_isabel_'s reviews
1025 reviews

 Disclaimer: Italian review ahead; university reading.

Probabilmente non dovrei nemmeno dargli un voto perché come si fa quando è un classico? Federigo Tozzi è un visionario, sicuro, ma non credo di avere il cervello adatto per comprenderlo fino in fondo. O dovrei rileggerlo con più consapevolezza, non so. Non è che ci abbia capito moltissimo, quindi l'unica cosa che mi sento di dire, a livello di trama e di godimento nella lettura è: che palle Pietro. 

 ANOTHER ONE, THANK YOU *grabby hands*

L. Sherleen plucked this book straight out of my dreams. THIS is my jam, I need another dozen books just like this one now.
It had everything I always look for in a contemporary romance. Possessive, dreamy jock and his snarky, insecure disaster of a rival? Disability rep, a truckload of hurt/comfort and an even bigger truckload of found family vibes? Enemies to lovers, pining, also, did I mention the boatload of hurt/comfort????????! ALLLLLLL the sweetness, the snark, the delicious (and lightly kinky) steam my heart can wish for? Gah. I was hooked from the start, and I managed to devour this book in literally two sittings. I need more NOW *stomps feet*

Sure, "Missed Steps" isn't perfect. There were a couple of slip ups, the setting is a bit vague as well, but yeah, that didn't detract from my enjoyment at all.
I loved Kyle and Mark to absolute bits; they had me giggling and blushing from start to finish. I found Kyle absolutely fabulous: he's snarky, quick to anger, a little porcupine who strikes out for fear and when he's feeling vulnerable, but I loved seeing him slowly get better and healthier. I was so proud of him by the end of the book! And Mark: a ridiculous, caring, uber possessive, golden retriever of a man, with a very protective streak as well. I loved how gentle he was with Kyle, how respectful but also how he wasn't any of those things when the mood struck? *swoons* I also found him absolutely hilarious too, with his ridiculously endearing, grumpy jealousy. Their romance was truly top notch; I never wanted this book to end.

I'm sooooooooo hoping that the author has other books planned for this series because a few of these characters (Tommy, Sebastian, Chris, Damien?!) had "MAIN CHARACTER" stamped on their forehead.
I had an absolute blast with this book, and I can already tell the book hangover will be devastating. I need more!!!!!!!!

TWs/CWs: childhood abuse, bullying, homophobia, violence, mental health struggles. 

Absolutely wonderful!
I freaking loved this.
I've been excited for Harry and Toby's book since the first time I read the blurb of this: enemies-to-lovers, opposites-attract, forced-proximity? THAT'S MY JAM. And after finishing this, I can wholeheartedly say that it didn't disappoint; at all.
This second book in Jax Calder's "Unlikely Dilemmas" series was a fantastic, heart-stopping romp of a book: it had all my favourite tropes, the two protagonists had an unbelievably scorching chemistry (and their banter was damn entertaining! That slow build-up from hate to reluctant allies to soulmates was FIRE), and the setting was damned fabulous. I love a good ol' "stranded in the wilderness together" trope (ft. "I hate you so much, but I also need you like air"), and this book was absolutely packed with all the delicious moments you'd expect from that kind of setting: huddling for warmth, saving each other's lives, us-against-the-world (PLUS: now-I-can't-be-without-you), all the action you can wish for, plus a whole lot of hate sex that slowly morphs into love and pining? UGH, I was hooked.
Both MCs are lovely protagonists. I admit, I had to suspend by disbelief for the duration of the book (I wouldn't trust a politician with a cactus, especially considering the absolute shameful political landscape of the world at the moment), plus the patriotic drivel and the "you can love someone despite their beliefs" were a smidge too much for me (hence, my suspended disbelief), but yeah, once I re-framed this universe as a sort of utopia Great Britain, I managed to love them both to bits. Harry (the Tory, HA!) was my favourite out of the two, because I found him more interesting in the sense that he's full of contradictions, and I love a messy, closeted disaster gay with a complex past and a truckload of ambitions. Toby was lovely as well, and I loved their dynamic to bits. Their romance was fantastic, packed with tension, hate-to-love, pining, and the forbidden aspect was the cherry on the top of an already delicious cake.
I also LOVED how slow-burn their dynamic felt: I loved seeing them slowly trust each other and I loved seeing them open up about their past and their families. Each of them becoming the most important person for the other was absolutely priceless: it's one of the reasons why I love forced-proximity romances so much, and I can only thank Jax Calder for delivering.

I loved the ending SO SO MUCH. It was iconic and I was damn proud of these two complicated, lovable, bickering men. I loved this book, and I can't wait for book three.

Thank you GRR for the ARC. 

Very, very cute!
I think I might have been expecting something a smidge more complex, gritty and thoughtful, but all in all, this was very lovely and it made me smile so damn much.
Reed and Henry were absolutely fabulous protagonists, as were allllll the badass side characters, and I think this cute-as-hell, sweetly steamy and funny romance was precisely what I needed after a few tough reads.
Weight loss propaganda and all the fitness-and-diet shaming always makes me feel uncomfortable, so I was a bit worried about that; and although I think the whole conversation about it could have been sliiiighly more nuanced and thought-through, I still appreciated how N.R. Walker made it all about feeling good with one selves and not about some high and mighty "fit and skinny is better" assumption.
Still, I'd recommend you procede with caution if you have ED issues or body dysmorphia of any kind. Be gentle to yourselves people <3

I could have done without the HP references (I know, this is an older book, but yeah, I'd still love it if every single author would purge that s**t out of their romances ugh!), but yeah, all in all, I really did love this, especially the second half of the book. Reed and Henry's romance had a delicious friends-to-lovers arc, and I adored seeing all the tension, chemistry and attraction build throughout the book. This was a very lighthearted book (angst free and near-enough conflict free!) and it was just what I needed.

TWs/CWs: fatphobia, diet talk, body image issues, self-hate about said body issues, ageism. 

Disclaimer: Italian review ahead; university reading.

Bellissimo.

Iniziato a leggere di malavoglia per un esame universitario, ma mi sono dovuta ricredere sin da subito. Ho pure pianto; Alba de Céspedes ha saputo esprimere in maniera assolutamente devastante, già nei lontani anni '30, quella girlhood che credo ancora ci accomuni tutt*, quello stato esistenziale che ci fa ammattire e disperare, ma che ci costringe anche a spalleggiarci a vicenda, stringerci nella stessa barca di "E ora che gli studi sono finiti, che si fa?", con tutta la confusione, le incertezze e il terrore di crescere che credo tutt* noi almeno una volta nella vita abbiamo vissuto; tutte le ambizioni infinite che sfociano e vengono rimpiazzate e ridimensionate man a mano che il terzo decennio di vita scorre veloce e inesorabile, e la vita "fuori" si fa sentire.
L'ho amato moltissimissimo. Mi sono rivista in tutte le ragazze, dall'implacabile Silvia all'incerta, volubile Emanuela, dalla sfortunata Milly all'eterna studentessa Augusta. Non volevo mai lasciarle. Quel finale amarissimo, ma realistico, me lo tengo stampato nel cuore. Bello, bello. 

Freaking hell, what was that ending?! Allie, you cruel, cruel author. How am I supposed to wait for book three now?! *sobs uncontrollably*

"Twisted Shadows" was an absolute rollercoaster ride of a book. It's dark, it's action-packed, it's twisted yes, and it's fueled by tensions, cliffhangers, betrayals, shocking discoveries and a truckload of emotional gut-punches. It's also funny, delightful, even sweet at times, and the romance? I was HOOKED. Thoroughly obsessed from the very start; I never wanted to stop reading.
Allie Therin is such an amazingly good writer, and I swear, she keeps getting better and better with each book.

This series has become one of my favourites of the past few years: the world-building is absolutely fabulous, damned fascinating (the whole thing about empaths is GENIUS, and although I sooooooo wish they'd just stop getting corrupted and stay their normal, sweetie-pie selves to save my sanity and my heart from despair/hurt/uncontrollable sobbing, I know there's supposed to be conflict in books, I do know that *stomps feet angrily*) and the writing is fantastic. Brilliant, funny, emotional, perfection.

The plot was WILD.
We'd left Reece and Evan in a sort of an okay-ish place at the end of book one, but book two starts off with a bang. Reece's in a liminal state, drowning in anxiety and fear about his quite-possibly-imminent corruption, and Evan's on the other side of the country doing secret spy shenanigans, and while he's still the same mysterious, unfeeling empath hunter as always, he seems to have developed an attachment to a certain empath troublemaker. Betrayal's afoot though, and Reece and Evan can't seem to catch a break and they definitely can't (and won't!) stop thinking about each other as well.

The plot and the pacing were fabulous. It was a crescendo of tension and twist and turns from the very start to the very end; I was on the edge of my seat the whole time. And that ending? I have nothing else to say except: whelp.

I love a multi-POV series, and although Reece (and now Evan!) are the two main POVs and characters, I still enjoyed following all the other characters around in this wild, complex story that Allie has created. All of the characters were fantastic, but Jamey and Aisha were my favourites, apart from the two leads obviously!

Speaking of which... needless to say, I adored them both, and their relationship had me in an even bigger chokehold during this book. Their sexual and romantic tension were TOP-NOTCH, delicious, no notes, just chef's kissing all around; and ALLLLLL that flirting? God, it made me blush and giggle. The best thing was how we finally get to see Evan's walls come tumbling down around Reece: I think I might have underlined half of their conversations. The sweet way both of them care for one another despite the insurmountable divide between them and the fact that they're supposed to be enemies? Gah, I loved them. Theirs is the slowest burn to ever burn, and I'm sure after all the turmoil and heartache, their HEA will be the absolute sweetest thing, but boyyyyyy does it hurt now.

< He owed Reece some choice words about the picture, but what he said was, “Hey, Care Bear.” Reece’s lips curved up. “Hey.” >


< Once upon a time, he might have looked at a person and thought I want to be with them because they make me happy. He didn’t think things like that anymore, but if someone hit him just right, his body still jerked. Still sat up and took notice and wanted. And Reece? Hit exactly right. >


< “So what’s my job?” Reece said. “Looking cute in that hoodie. And you’re already real good at it.” >

MY PRECIOUS BABIES.

Anyway, I don't know what to do with myself now; the book hangover is going to hurttttttttt. Ugh. It was worth it though.

I can't wait to re-read this book when it's out in December, but in the meantime: *sobs uncontrollably* HOW COULD YOU ALLIE 😭

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

Very cute novella: I really enjoyed reading about Jiron and Wyatt. Jiron deserves his HEA so damn much, and I was so happy to see him take care of himself for once. Wyatt was adorable.

Mat and Ren and Luis and El's cameos as always left me with a huge smile on my face: the found family vibes of this series are impeccable. I'm so happy I finally managed to finish this series. I can't wait for Adelaide Blaike's next release!

TWs/CWs: torture, rape threat, violence. 

What a lovely conclusion to this thrilling series. 
This is how I love my contemporaries! Romantic and funny, for sure, but also absolutely packed with feels, emotional upheavals and that right amount of angst to make everything feel more worthwhile. 
I've been waiting for Luca and Travis' story for quite a long time, and I'm so glad Casey Cox decided to give us their romance, finally! It was as hot and romantic as I'd hoped. It was also fairly complicated, fraught with ups-and-downs, secrets and hidden fears; I'm really satisfied with how they finally managed to reach their HEA after so many years of push-and-pulls and second chances. Everything's finally come to the light, and each one of the Kings brothers can finally have their hard-fought-for HEA. And that epilogue? I swooned so hard.

I've loved Travis since the very beginning, and I loved him to bits here as well; same with Luca, although his personality felt less fleshed-out than Travis' or any of the King brothers' love interests; I still adored him. But Travis? God, that man. A flirty, surprisingly thoughtful, surprisingly anxious, mess of a man. I loved seeing his brothers take care of him for once, and I adored being in his head. The only thing I kinda wished had been dealt with differently was the whole subplot about his dad;

I didn't love the fact that his father physically abusing him was kinda glossed over, and I'd have LOVED to see him finally get the comeuppance he so rightly deserved. But yeah, it was glossed over and it left me feeling slightly less satisfied; or maybe I was just missing that "everything comes to a heed, everything is revealed" scene that always make a series feel more complete.

Anyway, regardless, I loved this book, and I'm so sad to be saying goodbye to Kings of Airlie and their messy, but lovely found family. Also, how cool is kitesurfing?! Gimme all the unusual sport romances recs!

TWs/CWs: child abuse (SA, mentioned; physical abuse), murder, drug abuse, addiction.

 Of course I finished this in a single sitting. OF COURSE.

Alessandra, the way you make us readers go feral (pun intended!): I swear her writing is literally crack in book form.
"Forbidden" was exactly what I was hoping for; actually, scratch that, it was even better than my wildest expectations. I've been waiting for Aksel and Lucien's story since "Unnatural" and wow, I'm not sure how to rate these books anymore. "Unnatural" and "Feral" were my favourites, but this fifth installment might just reach the top of the podium. Or, maybe, they'll all have to share the first place: I don't make the rules, sorry.
Anyway, I loved this book to bits: it's angsty, packed with pining and "I love you but we can never be together" feels, but also wonderfully romantic too; that surprised me, since Aksel and Lucien's relationship is anything but simple, and it quite also might be the most codependent relationship AH has written (I love that she keeps raising the bar in everyone of her latest releases LOL), but it's also so damn gentle and respectful and loving and sweet. Obviously, they're both possessive as hell, okay? And there's a whole lot of "I need to leave you for your own good, so I'll break both of our damn hearts in the process" (and yeah, the forbidden-ish aspect of the story is very much there!), but I felt like their relationship was fairly balanced out, and I adored how whipped both of them were for the other. Aksel wants to give Lucien the world, and Lucien's literally soooooo soft and indulgent with him: I seriously swooned for half of the book.

Also, this book is packed with steam. PACKED with delicious, toe-curling, where's-my-fan, steam: lactation kink (I NEED THE RECS!!!!!!!), half-shifted shenanigans, lots and lots of "we shouldn't but we will because we're mates and I can't resist you" steam. I loved every single minute of it.

The Haydn/Royce crumbs made me want to do a re-read of their book, and while I'm at it I might as well re-read the whole series. Whoops.
I need my AH fix ASAP.
I'm very curious to see who the next story will be about (I have my suspicious, but we'll see!!), but yeah, in the meantime... re-read o'clock it is.

TWs/CWs: gang-rape (in the past, mentioned but not described in detail), victim-blaming, body dysmorphia and self-hate directed to one's body, talks of pregnancy and fertility issues. 

What an absolutely delightful start to a series that I'm already thoroughly obsessed with! I adored "Star-Crossed Betas": it had everything my romance-loving heart could wish for.
Arranged marriage with a double whammy of enemies-to-lovers-to-enemies-to-lovers once again AND second chance romance? Shifters, pack politics, hidden secrets, betrayals, a fab cast of side characters that I already adore? Two main characters who are kinda sunshine/grumpy personified, featuring lots of pining and "I'm trying to hold a grudge here but I still love you desperately and I also find you smoking hot"? I was hooked from the very beginning.

Connor and Phoenix are wonderful protagonists. I admit, I had a soft spot for Phoenix: overburdened, responsible disaster of a man who's got a lovely golden retriever personality when he's finally able to let go? I loved him. I loved being in his head, and I seriously wanted to jump into the book and protect him. He makes mistakes sure, but he's also the self-sacrificing type: I adored how selfless and lovely he was. Connor was a bit more tricky for me to love thoroughly; I usually adore the grumpy, snarky, walls-a-mile-wide-around-their-heart kind of character, but he spent quite a lot of time jumping to conclusions when a simple question, or maybe just thinking before acting, would have saved him (and Phoenix) (and me!) a whole lot of pain and hurt. I do love prickly characters like him, but he was a smidge too mean to Phoenix at times. Anyway, that said, I did like being in his head, and I adored the character arc he goes through!
Their romance was amazing: I love a good ol' second chance romance; the pining is always so delicious, and the enemies-to-lovers subplot going on was the cherry on the cake.

I can't believe this is Emory Winters debut! I truly adored it, and I'd seriously sell my soul to the devil to have the second book already. I'm so damn curious about what will happen: despite this book having a wonderful ending, the outside plot kinda ends on a bit of cliffhanger, and I cannot wait to see what will happen, and I also cannot wait to meet the next MCs properly. I think I'm already imagining stories for alllllll the side characters, because I seriously loved them all. From Niamh and Alice to Sam and Will and Noah... I can't wait to discover what will happen next.

Also, I'd have definitely given this book another star if the situation with Phoenix's mum had had a better resolve: there was this big secret Phoenix was keeping, and I expected it to have more consequences or, at least, a better/bigger resolution. I was expecting somebody would at least confront his mum about her abusing her role but yeah; I think it will definitely be talked about more in the second book because the plot is very much ongoing, but I'd had hoped Connor would have at least done something more when discovering this secret.

Anyway, regardless, I adored "Star-Crossed Betas": the world-building and pack politics were absolutely fascinating, the writing was fantastic, and the pining and romance were both out of this world. That, coupled with a fantastic cast of characters, made this book an unforgettable read, and I can't wait to read more by this author.

Thanks GRR for the ARC. This is my honest review.