book_lover_irl's reviews
422 reviews

Everything about this story was just "okay". The plot was meh (synopsis blurb made it sound better than it was). Pacing was uneven and didn't flow well. The writing was mediocre at best. Conversation seemed stilted, banter was lacking, and spicy scenes sounded repetitive. 

Usually I enjoy MC tropes (minus the way club bunnies and non-old-lady women are treated). It's often fun to read about the trouble and vigilante justice that outlaw bikers bring to a story. However, this story didn't give the reader any in-depth details about what made this Heaven's Rejects MC special. You weren't sure what businesses they were involved with; you didn't get a decent introduction into the other characters or their affiliation with the MC (other than a little bit with the club president). 

The author failed to help the reader feel connected to the 2 MCs. Hero's emotions for Dani were volatile and all over the board. First, he was attracted to her, but then he didn't trust her because of possible ties with another MC, and at the same time he had supposedly been simultaneously head over heels for her from the get go (but didn't start sharing that until the last third of the novel.) His statements didn't jive with his internal dialogue or outward actions. 

Dani was fiercely independent and wasn't afraid to stick up for herself and / or attempt to physically defend herself from unwanted male attention. As a strong FMC, Dani's disdain for being treated as "less than" because she was a woman was refreshing. However, as soon as Hero mentioned he liked her, Dani suddenly was all goo-goo eyed over him and glossed over all of the horrible things he'd said and done to her. It made zero sense considering how awful he had been. Honestly, my last straw came at the end of the novel when Dani *instantly* forgave Hero after he failed to support her in a pivotal moment. It left me flabbergasted and feeling as if the FMC devolved from the beginning of the story into a weaker MC, not stronger.

I hate giving unpleasant reviews. I think most books have redeeming qualities and bright spots. This particular novel was straight up "average" without any shining moments. I won't re-read it or recommend it to friends. I am not invested enough with any of the characters or plots to continue to read further on in the series. Someday I may circle back around to book #3 (Absolution) in the series to see how Rikka's story unfolds, but if it doesn't capture my attention in the first third of the novel, it will most likely be a DNF for me. In 2025, I want to focus on reading books I wholeheartedly enjoy, not stuff I just trudge through to get to the end.

Stars:⭐️⭐️ 

Spice:🌶️🌶️ 

POV: Dual

HEA: Yes

Cliffhanger: No

Tropes: MC, Alpha Male, Insta-Love

INSTAGRAM: @Book.Lover.IRL 

STORYGRAPH: Book.Lover.IRL
GOODREADS: Book_Lover_IRL

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ I loved this book

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ I really liked this book

⭐️⭐️⭐️ I liked this book

⭐️⭐️ Meh…  bored or annoyed

⭐️ Seriously? Not worth it

🌶️🌶️🌶️🌶️🌶️ INFERNO. P@nty melting

🌶️🌶️🌶️🌶️ Blazing hot

🌶️🌶️🌶️ Now we’re talking

🌶️🌶️ Meh… uninspired missionary

🌶️ Does weak foreplay count?

Book three of the Mindf*ck series did not disappoint. It started out with a bang and ended on another cliffhanger with some amazing dramatics. 

I’m still invested in seeing the plots through to their conclusions, enjoying the steady pacing and loving the character development. 

Lana’s flashbacks are hard to listen to and I suspect will only get more graphic and heartbreaking as we learn more details. 

Stars: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Spice: 🌶️🌶️🌶️
POV:  Dual
HEA: Not yet - two more books in the series
Cliffhanger: Yes
Tropes: Law Enforcement/ Criminal, Alpha male

INSTAGRAM: @Book.Lover.IRL 
STORYGRAPH: Book.Lover.IRL
GOODREADS: Book_Lover_IRL

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ I loved this book
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ I really liked this book
⭐️⭐️⭐️ I liked this book
⭐️⭐️ Meh…  bored or annoyed
⭐️ Seriously? Not worth it

🌶️🌶️🌶️🌶️🌶️ INFERNO. P@nty melting
🌶️🌶️🌶️🌶️ Blazing hot
🌶️🌶️🌶️ Now we’re talking
🌶️🌶️ Meh… uninspired missionary
🌶️ Does weak foreplay count?

Book three of the Mindf*ck series did not disappoint. It started out with a bang and ended on another cliffhanger with some amazing dramatics. 

I’m still invested in seeing the plots through to their conclusions, enjoying the steady pacing and loving the character development. 

Lana’s flashbacks are hard to listen to and I suspect will only get more graphic and heartbreaking as we learn more details. 

Stars: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Spice: 🌶️🌶️🌶️
POV:  Dual
HEA: Not yet - two more books in the series
Cliffhanger: Yes
Tropes: Law Enforcement/ Criminal, Alpha male

INSTAGRAM: @Book.Lover.IRL 
STORYGRAPH: Book.Lover.IRL
GOODREADS: Book_Lover_IRL

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ I loved this book
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ I really liked this book
⭐️⭐️⭐️ I liked this book
⭐️⭐️ Meh…  bored or annoyed
⭐️ Seriously? Not worth it

🌶️🌶️🌶️🌶️🌶️ INFERNO. P@nty melting
🌶️🌶️🌶️🌶️ Blazing hot
🌶️🌶️🌶️ Now we’re talking
🌶️🌶️ Meh… uninspired missionary
🌶️ Does weak foreplay count?

I’m currently obsessed with the Mindf*ck series because it loosely reminds me of Criminal Minds, one of my all-time favorite tv shows.

Plot pacing is swift and details are condensed since they’re packed into such short novels. There isn’t a ton of angsty inner dialogue, which I find refreshing after the last few books I’ve read recently.

Despite all the secrets between Lana and Logan, I’m cautiously optimistic that when things blow up between them they’ll still be able to figure out how to be together. I hate Lana’s lies and fear Logan is going to act holier-than-thou when he learns her truth.

As mentioned by some other reviewers, the female narrator does a pretty good job. I don’t mind her version of the FMC. The male narrator’s voice isn’t deep enough for me. The way he sounds doesn’t match the way I hear him in my head. I wish Jacob Michael or Troy Duran did the male narration. 

On to the next book…

Stars: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Spice: 🌶️🌶️ (very little spice in this book. Story progression just didn’t leave much room.)
POV: Dual
HEA: Not yet - still more books left in the series
Cliffhanger: Of course
Tropes: Law enforcement / criminal opposing MCs, Alpha male, Bas@ss FMC

INSTAGRAM: @Book.Lover.IRL 
STORYGRAPH: Book.Lover.IRL
GOODREADS: Book_Lover_IRL

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ I loved this book
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ I really liked this book
⭐️⭐️⭐️ I liked this book
⭐️⭐️ Meh…  bored or annoyed
⭐️ Seriously? Not worth it

🌶️🌶️🌶️🌶️🌶️ INFERNO. P@nty melting
🌶️🌶️🌶️🌶️ Blazing hot
🌶️🌶️🌶️ Now we’re talking
🌶️🌶️ Meh… uninspired missionary
🌶️ Does weak foreplay count?

Book was enjoyable but wasn't anything to rave about. Plot was fine and included some good banter. The MMC was sometimes crude (which is to be expected in spicy novels) but didn't seem to fit other parts of the narrative. Not much to say about the story, other than it was "fine" but didn't make me squirm in my seat the way I was hoping it would. 

Stars: ⭐️⭐️⭐️ (barely)

Spice: 🌶️🌶️🌶️

POV: Dual

HEA: Yes

Cliffhanger: No

Tropes: Billionaire, friends to lovers, Different social classes

INSTAGRAM: @Book.Lover.IRL 

STORYGRAPH: Book.Lover.IRL
GOODREADS: Book_Lover_IRL

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ I loved this book

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ I really liked this book

⭐️⭐️⭐️ I liked this book

⭐️⭐️ Meh…  bored or annoyed

⭐️ Seriously? Not worth it

🌶️🌶️🌶️🌶️🌶️ INFERNO. P@nty melting

🌶️🌶️🌶️🌶️ Blazing hot

🌶️🌶️🌶️ Now we’re talking

🌶️🌶️ Meh… uninspired missionary

🌶️ Does weak foreplay count?

Loved this introduction to the Mindf*ck Series. I wish the author, S. T. Abby, had condensed all of the novels together into one book, instead of making each audiobook super short (each book is only 3-4 hours long with at least 4 or 5 books in the series.) I understand and recognize that it probably makes more sense for the author to make multiple short novels so she can: #1 release installments of the story sooner, and #2 actually earn a living while practicing her craft. However, as a reader it's kind of irritating to switch novels every 3 hours when a book "conclusion" feels like the ending of a chapter, not the ending of an actual story and/or an actual cliffhanger.

With my complaining out of the way, I really enjoyed listening to The Risk as an audiobook. Marie Hawkins did a beautiful job of ensuring Lana's voice and thoughts were nuanced. You could feel her confusion, anger, and other emotions throughout her audio performance. T.J. Clark, the male narrator, did an acceptable job voicing the MMC, Logan. I didn't particularly love his voice (nothing wrong with it, just not what floats my boat. Wish it had been Jacob Michael or Troy Duran.) 

I went into the novel mostly blind and didn't know much about the plot. Synopsis: Lana and her family suffered a horrific attack when she was a teenager. As an adult, Lana is on a revenge mission to make the perpetrators pay for their heinous actions. Her revenge plans are complicated when she falls for Logan, an FBI profiler who hunts serial killers -- like Lana.

Originally I thought this story was more of a novella (didn't realize it was a series). The plot moved quickly. We are slowly fed information about Lana's past traumas as we navigate her present day life. The slow feed keeps the reader hanging around, waiting for the next morsel of information to be dropped as we strain to fit the jumbled pieces of the puzzle together.

Despite wanting to hate Lana's violent desires and actions, she is an incredibly empathetic character. I was torn between disgust with her euphoria during her bloody revenge escapades and rooting for her / scared that her secrets would be exposed too soon.

Logan is also incredibly relatable and lovable. He is sweet, honest, and wicked smart. I adore his insta-lust / insta-love with Lana. I like that he doesn't pry into her past but tries to trust her to share her traumas when she feels ready. 

This book definitely ends on a big ol' cliffhanger and I can't wait to see how the rest of this story unfolds. I predict I will be buying way too many installments of the Mindf*ck series in a very short amount of time so I can learn what happens with Lana and Logan.

Stars: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Spice: 🌶️🌶️🌶️

POV: Dual

HEA: Not yet?

Cliffhanger: Yes

Tropes: Past trauma, Dominant male in uniform, First Responder

INSTAGRAM: @Book.Lover.IRL 

STORYGRAPH: Book.Lover.IRL
GOODREADS: Book_Lover_IRL

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ I loved this book

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ I really liked this book

⭐️⭐️⭐️ I liked this book

⭐️⭐️ Meh…  bored or annoyed

⭐️ Seriously? Not worth it

🌶️🌶️🌶️🌶️🌶️ INFERNO. P@nty melting

🌶️🌶️🌶️🌶️ Blazing hot

🌶️🌶️🌶️ Now we’re talking

🌶️🌶️ Meh… uninspired missionary

🌶️ Does weak foreplay count?

SYNOPSIS: BookTok sensation PEN PAL is a high octane, tautly written dark romance with an unforgettable twist that will leave readers gasping. 

The first letter arrived the day my husband was buried. It was postmarked from the state penitentiary, and contained a single sentence:

It was signed by Dante, a man I didn’t know.

CHECK THE CW / TWs. 
—————

REVIEW: Whoa! Wow! I just finished this audiobook and I’m… I’m… I’m sooooo unsure what to say but in the BEST WAY POSSIBLE! 

The writing was amazing, the pacing fabulous, the plot perfectly twisty and the love story splendiferously angsty in the BEST way. The spice was blazing hot and beautiful. 

Never have I loved a pet name more than “Bunny Rabbit” and “Little Bunny”. It felt natural and lacked the cheesiness of endearments found in some other spicy novels. 

It’s hard to say much without accidental spoilers so I’m going to end the review with a couple of my favorite quotes. 

—————
Stars: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Spice:  🌶️🌶️🌶️🌶️

POV: Duet

HEA: It’s complicated…

Cliffhanger: No

Tropes: Dark, Mystery, Alpha -Dominant Male

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ I loved this book

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ I really liked this book

⭐️⭐️⭐️ I liked this book

⭐️⭐️ Meh…  bored or annoyed

⭐️ Seriously? Not worth it

🌶️🌶️🌶️🌶️🌶️ INFERNO. P@nty melting

🌶️🌶️🌶️🌶️ Blazing hot

🌶️🌶️🌶️ Now we’re talking

🌶️🌶️ Meh… uninspired missionary

🌶️ Does weak foreplay count?

Short and sweet. Enjoyable story. I liked the plot. Acceptable pacing. Relatively small number of characters and easy to follow storyline. The attempt at mystery and suspense was weak.  

The biggest downfall was the narrators. They were not my favorite. Neither of them had an engaging voice, their cadences were off, and they didn’t do a fabulous job making each character sound distinct. I would’ve enjoyed the book more if I had read it (vs listening to the audiobook) or if there had been different narrators. I would not recommend the current audiobook version. 

Stars: ⭐️⭐️⭐️

Spice: 🌶️🌶️

POV: Duet

HEA: Yes

Cliffhanger: Not exactly

Tropes: Instalove, MC

 

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ I loved this book 

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ I really liked this book 

⭐️⭐️⭐️ I liked this book 

⭐️⭐️ Meh…  bored or annoyed 

⭐️ Seriously? Not worth it 

 

🌶️🌶️🌶️🌶️🌶️ INFERNO. P@nty melting 

🌶️🌶️🌶️🌶️ Blazing hot 

🌶️🌶️🌶️ Now we’re talking 

🌶️🌶️ Meh… uninspired missionary 

🌶️ Does weak foreplay count? 

Good plot, nice pacing, some intrigue and an amazing bunch of women friends who have each others back in all situations. 

I loved the FMC and her besties. Their friendship was stuff of legends. The way they crowded around one of their own if they were hurting was beautiful. It was refreshing to see camaraderie instead of competition among them. 

The MMC was charming and adorable in his own way. I was so glad when he made the important choices that he did (that I can’t say more about without worrying about spoilers). 

I’ve been reading so much heavy and dark stuff that this was a breath of fresh air — overall sweet and fluffy-ish. Restoring to return to a lighter plot. Now back to diving into the deep dark abyss. 

Stars: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Spice: 🌶️🌶️🌶️
POV: Duet
HEA: Yes
Cliffhanger: No
Tropes / themes: Instalove, touch her and ☠️

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ I loved this book
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ I really liked this book
⭐️⭐️⭐️ I liked this book
⭐️⭐️ Meh…  bored or annoyed
⭐️ Seriously? Not worth it

🌶️🌶️🌶️🌶️🌶️ INFERNO. P@nty melting
🌶️🌶️🌶️🌶️ Blazing hot
🌶️🌶️🌶️ Now we’re talking
🌶️🌶️ Meh… uninspired missionary
🌶️ Does weak foreplay count?

Can’t do it. DNF. Too dark for me. The MMC clearly hates the entire world and has zero redeeming qualities. The FMC too meek and compliant for me. I hate everything about it. Nothing remotely sweet, nice or even close to human decency.