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shanaepraystoo's reviews
871 reviews
With Love, This Christmas by Kimberly Brown
emotional
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
relaxing
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
Awww I really liked Noelle and Kane and their families. I’m not crazy about friends to lovers romances, but this one hit its mark for sure. I highly recommend this novella to anyone who loves the friends to lovers trope, themed romances, and Kimberly Brown books.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Cursing and Sexual content
Minor: Pregnancy and Alcohol
Hood Holiday With A Chicago Menace by Dominique Nikail, Dominique Nikail
dark
emotional
fast-paced
3.0
Hood Holiday with a Chicago Menace is a solid, short read. Engaging and fast paced, I’d recommend this to staunch fans of urban fiction.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Bullying, Cursing, Violence, Suicide attempt, Murder, and Pregnancy
Minor: Gun violence, Toxic relationship, Medical content, and Injury/Injury detail
Christmas in Spite of You by K.C. Mills
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
lighthearted
relaxing
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
I really really enjoyed K. C. Mills's book Christmas In Spite of You.
I listened to the audiobook every chance I could get because I kept thinking about the book. I wanted to listen to the story to see how it unfolded. I loved the characters and the story so much, it read just like one of my favorite Christmas movies on Hallmark. I recommend Christmas In Spite of You to anyone who likes romance novels with the forced proximity and grumpy-sunshine tropes. They're two of my favorites and I can confirm that author K. C. Mills does everything just right in Christmas In Spite of You. The book will also put you in the Christmas spirit, just what you're looking for when you read a Christmas romance novel.
Spice Rating: 3/5 -- There aren't many spicy scenes, but the few that are in the book are descriptive, vivid and overall well-written. They advance the story for sure.
I listened to the audiobook every chance I could get because I kept thinking about the book. I wanted to listen to the story to see how it unfolded. I loved the characters and the story so much, it read just like one of my favorite Christmas movies on Hallmark. I recommend Christmas In Spite of You to anyone who likes romance novels with the forced proximity and grumpy-sunshine tropes. They're two of my favorites and I can confirm that author K. C. Mills does everything just right in Christmas In Spite of You. The book will also put you in the Christmas spirit, just what you're looking for when you read a Christmas romance novel.
Spice Rating: 3/5 -- There aren't many spicy scenes, but the few that are in the book are descriptive, vivid and overall well-written. They advance the story for sure.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content
Moderate: Cursing and Toxic relationship
Minor: Bullying, Emotional abuse, Infidelity, Alcohol, and Injury/Injury detail
Where Hearts Lie by Kimberly Brown
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
lighthearted
relaxing
fast-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
Perfect. This is how you write Black love, this is how you write a second chance romance. I was engaged from the beginning to the end and I loved it. I recommend this to everyone who loves second chance romances and Christmas novellas.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Cursing, Sexual content, and Abandonment
A Novel Christmas by Charity Shane
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
relaxing
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
A Novel Christmas by Charity Shane' is a medium-paced Christmas-themed romance novel with lovable, diverse characters. I really enjoyed the story, learning about Saira and Dorian and Santa Claus, Indiana was so much fun. The story kept me highly engaged. Initially I found the narrators boring, but over the course of the audiobook, I realized they were actually pretty good and they did a good job with these characters. I highly recommend A Novel Christmas.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content
Moderate: Cancer, Cursing, Death, Grief, and Alcohol
Naughty and Leaked by A. Blossom
lighthearted
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? N/A
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
A decent follow up to Leak It. A. Blossom could’ve exposed Emery’s misdoings differently, in my opinion. But the story is still pretty good and we get to learn more about Naomi’s ex-husband, Richard. I hope we get a story about Celeste and Warren.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content
Moderate: Cursing and Toxic relationship
Minor: Infidelity, Violence, Pregnancy, and Alcohol
Product Of The Street: Union City by E. Bowser
Did not finish book. Stopped at 20%.
Did not finish book. Stopped at 20%.
I don’t like or understand the author’s writing style. She introduces characters without explaining who they are, there’s no character development or background introducing characters so we know what to expect from them. A really strange story. I can’t believe it comes so highly recommended.
Under the Influence by Kimberly Brown
emotional
funny
hopeful
reflective
relaxing
sad
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
Under the Influence is another great book from the talented Kimberly Brown. As usual, Brown writes relatable and dynamic characters. She is a great storyteller and you can easily get engrossed in her books. Under the Influence is no different. This friends to lovers to enemies to lovers second chance sports romances has everything you want in a contemporary romance novel - jokes, interesting characters, funny banter, a little drama, and a happy ending. I recommend this book to all fans of romance, you’ll definitely enjoy this engaging quick read.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Emotional abuse, Sexual content, Toxic relationship, and Abandonment
Moderate: Child abuse, Cursing, and Gaslighting
Minor: Drug use, Miscarriage, Vomit, Stalking, Pregnancy, Alcohol, and Injury/Injury detail
The Christmas Catch by Toni Shiloh
funny
hopeful
inspiring
lighthearted
relaxing
fast-paced
- 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
4.25
The Christmas Catch by Toni Shiloh is a fun, engaging and thought-provoking novella about second chances, forgiveness, and taking risks. I really enjoyed reading about Bebe and Jahleel's past, but I wish a bit more had been put into exploring their future together as I feel the pacing with the story was a bit off at that point. However, I think the author made up for it with the exploration of Jahleel's relationship with his father, Reverend Walker, which I found to be helpful in advancing the story. However, this is a novella, so there's only so much that could be explored in the relatively short story. I honestly would've appreciated a full length novel with these characters because I liked them all so much!
I see that the novella received quite a few lower ratings because the story includes lots of Christian references. I think that is more of a criticism of the reader than the story, as it is pretty clear that this is a Christian romance...it's written by a Christian author and it is our responsibility as readers to do that research before we even pick up a book - know what you're reading and know the author.
As a Christian, I really liked the messaging in The Christmas Catch, it was theologically sound, practical, and inspiring to me. I highly recommend The Christmas Catch to anyone who likes cozy romances with low drama, positive messaging, and second chance or sports romances.
I listened to the audiobook and Jasmin Walker does a great job narrating. I highly recommend the audio of <i>The Christmas Catch</i>.
I see that the novella received quite a few lower ratings because the story includes lots of Christian references. I think that is more of a criticism of the reader than the story, as it is pretty clear that this is a Christian romance...it's written by a Christian author and it is our responsibility as readers to do that research before we even pick up a book - know what you're reading and know the author.
As a Christian, I really liked the messaging in The Christmas Catch, it was theologically sound, practical, and inspiring to me. I highly recommend The Christmas Catch to anyone who likes cozy romances with low drama, positive messaging, and second chance or sports romances.
I listened to the audiobook and Jasmin Walker does a great job narrating. I highly recommend the audio of <i>The Christmas Catch</i>.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Emotional abuse
Minor: Infidelity and Abandonment
Man of the Year by Connie Easton
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
Average book with average writing and storytelling. The characters are stereotypical and not very well developed. Man of the Year would have benefited tremendously from more character development, which would have made it at least 200 pages longer - exploring the FMC Zara’s relationship with her mother and brother; exploring Quik’s strained relationship with his mother and how they repaired it; expanding on the MMC Xander’s work in the streets and at the hospital, seeing conflict between him, his staff and other women in the workplace he had relationships with; expanding on Zara and Rocky’s relationship as friends plus their relationships with cousins Pyro and Veda; and fully developing the toxic relationship between the main characters, Xander and Zara. The story could have been fuller and overall more interesting through this work. Unfortunately , I don’t recommend Man of the Year to anyone seeking a thorough story. If you’re a fan of fast paced, lightweight stereotypical characters with more drama than engaging storylines, then maybe this book is for you.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Cursing
Moderate: Sexual content, Toxic relationship, and Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Death, Infidelity, Racial slurs, Pregnancy, and Gaslighting