titalindaslibrary's Reviews (687)

I fear I am not enough of a litfic girlie to *get* it. But what a weird af book about menopause! 

Towards the end I feel like I started to understand what the author was trying to communicate but my god. I had to suffer through some bizarre scenes to get there! For example,

I will never forget the scene where Davey pushes a tampon into her, she runs to feel his hot pee splash on her, and then later she has sex with his abuser and I kid you not starts transferring her vaginal lubrication... to her’s????? WTF????

Initially I was charmed and amused by the outrageous lines (who tf sends nude selfies to their group of friends as a “heyyy just catching up on life, here’s the kids, hubby, and oh hey, my nude selfie!”) but it quickly devolved into face scrunching annoyance. 

But. I DID stick with it, so that’s on me for not DNFing. I am curious to read more about older women’s perspectives on aging, perimenopause, and all the changes that come with that, but this was just…not my favorite way to explore that topic. 

Damn, this was sexy, dark, and the perfect vampiric tale for me! This is a lush, sensuous retelling of Dracula’s wives and also works as a story about escaping an abusive lover. 

I did feel a bit odd about how everyone referred to each other as siblings…which I guess makes sense because technically they were sired by the same vampire? But still, felt icky to read that during a sex scene lmao that’s my one complaint. 

Otherwise I was completely swept away by the beautiful prose and vampire wives I couldn’t help rooting for! I adore this author’s poetic writing and couldn’t have asked for a better gothic vampire story to get me into my fall fantasy reading! 

In conclusion, never settle. Especially for a man. EW!

Oooh I was immediately far more invested in this book versus the first one! Farron is such a prickly and unlikeable character, an eldest daughter who’s been bearing the weight of her household for far too long and has grown bitter. So while she lashes out and is angry 90% of the book, it’s executed in a way that despite my initial dislike for her, I still had empathy for her. And I love that Legrand continues to write such tender love stories for complex women! Ryder was a fantastic love interest for her and the slow burn enemies-to-lovers was DELICIOUS! 

The only thing is…god this was long. And I think the length is what shot it in the foot. So much happened and yet at times it felt like we were meandering to get to the point. 

I will say this book did a far better job advancing the world building and magical elements, which enriched this series for me! I look forward to the next book.

I am just so thankful to exist at a time when Randy Ribay is writing books 😭 This was beautiful, thoughtful, and so well developed, building up four individual Filipino-American men and their overlapping stories. The present is the past is the future ❤️

This book took my least favorite trope in romance novels and dialed it up to the MAX. Insta-lust removes any possibility for tension in these books, especially if it's dual POV and you just go back and forth between two horny individuals thinking the most outrageous things. Cause what do you mean you have "swollen folds" just from some heavy eye contact???? EW! 

Anyway, this is probably a "not for me" thing, but that allosexual nonsense was too much for me. From the moment they meet, it never stops. 

However, two stars for other aspects that I really liked in the book (a cute cat and the positive representation of a HEA that involves two MCs who want to remain childfree together!).

Okay, I’ve enjoyed Saft’s YA work, and her adult debut quickly became THE sapphic romantasy I didn’t know I needed! So much of this is a murder mystery and quest, but knotted up in that is sapphic pining buried under academic rivalry and DAMN! Combined with Saft’s atmospheric settings and lush prose, this swept me away.

Ughhh I wanted to keep with this, especially after that incredible opening. But omg our FMC is SO gullible it’s annoying. It’s like watching a horror movie and screaming at the characters to “No! Don’t go into the basement after hearing a scary noise and finding out this place is haunted, wtf are you doing!?!?” And I decided I just didn’t have the patience to read a whole book like that 🫠

Okay, YES, Indigenous Lara Croft/reverse Indiana Jones is what I needed!!

This book is slow in pace until the end, but I feel this book’s length better matched the story. Boulley writes stories deeply infused with a modern Native perspective, featuring main characters that are blessed with cultural knowledge and a deep love for their community. It’s wonderful. I also love the side characters in this more than Firekeeper’s Daughter! The sparks of humor reminded me of Rez Dogs (but the overall somber storyline is infuriating). I definitely feel like I learned a lot while also just enjoying a well plotted mystery book. 

I hope Boulley has more stories to share, because I will definitely read them!