A Child Called ‘It’ By:Dave Pelzer

Dave Pelzer #1

Dave Pelzer recounts his life of extreme abuse until his rescue during fifth grade. (Not a spoiler, it’s literally the first chapter.)

Apparently there is some controversy surrounding this book. One being that his entire family denies that any of this happened to him despite there being witnesses to his physical appearance. That, plus a few other circumstances, there’s doubt.

My guess is that those doubts are from those that are fortunate enough to have never experienced abuse of any kind. Because of Dave’s situation, several laws have been put into place concerning child safety. As his was (at the time) one of the worse cases of child abuse in the state.

I don’t doubt that what he went through was horrific and real. But, I have some issues with the actual book. Dave was a very young child when he went through his ordeal.

A Crown This Cold & Heavy By: Stacia Stark

Kingdom of Lies #3

The third installment of a series that I randomly stumbled upon and have greatly enjoyed. That being said, this was slow. The overall sluggish pace as Prisca and Lorian prepare to take down the barrier, ensure Prisca remains the hybrid queen, save Jamic, and lose as little people as possible, is steady and true.

They might progress with snail-like speed, but it kept me interested jumping around with a handful of different POVs.

The ending – oh, the ending. Don’ t worry, no spoilers. But the ending was so predictable I called it during the first book. Then my prediction was further substantiated when Prisca was warned about using the hourglass. Originally, I thought this was the end of the series (it’s not), so I was not expecting it to end when it did. But now that the next installment has dropped, I can’t wait to see where the story goes from there.

The Beautiful By: Renee Ahdieh

The Beautiful #1

A book that has been on my TBR for entirely too long. And that is exactly how long it took me to read this, entirely too long. But it was so hard to get into the story. It wasn’t until I was about two-thirds of the way in that I actually wanted to read it instead of just being determined to not leave this unfinished.

The writing style is true to the time period which I really appreciate. But there is a disconnect between the story and the reader. Like observing from a distance and only catching a bit here and there.

The only reason I wanted to continue this series is to finally discover what the heck is going on! You hear New Orleans and vampires, how can your mind not wander to Anne Rice?! Even knowing this is a YA book, this is still a far cry from a ‘vampire’ novel. At least until the last 50 or so pages. Anything preternatural is only hinted at or

Billionaire Love By: Kelsie Calloway

I’m on a streak of not great reads. I was excited about the curvy girl aspect of this novel. I get tired of thin, big-chested bombshells.

Though I don’t think I would even call this a short story. It’s more like a detailed blurb.

Samantha has feelings for her billionaire boss. Lucas secretly has feelings for Samantha. Once he discovers her feelings, he’s on it! And Samantha just rolls with it like this sort of thing happens to her all the time.

Want me to drop to my knees? Okay. Want to take me to bed? Okay. She’s very casual about her dream crush professing his feelings but still skeptical about his level of devotion as Lucas is ready to renounce his wealth and dedicate his entire existence to her after spending one night with her.

I enjoyed the spice, but without substance, for me it falls flat. It’s the equivalent of an adult movie starring a handyman and a useless, lonely woman.

Bookshops & Bonedust By: Travis Baldree

Legends & Lattes #0

I have done a full book review on this novel that can be found HERE.

There is also a plot summery full of spoilers, if that’s your thing, that can be found HERE.

Double Bosses By: Parker Grey

Yet another Stuff Your Kindle find. Super short and will ultimately be super forgettable.

I’m no stranger to a book that’s story is there as an excuse for smut. If that’s the case, at least write the story with a touch of substance and not a glossed over outline.

Jenna was not a great character. Considering the only things we know about her is: she’s a virgin (for a hot minute), has a dirty side, and, yup, that’s it.

We get a hair more about Kade and Lawson just because they have an extensive history as friends and business partners.

The spicy bits are ridiculously repetitive. There is maybe two scenes that are a bit different. Otherwise it got boring really quickly. I kept waiting for the inevitable part where trouble threatens their HEA. Well, it happened in the span of about two paragraphs.

If Angels Burn By: Lynn Viehl

Darkyn #1

This is the second time I’ve read this. I recently got a few more installments of the Darkyn series and wanted to start it from the beginning since it’s been awhile.

I appreciate the different take on vampires. My only critique, which I feel is a big one, it seems to be missing chunks from the story. It gets into a flow, and out of nowhere it’s like the author got bored of writing and spontaneously jumped to something else.

There are several times I had to flip back just to be certain I didn’t skip pages.

I’m sure there is meant to be a slow burn in the way of thin-line-between-love-and-hate. But only the hate really comes across. So when there is talk of love and not being able to live without the other, it made my head spin. It’s disjointed at best. I feel there was more in the author’s head than what she wrote.

Nonetheless, onto the next.

Priest By: Sierra Simone

Priest #1

Read this on a glowing recommendation from my best friend. Don’t know really what I was expecting, but this wasn’t it. Um, it was fine.

I get the priest is young, but with Tyler being his name, I had a hard time reconciling. Trite complaint? Maybe.

Poppy, on the other hand, her character is horrible. She’s supposedly big-brained and decides to strip because she’s overtly sexual by nature? Didn’t really use her highly-developed cortex on that one. If the author wanted to make her a stripper that wasn’t an air-head, great. But to boast Ivy League level education did not work. There is nothing about Poppy that suggests was intelligent.

There is also no growth for these two characters. Just an understanding that yes, life can veer from its original path.

I do plan to continue the series, but only because my friend is urging me on. Here’s to hoping the next is better.

Rules of Play By: H.N. DeFore

Sins & Secrets Club #1

Yet another Stuff Your Kindle find. After reading anything by Jade West, any novel that claims to be a BDSM romance will always fall short.

To be fair, this is a healing-after-trauma story that just happens to have kink. That is exactly what brings Michael and Mya together. A random night in the office leads them to discover their mutual interest. Mya is in a toxic relationship and refuses to see it. Micheal is against anything that involves feelings but craves a D/s relationship.

First, there was a fair amount of typos – distracting. Get an editor or at least a second pair of eyes. That goes for the story as well. It never really gives the reader a chance to bond with the characters beyond Mya and Liam’s (abusive boyfriend) relationship. He overshadows the entire story. On one hand, I get it. The abuser assumes an unnecessary amount of control just through their influence. But, wow. Liam was the subject more than the actually MCs.

Stuffed By: Sylvia Morrow

Okay, sometimes curiosity just gets the best of me. And reading this book is the result of said curiosity. One my best friend and I mutually agreed needed to be done.

I have never personally experienced objectum-sexuality (OS); when someone gains romantic and/or sexual feelings toward inanimate objects. I imagine this type of book is right up their alley.

Me? Not so much. Consider my curiosity quelled.

Anne can’t stand humans, let alone their touch. But she loves a particular pillow that she uses to achieve some self-satisfaction. By some twist of the mythical, the pillow is sentient. After an unwanted visit from one of Anne’s co-workers, the pillow is able to become a man. Rather a pillow-man hybrid. That’s when it gets into a realm completely new to me. And it’s interesting.

Since the story, and the writing, were not great, I will not be delving into the sequel, Double Stuffed.

Taming the Minotaur By: Eliza Loveless

Um, yeah. This took all of 30 minutes to read. So it’s more a short story than even a novella. Plus, there really isn’t any meat to it (no pun intended, but, you know, happy accident).

There is no real plot other than seducing the Minotaur and proving dominance. It’s completely chaotic, disjointed, and reads more like some drug-induced fever dream.

If Theseus had dropped something and hallucinating the whole thing, that would have been more interesting.

My friend gave this five stars because it is exactly what you would expect. But that doesn’t mean it is a well plotted and written story. While I don’t really like awarding books stars (so inaccurate) this is definitely not worth five.

The Thief By: J.R. Ward

Black Dagger Brotherhood #16

The last couple of book in the BDB series were a bit stale for me. This one was reminiscent of why I originally stuck with the series.

Solas is a character introduced a few books back. I was not satisfied where Assail and Solas’ story left off and knew it was only a matter of time until we saw her again. Now her and her grandmother are back.

Along with a new threat to the race. Which was also a relief. The Omega and the Lessening Society were getting pretty repetitive.

With new problems on the horizon: shadow entities killing vampires, the Scribe Virgin’s replacement, a new half-breed emerging, and possible exposure of the species thanks to social media, it’s getting really exciting. Great setup for the next novel.

Wounded Kiss By: Willow Winters

To Be Claimed #1

This is barely a half a book. There is no substance. Another ‘novella’ written as an excuse for smut. Not that I’m mad about that fact, but at least make is look like you tried.

Lizzie and Grace go from wanting to fight for their lives to compliant and accepting with the flip of a switch.

So, when I finish reading something, I write my thoughts down so I can write a review later. And it’s a good thing I did, because looking back, I remember reading this and having no desire to continue the series. Beyond that, I have absolutely no recollection of the story other than it ended at an awkward part and left me a bit confused.

To me, that’s review enough…