booksafety's Reviews (586)

 “Then let us agree we consider the other marvelous and ourselves lacking, and we can both be sainted fools.”

Another sweet book in this series. Uncomplicated love, a genuine connection, no games, just clear courting and the sweetest chemistry. There’s a tragic past (of course) and grief is a theme, but in general it’s such a feel-good story.

I read book 2 first and loved that more, but I really did enjoy this one as well. I only wish it didn’t end so abruptly.

I listened to the audiobook and Joel Leslie did a good job. He is definitely a great choice for fantasy books.

⬇️ Blanket spoiler warning ⬇️

⚠️ Tropes & content tags ⚠️
Slow burn
Royalty
Healer
Past trauma
Strangers to friends to lovers
Virgin MC
First times
Found family
Size difference

⚠️ Content warning ⚠️
Death of MC’s parent (past)
Details of MC being enslaved (past)
PTSD symptoms
MC’s parent terminally ill (old age)
Grief
Alcohol consumption
On-page intoxication
Explicit sexual content

⚠️Book safety ⚠️
Cheating: No
Other person drama: No
Breakup: No
POV: 3rd person, single
Genre: Fantasy romance
Pairing: M/M
Strict roles or versatile: Strict roles
Main characters’ age: 19 and 25+
Series: Interconnected standalone
Kindle Unlimited: Yes
Pages: 177
Happy ending: Yes


Jaime could heal, a rare gift in many parts of the world that gave him purpose, value. Yet, for him, it was useless—he could heal others, but never himself. 

 Book safety, content warnings, and tropes down below.

I’m really not sure how to rate this or what to even say. There was some stuff I enjoyed, but I had a huge issue with it as well.

I love codependent friends and boyfriends, and I thought that was done well and felt believable, if not unhealthy at times. Mortal peril also happened, which is always a plus, but couldn’t make up for everything else.

Now, where the book lost me is Mal’s supposed genderfluidity. I’ll add this quote for context:

Now, I have no issues with a character being genderfluid. I was very much looking forward to that aspect of the story and Mal’s character. The problem is that it was essentially never mentioned again after this quote (on page 8 of 459). I wrongly assumed that how Mal felt when waking up at different times in the book would be a theme, so that we could explore his gender, etc. Apart from doing his makeup once, it’s not brought up. There’s no one way to be genderfluid or queer, of course, but the word ‘pronoun’ isn’t even in the book once. I would’ve expected at least a conversation about what pronouns Mal prefers (only he/him is used).

However, Mal’s ‘changing personality’ is mentioned several times in the book. I wouldn’t normally have a problem with this either (especially not in a book by this author who often writes about personality disorders), but I’m unsure if this is supposed to be his genderfluidity? Because if so, I’m afraid it massively missed the mark and is mixing up mental illness with genderfluid, which is obviously a huge problem.

I’m definitely no gender expert, but I feel okay saying that being genderfluid isn’t about changing personality from ‘moment to moment’. It’s about your identity and how you feel and/or present your gender. You’re still you. You haven’t picked up an entirely new personality.

Saying Mal is genderfluid feels misleading at best and grossly wrong at worst. I’ll remind peeps of Mal explaining:

That sounds to me like the exact opposite of a changing personality.

There’s also some pretty intense and rough sex scenes, including degradation, which admittedly isn’t my favorite, which also impacted my enjoyment.

Ugh, I don’t even know. Maybe I’m just wrong? Like I said, there’s no wrong or correct way to feel about gender or sexuality, but it just felt… off.

I haven’t even touched on how little I cared about the actual plot. It all revolves around the MCs trying to save side characters I couldn’t care less about, because we don’t know them. Mal’s whole ‘thing’ is not caring about a single person other than Nico, yet you’re telling me the book is all about trying to save a random student’s mother? I’m not buying it for a second. It's like Mal's entire character is 'out of character', somehow.

Edit: the blurb says Mal is genderfluid, and yet the book is marketed as MM romance.

⬇️ Blanket spoiler warning ⬇️

⚠️ Tropes & content tags ⚠️
Obsession
Neurodivergent MCs
Best friends to lovers
Possessive & protective
Codependency
Soulmates
Degradation
Dancer MC
Praise kink
Rough sex
Snowballing
Cum play
Spanking (domestic discipline)
Edging
Power exchange (Dom/sub)
Figging
Facials
Genderfluid MC

⚠️ Content warning ⚠️
Mention of past imprisonment
Explicit sexual content
Graphic violence
Details of dead body
Off-page murder
Spitting in mouth
Degradation
Face-fucking
Manipulation between MCs
Rough sex
Spanking (domestic discipline)
Hand-collaring
Brief mention of past abuse of MC as a child (physical, emotional, sexual — no details)
Past neglect of MC
Prescription drug use
MC’s mom physically abused (past, few details)
MC beaten and injured (on page)
MC high on painkillers (on page)
Brief mentions of recreational drug use (past)
Breath play (choking on dong)
Alcohol consumption
Mention of SC killing pregnant woman (past)
Mention of SC being abused and raped (coerced, over time, off page)
MC stabbed on page
Restraints during punishment/sex
Face-slapping during sex
Borderline ableist representation (conflating ND and genderfluidity with mental illness)

⚠️Book safety ⚠️
Cheating: No
Other person drama: It’s mentioned that Nico has attempted hooking up with other men during their 1 year of friendship since they met (before a relationship), but he never went through with it. Nothing on page, no details.
Breakup: No
POV: 3rd person, dual
Genre: Dark-ish romance
Pairing: M/M
Strict roles or versatile: Versatile
Main characters’ age: (maybe) 26 and unknown (Mal is older)
Series: Interconnected standalone
Kindle Unlimited: For 3 months before going wide
Pages: 459
Happy ending: Yes 

 Book safety, content warnings, and tropes down below.

“Bloom.” His name was a litany, the beginning of a prayer I would be saying for the rest of my life.

The angst got angstier in this one and I couldn’t put the book down to save my life, even when it was stressing me out so badly. I stayed up all night reading, only stopping when I accidentally fell asleep mid page.

Although I didn’t mind Logan in book 1, I didn’t love him either, but that changed in this book. He was just all in, loving every part of Bloom, even the objectively horrible parts. It’s so nice when characters are supportive and understanding of their partner’s insecurities, helping them feel secure and building trust, instead of getting upset. Bloom really needed that, and Logan delivered.

There was no lack of action or mortal peril in this book either, and I had so much fun reading it.

I’m not always in the mood for dark romance, but this duology had me by the short and curlies and I would absolutely recommend them if you’re okay with the contents.

There were moments when I wondered if Bloom truly loved me or if his flawed brain had picked me for other reasons I still couldn’t come up with. But in that moment, the force of his love engulfed me, raw and undiluted.

⬇️ Blanket spoiler warning ⬇️

⚠️ Tropes & content tags ⚠️
Established couple
Obsession
Size difference
Motorcycle club
Secret identity
Past trauma
Goth MC
Personality disorder
‘Good boy’
Big age gap
Hands-free orgasms
Sex toy use
Mortal peril
Found family
Therapy
Loud moaner

⚠️ Content warning ⚠️
MC hospitalized
Prescription drug use
Details of past abuse of MC by parents
Explicit sexual content
Penetration without lube
Mention of past SC overdose
Blood consumption
Licking bleeding wound
Alcohol consumption
Jealousy and insecurity
Graphic violence
MC accidentally stabbing other MC during distress (minor injury)
Minor spankings
Gun violence
Attempted murder of MCs
MC killing minor SC off page
Degrading comments during sex
Mention of homophobic family
MC’s lover killed (past)
Mentions of past physical abuse and neglect of MC
Mentions of past (believed) rape of MC (didn’t happen)
Misconduct by health professional (SC)
SC severely injured (gunshot wounds, on page)
MC kidnapped and held captive
MC stripped naked and restrained (by bad guy)
MCs injured (beaten, hit by car, shot)

⚠️Book safety ⚠️
Cheating: No
Other person drama: Bloom is insecure and jealous and briefly misinterprets a situation, thinking Logan is cheating on him (he isn’t). Solved quickly
Breakup: No
POV: 1st person, dual
Genre: Dark romance
Pairing: M/M
Strict roles or versatile: Strict roles
Main characters’ age: 19 and (I think) 40
Series: Duology, interconnected series
Kindle Unlimited: Yes
Pages: 420
Happy ending: Yes


He brings out the worst in me. I know it, and yet I can’t walk away.

I’d fallen head over heels in obsession with the stubborn, unsmiling man. How far would I go for this one who looked at me with hearts in his eyes and touched me gently like I was made from glass? 

 Levin had wiggled his way into my heart, this cheeky, greedy sub. I was still his Dom, he was still my sub, but he owned me. He owned my heart.

Not a bad book per se, but certainly not the right book for me. Erotica or romance with super high spice levels rarely work for me because I need more feelings and intimacy. I’m not sure Sig (the Dom) had a single thought that wasn’t sexual, and in a book full of actual sex, that’s what bothered me most. It’s a kink-normative secret society and there’s pretty much no emotion/actual love, so don’t go in looking for that, even if there’s love by the end (supposedly).

Now, I love reading about kink of all sorts, and a good D/s dynamic is hard to beat. This is really high protocol, 24/7, which was neat. What made me most uncomfortable about the whole thing is that the new sub, the third person in the relationship, is referred to as ‘second sub’. I found that distinction between the submissives really icky. I’m sure it’s just normal in their universe, but permanently ranking the people in the throuple is a great way to make sure I’ll never feel like they’re equals. Even tho the book isn’t trying to depict ‘true’ BDSM, I just couldn’t get past that part.

I know it’s probably just because Levin was his sub first, but Hunter never felt like their equal.

⬇️ Blanket spoiler warning ⬇️

⚠️ Tropes & content tags ⚠️
MMM
BDSM
D/s/s
Kink-normative world
Secret society
Past trauma
High protocol
Sex toy use
Degradation
Aftercare
High heat
Total power exchange
Consent and safety
Doctor MC
Age gap
Voyeurism
Exhibitionism
Multiple orgasms
Praise
Bondage
Hands-free orgasms
Sensation play
Spit-roasted
Threesomes

⚠️ Content warning ⚠️
MC’s hard limits ignored (off page, not with other MCs)
Mention of mental and physical abuse of MC (off page, past)
Scars from past whipping of MC
Degradation
Impact play (spanking, flogging)
Explicit sexual content
Restraints during sex
MC sexually abused as a teen by person of authority (school, some details)
Past physical abuse by parent
Penetration without lube or prep
Safewording

⚠️Book safety ⚠️
Cheating: No
Other person drama: Sig is friends with a couple people he has previously slept with and gets aroused while listening to one of these friends getting a blowjob over the phone. No actual drama, tho.
Breakup: No
POV: 3rd person, single
Genre: Erotic fantasy
Pairing: M/M/M
Strict roles or versatile: Versatile
Main characters’ age: 23, 25 and 37
Series: Standalone
Kindle Unlimited: Yes
Pages: 242
Happy ending: Yes 

 I knew in my gut, Finnley was my someone special. The person I may have by my side until the end.

4.5 stars, probs

I had a bit of a rough stretch with Nicky James books recently, so I’m very happy that this was another winner for me. I’ve wanted to read more from this series from a long time since one of my favorite books ever (Cravings of the Heart) is in it, but these books are heavy and angsty as shit. I also figured that none of the other books could compare to Cravings or Touch of Love. And to be fair, this one didn’t, but it came pretty close! I thought it was really well done, and I can always trust Nicky James to handle mental illness well.

This one wasn’t as sad as the other two imo, because I only cried once, which is shocking. Although there were a couple scenes that truly punched me in the freaking gut. If you’ve read this, you’ll know what scene. Owwie.

Aven joins Iggy and Raven (from Cravings and Touch) as the ultimate book boyfriends. They are so supportive, kind and understanding.

⬇️ Blanket spoiler warning ⬇️

⚠️ Tropes & content tags ⚠️
Phobia
Fear of sleep
Funeral director MC
Mental illness rep
Anxiety disorder
Architect MC
Fast burn
Cute dates
FaceTime sex
Hurt/comfort
Fast feelings

⚠️ Content warning ⚠️
On-page panic attacks
On-page use of drugs to avoid sleep (Adrafinil)
Hospitalization and death of parent
Homophobic family (on-page comments)
Alcohol consumption
Abuse of caffeine
Explicit sexual content
Minor car accident (off page)
MC shoving other MC during fight
Medical emergency (hospitalization, MC)
MC1 restraining MC2 for forced sedation against MC2’s will (medical emergency)
Vomiting

⚠️Book safety ⚠️
Cheating: No
Other person drama: No
Breakup: A few days with no contact, but no breakup
POV: 1st person, dual
Genre: Contemporary romance
Pairing: M/M
Strict roles or versatile: Strict roles
Main characters’ age: 31 and 35
Series: Mildly interconnected standalones
Kindle Unlimited: Yes
Pages: 273
Happy ending: Yes


Finnley cracked an eye and glanced around at the setup. A soft smile curved his mouth. “You put all those men in my books to shame. I think I’ll keep you.”

“What happened, baby?” Baby. He really couldn’t help it. The moment I was breaking down or suffering at all, it spilled from his mouth automatically. Maybe I didn’t hate it as much as I let on.

My Finnley. My beautiful, troubled soul. I know you aren’t being serious, but I’ll marry you someday, you’ll see. 

 I’m not doing my usual review style for this one, and I’m not really properly reviewing at all. Just want to say that it was super interesting, well done, full of history and knowledge, and a book everyone should read. So many impactful quotes in this.

 

 Well, that was fun. I wasn’t quite sure how I’d feel about the way the relationship starts but it really worked (nothing bad btw, it just basically starts before the book does).

We’ve got a 5’3, 38 year old spitfire paired with a tall, bespectacled 41 year old badass FBI agent who likes being told what to do in bed. Pretty great dynamic.

The mystery was neat — connecting the present with a 150 ish year old pirate mystery. It was uncomplicated but fun. It was also cool to read about a character with narcolepsy. Not a disability I’ve read a lot of or about.

I listened to the audio and it isn’t in KU, so no quotes, unfortunately. Speaking of audio, Wyatt Baker (fantastic name) is a new-to-me narrator and I thought he was amazing.

⬇️ Blanket spoiler warning ⬇️

⚠️ Tropes & content tags ⚠️
Romantic suspense
Long distance/online relationship to irl boyfriends
Disability rep
Narcoleptic MC
Size difference
FBI agent
Murder mystery
Tattoos and piercings
Big FBI agent likes being told what to do in bed
Ghosts?
Humongous dong
Pirate treasure

⚠️ Content warning ⚠️
Alcohol consumption
Homophobic comments
Graphic details of dead body
MC cheated on by ex (no details)
Explicit sexual content
Gun violence
MC injured
Mention of suicide (historical character)
Near-drowning

⚠️Book safety ⚠️
Cheating: No
Other person drama: No
Breakup: No
POV: 1st person, single
Genre: Romantic suspense
Pairing: M/M
Strict roles or versatile: Versatile (no switching on page)
Main characters’ age: 38 and 41
Series: Standalone
Kindle Unlimited: No
Pages: 253
Happy ending: Yes 

 Book safety, content warnings, and tropes down below.

There was a part of me that relished Beck’s hatred. I wanted him to hate me—needed him to hate me, because it was the only thing I was deserving of anymore. I wanted him to hurt me, too, for the things I’d done.

ARC review ⬇️

Wow! I wasn’t 100% sure if this book would be for me, but the concept really sounded amazing and I’m so glad I signed up for an ARC. I spent the first 40% (ish) of the book crying a lot. It was really fucking emotional, but so, so good. I love books that make me cry.

I’m unsure of the actual number of pages as of yet, but this book is a thicc boi. A couple of brief moments it seemed a little slow and repetitive, but mostly the amount of words were put to very good use. Gavin’s healing and entire journey happens slowly. It’s not easy and it’s not sudden, and I’m so thankful for that. It made the story believable. Gosh, I hurt so much for Gavin.

Beck was equally lovely. He might seem a tad too ‘perfect’ for a minute, but he has his struggles too, and I really appreciated that. The MCs had a bond as kids and teenagers that really couldn’t be broken, even when it seemed it had.

I wondered briefly if the boy I’d known was somewhere behind that wall, banging his fists against it, wishing he could find a way out.

Beautiful story of healing, love and redemption. Highly recommend.

(Check the content warnings btw, it’s a heavy one.)

He shoved his hands into my hair, gripping my head with both hands, hissed, “I fucking hate you,” and crushed his lips to mine.

⬇️ Blanket spoiler warning ⬇️

⚠️ Tropes & content tags ⚠️
Redemption story
Childhood best friends to enemies to friends to lovers
Size difference
Wrestling
Slow burn
Legal guardian for younger sibling
Forced proximity
Wrestling as foreplay
Healing from abuse
Hair-pulling
First times
Dirty talk
Begging in bed
‘princess’
Loud in bed
Edging
No gag reflex
Possessive MCs
Hands-free orgasms
Hurt/comfort
Dominant in bed
Therapy
High heat
Flip-fucking

⚠️ Content warning ⚠️
MC abusing steroids
Details of withdrawal and side effects of drug use
On-page injection of steroids
— all drug use is two years before the main story takes place, but still on page —
Homophobic parent (on page)
Death of step parent (past, off page)
Mentions of alcoholic parent
Abandoned by parent (past)
Homophobic MC (because of homophobic parent)
On-page violence between MCs (before relationship)
Episode of extreme mental distress (on page)
Suicidal ideation/suicidal thoughts (several instances, on page)
MC hospitalized
MC physically abused by parent (past and present, on page)
MC verbally and emotionally abused by parent (past and present)
On-page vomiting
MC physically attacking SCs (on-page, during ‘roid rage’)
Parent suicide (past, some details)
Alcohol consumption (on-page intoxication)
Alcohol abuse by MC (drinking to forget/be numb, not addicted)
Symptoms of depression
Homelessness (MC)
Off-page jailtime
Injured MC (self-inflicted during panic)
Fear of abandonment
Self harm (hitting and kicking things)
Misogynistic comments by MC and SC
Internalized homophobia (MC)
Prescription drug use (anti-depressants, painkillers)
MC1 orgasming from grinding on MC2 while asleep — panic attack when realizing (MC2 not upset)
Explicit sexual content
MC taking high dose of painkillers (once, on-page intoxication)
Brief mention of drug overdose and death (unnamed character, past)
AA meetings with details of addiction (minor characters)
On-page panic attacks
Rough sex and hair-pulling
Occasional spanks during sex
MC attacked and left naked while unconscious/drunk (undressed off page, no sexual assault)
MC struggling with aggression
Mild testicle torture
Edging/orgasm control
Facefucking
MC arrested on page (brief jailtime)
Police brutality (hostile and rough handling)
MC bullying SCs and other MC (past, on page)

⚠️Book safety ⚠️
Cheating: No
Other person drama: No
Breakup: No
POV: 1st person, dual
Genre: Contemporary romance
Pairing: M/M
Strict roles or versatile: Versatile
Main characters’ age: 24 and 24
Series: Interconnected standalone
Kindle Unlimited: Yes
Pages: 496
Happy ending: Yes


My loathing for the person he’d become came nowhere close to overshadowing the sorrow in my heart for the boy he’d been. For the life he could’ve chosen for himself, but hadn’t.

“You promise you’ll always be my best friend?” “Yeah, I promise. Of course I promise.” “You sure?” “How many times do I gotta say it? I promise I’ll always be your best friend. Nothing will ever change that. I can’t think of a single thing that would ever make me stop loving you. You’re the sky and I’m the stars, Becky. We’re stuck together. Okay?” “Okay.”

I clung to his contempt like it was the deepest kind of love, because in my life, to me, it might as well have been.