{Review} The Kraken's Sacrifice (Deal With A Demon #2) by Katee Robert

Page count: 172 

Publisher: Katee Robert 

Published on: October 11, 2022 

Genres: Adult romance, paranormal 

Format: eARC provided by KR through Patreon  

✨ Rating: 5 stars

 

Tropes: Grumpy/Sunshine, monster romance 

Spice level: 🌶🌶🌶 

 

TW/CW: Abuse/neglect (mental/emotional, parent to child, historical), spousal death (historical, non-graphic, off-page), explicit sex, vomit (non-graphic), pregnancy termination, incidental injuries for magical purposes, grief, body shaming (historical, referenced briefly) 

 

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Goodreads synopsis: 

 

Catalina only made her deal with the demon because she had nowhere else to go. The world has kicked her every chance it got, so she’s all too happy to leave the realm she knows behind. What’s the worst that could happen? 
 
She doesn’t anticipate being auctioned away to a kraken. 
 
Thane is cold and distant…but he’s not unkind. Isolated as they are, Catalina finds herself seeking his company again and again. And when she finally agrees to uphold her portion of the bargain? 
 
That’s when things get really interesting. 
 
But she only gave the demon seven years, and when the time is up, she’ll have no choice but to leave behind the kraken who’s stolen her heart and return to the world that doesn’t want her. 

 

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Hello, my sweet peaches,

I didn’t think that I would love this sort of romance, but now I can’t get enough of them. Katee Robert has the key to my heart. She just writes romance so well and I’ve been absolutely obsessed with her work – especially this summer.

In April, my book club voted to read Katee Robert’s The Dragon’s Bride, the first book in the Deal with a Demon series, and we all loved it. It was such a fun read and we desperately wanted more.

The best thing about KR’s monster romances is that she takes an imposing creature and humanizes them. In The Kraken’s Sacrifice, Thane was the perfect mixture of sexy, soft, and grumpy. I loved his grumpy exterior. He was absolutely delightful. Once you get through his emotional walls, he shines. I adore him and he was a beautifully complex hero for this story.

Speaking of complexity – Catalina! What a firecracker. She is the sunshine half of the grumpy/sunshine trope and she also had an incredibly complex series of growth throughout the story. I was absolutely obsessed with her. Low key, I’m already planning on rereading during the release week (and it releases two days before my 25th bday, so that’s just fate).

In this book, Catalina is attempting to cope with the intense amounts of abuse she’s faced throughout her life. Thane is trying to cope with the loss of his husband. Together, their characters provide exactly what each needs to move on with their lives and be the best versions of themselves. I’m not saying that Thane has to just drop his husband, but he’s learning to live again. He’s learning to love and be vulnerable again. I found it to be beautiful.

I think what I loved the most about this book was that they weren’t together because they loved to sleep together. Their intimacy allowed them to be more vulnerable with each other, but it wasn’t what the book was based around. Rather, they had to learn to trust each other and to be friends before they allowed themselves to be their truest selves with one another. I also really loved that they won’t be having babies and that they don’t feel like their little family won’t be complete without adding another little person to the mix. KR’s representation was excellent and I loved how she handled the in-world pregnancy termination. I’m so glad she included that part.

This is definitely on my list of favorite books of 2022. I’m so eager for the next addition to the series and you’ll definitely see more reviews for KR’s other books.

Until then, happy reading!

Olivia
Liv the Book Nerd
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{Review} A Lady For A Duke by Alexis Hall

Page count: 480

Publisher: Forever

Published on: May 24, 2022

Genres: Historical romance

Format: paperback - personally purchased

CW: violence (historical and such), attempted kidnapping, misogyny, transphobia, biphobia, lesbophobia, PTSD flashbacks, conversations pertaining to PTSD, ableism, and dead-naming

Rep: lesbian rep, trans rep, gay rep, questioning rep

✨ RATING: 3 stars

Goodreads synopsis:

A lush, sweeping queer historical romance from the bestselling author of Boyfriend Material—perfect for fans of Netflix’s Bridgerton, Evie Dunmore, and Manda Collins!

When Viola Caroll was presumed dead at Waterloo she took the opportunity to live, at last, as herself. But freedom does not come without a price, and Viola paid for hers with the loss of her wealth, her title, and her closest companion, Justin de Vere, the Duke of Gracewood.

Only when their families reconnect, years after the war, does Viola learn how deep that loss truly was. Shattered without her, Gracewood has retreated so far into grief that Viola barely recognises her old friend in the lonely, brooding man he has become.

As Viola strives to bring Gracewood back to himself, fresh desires give new names to old feelings. Feelings that would have been impossible once and may be impossible still, but which Viola cannot deny. Even if they cost her everything, all over again.

~ ~ ~ ~

Hey, all!

Welcome back to another review! It's been a minute. Sorry!

I had the pleasure of reading this with my book club. We had a lovely conversation about it. If you're interested in joining, email me or DM me on Instagram!

For me, this book was just okay. I'm actually quite disappointed because the last two Alexis Hall books that I've read have just not scratched the itch for me. Perhaps it's because I wasn't in the mood for historical fiction. Perhaps it was the list of reasons I'll flesh out...now:

I really felt like my main issue was the pacing. It wasn't until I hit the 100ish page mark that I was fully invested. I started this book fully prepared to enjoy and read it lickedy split. However, it was just slow and the characters barely grabbed me. There was so much happening, but I really think that it could have been 100-150 pages shorter. It was really random when the pacing would lag. There wasn't a reason for it other than unnecessary additions to the story.

However, once the romance was established, I was absolutely SWOONING! It was too cute. Gracewood and Viola were so lovely. Gracewood said the most beautiful things and Viola was so articulate in her feelings. Once they got over the communication hump, it was so nice. I love them so much.

I do genuinely think that this is worth reading. I think my issues with the pacing are valid, but I know that so many others adore a more drawn out love story.

Combined with the swoon worthy moments, the representation, and the delightful writing style. I think this is worth a read.

Happy reading!

Olivia
Liv the Book Nerd
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{Review} Love in the City by Jen Morris

 

Page Count: 392

Publisher: National Library of New Zealand

Published On: October 5, 2020

Genres: adult romance

Format: eARC from author/publisher

Rating: 1 star

Goodreads synopsis:

Turning thirty has a way of making you take a good, hard look at your life. And I think we all know what any sensible adult does in that situation: tequila shots. Lots of them.

It’s okay, though, because I’ve finally escaped my tiny New Zealand home town and my negative parents. And New York is better than my wildest fantasies. 
​
So is Michael, the sexy single dad who lives in the apartment upstairs. And he’s featuring in my fantasies more and more—even if he’s a grump and I only ever seem to make a dork of myself in front of him. Ah well, a girl can dream.

Anyway, I’ve got a writing career to build, and writing about being single is fun. If that means swearing off men for a bit, that’s fine. I can totally do that. It’s just a tiny crush. 
​
Besides… happily ever afters aren’t real. Are they?

~ ~ ~

Hey, guys,

If you've been following my blog for a hot minute -- or rather if you've been following my Goodreads and Instagram because I've been terrible about updating my site -- you'll know of my unconventional adoration of the romance genre of late. I'm obsessed. Romance has really been what has gotten me through 2020. No regrets. 

I've discovered that I have certain tropes and buzzwords that cause me to want to pick up a romance instantly. One of the concepts that I love surrounds writers. I love reading about writers and learning about how they find inspiration, but also how they fall in love. Naturally, when I was approached to take part in the tour for Love in the City, I wanted to participate because the book sounded like my cup of tea. 

Unfortunately, I really did not like this book. I wanted to DNF within the first 15-20%, but I stuck it out in hopes that the writing and concept strengthened as the novel continued on. It didn't and my one-star rating is the result. 

I had been asked to take part in the blog tour for this book, but as you can see. I backed out because of my rating. 

For me, one of the main things I unfortunately disliked was the writing style. There was so much telling instead of showing. It read like the character's journal and the writing wasn't solid or polished enough for me to genuinely enjoy the writing style. My dislike of the writer's style really caused me to struggle to immerse myself in the story or enjoy the characters. To me (this is just my opinion), the entire story read like draft-level fanfiction stuff. The wording was awkward and strange to read and there were many moments that were supposed to be funny or swoony, but I was just cringing. It was just really two-dimensional and surface level and I couldn't get behind it. 

Another thing that I didn't enjoy was that the main character was just really annoying. She was supposed to be really creative and artsy, but she really didn't use her noggin 100% of the time. The entire conflict surrounding her blog was that she had pitched an idea for a writing series for a large publication, but it wasn't even really set in stone until the end. She hadn't been given the 100% go-ahead to start on the work and she just pinned herself down to a topic that she didn't jive with throughout. She had so many options, but she blatantly refused to actually communicate with the person and company that she desperately wanted to collaborate with. It was completely unrealistic and bugged me to no end. So unnecessary. 

Additionally, she just didn't communicate with anyone around her until it became incredibly difficult to function. It was just so unrealistic and I couldn't handle it. 

Overall, I cannot recommend this book; however, I'd love to discuss this with other readers. I don't think I'm being too harsh because these are my opinions, but I'd love to discuss why you probably think I'm wrong. I love the discussion!

Happy reading!

Olivia

Liv the Book Nerd

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Mini Contemporary-A-Thon Summer 2020 TBR

Hey, guys!

It's that time! A mini round of the contemporary-a-thon was announced this week and I'm really excited to take part in it. All I've wanted to read is contemporary romance and historical romance, so I'm really excited to dive into my stack of romances. I plan on doing a few more romance-centered readathons, so stay tuned for my TBRs and reading vlogs on my Instagram stories.

If you're interested in participating, I will provide Julie, Chelsea, and Natasha's videos below! I adore their channels and absolutely recommend you subscribe.

Dates: May 22 - May 25 Challenges:

1. Read a book with peach/orange/pink on the cover 2. Read a book under 250 pages 3. Read a book that you think will be fun!

I have quite a few books lined up for the readathon. I've been reading a bunch of books this past week (but not finishing them) and I've been attempting to do TomeTopple as well.

Here are some books I hope to read this weekend:

1. Beauty and the Blacksmith (Spindle Cove #3.5) by Tessa Dare

2. Any Duchess Will Do (Spindle Cove #4) by Tessa Dare

- I'm officially obsessed with Tessa Dare. I'm binging all of her books and I want them all for my collection.

3. The Boyfriend Project by Farrah Rochon (my BOTM pick for May)

-if you're interested in nabbing a copy, you can get your first box for $9.99 with the code MAY5

4. The Lady's Guide to Celestial Mechanics by Olivia Waite (for BaeClub through @baecrate)

- I'm really excited about this book because it's a f/f historical romance!

5. War (The Four Horsemen #2) by Laura Thalassa ( for the @romancethequebookclub)

- I've only just recently started diving into the world of fantasy romance -- as in romance novels that take place in a fantasy setting. I've read a lot of fantasy and high fantasy that have romance featured in it, but I've never really found fantasy romance novels that I've absolutely adored. Maybe I'm incorrect, but I just don't feel like I've read adult fantasy romance with the smutty times or adult themes.

6. The Bewitched Viking (Viking I #4) by Sandra Hill (for the lols)

This book looks so funny. I'm fully going into this with low expectations because it's not something I would typically pick up. I don't remember my reasoning when I bought this.

The majority of these books would apply to the first challenge, the first book applies to the second challenge, and all of them apply to the third. I'm really excited to read these books. I've been having a lot of fun reading so much romance during my time in quarantine.

Are you participating? What will you be reading?

Olivia

~ Liv the Book Nerd ~

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{Review} A Heart of Blood & Ashes (A Gathering of Dragons #1) by Milla Vane

Page Count: 560

Published On: February 4, 2020

Published By: Berkley Romance

Genre(s): Adult romantic fantasy

Source: mass-market paperback personally purchased/listened to for FREE on Hoopla

Where To Find It: Amazon // Book Depository

My Rating: 3.5 stars

 

Goodreads synopsis:

A generation past, the western realms were embroiled in endless war. Then the Destroyer came. From the blood and ashes, he left behind, a tenuous alliance rose between the barbarian riders of Parsathe and the walled kingdoms of the south. That alliance is all that stands against the return of an ancient evil--until the barbarian king and queen are slain in an act of bloody betrayal.

Though forbidden by the alliance council to kill the corrupt king responsible for his parents' murders, Maddek vows to avenge them, even if it costs him the Parsathean crown. But when he learns it was the king's daughter who lured his parents to their deaths, the barbarian warrior is determined to make her pay.

Yet the woman Maddek captures is not what he expected. Though the last in a line of legendary warrior-queens, Yvenne is small and weak, and the sharpest weapons she wields are her mind and her tongue. Even more surprising is the marriage she proposes to unite them in their goals and to claim their thrones--because her desire for vengeance against her father burns even hotter than his own... 

 

~ ~ ~

 Hey, guys!

I'm really not sure how to review this book... I enjoyed many aspects of it, but there was a lot that I couldn't mesh with. There was so much to unpack on every page and it definitely wasn't the easy read I was looking to start 2020 Tome Topple with... Granted, that isn't a bad thing at all, but I've been reading so many historical romances lately, that this was almost a culture shock (even though I absolutely adore fantasy).

I really wish that GR would implement the 1/2 and 1/4 stars. This book is probably going to get 3.5 stars because there was a lot that I liked, but not enough to give it 4 stars. I wish I had loved this more because it's definitely my jam.

This was recommended to me by the lovely Taylor from BaeCrate and other wonderful members of the BaeClub/BaeCrate group on Facebook. When the blurb mentioned "dragons" and a marriage of convenience, I needed it. This was also my first dip into the romantic fantasy genre. I've read quite a lot of fantasy/high fantasy novels WITH romance, but this novel had a focus on the romance that was being developed throughout. Before, I really didn't think I liked romance-heavy stories, but now I'm converted, and I can't wait to read more. This was a really enjoyable novel, but it had some flaws that I just didn't jive with.

For one thing, I didn't feel like the characters were written as well as they could be. When I was reading or listening, it just felt like they were missing an extra element that would have allowed me to be connected to them or care about what they really did. I wasn't INVESTED. When really lovely characters that I enjoyed got hurt or died, I didn't feel anything at all...which breaks my heart! I wanted to care! Maybe it was because of the different writing style they used, but I couldn't connect with the main couple at all. Whenever I would be on the edge of my seat, the next scene would just lose me. I was bored quite a lot in this book because it would go off on a tangent/info-dump that I didn't want to know about then. I really just wanted a lot more of the characters.

This was a deliciously slow-building romance. I was dying for Yvenne and Maddek to interact and just TALK and hash out their feelings, but they were stubborn as heck -- especially Maddek. Maddek was so hot, but such a stubborn meathead. GRANTED, for the entire book he is grieving for the loss of his parents and struggling to move past the anger and hurt that he's faced because of the lies that are spread about their demise, but holy cow. He can go from being such a sweetheart to a royal dick within a page. I loved it. Yvenne was so stubborn and fit him so well. I loved how she stood up for herself consistently and didn't let the alphaholes step all over her when they thought they knew what was best. She was so wise beyond her years and didn't allow the terrible terrible things that happened to her define how she served her people. She was such a well-developed character. She had her flaws and shortcomings and she wasn't physically able to do all that was expected of her (cue the abuse), but she worked past it to do all that she possibly COULD do. [ Additionally, I loved that Maddek didn't stop her from attempting to push her limits, but when she did push them too far, he would counsel her and help her heal from whatever she did. He didn't know it until it was screamed at him, but holy crap he's such a softy for Yvenne. (hide spoiler)]

ALSO! The side characters were so lovely. I wanted so much more from them. I wish they had been described more -- PHYSICALLY! I have no idea what they look like at all other than vague and general descriptors -- gender, beards, general conversational vibes. I also couldn't keep track of all the names a lot of the time. That's probably on me, but I wish there had been a list of characters or some sort of character art for me to refer to. Someone, please send me all of the fanart. If there isn't fanart, can someone artistically inclined make some? Pretty please?

It's so obvious to me that this author has so much talent and I loved the complexities of her world and the complexities of her characters. There is so much skill that was put into their setting, world-building, and the political aspects that came with such a complex world. However, it was hard to stay immersed if I couldn't connect with the characters. There were so many great lines and conversations, but I felt like the characters were overshadowed by the world and the info-dumping that tended to occur throughout.

I'm excited to read the second book in the series. I really liked how the story developed and progressed. I just wish that there had been more physical descriptions of the book and more character interaction.

The issues that I had with this story, I think, are because of my own preferences. I prefer to read character-based stories. Take it how you will. I'm not trying to bash the book. I really did like it.

Happy reading!

Olivia

~ Liv the Book Nerd ~

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