lost_windsock's reviews
443 reviews

Banger by Kiki Clark

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4.5

Man, in the first book, I really found myself disliking Hank, and even at the very end when he and Lukas talked things out, I still wasn't a big fan. But he is 100% redeemed. I'm a huge sucker for a "let me take care of you, don't worry about a thing" storyline. Add in a heaping helping of dirty talk and you've got me. I'm usually more of a fan of the enemies-to-lovers plot line involving a longer timeline of being enemies, but I was glad things cleared up between Kevin and Hank relatively quickly. I loved the sweet dates Hank took Kevin on, and that he really followed through with his promise to take care of Kevin. This book was super low angst, and did make you wait a fairly long time to get to the spice (aside from the very beginning where we got a baby taste) but once it got to the spice, it was deliciously spicy indeed. I'm really liking this series, and I'm excited for more to come out!
Love Letters to a Serial Killer by Tasha Coryell

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4.0

Wowwee. This book was nuts. Literally the whole time I was reading this book, I was thinking to myself, "oh my God, Hannah is SO dumb." Though with every turned page, I found that I couldn't put the book down until I learned what would happen to her. The plot of this book was really engaging, and although I didn't really like Hannah or William, they were well written. I didn't guess the ending twist, either, but it definitely wasn't a surprise once it was unveiled. This was an enjoyable but wild book.
A Quick Buck by K.L. Hiers

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4.0

This book was a wild ride, that's for sure! Noah joins my list of brattiest brats ever, for sure 😂 The relationship between Noah and Alistair was definitely unique, and you should be sure to check content/trigger warnings for this book, because their first few interactions are definitely...consent-questionable, so if that's something that bothers you, this isn't your book. Noah was definitely way into the dynamic from the beginning, although he was also quite confused that he felt that way. As the book went on, he was able to talk out his feelings and confusion with Alistair, who insisted they talk things out together to help understand why his head was such a mess. Alistair was always in charge, and he led with a strong hand, but he also let some of his walls down for Noah and shared some vulnerability with him, too. The murder mystery aspect of this book was really fun to watch play out. I had my suspicions about who the killer would end up being, and I was almost right, but not quite. There were so many layers to the why/who/how, and it was a really engaging mystery. The actual pace of this book I would say was extremely slow, which I happen to be a big fan of, but if a slow-paced 500 page book isn't your bag, be warned. I really enjoyed it, though, and I'm dying to read Mickey and Roger's book now!
The Nephilim's Touch by Morgan Lysand

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3.25

I liked this book! I really liked Gabe. He was a really sweet character. I felt like there was a lot more potential for his story to be deeper than it was. We got mentions of abusive partners, an absent and seemingly cruel parent, and the knowledge that he had a big magic breakdown after his father died, but it seemed like he just brushed all of those things off, only dwelling on them for a short moment before going back to his cheery self. I'm glad he was able to see past those events, but I feel like it would have made his connection with Van more believably solid if we'd gotten to hear a little more about how he resolved his issues. The ending of this book quickly resolved all of the problems the characters faced, which was nice to see, but it felt like it happened so fast. I did really enjoy their relationship development, though. The fact that Gabe was able to help Van just by actually seeing him as a person worth helping was really sweet, and I liked how he kind of put Pike in his place about not trying to get to know who Van really was. I think they had good chemistry with each other, too, but I didn't really like how Van went straight to "you've just never had good sex, you'll like it with me" after Gabe told him he was an exclusive top. It felt icky that he didn't accept him unconditionally at his word. He was respectful and never did anything that made Gabe uncomfortable, but I didn't like that approach. This book also felt like it leaned really heavily on the plot and characters of other books, and not having read them, I felt like I was missing knowledge on a lot of the character relationships and subplots. It didn't make the book confusing, but I did feel like I was kind of missing out. Overall, though, this was a fun book to read!
By Rude Strength by K.L. Hiers

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5.0

This is the second book I've read from K.L Heirs, and I have to say, I absolutely love their writing! It's infused with so much humor, but also each book I've read has contained emotional moments of growth that really resonated with me. LA is the ultimate "I can fix him" character, and there was no one more suited to help him find his better self than sweet, sweet Cass! I am giving Cass an Honorary Himbo Wolfboy badge, because although he is an imp, he truly embodies that Himbo Wolfboy spirit 😂 I found Cass to be such a delightful character. He was sunshine and literal rainbows and bubbles and confetti, but he also wasn't about to sit there and take any of LA's shit. And LA had plenty of shit to sling at the beginning of this book. I loved watching him realize that he deserved better for himself, and that the things he thought he should fight to get back were worse than the things he could usher into his life just by being open to some change. He let Cass support him more and more as the book went on, and was able to accept so many amazing things into his life because of it. The friendship LA and Cass formed was really special, and so much fun, and it was truly so delightful to watch them fall in love! This book had its moments of bitterness and a good number of obstacles, but it was such a sweet story, and had such a nice ending, too!
By the Pint by Jemma Croft

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5.0

What a delightful book! This felt like so much more than just a romance book. This was a love story. These two fell so hard, and fought it the entire time, each trying to escape the inevitable heartbreak of Casey losing all of his memories. But as much as they both knew they shouldn't, they couldn't help but fall into each other. Dima saw Casey for all that he was, and loved him despite his prickly exterior, and Casey couldn't help but he charmed by how adorable Dima was, not to mention that he had been idolizing him from afar for so long. Their relationship development was both fun and frustrating to watch, waiting for them to give in and just let themselves indulge. The whole background work that Killian had done in pushing the two of them together was something I was trying so hard to figure out throughout the book, but I honestly didn't guess the real way everything went down, and I think it really strengthened the story to have him man up at the end. I laughed a lot while reading this book, and I also cried a decent amount towards the end, but I really loved this story and these characters. I'm really glad I read this!
Chariot of Souls by Morgan Mason

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5.0

This was the sweetest fucking book I think I have ever read. I loved the premise of this story, that a reaper has been collecting his mate's soul over and over again for over 4,000 years before finally getting to meet him in person. The drama of Nixon's soul basically beginning to die the second they met was such an unexpected plot twist! It added an urgency, it forced a closeness, and it built a desperation that just made this book such a pleasure to read. Arit choosing humanity was the perfect choice for them, too, and I got a little misty-eyed when he was able to cry tears of joy for the first time. This book was just such a warm, feel-good read, and I adored it. 
Chef's Kiss by TJ Alexander

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4.25

I enjoyed this book a lot! I really liked both Ray and Simone. They were so different from each other, but Simone just couldn't resist Ray's sunshine. I haven't read many books that involved a nonbinary person facing the consequences of coming out to a shitty employer, and I think that was a really powerful thing to write about. Not every story ends well in that regard, which is what makes coming out so scary to begin with. Luckily for Ray, they had the support of their friends, and they were able to grin and bear it long enough to secure something even better, but reading about their experience through Simone's eyes I think was a really important. Simone desperately wanted Ray to knew she supported them, but at the same time, she had to learn a very important lesson: sometimes supporting someone means trusting them when they tell you to stop fighting for them. It was really hard for Simone to understand why, and it led to some huge problems between them, but it also led to her fully understanding the situation(eventually) and becoming a better ally to Ray. The frustrating thing about this book for me was that pesky miscommunication trope. I get that people have miscommunications all the time in real life, and it's a realistic way to create tension and drama but waiting until the last 20 pages to clear up the fact that they both thought the other didn't want anything more than friendship really killed me 🥴 I loved the way it ended up coming out, I thought the situation in which it happened was sweet and wonderful, but my God, it took so long to get there! That said, I think this book was a very good read, and I definitely recommend it! Especially if you're wanting to broaden your reading to include more nb/trans voices and experiences.
Across Space and Time by Kit Barrie

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4.5

Wow! This book was definitely not what I was expecting, but I enjoyed it so much! It was definitely way darker than I thought it would be, and I would recommend checking content warnings before reading! Basically, this book was a monster murder mystery set in 1890 London, which isn't a book I was expecting to read this year, but I was delighted by it! Hugh was a great character. He was a nighttime constable who was determined to unravel the mysterious and violent deaths of a handful of male prostitutes while the rest of the police force ignored it, considering the victims less-than. Hugh was joined in his investigation by an entity from another universe/dimension, whose sole purpose was to help Hugh solve the mystery. Jack was a really fun character, and he and Hugh together were a really fun pairing. Jack really did do anything in his power to help Hugh discover the truth and to help him bring those responsible for the deaths to justice. There were so many twists and turns, a lot of action, a lot of gore, and some really great sleuthing! I definitely recommend this book to anyone so long as they don't mind blood and gore, because there is a lot of it, but the story was really great!

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A New Pack for New Year by Kiki Clark

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4.0

This was a really quick read, and I think a great introduction to this series. It not only gave us the main characters, but it introduced several more characters and gave them enough page time to build interest. I thought Cole and Victor were a really sweet couple, and I loved that Cole's lion was constantly purring 😆 That was really cute. Victor had a tough time growing up, and finally being able to join a pack filled with love and support was a big adjustment for him. Throw in finding your fated mate just a few days into your move, and knowing that he was a good, honest man was a big relief for Victor, and I really liked how bonded they were to each other right away. I'm looking forward to seeing them in the background of the other books in this series as I read them.