katvou's reviews
374 reviews

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ / 🌶️🌶️🌶️

“Just what New Orleans needed. Another fucking Pyro.”
“Okay, lil spark. You like to play with fire. Let’s see how well you handle the heat.”
“If being with you means watching the world burn, I’ll pour the gas and fuck you while the flames devour everything in their path.”

I’ve been so excited to read this book, and it was worth the wait!

Like the previous book in the duet, this one is told from two POVs: the FMC, Stevie, and the MMC, Lennox. The dual POV storytelling worked perfectly for the plot.

Neither of the main characters had an easy childhood. Stevie had a truly terrible and dark past that affected her character and the decisions she made. Some aspects of Lennox’s past were revealed in the previous book, and in this book it was revealed a bit more. I liked how Stevie didn’t let her horrible past crush her but instead remained strong and fierce. She didn’t need anyone to save her and was fully capable of taking care of herself.

The memories and revelations about their pasts helped to bring more depth to the characters and also explained why they made certain decisions.

I enjoyed the relationship development between Stevie and Lennox. The banter and chemistry between them were great. I loved their dynamic and competition (or the need to show each other what they’re capable of). And the spice was great too! 🌶️

The storyline itself was interesting and kept me entertained from the first pages to the end. The pacing was slower at the beginning and got faster towards the end. Even though the pacing was quite fast at the end, it never felt rushed.

The world and character building were well written, with detailed descriptions of the characters and their surroundings, especially at the beginning of the book.

I need Lennox in my life! He can burn me any time ❤️‍🔥

Please check the trigger warnings before reading; your mental health matters!



I received an ARC of this book and I am voluntarily leaving a review. Receiving ARC didn’t affect my opinion of the book.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ / 🌶️🌶️🌶️,5

“What does it look like I’m doing? I’m going to skin you alive, of course.”
“If you want to die, I can arrange that, but I promise you’ll taste heaven before you walk with the dead.”
“Those were my choices: a wild hog, a poisonous snake, or a serial killer. It was there makings of a bad joke.”

I loved this book!

The book is told in two POV; the FMC, Alora, and the MMC, Greyson. I think the dual POV storytelling worked really well for the plot, and I was equally interested in both of their perspectives.

The FMC, Alora, had a difficult, traumatic past that affected her as a character, her thoughts, and her decisions. There were flashback scenes about her past throughout the book and I think those were really helpful for understanding her and adding depth to her character.

The MMC, Greyson, came from a different background, and some of his history was revealed through dialogue and by he telling about it to Alora. His previous studies were an interesting aspect, considering what he was doing. I also liked how some of his knowledge was incorporated into the story.

I loved the relationship development and dynamic between Alora and Greyson. There were some truly beautiful moments between them (“I am you” “You are me” “We are one”). And the spice truly was spicing! I loved the public scenes 🥵

There were some really sad moments throughout the book, but also some really funny ones that made me laugh out loud. Both characters had some really great one-liners that made me chuckle.

Besides the characters, the world-building also seemed interesting and well-written.

I’m not going to say a lot about the plot itself because I don’t want to accidentally spoil anything. All I’ll say is that I couldn’t put the book down and devoured it in one sitting. The pacing was good throughout the book — quite fast-paced but there were also some slower scenes that allowed more time to get to know the characters.

Perfect for anyone who enjoys dark, serial killer romance with lots of triggers. 

Please check the trigger warnings before reading, your mental health matters!



I received an ARC of this book and I am voluntarily leaving a review. Receiving ARC didn’t affect my opinion of the book.

“I should be scared, but there is beauty in the chaos.”
“Enemies do make the best lovers.”

Fast-paced fantasy romance with interesting magic system.

The FMC, Ameris, was fierce character with interesting and tragic backstory. I liked how she grew throughout the story, but I wasn’t a huge fan of her tendency to blame everyone else for certain things that happened to her.

The MMC, Xander stayed a bit of a mystery to me and I would have liked to learn more about him as a character and his past.

I have mixed feelings about the dynamic between the FMC and MMC. There were aspects that I liked, for example some good banter between them, but also some things I didn’t personally enjoy, like how badly Xander treated Ameris at times or how dismissive he was towards her. Also the bond between them would’ve needed more explanation, and I would have liked to see more relationship development.

The villain, Oberon was honestly a bit meh for me, and I didn’t enjoy the potential love triangle.

I would have liked to learn more about the side characters, their history etc. There were multiple characters that seemed interesting.

The plot itself was engaging and there was a lot happening. Unfortunately some parts, especially towards the end, felt a bit rushed. 
And at times I personally would have needed a bit more explanation of what was going on. The magic system seemed interesting, and again, I would have liked to learn a bit more about it.

I would have also liked to learn more about the worlds, the Fae, and their history. Rhiannon seemed like a really important character but there wasn’t much information about her, and opinions of her seemed mixed.

Overall I think this story has potential. If you’re just looking for something fast and easy to read, you might really enjoy this one.



I received an ARC of this book and I am voluntarily leaving a review. Receiving ARC didn’t affect my opinion of the book.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️,5 / 🌶️🌶️🌶️

Short, quick to read and spicy. Loved the prey/predator dynamic and the chase through the forest.

I enjoyed the tension between the MMC, Grey and FMC, Isabelle. The dual POV storytelling worked well for the plot, and I was equally interested in both of their POV.

The secret society aspect was interesting and I liked the explanation of how the Exodus affected both main characters’ lives and the society as a whole.

Full of action, especially towards the end. Couldn’t put the book down.

Please check the trigger warnings before reading!



I received an ARC of this book and I am voluntarily leaving a review. Receiving ARC didn’t affect my opinion of the book.

Short and spicy taboo story. I haven’t read any other books from the author so I wasn’t familiar with the characters or the world, but it didn’t really matter.

Check the trigger warnings before reading!

Fast paced and interesting Arthurian retelling. I was hooked from the very first pages and couldn’t put the book down.

The dual POV worked well for the storyline. I liked both the FMC and MMC and found them both to be interesting characters. I liked their character development, both individually and together, and would have loved to learn more about their pasts.

The side characters seemed interesting and I would also like to learn more about them.

The storyline itself was interesting and full of action. I’m interested to read the next book in the series and see where the story goes next.

Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC! Receiving ARC didn’t affect my opinion of the book and I’m voluntarily leaving a review.

Unfortunately this book wasn’t for me. I had a hard time trying to connect with the MMC and couldn’t get into the story.

DNF at 26%

The blurb sounded interesting, but unfortunately, the book wasn’t for me.

I was quite confused about what was happening and what the point of the plot was. I would have preferred more world-building instead of being 'thrown' into the action without an explanation of what was happening.

⭐️⭐️⭐️ / 🌶️🌶️

Dark Restraint is the 7th book in the Dark Olympus series. I’ve only read books 1 and 2 before, but I was able to catch up fairly quickly.

The book was fast and easy to read, keeping me engaged from beginning to end. The plot itself was interesting. I liked the world building, politics, and overall learning more about the world.

Personally, I wasn’t a huge fan of the romance in this book. While there were some good moments, I wasn’t fully invested in the relationship between the FMC and MMC. Maybe seeing a bit more relationship development between them would have helped. I also would have loved to learn more about their pasts.

I’m interested to see where the story goes next!


Thank you, Sourcebooks Casablanca & NetGalley, for the ARC.

(audiobook review 🎧) 

⭐️⭐️⭐️

The book started well and I really enjoyed the beginning, but unfortunately towards the end the story went a bit downhill for me.

Finley seemed like an interesting character, but I have mixed feelings about Corven. There were things I liked about him, but at the same time I was a bit confused with his character and felt like his attitude and personality kept changing. I don’t know how much of that was because I listened the audiobook and personally didn’t vibe with the narrator for Corven.

The beginning of the romance between FMC & MMC was promising but unfortunately I didn’t feel the chemistry between them and their romance was a bit too insta-love for my taste.

The dual-POV storytelling was mostly fine but at times the was a bit too much repetition for me.

I liked how vampires were portrayed in the book and also the magic system seemed interesting. But I feel like there was a lot of questions left unanswered.



I received an ALC of this book and I am voluntarily leaving a review. Receiving ALC didn’t affect my opinion of the book.