A Book Lover's Bookish Thoughts

Book'em Piper by Danielle Norman My rating: 3 of 5 stars Note: An ARC was provided by the author in exchange for an honest review. So let’s start. Writing - It had me all in. I was completely engrossed in this story and couldn’t seem to stop, even close to pulling an all out-nighter for this. Cover -Swooning hard, literally in love. Romance -Scorching and so sweet at times. Literally my heart melted in a puddle during their romantic declarations. Personalities of characters -Liam’s personality was done well, with him having an explanation for every action he took and for what he felt, making him an admirable and relatable character to relate to. Piper’s personality sucked. Literally sucked. She was shown as a strong, able to handle emotions and was fierce and loyal and smart. But later on, she’s portrayed more as a dumb blonde and not knowing when to be smart with her situation around Liam. That was a massive reason why I was compelled to drop th...

Love Walks In by Nina Lindsey My rating: 3 of 5 stars Note: An ARC was provided by the author in exchange for an honest review. This book had such an interesting summary, so points to that. I loved it. The personalities of the characters were relatable and boy could I feel their emotions all the way. Points to that too. The writing even in third view point was done well. Most authors really cannot pull it off without mixing up their time and who they were giving a voice to. So points to that. The romance however was too quick for my like. Already they begin developing feelings for each other and are acting like they are at the end of the book, rather than the start. That’s the reason I’d have to DNF this book, my patience really runs out when things are done too quick and underdone basically. So not a recommend here. What a waste. Until the next page, -J.B View all my reviews

Broken Promises by Aimee Noalane My rating: 2 of 5 stars Note: AN ARC was provided by the author in exchange of an honest review. The cover -Pretty intriguing and mysterious, it had my attention the first time I looked at it. So points to it. The summary -Sounded so intriguing to be honest and I was eager to find out how their story would go. Points to that too. The writing was way too confusing for me. Past and present linked together, with the present mostly being focused on, even that was more like the future then the actual present. The romance not so sure about, I mean there was a hint of chemistry in early chapters but not later on as far as I read. The personalities, I wish were a bit more explained but maybe because I didn’t read too much, it could look to me as still in the dark about how they are. So yeah, can’t comment too much. So not a recommend because of the time lapse and whatnot. Until the next page, J.B View all my revi...

Decidedly With Love by Stina Lindenblatt My rating: 5 of 5 stars Note: An ARC was provided by the author in exchange for an honest review. Cover -Swoon worthy, almost drooled over it. The writing -Was bringing all of my emotions out, literally played them like guitar strings. My poor heart aches now...sigh. The personalities of both the characters - So relatable, funny, and totally in sync with the story line and their end game. My heart literally cried at the end, wishing for more... The summary -Frickin hilarious but a feel good one. Totally why I picked up, after the cover image hehe, guilty guys, guilty. The romance and the overcoming of problems - The romance was so damn scorching and again drool worthy sigh, made me wish for a guy like Travis and to be the heroine like Emma. Sigh, my daydreams are officially clouded by these two. The problems overcoming them was done so realistic and heartwarming as they both overcame their personal demons and ...

The Scene Stealer by Renee Harless My rating: 4 of 5 stars Note: I received an ARC from the author in exchange for an honest review. Honestly this book had been good until some crap had ruined it. But to be honest, the romance between the characters, the mystery behind their lives and how they overcame it, the plot itself, and the cover, all made it possible to rank it high as it could be. I wish I could I say the same for the writing. I think the author wrote the chapters a bit too long, and honestly the characters overcame the problems a bit too quick. I mean there are almost 10 chapters worth where the pages I read are useless as being mostly filler and getting it up to the steamy level they couldn’t before they’re supposed to get their HEA. That ruined the rest of the story. Things could have been done better overall for a better enjoyment, that’s my belief. It’s not a complete wreck, that’s the comfort from it. So yeah, not a total train wreck b...

Cyclone Fever by Sally Morgan My rating: 5 of 5 stars A short, snappy and sweet story about a family surviving a cyclone. Major points are for illustrations, family dynamics, cover, and the writing style. They all contribute towards a specific age group and keep you invested even if you’re not from the middle grade category and also provide some information regarding disasters and listening to your elders about stuff like that. PS: This was a free book my parents picked up through a shopping spree of sorts. So yeah, hence why I picked this up to read. And my first Australian Read, eeeh! Haha coincidence much on being in Australia and reading this, I think not. Fate. That’s all. You’ll enjoy this short story for sure and even relate, possibly. Until the next page, -J.B View all my reviews

The Dugout by Meghan Quinn My rating: 5 of 5 stars Note: I received an ARC from the author in exchange for an honest review. Where do I start? This book had EVERYTHING! The chemistry -Scorching. The friendships -Emotionally mushy. The fights and overcoming them -Totally raging and so sweet and real and aaaaah, my heart.... The bonding -So swoon worthy. The personalities -So damn RELATABLE. The cover -Fanning myself. The writing -Emotions Of every type flooded my heart, a rainbow crossing my heart tbh. I never recovered guys, never. Ever. Never. Meghan Quinn has not disappointed with this first read of hers (for me it’s a first read, boy do I regret it now). Such fantastic writing compared with fantastic and relatable characters, scorching romance, relatable as hell emotions and situations, awesome background friends, the cover oh my god, SO FRICKIN AWESOME overall! So I apologise for not believing people who worshipped the religion of Meghan Quinn. I...

Nothing But a Dare by Molly O'Hare My rating: 3 of 5 stars Note: An ARC was given generously in exchange for an honest review. This book was an okay book to read to be honest. Although I had to DNF halfway but still it was okay. I think the plot line in itself was interesting although it’s been done several times but it was done well regardless. The characters weren’t bad either, I mean they each had their personality development done well, although the way they acted toward each other and generally was a bit too childish, leading to the main reason of me DNFing this book. But the banter was fun to read between the two and the issues were also addressed early on although I am sure they get resolved later on as I didn’t read far enough. The romance wasn’t bad either, with some very interesting thinking from Hunter but it was cute and sweet enough for me to root for them. So overall, it’s a decent read but not a satisfactory one. Until the next page, -J.B ...

Lost Years by M.K. Schiller My rating: 3 of 5 stars Note: An ARC was given generously in exchange for an honest review. I really don't know how to put this in a nice, professional review. But regardless, I will try. The plot is really interesting with the main hero chasing after his dreams and what they meant. The hero was sweet, intelligent, and funny. But I don't know, the story itself was very confusing to read. I mean I think it touched more on a sci-fi/fantasy level more and this way would have fit into a fantasy world rather than real life, as it just clashes badly with the storyline and what it's trying to communicate with dreams and hidden meanings, lost love and reconnecting with loved ones. So the writing is well done, no errors grammatically, the characters are sweet and relatable mostly the guy, not the girl, the supporting characters were awesome such as the aunt and the sibling of the main hero, the romance was cute and swee...

Deliver by Pam Godwin My rating: 5 of 5 stars It’s a late as hell review, but damn it’s just wow. It’s a pretty heavy book in terms of erotic, forbidden and etc romance, so you gotta have a tolerance for this stuff. But it’s enjoyable, the plot is intense but interesting, characters are witty but broken, and the romance is woaaah. So a high recommend. -J.B View all my reviews

Dirty Little Tease by Kendall Ryan My rating: 3 of 5 stars This book was actually pretty good. For a very sexual book, it had its elements of humanity, discovering oneself, and a bit of first date like romance. So really excited for the next book! View all my reviews

Because of Logan by Erica Alexander My rating: 2 of 5 stars My opinion (In a rushed statement and in all truth): This book is not recommended at all. There's no development, the characters just straight on fall for each other. There's no tension, no suspense, no building or budding romance. It's just flat out lust. There's no explanation on both main characters' lives. So really this book is not recommended. Hope you enjoyed my short and rushed review. View all my reviews

Dirty Rich by Amelia Wilde My rating: 4 of 5 stars This has been a very good read. Despite the light themes of BDSM, occasional steamy scenes, there has been time for other elements to be involved in the book too such as humanity, compassion, discovering oneself, romance and of course understanding yourself and someone else. The author has managed to successfully snag all of these themes down in the book despite it being mostly overpowered with sexual content. I hope to read more of this author's works in the near future. -J.B View all my reviews

In Between Heartaches by Amanda Cuff My rating: 1 of 5 stars Note: An ARC was given generously in exchange for an honest review. I can’t with this book. No really I can’t. When a 27 year old grown woman acts like she’s 13 and a spoiled brat,in anger, instead of like a mature screaming adult, you bet my last dollar I will definitely DNF that book. And that’s it. I’ve got no summary, no overall review. Just a note for the author. Dear author of this obvious teenage YA Novel, even though it’s either contemporary or Adult actually: Please make sure your characters actually act their age, otherwise readers of any age will certainly flush this book down the toilet faster than you can say “Oh toodles!” (Yeah I love my Mickey mould references, fight me, heh). Another disappointment down the toilet. Until the next page, -J.B View all my reviews

Vanquish by Pam Godwin My rating: 5 of 5 stars Note: Vanquish is the second in the series, and should be read in order, as it gives more understanding to background context. No ARC this time hahaha, sorry for the bombarding of ARCs on y’all. Anyway review time. So this story, oh gosh this story... Is recommended more for 18+ but I am turning 18 in 5-6 months anyway heh, so doesn’t matter but for youngsters, be wary. Touches on dark and mature topics such as agoraphobia, Stockholm syndrome, some serious graphic scenes of sexual activity, obsessions, and the list goes on so a warning to those who could be triggered or are sensitive to such themes. This story is a romance, however erotic, new adult novel and it will definitely shove all the breath out of you and push all of your buttons sometimes for the good and sometimes for the worse. I can’t even describe it properly. Its a spinoff from Deliver, the first book in series and it’s a spinoff for Van an...

Dating Roulette by D. Kelly My rating: 2 of 5 stars Discussed Book review: The concept of this story is very interesting, which helped give this story one rating. The second star goes to the scorching romance between the two characters, like oooh-la-la romance shit, me heart just fainted at those. But the reason for less stars is because there are no problems shown between the characters or to the characters, everything is way too peaceful between them, now in any good novel, there are always some problems which show the characters overcoming them, but things here are just too nice, I can’t digest that. Another thing was that the background characters never showed up, like what about their families, friends? Only their friends showed up, their families seemed to be dead...? Final point is that I think things went a bit too quickly in terms of their romance and their declaration of love towards each other, in 4-5 chapters, they were convinced they wer...

All About You by Joanna Mazurkiewicz My rating: 3 of 5 stars I honestly don't know what to say in proper sentences. But since I am writing this, I have to. This novel wasn't great but not terrible either. It was...good. In the novel we have India, the main female protagonist going to her favorite uni: Braxton along with her rich, spoiled best friend Dora (reminds me of Dora the explorer). Anyway... In the university, we then meet Oliver, enemy of India and brother to India's previous ex-boyfriend (not on friendly terms as you can see) (who had made Oliver's life miserable in high school basically). Anyway, Oliver, the male protagonist then plans revenge for what India did to him. It's all going great but then you know things don't always go according to plan (especially when you used to have a thing for that same person) They fall in love (at least India does) all over again but I told ya, things never do go to plan. And so th...

Race You by Jolie Vines My rating: 3 of 5 stars Note: An ARC was provided generously in exchange for an honest review. Sigh, this story was enjoyable but to a degree. First off the plot is brilliant, that for once, only one protagonist is racing for promotion instead of both and it’s not the man, the man just wants the lady, heh. It went smoothly and I had one hell of a ride with it. The romance was cute and sweet, but damn sometimes the romance went to scorching levels heheh and I couldn’t help swooning, sigh...The characters were likeable as they both had hidden desires to do what they wanted but yet forced by their circumstances to do something they didn’t want to and they were adapting, had wonderful banter full of wit and fun, and a chemistry that couldn’t be denied and had personalities that could easily be related to. But the bad parts were that the plot moved too quickly for my liking. Things shifted too quickly in terms of misunderstandings ...

Bad Judgment by Meghan March My rating: 5 of 5 stars Review: Gosh I don’t know what to say. This was an absolutely mind-blowing novel. I mean you get to see the truth, logic, love, and steamy romance all rolled into one fantastic novel! And Ryker and Justine’s chemistry was off the wall, I tell you. Just off the damn walls. So here’s the rundown of things: Justine Porter is a graduate law student who discovers that in her last year, they are sacking all the scholarships because the board cannot afford them anymore (or some other stupid reason). And another problem is her friend Chad’s crash with another car, proven to be a drunk and even fired from his potential job. Fate has been going against her wishes, clearly. Now she has a dilemma, she either works at some strip joint like the Vu or she drops out of law school and gets some other job to pay her bills. Well this author is not going to just sink her boat to the damn bottom is she now? Of course n...

Depraved by Bella J. My rating: 2 of 5 stars Note: An ARC was given generously in exchange for an honest review. Yup there I go again with the ARCs but they’re delayed as hell and I can’t help myself. Whoops....but anyway. Let’s continue. ............ Sigh, I feel like my luck with ARCs being good stories to read is actually running out. This one was no exception. The summary: We first get a glimpse at our heroine Alyxandra (I don’t understand her name’s spelling, really I don’t) the police commissioner’s daughter, who has a troubled life with a control freak ex-ballerina mother and an overprotective and barely present father. She longs to be free from their protective ring and yearns to be independent and stable on her own. Then we meet American street kings biker gang and their president, who seems to have kept the police all around on him on his payroll and has a vendetta against the rival bike gang. Thugs kidnap the poor Alyxandra but she is luck...

I (One) by Lana Sky My rating: 1 of 5 stars Note: An ARC was provided in exchange for an honest review. First thing: Clearly I should have avoided this book when it said it was no good for under 18s since it involved gore, mature scenes, and what not. But you know as an ARC reader, you have to read the novel since you have to review it honestly and promote it too, so there’s no going back. Second fact: There is no indication or flashbacks to the previous book. So for me, be it as an ARC reader or a normal reader who’s never read the previous books, this creates problems to understanding the plot and the overall story set out for all books in series. So the first fault was mine but the second, no one explained it. The plot seemed interesting enough with me getting through two pages of chapter 1 and preface. That was it, especially after the ring finger scenario. Damn, was that horrible to read. I don’t get why authors can’t just have like a mafia scen...

I Bet You by Ilsa Madden-Mills My rating: 5 of 5 stars Note: I got an ARC copy from the author in exchange for an honest review. DAMN..... Literally my first words when I read the first few sentences of the book. I must confess I haven't read anyone like Penelope in any book. And I must also confess that Ryker was almost like the cliched jock I had met in other books. But for some reason, all I think is whew, what a rollercoaster ride I had with Penelope and Ryker. We first meet Penelope sitting in a restaurant, a waitress, dreaming of a sea-filled steamy romance with a dashing pirate (like her rom-coms in her private stock) but each time, the pirate is someone she hates. Oh such hate. And for that only one human being. Ryker the god of good looks and absolute excellence in sports. And then "garcon!" comes in. Literally. I tell you literally. Clearly, people should have been able to tell the difference between a fille and garcon (a boy ...

Cold, Hard, & Heartless by M.V. Ellis My rating: 5 of 5 stars This novel was just fantastic. Literally loveable and more than anything in the world. This is after Catching London with Arlo's thoughts this time. Catching London revolves around London and her world solely. Arlo and London have such chemistry, and there's no denial in it. At first glance Arlo knows that not just physically, there's more to London than what she looks like and he wants her enough to know her more. And knowing that they are meant to be together whether London believes it not is Arlo's mission. Arlo and London are so suited for another despite their polar personalities such as Arlo being a no commited man in relationships and believing the worl is filled with crap. London, with her horrible singing (if you have read the novels, you know this is true) but ambitious, caring personality knows that there is some hope in the world. Woah what polar opposities....

The Best Kind Of Surprise by Jasmin Miller My rating: 1 of 5 stars Note: This is the second novel in the series, should be read in order. Another Note: An ARC was provided generously in exchange for an honest review. This novel was not so much of a sham as compared to the previous novel. But still not that good to read, in my opinion. My version of this story: We get introduced to Aidan Ardennes, Logan Ardennes's brother and brother in law of Ember Keaton sitting in his brother's home, drinking to his sorrows. He thinks his manhood no longer works as he's no longer interested in one night stands, flings, etc. The apparent reason seems to be, that he's been hung up on a girl he had a fling with, a month before according to his brother. And he believes later on that the girl is his downfall, even though for me as a reader, that's just not true as she's just a fling. But then he realizes that he may be in love with her, and this ...

The Best Kind Of Mistake by Jasmin Miller My rating: 2 of 5 stars Note: This is the first in the series, should be read in order to understand. Another Note: I read this book in order to be able to understand the sequel. Sigh where do I even begin with how much of a disaster this novel was? But I'll start somewhere, promise. My version of this story: We first meet Ember Keaton and her discussion with her sister in regards to a new job, pulled by strings, how thankful she is, considering she lost her job recently. Probably was a lousy worker, anyhow.. She also has a neighbor who she can't help but listen to (not on purpose of course) which also causes her sleep problems. But he will be important later on, not right now. She goes to her new job, and is immediately a success in it, alongside the owner's son Logan Ardennes. Soon chemistry beckons them closer, sparks fly and romance is declared for them. Overall, it's a happy, snappy, and ...

Alpha Bully by Renee Rose My rating: 2 of 5 stars Note: An ARC was provided generously in exchange for an honest review. Another Note: The age limit for reading this novel is 18+ as it touches on mature topics and ideas. “She’s mine to torment and I’m going to enjoy the f*&k out of it.” (Cole Munchmore, sounds like a breakfast cereal name combined with a biker gang first name, but whatever). And torment he did, especially me from reading this novel. Moving on.... My version of this story: We first meet our heroine Bailey, who's an outcast at her school, Wolf Ridge High and is also afraid of driving, god knows why. She's late to school and asks her next door neighbor Cole if he can drive her there. Cole is our resident star football player and jerk to Bailey ever since she transfers to their school. He says no and makes fun of her, etc, etc. Next thing you know, She reaches school anyway through the help of a junior and befriends her. We g...

Ruckus by L.J. Shen My rating: 5 of 5 stars Note: I had to stop a few times while reading this, as time and finding this book online made it difficult to finish it sooner. But Enjoy. “Because I had to sell it and lost a shit-ton of money the moment I realized you were going to be my neighbor if I stayed in my current place. Real talk, Rosie, you are all I ever wanted. Even when you wanted me to be with your sister. She was a comforting candle. You were the dazzling sun. I’d lived in the dark—for your selfish ass. And if you think I’m going to settle for something, you’re dead wrong. I am taking everything. We will have kids, Rose LeBlanc. We will have a wedding. And we will have joy and vacations and days where we just fuck and days where we just fight and days where we just live. Because this is life, Baby LeBlanc, and I love the fuck out of you, so I’m going to give you the best one there is. Got it?” (Dean Cole, my next of favorites from all Hotho...