miras_booverse's reviews
413 reviews

 When I started "Come Break My Heart Again", I wasn't in the mood for that kind of book at all. I felt like reading something dark, something harsher, something different. However, the moment I started it, my mood changed abruptly and I quickly wanted to read exactly this book - that's how good it is!

The author has an extremely good and detailed writing style, which not only tells, but shows what the characters go through, how they live and why they are the way they are. The story is very fascinating and grabbing, and you can feel that it will be heavy and will most likely break your heart, but you don't want to stop reading.

"You answered." Ryder doesn't reply right away.
Finally, he says, "You called."

The characters are very well built and immediately manage to drag you into the plot and make you not remain indifferent to them.

I never thought I'd feel so at home in an auto garage. But I know it's not the garage. It's Ryder.

The love story and all the other things Elle and Ryder go through, are as beautiful as they are heavy. For almost the entire book, my heart was torn for them. And although the problems they had are terribly painful, but could be solved with a few simple conversations, we are not talking here about the miscommunication trope that these statements evoke. In fact, what readers are witnessing, is the need to protect the person you love from all the bad things that can happen to them, even if that bad thing is yourself. This is what made me understand why each of them makes the choices they make and feel their grief with them.

"You're playing with fire, Lo."
"No. I'm begging you to burn me."

I really liked the two timelines, which showed the huge difference between the past and the present, and at the same time showed the similarities between the unfortunate story of the characters.

I didn't feel much of a strong climax, not to say that I didn't feel any at all, but honestly, I don't think I even missed it. The book was great even without a higher moment.

The ending is so perfect and it's so Elle and Ryder tuned - it doesn't betray the rest of their story and that makes it just greater.

Half a star less is not because something was wrong, but simply because I lacked something to make it completely perfect.
~~~
Rating: 4.5/5

~~~This book was provided to me by Valentine PR as an ARC for my honest opinion.~~~ 

Katelyn Taylor's "Graves" was more than I expected and at the same time, it was not enough.

"Graves" managed to surprise and captivate me in a way I didn't expect it to do. Once I started the story, there was something that always pulled me towards it. Something that made me not leave it until I read just one more chapter and another, and then another. On one hand, I owe it to the two brothers, whom I liked very much, on the other - to the good story and the many interactions between Blake, Dominic and Zayden, and on the third - simply to the fact that I have a huge weakness for RH books.

As a matter of fact, the book is not even that good. The writing style is not very deep and I didn't really like the fact that the author told half of the main character’s story at the beginning, instead of showing it to her readers, but I closed my eyes about it, because somehow it didn't annoy me as much as this usually does. I attribute it to the fact that I was really interested in what was happening in the present.

The story starts very darkly and you can see from afar that Zayden is and absolute psycho with the things he does, but this is also the thing that immediately turned him into my favorite. Dominic is the complete opposite of him - he is the rational brother who thinks everything through, who is kind, good and stands behind the scenes. And Blake is a little bit of both, which makes her fit perfectly with both of them and feel part of herself missing when she's not with both.
The characters are actually built surprisingly well for the writing style, which I am happy with.
However, I can't deny that there were a lot of moments between them, which were either cringe, or rushed, or forced, and sometimes - all three at once. For example, it occurred to me hasty and ridiculous how quickly Dominic and Blake got together, and how naïve and careless she looked at everything. It just didn't make me take her seriously.

The erotic scenes between them at the beginning were cringe, quite rushed and in general I felt the interactions between Dom and Blake before Zayden entered the picture, slightly stiff, although you could see the chemistry between them. However, when all three of them got together - THIS IS WHAT I WAS WAITING FOR!! This animal passion, this crazy attraction, this absolute love - that's why I started "Graves" and you have no idea how glad I am that I got it!

✨ They are everything for me, everything to me, and I want to be everything to them, even in the darkest of times.✨

The dynamics are good - something is constantly happening to keep the interest going. However, I was surprised that the action itself is very linear. First one thing was happening, it ends, and only then something else begins. There was not much intertwining of problems and although there are several subplots, each of them appears and stays on stage until it is completed. Only then did the development of the next one begin.

The climax was good. Dynamic and well-structured, without dragging on too much.

The ending was very nice, it filled my soul. I could read more and more about these characters, and that says enough.
~~~
Rating: 4/5⭐

✨~~~This book was provided to me by Katelyn Taylor for my honest opinion.~~~✨

 When I started the book, I was ready for a sexy erotic 80 pages novel that would ignite passion and make me look for more similar books. What I got, had nothing to do with my expectations and left me disappointed, to say the least.

The writing style is nothing special - it is extremely shallow, but at least it is a quickly read (the only good thing about this book, apart from its end and the idea).

The already mentioned idea of the story is good, but everything seems hasty. And I understand that this is a short novel, so things have to happen quickly, but there are ways not to look as forced and vulgar as it is here. We have faceless characters and a tasteless enumeration of things from the setting or appearance of the characters that are simply told instead of shown. And as much as this paints a picture of what is happening, it is certainly not in a way that shows a good writing style.

Everything is too easy, almost - given to the characters. They are placed in the perfect situations so that they adapt to the plot and it just doesn't seem real.

The erotic scene was ridiculous and poorly written, which was also due to the fact that I did not feel any chemistry between the main characters, but only forced relationship that are shoved at the readers’ faces.

The ending was quite unexpected, and to be honest - I would read the next book just to see how the story would continue. But in general - I am not particularly impressed, nor am I particularly fascinated by this book.
~~~
Rating: 2/5

~~~This book was provided to me as an ARC by Grey's Promo for my honest opinion.~~~ 

 I did not expect that I would fall in love with this story so strongly and abruptly. One moment I was starting it, trying to tie things together and get to know the characters, the next I already felt how difficult the story between them would be, how painful their past together would be and... This made me love them!

Abby Millsap's writing style is wonderful - lightweight, it immediately takes you into the story, it is a quickly read, but it is detailed without unnecessary details, it is rich in inner reflections of the characters, without this coming too much to the readers. The action moves constantly, which keeps the interest in the book going. A very favorite trope of mine, which I am glad to find here, is the alternation of past and present, as it helped me get to know the characters in two completely different lights, and it always manages to increase my interest in understanding how the situation in which the characters are now came about. That's exactly what I really liked about Abby Millsap - that from the very beginning she puts a clear and interesting dynamic between the three main characters, in which notes of grief and pain creep in very strongly, creating a painful, but full of emotions and feelings atmosphere. It is these emotions and feelings that are so strongly expressed, so obvious, that I had the feeling that throughout the book I was suffocated with their weight. Or in other words - they ripped out my heart, but the story was completely worth it.

The plot develops smoothly, but nevertheless very interesting. Even if it doesn't have a lot of dynamics, I don't feel its lack, because the story itself is good enough to compensate for it.

We have absolutely well-built characters - very complex and genuinely created. Characters who are constantly evolving, and not just jumped from one timeline to the other.

I was very sad (I personally experienced the whole book for reasons I don't understand, except for the obvious one - Abby Millsap is an amazing writer) about what happened to Hunter, about the way she experienced it, as well as about what she is going through in the present. She had too much weight on her shoulders and I fully understood the need to pour it out at some point, because she could no longer keep it in herself.

I liked that Greedy isn't the typical bad boy I usually see in this kind of books, but on the contrary - he's careful with Hunter, he's not afraid to show her how valuable she is to him, he's not afraid to admit that she's the only woman for him, he's good at communicating, he respects her desire to stay away, even though he's willing to fight for her and shows it to her. In general - the author has hit the ten points with his building, because he certainly managed to melt my heart.

Levi, on the other hand, no matter how different he is from Greedy, he is still very far from the typical character and again - I really liked him. He is a sweetie, an absolute gentleman, extremely kind, self-sacrificing, a great friend and a person you can rely on, caring. Again - he knows how to communicate and is not afraid to share his feelings, a really strong and complex character. And he managed to reach deep into my heart.

At first, however, I couldn't imagine Levi with Hunter as a couple, because I saw them more as friends, and Hunter with every bit of herself belongs to Greedy - they are perfect for each other! As the pages went by, however, I could see how much all three of them had changed in those three years, and how Hunter had no longer a spark with just one of the – there was a lot of sparks with both of them. The chemistry, the sexual passion, the need for each other - the more time passed, the more Hunter felt it with both of them. However, at some point it is completely unleashed and this is what I call real fire! A uniquely good threesome that definitely knows not only how to ignite passions and make the reader’s legs shake, but also to hold their hearts tightly and squeeze while you wonder when everything will finally get better and whether they will be able to find their happy ending together.

And the end!! What was this final?!? How can it end like this?!? Just when I thought that the book couldn't get any better and suddenly it ends with this open ending, which leaves me completely shocked and needing the second part IMMEDIATELY!
Such a strong story. It became one of my favorites very quickly.
~~~
Rating: 5/5

~~~This ARC was provided to me by Valentine PR for my honest opinion.~~~ 

 There are books I fall in love with from the first page. There are books for which my feelings gradually warm up. There are books that I don't like at first. And there are those who leave me with very mixed feelings, just like Amanda McKinney's "Mine" did.

The beginning of "Mine" greatly increased my expectations, as it showed a really good and detailed writing style that does not give everything to the reader and does not just tell the story. McKinney's style provides exactly the right things, inserted in the perfect places at the right time, so as to help us get to know the characters and at the same time continue to maintain the mystery around them. A big bonus for me were the short chapters, as I just love those and I didn’t feel when I was already halfway through the book.

Nothing is hurried in the book, including the meeting of the main characters, which I really liked. The increasing tension greatly contributed to my curiosity to follow how the characters' relationships and the course of the story would unfold. My attention was grabbed from the very first pages, which showed that the book will not be much of an easy read, but it will make me enjoy every page of it. In addition to the main storyline between Sabine and Astor, there are several more subplots at the same time, one of which takes the direction of an evolving mystery and with all the elements that complemented this one so well, I can't help but say that I didn't want to stop reading.

The two main characters together are like a storm where you expect to be swept away because of the intensity of their emotions and feelings. Their relationship is extremely intense, which makes the sexual attraction between them so great that you cannot help but feel it, even if they are not in one place. And their erotic scenes only contribute even more to the enjoyment of the book. I admit that their conversations were a bit strange and awkward in their first longer interactions, but for me this only contributed to the interesting dynamics between them.

So far, the book sounds great, doesn't it? Only a little after the middle from a great one, it turned into a complete tragedy!

Yes, there was great attraction between Sabine and Astor. Yeah, they looked great together. Yes, the tension was so good that your legs shook. However, I never realized when Sabine was able to fall in love with Astor so quickly that she began to hold him to accountable because of his attitude and started throwing tantrums. And what did I miss that Astor went from being cool, calculating and perfect at maintaining a good image in front of his audience, became a complete caveman who goes to beat people because they talk to Sabine and treat her horribly just because she left him at some event to go to the bathroom? Their relationship had huge potential, and when it finally came to that, I feel like everything was rushed. And not because of anything else, but because the author just didn't know what to do with them.

On top of that, some things happen out of nowhere, the characters go completely crazy without any logic in their actions, everything happens too quickly and forced, and that absolutely dragged the book down. I even wondered at one time if the same person had written the first and second half of the book, because it didn't look like that.

The climax is filled with a lot of action, but precisely because of everything that happens it is terribly chaotic, which does not make it good.

Part of the denouement seemed too long and even superfluous. And although the cliffhanger invites me to pick up the second book, I'm not entirely sure if I want to read it.
~~~
Rating: 3/5

~~~This book was provided to me by Grey's Promo for my honest opinion.~~~ 

 "Crave" is a great short novella that immediately grabbed my attention and kept my interest until the end.

The writing style is quite light and extremely fast to read. It's not very detailed, but that didn't bother me, because not detailed doesn't mean it's not good. On the contrary, it manages to portray the situation and the characters in a clear and concise way.

Precisely because the book is a short novella, things happen quite quickly, but in no case hastily or forced. The turn of events came naturally, the conversations were completely normal and unforced, and I liked all this very much.

The chemistry between the two main characters was felt immediately and their interactions were very interesting to me, which earned bonus points on the book and made me like it even more.

In the end, I just think that the author has rushed a lot of things, but at least the other books in the series will be about this couple, so there will be time for them to develop as characters and their relationship to grow, so that everything will work out properly.

I really liked “Crave”, and I would certainly continue with the next books.
~~~
Rating: 4/5

~~~This book was provided to me by Valentine PR for my honest opinion.~~~ 

 “Never Let You Go” is Bella Rivers' debut novel and won me over as a reader, which honestly – really surprised me.

The book sounds as the typical Hallmark movie. Only it is much more deep, valuable and isn’t missing hot moments, which makes it much better.

"Sometimes, the strongest families are those you choose, not those you were born into."

The writing style is fascinating and light, although it is unusually detailed for this kind of book, which of course I liked, as it paints a fairly complete picture of the story and the characters, but without giving away everything to the readers. It seemed a bit startling at first that the book was 500 pages, but I don't take it as a negative trait, because once I got into it, I didn't feel them passing, I just wanted to keep reading.

The dynamics of the story is great. There are not many big things happening, but each of the actions, in addition to keeping the reader interested, also contributes to the development of the relationship between Alexandra and Christopher and shows exactly how the love between them was born and flourished.

This is what happiness looks like. The woman of my dreams sharing a moment with my daughter at the end of a day of hard work.

The characters are extremely well built, and I'm not just talking about the main ones here, although they are given the main attention. There are fragments from the past of everyone else and some characteristics by which to get to know and remember them as characters, so that we can both distinguish them from each other (because they are many) and we are interested in what is in everyone’s past. And our two main characters - they are so thorough, complex and multi-layered that I felt them as real people I really know.

Now, maybe at first it was a little too much for me how the two of them saw each other and immediately lost their minds over each other, because it seemed very unreliable and a little far-fetched. But the chemistry and attraction between them had been around ever since, and they were visible. The sexual tension between them also did not stop to intensify until at some point it was unleashed, and I can tell you that although there is nothing extravagant about their erotic scenes, they are still so freaking hot. An absolute fire that makes you weak in the knees.

Of course, it wasn't just their erotic scenes that made me like them together and think they were made for each other. Every gesture, every affectionate way that Christopher used to speak to Alexandra, every form of support and desire to be next to each other, melted my heart as I read.

Here, however, the miscommunication trope between the two of them comes in, which is the only reason to lower half a star from the book’s rating. I didn't agree with what was going on between them, even though I understood why it was happening and the concerns the characters had. I just think that all their problems could have been avoided.

The climax is great! It's more emotional than actionable, but it's so saturated with bitterness, grief, love, even a few funny moments (which was a big surprise for me) that it just perfectly fits with the story and I really liked it.

"If you want to tell people you love them, make them pancakes."

The denouement and the end are wonderful - they put a really worthy ending to a beautiful book.

I can't wait for the next one in the series!
~~~
Rating: 4.5/5

~~~This book was provided to me by Grey's Promo and Bella Rivers for my honest opinion.~~~ 

 When I started the book, I wasn't in the mood for that kind of story at all. I wanted something darker and crazier, which made it difficult for me to get into the book and feel it from the beginning. But once that happened, the plot immediately engulfed me, so that I didn't want to stop reading, but just wanted to absorb Knox and Avery's story more and more.

He looks like an advertisement for bad boys, and everything inside of me screams, sign me the hell up.

The writing style is light and quick to read, while at the same time not superficial, but presents the reader with information about the characters and the environment not by simply telling it, but by action, which I liked from the very first chapter. I was very impressed by the glossary of terminology at the beginning with the names of the various tricks in both freestyle motocross and gymnastics, because it showed me that the author has done her research and understands the things she writes about.

"That's a dangerous thing to say to me, princess." He lowers his voice. "I'd have you bent over my bike so fast you wouldn't know which way was up."
His words make heat pool low in my stomach and my breath cathes in my throat. "I'm not sure I'd mind that so much. In fact, I think I'd like it very much."

The initial communication between Avery and Knox managed to arouse my interest and start a curious relationship between the two. Although they were constantly bickering, their interactions are natural and very pleasant to follow. Their story is so interesting, not because it is something new or different, but because it is presented in a great way. And they are both very sweet together.

Unfortunately, their erotic scenes are not very well written. I felt like it was raced through them so that they could go away faster and so we don’t spend a lot of time on them. However, the sexual tension and chemistry that the main characters have is felt extremely strongly and clearly, even despite the lack of good erotica.

"You want to watch me pretend to ride a motorcycle?" I ask.
He leans toward me and whispers, "I'd rather have you on the back of mine again, but this will do for now."

The dynamics are constant and absolutely great - every action is logical and is in its place, which I really liked. There were no boring moments and this left me very pleasantly impressed.

The climax is good, although it is not very strong and not full of action. I just immediately knew when I got into it, which for this story specifically, suited perfectly.

The ending is very cute and makes me want to reach for other books by the author because I think I would like them.
~~~
Rating: 4.5/5

~~~This book was provided to me by Valentine PR for my honest opinion.~~~