_isabel_'s reviews
1016 reviews

What a freaking gorgeous gem of a romance. I adored "The Full Moon Problem" to absolute bits: it made me laugh, it made me swoon, it made me blush, but it also, especially, made my brain blissfully quiet and happy for a few dreamy days.
If you look up "soft" in the dictionary, you'll find this book as an example. It's literally a warm embrace or a cup of tea during a cold afternoon in book form. It's soft, lovely, romantic, packed with feels, found family and lots and lots of healing, care and love.

This is my first time reading a Kay Claire novel, and I'm already (im)patiently waiting for their next masterpiece: I thought this book was going to cure me from my looming reading slump, but instead I got a book hangover. I already miss Felix and Declan and I have a Nimblyford-shaped hole in my heart. I never wanted to leave this amazingly cozy, small-town world.

Felix and Declan were fantastic characters.
Felix stole my heart the first time he appeared on page: I loved how warm and kind and open-hearted he was, and I also loved that although he's pretty confident in general, he still has his moments of vulnerability and insecurity. I also loved the fact that he was a yapper and a horny mess of a man: I love dark and broody protagonists, but horny, sunshine-y disasters will always have a special place in my heart too.
I also loved that he was confident and happy with himself and his body: you can see he's gone through quite a lot in life, but seeing him happy, whole, healthy, at peace, was wonderful. The romance genre definitely needs more trans rep in general, but I think it also needs joyful trans rep too and protagonists like Felix who have managed to embrace themselves fully, happily, proudly. Gah, that man made me emotional, and I'll miss being in his head.

Declan was a wonderful counterpart to Felix's sunshine personality: he's an anxious mess, afraid and insecure, and my heart broke for him. Like Felix, he's been through quite a lot too, and seeing him blossom throughout the novel, seeing him learn to trust himself and his wolf, was freaking amazing. I loved him so much, and I loved Felix and Declan together even more.

< “No. We’re never doing that again. I could hurt you.” Felix rolls his eyes. “ Anyone could hurt me. I could go outside and get hit by a car. That’s just, like, part of life.”
“I have fucking claws ,” Declan says in exasperation.
“Ugh, fine, then we’ll get those chains you mentioned before and put you in cuffs. Then I can ride your dick with no threat of getting clawed up.” Declan looks at Felix like he’s grown a second head. Felix is getting used to that look. “You’re fucking crazy.” >

Their relationship was the cutest thing ever: respectful, soft, gentle. They have a few issues to begin with, but I loved seeing them work through them and around the boundaries each of them set.
Also, their dynamic is literal fire. Despite the soft, light-hearted atmosphere and the cozy vibes, when they finally give in and get together... well, the steam was freaking steamy. I blushed and I swooned and I kicked my feet and I screeched. I was OBSESSED with how hot they were for one another, and I loved how Kay Claire incorporated the paranormal elements and Declan being a werewolf into it. Will I ever tire of reading shifter romances? I think not. Give me any romance with a knot, and I'll be happy.

Horniness aside... I loved the cozy atmosphere, and I loved the setting (who do I have to pay to go and live in a town like Nimblyford?) and I loved every single side character. Wanda and Drew were fantastic, and I LOVED YASIN SO DAMN MUCH, he was the best. I hope the author decides to write more in this universe, because I really want to see them all again.
I also loved the writing, and I LOVED the illustrations this book goes with. It added something even more special to an already special book, and the art was seriously gorgeous, as is the cover.
"The Full Moon Problem" is a fairly chunky book, and maybe some descriptions and scenes could have been whittled down a smidge, but I think in some ways it added to its charm. Despite the length, this romance flows like a freaking dream, and I can't believe I managed to finish most of it in two short sessions, work and studying be damned.

I wholly recommend this book: it's out tomorrow, and I'll probably be screaming about it for the foreseeable future. I loved it to bits, and everyone should read it: it's got magic, it's got magical trans rep, it's got wolves and lots of freaky steam, and it's got a romance that will absolutely steal your heart. GO AND READ IT!

TWS/CWs: grief and death of family members, transphobia, discussions of Alzheimer's and cancer, panic attack.

Many thanks to the author for the ARC. This is my honest review. 

Oh well, this was disappointing.
I'm so angry with myself for not liking this as much as I hoped! I was so damn sure "Swordcrossed" was going to be a winner. I love Freya Markse's writing, and I absolutely adored her "The Last Binding" series (I'm still missing book three, but I'm certain that one too will be a winner). Unfortunately, this book did not work for me.
There were some things that I absolutely adored, but all in all, they were not enough to win me over, and especially, they definitely were not enough to stop me from skimming nearly half of the book. I should have DNF it, but I was still curious to see what would happen to Matti and Luca and to see the plot unfold.

Anyway, the good: I adored Matti as a protagonist. If there's one thing I love, it's chronically responsible, anxious messes getting their shot at happiness and setting boundaries. He was the literal best: serious and competent but also so damn earnest and honest and vulnerable and insecure and uGHH, my son, I loved him to bits. I wanted to jump into the book to wrap him in blankets. I also ADORED all the side characters: Maya and Sofia were fantastic, and I wanted to be adopted by the entire Jay household.
I also really liked the plot: I'm a plot girlie through and through, and Freya's already shown us how good she is at crafting well-thought-out stories that manage to keep you on the edge of your seat. I didn't think I'd manage to find myself invested in the intricacies of wool industry, but here we are. The plot was the main reason I wanted to finish this book, alongside Matti's well-earned HEA and the feeling I had about the whole Sofia situation. I was so happy to be right. <3

Apart from these things, the rest of the book did not work for me.
I'm a plot girlie, but also a world-building one too, so I can't believe I have to write this but: the world-building was too damn complicated and convoluted. I'm usually good at keeping up, but damn, I could not, for the life of me, understand what was going on there.
I could have gotten over that if only the other protagonist, Luca, and Luca and Matti's romance, had stolen my heart... and yeah, that didn't happen. I disliked Luca so much. I'm usually all over messy, lying liars with secret damaged hearts, but god, he was despicable. Or not even that, just plain annoying, and his reasons for being annoying and a lying liar were thin at best. I didn't like how he treated Matti, and I didn't buy his sudden interest in Matti's well-being.
I also didn't buy their dynamic. Something felt off about them together, I'm still not sure what. Maybe I would have loved them more if I liked Luca, or maybe they just weren't my cup of tea together. Oh well. I still wanted to know what would happen between them, but I was more invested in the secondary romances.

Like I said, I really like the plot, and I really liked Matti and the cast of side characters. The ending was pretty satisfying too, and I was happy to see how everything wrapped up. I'm sticking with this rating for these reasons alone.
I think this could be a case of "it's me, not you" because the whole world loved this. Maybe I wasn't in the right mindset, or maybe they can't all be winners, and that's okay.
If you love low-stakes romances in a low-stakes fantasy world, with a complex world-building and (at least one) complex, lovable protagonist, give this book a go. Hopefully it will work better for you than it did for me!

Many thanks to Netgalley for the ARC. This is my honest review. 

What a GORGEOUS story.
I loved this book to freaking bits: it's soft and lovely and romantic, but also tough and angsty and so damn addictive. Sabrina and Lila as leads stole my whole damn soul.

I've read several of Lauren Gallagher's books, under her many pen names, and all of them have been an absolute blast to read. I love her writing style so much, and I love how she always manages to balance out the romance with character development and plot elements; and her hockey romances are no exception. When I discovered she was going to write a sapphic hockey romance, I was so damn excited; a sapphic enemies-to-lovers hockey romance? My brain went feral. OF COURSE, I had to get an ARC of this book; of freaking course, DUH.

I loved this book to bits: I managed to devour it in two short sessions, and I literally could not stop reading. I fell in love with both Sabrina and Lila since the very beginning, and I adored seeing their relationship develop. Both of them are strong-headed and both of them, especially Lila, make a lot of assumptions at the start. Seeing that initial dislike (tinged with a good amount of "I despise you but goddamn, you're so hot" reluctant attraction) morph into understanding (APOLIGIES WERE OFFERED! FORGIVENESS WAS EARNED <3) and friendship, and finally into love, was priceless.
I adored their relationship to bits, and I loved that, despite the rocky start and dislike between them, they managed to build such a strong and mature bond between them. Also, their chemistry was ABSOLUTELY scorching, and the steamy scenes, when they finally came along, delivered so hard. Whew.

There were a couple of niggles: mainly, the hockey portion of the book could get a bit too much, and some of it went over my head (I blame my Italian football*-is-our-god-no-other-sports-exist brain) (*football aka soccer *grr), and I kinda wished there had been a bit more of a resolution (view spoiler) but yeah, they were fairly minor niggles.

I loved the rest of the book so much! I loved all the side characters, and I'm very curious to see if some of them will get their own story one day.
I loved Sabrina so much, and I loved Lila so much too: I can't honestly say which one was my favourite, but if I had to choose, Lila stole my heart. I love flawed characters the best, and seeing Lila own up to her mistakes, change her mind, MATURE as a well-developed character, was a dream. Also, she was freaking hot; sue me, SUE ME.

I also freaking adored the ending. The last chapter was one of the most satisfying epilogues I've ever read (also one of the sweetest; I nearly cried, I LOVE THOSE GIRLS SO MUCH), and I loved the way Sabrina's relationship with her father was handled.

Sometimes, bad guys are given the chance to change their mind and not be a bad guy anymore, and that's okay, but I despise books were that chance isn't earned; Doran did not earn that right AT ALL, and I loved that Sabrina chose herself over placating that dickhead. Normalize cutting off emotionally abusive assholes, please <3

Anyway, I loved this book and I thoroughly recommend it.

TWs/CWs: sexism, homophobia, emotional abuse, gaslighting and manipulation, injury.

Many thanks to the author for the ARC. This is my honest review

 Such a delight. I adored "Hot Mess" to absolute BITS.

Nobody writes kink like Misha Horne, especially of the spanking, domestic discipline variety. The way they write it, is freaking wonderful; it's hot, obviously, so hot I think I blushed the whole way through; but it's also heavy and wonderfully complex too.
I think this one was included the most mature and most emotional discourse about kink I've ever read: the conversations between London and Erik about how both of them struggled to find themselves and accept themselves in a vanilla world had me nearly in tears. It was absolutely masterful, and I will never not be grateful to Misha for writing kink in such a deep, well-thought, realistic way.

I loved both protagonists so so much. London is a mess, but a lovable one, and he was so deeply relatable too. Seeing him blossom thanks to Erik and his new found confidence was amazing to witness, and I adored being in his head. I loved Erik to bits too: I loved his stern daddy vibe, but also his gentleness, and the way he was with London was absolutely swoon worthy; a a panty-melting, somebody-sedate-me dream of a man.

The build-up to their first, explosive time was PERFECT: I was literally on the edge of my seat, kicking my feet, twirling my hair, swooning and blushing and silently screaming at my kindle. A delight.
I admit, some bits of this novel probably could have been cut short, but on the other hand, long, winded conversations and monologues about kink and boundaries and experiences are absolutely Misha's MO, and I'd never want that to change because their words are always so damn precious and important.

Anyway, apart from that, if I had to talk about one small niggle I had, it was the fact that there weren't enough panties and London feeling pretty in lace. Thank god there's a bonus short story to dive into to make up for that.

I still have a few more of this author's books to devour, and I seriously cannot wait. "Hot Mess" was freaking fabulous, and it left me with the biggest smile on my face. I can't recommend this author enough. 

 What a wonderful third installment in this gem of a series. I freaking adored "Vine".

Fearne Hill is one of the best romance authors out there: I know I say this every time, but I seriously have yet to find/read an author, a contemporary MM romance one at that, who manages to balance out the lightheartedness and the romance feels with emotional depth and just the perfect amount of angst. I'm seriously in awe of her writing, and I'm kicking myself for still not inhaling the rest of her backlog yet. Oh well, more books to love, yes?!

Anyway, back to "Vine"... I've been waiting for Max's story since the very first time he appeared on page: sullen and quiet and bitter and sad. Finally being in his head was absolutely priceless.
I admit, I wasn't expecting what Fearne Hill had in mind for him, but I think the way his story turned out was even better than my expectations: I thought he'd be the one needing to be cherished, but I love Max in his "loves to be needed and excels at cherishing and looking after" phase even more. Max cherishes the fuck out of Caspian, and I loved that for him, and I loved him. I loved his dry humour, his steadfastness, his stubbornness, and I adored being in his head.

Caspian, on the other hand, was a bit more trickier for me to love wholeheartedly: I still loved him, don't get me wrong, but being in his head was grueling because it hit a little to close to home, I think. I still adored him to bits though, and I loved his snarky porcupine personality, and I loved how Fearne portrayed his mindset and his anxieties and his mental health struggles. I could totally relate and I'm so glad he found someone as good as Max to take care of him.

I loved their relationship to BITS: it was beyond adorable and so damn sweet, and I think I might have highlighted half of their interactions. So cute 😭

I also adored seeing Èti again. "Oyster" is my favourite Fearne Hill book to date I think, and I'm still sooooooo obsessed with both her and Nico. I loved seeing her again, and I loved her bond with Max. Gah, so adorable.

If I had to find a small niggle with this book, it's the sheer amount of page time dedicated to Leigh and Jonas. They both deserve to die PAINFUL HORRIBLE DEATHS, and I despised seeing Caspian give them any time of his day. Also, I so wish they'd have some sort of comeuppance ugh, but nevermind...

Apart from those two worms, I adored all side characters, especially Emma.
I'm not sure if the author has any plans to write a fourth book (I've no idea who it could be about though!), but I sincerely hope so. This "Island Love" series is fantastic, and I'm not ready to say goodbye to the paradise these characters call home.

Thanks GRR for the ARC. This is my honest review 

What a conclusion to this wonderful shared-world series! "Lucky or Knot" is an absolute gem of a book.
Eliot Grayson is ALWAYS a sure thing for me: I don't think she could write a book that wouldn't make immediately obsessed... her writing scratches a very specific itch in my brain, and I've seriously adored every single word she has written, and this book is no exception.

I adored the plot, and I adored the world-building, and I ADORED the romance. I was hooked immediately, and I managed to finish the whole book off in a day: I could not stop reading.

Tony is a fantastic protagonist: he's absolutely freaking wonderful. He's so damn respectful and eager and sweet, but the things I loved most about him were his courage and his honesty. I loved being in his head! Raven, on the other hand, was a smidge more difficult for me to love. Mainly because we never get his POV, so he remains quite a mystery until the very end. Also, I didn't like how he made fun of Tony's supposed dumbness: call it a pet peeve of mine, but it's the one thing I can't stand being made fun of. Also, I absolutely did not think Tony was dumb AT ALL: he's brave and eager, and yes okay, impulsive, but that doesn't make him an idiot. Anyway, that's the reason I'm not giving this book a full five-star rating.
Raven becomes less of a mystery by the end, and I thought Eliot did a wonderful job depicting how different a fae and a non-fae are: their morals and their feelings are very different, and the ""cultural"" divide between the two is also quite big, and I appreciated how she took the time to explain that. It made Raven much more lovable, and the world-building even more fascinating too!
Regardless, I still felt for Raven throughout the novel, and once again, I think the author did a fantastic job portraying his struggles and the impact his ongoing trauma has on him: despite my own pet peeves, I wholly understood the reason behind his choices, as did Tony.

Regardless, I ADORED the romance: I love it when two characters can't seem to take their hands off each other, and Eliot Grayson is the queen of that kind of trope. Both of them are obsessed with each other, and it made me both swoon and blush. The steam was absolutely STEAMIN', and their bond, the way both of them ended up being quite ready to sacrifice themselves for the other, made me tear up more than once.

Last but not least, "Lucky or Knot" is set in Eliot's Mismatched Mates series, so for long-time fans of the series, we get to see a couple of well-known (and beloved) faces! And yes, since it's Vegas, that means DECLAN AND BLAKE. I squealed: those two are my favourite of Eliot's couples, and I loved seeing them being all loved-up (and snarky) together. Also, Blake is still very much an asshole, and I loved him for that. My babies <3

The ending was perfect, and I seriously cannot wait to see which couple will be the next in this series. "Lucky or Knot" was a fabulous, steamy, fun, but also surprisingly angsty and dark, romp of a book, and I could not recommend it enough.

TWs/CWs: domestic abuse, violence.

Thank you GRR for the ARC. This is my honest review. 

This was fun!
An Agatha Christie-esque, cozy mystery with a compelling lead and a hint of a slow-burn romance? That's usually my jam. Unfortunately, I don't think my mind was totally in it, or maybe I just wasn't in the mood for mysteries when I read this, so yeah... I admit, I ended skimming a lot of the lengthier descriptions too.
Apart from that, all in all, I did like this.
I really like Bertie as a protagonist: I like his dry humour, how laid-back he is; and I really like the chemistry between him and Hugh. The mystery was well-built, although I preferred the one in book one, but the cast of side characters (and suspects!) was pretty compelling. I'm looking forward to see what will happen next! Hopefully we'll finally get the much-awaited blossoming of romance between the two leads.

Thanks to Netgalley for the arc. This is my honest review.

 DNF at 22%

I thought I could do it, but nope. I give up.
I got to the first steamy scene (ft. the umpteenth "I can't have you because this is wrong and I hate myself" monologue), but then I suddenly realized I couldn't be bothered to go through another 400 pages of the hot-and-cold, push-and-pull nonsense going on between the two protagonists.
I downloaded this book because I was getting FOMO about not reading it; plus, I knew it tackled tough topics, angst and mental health rep: all things I always look for in my romances. And yeah, okay, I seriously wanted to know what would happen between the two MCs but I don't want to waste my time on this. The writing wasn't working for me AT ALL. It felt chunky and repetitive. Also, the characterization in general wasn't working for me; both protagonists immediately felt very flimsy.
Oh well, a shame. 

 Freaking filthy, whew, I BLUSHED. What a delicious morsel of a novella <3

I'm still not convinced Roe Horvat's omegaverse totally works for me, but he sure can write; double points for the kinky aspects too. The steam and dirty talk did get a smidge repetitive after a bit, but all in all, I was absolutely hooked and I needed something filthy and quick like this novel (ALSO, new kink unlocked? Who would have thought *side eyes*) after weeks of tough reads and studying.

...also, any recs like this? 

Disclaimer: Italian review ahead; university reading.

Che angoscia mamma mia. Iconico e geniale, e non oso nemmeno immaginare come fu accolto all'epoca dalla critica fascista, però che angoscia e che oppressione. Uno dei romanzi più claustrofobici che abbia mai letto.
Sicuramente un bello romanzo, anche se ammetto che non rientra nei miei gusti soliti. L'ho dovuto leggere per un esame universitario (l'ultimo che mi rimane da leggere, at last!), quindi un po' di malavoglia... ma è sicuramente un romanzo iconico della nostra letteratura, da leggere almeno una volta nella vita.