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buffyreads's Reviews (575)
I've read all of the Trollkin Lovers series so far so I decided to read this novella!
This book focuses on human Aliya who is sent kicking and screaming as a sacrifice to the fearsome orge in the woods surrounding her village. Grunagg has doesn't have much interest in a human captive and sets Aliya free only for her to end up attacked in the wilderness. With no home to return to and sick from injuries, Aliya is brought back the Grunagg's cave where the two begin a tentative bond...
Tropes:
— Language Barrier
— Hurt / Comfort
— Size Difference
Horn Level: 5/5
This book focuses on human Aliya who is sent kicking and screaming as a sacrifice to the fearsome orge in the woods surrounding her village. Grunagg has doesn't have much interest in a human captive and sets Aliya free only for her to end up attacked in the wilderness. With no home to return to and sick from injuries, Aliya is brought back the Grunagg's cave where the two begin a tentative bond...
Tropes:
— Language Barrier
— Hurt / Comfort
— Size Difference
Horn Level: 5/5
This book seemed perfect for the halloween season, featuring loose retellings of the Headless Horseman in two different M/F and MMM pairing stories! I never watched the disney movie or read the original story so I had to do a little wiki seach to understand some of the references but it's completely understandable without doing that.
Ichabod Crane and the Headless Horseman
This story focused on new Headmaster Ichabod Crane who catches Bron Bones, a dullahan (headless horsemen) getting it on loudly in the racquet club's lockerroom. In this story, I liked Ichabod and his decent from cocky womanizer to being the one at the hands of a player. It was fun and fast paced!
Katrina Van Tassel and the Headless Horseman
This story is longer and focuses on Katrina Van Tassel, a school teacher is set in colonial times. She has the ability to see ghosts and slowly builds a bond with the Headless Horseman that haunts the town. In this story, I liked how it was more romance and character focused. A slow and silent connection builds between Katrina and the horseman that was quite interesting. I love historical romances and I really loved Katrina's character. She was strong, fierce, and knew what she wanted. I could not predict where the story was going and the ending was fantastic.
Tropes:
— Headless Horseman Retelling
— Locker-room spice
— Human x Ghost
Horn Level: #/5
Ichabod Crane and the Headless Horseman
This story focused on new Headmaster Ichabod Crane who catches Bron Bones, a dullahan (headless horsemen) getting it on loudly in the racquet club's lockerroom. In this story, I liked Ichabod and his decent from cocky womanizer to being the one at the hands of a player. It was fun and fast paced!
Katrina Van Tassel and the Headless Horseman
This story is longer and focuses on Katrina Van Tassel, a school teacher is set in colonial times. She has the ability to see ghosts and slowly builds a bond with the Headless Horseman that haunts the town. In this story, I liked how it was more romance and character focused. A slow and silent connection builds between Katrina and the horseman that was quite interesting. I love historical romances and I really loved Katrina's character. She was strong, fierce, and knew what she wanted. I could not predict where the story was going and the ending was fantastic.
Tropes:
— Headless Horseman Retelling
— Locker-room spice
— Human x Ghost
Horn Level: #/5
This was such a cute ya sapphic novel featuring a trans fmc! I got this from the library and I am so glad I read it. I give this book a 4/5
I have become obsessed with hockey romances and that mixed with omegaverse can only be a wild ride!
Charlotte is an omega in college tired of campus life. Back home during her winter vacation, cupid strikes (literally) and she meets three hockey playing alphas and fellow college students named Eli, Mikael, and Anders.
The Good
I liked that this book really dives into the issue of having a pack and playing a sport. I never thought about how having a pack would work in you're drafted to different teams. The version of omega-verse presented here was pretty interesting. This book took a big emotional turn and I applaud it for doing so. It was technically a miscommunication which some people dislike but I liked it in this book. I just love a messy female lead. Charlotte was in a lot of pain and had established issues that made her react in an extreme way.
The Bad
For a book with a lot of sex, none of the scenes really did anything for me. I don't really know why. I think it is because they didn't have much chemistry in and outside of the explicit scenes. I think a consequence of why-choose stories is that it is hard to make each love interest distinct and interesting. Eli, Anders, and Mikael had distinct traits to make it easy for readers to tell them apart but I didn't feel connected to them individually but as one blob. Mikael obviously stand out more as the most critical alpha but he often annoyed me. This made it hard for me to want them all to be together because outside of the scent matching, I didn't understand why they liked each other. For a 600 page book, there was not enough time spent establishing the relationship outside them being fated for each other. I felt really bad for Mikael in the last act and didn't like him and Charlotte together. Charlotte didn't really apologize to him and wasn't taking responsibility of her actions in the breakup and just wanted him to forgive her again without acknowledging how her actions hurt him. She just kept saying "well this happened to ME" instead of acknowledging how SHE hurt HIM. The narrative around his journal entries really annoyed me. Nothing about this plot-line satisfied me and it didn't make me root for them being together.
Tropes:
— A/B/O Dynamics
— Why Choose
— Scent Matches (Fated Mates)
Horn Level: 3/5
Charlotte is an omega in college tired of campus life. Back home during her winter vacation, cupid strikes (literally) and she meets three hockey playing alphas and fellow college students named Eli, Mikael, and Anders.
The Good
I liked that this book really dives into the issue of having a pack and playing a sport. I never thought about how having a pack would work in you're drafted to different teams. The version of omega-verse presented here was pretty interesting. This book took a big emotional turn and I applaud it for doing so. It was technically a miscommunication which some people dislike but I liked it in this book. I just love a messy female lead. Charlotte was in a lot of pain and had established issues that made her react in an extreme way.
The Bad
For a book with a lot of sex, none of the scenes really did anything for me. I don't really know why. I think it is because they didn't have much chemistry in and outside of the explicit scenes. I think a consequence of why-choose stories is that it is hard to make each love interest distinct and interesting. Eli, Anders, and Mikael had distinct traits to make it easy for readers to tell them apart but I didn't feel connected to them individually but as one blob. Mikael obviously stand out more as the most critical alpha but he often annoyed me. This made it hard for me to want them all to be together because outside of the scent matching, I didn't understand why they liked each other. For a 600 page book, there was not enough time spent establishing the relationship outside them being fated for each other. I felt really bad for Mikael in the last act and didn't like him and Charlotte together. Charlotte didn't really apologize to him and wasn't taking responsibility of her actions in the breakup and just wanted him to forgive her again without acknowledging how her actions hurt him. She just kept saying "well this happened to ME" instead of acknowledging how SHE hurt HIM. The narrative around his journal entries really annoyed me. Nothing about this plot-line satisfied me and it didn't make me root for them being together.
Tropes:
— A/B/O Dynamics
— Why Choose
— Scent Matches (Fated Mates)
Horn Level: 3/5
I'm still in my hockey romance era and wanted to read some more queer book so I decided to give this series a try!
Foster, a hockey player at CU is told to look out for but don't touch his brother Seth his friend Zach who is transferring to the university. He wants Foster to help Zach make friends which Zach isn't exactly happy about. As the two get closer, Zach's position as Foster's TA and Foster's goal of getting into the NHL start getting in the way of their budding romance.
The Good
I got through 50% of the audiobook in one sitting and I loved it. Foster and Zach are good characters that you really feel the connection between them and their chemistry. My biggest complaint in a lot of books is not understanding why two characters like each other and that is not the case here. Both Zach and Foster admire parts of each other and are motivated by the other person.
Sometimes "best friends brother" books make the best friend overly possessive and irrational but Seth is very grounded in this book. He is protective over Zach and had legitimate reasons to be concerned about them getting into a relationship but he also grew and let them be adults and deal with the whatever consequences that may come.
I liked that the conflict was realistic relationship problems that were solved easily by the end of the book. Both of them had internal struggles holding them back but they were able to overcome it and communicate with each other.
Tropes:
— Best Friends Brother
— Nerd x Jock
— Hockey Romance
Horn Level: 3/5
Foster, a hockey player at CU is told to look out for but don't touch his brother Seth his friend Zach who is transferring to the university. He wants Foster to help Zach make friends which Zach isn't exactly happy about. As the two get closer, Zach's position as Foster's TA and Foster's goal of getting into the NHL start getting in the way of their budding romance.
The Good
I got through 50% of the audiobook in one sitting and I loved it. Foster and Zach are good characters that you really feel the connection between them and their chemistry. My biggest complaint in a lot of books is not understanding why two characters like each other and that is not the case here. Both Zach and Foster admire parts of each other and are motivated by the other person.
Sometimes "best friends brother" books make the best friend overly possessive and irrational but Seth is very grounded in this book. He is protective over Zach and had legitimate reasons to be concerned about them getting into a relationship but he also grew and let them be adults and deal with the whatever consequences that may come.
I liked that the conflict was realistic relationship problems that were solved easily by the end of the book. Both of them had internal struggles holding them back but they were able to overcome it and communicate with each other.
Tropes:
— Best Friends Brother
— Nerd x Jock
— Hockey Romance
Horn Level: 3/5
I absolutely loved Power Plays and Straight A's so I immediately picked up the sequel!
Face off and Cheap Shots by Eden Finley and Saxon James follows scholarship student Christoper Jacobs and billionaires son TJ Beckett as the battle it out for the position of team captain of the CU Hockey Team.
The Good
Topher! I liked his character in the previous book and was happily to see this book focuses on him. Once Christopher and Beck stopped being such assholes to each other and accepted they were actually into each other the story got way more fun for me. I liked how low angst this book was in the later acts. It was a easy read and fun just seeing them figuring out their relationship.
The Bad
I considered dnf-ing this boom early on because the dynamic wasn't doing it for me. I really don't like bully-esque dynamics and Beck getting satisfaction from constantly shitting on Christopher wasn't giving off "fun banter" vibes to me.
Tropes:
— Rivals to Lovers
— Hockey Romance
— Bisexual Awakening
Horn Level: 3/5
Face off and Cheap Shots by Eden Finley and Saxon James follows scholarship student Christoper Jacobs and billionaires son TJ Beckett as the battle it out for the position of team captain of the CU Hockey Team.
The Good
Topher! I liked his character in the previous book and was happily to see this book focuses on him. Once Christopher and Beck stopped being such assholes to each other and accepted they were actually into each other the story got way more fun for me. I liked how low angst this book was in the later acts. It was a easy read and fun just seeing them figuring out their relationship.
The Bad
I considered dnf-ing this boom early on because the dynamic wasn't doing it for me. I really don't like bully-esque dynamics and Beck getting satisfaction from constantly shitting on Christopher wasn't giving off "fun banter" vibes to me.
Tropes:
— Rivals to Lovers
— Hockey Romance
— Bisexual Awakening
Horn Level: 3/5
I received this title as an ARC
in exchange for a honest review. Thank you for the copy!
I love everything cozy monster erotica so I was excited to read this!
Jillian is an overworked and under-appreciated witch escaping to her cozy cottage for a much needed break. What she doesn't expect was a sex book in her library to entice her into summoning a sex demon...
The Good
This book was a great mix of cozy and spicy. The fantasy world and cottage in the middle of the woods really set the scene for the story. Jillian and Lyle are both people who found themselves overworked and lacking connection and company. Jillian by the humans in her village and Lyle by the human who summon xem. I loved the conversations between them as they began to open up to each other. The spice was also very interesting! There was something done in here I haven't see in any of the many monster erotica I've read and it was fascinating. I also liked that this story highlighted that you don't necessarily need romance to foster intimacy and connection with another person.
Tropes:
— Nbi Love Interest
— Witch x Demon
— Plus Sized Rep
Horn Level: 5/5
in exchange for a honest review. Thank you for the copy!
I love everything cozy monster erotica so I was excited to read this!
Jillian is an overworked and under-appreciated witch escaping to her cozy cottage for a much needed break. What she doesn't expect was a sex book in her library to entice her into summoning a sex demon...
The Good
This book was a great mix of cozy and spicy. The fantasy world and cottage in the middle of the woods really set the scene for the story. Jillian and Lyle are both people who found themselves overworked and lacking connection and company. Jillian by the humans in her village and Lyle by the human who summon xem. I loved the conversations between them as they began to open up to each other. The spice was also very interesting! There was something done in here I haven't see in any of the many monster erotica I've read and it was fascinating. I also liked that this story highlighted that you don't necessarily need romance to foster intimacy and connection with another person.
Tropes:
— Nbi Love Interest
— Witch x Demon
— Plus Sized Rep
Horn Level: 5/5
I loved 'The Orc from The Office' so when I saw this book was excited to see more from this series!
This book focuses on Gwen, a siren, who is stuck going to a corporate retreat while in heat. On her way there she has multiple awkward runs with an attractive stranger who turns out to be her new coworker, a gargoyle named Vlad. During this retreat, the two constantly are drawn together and what happens on work trips stay on work trips...
The Good
I really liked Gwen. I hadn't thought about what it would be like to be an introverted siren. I found her dislike of corporate bologne to be really relatable especially as she deals with all her coworkers nonsense and tries to dodge all the social expectations they place on people just looking for a living wage.
The Bad
I really thought I was going to love this book but it fell kind of flat for me. I felt like the setting really held the story back from any real relationship development between Vlad and Gwen. The pacing was all over the place. This book is less than 200 pages but felt like it dragged on and on. I think again because of the setting. It was conference, interactions with coworkers then bar. Over and over. With the main couple sharing glances at each other or hooking up but not really. There was a lot of focus on how closed off Gwen was but I didn't feel like I really knew anything about him either, especially not enough for me to care about them being together.
Tropes:
— Workplace Romance
— Siren x Gargoyle
— Anxiety Rep
Horn Level: 3/5
This book focuses on Gwen, a siren, who is stuck going to a corporate retreat while in heat. On her way there she has multiple awkward runs with an attractive stranger who turns out to be her new coworker, a gargoyle named Vlad. During this retreat, the two constantly are drawn together and what happens on work trips stay on work trips...
The Good
I really liked Gwen. I hadn't thought about what it would be like to be an introverted siren. I found her dislike of corporate bologne to be really relatable especially as she deals with all her coworkers nonsense and tries to dodge all the social expectations they place on people just looking for a living wage.
The Bad
I really thought I was going to love this book but it fell kind of flat for me. I felt like the setting really held the story back from any real relationship development between Vlad and Gwen. The pacing was all over the place. This book is less than 200 pages but felt like it dragged on and on. I think again because of the setting. It was conference, interactions with coworkers then bar. Over and over. With the main couple sharing glances at each other or hooking up but not really. There was a lot of focus on how closed off Gwen was but I didn't feel like I really knew anything about him either, especially not enough for me to care about them being together.
Tropes:
— Workplace Romance
— Siren x Gargoyle
— Anxiety Rep
Horn Level: 3/5
I read 'Give Me More' and decided to keep reading the series!
"Mercy" follows Maggie, a member of the salacious player club who discovers she's kinkier than she thought. This leads her to try her company's match making app that pairs her with her business partners son...
The Good
I loved Maggie and Beau. I haven't read praise (and I honestly don't plan to – ex boyfriend's dad isn't a trope I like) so I didn't see the full extent of Beau being an asshole, only his bratty persona in this book and I really like him. I love Maggie too. I liked watching her let go and explore a new side of herself. I quickly realized that even with all the spicy books I read there are still things that can make me blush and this book did it multiple times. I listened to it as an audiobook and usually I play video games on my phone and don't get distracted by whatever is happening in the book but I actually paused the game to be like wait hold on and focus because it was that good.
The Bad
A thing that bugged me is that I personally would never be okay with an ex of my dating my parent and then being pressured to be okay with it. Again, I haven't read Praise and I'm sure they're in love but that's just an awful thing to do to your child and then pressure them to be at your wedding events and do the whole family thing. It's weird and it sucks. There's no way around that. Especially since Beau and his father didn't have a great relationship to begin with.
Tropes:
— Age Gap (Older Woman x Younger Man)
— Taboo (Best Friends Son)
— Male Sub
Horn Level: 5/5
"Mercy" follows Maggie, a member of the salacious player club who discovers she's kinkier than she thought. This leads her to try her company's match making app that pairs her with her business partners son...
The Good
I loved Maggie and Beau. I haven't read praise (and I honestly don't plan to – ex boyfriend's dad isn't a trope I like) so I didn't see the full extent of Beau being an asshole, only his bratty persona in this book and I really like him. I love Maggie too. I liked watching her let go and explore a new side of herself. I quickly realized that even with all the spicy books I read there are still things that can make me blush and this book did it multiple times. I listened to it as an audiobook and usually I play video games on my phone and don't get distracted by whatever is happening in the book but I actually paused the game to be like wait hold on and focus because it was that good.
The Bad
A thing that bugged me is that I personally would never be okay with an ex of my dating my parent and then being pressured to be okay with it. Again, I haven't read Praise and I'm sure they're in love but that's just an awful thing to do to your child and then pressure them to be at your wedding events and do the whole family thing. It's weird and it sucks. There's no way around that. Especially since Beau and his father didn't have a great relationship to begin with.
Tropes:
— Age Gap (Older Woman x Younger Man)
— Taboo (Best Friends Son)
— Male Sub
Horn Level: 5/5