clrwht's reviews
493 reviews

Wisteria by Adalyn Grace

emotional hopeful mysterious tense medium-paced

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

5.0

10/10 easily my favourite of the series, and the audio was a joy as always. loved everything about this! 

The Witch Collector by Charissa Weaks

adventurous hopeful mysterious tense medium-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? No

4.0

I really enjoyed this one! The characters were written so well, I couldn’t help but love all of them (even the prince, who we love to hate). I was a big fan of how quickly you are drawn into the thick of the plot and action. Loved diving headfirst into the story! It was very easy reading with a bit of complex world building (the good kind) and lots of character development. I’m not overly obsessed, but will for sure be reading the rest of the series at some point.

A Soul to Heal by Opal Reyne

challenging dark emotional hopeful sad tense medium-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? No

4.5

This book cleaved my heart in two and sewed it back together on several occasions. Magnar is the sweetest soul, I honestly welled up so many times at his angelic nature. A very selfless character who you can’t help but love! I enjoyed A Soul to Keep a lot, but the characters and themes within A Soul to Heal near destroyed me. Despite it having a trope I often don’t enjoy, the way it’s incorporated into the story made it all the sweeter to read. I have big big love for this story and the writing is truly fantastic.

Restless Stars by Caroline Peckham, Susanne Valenti

adventurous challenging dark emotional funny hopeful reflective sad 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? No

5.0

What a way to end the series! 

Super fast paced, lots of action and not nearly as much filler as previous ones (thankfully), so I wasn’t bored once, despite the sheer length of this book.

Adored the character development, so much growth and genuine laugh out loud moments. My favourite chapters are the ones where the whole team are just hanging out, chatting and bantering back and forth. The sense of family and love that’s portrayed is unmatched. My heart felt very full during these moments, it added a layer to the book that had me falling in love with everyone all over again.

These women know how to round off a series too, each epilogue had me tearing up and laughing at the same time. Such a treat to read!

Offside by Avery Keelan

hopeful lighthearted reflective medium-paced

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

3.5

This ended up being much more enjoyable than I expected it to be! A little long for your standard hockey romance, but it didn’t feel overly drawn out and meant the progression of their relationship was done right. 

With a medium pace and dual POV, it was easy to get sucked into the story. Both Bailey and Chase are super likeable and their chemistry was done pretty well. There are a few toxic characters that make you feel a bit miserable for a while, and Bailey’s relationship with her brother is infuriating, but also a little more realistic if I’m being honest. 

Despite the typical third act breakup, I wasn’t rolling my eyes like I usually do and the pace of the ending and H.E.A was spot on. I’d have loved a bit more detail about some of the characters and how their stories panned out (I’m a sucker for retribution) but that was the only thing missing in terms on the story. All in all, an enjoyable sports romance with ACTUAL sports content (we love to see it) and a super easy read.

A Long Time Coming by Meghan Quinn

emotional funny hopeful lighthearted reflective medium-paced

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

4.5

For me, this is one of those books that you fall into and lose all sense of time. I got so caught up in the story I had to talk myself out of reading more when I had things to do or places to be. I went in not realising this is the third book of inter-connected romances, but couldn’t put it down once I was in it. I laughed out loud HARD and cackled my way through each chapter. I was a giggling mess, kicking my feet and squealing at the tenderness between Lia and Breaker. I loved this book so much!

The slow burn was done so. damn. well. Friends to lovers isn’t usually a trope I go for, but I adored their friendship. It pulled you right into their relationship, showed off the ease of being themselves with each other and the ridiculously fun banter, making that the focus above anything else. I’d also like to give an honourable mention to the intimate scenes between our two MCs. They were honestly some of the hottest stuff I’ve read. The night after the cake tasting scene? wow.

Lia and Breakers connection is just so intense yet caring, affectionate and considerate, that it pulls you into the story and helps them feel very authentic as both characters and a couple. Big love for this book! 

Woven by Gold by Elizabeth Helen

adventurous emotional funny hopeful inspiring lighthearted medium-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? No

5.0

what a sequel! this series went from a cosy beauty and the best retelling to a high stakes fantasy with lots and lots of peril. I laughed, I cried, I raged and I was even shook on a few occasions. enjoyed this immensely! 

An Heir Comes to Rise by Chloe C. Peñaranda

adventurous dark hopeful tense fast-paced

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

4.0

The last 20% of this book had me in a chokehold. A few twists I didn’t see coming and a very exciting plot development for the next book has me itching to keep reading immediately.

If you’d have asked me half way through, I’d probably have said I wasn’t all that attached to the characters, but I felt so emotional reading through the last part that I found myself welling up constantly. It seems I’ve been unknowingly hooked! 

I found the nightwalkers an interesting take on Fae powers and something I hadn’t come across before, which helped add a new element to what could have easily been another fantasy fae/human story. We’re thrown into the peril of the lives of our cast of characters right from the beginning and I loved diving headfirst into the world building. 

I hit a bit of a lull in the middle when we ventured into the fighting part of the plot, but this is probably because it felt a little out of character for me and also I just wasn’t interested in this storyline. Having finished the book, I get now why it was important… but trying to get through it was a bit slow.

All in all, I’m so glad I finally got round to reading this and can’t wait to read the next in the series!

Bonded by Thorns by Elizabeth Helen

adventurous dark hopeful lighthearted mysterious 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? No

4.25

This was such a  fun beauty and the beast re-telling (and it sticks very close to the original fairytale, with the addition of a few extra beasts). 

A whimsical fantasy with some spicy romance and endearing characters thrown in! It’s fast paced, easy to read and there’s lots of pretty lovely world building. I didn’t expect this to end on such a cliffhanger, it’s definitely left me wanting more!

Loving Romeo by Laura Pavlov

hopeful lighthearted fast-paced

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

3.0

This was…. meh. I enjoyed the first 50% and thought it was really sweet with a bit of tension. But then it sorta fell a bit flat and was real predictable (but not in the way where you’re looking forward to reading it regardless). I ended up flying through the rest just to try get it finished.