Here they all are, and now I'm absolutely sick of romance after reading so many average books, so hopefully I can get back to some fantasy, Sci-Fi, and YA, now that I seem to be back on track with reading again.
Dirty Exes by Rachel Van DykenMy rating: 4 of 5 stars
Funny and unexpected. An easy read that moves at a fast pace. Everything I’ve read by Van Dyken has been good. She’s a solid choice, because you can count on a quality story.
Pages: 296
Dangerous Exes by Rachel Van DykenMy rating: 4 of 5 stars
I’m surprised that I liked this as much, or even more than book one. The grandma really adds to the quirky charm.
Pages: 318
The Duetby R.S. Grey
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
This one charmed me. Onward to book 2.
Pages: 326
The Designby R.S. Grey
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
Charming, funny, and endearing. I enjoyed it.
Pages: 272
Chasing Spring by R.S. GreyMy rating: 2 of 5 stars
Not a fan of this. I like nonlinear formats, but this just isn’t well done. You can’t settle into any person or time frame, before you are ripped back out of it and jostled around.
I’m going to try one more book by this author, because one of my bookish friends loves her. But this just didn’t do it for me at all.
Pages: 249
Not So Nice Guy by R.S. GreyMy rating: 5 of 5 stars
I adored this one, probably because they are teachers. Plus, it’s really funny, and it’s a best friends to lovers trope, which I always enjoy.
Pages: 262
Scoring Wilder by R.S. GreyMy rating: 2 of 5 stars
This one just didn’t really do it for me. It started off strong with funny female characters who build good friendships, but it went astray by the halfway mark.
For a forbidden love story, it completely lacked thrill, which is disappointing. Where was the excitement and intrigue and adrenaline that usually accompanies this trope?
The most major conflicts were resolved in the simplest ways and not by the MC, so she didn’t have to work for or through anything at all. Everything just always got handled for her by others. All of that resulted in what became a boring and pretty tedious story, compared to some of the other works by this author.
I enjoyed it at first, but by the last half, I just couldn’t wait for it to end already, probably because the plot is also all over the place for the last half of the book. It just wasn’t for me.
Pages: 402
Arrogant Devil by R.S. GreyMy rating: 5 of 5 stars
I loved the slow burn of this, as the characters transitioned from enemies to friends, but let’s be honest. The 5 stars are really for the grandma and the dog, who both utterly charmed me.
Pages: 354
A Place in the Sun by R.S. GreyMy rating: 4 of 5 stars
So delicious! I liked everything except the epilogue. And all the conflict resolved pretty quickly and easily, but that worked for this book.
Pages: 348
Behind His Lens by R.S. GreyMy rating: 3 of 5 stars
This was okay but definitely not one of her best. There was a lot of telling and not much of a plot. I don’t love it, but I also don’t dislike it, which means 3 stars. And once again, conflict was too easily and prettily resolved, which still equals boring to me.
Pages: 291
The Allure of Julian Lefrayby R.S. Grey
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
Great MC.
Pages: 366
The Allure of Dean Harperby R.S. Grey
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
Basic enemies to lovers trope with an opposites attract theme and a sassy female lead.
Pages: 282
Remembering You by Sandi LynnMy rating: 4 of 5 stars
I was charmed by this short novel. Everything is a bit rushed, but not necessarily in a bad way. It has a decent plot, and it’s bright and hopeful.
Pages: 120
I Dare Youby Ilsa Madden-Mills
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
This was surprisingly sweet and has some depth.
Pages: 254
I Bet Youby Ilsa Madden-Mills
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
Not bad. I enjoyed this one. Things resolved a bit too easily, but so it goes.
Pages: 298
The End Zoneby L.J. Shen
My rating: 3 of 5 stars
It’s not a bad little novella. Obviously it can’t contain the depth of a full novel, but I tend to enjoy the friends to lovers trope.
Pages: 153
Hard by Scott HildrethMy rating: 3 of 5 stars
This is some weird and gritty shit, but I was immediately hooked. It’s inconsistent, inauthentic, and unrealistic, but for the first half of the story, I didn’t really care. I was along for the fast ride.
Emotional responses are almost nonexistent, and character development is minimal. Serious situations are mishandled. The plot is...honestly, I’m still not sure what the plot is, other than random and convenient, but I guess plot is not the point of a story like this. It started out super sexy and then unfortunately went unnecessarily astray and became disturbing and uncomfortable.
Regardless of the issues with the writing and storytelling, I still couldn’t put it down. I’m not sure how to justify that to myself, but it just is what it is, folks. Two stars for the overall story. The third star is basically for shock and drama.
Pages: 261
Roughby Scott Hildreth
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
This one was far more realistic and satisfying than book one, so I’m glad I read onward. The father was my favorite character.
Pages: 306
Dirty by Scott HildrethMy rating: 2 of 5 stars
Nope. This one was a misguided mess that lacked honesty and chemistry. The male MC was a boring cliche. It started out at an unnecessarily rough point, and then it somehow became both boring and ridiculous.
I should probably just stop this series, but I keep hoping for something that never arrives. Book 2 was significantly better, so there's some sort of promise there, unless that one is just a fluke. Regardless, it seems to be hit or miss with these books, and currently there are more misses than hits. I may pick up the next one and give this series one last try, but I'm not going to finish it, if things continue in this vein.
Pages: 288
Rigidby Scott Hildreth
My rating: 3 of 5 stars
Much better than the previous.
Pages: 313
Nutsby Scott Hildreth
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
Not bad. A basic read, but it’s one of the best in this series.
Pages: 318
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