Waves

Details

A year after ending his engagement a mere two days before the wedding, Ezra has settled into his new life: documenting the local seal population, walking the beaches with his black lab, or having lunch with his one remaining friend. Life is simple, quiet, and predictable until the day Ezra befriends a man who walks right out of the sea.

Kai has been alone for a long time—a very, very long time. So much so, he can’t remember living as anything but a seal or caring about anyone human. Until one day, he meets someone amid the ocean who drives his urge to return to land again.

Waves is a low-angst MM paranormal romance featuring a selkie and human pairing. 

Review

⭐⭐⭐ 3.5 

I have mixed feelings about the story. I chose this ARC solely because of the character names 😅 they have sentimental value to me, and finding those specific names together in one book was… I don't know… it caught my attention.

The story starts a little slow, getting boring at times, but still entertaining enough to keep you reading. I liked that it wasn't your typical mermaid story yada, yada… that was interesting. 

Although I never quite understood the whole thing about Kai's “coat.”

The truth is that you could replace the fact that Kai is a Selkie with anything else and the story could continue without problems. The fact that he is an inhuman creature is quite irrelevant. He could very well be a CIA or FBI agent investigating trafficking of prohibited substances in that area that involves fishermen, that would explain his absence, and why he cannot give his full name or talk about his work.

As for Ezra, it really bothered me that he didn't stand up for himself against Thom's lies, that he allowed that crazy guy to not only break his heart, beat him, cost him his house. And on top of that, he basically took away his friends. And still a year later, Ezra did nothing to defend himself. Not even saying why he canceled the wedding 😐

The ending… what kind of ending is that!? I didn't feel like there was any closure… what's going to happen now? What are Ezra and Kai living arrangement going to be? Is Kai going to be in and out for the rest of their lives? Is he immortal? The extra chapter doesn't help much either, if not at all. It doesn't explain how Kai became a Selkie, it doesn't say if there are more Selkies in the world… nothing!

Don't get me wrong.

I cried, I laughed, I fell in love with the characters (except Thom and company, I hope a shark eats them). I enjoyed the book, seriously, but I have too many questions and I didn't like that ending at all.

The Tower

 

Details

“The beauty of Pauley’s work is that he makes the reader (relatively) comfortable with these fun, weird elements and then injects the narrative with short bursts of deep thinking and questions that cut to the marrow of human nature.” — Gabino Iglesias, author of The Devil Takes You Home

THE TOWER

Something is happening to the residents of Eighth Block Tower…

There's radiation in the walls. Salt covers the hallways. The food and water are poisonous. A giant green brain pulsates under the roof, pumping electric venom throughout the apartment building. The residents are trapped and losing their minds.

Sanity is a myth. Sickness is life.

Review

⭐⭐⭐⭐

At this point, I'm still trying to discern if strange things are really happening at The Tower, or if it's a psychiatric hospital and the residents are patients.

Get this: residents can't go out, not even to work. However, their needs are covered, each apartment seems to be more of a room with some facilities, but everything else is communal areas. All the residents seem to suffer from different types of hallucinations, but they share a certain collective delirium… I don't know, I think I'm just trying to make sense of what the characters are experiencing.

Leaving that aside, the story is quite entertaining, nothing is what it seems, and I enjoyed it quite a bit even though I am not a fan of horror or audiobooks. But the narrative has captured me and I want to know more about it.

Infamous Park Avenue Prince

 Details

Who are we? Like you even need to ask. We’re the seven richer-than-sin legacies causing debauchery at the prestigious Astor University in Manhattan.

Some call us spoiled.

Some call us trouble.

But everyone calls us the Park Avenue Princes.

Weston LaRue
“The Playboy”

I’m never one to turn down a bet. Especially not when it comes to retaliating against the dean for pulling a dick move before summer break.

So when the dean’s golden child arrives at Astor for his freshman year, my fellow troublemakers throw down a wager I can’t resist.

The target: the dean’s son, John Thomas Hawthorne, or “JT.”

The bet: corruption in any way I choose.

It should’ve been easy. With his mess of brown curls, pouty lips, and good-boy reputation, JT is the perfect revenge. And even better? He’s straight.

Challenge accepted. I’ll do whatever it takes to prove a point, no matter how reckless it might be.

Game. On.

Infamous Park Avenue Prince is the first standalone novel in the Park Avenue Princes world.

Review

⭐⭐⭐⭐ 4.5 

I began this book with high expectations, and I am happy to report that my expectations were not only met but exceeded. It wasn't exactly what I expected, but better.

It's difficult for me to decide where to start, because beyond saying that I totally loved the book, the story, and the characters (not all of them, I'm looking at you East). I don't know how to express how good I found it (I literally finished the reading less than 5 minutes ago, so let me gather my thoughts).

I thought West would be the typical “poor rich kid” who has everything money can buy and still isn't happy (thanks Ella and Brooke for showing that it is possible to write a good story without falling into the use of that stereotype. Which many times is the only personality trait of those characters). Of course, West, and his friends are a group of privileged youngsters, who have had everything in life, but at least West, is also someone who works for what he wants, although of course, let's not forget that he is an arrogant-spoiled brat.

I liked the way everything developed, things happened naturally (if we leave aside West's stalker tendencies, of course. But what's the point of being a rich kid if you can't use your money to make life a little easier?). Anyway, everything between West and JT happens slowly and unhurriedly. As the reader goes deeper and deeper into the book, they can detect the exact moments in which West gradually fell for JT and how JT went from being straight as a ruler to not so straight after all. Their relationship emerged in a way that neither of them expected, and when they realize it, they were already head over heels for each other.

Things I liked:

1. How West did not stop being himself, in fact, in the process of getting to know JT he discovered things about himself that were unknown until that moment. He continued to be an arrogant playboy who went out to party almost every day, only now he went with JT or, failing that, he had dates with JT in places that were not usual for him, but JT liked.

2. JT did go a little out of the path and fell to the dark side, but he still remained true to himself. All these new experiences with West were his ticket to having fun and seeing that there is life beyond just studying and been a golden boy.

3. The parents hardly appear, but from the little that can be seen of them it is clear that they are good parents, not the typical toxic parents who have traumatized their children by being super strict, controlling and other toxic attitudes (again, thanks Ella and Brooke for showing that you can write a good story without using this overused resource).

4. Donovan and his “Van sessions”

Things I didn't like:

Just one thing. While the bet is a totally believable thing this type of character would do, the reward for winning seemed weak to me. It's not like West couldn't afford that by simply calling his dad. West, of all of them, could have that reward with a call, considering who his father is and the business he owns. But well, I guess it was more about the challenge and showing his friends that nothing is impossible or difficult for him to obtain.

Final thoughts:

—I'm upset with East, I'm sure he did it on purpose.

— Donovan and his “Van sessions” are my favorite things, also, how can I schedule an appointment with him? I need it urgently.

—What's up with Travis and Caleb?

— East, I'll be watching you closely, what you did was not something a best friend does to his best friend.

— My guess for the next book is between East and the person he's obsessed with or Travis and his love hate relationship with Caleb… you know what? I'm going to let a little of West's arrogance rub off on me…the second book will be East's, period.

Wow, this review got a little too long, so I'm going to leave it here.

Thanks to Foreword and the authors for this ARC, I really enjoyed it and I look forward to the other books.

The Sword: Xcian

Details

Forbidden desires are his sins. The human he's charged with protecting is his penance. And falling in love may destroy him. Xcian craves what he cannot, Sebastian Diaz. 

The one man who he's inexplicably drawn to. The one man who may inevitably destroy him. When Xcian kidnaps Sebastian at the behest of his brother, he knows it was a mistake to force the male into his world, where the war between the malice and the Nine has escalated. 

And as their sexual attraction turns to something more, Xcian must decide if he's willing to risk damnation for a chance at love.

Review

⭐⭐⭐ 3.5

Was it a bad book? No, it was very good, indeed.

If it was good, why such a low rating? Because Sebastian is an idiot 😡🤬😑😐

Throughout the book, no one stops to explain to Sebastian in detail what is happening, neither about the existence of supernatural beings nor the role of Xcian and his brothers. Added to that is the fact that Sebastian also doesn't ask nor demand for an explanation (despite the fact that Xcian promises to answer all his questions if he makes them).

Sebastian commits stupidity after stupidity, over and over and over again. Endangering everyone around him and himself in the process. That really bothered me.

But Sebastian's nonsense aside, it was a good book. The world building was great. Although the supernatural beings here are the usual ones (demons, gods, werewolves, vampires, witches / shamans, etc…) their origins are different from the usual ones which makes it not repetitive or boring.

The truth is that I liked the book, but the miscommunication trope is not my thing.

There are several loose ends to be solved, and I suppose there would be more books about Xcian brothers (for the sake of my emotional and mental stability, I hope there’s going to be more books). I need to know what's going to happen with Layla and Pedro, Hawke, Alejandro, that someone assured me that Finn succeeded, among other things that require solution. I need to know more about Eric and Zane relationship.

Too many questions I have, so please give me more books 😬

August

Review

✨✨✨✨ ✨ Well, how should this start? My emotions and thoughts are scattered everywhere.

This book is a standalone, but it takes place in the same universe as Echo and the characters of each book are related to one another, so it is best enjoyed if you have already read Echo first. Another thing to keep in mind is that this book, like Echo, is a Dark Romance, so there is a list of content warnings that I don't recommend being ignored.

That said, I proceed with my review, I'll do my best to make it organized, but don't blame me if it's not… it's Kelevra's fault 🥰

The story begins with Kelevra Diar, Imperial Prince, Third in line for the throne of Vitality, as he watches a performance test for sophomore year cadets, where he first sees Rin Varun.

From that moment on, Kel becomes obsessed with Rin, among other things, because he realizes that Rin hides a lot of secrets that Kel wants to discover out of his boredom. And what was supposed to be a game to kill boredom and a one-night stand suddenly becomes an imperial decree of an arranged betrothal.

But there is a problem, well… a lot of problems really.😅

One of them being the fact that both Rin and his identical twin brother, Sila, want to keep a low profile and live without attracting attention, which they can't do if Rin is involved with His Imperial Highness… Kelevra Diar doesn't do disguises.

Why should he? He is:

Sexy

Arrogant

He always gets what he wants without having to ask for it.

Impulsive

He doesn't know the meaning of the word NO

Possessive

A bad boy in every sense of the word with a tragic past included 😉

The story kept me on the verge of a collapse from beginning to end, whether it was the interactions and relationship development between Kel and Rin or the discovery of the secrets of the Varun twins, the hunt for clues to discover the “murderer” on campus. And just when I thought there were no more secrets or plot twists… I was proven wrong… over and over and over again.

What I liked the most is that Kel fell first, and he fell harder. And in his weird and twisted way, he always has Rin's welfare and best interests in mind, being his top priority.

So of course a fell for Kel, how was I supposed not to… I'm not that strong, for Christ’s sake!! Ok, I'm calm down.

I hope the next book (because I'm sure will be more) will be about Sila, as there are many unanswered questions regarding him and his whereabouts, I'm curious.

Review

😵‍💫🤯😳 OMG! I can't believe I had to wait for 98% of the book to get what you're looking for in this book 😅.

Jesus Christ! What a wild ride.

The first 32% of the book was slow and somewhat boring, but this is because it focuses on the construction of the world, giving some details, explanations, and the background of the characters. Once that's over, the real story begins.

Something that kept me on edge throughout the reading is that in many moments the characters first act and then give the reasons, if they give them at all.

I got quite angry with Dante for not admitting who he is even though everyone already knew… Then I realized that it was not about hiding his identity from others, rather it was about him not knowing himself and much less accepting or recognizing himself.

John is a hard-headed Priest 😅 that will do what is necessary to help the townspeople and protect Dante.

The best character in the whole book is Basque and I loved him 🥰

The only thing I can say I didn't like was the list of books that are/will be part of this series, which means I'll have to read them all (Cough, cough… notice the sarcasm 🤭).

Review

✨✨✨✨✨ I don't know what to say… this book was a wild ride, to say the least.

Plot twists that I didn't see coming in each chapter, complex characters with hidden motivations and who will do whatever it takes to achieve their goals.

You can not trust anyone…

Of course, there is a love triangle between the main characters. It is quite complicated not only because of the love interest, but also because of the political implications and the relationship between them outside of passion, lust, and love/hate.

“My blood calls for yours, and yours mine.”

We have Acheron, prince of vampires, the epitome of the bad boy concept, he's everything that's wrong with a man, but you're still going to fall for him. There's no way around, Malachy falls, I fell, everyone they will fall for him, it is an undeniable fact.

Malachy is a human, not so human, who wakes up alone and badly injured in a cell with his captor trying to get him out and escape the people who are attacking his house, which he fails to do. Malachy is forced to walk out of a cell alone to end in another. Not only that, but Malachy is unknowingly caught in the middle of a sociopolitical conflict between the Vampire Court and the Clanless.

“Between Scylla and Charybdis.” 👈🏻 That sentence is the best way to exemplify the situation Malachy finds himself in… out of options, most of the time, and everyone around him wants something from him, everyone lies and wants to take advantage of Malachy.

Finally, there is Marcellus, leader of the Clanless, a group of rogue vampires who are against the Vampire Court form of government. He is Malachy's captor and creator, and apparently, the only one who knows about Malachy's true origin and abilities that go beyond what any other dhampir can do and that he obviously has hidden plans for Malachy and his extraordinary abilities. That's not to mention his complicated relationship with Acheron…

Malachy is trying to figure out whom he really is, gain control over his abilities, learn about the complicated relationships of the vampire court, fight his undeniable passion and lust for Acheron, and to top it all off, he's forced to fight and choose sides in a battle that is not his and whose implications he does not understand.

Like I said, it was a wild and unexpected ride, which I totally enjoyed, and I can't wait for the continuation of the story, hopefully and in the next book I have answers to all my questions.

Not Dating Material

Details

MOLLY

Moving to Seattle is supposed to be all about getting a fresh start and leaving the bitter man I was becoming behind.

I have new roommates–quirky, sometimes strange, roommates–a nosy, next door neighbor and a grumpy kitty for company, but even surrounded by people, I still don't feel like I belong. Plus, it turns out the men in Seattle are exactly the same as the ones I left behind, and my string of romantic disconnections continues.

It's not until one of my roommates, Seven, hits me with some hard truths that I realize where I was going wrong.

Maybe the men aren't the problem.

I am. And there's only one way to fix that.

SEVEN

Being found tied up naked to my bed by my cute new roommate isn't an ideal way for us to start a friendship.

But apparently a quid-pro-quo is.

He keeps his pretty lips zipped about the compromising position, and I step in as his dating coach. We go out, I point out where he's going wrong, and he magically becomes dating material.

The problem is, between my codependent brother Xander and a new best friend I can't get rid of, Molly and I are the target of a matchmaking scheme. My life is way too busy to add another person to it, and Molly is the kinda guy who needs to be made a priority, which I just can't do. Xander's medical anxiety takes up too much of my time, and I've never found a partner who doesn't resent it.

I'm determined to help Molly find his ever after.

But that guy will never be me.

Review

⭐⭐⭐⭐ This was so sweet a heart touching / heart broken 🥺🥺🥺

This book is a standalone, but it doesn't belong to the Accidental Love series and although it can be read perfectly in any order, I did have some doubts, but it doesn't really affect the story.

So, the characters… Molly is a guy who just moved in looking for a fresh start after a bad “breakup”. He is determined to find the perfect man for himself, the problem is that until now he has not been able to find one who is capable of handling how intense he is. Because let's face it: Molly has an intense personality. He gives everything and more of himself, and not everyone is able to accept or handle it.

On the other hand, we have Seven who did not have a good childhood, going from one foster home to another, suffering abuse and where she met her now adoptive brother Xander. Who suffers from recurring anxiety attacks and Seven is his “his person” for when such incidents occur, which causes Seven not to want to get involved in any relationship, because Xander is his priority in life.

It all started as a way for Seven to help Molly realize his dating mistakes. But they soon end up emotionally involved, being jealous of each other, getting to know each other better and giving each other support when they need it.

My recurring thought while reading was that both, Molly and Seven, have been broken so many times and in so many different ways, that the only way for them to be whole again is… Being together, repairing each other.

They have quite deep traumas and emotional problems, but despite this they look for ways to live their lives in the best way they can.

My final thoughts: I loved the story, I already want a book where Xander finds the love of his life and that he can seek professional help for his anxiety attacks. Please someone do Darcy and Damien justice 🤣 they are collateral damage in this book and deserve some love. I wasn't prepared for Seven's piercings, that was new… But oh my god! 🤤🤤🤤❤️‍🔥❤️‍🔥❤️‍🔥❤️‍🔥🔥🔥🔥🌶️🌶️🌶️

Thanks to Foreword for the ARC, I really enjoyed it 😊