amateur_bookworm's reviews
573 reviews

emotional funny lighthearted medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? No

4.5

The Path to Loving Him is the third book of Meghan Quinn’s Almond Bay series. It’s a small town romance that starts off with a bang. It’s really sweet to see how much Ryland and Gabby each put their family first and you can’t help but root for all of them along the way.

I really enjoyed this one. Both Ryland and Gabby each have pretty traumatic pasts so it’s really satisfying to watch their relationship unfold and see them both happy. And the spice hits in chapter two, so this book has that going for it also. I loved the baseball theme of the book and how capable and respected Gabby is with the team. And Ryland will always have my heart as the big protector and for how sweet he is raising his niece. I teared up at several parts of the book (but with happy tears!).

I cracked up at all the romance book references throughout. And Meghan Quinn’s banter is still top notch here, but there’s a lot more touchy-feely family-first themes in this one that really hit the mark for me. I definitely recommend this one.

Content Warnings

Pack Darling Duology by Lola Rock

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medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.5

Pack Darling by Lola Rock is a two book duology. It’s a slow burn, reverse harem MMFMMM omegaverse romance with humans and no shifting.

What is an omegaverse, you ask? Well, I didn’t know before this one either. Omegaverse refers to a subgenre of spicy romance featuring alphas, betas, and omegas. Alphas are the powerful and aggressive leaders and there are not very many of them. Betas are your typical average members of society and most of the population falls into this category. Omegas are the most rare and sexually submissive to the alphas. There are heats and knotting and scenting. There’s a great Reddit post in r/RomanceBooks that explains it well titled Omegaverse: Genre 101 + Discussion.

I got this book in my first ever Probably Smut book box. I was so excited to get this one and this edition is absolutely gorgeous. It is almost too pretty to read. I think this is a great selection for the month.

I went into this not really knowing what to expect. But I absolutely adored it and blew through both parts of the duology. I hardly put it down. I love Lilah’s strength but I hate her brokenness for her. She is such a strong and tough character even though my heart broke for her over again throughout. She’s such a badass. The guys were a bit tougher to nail down and I’m still not entirely sure why Jett’s and Finn’s characters were the way they were. But at least they all knew how to grovel.

Overall, I loved this book so much. But it’s also a little weird, which I think is why it works for me. Lilah made the whole story.

Content Warnings

Fourth Wing (Part 2 of 2) (Dramatized Adaptation) by Rebecca Yarros

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adventurous emotional tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? No

5.0

Fourth Wing by Rebecca Yarros is the first book of her Empyrean series. It is a fantasy book featuring dragons, daring riders, a cutthroat war college, love, and a stronger-than-she-looks main character.

I have read this book twice and am now listening to the GraphicAudio versions of this and Iron Flame before Onyx Storm is released. I swear this book just gets better and better each time I read or listen to it. I just love this one so much.

I really enjoy the GraphicAudio dramatized versions of fantasy books and this one is no exception. I especially like the narrator for Violet. The full cast is excellent. I wish there weren’t quite as many sound effects and noises throughout, but particularly in the sex scenes (although it did make me laugh).

Content Warnings

Fourth Wing (Part 1 of 2) (Dramatized Adaptation) by Rebecca Yarros

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adventurous emotional tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? No

5.0

Content Warnings

My December Darling by Lauren Asher

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lighthearted fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.25

My December Darling by Lauren Asher is a cute holiday romance. And I love revisiting Lake Wisteria any chance I get. The small town setting is perfect for this one. I’m typically not a big fan of novellas but this felt developed enough that I enjoyed it like a full length book even with being a quick reed.

The part of this book that won me over was the Legos. Introverted adults whose idea of a good time is staying home and building complicated Lego sets? Count me in! I absolutely loved that whole component of the story. I mean Dr. Darling is cute and sweet and thoughtful and all that, but, really, he had me at the Legos.

Strangers in Time by David Baldacci

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emotional sad tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.0

Strangers in Time by David Baldacci is a historical fiction novel set in London during WW2. It’s a standalone book.

I enjoyed watching the unlikely alliance form between Charlie, Molly, and Oliver and continue to unfold through the book. It was tough to read all of the devastating losses they each experienced. I didn’t know much about London during WW2 so this was a bit eye-opening.

I definitely prefer David Baldacci’s modern thrillers. This was a slow starter for me and most of the plot twists felt either pretty predictable or a bit undeveloped. I do appreciate that the book has chapter titles and they’re not just numbered, as I think it sets the stage for each chapter. But it overall felt that there were just too many subplots happening that weren’t explored well enough.

Although this is not my fave David Baldacci novel nor my fave WW2 book, I am glad that I read it. David Baldacci is one of my favorite authors and I always look forward to his new releases as I’ve read his full backlist.

Content Warnings

Axes & O's by Kayla Grosse

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medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.5

Axes & O’s by Kayla Grosse is a super spicy MMF holiday romance. And I pretty much loved it from start to finish.

I enjoyed all of the narrators. It was really easy to follow along and the spicy parts are definitely spicy. I honestly would’ve been happy if it was a little longer. And I’ll definitely never look at a lumberjack the same after this.

Content Warnings

Pucking Sweet by Emily Rath

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medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

Pucking Sweet by Emily Rath is the third book of her Jacksonville Rays series. It is a spicy, why choose, hockey romance that runs concurrently with the prior books of the series. I did enjoy this one, although it was definitely not my favorite of the series.

I really like Poppy’s character and her accent. But it took me a bit to adjust to the change in narrators from the first two books. I definitely prefer the prior narrators of this series, as only Alex Kydd was the same one for this audiobook.

I’m glad to see there are more books coming in this series. I’ve really enjoyed all of these audiobooks so far and I plan to listen to the rest when they’re published.

Content Warnings

Baby Cakes by S.J. Tilly

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funny lighthearted fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? No

3.75

Baby Cakes by S.J. Tilly is a series of three holiday novellas but it reads as one story. It’s a cute and spicy romance centered around Christmas and New Year’s edition baking show specials.

So. I’m not saying that I read this solely based on the cover, but ….. well ….. anyway, I picked this up because of the cover. I do like S. J. Tilly’s writing too, so it wasn’t *only* based on the cover photo.

I think this one will be appreciated the most by anyone with a huge celebrity crush or is a big fan of GBBO. I can’t relate to either so it just felt like a really rushed insta-love story to me. I found it a little cringey and cheesy in parts, but I did still like the holiday setting of it. The holiday puns are both a bit eye roll inducing but also somehow festive.

Content Warnings

What Happened to the McCrays? by Tracey Lange

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emotional hopeful reflective sad medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.5

What Happened to the McCrays? by Tracey Lange is a poignant story about love, loss, and family. This one definitely tugs on the heartstrings. I just love her real and raw characters set in real life situations.

Tracey Lange is unmatched in capturing the messy and relatable drama of families and this book is no exception. I fell in love with Tracey Lange’s writing with her debut novel, We Are the Brennans. (I love the reference to the Brennans in here!)

This was an emotional one for me. My heart just broke over and over again, especially for Casey. I mean, how much heartache can one person endure in their lifetime?!? I enjoyed the story being told in dual timelines of the past and present so you see the whole relationship arc of Kyle and Casey. And I especially loved the youth hockey team in the story, since both of my boys played at about that same age.

If you’re looking for a family-centered drama then I highly recommend that you read this one and either, or both, of Tracey’s other two books.

Content Warnings

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amateur_bookworm's reviews 573 reviews

amateur_bookworm's reviews
573 reviews