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jazmin's reviews
676 reviews
Pucked by Helena Hunting
This was a decent book, and I really liked the whole idea behind the plot. The actual writing style wasn’t my favourite which I was surprised about because I loved Helena Hunting’s writing style in Meet Cute, but in this book, there were some weird ways of describing what was going on which made it a bit weird. The scenes with conversation were fine but when no one was talking the prose felt super awkward.
Although none of the characters were super memorable to me, I did enjoy both Violet and Alex. Their weirdness was super funny, and as much as some of it was inaccurate, I did enjoy the Canadian rep from Alex.
Overall this was a solid book although I did expect to enjoy it a little more than I did. Definitely want to continue with the rest of the series, just not right away :)
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3.0
“You’re not going to ditch me, are you?”
“I don’t see the point. You’ll probably break into my house and I’ll find you hiding in my closet or under my bed if I do,” she says dryly.
This was a decent book, and I really liked the whole idea behind the plot. The actual writing style wasn’t my favourite which I was surprised about because I loved Helena Hunting’s writing style in Meet Cute, but in this book, there were some weird ways of describing what was going on which made it a bit weird. The scenes with conversation were fine but when no one was talking the prose felt super awkward.
Although none of the characters were super memorable to me, I did enjoy both Violet and Alex. Their weirdness was super funny, and as much as some of it was inaccurate, I did enjoy the Canadian rep from Alex.
“I love you,” Alex says. I can’t hear the words because it is too damn loud. For all I know he’s actually saying “vacuum” which looks like “I love you.”
Overall this was a solid book although I did expect to enjoy it a little more than I did. Definitely want to continue with the rest of the series, just not right away :)
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Ruthless People by J.J. McAvoy
Ruthless People was a really appropriate name for this series because its characters were nothing if not ruthless. They took “morally grey” way further than most book characters do.
Melody and Liam were both incredibly interesting to read about and I loved the whole partners-in-crime vibe they had going on. It was so refreshing to see a woman boss in a mafia book, and Melody was overall just a really well-written character. I also really liked Liam although it was definitely his wife who stole the show.
As a couple they were good, but definitely not my favourite. Obviously, they played the whole “ruthless couple” thing well, but outside of that, I didn’t feel a ton of chemistry from them. I know this is an unpopular opinion, though.
Even though this was only book one, the side characters were already amazing! I loved Olivia, Adriana and Coraline (this series has so many strong women!) and I really hope we continue to have chapters in their perspectives because those short glimpses into the lives of the side characters were so fun.
Overall this was a really solid start to this series. Here and there there were a few questionable elements or scenes that I wasn’t a fan of, but I do plan to continue with this series! Also, I loved the quotes at the beginning of each chapter!
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3.0
“Maybe this is why so many serial killers work in pairs. It’s nice not to feel alone in a world full of victims or enemies. It just seems natural. You and me against the world . . .”
~ Chuck Palahniuk
Ruthless People was a really appropriate name for this series because its characters were nothing if not ruthless. They took “morally grey” way further than most book characters do.
Melody and Liam were both incredibly interesting to read about and I loved the whole partners-in-crime vibe they had going on. It was so refreshing to see a woman boss in a mafia book, and Melody was overall just a really well-written character. I also really liked Liam although it was definitely his wife who stole the show.
As a couple they were good, but definitely not my favourite. Obviously, they played the whole “ruthless couple” thing well, but outside of that, I didn’t feel a ton of chemistry from them. I know this is an unpopular opinion, though.
“May we be ruthless and have no regrets,” she added. “May we take what we want, when we want it, with the world at our feet.”
Even though this was only book one, the side characters were already amazing! I loved Olivia, Adriana and Coraline (this series has so many strong women!) and I really hope we continue to have chapters in their perspectives because those short glimpses into the lives of the side characters were so fun.
“Mel. I don’t want to be you. I want to be like you. I want to be able to shoot a gun. I want to learn how to fight. I’ve always wanted to learn, but it was never our place. But then you came in shattering glass ceilings and literally breaking down walls.”
Overall this was a really solid start to this series. Here and there there were a few questionable elements or scenes that I wasn’t a fan of, but I do plan to continue with this series! Also, I loved the quotes at the beginning of each chapter!
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The Hunter by L.J. Shen
Reread #1 Update:
So I still like this book more than most people... I think everyone dislikes this book because of Hunter, I don't know but I've always thought it sort of doesn't make sense that everyone hates on him but not on other protagonists who do basically the same thing? I mean, was he a great person? Not necessarily. But was he any worse than some of the other male love interests I've read about (and that people love)? As far as I saw, no. Maybe there's something I'm not seeing...
Anyway, I only decided to reread this because I'm reading The Villain today and I didn't remember everything that happened in this book, and I'm glad I decided to read it again because I definitely forgot a lot of the details. So excited for CillianPersy :))
Original Review:
This book ended up being a lot better than I’d initially expected! The characters definitely grew on me, and the plot was a lot more complicated than I had initially expected!
Let’s talk about Hunter. I’m all for redemption arcs (in fact, I love them most of the time), but I didn’t like the way his came around. Not in terms of him changing after meeting Sailor, but the way his family literally planned for him to prove himself (the second time not the first). It was a bit bizarre how much that had to do with the plot and then how everything ended up being linked to that, especially since his family had seemed totally indifferent towards him for most of the book. Overall, there were a few details I had to look past to like him as a character, but once I did I thought he was a good character.
As for Sailor, I really liked her, and her steadfast loyalty and passion reminded me of reading about her mom in Sparrow.
I’m definitely excited about future books since the first couple is rarely my favourite, and I believe the next one is about Hunter’s brother Cillian which I look forward to :)
My The Hunter Playlist:
When You Were Young by The Killers
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3.0
“I cannot keep you from making mistakes, because then you’ll never learn from them. The world is tough, and cruel, and mostly unfair. It’s our job to find a way to navigate our way in it. The more I shield you, the less chance you’ll have of surviving.”
Reread #1 Update:
So I still like this book more than most people... I think everyone dislikes this book because of Hunter, I don't know but I've always thought it sort of doesn't make sense that everyone hates on him but not on other protagonists who do basically the same thing? I mean, was he a great person? Not necessarily. But was he any worse than some of the other male love interests I've read about (and that people love)? As far as I saw, no. Maybe there's something I'm not seeing...
Anyway, I only decided to reread this because I'm reading The Villain today and I didn't remember everything that happened in this book, and I'm glad I decided to read it again because I definitely forgot a lot of the details. So excited for CillianPersy :))
Original Review:
This book ended up being a lot better than I’d initially expected! The characters definitely grew on me, and the plot was a lot more complicated than I had initially expected!
Let’s talk about Hunter. I’m all for redemption arcs (in fact, I love them most of the time), but I didn’t like the way his came around. Not in terms of him changing after meeting Sailor, but the way his family literally planned for him to prove himself (the second time not the first). It was a bit bizarre how much that had to do with the plot and then how everything ended up being linked to that, especially since his family had seemed totally indifferent towards him for most of the book. Overall, there were a few details I had to look past to like him as a character, but once I did I thought he was a good character.
As for Sailor, I really liked her, and her steadfast loyalty and passion reminded me of reading about her mom in Sparrow.
“I am strong, yes. But being strong doesn’t mean never getting hurt. It means having a high pain tolerance. I’m not dumb enough to amp it up.”
I’m definitely excited about future books since the first couple is rarely my favourite, and I believe the next one is about Hunter’s brother Cillian which I look forward to :)
My The Hunter Playlist:
When You Were Young by The Killers
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The Villain by L.J. Shen
With this book, I did something that I try to never do when waiting for a new release. I set high expectations. And I honestly can’t say I regret it because this book lived up to every standard I had set in my head.
Going into this book we already knew it was a modern Hades and Persephone retelling, and I expected that whole aspect to be good, but I didn’t realize just how amazing it would be. It fit Persy and Cillian so well, and the metaphor played into the book way more than I expected with the pomegranate and the bleeding hearts, which I loved.
Onto the characters, Persephone was an even better protagonist than I had dared to hope. It made me angry that people had characterized her as boring and uninteresting right from the start, before even having read her book, solely because she was the “good” sister, and so I’m incredibly glad that she turned out to be such an amazing character because she’s really going to prove all of them wrong. She was braver, more motivated and more passionate than I had expected, and above all, she was smart and ambitious. I hate communication conflicts in books, when characters just listen to the first thing anyone says and roll with that, and then get angry at the love interest for the most bizarre reason that they just heard, so I can’t even explain how satisfying it was for Persy to form her own conclusions and get work done herself.
Now for Cillian. Going into this book, I was really hoping that even though the only impressions that we got of him in The Hunter were that he was unfeeling and distant, that he wouldn’t be unlikeable because of that. Quite often I dislike male protagonists because their rudeness issues just go a bit too far for me, but I can honestly say that Cillian's level of “darkness” was perfect. He wasn’t as rude or obnoxious as some other love-interests I’ve read about, but he was still mysterious enough to hold my interest. Long story short, he was a great character, and there were a lot of sides to his personality that I did not anticipate in any way ;)
And I think this goes without saying but they were an amazing couple. Definitely not conventional, but as they say, normal is overrated.
Can I just say that I LOVED the plot? Making interesting plot points and events sometimes seems to be further down on the radar of authors who write romance because they choose to focus on the couple, and while I’m all for that, if you can merge a good storyline AND a good romance, for me the book will almost always be better than a book with just one of those aspects. This book focused a lot on business and money, so it might not be for everyone, but I thought it was really fun.
I know I’m starting to drone on, but I can’t not give honourable mentions to the side characters! CillianPersy might have stolen the show, but the other characters did a great job of trying to get it back. We saw a lot of all the people who have/will have a book in this series, which I always love. Seeing Hunter and Sailor again was fantastic, and we got SO MUCH SAM, BELLE, and ASH content! Particularly Sam because he was involved with Cillian’s business and Belle because she was Persy’s sister. AND WE MET DEVON, who is presumably the love interest of book four! (He wasn’t in the last book, right?)
^THE SAMAISLING CRUMBS AHHH
*4.75
My The Villain Playlist:
Villain by Noah Reid
tolerate it by Taylor Swift
Weaker Girl by BANKS
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5.0
The bleeding heart is a pink and white flower that bears a striking resemblance to the conventional heart shape. It is also referred to as the heart flower or as lady-in-bath. The flower is known to be poisonous to the touch and deadly to consume. And, like the mythological goddess Persephone, it only blossoms in spring.
With this book, I did something that I try to never do when waiting for a new release. I set high expectations. And I honestly can’t say I regret it because this book lived up to every standard I had set in my head.
Going into this book we already knew it was a modern Hades and Persephone retelling, and I expected that whole aspect to be good, but I didn’t realize just how amazing it would be. It fit Persy and Cillian so well, and the metaphor played into the book way more than I expected with the pomegranate and the bleeding hearts, which I loved.
Onto the characters, Persephone was an even better protagonist than I had dared to hope. It made me angry that people had characterized her as boring and uninteresting right from the start, before even having read her book, solely because she was the “good” sister, and so I’m incredibly glad that she turned out to be such an amazing character because she’s really going to prove all of them wrong. She was braver, more motivated and more passionate than I had expected, and above all, she was smart and ambitious. I hate communication conflicts in books, when characters just listen to the first thing anyone says and roll with that, and then get angry at the love interest for the most bizarre reason that they just heard, so I can’t even explain how satisfying it was for Persy to form her own conclusions and get work done herself.
“You’re not the naïve little damsel everyone thinks you are.” Belle killed the engine, and I realized we were parked outside her building. “You have nails and teeth, and a spine to go with them. Persephone wasn’t only a floral maiden. She was also the queen of death.
Now for Cillian. Going into this book, I was really hoping that even though the only impressions that we got of him in The Hunter were that he was unfeeling and distant, that he wouldn’t be unlikeable because of that. Quite often I dislike male protagonists because their rudeness issues just go a bit too far for me, but I can honestly say that Cillian's level of “darkness” was perfect. He wasn’t as rude or obnoxious as some other love-interests I’ve read about, but he was still mysterious enough to hold my interest. Long story short, he was a great character, and there were a lot of sides to his personality that I did not anticipate in any way ;)
“But what are villains, my dear wife, if not misunderstood heroes?”
And I think this goes without saying but they were an amazing couple. Definitely not conventional, but as they say, normal is overrated.
“We are not Hades and Persephone, Flower Girl. Never were. I didn’t drag you down a dark path. You pulled me into the light. Helpless, I followed. Blindly, I got burned. I am Icarus.”
Can I just say that I LOVED the plot? Making interesting plot points and events sometimes seems to be further down on the radar of authors who write romance because they choose to focus on the couple, and while I’m all for that, if you can merge a good storyline AND a good romance, for me the book will almost always be better than a book with just one of those aspects. This book focused a lot on business and money, so it might not be for everyone, but I thought it was really fun.
I know I’m starting to drone on, but I can’t not give honourable mentions to the side characters! CillianPersy might have stolen the show, but the other characters did a great job of trying to get it back. We saw a lot of all the people who have/will have a book in this series, which I always love. Seeing Hunter and Sailor again was fantastic, and we got SO MUCH SAM, BELLE, and ASH content! Particularly Sam because he was involved with Cillian’s business and Belle because she was Persy’s sister. AND WE MET DEVON, who is presumably the love interest of book four! (He wasn’t in the last book, right?)
“You’re riding, too?” Aisling asked, turning tomato-red as soon as she noticed Sam. True to his Sam-ness, he ignored her existence as he breezed past her.
^THE SAMAISLING CRUMBS AHHH
*4.75
My The Villain Playlist:
Villain by Noah Reid
tolerate it by Taylor Swift
Weaker Girl by BANKS
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Bound by Honor by Cora Reilly
This book was actually pretty enjoyable. It was easy to get back into this world after taking a short break, and although I’m rating it lower than all of the Camorra Chronicles books it was by no means as bad as I expected based on what I’ve heard.
The actual story wasn’t that detailed compared to Nino and Kiara’s book, which is the book with the same marriage of convenience trope in the spinoff series, and it felt quite a bit shorter than that one, but it never made me bored or anything.
As for the characters, I liked Aria, which I expected based on her appearance in the spinoff. She wasn’t the most interesting protagonist ever but she was a solid character.
But what I didn’t expect was how much I disliked Luca for a good portion of this book. I really liked him in Twisted Loyalties so I never even considered that I might not like him here, but let me tell you I absolutely HATED him for the first 80% of this book. He definitely got better and will continue to do so, but a lot of his actions in this book were more than questionable. And more than that, it wasn’t even the good questionable. He was just annoying and boring.
The next book in this series is Valentina and Dante’s (I think). I’m honestly not sure what to expect, I don’t even know what, if any, tropes it plays into, and we didn’t learn much about Valentina in this book, so I’m excited to see what happens!
Also, side note I’m so excited about Gianna’s book and I have high expectations.
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3.0
“Maybe love is a risk, but it’s a risk I’m willing to take and as you said, it’s not a choice. I never thought I would, never thought I could love someone like that but I fell in love with you. I fought it. It’s the first battle I didn’t mind losing.”
This book was actually pretty enjoyable. It was easy to get back into this world after taking a short break, and although I’m rating it lower than all of the Camorra Chronicles books it was by no means as bad as I expected based on what I’ve heard.
The actual story wasn’t that detailed compared to Nino and Kiara’s book, which is the book with the same marriage of convenience trope in the spinoff series, and it felt quite a bit shorter than that one, but it never made me bored or anything.
As for the characters, I liked Aria, which I expected based on her appearance in the spinoff. She wasn’t the most interesting protagonist ever but she was a solid character.
“Did you bite me?” he asked as he stared at my teeth marks on his bicep.
“Not hard enough. There isn’t even blood,” I said.
But what I didn’t expect was how much I disliked Luca for a good portion of this book. I really liked him in Twisted Loyalties so I never even considered that I might not like him here, but let me tell you I absolutely HATED him for the first 80% of this book. He definitely got better and will continue to do so, but a lot of his actions in this book were more than questionable. And more than that, it wasn’t even the good questionable. He was just annoying and boring.
The next book in this series is Valentina and Dante’s (I think). I’m honestly not sure what to expect, I don’t even know what, if any, tropes it plays into, and we didn’t learn much about Valentina in this book, so I’m excited to see what happens!
Also, side note I’m so excited about Gianna’s book and I have high expectations.
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Bound by Hatred by Cora Reilly
Why are the male main characters in this series so unlikable? Romero, I have high hopes for you because I hope that at least one of the love interests in this series isn’t a complete hypocrite.
Honestly, I should stop reading these types of mafia books because my inner feminist hates me for the decision to pick them up.
And as much I loved Gianna, I was super disappointed by how easily she gave into Matteo. I expected more of a fight from her, of all people. Well, my hopes of seeing a main character stand up for herself for once now lie with Lily. Seems like a lot of my hopes are now resting on LilyRomero’s book because every other one in this series let me down. But despite that, I really did enjoy reading about Gianna. At least she somewhat tried to fight back, and I don’t agree with the people who think she’s an annoying character. *Sigh* I wish she escaped to a European country and never got caught.
In fact, if it’s even possible, I hate Luca even more than in the last book for his treatment of Gianna. He thinks she’s annoying? Has he ever looked in the mirror? I honestly despise him now, plain and simple.
That’s the end of this review because my rage is blinding me from writing anything else.
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2.0
“If she liked to play with fire, fine. I didn’t mind getting burned. I’d walk through flames for her.”
Why are the male main characters in this series so unlikable? Romero, I have high hopes for you because I hope that at least one of the love interests in this series isn’t a complete hypocrite.
Honestly, I should stop reading these types of mafia books because my inner feminist hates me for the decision to pick them up.
And as much I loved Gianna, I was super disappointed by how easily she gave into Matteo. I expected more of a fight from her, of all people. Well, my hopes of seeing a main character stand up for herself for once now lie with Lily. Seems like a lot of my hopes are now resting on LilyRomero’s book because every other one in this series let me down. But despite that, I really did enjoy reading about Gianna. At least she somewhat tried to fight back, and I don’t agree with the people who think she’s an annoying character. *Sigh* I wish she escaped to a European country and never got caught.
“You can’t compare Aria to Gianna. They are like two different species. And I trust Aria absolutely. She caught a bullet for me.”
“Must be nice,” I muttered. “Gianna would probably applaud my shooter.”
In fact, if it’s even possible, I hate Luca even more than in the last book for his treatment of Gianna. He thinks she’s annoying? Has he ever looked in the mirror? I honestly despise him now, plain and simple.
That’s the end of this review because my rage is blinding me from writing anything else.
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Bound by Temptation by Cora Reilly
Finally, a book in this series that doesn’t make me want to go on a murder spree. Okay, that’s a bit dramatic, but honestly, LilyRomero SERVED especially considering what low expectations I had for this book.
Finally, a male character who is an actual decent person. And I don’t even mean that good of a person because he’s obviously still in the mafia and everything, just decent. I really liked Romero, which gave me a nice break from hating all the men in this series, and I wish he had a more prominent role because he’s the only male mc who I wouldn’t mind reading more about. *Cough cough* I hate Luca.
I was also pleasantly surprised by how much I liked Lily. I was scared to have high hopes surrounding her character because I was kind of let down by Gianna, but she was way more passionate and interesting than I had dared to hope. And she and Romero were definitely my favourite couple in this series. Wow, it feels insane to say that because I had no doubt that I would like the others more… Oh well.
Overall, I’m really glad that I stayed with the series until this book. I know there are more in the series (Cara and Growl and then more from couples we’ve seen before) but I don’t think I’m going to read them right now… If anyone thinks they’re worth reading while the series is fresh in my mind please let me know :)
Also, I just remembered one thing I wanted to mention... WHY DID THEY LEAVE FABIANO BEHIND?? I didn’t fully grasp the situation after reading about it in the Camorra Chronicles because at that time I didn’t know these characters but now that I do, really? You guys eat, breathe and sleep loyalty and you couldn’t force him to go with you?? HUH? Just thinking about who he became after being left alone breaks my heart…
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4.0
Everyone always said they wanted to protect me. I wondered from what. Life?
Finally, a book in this series that doesn’t make me want to go on a murder spree. Okay, that’s a bit dramatic, but honestly, LilyRomero SERVED especially considering what low expectations I had for this book.
Finally, a male character who is an actual decent person. And I don’t even mean that good of a person because he’s obviously still in the mafia and everything, just decent. I really liked Romero, which gave me a nice break from hating all the men in this series, and I wish he had a more prominent role because he’s the only male mc who I wouldn’t mind reading more about. *Cough cough* I hate Luca.
I was also pleasantly surprised by how much I liked Lily. I was scared to have high hopes surrounding her character because I was kind of let down by Gianna, but she was way more passionate and interesting than I had dared to hope. And she and Romero were definitely my favourite couple in this series. Wow, it feels insane to say that because I had no doubt that I would like the others more… Oh well.
“Romero,” she said in wonder, and my heart swelled at hearing my name from her lips.
Overall, I’m really glad that I stayed with the series until this book. I know there are more in the series (Cara and Growl and then more from couples we’ve seen before) but I don’t think I’m going to read them right now… If anyone thinks they’re worth reading while the series is fresh in my mind please let me know :)
Also, I just remembered one thing I wanted to mention... WHY DID THEY LEAVE FABIANO BEHIND?? I didn’t fully grasp the situation after reading about it in the Camorra Chronicles because at that time I didn’t know these characters but now that I do, really? You guys eat, breathe and sleep loyalty and you couldn’t force him to go with you?? HUH? Just thinking about who he became after being left alone breaks my heart…
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Bound by Duty by Cora Reilly
A lot of people (if you hadn’t noticed by now I quite often take into account the opinions of other readers) didn’t like this book because it’s essentially a filler book before Gianna and Matteo’s novel, which is the story everyone wanted to read. I didn’t go into this with those biases, and I tried to enjoy this story. I really did. And I might have succeeded if it wasn’t exactly the filler book that everyone said it was! And by that I mean it was SO BORING. I won’t go as far as to say it was unnecessary because had it been written better I would have liked that it was included in this series, but the reality is that it was eh enough for me to say I would have been just as fine never having heard Valentina’s story.
So what exactly was the issue aside from the complete lack of plot? DANTE. He was so boring and so annoying. I’m already wary of the ex-wife who passed away trope because it rarely ends well, and I was right because it seemed like Dante’s SOLE PERSONALITY TRAIT were the issues he had concerning his ex-wife’s death. And I’m in no way saying that that was what made him a bad character. No, it was the fact that although he obviously had unresolved issues concerning her, he lacked the communication skills to explain anything. ANYTHING. He just got angry whenever someone mentioned her and refrained from giving anyone any context. And it got old really fast.
^LIKE PLEASE BE QUIET I GET IT
Okay I need to say something positive so let’s talk about Valentina because she sort of made up for Dante being the horrible character that he was. She was an excellent character and I honestly hate that her story wasn’t a better one than this because she could have served in a marriage of convenience trope that was better written Oh well.
Also, her friendship with Bibiana sort of let me forget how much I wanted to punch Dante every three seconds because it was so wholesome. It was one of my favourite friendships written by Cora Reilly so far and when Tommasowas poisoned died? TOP TIER SCENE.
On the other hand, as much as I liked Valentina, she and Dante were not a great couple. Honestly, I never felt like Dante actually cared about Val, and the way he acted around her barely changed by the end of the book. I guess I was expecting more… (Sorry to all the DanteVal stans.)
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2.0
“There is no good on earth; and sin is but a name. Come, devil.
A lot of people (if you hadn’t noticed by now I quite often take into account the opinions of other readers) didn’t like this book because it’s essentially a filler book before Gianna and Matteo’s novel, which is the story everyone wanted to read. I didn’t go into this with those biases, and I tried to enjoy this story. I really did. And I might have succeeded if it wasn’t exactly the filler book that everyone said it was! And by that I mean it was SO BORING. I won’t go as far as to say it was unnecessary because had it been written better I would have liked that it was included in this series, but the reality is that it was eh enough for me to say I would have been just as fine never having heard Valentina’s story.
So what exactly was the issue aside from the complete lack of plot? DANTE. He was so boring and so annoying. I’m already wary of the ex-wife who passed away trope because it rarely ends well, and I was right because it seemed like Dante’s SOLE PERSONALITY TRAIT were the issues he had concerning his ex-wife’s death. And I’m in no way saying that that was what made him a bad character. No, it was the fact that although he obviously had unresolved issues concerning her, he lacked the communication skills to explain anything. ANYTHING. He just got angry whenever someone mentioned her and refrained from giving anyone any context. And it got old really fast.
“I’ll try to be the best husband I can possibly be, which probably is still much less than you deserve.”
^LIKE PLEASE BE QUIET I GET IT
Okay I need to say something positive so let’s talk about Valentina because she sort of made up for Dante being the horrible character that he was. She was an excellent character and I honestly hate that her story wasn’t a better one than this because she could have served in a marriage of convenience trope that was better written Oh well.
“You can tell me. I have a phone and am capable of operating it.”
Also, her friendship with Bibiana sort of let me forget how much I wanted to punch Dante every three seconds because it was so wholesome. It was one of my favourite friendships written by Cora Reilly so far and when Tommaso
This was the second man I’d condemned to death. This time, however, I felt no guilt.
On the other hand, as much as I liked Valentina, she and Dante were not a great couple. Honestly, I never felt like Dante actually cared about Val, and the way he acted around her barely changed by the end of the book. I guess I was expecting more… (Sorry to all the DanteVal stans.)
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The Darkest Temptation by Danielle Lori
I have a lot of random thoughts on this book so let’s get into it. I already know this review is going to be all over the place. Also, can I just say that to read this book I literally had to keep a Russian to English translator open at all times and it was PAINFUL. In the best way though.
First, there were some fantastic scenes in this book. And I mean fantastic. But overall there was like no plot whatsoever. And normally that wouldn’t bother me, but it just felt like a complete 180 from the expectations I had set based on the last two books in this series. I was expecting some sort of overarching plan or series of events (aka I didn’t even expect a super complicated plot) but what I got was even less concrete than that. It was basically the everyday life and interactions of Mila while she was kidnapped. And of course, the whole kidnapping thing meant this book was by no means boring, but it still felt like nothing of importance was happening.
Next, the characters. I know people are obsessed with the characters and couples in this series (namely NicoElena) but personally, I have never really loved any of them in particular, although I do really like Gianna. This book somewhat changed my position, because I loved loved loved Mila. She honestly wasn’t even that unique of a character, but her sunny disposition and compassion for literally everything made her easy to love. And even better were those few instances when she fought back because they made for some hilariously memorable scenes.
And on that topic, the devil and angel comparisons were FANTASTIC.
On the other hand, I think Ronan was simply okay. I just feel like I don’t know him still, even after that entire book. Especially compared to both Nico and Christian. I mean, I feel like I know everything about Christian, whereas his brother is this absolute mystery. On that note, I wish we saw more of Ronan’s business and his relationship with his family because I loved those scenes.
Continuing with that point, I LOVED THE CAMEOS. I expected to see Christian because of his relationship with Ronan but I was pleasantly surprised that we saw so much of Kat (and Gianna) as well. In fact, I wish we saw more of her because in the few scenes she was in, she stole the show.
Overall, what I can say about this book is that it was super entertaining, but not necessarily something I’ll be thinking about in a week or a month. And if I had to choose a book in this series it would still be NicoElena’s book. BUT IT’S SO QUOTABLE WHICH IS A BONUS BECAUSE I LOVE BOOKS WITH QUOTABLE CONTENT. Okay, so maybe I will be thinking of it in a month…
My Playlist:
Flawless by The Neighbourhood
Maniac by Conan Grey
mad woman by Taylor Swift
They Don’t Know About Us by One Direction
MY BLOG <3
MY SPOTIFY <3
4.0
She glanced up at me. Her eyes were a window to her soul. I suddenly knew, if I ever died, those eyes would have something to do with it. Somehow, it sounded acceptable to me.
I have a lot of random thoughts on this book so let’s get into it. I already know this review is going to be all over the place. Also, can I just say that to read this book I literally had to keep a Russian to English translator open at all times and it was PAINFUL. In the best way though.
First, there were some fantastic scenes in this book. And I mean fantastic. But overall there was like no plot whatsoever. And normally that wouldn’t bother me, but it just felt like a complete 180 from the expectations I had set based on the last two books in this series. I was expecting some sort of overarching plan or series of events (aka I didn’t even expect a super complicated plot) but what I got was even less concrete than that. It was basically the everyday life and interactions of Mila while she was kidnapped. And of course, the whole kidnapping thing meant this book was by no means boring, but it still felt like nothing of importance was happening.
Next, the characters. I know people are obsessed with the characters and couples in this series (namely NicoElena) but personally, I have never really loved any of them in particular, although I do really like Gianna. This book somewhat changed my position, because I loved loved loved Mila. She honestly wasn’t even that unique of a character, but her sunny disposition and compassion for literally everything made her easy to love. And even better were those few instances when she fought back because they made for some hilariously memorable scenes.
The first book I pulled off the shelf was Paradise Lost by John Milton. How ironic. The novel was a set of poems depicting Satan as arrogant and instrumental to his own downfall, and, eventually, he lost the fight against God. I dropped the book on Ronan’s desk on the way out.
And on that topic, the devil and angel comparisons were FANTASTIC.
“I want to know what my purpose is in life.” She raised a brow as if she found the question entirely bland, picked a card from the top of the deck, and set it faceup on the table. I stared at it, my stomach on the floor. The Devil.
On the other hand, I think Ronan was simply okay. I just feel like I don’t know him still, even after that entire book. Especially compared to both Nico and Christian. I mean, I feel like I know everything about Christian, whereas his brother is this absolute mystery. On that note, I wish we saw more of Ronan’s business and his relationship with his family because I loved those scenes.
He watched me for a second. “Jesus Christ.” With a frustrated noise like he was in pain, he released my hair. “I’ve Stockholm syndromed you.”
Continuing with that point, I LOVED THE CAMEOS. I expected to see Christian because of his relationship with Ronan but I was pleasantly surprised that we saw so much of Kat (and Gianna) as well. In fact, I wish we saw more of her because in the few scenes she was in, she stole the show.
Ronan continued to scroll through the list of games before stopping on one that had no resemblance to the color pink. “The Princess’s Reign of Terror?” Her eyes lit up. “That one!”
Overall, what I can say about this book is that it was super entertaining, but not necessarily something I’ll be thinking about in a week or a month. And if I had to choose a book in this series it would still be NicoElena’s book. BUT IT’S SO QUOTABLE WHICH IS A BONUS BECAUSE I LOVE BOOKS WITH QUOTABLE CONTENT. Okay, so maybe I will be thinking of it in a month…
My Playlist:
Flawless by The Neighbourhood
Maniac by Conan Grey
mad woman by Taylor Swift
They Don’t Know About Us by One Direction
MY BLOG <3
MY SPOTIFY <3
Twisted Emotions by Cora Reilly
Wow. This was a lot more than just a marriage of convenience book.
I really enjoyed this book. It was very different from book one, but both books were great in their own way. Where the first book in this series was… more aggressive, this book felt a lot calmer, which is ironic considering how the characters acted.
I actually loved Kiara as a protagonist. She’s not the usual kind of character I root for, but her journey and her self discovery made it too easy to love her.
I went into this with a bit of apprehension concerning Nino’s character, but it was really easy to like him as well. In spite of his suppressed feelings, he was surprisingly compassionate, which I always appreciate in a character.
Wow, I made it to Serafina and Remo’s book pretty fast. I have no idea if their book plays into any tropes and I really want to know so bye! Also, when Kiara said this to Remo… Serafina had better give Remo a lotta trouble because he really started to get on my nerves.
*4.5
MY BLOG <3
MY SPOTIFY <3
4.0
A bird born in captivity will never know the feeling of unbridled freedom the open sky can offer. How can you long for something you have never experienced?
Wow. This was a lot more than just a marriage of convenience book.
I really enjoyed this book. It was very different from book one, but both books were great in their own way. Where the first book in this series was… more aggressive, this book felt a lot calmer, which is ironic considering how the characters acted.
I actually loved Kiara as a protagonist. She’s not the usual kind of character I root for, but her journey and her self discovery made it too easy to love her.
“Don’t you understand? I’m a woman. I’m guilty by default. It’s always like that. They will say I asked for it. A smile means I’m flirting. A nice word means I’m asking for it. Revealing clothes mean I’m inviting touch. That is fact, Nino.”
I went into this with a bit of apprehension concerning Nino’s character, but it was really easy to like him as well. In spite of his suppressed feelings, he was surprisingly compassionate, which I always appreciate in a character.
Wow, I made it to Serafina and Remo’s book pretty fast. I have no idea if their book plays into any tropes and I really want to know so bye! Also, when Kiara said this to Remo… Serafina had better give Remo a lotta trouble because he really started to get on my nerves.
“I hope one day you will find someone you want so much it burns you up inside, and then we’ll talk when she doesn’t return your feelings.”
*4.5
MY BLOG <3
MY SPOTIFY <3