jessanicolesingh's reviews
80 reviews

Eleven Eleven by Micalea Smeltzer

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emotional funny hopeful inspiring 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? Yes

4.0

Imagine moving cross country, freshly divorced, and having an AMAZING one night stand with a guy 11 years your junior, only to run into him again after a date with another man 11 years your senior and finding out he is his son 🤯 I don’t know about you, but I would be GAGGED!

This was such a cute small town romance, highlighting new beginnings and learning to let love in again. I really liked that the story begins after the FMC has already rediscovered herself and mourned the loss of her marriage, instead of “wasting” storyline time on that and leaving more time for the featured relationship to blossom.

I wouldn’t say it’s the most memorable book I’ve read this year, but it was sweet and fun nonetheless. It had the spice of a Lauren Asher novel, with the taboo trope of Penelope Douglas.
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Lilac by B.B. Reid

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emotional funny tense 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? Yes

4.0

I really enjoyed the premise of this book; an enemies to lovers reverse harem with a rock band on tour, HEAVY on the bully trope. It was hot, fun, and full of angst, yet had a lot of emotional factors too.

This book was a slow, slow burn. The bully cycle was on rinse and repeat, and they had miscommunications galore. Keeping up with this crew's hot and cold tension gave me some serious whiplash, but I knew what I signed up for.

Each of the three men were different enough in personalities and their individual relationships with the FMC, but I still found myself having to double check halfway through each chapter to remind myself whose POV I was reading.

I also found that the synesthesia was a little much sometimes. I totally understand it's role in the story, but it was mentioned so much it was hammered to death rather than just into your head.
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Perfect Strangers by J.T. Geissinger

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emotional mysterious sad 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? Yes

4.5

First of all, how rude of Geissinger to do this to me AGAIN 🤯 I went into this book with one eye closed, gearing myself up for an inevitable twist, just to still to be completely blindsided by the direction it took!

The story follows a writer, lost in the grief of losing her family, who meets a handsome and equally troubled artist, while on an extended vacation in Paris. What begins as a summer fling, with great sarcastic banter I might add, starts to take quite the turn as she pieces together that not all is what it seems and her reality fractures.

This book absolutely gutted me at one point, and gave me whiplash at several others. Don’t get me wrong, it was fantastically written, kept me guessing at every turn, and had great “open door” romance scenes, but I can’t see myself coming back to read it again as I will likely be drawn back to Pen Pal.
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Marrow by Brynne Weaver, Trisha Wolfe

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dark 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? Yes

4.5

This was my first dual author book, but my third Brynne Weaver read. It was very true to her typical voice, so I can only assume that Wolfe's style is very similar and I should add her works to my TBR as well! 

This story features two forensics professors who also both happen to be serial killers. The colleagues are rivals in any sense of the word, and come together only to take out a common threat as suspicions rise. From there, sparks fly, bodies drop, and their connected past catches up to them. It was unsurprisingly gorey, occasionally funny, and had the perfect amount of spice 🤌
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Pen Pal by J.T. Geissinger

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dark emotional mysterious sad 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? Yes

5.0

My jaw dropped. My tears fell. My flabbers were gasted. This book blew me away!

To summarize this book without giving anything away is next to impossible. If you read the synopsis, it's misleading and yet 100% accurate at the same time, and you'll have yourself double checking that you are still reading the right book several times. I can definitely see how some people might not like where the story ends up going, but for me it was an absolute home run!
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Madness by Shantel Tessier

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dark emotional 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? Yes

4.5

I’ve said it before and I will say it again, I LOVE the Spade Brothers!

This book followed a different formula than the rest, featuring a FMC that wants to be in with the big boys; she has no desire to be a chosen or a simple Lady, but would rather take on Lord tasks and power. Her assignment is to go undercover as a therapist to one of the brothers, where he quickly discovers her real identity and claims her as punishment, and she goes rather willingly I might add. Through some twists and turns we get the whole gang back together from the rest of the series, with a big final reveal further connecting them all. If this is where the series takes its final bow, I am more than satisfied with the ending!

Haidyn is definitely my favorite Spade Brother, his sympathetic side was kind of refreshing for this series. I loved that he wasn't as power hungry as the past Lords have been, almost as if he resents being born into this world but making the best of it.
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Home Is Where the Bodies Are by Jeneva Rose

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

4.0

I went into this book essentially blind; I knew it had been trending lately but had not read the synopsis before starting it. It definitely helped build up the suspense and thrill factor for me, so if you plan on doing the same then stop reading now!

In a small town, we find three estranged siblings that come together after the death of their mother, with the last time they had all been together having been when their father disappeared 7 years ago. While preparing for the funeral and going through her old belongings, they find an old VHS tape incriminating their parents in the murder of their childhood friend and neighbor, or at the very least in the hiding of her corpse. From there they have to decide what to do with this information and how to investigate further. The story is told through multiple POV, the majority being the present day experiences of the siblings, but also flashback chapters to 1999 from the mother, rounding out the timeline of events.

Though the book moved a little slow for my taste, the tension and final reveal were well worth it!
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Triple Sec by TJ Alexander

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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

4.0

This was a cute lighthearted read featuring a queer polycule, with a slightly deeper lesson on learning how to love again after heartbreak and believing in yourself. Between these pages we see two love stories unfold, the first being the initial meet-cute between Mel, a jaded bartender in NYC, and Bebe, a confident and bubbly lawyer who is already married but in an open relationship. As the two get acquainted, date and grow closer together, Mel also finds herself connecting with B’s partner, Kade (they/them), ultimately bringing the trio together as a single unit. I personally felt the later pairing didn't feel as organic as the first; it seemed more of a convenience to the story than anything, but was still enjoyable.

I appreciated how the author illustrated the relationship dynamics, making the learning process for Mel, as well as the reader, part of the story rather than homework to do beforehand. Its inclusivity makes for a much wider audience than just those who are within this community.
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Losers: Part II by Harley Laroux

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dark emotional tense 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

4.0

For a categorically dark/taboo romance duet, these books were much more emotional than I had anticipated them being. I always love a good reverse harem, especially when the men play together too 😉

The series depicts a group of town outcasts in a polyamorous relationship that find themselves reconnecting with their old high school bully, Jess, whom they have all been obsessed with for years. After a chance encounter and car trouble, the guys propose a deal of sorts; if she agrees to join their quad for the time being they would fix her car in their shop. From there you can unsurprisingly expect a copious amount of spicy scenes, very heavy on the BDSM.

I absolutely LOVED these boys; Manson, the unofficial leader of the house and most forward towards bringing the FMC into the mix, Lucas, the hotheaded racer with a soft spot for cats, Vincent, the drug dealer turned romantic goofball, and finally Jason, abandoned by his religious parents that refused to accept him. Jessica on the other hand, I didn’t find myself all that crazy for, I felt like her plight was deeper than her personality at times.

I wouldn't really say there was too much of a plot outside of the payment arrangement that ultimately, and obviously, leads to Jess joining their “family.” There were some ghosts from their collective pasts slowly creeping in on them, namely Manson’s deadbeat father, Reagan, and a few stray bullies from high school still targeting them. From the first book to the second there was a fairly non-climaxal cliffhanger where the group was planning to take a vacation with just a touch of anxiety over the looming threats. Although the main antagonistic force wove in and out rather than a continuous buildup, this actually made the story more realistic.
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Losers: Part I by Harley Laroux

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dark emotional tense 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

4.0

For a categorically dark/taboo romance duet, these books were much more emotional than I had anticipated them being. I always love a good reverse harem, especially when the men play together too 😉

The series depicts a group of town outcasts in a polyamorous relationship that find themselves reconnecting with their old high school bully, Jess, whom they have all been obsessed with for years. After a chance encounter and car trouble, the guys propose a deal of sorts; if she agrees to join their quad for the time being they would fix her car in their shop. From there you can unsurprisingly expect a copious amount of spicy scenes, very heavy on the BDSM.

I absolutely LOVED these boys; Manson, the unofficial leader of the house and most forward towards bringing the FMC into the mix, Lucas, the hotheaded racer with a soft spot for cats, Vincent, the drug dealer turned romantic goofball, and finally Jason, abandoned by his religious parents that refused to accept him. Jessica on the other hand, I didn’t find myself all that crazy for, I felt like her plight was deeper than her personality at times.

I wouldn't really say there was too much of a plot outside of the payment arrangement that ultimately, and obviously, leads to Jess joining their “family.” There were some ghosts from their collective pasts slowly creeping in on them, namely Manson’s deadbeat father, Reagan, and a few stray bullies from high school still targeting them. From the first book to the second there was a fairly non-climaxal cliffhanger where the group was planning to take a vacation with just a touch of anxiety over the looming threats. Although the main antagonistic force wove in and out rather than a continuous buildup, this actually made the story more realistic.
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