amateur_bookworm's reviews
587 reviews

House of Sky and Breath: Part 1 of 2 by Sarah J. Maas

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adventurous 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

The House of Sky and Breath is the second book of Sarah J. Maas’s Crescent City fantasy series. I previously read this book in February 2024 and I’m really enjoying listening to the GraphicAudio version of the series. GraphicAudio has a full cast and sound effects and is billed as “a movie in your mind.” It most definitely lives up to that. 

I do enjoy the full cast and sound effect and think it’s a fun way to listen. That being said, I feel like the action of this story really doesn’t get going until the last half of the book. So, I’m excited for Part 2 to finish this book off. I felt like this dragged a bit for me, especially towards the end. 
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The Pumpkin Spice Café by Laurie Gilmore

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

4.0

The Pumpkin Spice Cafe is a cozy romance featuring a small town, gossipy locals, a reclusive farmer, and all the pumpkin spice that you could want. 

I’m trying to be better about reading seasonal books in the right season. After seeing this book all over the place, I had to give in and read it for myself. It’s cute for the season. It’s a very light read and there’s hardly any strife. I definitely recommend this as a fluffy read or a palate cleanser after an intense book. 

I enjoyed the quirky townspeople (especially the smutty book club!). I found the characters to be relatable and likable, but I also found myself unable to get very invested in the story. I was a bit bored and just kinda wanted it to end so I can move on to something more exciting. I do think I’ll read the next book in the series but probably not until I’m looking for a comfort read. 
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Sunday Morning by Jewel E. Ann

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emotional funny reflective sad fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

Have you ever picked up a book and within only the first few pages, you already knew it was going to be a five star read? This is one of those books for me. I was so pulled into this story and so invested in the outcome of these characters. This is five stars based entirely on vibes alone, because I’m actually not that ok with the plot here. 

But, seriously, what is in this book? Crack? I literally couldn’t put it down. I read it straight through until I couldn’t stay awake anymore—and then I finished it early in the morning before work. 

Guys. I can’t do a cheating trope. It’s a no-go for me. And this book flipped that opinion right on its head. I hate that I love a book that’s basically all about infidelity. And, I was even rooting for it to happen with Sarah and Isaac!

This book brought out all the emotions. I smiled, I laughed, I swooned, I cried. I rooted for Sarah the whole way through and felt what she felt. I fell in love with Isaac right alongside Sarah. I loved all the 80s throwback mentions. I love all of the music (do yourself a favor and listen to all the songs for each chapter). 
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How My Neighbor Stole Christmas by Meghan Quinn

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

4.0

If you’re looking for a cutesy and festive Christmas read with some spice, then check this one out! Meghan Quinn never fails to make me laugh and this book is no exception. A lot of it is pretty cheesy but some parts had me actually laughing out loud. 

The American Girl dolls made me laugh so many times throughout this book. I had Samantha (still do—tucked away in a box—not haunting anyone) so I especially enjoyed the references. 

This is definitely a fun Christmas read. I enjoyed the characters and the town. The banter is fun. The spice is nice. But I wish this had just a bit more substance to it and wasn’t quite as cheesy. I felt like the enemies portion went on way too long, then I started getting into it at about the halfway point, and then the ending felt really rushed. I am always here for the fake dating and enemies to lovers tropes, and I enjoyed those portions of the book the most. 
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Trapshooting Techniques by Clyde Martz

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informative fast-paced

4.0

Very succinct and basic. It’s a quick read but packs in enough information to have it be a good overview. Nothing groundbreaking in here but it’s a good reinforcement of things I’ve already read or been told. 
What Doesn't Kill Us: Ends Duet, Book 2 by MercyAnn Summers, MercyAnn Summers

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dark mysterious slow-paced

2.0

This is the second book of the Ends World duet. Like most duologies, the first book ends with a cliffhanger and book two starts right where it left off. Overall, this book is heavy on the dark and very light on both the romance and the plot. The characters are unrelatable, the events of the book are implausible, and the author keeps the plot a secret from the reader throughout almost the entirety of the duet. The only good thing about this book is it’s on Kindle Unlimited. 

The author waits until the midway point of this second book of the duet before starting to dole out any actual information to the reader to clue you in on the plot. And—even then—it hardly clears up the confusion through that point. 

Antoinette gave me whiplash in this book with her feelings for Darius wildly swinging from love to hate with no discernible cause. The phrase “f*ck around and find out” was so overused that it was grating. There is a bit of smut but not anywhere near enough to justify the complete lack of plot. The whole duet feels very chaotic, and not in a good way. 

The only reason I forced myself to read this book is because I wanted the closure of knowing how the story ends (and starts, honestly). I’m literally incapable of DNF-ing a book once I start reading. Long story short, I should’ve just skipped this one. 
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Ends of Being by MercyAnn Summers

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

2.75

This is the first book of the Ends Duet. So, as with any duet, expect it to end in a cliffhanger. I usually like to know that it is a duology when going into a book, because it generally means that you have to read both books to get the complete story. And that is the case with this book. 

This is a dark romance, but it’s heavy on the dark and light on the romance. I never felt any chemistry between Antoinette and Darius. There really isn’t any character development. I didn’t feel any connection to any of the characters. They are not relatable or likable. There is spice, but not nearly as much as I would expect a book like this to have in it. 

I’m not sure I’ve ever been more frustrated by a book. I understand when an author leaves the readers in suspense and then slowly doles out information to add to the intrigue. But this book leaves you completely in the dark through almost the entirety of the book. Nothing is ever clearly explained. And then the ending leaves you with more questions than answers. Which, it’s a duet, I get it, it’s pretty much expected to be left on a cliffhanger. But it just left me annoyed. 

Overall, It’s hard to engage with the story when you have no idea what is happening and it makes the whole book feel chaotic. I spent the entire book confused and then it ends with a cliffhanger that leaves you even more confused. I’m trying to decide if reading the next book is even worth it. Without any connection to any of the characters, I almost don’t care enough to bother finding out what happens by reading the next book. But, being a glutton for punishment, I will likely read the next book to give myself some closure. 
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Double Play by A.K. Landow

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funny lighthearted relaxing 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

This is such a cute and funny (and spicy!) sports romance. I actually laughed out loud at times. It kept me turning pages and I really enjoyed reading it. I just love how much Layton and Arizona are in love. 

It didn’t take long for me to be swooning for Layton. I love how much he is into Arizona’s softball career and how supportive he is through the whole book. I love Arizona’s confidence. The dynamic with the friend group of teammates is really fun. The banter definitely keeps you on your toes. I did get a little frustrated with the plot twist and some of the spice was cringey, but I really enjoyed the overall vibes of this one! 

(Also, you’re a total liar if you say you didn’t Google whether Harry Styles has four nipples.)
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Milo by E.L. Lewis

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

2.5

Milo is a mafia romance and is E. L. Lewis’s first dark romance. She has also written a couple of contemporary romance books and one YA fiction book. 

I did not enjoy this book. I received it as an ARC, which is the only reason that I pushed through it.   I almost DNF after only a third of the book. Besides the fact that it is riddled with typos, the author has very repetitive and odd word choice throughout (I actually wondered if it was badly translated to English from a different language.) The dialogue is cheesy, cringey, and unrealistic—no one would ever say these kinds of things in real life. 

Overall, it is very character driven—and I don’t like any of the characters. It feels like the author doesn’t know what feelings she’s trying to set in any of the scenes. Nothing in the story feels developed throughout the book. She also makes glaringly obvious mistakes with her firearm references (for example, revolvers don’t have clips). And these are the stupidest and most inept mafia men in the world.

The writing is told from the perspective of Kiara and her inner monologue made me want to chuck my Kindle against the wall. She is ridiculously immature and melodramatic. And her thinking she’s smarter than everyone else was laughable. 

There is zero buildup of romance between Milo and Kiara, other than a few comments that she finds him attractive. The smut isn’t good and I found it to be extremely cringey and rushed.

The plot twist is predictable because the author makes obvious references throughout the book towards it. It was overall a grind to get through and I do not recommend. There are much better dark and mafia romances out there.
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Beyond Reasonable Doubt by Robert Dugoni

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mysterious tense medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.25

Beyond Reasonable Doubt by Robert Dugoni is the second book of the Keera Duggan series. A twisty legal thriller, Dugoni weaves the story together by following Keera, the defense attorney, while some parts follow Frank Rossi, one of the detectives assigned to the case.

I really enjoy the strong female lead characters that Robert Dugoni writes. He also writes the Tracey Crosswhite series, a police detective series. Across both series, the women are very capable in their fields and respected. Keera and Tracey both feel very real to me and I’m happy to see that Keera’s story has expanded into a series instead of being a standalone. The obstacles they face professionally feel quite relatable as a female and I love rooting for them to prevail. 

I like that the writing allows you to grasp the story from multiple angles. Starting with a flashback, it then expands into both the perspectives of the defense attorney and one of the detectives. I wish there was a bit more backstory and development of Frank Rossi, but I appreciate that his character doesn’t overwhelm Keera’s character. 

The trial portion of the book had me on the edge of my seat and I read most of it in one sitting. The history that Keera had with the defendant when they were younger gave the story depth. The resolution did leave me wanting a bit more clarity though, so that did lower my overall rating a bit. Although this is not one of my favorite Robert Dugoni books, it is definitely worth the read. 
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