I realized in 2020 that I have a hard time writing full length reviews for every single book that I read. I typically read over 200 books and sometimes multiple books in a single day. It gets to be overwhelming at times to try to find the time to write that many full reviews. While I will still be posting some full length reviews, I’m not going to stress myself over writing one for everything I read. As of now, this will be an every other week post where I do a mini wrap up of all the things I’ve recently read, a short review, and my rating of the book. My hope is that this will allow for me to get my feelings out about all the books I read, but not be as stressful.
In The Penalty Box by Lynn Rush and Kelly Anne Blout
4/5 stars
I read an advanced copy of this one and really enjoyed starting off 2021 with it! After the holidays being not as merry, I knew I wanted something like this to be the first thing I read. While the romance is a pretty big part of it, I really enjoyed the friendships in here. While this was predictable, I enjoyed my time reading it!
Shadows by Jennifer L. Armentrout
4/5 stars
As I continue to make my way through the backlist of books by Jennifer L. Armentrout, the Lux series is definitely the one that I’m the most nervous for. The alien aspect isn’t one I normally go for and not going to lie, I’ve been putting it off for a few months because I was so nervous about it. I can safely say that I shouldn’t have been. I really enjoyed this one and I’m very glad I started out with the novella! This is super sweet and heartbreaking and I can’t wait to continue reading this series.
Sparrow by L.J. Shen
3/5 stars
I’ve slowly been making my way through L.J. Shen’s back list of books as well. I ended 2020 by reading the two newest books by her and after realizing that side characters from those books had their own books, I knew I needed to pick them up soon.
Sparrow isn’t my favorite L.J. Shen, but it was still an overall enjoyable read. I didn’t like Troy at all, but I also wasn’t expecting to from what I saw of him in the Boston Belles books. He’s an asshole and treats Sparrow like shit.
There were definitely some questionable parts of this book for me. Usually these things would make me DNF a book, but somehow I kept reading and not hating it as much as I was expecting after the questionable parts.
The Kiss Thief by L.J. Shen
3/5 stars
Like Sparrow, this wasn’t one of my most favorite L.J. Shen books, but I did breeze through it fairly quickly. Honestly, the very first sex scene in this definitely knocked my rating down. This could have easily been a higher rated one for me, but I found that scene disturbing. The age gap didn’t bother me, but Wolfe continuously referring to Francesca as his teenage bride definitely did. This definitely won’t be one I reread.
The Duke and I by Julia Quinn
3/5 stars
I had wanted to try to read this prior to watching the show, but ended up reading other things in December instead. I’ve now watched the show three times and on a fourth rewatch of it since Christmas. It’s safe to say that show is now one of my go tos.
I did go into the book knowing the show had changed some things so that wasn’t a surprise to me and honestly it didn’t disappoint me. I think if they had been completely the same, I would have quickly gotten bored with it and probably wouldn’t have finished it.
I do think the one very problematic scene was a complete violation. There were no repercussions and even though I definitely think Simon was in the wrong for lying to Daphne, it was even more so wrong for her to do that to Simon. I knew going into it that this scene was part of it so I was prepared for it, but still a huge violation and something I’m not a fan of.
I will still read the others in the series because I’m definitely invested in this family now and can’t wait to read their stories.
Obsidian by Jennifer L. Armentrout
4/5 stars
The first official book in the Lux series immediately drew me in and I think if I hadn’t also been reading The Duke and I at the same time, I could have easily finished it in one day. Jennifer L. Armentrout has quickly become one of my favorite authors since reading from her for the first time last year. I definitely can’t wait to continue this series and see where it goes! As with any of Jennifer L. Armentrout’s characters, I really love them and can’t wait to see how their story unfolds!
Her Vampire Master by Maren Smith
3/5 stars
After the craziness of the sixth and not knowing exactly what I wanted to read, I borrowed this on Kindle Unlimited as something quick. I’ve been getting more into paranormal romance recently and after reading a really enjoyable vampire story in December, I’ve been on the hunt for others.
This one was just okay for me. Even though I was looking for something quick, I think this could have used another 50 to 100 pages and it could have been better. The ending was super rushed and didn’t feel as satisfying as it could have.
Den of Vipers by K.A. Knight
4/5 stars
I’ve had this borrowed on Kindle Unlimited for a few weeks, but after seeing it posted a bunch in various groups I’m in, I decided now was the time to finally start it. Being that it’s over 600 pages, I assumed it would take me more than one day to finish it, but I was hooked from the first few chapters and had to keep going to see what happened.
This isn’t a book for the faint of heart! This is a very dark book with very graphic scenes. There are some very out there scenes and lots of violence. Somehow I was still hooked and ended up finishing it in just a few hours.
While this is a dark book, it still felt somewhat realistic. This isn’t one of those dark books where suddenly the guy turns over a new leaf because they met their love. This definitely shows the struggles that all five main characters have to go through and that’s something I definitely liked about this book.
You Have a Match by Emma Lord
5/5 stars
After reading Tweet Cute in 2020, I was immediately looking forward to anything Emma Lord writes! When I was able to get my hands on You Have a Match, I was very excited because it’s one of my most anticipated books for 2021. It did not disappoint! This definitely deals with a much heavier topic than Tweet Cute did, but it still had the lightness and cute romance that I enjoyed from her first book.
I loved the friendships in this book so much! Something I came to love in Tweet Cute was the friendships and I was so glad to see that again in You Have a Match. The family dynamics are also amazing as well as the romances!
I definitely can’t wait for anything from Emma Lord in the future! She’s definitely one of my autobuy contemporary authors!
What have you read recently?
Stuck in Fiction 