stellyshadows's reviews
374 reviews

Apocalypse by Kyle West

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adventurous challenging dark hopeful mysterious tense 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

4.0

I enjoyed this. It’s a post apocalyptic, dystopian infection series that deals with a disaster that hit earth and there are people who live in different bunkers and our main character Alex is left to leave the bunker and survive 
Broken Harbor by Catherine Cowles

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challenging emotional hopeful medium-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? No

4.75

 I loved this! omg.. All of these characters are so well done. We follow Sutton and Cope. Sutton being a single mom and Cope being a NHL player and he will protect Sutton and her son Luca at all costs and as they get to know each other their feelings get stronger. The banter is great, the suspense at the end, the side characters from the other books too are just so fun! This is a little bit of a DV thing with Sutton because she goes to Sparrow Falls to get away and protect her and her son Luca from her ex husband Roman who got into drugs and got dangerous. Sutton and Cope both fight demons in their life but do it together and that dang nickname Cope gives Sutton... I love love love! This is also small town, single mom, found family, sports romance and romantic suspense. I recommend for sure!

 
Temptation by Ivy Rose

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challenging dark emotional hopeful tense fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Plot
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

3.75

This is a mafia romance but it's not a dark romance. It's grumpy/sunshine, nanny/single dad mafia romance with a lot of spice. This story follows Fabrizio and Sienna. Fabrizio  will do anything to protect his twins, Maddy and Flynn. Sienna is their teacher and in the beginning they are in danger so Fabrizio takes her as a captive but they both fall for each other as time passes and they try to fight it their feelings. Eventually, she feels like she belongs there with him and his twins, they have fun and cute moments together. There is a lot of depth to Fabrizio with the loss of his wife and there is other topics that could be triggering. This is easy to read, fast paced and a little mafia action but not much, I prefer more. I loved the kids relationship with Sienna, it was so fun. The twins make this book a bit more deep and there is funny moments in this. I can tell that even if Sienna is only around Fabrizio and she doesn't want to get away, They care about each other. If you want a fun time with mafia romance and spice this is for you. I personally wanted more but this was good.
Scandal Next Door by Theo Baxter

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challenging dark tense fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Plot
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? No
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A

3.75

 I really did like this but not as much as I thought I was going to. This is a psychological thriller about an obsessive, possessive guy who can’t get over his high school girlfriend Callie who is a literary agent and he’s a writer. Callie’s fiance cheated on her with his secretary but to Callie something seems off and she gets angry so she goes and has romantic connections with Bryan who is her past boyfriend who’s obsessed with her but it does show until later. I was wanting more to this, more thrills and stuff but it was still fun and fast paced with a lot going on. I really liked the ending too, I couldn’t stand how possessive and aggressive/controlling Bryan was. 
The Perfect Boyfriend by S.E. Lynes

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challenging dark tense fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? N/A
  • Loveable characters? No
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? No

3.75

Thanks to Netgalley and Bookouture for this audioarc. 
This is a psychological thriller about Midwife Kirsty who comes across a man from her past, her former boyfriend who disappeared years ago without a trace so she goes to him and talks to him but he has no idea who she is, or so we think that. This is dual POV from Kirsty and former boyfriend Hugh. Kirsty will do whatever it takes to reveal the identity of Hugh. Soon, secrets unravel and stuff gets pretty interesting. It didn't grasp me too much but I think that's because I was in reading slump. I didn't really like the narrator and I wanted more twists through the story. Not the best I've read but I enjoyed it and if this is your thing I would still recommend. 
Hidden By His Side by Amber Warden

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

4.0

This is considered a dark romance that is mafia adjacent but to me this isn't dark romance at all. Yes, there is dark themes and very heavy topics in this such as assault, accidentally pregnancy and so on. Please look up triggers for this. I felt like there were a couple of plot holes maybe? Ramiro is very possessive over Summer and it's giving touch her and you die vibes. There is a past and present timeline, mostly present and this is very very spicy! I enjoyed this overall and it was great. I love how Ramiro took care of Summer and was so gentle with her as the story progressed their connection became stronger I just wanted more details between the two and there isn't much mafia things just mentions of a cartel but regardless I really enjoyed and if this is what you like then I highly recommend.
Mountain Protector by Gia Cobie

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adventurous challenging emotional mysterious medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? N/A
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.75

I absolutely loved everything about this. It's neighbors to lovers dual pov from FMC Lark and MMC Knox. Lark wanted to get away from city life to slow down and enjoy her life in the rural area and one night in her cabin she gets spooked before bed and she finds herself in danger so she runs from her cabin in snow up to her knees through the woods to her neighbor, Knox she knowing that he has a military background. Her injuries cause her to spend more time with Knox and overtime feelings begin to show and they both fall hard for each other. This is romantic suspense and it has Christmas in it so it's cute for the holidays. I loved the characters and the banter between them I highly recommend!

 
HER by DV Fischer

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challenging dark emotional mysterious tense 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? N/A

5.0

This was amazing. Very juicy and entertaining. Spicy but it deals with heavy topics so please be aware before diving into this. I have nothing but good things to say about this book I read it in one sitting and if you love dark stuff within the trafficking world etc then I highly recommend. 
Whisk til Peaked by Zea Kayleigh Galan

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adventurous funny hopeful medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.0

This was awesome! A boss lady baker who loves baking and a best friends to lovers trope too which I love. The spice was definitely there and the characters are so unique in their own way. I haven’t came across many POC characters or novels about them or told through their perspective which is a change. I highly recommend if you enjoy spice and different race of characters :) 
Forgiving Fate by J. Laine

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adventurous challenging dark hopeful reflective sad slow-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

4 stars. 
I did enjoy this mostly but some parts of the story had me so confused and I couldn’t really focus on what was happening although I did like the characters but the banter wasn’t the best until around the 60% mark. I just found some stuff to be repetitive but I really loved the focus on Allie and Landon and the growth in both of them as the story progresses. Sadly I just couldn’t get into it like the first one. Very well written in terms of grief and the dealing with trauma. The story is deep, please check your trigger warnings. Very slow burn but if that’s your thing I suggest.