theartsybookwitch's Reviews (393)

"She could be the devil, and I'd still give her my soul."

The Second Deal is the second in Aurora Grave's Anything For The Devil series, and holyyyyyyy. This series is still unlike anything Ive read before; and the genre blends are SO WELL DONE.

This starts immediately where the first ends, iykyk. The heat, the drama, the legends, the angst, is everythinggg.

This is still a rockstar romance at its heart, but with way more horror and folklore interwoven, Graves does such a good job with the blends. Even if you know hardly anything about Mexican folklore (like I do), I feel like they do such an excellent job that you don't need to look it up to understand.

There's so much more I can say about this book, and I have so many favorites that I will not spoil. But that one scene with Stephani and Dree?

AND THAT ENDING. I can't wait for book 3.

"I’m gonna break you over and over so I can take the pieces of you that are savage and feral and keep them for myself."

tropes // love triangle, rockstar, paranormal, second chance, 

tw // blood, emeto, cheating, degradation, dubcon

"Because you're mine just as much as you are his. You get that, princesa? You might've been Zak's first, but you've always been mine. You've always been ours."

I went into The First Deal nearly blind, and OH MY GOD. I DEVOURED Grave's first novel. I went in, knowing this was a rock star romance. And what we got was a gorgeous, gruesome, masterpiece.

I don't know a lot about Mexican folklore, so I was confused at times, and honestly should've researched before diving in head first. But I feel like I was able to get a better grasp of the legends as I read, which is a huge plus.

I totally felt bad for the guys, hearing their side after Stephani left the band and San Antonio "for good". They needed her, and she left. At times, I didn't like Stephani, but she proved herself in the end. The entire book, their relationships to each other, were very relatable, and reflected some in my own.

The combination of tropes, and genres was done so well; the dark romance, the folklore, the horror. Something you don't see very often, and Graves knocks it out of the park.

There's so many twists and turns and the CLIFFHANGER?

"I hate you." // "Then f*ck me like you hate me."

“All anyone’s gonna see is the shitty things you did in a moment of weakness, no matter how much good you do or how much you wanna make things right.”

tropes // love triangle, rockstar, paranormal, second chance, 

tw // blood, emeto, animal sacrifice, cheating, degradation, dubcon

"Maybe everything has to end in order to start again."

First off, I DID NOT KNOW this was A DUET.

Crossed Over is a book that will be your next roman empire. The book you think about in a year from whenever you read it.

I know if I say too much, I'll end up spoiling it, but GO READ IT. I definitely went through the five stages of grief reading Nia's journey; I feel like Crossed Over healed part of my inner child.

A beautiful, coming of age story that will leave you begging for more.

tropes // roller derby, sports, slow burn, coming of age, found family

Representation: they/them side character, lesbian MC and side characters, BIPOC characters, autistic MC

TWs under spoiler. Read with caution. 

tw // car accident, blood, hospitalization, stitches (no anesthesia), talks of injury

"We were full throttle now. There was no stopping this–us."

I truly can't believe that Burnout is over. Brittany Ann just keeps getting better and better with every book, and Full Throttle is one of my top books by her.

With Full Throttle, you get Cain and Nikki. The two childhood friends who met by fate's design. The two who came back together years later, despite everything thrown their way.

Cain is the one you fell in love with from the very beginning of Burnout. And now that he's here? He might be my ultimate favorite. Dont tell. He's such a possessive, will kill for you, teddy bear. His back story is so tragic, and his love story with Nikki is so powerful, for both of them. And Nikki… You love her from before as well. She's such a badass, and the way she proves herself before anyone in Oasis knew who she really was? It's giving pure Fast and Furious.

The way that Brittany's universe is wrapped up works so well, though I will NEVER forgive Brit for retracted.  I just wanna live in her universe. 

tropes // street racing, best friends to lovers, possessive, stalker-ish, mafia, forced proximity

tw // death, divorce, blood, panic attacks

"I was terrified. Scared sh!tless. But I'd do this for her. With her. Because without her, I was nothing."

OUT NOW.

The latest in Keelan Storm's Breaker Ridge series comes Broken. And it's one you don't want to miss.

Broken took me on a wild, emotional ride, and i was HERE for it. Isabel and Tucker are FINALLY together, and you just fall in love. I absolutely loved his character dynamic, going from a playboy, to the absolute sweetheart of a boyfriend. You feel so much for all the characters, and feel like you're right there with them. 

I love Storm's writing style; the description, the heartbreak, the words pulling you in. She does such a good job at not just the angst and drama, but the spice added in as well. 

There's so many twists you never see coming; just make sure you grab the tissues. 

This series just keeps getting better and better. Series MUST be read in order. 

tropes // friends to lovers, sports romance

tw // physical and emotional abuse, grief over the loss of a parent, PTSD, cursing, alcohol use, sexual content, and extreme loss

tropes // surprise pregnancy

tw // miscarriage

"Isn't that the point of art–to tame the monsters in us?"

In Heartless Hunter, you get the story of Rune Winters and Gideon Sharpe.  Rune Winters, a witch and the Crimson Moth, lives a double life, one being in the public eye, and one in the shadows, protecting other witches. When a rescue attempt goes wrong, she's forced to change tactics and tries to court Gideon Sharpe, a famous and unforgiving witch hunter. One caveat? He's the brother of her best friend.

I absolutely loved Gideon and Rune's dynamic in Heartless Hunter. The push and pull, the danger, the seductive dance of light and dark; it's a fantastic love story. And the added detail of witches? All the more better. 

I wanted a more deep dive into the fantasy, the lore, the history. Not just the witches, but more details of what happened. I felt it more focused on Gideon and Rune, the romance, the build-up, and none of the fantasy details. 

Enemies to lovers to enemies is superior and I will forever die on this hill.

And that twist? So good.

Okay, and that ending is NOT FAIR. 

tw // blood, death, death of parent

RTC.