litty_lydi's Reviews (123)

as a sister with control issues that grew up in a small town, this one hit a little too close to home.

evidenced by the multiple times I ugly cried while reading it.

full review to come.


Disclaimer: I received an Advanced Uncorrected Proof from Simon and Schuster Canada.

If there is one author I can trust to never let me down, it’s Ruby Dixon. Whenever you think “I wonder if she will go there…” she does, and 9 times out of 10 goes beyond there.

🌑🌘🌗🌖

Synopsis:

Taking place in a post-magic realm where power resides in ancient relics, and the elite "Holders" thrive on their acquisition. Within this world, the Royal Artifactual Guild stands as a beacon of exploration, its members tasked with delving into buried ruins to unearth these mystical treasures.

Aspeth, a sheltered Holder's daughter, after spending all of her life researching and learning everything she can about the Guild, finds herself seeking this dangerous world when her father's reckless gambling jeopardizes their standing. With their legacy and lives on the line, she sneaks out with the intent to join the Guild recruits with hopes to secure a valuable artifact and save her family from ruin, all without revealing her identity.

Amidst the guild's hierarchy, Hawk, a Taurian minotaur, grapples with his own challenges. Despite his exceptional skills in the tunnels, he faces discrimination and is relegated to a menial role within the guild. His mentor is an alcoholic with no interest in training the recruits, he assumes the role to attempt to keep up his Guild Master’s legacy, while also trying to keep her from losing her position. This year’s recruitment is particularly strenuous as it falls within weeks of the upcoming Conquest Moon: an event that happens once every five years where all female Taurians go into heat and all males go into rut. Essentially rendering them mindless sex machines (and yes … there are 🪢).

While he tries to grapple with how he will balance training his misfit gang of recruits in order to keep his old mentors guild from being disbanded, while also not going completely insane with the upcoming Conquest Moon, a woman eager to join the guild shows up to his door with a shedding orange cat and a proposition: marry her so he can act as her chaperone and give her permission to join the guild, and she will see him through his Conquest Moon rut.

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Going into this book, I had not read the blurb. All I saw was a gorgeous standard first edition book with a minotaur and human on the front alongside Ruby Dixon’s name and knew I had to have it. When I tell you the squeal I let out when I realized a few chapters in that this was a marriage of convenience driven by an upcoming rut... FERAL (Chloe has the voice notes to prove it). I got to that point at 11:00 PM and subsequently stayed up till 5 AM devouring the rest of this book.

Some highlights for me:
- Aspeth is 30, and has lived an extremely privileged life, and it shows!!! She is not some athletic superstar when she joins the training, nor does she become one over night. She instead relies on her other skills to help her through her journey. So refreshing!!
- RD said in their authors note that the tunnels and guilds drew inspiration from games such as Stardew Valley and I 100% got those vibes and loved every minute of them.
- The element of found family between the “misfit” recruits, while definitely not as focused on as the marriage-of-convenience plot, was very endearing. And there are definitely lots of doors left open for some of the other characters stories to continue.

My initial thought is that if you enjoyed Bride by Ali Hazelwood, but felt like you wanted more (in every sense of the word), I think this is perfect for you. It has it all, lots of steamy scenes, but still gives heart wrenching romance and angst, all set in this treasure hunting/explorer back drop that just hits so good.

I genuinely can’t wait to reread this, multiple times. Pretty sure this is my top read of 2024 thus far …

I have only one request. My dearest Ruby Dixon, pretty, pretty please, provide us with a bonus novella of the ring ceremony. I am on my knees.🧎‍♀️

** I did receive an eARC of this book from Berkley Publicity via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
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RUBY DIXON, THE WOMAN THAT YOU ARE.

I started this around 10:30 pm. It is now 5:14 am. This was everything I could have wanted and more. I will write a proper review, but initial thoughts are if you enjoyed bride but wanted more, in every aspect possible, this should satiate that 100x over.

Head empty. No thoughts. Just Bull Moon Rising 🫡

Well after my audiobook re-read, figure it's time to write a more proper review ("proper" being used loosely here) considering I have minimum 5 copies of this book on my shelf right now 🤪.

🌀🐉🌖

THW is my kind of adult fantasy. We've got two extremely touch-starved sexy people on opposite sides of a war, who "reluctantly" enter an ✨arranged marriage✨ to (i) smooth over some political business and (ii) basically save the world from an impending natural disaster. Throw in some opposing light/dark magic and our two main characters incapable of not being at each others throats (in more ways than one 😏) and I am standing at attention 🫡 . as was Alaric

Arranged marriage trope will always get me, and I am not ashamed to admit that. While it does take a little bit for things to pick up, once things start progressing between Alaric and Talasyn I struggle to stop reading and must keep devouring so that I can continue to squeal and kick my feet as I watch this tumultuous alliance turn into everything I could want and more.

I do feel it's my duty to add the disclaimer that I came into reading this book as someone who has read the original story this was inspired by an ungodly amount of times, and could recite the whole thing verbatim if I needed to. It is a god-tier comfort read for me. And I adore Thea. As such, it's fair to acknowledge that I am most definitely coming into this with a personal bias, and with some a priori knowledge that helps me have a better grasp on the world that Thea has set-up. But that doesn't make me any less hooked to know where this new story is going and see how these characters stories continue to be fleshed out.

If I thought about it long enough it's probably between 4-5 stars from me, and to be fair I will list a few of my minuscule gripes.
- Multiple relatively large time jumps where (arguably) a lot of individual character/plot development likely occurred, which I'm generally never a fan of.
- Felt lacking on the background of the Night Empire... which although their Emperor is half of the story, I feel like we only scratched the surface of what is going on in there. But, to be fair, this is the first of a trilogy (lol knowing Thea it's going to end up being 10 books) so I am fine working under the expectation that we'll get more in future instalments.
- I am torn as to whether this would've benefited from the first book being more focused on Talasyn and Alaric's individual stories pre-meeting (in line with those previous two points). While I am a simple person, who just wants my two hot baddies to be at each others throats, I also think it would've help give the characters personal journeys more substance and really propped them up for their behaviour we see when interacting with one another. Particularly for Alaric, while I love my hard-exterior-grown-man-boy, I also think there are times that his actions/thoughts don't align with what you would expect based on his upbringing for the past 26ish years.
- Last one, towards the end we get a lot of the "he/she could never feel the same way I do about them/it's all a ruse" line of thinking for both of them... which is one of my least favourite devices in many "enemies to lovers" romances (having Poppy AKOFAF war flashbacks).

ANYWAYS, I love this book and will sing its praises as well as gremlin Talasyn and her Night Daddy Alaric with his gauntlets (which must stay on) from the rooftops for as long as I live.

A Monsoon Rising here I come 🫡

🌀🐉🌖
thank you Harper Colins Canada for the ARC 🧎‍♀️

🎇🚘👱🏻‍♀️

Ren had lived her entire life sheltered on a remote homestead, shielded from modern influences by her fiercely protective parents. Despite their reservations, they reluctantly allowed her to attend university, imposing strict conditions to preserve her innocence.

Meanwhile, Fitz, perceived as the carefree, playboy, son of a wealthy donor, harboured a secret burden. Bound by a pact with a judge, he strove to excel academically to expunge a troubled past, all while hiding his true financial independence.

Their paths converged unexpectedly when Ren unearthed life-altering revelations about her past, propelling her on a journey eastward where Fitz happened to be headed for spring break. Initially wary of Ren's innocence and chattiness, Fitz begrudgingly agreed to accompany her on the road trip. As they traversed the country, Ren's fresh perspective and unwavering optimism gradually thawed Fitz's guarded exterior. Together, they navigated challenges, confronted their preconceptions, and embarked on a journey of self-discovery that would redefine their futures (& dreams) forever.

🎇🚘👱🏻‍♀️

So here's the thing, I am a Tangled girlie through and through, and as soon as I had saw the title and cover I knew I had to read this. Given this obvious bias, it really could have been a love or hate depending on how this story (that is near and dear to my heart) was handled. Thankfully for me, it fell on the love side.. SO MUCH LOVE. As such, I'm upping it to 5 stars... because I can.

I haven't read a "classic" contemporary romance in a while, and this was such a lovely whimsical and quirky breath of fresh air. I spent most it giggling and kicking my feet while reading through Ren and Fitz' story.

Now, are there some far-fetched scenarios? Of course! I mean the reference material is a Disney movie featuring a kidnapped princess with yards of blonde hair who has been locked in a tower her entire life and runs away for a few days to see some lanterns with a random hot guy, a chameleon, and a horse. There's only so many ways to make that work in a modern day story.

This is a quintessential "modern day fairytale", and was the perfect palette cleanser for me. If you require a bit more realism in your contemporary romance, probably wont be your cup of tea. But if you want a feel good classic romance novel that throws in some genre defying surprises along the way OR if you just love Tangled like me, I think you'll enjoy this as well!

🧛🏻🌆🍍

Recently evicted, and in dire need for a roof over her head, Cassie stumbles upon an ad for a shared apartment at $200 a month and no pictures included. While her alarm bells start ringing, her desperation (& her naivety) leads to her reaching out and moving in with the illusive Frederick J. Fitzwilliam.

Frederick has recently woken up from a 100 year long nap (his frenemy Reginald swears it was an accident). Feeling like a bat out of cave (lol), he is in looking for someone to give him tips and tricks to navigate and blend in with the modern times of the 21st century. Following Reggies recommendation, he has acquired a roommate. Next step is coming clean about his nighttime proclivities and red liquid diet, all without freaking the new roomie out. Should be simple right?

🧛🏻🌆🍍

This one had been on my tbr for a while, and with an arc of the sequel in hand I figured it was finally time to get to it. I didn't really know what the premise was going in, except vampire romance. Coming out of it with some mixed feelings, there were definitely some high points, and I think the author had started to dabble into some could-be-fun vampire stuff, but then never pursued it.

The relationship between Cassie and Frederick felt rushed and dragged out at the same time. It most definitely gives insta-love vibes (if you've been here a while, you know this is not my fave), because aside from them being hot and her being maybe the first woman he has seen up close since being asleep for a century, I don't know why they were so obsessed with each other.

For a vampire romance, we were severely lacking in fun vampire stuff. Especially given the tease of these over dramatic old school vampires, who we really only get a taste of in the last 20% (if that). On that note, the last act was extremely rushed, to the point that I looked at the time remaining and thought "okay I know there's a sequel and the title of it, so my guess is ...", essentially plotting out what I expected the sequel set-up to be (I might put it in spoilers below). But instead of that hypothetical set-up, the issue was "resolved" (used loosely here), and I come to find out that the sequel is about other characters. BUT I HAVE SO MANY QUESTIONS REMAINING ABOUT THESE ONES STILL!!!!!! I was prepared to give the benefit of the doubt that I'd have this couples story expanded upon in the sequel, but alas 🥲

I honestly think that if I didn't have the audiobook I would've had a hard time finishing it :\ I swear I didn't hate this book, there were definitely parts that I enjoyed and had laughed out loud multiple times at the absurdity of the situation these characters had found themselves in. I just think that there was a lot of unexplored potential to this premise that would've been worth an expansion.

👠💻❤️‍🔥

So many highlighted quotes... but I wanted to choose one that (I think) gives a bit of a peak behind the curtain as to what Twisted in You entails. Usually, I would give my own brief synopsis, but I think the one Bre wrote really sums up what Savannah and Liam's story is about - in short a hate-to-love romance with a lot of hot sometimes a lil fucked up but I'm very much okay with it sex along the way.

Importantly, however, it's not filler sex, if you know what I mean. Despite the smut to "traditional plot" ratio leaning heavily in the favour of the former, each sex scene is essentially a vessel for character and relationship development (&/or regression depending on the scene), in the only way that these two characters can express it given their current state of mind.

Me personally? I ate every last bit of it up. While having a good idea as to what I was walking into, this went above and beyond my wildest expectations, in the best way possible. I'm just as obsessed with continuing these characters story as they are with each other, and I can't wait to see how their relationship continues to bend, twist, & maybe break, over the rest of the trilogy.

Now, if the quotes or synopsis didn't give it away... the beginnings of Savannah and Liam's relationship is not healthy. This book explores a lot of darker themes (which is why we love fiction)!!! Bre provides a list of content warnings both in the intro of the book but also on her website. In the words of Bre, "always put yourself first!". I strongly recommend reading the CWs first before deciding whether or not you want to read this book 🫶🏻.

I do always like to be upfront about any biases I may hold (thanks to my day-to-day researcher mentality leaking into my book review brain), so I will say I have been reading Bre's works for years now, and haven't found one I haven't loved, so much so that I hand bound one of her favourite fics of mine. The running joke when I sent her a copy (a small token of my never ending love & praise for her writing) was that "I published her first", and now to see Twisted in You in this format, and with my hands itching to buy the physical copies (both the discreet and non discreet covers), makes me genuinely so happy for her. So, as you can imagine, when I got to the end of Twisted in You, feeling raw and craving more, I was definitely taken aback when I saw my name in the Acknowledgements... so much so I started crying at 1 in the morning 😘✌🏻. I feel equally unworthy, as well as so privileged to be able to continue to come along on her writing journey, no matter the format. All this to say that I knew going into this book I was going to love it, but it genuinely blew beyond my expectations. Bre, get out of my search history!!!!!

If you make the personal decision to read Twisted in You, I truly hope you love it as much as I do!

👠💻❤️‍🔥

Disclaimer: I received an Advance Reader Copy of this book by the author in exchange for an honest review. This review and the quotes used are based on an uncorrected text.

If there was simultaneous audio recording as I listened to this book it would just be a bunch of squaking and high pitch squeaks 🦅

As a woman in stem, thank you Ali for continuing to fuel my delusions of having a whirlwind romance, but also that maybe that one night stand is still thinking about me every minute of every day 😌✨

Ali had made a post a couple weeks ago with the disclaimer that Not in Love was more akin to “an erotic romance, with angstier themes” as opposed to her previous adult romances, which were more on the romcom side. And damn was she right about that!! Definitely the 🌶️-est of her books thus far.

We’ve got a whole lot of smut sprinkled in with a little bit of business drama and IP fuckery *shudders in grad student*, and needless to say I was thoroughly entertained. While I don’t know if I entirely buy Eli’s love-at-first-sight with Rue (it’s walking the line of insta-love with is one of my least favourite tropes), and I needed a bit more of Rue working through her “no-repeats” rule breaking & the loyalty issue before falling back into bed with Eli, I can move past that given the things that come out of that mans mouth.

This was especially pertinent when listening to the audiobook and having the male narrator read these ✨phrases✨ out loud to me. If you’re an audiobook person, I 11/10 recommend that experience 😌. It’s dual POV, with dual narration, and my favourite thing is that the male narrator reads their dialogue during the female POV and vice versa.

It’s an Ali Hazelwood book (& I say that so lovingly because yes I will devour these every damn time), and as such I feel it is important to point out the fact that the Rue is TALL!! Tall girl representation!! Bless!! In summary, if you have enjoyed Ali’s previous books, and don’t mind have the smut dial cranked up, I think you will also enjoy this!

Disclaimer: I received this Advanced Listener Copy of “Not in Love” from Libro.fm in exchange for an honest review.

In a small tourist town where crime is secretly controlled by a local group called the “Reapers,” café owner Amy and bar owner Daniel have been avoiding their feelings for each other for years. Amy has been reluctant to admit her emotions, while Daniel harbours secrets he’s not ready to share. When they finally give in to their chemistry, they realize their connection is far deeper than a fleeting moment.

☕✨🌲

I needed a quick little palette cleanser between reads & decided to pick this one up. It is only 114 pages so I wasn’t expecting anything insanely in depth. The story was fine, although I felt there were big chunks missing in the development of the Reaper’s background, the premise/world building was tough to follow in the beginning, and the relationship between Daniel and Amy moved very quick (we know insta love is not my fave). They had known each other for years, but for readers we only saw the tiniest glimpse of their interactions before they were in a full blown relationship. Again, short story, I get it.

The biggest weakness of this book for me was actually the writing, I think this deserved another read over/round of editing. There were multiple incidences of two paragraphs back to back saying the exact same thing but worded just slightly different. I’m not usually someone who really notices these things, but only a few chapters in I was picking up on it repeatedly. Similarly, there were a few incidences where the location the characters were in would oddly change, e.g., went to the office, but then somehow were in a bedroom?

If you’re looking for quick, darkish(?) romance with smut (but generally pretty light/tame), and can look over some of the writing qualms, why the hell not!

I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

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In a fantasy world where humans, orcs, fae, minotaurs and other fantasy creatures cohabitate (and procreate 👀), Natalee Oakbee's been experiencing a streak of bad luck. She moved to a remote mining town after being disowned by her family for eloping with her late husband, and now finds herself calling the local brothel "home". Her goal is to work there as a Siren until she has saved enough money to return to the mainland. However, she soon realizes this might not take long, as a hot half-orc is willing to pay her a month's wages every night that she spends only with him. The catch? He desperately wants Natalee to become his wife, and she's uncertain if this is a wise decision for either of them.

Ex-priest Knot Thazurok has been living in solitude for the past two years after losing his wife and son in child birth. While he still wrestles with his faith in his gods and the pain and misery life has dealt him, he has recently felt the urge to re-enter society. After a chance encounter with the new human in town, he begins to feel ready to start a family again, with one potential wife in mind. The only cost is 50 gold pieces a night and the patience to convince the headstrong Natalee that any potential impact on his reputation that marrying a siren may bring is meaningless to him.

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What can I say? I'm a sucker for a male character that is the perfect balance of unhinged-possessive-male and love-sick-puppy-dog-who-would-risk-it-all-just-to-see-her-smile. Pair that with a female character who is self-assured, and makes the most out of the less-than-ideal situation she's found herself in (auction queen), and package it into a perfect length story and I'm a happy, giggling reader for a few hours.

I would consider this monster-romance-lite. While Knot can't believe there's no 🪢 in this is half orc, the only distinguishing traits he has is green skin and pointed ears, so if you're still just dipping your toes into monster romance, I'd consider this a safe book to continue to explore the genre 👹.

This is a Sue Lyndon book, so Knot is very much the "strict husband/alpha/don't disobey me" dominant male role, so if that's not your thing I'd give this one a pass. However, Sue always finds the perfect balance with the sickly sweet declarations of love shit also happening throughout this story. Knot is BIG WIFE GUY energy. Natalee's a much stronger woman than me for her repeated refusal of his proposal; I'd break quicker than a dry spaghetti noodle.

I am once again left asking "Lord when’s it gonna be my turn to have a hot monster pay me thousands a night just to be with me because he wants me as his wife???????"

I will end this on a tangential note by pointing out that we were introduced to not one but TWO (2) single minotaurs in this story ... please Sue... just a silly little sequel or two 🧎‍♀️ Bull Moon Rising may have ruined me

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I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.