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1.4k reviews by:
lambsbooks
adventurous
dark
emotional
sad
fast-paced
Loveable characters:
Yes
“I want you to watch me as I taste what’s mine for the first time.”
Oh wow. I haven’t read a book that I’ve really loved in a while. This was amazing. The writing was great, the plot was fast-paced but explained well, and the characters were perfect. I cannot wait for book 2!
“So you’re asking me to join a fight against an oppressive ruler, only to show me more brutality than I’ve ever seen from him?”
The first thing that made Nyra stand out for me was calling out the rebels. I know that may seem like a small thing, but it’s so true in any rebellion story - the rebels can be just as bad as the ones they’re fighting against.
I had barely just begun to find my breath since running from my father’s palace, and already, I could feel it being stolen from my lungs again.
Nyra was a great main character! She was the perfect combination of strong, emotional, emotionless, and broken. Sounds weird, but I like my characters to show me their emotions, not tell me, and I thought it was written very well.
“Why are you so mean?”
“You haven’t seen me be mean. If I were mean, I’d slide my cock between your lips to keep you from talking when I tire of hearing you speak.”
The star of the show was Dacre. That man!!!
“Drop that bow and get on your knees.” He ran his tongue over his bottom lip, and I almost fell to them at that one movement. “Then I want you to crawl to me and beg.”
The mouth on Dacre 🫠🌶️🌶️
“Then I’ll make you wish for death.” As he spoke, his voice was barely audible, barely a whisper, and it sent shivers down my spine.
They were your classic enemies to lovers and it was done so well *chefs kiss* There was attraction in the beginning but it didn’t take away from their hatred of each other, which I loved.
He opened his mouth, and I prepared myself for his arrogant response. But it didn’t come. Instead, his gaze lingered over my back, and he stilled.
He looked like he had seen a ghost or… My scars. “Who did that to you?” His voice lacked every bit of his control.
That quote speaks for itself 🫠
“I have been starved, Nyra. Until you.”
I’m super excited to see where this goes, especially after that ending 😭😭😭 I hope we see more of Wren and Kai and maybe some more backstory!
Thank you to the author and Valentine PR for sending me this ARC!
____________________________
This was amazing and I am dead😭 I need book 2 now!
Full Rtc
Oh wow. I haven’t read a book that I’ve really loved in a while. This was amazing. The writing was great, the plot was fast-paced but explained well, and the characters were perfect. I cannot wait for book 2!
“So you’re asking me to join a fight against an oppressive ruler, only to show me more brutality than I’ve ever seen from him?”
The first thing that made Nyra stand out for me was calling out the rebels. I know that may seem like a small thing, but it’s so true in any rebellion story - the rebels can be just as bad as the ones they’re fighting against.
I had barely just begun to find my breath since running from my father’s palace, and already, I could feel it being stolen from my lungs again.
Nyra was a great main character! She was the perfect combination of strong, emotional, emotionless, and broken. Sounds weird, but I like my characters to show me their emotions, not tell me, and I thought it was written very well.
“Why are you so mean?”
“You haven’t seen me be mean. If I were mean, I’d slide my cock between your lips to keep you from talking when I tire of hearing you speak.”
The star of the show was Dacre. That man!!!
“Drop that bow and get on your knees.” He ran his tongue over his bottom lip, and I almost fell to them at that one movement. “Then I want you to crawl to me and beg.”
The mouth on Dacre 🫠🌶️🌶️
“Then I’ll make you wish for death.” As he spoke, his voice was barely audible, barely a whisper, and it sent shivers down my spine.
They were your classic enemies to lovers and it was done so well *chefs kiss* There was attraction in the beginning but it didn’t take away from their hatred of each other, which I loved.
He opened his mouth, and I prepared myself for his arrogant response. But it didn’t come. Instead, his gaze lingered over my back, and he stilled.
He looked like he had seen a ghost or… My scars. “Who did that to you?” His voice lacked every bit of his control.
That quote speaks for itself 🫠
“I have been starved, Nyra. Until you.”
I’m super excited to see where this goes, especially after that ending 😭😭😭 I hope we see more of Wren and Kai and maybe some more backstory!
Thank you to the author and Valentine PR for sending me this ARC!
____________________________
This was amazing and I am dead😭 I need book 2 now!
Full Rtc
He snared her by the hips and lifted her from his lap, leaning her back against one of the soft, feathered pillows.
Then Asher devoured her.
This was a nice fated mates / rejected mates story, mixed with a whimsical astrological fairytale-like background. Novalise is the perfect daughter, never disagreeing or standing up for herself. Until Asher. But you know, he rejects the bond like a dick.
He could marry Novalise, but doing so would subject her to a lifetime of violence. He could try to control his temper, to restrain the volatile nature of his birthright, but one day he wouldn’t be able to hold back. One day, he would snap. And when that happened, he’d rather end his own life than watch her suffer by his hand.
Asher is haunted by what happened to his mother at the hands of his father, so he’s understandably afraid of letting go and loving someone. The stars, or Nova's mother, told him that he would end up just like his father. So he took that to heart. Obviously. So when fate says “-hey, your mate is the daughter of the woman who ruined your life” guess you can’t blame him for being a liiiiiittle skeptical.
“You want me to stay?”
“Correction,” he muttered, his voice thick with drowsiness. “I’m not allowing you to leave.”
The spice showed up ready to roll and didn’t disappoint.
“You’re a princess on a pedestal, worshipped and adored by everyone. They call you a diamond, whisper that you’re flawless.” He gripped his dick with one hand, jerked it twice. “Because you’re a good girl, aren’t you, my lady? You’re a good girl who always does exactly as she’s told.”
I did have some issues with it, mainly the ending. These are interconnected standalones but this didn’t get a proper ending for it to have been considered a standalone. Nova and Ash got like 2 sentences of together happiness and then the epilogue was about Drake. What happened to the rebellion? What about her awful mother? I assume that some of these questions will be answered in the next book, especially the gem hunt, so I have hope.
Thank you so much to the author for sending me this ARC!!
Then Asher devoured her.
This was a nice fated mates / rejected mates story, mixed with a whimsical astrological fairytale-like background. Novalise is the perfect daughter, never disagreeing or standing up for herself. Until Asher. But you know, he rejects the bond like a dick.
He could marry Novalise, but doing so would subject her to a lifetime of violence. He could try to control his temper, to restrain the volatile nature of his birthright, but one day he wouldn’t be able to hold back. One day, he would snap. And when that happened, he’d rather end his own life than watch her suffer by his hand.
Asher is haunted by what happened to his mother at the hands of his father, so he’s understandably afraid of letting go and loving someone. The stars, or Nova's mother, told him that he would end up just like his father. So he took that to heart. Obviously. So when fate says “-hey, your mate is the daughter of the woman who ruined your life” guess you can’t blame him for being a liiiiiittle skeptical.
“You want me to stay?”
“Correction,” he muttered, his voice thick with drowsiness. “I’m not allowing you to leave.”
The spice showed up ready to roll and didn’t disappoint.
“You’re a princess on a pedestal, worshipped and adored by everyone. They call you a diamond, whisper that you’re flawless.” He gripped his dick with one hand, jerked it twice. “Because you’re a good girl, aren’t you, my lady? You’re a good girl who always does exactly as she’s told.”
I did have some issues with it, mainly the ending. These are interconnected standalones but this didn’t get a proper ending for it to have been considered a standalone. Nova and Ash got like 2 sentences of together happiness and then the epilogue was about Drake. What happened to the rebellion? What about her awful mother? I assume that some of these questions will be answered in the next book, especially the gem hunt, so I have hope.
Thank you so much to the author for sending me this ARC!!
If a guy stalked all of his exes on social media, it'd be disgusting and creepy and yet in this book it's supposed to be funny and cute? I cringed every single time she said "I went to Google to do some stalking" That immediately made me not like this book.
This book could have been cute, with the FMC as a reader/book "influencer *gag*" but my God it was annoying. Every single word that came out of Tara's mouth was her comparing something in her life to a romance trope. It got old. Really fast. She was also so, again, annoying. I think she was supposed to portray anxiety or something but it was badly done.
The descriptions of the characters were vague and I couldn't remember what they looked like aside from Trevor being a giant and her sister being "curvy"
Writing this out, I had to look on the back of the book for Tara's name, because I literally couldn't remember it.
She also had a personality shift within a page and I don't like when authors do that to characters, people don't just change within a second, it's not real.
In hindsight, the title of the series should have been a red flag for me and I probably should have realized I wasn't going to like a main character like Tara (who was literally just a romance trope in human skin).
This got 2 stars instead of 1 because there were some cute moments but no, I didn't like this.
This book could have been cute, with the FMC as a reader/book "influencer *gag*" but my God it was annoying. Every single word that came out of Tara's mouth was her comparing something in her life to a romance trope. It got old. Really fast. She was also so, again, annoying. I think she was supposed to portray anxiety or something but it was badly done.
The descriptions of the characters were vague and I couldn't remember what they looked like aside from Trevor being a giant and her sister being "curvy"
Writing this out, I had to look on the back of the book for Tara's name, because I literally couldn't remember it.
She also had a personality shift within a page and I don't like when authors do that to characters, people don't just change within a second, it's not real.
In hindsight, the title of the series should have been a red flag for me and I probably should have realized I wasn't going to like a main character like Tara (who was literally just a romance trope in human skin).
This got 2 stars instead of 1 because there were some cute moments but no, I didn't like this.
“He says and does the dirtiest shit. Like the other night he spat in my mouth, and I was so shocked I just said thanks.”
Good lord.
“I’m not the same little girl who wanted his affection. Now I wish he’d choke on his own dick half the time—the other half I wish I was choking on his dick.”
GOOD LORD
“I’m nervous, too. I’m probably better at railing you than I am dating you.”
This was spicy af but also so emotional and well done! 4.5 stars
“Best cucumber I’ve ever eaten. Hands fucking down.” IYKYK 😂 but you can probably guess if you don’t know 😂
There were spicy scenes that I’ve never read before and I am dead from them 😂 I thought Tristian and Bea had great chemistry and I loved their hate for each other, it just made it so much better.
“Maybe something to consider in the future. Some people spend their lives chasing dreams. I’ve spent mine chasing financial stability,” she says softly.
Tristan and Bea were both experiencing the side effects of childhood trauma, abandonment/verbal abuse and poverty. I thought both of these traumas were portrayed really well. I was, like anxious, with Tristian at times, even when he was being a dick, so I appreciate that depth to his character.
“My heart aches. I wish he could admit that he cares. But Tristan is a broken boy living inside an angry man, and I can’t fix that.”
Tristan and his anger issues, his anxiety, his commitment issues, were well grounded in his childhood without being in your face and you felt his pain and anxiety as triggers came up. He knew that he was taking it too far at points but he didn’t have a coping mechanism in place and didn’t know how to stop. Bea with her obsessive budgeting was so real, I felt that hard. I was emotional.
“Fucking Tristan.” Hammer shakes her head. “Only he would send you a basket of dick-shaped vegetables as an apology. That’s what this is, right? An apology basket?”
Flip to an extent was also worried about his money from their childhood, but honestly, I need to see more character growth from him because right now he’s just a fuckboy douche most of the time. He had some nice moments near the end, but Helena, I need some more of him (he’s getting a book right? RIGHT!?*sobs*). I also always love the girl friendships that are in Helena's books, they are so comforting and I love women supporting women.
“You don’t want my attention, Beat.” His voice is soft and menacing, sending a shiver down my spine. “I promise you, you’re playing with fire, and I will fucking incinerate you.”
If you like:
- Hand necklaces
-🍆 in the first chapter
- Hair pulling
- Produce experimentation
- Best friends little sister
- Roommates and forbidden-ness
- Spice. Spice everywhere
- Hockey romance
- “You might want to hold on.”
- They hate each other
“I head for my room and close the door, then glare at my semi-erect cock. “Fuck you for getting excited.”
Thank you so much to the author for providing me with an ARC!
Good lord.
“I’m not the same little girl who wanted his affection. Now I wish he’d choke on his own dick half the time—the other half I wish I was choking on his dick.”
GOOD LORD
“I’m nervous, too. I’m probably better at railing you than I am dating you.”
This was spicy af but also so emotional and well done! 4.5 stars
“Best cucumber I’ve ever eaten. Hands fucking down.” IYKYK 😂 but you can probably guess if you don’t know 😂
There were spicy scenes that I’ve never read before and I am dead from them 😂 I thought Tristian and Bea had great chemistry and I loved their hate for each other, it just made it so much better.
“Maybe something to consider in the future. Some people spend their lives chasing dreams. I’ve spent mine chasing financial stability,” she says softly.
Tristan and Bea were both experiencing the side effects of childhood trauma, abandonment/verbal abuse and poverty. I thought both of these traumas were portrayed really well. I was, like anxious, with Tristian at times, even when he was being a dick, so I appreciate that depth to his character.
“My heart aches. I wish he could admit that he cares. But Tristan is a broken boy living inside an angry man, and I can’t fix that.”
Tristan and his anger issues, his anxiety, his commitment issues, were well grounded in his childhood without being in your face and you felt his pain and anxiety as triggers came up. He knew that he was taking it too far at points but he didn’t have a coping mechanism in place and didn’t know how to stop. Bea with her obsessive budgeting was so real, I felt that hard. I was emotional.
“Fucking Tristan.” Hammer shakes her head. “Only he would send you a basket of dick-shaped vegetables as an apology. That’s what this is, right? An apology basket?”
Flip to an extent was also worried about his money from their childhood, but honestly, I need to see more character growth from him because right now he’s just a fuckboy douche most of the time. He had some nice moments near the end, but Helena, I need some more of him (he’s getting a book right? RIGHT!?*sobs*). I also always love the girl friendships that are in Helena's books, they are so comforting and I love women supporting women.
“You don’t want my attention, Beat.” His voice is soft and menacing, sending a shiver down my spine. “I promise you, you’re playing with fire, and I will fucking incinerate you.”
If you like:
- Hand necklaces
-🍆 in the first chapter
- Hair pulling
- Produce experimentation
- Best friends little sister
- Roommates and forbidden-ness
- Spice. Spice everywhere
- Hockey romance
- “You might want to hold on.”
- They hate each other
“I head for my room and close the door, then glare at my semi-erect cock. “Fuck you for getting excited.”
Thank you so much to the author for providing me with an ARC!
DNF at 70% (but probably like 60% since I skimmed)
I don’t have many nice things to say about this and I seem to be in the minority since most people have loved it, so take this with a grain of salt.
I liked the writing at first but then the dialogue and internal monologue got so childish and annoying. The banter was forced and not fun. Also, using an exclamation point at the end of every second sentence is…wow…I hated that. “!?!?” was also used multiple times. Just no.
The FMC was an absolute idiot. I don’t think I’ve read a woman portrayed as stupidly as she was. She wasn’t described well and her entire personality was “I love this man no actually this man” I was actually angry with how stupid she was with Brennan. He was blatantly manipulating and using her and she’s like “should I love him should I not”
Conner was supposed to be this strong prince military fae but he was just some whiny, wimpy teenager-sounding 1 dimensional character. Loved her after meeting her once. Real great.
The prologue had potential but when the scene came up, it was a huge let down.
The world building and magic system was not explained. I was extremely slow paced, like at 70% nothing had really happened.
Overall, nope.
I don’t have many nice things to say about this and I seem to be in the minority since most people have loved it, so take this with a grain of salt.
I liked the writing at first but then the dialogue and internal monologue got so childish and annoying. The banter was forced and not fun. Also, using an exclamation point at the end of every second sentence is…wow…I hated that. “!?!?” was also used multiple times. Just no.
The FMC was an absolute idiot. I don’t think I’ve read a woman portrayed as stupidly as she was. She wasn’t described well and her entire personality was “I love this man no actually this man” I was actually angry with how stupid she was with Brennan. He was blatantly manipulating and using her and she’s like “should I love him should I not”
Conner was supposed to be this strong prince military fae but he was just some whiny, wimpy teenager-sounding 1 dimensional character. Loved her after meeting her once. Real great.
The prologue had potential but when the scene came up, it was a huge let down.
The world building and magic system was not explained. I was extremely slow paced, like at 70% nothing had really happened.
Overall, nope.
He’s a 10 but he makes you jewelry out of your enemies bones.
“Which one of those bastards did this?” I swallowed past a knot, staying quiet. Erik cupped the back of my neck, drawing our faces close. “Doesn’t matter which one. They’re dead. Their blood will spill at your feet.”
Wellll, this was de-light-ful. I love a good pirate book and this one was super fun with morally grey men, fae, spice, and dark magic. There was an otherworldly aspect to it when they crossed the Chasm, or the barrier, and went into the Ever Kingdom.
I love that both of the MCs have a disability, it’s refreshing to see and I thought they were portrayed well.
“Such venom.” With one knuckle, I stroked her cheek. “Careful with your threats of my untimely death, love, or you might end up stealing my heart.”
Erik was a misunderstood villain, which was fun (but I also like just bad villains too) and Livia was, a person? I dunno. She was nice but a little bland, I guess. She didn’t always feel like that to me and I have high hopes for her badassery in book 2!
“Hate me, curse me, I cared little, so long as I was the first thought of her day and the last of her night.”
Erik is gonna kill a lot of people in the next book 😂
“I am preparing to claim you as mine, so you should know that will be the last time another man’s name is on your tongue.”
I did find it slow in certain parts, with language that was a little boring at other times, and I hope the world is built more in the next book, but overall, I would recommend it!
“The woman is not to be touched, threatened, or harmed in any way. Those who try, will die.”
Thank you to the author for providing me an ARC in exchange for an honest review.
