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charliauthor's reviews
524 reviews
Credence by Penelope Douglas
Did not finish book. Stopped at 78%.
Did not finish book. Stopped at 78%.
No plot. Stupid FMC. Ridiculous MMCs. Age gap was NOT cute. Writing was trash
House of Hunger by Alexis Henderson
dark
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A
3.25
There was a lot going for this but it ended up feeling a thought it wasn't executed very well.
Alexis Henderson is great for atmosphere in that i had a great sense of when and where i was and it was appropriately scary and gothic in parts that was amazing to read. the prose wasnt too purple and i had a sense of urgency and fear throughout even when it didnt quite lift off the page in the way i thought it would.
It was unclear to me whether the blood drinkers were actual vampires or just people with some weird affliction because other than the main character, it wasnt clear what the point of everyone else was. sure there were nights of debauchery and revelry that was very dark and gothic and sinister but there was no real understanding of what went on outside of the house in the wider world.
I liked main character Marion at the start but as the story went on i sort of fell out of love with her because she didn't do much but fall in love (lust) instantly, seemingly get people hurt and complain to her new lover about things way above her paygrade.
The best parts came when we discover what's really going on with the bloodmaids and i did enjoy that there was some otherworldliness to what was previously just a little bit unsure whether they were just a little dingy and debauched.
There were some additional characters that werent necessary throughout but what i did enjoy was the power dynamic of Lisavet to the other girls.
It would have been very easy to make this extremely sexual and triggering had she been a man, so i liked how powerful she was as a terminally ill woman with a harem of ladies. it was giving boss bitch energy which i loved.
Alexis Henderson is great for atmosphere in that i had a great sense of when and where i was and it was appropriately scary and gothic in parts that was amazing to read. the prose wasnt too purple and i had a sense of urgency and fear throughout even when it didnt quite lift off the page in the way i thought it would.
It was unclear to me whether the blood drinkers were actual vampires or just people with some weird affliction because other than the main character, it wasnt clear what the point of everyone else was. sure there were nights of debauchery and revelry that was very dark and gothic and sinister but there was no real understanding of what went on outside of the house in the wider world.
I liked main character Marion at the start but as the story went on i sort of fell out of love with her because she didn't do much but fall in love (lust) instantly, seemingly get people hurt and complain to her new lover about things way above her paygrade.
The best parts came when we discover what's really going on with the bloodmaids and i did enjoy that there was some otherworldliness to what was previously just a little bit unsure whether they were just a little dingy and debauched.
There were some additional characters that werent necessary throughout but what i did enjoy was the power dynamic of Lisavet to the other girls.
It would have been very easy to make this extremely sexual and triggering had she been a man, so i liked how powerful she was as a terminally ill woman with a harem of ladies. it was giving boss bitch energy which i loved.
Madame by Sara Cate
lighthearted
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.25
Didn't love this one. I liked the threesome/poly element but there just wasnt anything special about the set up. Eden kept pushing Clay away unnecessarily and the other girl was just too eager to BE Eden that it felt gratuitous rather than sexy in their coupling. It felt dragged out as well and after the fun i had with highest bidder, it started to feel a bit stale.
Highest Bidder by Sara Cate
emotional
hopeful
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
Not me getting teary at the smut book Lordt!?
Nah, this was beautiful in the best way! The emotion, the feels, the smut, the age gap, the dialogue, the epilogue...it was perfect!!
This is a 35 year age gap and while that is wild, it was handled so well!!! Ronan is E.V.E.R.Y.T.H.I.N.G and I just want the best for him always.
this was all about fighting love again and feeling needed/wanted in a way that made sense and i just absolute adored it. wonderful wonderful stuff for the genre!
Nah, this was beautiful in the best way! The emotion, the feels, the smut, the age gap, the dialogue, the epilogue...it was perfect!!
This is a 35 year age gap and while that is wild, it was handled so well!!! Ronan is E.V.E.R.Y.T.H.I.N.G and I just want the best for him always.
this was all about fighting love again and feeling needed/wanted in a way that made sense and i just absolute adored it. wonderful wonderful stuff for the genre!
Mercy by Sara Cate
adventurous
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
I liked this one but struggled to really connect with it Maggie and Beau as i had the others because we didnt know much about them before this book. Maggie was really aloof and even though she was cute, i wasnt able to really relate/connect in the best way. i did love that she was the domme though which we dont have enough of, at least in my recent reading. Beau was sweet enough and i loved how being a sub helped him get over his issues but overall, there was just no connection since I disliked him from how he treated Charlie in book one.
Give Me More by Sara Cate
adventurous
emotional
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
So this was the poly taboo with a - let me get this right - MMF i believe as a man wants his male bestie to sleep with his wife but also to join in with the bestie. It all gets a bit sexy from there but where i didnt love it as much was that we spent a bit too much time on the husband - Hunter - not being open about what he wanted and basically made his friend and wife feel like shit while he sorted through his mess. the smut was good as ever and i enjoyed that some was through the wife's eyes as it allowed me to be less removed from the sexual content. outside of that though, i did love how much Drake cared for Hunter and his expression of this. It was also super sad that Drake had had to hide his feelings for Isabel for so long which added the emotional element of the story. My main issue was that this one dragged a bit but ultimately it was a happy ending so thats always good
Eyes on Me by Sara Cate
adventurous
funny
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? N/A
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A
4.0
I never knew the voyeur thing could be up there with my book kinks lol but here we are.
The taboo in this is step siblings which id not read before and i was here for it as well, i cant lie. i loved loved loved the cam girl stuff at the start and when he was talking to her as both guys in the same room i was FERAL for that content! ha! the spice was spicy as im learning from Sara. It was super touchy with the Mental Health stuff which i liked. It was handled well. This series is just top tier for smut and plot and im here for it
The taboo in this is step siblings which id not read before and i was here for it as well, i cant lie. i loved loved loved the cam girl stuff at the start and when he was talking to her as both guys in the same room i was FERAL for that content! ha! the spice was spicy as im learning from Sara. It was super touchy with the Mental Health stuff which i liked. It was handled well. This series is just top tier for smut and plot and im here for it
Arran's Obsession by Jolie Vines
Did not finish book. Stopped at 38%.
Did not finish book. Stopped at 38%.
World building was flat. Characters werent very smart/believable. Plot/rationale/reasoning was weak. Smut wasnt great. It felt amateurish. Someone trying to be dark who isnt really a dark writer
Praise by Sara Cate
adventurous
emotional
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? N/A
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.75
Thoroughly enjoyed this. The meet cute was great lol even though the taboo was the first of its kind for me. Really, your exes dad? Well, when he's richer and hotter and more mature than fuck yeah, your exes dad! LOL
I enjoyed Emerson as the MMC and of course the FMC is called Charlotte so I was able to self insert which was fabulous. I liked the battle that Emerson had over choosing his son over his own happiness which felt real. The smut of course was great and was a fabulous first book from the author for me. Im set to devour the rest of them haha
I enjoyed Emerson as the MMC and of course the FMC is called Charlotte so I was able to self insert which was fabulous. I liked the battle that Emerson had over choosing his son over his own happiness which felt real. The smut of course was great and was a fabulous first book from the author for me. Im set to devour the rest of them haha
The Sinner by Shantel Tessier
dark
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
2.25
This one i didnt love as much. Pros are that it was once again unapologetically dark and the MMC really gave no fucks which i like in these kind of books. Not too sugary if youre gonna be penetrating your girl with a hunting knife