You need to sign in or sign up before continuing.
Scan barcode
ljamison01's reviews
919 reviews
End Game by Yasmine Hayes
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.75
Kendall is a tough woman who has experienced a lot of trauma in her life and it’s made her very jaded and weary of people. One day at a coffee shop she inadvertently takes the wrong coffee and crosses path with Ryker. Now Ryker has his own issues, he married a woman in a quick wedding and while he was deployed she cheated on him, now she refuses to sign the divorce papers. Kendall and Ryker are set up on a blind date which quickly escalates into a friends with benefits relationship because neither wants anything serious yet they are not using anything to prevent pregnancy. The story features a lot of back and forth between them in between lots of spicy moments. The novel is under 200 pages and moves fairly fast but the silly fights between these two were somewhat annoying. The story takes a turn when Kendall is involved in a bad situation that may cause her trouble and Ryker has to help her. The story jumped back and forth very fast from one situation to the next and it was a little disjointed for me. There were always some events that were just out of place in this book such as when Kendall has a night job and Ryker pays her several grand to skip a few nights working so they can spend time together. I liked some parts of this story and other parts confused me.
Selfish desires by Michelle Hall
emotional
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
Vincent and Wendy seem to have this great relationship. They are happy and in love except one night after an intense intimate night Vincent disappears. Wendy is distraught not just that he left her but, how he left her. Wendy leaves New York and moves to Rhode Island where she has built a new business. She seems to be moving on but is truly unable to connect to another man. Friends of theirs are celebrating a birthday in New York and they encourage her to attend where she is seen by Vincent. Vincent wants to fix things with Wendy. The issues that supposedly existed have been resolved. Now Vincent came across as this man who was strong, determined and morally gray but it did seem out of character to me that he would just come back and expect Wendy to forgive him for basically destroying her life. Now Wendy appeared to be naive, Vincent was getting all these strange phone calls and she accepted his flimsy excuses. She truly loved and trusted Vincent, so his treatment of her really did destroy her trust. Most of the book revolves around this push and pull thing between them as well as some additional twists. I did enjoy the book but felt like a lot of their problems could have been resolved by just discussing things.
The Only Heart That Matters by Lisa Shelby
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
In this book we have Mia and Gus (Angus) two people who grew up together, lived near each other and have been friends forever. Gus currently owns a bar that he bought and renovated after his time in the service. He served with Mia’s brother who unfortunately did not come home. Mia is a single mother who has been struggling living at home with her parents. But, her parents decided to sell their ranch and now Mia is homeless. Gus is willing to let her live in house while he resides in the loft above the bar. Gus also helps her get to important job interview that really increase her income and it’s in her field of study. Now all things seem to be looking up but the job that hired her assumed that Gus was her husband and the father of her son. So they have to pretend to be married until she can clear up that mistake. This book is so incredibly angsty. They both want and long for each other but believe that it will never happen. Gus doesn’t believe that he is good enough for Mia and he is really troubled by his past. Mia thinks that Gus will never love her because she is his sister’s best friend. Many times while reading this book, I wanted to scream at the characters to get over themselves all of this heartbreak for nothing. They just needed to really talk and clear up so many issues. This is just a sweet romantic book of star crossed lovers.
The Professor by Skye Warren
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
Anne is a sophomore student at Tanglewood University she has managed to get a full ride scholarship but she still needs money for books. Her friend and roommate persuades her to go to this fancy place where they will pick up a wealthy man and charge them a lot of money for the pleasure of their body. Although Anne needs the money she is really hesitant to do this until she meets Will. He is smooth, handsome, attractive and has a great vocabulary something an English major can appreciate. So when Will asks her price she is quick to say a thousand dollars and he quickly agrees. Except Will says he likes to play games he wants her to beg, moan, whimper and cry. So Anne goes along willingly because Will has given her the opportunity to feel what a real interaction between and man and woman is like and not the quick gropes or clumsy kisses of college guys. Now this night is amazing and unexpected and imagine her horror when she realizes he is her professor (and her ex boyfriend’s father)an intelligent man with too much money and power. This age gap, forbidden romance is steamy with secret societies, mysteries and unfortunately a cliffhanger. This is a great page turning story keeping you wrapped up in the story and wondering what’s going to happen next. The next book The Student will be released in August 2024.
Alone with You by Aly Martinez
emotional
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
What an emotional roller coaster this book took me through. The MMC Truett is living a stagnant life. He is an agoraphobic, who is suffering from PTSD and dealing with lots of loss and grief. One kept help but feel bad for Truett he’s not really living or enjoying life. His days are organized so that there is no thought involved. Gwen the MFC after a ten year marriage where she was emotionally abused by her narcissistic husband, left with her son Nate. Gwen has decided to buy the towns diner and remodel and rename it. Imagine her surprise when she discovers True there on a Wednesday. True then continues to show up every Wednesday even though it’s closed for remodeling. The closing of this diner has a profound affect on him because True has made himself visit this place to get out of his house and as a sense of normalcy. There are many other issues going on in this book that are revealed later on (like the relationship between True and Gwen) as well as what happened to True to cause him to retreat from the world. This is a very heavy, sad book but so touching and thoughtful too. As with all my reviews I refuse to give spoilers. I think every book needs to be read and experienced by the reader alone. This is an angsty book, there is a trigger warning at the beginning of the book.
Sinful Sacrifice by Charity Ferrell
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
This was an amazing mafia read. So different than any other mafia book I have read in a long time. Pippa meets Damien when she goes into his casino to pay off her father’s gambling debt. Damien takes her home father trying to shame her father for putting his daughter in such a dangerous situation. Damien is extremely attracted to Pippa and these two make out and a flare is sparked. However, before something can happen between them a huge tragedy occurs and shakes Damien’s world. He sort of clings to her goodness and desire for him and he needs her to accept him as he is warts and all and she does. Pippa is a wise, smart mouth woman who really is tough but she is also an extremely graceful dancer. Damien is this tough man who had done some really awful stuff, but he is just looking for love and acceptance. Damien is such a great man who would do anything for Pippa. Things seems to going well for these two until an unfortunate interloper decides to interfere in their relationship. I loved the fact that they both admitted that they loved each other however, Pippa’s need to not conform may lead to her destroying her relationship with Damien. I love mafia books, but I love when they surprise me even more and this book was a delightful surprise. This book has action, violence, and spice.
Chasing Desire: A Billionaire Romance Standalone by Scarlett Avery
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
I love books about plus size female characters. I love that these books are promoting good body images and helping women feel sexy and desirable not matter what size and shape they are. I appreciated that Ethan and Xander love Delilah’s body but sometimes it seemed to go overboard. I don’t know if it was the constant references but at times it felt repetitious. Delilah is a Texan girl who is working in London as a museum curator. She has an attraction to one of the art buyers but quickly finds out that he comes with extras. This was an interesting story with spice, some mystery and a great romance.
After Hours Lectures by Kimberly Knight
emotional
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
What an amazing start to this new series. The author suggests reading Dibs to get an insight to Tyler’s childhood and his relationship to his fathers. I will indeed read Dibs because I own the book and I always like the backstory of my characters. Now this story focuses on Tyler and Hayden, Tyler is a young man with one more year left to go. He had been casually dating one of his fraternity brothers that he lived with but, that had ended on the first day of the break. It appears that the guy was worried that Tyler who was out may expose him or he was just not ready to commit to a gay relationship. Now Hayden is a photojournalist who was involved in a serious relationship that ended a few years ago in tragedy. These two men meet in a club and without exchanging names have a great night together that neither can forget. Now they each had no idea that they would soon be sharing a secret together because Hayden is Tyler’s teacher for the semester. This forbidden age gap romance is so sweet and endearing. I love that both men are comfortable in their skin and are proud of who they are. They have respect and love from their families and are secure in themselves. Now which made this story angsty to me, was that previously both these men had been in relationships that were kept secret and now that they were with someone that was out and they were in love it was hard to keep it hidden again so that Hayden wouldn’t lose his job. I loved this story, it had great spice, a mystery and a wonderful love story.
Out of Control by K. Bromberg
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
Oliver Rossi is a race car driver and a bad boy. Sofia has been warned to stay away from him. At a music festival Oliver comes to her aid and is very attracted and infatuated by her. Sofia tells him she didn’t need help, didn’t want it and just wants to get away from him. However, these two spend some time together and suddenly sparks are flared and the attraction is to much to ignore. Now Sofia has always had a thing for Oliver but because of the rivalry between her brother and him she has stayed away. Now Oliver isn’t just a bad guy but a misunderstood man. He has always wanted his parent’s loyalty and for them to believe in him. So when him and Sofia get together it’s kept as a secret and he longs for her to believe in him and support him. But, Sofia has her own battles to fight before she can be the woman that Oliver needs. I love a reformed bad boy and the woman who helps him become the man he needs to be. Now this is the third book in the series, I haven’t read the others but I think that reading them would have helped me enjoy this book so much more. Great love story.
Wicked Scorn by Havoc Wilde
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
Jeremiah has always loved Oakley (bunny). Jeremiah has always tried to protect her and be her savior. After an argument between Oakley’s brother and him, he steps back from her life. During those 2 years Oakley has changed a lot. Unfortunately she has been assaulted and this has affected her and changed her personality. Oakley is now attending Jeremiah’s college, and when he sees her intoxicated at a party he is outraged. Jeremiah steps right back into his protector role, however Oakley wants nothing to do him. She resents Jeremiah for abandoning her when she needed him the most. Now Jeremiah is very possessive of her and how he stayed out of her life for those years boggles the mind, because he is willing to destroy anyone who touches or looks at Oakley. Now this is the second book in the series and I didn’t read the first one but, don’t feel as if I have missed any valuable information. This was a great book with an overly protective man who loved with his all and a girl who loved him too but lost her way. This book had twists and turns, a mystery, some very spicy moments with a praise kink.