So the joke here to me is that I’ve actually read quite a bit of books since my last Review Roundup post. I post short reviews on Goodreads for just about everything I read, but I’ve actually begun to use TikTok and Instagram as other means of getting myself out there. I don’t see myself adding TikTok reviews to these posts anytime soon, but I might consider doing midweek posts, similar to this one, just for those reviews.
In any case, on to this month’s roundup.
Where She Lays by Dahlia Rose
My rating: 2 of 5 stars
Meh
Patrick Royale admits that he needs a wife, but doesn’t expect to find it in Jewel the Bartender. What he does find is a woman that makes his heart sing, but will a family tradition ruin them before they can start?
Yea, somewhere between the minor grammatical mistakes and Jewel taking issues with rich people, I got pretty annoyed with this one. I don’t know what I expected when I bought this book, but that definitely wasn’t it.
I read this one randomly, but also because I have another of this author’s books in my Kindle. I’m not too sure I’ll be reading the next one because I didn’t like this one too much. It just didn’t work for me.
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Take A Bullet For You by Amarie Avant
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
I Love It
Brody McKenzie is not the type to do relationships, but Justice Flowers just might change his mind. However, before Brody can begin a new chapter in his life, he’ll have to deal with some clan business first.
I’m not going to pretend that I wasn’t waiting for this one. Since reading Die For You, I am all about Amarie Avant’s Scottish Mafia series. My only complaint is that the girl on the cover isn’t a good representation of Justice.
I can’t remember if I liked Chevelle in Die For You, but Justice had her annoying moments here. They were all very understandable, but I’m allowed to feel how I felt.
I would recommend this to anyone who likes these Mafia Bae/Dark Romances that cannot help but be overly sexual. I don’t know how, but Avant does it so well that even the gratuitousness of it doesn’t bother you.
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Black Borne by L.L. Farmer
My rating: 3 of 5 stars
All Things Considered
Neema’s trust in the wrong person leads her to a lifetime of war that she cannot run from. You’d think she’d learn her lesson.
This book was majorly different from my usual, but I’m glad that I gave it a shot. Though there were some moments that I felt that the author could have delivered differently, I was happy with the overall story and I plan to continue it.
I would recommend this one to fans of alternate history. To be fair, the US in this story is basically the same as the real one, but I appreciate the liberties that the author did take. It’s definitely a good read.
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FIND HER KEEP HER by Alexandra Isobel
My rating: 3 of 5 stars
Super Quick
Somebody sends Savannah some incriminating photos of her husband, so she bolts. But not before making sure that her husband knows that she’s mad.
It’s a very quick read, which is honestly what I needed at the moment. It’s not amazingly spectacular, but it’s still something nice after a long day.
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Take Flight: Protecting her is sacred. by Alexandra Isobel
My rating: 3 of 5 stars
I’d Read It
Daria wakes up to a world in chaos, but Mercury is right there to take her to safety.
I feel like I could definitely see myself reading this one. It was very fast-paced, but I liked the idea of it. I like the idea of what it could be.
I like these introductory snippets though. I think they do a better job than preview chapters, in that’s it’s technically an isolated story but you still can get acquainted with the characters.
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Birth Order by Audrey Miller
My rating: 3 of 5 stars
In Audrey Miller’s Birth Order, an OBGYN misses the delivery of her most important client. When she returns, she realizes that there were some discrepancies with the delivery that did not make sense. What she finds is a conspiracy of royal proportions.
This novel could have been much more sinister. The whole premise of the book is that the princess is supposed to have a set of twins, a boy and a girl, and the girl was supposed to be born first, but the doctor who did the delivery takes the boy out first. This of course has grave consequences, but the why of it does not have the gravitas that it should have.
I like that the main character was black, and it ultimately did work into the plot, but she really could have been anyone that wasn’t a member of the nobility. That being said, homegirl really was in over her head and I don’t think that this was really made clear to her until the end.
There’s also a ton of flashbacks, but the author doesn’t give a lot of warning. They are quite necessary, but the transitions aren’t super clear. You think you’re moving to a new day and you’re suddenly three weeks back. I just was not for it.
I’d recommend this to anyone who likes conspiracies and books about royals. And British dramas. This is definitely for the British Dramas crowd.
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Misfits by Mary Jane Manson
My rating: 2 of 5 stars
No
Jonesy Daniels is the man and he doesn’t care who knows it. Christmas Daye is different from the other girls, and he treats her as such, but it doesn’t mean that he won’t break her heart the same. Will their love be worth Jonesy’s drama?
Spoiler alert: it’s not. Especially since they’re in high school.
This book was posted in one of my Facebook groups, and I was put off the moment I read Dark High School Romance. I should have stayed put off, but I plan to give Amarie Avant’s DHSR book a chance in the summer, and some of the members of my group thought this one was good.
When I tell you that this was drama for the sake of drama. Jonesy is LITERALLY the worst thing that ever happens to Christmas. The money and stability literally do not make up for the mess. Jonesy CANNOT keep it in his pants. The fact that he’s eighteen and she’s sixteen does not help the situation.
I’m going to stop myself here because I know I’ll just continue to complain. The twist is just an easy excuse for his bad behavior, and nothing I’ve said previously stopped me from finishing this book. That being said, I do not recommend unless you really like teen vampire stories and gratuitous high school sex.
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Prince of the Brotherhood: A Mafia Romance by K. Alex Walker
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
Pretty Dang Good
Dom is the Prince of the Bratva, poised to take over very soon. Eija is the woman of his dreams, hiding a big secret. But how long can their love last when the Bratva has plans of its own?
I really liked this one. I found it to be well-written and planned out. 2 minor mistakes that probably weren’t mistakes. 1 plot hole that I don’t really care about. This book is a cut above the rest as far as I’m concerned.
I would, of course, recommend this to the Mafia baes, the Secret Baby boos, and the BWWM crowd. All of the things come into play and it’s all very well done.
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Eurydice Howell 