cozysquib's Reviews (165)

I am in love with Joey Lynch’s story.

My heart absolutely shatters into a million tiny, irreconcilable pieces for this little lost boy, and I just want to hold him close and shield him from all the cruelty of his world.

This is a coming-of-age story unlike any other. It tackles extremely heavy issues, from abuse to drug use to every flavor of childhood trauma imaginable. But if you’re coming here from Binding 13 or Keeping 13, then I’m sure you already have some idea of what to expect.

The story is beautifully done. It’s insanely compelling and pulls you through every emotional beat right alongside the characters. There are moments of levity that bring you small highs before dropping you deeper than you thought possible. I’m still a bit on the fence about the inclusion of on-page spice considering the characters are underage, but I can also acknowledge that it serves the message of the story. The book doesn’t shy away from physical abuse, addiction, or trauma, so omitting intimacy would almost feel like sanitizing part of the harsh reality it’s trying to reflect. That said, if you love Joey *for yourself* and not *for Aoife*... you are absolutely part of the problem.

Aoife Molloy is honestly an incredible character and the perfect balance to Joey. Her POV brings so much depth to the story, and the stark contrast between their home lives really helps highlight the core message. Watching how differently they react to everyday moments based on the worlds they come from is just masterfully done.

This book covers the four to five years leading up to Binding 13 and Keeping 13, following Joey as he tries to survive the hellscape of his youth and slowly comes of age in a world that seems determined to break him. I absolutely loved it. That said, my little chronological brain kind of wishes I had read this one first.

The Fall Risk by Abby Jimenez

I... did not like this book.

It’s short, sweet, and to the point, which was exactly what I needed from a quick audiobook to fill a two-hour window. However, there are just some things in here that toe so far past suspended disbelief and straight into full-blown ridiculous territory.

The cute little tree puns and the humor? Great. I liked the general vibe of the story.

But my deeply rooted internal cynicism just could not get past the multiple instances of "falling in love with for a while" and "anything you want" coming from a guy who met this girl literally THREE DAYS AGO and doesn’t even really know her.

Falling for someone? Sure.

Being interested in being a provider? A little soon for that, but fine.

But falling in LOVE? For a while?? Sir. Be so serious right now. 

Where exactly does “for a while” come into play here? Was that hour two or hour seventy-two? Help me out.

Anyway. Not bad. It filled the time. But I’m frustrated enough that this review is now bordering on being longer than the entire 88-page book. Soooo… yeah.

Morning Glory Milking Farm by C.M. Nascosta

I am dying. This book is absolutely hilarious in its absurdity and was the perfect choice for a girls’ night audiobook book club.

Seriously, who doesn’t want to hear about massive, I mean MASSIVE, minotaur members while live on call with your friends? It’s unhinged in the most entertaining way, and there is no pretending that this book is about anything other than the spice. That is the premise. We are literally "milking" male minotaurs, if you catch my drift...  and I mean 24 oz of that baby batter per, ahem, "milking session." 

And yet... it’s also objectively really well written. The tone is funny, the pacing is snappy, and the characters are oddly lovable for a book that, again, revolves around monster milking as an industry. The worldbuilding actually goes surprisingly deep, maybe even too deep considering I couldn't care less about the world and just wanted to get back to dying at the "plot" in hand. The sheer novelty of it all was an ideal topic of discussion between friends. I may have made my husband come sit down and take a listen.  I needed him to experience absolute joy of a minotaur pressure-washing the inner walls of our FMC with 24oz of his "hot milk" and "sticky sweet cream" (direct quotes). 

I genuinely think I might’ve DNF’d this if I’d read it solo, but in a group setting? Chef's Kiss. We were cackling nonstop. Pinkies off the teacups ladies, we need them for some frenulum fondling tonight at book club!

This is the perfect blend of erotic and ridiculous, with just the right amount of emotional levity and humor to keep it lighthearted between the copious (and I do mean copious) scenes of monster milking.

The Deal by Elle Kennedy

This was a pretty middle of the road read for me personally.

There was a lot to like, it’s well written, and it covers some heavier themes in a lighthearted but respectful way. That said, it stayed fairly surface level overall, and the MMC just wasn’t quite my flavor.

I’ve heard the later books in this series of interconnected standalones improve on the banter and bring more energy to the world, so I’m still curious to continue.

My biggest complaint is simply that there weren’t enough dynamic side characters to really bring the story to life. Outside of the central romance, many characters felt a bit flat.

I did love how quick and easy this was to get through. We binged the audiobook in two sittings for girls’ date night and had plenty of giggles throughout. Everyone came away with generally positive vibes.

Overall, I enjoyed the relationship dynamics, the way trauma was handled and overcome, and the fact that it was a cute contemporary sports romance that stayed light on the actual sports talk which is always my preference.

I'll read the rest of the universe in time, but I'm not going to run straight to them. 

Keeping 13 by Chloe Walsh

Holy heartbreak and a half.

Chapter one starts out with a god damn bang and had me reeling right from the jump. My eyes were burning with unshed tears, fighting for release. Ready to add their salty contribution to the tumultuous seas of Keeping 13. 

"Don't leave me, Shan... Please don't leave me..."

This book is a beautiful representation of the effects of trauma and abuse on a family, and the ripple effects as those waves reach further and further from the shore.

We are drowning in a sea of grief, fear, and anxiety, with our only life raft being the moments of hope and happiness found between the riptides. As readers, we know that with every up, there’s another inevitable slide back down. So we scramble to enjoy the light moments, constantly glancing around the corner for the boogeyman we know is lurking.

The story is beautifully done. It tugs on all your emotions in just the right way and leaves you with highs and lows in spades. It captures what it felt like to be sixteen in 2005. First loves, friendships, and figuring out how to grow up when your life doesn’t look like anyone else’s. It made me genuinely nostalgic for my own high school days and sparked multiple memory lane detours with my buddy reader.

But honestly, the most powerful part of this series so far has been the side characters. No matter how focused you are on the main love story and their mess of problems, you can’t help but feel the pain of the people around them too. You root for the main couple to heal and make it, but you also ache for everyone else with pieces to pick up off the floor. You want better for them all. You feel them breaking. You carry them with you.

"What about me, Shan? What. about. me..."

Binding 13 by Chloe Walsh

At first, I was a little worried this book was going to be a never-ending pity party, based on how the opening chapters played out. But as it kept going, there was so much more depth than I expected and definitely more than I dared hope for.

From comedic moments to serious ones to absolutely heartbreaking scenes, this book runs you through it. I laughed out loud more than once, and also had a few full-body shudder moments thanks to some of the medical stuff. (Apparently I don’t do well with medical shite. Noted.) And I was not prepared for how much personality the chapter titles added. Do yourself a favor and actually read them. They’re hilarious.

There’s so much that feels genuinely accurate to the teenage experience here from awkward first kisses to painfully clumsy "birds & bees" talks. I really love a good coming-of-age arc, especially when it leans into slice-of-life storytelling. That slower, more thoughtful pacing lets you really settle into the mundane, the messy, and the emotional day to day.

Now that ending though? No! That was just a cruel place to cut Chloe!! The emotional whiplash of those last three chapters had me scrambling to write this review just so I could crack open book two immediately. We went up then down, up then down, over and over until my battered heart just couldn't take it any more. 

That said, I’m still torn on how I feel about this being YA. I thought back to my own experiences and yeah... it’s pretty accurate. But as an adult woman, it still feels weird to read about things like a teenage girl’s perfect breasts or a 17-year-old’s very detailed sex life and constant references to his bangers and mash. It toes a line that makes me uncomfortable, even if it is an honest reflection of how teenagers actually talk and act. I mean, I had a friend in high school who was literally nicknamed “papa big d*ck” and everyone knew who banged who at what party by Monday morning. So sure, the representation checks out... it’s just jarring to read from this side of the age gap.

Still, I’m fully in now. Let’s see where this rollercoaster goes.

Till Summer Do Us Part by Meghan Quinn

This book had me dying laughing at multiple points.

It’s a contemporary romantic comedy with just enough flair to stay perfectly in the lane of “fun time” without veering off into full-blown ridiculousness.

I read this as an audiobook with my besties during our regular girls’ night, and honestly, that was the best decision we could’ve made.

We thoroughly enjoyed the light-hearted plot and all the comedic moments sprinkled throughout. It gave us plenty of laughs and even more to talk about as we read, and we had such a good time with it that we ended up making plans to hang out again the very next day just to finish it together.

Wilder, for me, really toes the line between quirky and cringe. Sometimes it’s haha cute, and sometimes it’s maybe a little much. So if you’re not into that kind of humor, he might not be your cup of tea. But overall, the story was compelling and held our attention start to finish.

There were a few running gags and bits especially with the counselor that got dragged out more than I would’ve liked. The one that really grated on me was how often every single conversation somehow circled back to her ex. There were so many sentences that could’ve ended cleanly, but then she’d tack on some little jab or comment that just kept his name in the mix. Like girl, we get it. You’re thinking about him. You don’t have to say the quiet part out loud every time.

Overall, it’s a fun, quick, breezy contemporary with lots of laughs and a solid helping of on-page spice. Definitely a good choice for a book club with wine and friends.

Twisted Soul by Morgan B. Lee

Welp. This one took me significantly longer to get through.

We’ve officially reached the point where the spice is rivaling the plot… which has also massively slowed down in its own right. Things do pick up a bit past the halfway mark, but this installment leans heavy on the spice, and honestly, it was a bit much for my personal taste.

Don’t get me wrong, I love the growing dynamic between the guys, and I appreciate the added depth to each relationship with Maven. But it feels like those emotional progressions only happen during spicy scenes. And even when things aren't explicitly steamy, there’s still a constant stream of innuendo and general horniness just dripping off every interaction.

So while I’m still enjoying the series overall and will absolutely be reading the fourth and final book, this has been my least favorite so far. We’re still eating Cheetos at 2 a.m., but now I’m pulling Flaming Hots… and that’s just not my junk food of choice.

There’s also been a noticeable shift in the characters. They are starting to feel like caricatures of their tropes instead of well-rounded character. The horny himbo dragon is still funny at times, but teetering into full-blown parody. And don’t even get me started on the “crazy” ones. They’ve lost that delicious, unhinged edge and gone full quirky theater kid with a “tehe aren’t we just so kooky and cwazy, darling?” energy. I miss the genuinely deranged menace.

Still enjoying the story, but in my opinion, it’s getting a little weaker as it goes, mostly due to being diluted and frequently derailed by, well... all de... railing. 😅

Shadow Heart by Morgan B Lee

📣 I love Crypt & Silas 👏

Ahhhhhhhhhh.

Helpful huh? Ok for real, this book is for the vibes. Don't come here looking for any literary fiction masterpieces or any deep commentary on the human condition. We ride for the ✨️vibes✨️ and those vibes are blood shed and men on their knees.

Yes, dommy mommy Maven! You tell that boy to sit down and eat his dinner...

This series keeps giving me flashbacks to moments I loved in other favorites. It’s awakened a realization that I have a very clear type, and some very specific spice tastes I just don’t get to indulge in often enough. 

Give me more psychopathic, irredeemable assholes who are literal bloodthirsty murderers, but also do the most cringey, sickly sweet little things for their woman and mean it.  Ughhhh, yes! The spice? Men. On. Their. Knees. Who needs a "good girl" praise kink or a "crawl to me" moment when we can have a man on all fours ✨️begging✨️ for that honor. Mmmm. 

This book did focus more on the spice than book one did, and we are approaching my upper limit for spice to plot ratio in a book.  We haven't quite gone over the edge yet, but there is definitely a cliff that we are barreling towards. 

If you like The Ruthless Boys of the Zodiac or Broken Bonds, there’s a very good chance you’ll be into this series too.  Is the wiring stellar? Absolutely not. But we’re not here for Pulitzer-level prose. We are here for the 2 a.m. junk food snack pack that feeds our souls. Consider me fed.

Blood Oath by Morgan B. Lee

I binged this book in a single sitting. Literally could not put it down.

The vibes are immaculate. Think Ruthless Boys of the Zodiac with a side of Wednesday Addams morbid dommy mommy energy. We are not here for subtlety. We are here for bloodshed, chaos, and boys who say "yes ma'am."

Good girl? Never heard of her. But a “good boy” praise kink? Oh absolutely. It gave me flashbacks to my favorite moment in the Psycho Academy trilogy, and I was living for it.

The pacing is fast and snappy, no dragging, just pure bingeable goodness. It throws you straight into the action, but there’s a hint of depth with cursed histories and shadowy pasts that promise more complexity as the series goes on. We’re not just here for the spice… but like… mostly we are. I wouldn't call it "high spice" but it is definitely romance focused fantasy. 

Now, is there some cheese on this burger? For sure. But luckily, I am not lactose intolerant and I love a good cheddar.

If you’re into Ruthless Boys, Bonds That Tie, Cruel Shifterverse, Ironside Academy, or anything involving feral men and morally questionable women, you’ll feel right at home. Bonus: all four books are out now and free on KU. So yes. Dive in, bestie.