rjordan19's reviews
899 reviews

Overall: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Readability: 📖📖📖📖
Feels: 🦋🦋🦋
Emotional Depth: 💔💔💔
Sexual Tension: ⚡⚡⚡
Romance: 💞💞💞
Sensuality: 💋💋💋
Sex Scene Length: 🍑🍑🍑
Steam Scale (Number of Sex Scenes): 🔥 (If I’m honest I didn’t count, so I might be off but I think it’s one scene??)
Humor: Yes
Perspective: Third person from both the hero and heroine
More character focused or plot focused? character
How did the speed of the story feel? medium
When mains are first on page together: pretty soon in – I didn’t count it but it was during the first scene
Cliffhanger: No, this ends with a happily ever after
Epilogue: Yes
Format: listened to the audiobook from my library (Hoopla)

Should I read in order?
I think this one is fine alone!

Basic plot:
Daisy enters a contents to get funding for starting a trade business and her once lover Crash offers to give her tips to win.

Give this a try if you want:
- Victorian -1866
- London setting
- working class mains
- second chance
- novella length
- average novella steam – 1 scene

Ages:
- didn’t catch them but would guess late 20s?

First line: Taken from audio, may be butchered
The crowd stood elbow to elbow, buffeting Daisy Whitlaw about as if she were a slice of bread that landed in a bucket of a slops.

My thoughts:
I grabbed this one as a Diverse Baseline Challenge choice (for indie BIPOC author I think??) and enjoyed it!

My minor issues were with second chance because it makes me sad, and I never really LOVED the hero. I did like the heroine.

I have really been liking Milan’s writing with this series so far. I read a few of her first books and didn’t love them but these feel more funny, witty, and flow better to me. In this one, I really felt the newness and scariness of a developed bicycle, something we take for granted today and I thought that whole plot point was really fun.

Few random reading stats for this author
# of books read: 6
Average rating: 4 stars
Favorite book: The Governess Affair

Content warnings: These should be taken as a minimum of what to expect. It’s very possible I have missed some.

- parental death
- parental illness
- misogyny
- racism and classism

Locations of kisses/intimate scenes:

 
Safe sex: Sorry, I didn’t take notes on this! I’m not sure.
Hows the consent? 

  It’s good! 

 

 

Overall: 3.5 rounded to ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Readability: 📖📖📖📖
Feels: 🦋🦋🦋🦋
Emotional Depth: 💔💔💔
Sexual Tension: ⚡⚡⚡ (This is very instalust so not as much tension build up)
Romance: 💞💞💞
Sensuality: 💋💋💋💋
Sex Scene Length: 🍑🍑🍑
Steam Scale (Number of Sex Scenes): 🔥🔥
Humor: A bit
Perspective: first person from both hero and heroine
More character focused or plot focused? character
How did the speed of the story feel? fast
When mains are first on page together: It takes a bit – about 21% (chapter 2 of 9)
Cliffhanger: no, this ends with a happily ever after
Epilogue: yes, one year later
Format: read through kindle unlimited

Should I read in order?
I wouldn’t say it’s necessary. This is fine alone but there is some character overlap and the series flows together chronologically.

Basic plot:
Willow gets matched on a blind date with the local blacksmith

Give this a try if you want:
- contemporary romance
- small mountain town – Suitor’s Crossing
- almost a fated mates vibe for this series – the myth is that Suitor’s Crossing helps people find their ‘heart sparks’
- full figured heroine
- shorter novel
- size difference – he’s tall, she’s shorter
- hero wants a partner but doesn’t believe in love
- blacksmith hero
- dating app meet up
- romance reader heroine
- heroine works at a boutique
- medium steam – 2 full scenes

Ages:
- hero is around 30?, didn’t catch heroine

First line:
He did it.

My thoughts:
I liked this one! But I didn’t like it was much as book 1 in the series.

I struggled more with this hero. He doesn’t believe in love – in a shorter novel it was hard to get his childhood grief so he came off as a bit sullen to me and stuck in his ways. I needed a bit more solid of an understanding from his POV. I thought the ending was wrapped up a bit too easily and quickly for the angst of Rhys’s issues the whole book.

Overall though, super sweet and steamy instalove (or lust on Rhys’s part) small town romance if that is what you are in the mood for!

Endearments

The hero calls the heroine ‘kitten’. 

Content warnings: These should be taken as a minimum of what to expect. It’s very possible I have missed some.

- there’s remembrance of childhood pain and parental abandonment

Locations of kisses/intimate scenes:

 
Safe sex: 

  Mention of the heroine on birth control 

 
Hows the consent? 

  It’s good 

 
41% - kiss
62% - 🔥 fingering for her (it’s a bit short)
75% - 🔥 sex on a table
89% - kiss 

 

Overall: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Readability: 📖📖📖📖
Feels: 🦋🦋🦋
Emotional Depth: 💔💔💔💔
Sexual Tension: ⚡⚡⚡
Romance: 💞💞💞💞
Sensuality: 💋💋💋
Sex Scene Length: 🍑🍑
Steam Scale (Number of Sex Scenes): 🔥 (there’s a scene or two but they aren’t overly long or detailed)
Humor: Yes, a bit
Perspective: Third person with both heroines (split by chapter)
More character focused or plot focused? character
How did the speed of the story feel? slow to medium
When mains are first on page together: It takes a bit of time setting up each heroine first, pg 39 of 237 (about 16%)
Cliffhanger: no, this ends with a happily ever after for the couple
Epilogue: not really, but the last chapter is a bit of a wrap up about a week later
Format: I read an ARC in e-book format through NetGalley


“Emily,” she said, just before either of them could catch the eye of those waiting on them in the parlor. “Write to me in the meantime.”
“Write to you?” Emily repeated. “About what?”
About anything, Jo wanted to say.


Should I read in order?
I picked this one up alone and thought it was fine out of order – but the characters are overlapping so you might get more depth if you read the whole series. (I think the first two books are M/M and book 2 features this heroine’s brother.

Basic plot:
Jo is working to find a doctor that will help her husbands paramour and is recommended the starchy Emily...

Give this a try if you want:
- Victorian (1885)
- mix between London and country settings (more London?)
- sapphic romance
- Emily whittles chess pieces in her free time
- Doctor heroine / Bookseller heroine
- animosity to lovers
- opposites attract
- epistolary
- lower steam – there is open door action but it’s very light, vague, and short

Ages:
- Emily is 30, I didn’t catch Jo

First line:
That there was a village hospital at all in such a funny little corner of Surrey was lucky enough; that it boasted eight beds, two nurses, a skilled surgeon within calling distance, and two-and-a-half physicians was a luxury.

My thoughts:
This novel was really sweet! I really enjoyed Everlee’s writing style and want to try more from her.

I did find this one a bit of a slow start. I was intrigued by Jo’s lavender marriage and was into how different Jo and Emily’s personalities were – Jo is the one to bring Emily out of her shell a bit and Emily calms Jo – they are both really lovely characters that I appreciated. The latter half picked up a bit more for me.

I did find myself wanting them together more than they were, especially in the first half. This had a lot of great banter I appreciated and some really sweet scenes as they start to melt for each other.

The steam is a bit lower, with a few open door scenes but nothing too explicit.

Content warnings: These should be taken as a minimum of what to expect. It’s very possible I have missed some.

- parental death (childbirth)
Note that author does offer content warnings on her website!

Locations of kisses/intimate scenes:

 
Safe sex: 

  It’s not an issue 

 
Hows the consent? 

  It’s good 

 
25% short implied self pleasure (Emily)
60% kiss, oral for Emily
83% vague sex 

 

Overall: ⭐️⭐️⭐️
Readability: 📖📖📖📖 (I’ll be honest, the writing wasn’t 100% my jam but some of the events were! And it’s shorter...so I wanted to read. I think if it was longer I would have gotten a bit more frustrated with it)
Feels: 🦋🦋
Emotional Depth: 💔💔 (You don’t get any background for the heroes, the heroine you only get a light history of her bullying)
Sexual Tension: ⚡⚡⚡
Romance: 💞💞💞 (If you find stalker and obsessive behavior romantic, which I kinda do because I’m romantically disturbed 😂 )
Sensuality: 💋💋💋💋
Sex Scene Length: 🍑🍑🍑🍑
Steam Scale (Number of Sex Scenes): 🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥+
Humor: Not really
Perspective: first person mostly from the heroine but there is a chapter from Ghost
More character focused or plot focused? plot
How did the speed of the story feel? fast
When mains are first on page together: very soon in (about 4%)
Cliffhanger: not really? It ends with a happy for now, though it’s a touch abrupt and uncertain
Epilogue: No
Format: read through kindle unlimited

Should I read in order?
This is the first in Doyle’s Order of the Unseen series.

Basic plot:
Quinn goes out for fun on Halloween when she finds herself in need of rescuing...

Give this a try if you want:
- contemporary romance
- why choose (no M/M) with MFMM
- halloween themes (Salem setting)
- revenge on your bullies
- one night of fun
- obsessive hero
- higher steam – 6 scenes, kinks including masks, exhibitionism, knife play, breath play, praise, blindfolding

Ages:
- didn’t catch any mentioned

First line:
Jack-o’-lanterns are spread out along the sidewalk and leading up to the front door.

My thoughts:
I have a bit of a love hate feeling about this book. The parts I enjoyed – I LOVED. But some (a lot?) of this was so cringy to me. Over the top. Too much, not in a good way for me.

This is a bloody ravishment fantasy and I appreciated it for the mask kink fest it was. I didn’t necessarily love the story...the plot felt repetitive (how many times is this heroine going to get groped and then someone get stabbed?). I didn’t like things like how our main ‘hero’ ‘fucked without emotion’, but he was actually really emotional about everything all the time.

You’ll have to go into this one being okay with over the top jealous and toxic heroes. And I can love that stuff. But some of his lines were just bleh to me. The threesome activity didn’t feel developed in any way – I guess the guys are friends? And even though Ghost will kill anyone that looks sideways at the heroine, he’s okay with sharing her with these 2 friends. Again, I just went with it and didn’t question things too closely haha.

Endearments

Ghost calls the heroine ‘little Quinn’. 

Quotes/spoiler-y thoughts:Any mistakes/typos are my own

Eww no

“I want to explore every inch of that sexy little body you got there,” he continues. “Such a sexy piece of ass you are, little Quinn.”

---
Oh I like this

“Please,” I whimper, taking my bottom lip between my teeth.
“That’s right,” he bites out. “Fucking beg.”
---
“Fuck,” he groans, his face still buried against my wetness. “You taste too good, baby. I need more.”

---
I hated the bully confrontations. I am all for revenge, but this just felt immature to me.

“You took the last one,” I observe, eyeing her gelatin shot. “Bummer. Blue raspberry is my favorite.”
“That sucks,” she remarks, her jaw tightening.
“Give it to her,” Michael orders, and I am blown away.
She scowls. “What?”
“He said, give it to me,” I repeat his words, stepping forward until I’m mere inches away.

---
I don’t want to kink shame here but nope for me….

There he is in the center of the room, chained to a wooden chair, duct tape covering his mouth. My dick twitches at the thought of ending his life.

and

All this murder has really gotten to me this time. The sight of blood always makes my dick hard. I need to be inside her.

---
And when Ghost is fucking her against a wall and a fire comes in the room and he just keeps going and going...and then says

All that matters is her.
Her safety.

Huh? I didn’t get he was that worried about her safety lol
 

Content warnings: These should be taken as a minimum of what to expect. It’s very possible I have missed some.

- multiple sexual harassment/assault scenes
- remembrance of bullying
- remembrance of self harm and scarring
- heroine suffers from panic attacks
- parental death
- kinks includes some riskier elements like knife play
- scenes of violence including physical assault, murder, arson and stabbing
Author included trigger warnings: graphic sexually explicit scenes, physical assault, attempted sexual assault, mentions of self harm/bulling, blood/gore, mask kink, breath play/choking, knife play, fire play, raw sex/sex without a condom, praise/degradation kink, and murder.

Locations of kisses/intimate scenes:

 
Safe sex: 

  heroine mentions she’s on birth control and says she’s ‘clean’ and asks if he is and he says yes 

 
Hows the consent? 

It’s….okay? The heroine is into it all, but the hero is aggressive and a boundary pusher. He also knows his friends are watching while he goes down on the heroine but doesn’t tell her and she is unaware. 

 
19% - 🔥 fingering and oral for her by Ghost
33% - 🔥 fingering for her, sex in the bathroom on the sink with Ghost, then him holding her up, then sex against the wall
45% - 🔥 kisses with Ghost that lead to oral for her from Jason while Ghost plays with her throat, then missionary with Jason, then her on top with Jason and anal with Ghost (DP)
69% - 🔥 blow job him, sex and knife play with Ghost, and continuing sex while the room catches on fire
80% - 🔥 kisses with Ghost, Jason, and Michael, doggy with Michael, then missionary, bj for Jason, then tied to the bed, bj for Jason, anal with a knife handle, then more sex with Michael
91% - 🔥 sex with GHost 

 

Overall: ⭐⭐️⭐️⭐️
Readability: 📖📖📖📖
Feels: 🦋🦋🦋🦋
Emotional Depth: 💔💔💔💔
Sexual Tension: ⚡⚡⚡
Romance: 💞💞💞
Sensuality: 💋💋💋💋
Sex Scene Length: 🍑🍑🍑
Steam Scale (Number of Sex Scenes): 🔥
Humor: Yes, a bit
Perspective: Third person from both hero and heroine
More character focused or plot focused? character
How did the speed of the story feel? medium
When mains are first on page together: they are kind of on page from the beginning but don’t really interact until about 7%
Cliffhanger: No, this ends with a happily ever after for the couple
Epilogue: kind of? The last chapter is a bit of a wrap up, but not too far in the future
Format: listened to audiobook version through Hoopla – but I did receive an e-book from NetGalley when it originally published and am just getting around to reviewing/reading

Should I read in order?
This is the first of Michaels’ Hidden Royals series.

Basic plot:
Elise is determined to find her missing brother. So when ‘the royal fixer’ starts managing her, she uses him to help her in her case.

Give this a try if you want:
- Georgian – 1803
- London and country settings
- light road trip
- royalty – princess heroine
- son of an Earl hero that works for the King
- light mystery aspect – the heroine is searching for her missing brother
- class difference – heroine is a princess and hero is the son of an Earl and a dancer (that has affected him socially)
- instalust (from hero)
- one horse
- child in the story (hero’s nephew) – not a huge part of the story
- must remove your wet clothes in the abandoned cottage in the woods...
- lower steam – 1 full steam but quite a few kiss scenes

Ages:
- Heroine is 25, hero is 33

First line:
Killian Crewes was known as the royal fixer.

My thoughts:
Hero falls first is such a favorite of mine! And when he has all this unrequited love roiling inside him….soooo good!

I enjoyed the premise of this one – sometimes books with royalty in them get a bit too plot focused and political for me but I found this one remained character focused. Killian was such an enjoyable hero for me. But, I LOVED Elise. I find this with Charis Michaels. She writes my favorite heroines. I adore them all. They are women I love and want to be friends with. And Elise just worked her way into my heart. And there was even a scene where she broke it a bit with her concern for her missing family.

I am not sure how I feel about a few things in this book – like the ending. I’m not sold on the hero’s actions and they annoyed me a bit. But overall this was a really sweet story that made me excited for the brother’s story next.

Content warnings: These should be taken as a minimum of what to expect. It’s very possible I have missed some.

- animal cruelty – in cages and in shows
- some scenes of panic from the heroine
- parental death
- carriage accident

Locations of kisses/intimate scenes:

 
Safe sex: 

  The first time, no, but it’s mentioned the rest of the times the hero was more careful. 

 
Hows the consent? 

  It’s good! 

 
19% - neck kisses
56% - drying off, kisses, dry humping
67% - kisses in the carriage
82% - kisses and touches
85% - 🔥 kisses, missionary
92% - mention of sex 

 

Overall: 4.5 rounded to ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Readability: 📖📖📖📖
Feels: 🦋🦋🦋
Emotional Depth: 💔💔💔
Sexual Tension: ⚡⚡⚡
Romance: 💞💞💞💞
Sensuality: 💋💋💋💋
Sex Scene Length: 🍑🍑🍑
Steam Scale (Number of Sex Scenes): 🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥
Humor: Yes, a bit
Perspective: First person from both hero and heroine
More character focused or plot focused? character
How did the speed of the story feel? medium
When mains are first on page together: very soon in, about 6%
Cliffhanger: No, this ends with a happily ever after
Epilogue: Yes, one year later
Format: read the book through kindle unlimited

Should I read in order?
This is the first of Bennett’s Mountain Men of Suitor’s Crossing series.

Basic plot:
King has decided to keep Hannah at a distance, but when he finds her in pain at work, he can’t help but give in to his protective urges.

Give this a try if you want:
- contemporary romance
- small mountain town – Suitor’s Crossing
- almost a fated mates vibe for this series – the myth is that Suitor’s Crossing helps people find their ‘heart sparks’
- full figured heroine
- very protective and gentle hero
- mutual pining
- heroine works at the hardware store
- age gap (older hero)
- hero cooks for the heroine
- holiday romance
- shorter novel
- dirty talking hero
- medium steam – 2 full scenes in a shorter page count

Ages:
- the hero is 15 years older than the heroine, heroine is 25 and hero is 40

First line:
I shouldn’t have eaten those gingerbread cookies.

My thoughts:
I really enjoyed this super sweet yet spicy short story! Maybe I’m getting into my small town era? Do I need to start watching Hallmark movies too? Because I am eating these up!

I DO love my angst, and this is very low angst. They both have longed for each other but neither acted on it. So when they do it’s quick and explosive and delicious. Very cozy romance with a protective and gentle hero that also isn’t afraid to dirty talk our heroine.

Very excited for more in the series!

Endearments

The hero calls the heroine ‘bunny’ 

Content warnings: These should be taken as a minimum of what to expect. It’s very possible I have missed some.

- heroine mentions growing up in the foster system
- toxic work environment and abusive boss – he won’t allow the heroine to take breaks
- minor physical violence where the hero takes care of the heroine’s rude boss

Locations of kisses/intimate scenes:

 
Safe sex: 

I don't think it specifically says 

 
Hows the consent? 

  It’s good 

 
22% - kiss
61% - her on top in the car
88% - oral for her in the epilogue 

 

Overall: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Readability: 📖📖📖📖📖 (It was short, but I was obsessed)
Feels: 🦋🦋🦋🦋
Emotional Depth: 💔💔 (This is a very short story, so you don’t get much depth)
Sexual Tension: ⚡⚡⚡ (They dive right in 😆 )
Romance: 💞💞
Sensuality: 💋💋💋💋 (I really loved these scenes)
Sex Scene Length: 🍑🍑🍑🍑 (Basically the whole book is a sex scene)
Steam Scale (Number of Sex Scenes): 🔥 (The whole book is basically a scene)
Humor: A touch
Perspective: first person from the heroine’s point of view
More character focused or plot focused? plot-ish (sex focused?)
How did the speed of the story feel? fast
When mains are first on page together: very soon in (I think it says 13% but it’s like pg 2 or 3 for me)
Cliffhanger: No. It is a complete story without a happily ever after
Epilogue: No
Format: borrowed on kindle unlimited
(Descriptions found at end of my review)

“Do you like that, pretty girl?” The robotic tone was low, stripped of all emotion, but some uncertain smugness that I was almost embarrassed by, like he didn’t expect for me to be writhing and ready for him.
“No.” My voice was almost as raspy as his, mine from desire where his was formulated crackle.
“I don’t think I believe you.”

His breath was heavy behind my ear.

"What a dirty little liar you are, baby.”

Should I read in order?
This is a stand alone short story.

Basic plot:
Our heroine is requesting a masked night of fun from her letdown of a boyfriend.

Give this a try if you want:
- contemporary setting
- please note that this story does NOT have an HEA (happily ever after)
- home invasion ravishment fantasy
- higher steam – basically the whole story is a sex scene
- full figured heroine
- a shorter story
- kink elements – degradation, primal play, masks, bondage, knife play

Ages:
- I don’t believe they are mentioned

First line:
Tonight is the night.

My thoughts:
This book! 🫠 🫠 🫠

This book gave me so much that I had no idea I even wanted. This is a super short, ravishment fantasy story and I just LOVED IT.

Our heroine is ready to dump her lame boyfriend, but gives him another chance to fulfill her fantasies. A mask. An agreed upon kink list.

Our...hero? I ate up his dirty talk. All the things he said 🫠 🫠 🫠 . As I started looking through the story for notes for my review I just reread the entire thing and enjoyed it just as much the second time around.

Some of the kink is not my favorite – I’m not into masochism and I’m a baby so knife play scares me lol but I still ate this whole novel up. I want more. More! Going to be checking out more from Michele too!

Endearments

The ‘hero’ calls the heroine ‘baby’ and ‘pretty girl’ 

Quotes/spoiler-y thoughts:Any mistakes/typos are my own

My teeth ached to bite into him – hard – and so I did, filling my mouth with skin and muscle.
He hissed, ripping my head back, his other hand coming to cover my neck. Tacky wetness from my earlier pleasure slid against my skin, and I smirked at him.
“You like biting?” He shook my head, fingers around my throat, pushing against the twin spots under my ears that made my eyes roll in the back of my head. “Hmm?”
“Yes.” I laughed, but the sound was warbled and cut from my position. “You approved it on the sheet. Next time think about it harder.”
He made a small, agreed sound. “Next time.”
He walked me backwards, pressing me against the cold wall of glass, and the wood rough against my back. He trailed a hand between us, down my body teasingly.
His body towered over mine before he bent down to bury his face in my neck. “Remind me again,” he asked, fingerings playing across my thighs. “What else was on the list?”
---
He stood then, flopping the knife on the bed behind us and slowly unbuttoned his pants. Every catch of the zipper spiked my awareness. I couldn’t move my eyes from his hands, the way his gloves looked painted on his fingers or the slow show he made opening his jeans.
“Eyes up here, baby.” I looked up at him, reluctant to look away from the sight before me, but he lifted my chin, fingers clenched tight to keep my head tilted for him. “Don’t be a brat now, not when you’ve been so good.”
---
“I won’t force you, pretty girl, not with this, but if you don’t open your fucking mouth, I’ll leave and you wouldn’t like that, would you? That isn’t what you want.”
 

Content warnings: These should be taken as a minimum of what to expect. It’s very possible I have missed some.

- this story involves a home invasion
- big non-consent vibes due to the home invader pretending to be someone else she had an agreement with – if you need consent and/or happily ever afters in your story this won’t be for you

Locations of kisses/intimate scenes:

 
Safe sex: 

  There’s no penetration but no condoms used for oral 

 
Hows the consent? 

  No go on consent – this man breaks into the heroine’s home and then pretends to be someone else 

 
31% - fingering for her (he stops before she comes), then more fingering (again interrupted), then he chases her through the house, then bondage to the bed with zip ties, knife play, forceful blow job, then the hero finishes himself off and marks the heroine 

 

Overall: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Readability: 📖📖📖📖
Feels: 🦋🦋🦋
Emotional Depth: 💔💔💔 (I find myself wanting more background on the hero and the orc history??)
Sexual Tension: ⚡⚡⚡⚡
Romance: 💞💞💞💞
Sensuality: 💋💋💋💋
Sex Scene Length: 🍑🍑🍑
Steam Scale (Number of Sex Scenes): 🔥🔥🔥
Humor: Yes
Perspective: First person from both the hero and heroine
More character focused or plot focused? character
How did the speed of the story feel? medium
When mains are first on page together: immediately
Cliffhanger: No, this ends with a happily ever after
Epilogue: Yes (maybe a few months later?)
Format: voluntarily read an advanced reader copy in e-book form from the author

Should I read in order?
This is fine alone, but there is a prequel novella called My Orc Bodyguard that you can get as a newsletter sign up!

Basic plot:
Jess is determined to save Eastshore Isle and works together with Karnak to make it happen

Give this a try if you want:
- fantasy contemporary-ish romance – this is a contemporary world with Orcs
- small town romance – Eastshore Isle setting
- mutual pining
- neighbors!
- fated mates
- size difference
- heroine works on the Eastshore Town Council (Community Development Coordinator)
- virgin hero
- higher steam – 3-4 scenes (I didn’t count one as ‘full’ because it was on the short side so might feel hotter to you.)

Ages:
- didn’t see them mentioned

First line:
Okay, you know when you’re watching a movie and the main character is about to do something really embarassing, so maybe you put your hand over your eyes – as if it’ll help – but you still kinda peek through your fingers?

My thoughts:
This book is soooo freaking adorable and fun and everything I want right now!

Karnak and Jess live next door to each other but haven’t had much interaction but the longing – THE LONGING. Sigh. So swoony. I adore that unrequited adoration just eating them up inside. Peeking at each other through windows. Masturbating in hot tubs while thinking of the other showering…see? So swoony

The humor is fun. Muffin the cat is a lovely side character and lead in for plenty of euphemisms. I love the small town and all the side characters. Definitely looking forward to more from this series!

Cock/Hero Stats:

- hero is an orc – he’s green and has tusks, retractable claws
- there’s a bit more orc background in this one than the prior novella – it’s mentioned about ‘their world’ and the human world and there is a veil that keeps the orc world hidden from humans.
- 7 ½ feet tall
- hero has exceptional hearing and scent and can tell when the heroine (or others) are aroused
- lips are rough and tongue is ridged
- cock is darker green and ridged, very well-endowed
- orcs have something that cause their partner to orgasm upon entering them to help ease the way

Quotes/thoughts: (Any mistakes are my own)

The part that took one look at him – standing there all green and gorgeous and slick, wearing only a tiny towel around his waist – and could only think words like lick and taste and yes please.
---
Until I’d returned home from an exhausting day at work to find that not only had Karnak cut up the tree and hauled it away...he’d done the same to the fence which had separated our properties.
Now nothing stood between our yards.
Nothing hid my back porch – my hot tub – from him.
Nothing hid his outdoor shower from me.
---
Karnak had folded his arms now, and while part of me was glad that he’d covered up at least a part of that glorious chest, a rather more significant part of me was yelling forearms! Forearms! Forearms!
“How long has your Muffin been out there? Unpetted. Lonely.”
Oh God, so long.
---
“I’m not your pet,” I managed to snarl, and immediately hated myself when surprise, then hurt, flickered across her expression.
“Of course you’re not. You’re my – you’re my friend.”
Friend?
Pet?
I’m a fucking orc. I’d be her pet monster. Humans don’t want to be friends with orcs.
As my claws pierced my skin I winced, thankful for the distraction of the pain. I needed to get away from here, away from her.
But her scent made it impossible. Thanks to my stupid Kteer I knew I’d stand here and claw out my own chest at the chance to hear her call me ‘friend’ again.
“Karnak…”
A chance ot hear her say my name again.
Stupid biology. Stupid instincts. Stupid Kteer.

Personally am not fond of breaking the 4th wall…

I was in love with Karnak, but I wasn’t going to figure that out for a few more chapters.
 

Content warnings: (This should be taken as a minimum because I could have missed some!)

- mention of workplace harassment (heroine works with someone that said he’d back her proposal if she dated him)
- parental death (cancer)
- racism
- hero is physically assaulted
Author given content warnings: (view spoiler)

Locations of kisses/intimate scenes:

Safe sex: 

  Heroine is on birth control, no condoms used 

Hows the consent? 

  It’s good 

40% - kisses
42% - 🔥 mutual masturbation – heroine in the hot tub, hero against the wall listening
55% - kiss
58% - 🔥 kisses, oral for her, sex on the counter

My confession was cut off by his sudden growl and the way he lost control and wrapped both arms around my torso, lifting me closer so his lips could slam down atop mine.
Yes.
Yes.
//
“So wet,” he murmured, his gaze going to mine, his eyes still blazing and a sort of satisfied smirk on his lips. “What a good girl. For me?”

66% - 🔥 oral for her, her on top (fairly short)

I put her down alright. On the couch, covering her body with mine. Kneeling between her legs, I put my mouth on her pussy, right on top of her yoga pants, and inhaled deeply.
Mine.

94% - oral for her – you kind of walk into a scene started but there’s also a bit of wrap up during the scene (reflection) and it’s a bit short so I decided not to count as a full flame. 
 

 

Overall: ⭐️⭐️⭐️
Readability: 📖📖📖 (I had to tell myself to keep picking it up to finish it)
Feels: 🦋🦋
Emotional Depth: 💔💔
Sexual Tension: ⚡⚡⚡
Romance: 💞💞💞
Sensuality: 💋💋💋 (these were explicit but a bit too...corny for me?)
Sex Scene Length: 🍑🍑🍑
Steam Scale (Number of Sex Scenes): 🔥🔥🔥🔥
Humor: Yes
Perspective: first person from the heroine only
More character focused or plot focused? character
How did the speed of the story feel? medium
When mains are first on page together: not too far in, about the end of chapter 1, about 4%
Cliffhanger: No, this ends with a happily ever after
Epilogue: yes
Format: bought e-book

Should I read in order?
This is a stand alone novel.

Basic plot:
Vi inherits a cheese shop and is shocked when she finds 4 cheese were-shifters in the basement...

Give this a try if you want:
- contemporary paranormal-ish
- why choose (with some M/M love) – our heroine has 4 boyfriends
- OCD rep (heroine)
- were-cheese – these heroes shift into cheese during the daylight hours
- soooooooooooooo cheesy...like literally and figuratively and any other way I can say it
- medium to higher steam – 4-ish scenes

Ages:
- Heroine is 25. The heroes seem to be ‘frozen’ at the ages they were cursed, which I would guess is 20s, possibly early 30s? Though at least some of them have been alive for hundreds of years

First line:
On the corner sits a cheese shop full of painful memories, dark shadows, and the unfortunate name of Goudafellas.

My thoughts:
I was thinking I would love this one! But sadly it didn’t work for me. I think the humor wasn’t my thing – it was too cheesy (! Yes, I said it!) and I think others that like this style of humor will appreciate this book way more than me! It was a bit too slap stick and too many one liners.

“Climb aboard the cheese train,” he cries out and I laugh.
“Now departing for ‘Umph, oh god,’ station,” Cam adds.
“Are you ready?” I ask
“Choo-choo!” he shouts and I guide him inside me.


It also just felt really long to me. And that is probably just a personal thing, because I’m liking short books right now. And when I read novels like this, I am used to them being a much lower page count. I think I was hoping for more depth, but I didn’t get to know any of the characters super well in this novel. Not as well as I wanted to. So the page count just felt really long to me and I kept sitting it down and picking it up.

Don’t let my thoughts deter you though! If you have been craving 4 hot men in your bed and also adore cheese, why not give this one a go? 😂

Quotes/spoiler-y thoughts:Any mistakes/typos are my own

On top of random piles of clothing rest three cheeses. Two are white rounds and the third is the hard yellow rectangle from last night. “Brie?” I whisper to the softest cheese. “Cam?” to the one with a rind. They don’t answer.
They can’t, because they’re cheese.
---
“Did I…?” Brie glances down to where his cock is spilling into the neon green condom., then stars are me. “Die?”
I laugh and wrap him in my arms. “I don’t think so. Why?”
He brushes the tips of his fingers down my cheek. “Because I’m inside of Heaven.”

 

Content warnings: These should be taken as a minimum of what to expect. It’s very possible I have missed some.

- abusive parenting
- heroes are cheese shifters that were trapped as cheese for decades?
- heroine has OCD struggles – they include intrusive thoughts about bad things happening to people she cares about

Locations of kisses/intimate scenes:

 
Safe sex: 

  condoms used 

 
Hows the consent? 

  It’s good 

 
26% - kisses with Cam and Vi
30% - 🔥 kisses with Brie and Vi, fingering for her, missionary followed by a kiss with Cam and Vi
41% - 🔥 threesome with Cheddy and Cam – her on top with Cheddy then her on top of Cam while Cheddy self pleasures
56% - 🔥 heroine has a cheesecloth knotted over her eyes, threesome between Vi, Cheddy and Brie (Brie doggy and bj for Cheddy), then doggy with Cheddy while she falls into Roq’s lap, the Cam takes over, oral for her. Then Roq grabs Cam and starts jerking him off
95% - 🔥 sex with all of them 

 

Overall: 4.5 rounded to ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Readability: 📖📖📖📖📖 (This is one I was very eager to get back to – I haven’t been this into a book in a while)
Feels: 🦋🦋🦋
Emotional Depth: 💔💔💔
Sexual Tension: ⚡⚡⚡⚡
Romance: 💞💞💞💞 (Some things weren’t romantic to me, they were too gory or over the top – but the things I did love and find romantic were super swoony to me. I love the over the top possessiveness of these heroes)
Sensuality: 💋💋💋💋
Sex Scene Length: 🍑🍑🍑🍑
Steam Scale (Number of Sex Scenes): 🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥+
Humor: Just a touch
Perspective: first person from all 3 characters, but only briefly from each hero. This is mostly from the heroine’s POV
More character focused or plot focused? character, the plot/mystery is quite light
How did the speed of the story feel? medium
When mains are first on page together: first interaction through text is 11%, but physically on page is about 24%
Cliffhanger: No, this ends with a happily ever after
Epilogue: Yes, 2 years later
Format: read e-book through kindle unlimited subscription

There is a figure in the opposite doorway, leaning against the frame. The figure is dressed completely in tight black clothes all the way from their feet to the hood that’s raised over their head, even black gloves cover their hands. With a tilt of their head, the filtered light hits their face and all I can see is the detailed skull mask that covers from the nose down.


Should I read in order?
This is book 1 in Rose’s The Darling Games series.

Basic plot:
Alexandra is searching for serial murderers when they involve her in a game she can’t refuse

Give this a try if you want:
- contemporary romance
- M/F/M pairing (no M/M)
- heroine is an FBI forensic profiler
- you don’t mind the plot being very light – this is mostly about the relationship
- Dexter vibes – vigilante serial killers
- secret identity (heroes)
- over the top possessive and jealous mains
- pierced heroes
- truth or dare texts
- very ravishment fantasy
- higher steam – 10 scenes or so
- kinks include masked identity, praise kink, pain play, knife play, blood play, throat grabbing, bondage, DP – heroes also do caretaking on the heroine afterwards

Ages:
- The heroine is around 28, because she was 8 when she lost a family necklace and it’s been missing ‘for twenty years’, and the heroes a bit older than her I would guess, though ages aren’t stated in the book

First line:
The dimly lit room envelops me as I stand in silence, surrounded by the haunting echoes of my thoughts.

My thoughts:
Yay for a book playlist!

So I looooooved so much about this novel. This had so much that I was craving and had no idea that I wanted it so badly. Yes to masked men. Yes to primal play. Yes to the dubious consent and stalking and over the top heroes. Yes yes yes. Yes to kinky throat grabbing and forceful acts and also the aftercare and gentleness afterwards. YES. I want to read more like this book for sure. I was sooo anxious to get back to this book when I wasn’t reading it. My parents had to come over during my read and help with a house issue and all I wanted to do was hide and read about Alex getting railed by two masked men.

The book has a few issues but I am here for how books make me feel and this book made me feel THINGS. I loved it. I’d read more from this author for sure, but hoping to find something like this with less….blood?? Not my favorite thing.

Things that didn’t work for me:
- detailed murder acts as dirty talk/foreplay. I’m here for all the other dirty talk but not that.
- the plot was a farce for the most part – I didn’t mind because I am here for the characters and the fucking and don’t actually care about a good mystery lol but the repeated scenes like ‘we need to keep digging’ ‘there’s something we’re missing’ were rather unsatisfying
- the fucking while murdering people on page and flopping around in their blood and using it as lube? It’s too far for me. Luckily there were only a few scenes of that...

Endearments

The heroes call the heroine ‘Little Darling’ 

Quotes/spoiler-y thoughts: Any mistakes/typos are my own
 

showcasing the toxic jealousy….I generally like it but some of this went a bit too far for me.

She would learn soon enough not to get close to other men. Not to talk to them so intimately. Not to smile at them likeshe did. She really shouldn’t even be breathing the same air as anyone but us. Her pretty perfect skin should never be touched by anyone but us. She belongs to us.
---
“We will kill anyone who touches you, Little Darling. If they even breathe on you too closely I will slit their throat and fuck you in their blood while it’s still hot. You are ours. Do you understand?” my voice is harsh as I grit out my question.
//
“This pussy belongs to us, if anyone else even thinks of touching it, I’ll cut off their hands and make them eat them one finger at a time.”

Ugggggh the partial mask lift just gets me

Leaning down I lift my mask enough to kiss her parted lips, my voice is a gravelly rasp as I breath against her skin. “You will never leave me again, Little Darling.”
---
“I think there is something else more important going on here than how hot you think I look.”
He leans closer to me and I still my movements. “Let me make something clear, Little Darling, nothing is ever more important than you.”

---
My hands are moving before I even think about it, shoving at his chest. But instead of moving backward he moves into me, picking me up and continuing until my back hits the wall behind me.
 

Content warnings: These should be taken as a minimum of what to expect. It’s very possible I have missed some.

- murders discussed on page (work place)
- murder on page and done by the main characters – including sexual activities while murdering and in blood of the victim…
- stalking of the heroine by the heroes
- injections done on the heroine, gas emitted into her house to make her pass out…
- knife play, cutting, marking
- blood play, licking, cutting, fucking in a dead person’s blood…
- somnophilia – sex with a sleeping person
- this is a m/f/m relationship with no sword crossing. The male mains are brothers
- parental death and drug use
- child abuse/neglect alluded to in the mains past
- brief mention of murder, child endangerment, and trafficking by villains
- pedophilia mentioned of a villain
- heroine experiences repressed memories from the past, a form of protective amnesia due to her trauma

Locations of kisses/intimate scenes:

Safe sex: 

  No 

Hows the consent? [ If you need consent, I would not read this. While the heroine is willing for most acts, there are definite elements of dubious consent, stalking, and feeling of threats of violence to give in to the sex. I went into this with a ravishment fantasy vibe (hide spoiler)]
9% - 🔥 heroine self pleasure (on the short side)

I could visualize Derek’s strong physique, his muscular shoulders and arms, his blue eyes filled with intensity.

14% - 🔥 shower self pleasure for heroine (it’s pretty short)

It conjures another body pressed to my back, one of their gloved hands wrapping around my throat from behind and squeezing hard as their other gloved hand moves between my legs.

26% - some light touches
31% - 🔥 heroine awakens to oral while blindfolded, then hands are bound behind her back and bj for both men

I whimper and gasp again as something brushes the side of my face, a modulated voice then speaking close to my ear. “Awake now, Little Darling? How do you like this for interaction?”

40% - 🔥 knife play while the heroine is at the sink, watching the reflection of one of the heroes. Hero grabs her throat and marks her with the knife, fucks her with the knife handle, then sex bent over the sink then the other hero takes over, binding her hands and fucking her against a wall

“I really need better locks,” I snark.
He chuckle and the closeness of his body behind me has me feeling it against my skin. The way his voice is modulated gives the sound a sinister edge. “Pretty Little Darling. Do you think a lock would stop us.”

56% - 🔥 somnophilia scene – hero puts a sedative in the air to keep the heroine asleep and gives her oral and begins to fuck her

I slowly drag myself out then push back in again. Her moan this time is louder. I can tell the sedative is starting to wear off, I can see the flutter of her pulse in her neck, stretched before me, is starting to flutter faster against her skin.

61% - 🔥 primal play in the forest that leads to sex against a tree, then to the ground with her on top and the other hero does her ass (DP)
A chuckle echoes around me. “We feel like it’s time for some role playing, Little Darling. Instead of you hunting us, we are going to hunt you. Through this forest. In the dark.”
//
“I’m going to fuck you so hard, Little Darling.” His voice is a low, modulated groan.
76% - 🔥 the heroine and heroes murder someone on page and one of the heroes starts fingering the heroine during it, bj for one, then he goes to his knees so the other can fuck her from behind

“Do you want to know what I thought when I saw your lips like this?” he asks, his black eyes focused completely on my lips.
“What?” I question him in response. He is affecting me more than normal this time, and I have to put it down to all the emotions I’ve been feeling lately starting to get to me.
He hums again, “That I can’t wait to see how that color looks smeared on my cock.”

79% - 🔥 her on top, missionary

His breath is hot against my ear as he breathes, “Cum for me, and scream my name.”

82% - 🔥 wall sex, then desk sex

My lips part and his tongue sweeps into my mouth to tangle with mine. I wrap my legs around his waist, and he uses the leverage to reach down to open his pants.

95% - 🔥 another murder sex scene – the heroine murders someone then fingering o for the heroine, then oral for her while she sits on T’s face and give a bj to D, then doggy, then her on top and anal with the other (DP)

“I’m getting impatient too, Little Darling. End it or I’ll fuck you while he’s still watching and bleeding out.”