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shanaepraystoo's reviews
895 reviews
Surrender by Kimberly Brown
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
fast-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? No
4.0
Surrender by Kimberly Brown is a cozy romance story with 2 characters that you want the absolute best for. The MMC Jacob Mitchell is a children's author and illustrator, while the FMC Kechelle Lewis is a dentist - it's fun to read about regular characters, especially when there are so many billionaire stories these days. I don't read many romance novels with the arranged marriage trope, like Surrender, so I am not an expert on it, but I think Kimberly Brown did a great job with it. At the center of Surrender you have two great people who revert to an unconventional, yet traditional method to find love and their struggle to navigate this newfound relationship and attraction to one another. But beyond that, there's a story about each family's struggles with the union of our main characters and how that impacts the couple's marriage as well as them individually.
I really enjoyed Surrender and recommend it to anyone seeking a cozy story with no relationship drama and minimal spice.
I really enjoyed Surrender and recommend it to anyone seeking a cozy story with no relationship drama and minimal spice.
Content Warnings
Minor: Emotional abuse, Sexual content, Medical content, Pregnancy, and Abandonment
Chasing Summer by D. Rose
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
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? No
5.0
Another 5-star read from the supremely talented D. Rose. I think Chasing Summer is the best book I've ever read from the author...and I think i've said that every time I finish one of her books. In Chasing Summer we meet Ali and Soleil, they couldn't be more perfect for one another. Ali's everything that you want in a book bae and there's something about the way Soleil was raised by her grandmother that makes her someone you want to be friends with. I enjoyed all of the characters, though there is some drama and a little spice, it doesn't take over the book, at no point does D. Rose compromise storytelling for the sake of what's trendy in a lot of contemporary romance novels. Chasing Summer is for the lovers and is one of my top reads for the year. Such a well written, engaging, and fun love story with characters you'll definitely love.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Bullying, Sexual content, Toxic relationship, Toxic friendship, and Alcohol
Minor: Infidelity, Violence, Vomit, and Abandonment
Maybe I Need You : Undeniably In Love by Briyanna Michelle
funny
hopeful
inspiring
lighthearted
relaxing
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? Yes
4.0
Maybe I Need You: Undeniably In Love by Briyanna Michelle is a cozy, quick and engaging fake dating romance story. I really liked the MMC, Graysen, he's definitely book bae material. The FMC Camille starts off just okay to me but through her relationship with the MMC, we really get to see her character grow and shine. I love the diversity of the characters, too. The author does a great job at building the connection between Graysen and Camille, despite the fast pace of the story and its shorter length. Briyanna Michelle did a great job with Maybe I Need You and I recommend it to anyone looking for a fast paced palate cleanser. Though this is my first book from Briyanna Michelle, I can say that I'd definitely read more books from her in the future based on Maybe I Need You: Undeniably In Love.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Cursing, Emotional abuse, Sexual content, and Toxic relationship
Minor: Domestic abuse, Drug abuse, Infidelity, Miscarriage, Physical abuse, Abortion, Gaslighting, and Injury/Injury detail
99 Problems & Her Man The Main One by Na'Kia
fast-paced
2.0
This was just terrible. Too many points of view, very poor character development.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Cursing, Death, Gun violence, Sexual content, and Violence
Here Comes The Sun by Bella Jay
lighthearted
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
Here Comes The Sun is a solid novella, but it lacked something for me. The ending also felt a bit rushed and I don't like that the FMC ruined the MMC's night when he was being honored, it showed that she's still a selfish brat and there's no explanation as to why the MMC, who's obviously caring and successful, is interested in someone who is so negative and nasty. I like Bella Jay's writing though, so if you're a fan of hers, then Here Comes The Sun might be a quick palate cleanser for you.
Knasim by Tacarra
lighthearted
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
While this is an engaging story, there were too many spelling and grammatical errors to give it 5 stars because those errors really hurt the quality of the story. I’ll keep reading the story because for the most part I enjoyed the characters and I like the author’s books.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Cursing
Moderate: Death, Gun violence, Misogyny, Sexual content, Toxic relationship, and Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Drug use, Emotional abuse, Infidelity, Blood, and Alcohol
Sincerely, Her Gangsta by Mya
challenging
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
Outta nowhere Mya has become one of my favorite authors and Sincerely, Her Gangsta is an example of why I love her books. In Sincerely, Her Gangsta, we meet single mother of twins, Honesty Samuels, and troubled gangster, Sincere Allen. Mya does a great job at developing the FMC and MMC, giving us dynamic and complex characters that you sympathize with and want the absolute best for, at every turn. Even the secondary characters are intriguing enough that you want to learn more about them. Though Sincere is a stereotypical character initially, he undergoes a serious transformation, showing the power of love and that's what Sincerely, Her Gangsta is really all about. I thoroughly enjoyed the writing, the storytelling, and the characters. I highly recommend Sincerely, Her Gangsta to everyone who enjoys contemporary or urban romance for a feel good romance story with serious themes that show the importance of love and positive, healthy relationships.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Cursing, Sexual content, and Abandonment
Moderate: Addiction, Death, Emotional abuse, Gun violence, Physical abuse, Violence, Medical content, Grief, Death of parent, Murder, and Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Bullying, Domestic abuse, Toxic relationship, Blood, Kidnapping, Stalking, and Abortion
The Hood's Alpha by K. Nicole
adventurous
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
5.0
I don't read paranormal literature - seriously. The only other book even remotely close to The Hood's Alpha that I've ever read is Tacarra's Khan's Choice. I've read so few books in the genre that I know exactly what books I've read and when lol.
That said, I really enjoyed The Hood's Alpha by K. Nicole. The synopsis is short and confusing for someone who doesn't read paranormal literature, like me. So I had no idea what I was getting myself into with this novelette. Because it was engaging from the first page, I kept reading and was optimistic about the ending. And K. Nicole gave a reader like me exactly what I needed: well developed and likable characters, good writing, and a fun story - there were even a few spicy scenes. I highly recommend The Hood's Alpha to those who like paranormal stories, urban fiction, and novelettes.
That said, I really enjoyed The Hood's Alpha by K. Nicole. The synopsis is short and confusing for someone who doesn't read paranormal literature, like me. So I had no idea what I was getting myself into with this novelette. Because it was engaging from the first page, I kept reading and was optimistic about the ending. And K. Nicole gave a reader like me exactly what I needed: well developed and likable characters, good writing, and a fun story - there were even a few spicy scenes. I highly recommend The Hood's Alpha to those who like paranormal stories, urban fiction, and novelettes.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Cursing, Sexual content, and Blood
Moderate: Gore, Physical abuse, and Abandonment
Minor: Death, Drug use, Dementia, and Death of parent
Deeply In Love With A Country Thug by B. Monaye
lighthearted
fast-paced
3.0
Pretty bad writing with lots of spelling and grammatical errors along with bad storytelling make Deeply In Love With A Country Thug a boring read. B. Monaye should've followed other writers in the genre, giving us a story about Harlow and Beau Brix, introducing Harlow's sister Harmony and Beau's brother Duke in the story, but keeping the focus on Harlow and Beau, then give us a book about Harmony and Duke. A lot happens in just 152 pages and none of it is really fleshed out, it's just ideas and internal dialogue, then another major event that's not fully developed. I wouldn't recommend this book and I am not reading book 2.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content
Moderate: Cursing, Gun violence, and Abandonment
Minor: Child abuse, Drug use, Infidelity, and Toxic relationship
She From The Gutta by BriAnn Danae
Did not finish book. Stopped at 33%.
Did not finish book. Stopped at 33%.
DNF’d at 33%. Boring, immature characters I’m not invested in.