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booksjenrecs's reviews
292 reviews
His Tesoro by Emilia Rossi
adventurous
dark
tense
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
3.75
A Kiss of Iron by Clare Sager
A Kiss of Iron has a lot of elements that fans of all the bestselling fae romances will love to see appearing here. In fact, Sager packed so much into this book that the length and amount of things happening ended up being the only negatives for me. I thought this book could’ve easily been split in two, breaking up everything that happened to Kat so it didn’t seem like so much. Poor Kat could’ve used a break.
adventurous
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Wow, wow, wow. Sager put so much into this first book in the series that I was left wondering time and time again what more she could throw into a single book. A Kiss of Iron could’ve easily been two separate books (both length-wise and plot-wise), but Sager ended up keeping me intrigued and enthralled from start to finish, despite the loaded plot.
I loved both Kat and Bastian. They both had their parts to play at court, and both were keeping a lot from the other, but you could see how real they were to each other even through the deception. Both main characters has such great character development, and it was a journey to see how far Kat had come from the first chapter until the end. Kat was often put in impossible situations - sometimes through no fault of her own - and I thought the way she responded to and dealt with each new obstacle was wholly realistic for her character. Well before the halfway point, I fully felt like I knew this character.
I love a good fae x human romance, and I love it even more when I don’t have to wonder how such drastically different lifespans are going to make it work. While Sager didn’t actually outright solve this issue in this first book, she did plant the seeds for how Kat and Bastian can make it work in the long run.
A Kiss of Iron has a lot of elements that fans of all the bestselling fae romances will love to see appearing here. In fact, Sager packed so much into this book that the length and amount of things happening ended up being the only negatives for me. I thought this book could’ve easily been split in two, breaking up everything that happened to Kat so it didn’t seem like so much. Poor Kat could’ve used a break.
Overall, though, this was a great fae romantasy that featured a packed plot and some great characters. The rest of this series is definitely on my TBR, and I can’t wait to see what comes next for Kat and Bastian.
Four Ruined Realms by Mai Corland
adventurous
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? N/A
4.25
Victory for Vampires by Hazel Mack
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A
3.75
Ravager: A Dark Viking Romance Novella by Karina Halle
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
Ravager gave me a lot to love as a dark romance, but I ended up feeling like it fell just short of being something I truly loved. I think I would’ve loved this more as a dark romance just between Cherine and Erik, but throwing Rolf into the mix often seemed like too much without any real payoff. I felt no connection between Rolf and Cherine; even when Cherine claimed she was initially enjoying her time spent with Rolf, I couldn’t feel any real connection between them. To me, Rolf was nothing but a catalyst to draw Erik and Cherine closer together, and everything physical between Rolf and Cherine was just wasted words on the page.
Erik was where it was at for me. I loved that Erik was portrayed as a reformed man. By the time Cherine meets Erik, he no longer associates with the man he once was, and he spends his journey throughout the novella proving he’s changed, both to himself and his Viking brothers. For me, Erik was a much more developed character than Rolf, and he was the easiest one to relate to.
This romance doesn’t stray too far into dark romance territory. As a MFM romance, there are no swords crossing and we only truly get one scene where all three characters are involved. Again, I think I would’ve enjoyed this story more without the distraction of Rolf, as he only seemed to detract from the endgame of Cherine and Erik.
Overall, the darker aspects of this story were just “meh” for me. I liked Cherine as a strong female character and liked her storyline with Erik, but it felt like most of the romance was trying too hard to be something it wasn’t.
The Games Gods Play by Abigail Owen
adventurous
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? Yes
5.0
Oh, how this book pulled me in right from chapter one, and left me reeling through to the very last chapter.
I love Greek myth retellings, and Abigail Owen managed to weave a perfect blend of mythology and modern into Lyra and the other contestants’ trials. I immediately loved Lyra - a girl cursed by Zeus to be unlovable - and my admiration only grew for her throughout the Crucible trials.
Between the humans chosen by the gods and goddesses and the whole of the Greek pantheon (plus Hades) itself, there were so many characters to love and hate. As usual when it comes to the Greek gods, there were a lot of secrets and tricks up their sleeves, particularly when it came to Hades himself. I loved this version of Hades, though. While he had a lot of secrets and ulterior motives, he had the perfect amount of smolder and love for his chosen family, making him the ultimate love interest for a character who’s never been loved.
The back and forth between Lyra and Hades (and Lyra and Charon. And Lyra and Cerberus) was top-notch. While Lyra might not have known why Hades chose her for most of the Crucible, it was clear from the very beginning that Lyra belonged more with Hades than she ever did with her found family in the Overworld.
I loved the creativity that Owen put into each trial. Not only was each physical challenge unique, but the way the gods and goddesses gave secret favors and boons to their humans added an extra layer of uncertainty to each task. Nothing was certain, and I loved all the players in this game.
The ending made me gasp out loud, and I can’t wait to read the next chapter in Hades and Lyra’s story.
Five Broken Blades by Mai Corland
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? N/A
4.0
Death's Obsession by Avina St. Graves
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
A Realm of Fear & Fury by Miranda Joy
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
4.75
The finale to the Courts of Malice trilogy was everything I was hoping for and more. Alessia, Rainer, and all their friends (both new and old) fought through so much in this series, and Miranda Joy gave them the ending they all deserved.
As a character, Alessia has come so far since we were introduced to her in the first book. She has grown so much, both mentally and emotionally, and I absolutely loved the character she became throughout this third book. This third installment had Alessia's toughest journey, and I ended up loving every nail-biting moment. From finding her place in a new home to finding peace and love with Rainer, A Realm of Fear & Fury gave Alessia the ending she deserved.
I will admit, I'm not usually a huge fan of a slow burn romance. Waiting until the third book in a trilogy for any real spice would normally make me want to put the book down, but there was just so much between Alessia and Rainer that I truly enjoyed that build up between them. Their love for each other was evident, whether they were together or apart.
There was so much character growth and world building throughout this series, and Miranda didn't slow down when it came to the final book in this series. We visited new places, met new people, and I remained fully immersed in the lush descriptions until the very end. A Realm of Fear & Fury was the perfect end to Rainer and Alessia's journey and a fantastic gateway to more adventures and romances within this world.
Legacy of Chaos by Larissa Ione
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? Yes
4.5