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bookishkellyn's reviews
364 reviews
Making Things Right with A Goon by Khemistri J
dark
funny
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.5
Kairo McCoy, a CEO by day (goon by night), gets the surprise of a lifetime from the fling (Brooklyn) he was searching for in the daytime with a flashlight. It started out great, but then he became an unhinged jerk without many redeeming qualities. I like the “touch her and die” trope, but this needed more balance. Their chemistry was believable, but the conflicts/mystery were wild yet underwhelming.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Violence and Murder
Moderate: Sexual content
Minor: Kidnapping
Heir of Riot and Ruins by A. R. Anderson
adventurous
emotional
mysterious
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
This final installment was a perfect mix of action, romance, Greek mythology, and mystery. Physical descriptions were more vivid, memorable, and so necessary with the extended cast. At one point I thought the arcs were a little dragged out, but the ending absolutely shut me up and canceled out my complaints. I actually started reading slower near the end, because I felt sad parting ways with these characters. There were minor paragraph spacing discrepancies that I can’t take off points for.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Violence, and Blood
Moderate: Panic attacks/disorders, Sexual content, Grief, and Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Drug use, Torture, and Pregnancy
Crown of Bone and Irons by A. R. Anderson
adventurous
reflective
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Romance right out of the gate, background characters pushed into the forefront, and found family explored. The characters’ commitments to each other in the face of conflicts fueled the plot and spawned a mission. I enjoyed this book more than the first one, probably because this has more romantasy and spice. (It’s the first non-YA fantasy series I’ve read, and the mid-book scene was downright filthy.) It ends on a cliffhanger.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content, Torture, Violence, Blood, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Confinement, Death, Misogyny, Suicidal thoughts, and Classism
Minor: Animal death, Grief, Abortion, and Abandonment
Reign of Shadow and Ashes by A. R. Anderson
adventurous
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
Multiple story arcs intersect and romances blossom during the quest to put a true heir onto the throne and save the kingdom of Vasilya from destruction and a mad queen. It honestly took almost 100 pages to get interesting, but the worldbuilding was easy to follow. I don’t normally read fantasy, but I enjoyed this and didn’t mind the length since the chapters were short, plot reveals were good, and romance wasn’t distracting. Errors slightly lowered my rating.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Violence, Blood, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Sexual content, Torture, Grief, and Classism
Minor: Drug abuse, Death of parent, and Fire/Fire injury
When He Feels Like Home by Kizzie Kollins
lighthearted
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
2.5
Girl returns to her small hometown and meets a boy. Boy proceeds to dirty mack on her unfulfilling, long-term relationship. (While he won’t wreck a home, he will rearrange an empty one.) Drama ensues. Something felt like it was missing from the story, so I had to force myself to finish this. The third person point of view felt very mechanical and was a departure from the author’s writing style I enjoy under her other pseudonym.
Content Warnings
Minor: Abortion
Wonder by Christina C. Jones
adventurous
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.5
The synopsis didn’t do this dystopian retelling justice. This brought nostalgia as I guessed the stand-ins for the Alice in Wonderland/Through the Looking-Glass characters represented in this book. The plot didn’t grab my attention right away, but I was fully invested once it switched to dual POV between Alyson “Aly” (Alice) and Maddox “Mad” (The Mad Hatter). It’s not a love story, but the romance element did help add some lightness around the topics of disinformation, oppression, and survival that were infused into the core of the plot.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Death, Sexual content, Violence, and Kidnapping
Minor: Chronic illness, Physical abuse, Rape, and Trafficking
Terms Of Inheritance by Adorabol Huckleby-Ordaz
reflective
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
In the wake of her sadistic husband’s mysterious demise, Clementine is willed to his heir (“Ox”) to fulfill the original agreement. Luckily for her, he’s fine, kind, and sensitive to the residual trauma she has from serving as a “glorified sex pet” for five years. Pros: It was dual POV with lots of internal dialogue and introspection. The painstakingly slow pace made every interaction feel important and intimate. Found family. Cons: Clem was annoyingly pitiful in the beginning. Miscommunication. Neutrals: It was more healing journey than romance. No spice.
Content Warnings
Minor: Death, Domestic abuse, and Abandonment
Cuffed by a Certified Maniac by Nek Mills
dark
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.0
Unhinged, dramatic, and disorganized. I liked the way “Bebe” was written and the chaotic pressure Jay applied to her with his antics and jokes. However, him being straight ignorant over even the simplest stuff got old after awhile. You could play a drinking game behind how many times he threatened to shoot or murk someone. The plot was whatever.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Sexual content, Violence, Stalking, Murder, and Pregnancy
Moderate: Confinement, Infidelity, Fire/Fire injury, and Toxic friendship
Minor: Addiction, Kidnapping, and Car accident
Need You by Me by Endiya Carter
tense
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
Jaymi’s a free-spirited pastor’s kid, and Marshall aka Deacon Drexler is 13 years her senior, coexisting within an odd living situation. I was pleasantly surprised by the raunchiness, and the slow build up of sexual tension getting there was great. So great that I actually felt catfished as the plot fell off due to the unbelievable antics from her manipulative, power-drunk father.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content
Moderate: Emotional abuse, Infidelity, Death of parent, Pregnancy, and Gaslighting
Minor: Adult/minor relationship, Cancer, Abortion, and Murder
The Replacements by Shae Sanders
funny
reflective
relaxing
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
If “I just needed the platform, I had the plan” was a book. Savannah reflected and modeled her next moves after Beyonce’s “Irreplaceable” and not Mary J. Blige’s “Not Gon’ Cry” and got to work…literally. Her sexy new boss, Taurus aka Mr. Jackson (if you’re nasty), was grumpy to the max, but I wasn’t deterred because of the author’s amazing pen game. This had the perfect amount of chemistry, spice, and character development to make their situation believable.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content
Minor: Infidelity, Pregnancy, and Gaslighting