ashliesydel's Reviews (1.54k)

 Refusing to read blurbs and just going on the rec of a fellow influencer I decided to give this book a try. SGJ has yet to disappoint and always provides thought provoking horror.

This story gave us the origin and transformation of a bullied teen that turned into a full one movie slasher with all the Mike Myers superpowers needed to walk away from any and all attacks including the complicated relationship with the final girl.

In this story our slasher was an unwilling participant in his own body. Once infected and activated his entire being changed over and everyone that wronged him and/or got in his way was a target. Walking away was NOT an option.

I feel like this story could be an amazing discussion piece within the horror genre.

I was transfixed from start to finish. Highly Recommend. 

 Balor and Keiris have a soul tie. From the moment they crossed paths when he crashed her date and held her at gunpoint I could feel it lol.

Seriously, I appreciated the instant connection and pull these two felt for one another. I immediately fell in love with Balor and his brother and wanted nothing more than to protect them. Keiris is a good fit for him and will be his peace without question.

This was a quick, intense love story, the spice hit the spot and the themes of addressing childhood trauma and seeking therapy were loud and clear.

Only thing that could have made this better was if our girls whooped his mama's ass. 

 I loved everything about this little story. I NEED to know everything about this man and where this situationship goes. 

 Quick lunchtime read. Nothing super special about it but it was lighthearted, gave that excitement of things being messy but in the end, it was far from. I was rooting for this couple. 

 Ma'am I'm gonna need a follow up on this couple, as well as a prequal because who tf is King and what happened and when???

Kysre and Pretty Ricky made me smile hard. I love Nicole's writing. She always brings authentic and relatable couples who are not just likable but draw you in. 

 The way I tracked this couple down after seeing glimpses of them in the One Eighty series by Charity Shane is ridiculous. But I could just tell from their separate and joint interactions that I needed to know their story.

After acting a fool on social media and a deep search through Goodreads I had a title and baby I have no regrets.

Caleb "Cannon" Barnes is not only one of the bosses of Crescent Falls but he is he cousin of Rhian Barnes who is the FMC in One Eighty. (Sorry I know different book BUT ya'll need to read that one too! Different boss, different vibe, love the interconnectedness)

What I really appreciated about Caleb's story is we get to see his rise in status. This starts off with him being a solider making house calls and getting his hands dirty to being handed a kingdom and building it to meet his standards. Thorough it all he is wild, impulsive, rude, a hot head, and his most authentic self. He is fearless when it comes to authority and consequences. He stays on the ready at all times.

Young Cannon is something else. I swear he and Rook (ML Bash Barron Family Series) could either be Besties or Ultimate Enemies.

Our girl Neveah is a good girl. She is educated, has a white-collar job, and is active in her church. She did not stand a chance. After a face off with our boy, he's left smitten and determined to make her his. This is NOT a bully romance, but he bullied her into being with him for sure lol.

I loved seeing this relationship grow and overcome ALL the adversity that steamed from Cannon's reckless behavior. I was NOT ready for the level of corruption and family drama within this story.

Neveah is a good one and she stood by her man through it all.

Oh and this is extra Spicy, the way that man gives direction and talks!!! Glob Damn I think my uterus was crying for his seed LMAO

HIGHLY RECOMMEND

** Narration Notes: I listened to this in audio and at first the male narrator was a bit much. I felt like DMX was spitting at me. It wasn't off putting but it was intense. However, his tone calmed the fuck down throughout the book and matched Caleb's energy as he matured and learned more self-control which I think was intentional and thoughtful. The Female Narrator reminded me of Gabrielle Union. :) ** 

 Readers, we met Brie and Amon in book one.

Brie is a plus size beauty, with a loud and fun personality, she's super supportive, carefree, and full of love. I instantly adored her. Amon is a big ass teddy bear. Dangerous and loyal. He and Brie hit it off from the moment they met, and their relationship developed alongside book one's couple.

BECAUSE of this I was hesitant to start this book. I had an image of this couple and did NOT want to fuck with it by seeing them fuss and fight like normal people. But my desire for the check in on all the supporting characters won out and I can honestly say I was not disappointed in the least.

Warning, Brie was on some bullshit in the beginning. I was a bit disappointed, but I had faith in her. Giving her GRACE I was able to see her overcome her challenges, and she did so in a very self-aware manner with little resistance. After some reveals I ended up being on her side in the end because WTF! Childhood trauma carries LIFELONG scars.

The dual storyline in this follows Amon dealing with consequences of actions that were taken in book one and some bitch ass antagonist that wanted to make moves but run away from confrontation SMH

This series has a satisfying amount of action and drama. Since this couple was already established and in love, I wouldn't consider this a love story. But it was an example of not allowing your trauma to block your blessings.

Definitely Recommend

PS: Shout out to Uncle Ryan! Can he get a short or something??