fresholivebread's reviews
637 reviews

Paging Dr. Hart - Spicy by Melissa Dymond

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emotional funny hopeful sad 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

4.5

 A doctor fights her attraction to her annoying junior while dealing with her past. Black cat vs. retriever! Tiffany may be an ice queen with walls, but she's also a survivor, having fought against all odds to be where she is. Ethan is 100% lovable - he's sexy, charming and cheerful. The romance is pretty slow burn, with forced proximity creating chances. Ethan falls first, and falls hard, and he's her biggest defender. He's very open about how he feels, and fights to melt her ice. 

And how Tiffany comes to terms about her past with Ethan's support was written well. He's very patient, and I loved all their sweet moments (Disney World! ♥️). The bit of suspense integrated well. The book has a lot of heart, and though some parts on illness and Tiff's past was difficult to get through, I still enjoyed the read. Some threads are left hanging but HEA's there. 
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Beast in Shining Armor by Cassandra Gannon

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adventurous emotional funny hopeful 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

4.5

A prince plots to take back his throne from his usurper, who's also his life long rival. Avenant is certainly flawed - he's narcissistic and arrogant, but his vulnerability and complete devotion to Belle (even if he's really bad at showing it) made me love him like. Belle is unapologetically bitchy, smart and feisty, and 100% a match for Avenant, but I wished she's less stubborn about their bond. The banter and bickering is hilarious, though Avenant has been pining for Belle since forever. 

The "can't stand you but will die to protect you" energy they have is so good. The sexual tension is excellent, with great payoff. Avenant's secret insecurities are kinda heartbreaking and I loved the moments when Belle saw through him. Their romance is sweet and hot, and they're pretty perfect together. The originality of the upside down world remains entertaining, and the action is fun. 
Fit to be Tied by Mary Calmes

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

4.0

Ian and Miro work at their new relationship as they deal with job related dangers. TPersonally, there're some growing pains as they try to get use to each other's quirks and habits, but the little push-pull makes sense in the context. Compromises are made, and things are resolved in a timely manner, and the open and constant communication between them is refreshing. Ian's misgivings about marriage made sense, and he's honest about it. 

And there is no doubt about their love and commitment to each other - loved how Miro defends Ian (also, steamy times are hot). The action is full of bangs and booms, but there're also some slow, draggy moments in between, which made the pacing felt uneven at times. Miro and Ian may be all kinds of badass but certain decisions are certainly questionable, lol. Still really enjoyed the romance though.
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The Rookie by Kimberly Kincaid

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adventurous 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? No

4.0

A patrol officer and an ADA - one that had tried to prosecute him - had to work together on a case. Xander and Tara are solid MCs - smart, competent, with the drive to do the right thing. They start off with a good partnership and understanding - though I thought some antagonism might've made more sense, given their past. They worked well as a couple, and they're supportive of each other's internal struggles, especially Tara who shows Xander that his past doesn't define him. The romance is paced well for a novella, with a solid emotional connection. Add in some suspense and drama, and this rounded out to be a fast and fun read. 
Necropolis by Jordan L. Hawk

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adventurous challenging emotional funny mysterious medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? It's complicated
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.25

Whyborne and Griffin joins Christine in Egypt to solve yet another creepy mystery. First off, I fucking loved Christine and she gets all the stars. Getting an equal portion of stars are our MCs - Whyborne and Griffin are in a good place right now, and I loved reading about them working together and being badasses in love. They also work through their insecurities together. Whyborne remains as endearing as ever. I loved his geekiness and how much he adores Griffin, and Griffin is the ultimate protector as usual. They're each other's constant support, and they often defend each other to their shitty families. The mystery is super interesting and creepy af - Hawk is just brilliant at crafting bone tingling mysteries with incredible research put into the background. 
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Wilde at Heart by Tonya Burrows

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adventurous challenging emotional sad 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? Yes

3.5

A businessman makes a deal with a wild child to save his company. Reece the stuffy, uptight tech geek and Shelby the colourful, impulsive free spirit should be a mismatch, but they couldn't deny the mutual attraction and lust. With Shelby's past, there's a lot of secrecy, and it dragged on a little. Reece is a judgey jerk at first, but he does come to me accept her fully. 

Their romance worked for me, they have good chemistry and some pretty steamy heat (he's a virgin and she ties up him, woooo). The vulnerable, emotional moments are where they really bond. But Reece pulled a 100% asshole move when
how he turns his back on her after reassuring her that he wouldn't. I felt so much for Shelby
. And there's definitely not enough grovel! The suspense is good, but Shelby's sister Eva (book 2's FMC) is rather awful. Reece's brothers are great though. 

Psycho Romeo by Rinda Elliott, Jocelynn Drake

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adventurous emotional funny hopeful fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? It's complicated
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.25

Social media star/billionaire seeks protection after escalating threats from his stalker. Geoffrey presents as a shallow, party loving pretty boy, but there's a lot more to him - he's strong-willed and protective of those he loves. Sven can be stoic, intimidating but he has a soft side and a heart of gold. Geoffrey has been trying to attract Sven for months, and the forced proximity bodyguard situation finally has Sven cracking, when he sees Geoffrey's kind-hearted and vulnerable side. 

There's ample time dedicated to them building a friendship and a connection, and the romance is developed well with some great chemistry and steamy times. Sven really cherishes Geoffrey, while Geoffrey brings a lot of laughter to Sven's life. They're an unlikely couple that really worked well. The stalker suspense is good and lighter than expected, and the cameos of the Unbreakable guys are fun!
Jar of Hearts by Jennifer Hillier

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

4.0

Book club read. Three high school friends: Angela's dead, Geo's hiding truths, and Kaiser becomes the cop who eventually arrests Geo. And oh, there's a serial killer lurking about. Warning: this is a gory book dealing with
(graphic) rape, sexual violence, abuse, murder, infidelity
. and all the works. Our MCs are as flawed as can be, cynical, hardened and rather awful people (not to mention they lie a lot). 

All the relationships are kinda fucked up, though that's probably the intention. I felt for Kaiser though, he didn't deserve some of the hell he got. The thriller aspect - as disturbing and dark as it may be - great, and the twisty reveals are paced well with elements of shock. Not sure how I felt about the ending -
maybe Kai still deserved some happiness, but Geo was still a question mark for me at the end
. 
 
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Striking Distance by Pamela Clare

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adventurous challenging dark emotional funny hopeful sad 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

Navy SEAL rescues a reporter, whom he had an ONS with, and they navigate the aftermath. This is a difficult book, with very heavy issues, and both MCs grapple with a lot of trauma. Laura is strong, resilient and her moments of weakness were realistically written. Javier is great - he's protective, devoted, and so, so caring. Their romance is developed very well. From reconnecting, recognising those intense feelings and to slowly taking it further, a real friendship has always existed. 

They're both very supportive and patient with each other. The steam is perfectly done, I loved how he knows her boundaries and takes care of her (plus it's hot as hell). The suspense is solid and exciting, and it was nice seeing familiar faces. Some resolutions were realistically bittersweet, and I kinda wished it had gone the other way, but we did get the HEA. 

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First Strike by Pamela Clare

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emotional sad fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? N/A
  • Strong character development? N/A
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A

4.0

A short and steamy novella that's 80% sex as a lead up to the next book in the series. Good connection between the MCs.