|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
my rating |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1945952075
| 9781945952074
| B01MF701J0
| 3.77
| 2,884
| Oct 31, 2016
| Oct 31, 2016
|
really liked it
|
When I read the synopsis of “Coffee Boy” I already knew that I
had
to read this book! I mean a trans boy named Kieran who’s crushing on the campai When I read the synopsis of “Coffee Boy” I already knew that I had to read this book! I mean a trans boy named Kieran who’s crushing on the campaign strategist of his internship? And this aforementioned campaign strategist is actually secretly crushing on their boss? *lol* It had drama written all over it and if you know me, you also know that I can’t resist a decent drama! Well and now comes the funny part! There actually wasn’t all too much drama going on, but I still ended up loving this short story! Strange, right? XD No, if you think about it, it’s not! ;-) The characters in this book were just so real and to say I could relate to the main character certainly wouldn’t even get close to the truth! I had the feeling that I really found myself in him! XD And since I’m already talking about Kieran I might as well head directly to the characters section! ”People who work on political campaigns have ridiculous Starbucks orders and yeah, being the intern means learning them all and balancing twelve cups of coffee on his way back up to the office.” Mild spoilers and quotes ahead! Just to give you a heads-up! ;-) Kieran: ”And for the brief but intense period where Kieran was panicking over the revelation that he was gay and trans – like, how doomed to failure could he possibly be? – Jillian was his rock.” He’s just awesome! It’s been quite a while I last had the pleasure to read about such an honest and forthright person and I loved every second of it! Kieran’s humour was amazing and his honesty sometimes almost bordered on rudeness! He never minced his words and this was so refreshing! Well and even when he tried to be more sensitive, he still ended up saying the truth, which got him into rather awkward situations and amused me to no end! *lol* ”I’m shrill, you know. It tricks their brains. I can tell them to call me he, but I can’t change what’s going on in their heads when I talk to them.” ”Wait, so – I was assigned female at birth, and that’s okay to talk about, but your crush on our boss isn’t appropriate?” Seth: ”I’m old,” Seth mumbles. “I’m an old man who can’t hold down a relationship.” I loved him for being so sympathetic and I absolutely adored him for insisting on Kieran’s pronouns!!! I know Kieran got awkward whenever he reminded their co-workers to address him correctly but just like Seth I think that it’s very important to get them right!!! I know Seth sometimes came across as rather grumpy and reserved, but deep down within him he was a gentle soul! ;-) He respected Kieran and for that I respected him too! XD ”How long’ve you liked me?” Kieran asks. Seth’s throat works nervously. “Oh, I don’t know.” “Totally unromantic. Try again.” ”Honestly, he’s never met a guy more in need of a boyfriend. Kieran hopes he’s up to the task.” Sensitive issues: Their age difference: I don’t think that their age difference was important, at least for me it wasn’t. I mean 12 years isn’t all that much and considering my husband and I are 9 years apart it really was no shocker. Seth’s crush on Marcus: Yes, Seth the campaign strategist has a crush on his boss who has a child and a fiancée. For me this was no touchy subject though. After all you can’t choose the person you fall for, you just do it! Love is illogical so yeah, I don’t blame him for it. Besides nothing ever happened between those two, he just watched him from a distance. The sex scene at the end: I read a lot of Santino Hassell over the summer so it didn’t shock me. Some people might feel different though. ;-) I think it was a very good scene and I loved how they interacted with each other. There was so much respect and understanding between those two, it was actually pretty amazing to read. =) Overall Conclusion: I enjoyed the story and I’m glad I read it! It was interesting to see Kieran’s point of view and since I’ve never read a book about a trans person before it definitely broadened my horizon! “Coffee boy” was funny, relatable and way too short!! =)) I really would have loved to read more about Seth and Kieran! The world definitely is in dire need of more stories like that and I can easily recommend it! ;-) A short and refreshing read that most certainly will entertain you! XD Merged review: When I read the synopsis of “Coffee Boy” I already knew that I had to read this book! I mean a trans boy named Kieran who’s crushing on the campaign strategist of his internship? And this aforementioned campaign strategist is actually secretly crushing on their boss? *lol* It had drama written all over it and if you know me, you also know that I can’t resist a decent drama! Well and now comes the funny part! There actually wasn’t all too much drama going on, but I still ended up loving this short story! Strange, right? XD No, if you think about it, it’s not! ;-) The characters in this book were just so real and to say I could relate to the main character certainly wouldn’t even get close to the truth! I had the feeling that I really found myself in him! XD And since I’m already talking about Kieran I might as well head directly to the characters section! ”People who work on political campaigns have ridiculous Starbucks orders and yeah, being the intern means learning them all and balancing twelve cups of coffee on his way back up to the office.” Mild spoilers and quotes ahead! Just to give you a heads-up! ;-) Kieran: ”And for the brief but intense period where Kieran was panicking over the revelation that he was gay and trans – like, how doomed to failure could he possibly be? – Jillian was his rock.” He’s just awesome! It’s been quite a while I last had the pleasure to read about such an honest and forthright person and I loved every second of it! Kieran’s humour was amazing and his honesty sometimes almost bordered on rudeness! He never minced his words and this was so refreshing! Well and even when he tried to be more sensitive, he still ended up saying the truth, which got him into rather awkward situations and amused me to no end! *lol* ”I’m shrill, you know. It tricks their brains. I can tell them to call me he, but I can’t change what’s going on in their heads when I talk to them.” ”Wait, so – I was assigned female at birth, and that’s okay to talk about, but your crush on our boss isn’t appropriate?” Seth: ”I’m old,” Seth mumbles. “I’m an old man who can’t hold down a relationship.” I loved him for being so sympathetic and I absolutely adored him for insisting on Kieran’s pronouns!!! I know Kieran got awkward whenever he reminded their co-workers to address him correctly but just like Seth I think that it’s very important to get them right!!! I know Seth sometimes came across as rather grumpy and reserved, but deep down within him he was a gentle soul! ;-) He respected Kieran and for that I respected him too! XD ”How long’ve you liked me?” Kieran asks. Seth’s throat works nervously. “Oh, I don’t know.” “Totally unromantic. Try again.” ”Honestly, he’s never met a guy more in need of a boyfriend. Kieran hopes he’s up to the task.” Sensitive issues: Their age difference: I don’t think that their age difference was important, at least for me it wasn’t. I mean 12 years isn’t all that much and considering my husband and I are 9 years apart it really was no shocker. Seth’s crush on Marcus: Yes, Seth the campaign strategist has a crush on his boss who has a child and a fiancée. For me this was no touchy subject though. After all you can’t choose the person you fall for, you just do it! Love is illogical so yeah, I don’t blame him for it. Besides nothing ever happened between those two, he just watched him from a distance. The sex scene at the end: I read a lot of Santino Hassell over the summer so it didn’t shock me. Some people might feel different though. ;-) I think it was a very good scene and I loved how they interacted with each other. There was so much respect and understanding between those two, it was actually pretty amazing to read. =) Overall Conclusion: I enjoyed the story and I’m glad I read it! It was interesting to see Kieran’s point of view and since I’ve never read a book about a trans person before it definitely broadened my horizon! “Coffee boy” was funny, relatable and way too short!! =)) I really would have loved to read more about Seth and Kieran! The world definitely is in dire need of more stories like that and I can easily recommend it! ;-) A short and refreshing read that most certainly will entertain you! XD ...more |
Notes are private!
|
3
|
Nov 03, 2017
not set
not set
|
Nov 04, 2017
not set
not set
|
Sep 12, 2024
|
ebook
| ||||||||||||||
| 1627980547
| 9781627980548
| B01HKYBT8U
| 3.72
| 1,355
| Aug 11, 2013
| Aug 12, 2013
|
really liked it
|
”What Ian asked of him – whatever it was – Taren feared it. He feared a future with choices and uncertainty.” So this was not what I expected, but it w ”What Ian asked of him – whatever it was – Taren feared it. He feared a future with choices and uncertainty.” So this was not what I expected, but it was still kinda good? O_o I never thought I'd enjoy a mermen book that much but aside from the rather weird start (all I'm saying is "butter"?!) this actually turned out to be an interesting read. *lol* To read this felt like to witness the author’s journey. I think at first she might have wanted to go for smut but the longer she wrote the more her story became fleshed out. Hence the rather smutty and weird beginning that turned into an unexpectedly good story line. Of course we’re not talking Shakespeare here, but it definitely was good enough to make me want to read her second book. ;-P ”The fates will find you, Taren. They always will.” And how they found him. Poor boy knew nothing but slavery and servitude, but despite everything he still managed to stay positive and that instantly caused me to like him. Plus I loved him with Rider and Bastian! If the book would have continued to be merely smut I definitely still would have been hooked by it. The Rider/Taren/Bastian love triangle was just too amazing and in all honesty I would have been content just to go on with those three. XD ”I know you too well. I can sense the turmoil in your heart. You want him, and yet you hesitate. Why?” “I’m not sure.” Taren shook his head. I LOVED Bastian’s character and how he always knew how Taren felt and what was on his mind. Those two would have been so cute together but since Shira Anthony obviously had other plans Taren got lost at sea and met Ian instead. I was okay with that ship though so I can’t really complain. *lol* After all Ian was a very strong-willed and caring character and I loved that he always kept an eye on Taren. <3 ”Aye, I will come with you. Not to make certain you do not harm him – you are too kindhearted to do him harm, even if he has brought it upon himself – but to give you my support, should you need it.” Ian kissed the top of his head. After the ending I can’t help but be curious about book two and I’m sure sooner or later I’ll eventually get to it. For now all I can say is: I really enjoyed this and I want to read more about those amazing mermen Trigger warnings: slavery, torture, abuse ____________________________ Ahh damn! Am I going to read an m/m mermen book right before the old year ends? Yep, yes I am! *nods* Don't judge me! XD A girl's gotta do what a girl's gotta do. *lol* Merged review: ”What Ian asked of him – whatever it was – Taren feared it. He feared a future with choices and uncertainty.” So this was not what I expected, but it was still kinda good? O_o I never thought I'd enjoy a mermen book that much but aside from the rather weird start (all I'm saying is "butter"?!) this actually turned out to be an interesting read. *lol* To read this felt like to witness the author’s journey. I think at first she might have wanted to go for smut but the longer she wrote the more her story became fleshed out. Hence the rather smutty and weird beginning that turned into an unexpectedly good story line. Of course we’re not talking Shakespeare here, but it definitely was good enough to make me want to read her second book. ;-P ”The fates will find you, Taren. They always will.” And how they found him. Poor boy knew nothing but slavery and servitude, but despite everything he still managed to stay positive and that instantly caused me to like him. Plus I loved him with Rider and Bastian! If the book would have continued to be merely smut I definitely still would have been hooked by it. The Rider/Taren/Bastian love triangle was just too amazing and in all honesty I would have been content just to go on with those three. XD ”I know you too well. I can sense the turmoil in your heart. You want him, and yet you hesitate. Why?” “I’m not sure.” Taren shook his head. I LOVED Bastian’s character and how he always knew how Taren felt and what was on his mind. Those two would have been so cute together but since Shira Anthony obviously had other plans Taren got lost at sea and met Ian instead. I was okay with that ship though so I can’t really complain. *lol* After all Ian was a very strong-willed and caring character and I loved that he always kept an eye on Taren. <3 ”Aye, I will come with you. Not to make certain you do not harm him – you are too kindhearted to do him harm, even if he has brought it upon himself – but to give you my support, should you need it.” Ian kissed the top of his head. After the ending I can’t help but be curious about book two and I’m sure sooner or later I’ll eventually get to it. For now all I can say is: I really enjoyed this and I want to read more about those amazing mermen Trigger warnings: slavery, torture, abuse ____________________________ Ahh damn! Am I going to read an m/m mermen book right before the old year ends? Yep, yes I am! *nods* Don't judge me! XD A girl's gotta do what a girl's gotta do. *lol* ...more |
Notes are private!
|
2
|
Dec 26, 2019
not set
|
Jan 04, 2020
not set
|
Sep 11, 2024
|
ebook
| ||||||||||||||
| 1473693152
| 9781473693159
| 1473693152
| 4.17
| 6,496
| Jul 18, 2023
| Jul 26, 2022
|
I’m on BookTube now! =) This was such a great finale for a series and I didn’t know this was even possible but I loved all the characters even more tha I’m on BookTube now! =) This was such a great finale for a series and I didn’t know this was even possible but I loved all the characters even more than I loved them before?! I mean Nicky and his father are the best! <333 I love them and their interactions so much. And their friends and the Dad Squad! Damn, I just loved everything about this book. Full RTC once I sorted through my emotions and thoughts. XD _________________________________ I think by now you can say that it’s one of my traditions to read a book written by T.J. Klune every summer during the holidays. So this time around, I decided for “Heat Wave”! Because 1.) I’m so curious how this series is going to end and 2.) I finally need to finish one of the many series I started to read and this is the last book! XD And 3.) The title fits so perfectly to the summer heat over here. *lol* I can’t wait to find out what’s going to happen with Nick and Seth in this instalment! I love them both so much and I just want a great HEA for my two precious boys! <333 Also, side-note to myself: Get up the review for book two soon!!! >_< Find me on: My Blog Instagram ...more |
Notes are private!
|
1
|
Aug 05, 2024
|
Sep 08, 2024
|
Aug 05, 2024
|
Paperback
| |||||||||||||||
| B0CCZM8Y4C
| 4.09
| 11
| unknown
| Aug 31, 2023
|
liked it
|
I’m on BookTube now! =) "His soft hand is wrapped around my neck, pulling me closer. The tears slowly come to a crawl as he breathes life between my li I’m on BookTube now! =) "His soft hand is wrapped around my neck, pulling me closer. The tears slowly come to a crawl as he breathes life between my lips. The rain outside starts to pour down while the spinning world seems to come to a perfect still moment between us. Our galaxies are swirling together." It were quotes like this one, which made this book really interesting and good for me. I’m not gonna lie, though, at parts this story was extremely confusing and the timeline seemed to be all over the place. “Flesh and Bone – Awakening” had some good parts but also some that would have needed a little bit more work or feedback from the beta readers. So I think it’s best if we start with the good things first and then work our way through the not so good parts, okay?! First I’ve to say that I really loved Sam and Max as characters. They both gave me “All For the Game” vibes and if you know me, you know that I’m obsessed with this series. So I really appreciated those two boys and that they made their way even though they had a lot of baggage they carried with them. ”Well, I give up," I mutter through gritted teeth. Making eye contact, we both lean into the flame. The tobacco leaves light the night between us. His dimples radiate against the flame as that smirk transforms into a full-blown smile, all the while his hazel eyes never leave mine. We stay in that flame, gazing, gauging each other. Their chemistry was very palpable and even though they didn’t want to admit it at first, it became obvious that they were drawn to each other and weren’t able to escape each other’s pull. I really wish the author wouldn’t have left us in the dark about their mysterious connection because the way it reads, you know there is something between them but you never truly find out what exactly it is. I’m pretty certain a lot of people will say it’s insta-love, but I got the distinctive feeling that the author had reasons for writing them that way. Still, even after finishing the book, I didn’t grasp those reasons and that’s a shame because I really wanted to understand their relationship. "Caught off guard, I respond without thinking. "Absolutely, I ... I think I would go to war for you." His hand grabs mine firmly; a deep blush crossing his face. My grip tightens but he responds in kind. As stories go, this is a slow-paced one and there doesn’t really happen a lot. I’m honestly still trying to figure out in which kind of direction the author wanted to go with this because on the one hand we have the budding relationship of Sam and Max, then we have Max’s mysterious powers which he’s trying to hide and we also have Sam playing Lacrosse with his team. Well, and in between there are some sort of random fighting scenes and mysterious moments when I didn’t know what exactly was going on. *lol* I think you can already tell why this book was so confusing for me. XD "I might not know you very well Sam, but I recognize strength when I see it. You're the only one who doesn't want to recognize it. I thought at first it was a fear of being hurt, but now I think it's fear of being able to hurt others." From the blurb you can tell that mythology and gods seem to be involved in the story as well, but that aspect was highly confusing for me. We get a lot of dream sequences or parallel world sequences even (if I understood that correctly), in which Max is struggling with his fate, but we never truly find out what that fate is or entails. You might say Max is a very unreliable narrator and I think you’d be right with that assumption. Also I didn’t quite grasp which mythology the author wanted to go for. There were a couple of Greek Gods that were mentioned (Zeus, Hera, Olympus, etc.) but then we also had Max’s uncle named Horus?! And Horus is a god from ancient Egypt so this confused me immensely. Unless this was supposed to be a mash up of many different mythologies?! I think in this particular case, it would have been better not to keep the reader in the dark and to go for some tangible facts instead. That way a lot of the reader’s confusion could have been prevented. ”Just … wait, Sam. I didn’t want this, I didn’t want to have someone feel that my life depended on them, I’ve never depended on anyone before, and I don’t want to start now. I didn’t want anyone mixed up with any of this! I don’t even feel like I should be here! I feel like I’m on borrowed time, but whose time, right? Whose lives are sent to replace my own? I mean, do you really want to become involved in this? In me?” I’m still trying to figure out what Max meant with all of this and so far there’s nothing but a huge question mark hoovering over my head. XD Anyway! Ignoring all of those issues, I could still see that the author has a lot of potential. There’s this raw and intense energy to his writing that sometimes grips you and you can’t help but think: “Damn, this is written so beautifully.” The relationship between Max and Sam, once it gets out of the “I hate you but I still kinda like you” stage is written so tender that you’re happy about every single moment they spend together and I think this was the part where the author’s writing style excelled the most. In addition, the ending was quite suspenseful and many things started to make sense. All told, I ended up liking SammaX’s story, no matter how confusing it was and I’ll watch out for book two because I hope to get some answers! Because as I already said, this story had a lot of potential and I’m curious if it will be used in the next book. =) ________________________________ This was a very interesting book but also extremely confusing at some points. I’m not gonna lie, half of the story I had no idea what was even going on (Max is an unreliable narrator) and the timeline confused me big time. XD Still, there’s a lot of potential and the last couple of chapters were pretty suspenseful. This said: Full RTC soon! I need to think about this some more in order to put all my thoughts into words. Stay tuned. ;-) ________________________________ I heard about this book on IG and wanted to read “Flesh and Bone - Awakening” ever since I saw the fanart some artists made about the main ship Sammax. So here we are! Considering there is even fanart on IG I’m surprised this doesn’t have more reviews on goodreads!? I mean the book is about sports and two boys that fall in love and apparently it also has some mythology angle?! Sounds good to me. =) I don’t know about you, but I’m sold. xD Find me on: My Blog Instagram ...more |
Notes are private!
|
1
|
Jul 12, 2024
|
Aug 04, 2024
|
Jul 12, 2024
|
Kindle Edition
| ||||||||||||||||
| 3000767665
| 9783000767661
| B0CP47YSP9
| 4.27
| 215
| unknown
| Jan 29, 2024
|
it was amazing
|
I’m on BookTube now! =) ”The Binding. For the first time Vindt understood what it meant, its impact, its finality. The Singer’s heart beat against Vind I’m on BookTube now! =) ”The Binding. For the first time Vindt understood what it meant, its impact, its finality. The Singer’s heart beat against Vindt’s back, strong and fast, like his own.” **I received an advanced copy of this book from the author in exchange for an honest review and all opinions are my own. Thank you so much for giving me a chance to read your book, Thelma!** Trigger warnings:(view spoiler)[mention of past suicide attempt, lashing (on page), dubious consent, on page sex, blood drinking, mention of torture, mild body horror, war, trauma, forced servitude, slavery, violence (hide spoiler)] I thought long and hard about how to start this review but all I seem to be able to come up with is: Wow. What a debut!!! The fact this is Thelma Mantey’s first book is something my mind can’t comprehend because how do you even write a story and characters like that?! It boggles my mind but I definitely won’t complain because this was amazing and exactly the kind of book I want to read. There’s so much to love about “Ocean’s Blood” because we don’t just have two really interesting and complex MCs but also a great setting and world-building. There are a lot of intrigues and schemes going on as well and the unique magic system had me glued to the pages. The idea of Singers who can decide a war by just using their voices is wild, but also very fascinating and it was extremely interesting to find out more about their origins and limitations. ”Withdrawal. The Singer’s blood was a drug, without exit. No matter how long the abstinence went, how much he suffered, it wouldn’t leave his system. If the new Singer didn’t arrive soon, Vindt would die, slowly and painfully.” One of the things that gives the story an intriguing dynamic is the fact that we explore this world through Vindt’s eyes and even though he’s spent a decade in the service of Silhorveen, his former master and quite a piece of work, he somehow managed to live from day to day without giving his surroundings much of a thought. Something he becomes painfully aware of once an unforeseeable chain of events causes Silhorveen to be out of the picture and binds him to a new master. Asche is completely different than Silhorveen, though and for the first time in years Vindt is making an effort to understand his new masters motives. "Mad?" he said, so quietly Vindt was sure the others couldn't hear him. "Funny. You are not the first to say that." Louder, he added, "You need my blood, Thyd. If I were you, I would think before speaking." With that, he rose and left the tent. What I really liked about those two is the way they challenged each other. No matter if it was Asche asking Vindt to change his braid because he was aware of its meaning or if it was Vindt refusing to give into Asche’s manipulations. They both gave each other a run for their money and I lived and breathed for their little mind games. Vindt has been through a lot and his distrust and defiance are based on years of abuse by his former master. Whilst everyone else considers being a Thyd an honour, Vindt certainly doesn’t see it that way and Asche is trying to understand the reasons why. He’s the first Singer who confronts Vindt and demands answers to questions Vindt doesn’t want to answer, let alone think about. And I loved that about him. "I assume you sent a messenger?" Plotliw just glowered at Asche. "So you've received an answer. Let me guess. She said, 'Try to negotiate, and if he won't, give the bastard the fucking money.' Am I wrong?" Asche is such a multi-layered, mysterious, charismatic and morally grey character, I couldn’t help but adore him. There’s good in him and you can see that he truly cares about his people, but there’s also a darker side to the Singer and he seems to thrive when he’s challenged and forced to use his wits. All his schemes and the way he presented himself were calculated and deliberate and trying to figure him out had my mind in knots. In a good way, of course. ;-) I love characters like that because they make me think and I’m sure Vindt felt the same way, his initial distrust and animosity turning into something like respect and tentative trust. "He didn't know how long he had been sitting like that when someone crouching down in front of him made him look up. Asche's face was as pale as bone, the lips pressed together into two bloodless lines. The dark, burning glow in the black eyes would have made Vindt recoil, had it not been for the wheel at his back. “You’re wounded.” Asche sounded as if he wanted to strangle him. The more time they spend together, the more the reader learns about the world they live in and I really appreciated this kind of approach of introducing your characters and their environment. What I also valued, and now we’re finally addressing the big elephant in the room, was their extremely slow slow-burn and how their relationship changed throughout the book. At first, they were two strangers that didn’t trust each other, then they turned into acquaintances that respected and appreciated each other’s company and mind. And at the end? Well, I definitely wouldn’t call them lovers because they’re not. Maybe two people who feel an undeniable pull towards each other? It’s complicated, especially after that ending, but it has me hooked for sure. XD "Now that the chase was over, the places their bodies touched crawled to the forefront of his awareness, chest, groin, thighs. Asche's flanks under his hands. So strange. Not a demon's squirming nothingness but an actual body, bones, flesh. Touchable." And speaking of THAT mind-blowing ending without spoiling anything, at least for now: My mind still grapples with all the insinuations and repercussions the actions of Asche and Vindt might entail. I mean, I’m still thinking about this book, and I have so many questions that haven’t been answered and so many thoughts on what exactly happened! Thank you, Thelma for doing my head in. Haha! No, seriously, I have THOUGHTS and because of that, I need to go for a little spoiler part real quick now: (view spoiler)[ 1.) Asche had known him for less than a month; Vindt’s eyes had not even made a full turn. It took people years to notice the color changing. Most never did. From gray to deep green and back in a moon’s cycle. “Moon child,” Asche said. He knew. What is it with Vindt’s eyes that makes him so special?! I mean Asche alludes to them more than once and the other Singers seemed to be impressed by him being a moon child as well. Does it come with special abilities? Are those powers dependent on the moon cycles? I need to know!! And I hope we’ll find out more about this in book 2! Also, nice touch with the Swedish word “växling” which means “change/shift”. ;-) 2.) "So, golden boy, next time you think you are the dependent one in our relationship, the slave - think again." This bomb was dropped and delivered so nicely. So if I got that correctly Singers are also sort of enslaved to their gods and hunted by the Verdurs?! And their Thyd’s have more power over the Singers than the Singers have over them? Which changes literally EVERYTHING!! And especially what happened near the ending between Asche and Vindt! I swear my mind is still in knots about this and I’ve thought about this scene again and again. 3.) ”The other side: untainted, unclaimed. Vindt could see the pulsing vein beneath the pale skin, smell the blood. He licked his lips. The Singer’s eyes went even wider. “No.” “No?” Vindt didn’t let go of Asche’s wrists, but he slackened his grip so it would take a child’s strength to free them. Then he waited. Now it was Asche’s turn to lick his lips. He tried to say something, but all that came out was an inarticulate noise. He was struggling now, ferociously – Vindt felt it – just not with his body. “Tilt your head.” Asche’s breath changed from shallow to wheezing. THIS scene! I’ve reread it more than twice and I’m still trying to figure out if it was consensual or not. At first I didn’t understand why Asche lashed Vindt within an inch of his life after they slept with each other but then I reread that moment and if we consider the fact that a Thyd who drank a Singers blood is stronger because of it, then I have to assume that Asche couldn’t stop Vindt even if he tried?! He said “no”, he was struggling against Vindt’s pull and I think some part of Asche tried to fight it but couldn’t. Vindt wanted Asche to stop him but he didn’t and Vindt took this as consent even though his actions and his reactions to him spoke a different language. Damn! My mind is still reeling from this and then we have this quote as well: "Losing is an acquired taste, you know. Once you've done it a few times, you'll start to ... well." Asche bored his glinting eyes into Vindt's. "Get addicted to it." Vindt's skin prickled. He wasn't sure whether the Singer was still talking about chess. We know the Singers drink each other’s blood as some sort of power game and if you win you’re considered to be the highest rank on the food chain. So how often did Asche lose to Ru and is this the reason he learned to accept it?! To protect himself from thinking of it as what it is, namely rape. Because there’s clearly no love lost between these two and Asche hates Ru at least as much as he seems to hate him. ”His mind was dazed, and yet he had never been this aware. And he wanted Asche to be aware, too. Of this. Its impossibility. The universe upended. Of the fact that he could have prevented it but had not.” I’m so confused! I honestly don’t know if it was consensual or not and I hope one of these days I’ll stop breaking my head over this. My mind says “no” it wasn’t consensual but there’s a small part that considers all of Asche’s actions and can’t help but wonder if it was consensual after all. I mean he obviously tried to manipulate Vindt into betraying him to Ru and Vindt didn’t betray him, even though he had plenty of chances to do so after he drank from Asche’s wrist. Giving into Vindt’s advances and hurting him so much that he had no other choice than to go to Ru and finally take action against Asche wouldn’t be that improbable. Quite honestly, it’s something that’s definitely in Asche’s skill set. And it would explain Asche’s cautious probing and confusion through their mental link after he lashed Vindt. For Asche the end justifies the means, but he might have felt guilty and confused about his own growing feelings for Vindt. 4.) ”This time, however, the pattern didn’t inspire dread; to the contrary, the Singer looked newly born, as if the ocean had spat him out of its womb, a creature made of waves and tides, of liquid and darkness, something that would slip through Vindt’s fingers as soon as he tried to grasp it.” And last but not least: Are Singers vampires or do they fall into the category of sirens and merfolk?! Maybe they are both? I get siren vibes but also vampiric ones and I honestly don’t know where to place them. Anyway, I hope Thelma will put me out of my misery with the release of her second book and with answers to all of those burning questions soon because this is driving me nuts. XD (hide spoiler)] ”With my blood, I bind you. I bind your body and your soul. My blood will fulfil your destiny. You will be my shield and my sword. You will be my voice. You will depend on me as I will depend on you. You will defend my life with yours, and I will do the same for you. This Bond is sacred. It shall only be broken by death.” Conclusion: “Ocean’s Blood” is one hell of a debut novel and once I started to read it, I had difficulties to put it down. The world building was well thought-out and the characters were intriguing. In addition to that, I loved all the machinations, political schemes and mysteries that raised so many questions that have yet to be answered. What the book truly lived from was the chemistry between the two MCs, though. Their character arcs and the way their relationship changed and grew into something more was done so masterfully and I honestly can’t wait to see how their bond is going to develop in the next book. I’m definitely going to find out because there’s no way I’ll miss this. Thelma if you read this: Thank you! And now, I need book two! ;-P ______________________________ I absolutely loved this book! Asche was such a complex, mysterious and morally grey character! I totally lived and breathed for this. Also the world building! Amazing! <3 What happened at the ending totally blew my mind and I’m still reeling from … everything?! I want to understand what happened there?!?! Anyway! Full review to come soon! I’m looking forward to the next book in the series! _______________________________ At the end of January, Thelma asked me if I wanted to read an ARC of “Ocean’s Blood” and I was more than just happy to say “yes”! I already saw the book all over my IG feed and got extremely curious about it. So Thelma Mantey asking me to read it was perfect timing! It took me a while to get to it, but here I am, totally ready to dive into this enemies-to-lovers story that promises “Captive Prince” and “Interview with the Vampire” vibes. The world building already sounds so unique and I love the concept of Singers that use their voices to bring down entire empires! Not to mention that I can’t wait to meet Vindt and Asche and all the intrigues they’ll have to face! Can you already tell I’m excited? Boy, I’m so here for this! Find me on: My Blog Instagram ...more |
Notes are private!
|
1
|
Jun 14, 2024
|
Jul 07, 2024
|
Jun 14, 2024
|
Kindle Edition
| ||||||||||||||
| 1250162688
| 9781250162687
| 1250162688
| 3.87
| 15,201
| Jun 19, 2018
| Jun 19, 2018
|
really liked it
|
I’m on BookTube now! =) "Help me find out who killed Nick Elliot, and everything I can teach you before Frostnight is yours." He propped his chin on th I’m on BookTube now! =) "Help me find out who killed Nick Elliot, and everything I can teach you before Frostnight is yours." He propped his chin on the pad of his thumb and the second knuckle of his index finger, examining me again. "Starting with how to hide your true nature, I think. You shine, Starred One, to anyone with the power to see." And so the interesting tale of Dr. Miles Singer and Tristan Hunter begins. To say it’s an intriguing story would be an understatement because wow, this book really surprised me. In the best way possible, I might add. These days it’s quite rare to find a unique and intriguing world-building but “Witchmark” managed to do exactly that! Plus it addressed a lot of other topics and themes and that makes it kinda hard to put it in just one category. For instance, we don’t just have the murder mystery around Nick Elliot who was killed by a stranger and passed his witch powers on to Miles right before he died. We also have politics, a secret society, magic, class differences, complicated family relationships, slavery, mental health, the aftereffects of war and PTSD. It’s a lot that’s packed into this 318 pages book but despite all that, it worked more than just well! C.L. Polk managed to pull it off and even added the setting of Edwardian England to it, which made for great scenes with bicycles and carriages. I honestly thought I read it all but then there comes this amazing chase scene on bicycles and I’m like: “Woah! I love it.” *lol* "She'll gut me if I hurt you," he said with a grin. "She didn't even need to say it. You inspire a true friendship, Miles." "She's never met anyone who claims to call on me." "I question the taste of every man and woman in this city." My face grew hot. So yeah, I had a great time with this book and I really enjoyed reading about it all. What I found very fascinating as well was the magic system and how it worked because apparently the people with magic abilities were also the people who were in charge and could do whatever they wanted. The way I understood the politics and power dynamics in this story, the aristocracy was divided into witches and storm singers. The Storm Singers kept their country safe by protecting it with their magic and keeping storms and horrible natural disasters at bay. And to strengthen their own powers while maintaining the weather balance in their country they took the power from Witches - which they considered inferior to them - and exploited their magic for their own gain. Which brings us to the topic of slavery because Witches weren’t even allowed to marry whoever they wanted, let alone allowed to use their own powers the way they wanted to. They are, for lack of a better word, some sort of battery that’s used by the Storm Singers. ”Free rein, but not free, Grace.” “I need you, Miles. If I’m to become the Voice, I need you. I wanted to convince you. I didn’t want this.” “But you won’t release me.” Silence. I rolled away from her hand, turned my back to her. “Go away.” Of course, this was the exact reason why Miles ran away from home and chose being a doctor in a war over being enslaved to his sister Grace. After he returned from the front, he let his family believe that he was dead and worked as a doctor in a veteran’s hospital instead. Unfortunately, him trying to heal Nick Elliot doesn’t only lead him to good people like Tristan Hunter but also causes him to be discovered and well, the rest you better read for yourself because I won’t spoil anything! ;-P This said, the mysterious mental disease some of the veterans brought back from the front and that turned them into murderers made for an interesting mystery and the love story between Tristan and Miles was just so sweet and tender. ”Should I go?” “No. Stay.” His hands trembled as he set them in mine. I raised them to my mouth and kissed his knuckles. “You didn’t enchant me.” “Like in the stories,” Tristan said. “I never did.” “You’re shaking.” “I am. Isn’t it silly?” I turned his hands over to kiss the palms, tracing the calluses of his sword hand. “You’re nervous. I didn’t think you felt –“ “Shut up, Miles.” He wound his arms around my neck and let me carry him upstairs. I mean, alone this quote! I loved those two together and I adored Tristan for giving Miles the respect and reverence he deserved. Miles was Tristan’s equal in every way and he appreciated his company, skills and intelligence! This was so palpable in every scene they had together and I just loved that about them. Was their love a little bit insta-lovey? Sure, I mean the happenings of the story take place during a timespan of about two weeks and that’s pretty short, but despite all that I’d still consider their love to be a slow-burn because they get to know each other first. They spend time together, they find out about each other’s habits and they have conversations while trying to solve a murder mystery. I really liked that about them and they both were such precious souls that just tried to help other people. No, seriously, they are a match made in heaven. <3 "He sat beside me and poured, stirring in a cube of sugar before giving me a cup. He rested his hand on my thigh as he sipped his own. Grace's nostrils flared as she watched Tristan lean against me as if we were lovers. I let him.” Also: I absolutely loved the way Tristan was protective of Miles and how he subtly but very clearly made his point in front of Grace. *lol* This Gentleman’s subtle “f*ck off” will forever be in the hall of fame of my favourite bookish scenes. It’s a gem. XD And speaking of Lady Grace Hensley, I hated her so much! Ugh! The way she treated Miles was horrible and it was so sad to see that Miles obviously loved her more than she loved him. If you truly love your sibling you’d never enslave him the way Grace did and the fact that she had the audacity to suggest marriage to him!! ARGH! That scene made me so damn angry and was pretty much the straw that broke the camel’s back. Grace was so egoistic and only thought about herself and her place in society while Miles always thought about others and tried to help them as best as he could. I mean that man tried to keep a low profile while working at a veteran’s hospital, healing other soldiers even though he went through hell as well. The only reason his cover was blown was because he tried to save a life. Grace… well she was born with a silver spoon in her mouth and it was annoying af. XD I honestly dunno how I feel about continuing this series because I loathe Grace and apparently she’s the MC in the second book. I really would have wanted more of Miles and Tristan, not Grace. So I feel kinda conflicted about picking up the second instalment now. >_< Anyway! Back to the ending of my review! "Call me Tristan," he said. My pulse thumped in my ears. "It's not proper." "Miles," he said. Warmth spread across my chest. He leaned closer. Too handsome, and his face was only half of the truth. Conclusion: “Witchmark” was a great story with quite a unique world building! I haven’t read anything like it before and I really liked the entire Edwardian England with magic vibe! Miles was an amazing, altruistic, humble and extremely genuine MC as well and I enjoyed being in his head. His slow-burn romance with Tristan was awesome and I liked that it wasn’t the focus of the book, but still added so much to it. Politics, a murder mystery and social criticism were strong themes of the story too and I found myself enjoying that immensely. Maybe I might give the second instalment a chance after all? I guess we’ll see, for now I’m just glad I read the first book. =) ______________________________ Yesh! I finished this just in time to count it to my February Wrap Up! It’s the small goals, you know?! ;-P *lol* Anyway! I really enjoyed this and I loved the world building! I genuinely wish we would have gotten even more of it. The murder mystery was interesting too and I liked the characters as well. The ending could have been a little more detailed, though. Full RTC as soon as I get to it! (which might take a little while… XD ) _______________________________ I’ve wanted to read this for ages so I finally decided to go for it. I mean I really don’t know a lot about the plot other than that it’s a m/m story that plays in Edwardian England and apparently features a witch who’s hiding as a doctor in an asylum and a gorgeous man who helps him to solve the death of one of his patients. Sounds intriguing and as you all know I can never resist a great m/m series. So here we are! XD Find me on: My Blog Instagram ...more |
Notes are private!
|
1
|
Feb 19, 2024
|
Feb 29, 2024
|
Feb 19, 2024
|
Paperback
| ||||||||||||||
| 0994092415
| B00YD5XLP4
| 4.10
| 4,816
| May 26, 2015
| Dec 2023
|
really liked it
|
I’m on BookTube now! You can find my channel here! =) ”The common room was crowded with people watching CNN, but Parker didn’t care about whatever prot I’m on BookTube now! You can find my channel here! =) ”The common room was crowded with people watching CNN, but Parker didn’t care about whatever protest or riot or whatever-the-fuck was happening. He probably should, but he had way too much reading to do, especially after wasting time at that meeting.” And this, my friends, is exactly how you miss the approaching apocalypse! *lol* To be fair Parker had just gotten a C-minus in a course he thought he could half-ass his way through and his mind obviously was occupied with other things. Of course this was going to bite him in his ass, almost literally, when he discovered that there were actual and real zombies running towards him when he was on his way to his next class on campus. Thankfully, the very same TA who gave him that horrible grade happened to be in his vicinity when the attacks started and actually saved his life. And this is how it all begins! Parker shook his head. “But why would you stay with me? I’m a loser. I never do things right, and I’ll slow you down. You’re so fast. How are you so fast?” “You’re not a loser. You’re annoying as hell sometimes, but you’re brave, and you care about people.” I never knew I needed a book like this in my life but here we are and I’m not mad about it! I stumbled upon “Kick at the Darkness” when I was scrolling through my goodreads feed and whoever liked it and brought it to my attention: I owe you big time, because this was amazing! When I read the blurb and realized that this book is the m/m love child of “The Walking Dead” meets “Werewolves” I knew I had to get my greedy and very grabby hands on a copy of this story! And let me tell you this: It was the best impulse buy ever! I read this book in less than 24 hours and it was worth every second I spent with it! Parker and Adam were so good for each other and even though there wasn’t a lot of world building (we’re basically in America as it is right now only infested with zombies) this was one hell of a fun ride! Quite literally because Adam and Parker make their way through creepers infested America on the back of a motorbike. What’s not to love about that?! "Parker went to use the toilet, which felt like absolute luxury. He wanted to cry when it flushed." Also even though this was fiction, there were so many things the reader would be able to relate to if they’d end up being in the same situation. Like the fact that the internet collapsed, there is almost no news on how everything is going in other parts of the country, and some people are starting to get hostile and violent while others try to save humanity as good as possible. It’s mayhem and our two boys are trying to survive it while they make their way to Cape Cod in the hopes to find Parker’s parents. I personally found it very fascinating how the author managed to keep the overall plot light enough the reader was hooked, but still managed to address serious topics. It’s a balancing act not everyone is able to pull off, but Keira Andrews managed to do it just fine. ”Most creatures can’t survive decapitation.” “Right. So swords would be good. Where do swords come from? Like, who sells swords in the twenty-first century? It’s probably all online. Does Amazon Prime still deliver in the apocalypse?” Another thing I really appreciated about this book was the humour! Like seriously, Parker was hilarious and I loved his inner monologue and the things he just blurted out whenever he was unable to keep his thoughts inside of his head. For me Parker was extremely relatable and I absolutely loved him for being like that! No filter, sometimes painfully honest but always so very human and wearing his heart on his sleeve. I felt with him whenever they came across other people and tried to help them as good as possible. His weakness for chips and “salty goodness” as he called it was literally me! *lol* And I probably would have cried about the luxury of having a flushing toilet and a functioning shower too. XD I’m not even kidding, I spent parts of my youth in tents without running water, let alone sanitary facilities so I know what I’m talking about. ;-) ”I don’t want to drool on you again,” he mumbled. “It’s such bad manners. My mother would be shocked and appalled. She’d be shappalled.” As he faded away, he heard the soft rumble of Adam’s laughter. See what I’m talking about? This is me. *lol* I’d invent a new word like “shappalled” as well. Ask my family, they had to get used to many new words over the years. (I swear someday they’ll make it into the dictionary, just you wait. ;-P) Anyway! Let’s get to the elephant in the room and finally discuss the amazing budding relationship between Parker and Adam. They started off on the wrong foot and Parker wasn’t exactly nice to Adam when he confronted him about his C-minus, and this is me putting it mildly. Yet, Adam still saved him and they started to grow on each other while they tried to find out what happened. I absolutely loved their chemistry and how they went from strangers holding a grudge to friends and ended up being lovers that went through thick and thin together. "But Adam tugged him back between his legs and wrapped his arms over Parker's chest. His breath was warm on Parker's ear. "Sleep." Despite everything, Parker felt safe. If you’re fighting for your life in a global zombie apocalypse you definitely want to have a man like Adam next to you. The way he always found Parker and cared about him when he was coming down with the flu (literally the worst time to have a flu ever!!!) was so damn endearing and soft! The shift from friends to lovers was very realistic as well and I’m not gonna lie, I whooped when I reached the 40% mark of the book and things finally started to develop! There were small signs throughout the entire book but for all the m/m romance lovers among you who like their steamy scenes: They don’t happen until about 40% into the book, and then it’s a lot of very steamy scenes up until about 65% or so before things quiet down a little bit again. Just to give y’all a heads-up without spoiling anything. ;-) "He thought of Adam, who had annoyed him so much when they met. Adam, who had saved him again and again. Adam, who was so brave and beautiful and generous and patient, and who he'd just woken up beside. Adam, who'd kisses him like he couldn't get enough." Those two were just perfect for each other! Even though it didn’t seem like it at the beginning of the book. Also they were both great characters that had to deal with their individual issues while everything they knew crumbled around them. Parker is very insecure because his older brother is the golden child of the family and he always felt somewhat inferior to him and Adam had his own kind of demons to fight while they made their way through the country. My heart broke for him, the more we found out about his past, and near the ending there came a moment when all I wanted to do was to wrap him in a blanket and take care of him the same way he did for Parker all this time. I loved Parker even more for doing that for Adam instead. ”Thank you for everything you’ve done for me.” Adam was warm and breathing and alive, and Parker soaked it in with a kind of need he’d never felt. After a few heartbeats, Adam hugged him back. For a minute, they simply held each other close, the water beating down. They were safe in their little cocoon, the rest of the world fading away.” Their soft moments were the death of me. Don’t get me wrong, I love myself some steamy scenes every once in a while (and we get plenty of those too!), but what I really live and breath for are those little, infinitesimal moments that made their connection so precious. The way Adam was always able to calm Parker down, how their very different characters complemented one another, how they moved heaven and hell to get the other out of trouble and back to safety whenever the shit hit the fan. The apocalypse might have caused them to get to know each other but they fell in love all of their own. The girls edged away, eyeing him uneasily, and Parker recognizes there was a tinge of hysteria to his giggles. Yet he couldn’t seem to stop himself. Then Adam was there, standing right against him, his palm cupping Parker’s cheek. “In and out.” His breath was warm on Parker’s face, and Parker closed his eyes, leaning into him for a moment. He opened his eyes and looked into Adam’s. “Okay. I’m good. Sorry. I won’t freak out.” There was some depth to this story I honestly didn’t expect. Not considering the fact this is legit pegged as a smutty book about werewolves and the zombie apocalypse! Yet here I am and I loved every second of it. I can’t believe this book has been out in the world since 2015 and I only just discovered it now! I’m so glad I stumbled upon this little gem that was truly the perfect blend of three of my favourite genres! I wish there would be more books like this one out in the world and I can’t wait to pick up book two, because I already know it’s going to be even more epic than the first one! “You know what the best decision I ever made was?” Holding his breath, Parker shook his head. “Giving an entitled freshman who didn’t try hard enough a C-minus.” Parker’s head was suddenly light, and he gripped Adam’s hand. Conclusion: I think I already said it all but I’ll say it again: I loved this with every fibre of my heart and I gobbled it up like nobody’s business! The mere fact I read this in less than 24 hours should speak for itself! If you love werewolves, zombies and steamy m/m romances you can’t go wrong. And if you’re a frequent reader of Wattpad or of fanfics on AO3, even better for you! You’ll have a field day reading this one! “Kick at the Darkness” was extremely suspenseful as well and Adam’s and Parker’s relationship never failed to hit me in the feels! I loved them, I loved this, I want more! ;-) ___________________________ Okay, y’all! Jury’s in and this book was … A.M.A.Z.I.N.G!! <3 Like seriously! I gobbled this up like nobody’s business and Parker and Adam were such a cute couple! Loved those two! Also it took a while until things got steamy and I appreciated that. Someone said this sounds like a story on AO3 or Wattpad and well, yeah! But I’m definitely not mad about it. *lol* Full RTC soon-ish! I absolutely loved this and can’t wait to read book two. XD ____________________________ No, but this sounds like such a perfect read!!! Like I mean “Wolfsong” meets “The Walking Dead”?! How am I supposed not to buy this? Werewolves and zombies are both things I love to read about. Or watch on TV for that matter. ARGH!! Impulse buy for real! *lol* Like I just… my finger won’t stop. It needs to click on that buy button. Oopsie. It happened. Oh, well. If I already have the book I might start reading it, right? *lol* Yep, thought so! Here we gooooo!!! XD Find me on: My Blog Instagram ...more |
Notes are private!
|
1
|
Dec 25, 2023
|
Jan 06, 2024
|
Dec 25, 2023
|
Kindle Edition
| |||||||||||||||
| 4.54
| 109
| unknown
| Nov 07, 2023
|
it was amazing
|
I’m on BookTube now! You can find my channel here! =) ”I have yet to find a better view than this one." Jason took Tae Hyun’s hands and turned them to I’m on BookTube now! You can find my channel here! =) ”I have yet to find a better view than this one." Jason took Tae Hyun’s hands and turned them to face each other. "No matter where we are, you're always what I want to see." **I received an advance copy of this book from Jetspace Studio and NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own. Thank you so much for giving me a chance to read this ARC!** The first thing I have to say about “Idol Moves” is that this book strengthened not only my love for Tae Hyun and Jason as a couple, but also for KT Salvo as an author! This story was amazing and even though I already loved the first book “Idol Minds”, this second instalment really knocked it out of the park for me. I loved every second I spent with this book and right now all I want is a third book so I can get more of those two awesome men and their friends! Jason and Tae Hyun effortlessly moved into my heart and they came to stay. I mean the mere fact I requested both books as an e-ARC and read them in the very same year they came out as ARCs should tell you enough about my enjoyment. I never do that. Ever. But I did it with this series, because it’s exactly what I craved for and wanted to read for ages: A book about two male idols that fall in love and fight for their HEA with everything they have. ”None of the choreographers he’d worked with at KBR were options. And many of the independent choreographers he’d spoken with said they would’ve loved the work, but KBR’s vengeful gaze and long reach prevented them from taking it. It was like that with everything. Resources Tae Hyun had easily accessed before were suddenly beyond his grasp.” And boy, did they fight for it! In the first book Jason and Tae Hyun were outed by the press and after years of denying who they truly were they decided they didn’t want to hide anymore and openly admitted they were in love and dating. So in the first book we got a little bit of the falling-out between them and their companies, but the story was more focused on how the two men fell in love and less on the repercussions they would have to face. In “Idol Moves” however we’re confronted with the harsh reality of what it means to be out and proud when you’re a k-pop idol in South Korea. Tae Hyun and Jason are working on Tae Hyun’s solo career and KBR certainly doesn’t make it easy for him to start one. They are everywhere and they use all their power in order to keep him away from the big stages in his home country. “If he were at all superstitious, he might be worried. But he wasn't. Because what Seong Hyeon probably didn't know was that Jason generally always expected the worst from people. His parents had taught him that by never once rising to meet his expectations." Jason and Tae Hyun wouldn’t be the men they are if they’d allow them to thwart their dreams, though. Both of them know what they want and how to achieve it and they decided they wouldn’t back down. No matter how hard Tae Hyun’s former company tries to silence them, they fight back as good as they can. At times this was really frustrating to witness, though, and I felt so much for Tae Hyun and his helplessness whenever he was confronted with another obstacle that was put in his way. Still, their struggles felt very realistic and I’m pretty sure that things like this would actually happen to openly gay idols in South Korea. Being a part of the LGBTQIA+ community is still not easy over there. You only have to read articles about real idols that came out and you’ll know what I mean. Korean society is very traditional and as always, it needs time to grow and to evolve. I really liked that KT Salvo didn’t shy away from addressing those issues and gave them room in this book. The pushback Jason and Tae Hyun received made this story feel so much more realistic and showed how much work still needs to be done. ”I still think I might cry.” “Then cry. You may be an idol, but you’re a person, too. Let everyone see the real you. It’s only gonna make them love you more.” Tae Hyun grabbed onto Jason’s arms and squeezed. “Now you’re gonna make me cry, hyung.” “Then cry,” Jason lovingly purred. “But I’ve already seen the real you. And I love you the most.” Anyway! What I really loved about this book was the fact that Tae Hyun and Jason fought for their love but also allowed themselves to acknowledge their powerlessness and weaknesses. They struggled, but they spoke about it and they let themselves feel their disappointment and resentment for the people they’d known and who let them down. They grieved the loss of their lives before they came out, yet at the same time they embraced the freedom that came along with it. The way KT Salvo wrote their character arcs! It’s amazing. Chef’s kiss! Perfection! And yes, Jason and Tae Hyun changed so much from the first book but they still didn’t lose their essence and what made them, them. If that makes any sense?! ”I thought I was good at sanding up for myself, sunbaenim. But I see I could take lessons from you. Thank you.” Jason snorted. “I know how to be an asshole in three languages.” Those two men were so strong and my heart broke for them whenever they were confronted with another fight they didn’t see coming. No matter if it were Tae Hyun’s parents or his close friends, there was a lot of resistance and at times it seemed like all those obstacles would suffocate them and their love. Thankfully, there was a lot of unexpected solidarity as well and that made it a little easier for them to push through and to carry on. Still, to read about the pushback from within their own rows was extremely painful and after reading this book I love Naomi, Yun Seo (Tae Hyun’s sister) and the Song brothers even more! No, seriously, Seong Min and Seong Hyeon are the best bodyguards and human beings ever!!! My love for them is as deep as the ocean and their friendship and bonds with Jason and Tae Hyun are everything. ”His parents thought they owned him. Just as Chang Min had. Tae Hyun shook his head again. Nobody owned him. Not his parents. Not his ex. Not his former record label. Only Jason seemed to realize that. You’re not my possession, he’d told Tae Hyun multiple times. Of course, he’d choose Jason over his family.” ”Jason was suddenly tired, too. He was tired of carrying those feelings when he’d already moved on. He had a life. He had someone he loved. He didn’t need that anger anymore.” Due to all of those experiences, Tae Hyun as well as Jason came such a long way and I can’t say how much I love them for finding their own way and accepting themselves. They found their voices and I’m so invested in them and so proud of how far they’ve come. I know, the way I talk about them you’d think they are actual people, but to me they feel so real they might as well be. ;-) After everything they went through, it’s a miracle they still didn’t lose their humour and I was happy to see that we got a lot of funny scenes as well. Of course, we also got steamy ones and they always fit so perfectly into the storyline. For me they emphasised the strong relationship between Jason and Tae Hyun and their additional small and tender moments throughout the entire book had me on my knees. The love between those two men knows no boundaries. ”Whatever lingering anger he might’ve felt had dissipated as he listened to his lover’s sobs. The blossoming ache in his heart made his back pain pale in comparison. There was honestly nothing that Tae Hyun could’ve said to him that would’ve made him feel any differently. The man he loved was in much greater pain, and no amount of arguing would make Jason love him any less.” Conclusion: All told, I absolutely loved and adored “Idol Moves”! This book was amazing and the character arcs were so well done, it was pure pleasure to read about Jason and Tae Hyun’s journey. Just like with the first book this story had everything, I ever wanted and craved for and it’s still the only written m/m k-pop/k-drama I know. KT Salvo is definitely a pioneer of that genre and I can’t wait to read more of them. The lives of idols, the LGBTQIA+ rep, the steamy scenes, the deep love of the two protagonists, the awesome side characters, the humour and the suspense made this one hell of a ride and all I can say is: I want more! Can I have a third book, please? _____________________________ I already enjoyed the first book but this one!? I LOVED it!!! It was amazing and the character developments were so good! It had everything I want in a k-pop/k-drama romance and I’m just ahhh and I read the last 35% like nobody’s business because the suspense was real!!! I want more! Can I wish for a third book in this series? It’s Christmas so please? *lol* Full RTC soon! This was so, so good! <333 ______________________________ I’m extremely lucky I got an ARC for this and I’m going to read it before it expires! I really enjoyed the first book “Idol Minds” and I’m more than just happy to dive into this one! Jason’s and Tae-Hyun’s story was so good, I loved it in the first book and I’m so glad I can read more about their relationship and their struggles. Everything only just begun in the first book, so here I am craving for more. And more I got! *lol* This is going to be good! =)) Find me on: My Blog Instagram ...more |
Notes are private!
|
1
|
Dec 11, 2023
|
Dec 24, 2023
|
Dec 11, 2023
|
Kindle Edition
| |||||||||||||||||
| 1035002175
| 9781035002177
| 1035002175
| 4.41
| 38,228
| Jul 31, 2018
| Aug 03, 2023
|
I’m on BookTube now! =) You guys have no idea how excited I am to finally start reading this!! I mean!! AHHHHH!!! I waited to read this for an entire fr I’m on BookTube now! =) You guys have no idea how excited I am to finally start reading this!! I mean!! AHHHHH!!! I waited to read this for an entire freaking YEAR! And now I have my copy, I finally wrote my review for “Wolfsong” and I can go into this book with an easy conscience! I’M SO DAMN EXCITED!!!! WEEEEEEEE!!!! ADKADFKASDKFAKSDF! I’m going to read the hell out of this! Gordo and Mark! Here I come!! It’s time to be part of the #packpackpack again! *howls* (Yes, I’m THAT excited and I don’t care, just gimmi, gimmi, gimmi!!!) Find me on: My Blog Instagram ...more |
Notes are private!
|
1
|
Oct 30, 2023
|
not set
|
Oct 30, 2023
|
Hardcover
| |||||||||||||||
| 1728245117
| 9781728245119
| B0BRTB95C4
| 3.91
| 13,197
| Oct 17, 2023
| Oct 17, 2023
|
really liked it
|
I’m on BookTube now! You can find my channel here! =) **I received an advance copy of this book from SOURCEBOOKS Casablanca and NetGalley in exchang I’m on BookTube now! You can find my channel here! =) **I received an advance copy of this book from SOURCEBOOKS Casablanca and NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own. Thank you so much for giving me a chance to read this ARC!** ”I kiss him the way he’s maybe scared to be kissed and the way I think he deserves to be kissed." It’s no secret that I’ve been a fan of Alexis Hall’s books for a while now so this shouldn’t come as a surprise: I absolutely loved “10 Things That Never Happened” and for me it was one of those books that causes you to grin from ear to ear. I had such a good time with this and Hall’s humour is definitely one of the many things I enjoyed about this story. Was it a slightly unrealistic approach to use a “Nexa by MERYLN 8mm Sliding Door Enclosure” as a plot device in order to initiate the storyline? Maybe, but it definitely worked for me! Without the fake amnesia, Jonathan and Sam would have never even gotten a chance to get to know each other so I’m thankful that sliding door enclosure got in their way. Also you don’t want realistic in your romances, you want love and all the cosy and warm feelings that come along with it and Alexis definitely delivered on that front! Before we got to that, there was a strong animosity between Jonathan and Sam, though! Jonathan’s eyes narrow. “You should really think about the way you speak to your boss.” “Why? You’re already threatening to fire me, and I don’t see how minding my Ps and Qs around you will help me sell more CoolTouch Elite mattresses.” Boy, were they at each other’s throat at the beginning of the book. I really liked to see the world through Sam’s eyes and his POV made the story extremely enjoyable. Some might say Sam’s and Jonathan’s budding relationship is a typical grumpy/sunshine trope but I think I’d rather describe it as a pessimist-meets-optimist trope. While Jonathan’s view of the world is very black and white, Sam’s is all shades of grey and he sees the many implications and struggles people have to face. Whereas Jonathan always likes to be in control of everything because he’s afraid of things going wrong, Sam is very chaotic and seems to live from day to day. You might say Jonathan’s tenor is to always expect the worst while Sam always tries to see the positive things. So yes, those two don’t have a lot in common and they are complete opposites, but that’s exactly what makes their relationship work so well. Folding his arms, Jonathan gazes up at the ceiling like he’s not sure how much to say. “You’re very stubborn and you care too much.” Somehow I’m expecting the first, but not the second. “I think I’d rather be someone who cares too much than someone who cares too little.” They are very honest with each other and they have absolutely no qualms to call each other out when it’s necessary. Especially Sam is very straightforward and doesn’t take any of Jonathan’s bullshit which is the reason he got into trouble with him in the first place. No boss likes to hear he’s doing things wrong so I’m not surprised Jonathan was so mad at him. Still, they are good for each other because they force each other to see the world with different eyes and that’s exactly what makes them work somehow. Also they talk things through! I can’t say how much I loved that aspect of the book. Yes, Sam and Jonathan are arguing quite a lot but they are communicating their thoughts and feelings, which is so important if you’re in a relationship. Relationships are hard work and not everything is sunshine and rainbows so to see that they put so much effort into trying to understand where the other was coming from was amazing to read. ”It means he likes you.” I’ve no idea if that’s true, but it seems like a reassuring thing to say. Jonathan shakes his leg very gently but realises he probably doesn’t want to punt my cat across the room. “Can you make it stop?” “Liking you?” I ask. “Give him time. He’ll work it out.” I really appreciated their communication and some of their conversations were hilarious! Jonathan and Sam weren’t everything that was great about the book, though. I absolutely fell in love with Gollum – Samwise’s cat (yes, you read right! His name is actually Samwise and he has a cat named Gollum) – and Jonathan’s family! Not to mention Jonathan’s housekeeper Agnieszka! She was really quite something and a very unique voice, which can be said about all the side-characters in this story. Each and every single one of them was fleshed out and the way they interacted with each other was so very relatable. No matter if it was Nanny Barb, Aunt Jack, Uncle Johnny, Barbara Jane – Jonathan’s sister – or his parents, they were such a typical family and gave me all the heart-warming vibes. If you have a huge family you’ll know what I mean. ”You’re his boyfriend. What did you do, Johnny, hypnotise him?” “I’ve got a concussion,” I say. “Well” – she smirks – “that explains it.” Of course there are many simmering conflicts among the family members, but I think that only made everything even more realistic. We all have our faults and flaws and they usually come out whenever we’re together with our family, which is exactly what happens in this book. “10 Things That Never Happened” plays around Christmas after all, and if you’ve never had a chaotic Christmas time with your loved ones where emotions were running high, you clearly did something wrong. ;-) Sam’s presence in Jonathan’s life obviously works like some sort of catalyst for the entire family and brings them back together again and this was beautiful to watch. Sometimes it takes another point of view to put things into perspective and Sam is definitely not holding back from offering his opinion. I swear, there were so many funny scenes in this book and I’m still laughing about the chicken one, but I won’t spoil anything here, you will have to read that one for yourself! ”It’s kind of fucked, how much bad you have to fight through to feel something good. And then the good is so overwhelming it almost hurts again. But Jonathan’s there with me the whole way. Giving me his heat and his breath and his beating heart." If there is one thing I can criticize about the book, then it’s the fact that all the revelations happened at the ending and that it felt a little rushed for my taste. I get why Alexis Hall built the plot up like that, but I would have liked to see more of the aftermath right after Christmas instead of the epilogue we got. That’s my personal preference, though, and considering it all the ending we actually got was well-rounded and left me satisfied enough to give this book four stars! Conclusion: All told, I really enjoyed “10 Things That Never Happened” and it was exactly the kind of book I needed to read! From the enemies-to-lovers slow burn love story between Jonathan and Sam, to the awesome side characters and the marvellous black humour, this story had it all. If you haven’t read a Christmas book already you definitely should consider to pick up this one! It’s such a perfect story for this time of the year! _____________________________ I was right, this was exactly what I needed and it was the perfect read for me! Jonathan and Sam were such a grumpy/sunshine trope and I loved it. Those two were great and I enjoyed being in Sam’s head. I wish I had read this in December because it would be a perfect Christmas romance! <3 Full RTC soon! Stay tuned! ;-) ______________________________ I got an ARC for “10 Things That Never Happened” (thank you NetGalley!) and I’m so ready to dive into this book because I think it’s exactly the kind of rom-com I need right now. I mean an employee that trips and fakes amnesia in order to keep his job and his boss who likes him more than he probably should?! Sounds chaotic and absolutely great. *lol* I’m here for it! Fingers crossed this will be a good one! =) Find me on: My Blog Instagram ...more |
Notes are private!
|
1
|
Oct 16, 2023
|
Oct 28, 2023
|
Oct 16, 2023
|
Kindle Edition
| ||||||||||||||
| B0BX8N9YPW
| 3.99
| 2,869
| Apr 05, 2023
| Apr 05, 2023
|
really liked it
|
I’m on BookTube now! You can find my channel here! =) ”It was impossible to recognize a devil in the dark if you weren’t willing to become a little mon I’m on BookTube now! You can find my channel here! =) ”It was impossible to recognize a devil in the dark if you weren’t willing to become a little monstrous yourself.” Trigger warnings: (view spoiler)[non-consensual intercourse (aka rape), self-deprecating MC with a low self-esteem, violence, dub-con, manipulation, conditioning, physical & emotional abuse, knife play, choking, murder, torture, mention of child abuse, stalking, kidnapping, sadism, graphic & detailed sex scenes, masochism, toxic relationship (hide spoiler)] This book! Damn! Good lord! I honestly have no idea how to talk about this book. I’ve never read a book that had me feeling so conflicted, yet at the same time I binged it in less than 24 hours and was obsessed with the story and the characters. How is that even possible? I should have hated this book with every fibre of my heart because it wasn’t just totally out of my comfort zone but the sex scenes were also extremely non-consensual. Like really, really non-consensual. And as we all know I’m a sucker for characters being all consensual and listening to what their partners say. I mean AFTG is one of my fave series ever. So this book totally shouldn’t have worked for me, but it kinda did?! I honestly don’t know what that says about me. Might have lost my sanity along with Shade while I read this story. *lol* I mean I wanted to read something different and totally out of my comfort zone. I wanted to dip my toe in the waters of dark romance and see what all the fuss is about. Well, guess the jokes on me cause I got addicted to this pretty fast and now I’m confusion, a mess and questioning my sanity. Well done, V! You get a sticker for that! *lol* The only explanation I have is that this catered to the darker parts in me? My head knows this was dark, all wrong, f*cked up and toxic af, but it was also so damn good and well crafted! The author’s got some serious writing skills because at the beginning of the book you’re like Shade thinking Apollo is a monster but then Apollo gets into Shade’s head and changes the way he thinks and feels and I think that’s exactly what happened to me too. Apollo got into my head while I read this story and by the end of it he didn’t seem to be such a monster anymore. Honestly if I ever read a book that deserved the label “mindfuck”, well then it’s this one. I think it doesn’t help that Shade was attracted to Apollo right from the beginning when they first met. So every sexy moment up until 40% of the book is consensual and then Shade gets kidnapped by Apollo and all the sex scenes start out non-consensual until they eventually become consensual again?! Am I making any sense?! As I said, this book gets into your head, digs it’s claws into your brain and leaves you discombobulated and craving for more. It’s kinda alarming?! I repeat, I should not have enjoyed this as much as I did, but turns out my brain is a sucker for mind games and boy, did we get plenty of those in here. Okay, I think I’ll let myself out now. But not before going into a detailed character analysis because those characters deserve it! So buckle up and let’s do this! ”You’re all I need,” he repeated, holding Shade’s gaze hostage as he added, “and I’m all you need too.” The characters: You’re now entering the orbit of our planet and we’re happy to see you! Please be aware that we’ve had a series of gruesome murders recently and the killer is still on the loose. You might be killed or even worse, you could get spoiled senseless! ;-P This was a fair warning! You might proceed at your convenience. Shadow Yor: ”Trauma-induced PTSD had left him a bit … unstable, as his doctors liked to put it. The end result was a constant influx of other people’s feelings that left him discombobulated at the best of times, and barely functioning at the worst. Hence, the blockers. There are way too many good quotes to describe Shade’s character so it’s really hard to pick just a few of them. What it comes down to is that Shade is my poor broken boy. I really felt for him because his entire life was a struggle and his powers always caused him pain. There wasn’t a single minute he didn’t feel overwhelmed or like shit and this made it extremely hard not to fall into Apollo’s greedy clutches. More often than not his own abilities turned against him and once he was in Apollo’s secret lair there was no hope to escape. Add to that his low self-esteem and the fact that all he ever wanted was to be loved and cherished and you can see why it was so easy for Apollo to manipulate him. He didn’t stand a chance. But the fascinating thing about Shade was, that he was fully aware of what Apollo was doing. He knew he had Stockholm’s syndrome and that he was being manipulated and conditioned. That Apollo wanted to break him and get into his head, yet he still couldn’t stop it from happening. Shade was a good detective and an expert at his job, but he never believed in himself and Apollo used that against him. Talk about mind games. I hated Apollo for what he did to Shade, I raged and was angry on his behalf, I wanted to throw my e-reader away, I wanted to save Shade and get him out of there. But I also saw the change in Shade, how accepting his darker parts and his inner demons helped him to come to terms with who he was and what he truly wanted. Apollo’s methods were extremely questionable and wrong, but they ignited something in Shade and kinda coaxed out his potential? In some way he forced him to be more self-aware and self-assured and this while he abused him. It’s so f*cked up. Seriously, but it worked somehow and Shade came out a stronger person in the end. I really liked that he didn’t take any shit anymore and decided to do what HE wanted. Damn… it boggles the mind, but I actually ended up loving Shade’s character arc. Still, his confusion and refusal to accept his situation, his inner fight, self-hatred and anger at himself for allowing Apollo to get to him and to make him want him. It was masterly done. Chani Lynn Feener get’s an A+ for psychological mind games. ”Because Apollo had a knack for making him feel cherished and wanted even as he was abusing his poor ass and tightening the chains. With each passing day, Shade felt more and more comfortable with the idea of this being his future and he couldn’t allow that to happen. He couldn’t want it.” ”Shade needed to get the fuck out of here. This line of thinking was dangerous, telling. Had he always secretly been this weak? This pliable? Had the potential to roll over and become someone’s bitch always been in him, or was that something Apollo was etching into his soul bit by bit? ”Good Light. What kind of person could look at the man who had done those brutal things to him and call him an invader in his head instead of what he really was? Shade hadn’t wanted it. Until he did. But he hadn’t at first, and that’s what counted, right? … Right? ”Getting kind of bossy, Shadow mine.” “You don’t get to pick and choose,” he said. “You either take me as I am, or we go back to me fighting you every step of the way. I’m not a slave, Apollo, not even yours, and I refuse to be one.” Apollo Orobas: ”He’d gone to catch a glimpse of the I.P.F. agents in charge so he’d know what he was dealing with and whether or not he should put his latest hunt on hold. Locking gazes with the detective hadn’t been on the agenda. Being unable to get the other man off his mind definitely hadn’t been.” Oh boy! Honestly if you ever capture the interest of a man like Apollo: RUN!!! Run for your life and never look back because if this man ever gets a hold of you, you’ll pay for it. And pay for it Shade did. Apollo is a psychopath and has no empathy whatsoever. Did he know that what he did to Shade was wrong and that taking him against his will would antagonize him and break him. Yes! Did it stop him from taking what he thought was his to take? Nope, not a second. Apollo had absolutely no qualms to abuse and rape Shade because Shade was what he wanted and what he wanted, he took. Period. There was no regard for how Shadow felt about being kidnapped by a person he only had just begun to fall for, no remorse about putting him through the wringer and conditioning him to his every whim. None. Well, at least not until Shade’s presence did something unexpected to him and Apollo actually started to care for him as well. The change started slowly, but it happened. For the first time ever Apollo was faced with the consequences of what he did to people because for once one of his captives actually survived and forced him to think about what he was doing. He made sure Shade needed him and during that process, he was forced to acknowledge that he had started to need him too. HA! This was such a brilliant move! I’m in awe of how the author pulled this off and how the reader could witness this change first hand. The lines definitely became more and more blurry as the book progressed and I enjoyed seeing Apollo squirm and second-guessing his actions; questioning his methods and how he hurt and mistreated Shade. How his constant abuse and rape would affect the person he loved. The way he eventually realized that he might be the monster Shade had nightmares about… done so damn well! Stroke of genius! ”You’re the first person I didn’t want to leave physically broken. The first person I’ve ever wanted to take care of.” ”Was he having a bad dream? Was it about him? Apollo didn’t like that. He’d won Shade over as the friendly neighbourhood reporter, so he’d always known there was a strong chance the detective would recoil the second he was made aware that was all an act. Hell, that’s exactly what he’d expected. What he’d wanted. It hadn’t bothered him before. It did now. ”Do you think it’s easy for me? I’m not used to these emotions either. I’m not used to feeling desperate. Before you, the only thing I even came close to being obsessed with was the urge to see inside people. But I don’t just want you, baby, I want to own you. I want you wrapped around my finger, purring my name even in your sleep, I’m a devil with a weakness now, don’t you see how complicated that is? You aren’t the only one here having an identity crisis.” The relationships and ships: Shade & Apollo: ”I never said that. You can’t read me, and I told you I’d noticed.” “Wait...” Shade’s stomach clenched uncomfortably. “Can you read me?” “Like an open book, baby. Why?” This time when he tilted his head, there was an edge to the movement. “Got something you want to hide from me?” Was it just him, or had it suddenly gotten tense between them? Now those two were amazing in the first 40% of the book! Their cat and mouse game had me at the edge of my seat and I loved the tension between them. The interesting thing is that Apollo let Shadow see parts of his true self and that they didn’t cause Shadow to retreat. I think Shadow was at least as intrigued by Apollo as Apollo was by him. Otherwise, the scene on the rooftop would have never happened. And what a glorious scene it was! Hot damn! I loved how Apollo was teasing Shade and telling him the truth without telling him the truth. It was a constant push and pull and Apollo did his best to draw Shade out. I could have read about 300 pages more of that and it wouldn’t have gotten boring. But then the kidnapping happened and wow, that was an entirely new level of power games. From that moment on Apollo was in full control and Shade had to endure his every whim and was at his mercy. That shift was quite hard to take and I felt so damn sorry for Shade. I wanted to protect that poor broken boy and at times it felt like Apollo was kicking a man who was already on the ground. As I said before, Apollo never questioned his actions and decisions though and at first he was convinced Shade would never leave his place alive and therefore allowed himself to take whatever he craved. Which unfortunately was Shade’s body and soul. Of course, Shade fought back tooth and nail at first and tried his best not give in to his mind games. That dynamic. Not gonna lie, it was cruel to read and I winced whenever Apollo hurt my boy. I was nauseated, angry and disgusted on Shade’s behalf and I have no idea when the shift happened but there was a point when Shade started to give into Apollo’s advances. When he found some weird sort of happiness spending time with him and as a reader you could feel it too. Damn, this book really plays with your mind and even after almost two months it still has its claws in my brain. Uff. Anyway, Apollo was changed by Shade too and he suddenly had someone he cared about, someone he loved. I think in some way Shadow became Apollo’s conscience and Apollo became Shade’s self-confidence. Those two balanced each other out. It was a give and take at the end and they turned into a beautiful shade of gray. I never thought I’d ship them but here I am, fully on board of this messed up and toxic ship that turned out to be weirdly healthy for both of them. *lol* I’m so confused! Someone please explain to me how the author did that?! Apollo chuckled behind him. “Picked up on that did you? Oops. What are the chances you’re in the right state of mind right now to remember that when we’re done?” “Slim,” he answered honestly. “What are we even talking about?” “Wow, poor thing. You really haven’t been touched in a while, huh?” Apollo trailed his fingers down the curve of Shade’s jaw down to his chin, gripping him tight between two fingers and forcing him to tip his head back against the wall. The move brought his mouth up, closer to his, and his breath ghosted against his lips. “So set on hiding behind your bravado. But that’s okay. I’ll strip you of that too. I’ll pick you apart and leave you bare until all you have left is me to keep you warm. Until you can’t recall which pieces were yours initially and which ones I sewed into your psyche. I’m going to leave traces of me everywhere, baby. You wanted to be wanted?” He brushed his mouth feather-light against his. “Careful what you wish for.” ”You’re going to be mine until we’re both old and gray and then even after that. When we die, I’ll find you in the next life. I’ll hunt you down and make you mine all over again, baby. I’ll never let you go. You’ll always have me. You’ll always be my perfect little Shadow.” ”My feelings for you are real. I promised to take you apart, but I didn’t realize until it was too late that you were doing the same to me. I can’t live without you, Shadow…” Shade & Gael: ”Everybody needs a break from the voices in their head, S. You deserve that, same as anybody else. You were dealt a shit hand, okay? But you’ve done everything in your power to make your life your own. You’ve accomplished things Chitta who don’t have the same skill level as you couldn’t dream of. That means something. You mean something.” I can’t end this review without talking about precious Gael because this man was amazing! He always supported Shade and had his back. Even when Shade couldn’t see it and didn’t believe in himself or their friendship, Gael was right there by his side. My heart hurt so much for him when Shade pointed his gun at him. Damn, the betrayal was real! I felt Gael’s confusion in my bones. Also: Friends like Gael are the ones you should keep! This man knew exactly who Apollo was but he trusted Shade enough to make his own decisions and to know what was good for him. #friendshipgoals Some part of me kinda wishes we would have gotten even more of their interactions and that Gael will find someone amazing too. I don’t think there will be a second book, though so I’ll be happy with the little I got. <3 ”I can’t. I can’t pretend to understand what you see in this guy. I’m still torn over if I should try and stop you from leaving with him or not. But … if there’s anyone in this universe who knows what you’ve been through, Shade, it’s me. You’ve been different this past week, but it hasn’t all been in bad ways. I don’t want you going back to that, to the pain and the suffering form before. So, if staying with him is what will help keep you from that darkness, I don’t need to understand everything, I just need to know that.” Conclusion: From a psychological POV this book was amazing and I really loved all the mind games and interactions. My inner psychologist had a field day exploring the darkness and depraved parts of Shade’s and Apollo’s minds and it was fascinating to see how they changed once they collided. Still, this book has a very long list of trigger warnings and considering the fact that most of the people who read my reviews are sweet beans I just can’t recommend this book to you. It’s dark af! So, so, so dark and heavy. Definitely not for the faint-hearted. I said it once and I’ll say it again: I’m still questioning my sanity and life choices after reading this book because this was wrong. This was dark. It was twisted. It was good and I still don’t know where that leaves me. Maybe I don’t need to know, maybe I just need to make peace with the fact that despite everything I liked it. And maybe, for once, that’s actually enough. _________________________________ Sooo… I decided to read a book that is totally out of my comfort zone because every once in a while - You just gotta read a book that features a serial killer who falls in love with the detective who is trying to solve his murders? - You want to read about completely morally black characters? - You need to read a book that has a list of trigger warnings that is as long as some people’s grocery list? Normal, right? Nope? Just me then. Okay, I got no excuse for reading this except of my curiosity. I’m just curious and want to know what the fuss is about. There, I admitted it. ;-) The reviews on IG made me pick it up. Let’s see if I can read this. I survived AFTG, how hard can it be?! (They said not knowing what would await them. *lol*) Find me on: My Blog Instagram ...more |
Notes are private!
|
1
|
Jul 30, 2023
|
Jul 31, 2023
|
Jul 30, 2023
|
Kindle Edition
| ||||||||||||||||
| B0BTDGP9NM
| 3.51
| 878
| May 10, 2023
| May 11, 2023
|
really liked it
|
I’m on BookTube now! You can find my channel here! =) *I received an ARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Thank you to NetGalley and He I’m on BookTube now! You can find my channel here! =) *I received an ARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Thank you to NetGalley and Hera Books for giving me an opportunity to read this book.* "You went to culinary school? How? When? Where?" Is there anything this guy hasn't done? I wonder if he's flown the space shuttle or knows how to shear sheep. I wondered the same thing while I read “The Problem with Perfect” because Beau seemed to be, well, almost too perfect?! If that makes sense. But then again this fact aligns with the title of the book so who am I to judge? ;-) Truth be told, this story was a lot of fun to read and I enjoyed picking it up whenever I had a quiet moment. Stover’s writing style is easy to read and the plot around Ethan and Beau kept me entertained enough to want to know what would happen next and that’s always a plus in my book. As is good humour and I’m happy to say that this book delivered on that front. "We'll see what you say when you look at the bathroom. I took enough hair off this guy to make a third." "Please don't even joke about there being another one. I can barely handle two." It’s not the kind of “laughing out loud” humour you’d have expected from a rom-com, but more some sort of fine humour that will cause you to smirk at some scenes. It kind of fits to the characters and the overall mood of the book, though. So I think this was well done and totally in line with the story the author wanted to convey. As for the characters: Ethan was a very likeable control freak who, if possible, would have done everything himself without relying on others. It’s a shame he chose Chase as his style icon in front of the camera because those two honestly couldn’t have been any more different even if they’d tried. While Ethan wants to control everything and does his best to make the Instagram posts perfect, Chase seems to be determined to make life difficult for literally everyone on set. Considering their dynamic at the beginning of the book, I wasn’t surprised that Chase ditched Ethan and his career in order to party in Abu Dhabi instead. Thankfully Chase has an identical twin who has to pay a couple of debts and agrees to take over until Chase comes to his senses and returns back to New York. ”You think I'm only motivated by money? I know my brother is but it sounds like you're just as shallow as he is if you think you can throw a pot of money at me and I'll do what you say." Still, Beau might have had to pay some debts but he had a will of his own and integrity. I loved that about him and was happy to see that he questioned the things he had to do and challenged Ethan to think outside of the box he had created for himself and the followers of “Myles of Style”. I think in some way Beau is actually some sort of catalyst that forces Ethan to rethink his choices and what he is representing with his IG page. It might have started out with good intentions but at some point, the industry and sponsors clearly took over the stage. Of course, Ethan is painfully aware of this fact, but he thinks there is nothing he can do about it. After all, keeping the sponsors happy, keeps the page running, right? ”By suggesting that only a certain type of jawline is beautiful it also suggests that those who don’t fit the standard are therefore less-than when that’s certainly not the case. For example, Ethan, your face is beautiful but your jawline isn’t overly developed.” Everyone on set gasps. One person drops a cup of coffee. I really liked how the topic of sponsors controlling the content was broached in this story and how it was challenged as well. No matter if it was by Ethan’s superior that pitched the most ridiculous ideas whenever they met (I mean a personal lubricant that has Golden Girls flavors and is an energy drink as well?! Are you kidding me?!) or the fact they tried to sell products from a company full of homo- and transphobes just because they needed a sponsor and the company tried to polish its image. We have it all in here and even though the ridiculousness of it all caused me to chuckle, it also made me think because unfortunately things like this actually happen and people basically sell their souls for recognition and validation. ”I’ve been so driven by ambition and moving up that I’ve become a stereotype of myself and I’m beginning not to like it. I know I’m gay. I’m gay all day, but I don’t like being forced to have my identity take center stage over my personhood.” And yes, you guessed right, one of them is Ethan. To follow his character arc and to see him finally giving a voice to his inner thoughts was cathartic and one of the things I liked the most about this book. Another one were all the diverse and amazing side-characters. I loved Kiara and The Giblet Triplets, a fabulous drag queen trio, which rolled through Pride riding a Ford Fairlane Sunliner and rocked the stage whenever they could. They were amazing and I absolutely loved Uncle Clams and Amnesia. Their found family vibes were impeccable and the strong bond between Ethan and his Uncle was so sweet to read about. I just loved that Ethan might have lived for his work and “Myles of Styles” but that he quite literally would have dropped everything in order to help his Uncle and to be there for him if he needed him. ”I’m sorry I’m making you do all this,” I say. “I hope it isn’t a trigger.” “Nope. It’s fine and you aren’t making me do anything. It’s my choice. In fact, I wasn’t going to admit it but I think it’s been good for me. You’ve been good for me.” On a finale note, I have to mention that I really liked the slow-burn romance between Ethan and Beau. Those two worked so well together and it was very endearing to see those two different characters help each other find their way. They weren’t just good for each other but also brought out the best in each other so that was extremely nice to read about. Also, Beau and Kiara were both bisexual and I always appreciate seeing some bi representation in my books. ”As queer people we grow up being told how we should behave and now we’re on TV and in movies and we’re told how we should be gay, how we should be queer. We have to stop allowing that. We have to start celebrating all the talents and gifts we already have. All told, I really enjoyed “The Problem with Perfect”. It was a nice rom-com with a cute slow burn that didn’t shy away from addressing an important topic as well. Namely how much some sponsors control the content their influencers create and how toxic this can actually be. In addition to that the overall message of the book, to be who you truly are and to be your authentic self, is a beautiful one and definitely worth spreading. Still, if there was one thing I didn’t like then it was the rather abrupt ending. I get that the author wanted to end the book on a positive note, but I still have so many questions left and I really would have liked to find out how the Chase/Beau situation would have been resolved. Apart from that I had fun reading “The Problem with Perfect” and definitely will watch out for the author’s next book. I’m sure it will be good as well. ___________________________ This was fun and I really enjoyed reading it. The ending was a little abrupt but aside of that and a couple of still open questions; I had a really good time with Ethan and Beau. Full RTC soon! Stay tuned! =) ____________________________ I was lucky enough to get approved for an ARC of this book and I’m so ready! I mean look at that cover and the blurb!!! Chase Myles, the star of a famous IG account decides to ditch the mastermind behind it and takes off to Dubai and now Ethan the actual star behind the scenes (and account) has to find a replacement?! And said replacement is none other than Chase’s twin brother a hairy, rugged mountain man named Beau?!! Oh, please! Give me all this queer fun in N.Y. City! =) Have you heard of this book already and is it on your radar?! Find me on: My Blog Instagram ...more |
Notes are private!
|
1
|
May 23, 2023
|
Jun 03, 2023
|
May 23, 2023
|
Kindle Edition
| ||||||||||||||||
| 0593463110
| 9780593463116
| 0593463110
| 3.64
| 5,159
| Mar 22, 2022
| Mar 22, 2022
|
liked it
|
I’m on BookTube now! You can find my channel here! =) ”Everyone acts like they knew what our relationship was like. They didn’t see our fights. They di I’m on BookTube now! You can find my channel here! =) ”Everyone acts like they knew what our relationship was like. They didn’t see our fights. They didn’t see the way Aidan got jealous when I was on tour, the way he texted me every time a tabloid wrote something about me, about him, about us.” I honestly don’t even know where to start with this review because I had such high hopes for “Kiss & Tell” and probably expected too much. I dunno if this is just a “me thing” or if it’s a valid reaction but as always I can only write about what I felt and thought while I read the book so that’s exactly what I’m going to do. I suppose it’s fair to say that people who are part of a very active fandom might not enjoy this story as much as people who only experience the hype through the media, because I read this book as a buddy read with my bestie and we’re both part of a fandom. We had many discussions about this book and for us a lot of the things that happened in this story just didn’t feel realistic or didn’t add up. As always this is just my subjective opinion but I’m going to back it up with facts so please bear with me and make yourself comfortable, because this is going to be a long in-depth review. *lol* ”It’s not the heartbreak that’s hard, it’s the attention. It’s having people think that who I am on stage is the same as who I am at home. Who I am in bed.” First things first, the things and topics I really enjoyed while reading “Kiss & Tell”. I absolutely loved the newspaper articles, interviews, documentary video transcripts; set lists etc. we got in between the chapters. This added so much to the story and made it feel more realistic. I mean the band was famous and had millions of fans so online forums where the fans discuss the newest band gossip, interview excerpts and advertisements for the concerts, etc. are all things that are basically daily business. It was a nice touch to have those things in between the chapters and it definitely helped to feel even more immersed in the story. ”No one at The Label has ever said it to my face, but they’ve made it clear in lots of subtle ways that I’m supposed to stay as twinkish as possible. Which sucks, because I’ve always been too stocky to achieve the true twink look. Years of hockey have given me a big butt and muscular thighs, and though I’ve slimmed down a bit since my hockey days, I’m still thicker than they want me to be.” Another thing I really liked was how the influence of the label was portrayed. Hunter and his band mates had to do so many things they didn’t really want to do but because they were expected of them they just had to deal with it and move on. For instance Hunter had to take part in cooking shows because as a gay boy everyone had that image of him standing in the kitchen. Which is bullshit and I was glad that this was addressed and that the band’s manager tried her best to fight those stereotypes. There were a lot of stereotypes in this book in general and throughout the entire story you could really see how much they hurt Hunter and what they did to him. The fact that the label even expected Hunter to cater to them and wanted him to be more twinkish, more feminine, less good at skating because everyone knew he was a bottom and apparently they aren’t good at skating even though Hunter played as a pro before his knee injury,…. I could go on and on. Throughout the entire book I could literally feel how torn Hunter felt about playing this role and that all those little things added up to an entire pile that threatened to suffocate him. ”And then I think about the shelter kids, and how happy they all were, despite what they’ve been through. And here I am, whining about writer’s block and a breakup. I try really hard not to cry in front of them, but I want to. They’re my age, and they’ve been kicked out of their homes; and here I am, safe and secure, whining about writer’s block.” Yet despite everything Hunter still wanted to do some good with his fame and tried to change the world for the better. Unfortunately his means were pretty limited by the label and I think because he was so young he didn’t know how to fight back and make a real change. And yes, you already called it, “Kiss & Tell” is some sort of coming-of-age story as well because after all the things Hunter experiences in this book he realizes who he truly is and what he wants from life. Truth be told, I think this story is more about Hunter finding himself than about the romance we were promised in the blurb. I personally was no huge fan of the romance because I didn’t like Aidan (Hunter’s ex) nor Kaivan his new love interest. If you ask me both of those boys were extremely toxic and I just couldn’t ship them with Hunter. ”Cymbals crash in my chest. I want to check him against the windows. I want to cry. I want to be mean to Aidan. I want to make him hurt the way he hurt me. I want him to stop hurting. I want us both to stop. I don’t know what I want.” The things Aidan did and how he betrayed Hunter’s trust?! It was extremely painful and I hurt with Hunt when everything blew up in the press. I mean that boy was 17 and suddenly his sex life was all over the internet. The things people said about him were so hurtful and it’s no wonder he tried to hide from the world. To deal with something like this at such a young age must have been more than just horrible. Also I was so angry on Hunters behalf because of all those fans constantly trying to find out if Aidan and him had sex and sticking their noses in things that weren’t their business. And once they found out the truth they started to slut-shame him. Like it’s okay that he’s gay but please he should never have any sex. Urgh! I’ve heard this from straight people so often it makes me sick to my stomach. Either you accept LGBTQIA+ people entirely or you don’t. Hypocrites. We’re not here to please your idea of a “clean queer”. Still, I think it was important this topic was addressed and given some room, because it happens way too often and Adib Khorram did a very good job at showing how much thoughts like this can affect young queer people. ”I don’t want people only to know me as Iranian, or as gay. I’m a whole person. I want to make music that brings people together. Good music, you know? Stuff that’ll stand the test of time. Not this manufactured crap, like all these boy bands where you can’t even tell which one is singing. It’s plug and play.” Okay and now let’s address the elephant in the room and the many not so good things about this book. Unfortunately there were plenty and one of my biggest issues was actually Hunter’s love interest Kaivan Parvani. I could not ship him with Hunter, because of all the bad things he said about boybands and the countless assumptions he made. I know the author obviously tried to give him a redemption arc but for me it didn’t work and it felt like too little too late, if you get what I mean? I don’t want to spoil all too much about this topic, but for the people who read the book or want to risk knowing beforehand I’ll just write this down in the spoiler section so that you’ll be able to understand why I just couldn’t with Kaivan: (view spoiler)[”Hey,” I say. “Sorry.” He sniffs. “It’s just, there were days when I was growing up that I thought I’d never get to do that.” “It’s okay. I know what you mean.” “How can you? You’ve been out forever.” I scoff and rest my forehead against his for a second. Honestly, this quote is just one of the many things Kaivan said that just didn’t sit well with me and all those things he thought about Hunter and boybands in general. I mean he basically tore them apart in his interviews and then he’s dating Hunter?! Also and let’s be totally real here, he was already dating Hunt when he said those words: ”But like, where did it really come from?” “Uh, that’s it?” Kaivan blinks. “Oh, really? I thought that was just a line. I figured The Label wrote it or something.” I shake my head. “No, we signed with them after. I told you, we write all our own songs. We did it for both albums. Produced them too.” Kaivan saying and thinking that Hunter’s bandmates and he are no real musicians because they are a boyband stung! Also him assuming they can’t play any instruments and that the label writes their songs! He said this quote above when he was already dating Hunter, mind you! So the excuse at the ending of the book fell totally flat for me. He thought those things, he said those things and even more importantly he BELIEVED the things he said!!! ”You don’t need to apologize. I just want you to understand. I haven’t always been as brave as you. I’ve had to do things and say things because at the time I thought that was the only way to survive.” Also THIS!!! I’m calling it bullshit! Yes, I might have believed him and accepted his redemption arc if he wouldn’t have said all those things WHILE dating Hunter! But he did and the things he said in earlier interviews only seemed to emphasize his opinion. There’s no way Kaivan didn’t believe all those things he said and that’s exactly why I didn’t buy his apology at the ending of the book. (hide spoiler)] Kaivan was such a red flag for me so I absolutely couldn’t ship him with Hunter. Quite honestly after everything that happened with Aidan, Hunter deserved so much better than him. I think I would have been okay with Hunter being alone for a while and in my opinion this definitely would have been a more realistic approach and a better ending than the one we actually got. Also speaking of Kaivan, he’s part of a band too and he has two brothers named Kamran and Karim who are ALMOST NEVER mentioned on page. I think the only thing I know is that one of them has a beard?! I found it very unbelievable that Kaivan is in a band with his two brothers but that we barely get to see them throughout the entire story. Which brings me right to the next part that was highly unrealistic and caused me quite a headache. We have the “absent parents” again and I hate that so much. I mean all the band members are minors, yet they are allowed to go on tour with their label and literally not a single one of their parents can take off from work and accompany them during their tour?! I’ve met the “Editors” when I was about 20 or so and back then all the members of the band were about 25 – 30. They still had their parents with them and I had a really nice chat with them at 3 a.m in the morning. So, not a single one of their parents showing up for their tour felt very unrealistic. They could have taken turns at least. Also and this is a real issue here: Hunter’s mom didn’t even visit him! You’re telling me that your son’s sex life was all over the internet and that wasn’t enough reason for you to jump into the next plane and to check on him?! If this would have been my kid I would have been there faster than Speedy Gonzales! A voicemail just doesn’t cut it. ”A delightful mosaic of ethnicities (with Vietnamese-, Brazilian-, and Indian-Canadian members) and an out gay member (Hunter Drake) make the band feel refreshingly representative of Canada today.” And this brings me right to the next issue I had with the story: The band members. We’re supposed to believe that Hunter is on tour with them and that they are around each other 24/7 yet they all don’t know what’s going on with each other?! Hunter must have been the most oblivious person ever not to notice that his band members had to deal with racist slurs and insults. I wasn’t 24/7 with my band members but damn I knew about literally everything that was going on in their lives! If you’re in a band the members are your found family and even if they don’t talk about the things that hurt them you freaking notice!!! If you spend so much time together, you’re bound to! Seriously! Hunter must have had eye-patches on both eyes and headphones not to notice anything. Also there was this article of all the band members being so diverse but we didn’t get any of that. I actually had to look up one of the newspaper articles at the beginning of the book to find their surnames: Ashton Nightingale, Ethan Nguyen, Ian Souza, Owen Jogia & Hunter Drake. All the other band members just appeared occasionally and every single one of them was one-dimensional. I know that Ethan got racist shit for being with his girlfriend, I know that Ashton is Hunters best friend and I know that Ian?! I think it was Ian who wrote songs with Hunter or was it Owen?! See my problem?!! I can’t even remember who wrote songs with Hunter because it was only mentioned briefly in the book and that was it. ”My face feels painted on, and I’ve been powdered to within an inch of my life, but the worst part is my wardrobe. I’m in a white cable-knit sweater with a literal rainbow across the chest. It’s heinous, and it’s not me, but what’s the point in fighting it anymore. In being the real me. No one wants the real Hunter Drake anyway.” Well, I think that’s also the main issue I had with the book. It was superficial and never dug any deeper. A newspaper article explains that the band is diverse and that every band member has a different cultural background, but nothing is ever explored. Only if it helps to show that the other band members have to deal with bad things too, like for instance the short conversation Hunter and Ethan had about racism. Or the problem with labels wanting their stars to have a certain image and forcing them into roles they don’t want to play. The topic is addressed, sure, but at the end, we get a half-assed solution. I mean am I really expected to believe that the people who discussed the way Hunter was supposed to kiss Kaivan in public (with less tongue btw.) and planned every little detail will actually just accept that Hunter will do whatever he wants in the future?! Am I really to believe that what he did at the ending of the book won’t have any repercussions for the band? He got such a huge shit storm for what happened with Aidan and now all his fans will be accepting and the label won’t try to do any damage control?! Are you kidding me?! And even more unrealistic, am I honestly expected to believe that Hunter’s half-assed apology will actually make his fans less angry?! He was basically like: “I know I messed up. I’m sorry. Won’t happen again.” Sure, and now everything is going to be okay and we’ll all just move on. If any idol would do this in times like these, they’d be cancelled. But we don’t get to see anything of the aftermath because the author apparently decided that this wasn’t interesting enough. Am I salty? Yes, yes I am. Because this book had so much potential! There were so many important topics that were addressed but never truly explored and I think that’s so damn sad! Of course I know you can’t tackle everything in a 300+ pages book, but if you address topics like that you have to go through with them. Maybe it would have helped to focus on just three issues and to deal with them properly?! I dunno, but the way it was done here there was just too much lost potential for me. ”Kaivan’s pulled away from me, and I move to stay with him, shoulder to shoulder, because there’s so many of them and they’re all looking at me, crying out for me. Wanting wanting wanting. A hand runs through my hair, pulls hard enough to pluck and a few strands, and someone screams in triumph. “ Same goes for Hunter’s mental health. I mean the way he felt whenever he stepped into a huge crowd and what it did to him that everyone just wanted a piece of him, but was unwilling to see him for who he truly was. The topic of mental health is obviously broached but nothing is done with it. It just stands there and is. Another chance missed to actually tackle an important topic. With all the things Hunter had to deal with and did you’d think he’d at least get some therapy but nope, the book ends on a seemingly positive note and for me that just wasn’t enough. It’s like throwing about a gazillion of problems at someone and then driving off into the sunset. So I stand by it, I really would have liked it if Adib Khorram would have focused only on about 2-3 issues, but given them room to be explored, challenged, addressed and tackled properly. Maybe that makes me a bean counter because this book was clearly written for entertainment but then again if it’s really just for entertainment why raise so many important issues? “And you’re my best friend too. After what happened with hockey, I wasn’t going to let anything get in the way of your new dream. So maybe I didn’t always tell you when things were hard for me. But it’s not because things weren’t hard. It’s because I didn’t want you to think I wasn’t all in. Because I am, for as long as you want.” The only two things that felt truly real and made me emotional were the talk Aidan and Hunter had when they met after that horrible incident and Hunter’s and Ashton’s friendship. At least they seemed to be closer than Hunter was to the other band members. All told, I’m very sad I can only give this book 3 stars because I honestly thought I’d love it. I absolutely adored “Darius the Great is Not Okay” and I really wish the author had been as careful and sensitive with “Kiss & Tell” as well. Unfortunately, this didn’t happen and the book and the topics that were addressed only seemed to stay on the surface. I guess for now I’ll leave it at that and hope that my next book by the author will be a winner again. *fingers crossed* ________________ Soooo… I have a lot of thoughts on this one. It wasn’t exactly what I expected it to be yet at the same time it still kinda delivered. I’ve to think hard about what I’m going to write about this story. Full RTC soon! Because as you all know I’m nothing but thorough. *lol* P.S: YAY! I finished this in May so I can count it to my Wrap Up! XD ___________________ I’ve been dying to read this book ever since I discovered it last year and I can’t wait to dive into it! I mean this has everything! Literally EVERYTHING, I love in my books: - A boyband - Fandoms and music - The troubles of being a public figure - Heartbreak and a secret love affair - An m/m relationship - And a great cover! I mean look at that gorgeous cover!! <333 Anyway! My bestie, the Yoongi to my V, and I decided to read the hell out of this in May and that’s exactly what we’re gonna do! ;-P Wish us luck that this will be as amazing as we hope it will be. *lol* May the boyband and fandom force be with us. XD Find me on: My Blog Instagram ...more |
Notes are private!
|
1
|
May 08, 2023
|
May 31, 2023
|
May 08, 2023
|
Paperback
| ||||||||||||||
| 3.78
| 484
| Mar 31, 2023
| Mar 31, 2023
|
it was amazing
|
I’m on BookTube now! =) *I received an ARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Thank you to NetGalley and Caylan MacRae for giving me an o I’m on BookTube now! =) *I received an ARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Thank you to NetGalley and Caylan MacRae for giving me an opportunity to read this book.* Trigger warnings: (view spoiler)[thoughts of suicide (on page), emotional and physical abuse, illegal fights, assault, attempted murder, violence, inebriation, oppression (hide spoiler)] It’s very rare for me to find a book that hooks me right from the start and keeps me glued to the pages until the very end but this is exactly what happened when I started to read “Cutting Your Teeth”. This story just had everything I craved for and wanted to read about in a book. When I picked it up I hoped it would be similar to “All For the Game” and it actually was advertised for this target audience but the more I read, the more I realized that even though the story might have some AFTG vibes it could still stand on its own. “Visited the Stag a while back. Been a long time since I’ve seen someone fight like you.” “What’d that look like?” “Like you got everything on the line and you’re ready to die for it,” Killian says. Alone the way the book starts and how Ezra and Killian meet was interesting and it was exciting to dive into that underground fighting scene. Ezra is used to fight and survives by competing against other fighters in the ring. Of course, this is illegal but it’s the only thing he can do to gain money while he’s on the run from his family and as long as he keeps a low profile they won’t find him in those shady places. Well, until one night when everything goes to hell and Ezra’s past catches up to him and forces Killian to act. ”It doesn’t matter. It’s my problem, not yours.” “Ezra, we’re family now, your problems are my problems.” The word ‘vampire’ may have knocked the wind out of him, but family is a straight-up evisceration. Ezra held no faith in families, not after the one he’d survived. And this is the moment we got to the supernatural element of the story which involved not only vampires but also other mythological creatures. I already said it and I’ll say it again: AFTG and “Cutting Your Teeth” might have some similarities when it comes to Ezra’s character. He’s on the run from his family which seems to be some sort of mafia clan, Killian gifts him clothes, it’s a slow burn romance and Ezra doesn’t trust anyone because he’s gone through literal hell. But this is already the moment where all the similarities end and I was so here for it, because I got something totally new and a great story that was amazing in its own right. ”For a year he lived like that, speaking to no one and completely alone. Even with the occasional word from his sister, the isolation had done its damage. He stopped talking for a long while after that, slowly finding his voice again once forced out into the world beyond the family.” I hurt so much with Ezra, because this boy deserved so much better than he got and sometimes to read about his past and what happened to him in the book felt like a stab to my heart. I really loved his character so much and I just wanted him to be happy and safe. It was so nice to see him change and to come to terms with the fact that he wasn’t going to be alone anymore and I really liked that his dog Piper was an active part of the entire book as well. Usually pets just casually appear in books and don’t get all too much attention, but the author made sure that Ezra’s dog was always there and included in the plot. It was so refreshing to see this and considering the influence and importance of Piper’s existence in Ez’s life this was done more than just well. Which brings me to Marigold who is also an important character in the story and I really liked her relationship with Killian. They had such a nice sibling bond and even when they were angry at each other, you could still feel their mutual love. Plus despite looking very innocent Mari is extremely badass and if push comes to shove you definitely would want to have her on your side. ”I’ll give you a good answer for that, promise, but I need you here. With me.” Killian presses their foreheads together to seal the sentiment. “Don’t let yourself drown, Ezra.” “… I’m here,” Ezra says, halfway lucid. As much as I enjoyed the AFTG vibes and the supernatural element, what really made this story for me was the found family trope and Killian and Ezra’s slow burn romance. I just loved that they had all those little soft moments together and how Ezra started to trust Killian. This arc was done so well and the way their relationship developed was extremely sweet, which only caused my heart to ache even more the closer I came to the ending. It made everything so much harder to bear and even more bittersweet and painful. I was in pain. I truly was. ”Wish you hadn’t made me like being ‘Ezra’ so much.” I was in tears at that point and it still hurts to think about. Anyway! If there’s one thing I have to touch on and criticize, then it’s the time span in which the plot of the book unfolds and happens. If I remember it correctly and got it right the entire book plays in the span of about two weeks and this just felt too short for everything that happened. I mean there happens a lot and I personally think it would have been more realistic to let some time pass between all of those events. And if we’re already talking about some of the negative aspects of the book I also have to mention that a little bit more editing wouldn’t have hurt. Sometimes there were sentences that weren’t logical or conclusive and at times the way Killian spoke and acted felt slightly off for his experience and age. This however changed nothing about my enjoyment of the book and since I read an ARC the things I just mentioned might already have been changed in the final version. Ezra clamps a hand over his mouth to muffle a sound of surprise. He hadn’t expected the sudden detour or the feather light kisses trailing up to the exposed vein. Lighting arcs down his spine, turning any thought he might’ve had into radio static. “Mo stór,” Killian sights. He curls a hand over Ezra’s heart and sinks his fangs in deep. All told, I enjoyed this book immensely and it was the perfect read for me. I know some people might see it differently and that’s okay, but for me personally, this story just hit the right spot. Well, maybe there’s another similarity to AFTG after all: This book won’t be for everyone. If you love a good found family trope, a lovely slow-burn romance, supernatural creatures, AFTG vibes and broken boys that learn to heal you’ll definitely enjoy this story though. And last but not least because I just can’t end this review without mentioning it: Killian’s Gaelic endearments killed me! No seriously, whenever he addressed Ezra with another term of endearment I died a little inside. I wish Ez would have understood them and I can only hope he will be able to in book two! I honestly can’t wait to read the sequel but since this was an ARC I’m afraid it’s going to be a long wait. I already know it will be worth it, though. ________________________________ I just gotta say it: I enjoyed the hell out of this book! <33 Like seriously, this was the perfect read for me! Vampires, AFTG vibes, other mythological creatures, a found family, Killian and Ezra! Those two!!! The slow-burn! I LOVED IT! Full RTC soon! This one was a winner! =) _________________________________ I got approved for an e-ARC copy from NetGalley and I’m so excited because this book?! It sounds phenomenal!!! As far as I could gather from the blurb this is an m/m mafia story about a boy who runs from his family and meets a stranger that turns out to be a vampire. So yep this sounds like “All For the Game” meets vampires and I. AM. SO. HERE. FOR. IT!!! I can’t wait to read this!!! And gosh, I hope it lives up to my expectations! *fingers crossed* Come along on this journey with me! I’m sure it will be fun! ;-) Find me on: My Blog Instagram ...more |
Notes are private!
|
1
|
Apr 2023
|
Apr 23, 2023
|
Apr 01, 2023
| ||||||||||||||||||
| 0356515885
| 9780356515885
| 0356515885
| 3.99
| 24,853
| Feb 02, 2021
| Feb 04, 2021
|
it was amazing
|
I’m on BookTube now! =) ”I think,” Jainan said slowly, “that it’s very possible to spend all your energy doing the right thing but still miss something I’m on BookTube now! =) ”I think,” Jainan said slowly, “that it’s very possible to spend all your energy doing the right thing but still miss something obvious. I think that doesn’t make your effort meaningless. Does that make sense?” So, this is another review I should have written about a year ago! Looks like I’m finally catching up to all the book reviews I never got to which is good because by now my backlog is sentient and not amused! XD Anyway! Back to “Winter’s Orbit” and the enjoyment this book was! No, seriously! When I started to read this, I already knew that a lot of people loved it, but by just reading the blurb I couldn’t understand the hype. As it so often happens with sci-fi books the details of the story are omitted and a lot of things only make sense once you actually read the story and are right there with the characters. And let me tell you this, this story had so much unexpected depth I was glued to the pages. There was so much more to “Winter’s Orbit” than meets the eye and the world-building was amazing. I could literally feel the cold and endless solitude of one of the planets Jainan and Prince Kiem visited and the two MCs were so well-crafted as well. Not to mention all the intrigues and court machinations that are playing into the investigation around Taam’s death. Due to that there’s a little mystery element to the story as well and I loved this. Also the slow-burn romance!!! I swear this is one of the slowest-slow burns I ever read, but it’s done so masterfully that you can’t help but fall in love with those two characters and their building relationship. And last but not least, the queernormative world in which the entire plot plays in. I need more books like that! I probably could go on and on here, but I don’t want to spoil anything so I’ll tackle a couple of important topics in my spoiler section below. Also and this is important, I’ll give you a couple of trigger warnings so if you want to know them before you read the book, be my guest! Trigger warnings:(view spoiler)[ domestic violence & abuse (mental, physical, sexual) in the form of flashbacks, PTSD, grief, murder & attempted murder, mental torture & drugged MC, forced paternalism of one of the MCs (hide spoiler)] The characters: Welcome to the Iskat Empire and its questionable marriage policies! Don’t fret and worry not, you won’t be a widower for long and we’ll provide you with all the spoilers you’ll need! What? You don’t want to be married or spoiled?! Pff… Always those stubborn people! Okay, run away as fast as you can then! Good luck! ;-P Prince Kiem: If she chose to make it an Imperial command, he could be imprisoned for disobeying. “Of course not,” he said. “Very happy to – to –“ He stuttered to a halt. To forcibly marry someone whose life partner just died. What a great idea. Long live the Empire. Haha! I absolutely loved Prince Kiem and he’s definitely a new book boyfriend because how could I not adore this man? From the blurb we’re supposed to believe that he’s disreputable because he’s kind of the black sheep of the royal family, but pretty much right at the beginning of the book the reader discovers, that Prince Kiem is just a person who has little use for politics and just wants to live his life in peace and quiet. This however changes when he’s forced to marry Jainan because this arranged marriage is nothing but political. Still, Prince Kiem is fulfilling his duty and goes through with it, his only worry not that HE’s forced to marry Jainan, but that the other man is forced to marry HIM even though he just lost his husband! I mean, can we appreciate how much of a precious snowflake that makes him?! I loved Prince Kiem so damn much for that alone and the longer I read from his POV the more I realized that he’s such an intelligent, resourceful, honest, slightly clumsy but still charming and compassionate man! The way he took care of Jainan and always tried to make him feel comfortable. Moreover, how fiercely he defended him without expecting anything in return. Prince Kiem is the most altruistic and humble person I’ve read about in a long time, and I just couldn’t help but love him for it. He had quite a cunning mind and a very passionate streak as well and this made him such a complex and amazing character! As you can see, I could go on and on but I’ll leave it at that… for now! ”Agent Rakal. Your monitoring system isn’t bloody working, since your people have obviously just used it to hassle Jainan into cutting off contact. Which I’m sure made things much easier for them. Jainan is unhappy. The Thean Ambassador is unhappy. I am pissed off, and very few things piss me off. I want you to take that flag off his account.” ”If you harass him, expect a bunch of newslog articles to show up on Hren Halesar’s desk with your name all over them,” Kiem said. “Let me put this diplomatically: you have done an absolutely shit job of being balanced and proportionate in how you treat Thea’s formal representative in the palace, and I don’t trust you.” Kiem opened his eyes. “’S fine,” he said, because apparently he wouldn’t get enough quiet to sleep until Jainan was reassured. “Warming up. Bear’s gone. No reason to be worried.” “Yes, there is,” Jainan said. “You’ve barely said anything in the last half hour.” “Damning evidence,” Kiem mumbled into the bit of cushioning that served as a pillow. ”Did I tell you Vaile’s trying to make me a diplomat? I’m hoping I can quietly slide out of it.” There was a flash of something curious in the glance Jainan gave him. “Yes, you wouldn’t enjoy that at all,” he said. “Imagine you trying to cope with meeting people, talking to people, persuading people to agree on things…” “Wait,” Kiem said. “Wait, what? One argument with the Emperor, fine, but I’m not clever enough for –“ He broke off. “I’m not used to the other stuff. That’s politics.” Jainan: ”We don’t have to do anything, is what I mean. I can sleep on the couch.” Realization hit Jainan like a fist to the gut. He had failed so badly to communicate that Kiem assumed he was rejecting him, assumed Jainan was not even going to try to make the marriage work. Jainan was going to doom this from the start by being too cold, too stiff, too uptight.” Oh, Jainan! This man was such a complex character as well and I honestly can only salute to Everina Maxwell for creating such richly layered MCs! Despite his bodily strength and the way he looks like Jainan is a really shy, timid, insecure and soft-spoken man. Unfortunately there was a good reason for all the misunderstandings him and Prince Kiem had to deal with and I felt so sorry for him. The things Jainan had to endure while he was married to Taam were horrible and it’s no wonder he didn’t dare to share his thoughts. My heart broke for him whenever he flinched away and didn’t expect kindness from Prince Kiem. His character arc was so beautiful to follow, though. How he came into himself and realized that he didn’t have to put up with all the things the Iskat Empire forced on him was amazing and it was so satisfying to follow his journey! At the beginning of the book he was so scared and felt alone, but by the end of it he demanded to be informed about what was happening and this literally caused me to cry happy tears of joy! The tables turned and he defended Prince Kiem with everything he had. T_T It was so, so gratifying to see this, you have no idea! <3 ”My name is Jainan nav Adessari of Feria,” Jainan said in a barely audible voice. His eyes were still shut. “I am a diplomatic representative to the Empire. I am an engineer. I. I. I am proud to represent my planet. I have always tried to do the right thing for Thea and the treaty. I have nothing to be ashamed of.” The litany turned his voice into a bleak, steely thread, like the safety tether that spooled a spacewalker into the void. “I might be easy to manipulate. But I am very difficult to break.” Kiem felt like he had been punched in the stomach. “Yes.” Something inside Jainan snapped. His fingers curled around the cup. “I have had enough,” he said, in a voice that surprised even him, “of being treated as if I am incompetent. Last time I saw my partner, he was tackling a man with an incapacitator gun. Please show me the visitor list so I can ascertain if he is alive.” Bel: Bel looked at him, then something in her seemed to crack, and she covered her eyes with her hand. “You need help,” she said. “No, I know Jainan needs help, but so do you, because you’re clearly out of your mind. But I’m going to come back, and this is a conversation we’re going to have later. Okay?” Bel is the best assistant ever and she should get a medal for putting up with Kiem and his antics! *lol* I loved her so much and she was an amazing friend not only to Prince Kiem but also to Jainan. Considering her rather, let’s say, complicated background it didn’t surprise me that she just wanted to be an assistant with a good income and a normal life. I really liked that she was more than just an employee for Prince Kiem though and turned out to be one of his best friends and closest confidants. Bel is made of awesome sauce, period! ”Kiem,” Bel said bluntly. “Are you okay?” Kiem opened his mouth, then shut it again. How did you say that? How did you say, My partner thinks it’s his duty to sleep with me, even though he isn’t into it in the slightest?” The relationships & ships: Prince Kiem & Jainan: ”The treaty,” Jainan said. His expression was entirely neutral again. “The treaty,” Kiem agreed. “But look, this wasn’t your first choice. I wasn’t expecting it either, but we’re stuck with it. Can we at least agree we’ll try and make it work? I know you’ll need space to – to grieve. We can just act the bare minimum to sell the marriage to the palace, and drop it when we’re in private.” The way Prince Kiem always wanted the best for Jainan but his poor husband didn’t understand his kindness because he never got any from his deceased spouse. T_T To see their relationship through Kiem’s POV was interesting and you couldn’t help but feel snubbed whenever Jainan reacted confused and seemingly ungrateful to his suggestions and proposals. I remember thinking: Why doesn’t he see Kiem’s friendliness for what it is?! But the more I got to see how Jainan was forced to live while married to Taam, the more I began to understand where he was coming from. This was done so masterfully and I think their romance developed in a natural way. Yes, it was an extremely slow slow-burn, but considering all the trust issues they had to overcome this felt more than just realistic. It took Jainan some time to see Prince Kiem’s kidness for what it was but their little tender moments and gentle gestures felt so much more rewarding because of it. Also it was so cute how besotted Prince Kiem was with Jainan but hid it because he didn’t want to push him or force him to do anything. No, seriously, go get yourself a man like Kiem because he’s a rare and precious kind! I loved that they nourished each other and made it possible to overcome their inhibitions and fears. Those two just worked so well! And their communication once they started to talk and to trust each other. T_T They enabled each other to make use of their full potential and I loved that for them. They had something Taam and Jainan never had – a relationship at eyelevel. It kinda broke my heart that neither of them realized how much they loved each other until they finally admitted it at the end but as I already said, I was so pleased with how their relationship developed. So I wouldn’t have missed it for the world. <3 It makes me sad to know that the other book of this series won’t be about them because I genuinely could have read another book with them as the MCs, but I’m sure the next book will be great as well. Kiem and Jainan had such a healthy and curative relationship, it will be hard to top that. If anyone can do it, it’s Everina, though. ”Did I say something wrong at lunch, before you left? If it was anything I said about Thea, and if there’s any way I can fix it –“ “Will you please be clear,” Jainan said, his frustration making it come out louder than he meant it to. “I don’t. I can’t. I can’t read your mind. Will you please be clear what it is you want from me.” There was silence. Kiem said, “What?” ”I’m going to call Ressid,” Jainan said. It sounded like a tentative challenge. “Please,” Kiem said. “Study’s all yours if you want the vid-chair. Or the bedroom’s yours, of course. Or here – I don’t need to change, I can just go out. I’ll go out.” “No,” Jainan said, stopping him in midflow. “Thank you.” Before Kiem realized what was happening, Jainan stepped in and pressed a kiss to his cheek, light and swift. Jainan turned away to the study, which was a good thing, as he didn’t see Kiem raise his hand to his cheek like an idiot before he caught himself. ”Tell me what you like.” The question took Jainan off guard. “What?” Kiem caught Jainan’s hand and laced their fingers together. “We’ll do what you want. What do you like?” Jainan only just stopped himself from saying, I don’t know. He couldn’t remember being asked. But he could feel Kiem’s expectation and his stirring of surprise when Jainan didn’t have an answer. He ignored them. He ignored everything except the way Kiem shot out of his chair, caught his foot on the leg of it, stumbled, reached out. Jainan caught his hands. He hadn’t meant to clutch them as tightly as he did. “Kiem.” “Jainan,” Kiem said, as if his name was the first breath of air he’d drawn in minutes. ”And how do we know, you ask?” The Emperor said. “Because the dratted man apparently requested that each of them send a copy of their article to my Private Office – why are you wearing that particularly vacuous grin?” Jainan did not strike out and create a random mess, like Kiem would have done. He caused deliberate, targeted mayhem. “I love him,” Kiem said. He shouldn’t say it. Jainan’s declarations had just been politics, he knew that, but Kiem was unable to stop smiling. Jainan & Taam: ”I see,” she said. Jainan tried not to read any disapproval into it. “But we’ve cleared it now, so you might as well claim it. His highness will just fill it with his rubbish if you don’t.” Jainan felt his entire back knot up. “I don’t – I don’t need it,” he said. “I don’t want to argue with his highness.” Ugh. Taam must have been such a piece of work and I disliked him more and more the longer I read this book. Poor Jainan didn’t deserve to a have such a piece of sh*t as his husband but he was forced to put up with him for so long. From everything, I heard about Taam he was just a vile human being who took away his husband’s rights just because he could and it was convenient for him. The world and especially Jainan are better off without him. The more I think about it, the more I’m convinced that Taam also gaslighted Jainan in addition to abusing, patronizing and treating him like… well, you know. No one is going to mourn him. I certainly don’t. The way he abused his power… my poor and precious Jainan. I’m just glad he met Kiem and started to heal. If there’s any justice in the world Taam is rotting in hell now. ”Like – fuck – like he’d been entirely focused on Kiem the first few days after the wedding. Those odd pauses. The messages linked to Taam’s account. The way Jainan had never said no. If Kiem had known him as he did now, he would have noticed that. If he’d had the intelligence of a block of wood, he would have noticed it. He was the most unobservant, most world-shatteringly useless – “ ”It would have worked,” he said. “It would have worked, if I’d been someone else.” Kiem made a chopping motion with his hand. “No,” he said. “Rubbish. Bullshit. I may never be right about anything again, but I’m right about this.” Jainan hadn’t moved away. Kiem reached out and touched his shoulder. “If he couldn’t cope with you, then he couldn’t have coped with anything except curling up with one of his own rank medals. Nobody could want more than who you are.” Conclusion: My review for “Winter’s Orbit” might have come pretty late but I wanted to write a more detailed one in order to do this book justice! There are so many things I loved about this story and it surprised me in the best way possible. “Winter’s Orbit” is so much more than just a space opera romance and it offers an entire bandwidth of complex characters, interesting themes and important issues! If you haven’t read this one I highly recommend you pick it up, chances you won’t be disappointed are very high! ;-) __________________________ The fact I enjoyed this book so much! <333 This was awesome and I loved the world building and our two MCs. Such a good slow-burn relationship but boy, did I suffer with Jainan and Kiem. And speaking of Prince Kiem! HE DESERVES THE WORLD! My new book bf! <3 Just love him to bits and pieces. Full RTC soon! Why aren’t more people talking about this book?!! ___________________________ I’m a simple person. You tell me “Winter’s Orbit” is an m/m romance that plays in space and I’ll be like: “Ohh I’m intrigued.” If you add court intrigues, an arranged marriage and two princes who distrust each other at first but then fall in love? Well, all I’ll say is “I’m sold.” *lol* So yep, this book seems to have everything I just mentioned and I’ve been dying to read it. Thankfully my library just got it and I was among the first people to snatch it off the shelf. Plus I've been told this is a good choice for the #transrightsreadathon that's happening this week on Instagram and since I wanted to participate (even if it's just in a small way) to read this book seemed to be a good way to do just that. I’m ready to dive into this book, are you as well? =) Find me on: My Blog Instagram ...more |
Notes are private!
|
1
|
Mar 20, 2023
|
Apr 08, 2023
|
Mar 20, 2023
|
Paperback
| ||||||||||||||
| 1473693144
| 9781473693142
| 1473693144
| 4.21
| 10,661
| Jul 13, 2021
| Jul 19, 2022
|
it was amazing
|
I’m on BookTube now! =) ”We can’t know what’s going to happen tomorrow, but if we spend all our time focusing on what might happen, we could end up mis I’m on BookTube now! =) ”We can’t know what’s going to happen tomorrow, but if we spend all our time focusing on what might happen, we could end up missing what does happen.” I can’t believe I read this book over a year ago but still remember it so vividly. I’m about to start “Heat Wave” soon so I figured it was about time I finally gave you my review for the second book. Sometimes it might take me ages to write a review, but they always come. Eventually. ;-P I think I needed the time to digest the story and to let it work, because no matter how many funny scenes we got in “Flash Fire” it still had a more serious tone than “The Extraordinaries”. There were many topics that were touched in the first book, but never got a proper chance to be explored, so to me it felt like Klune made sure to give them enough room this time around. And the themes that are addressed have it in them. We don’t just have the grief rep from the first book but we also get to understand it from Aaron Bell’s perspective. The power dynamics are shifting and there’s at least as much betrayal as there is xenophobia. I think I’d even go as far as to say that there’s a proper witch hunt going on and that the hatred of a few is starting to ignite the wrath of the many. Naturally, with this, there inevitably comes the question if being a superhero is worth all the trouble that comes along with it. If people don’t want to be saved, why even bother to save them? Who is watching out for the superheroes that risk their lives in order to safe others? Does having the ability to safe others automatically mean that you need to use your powers in order to do good? I think you can already tell that this book raised a lot of questions and I’m still not sure if I found an answer to all of them. But then again, maybe that’s the thing. The discussion about superpowers and how to use them is as old as the original superhero story and sometimes it’s already enough to question the status quo. There will never be an overall solution, just an individual one for everyone who’s confronted with the choice. T.J. Klune didn’t invent something new, but he certainly managed to give an old story a new spin and I really appreciated this. “Heat Wave” was a fresh breath of life to the superhero stories we all know and have come to love and I can’t wait to read the last book! Before that, I’ll discuss this one in greater detail, though. So buckle up and come along for the freaky ride. This is going to be fun! ;-) The characters: Welcome back to Nova City! Where (some) superhero dreams come true and dangerous spoilers wait around every corner! The level of superheroes might have increased but so did the level of danger! If you don’t want to be spoiled leave the city as fast as you can! You never know which villain has set their eyes on you… Nick: Maybe he was going about this all wrong. “Bear Hug of Destruction!” he bellowed and hurled himself at the punching bag, wrapping his arms and legs around it. Haha! OMG! I just love Nicky! He’s such a funny character but boy, did he suffer in here. My boy had so many things on his plate and prom was the least of his worries. Nick has a lot of character development in this book, but it came at a high cost and I still feel so sorry for everything he had to go through. In “The Extraordinaries” he’s up to a lot of mischief while he tries to become a superhero but in this book he finds out that he actually is one and that his father took away his abilities by drugging him for years. The betrayal and how he found out about it felt visceral and I hurt so much with him. But as if that wouldn’t have been enough he also had to figure out his superpowers and tried to be there for Seth who struggled with being a hero. Not to mention Simon Burke who definitely didn’t make their lives any easier and basically started a witch hunt for Extraordinaries. Boy, did it hurt to read about that moment when he found out about his father’s betrayal and when he tried to figure out if his father was lying to him. So painful. >_< Despite all that Nick didn’t give up, though and I loved him so much for that. He tried to do what felt right and I think sometimes that’s all you can do. You fight through the pain and hurt and you hope that your inner compass shows you the right path. I honestly didn’t think it would lead to that kind of ending, though and wow, I did not expect that! O_o Which is one of the many reasons I need to read book 3 asap! ”Those days were when his thoughts were a jumbled knot in his head, and no matter how much he tugged on individual strands, it only made the knot tighter. Those das were when he felt like he was vibrating out of his skin, unable to sit still for any length of time. He fidgeted. He tapped his foot. He rapped his fingers against his thighs and the top of his desk. He clicked his pen again and again.” ”Dad was good, but Nick had spent far too much time clicking through Wikipedia and knew what to look for. Dad’s eyes never darted away; he didn’t try to embellish by filling in the blanks. It struck, Nick, then, that he was trying to see if his father was lying to him.” ”Kid, what’s – what’s going on?” Nick picked up his phone and took an answering step back, his mind viciously blank. He couldn’t form a single coherent thought, and the sound that fell from his open mouth was a high-pitched whine, broken and weak. Seth: ”I made the decision to become Pyro Storm because someone I cared about needed a hero. He didn’t know that he was already my hero, and I wanted to do anything I could to make sure he never got hurt that way again. And it sort of steamrolled from there, because someone always needs saving, and if I could help them, then I had to. They were – are – my responsibility.” Seth is so damn precious!! I can’t even! I love this boy so much and I think him and Nick deserve the world! <33 They both wanted to be Extraordinaries because they tried to protect the people they love and care about, but in “Flash Fire” they are forced to think about the consequences and what being a superhero truly means. In Seth’s case it raises the question of how long he’ll be able to be Pyro Storm and if a normal life is even in the cards for him. The atmosphere changed drastically and thanks to Burke superheroes aren’t welcome at Nova City anymore. Yet despite all that he can’t stop helping people, because being a superhero is a big part of him and he just can’t switch it off. Still, this kind of life comes with a lot of consequences, lies and sacrifice. Seth isn’t allowed to be a normal teenager and all the responsibilities that come along with being an Extraordinary begin to show their claws & teeth and start to influence his daily life. Not to mention the inner conflict that comes along with the idea of quitting to be Pyro Storm. If you have the power to save lives, isn’t it your responsibility to make use of it? I loved how Klune managed to confront his readers with those questions and I think there’ll never be a single correct answer. I’m curious in which kind of direction Seth’s character is going to develop in the last book and if he’s going to find some answers that feel right for him. ”Part of being an Extraordinary is facing things, even when you don’t want to. You have the power, Nick. Now you need to figure out what to do with it.” “You’re allowed to want things.” Nick hesitated. “Being Pyro Storm isn’t all of you, but it’s a big part. Could you really let that go?” “I don’t know,” Seth muttered. He sounded frustrated. “I won’t know unless I try. That terrifies me. Because if I did try, there’ll come a moment where someone will need Pyro Storm, and I’ll have to decide whether or not to do anything about it.” He rubbed his gloved hand over his face. “I don’t know if I can choose to ignore someone who needs help. What kind of a person would that make me?” Simon Burke: ”I was driving by and I thought, o my, that looks just like my son’s former boyfriend. And I couldn’t let the opportunity pass me by. We haven’t had a chance to talk, you and I, and that simply won’t do. We’re tied together in ways you can’t even begin to understand.” Nick scoffed. “Yeah, okay. Go, to hell, you weirdo.” I hate that man so much and I think he makes for a great villain. I mean Simon Burke is the embodiment of a rich man who thinks he can buy everything with money and is manipulative af! He doesn’t hesitate to use people for his own gain and not even his own son seems to be off limits. He’s a vile human being that has nothing better to do than to involve people in his cruel machinations and the way he hurt Nick’s and his father’s relationship was so intentional I felt sick to my stomach. Burke knew exactly what he was doing by driving a wedge between those two and I hate him even more for this. Not to mention the witch-hunt for Extraordinaries he started and that no doubt, will cause our poor heroes to suffer in the end. No matter how his story ends, I hope karma will bite him in his insensitive butt and that he won’t be able to harm anyone else. >_< "See something, say something, because that is the only way we'll be able to understand our superpowered brethren." Miss Conduct: ”First, she’s a drag queen. When she’s in costume, she uses she/her pronouns. When she’s not, she uses he/him.” “A Puerto Rican drag queen,” the Extraordinary said, a seductive curl to her lips. “The best in Nova City.” Okay, bear with me here but I just couldn’t NOT talk about Miss Conduct! Seriously, she’s the coolest new addition to the Extraordinaries in Nova City and I love her! <333 That girl is on fire and I’m extremely besotted with her. Doesn’t matter if she’s in costume or not, plus she has amazing lines and her heart is in the right place! I honestly hope that we’ll see more of this fierce drag queen in the last book because damn, I’m rooting for her big time! Considering the way this book ended, we might be in for a hard ride in the last instalment, though. XD ”You won’t help us?” “I didn’t say that, twinkie,” Miss Conduct said sharply. “While I don’t like the idea of going up against someone like Burke, I refuse to live in fear forever. Life’s too short to worry about the simpleminded people who hate us for who we are. I went through that the first time I put on makeup. I’ll be damned if I’m going to let people make me feel bad because of who I am. Never again. The relationships & ships: Nicky & Seth: Nick said, “I’m sorry.” Seth shrugged. “You don’t need to be. You remember when I came out to you? You had my back then. I know you’ll have it now.” “Please be my friend forever,” Nick said, because it was the only thing he could think of. Seth laughed quietly. “Forever is a long time.” “I know, but you’re worth it.” Seth brought Nick’s hand to his mouth, kissing the back of it sweetly. Seth and Nick are one hell of an adorable couple and no one can persuade me otherwise. <3 I love that they are so comfortable around each other and the fact they are the from-friends-to-lovers trope come to life certainly doesn’t hurt! No, seriously! They are amazing together and whenever Nicky is losing his grip on reality Seth is there to ground him. They just complement each other so well. *sighs deeply* I honestly hope that we’ll get more of their sweet little moments in the next book because due to everything that was going on their relationship suffered a little bit. Still, they were always there for each other when it mattered the most and their communication is amazing! Give me more couples like Seth and Nick that actually talk about their feelings and support each other through their hard times. They are beautiful. <3 ”Did you know there are furries who dress up like rabbits? That’s so rad, right? I wouldn’t be a rabbit if I was a furry, because little kids would think I was the Easter Bunny and I don’t want kids accosting me for my eggs –“ “Nicky.” Nick deflated. “Thank you for stopping me. I have no idea where that was going.” Seth chuckled quietly. “I figured.” Nick & his father: ”Tell me, Mr. Bell. You knew him better than I ever could. Do you really think I could force him to do anything he didn’t want to do?” “Yes,” Nick said. “Because I know I would do anything for my dad, even if it hurt me.” I love Aaron Bell and I adore Nicky, but as much as I had fun with that “Rough-and-Tumble” scene – I laughed so hard I had tears in my eyes – those two had an extremely rocky relationship in “Flash Fire”. Which is to be expected when your father tells you lies, secretly drugs you for years and is in league with the enemy. I wanted to give Aaron the benefit of the doubt but those were all facts I just couldn’t ignore. No matter how much you love your children and always want the best for them, the things he did to his own son were so wrong. The level of betrayal was too extreme and I could feel Nick’s struggle and inner conflict because I felt the same way. When he told his father that he loves him but doesn’t like him very much right now I felt that statement in my bones. It was such a great scene and it portrayed Nick’s confused feelings so well. T_T I’m still in pain thinking about this moment in the book, and this even after an entire year has passed in between. It just hurt so much. Still, if you truly love your parents you just can’t hate them forever and Nick’s feelings being all over the place for a while was extremely realistic. I honestly hope the Bell men will find a way back to each other, but I’m sure it will take a while. Especially with the return of Nick’s mom! I didn’t see that one coming and even though I knew something about the new Extraordinary was going to be revealed this wasn’t exactly what I envisioned. XD Just another reason to read the last book! I need answers!! ”You went to Simon fucking Burke – and why the hell don’t I remember that? – and found a way to take something from me that you had no right to.” “We wanted to keep you –“ “Safe? By crushing me? By shoving this thing so far down behind a wave of pills that I wouldn’t be able to find it? Do you have any idea the kind of violation that is? What if you'd been a homophobic dick, on top of everything else? Would you have tried to find a way to kill that too?" ”Did I make mistakes? Yeah, Nicky. Many, many mistakes. But I couldn’t have the same thing happen to you. Hate me all you want, but I did what I did because I love you more than anything on this earth. I would do anything for you, even if that meant squashing the part of you that you think makes you extraordinary. You were already extraordinary. Every single piece of you. Every single part.” Nicky, the Gray’s & their friend group: ”Welcome, welcome! It’s so lovely to see you all again. Please, come in. Have a cookie. Have several cookies. I’ve often found that when your mouth is full, you’re unable to ask questions.” Bless Martha and Bob Gray because those two are angels!!! It was so funny how they handled the “coming out” as superheroes and tried to provide a safe environment for our MCs and their friends. This scene might have been hilarious but it was also necessary because our beloved friend group reached a point where they needed to come clean in order to be able to move on. Still, the way Martha and Bob took care of Nicky when he couldn’t even trust his own father. I had tears in my eyes; you need good people like that in your life and friends like Jazz and Gibby! Those two are made of awesome sauce as well and I was so thankful they took care of Nicky and helped him to get through the betrayal of his father. And because I need to say it here: Bob Gray is a legend! *lol* I think he outed himself as bi-sexual or at least queer with that statement of remembering the time he was sixteen and his one-liners are one of the best things about this series! XD Give me more of Bob Gray any day! Haha! I seriously hope there’s more to come in the last book! ”You’re safe here, I promise. Whatever’s happening, whatever you’re becoming, you’re safe here.” Nick sniffed, hanging his head. “I could really use a hug right now.” She hugged him without hesitation, cupping the back of his head, pressing him against her chest. His shoulder shook, his eyes burned, and he hung on for dear life. ”They were almost eye-level, and Nick was hit square in the chest by how much he cared for these ridiculous people. They were his, and no one could take that away from him. Maybe things would change in the future, but here, now, they were together.” ”Easier said than done," Bob said, folding his hands over his stomach. "I remember being sixteen. I wanted to put myself in pretty much anything that would have me - men, women, didn't matter to me." Conclusion: “Flash Fire” was everything I hoped for and even though the overall tone of the story was definitely more on the serious side we still got a lot of hilarious moments that were able to lighten up the mood. To say this book was an emotional roller coaster would be putting it mildly, but for me this is part of this series charm. When you read “The Extraordinaries” you want to laugh and cry in equal measure and Klune delivers on that front like no other author I know. I honestly can’t wait to see how it all ends and I’m ready to find out. Are you too? ;-) _________________________________ I didn’t know this was possible but I loved this even more than the first book?! The relationships and friendships in this series are everything and the humour is chef’s kiss! Honestly, I love them all! They are too adorable and haha Bob and Aaron will always hold a special place in my heart. Those two men! <333 But once again: THAT ENDING!!!! AHHH! *insert Edvard Munch's "The Scream"* Full RTC soon! This might become a long review. *lol* __________________________________ GAH! I’m so excited to finally start this! I wanted to read “Flash Fire” ever since I finished “The Extraordinaries” last summer so here I am looking at my awesome boys on the cover and itching to open this book and to read the first page! I can’t wait to find out what is going to happen next!! New superheroes in town? Well, I’m all in! =) Let’s do this! XD Find me on: My Blog Instagram ...more |
Notes are private!
|
1
|
Mar 13, 2023
|
Apr 09, 2023
|
Mar 13, 2023
|
Paperback
| ||||||||||||||
| 1509247572
| 9781509247578
| B0BKR53PSW
| 3.46
| 268
| Feb 06, 2023
| Feb 06, 2023
|
really liked it
|
I’m on BookTube now! =) *I received this book as a free eBook ARC from NetGalley and The Wild Rose Press, Inc in exchange for an honest review. Than I’m on BookTube now! =) *I received this book as a free eBook ARC from NetGalley and The Wild Rose Press, Inc in exchange for an honest review. Thank you for approving my request.* ”We fell asleep perfectly slotted together, my arm wrapped around his frame, holding him against my chest. Part of me never wanted to let go, and the other part was scared to death about what that might mean.” trigger warnings: (view spoiler)[: public outing by the press, grief rep – mention of the death of a partner and unborn child, injury (hide spoiler)] When I went into this book I expected to get an m/m from enemies-to-lovers romance that played during the Olympic Games and I’m really happy to say that this was exactly what I got. Sure not everything about this book was perfect, but if you don’t overthink every single moment you’ll have a really good time and just page through it. At least that’s what I did and I enjoyed the book immensely. So first things first: Let’s address the big elephant in the room, the love story between Lucas and Oliver. I personally loved their chemistry and the way they grated on each other. I always enjoy a good “from enemies-to-lovers” trope but very often authors don’t dare to actually go for it because it’s not easy to create two characters that dislike or even hate each other at first and then fall in love. To write this trope is certainly a challenge, but I think Rebecca J. Caffery did a good job with it. At the beginning of the book Lucas and Oliver are clearly not all too happy to be forced to share a room together but they just grit their teeth and go with it because they are both adults and they know how to be professional. Or well, at least that’s what they think until they actually share said room together. It doesn’t take long before they are at each other’s throats and the tension that built up between them over the course of four years almost gets the better of them. The thing is whatever the tension between them, it’s most definitely not entirely hostile and they both realize this pretty quickly when they go at each other without anyone to interrupt their fights. I really lived and breathed for this because you could see their struggle while they tried to make sense of their attraction. It was always there and had been there for a long time, but none of them ever considered acting on it, or at least not until they were suddenly thrown in a room together without anyone who could stop them from doing something extremely irresponsible and stupid. Some might say the change from enemies to lovers went too quickly and I can see why some people would come to this conclusion, but I personally think it was done well. Those two boys had four years to check each other out and I’m sure if they’d have opened up to each other sooner they certainly would have been a couple already. It just took the Olympics to get them in a room together and to force them to talk. Also I don’t think Oliver was mean because he invited Lucas to tag along with the team but didn’t really expect him to say “yes” or kind of hoped he’d say “no”. If you’ve tried to befriend someone for four years and that person always declines your invitations you’ll get frustrated. It’s only natural and human. Plus and this is important Oliver, Tom and Julius are best friends and Lucas was busy with school and graduating. It couldn’t have been easy for Lucas to always turn them down, but he probably always felt uncomfortable with the group because it’s not easy to befriend three best friends that already have their inside jokes etc. So yes, I could understand both sides and was okay with the way they thought about each other at first. Once they hit it off, though! Oh, boy! “What are you saying, you want to sleep together again? Why?” “Again and again and again,” I added because why the fuck not. I could see, from the sparkle in his eyes and how the tip of his ears burnt red beneath his auburn curls, he was considering it. Their interactions were amazing and full of sass and their banter was great! I always love it when people are honest and direct and those two knew exactly what they wanted and didn’t beat about the bush. It was really refreshing to see them just go for it and the fact they spoke about what they liked was something I truly appreciated. Of course they both think it’s only sex, for the reader it’s pretty clear it isn’t just sex, though. They were just too cute together and the way they cared about each other spoke volumes even if they tried to deny it all the time. I think they needed to have a go at each other in order to open up and to be able to get to know each other. And there were a lot of things they didn’t know about the other which brings me right to the surprising and well done grief rep of this book. ”I ran my fingers softly through his curls and in his sleep he shuffled closer to me until he had a leg thrown over my thigh. Lucas Evans was killing me and it was fucking ridiculous. He’d always been gorgeous, but it was so much easier to despise him when he was moody and set on going at this alone. Now, not so much.” I didn’t expect to find a grief representation in this story but in my opinion it was done very well and the effect it had on the characters involved was pretty realistic. The focus clearly wasn’t on the grief rep and it was just a tiny part of the overall picture, but it really helped to understand where the characters were coming from. As the plot moves along we find out more and more about Lucas’s and Oliver’s backgrounds and why they are the way they are and this added a lot to my enjoyment of the book. As did the fact that this story played in the Olympic village and that we got to read about the competitions and sport events as well as the male gymnastics team practicing their routines on the floor. This aspect of the book was very interesting and I liked it a lot. I don’t know anything about gymnastics so I have no idea if the representation of the sport was done well. As a layman all I can say is that I enjoyed what I read and that it worked for me so please take this with a grain of salt if your knowledge about gymnastics is more extensive than mine. What I CAN say (as someone who danced professionally for years and took quite some injuries from it) is that the topic of a career in a physically demanding sport was handled very realistically and that I could relate to it. If you are an athlete you learn the limits of your body pretty quickly and to be at the Olympics is a one-time opportunity you have to grab with both of your hands. He performed a full spin like it was nothing, like his feet were glued to the six inches of wood below him. “Was this worth losing two hundred pounds over?” he asked, arms fully extended in the air as he steadied himself for what I was sure was going to be a flawless flip sequence. “Every penny,” I commented as I leant back against the chalk pit and followed the curve of every muscle as he flipped once, twice, and a third time to the other side of the beam without a single wobble. I’d always admired him on the floor, to the point I don’t think I appreciated he could be just as good on any other apparatus. He’d truly proven me wrong. His balance was impeccable.” To be honest, just to read about how much Oliver appreciated Lucas’s skill made me happy because it’s one of those things only someone who does sports can understand. There is some beauty to moving your body in time, an invisible rhythm to your movements that causes you to lose track of time and allows you to live in the moment. It’s not just a pleasure if you do it yourself, you also gain so much enjoyment from just watching someone doing something they love and are good at as well. I absolutely adored this aspect of the book because it wasn’t just visible when they were on the mat but also when Oliver and Lucas watched each other secretly without the other even noticing. It was a lovely analogy and fit perfectly to them and their mutual love for gymnastics. I see what you did there, dear author. ;-) ”I wanted to wrap Oliver up and protect him from the world and that wasn’t normally how I felt towards anyone other than my best friend and my family. Yet Oliver had wormed his way into a place quite close to my heart and even if I didn’t want to admit it right now, this was way more than sex for me.” Conclusion: All told I had a really great time with “Olympic Enemies” and the book gave me everything I signed up for. Lucas and Oliver were a cute couple and their way from enemies to lovers might have been a little bit fast but also comprehensible. The banter and the friendships were amazing and I had a good time reading about the Olympic Games. If there was one thing I didn’t like about the book then it was the fact that the ending was too abrupt. I really would have liked to see some sort of exploration of the aftermath of the Olympics and how the characters dealt with their new reality. I guess that’s just a personal preference though and I can live with the ending the way it is. If you like m/m books about sports, the enemies-to-lovers trope and great friendships this book definitely might be a good read for you. _____________________________ This book was so cute and gave me everything I signed up for. Enemies-to-lovers, Olympic games, competitions, sports, found family, the MCs being famous and an m/m relationship! Needless to say I thoroughly enjoyed it! =) I just wish the ending would have been explored more, but I’ll get to that once I write my review! This said: Full RTC soon! Stay tuned. ______________________________ I got this book as an ARC from NetGalley and because I had troubles with my e-copy I’m only reading it now. The idea of two male Olympic gymnasts that have an enemies-to-lovers trope going on was just too appealing and I couldn’t resist. I’m extremely curious about this book now and I hope it will be a winner! (Pun intended! ;-P) *fingers crossed* Find me on: My Blog Instagram ...more |
Notes are private!
|
1
|
Feb 16, 2023
|
Feb 26, 2023
|
Feb 16, 2023
|
Paperback
| ||||||||||||||
| 9798985502282
| B0BQFZS322
| 4.26
| 294
| unknown
| Feb 21, 2023
|
really liked it
|
I’m on BookTube now! =) *I received this book as a free eBook ARC from NetGalley and Jetspace Studio in exchange for an honest review. Thank you for I’m on BookTube now! =) *I received this book as a free eBook ARC from NetGalley and Jetspace Studio in exchange for an honest review. Thank you for approving my request.* The premise of this book was pretty easy: A former k-drama star falls in love with a former k-pop idol and their forbidden romance causes a lot of trouble. So far, so good but “Idol Minds” is so much more than meets the eye. I’ve to admit that I was a little bit sceptical at first because in the first couple of chapters Jason isn’t exactly the most likable character and Tae Hyun seems to be a little bit standoffish. But then, then those two meet and right from the very first chapter they are in a room together you can feel that sizzling chemistry the blurb spoke about. The interesting thing is, they don’t like each other and hate each other’s guts which made for a very intriguing baseline for their future relationship. They just rub each other the wrong way but at the same time they can’t deny that they are attracted to each other and want to give in. I really loved their chemistry and the way they interacted. They might have started off at the wrong foot but they were reasonable enough to try to make things work. At first just job-wise but the more they talk with each other, the more they begin to understand where the other one is coming from and this was really so nice to see. They communicate and they open up and learn to speak about their past and most importantly they allow themselves to heal. Both of them have been hurt and while Jason hid it behind his Hollywood bad boy image, Tae Hyun dealt with it by never letting anyone get too close to him. Both their character arcs were well written and I had a good time finding out what happened before. Interestingly the author didn’t shy away from going for steamy scenes either and I think if I had to define their relationship it would be insta-lust that gradually turns into more. I mean they both were aware of each other before they met, they are both public figures after all, so insta-lust seems to be an adequate way to describe what happened between them. The more they get to know each other the more they start to flirt as well and I personally lived and breathed for their easy banter. Jason is a direct, unapologetic and extremely flirty character and Tae Hyun might be reserved and sensitive but he still knows how to handle Jason’s antics. So you can bet I had a field day reading their conversations and enjoyed them immensely. Another thing I have to mention in my review is that I absolutely adored the women in this book. No matter if it was Yoo Mi, Tae Hyun’s best friend, or Naomi Jason’s manager who is like a young mother hen that watches out for him, they both were amazing and added so much to the story. It’s always nice to read about strong women and those two definitely fell into that category. Plus I think the author did a very good job of portraying the k-pop industry as well. Jason and Tae Hyun have to learn to navigate its deep and cunning waters and there was a little nice mystery element in the story that had me guessing and wondering who the culprit might be. I’m not going to spoil anything about this here though, so you’ll have to read the book yourself if you want to find out what I’m talking about. ;-) What I will talk about are a couple of trigger warnings you should be aware of when going into the book. The topics aren't addressed all too strongly, but I still wanted to mention them just in case: (view spoiler)[homophobia, abusive parents, suicide (talked about on page), racism, MCs being outed (hide spoiler)] Conclusion: This said, I really enjoyed “Idol Minds” and whilst the first 20% or so made it a little bit hard to like the characters the rest of the book definitely made up for it. I guess you could say Jason and Tae Hyun are good for each other and bring out each other’s better qualities, which in all honesty, makes their love even more believable in my eyes. All told I’m pretty sure that everyone who loves k-pop and steamy m/m romances that feature strong female side-characters will have a good time with this book. I definitely did. ___________________________________ When I started reading “Idol Minds” I didn’t know if I’d love this story. I was thrown right smack into the book and Jason didn't seem to be a very likeable person at first. But oh boy, did I get proven wrong! I ended up enjoying his character arc so much and I absolutely loved the entire story line. Also the chemistry between Tae Hyun and Jason. Ahhh! <333 This was the perfect read for me and I enjoyed it immensely! Full review to come soon! Stay tuned! ;-) ____________________________________ I got this book as an e-ARC from NetGalley and Jetspace Studio and I’m so happy I was approved for it because this one sounds like a rare treat. I mean it’s m/m and the MCs are a former k-drama star and a former k-pop band member. Both of their careers aren’t going all that well and they are kinda forced to work together. Well, and apparently they fall in love. This is exactly the kind of book I like to read and I’m more than just ready to jump into it. XD Wish me luck! Find me on: My Blog Instagram ...more |
Notes are private!
|
1
|
Jan 27, 2023
|
Feb 03, 2023
|
Jan 27, 2023
|
Kindle Edition
| |||||||||||||||
| 1735589810
| B08GK77CD6
| 3.93
| 4,466
| Oct 01, 2020
| Oct 01, 2020
|
really liked it
|
I’m on BookTube now! =) ”Life handed him lemons. Instead of making lemonade, he packed his suitcase and left the fruit rotting on the counter.” It’s bee I’m on BookTube now! =) ”Life handed him lemons. Instead of making lemonade, he packed his suitcase and left the fruit rotting on the counter.” It’s been a while I read “Lore & Lust” but I still wanted to add my two cents, because this was one of those books that came exactly at the right time. I wanted to read an m/m vampire slow burn romance in which I could get lost for a little while and that’s exactly what I got. Haruka and Nino were such an amazing couple and I absolutely adored how their relationship went from reluctant acquaintances to friends, best friends and ultimately caused them to end up as lovers. What I really enjoyed in here was the slow burn because right from their first meeting it was pretty obvious that they were both dawn towards each other. Nino reaches out, his hand firmly resting over Haruka’s fingers. The physical contact abruptly shifts Haruka’s knotted aura again and he inhales sharply. Startled, he snatches his hand away from Nino’s grasp.” Instead of giving into their nature, they both did their best to hold back though and we slowly but steadily find out the reasons for their restraint. There’s a lot of attraction between those two, yet neither of them wants to give in. It takes a while for the reader to find out why both of them aren’t inclined to go for a relationship and actually would rather prefer to ignore their feelings instead of giving in. Both, Haruka as well as Nino, have been hurt in the past and it’s not easy to get over a severe trauma like that. Honestly, my heart broke when I heard about little Nino’s ordeal and boy, did it break for Haru too. What he survived. Phew! I’m not surprised he tried to steer clear of any sort of romance and would have preferred not to be mated to anyone for the rest of his existence. His special powers made it very hard to avoid other vampire’s advances though and I felt really sorry for him. ”You don’t always need to be perfectly composed and polite,” Nino assures him. “I hope... that after all this is over, you would consider me as a friend? With friends, you can let your guard down.” What I really loved about this book wasn’t just their close friendship and how they slowly let their guard down around each other, but also how they always spoke about everything. Their communication was amazing and I honestly wish more couples would address their thoughts, feelings and problems as directly as them. They were an excellent example of how important it is to talk when you’re in a relationship and I adored them for it! Nino sits up straight, focused. “Haru, how ... do we feel about sex?” “Considering my behaviour this morning, I think my feelings should be obvious –“ And most of all what I absolutely loved and appreciated about their relationship was the CONSENT! The freaking consent!!! I mean they both knew about each other’s trauma and they were so very careful with their feelings. No matter what happened between them they always spoke about it and asked if it was okay to take that next step. You have no idea how awesome it was to see a relationship like this on page. They both have been through so much but both of them made an effort to make this work as well. They talked things through; let each other know what worked and what didn’t work for them. Spoke about what was allowed when they were intimate with each other and what wasn’t and they always made it very clear what would be considered to be a red flag. CONSENT. I loved it! Can we have more books like that? ”Haruka gently pulls to feed from him, and in exchange, Nino clearly senses his mind. Warm, quiet thoughts of gratitude and affection are being poured into him. The tenderness of it floods his body, making his breath short. It’s wonderful and singularly the most intimate thing Nino has ever experienced.” ”But he resists. Strictly suppressing the urge each time. Haruka prides himself on his ability to control his nature, and he and Nino are friends. He deeply values their relationship and would never jeopardize it. Haruka has never known anything like it. It was really nice to read both of their POVs and to see what was going on in their minds while they were together. It helped to understand their feelings and motives and showed how much they truly cared about each other. The book was mostly focused on the development of their slow burn though and if you expect a lot of plot or world building you’ll probably end up being disappointed. Since this is the first book in a series I’m pretty certain that some of the things that were mentioned in here and happened along the way will turn out to be more important in the second book, though. Also I’m convinced that we’ll get to know more about Cellina and Nino’s brother. The chemistry between those two was NICE and I’m sure they’ll end up together as well. Plus I’d really love to hear more about Asao! He was such a cool character and very loyal to Haru which immediately caused me to like him. Yuna however can go to hell! I hate that woman for what she did to Haru and for all I know she can burn in the fierce pits and never return. ”I don’t want us to be apart,” Nino lowers his head, staring down at his thighs. “Is there any way for us to stay together? Would you want that?” Haruka swallows, his throat tight. “I do want that. But Nino, I would never ask you to uproot your life and established business for me, especially considering... I cannot promise you that we would form a bond.” Conclusion: “Lore & Lust” might not have had the best world building or storyline but boy, did it deliver on the slow burn front. I really enjoyed this so much and I honestly cared more about Nino’s and Haru’s relationship development than about the rest of the story, which is probably the reason why this worked out so well for me. *lol* If you want to go for a quick and pleasant read that won’t force you to overthinking things too much I can totally recommend to go for this book. Also the slow burn and consent in this book are impeccable and if you love tropes like that you should definitely pick it up. ;-) Happy reading! ________________________________ At this moment all I can say is: I’m OBSESSED with this!!! I loved Haru and Nino so damn much!!! <333 This was exactly the kind of slow burn LGBTQ+ vampire story I needed! Thank you, Karla Nikole! Full RTC soon! XD _________________________________ As some of you might already know I’m hosting a readathon named "Rainboween" aka “Rainboweenathon” on my Instagram and BookTube this year! Well, and this is the first book I’m going to read in order to tick off some of my bingo board prompts! Two male vampires that fall in love? I’m so here for it and can’t wait to dive into this world! =) Has anyone of you read this already? The ratings are pretty good so I’m looking forward to read it. Info for everyone who takes part in Rainboween: You can tick off the categories “vampires”, “paranormal” and “fantasy”! ;-) Find me on: My Blog Instagram ...more |
Notes are private!
|
1
|
Oct 03, 2022
|
Oct 13, 2022
|
Oct 03, 2022
|
Kindle Edition
| |||||||||||||||
| unknown
| 4.48
| 660
| unknown
| 2018
|
really liked it
|
It’s been a while I last fell into the webcomic rabbit hole but after Denny recommended “The Croaking” to me I just couldn’t resist! So yes, I fell ba It’s been a while I last fell into the webcomic rabbit hole but after Denny recommended “The Croaking” to me I just couldn’t resist! So yes, I fell back into the rabbit hole and I regret NOTHING! “The Croaking” is such a great webcomic that word of it has to go out into the world! I love Ky and Scra the two MCs and the word building is amazing! The idea of a fantasy world in which people have wings and belong to different species is great and the mystery storyline keeps this webcomic alive. As does the military academy environment. Plus the drawings are stunning and the message of acceptance and the fight against prejudices makes for a really great content! Also can we appreciate Ree!? That woman is fierce and awesomeness! <3 And if this still isn’t enough for you the LGBTQ+ content might finally persuade you?! *lol* This is great and if you ever have a few spare hours and want to read something good and entertaining I highly recommend going for this webcomic! You won’t be disappointed! ;-) P.S: I don't even want to know how long it takes Echorise to draw all those wings and feathers. They are gorgeous and the artist has some serious talent! <3 ...more |
Notes are private!
|
1
|
Nov 28, 2020
|
Nov 28, 2020
|
Nov 28, 2020
|
Virginia Ronan
>
Books:
m-m-romance
(69)
|
|
|
|
|
|
my rating |
|
|
||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
| 3.77
|
really liked it
|
Nov 04, 2017
not set
not set
|
Sep 12, 2024
|
|||||
|
| 3.72
|
really liked it
|
Jan 04, 2020
not set
|
Sep 11, 2024
|
|||||
|
| 4.17
|
Sep 08, 2024
|
Aug 05, 2024
|
||||||
|
| 4.09
|
liked it
|
Aug 04, 2024
|
Jul 12, 2024
|
|||||
|
| 4.27
|
it was amazing
|
Jul 07, 2024
|
Jun 14, 2024
|
|||||
|
| 3.87
|
really liked it
|
Feb 29, 2024
|
Feb 19, 2024
|
|||||
|
| 4.10
|
really liked it
|
Jan 06, 2024
|
Dec 25, 2023
|
|||||
|
| 4.54
|
it was amazing
|
Dec 24, 2023
|
Dec 11, 2023
|
|||||
|
| 4.41
|
not set
|
Oct 30, 2023
|
||||||
|
| 3.91
|
really liked it
|
Oct 28, 2023
|
Oct 16, 2023
|
|||||
|
| 3.99
|
really liked it
|
Jul 31, 2023
|
Jul 30, 2023
|
|||||
|
| 3.51
|
really liked it
|
Jun 03, 2023
|
May 23, 2023
|
|||||
|
| 3.64
|
liked it
|
May 31, 2023
|
May 08, 2023
|
|||||
|
| 3.78
|
it was amazing
|
Apr 23, 2023
|
Apr 01, 2023
|
|||||
|
| 3.99
|
it was amazing
|
Apr 08, 2023
|
Mar 20, 2023
|
|||||
|
| 4.21
|
it was amazing
|
Apr 09, 2023
|
Mar 13, 2023
|
|||||
|
| 3.46
|
really liked it
|
Feb 26, 2023
|
Feb 16, 2023
|
|||||
|
| 4.26
|
really liked it
|
Feb 03, 2023
|
Jan 27, 2023
|
|||||
|
| 3.93
|
really liked it
|
Oct 13, 2022
|
Oct 03, 2022
|
|||||
|
| 4.48
|
really liked it
|
Nov 28, 2020
|
Nov 28, 2020
|
Loading...
