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Caffeinated Fae (464 KP) rated Closer in Books

Apr 19, 2019  
Closer
Closer
Alexa Riley | 2018 | Erotica, Romance
7
5.3 (3 Ratings)
Book Rating
First finished book of 2019!! I would rate this 3 1/2 stars so I have rounded up to 4 stars.

I listened to this book through the Read Me Romance podcast. I loved the concept of the podcast and the intro music is amazing. Closer is my first time reading Alexa Riley so I went into this book with no idea what I was signing up for. Unfortunately, it seems that this little novella fell under the curse of the novella, I didn't feel connected to the characters.

Though I didn't feel connected to the characters I still liked them. They were interesting and I wish that I could have a full novel with the characters and not a short novella. I also liked the narrators and I think that they added a half star to my rating of this book.

The plot was obviously quick and dirty. It kept me entertained but it also left me wanting a lot more. There really wasn't time to get to know the characters and it was insta love which generally annoys me. I love insta connection but the insta love just drives me up the wall. I wish that I would have gotten to know the characters more and see a relationship develop.

All in all, it was quick and dirty.
  
Three Dark Crowns
Three Dark Crowns
Kendare Blake | 2016 | Fiction & Poetry, Romance, Science Fiction/Fantasy
6
7.8 (17 Ratings)
Book Rating
I've rated this book 3 stars since I couldnt give it a mid range 2.5 stars. But it was a mid range 2.5 book. I HATED the beginning of this book. There was so much .. what the heck is happening .. happening in this book that I hated every second of it. I hate books with maps (not saying I hate all of them, there are a few that I like) but there was such a world being spun that I felt lost from the very beginning.

It took me until 3/4 of the way through the book to get a true feel of the world, and I just don't feel like that's a makings of a nice world - however, once that point hit in the book I felt like there was something there that I was enjoying, probably the darkness of it. However, did I enjoy it enough to carry on with the series, I'm unsure.

My favourite character by far was Kat - especially the end, though the very very last line of the book has me questioning life, so perhaps I'd change my mind about things - and continue on with the series to see where things are taken. Though if there's more tradition and whatnot crap to read I don't think I'd keep going after a few pages.. boy was that boring...........................................
  
Weak for Him (Weakness, #1)
Weak for Him (Weakness, #1)
9
7.5 (2 Ratings)
Book Rating
I was so undecided on how to rate this...4 star?...5 star? So I'll settle for 4.5 stars. Maybe it's the whole obsession I have with books associated with the sex industry--escorts, prostitutes, strippers, porn stars. I just like to read them finding romance with someone who can crack their cold interiors.

And that is pretty much what happened in this. You could see that there was something between Jennifer and Finnley, some spark that could become great if they both gave in. But nope. Not that simple. Finnley had the whole I-won't-(not can't)-have-you-but-no-one-else-can-either thing going on, which I must say is totally unfair to Jennifer.

That being said, the way he paraded around his conquests at times I wanted to smack him and don't blame Jennifer for trying to find love somewhere else.

The continuous back and forth between Finn and Jennifer was at times annoying and at others I melted a little towards him. This was definitely a couple I got emotionally involved with.

That epilogue was very insightful and I am so glad that the author wrote it. It added an extra element to see it all from Finn's eyes.

I am very interested in reading the rest of the series.
  
Lionhearts: Part Two Box Set
Lionhearts: Part Two Box Set
Elizabeth Coldwell | 2019 | Erotica, LGBTQ+, Paranormal
8
8.0 (2 Ratings)
Book Rating
nice easy reads.
Independent reviewer for Archaeolibrarian, I was gifted my copy of these books.

Into The Arena

Cesare has been banished from his pride after his uncle cheated in a leadership fight. Finding work on a food truck headed from a for set seemed too good to be true. Finding Hayden as the star AND his fated mate, made Cesare think that maybe he wasn't supposed to win the fight at all. But Hayden has a stalker, and things turn deadly. Can Cesare keep his human mate safe, and will Hayden accept Cesare's lion half?

This is book 4 in the Lionhearts series and I have not read the other books. I did not feel I was missing anything, and so will say these are stand alones, with interconnecting characters, rather than a follow on series.

I liked this one. It did not blow me away, but right now, personally, this was JUST what I needed to read.

It's well told, with both Cesare and Hayden having a say. There is enough history for each of them, but not enough to be overwhelming in a short book. Well, I say SHORT, but it's still 176 pages! Didn't feel like it though!

I loved that we got some of the stalker too! They have their say in a couple of places, and I do love getting into the mind of the baddie! Did NOT see who that might have been, or rather, I had an idea, but was way off base.

It's quite sexy. There is a scene with Hayden getting down and dirty with his boyfriend BEFORE he and Cesare meet. Then Hayden and Cesare get down to it really quickly after meeting! Not sure how I feel about the first, but loved the second.

Nice easy read, and just the thing to pass a wet sunday afternoon, while nursing a very real hangover!

4 solid stars

**same worded review will appear elsewhere**

Pride Under Fire

Book 5 in the Lionheart series, and there is a pop up from Cesare and Hayden (book 4) which was nice!

Connor punched his commanding officer, and is shifted out to a town in the middle of nowhere, that needs a full time fire fighter. Andy is a detective in said town. Andy is human, Connor is not. Can Connor keep his mate safe, while the town burns around them?

Again, an easy read, that was just what I needed!

Connor knows he did wrong, punching his superior, but he won't apologise. Being shipped out was probably the best thing that happened to him, since he meets his mate. But Andy is human and lions don't mate with humans, do they?When there are several fires in town, in abandoned buildings, both Connor and Andy have to investigate. Then the bodies start piling up, and they know the arsonist has to be stopped , and soon.

There were several throw away comments that made me put the clues together for who the arsonist was very early on, and it was great to see it unfold the way I thought it would.

Again, the guys get down and dirty very early on, and I did like that here.

BUT

The general way the story goes is almost identical to book 4, Into The Arena. It's very VERY similar in that the human half gets taken, and the lion half comes to the rescue, mostly in the same way too!

Still, I did enjoy this as much as book 4, and I did read them back to back.

4 stars

Animal Passions

This is book 6 and for ME, the weakest of the three I've read.

Here's why:

It follows an almost identical plot line to the other two. Human half has sex with *someone* then goes off and meets mate. Mate and human get down and dirty right quick (did not like that here!) danger threatens human, lion reveals himself. human is taken by *stalker/arsonist/psycho editor assistant* and lion comes to the rescue. the end.

So, I'm sorry, but no, this one did not work for me. I only gave it 3 stars because I DID finish it, and it was touch and go for a while.

Maybe if I had NOT read them back to back, this one would have worked better, but I did read them back to back, and this is how I feel. And I'm all about the book feelings.

Sorry!

3 stars

**same worded review will appear elsewhere**
  
    AG Drive

    AG Drive

    Games

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    AG Drive is a futuristic racing game in which you race blazing fast anti-gravity craft against...

Forever (Changers #4)
Forever (Changers #4)
T. Cooper, Allison Glock-Cooper | 2018 | Contemporary, LGBTQ+, Young Adult (YA)
10
10.0 (1 Ratings)
Book Rating
Fun and amazing read (2 more)
Loads of representation
Easy to read
You can also find this review on my blog: bookingwayreads.wordpress.com

I received Forever (Changers Book 4) from LibraryThing to read and review. I have not read books 1 - 3 yet but this little novel is such a hidden gem! The beginning was basically a recap of what happened in the first three books and the authors do such an amazing job with the writing that I was able to read Forever (Changers Book 4) with no problem. So, just because this is the fourth book in the installment doesn't mean that you can't read it as a stand-alone as well.

There is LGBTQ+ representation along with ethnic representation throughout the entirety of the novel. This was seriously a jackpot of a book to get. I enjoyed every second of it and my attention was grabbed and never let go until I put the novel down. As I was reading, I couldn't and didn't want to stop reading. I ended up devouring it in a matter of a 3 day period.

I loved how this was a middle-school grade, young adult, contemporary fantasy but also had hints of sci-fi. Due to the fact that some people changed each year into new individuals. It makes me want to get books 1 - 3 and reread the entire series.

Reasons why I rated it 5 stars:
1. Amazing read!
2. Multiple of different representations.
3. My attention was maintained on the entirety of the novel.
4. Writing was well-done, no grammatical or spelling errors that I saw.
  
Dexterity Check (Dungeons and Dating #5)
Dexterity Check (Dungeons and Dating #5)
Katherine McIntyre | 2023 | Contemporary, LGBTQ+, Romance
8
9.0 (2 Ratings)
Book Rating
I wanted to punch Eli a time or two!
Independent reviewer for Archaeolibrarian, I was gifted my copy of this book.

This is book 5 in the Dungeons and Dating series. While not strictly necessary to have read books one to 4 before this, I strongly recommend that you do. It will give you a better feel of this group of people and their ever expanding found family. I loved all four of the previous books.

And while I liked this one well enough, there was something different about it and I can't put my finger on it and it pains me so that I can't!

I liked Arjun, and I liked Eli, both together and separately. I liked their interactions with the rest of the group. The progression of their relationship went as I expected it to. I loved Arjun's grandmother and how much love there is between those two! I loved how easy Eli fit into to that.

I did not like how Eli kinda strung Arjun along, when he was making a decision about moving, though! I wanted to punch him a time or two.

BUT! I do understand WHY Eli is the way he is. He has been hurt before, and they both went into this clear and up front as to what it was. It's just those pesky feelings doing their thing that throws a spanner in the works!

I enjoyed this; I really did. It's a welcome addition to the series. I just didn't love it as much as the other 4 books.

4 stars

*same worded review will appear elsewhere