shanaepraystoo's Reviews (925)

DNF'd at 18%. I actually don't like the FMC or the MMC. 

I read a ton of books. I am familiar with Natisha Raynor exclusively through her The Millionaire Boys Club series, which I absolutely love. Though the series doesn't seem to be a huge hit with her core fans (yall buggin), I think these stories are well-written, engaging, and highly entertaining plus they feature some of the best book baes I've ever read about. 

Onto the book review: I thoroughly enjoyed The Millionaire Boys Club: Killian and I was entertained the entire length of the audiobook. In The Millionaire Boys Club: Killian we meet Henley, a smart and driven woman living an idyllic sprinkle sprinkle style life with her wealthy older husband Ethan. Henley's perfect vision for her life is altered when she learns that her husband Ethan has a low sperm count and they cannot conceive. Ethan, loving, caring, and truly selfless, wants the love of his life Henley to experience pregnancy and motherhood, so he proposes that she carry another man's child to fulfill her dream of being a mother, since he cannot do it for her. However, the man Ethan seeks to fulfill his wife's lifelong goal is the one man Henley could never forget: Killian. 

There are many twists and turns with lots of drama in The Millionaire Boys Club: Killian despite its shorter length! I was riding around listening to this story with my mouth agape for a good 40% of the audiobook lol. There weren't many spicy scenes in the book, but the ones that Raynor does write are explicit and super hot. There were also a bunch of twists and turns in the book that made me think I was reading an urban romance at times, but they all made for an engrossing story that helped me escape.

This is the third book in The Millionaire Boys Club series and it is the third one that I've listened to - the production is 5 star, the narrators are great, and the pacing is perfect. The narrators make it so easy to get caught up in the story. I highly recommend not only the books in this series, but also the audiobooks. 

Through The Fire (Fire Company 143 Book 2) by Danielle Brooks is a fast-paced, lighthearted romance novel with some solid character development. When I finished book 1 of the Fire Company 143 series called Smoke Signals, I was excited to learn more about Joni and Tevin, another couple that makes an appearance in the series. I never really considered that Brooks would give us a book about Fire Captain Benjamin Deacon so early in the series, but she did and I'm grateful for it. 

Even though there are some lengthy and wordy parts that I found myself skipping (sorry), the story is well-written, I found myself responding sentimentally to the emotional parts and I found myself laughing at the funny parts. I was engaged in the characters throughout the book (for the most part).

I wish we got to see more about Travis Beaumont's time in Lovey's Bay and I would've loved to see Fire Company 143 work together to get rid Travis/ruin his reputation and send him packing! But maybe we'll get lucky in the next book in the series, if there is one

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That said, I still enjoyed the book and if there are more books in the series, I will definitely read those, too. Lovey's Bay is officially one of my favorite fictitious small towns. 

You Could Do Damage by K.C. Mills really heats up in the last 15% of the book, but for the most part the book is anticlimactic. I'm surprised by the moderate character development, with so much dialogue, I expected to know a lot more about all of the characters, but especially the FMC, Nari. Since there's very little information about her, I found it hard to connect with her as a character. The MMC, Kincaid, does a better job at expressing Nari's thoughts, feelings, and actions than she does. It's great to see a MMC who understands his partner in a romance novel, but it's weird because Nari and Kincaid's relationship is very new. Though I am not a huge fan of this book or the way it ended, I'll read book 2 with the hopes that it wraps things up and gives me more connection to Nari and has a lot more...action. 

I recommend You Could Do Damage to anyone who loves K.C. Mills books, those who prefer the arranged marriage trope, and fans of dark romances. 

Marked as DNF @ 24%. I don't know if I'm reading a novel or a stageplay. Why is there sooooo much dialogue in a dual POV romance story?

Maybe I Love You by Briyanna Michelle missed the mark entirely for me. I had no investment in the characters and, despite his beautiful language, vulnerability, and wealth, there was something about Donavan that just didn't make him swoon worthy to me. And I wasn't really buying Ivory's attraction to Donavan either. I appreciate the LGBT+ representation and the discussion around the FMC Ivory's sexuality, but it all felt so rushed and I didn't finish the book with a broader understanding of the character. I also didn't like the Acacia-Vera connection/storyline. If the book were just a tad longer with more developed characters and some tension and angst (you have a MMC who has been pining for his best friend for years, you have an FMC who has been left at the altar, you have a FMC who has been denied by her father because of his homophobia), I would've appreciated the story a lot more. Unfortunately, I don't recommend Maybe I Love You, but book 1 of the Undeniably In Love series is decent.

Bullet by Wynta Tyme is book 1 of an 18 part book series on the BLP Motorcycle Clubs. 

I was thoroughly unimpressed with this writer and this story, therefore, I will not be reading the rest of the books in the series. 

I found the author's writing style to be awful, there was no character development, the characters were stereotypical and unlikable, and the pacing was all off. The story unfolded in such a weird way that I felt like I was in the middle of this series and not in the very beginning. The sex scenes were bland, the reveal of the feud between the two characters' families was handled carelessly, and the author describes things so randomly ("Her curls were cut in the style that Meg the Stallion wore her curls in" - what style is that????) that it's just so easy to lose faith in the story. 

And if all of that wasn't enough, on page 65, I read the following during a sex scene between the MMC and FMC:

What in the fuck is that sentence doing in a book?

When I started Smoke Signals (Fire Company 143 Book 1), I was all in on the story because it starts off so strong, specifically the first 30% had me sucked in and I was really enjoying the story. Somewhere around the 55-70% mark, the story took a turn for me - mostly because of the FMC Nina. Talk about an irritating character. I just didn't find her likable. Even her friend Joni was sick of her sh*t lol. 

I really kept reading for the MMC Denzel. He was open, vulnerable, honest, and dreamy - just what you want in a book bae. His character really shines. Unfortunately, the book isn't that long, so there's very little character development with Denzel and readers only get a glimpse of Thandie. I would've appreciated a little more angst in the story but it would've turned this instalove summer fling romance into something totally different: a true slow burn. 

Anyway, I enjoyed the story of Nina and Denzel mostly and I recommend Smoke Signals to anyone who enjoys low angst, relaxing, light hearted, fast-paced romance stories. I'm excited to read book 2 and hope there's more info about Joni and Tevin plus Deacon and Vanessa...the author really leaves us hanging with the last couple.  

Inevitably Love. by Love Belvin is another 5-star book from the über talented writer. I am a huge Love Belvin fan because she writes full and complete stories with relatable characters that you can connect with, no matter your reality or current circumstances. Hayden and Ishaan are two very troubled characters, yet you want the absolute best for them despite their bad decisions. This makes for a challenging story that can get really dark and emotional. 

I loved the character development for both Hayden and Ishaan. I think this is essential to storytelling and Love Belvin hits the mark every single time. Unfortunately, I am reading Love Belvin's work out of order, so I don't completely know the story of the Jacobs' or the Zyads, but I loved learning the bit that I did learn about Rayna and Sundriya. While many of her books are connected, even if only slightly, Love Belvin does a good job at relating characters without giving away the story involving those characters. 

I also hope there's a book about Shi-Shi and Jas because I'm interested in them, too. Oh, and Brielle - such a short segment featuring this character but the interaction she had with Ishaan made me want to know more about her character, too. 

Though lengthy, which is to be expected with any Love Belvin book, the story[ies] of Hayden and Ishaan together and separately unfolds at the perfect pace, there's the right amount of action, nothing ends quickly or without explanation, and you get the ending you've been pining for - Love Belvin always rewards her readers. 

When I finished In the Meantime..., Book 1 of the 'Complicated Series,' I didn't expect to love it as much as I did and the cliffhanger had me STALKING Love Belvin's website and Facebook group looking for updates regarding book 2. The minute book 2 of the series, Inevitably Love. released, I moved it to the top of my TBR (putting down a new K. C. Mills release - unheard of!) and it was 100% worth it.

I highly recommend 'The Complicated Series' to all fans of Love Belvin, but also to anyone seeking a slow to medium paced romance novel with some dark elements, drama, and just the right amount of spice. You won't be disappointed. 

I got 20 Years of Separation by Shey Marie through BRAE, a Black literary event designed to promote Black literature. Unfortunately, 20 Years of Separation had a better synopsis than book. I was more intrigued by the idea of the book, but the execution isn't there for me. 

I just didn't like this book and I don't recommend it.