Queen Reviews

  Wow, all I can say is this book left me speechless. At first things felt like they were dragging along. Our girl has her guy, things are working out for her here. She is starting to defrost little by little. Though the more that I read, the more that you could start to see the little fissures starting to show. From her needing more from said guy to how she begins to get stronger slowly but surely,  things start changing. By the time you realize how far she has come, then we have reached the end of the book. I really enjoyed that aspect of it. By the time we get to the end, she has changed a lot from the person that we met in the beginning of the story to the person that we see at the end. She is slowly embracing more of herself and I love that for her. I love seeing how each different species has not only their own realm but also how they have their own specialty with certain things in the world. They all have the ability to learn those different things but there is still so...

  This was definitely a very dark read. It's not as dark as some of the other books that I have read before but it definitely went there. In this book we meet Avalon and Dean as they encounter each other at school. Avalon is allowed into this school for the rich and connected thanks to her academics, despite having "bad behavior". We immediately see that she is someone who doesn't give a care about anything that the rich and connected care about. She is definitely a tough girl. Which is something that Dean and the Sick Boys of the school are not used to. As she navigates this new school, dynamics and relationships though her past won't quite leave her alone. I enjoyed reading about how she and Dean get closer to each other. Even though the road there was paved with a lot of mistrust and craziness. This story still managed to keep me interested and engaged with the characters. Avalon is definitely someone who would benefit from some form of therapy or a healthy out...

 We finally get the crazy conclusion to the Shadowed Souls series by Maddison Cole, with Haunted by Secrets. In this book almost everything that could go wrong and right happens. Things pick up where they left off with Wyatt taking off with Avery to try to keep her safe. She now knows that he is Mr. XO. This causes so much bad and good things to happen. One of the good things is that we finally get to see the real Wyatt, who has been hiding behind the one that we've known up til this point. It almost a completely different person yet we can still see the him that we've grown to know at moments. Then of course the bad. Meg gets taken by Frederick and his goons. Things continue to spiral for the group after that, with hospital stints and reawakened trauma in the form of bad parents. This book throws a lot at us. Prepare for the feels. The way things ended was almost as shocking as the reveal at the end of the book. There is a death and a possible break up on your horizon. This on...

 Another good entry in this post-apocalyptic series! This time we are following Amy, who is like repunzel stuck in the tower. After spending a lot of time feeling like she was powerless and having to have people look at her as weak, she makes a crazy choice and leaves with a dragon. Of course things don't go as she had planned at first but Amy definitely didn't let that stop her. She was able to work through the hardships and find out things about herself that she didn't know. Not only did she discover that she is a great leader but she also was able to strengthen herself physically despite her injury. I really enjoyed this story because unlike the other women that we read about til this point, Amy was someone who was sheltered and vulnerable. She made a choice when she realized that she couldn't live the way she was anymore. Not only that but she had the courage to do it and see it through. This world is not kind to the people in it if they are not ready and willing to...

  Wow. I almost don't know how to feel after reading this book. I mean Gideon and Ava are definitely running me through the emotional ringer with this one. I mean they are constantly on a roller coaster themselves! One day they are madly happy then the next day they are close to hating each other. Most of it honestly, is communication. They both have bad communication skills honestly. They feed each others hurt. Yet they are great when they are great. I mean there is a scene in this book where it's almost picture perfection. Then we get instances when one lashes out subconsciously at the other. The issue stemming from the fact that one is very close lipped about something. Which by the end of the book, it makes sense....my LORD, was I stressed while reading this. The amount of times that I stopped and just yelled at one of the other about what the heck they had going on. Like my goodness! I almost don't even know how we got to where we did by the end. The whiplash was real....

  We return to the beautiful scenery of Alaska with Abbi and Henry. Only for me to overwhelmingly agree with Henry that Abbi is extremely naive and the way that she goes about things are terrible and she definitely needs a more world wise friend to talk her off the ledge. Since she does not, we get the events of this book. While I must say that it isn't all on her....the majority is. She does show some growth towards the end of this story. Although if seeing any of the characters in a story, have relations with others while estranged or anything bothers you, then you might now want to read this book. It's not "cheating" because technically they are estranged and not together but yeah....it happens. With that being said, I think that the time apart was kind of needed. They both were able to have the opportunity to see how things are without each other and they also had the opportunity to grow. Especially Abbi. She ends up having an emergency that forces her to leave an...

My Solemn Vow by Jaeger Rose was a really great read!! One thing I love about reading a book from this author, is the feeling of everything being cohesive and feeling like there is an uninterrupted flow. We get that and more in this book! Valor is a single dad by day and a alpha, wolf shifter mafia information extractor by night. We are introduced to him and his adorable daughter as they are navigating life as the future alpha and head of the Irish mob. Next we meet Antonella, a woman stuck in an Italian mob family that sticks to antiquated beliefs while wanting more for herself. Then comes a lot of fake identities and saving a child from being kidnapped and viola, arranged marriage. We went very classic mob story with this one and I can't believe that this is something that I kind of missed. I feel like a lot of stories now, has the FMC being modest enough that they wait for awhile before they consummate the marriage. Which don't get me wrong, I like it, because it gives a lot...

 This book was interesting. This book seems to be apart of separate series that have characters appear from the previous series. This of course means that there were certain points where I felt a little like there was history that I was missing. I jumped into this thinking that it was just a new series that could stand alone. There was definitely some easter eggs in here for readers who have read the previous books from the Mercury pack series. I think I might go back and read those just to see how we met some of these characters in that series. As for this one, we are following Bree and Alex as they try to make a go of a relationship that just about everyone else could see happening from a mile away. What made their relationship interesting is that these two have no only known each other for a long time but they both also have fated mates already. Though there are extenuating circumstances for the both of them for why they aren't with those mates. Things get really crazy when ever...

  Another month in the books for 2025!! I wish that I was able to read more books by black authors this month. Unfortunately, I was reading a lot of ARCs this month and getting into March as well. I definitely am going to try to slow down after this batch that I've read so I can dive into some diverse reads. I already have the screen shots of the books I want to read on hand. Hopefully you had a great Black History Month! A reminder to also read diverse every chance you get! Not only during February! With that being said, with this being the shortest month of the year, I only was able to knock out 7 books. I finished one right as the month turned to March. Look for that review in a little bit. I had to put that one on ice since it was for an ARC. I'm going to also be putting out a video version of this review so that you can get a little  more in depth info. It'll prob be a Tik Tok with a short link on Instagram. With that being said. Here are the books that I was able to r...

In Curse by Gia Detroit we meet Siena who is on the search for justice for her sister who is tragically killed in a plane crash. While there she meets Matti, a mafia capo who is also trying to find out what has happened in the crash. There was a lot but also not much happening in this book. I almost feel like there was a lot of running around with not a lot of substance. The FMC was doing everything but being smart about what she was doing, which caused me to shake my head way too often in this book. Then the miscommunication between the FMC and MMC was just a little irritating. I didn't believe in their relationship at all. Especially since they didn't even really get to speak to each other. They just kinda felt drawn to each other and did the do and BAM. Love. I was like....ummm ok. Especially considering the circumstances of everything. It was strange and unbelievable. Then we have Vin who is the MMC's bestie and also the heir apparent. He not only is apparently harborin...

I enjoyed this book in a weird way. Not a bad weird, just weird. Like this book is definitely a thick read. So, that was one of my negatives for this book. It was long and it didn't really feel like it needed to be. So what ended up happening is that it felt like some of the changes the characters had emotionally were drastic at the end due to the build up taking a long time to happen. Another side effect of this was that there wasn't one concrete issue. There was multiple issues that made things seem to drag on. It made it seem like there was no end in sight or that the ending that we were going to get was going to be unsatisfactory. The only other negative I have is that if I could shake the FMC or give her some head smacks, I definitely would have. Some of her actions just made me wonder if she had common sense. Then she kind of wised up towards the end...a little. Other than that, I enjoyed this read. Like Maddox was a good MMC and everyone else you meet are characters that...

 The next series that I decided to take on in my re-read sessions was the Wolf Hotel series by KA Tucker. This series was one that I devoured when I originally read it so I wanted to see if it still hit the same as then! This first book definitely has taken advantage of the naive virgin trope and really let it go full tilt. We meet Abbi as she is going through one of the worst moments in her life. She just found out that her fiancé cheated on her. Of course she comes from a super religious background meaning that they feel like it's ok for the man to do this while she must remain chaste. I mean all the things that young adults get into are things that she was forbidden to do, whether it was drinking, partying or wearing and talking about certain things. Our girl is oblivious. So when she runs into the one and only Henry Wolf, who has done just about any and everything, she is intrigued and curious. I liked that the FMC wasn't someone who fell into her upbringing heavily and did...

 This book was really, really good. I laughed, I cried, I shouted out loud. The banter between the characters and how the FMC was depicted was done very well . I enjoyed the story that was told and how it was almost a role reversal. I won't spoil what roll that is but it was nicely done. This story was able to capture the tight rope and skill that so many sex workers have to walk daily. Whether they are a professional high class worker or one that is just on the edges of society. The things that we see Vivienne go through in this book. What made it so amazing is it could be applied to you even if this isn't the profession that you choose. Everyday we deal with putting on a persona when in public, we deal with family drama and sometimes we don't feel like we're enough. Watching Vivienne go through this story and meet Jeremy and everyone else was such a good read. I can't profess enough how much I loved this story. Jeremy being able to see past her profession to her a...

 This book was better than I had anticipated. With a series such as this one, that has been out for awhile and has a following, there are a lot of things that you hear when you are looking for recommendations for books. Us book lovers tend to be harsh on some books and series and unfortunately this was one of them. I heard a lot of either hating or loving the characters in this series. I for one managed to like almost everyone. Of course those that aren't meant to be liked don't count. The lore through out this book was enough for my Mythology loving heart to gorge on while the plot itself was something I could enjoy and get plenty of laughs at. I love it when books make me have out loud emotions or make me want to hop on social media and post about it right then and there. I feel like that is what an author should aim for when writing. Make me FEEL something when I read your characters. Whether it's strong dislike or deep friendship and love for them. I deeply wanted to sm...

 This is a book with many secrets. We meet Karina as she is trying to figure out why her perfectly thought out assassination plan didn't work. Slowly but surely we get brought into the world of kill or be killed. Karina's target, Lucas Bianchi is definitely a man to not be trifled with. Yet he still manages to have a soft spot for our FMC despite the fact that she is out to get him. Then we encounter Prince who is the right hand man of Lucas. They all begin a journey that I don't think either of them realized was going to be in their future. At least not Prince and Karina. The story of these three was definitely getting interesting and then we get left with another mystery of sorts. I think that this was a good story. I was able to read it without getting bored and the characters were definitely interesting. It was a little hard to follow the motives of everyone until they are kinda laid out for you. I am left feeling a little incomplete. There is definitely more that needs...

  Wow. I need a moment to marinate on what just happened. Kara...girl...idk what to say about her right now. In this book she was able to get some great things accomplished  but also....that ending. Had me like...AGAIN?! Flynn was out here kicking butt and taking names. Of course there was the typical political drama *eye roll*. I almost wish that Flynn would just embrace being a dictator. The way things are up in Glynfyls is enough to make you want to smack someone! There is also so much clarification that we get in this book. We get more information on all parties. I mean from more clarification on the who all the Overlords previous have been to more information about the Original Houses. I was very interested in all the little bits of information we were able to get. This is one of those series that you HAVE to read the blurbs at the beginning of the chapters. It gives you so much information and context on what is about to happen that, if you skip it, you miss things. Anot...

 I have no words for how amazing this book was. From the beginning to the end I was hooked on both Gideon and Ava. I enjoyed seeing how these two damaged people tried to make things work. Not to mention Gideon Cross is a dirty man! Oh my goodness, I just couldn't believe how dirty this mans mouth was! I mean wow. Not only that but if there was a character whose dominance like...leaked out of pages in attempts at breaking the fourth wall, then it's definitely Gideon Cross!! Watching these two (and Carey) go through the doubts and craziness that is life has been great. I mean there is probably no other character that I relate to more the Ava, in a lot of her reactions to situations. I can't wax poetic enough about this book. I can't wait to read the next one in this series which technically won't be a re-read. It will be the first time that I will read the second book. I definitely feel a hangover coming on after this one.  The spice in this book was top tier. I mean ...

  Here we are at the end of the first month in this new year! I can't believe it's already over! This edition of the Wrap Ups is going to be packed with some information about my bookish life on top of the breakdown for where the books that I was able to read in January fell!  Bookish Life Update- I have managed to put together my second book shelf and it's already almost full. I need to buy another...already. My backlog of special edition books is so large that once I get them all, I know the list will still continue to stay long! I have added another subscription to my line up. Which brings me to a total of 6. One of them I'm thinking about canceling...simply because I haven't really known any of the titles that they have and they don't seem to have many special editions outside of the subscription. We'll see how I feel by the end of the next renewal. Anyway, I've decided to set my goal for this year at 100 books! Which is 25 more than last year. For ...

  This book was extremely spicy! I mean like, they were getting it on from the first chapter type ish. Like there was barely time to even get to know the characters and they were getting it on. I'm a spice lover but dang....you barely even get a chance to see them get to know each other. I feel like this was a very surface level book that didn't get too deep and threw tons of spice at you. I wish there was a little bit more information on what was going on and why. Like why do parents who run a corporation need to be the WORST parents in the world to their children? Like what's their deal? Then the girl just falling in immediately with these guys and them essentially adopting her despite having this whole tough guys persona was...different. You'd think they'd all need time to warm up to each other before all that happened but no. Everything progressed extremely quickly. You'd almost think this was a novella and not a 500+ page book with plenty of time to flesh o...

  This book was not that great. I was very surprised that I even managed to finish it. The amount of eye rolling that I did should cause a condition. This story follows Alexis as she makes bad choice after bad choice after even worse choice. She doesn't seem to grow from any of these bad choices and to top it off she can't seem to really do much of anything. Gabe, is probably the WORST mafia leader there ever was. He just seems like a guy who is playing at being a mafia boss. The poor guys that follow him might as well expect to die because he also doesn't make the best choices. Every chance he had in this book to try to do something that seemed even remotely boss-like...was a failure. He didn't do anything right except not be a jerk when he found out that he could possibly be a father. He lost every battle against the opponents that are mentioned, he wasn't able to spot a spy when they were right in his face and then he was just determined to not make the right rel...

  This was a another good entry into this series. This book focused on Felicity and life after finding out that her aunt was a crazy killer who was out to mess up her friends lives. We also meet Kai who is water dragon shifter on an island that is hidden from humans. Of course Felicity has to go to this secret island where she meets Kai and the sparks fly. I enjoyed the whole native feel to this book. It felt like the land wanted to be kept secret and all of the characters in this story had to play a part in making sure that the land was able to get what it needed. Then again they were up against something that I'm sure a lot of native people have had to deal with, and that's whether you want to control how you are revealed or to keep yourself hidden. They know that as technology and everything else advances more and more, things aren't necessarily going to be in their favor. I enjoyed getting to know this new world that we haven't had the opportunity to get to know yet...

 This brings me re-read of this series to an end. Now there is nothing but new things to start with this series and I can't wait. The author heard the desperate cries of her fandom and brought us back to the world of Shara and her Blood. For this book in particular, I couldn't wait to see how things were going to go against a Queen the likes of Marne Ceresa. Sure enough it was interesting. Marne showed that there is a reason that she is Triune Queen and put Shara to the test. I enjoyed reading the back and forth between these two. It will be interesting to see if Marne decides to be on Shara's side if and when she goes against the Dauphine. Shara showed more growth in this book and I can't wait to see how the continues. We also get to see more of her blood and their internal thoughts in this book. Some of them we hadn't heard from in awhile and they got their shine in this book. I really appreciated that. They tend to fall into the background with so many big person...

This book was so much better than I thought it was going to be! I'm not sure what I was expecting but it wasn't a story that was able to capture the complex relationships that we have with people in our lives. They can be morally bad and yet we still can care about them. They can truly so evil things and not care about anyone but us and SHOW us this and we still love them. This was never clearer than when I was reading this story. Oraya was the human daughter of the vampire king, who had to learn how to survive in a world that saw her as weak and as prey. Her father encouraged this and wanted her to enter a trial that would end with her getting the power she needed to no longer be weak. In a world as savage as the one that they live in, I can understand why they both were looking to do this. Despite the fact that Oraya is at a HUGE disadvantage here and has a high chance of death. We see how much she has to battle with everything while in the trials...including her heart. We me...