jkpiowa's reviews
696 reviews

Mad and Bad: Real Heroines of the Regency by Bea Koch

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informative reflective

4.0

This was good, it is an exploration of the lives of a specific handful of regency-adjacent women. I don't think "Princess Caraboo" should have been included. There were a couple times I felt the editing could have been better, where a sentence was unclear. Overall I enjoyed learning about these women and how they rebelled against what was expected of them in their own ways. 
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Diavola by Jennifer Marie Thorne

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dark emotional mysterious tense medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Plot
  • Strong character development? It's complicated
  • Loveable characters? No
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

Absolute Wonder Woman by Brian Azzarello & Cliff Chiang, Vol. 1 by Brian Azzarello

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adventurous challenging dark medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

5.0

I love this series. WW isn't overly sexualized, and her flaws are shown as well as her considerable strengths. She makes mistakes although she has the best intentions. She still wins in the end and is such an amazing character. 
Knockout by Sarah MacLean

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emotional funny lighthearted mysterious slow-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.0

The first half of this had me giggling and riveted and absolutely obsessed. However the second half dragged, the plot took a back seat, and the main focus was the physical chemistry and sex scenes between the MCs. 400 pages is a lot for a romance, and I think 50-100 pages of smut and repeated dialogue could have been cut out without losing anything from the story. 
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The Mushroom Knight Vol. 1 by Oliver Bly

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Did not finish book.
The story wasn't for me. Gaslighting a little girl, cat death, missing dog, bullying. 
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It Started With A Kiss by Clare Lydon

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emotional lighthearted slow-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? No
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

2.5

This had all the pieces of a romance I would love, but it just didn't work for me. I didn't care about the characters and I didn't like the back and forth will they/won't they. For being less than 300 pages, it felt like it dragged, as the only problem through the whole book could have been solved by a conversation between the two sisters - that were apparently extremely close. The narrator was wonderful, the story just wasn't my jam. Disappointing because I loved Hotshot by this author. 
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Grand Slam Romance by Ollie Hicks

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adventurous emotional funny lighthearted tense fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

This is an adult graphic novel about magical lesbians. It's silly and doesn't take itself seriously, and is a fast, fun read. 
Exadelic by Jon Evans

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Did not finish book. Stopped at 35%.
Super interesting premise, but really not a fan of the writing. Overly technical, slow plot, random sexualization. 
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Bride by Ali Hazelwood

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funny mysterious tense fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? No

3.75

Nestlings by Nat Cassidy

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dark mysterious tense slow-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Plot
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.0

A retelling of Rosemary's Baby that was... fine. If you've read Rosemary's Baby, or seen the movie, you don't really need to read this. It was written well and took a slightly different path at the end, but the overall themes and ideas are the same. I did appreciate the perspective of the female MC at the end, it was different and unexpected. 

The landlord character seemed somewhat superfluous to me. The author needed a nefarious villain and threw him in, but he was more a convenient bad-guy plot device than a well rounded character. 
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