{Review} Go Hex Yourself (Hex #1) by Jessica Clare

Page count: 384

Publisher: Berkley Books

Published on: April 19, 2022 

Genres: Adult romance, paranormal fantasy

Format: paperback - personally purchased

Goodreads synopsis:

When Reggie Johnson answers a job ad in the paper, she's astonished to find that she's not applying to work at her favorite card game, Spellcraft: The Magicking. Instead, she's applying to be an actual familiar for an actual witch. As in, real magic.

The new job has a few perks - great room and board, excellent pay, and she's apprenticing to a powerful witch. Sure, the witch is a bit eccentric. And sure, there was that issue with the black cat Reggie would prefer to forget about. The biggest problem, however, is warlock Ben Magnus, her employer's nephew and the most arrogant, insufferable, maddening man to ever cast a spell.

Reggie absolutely hates him. He's handsome, but he's also bossy and irritating and orders her around. Ben's butt might look great in a crystal ball vision, but that's as far as it goes. But when someone with a vendetta targets the household, she finds herself working with Ben to break a deadly curse. Apparently, when they're not fighting like cats and dogs, things get downright...bewitching.

✨ Rating: 5 stars

Spice level: 🌶🌶🌶 /5

Tropes: grumpy/sunshine; enemies to friends to lovers; forced proximity

CW/TW: financial insecurity, death of parents (historical), toxic & manipulative parents, abandonment, mention of suicide (mention, side character, historical), murder (hist.), blood, knives, blood, death of parents (hist.)

This is probably one of my top favorite books from this year. I absolutely loved this spicy paranormal romance so much. Reggie and Ben had the best chemistry and I loved getting to experience how they fell for each other. This book was giving me cozy mystery, spicy witchy romance, paranormal goodness. Needless to say, it was everything I could have ever wanted.

If you can't tell from the cover, this book is essentially a Reylo fanfiction. I can't say that I'm part of that fandom or ship, but I definitely loved what I got from this book. (To clarify, I really enjoy SW, but it's not one of my main fandoms. I'm definitely knee-deep into the Reylo fandom. I'll leave that to my best friends.) If you're not familiar with Ali Hazelwood and her debut, Love on the Brain, first - wow! Welcome! You should definitely read it! Second, I saw that she raved about this book soon after starting and I have to agree with her! Masterful and everything you could want. 10/10. Love on the Brain is also a Reylo fanfiction that has been published. So I guess maybe I should just be pursuing witchy Reylo fic now? I'd honestly love more.

Anyway!

This book was exactly what I needed in my life. I'm absolutely desperate to get book 2. I need that couple's story so badly. Again, I'm desperate. I won't spoil who it is because I think it's worth reading AAAALL of Go Hex Yourself, getting acquainted with the characters, and being just as excited as I am when you read the synopsis to book 2. This is your push to read GHY. I mean, you can continue reading this review, but I insist! *nudge nudge* Get on it, little chickadee!

I loved Reggie and Ben so freaking much. One of the best parts of this book (for me) was that we got chapters from both of the leads' perspectives. I noticed that many people didn't enjoy Ben's POV, but those chapters made me absolutely feral. He's such a softy and I love his constant angst and devotion to Reggie -- even during the moments where he had no recollection or awareness of it.

Reggie was such a lovely, spunky MC. I usually have a love/hate relationship with characters that are described as "spunky," but I adored how her character was developed. She was strong, and she was a little obtuse, but she worked so hard and she does everything she can with the cards she was dealt. Her backstory is riveting and I loved seeing how she grew from her circumstances. Her parents can choke and Reggie deserves so much better. (Reasonably, yes, these are fictional characters with potential mental health issues, but just from their actions alone -- they should know better! They refuse to change and that's just horrible!)

I really appreciated how the conflict was handled throughout. There were multiple issues that cropped up throughout the story and there were facets of the plot that tied into the overarching conflict, but they weren't overdone. Sometimes it feels like some romance novels just have too many points of conflict that affect the characters. It gets overwhelming and strange and it usually messes with the flow and pacing of the novel. I'm happy to say that this book didn't do this AT ALL.

I also adored the world-building incorporated throughout. I'm obsessed with the magic system and the concepts discussed throughout. Magic users are descended from the children of the gods? That genuinely sounds plausible! Tell me more! I can't wait to learn more in book 2. Gimme gimme.

This book just ticked every box for me and I cannot wait to read more witchy romance from Jessica Clare. I'm unfortunately not her target reader for her other books (cowboys do not do it for me and neither do billionaires typically). I definitely need more witchy romance recs so please comment below if you have any titles you recommend.

Happy reading, friends!

Olivia
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{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) 

 

- - - - 

 

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. 

 

- - - -

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
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{Mini-Reviews} Alien Romance Edition: Ice Planet Barbarians & The Alien's Ransom

Hey, guys!

During this quarantine time, I've managed to pick up a ridiculous amount of romance novels from all tropes, genres, and concepts. Many of them are definitely out of my comfort zone, but here I am enjoying at least half. 

However, this review duo will not be some that I enjoyed. In fact, I read far too many romance novels that I definitely didn't love before I found what I did love. 

Here are my attempts to see if I enjoy alien romance. 

Spoiler alert: I don't.

Ice Planet Barbarians (#1) by Ruby Dixon

My Rating: 1.5 stars

Page Count: 188

Published: April 3, 2015

Published by: Ruby Dixon

Avg. Rating: 3.88 stars

Goodreads synopsis:

You'd think being abducted by aliens would be the worst thing that could happen to me. And you'd be wrong. Because now, the aliens are having ship trouble, and they've left their cargo of human women - including me - on an ice planet.

And the only native inhabitant I've met? He's big, horned, blue, and really, really has a thing for me...

TW/CW: rape, kidnapping/abduction

Amazon // Book Depository // $2.99 for Kindle or Free through Kindle Unlimited

When I first picked up this book, I didn't expect to enjoy it-- and I definitely wasn't impressed. I went in with low expectations, but a little hope, but honestly this was just too weird for me. This world and these characters are just so bizarre.

Ice Planet Barbarians follows a young woman after she's been abducted by a hostile group of aliens (they were taken to be breeding stock). After some complications, the ship crashes into a strange planet and she and the women are left to fend for themselves. The girl is found by a blue alien with strange appendages who instantly becomes attached to her. 

This story lacked any sort of plot or world-building that would actually enable me to care about the romance that develops. Not to mention, the sexual parts are quite nonconsensual and creepy. The writing was not fantastic and the story development was just mediocre. I really didn't enjoy how the book was written or how the characters were developed; however, the story was just bizarre and strange enough to keep me wondering what the author would make the characters say or do next. 

If you're looking for a quick, steamy read with an out-0f-this-world alien race, you'll like this. I've discovered that I'm not the biggest fan of alien romance, but it was pretty fun to get out of my comfort zone.

~ ~ ~

The Alien's Ransom (Drixonian Warrior #1) by Ella Maven

My Rating: 2 stars

Page Count: 244

Published: February 24, 2020

Published by: Ella Maven

Avg. Rating: 4.11 stars

Goodreads synopsis:

"Nothing in my life had prepared me for extraterrestrial motorcycle clubs."

Frankie: I thought alien abductions only happened in movies. But here I am on a strange planet with green soil and a gang of muscled, wicked-horned aliens on hover bikes. All I want to do is go back to Earth, but the alpha male in charge has decided I belong to him. Now I'm on the back of his bike speeding to an unknown destination and super freaked out about liking his biceps and serious scowl. Good thing I have some banked personal days because this might take awhile...

Daz: The job is supposed to be easy. All I have to do is deliver a spaceship of living cargo to the vile Uldani and they'll release my brother. If I fail, they'll take it out on him. Except the cargo is something I've never seen before--human females. The one called Frankie is beautiful and soft, and I've already spilled blood for her. Now how am I going to save my brother? Because this human female is mine.

TW/CW: kidnapping/abduction

Amazon //  $2.99 for Kindle or Free through Kindle Unlimited

This was such a mess of a book, but I still couldn't put it down. I picked up The Alien's Ransom for the April BaeClub group read on Facebook where we read a book together and then discuss the designated Facebook discussion area. It's a fantastic experience and it's one of the best things that I've taken part in during this quarantine time. 

This book's plot is quite similar to Ice Planet Barbarians only it has slightly different blue aliens with lots of body modifications, it takes place in a warmer climate, and the plot is established more concisely and isn't lost in the romance. However, the plot still lacks because it's still skimmed over to make way for the smutty romance. The last fourth of the novel was when the actual plot began to pick up, but I still didn't enjoy it very much.
This is a fun story, but it definitely isn't something I would continue with. Alien romance is just not for me.

Have I just been searching for the wrong alien romance titles? If you have any that you love, please let me know in the comments!

Happy reading and stay safe!
Olivia
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(Review} Storm (Elementals #1) by Brigid Kemmerer

Page Count: 432

Published On: April 24, 2012

Published By: Kensington

Genre(s): Fantasy, Paranormal, YA

Source: ebook - personally purchased
Where To Find It: Amazon // Book Depository

My Rating: 3 stars

Trigger warnings for rape, attempted rape, and violence

Goodreads synopsis:

Becca Chandler is suddenly getting all the guys-- the ones she doesn't want. Ever since her ex-boyfriend spread those lies about her.

Then she saves Chris Merrick from a beating in the school parking lot. Chris is different. Way different: he can control water--just like his brothers can control fire, wind, and earth. They're powerful. Dangerous. Marked for death.

And now that she knows the truth, so is Becca.

Secrets are hard to keep when your life's at stake. When Hunter, the mysterious new kid around school, turns up with a talent for being in the wrong place at the right time, Becca thinks she can trust him. But then Hunter goes head-to-head with Chris, and Becca wonders who's hiding the most dangerous truth of all.

The storm is coming...

~~~~

Hey, guys!
Please enjoy this ramble-y review of this fun book by Brigid Kemmerer, a queen of fantasy and contemporary romance -- and now she's a queen of paranormal fiction in my heart. 


Trigger warnings for rape, attempted rape, and violence

This story has a lot of promise but was obviously from the early 2010s if not the late 2000s. This isn't a negative point, but I just felt it was pretty obvious. (And I was correct! It was originally published in 2012. Point to Olivia!)

Overall, this wasn't Brigid's best work, but it was her first published novel! It was a wonderful paranormal novel and I enjoyed it immensely, but it just could not compare to her recent YA contemporaries and A Curse So Dark and Lonely.

I really enjoyed the four brothers. They were super fun and I loved to get to know them. However, their classic white boy names(TM) really confused me sometimes. They were just too similar and they were all mainly names that came from the Bible -- angel's names too. I kept getting Gabriel and Michael mixed up. Their voices were also quite similar to each other so, sometimes I would forget who was talking. I know that Brigid's skill for name differentiating wholly improves, so I'm not particularly worried about the rest of the books.

Becca was a really fun character to get to know too. She was so strong-willed and independent and I love her for that. The horrific things that happen to her, I feel, were a bit glazed over, but I also think that that is because of the internal shame that she feels about it.

I guess the only nit-picky thing I have to say about it is that I wish that there were actual trigger warnings for it in the book. I'm not typically triggered by rape or rape-centered discussions, but I really felt Becca's panic and hurt surrounding the events and I wish that there was some sort of warning. I cannot imagine what it would feel like if I just read something like this if that was something that triggered me. I personally think that the book is feminist af and great, but I wasn't those who read my reviews to be aware that this is in the book.

Overall, this was a really fun paranormal novel and I will absolutely be continuing on with the series. I'm completely attached to these characters and the story that she introduced. I love elemental magic and this is the ATLA-high school drama-paranormal contemporary-goodness that I need in my life.

I was also blessed enough to snag the ebook on Amazon for $1.99 and it is still a discounted price, so hop on that, friends!



Happy reading!

Olivia

~ Liv the Book Nerd ~

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{Series Review} Fae's Captive (#1-4) by Lily Archer

Fae's Captive (#1) by Lily Archer 

2.5 stars

Page Count: 100
Published On: February 19, 2019

Road to Winter (Fae's Captive #2) by Lily Archer

2 stars

Page Count: 94 
Published On: February 19, 2019

Bite of Winter (Fae's Captive #3) by Lily Archer 

2 stars

Page Count: 125 
Published On: March 22, 2019

Beyond the Mountain (Fae's Captive #4) by Lily Archer 

2 stars

Page Count: 164
Published On: April 18, 2019

Series Information:

Published via Amazon Publishing (independently) 

Genres: Fantasy, Romance, Paranormal, Erotica

Goodreads synopsis of #1:

My college roommate is the worst. Cecile steals my food, brings guys over at all hours, and parties instead of studying. But those quirks pale in comparison to what she does next. She drugs me, and I wake up imprisoned in an alternate universe full of terrifying creatures.

Now, the biggest and scariest creature of all - a fae king - believes I'm his mate. He's freed me from the dungeon, but, keeps me close. So close, in fact, that I'm beginning to like his wintery gaze and ice-chiseled body. But, secrets and villains lurk throughout this new world. And I don't know if I'll survive long enough to figure out how to get back home.

~~~

I originally picked the first book up for fun. It was recommended to me on Facebook, the cover looked hilariously cheesy, and the premise was just ridiculous enough to pique my interest. I knew this wouldn't be the height of literature, but I didn't expect it to be this discombobulated and disappointing. From the comments that I had read on Facebook and the few reviews on Goodreads, I expected this to be cheesy, but bearable. It was what I wanted. Just for funsies. Buckle up, folks.

This novella and its sequels have a lot of potential to be fantastically cheesy and fun. If you squash all of the little books together and edit it, it would be a decent full-length novel, but it just seemed like the author wanted to churn out chunks of the story (which do not fully connect) and publish them on Amazon without actually editing them. By the end of the fourth installation, I still hardly knew the characters or even cared about their stories. The entire story was just so haphazard that I was purely reading them all to get some sort of closure. I still don't understand the point of the story. 

There's just an immense lack of depth in the characters, the plot, and the world. I wish that there had been more description, less cringe-y dialogue, and more world building. The characters just accept that things are happening, when a realistic and well thought out character would question everything. The explanation that a good fantasy novel would have is not there. It felt like the author was too focused on being mysterious and keeping things for "twists" when there was a perfect place to add some explanation to hint toward the twists that were coming. I constantly found myself annoyed with the lack of explanation.  

As I read these books, I continuously lost hope for any potential that this series would improve. The author continued to make the same mistakes that were found throughout the other books. She constantly over explained her work. I think she did this because of the lack of planning and cohesiveness as she was writing. It's obvious how much she lacked proper planning. Overall, there was just a lack of editing. The switching between modern and older vernacular, inconsistent writing, missing scenes and information, unrealistic sex scenes and emotions surrounding the scenes, and convenient plot additions all revealed her lack of editing and organization.

ALSO the use of "creamy thighs" needs to be ERADICATED from any novel. NO. GROSS! No more of that, please.

I can see the passion behind this story and the characters, but there needs more work, more beta readers with actual experience, and a good editor. I'd love to be this author's editor. It'd be so fun to get this story to where it could be. Right now, it's just a few chunks of a story that aren't written well. It almost felt like reading a strange fanfiction (of something???) that was written on Wattpad in 2014. It just wasn't an enjoyable time. 

I hate to roast these books, but they just need a lot of work before they can be actual books. 

Happy reading!

Olivia

~LivTheBookNerd~

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