{Review} How I Met Your Moth-er by Miranda Sapphire

 

Page count: 88

Publisher: Miranda Sapphire

Published on: February 23, 2023

Genres: adult paranormal romance, cozy fantasy, monster romance

Format: eARC (provided by author for an honest review) 

[Purchase Here]

Rating: 5/5 ✨

Spice: 3/5 🌶️

✨T R O P E S✨

- MM romance

- moth man x human

- trans MMC (FANTASTIC REP TOO!)

- found family

- one bed!

- both MCs are literal cinnamon rolls

- hurt/comfort

Synopsis:

Elliot is just trying to keep it all together when a creature of legend crash-lands in front of him one stormy night. Though he’s huge and intimidating, Elliot has to admit that his unexpected guest is also sweet and kind—but can he trust him?

Can Elliot let himself…want him?

Content Warnings: graphic sex scenes, mention of transphobia and homophobia (not shown), mention of drug abuse and minor confrontation with an intoxicated person, estranged birth family, death of a family member (not shown), some depictions of anxiety and depression (mild).

Review:

I had the joy of beta/sensitivity reading this lovely monster romance novella and I had an absolute blast. This is probably one of the best monster romances I’ve read in a while and I just need to push this into more peoples’ hands. Please read this!

This was one of the sweetest monster romances I’ve read yet. Not only is Elliot a total sweetie, but Bis! What a dream boat of a mothman! His genuine care for Elliot was just delightful. I love how the two communicated and I loved being in Bis’s head as his feelings for Elliot grew. His adoration for Elliot was absolutely adorable from the get-go, but the genuine care that he had to understand how he was feeling and processing everything? That was just A++. Bis is the blueprint for healthy novella length monster romance monster leads.

If you’re looking for a queer monster romance, you need to check this one out. I’m so obsessed and I’ll be gifting my friends copies and pushing them to read it ASAP. Consider yourself lovingly pushed. Just read it!

Happy reading, friends!

Olivia

Liv the Book Nerd

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{Reading Wrap Up} February 2023

I managed to read 18 books in February 🥵 I’m not quite sure how I managed it, but the proof is in the list!

Take a look at my Instagram to have a more timely updates on what I'm reading and what's going with my life. Y'know if that is of any interest to you. 

- Girls Weekend by CM Nascosta - 5/5 ✨

- The Boy, the Mole, the Fox, & the Horse by Charles Mackesy - 5/5 ✨

- Garlic and the Vampire by Bree Paulsen - 5/5 stars

- Garlic and the Witch by Bree Paulsen - 4.5/5 ✨

- Daughters of Ys by MT Anderson - 3/5 ✨

- Tensei Shitsra Maou-Sama Ni Dekiai Saremashita vol 1 - 3/5 ✨

- Quiet Girl in a Noisy World by Debbie Tung - 3/5 ✨

- The Shadow of Perseus by Claire Heywood - 4/5 ✨

- Fluffy Love Season 1 by PapaDamn - 3/5 ✨

- Cruel Deception by Monica Kayne - 2/5 ✨

- Radiant Sin by Katee Robert - 4.75/5 ✨

- How I Met Your Moth-er by Miranda Sapphire -  5/5 ✨

- The Blood of Olympus by Rick Riordan - 5/5 ✨

- Muscles and Monsters by Ashley Bennett 4/5 ✨

- Ariadne by Jennifer Saint - 4/5 ✨

- Stupid Cupid by Maeve Black - 3/5 stars

- Forbidden by Emilia Emerson 3/5 ✨

- Written by Kathryn Moon 3.75/5✨

I know I've managed to post this late, but I have a new job! Woot! I've been spending March getting used to a new schedule, juggling my classes, and attempting to stay healthy and mentally sane. 

What have you been reading?

Happy reading, friends!

Olivia

Liv the Book Nerd

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{Review} Hot Button Issue (Roller Derby Witches #1) by Catrina Bell

 

Page count: 175

Publisher: Catrina Bell

Published on: March 20, 2023

Genres: adult paranormal romance, cozy fantasy

Format: eARC (provided by author for an honest review) 

[Purchase Here]

Rating: 4/5 ✨

Spice: 2/5 🌶️

• T R O P E S •

- shifter x witch

- MF romance

- found family

CW: pro-choice theme, microaggressions, parental pressure, allergy skin reaction, police violence, sexual content, swearing and vulgar language, pregnancy (epilogue)

Synopsis:

After a surprising, new law passes restricting reproductive rights, a roller derby witch and the shifter she has a crush on must work together to plan a last minute protest.

Good Blanca is a high-profile lawyer with a brilliant legal mind. She's everything her parents hoped she would be - impressive and successful. Bad Blanca is a beautiful mess. She dresses in fishnet tights, flirts with sexy werewolves, and just made the Hel Stars roller derby team. Oh, and she’s secretly a witch.

Thorin is her opposite in every way. The happy-go-lucky flirt struggles with supernatural aggression he can’t quite control. His attraction to Blanca makes things even more complicated.

When Blanca’s powerful client, a state senator, proposes new legislation restricting reproductive rights, the line separating the good and bad in her life becomes blurry. Derby is chaos, and soon everything goes off the rails. How far will she go to defend her values and the people she loves?

~ ~ ~

Review:

[ Check out my original review on Instagram here!]

Hot Button Issue is an adorably romantic and feel-good novella about a 30 year old lawyer (who is secretly a witch) who discovers all the research and work she's done to help pass progressive legislation was used to strip the rights of the women of her community.

This novella was an absolute treat to read. Thank you @catrinabell for accepting me onto your ARC team!

I absolutely adored Blanca and Thorin and their journeys to loving themselves and being the people they want to be.

I really loved the magical elements of Blanca's witchy identity and the passion she had for making her community the best place it could be. I also loved her passion for roller derby and her team. The way she thought about her friends was just lovely and I especially loved how she interacted with Thorin.

Thorin is just the sweetest shifter I've ever read about. His compassion and desire to do what is right for all is just lovely to read about. He honestly reminded me a lot of my husband in the ways he interacted with his friends. Well, he's not as flirty as Thorin, but he's flirty with me. 😉. Thorin is the kind of teddy bear/cinnamon roll character I always love. I love how the sweeter and spicier elements of his personality were executed. He's just SO LOVELY. (That's the word that sums up this book, I think.) I also really loved how Bell established how shifters come to be in this world. It was a really fresh take and I can’t wait to read more about this world.

If you love sweet paranormal stories with a progressive plot line, this one is for you. I'm so thankful I got to read this story to help promote it because it was just a delightful reading experience. I really cannot recommend it enough. 

To my left-leaning babes, this one is for you! ✨

Happy reading, friends!

Olivia

Liv the Book Nerd

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Forbidden (Luna & Sol Omegaverse #1) by Emilia Emerson

Page count: 557

Publisher: Emilia Emerson

Published on: March 1, 2023

Genres: adult romance, paranormal, dark romance

Format: eARC in exchange for an honest review

[Purchase Here]

Rating: 3/5 ✨

Spice: 2/5 🌶️

• T R O P E S •

- omegaverse

- MMMF romance

- found family

- “touch her and you die”

- hurt/comfort

- fated mates

CW: mentions of past sexual abuse, emotional neglect, brief thoughts of suicide, parental abuse, fatphobia, depression, low self esteem, PTSD, disordered eating

Synopsis:

What if everything forbidden to me — freedom, love, pleasure — could be mine?

Would I be brave enough to take it?

Five years ago, Josie Porter’s life was about to begin: she was going to escape her abusive family, move in with her best friend, and start college. Now, scarred from years of government torture in the Designation Academy, her dreams are long gone. Her only goal now is survival.

With the Designation Government out to pair every omega with often brutal alpha packs, Josie has to turn to black-market suppressants to disguise her biology. But when the supply runs out, Josie can no longer run from her designation.

Cam, Ben, and Theo Ashwood had given up on their dream to find an omega, refusing to participate in the government’s oppressive policies. But when the underground anti-government Alliance asks them to help an omega in need, they can’t say no. They never expected to meet her — their fated mate.

Suddenly surrounded by alphas desperate to tend to her every need, Josie finds herself feeling things she only dreamed of as a child — love, trust…hope.

But even the protection of her fiercely loyal pack can’t stand against those determined to tear them apart.

Review:

This book had all of the potential, but I really wish a few things had been tweaked to make it the best it could be. Going into Forbidden, I really enjoyed Josie and her pack. However, as the story continued, the plot became repetitive and Josie’s constant negativity toward herself was lowkey exhausting.

When it came to the romance, I really enjoyed it! I loved how Cam, Ben, and Theo really nurtured Josie and her spirit. This book had a beautiful message about self love and growing and healing after traumatic events. I was a big big fan of those elements. They were really well done.

Overall, this book was a lovely read. I wish some of the more repetitive bits had been cut to make the book a bit shorter (Who am I asking for a book to be shorter? Sometimes it’s truly needed! Swear!).

I’m definitely intrigued enough to read the sequel, but I’m wary of it being just as long and repetitive… 🤔

Happy reading, friends!

Olivia

Liv the Book Nerd

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{Review} The Boy, the Mole, the Fox, and the Horse by Charlie Mackesy

Page count: 128

Publisher: Ebury Press

Published on: October 10. 2019

Genres: Children's graphic novel, philosophy, fiction, art

Format: physically borrowed from library

[Purchase Here]

Rating: 5/5 ✨ 

Synopsis:

Enter the world of Charlie's four unlikely friends, discover their story and their most important life lessons. The boy, the mole, the fox and the horse have been shared millions of times online - perhaps you've seen them? They've also been recreated by children in schools and hung on hospital walls. They sometimes even appear on lamp posts and on cafe and bookshop windows. Perhaps you saw the boy and mole on the Comic Relief T-shirt, Love Wins?

Here, you will find them together in this book of Charlie's most-loved drawings, adventuring into the Wild and exploring the thoughts and feelings that unite us all.

Review:

“What do you want to be when you grow up?”

“Kind.”

This was just excellent. Absolutely excellent. 

This book was so emotional. I'm filled with so much relief and hope and love for the people around me. This book is a book of friendship and unconditional love. It's about finding your family -- not those that are bound by blood to love you, but it's about the people you meet along the way -- the people that love you for who you are in that moment and love you as you grow and change into the person you want to be. 

I loved this little book. I don't think anyone should go a day of their life not knowing about the lonely little boy, the sweet little mole, the fox who is wary to trust, and the horse who is healing in his own way. 

Thank you Brenna (@bookish.brenna) for encouraging me to read this! 

Happy reading, friends!

Olivia

Liv the Book Nerd

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