booksbyec's reviews
317 reviews

 

ARC Review - Pumped by Linden Bell

I have been waiting for this book and it did not disappoint. This book is more in the feels then you would expect. We know going into the book that grief will be a big part of the storyline but what Linden has done so well is to show that grief is not linear. the book also show that everyone grieve in different ways and it is important to not dismiss and diminish someone's grief just because they don't grieve as you do

Owen is the stoic one and Everst is the fun loving one, but they grow and with time they see that they complement each other instead of just being opposites. 

Tbh me and Owen had a one sided love hate relationship going on in the beginning of this book. I don't know if it is because I see myself more in the character of Everest than Owen. But that quickly turned into just love. 

I like the flow of the storyline and the fact that these two characters can meet in the middle. But Linden also gives them the space to clash in the ordinary instances of life, like what should we feed a small child etc. It gives it a “real” feel because it is not perfect and it shows that you will make mistakes along the way but as long as you and your partner can work together everything will be good in the end. 

Also that bonus scene 🥵🥵🥵 Soooo steamy, pun intended 

 

ARC Review - Devoted by Lark Taylor
Hopeless Blessed Book 2

This book was very sweet and a perfect second book in the series. We get the spice, slow burn-ish, funny moments and the intensity of heavenly people being more on the dark side than the light side. IYKYK 

Zeke is an angel with a tough exterior and a heart of gold and when he meets Sam in an online game something just clicks. 

Sam is one of my new favourite characters, he is wonderfully written. He struggles with OCD and anxiety for instance and it is a big part of the storyline. But what I liked is; “Yes this is a big part of who he is” but in the end it won't be the only thing that defines how he lives his life. Because he is just so much more than his struggles. 

I know very little about OCD but I do know some things about living with anxiety, so my heart was hurting when Sam was the most down. 

FYI The way that this book depicts these disorders can and will differ from how other people live with them and that is okay. Because not anyone's situation is the same and people do and react to things differently. As Lark points out in the beginning, Sam is built on her experiences and those can be different from others with OCD. 

My biggest takeaway from this book is that Zeke is not trying to fix Sam. He just tries to figure out what he can do to help make it easier for Sam to function in a relationship between the two of them. I am being vague, I know but I don't want to give too much away. 

I will say though I thoroughly enjoy the suspense in what the b!tch Gloria from heaven will do next. I have a feeling she and her cohorts won't back down easily and I hope all of them can give her a fight and not break beyond repair. 

 

Conflicted by Lark Taylor

Hopeless Blessed Book 1

I devoured this book and I mean it I think I finished in about 6 hours, I couldn’t put it down. 

I have read the Damned Connections series by Lark Taylor so I knew some things about Nox and Micah. Especially the fact that they as a demon and an angel will hate each other from first sight. That may have been true, but Nox and Micah also feel an instant connection and attraction when they first lay eyes on each other. It turns out that they are fated mates and everything that entails. 

This book has a bit of everything. Spicy spice, enemies to lovers, fighting between heaven and hell, funny moments and a lot of working on their feelings. Just because they are fated mates doesn't mean that life is golden. They are pulled in different directions and people around and above them have a hard time accepting the fact that an angel and a demon can fall in love. 

It’s hard to explain what made me so drawn to these two characters, I think it is the realization that they are more alike than they first think. They both work in the grey area of all good/all bad. I also think the fact that they both care more for each other than the other person realizes drives the story forward. Because in the end both of them just want the other person to live a happy life even if they are not in it and that brings out the big sacrifices and love gestures. 

I enjoy the way Lark writes about heaven and hell as places in the grey area. Hell is not all bad and heaven is not all good and that for me is refreshing. The fight they go through to be together is what pulled me in and made me read the book as fast as I did. The “fight” may have been solved for now but I just know this storyline will follow us through all the Hopeless Blessed books and I am here for it. 

 

 

End It All by Skyler Snow & Brea Alepoú

Vitale Brothers Book 5

I have been waiting to read this book and now I am so happy that I have read it but also sad that it's over. 

Blake and Quincy nearly knocked Benito and Harlow off the list of my favorite pair from Skyler and Brea. But in the end it's hard to knock those two over. 

I loved the way Blake and Quincy’s story went back and forth, you were never really sure how things would end. The chaos both incites, the push and pull but also the fact that they care about each other when they shouldn’t. 

Blake may be new to the Vitale family but he fits in well, he balances them out.  In Quincy's case, I like that they give him a different kind of backstory. He loves his mum as much as he hates her and they way he had to grow up. And I liked that we got a bit more about Harlows and his backstory and why they are so close. I don’t want to give too much away, because this book is fast paced and so much happens over a short period of time. 

The book is as always spicy and a bit unhinged, but this is why we love this universe that Skyler and Brea have created. 

The fact that Papa Vitale is going to get his own book, I think, is a good thing. Many hate him and I am with you there. But I also think not everything is as straightforward as it seems. 

 

ARC Review - The Fly-Half by Charlie Novak
Lincoln Knights Book 2

I absolutely enjoy losing myself in Charlie Novaks Rugby Romance world of Lincoln Knights. I may not know anything about Rugby but I don't feel lost reading which is big kudos to Charlie. 

The Fly-Half is a low angst best friend's to lovers book and yes they are idiots in the beginning but who can fault them. It's hard putting your heart out on the line when you have been burnt before. 

Devon has been in love with his best friend for years but has never dared to take the plunge, because Jonny is his straight best friend right?!?

Jonny is feeling things for his best friend that he has never felt before and he has abit of a hard time expressing these feelings without getting possessive af. 

We get to follow Devon & Jonny on the steady path to find love and along the way we also get a dash of Rugby, D&D and loud s*x that disturb the roommates. IYKYK 
It's spicy and it gives us that frantic “we just got together and can't keep our hands to ourselves” vibe a lot of new couples have. It also tackles how the teammates and friends of Devon and Jonny navigate and help them through the change from best friends to lovers. 

I enjoy reading something low angst that concentrates more on the journey of the characters both physically and mentally then the angst. Sometimes this is just what you need. This is just a perfect weekend read. This is part of a series and yes I have read the first book, but I would say it is not 100% necessary to read that book first to enjoy this one. But if you want the full experience read The Tighthead first.

I can't wait for the rest of the Lincoln Night's stories. I also need to start Charlie's series The Court, because there are some interesting side characters from the Lincoln books that get their HEA over there. 

ARC Review - The Gospel according to Gray Collins by Lance Lansdale

This is the prequel to We Burn Beautiful. I haven't read WBB yet and after reading this book I know I will, but I am just going to need some time to calm down. 

I won't tell you too much about the book because I think in this case it is better that you form your own opinions. But let me tell you it will be a tough pill to swallow. I was warned that something bad was going to happen, but dammit I didn’t think it would be like that. So please read the warnings beforehand.

I am usually a person that sees redemption arcs for most characters, but there is one person in this book that I hope will meet a painful end. As a scorpio with a temper to match, if this person was a real one, they would hurt… 
I think I have never met a character in a book or film that I hated more and this is a testament to Lance's brilliant writing. I needed time to calm down and not rage before writing this. 

This book is heavily infused with religion and as an atheist but also as an Swede that grew up with a very open view of religion, it’s quite interesting to see the journey that people make when devoting themselves to a god. 
And it made me think about the fact that some people in the world are so indoctrinated in their beliefs and won’t leave their small circle of “land”. And when they are scared of people that are “different”, hurting said person is the only “right” way for them to act. For me it doesn't make sense that they can hide behind their religion/beliefs when questioned; Why did they do this heinous thing?. Because one thing is for sure they are not God and they never will be. 

This book has really left me reeling but also left me questioning the state of humanity. Maybe this was not what Lance intended when writing this book, but somehow this story is a reflection of what is going on in the world. Maybe not in the details but in how things seem to shape up and that is making me want to fight even harder for what is right.