readclever's reviews
337 reviews

An interestingly random pick out of Kel Carpenter's backlist. I was curious about a story framing Lucifer's daughter. I love books that subvert tropes. And there are layers of other authors in the books I love. If you've ever read Anne Bishop, you'll know why I love the idea of the devil's kid being a key element in world building.

Ruby Morningstar was a fun, unexpected delight. I loved her snark, that bit of don't give a care attitude, the friendship with Moira. But mostly I adored her relationship with Bandit, the ferally protective raccoon that made me laugh. Part raccoon, part sugar glider, part cat. The established relationships make sense.

I wasn't expecting the reverse harem. (I didn't read the blurb.) And honestly was probably one of the weaker links for me. The romance and lust felt a bit too pointed, especially with the amount of men. Listening to the audiobook definitely helped establish voices a bit easier, however. I think the placement of their connection and Ruby's age seemed a bit too ick for me.

I think the biggest problem I had was the sexual assault attempt. I wasn't expecting the act, nor for it to be described so well. Made it harder for me to fully enjoy the book. Even if the character built from that pain is someone I absolutely like. I couldn't stop imagining it as that scene in The Craft. An act that haunts me.

Overall, I gave the story a solid 4 stars. The story is fun, save for the sexual assault and age gap. Go in knowing that it's got some darker themes, like Anne Bishop, and it's worth a read.

Haynes weaves the story of women in the Trojan War, from goddesses to priest daughters, and what they faced. I loved this book because it gave a voice to characters often ignored for the sake of the big manly battles of death. Amazon warriors fight against Achilles, Cassandra keens in pain at what's to come, mothers bargain for their children's lives, and all for the sake of men's demands.

Listening to Haynes narrate was a joy. Her voice and cadence, the rise and fall of pitch, brought the women to life. Calliope's anger at the world of men, of discounting women because of a bard wants battle without emotional pain. There's so much richness in the book. A fullness of story. While not every woman in the decades long story could be included, the author does a terrific job of centering what matters to each storied woman. Distinct voices with clear arcs.

Aphrodite, Athena, and Hera aren't the only goddesses and muses. There's a wide variety in the pantheon that set the story into motion. Before and after. Gaia trembles at the destruction of her world while Themis works as justice for the slight. Men are often referenced and discussed, even play their role, but their stories are not the centering force.

Pleasantly surprised at how good the book was and that my bookish friends hadn't been reccing. That'll be my job now.

Unexpected surprise in how good this book really is. There's a lot of world building without info dumps, good homages to books that have come before, and a multifaceted heroine.

I rarely give out 5 stars, but this book absolutely gets one. I believed in the character motivations, especially when listening to the audio, and how decisions have serious consequences. Quinn, the heroine, isn't perfect. She's flawed and they work within the story.

This is a dark fantasy with more rough themes, including child abuse and assault. It's not as bad as Anne Bishop's Black Jewels, but it is still startling. Oddly, listening was less alarming than reading it on my Kindle. And like Bishop, there's a strong found family vibe within the books. A sense of belonging.

I really enjoyed the slow burn of the romance, the sheer force of Quinn to push for more when left with no options, and Lazarus (the hero) realizing why she's so important. Both are dark maji, people with extremely troublesome gifts, yet they both handle their talents differently.

Balanced world building and I can't wait to listen to the next book soon.

all the content warnings

I love a good retelling. This isn't one I enjoy. Sex trafficking, murder, bad mental health rep, treatment of Hazel as a tool and TSTL territory.

There so many elements that made me dislike the short story. Theme didn't match tone at all. Time line and locations didn't seem great. I didn't feel any connection between Hazel and Gray. It was uncomfortable to read about their sex life in a sex trafficking narrative.

Of the three stories, Courting Miss Perfect was the winner. Brynn was opinionated and her Pinkerton beau Travis was just as opinionated. What made Brynn approachable was her naivety outside the upper class. There's something real about a woman misjudging someone (the villain in this case) but still standing tall on her decisions. Unlike the first story (Rocky Mountain Courtship), where Clara has all these knocks against her but magically falls in love in without knowing the man really. And the same happened to Constance in Courted by the Cowboy. Hurt in the crossfire of marshal law, Connie is forced to face her demons and still falls in love with the guy who helped take away a lot of her life. There wasn't a lot of genuine emotional connection in the first and third stories. Everything felt paint-by-numbers. Too bad, too. Constance had a lot more potential as a protag love interest.

Brynn's best asset is her ability to adapt to whatever circumstances happen. And there's a little bit of a callback to the Regency style writing by a tempered cut at a grand dame of society. These are things that make a strong female protagonist. I wish that Clara had been given the chance to shine and show her abilities beyond being a set piece for Joseph's desires. And Kyle, Constance's beau, frames every relationship after a failed attempt and carries manpain at the mention of a woman.

Over all, I'd give a Judith Stacy story a chance above Jillian Hart or Stacey Kayne. Brynn's story gave the book a solid 2.5 out of 5. Too bad the other two stories didn't help raise the bar.

I wanted to like this book. I had such high hopes considering the voyages across the Atlantic for both the heroine and hero. I love it when characters connect through being misfits. The problem was: Nathanial. It's a fine line between heartbroken and jerk. He kept falling into the jerk category. And Charlaine often felt like she was created just to fit into his redemption. Frustrating because her backstory was almost inconsequential when it was honestly the more interesting one. I wanted to hear her background because the implication was a black woman in society would have created waves. Yet we never saw that.

Added to that, there was lot of redundancy in plot points and several chapters could have been eliminated. Too much show and not enough tell as well. I really wanted to give the book a higher mark. Unfortunately, the combination lowered quite a bit.

However, I did like some aspects. I loved one particular moment between Charlaine and Nathanial, right before the big misunderstanding. I liked her freedom from shoes. I wish more of the book had been similar. And I very much liked Daphne and Susan. I felt like they were nice additions and helped balance the domestic plot points a bit.

I was looking forward to the book and am disappointed I couldn't give higher stars.

Read if you want non con romance

I wanted to like the story but I wasn't found of Larry's actions. Nor the internal dialogue. And the sex felt really awkward, not in a that happens way, but non con kind of way.

The ending is what kept the book from getting a zero star review. I appreciated the jump Katt took in that moment. And Larry's support was helpful and his sole redeeming factor.

For skim readers.

Reads like a rough draft. I had to DNF due so much tell and not enough show. Characters felt like placeholders. Nothing to connect with, which is a shame since I picked the book based off the idea of new beginnings. I wanted to rate higher, but the lack of clear direction beyond the mundane details was too much for the novella's length.

Thank you for Stella Williams and NetGalley for offering a copy of the book for an honest review.

"It was silly, really. He didn't even know her. She was a complete stranger, and yet he wanted to avenge her as if it were his own sister who had been hurt."

When a sudden blizzard keeps people locked inside their houses, Sinai and Dom go from strangers to lovers overnight.

Love author created town romances. I found them fascinating, to see what's important. Mulberry seemed to be a midsized city where Dom's family reigned supreme. Sinai bing a new person in town and exploring the different smaller businesses appealed, too.

I had a hard time reading this book. I couldn't connect with the story or the romance. Honestly, it felt more like erotic with romance haphazardly thrown in. And the amount of times that Sinai had an orgasm over the course of a weekend felt like wish fulfillment.

There was no solid romance or connection. More of a friends with benefits, if that. Neither seemed to be on the same page or in the right head space. Instalove can be tricky to write. Unfortunately, this one fell flat because Dom was 'too perfect' for a week long romance plot.

I'm giving the book 1.5 stars based on the writing style and lack of chemistry between the heroine and hero. Sinai and Dom needed a lot more character development before I could buy them as a couple. The scenes without a man around really made her stand out. I would have preferred to see that growth somewhere in the lust-filled haze.