beckyyreadss's reviews
735 reviews

Darker: Fifty Shades Darker as Told by Christian by E.L. James

dark emotional tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.0

I wanted to read this series because I enjoyed the first series and I love dual POV, so I wanted to try and give this series a go. Christian’s thoughts are so overbearing and boring.

This book is based on twenty-seven-year-old Christian Grey, and he exercises control in all things: his world is neat, disciplined. The scorching, sensual affair ended in heartbreak and recrimination, but Christian Grey cannot get Anastasia Steele out of his mind, or his blood. Christian is determined to win her back, he tries to suppress his darkest desires and his need for complete control, and to love Ana on her own terms. But the horrors of his childhood still haunt him, and Ana’s scheming boss, Jack Hyde, clearly wants her for himself. Can Christian’s confidant and therapist, Dr. Flynn, help him face down his demons? Or will the possessiveness of Elena, his seducers, and the deranged devotion of Leila, his former submissive, drag Christian down into the past? And if Christian does with Ana back, can a man so dark and damaged ever hope to keep her?

I loved the alternative POV. I loved that there were more details of what Christian’s therapist was thinking and how he knew about Leila beforehand, and it explains some of his actions and how he was very overprotective. I loved seeing the plane accident as well because from Ana’s point of view, it goes, Christian is going to work, Ana’s goes out for drinks and then next thing you know Christian’s gone missing and they’ve all gone to the apartment and Ana’s freaking out. Where Christian is talking to Ros about Andrea marrying an employee and talking about business details, then the plane has an engine fire, and he is worried about getting home to Ana and his phone has died. I loved that he didn’t trust Jack from day one and knew about the accusations, I would have personally told Ana to be careful, but he obviously had a plan to sack Jack when he took over from SIP. I loved watching him kicking Jack’s ass as well and was wanting him to push Christian’s buttons.

My only issue with this book is the pace was very slow and I was bored at some points and yes, I know it was the same as Fifty Shades, but I found myself skimming over the BDSM chapters and the chapters that we had already read in Fifty Shades. It was just like one sentence or word had been changed to make it different. Change Ana to Christian and he said I inserted himself rather than he inserted himself, but it was the exact same. There was nothing new besides the plane accident, which we knew about, but we could see how Christian got home. Christian was a complete man child who needed to grow up and let Ana breathe and live her life. Again, for Leila being the big villain in this book, you only really see her for the first half and then it’s just brushed under the rug.

I am going to hope that the series gets better, but I’m also trying not to put all my eggs in one basket.

Content Warnings

Tokyo Dreaming by Emiko Jean

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emotional funny hopeful lighthearted medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.0

I wanted to read this book because I enjoyed the Mika in Real Life and Tokyo Ever After and decided to try and finish this series. I preferred the first book in this series, and I think the love triangle ruined this book (for me personally).

This book is still based on Izumi Tanaka who we met in the last book and once she learned her father was the Crown Prince of Japan and she became a princess overnight. Now she’s overcome conniving cousins, salacious press, and an imperial scandal to finally find a place she belongs. She has a perfect bodyguard turned boyfriend. Her stinky dog, Tamagotchi, is living with her in Tokyo. Her parents have even rekindled their college romance and are engaged. A royal wedding is on the horizon! Izumi’s life is a Tokyo dreaming come true. But her parents’ engagement hits a brick wall. The Imperial Household Council refuses to approve the marriage citing concerns about Izumi and her mother’s lack of pedigree. And on top of it all, her bodyguard turned boyfriend makes a shocking decision about their relationship. At the threat of everything falling apart, Izumi vows to do whatever it takes to help win over the council. Which means upping her newly acquired princess game. But at what cost? Izumi will do anything to help her parents achieve their happily ever after, but what if playing the perfect princess means sacrificing her own? Will she find a way to forge her own path and follow her heart?

I still enjoyed the aspect of this, and the Princess Diaries vibes and Izumi was having such a hard time during this book where everyone was pressuring her on her future, and she didn’t know what she wanted after all the changes she’s had. Just like the last book, she had a great character development, and I loved how she went from trying to please everyone to standing up for herself and what she wanted to do. I loved that some of the focus was on Izzy’s mum and dad’s relationship and how Izzy’s mum was also struggling to adjust to Tokyo and understood what Izumi went through during the first book. I loved seeing the twins getting their redemption arc.

Unpopular opinion, but I actually loved Eriku and his relationship with Izumi and preferred those two together over Akio. I don’t like love triangles in most stories and then this one felt a little forced from how the first book ended. I loved Eriku and he was so patient with Izumi, and I loved how it was a slow love, and you could tell that it was going to be happy if they carried on. I think if Eriku was introduced in the first book, the fans would have gone for Eriku but I just felt like he got a bad ending, and he didn’t deserve it. I also felt like Akio didn’t deserve the girl, he dipped in the first half and then was pissed because Eriku was with his girl, like no thanks.

I would have loved for this to be multiple POV with the parents and Akio and Eriku, especially with Izumi’s mum struggling and her dad freaking out that they wouldn’t find them. I would love for this series to have another book once Izumi has finished university and to see how she’s doing in her adult life and hopefully Akio leaves and Eriku comes back.

Content Warnings

A Duet with the Siren Duke by Elise Kova

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adventurous emotional slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? No
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

2.0

I wanted to carry on with this series because I have been enjoying it so far. I was excited to go into this book, but this book had a lot of repeated information and had a really slow storyline that was like a chore to finish.

This book is based on Victoria and she risks everything to leave a dangerous marriage and gain a second chance at life. But when her escape goes awry, she finds herself caught in the strong embrace of a mysterious siren, forced to choose between temporary salvation or immediate death. And so, a cursed deal is struck. Five years later, Victoria is alive and the world’s finest ship captain. But hr debt to the siren looms while her conniving ex has demanded a king’s ransom as the final price of her freedom to suffer any more on her behalf, and is determined to make things right before her time is up. But that time is cut short, the siren comes for her, six months early. Taken to the magical and deadly Eversea, home of the sirens, Victoria discovers she’s the sacrifice upon which all sirens pin their hopes. If they want to appease an angry god and save a world of brink of destruction, then they need her. Which gives her the perfect leverage. Victoria strikes a new bargain: the Siren Duke will help save her family, and she’ll fulfil his demands. It's a good bargain until a flicker of passion ignites in the scarred remnants of Victoria’s heart, threatening all she’s worked for.

The first part was really interesting, it shows Victoria getting out of a broken and abusive marriage and building a life for herself with her team and being a captain. Even though we knew that the siren was going to take Victoria, I thought the storyline would be Victoria fighting the Siren instead of just accepting to go with him and then worrying about her family. It had such a strong start and then it just lost the plot, and I spent the rest 85% of this book confused and bored.

For one of the biggest books of the series, nothing happened. Once she got out of the marriage and was dead, it was just lifeless – no punt intended. There was no grab to keep you hooked, it was just a lot of words, and songs. There was no world building, the main love interest just seemed weak that I kept forgetting who was supposed to be the big brave hero, I get him being patient because he is a siren and Victoria was a human, but he was boring. More and more people kept getting introduced and then would disappear and then make a reappearance that I forgot who they were. There was world building but also wasn’t world building, it was just all over the place. The spice felt forced, and I ended up skimming most of the last chapters just to get through the books and I still didn’t get the ending – did she live? Or is she the new anchor being?

Hopefully this book will end on a high, but this book was very disappointing, and this seemed to be the most important book to the author, but it was just not done well.

Content Warnings

Daydream by Hannah Grace

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emotional funny hopeful lighthearted medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

I wanted to read this book because I adored the first two books in this series. When Hannah Grace announced that we were getting Henry’s book, I was so damn excited and was all over it. I knew I was going to love this book, but I am obsessed with Henry and Halle.

The first point of view is Henry Turner, who we have met in the past two books. When his procrastination lands him a difficult class with his least favourite professor, Henry knows he’s going to have to work extra hard to survive his junior year of college. And now with his new title of captain for the Maple Hill’s hockey team – which he didn’t even want – Henry absolutely cannot fail. Then he ends up befriending Halle Jacobs, a fellow junior who he met when he accidentally crashes her book club meeting. The second point of view is Halle, and she may not have the romantic pursuits of her favourite fictional leads, but she’s an academic superstar, and as soon as she hears about Henry’s problems with his class reading material, she offers to help. Too bad being a private tutor isn’t exactly ideal given her own studies, job, book club, being the family manager, and the novel she is trying to write for a competition. But new experiences are the key to beating her writer’s block, and Henry’s promising to be the one to give them to her. They just need to stick to their rule book and not fall in love.

I knew I was going to be obsessed with Henry because I’ve been obsessed with Henry since the first book. I love how Henry was helping Halle to not be such a people pleaser anymore and Halle was helping Henry to stop him from spiralling and to help him when he wanted to block out the noise. I just wanted to hug them both, Henry seemed to have the world on his shoulders and was just too stressed out and then was like a lovesick puppy when it came to Halle. Halle had the world on her shoulders too and just needed to give herself a break and she couldn’t do that even when she was sick. I wanted to punch Will and Halle’s family so much throughout this book, Will was just a tool, and I knew he was going to cause trouble, and I was rooting for Bobby so much when he finally punched Will. I still adore the friendship between all the lads and how Nate is still there for the lads even though he isn’t at the school anymore. I loved that the girls adopted Halle and made sure that she was aware that they weren’t going to drop her if something bad happened between Henry and Halle. Halle and mine standards of men were like rock bottom and then Henry was doing the basic like buying her flowers or being there for her and she was so emotional about it, like girl same. I loved the chemistry between them and how they were always thinking about each other and that Henry saved Halle from the frat guys and Halle saved Henry from the puck bunnies.

I just wanted more, I loved the epilogue, and I could have a book a year with a life update on my favourite couples. I tried my damn hardest not to get so quickly obsessed with this book, but it was so freaking hard that I gave up quickly and just obsessed with it. I really hope we get JJ’s book or even Bobby’s book. I just hope this isn’t the last time we were at Maple Hills.

Content Warnings

The Cinnamon Bun Book Store by Laurie Gilmore

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funny hopeful lighthearted mysterious medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.0

I read the first book in this series when it was the book club’s pick of the month for October last year. I enjoyed the first book in this series and was looking forward to going back to Dream Harbor, but this book just didn’t live up to the expectations.

This book has two points of view. The first is Hazel and when a secret message turns up hidden in a book in the Cinnamon Bun Bookstore where she works, Hazel can’t understand it. As more secret codes appear between the pages, she decided to follow the trail of clues, she just needs someone to help her out. The second point of view is Noah, and he is a gorgeous and outgoing fisherman, so he is always up for an adventure. And a scavenger hunt sounds like a lot of fun. But what sounds more fun is hanging out with Hazel, the girl he has been liking since he got to this small town. Hazel didn’t go looking for romance, but as the treasure hunt leads her and Noah around Dream Harbor, their undeniable chemistry might be just as hot as the fresh-out-of-the-oven cinnamon buns the bookstore sells.

I still enjoyed the small-town vibes during this book and how everyone knows what the hell is going on with them besides Hazel and Noah and they are all just waiting for them to stop hiding. I always enjoy dual POV within a romance book, I think it makes it 1000% better. This book was an easy read, so it didn’t require a lot of brain power at all which I liked especially as I read multiple books at a time. I also preferred the side characters in this book rather than the main characters. I loved Annie and Alex and how they were all for Hazel having an adventure compared to being “boring” though there was nothing wrong with Hazel throughout this book. I enjoyed the mystery behind the book and even though we all thought it was Noah, it was a bit funny to see it being someone else especially when the whole town came together for her. I did still enjoy the found family aspect especially with the girls going rooting for Hazel but also wanting to look after her.

One of the worse things in books is the miscommunication trope which is literally the underlying theme in this book. Hazel thinks she is too old for Noah and that he is leaving so they can’t be too serious with each other. Noah thinks he isn’t good enough for Hazel because he has all this trauma from running away from home. They both wanted to take it a step further but then they would say things like yeah, we are keeping it casual anyway, but then having sex in the kitchen, on the boat, in. Cupboard like Christ you two are basically two horny teenagers. Hazel is also questioning life because a man is being kind to her, and she’s not had a relationship in a while. Again, the standard is on the floor. Like Noah gave her his hoodie and suddenly, she’s thinking whether it’s still a casual thing. I also felt like it wasn’t autumny enough like the previous book, it was more based on summer and then a few mentions of Thanksgiving towards the end. I was wanting the coziness and felt like I was under a blanket and the vibes were just missing. Hopefully with the next book being around Christmas, the vibes will be on point.

I really want to know more about Annie and Mac, and I know the next book isn’t going to be about it because it’s about the Christmas Tree Farm, but I was giggling at those two and again everyone knows something is going on but just kept quiet.

Content Warnings

The Legacy by Elle Kennedy

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emotional funny hopeful lighthearted fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.0

I wanted to read this book as my goal last year was to discover new authors and Elle Kennedy is adored within the book community. I have slowly been getting into sports romances and finished both of her hockey series. I wanted to see how the gang was doing, and I was a bit disappointed with some of these stories.

This book is set three years after the gang graduation from college. Four stories from the four couples. There is a wedding, a proposal, an elopement and a surprise pregnancy. Life after college for Garrett and Hannah, Logan and Grace, Dean and Allie, and Tucker and Sabrina, isn’t quite what they imagined it would be. Sure, they have each other, but they also have real-life problems that four years at Briar U didn’t exactly prepare them for. As it turns out, for these four couples, love is the easy part. Growing up is a whole lot harder.

My favourite novella was my favourite couple out of the whole series – Logan and Grace. The book started off so strong. I loved their story and how they both knew what they wanted, and they just decided to do it for themselves even if they nearly died in the process. I didn’t mind Allie and Dean’s story though I felt like Dean really needs to grow up and listen to Allie. They've had the conversation, and she knew it was going to happen because she knew Dean, yet she didn’t have the conversation again and then Dean shouldn’t have lost his shit when she said I'm not ready yet. I wanted Tucker and Sabrina to be the story about the wedding, but felt like the Proposal and the Wedding story was pushed into Dean and Allie’s story. Tucker and Sabrina’s story felt like something more out of something out of Final Destination and not the story they deserved. They had the hardest story in the series, I could just read about those two sleeping on a beach and it would be fantastic. I liked that the storyline in the present and it all carries on even if it changes point of view. I loved the appearance of the haunted doll and that it goes through all of them, and they all hate the thing, it made me giggle and it made me think of them all still at college and joking and pranking around with each other.

The worst novella out of them all was Hannah and Garrett. Hannah should have told Garrett at the wedding or at the beginning of their book, what happened if Garrett wanted an abortion, or Hannah also wanted an abortion, and she spent too long being worried about Garrett’s reaction because of his daddy issues. I wanted something to happen to Garrett’s dad, he was an ass, Garrett finally stood up for himself and nothing happened. What is it with each of these books that they are all acting like they were going to die? Logan and Grace – the car accident and then being stranded in the snow. Dean and Allie – Dean acting like Allie saying I don’t want to be engaged yet was a massive deal. Tucker and Sabrina – having the worse honeymoon and thinking they were going to die on the plane and then Tucker got stung by a jellyfish and Sabrina got hit with a coconut. Hannah and Garrett – bleeding during the pregnancy and Garrett driving like a lunatic.

This book was wishy-washy at times, and I wanted more and was expecting more. But I will definitely be reading The Graham Effect soon.

Content Warnings

Betting on the Best Friend's Brother: a Sweet Romantic Comedy by Melanie Jacobson

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funny hopeful lighthearted medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.0

I got the first book during one of the Stuff Your Kindle Days and I enjoyed the first book in the series and decided to carry on with the next book in the series. It was a quick and enjoyable read, but it was missing something that was in the first book.

This book has two points of view. The first point of view is Ava, and her roommates say she’s a workaholic and that she needs to get out more. So, when her boss suspends her extra lab time, her best friend and roommate makes fixing her love life her summer project. Ava knows her love life is non-existent, but makeover schemes and blind dates with her weird library patrons are not the answer. When her roommate takes the drastic measures and calls in her brother, Joey – one of Austin’s hottest heartthrobs – to consult, it’s her worst nightmare. Ava fells for Joey when she was fourteen and no other guy has ever measured up. She will do anything to keep Joey from finding out including putting up with a bombshell transformation – if it hides her true feelings when he looks at her. He rejected her once, and it nearly broke her. She will never give him that chance again. The second point of view is Joey, and he has always seen Ava as his best friend’s sister, but he is spending more time at his sister’s house. So, once he overhears about a bet that includes getting Ava a boyfriend, he is intrigued and wants to see how it goes and to help her out. But soon, the helping turns to jealous. Ava is helping Joey with his business and Joey is helping Ava get a boyfriend or not get one depending on how the bet is going. But will Joey be able to convince Ava that he no longer sees her as the shy and grief-stricken fourteen-year-old? Will Ava take a chance on her best friend’s brother?

This book was so cute, and I love the characters. I love Ava’s character development and how she was still standing her ground. She was willing to go on these dates and put herself out there, but she also wants someone to make her happy. I still love the friendship between the girls and how they are always there for each other and wanting them to be happy. I loved how Joey was so stupid and how he missed what was in front of him the whole time until he got jealous, that was funny, watching the trigger change. I love dual POV within romance books, it makes it so much better, and I preferred Joey’s point of view in this book compared to Ava’s.

Even though I enjoyed Ruby’s matchmaking with Sami and Josh in the first book, she was kind of driving me nuts in this book. She was too involved, and it was because she wanted a room with a bathroom. Also sending her on multiple bad dates so she could see Joey was the one and hiring actors to play those bad dates so kind of petty. Again, this was for a bathroom. Yet Ruby and Niles relationship seems like it’s in the gutter, but no one says anything to Ruby. I understand if you think two people are a good match, but there are ways around it without putting your best friend through 6 or 7 bad dates. If my best friend did that, I would be livid. Also, I felt like Sami would have put a stop to Ruby and missed her throughout this book.

This book had no smut, but it was very enjoyable without it and a change in pace to what I usually read, and hopefully the next door in the series doesn’t consist of Ruby being petty for no reason. I don’t mind her playing matchmaker, she just needs to do it the right way.

Content Warnings

Good Girl Complex by Elle Kennedy

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emotional funny lighthearted medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.0

I wanted to read this book because I enjoyed Elle Kennedy’s previous work and wanted to read more of her work. This book was okay, it wasn’t outstanding, I just wanted more.

This book has two points of view. The first is Mackenzie Cabot and she does everything right so what could go wrong? Mac is a people pleaser to her demanding parents, her prep school friends, her long-time boyfriend. It's exhausting for her to always be following the rules. All she wanted to do is focus on growing her internet business, but first she must get a college degree at her parents’ insistence. That means moving to the beachside town of Avalon Bay, a community made up of locals and the wealthy students at Garnet College. Twenty-year-old Mac has had plenty of practice suppressing her wilder impulses, but that all changes when she meets Cooper Hartley. The second point of view is Cooper Hartley, and he is rough around the edges. Raw. Candid. A threat to Mac’s ordered existence. Their friendship soon becomes the realest thing in her life. However, Cooper doesn’t trust any clones in his town, he doesn’t trust anyone who comes and goes into his town, but Cooper soon realizes Mac isn’t just another rich clone and falls for her. And falls hard. But as Mac finally starts feeling accepted by Cooper and his friends, the secret he’s been keeping from her threatens the only place she’s ever felt at home.

There were too many loose ends for my liking. Did Mac finish the hotel? Did it do well? Did the locals finally accept her? Did Cooper’s business do well? Did they finish the house? I have way too many questions for the first book in the series. I really didn’t like the whole dare thing, it just felt like an updated version of She’s All That and as much as I loved that film, it just didn’t work within this book. I also thought the bet and revenge thing would have come out sooner rather than within the last five chapters. Even though I liked Cooper, he needed to grovel some more and more again, instead of using her website and her hotel. Again, all the chaos and the solution were done in five-ten chapters when I wanted it sorted it sooner. I liked the trope of rich boy x poor girl and rich girl x poor boy, but it was just slightly predictable, and I found myself skimming through the bits that we knew was going to happen.

I liked that there were discussions about how parents can be shit parents whether you are rich or poor. Cooper had shit parents and managed to make a life for himself. Mac had shit parents and managed to make herself a billionaire and make a life for herself. I liked the gang within Avalon Bay and how they are all getting up to trouble but they also go to bat with each other and look after each other. I liked the growth between Cooper and Mac and how they’ve managed to stop judging everyone and getting to know someone before you judge them.

Hopefully the characters will grow on me within the next book in the series and the loose ends will be tied up and we might get some more answers to the questions that we didn’t get in this book.

Content Warnings

Great Expectations by Charles Dickens

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emotional mysterious reflective slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? No
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.0

I decided to read this book because I bought a poster with 100 books to read in your lifetime. This is book twenty-four on the poster. As with most classics, I struggled with this and sort of lost the storyline, and the pace was killing me.

This book is about an orphan named Pip and he was raised in squalor in the marsh country of Kent, he is taken under the wing of the eccentric and reclusive Miss Havisham, and he has given his heart to the dowager’s beautiful but ice-cold adopted daughter, Estella. Even as a mysterious benefactor helps to shape Pip’s life into one of fortune, success and self-discovery. But the unspeakable secrets of his unrequited love continues to haunt him and promises to change his life once again.

I enjoyed how the book was split into three parts to represent Pip’s life as a small, unloved boy who is in a toxic household and wanting some form of escape. To then getting his escape and becoming a man in London’s society and seeing how the society has changed him and made him into a toxic man, to then coming home and realising what he wanted. I enjoyed Pip’s growth even if I wanted to slap him at times for his actions and the people, he chooses to spend time with. Joe saved this book from being two stars, he was the only one who seemed to care about people and loved his job rather than trying to scheme his way up the society ladder.

Even though this book was under 300 pages, it felt like it was 900 pages. I am going to assume it’s because of the language and the classic feel to it, but it felt like pulling teeth to get this book finished. It was a long book of getting out of the friend zone. The rest of the side characters annoyed me, Pip’s sister was just a horrible woman who hated her life and took it out on anyone who would listen. Estella couldn’t make her mind up until the last chapter. Miss Havisham – I couldn’t make my mind up about, I was liking her and rooting for her, but I also didn’t trust her. There was a lot of events that weren’t needed, and it was confusing me as new characters were getting introduced with the events and then they would go after that.

The next book on the poster is A Tale of Two Cities, so let’s hope I understand that one a bit more.

Content Warnings

Playboy King by Meg Xuemei X

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adventurous dark tense fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? No

3.0

I got this book during the one of the stuff of Kindle days and I liked the cover and was interested in how it was going to go. I was just wanting more from this book, but it was the first book in the series.

This book has two points of views. The first is Tessa Morrigan and she is on the run from her ex-mate, but she’s also on a mission to kill the King of the Underworld, Loki. Who sent her on this mission? Loki’s dad. Once she finishes the mission, she will have enough money and power to take back her kingdom and kill her ex-mate. There is just one problem, whilst staking out the palace that Loki lives, she gets caught spying and now she must participate in the Bride Trials and she is determined to be the last one standing, to get the power and to be the Queen of the Underworld after she kills Loki. The second point of view is Loki, King of the Underworld and Tessa walked in on Loki having sex with another woman. Loki takes one sniff in her direction and know that Tessa is her mate. Scenting it fated mate, his wolf awakens and roars with lust. But Tessa Morrigan can’t be his queen, she came too late. Loki has started the Underworld Bride Trials. All the woman who participates must fight to the death until the last one stands by his side.

I liked the idea of the bride trails, maybe with less violence, but for a dark romance you obviously expect violence especially when it’s “to the death”. Though it’s not very feminists of me to have every single woman in that group fight over a man, I know he is a king but it’s a man. I enjoyed Loki and how he lost the plot the second he saw Tessa and even though he wanted to protect her, he always wanted to see her. I loved that Tessa was trying so hard not to give in and yet she was giving in. I liked Princess Marigold’s character, but she didn’t need to take up so much of the book up with her mates, if they wanted the book to be about her and her mates, then they needed a separate book or to make this book longer.

The ending of this book sort of came out of nowhere, one minute it's the trials and Tessa is worried about her team and Loki just wants to sleep with Tessa and just as they are about to sleep together or are sleeping together, the ex-mate comes in and has tricked Loki and Tessa. Loki doesn’t know who Tessa really is and everything was about to explode, and it just ends. I wanted it to be longer and yet wanted it to be shorter. Hell all broke loose and yet it didn’t get fixed, but also felt like the pace was slow at time and wanted the book to be shorter.

I am excited to carry on with the next book in the series and hopefully all the hell will be cleaned up and the trials will continue.

Content Warnings

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beckyyreadss's reviews 735 reviews

beckyyreadss's reviews
735 reviews