30something_reads's Reviews (820)

4.5⭐

The fluffiest of fluffy fluff you will ever read. This was just so freaking delightful.

The Bachelor's Valet is such a charming little historical romance set in an alternate 1920s era London with magic. 

With his overbearing mother insisting on marriage, sweet Alphonse is spiraling. He 's never had any interest in a wife and resigned himself to a life of bachelorhood. But his soon to be bride has big plans for their union and all he can think about is how bereft he'll be without his brilliant and talented (and utterly perfect) valet to keep his life in order.

So sweet. I will absolutely be checking out the other books in this series.

And my Gargoyle Romance saga continues...

An MMMF polyamorous love match between a witch and three gargoyles. Love it. 

This was a wonderful balance of sexy and sweet. I did not <i>love</i> the way in which Elliot begins this journey but he grew on me throughout the story. He was a brat though... so I kind of get it. 

Broderick and Alasdair on the other hand? Adored immediately. 

Now I'm even more intrigued about Emilia's story though. Will I break my gargoyle streak and start a basilisk romance? Who knows. 

It's like Bridgerton but... better? Because of the monsters, naturally.

Eleanor Eastwick's last chance at securing a future for her family is by finding a husband at the upcoming Monster Ball.  But she doesn't know the first thing about attracting a monster suitor. 

Enter: Silas Sharp, a gargoyle Marquis and notorious rake. He is to become her tutor on all things Monster and it is... a very hands-on learning experience. 🥵🔥

This was a lot of fun. The banter between these two was excellent. We love a consummate rake who accidentally falls in love with a woman who's much too good for him.

 4⭐

Okay but I wasn't expecting this one to make me cry 😢

There were a lot of ups and downs here but I ended up really enjoying Heather and Davin's story. These two definitely put me through an emotional rollercoaster though.

✅ Pregnant FMC determined to be an amazing mom
✅ Surrogate MMC with a ton of emotional baggage
✅ Lots of cute domestic family moments
✅ Lots of denying his own feelings and general self-sabotage

But we love a man of any species that realizes he needs therapy and then commits to getting better 🤌🏻 

3.5 ⭐

This was a super sweet, very domestic contemporary romance. So don't let the cover dissuade you because that man is a total marshmallow wrapped in muscles and tattoos. Sloane, a single mom and heart surgeon, is in desperate need of a nanny for her twins (to replace the one that up and quit with no notice) and Rafe comes with excellent references. 

Probably the most refreshing thing about this story is the LACK of miscommunication between Sloane and Rafe. They are adults and navigate their relationship in a very healthy and honest way. All of the drama that happens in this story is totally external.

I read this via audio and my only complaint is that it was not dual-narrated. The author puts a lot of emphasis on Rafe being from the Boston area and how he has a bit of an accent. I would have LOVED for that to have translated over to the audiobook. 

 Currently leaving an ARC Review for The Stone and the Star by Jillian Graves.
(Will continue to update once I read more after the release)

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ The Stone and The Star - Jillian Graves
🌶️🌶️🌶️.5
✅Gargoyle Romance
✅Voyeurism/Exhibitionism
✅Toys
✅Prehensile tail with... multiple uses 😉

This story introduces our FMC Astra, a talented ceramics artist/instructor, and our MMC Colossus, a Gargoyle stationed on the campus with the perfect view of her room. He watches over her from afar but a series of events leads to him revealing his true nature to her.

What a tease! This novella was perfect amounts plot and excellent spice and I am hoping this is not the last we see of Colossus and Astra. (I believe the author mentioned this being connected to her ongoing gargoyle romance series.) 

It's over 😭😭😭

RTC but man what a wild ending to this loved series ❤️

 OFC it's ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

I loved everything. All of it. No notes. These boys are my favorites. Especially Markel ❤️.

I'll probably write a more thorough review later 😆

EDIT: 3/8 "a more thorough review"

This book truly put me through all the emotions. I cried, raged, laughed, swooned, kicked my feet and squealed in giddy delight. I left this story with so much love for these characters.

A Strange and Stubborn Endurance is a queer political and romantic fantasy with the central themes of healing and the role the family plays in that journey.

This book does not start off in a happy place. The author lists content warnings for on-page SA, suicidal ideations, and self-harm; all of which should be taken very seriously. The first portion of this book is very emotionally taxing but well worth it.

This is the story of Velasin and Caethari as they are brought together in a political marriage meant to strengthen the trade agreements between their respective countries. But mysterious forces are acting against their marriage- escalating attacks both political and personal. Together, they are forced to trust one another as they figure out who would benefit from this failed alliance. A tenuous friendship develops and slowly blossoms into something more.

I adored the world-building and the depictions of gender identity and sexuality. I love a world that embraces the spectrum so thoroughly and lovingly. In that way, it very much reminds me of Winter’s Orbit.

The characters were brilliant and the dual POV was wonderful (I especially enjoyed that it didn’t jump chapter to chapter but instead happened in sections.) I think that really allowed the author to develop Velasin and Caethari so fully. And I don’t think I’ve ever adored a side character the way I adored Markel. His friendship with Velasin was so touching and honestly brought happy tears to my eyes on multiple occasions.

The overall mystery was very compelling, and I never felt drawn away from that storyline with the blossoming romance between Vel and Cae. Everything fit so well together. I did guess the villains, but I think that was just due to well-placed clues and characterizations rather than any fault in the storytelling.

Honestly, I could rave about this story for ages. I am so beyond excited to know that this has a sequel coming out this year. I cannot wait!

✅ Fem dom Grace
✅ Submissive Bram

🔥When she tells this big gargoyle hunk to clean up the mess she made and he CRAWLS to her and proceeds to lick it up... 👀👀 just *chef's kiss*🔥

Overall - So hot. So tender. So much hurt and healing.

I just wish we had an epilogue 😩

Also I live for all of the tags Katee Robert puts at the beginning of her books. Specifically this one:

 

3.5⭐

Super sweet YA graphic novel featuring witches, werewolves, and magical mysteries (with delightful queer, disability, and cultural representation)