Once Burned by Jeaniene Frost - DNF book review

Once Burned by Jeaniene Frost

Publication date: June 26, 2012

My rating: 2 stars (DNF at 61%)

Welp.
Things were going really well at the beginning. I was really liking Leila and Vlad's interactions, thinking them to be fun considering they weren't immediately into each other.

I also loved how clever, resourceful, and reasonable Leila was in the beginning. I was starting to really like her and her calm way of thinking.

But then they reached Vlad's castle and things started to flounder for me.
It turned from interesting to same old same old paranormal romance where hero and heroine end up in bed before halfway through the book and things start to get boring.
Not to mention, the Leila I thought she was going to be was floundering too.

Maybe it's the asexual in me, but I just love seeing characters get to know each other first/clashing/bantering BEFORE they tear each other clothes off.

Back when I was 15, I actually read and liked the first few books of Jeaniene Frost Night Huntress series. I was probably too young for such explicitness considering I was used to only reading YA but alas I actually ended up liking them, from what I remember, though I think I skipped the explicit scenes 😂

I do like Jeaniene's writing style, so who knows maybe I'll decide to pick something else by her someday. Just not for now.

Make Me Yours - Beth Crowly

"That one tickles. If electrocution is your way of flirting, I commend you on your originality." 

Storybound by Emily McKay - DNF Book Review

*I was provided by an ARC of this book by the publisher (Entangled Publishing) via Netgalley. This is my honest review*

Storybound by Emily McKay
Publication date: May 5, 2020
My rating: 1 star (DNF at 20%)

The reason I wanted to read this book was because the concept reminded me of a book I read – and really liked – a few years ago: The Vampire Stalker by Allison Van Diepan.

So when I saw this one was, similarly, about a girl who realizes the world and characters from her favorite book are actually real, I knew I wanted to read it.

Unfortunately, nothing made sense in this book.
Never thought I'd ever say "the fantasy is this book didn't make sense" but eh... it really didn't.

Everything was happening all at once with no reasonable explanations about that fantasy world the protagonist found herself at. Oh, there were "explanations" alright, they just made zero sense. The book’s excuse for the random nonsense shoved at us was literally “it’s fantasy, so everything is possible.” I guess this would make more sense if the events that were happening weren't totally absurd.

Despite being curious at how Edie – the protagonist – and Kane, the love interest, are going to fall in love, I was just so baffled by the ridiculousness of characters' interactions and "plot" that I honestly couldn’t keep on reading. I started skimming, but even then all I wanted to do was put the book aside and pick up something else.

This is not the most terrible book I’ve read, because it didn't anger me or anything, it’s more on the “LOL, I can’t take this seriously, are you kidding me? 😂” side of dislike, like reading a parody that isn't even funny.

Storybound isn’t well thought out, and I didn't like it, but some lines from the beginning of the book that I read were relatable to me, so I really wish the author all the best in her writing 🧡

P.S: The cover is beautiful, though for some reason it looks suspiciously like this one: https://www.goodreads.com/book/photo/28484196-from-burning-ashes 👀 

Enemies - Lauv

“Never force yourself to read a book that you do not enjoy. There are so many good books in the world that it is foolish to waste time on one that does not give you pleasure.” 

― Atwood H. Townsend, Good Reading

Alpha Night by Nalini Singh - Book Review

*I was provided with an ARC of this book by the publisher via Edelweiss. This is my honest review* 

Alpha Night by Nalini Singh
Publication date: June 9, 2020
My rating: 4 stars

I've been a fan of Nalini Singh for a while now and so I've been SUPER excited for a chance to read an ARC of this book. I was not disappointed, and I officially have a new favorite character in the Psy Changeling world - Ethan Night.

I LOVE ETHAN.
(this will not be the last time you hear me shouting this in the duration of this review, be warned)

That boy, that poor boy, all alone and tortured in the dark (LITERALLY). I wanted to cry for him, to hug him, protect him. He was just so precious.

I love Judd and Kaleb and Bowen and the rest of the guys, but Ethan has won over my soul so quickly and so totally I'm pretty sure it's a new record.

One of my favorite things when it comes to the books in this series with a psy as one of the main characters, especially an arrow, is the ongoing running joke of THE MANUAL 😂 I love it and I burst out laughing every time they mention “the manual” as a tip of how to know what you’re doing with a woman LOL.

I really liked this book; I could hardly put it down as I was reading it, I LOVE ETHAN (I can’t seem to say this enough but I LOVE HIM), I adore Memory! (this really made me want to re-read Memory’s book, I totally forgot how wonderful and strong she was), I loved seeing Aiden be such a wonderful big brother to everyone, and I was delighted to see Sascha – and Lucas, thought briefly – again.
And that ending, it was SO sweet :')

All in all, a great book, and now I can’t wait for the next one! (I super duper want a Nikita book, but heck I would be satisfied with a Kit book or maybe even one of Bowen’s knights? I would personally love to see another psy-psy book or a psy-human book).

*spoilers from now on*

The manual has become like the sacred text of the arrow squad and I LOVE it because they’re a squad of assassins worshipping a manual about skin privileges and how to please women 😂

I was utterly in love with how Selenka was calling Ethan “mate of mine”, this is my new favorite phrase.

Finding out Ethan is an E was SO COOL. I always wanted a book focusing on a male E.

I LOVE ETHAN, he’s so precious and I love him.
I also love the thought of an E arrow, way to go Ivy, for giving it its own designation!

AND OMG I loved that Memory and Ethan are related! They were so cute together in their brother/sister type of relationship from what we’ve seen.
It’s crazy to think how similar their situation was, being locked away for over a decade, and both of them related and with the same abilities.
Anyways, I adore this bond between them!

The only negative thing I can think of is that I wish the ending was less rushed, as I wanted some more time with Ethan figuring out his abilities, as well as more Memory-Ethan scenes.
But that’s something I noticed in a bunch of Nalini Singh’s books, so it’s not unusual for her endings to seem a bit rushed. 

And a few last words to finish up this review: I LOVE ETHAN NIGHT. 

What I Believe - Skillet

(this song is literally like Ethan singing this to Selenka 🥺) 

"I love you. I will always love you." 

House of Earth and Blood by Sarah J. Maas - (short) Book Review

House of Earth and Blood by Sarah J. Maas
Publication date: March 3, 2020
My rating: 5 stars

Do you know that feeling when a book was just so... EPIC, that you literally have no words to describe it?
That's House of Earth and Blood for you.
800 pages long, there is SO much to be said, so much I could talk about, and yet I just... I have no words.

I loved all of the characters, tears escaped my eyes twice as I was reading it, and the last 300 pages were like watching an apocalyptic movie, my heart beating faster, my eyes bleary from reading without a break, my face going all 😱 every second, as I shout at the characters to run and hide and please not die.

Light it up. Light it up. Light it up. Light it up. LIGHT IT UP 😭

Open Your Eyes - Bea Miller

Us, he’d said earlier. A unit. A team. A two-person pack.

Play of Passion by Nalini Singh - (short) Book Review

Play of Passion by Nalini Singh
Publication date: November 2, 2010

My rating: 3 stars

Weirdly enough, even though I read and re-read all the other books in the series, I kept skipping over this one because I wasn't sure I was going to like it.
Well, I did like it! But it wasn't one of my favorites in the series.

I gotta admit, some of the more explicit scenes later on actually made me a bit bored. Probably just me though, as I tend to like characters actually talking to each other first before jumping at each other 😂

Anyways, I adored Drew! He was just so cute and wonderful, I admit I totally fell for him 🧡 It's Indigo that I had somewhat of a problem with, and probably why I couldn't fully enjoy the book. I understand where she was coming from, but every time she hurt Drew I just wanted to make her see sense, so that was rather annoying.

Aside from that, a solid book for sure!

Legendary - Skillet

"You're so cute when you're deluding yourself."