theartsybookwitch's Reviews (393)

"You helped burn away my darkness."
"And you introduced me to the rainbow."

Nadia Han brings a wonderful debut to life, one you can't help indulging in immediately.

Remington Starke is the one you fall for; the incredibly hot billionaire, the ride or ride. The way he takes care of the ones he loves, and those he will rip apart in order to keep it that way. I loved seeing him in a whole new light like Audri does. I think Remi is my favorite character, the way everybody seems to know them, that he's fallen in love with Audri, since they were kids is truly something special. He would kill for her and I just love that.

Seeing Audri just try to process her emotions and feelings is a gutwrencher, especially since it's stemmed from something that was never her fault to begin with. Their relationship is incredible, the way they initially fight their feelings for each other because of Grayson, and turns into an incredible love.

Just reading about their past breaks my heart, and seeing them heal is completely healing in a way. Both in a professional manner, but from their pasts, and with each other.

All the twists and turns that come, you could never see coming.

"She was the flame that seduced the dark in me. The flicker of light made the darkness question itself."

"What if I want to walk in the dark with you?"

"I choose you. I'll always choose you."

Tropes // brother's best friend, billionaire, boss, 

We will burn it all down for her, and evolve from the ashes.

I swear, I'm in love with all these guys.

These men are the ride or die I truly want out of life, and you can't help but fall deeper with each passing moment.

Their fierceness to protect not only each other but her? Ugh kill me now.

Evolve truly stepped it up, and took me on a ride. I think I cried throughout this entire book, it gripped me from the beginning (the beginning, beginning) and never let me go.

SPOILERS BELOW

Just the way that Nyx would be there for Stone like that? Their dynamic is top tier.

THAT WATER GUN FIGHT? LEAVING THE GUYS SPEECHLESS. I love Ella even more.

And can I just say, Nyx, Maddox and Gage being so confused and jealous when all Ella wants is Stone when she's having a panic attack, and Stone knows it? YOU HAVE ME BY THE SOUL, BEX. 

"You may be a victim, cariño, but that doesn't make you weak." 

 

Bex Dawn's writing just keeps getting better. 

 

The obsession with her Los Diablos Syndicate series only grew with Burn. 

 

Not even five minutes into reading, and I fell in love with them all. 

 

My heart broke for Ella, her going through the worst imaginable, and having the guys be there for her despite everything? GOD TIER. 

 

Even how just Ella and all the guys meet is such a show of their dynamics; the flirty and teasing. All the guys are amazing, and so different, in their own ways. You fall in love with everything about them, their quirks, habits. 

 

I think my favorite is Gage. DONT QUOTE ME. 

 

Burn was such an amazing book, and I can’t wait for Evolve. 

 

“ ‘You like testing my patience don’t you cariño? Do you like being a brat or can you be a good girl for me?’ “ 

 

Trigger Warning: Self-injurious behavior/self-harm, Suicide talk/thoughts, therapy, depression/anxiety, gang violence, drugs/weapons, sexual trauma and abuse, human trafficking, graphic language, racial and sexual slurs, physical and mental abuse, gaslighting, kidnapping, sexual kinks, child abuse/sexual abuse past reference, death/murder, rape, abortion/miscarriage talk, drug/alcohol abuse, talk of addiction. 

Warming His Bed is everything you need from a small town romance.

This took me on an emotional roller coaster, from the very first page to the last. I loved seeing Drew and Sadie's adventures together, from her knocking on his door at near midnight to the last moments of realizing their love for each other.

Both of them broken and utterly alone in their feelings, finding an escape in each other, only to realize how worse off the other was. My heart broke for them, each alone in their past and the only through it was together.

POSSIBLE SPOILERS BELOW

" 'Are you about done answering everyone who thinks I've tot you duct-taped up in a closet somewhere?' "

" 'Beckers has online grocery ordering, I've got a gym at home, and an Amazon Prime account. What do I need to go anywhere for?' "

Tropes: small town romance, strangers to lovers, age gap (F24, M31), forced proximity, HEA, grumpy/sunshine

"Today is a day of choices. To jump, or not to jump."

When two individuals on a path of self-destruction meet, the outcome is something of a second chance. 

My heart broke for Ella and Redwood, I cried throughout the entirety of Crash and loved every gut-wrenching moment. 

" '… A stranger that I feel more connected with than I do anyone in my life for some reason. But I do think there is a reason. There's a reason we were both there at the same moment…' "

Thumbelina and Redwood, forever in harmony and their hearts, despite their parting ways.

A fantastic start to the series, and I can't wait to continue with Burn!

Challenge Me - Breaking is a breathtaking story filled of college years, promise and hope.

This brought me back to my college years. All the friends I made and just the memories of college in general. though, for me i had no relationships in college lol.

CMB was a fast paced novel, bringing Lizzy through her freshman year of college, and her adventures in swimming. It was so fun reliving my freshman year of college through her, tho I ended up disliking my freshman year. I loved seeing Lizzy geek out and that fact about BMW? Wow. 

I really enjoyed about Lizzy and Jason and their relationship. I felt the characters were a bit hard to relate to at times, but it's college so all fair's.

I flied through this, I enjoyed every moment and I cannot wait to dive into Challenge Me - Broken. 

Ava Olsen is becoming a new favorite author of mine (yes, I have a lot of favorite authors, sue me). Hate To Love You is my first novella by her, and it certainly won't be my last.

I loved the relationship between Oliver and Jon, how they played well off each other, and fell in love fast and hard. I did feel at one point, that their relationship was going a bit too fast, but it worked out in their favor, so.

I always feel like novellas go by fast, but Olsen nailed it. The pacing and timing of her stories don't feel too fast, and is well set. However, me being me, I WANT more.

Though this is a spin off of another series, you don't really need to read it first before diving into HtLY.

I highly recommend Hate To Love You to anyone looking for a fast-paced, LGBT+ achillean, bodyguard romance.

Thank you to NetGalley, Evernight Publishing and Ava Olsen for the e-ARC.

Fake-dating √
Inter-racial relationships √
Pretty Women references √

This is my first book by Naima Simone, and it probably won't be my last. 

There are a lot of things I liked and a lot I didn't. I loved Zora's siblings, their ride-or-die relationship, the be-there-at-the-drop-of-a-hat vibes. Cyrus was probably my favorite character, I just felt so bad for him throughout the entire book and loved his arc from finding out his girlfriend was cheating to learning to love himself and trust others in the end.

I honestly didn't like Zora and Cyrus's relationship, it was probably one of the only times where I'll say Zora doesn't deserve him. By the end, it fell flat and had a sudden ending that I wish had been fleshed out more. 

Heated is the first in a series, and I look forward to reading more.

Thank you Montlake & Netgalley for the ARC!

AND I HATE ZORA'S PARENTS.

HEY MARIE.

I swear I'm in love with Marie's writing and the series just gets better and better with every single book.

This book had me captivated from beginning to end, I barely put it down. Lilac and Thorn is so good, you can't help but love everything about it.

The romance, the spice, the banter, the writing in general, the characters, their arcs, just UGH.

There's a part of me that has always liked Greyson (yes, I know I'm that bitch) but I couldn't help but fall more in love with him.

And Axel is forever the love of my life. (Well, one of them at least).

I NEED book 4 like right now. PLS. MARIE.

I SWEAR TO GOD, THOSE LAST CHAPTERS. YOU'RE KILLING ME.

FAV QUOTES
"Like her?" The unnerving mania in his eyes began to return. "Bria, If I could get Kira back, I'd kill her over again if it meant Madora looked at me."

"… I even got her to tell me she loved me before I jammed a dagger to her back."

"Wait a minute."… "For all the jokes I've made about you being a mutt? For it to turn out you came here to get collared–"

"Impolite to ruin a woman like that, and not take care of her after."

"Greyson?" Maddy sobbed. "I fell in love with the man who tried to kill you, Briar. Told myself I just needed more control to keep you safe. But I fell in love with him, and I don't know what to do with that."
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Dusk Wall Academy just keeps getting better and better.