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booksjenrecs's reviews
299 reviews
Nailed by Ames B. Winterbourne
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? N/A
4.0
Okay, yes, I've finally landed on the spicy sentient side of romance books. And I don't regret it. I expected this to be corny, full of innuendos, with absolutely no plot whatsoever. But Nailed actually included a little plot and had some unexpected backstory for Josie. At just over forty pages, I expected this to be very much wham-bam-thank you ma'am; what I didn't expect was character development for Josie and a nice little history lesson about hammer shifter aliens and how we got tools that look like the hammer aliens here on Earth.
Josie and her five mates definitely gave more than I was expecting. Sure, there were some silly moments that made me inwardly groan and more than a few hammer-related jokes, but this novella was a lot more palatable and less ridiculous than I was expecting. With five hammers in play, Nailed did challenge my imagination as I really had to work to picture exactly what was happening between Josie and the other five. But even making my imagination work a bit didn't lessen my overall enjoyment of this story. It was fun, it was fresh, and it was spicy. I may have went in with lower expectations, but Nailed far surpassed what I was hoping for and ended up being a nice escape.
Taking Out the Trash by Zoey Indiana, Zoey Indiana
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
3.75
A Dream of Fate & Flesh by Miranda Joy
adventurous
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.75
Y'all, Miranda Joy has done it again with another epic romantasy featuring some amazing characters and fantastic world building. I loved all the characters in the first Courts of Malice book and Joy took everything up a notch in this second book, giving us new insights into returning characters and even more reasons to love our favorites.
I loved how much further Joy took both the world building and the character growth in this story. Alessia has had so much development since starting off in the human world in the first book. She had to face a lot of tough choices and a lot of hard truths in this story, but she's finally becoming her own person and stepping into her own power because of the journey she had to go on. I just know all of Alessia's decisions will probably come back to bite her later, but I honestly can't wait to see the fallout.
I loved all the characters who supported Alessia on her journey. Rainer is a truly surly, self-sacrificing prince, and I love who he is around Alessia. He, too, grew from the first book and I can't wait to see what their relationship means for Avylon. Ken, one of my favorite supporting characters from the first book, makes a triumphant return and has some literal laugh-out-loud moments with Alessia in this book. As the plot gets darker, I can only hope Joy not only utilizes Ken to provide much-needed comedic relief, but also keeps him safe from whatever dangers are coming for Rainer and Alessia next.
Other fae, like Eoin and Ezamae, had such back and forth bickering that I couldn't help but smile so much of the time they were on the page together. Ez is a complicated character, but I truly hope to see much more of him in the rest of Alessia and Rainer's story.
From the very start of this series, I was swept away by the lush world building and detailed character development and all those things I loved have carried through to this second installment. I was caught up in Alessia's journey from start to finish, and I can't wait to see what comes next for the denizens of Avylon.
A Werewolf's Guide To Seducing a Vampire by Sarah Hawley
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
A Curse of Blood and Wolves by Melissa McTernan
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.25
The Next Best Fling by Gabriella Gamez
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
4.25
ReVamping the Librarian by Cali Mann, Mia Harlan
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? N/A
3.5
Janet and Archie's story was a quick read that still managed to have plot and character development, and gave me more than I was expecting in just over sixty pages.
Just when Janet was contemplating her life as a lonely librarian in a small-town library, she touches a magical book that sends her straight to Archie's doorstep. Archie, the vampire that he is, doesn't even blink an eye at a strange woman suddenly at his door. He does, however, walk her back to the library which is where they truly begin connecting.
With not a lot of pages, Mann and Harlan managed to create a paranormal world I would love to be a part of. Magic, vampires, a love for books. . . Archie even had a background in book binding that would pair well with any book lover.
ReVamping the Librarian was a quick read that ended up being cute and funny and the perfect little paranormal rom-com to pass the evening.
Threats of Jasmine by Kitt Lynn
medium-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
3.75
Whew. At times, Threats of Jasmine was truly a heavy story to read. Carys had a truly traumatic past which deeply affected her ability to live her life in the present, and it was often hard to see her trying to cope with her new situation and new pack. This might be an omegaverse story featuring an MMMFM romance, but there is so, so much more to this story than what goes on in the bedroom.
I love how Lynn developed each and every one of these characters. Carys had to be handled with caution if she was ever going to have a healing journey, and Kofi, Swanley, Isaac, and Judson were just the alphas and beta to help her. Each alpha may have had similar take-charge character traits, but Lynn made every single one of them unique and their own person. There was no doubt that each alpha served a very different purpose in Carys's life and healing, and I loved that each male was so distinct. Carys was precious and needed to be protected, but I loved the strength that Lynn gave her. Carys's healing was truly a group effort, but it started from within Carys herself and I thought that came across beautifully within the story.
While of course there were some steamy scenes between Carys and her pack, that wasn't all this story was about. There was great commentary on healing and working to overcome your past. There were also great examples of communicating while in relationships, whether it is a one-on-one relationship or something more.
Threats of Jasmine was well written, with plenty of thought given to pacing and character development. This story went much deeper than your average MMMFM romance, and I enjoyed how much actual plot development there was both inside and out of Carys's new pack dynamics.
This is the third book in the Broken Omegas series, but it can easily be read as a standalone.
Sanctuary by Ilona Andrews
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A
4.25
My Turkish Fling by Enni Amanda
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? N/A
4.5
I was so excited to travel back to New Zealand - with a side trip over to Turkey - in Enni Amanda's second book in the Love, Istanbul series. I love a broody, grumpy MMC, so I could not wait to read Emir's story.
I loved these main characters. As we saw in his brother's story, Emir often takes the backseat to Cem; he's not famous, he's not rich, and he's had plenty of experience with women throwing themselves at him just to get to his brother. I just wanted to reach out and hug Emir, show him that he is, in fact, seen.
Luckily, Janie was there to actually hug him for me.
I loved that Enni chose a divorced woman in her forties as her FMC. Janie had a full life already behind her when Emir came into the picture, and I thought that made Janie's story that much more dynamic. So many romances focus on first loves and following your heart, but I loved this romance where the main characters had family commitments and couldn't just drop everything to be together. It was realistic, and something I don't see nearly enough in contemporary romances.
Emir and Janie were sweet and spicy, and I enjoyed watching them fall in love. This romance was about so much more than falling in love, though. It addressed career choices, family ties, and the difficult choices we often have to make when it comes to pursuing the life we want.
I loved this story, and can't wait to read what's next from Enni Amanda.