hereiskyra's reviews
339 reviews

challenging dark tense fast-paced

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

4.0

What in the world did I just read and why could I not put it down?! I was hooked from page one and there wasn’t a dull moment in its entirety (maybe just a few nausea inducing ones).

Mild spoilers ahead… 🖤

Ophelia and Alex were both victims of circumstance and they were both conditioned to live a way they wouldn’t have chosen for themselves. I think the reality of the world proves just how easy it is for some people to love a real monster… sometimes ones that aren’t even sorry for their actions or have no desire to change. So, let’s be real for a second here… Alex would be a lot easier to love than some of the crazies running around in society. I said what I said.

While this wasn’t a typical “dark romance” or anything, it was in the realm… and even though in reality we’d be screaming at Ophelia… this work of FICTION was pretty solid in my eyes. It kept me engaged, the writing was good, the characters had depth and their own personalities. And she wasn’t afraid to add in some cringey, disgusting bits for shock value that, while completely unnecessary, made this book super memorable.

Tropes/Themes:

Stockholm Syndrome

Captive/Captor

Morally Black MMC

HEAVY Triggers

Spice: 🌶️🌶️🌶️

Content Warnings

A Ballad of Phantoms and Hope: A Paranormal Spinoff to The Fabric of our Souls by K.M. Moronova

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dark emotional hopeful inspiring reflective sad fast-paced

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

5.0

What have you done to me… again? 😭

Well, it’s the first book that made me cry in the first chapter… then consistently made me tear up or cry through its entirety. It really hit deep.

This story was so interesting. The concept of the afterlife was really well constructed and I liked that it was so digestible. She created a purgatory existence where the characters were still able to experience a lot of things in a similar way as they would as living beings.

Lanston is such a beautifully tragic character. He is truly a good, kind soul but was forced to endure a life that led him to crave death rather than life, just as many do. Learning more about him and what he experienced as a child and young man was heartbreaking. It’s a testament to people like him that endure awful circumstances and still grow to be generous, kind, loving people… he just happened to be a person who also doesn’t want to be alive.

What I wasn’t expecting is for Ophelia’s story to be equally as sad. She believed she was unworthy of love and life but contrary to what everyone told her, she too had a beautiful soul. And because of the harsh words and callous actions of others, she could not cope with the life she was handed.

Two beautiful souls whose lives tragically ended far too quickly because of a harsh world meet and are so drawn to one another it’s as if fate put them in each other’s path. The bond between them was immediate and undeniable. The universe finally provided what each of them needed in the form of the other, even if it was far too late.

This book covers so many important topics and conversations around mental health. The part chemistry plays in our overall quality of existence is overlooked so much and the validation of that as well as feelings that stem from those imbalances is so important. While it’s hard to read about such heartbreaking things, especially if you struggle with depression or similar thoughts/experiences, I love that it was explored so thoughtfully. I will always appreciate that she does not shy away from the hard topics.

Lanston and Ophelia’s story may have broken my heart more than once but it also put it back together each and every time. And their story gave me so much of the healing I needed after what happened to Lanston. It was beautiful to see him find some happiness and peace, even if it took years and was in the afterlife. I love the idea that after a life of tragedy, there can still be hope. Even after death, there can still be hope.

Tropes:
Paranormal Romance
Slow Burn
Bucket List
Mental Health Rep

Spice: 🌶️🌶️

Content Warnings

Sabotage by Shantel Tessier

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challenging dark emotional tense fast-paced

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

5.0

This book went 0-60 right out the gate and it didn’t lose my interest for a second! It felt well paced and not too lengthy yet still felt like a full story.

Colt and Raylee are what I WANT out of a step-sibling romance and soemtimes don’t get. The secret, taboo aspects were all there. I loved how possessive he was and I’m so glad we got both points of view. Knowing what he feels so early on changed the story completely.

One thing that (barely) bothered me was that the story with Nate and her revenge felt a little familiar… a lot of it was like what we saw in The Sacrifice with Laikyn. Down to the video. But truly, it barely even fazed me. snd then the revenge she had because of it? Perfection.

I thought the progression of their relationship felt natural and I got genuinely attached to both of them. I couldn’t used another chapter sometime in the future, I missed that part… getting to see these characters years down the road to find out how they turned out. Maybe one day!

Tropes:

Stepbrother

Forbidden

Enemies to Lovers

Revenge

Spice: 🌶️🌶️🌶️🌶️

Content Warnings

Green Light by Jescie Hall

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challenging dark emotional mysterious tense slow-paced

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

4.0

If you would’ve asked me how this book was going to go before I started it… it’d be an entirely different description than how it did go. The tropes alone had me convinced I knew exactly what to expect when I in fact did not.

I struggled a lot for the first 60% but it started to pick up a little more plot-wise after that. By that point, the characters had reached a place for me that they were way more likeable and digestible. They both had a lot… I mean a LOT, of issues. But we love a flawed MC, right?

The mysterious aspects made it more fun to read and at the big reveal I was literally talking out loud to myself. I love a good thrill ride and this was definitely that.

Both these characters were problematic as hell… but I would expect nothing less. At the end it was pretty clear they were perfectly matched. I wanted a little more intimacy between them than we got. It felt like we waited so long for them to get to that point and once they did, I needed to SAVOR it.
But I also wished we would’ve gotten a little more of Montana and Shane in their younger years. I think I just like a little bit more sweet moments mixed in with my crazy. 🙃

Like I said, this book was almost nothing I expected from the first page to the last but I enjoyed the hell out of it either way!

Also, side note - the little romance blossoming between Wheeter and Josiah was just… 🥰

Tropes:
Step-Brother
Cam Girl/Biker Guy
Roommates
Second Chance
Obsessed MMC

Spice: 🌶️🌶️🌶️🌶️

Content Warnings

City of Mirth and Malice by Alexis L. Menard

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adventurous challenging dark mysterious tense medium-paced

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

4.0

I went in to this not knowing this would be the end of Nicola and Camila’s respective story but I’m so glad I did! I never knew if they’d find their way back to once another or if they’d have to spend years apart… and the anxiety of that had me on the edge of my seat.

The romantic elements in this book were more subtle than the first. Not with respect to their feelings for one another, it just felt as though we already knew they had a great connection and we didn’t need to build too much on that (or add a bunch of spice).

The magical elements were interesting, too. Although this part of the story didn’t keep my attention quite as much as it probably should have but I was just waiting for them to get back to each other so Chaos was lower on my priority list.

All that being said, this was a great way to tie up Nicolai and Camilla’s story. It was full of action, romance and even some world building elements. I’m excited to see what comes next!

Tropes:

“Touch Her and Die”

Found Family

Spice: 1.5 🌶️

Content Warnings

Daydream by Hannah Grace

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adventurous emotional funny hopeful inspiring lighthearted reflective 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? N/A

5.0

Okay… new favorite book of the series alert! This was so cute! I love both of them. 💜

To start, I absolutely love the concept of Henry obviously having some difficulties and learning how to navigate those. I respect her decision to write him as someone who doesn’t live with a diagnosis but just knows there are things to be managed. He is still living a full life, like many people do, without a diagnosis. And I love that the addition of Halle made that life even better because she was ready to jump in and help him however she could, whether that meant space or even specific types of touch to make sure he was as comfortable as possible.

Henry is genuinely such a beautiful character and he is definitely the star of this show. Halle was great, too, of course… but all of the heart eyes for Henry.

There were so many elements to this story that intrigued me and I love that each book in this series feels like a completely different story and set of characters rather than just a copy paste of the last with a few changes.

This was a lot more slow burn than I had expected and the more I think about that, the more I realize how much sense it makes for these two characters.

I really don’t have a single negative thing to say about this book. 💜

Tropes:

Fake dating

Opposites attract

Bookish FMC

Hockey Captain MMC

Spice: 🌶️🌶️

Content Warnings

The Au Pair Affair by Tessa Bailey

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adventurous funny hopeful lighthearted reflective medium-paced

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

3.0

I fear I may have moved on from my Tessa Bailey era... okay, mostly kidding. I never really had one but her books used to make me feel a lot more giddy and a little less… uncomfortable. Like, they are still a good time but the dialogue is starting to make me cringe. Don’t get me wrong, if get get another book in the series about Chloe and her step bro? I’m definitely in. But, overall, this didn’t have a lot of depth for me… I think it was supposed to but something missed the mark.

I hated both of their names and his daughter was on my last nerve. Single dads are usually just 🤌🏼 but not this time. Not to mention, I’d rather have had the miscommunication trope than whatever that was… dude was just acting like a straight up dick 🤷🏻‍♀️

But, I didn’t have a terrible time and really we are just here for some enjoyment and smutty entertainment some days, right? So… mission close to accomplished. It had its moments, anyway. This review is deceivingly negative and it wasn’t as bad as it sounds. I actually enjoyed most of this book. I just remember all of things I didn’t like EXTRA well.

Tropes:
Workplace romance
Single dad/nanny
Age gap (11 years)
Grumpy x Sunshine

Spice: 🌶️🌶️🌶️

Content Warnings

The Resurrection of Wildflowers by Micalea Smeltzer

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challenging emotional hopeful reflective sad medium-paced

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

4.5

Well okay, big ole time jump. And I guess I was wrong about Caleb having a chance 😂

We see these characters several years down the road and Salem with a now 5 year old child that Caleb has raised as his own and Thayer doesn’t know exists. What could go wrong?

But, I was pleasantly surprised that there was very little turbulence in this story even though such a big secret was kept. Instead we got our hearts broken by Salems mom… and reminders of Thayers son.

Getting to experience sweet moments of meeting his daughter for the first time and getting to know her was touching. I am an absolute sucker for that! Girl dads make my heart melt. 🫠

This was a semi slow burn but somehow moved at hyper speed once it got going. But I loved that these characters spent years apart and then refused to waste anymore time workout one another and without living their lives the way they wanted.

I will miss these characters! 🌸

Tropes:

Age gap (13 years)

Second chance

Spice: 🌶️🌶️

Content Warnings

The Confidence of Wildflowers by Micalea Smeltzer

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adventurous challenging emotional funny hopeful reflective sad medium-paced

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

4.5

Age gap… grumpy neighbor… single dad. All the right things to make this book swoonworthy. Up until the end of the book, I was absolutely swooning over Thayer and Salem (I hate their names). Forbidden romances will always be top tier but especially when the MMC is a genuinely conflicted good guy.

Caleb is kind of an outlier here but something feels important. Like, he obviously seems like the better choice, emotionally and logically for Salem and he’s genuinely a good guy too. It’s hard to say if I’d be okay with them ending up together. I think Thayer has a lot to make up for in book two to get back in my good graces and earn my rooting for them in the end.

My attitude for the last 10% of this book was literally “what the actual fuck” and then “aww” and then “what the actual fuck” again.

Ready to jump into the second one and let me tell you, if there isn’t an HEA, I’m gonna riot.

Tropes:

Age gap (13 years)

Grumpy neighbor

Single dad

Infidelity (not between MC’s)

Spice: 2.5 🌶️

Content Warnings

A Pessimist's Guide to Love by Jennifer Hartmann

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challenging emotional hopeful reflective medium-paced

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

4.25

Finally, we learn more about what happened so many years ago. This story was so heartbreaking… I think mostly because it’s something that could have easily happened to someone. Lives change in the blink of an eye.

I really enjoyed seeing these two grow and find their way to one another. I loved their story more than I expected and I’m not sure why I waited so long to read this duet.

Tropes:

Virgin FMC

Childhood Friends to Lovers

Workplace Romance

Spice: 🌶️🌶️

Content Warnings

More...

hereiskyra's reviews 339 reviews

hereiskyra's reviews
339 reviews