)

< This is the story of my life: standing on the edges of things and worrying, when I’m supposed to just walk through them. >

Like half of Alexis Hall's books, "Waiting for the Flood" has a really abrupt ending: I felt like screaming when I saw that dreaded "The End". I'm not docking any stars because this book meant so much to me, but I was so heartbroken. Especially considering I was at 35% and "Chasing the Light" was... well, okay, I know I'm probably meant to rate and review that one too, since it's all in the same book, but I'll do it seperately because otherwise it would have impacted on the star rating too much. I'll just say, I disliked it. Quite a lot.

ANYWAY, I loved this romance and I SO hope fanfiction writers have been busy these past few years because I need my fix; I might die otherwise. I loved Adam and Edwin to absolute bits: I love Alexis Hall the most when he writes thoughtful, gut-wrenching, sweetly romantic and painfully hopeful gems like this one (and its predecessor "Glitterland"), and needless to say, I can't wait to read "For Real" when it's finally re-published.

I received an ARC from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. 

God I loved this to absolute bits.
"At First Irritation" was absolutely bonkers, wholly addictive, a delicious, hilarious, joyful ride from start to finish; it made me feel sooooo giddy and happy, and I can't tell you how glad I decided to give this book a chance. I think it's finally kicked my slump to the curb.

I adored Harlow and Foxx so damned much. Both of them are crazy, morally ambiguous disasters with a knack (and a kink) for violence, but they also couldn't be more different from each other: sunshine/grumpy at its finest, with the grump being, quite possibly, an introverted, asocial psycopath who likes his quiet time and being a lone wolf, and the sunshine being the cutest, fluffiest, most wholesome vampire chatterbox with a bratty side you could wish for.
I ADORED their dynamic so so so much; there's real, funny, crazy banter from start to finish, plus a heavy dose of flirting and sexual tension, and I absolutely adored the fact that, even when they start getting closer, inside and outside the bedroom, they never stop irritating each other and contemplating getting rid of the other via not-so-legal ways. Now, that's the slow-burn I LIVE for. I can't wait for them to become completely whipped for each other over the next few books *chef's kiss*

Harlow is hilarious, with his grumpiness and cruel streak, and I really can't wait to discover more him: he's pretty much a mystery still, and I feel like he's going to surprise us (and Foxx too!).
And Foxx!!!!!!! God, I loved him to death. He's that perfect balance of a walking, talking ray of sunshine, with the looks and attitude to match, but he's also got a bit of kink for violence and he's also a very ancient, dangerous predator too. AND he's got hidden trauma and vulnerabilities. Precisely my fav kind of character.
Their dynamic was so fun, the steam was STEAMY, and the plot was addictive and a joy to read about.
I'm so excited to see what the next book will bring; especially considering that somewhat abrupt ending. Thankfully book two is already out. 

What a little gem of a novella.
"Curio" is such a quick read, but it packs a punch: I inhaled it in less than an hour, but it still made me swoon and laugh out loud, tear up and clutch my lil' queer heart.
C.S. Poe's writing is so special to me: everything I've read of hers so far has made me fall in love with her writing a little bit more each time. And "Curio", despite its short length, was an absolute joy to read: Lew is an unforgettable protagonist, witty and neurotic and hilarious, and Henry was a total dreamboat. Aunt Julia stole the show though: an absolute icon of a woman. I've had her for only an hour and just over 50 pages, but I'd let a bus run over me if she asked me to. She's so damned funny and absolutely crazy; my favourite kind of character.

Anyway, this novella was so damned lovely, and so damned heartfelt. I wholly, wholly recommend.

I received an ARC from the author in exchange for an honest review. 

Cute, light-hearted despite some of the themes that are tackled, and damned steamy. This is my second Roe Horvat book, and I've got to say, I'm still not totally sold on his writing (and the way he writes steam at times is a smiiiiidge too cheesy for my tastes; maybe it was this book in particular), but I'm excited to devour the rest of the books in this series and his backlist.
Emerson and Burke were adorable and so perfect for one another; their relationship was pretty much instalove-y, but for the hand they've both been dealt, they deserved to find uncomplicated, immediate happiness. Kirby and Richard were also fantastic side characters, and I can't wait to get their respective stories.

"Ugly" has a whole lot of my favourite kinks and tropes, from age-gap and size difference to all the delicious omegaverse ones (heats, mpreg, knotting? Yes please!) with Roe Horvat's own spin on them. I really liked this short, lovely, steamy story and I'm curious to start book two! 

Well, this one was cute and so much better than book one! Onyx and Liem were adorable, and the chemistry and steam between them was delicious. I mainly read this because of the tropes (and kinks!! Breeding, lactation, double knots? yes please) but like I've said, I prefer Anna Wineheart when there's angst involved; I'm not much of pure fluff, silly, light-hearted romance girlie nowadays, and although there's a fair bit of emotions and feels, and a light underlying plot, it wasn't enough to keep my interest.
BUT like I said, this was cute and I liked it, and I liked that the romance felt much more realistic than book one, and the characters were so much more well-rounded; plus, Alfie was adorable.