bekahzabel's Reviews (327)

dark mysterious tense fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven: Character
Strong character development: Yes
Loveable characters: Complicated
Diverse cast of characters: Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus: Complicated

🐖🩸🔪☠️🖤

3.5🌟 rounded up// 🌶️🌶️🌶️
dark, naughty, & deranged. a quick one that i’m glad i crossed off my list before the end of 2024. love getting a look into side characters within the HA universe. I think I enjoyed this one and sibby’s story equally. love when he falls first & hard. trigger packed novella- not for everyone, i like it psychotic tho so idk 

rounding up especially because of the extended epilogue 🫣🌹🥀😍

Expand filter menu Content Warnings
dark mysterious sad tense medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven: A mix
Strong character development: Yes
Loveable characters: Yes
Diverse cast of characters: No
Flaws of characters a main focus: Complicated

I ripped through this one after finishing Noticadia, I enjoyed this one almost as much, but felt the pacing was just slightly off until the end.

Dark gothic romance jam packed with triggers. I enjoyed Lucian’s character arc and the way the mystery of the Blackthorne family unfolded. Did not expect that plot twist at the end either! 

Forbidden Love, 
Age Gap,
BDSM,
Breath & 🔪 Play,
Slow Burn with serious spice once it hits.

3.75⭐️/🌶️🌶️🌶️.

Expand filter menu Content Warnings
dark mysterious tense medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven: A mix
Strong character development: Complicated
Loveable characters: Yes
Diverse cast of characters: No
Flaws of characters a main focus: No

ZADDY DEVRYCK BRAMWELL 👀🤤

I ate it up. A slow burn, taboo, forbidden romance between a student and her fiiiiiine a$$ professor. Also that last 100 pages was a roller coaster tying all the ends together phew. Some minor paranormal elements but for the most part this was purely dark romance. Very engaging plot with a handful of smutty scenes.  

Dark themes! Check your triggers. My first Keri Lake book, but won’t be my last. 
4.5⭐️/🌶️🌶️🌶️🌶️

Expand filter menu Content Warnings
dark mysterious reflective tense medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven: A mix
Strong character development: Yes
Loveable characters: Yes
Diverse cast of characters: Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus: No

6 gold stars. 

This series is so immersive. Again, Fonda Lee had me so engaged with each character’s storyline that I was constantly needing more. This book takes place over a 3 year timeline and is just as action packed as Jade City. 

I don’t know how she topped the first book, but it makes me so excited to read the finale. Addictive urban asian fantasy with a badass magic system, Green Bone Saga is not one to be overlooked. 

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️/🌶️

Expand filter menu Content Warnings
adventurous dark emotional hopeful mysterious reflective tense medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven: A mix
Strong character development: Yes
Loveable characters: Yes
Diverse cast of characters: Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus: Complicated

It is so bittersweet to see this series to it’s end! If you know me, you know how much I love the duskwalker brides series. Picked it up out of curiosity and stuck around for the amazing plot line. Another thing I love: a villain’s redemption arc, and boy oh boy was it a treat to see Jabez redeem himself. 

Not only is Zylah the first and only female duskwalker we get perspective in, it was such a treat to watch her humanity and understanding grow. That slow burn really kindles in this one but once the flame ignites…. phew 🥵🥵🥵

Additionally hearing Jabez’s inner monologue, reasoning behind his actions and villainous choices in the past was huge. I really enjoyed this one and ended up loving Jabez much more than I expected. I’m so sad for this series to end, but grateful nonetheless for experiencing these books that I’ll always suggest and recommend to monster romance lovers. 

4.75⭐️/ 🌶️🌶️🌶️
adventurous funny hopeful lighthearted fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven: A mix
Strong character development: Yes
Loveable characters: Yes
Diverse cast of characters: Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus: No

This was such a cute and cozy fast paced treat! When Yera and her foster sisters head out for their annual hiking trip, a storm hits in the forest and Yera suddenly portals to a magical land. Running into grave danger right away, she is saved by a Vaki named Arrick. They embark on a journey to find her sisters as affections quickly unfold. 

I LOVED how many magical beings were sprinkled throughout this book. We have Vaki (seemingly crosses between orcs and demon?!), ogres, sprites, fairies, winged beasts called harpies, and more. 

Portal Fantasy,
Monster Romance,
Voluptuous bodied & brown logical fmc who can hold her own!
Low stakes plot with a heartwarming HEA.
and yes, there is spice! I’m so excited to read the next book in this interconnected series. A beautiful debut by Ali Evers.
4.5⭐️/🌶️🌶️

Expand filter menu Content Warnings
dark emotional hopeful mysterious sad tense fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven: A mix
Strong character development: Yes
Loveable characters: Yes
Diverse cast of characters: No
Flaws of characters a main focus: Complicated

I ate this one up. Very dark, taboo topics, trigger heavy but wowza… I was hooked. Devoured in one sitting. Not a situation to idolize in real life but an absolutely heart wrenching plot that keeps you needing more from start to finish.

4⭐️ / 🌶️🌶️🌶️

Expand filter menu Content Warnings
dark mysterious tense medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven: Character
Strong character development: Complicated
Diverse cast of characters: Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus: Complicated

I want to preface this by saying that this book is definitely not going to be for everyone. Who it IS for is for the extremely dark romance lovers who can enjoy MMC’s that are not meant to be idolized in real life scenarios. This story contains heavy cat and mouse tropes within the first half with the FMC & MMC stalking one another. 

If you’re someone who enjoyed the cat & mouse duet I think this is right up your alley. The author very clearly stated at the start that this book contains heavy triggers and the creature is not meant to be idolized as a real life love interest, this is why we read isn’t it? Ophelia is a strong headed fmc who runs an apothecary and underground poisoning operation. Tangled in societies norms as a black sheet she encounters a creature is stalking her and she becomes very intrigued by him and dives into deeper research on him. 

There is stalking, non con, quite a bit of consensual smut as well, 🩸play takes, vampiric themes, graphic depictions of violent acts, so please read the triggers. 

Tropes include joint cat & mouse, a slight love triangle, historical horror romance elements, reasearcher and subject, female friendship, and forbidden love. 

Although I was questionable at first this ended up as a solid 4 stars for me and 🌶️🌶️🌶️, I will absolutely be reading the sequel

Expand filter menu Content Warnings
adventurous dark emotional funny inspiring reflective sad tense medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven: A mix
Strong character development: Yes
Loveable characters: Yes
Diverse cast of characters: Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus: No

6 shining gold stars for this final installment of the Plated Prisoner series.

The way every single character arc came full circle was an absolute delight. This ending was everything I wanted and more, with surprises that (I should have) I didn’t see coming. Auren’s journey from damsel to Lyäri was so beautiful, and her and Slade’s relationship is one that stays in a corner of my heart forever, rent free. 

My all time favorite dark fantasy romance. Raven Kennedy’s unique King Midas retelling is a masterpiece in full. I cherish this final book. 

🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟
🌶️🌶️.5


Expand filter menu Content Warnings
adventurous dark hopeful mysterious tense medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven: A mix
Strong character development: Yes
Loveable characters: Yes
Diverse cast of characters: Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus: No

3.75 🌟 rounded up!

It took me a bit to get into this one but the last half of the book was amazing. I loved the dark broody prince aspect, the rejected mates/arranged marriage, and slow burn that bow before the elf queen contained. Aspects of dark magic, witty banter, and an immersive setting were also great. I listened on audio so I can’t comment on grammatical errors but the audio was fun and I’m happy I stopped putting this one off. I’ll definitely continue the series!