Review: How to Love Your Neighbor

How to Love Your Neighbor by Sophie Sullivan
RATING: 2 STARS
DNF: 43%
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I can see the real appeal of “How to Love Your Neighbor” and why so many readers were drawn to it but it wasn’t all it was cracked up to be.

For starters, the characters were a big no-no. Noah, the leading hero, whole personality was his wealth, making everyone say ‘Yes' to him, whiny and immature behavior. He also belittled the heroine on multiple occasions, and always ended up saying sorry with gifts whenever Grace catches onto his BS. And time and time again, she forgives him. There was nothing compelling about his character and I find it hard to believe Grace would fall for someone like him.

Aside from the characters, the enemies turned lovers were poorly executed by the author. I found it funny that throughout the book, a good amount of characters kept mentioning how much ‘chemistry’ Noah and Grace had. Insert confused Pikachu face. What chemistry?! There was none whatsoever. The chemistry, tension, build-up between the characters were non-existent. Everything about their relationship was so quick—from being enemies (eyeroll), flirty neighbors and then falling madly in love all in the first quarter of the book.

The dual perspective writing style wasn’t doing the book any favors either and it’s bluntly obvious the dialogue was poorly written. It just felt like I was reading fanfic off Wattpad or something. There was no substance to this complementary romance and was overall an uninteresting romance I didn’t care to finish.

Review: Wildfire

Wildfire by Hannah Grace
RATING: 2 STARS
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"I have come to the conclusion that Hannah Grace is not the author for me. I had enough trouble with wrapping up “Icebreaker” which was an absolute snoozefest and it was evident that “Wildfire ' fell in the same category.

The writing style nearly put me to sleep, the characters weren’t anything spectacular, the romance was iffy and the chemistry was MIA, there was lack of character development and too many daddy issues. And like “Heartbreaker”—the side characters were far more entertaining and engaging than the main couple.

Sadly, we just not vibing and I plan on skipping on anything this author puts out in the future.

Review: Love, Naturally

Love, Naturally by Sophie Sullivan
RATING: 2 STARS
DNF: 55%
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“Love, Naturally" is as cliché and cringy as they come. Presley and Beckett were too perfect and too boring. The book dragged on and on, and I wasn't able to engage with the storyline and the instant love connection was an instant kill.

I was surprised by how quickly the lead characters found themselves in a relationship 2-3 into Presley's 10 day vacation. Cue the shocked Pikachu face.

Not for me. But would be ideal for those looking for instant love, slow AF pacing, cringeworthy romance.

Review: Do Your Worst

Do Your Worst by Rosie Danan
RATING: 2 STARS
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"Folks, "Do Your Worst" just wasn't for me. The premise was there—American curse breaker and English archaeologist enemies with benefits working together in figuring out the mystery behind the Scottish castle—but I wasn't able to connect to the characters and storyline.

Riley and Clark, the main characters, were downright mean to each other which I get—hence the whole enemies with benefits BS but a lot of it was unnecessary and oftentimes than not, it became hard to remember that they were well into their thirties instead of the immature late teens/early twenties leads that they portrayed. With their immaturity and teenage hormonal urges, it felt more like a Tween/New Adult romance novel I was reading.

Personally, Riley and Clark didn't fit. I couldn't envision them together based on their personalities and background. A total oddball couple that I was not able to resonate with which prevented me from enjoying this far more than other readers. I don't see them working out long-term and with what I gathered from not skimming, their relationship was motivated by lust and they quickly fell in the instant love category. In my opinion, an instant kill for any romance book.

In regards to the storyline/plot, I did enjoy the curse breaker and archaeology elements but there wasn't much substance to it and the slow parts diminish my reading experience. Also can't fail to mention the details surrounding Scotland, unlike Philadelphia, was half ass and it's quite evident that the author did a quick Google search for details.

Unfortunately I was not the intended audience for "Do Your Worst" but based on the premise and a few smutty scenes, I am positive this will be popular on BookTok.

Review: The Fake Mate

The Fake Mate by Lana Ferguson
RATING: 4 STARS
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"The Fake Mate" has been one of the most enjoyable omegaverse wolf shifter romances I have read in a long long time. It has reignited my love for the genre and all the great qualities that make an omegaverse/shifter subgenre a great alternative for those who are looking to dive more into the supernatural universe.

Lana Ferguson, a new to me author, had an uncanny ability to immerse me into the world she created by introducing our grumpy alpha, Noah, and sunshine omega, Mackenzie.

What really won me over were the superb leading characters. Mackenzie was a funny, witty, and strong likable female lead. Mack wasn't afraid to voice her wants, desires, and call out Noah's BS (you’ll understand more once you get a little more towards the end) . She was the perfect "fake" mate to the local hospital grouch and seeing their interactions and banter became the highlight of my read. The building chemistry was sizzling hot and the author didn't hold back with the knotty encounters—Yes! You have read that right! Encounters. Plural, my friend, plural—our dynamic duo had.

And we can't forget our grumpiest grump, Noah. His deadpan responses and brutal honesty was a favorite. It was refreshing to come across a mature character that was driven, smart, honest with his feelings and knew where his heart lay. He didn’t play around nor toy with Mack’s emotions and was so attentive and patient with her. Seriously, where can I find my own grump?! Noah fell hard and fast, and it was a pleasant surprise to see the man pursue the female lead wholeheartedly. Honestly, Noah is the ultimate book boyfriend. I don't care what anyone has to say.

Additionally, the side characters; Parker, the infamous Jessica, the "in-laws" were a great add-on and helped bring humor to the "fake mate" and am I falling for my "mate"? dilemma.

Besides the fantastic characters, the storyline was engaging enough to have me finish this in one sitting and though the pacing was damn near perfect for the first 70ish%, the pacing did derail for a brief moment and it just felt like I was at a standstill. I understand that the author slowed down the pacing to create a dramatic effect and to showcase the raw emotions of Noah/Mack’s turmoil—it just didn’t fit with the rest of the novel. Thankfully the book Gods were able to help the author redeem herself and the pacing picked up after 85-90%. To add-on, the build up to the whole Dennis/Noah animosity was anticlimactic. That’s all I’m going to say about that.

On a whole, the author was able to perfectly capture the complicated, chaotic relationship between an Alpha and Omega, and wasn’t afraid to touch on the stereotypes and flaws of each shifter species. With outdated stigmas surrounding unmated alphas and omegas, it was a refreshing take to the genre.

“The Fake Mate” had the perfect blend of humor, witty banter, shameless flirting, constant toe curling sizzling chemistry between the characters that was everything I could ever wish for, captivating plot with solid characters, and smutty goodness.

Fingers crossed we get another omegaverse shifter romance from this author in the near future. I would love to see Liam or Noah’s cousin, Hunter (I love me a good Alpha), get their own book.

 

Review: The Love Rematch

The Love Rematch by Kay Marie
RATING: 1.5 STARS
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“The Love Rematch” is a bachelorette reality show inspired second chance romance that left me wanting more. Literally.

Of course with reality shows running rampant in the last few years, I was immediately intrigued by the premise and of course off-set romance between the once upon a time lovers but it was difficult to connect with Emily or Jake. Maybe it was just me but I found them to be terribly boring. The side-characters, moreso—the producers, contestants and my girl Sam were far more entertaining.

What’s more—I wasn’t a fan of how the author would weave in details of the past/previous memories in the middle of present tense dialogue. There were a few instances that I had to reread the passage to verify what tense I was in and where the heck I was at. It didn’t flow naturally nor was it consistent. It threw off the pacing and I had difficulty immersing myself into the read because of that.

All in all—predictable storyline, dull characters, odd and confusing pacing, and lack of wow factor to really lock me in.

Review: The Plus One

The Plus One by Mazey Eddings
RATING: 1.5 STARS
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I hate to be the bearer of bad news but “The Plus One” was terribly boring. The only winning factor was the mental health themes that the author touched on but otherwise, the amount of cliches and lack of real chemistry between Jude and Indira didn’t do the book any favors. The history was there but the author failed to execute in making the relationship authentic or believable.

Additionally, the storyline fell flat and was drawn out (basically a whole lot of nothing happened), and the writing style was very repetitive. It didn’t feel like we were moving forward with their story. To be blunt, reading this was a waste of time and if I could go back, I would!

Review: Unfortunately Yours

Unfortunately Yours by Tessa Bailey
RATING: 4.5 STARS
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As Tessa Bailey has always been a hit-or-miss author for me and when it comes to “Unfortunately Yours”—it was an unexpected hit! 

“Unfortunately Yours” is one of the best enemies to lovers marriage of convenience I’ve read in a long time and thus far one of the best rom-coms I have had the pleasure of picking up in 2023.

It had the right amount of banter/cumbacks, extremely likeable and relatable leads, sizzling chemistry between August and Natalie that wasn’t forced/awkward, scenes that had me swooning and fanning myself, laugh out loud moments, and a storyline that was engaging and was able to draw me in.

It’s really hard to explain it but “Unfortunately Yours” was a really fun read and I have to give myself a pat on the back for not picking up “Secretly Yours”. Something tells me it would have been a dub and because of that alone, I wouldn’t have bothered picking up this gem.

All in all, I need a physical copy of “Unfortunately Yours”—STAT!

Review: Highland Wolf

Highland Wolf by Lynsay Sands
RATING: 2 STARS
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"Highland Wolf” just wasn’t my cup of tea. The heroine was some sort of animal whisperer and that was just too improbable for me. Like how is saving animals your only personality trait? There wasn’t anything memorable about her or her dashing lead, Wolf.

The storyline lacked engagement, the side characters were far more interesting, and everything else was dull and boring. I started to skim at least ⅓ through because there was only so much suffering I could subject myself to.

Review: As Long As You Love Me

As Long As You Love Me by Marianna Leal
RATING: 2 STARS
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"As a POC, I am always amped to read a multicultural romance (especially someone of Spanish origin) so it was obvious my expectations were high for Marianna Leal’s “As Long As You Love Me” but unfortunately it failed to achieve well… anything.

The plot—wait what plot? This ‘romance’ was filled with pages of Catalina discussing her struggles and traumas (which oftentimes than not, were brushed off way too easily). The plot was just about nonexistent and whatever little was featured, was half-ass and brushed aside by the lead heroine's immaturity, overly dramatic and whiny behavior. As you can tell, I was not a fan of hers. Besides being a POC character, I failed to find anything likable about the lead. And her relationship with Gabe was laughable at best.

There was no chemistry between them. At all. I wouldn’t even categorize this as enemies turned lovers. The relationship with Gabe didn't seem believable nor would have it last as a long term relationship. He honestly was too good for her. There, I said it.

And besides the unconvincing romance that blossomed between Campus Babe and Kitty Kat (gag), this was an overall boring read filled with mediocre characters, dull plot, bad pacing.

Save yourself the trouble and skip this one fellow readers.

Review: The Duke Gets Desperate

The Duke Gets Desperate by Diana Quincy
RATING: 3 STARS
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"The Duke Gets Desperate" was far more entertaining than I originally expected which isn’t saying much. I love the diversity of the main character, Raya, and her steamy relationship with Anthony. I could feel the sexual tension through the pages, and for the first time in a long time (in a historical read anyways)—the lead heroine was not meek or a pushover, Raya was determined to restore the family castle to its former glory, and strong willed. Normally in historical romances, if not all, the heroines are normally the opposite.

Despite that, the author fumbled the bag with the built up. The main characters were never on the same page besides the lust they have for one another, Anthony lacked depth and I felt like I got to know Raya more as a person with fears, hopes, dreams, desires, etc. then our lover boy. The concept was there but 2/3 through, the pacing didn’t match the rest of the novel and it felt like there was too much back and forth (he said, she said consistent misunderstandings) between the couple.

It wasn’t terrible but the wow factor was definitely not there. Nevertheless, I'm intrigued enough by the author to pick up another of her works so see how it compares.

Review: Grandmaster of Demonic Cultivation: Mo Dao Zu Shi (Novel) Vol. 1

Grandmaster of Demonic Cultivation: Mo Dao Zu Shi (Novel) Vol. 1 by Mò Xiāng Tóng Xiù
RATING: 3 STARS
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“If you’re a BL fan, you have heard of this or at least come across the MDZS donghua or the live drama, The Untamed—so when the opportunity arose to read the novel with the official English translation, of course I jumped on the bandwagon. But was the translation up to par? Absolutely not.

The amount of missing lines/paragraphs and mistranslations were absurd. The English did not flow naturally and felt more like a fan translation than anything so I was a bit baffled on why this was published professionally if the translations weren’t 100% accurate. Were there no professional translators or editors hired? And let’s talk about the price. Sure the photos are stunning but for a poor quality novel—not worth the price whatsoever.

Nonetheless, being one of the first BL novels I have ever read, the nostalgia of MDZS brought back a lot of fun memories when it was first fansubbed online years ago. The beautiful imagery, engaging storyline, unique blend of characters, world-building, tradition, etc. will make me come back to this novel eh… more so the donghua/live action drama time and time again.

 

Review: It Happened One Fight

It Happened One Fight by Maureen Lee Lenker
RATING: 1.5 STARS
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I’ve always been fascinated by the Golden Age of Hollywood—the time period, entertainers and most especially the films that I am sure more people have heard of or can recall at the top of their head—so when the book announcement was made, I was immediately on board to read this new to me author.

Was the author able to release a timeless classic? Absolutely not.

I wanted to love this—hell even like it but it felt too modern for me. The characters, Joan and Dash, were unlikeable and I was far from interested in their lackluster, unbelievable love story. The unnecessary drama/conflicts between the pair was long, repetitive and drawn out, the lack of communication was consistent throughout the novel, the bland storyline had me checking periodically how much longer I had to suffer through the read, the writing style was poor and the pacing needed a lot of work.

To be blunt, the premise was there for “It Happened One Fight” but the author failed to deliver.

Review: Forget Me Not

Forget Me Not by Julie Soto
RATING: 2.5 STARS
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Four months into the year, a novel has finally given me some hope that maybe just maybe I can overcome the reading slump I haven’t been able to shake in the last year.

Nonetheless… “Forget Me Not” was a grumpy/sunshine opposites attract second chance romance that will inspire readers to find their own version of Elliot.

The author's writing style was better than what I expected and it’s easy to get a gist of who the characters (minus one) are, even the step-siblings that partake in the wedding shenanigans. I loved the concept of a wedding planner and florist falling in love, and the meaning behind the flowers and the tattoos.

Notwithstanding, it wasn’t all smooth sailing. Elliot and Amas barely had any interaction during the ‘Present’ time and it was mostly filled with inner dialogue, scenes with the engaged couple, and the less than a handful of times they were in a room together—conversation was centered only on the flower arrangements. Boo!

In the novel, the ‘Past’ was more heavily focused which I recognize is for the readers to get a better understanding as to why the relationship ended but I was really looking forward to the tension and heart-to-heart talks that simply didn’t happen. The romance and romantic gestures between the former couple were non-existent in the ‘Present’ time.

Besides the ‘Past/Present’ debacle—maybe it’s just me but the relationship just seemed very superficial and minus the minimal discussion about his father, degree and him being a grump—we know absolutely nothing else about Elliot.

All in all, “Forget Me Not” wasn’t terrible, I just wanted more and I am looking forward to seeing what the author has in store for readers in future releases.