brooklyn_bookworm's reviews
293 reviews

Pucking Around by Emily Rath

adventurous emotional funny lighthearted 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? Yes

5.0

Holy hockey pucks!! 

Pucking Around is a FANTASTIC why choose, hockey romance! I’ve never really been into sports romance like that but this book has DEFINITELY changed it for me!! 

This book takes off 2 months after That One Night (prequel) and Rachel can’t stop thinking about the guy she met in Seattle. She also can’t stop thinking that she got passed up on the fellowship. Until her phone rings and she gets a call that she actually got the fellowship and she’s the new doctor for the Jacksonville Rays, a brand new NHL team. 

Immediately this book takes off on a funny note.. she meets Caleb.. ex hockey player turned equipment manager and the funny banter begins. All throughout this book, the banter between Rachel, Caleb, Jake, and Ilmari is nothing if not hilarious! 

Now let’s talk spice shall we? When people said it was spicy, they mean SCORCHING HOT!! The *daddy dom* vibe mixed with the sweet, golden retriever vibe is *chefs kiss* I loved EVERY. SINGLE. SCENE!!! Especially where Rachel meets some fancy jewelers on Caleb *wink wink*

All in all I’m giving this 5 stars. It’s a big book but it goes quick and well worth the read! You’ll laugh, maybe shed a year, but you’ll definitely be turned on!! 

Captured by Lauren Biel

dark emotional sad tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.25

My mind is into the craziest sh*t! 

Ophelia and Alexzander.. wow!! Ophelia lives at home with her drunk father who does bad things to her and works at a diner where she frequently serves Alexzander. Alexzander and his brother Grunnier were raised to be brutal, sick, and twisted r@pists & kidnappers and Alexzander sets his sights on Ophelia and wants her to be his. When Ophelia wakes up and finds herself chained in a dark & dingy basement, her only hope for survival might just be the one who brought her there in the first place. 

I just knew this book was going to dark and depraved with Lauren Biel as the author but I didn’t anticipate it to be THIS dark!! If you going into this expecting romance?? Switch it up because this is anything but romance. It’s gross at times, vile, disturbing, utterly CRAZY but I definitely need a therapist cuz I enjoyed it!! Somehow through all the darkness in Gunnir, Lauren Biel managed to give us a little light in Alex!! The way he managed to fight through the devil inside him to be what Ophelia needed was truly remarkable! I loved the story, loved the intensity, loved the ending!! Read the FULL trigger warning list because I promise this book is unlike anything you’ve ever read!! A solid 4 stars for Alex and O and by the way, you’ll never look at mayonnaise the same 😊😉

Little Beginning by Eva Marks

challenging dark emotional funny fast-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

This is the prequel to Little Blue and a great way to start the Little series. This prequel is the background to Avery & Hudson and how they started. I suggest reading this before reading Little Blue. 

This is book is a short, quick, very enjoyable read! We get to meet Avery, the new employee at Whitlock who is determined to make a name for herself, along with Hudson.. or Mr. Kent. He’s the charming, sexy boss. This a dual POV story and it was great reading about their budding fascination with each other from each side. 

While there’s no actual *physical* spice, there is the “fantasies” they have of one another along with some solo action and boy IS IT HOT!! 

Can’t wait to read Little Blue and delve into the heat that is Avery & Hudson!!! 5 stars! 

The Fae Princes by Nikki St. Crowe

adventurous challenging dark emotional funny hopeful inspiring mysterious tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes

4.5

Expect the unexpected!! 

The Fae Princes is the 4th book in The Vicious Lost Boys series. While most of the series was packed with action & heavy $mut, this book focused mainly on Pan’s past along with a certain pixie dust fairy.  This story picks up where book 3 left off which is fantastic! I don’t ever like to feel a bit lost when continuing to read a series but there’s no feeling like you’re missing out when you start this book.  

As previously stated, this book focuses mostly on Pan but it does have other storylines that involve Bash, Kas, and their sister Tilly, along with getting more involved in the shadow that Winnie shared with Vane. Let me just say.. Winnie & Vane? They’re everything together! 

This book definitely has more of a flashback/memory glimpses vibe to it and while it was not as spicy as all the other books in the series, there still are some pretty delicious scenes. One of which involves a game they play with Winnie. That’s freaking HOT!! 

I really enjoyed this book and Roc’s epilogue definitely leaves me wanting more.. but I will say it is my least favorite out of all the books. It’s not bad at all.. I did enjoy reading it.. it just lacked some of the things I’ve come to expect from this series. Roc’s epilogue was EXCITING!! I can’t wait for the next series!! But nonetheless still a phenomenal story!! 

It's Me, Charlie by C.M. Guidroz

dark informative mysterious tense fast-paced

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

4.0

Short & creepy novella. 

For all the booktokers out there.. you can never be too sure who is on the other side of the screen! 

Charlie is the guy who never gets the girl. He’s not attractive, he’s sweaty, and he gets itchy. So he goes online and creates another persona. It’s here where he comes across Jessie. Jessie is a smut author. She writes spicy books and Charlie quickly befriends her and reads her books and becomes obsessed. 

With his newfound obsession, he believes he can be just what Jessie needs and he stops at nothing to prove that. 

This novella is a super short, super quick, super creepy but fun read! I kept seeing it all over TikTok and thought hey why not let me read it. If you have a weak stomach, this is not for you. Lol it’s somewhat gross at times but it does teach a valuable lesson. Be careful who you trust online. 

Little Blue by Eva Marks

emotional fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.25

All the spice you need in this pleasure packed novella! 

Three years.. three years is how long Hudson & Avery have been crushing on each other without the other one knowing. Neither of them act on it because Avery works for Hudson .. until one day.. she doesn’t. 

She begins working at another job and what seems like should be “out of sight, out of mind” is definitely not. They still can’t stop thinking about each other.. Hudson realizes he needs to claim what’s his.. and Avery is definitely ready for her *SIR* 

This novella is HOT HOT HOT!!! Mmm mm the way Hudson goes after Avery relentlessly.. the way he wraps her hair around his fist.. the way he gets turned on by just looking at her is *chefs kiss*. The spice was amazing, the plot was super fun.. all in all it was a great world to be part of.  The ending was kind of rushed a bit. I definitely would have liked more of Avery & Hudson’s story together but I thoroughly enjoyed this novella! Plus Hudson is hot!!

Born, Madly by Trisha Wolfe

adventurous challenging dark emotional mysterious sad tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

I just knew the 2nd part of this phenomenal duet would be EPIC and Trisha Wolfe DID NOT disappoint!! 

Born, Madly is book 2 in the Darkly, Madly duet and it starts off where book 1 ended. It’s been 6 weeks since our favorite, sexy, psychopath, Grayson Sullivan has been on the run and with each day that passes, his madness is growing. Only now.. his madness is shared with London.. his obsession.. the woman that made him feel. Not only do we get London & Greyson crazy in love but we also get a copycat killer in this book and it’s a FANTASTIC addition to this already amazing story! 

The book was just this intense buildup to an explosive ending. The plot, the story, the intensity of the “almost caught” scenes. The obsession between London & Greyson.. everything was just absolutely incredible. I had so many emotions in this book!! I was angry, sad, hopeful, and during the last few chapters.. shocked?? Is just an understatement.. THAT ENDING THO!! 

I will not spoil the book in this review because I think this is one-of-a-kind psychological romance that you’re only going to read at the hands of Trisha Wolfe. This book is smart, intense, entertaining, and the feelings that transpire between the 2 main characters are just captivating. You definitely want to read this duet. Nothing less than 5 stars!! I’m so happy with the way it ended but I was NOT expecting it!! Wooo!! What a ride!! Thank you to the author for writing this incredible journey of London & Grayson! 

The Embalmer by Rayne Havok

adventurous dark funny informative fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.25

Totally entertaining! 

Sadie is an embalmer… with a twist. One night while working on a dead body, she spots another dead body who has a specific body part that’s rather HARD.. and she just can’t stop herself. Unfortunately she gets caught by a group of guys that want to work out a deal with her that she takes care of the bodies they bring in. She instantly becomes attracted to Rhys. 

Now you may think that what happens next is her and Rhys get together.. however, Rhys is not interested. Now what happens when you turn down a girl with a fascination for sex with the dead?? Read this HIGHLY entertaining novella to find out!! 

Funny, short, and just weird but hit the spot! Rayne Havok has quickly become one of my go-to authors for novellas of a certain genre. Lol I enjoyed every minute of it!! 

Born, Darkly by Trisha Wolfe

challenging dark emotional informative mysterious tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

Take Criminal Minds, mix in some Dexter, and add the point of Saw and you get Born, Darkly.. a PHENOMENAL dark romance with a side of psychological thriller based on a psychologist with a secretive past and her death row patient. 

Dr London Noble, renowned psychologist to criminals meets Grayson Sullivan, convicted murderer who thinks he’s done the world a favor by ridding it of monsters and holy smokes these 2 characters are INCREDIBLE!! Greyson is a master manipulator and he has his genius mind set on London. He knows she’s like him.. he just has to *piece the puzzle* together to get her to see what he sees. 

This book was EXPERTLY written. Trisha Wolfe is hands down an amazing author but she took this story to a whole other level!! Kept me guessing until the very end. I was literally on the edge of my seat at times while reading this story. The psychological aspects were spot on! Getting inside Greyson’s mind, the court case, the evidence, the “hospital scene” all of it was just intense, thrilling, and captivating. I cannot leave a more positive review. 

This story may be hard to read for some so check trigger warnings!! This duet (Born, Darkly & Born, Madly) are not your average dark romance books. This story is intense and twisted and will leave you absolutely shocked to the core! 

Hands down 5 stars for me!! I loved Greyson.. I absolutely adored London in all her newfound bada$$ery. I can’t wait to delve into Born, Madly immediately!! Thank you Trisha Wolfe for sending me these beautiful books and allowing me into the minds of Greyson Sullivan & London Noble!! 

Scarred by Emily McIntire

adventurous challenging dark emotional mysterious tense slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.25

I was not expecting to love it as much as I loved it!!! Wow!! A true masterpiece! 

This is slow burn at its finest!!! It definitely isn’t a Lion King retelling but more so of a reimagining with specific references. For instance.. the family this books centers around is the Faasa family (as in Mufaasa). Scarred is a fantastic, dark, royal romance with a forbidden love aspect between the king’s bride to be, Sara Beatraux, and the scarred prince, Tristan Faasa. 

The plot was incredible!! Normally, anything fantasy related isn’t my sort of of thing, but.. the plot, the characters, the story and the banter between Sara and Tristan was INCREDIBLE!! Emily McIntire does a phenomenal job at the world building in this story! 

Sara B. was BADASS!! She was everything you’d expect from a Queen with some revenge mixed in! And don’t even get me started on Tristan!!! He is mm mm ★彡[ᴅᴇʟɪᴄɪᴏᴜꜱ]彡★

One of my favorite quotes from this book was: 

'I'd like to draw you. Just like this, with your face kissing the stars...I think it's the most beautiful thing l've ever seen."

"Are you calling me beautiful?"

'I'm saying you could drive a man insane. Make him raze the world just to see you smile."

Their chemistry radiated off the pages and their love story was SCORCHING!!! Absolutely incredible. Hooked was one of my all time favorites and even though I didn’t expect to enjoy this book, I absolutely loved it!! Tristan can be my prince and I’d surely bow for him! Sexy, witty, spicy, intense… everything you’d want in a story. On to the next!