bryckklovesbooks's reviews
630 reviews

Adrian & Isolde: Excellent Story Full of Adventure!

This book was action packed from the very beginning. The characters were very compelling, Isolde was a kick a$$ Heroine and Adrian was swoon worthy. Can’t wait for book two!

Hades & Persephone: This is one of the BEST retellings of Hades and Persephone that I’ve had the pleasure of reading.

So many times I have read tales of this story that failed to capture the true essence of the myth. This book does an excellent job of correlating between the original tale and modern day theatrics. I loved that everyone kept their given names and not some variation of it. I also loved the incorporation of magic and the world’s fascination of the gods by making them “celebrities”.

Gabriel & Mila: Sweet Vampire Romance. Needs more Spice!

Dhampir Gabriel Kral is the prince of a vampire syndicate and fell in love with human, Camilia "Mila" Vittone when she wandered onto his property years ago. Unknown circumstances cause Mila to leave unexepectedly and breaking Gabriel's heart in the process. Years later, Mila resurfaces just as a threat looms over the Kral syndicate. Is it coincidental or is Mila connected to the recent turn of events?

Gabriel and his brothers, Rafael and Zaquiel, are very handsome and sexy. They are the sons of Karoly Kral, the PRimus and as Dhampirs, they have had to prove their worthiness to rule. The story was sweet and the characters likeable. My only problem with this series is that Gabriel didn't come off as tough as I would have liked him to be. Considering this was supposed to be the "vampire Mafia", I thought that there would be a more violence and tough language. It was "sweet" and thats not really what I had in mind when I started this novel. Still a good read though.

Happy reading!

Luke & Sophie: Finally! An Age Gap Romance Without Being Cringey- 5 Stars

This book was recommended through a Facebook Group. When I saw that it was an Age Dap Romance, I was very skeptical. After all, most of them are filled with cheesy lines like, "Who's your Daddy?" or one million and one "Baby Girl"s. This book was the complete opposite, and I cannot tell you how refreshing it was!

Sophie is a college student in her final semester before graduating. She works in a coffee shop, cutely named "Grind Me" as a barista. She has a silent crush on Dr. Lucas "Luke", who comes in every day to get his morning Java. As fate would have it, Sophie is planning to go "all the way" with her boyfriend and is in need of birth control pills. Imagine her surprise when her assigned doctor is none other than Dr. Luke.

I know... this is a very weird situation. I mean, how many women would allow their crush to give them a full pelvic exam? Much to his chagrin, the doctor becomes infatuated with young Sophie, and he begins to pursue her. I loved Luke and Sophie was funny and very likable as the heroine of this story.

As I stated, I had my reservations about this book. But the author Jane Aston did a fantastic job of weaving a story together that was not only smut-worthy but made absolute sense. There were no Easter eggs or ridiculous plots in this book and as unorthodox the beginning of this relationship was, the HEA was totally believable and left me satisfied. I believe if you go into this book with an open mind, you'll love it! I highly recommend it and will definitely look forward to reading more from this talented author!

Happy Reading!

Tyler & Carrie: A Sweet Short Love Story

Carries car gets stuck in the mud on her way to her best friend's wedding. Enter: Tyler, a rugged Mountain Man who gives her sanctuary out of the rain and falls deeply in love with her.

This was a quick read that reminded me of the old "Confessions" magazines I used to read in my teens. It was very sweet, and things move very fast as it usually does in instalove stories. If you're looking for a quick, sweet read, this will not disappoint.

Happy reading!

Pestilence & Sara: Their "Romance" was As Ridiculous As This Story

I usually don't give one-star ratings. I tried to think of one reason to give this book at least two. I just couldn't. The concept had a lot of promise. Unfortunately, it just fell flat.

Sara is a firefighter who drew the short stick (in this instance, a match) and was elected to kill Pestilence, one of the Four Horseman. She tries and fails. As a result, her punishment is to suffer. The Horseman takes her as his prisoner, where she is forced to walk the Earth with him as he renders judgement in the form of a plague that is killing millions along his path. Surprisingly, Sara is unaffected by the plague thanks to her captor.

They travel from town to town, invading people's homes so that Sara may sleep and eat. Throughout this killing spree, Sara finds herself having feelings for Pestilence and vice versa. I guess this is where the romance comes in.

Pestilence is very stern and judgmental and is focused on his task. How he develops feelings for the a "mortal", as he refers to her and not be swayed by any of the others, he kills confounds me. Including, a sweet elderly couple. In truth, I didn't like him, and I find it hard to get behind a hero and root for a couple I don't like.

Sara had some funny moments and made me laugh a couple of times. However, throughout reading this book, I wondered how they were going to pull these two together. After all, he did shoot her in the back with arrows and dragged her with his horse. But hey, he's gorgeous so I guess that's forgivable to Sara and enough to give him a pass. Further, they waited too long to get these two in the bed. At 65%, I just didn't care if they would or wouldn't anymore.

There was a lot of talk about religion and "man's existence with good and evil" in this book. So much so that I found it to be a turn off. The ending was just as preposterous as the story, but I expected nothing less.

I'm going to stop this series right here. I have a feeling that its more of the same. This was one of those moments where I wished I read some more reviews before going in.

Happy reading!

Raahosh and Liz: They actually grew on me!

This is the second book in the Ice Planet Barbarian series. This was the story of the snarky alien captive, Liz and Raahosh, whom we met in Book One.

The story does an excellent job of explaining what went on behind the scenes when Raahosh ran off with Liz (at the end of Book One). We got to see the reasoning behind Raahosh's decision to abscond with Liz and their relationship develop from hate to love.

I loved Liz's snarkiness! She was really a firecracker and had a mouth on her. I loved that Raahosh wasn't a push over like Vektal (who was sort of an ass in this book, but I forgave him) was in his story with Georgie. They played very well off each other, and their love scenes were scorching. I'd be lying if I said I didn't get all emotional and in my feels towards the end. Something so sensitive about these Barbarians! LOL

This was an awesome read. I look forward to more wonderful stories in this series.

Happy reading!

"Nameless" & Delora: Not Nearly As Good As the First. But, Entertaining.

This is the second book of the Duskwalker Brides. I loved the first book so much; I couldn’t wait to read the story of the second Mack’s who wanted a name. He finally received it: Magnar.

Delora literally fell in top of Magnar after she was pitched over into the Veil by her own kind after brutally murdering her husband and mistress. We get to see the story of their relationship develop as Delora had a lot of issues to overcome. Mainly, her self-consciousness about not being good enough and self-acceptance. I'm not going to comment more for fear of giving away too much of the plot.

Things I loved:

Delora being plus sized without focusing solely on her size.

Magnar receiving a name suited for him.

The recurring presence of Reia and Orpheus from Book One.

Magnar discovering his “special purpose”. LOL

Things I didn't love:

The pace of the story... It moved fast in some places and slow in others.

I know it wasn't his story but for some reason, I couldn't stand Orpheus in this book. He was so judgmental.

While I enjoyed the journey and everything in between, this book was simply too long. It was over 600 pgs. and seemed to drag out. After a while, I just wanted it to be over. Which is weird because I didn't want A SOUL TO KEEP to end. Go figure!

I look forward to the next book.

Happy reading!

Orpheus & Reia: PHENOMENAL! IT WAS LIKE READING A FAIRY TALE!- 5 Stars

Well, you know how they say ‘you can’t judge a book by it’s cover’? Well, that’s what I did. For the longest time, I avoided this book simply based on the cover of it. But, thank goodness, The Fates stepped in and this was the December “Book of the Month” for my book club and I was forced to read it. I must say with the exception of the ACOTAR series, this is the BEST paranormal book that I have read in 2022.

This is the story of a woman named Reia, a girl who is the lone survivor of a demon attack on her home that took the lives of her parents and little brother. For some reason, she was spared and this fact turned her into the town “harbinger of bad omens” and she is ostracized by the town. To make matters worse, she is offered up as a sacrifice to a Duskwalker, a large creature that provides a ward over the town from demons in exchange for a human to take with him back into the Veil.

“Orpheus” is a Duskwalker who is extremely lonely and seeks a companion to stay with him. After many failed attempts in the past with other humans, most ended tragically, he is fascinated by the feisty Reia and the two form a bond.

I loved seeing the relationship develop between these two. Seeing them learn each other was refreshing and brought a smile to my face. You will fall in love with Orpheus, as I found myself crying and cheering for him. You will feel the pain and longing of both characters as they heal each other because they have both been wronged as humans. This was a beautiful love story that had me grabbing Kleenex as it provided a satisfying HEA. This is definitely a book I will read again and highly recommend if you want something different.

Happy Reading!

Owen & Kitty: This Story Could Have Been More...

Kitty is a B-movie actress who has been struggling to break through in the field. Desperate for money, she takes a job in a role-playing gig for people who are fascinated by vampires. Little does she know that it's not just a gig when Owen, an actual vampire becomes addicted to her blood and kidnaps her to keep as his personal blood slave. Kitty wrestles with her feelings for Owen as she tries to get him to set her free. Owen is battling his conscious, as Kitty's blood restores his humanity little by little.

This plot had a lot of potential. Sadly, the story failed to deliver. There was just not enough chemistry between these two on page. The love scenes were mediocre, and I didn't get a real sense of who either of these two characters are. I didn't bond with either of them, which makes the story just... OK.

The book ends with a HFN, as there is a part two to this story. I don't see why this tale just couldn't end here. Nevertheless, I don't feel compelled to read further. If they failed to woo me after an entire book, I doubt they will in anther installment.

Happy reading!