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Shades of Wicked (Night Rebel #1)
Shades of Wicked (Night Rebel #1)
8
8.0 (1 Ratings)
Book Rating
This review and more can be found at my blog https://aromancereadersreviews.blogspot.com

A Romance Reader's Reviews

I've read some of the authors other works - several of her Night Huntress and the first of her Night Prince series' - and really enjoyed them, so when this popped up at 99p the other day I couldn't resist buying it.

So we meet Veritas as she hunts out Ian at one of his well known orgies. She's after him to help kill a demon from both of their pasts but as a Law Guardian they don't exactly see eye to eye for a long time as Ian's a bit of a rebel. They continually prod at each other until irritation turns to admiration and then attraction.

I was very intrigued by how the story of these two was going to play out, how the romance would evolve and it was quite sweet actually. Ian has a way of getting under peoples defences when he drops his tough guy act and I grew to really like him, as did Veritas who ended up revealing several secrets about herself that made Ian notice her as more than a Law Guardian. It was kind of subtle but not at the same time. They were pretty good for each other.

Then we have our showdown and my heart was in my mouth for that 15% or so. I wanted them to kill him and both survive and for a time I was almost in tears thinking they might not. And then that Epilogue?! What a way to end it! I cannot wait to read the next one to see what happens next with this couple.
  
The Big Sick (2017)
The Big Sick (2017)
2017 | Comedy, Drama, Romance
One of those products that feels fresh and generic in about an equal ratio, but this just *soars* off of the chemistry of its cast. Zoe Kazan and Kumail Nanjiani are wonderful, simply wonderful together here; Ray Romano and Holly Hunter are faultless; and Kumail's family + stand-up partners are as well cast as can be even if the latter add nothing more than mostly tired jokes that don't land to the story. I admit this is still pretty scattershot, but for me that's part of what makes it so interesting? If anything is subversive here it's two things: 1. the way this flips the typical romcom on its head by taking on multiple different styles of execution as it goes along (the mostly unfunny but charming as hell opening romance, the anxious but amiable [and more funny] first meetings with the parents, the harrowing confrontation of grief, and the confusing [for the characters] but unfortunately rather rushed through ending resolutions) and 2. Kumail playing himself during a real life tumultuous period in his life. Even though dozens of liberties were taken to make this more palatable for a studio romance, the broad side of things remains rooted in truth even down to supporting scenes - and seeing Kumail as himself act out those real life events and formulate them into a positive story add a whole new level of emotional heft. Plus he's just a rock-solid comedic force in general and he handles the sad scenes nearly just as well. Even if there are still some tropes in this, the base story still feels rather nuanced. Very flawed but so nice, so wholesome.
  
Fall to Pieces
Fall to Pieces
Becky Flade | 2021 | Contemporary, Romance
8
8.0 (1 Ratings)
Book Rating
loved the back seat the romance takes!
Independent reviewer for Archaeolibrarian, I was gifted my copy of this book.

I liked this book, I liked it a lot!

Xavier is sent to assess Alexandra's mental capacity to do her job, following the suicide of her detective husband. But things are not as they seem and Xavier and Alex are soon fighting her department as well as a child killer hellbent on driving Alex mad.

This is a dark book. Suicide, child murder and abuse. How cops deal with stress. And I liked that. I liked that it made me think about those things. I have no triggers though, and some readers might not like it.

Both Alex and Xavier have a say, and they have a lot to say about a lot of things! Both of them are suffering from things that happened but while Alex' is (mostly) clear from the start, it takes time to get the whole picture. Xavier's pain is far deeper and we don't get the whole picture there til much later. I like being made to wait.

The romance between Alex and Xavier takes a back seat to the crime aspect of the book and I loved the twist that took. I did think Alex would push Xavier away more than once and, Lord she tries! But Xavier is strong and even though the reasons he comes into Alex' life are beyond his control, keeping her safe is within his control and he will do that.

I liked this, a lot. It's the first I've read of this author, I would like to read more.

4 stars

*same worded review ill appear elsewhere