_isabel_'s reviews
1026 reviews

"Dragon's Descent" was a highly satisfying conclusion to Sam Burns and W.M. Fawkes' epic fantasy trilogy.
I loved getting to know each and every single one of members of the Vasiliev clan, and although Misha and Genya's story will remain my favourite, Dima and Arkadii's romance stole my heart, stomped on it, and then remade it whole.
I've been anticipating Dima's story since the first time he appeared on page, with his volatile madness and his broken, unpredictable ways, and being in his head was damned heartbreaking. The bodyguard/royal trope is one of my absolute favourites, and Dima and Ardakii's romance not only featured that, it was also packed with pining, second chances, hurt/comfort and of course, bittersweet love, gentle healing and just the right amount of spice.

On the one hand, I wasn't totally sold on a few things (mainly, I was definitely expecting something more concrete about Dima's past and the reason behind his abrupt change and his descent into his "madness"), on the other, I totally loved how everything was wrapped up.
The first half of this novel is definitely dark and full of anguish and heartache and pain: more than once I wanted to jump into the book, and shield either one of them from pain (and yep, even though it's pain that is partly their own doing *shakes head* those lovely, wholesome, pigheaded, pining idiots). The second half of the book is thankfully more lighthearted and sweet, packed with slow healing and gentleness and rediscovering love and affection after years of isolation *tears up* that is my jam, completely.

I loved both MC quite a lot, although to me, Zoya and Dasha will always be my favourites. I know it won't happen, but I'd give a few non-vital organs to have a novella with either one of them as protagonists.
But yep, that aside, I thoroughly enjoyed this conclusion and I'm very excited to read whatever comes next from these two authors.

If you're looking for dragons and an epic fantasy setting, political machinations, backstabbing families and sweet, sweet found family and HEAs, this trilogy might be for you.

I thank the authors for the ARC. I received it in exchange for an honest review. 

Absolutely WONDERFUL.
Eliot Grayson's latest release is an addictive, fascinating, wonderfully gripping gem of a book: I inhaled "The Royal Curse", and I'm already so damned excited to read it again. And again.

This brand new series by Eliot Grayson brings us into an epic fantasy world where magic exists, and certain people have the (mis)fortune of being born twilight mages. Without spoiling much, there are two types of twilight mages, dawn and dusk, and each of them has a particular "curse" and a way of dealing with that particular curse. And yep, it's through sex.
I think the "sex for magical/survival reasons" is one of my favourite, most sought out, tropes of the whole romance genre. I could literally read this type of trope forever, and I'd never get bored. And Eliot Grayson, one of my favourite authors, finally writing this kind of book? It's a dream come true.
Because "The Royal Curse" is everything I hoped for, and then some.
It's wild and exciting, with a straight-forward but fascinating world-building (with magic, political intrigue, and of course, a royal/guard relationship that's always a must in epic fantasy), and two absolutely wonderful protagonists.

Niko goes through a fantastic character arc: throughout the book, he shows all of his complexities and flaws and strengths, from his crippling lack of self-worth and his helplessness because of his mage status (and I found those aspects so damn heartbreaking; it really made me feel for him), to his quiet strength and steadfastness, and finally, his adorable sweetness and the equally helpless devotion he develops for his guard, Andreas. Needless to say, I freaking loved him, even when he was being reckless and idiotic and bratty.

And Andreas, oh god: I swooned non-stop, start to finish. He's strong and stubborn and self-sacrificing, kind and devoted and commanding, with the filthiest mouth ever. His dirty talk, you guys: I don't think I ever stopped blushing.
Eliot Grayson has really outdone herself with the steam here: this book is packed full with the dirtiest, most delicious steam I've read in quite a while.

< “Oh gods,” I moaned, and clenched around him, and it happened again. “No, just me,” Andreas growled in my ear. >

The plot was gripping, with twists and turns and betrayals, with a few intriguing underlying plot-points (and characters!) that are left dangling in a way that makes me hope they will appear in some way in the next few books.

"The Royal Curse" was absolute joy to devour. It has everything you could hope to find in an epic fantasy romance: all the best tropes you could wish for; a lovely, filthy, forbidden relationship; a whole lot of steam and a whole lot of sweetness and devotion; fascinating magic and a vivid world-building; and finally, a cast of characters that are utterly unforgettable.
I can't wait to read the next book(s) in this series: I know I'll love them all to bits.

TWs/CWs: attempted, on page sexual assault (not between the MCs).

Thank you GRR for the ARC. I received it in exchange for an honest review.

This was absolutely adorable.
Sweet and lightly spicy, with a well-developed plot and a gripping storyline: Stormshield is such a fascinating place, and I loved getting to know the kingdom a bit more.

Cleo and Thorne's romance was equally gripping; although Raine and Darien's romance stole my heart a smidge more (I can't help it, I love romances that have a tough start), I enoyed getting to know them and witnessing their well-deserved HEA.

I'm so excited to start Rex's story!!

Absolutely lovely.
Claire Cullen's omegaverse books are always a joy to read, and "Omega's Gamble" is no exception: I freaking loved it.
This novel has all my favourite tropes: from slow-burn (ft. a smidge of miscommunication and keeping-secrets-to-keep-myself-safe) to arranged marriage and even the most satisfying groveling (I love a good grovel with my whole soul). 
I loved Raine and Darien, and I loved witnessing their journey towards a well-deserved HEA.
This book is the perfect balance between romance and plot, a highly satisfying one at that. The underlying plot about Stormshield and it's isolation from the world, the reason why it's so different from all the other kingdoms, was absolutely fascinating and gripping, and I seriously can't wait to read the next book to discover more.
The side characters were fantastic, the romance was lovely and achingly sweet with a smidge of spice, and although I would have loved to see more of the omegavese side developed, I still adored it.

 "Designation: Submissive" was my first novel from this author, and I'm sorry to say it did not totally work for me.

The premise and the beginning were beyond intriguing, with its dystopian-like future, where humans and soldiers in particular have been genetically modified into Dominants and Submissives: I think I've said it before, but this kind of setting, where there's a biological D/s order, is precisely my jam (seriously, if all romances had kink, I'd be a happy reader LOL), so of course I was immediately curious about this book.
The two protagonists, Sam and Craig, stole my attention in those first few chapters as well: Sam, with his domineering personality, his thoughts and cynical views; and also Craig, who still managed to stay sweet, despite the horrible hand he's been dealt with.

But yeah, after those first chapters it kind of went down hill for me: this book is mainly erotica, and I have nothing against that (in fact, I love me a good steam-packed novel or novella once in a while), but the steam became repetitive after a bit, lackluster, and I don't know, it wasn't for me at all. I got a bit bored, and ended up skimming good chunks of the book.

I think I was expecting something more for this book, especially because of the way the premise sounded and the first few chapters: something more plot-dense or action-packed possibly, since it's got a distinct military setting and world-building, but that didn't happen. A shame, because the dystopian-like world was quite fascinating, and like I said, I love it when kink and plot are weaved together.

I think if you go into this book expecting precisely what it actually is, i.e. erotica, with kink (even Daddy kink!) and steam (ft. some unusual body modifications) and a whole lot of hurt/comfort, then you'd probably enjoy it much more than I did. I think it was partially my fault (and my brain's fault too; I've been in and out of reading slumps for months now), so if you find the premise of the book appealing, with its futuristic vibes, then I'd wholly recommend giving it a go.


Thank you GRR for the ARC; I received it in exchange for an honest review. 

I devoured "Just a Bit Captivated": it was a fun, fairly light-hearted book (despite its premise and dub-con vibes), an absolute OTT ride of a book from start to finish.

Alessandra Hazard, and her books are firmly part of my guilty pleasure reading list: all of the books in this series are bonkers and wild and absolutely unhinged, unrealistic and stereotypical, a trope fest at its best (and worst), and this 14th installment is no exception. There's something truly addictive about her writing (it must be a magic power or something), because her books are so damned OTT I end up accepting even the most wild concept and unhinged stuff I usually wouldn't be fond of.

Aiden and Zain's story was wild from the start, packed with all the usual AH tropes (from toe-curling possessiveness to extreme co-dependancy and neediness, and absolutely delicious, naughty steam), and I fell for both of them hard. Aiden's pretty different from Hazard's usual protagonists, in the sense that's he surprisingly accepting of his bi-awakening and he's so sweet and sunny; and Zain, although a quitessential Hazard man (broody, grumpy, possessive, deliciously sexy), stands out among them too: seeing him slowly thaw, or maybe surrender to Aiden's charm, was a treat, and also, unlike many of AH's most ruthless protagonists who are prone to kidnapping (pun intended *cough* Roman), he actually feels guilty about what he's done (kinda of? he definitely doesn't understand how Aiden can love him despite all of it, and that was so sweet to see, in a messed-up Alessandra Hazard kind of way). 
Also, I was SO happy we got a proper epilogue; this author has the unfortunate tendency to end her books on a very abrupt HEA, and the fact that we got to see Zain and Aiden properly happy, still desperately in love, was priceless.
All in all, I'm very, very curious to read the next book in this series: we've already met its protagonist, and I'm damned excited to be in his head and to discover more about him. He's definitely going to a messy one *jumps excitedly*

Side note: unfortunately Alessandra Hazard's not immune to the West's historical Orientalistic approach to the Middle East, and to Islam in particular; on the one hand, all of her books are packed with stereotypes, so I wasn't actually expecting an accurate depiction (not that I'm an expert, mind; my studies are on Islam and the Arab world, but I'm still a white woman in the Western world; so if you end up reading this review, I'd tell you to go and read Muslim, Arab and Middle Eastern reviewers who have reaised questions about this), on the other, it was still disappoiting, especially in this day and age; I sincerely hope she does a better job in the next book.

Fast, cute and damned sexy.

"Yuletide Treasure" was a delight. I inhaled this short book: it was quick, light-hearted, sweet and sexy, with just the right amount of both humour and holiday cheer.
Eben and Timothy were damned cute, and I was obsessed with their blossoming relationship; it's fairly insta-love, and decidedly less complex and angsty than both Owen and Arthur's and Mal and Tom's stories, but I still loved their dynamic. The Christmas Carol vibes it had was a definitive plus! I also adored getting a few more glimpses of the world building and the different God and Goddess-blessed dynamics you can have.

I absolutely loved this series, and I can't believe I've already finished them all; I even devoured Eliot's short story "The Yuletide Runaway" (available at prolific works; that too was sweet, quick and delicious). I soooooo wish she'd write more in this universe (not likely, since these are all from a few years back, but one can hope right?), but in the meantime I'll gladly read (and re-read) Eliot's other gems. 

Ooooh this was amazing. I devoured "The Reluctant Husband": I reached the end, and I still wanted more (much more) from both its protagonists. I didn't think it was possible this time, but Tom managed to redeem himself, beautifully and in such a satisfying way.

Eliot Grayson is SUPERB at redemption arcs: she's got that kind of knack where she manages to make even the most hateful, spoiled, bratty villain, a relatable, believable and wonderfully flawed hero. She did it with Jared, and Blake, and she probably did the same in a few more of her backlist works I still haven't read, and she does it here with Tom too.
And not only that, she also managed to depict BOTH protagonists as deeply complex and realistically flawed; their character development and arcs were so damned relatable and satisfying, even though this is a fairly short and quick book.

I ended up loving both MCs so much; I didn't think I could love Tom, but I did. He's done so pretty horrid things in his life, but he has his reasons (ones that broke my heart), and his regret, his guilt, his atonement, are all sincere, and for that I totally fell for him, and felt for him too. If I had to criticize one thing about this book, it would be that I desperately wanted him to actually talk about his past hurts and wounds. It's just a niggle, but I kept wishing there were a few more chapters left so that he could actually face his past (and he and Mal could have definitely talked a bit more too).

I also loved Mal: he's as flawed as Tom, gruff and hard and quick to assumptions, but he's also scared and grieving, terrified at the idea of losing his cousin, and also, pretty good at figuring out his mistakes and apologizing for them.

I loved them together: their relationship is a mix of all my favourite tropes, from (kind of) arranged marriage and hate-sex with enemies-to-lovers vibes, to (kind of) sub-awakening (my absolute fave trope in the world), light D/s vibes, and catching-feelings-when-you-shouldn't. Their story is fraught with miscommunication and assumptions, mistakes and hurtful words, but I absolutely adored it nonetheless; it's a relationship that felt right and realistic for them, for two deeply flawed and wounded men who are both stubborn and insecure and afraid.

I adored William, and I adored the writing. I also LOVED that we got more information about the world-building and this whole Goddess-blessed aspect; I can't wait to read book three. 

Absolutely lovely. I can't believe I haven't started this series sooner!
I love Eliot Grayson, and while this alt-historical series is a bit different from her more popular stuff, it still has her unmistakable, sexy, delicious atmosphere and style.

The world she creates in this series is unusual and magical, and I was obsessed from the start. "The Replacement Husband" is a historical romance with all the usual historical tropes, from blushing virgins and gruff love interests, to marriage shenanigans and interfering parents (and villains!), plus a whole lot of secret pining, sexy first times, and falling in love despite adverse circumstances. The world-building is pretty unusual, and I'm so looking forward to discovering more about this world where some men are Goddess-blessed and what it entails more precisely.

I loved both protagonists so much! Arthur was an ABSOLUTE dreamboat, and I freaking adored how gruff and protective he was, how respectful and witty and caring. He's got hidden layers and seeing him with Owen was a treat.
And Owen! I really felt for him. He's put through the ringer in the beginning of the novel, and I wanted to simultaneously hug him and shake him. His insecurities and fears were very relatable, and I thought Eliot Grayson did a wonderful job at portraying how much a low self-worth can impact a person's understanding of the world and the people around them.
I loved them together to bits: sexy and sweet, emotional and funny, every one of their scenes together stole the show.

I'm so excited to start book two. I had an inkling it was going to be a redemption story, and omg, I'm so looking forward to see how Eliot will manage it.