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madlereads's reviews
492 reviews
For Better or Hearse by Ava Hunter
emotional
funny
medium-paced
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
5.0
Brutal Husband by Lilith Vincent
dark
emotional
mysterious
fast-paced
4.5
Thank you to Lilith Vincent for the ARC! β€οΈ
β οΈ18+ and check trigger warnings!
πͺ dark romance
π± arranged marriage in crisis
π he's obsessed with her & stalks her
π¦ breeding
π€ who tf did I marry?
I can always count on Lilith Vincent for intense and deranged male characters! π₯ I was on the edge of my seat the whole time desperately needing answers!
Rieta's dream marriage that Nero promised her turned into a nightmare. π± Nero disappeared one day but then he suddenly comes back and he's off his hinges, demanding answers. He won't say where he's been, but he also won't believe she hasn't touched another man. Yet he's still ready to pick up where they left off: by starting a family.
Exactly. What?! WE need the answers, Nero! π€£
π± I enjoyed the suspense and the twists of this plot. I kept guessing and guessing throughout this fast paced book.
π₯Ί Nero's love for Rieta was very unconventional. But he does cherish her. He's a big softie despite his roughness.
π³ who tf did you marry, Rieta?
π My heart broke for the both of them. The things they went through and had to come to terms with. But I'm glad they could move forward together β€οΈ
π Rieta was a sweetie. I loved her progression from naive and innocent to slowly growing more conviction in her actions and maintaining her peace. Yet she's still kindhearted through it all and had a strong sense of justice. The perfect match for Nero's darkness.
π this was really fast paced! I couldn't put the book down. I do wish we got some more time with some scenes. But still very very enjoyable. The ending was just so cute. π€
β οΈ18+ and check trigger warnings!
πͺ dark romance
π± arranged marriage in crisis
π he's obsessed with her & stalks her
π¦ breeding
π€ who tf did I marry?
I can always count on Lilith Vincent for intense and deranged male characters! π₯ I was on the edge of my seat the whole time desperately needing answers!
Rieta's dream marriage that Nero promised her turned into a nightmare. π± Nero disappeared one day but then he suddenly comes back and he's off his hinges, demanding answers. He won't say where he's been, but he also won't believe she hasn't touched another man. Yet he's still ready to pick up where they left off: by starting a family.
Exactly. What?! WE need the answers, Nero! π€£
π± I enjoyed the suspense and the twists of this plot. I kept guessing and guessing throughout this fast paced book.
π₯Ί Nero's love for Rieta was very unconventional. But he does cherish her. He's a big softie despite his roughness.
π³ who tf did you marry, Rieta?
π My heart broke for the both of them. The things they went through and had to come to terms with. But I'm glad they could move forward together β€οΈ
π Rieta was a sweetie. I loved her progression from naive and innocent to slowly growing more conviction in her actions and maintaining her peace. Yet she's still kindhearted through it all and had a strong sense of justice. The perfect match for Nero's darkness.
π this was really fast paced! I couldn't put the book down. I do wish we got some more time with some scenes. But still very very enjoyable. The ending was just so cute. π€
Lights Out by Navessa Allen
dark
funny
slow-paced
- Strong character development? No
3.5
πΉ mask kink
π± stalker
π she's his biggest fan but he's even more obsessed with her
πͺ knife play
π€ dark romance
I really liked the concept of this! Lots of stuff I liked but unfortunately equally lots of stuff I didn't like as much.
Aly is a trauma nurse who unwinds by watch her favorite creator's thirst trap content. Who knew one text would've changed everything? Cause now Josh, the person behind the man in the mask online that Aly is obsessed with, has taken Aly up on her "invitation" to break into her home and make her fantasies come true.
This was pretty fun and unhinged over all. I think I liked the first part most because there was this sort of cat and mouse-like game Josh and Aly were engaged in. Josh knows exactly who Aly is because of his hacker skills and stalker tendencies. But Aly doesnβt know who he was despite some theories. So it was fun seeing her try to catch him like he's Santa Claus and try to meet real Josh and reveal his identity but Josh always got around it.
Josh and Aly were pretty solid in their backgrounds. Josh's trauma and fears connected to his serial killer father and Aly's grief/guilt over her mother's death. That was actually interesting to read about.
I did like them together at first because of the banter and chemistry, but then as the story went on it was just sickeningly way too cheesy for me and got annoying. I very much related to a side character that was like "barf" whenever Aly and Josh would be OTT clingy "no babe, yoouuu. I love you. Don't get hurt promise me?" Like get on with it! Yea stay safe but this is time sensitive mission??
The plot as a concept was fun and entertaining. But the execution was meh. The pacing was also dragging a lot here and there. Especially during conversations, for some reason, Aly and Josh always had to do deep dives on society's norms and how they deviate. And then super repetitive thoughts about how depraved their tastes are and how they shouldn't be turned on but they are π we get it. All this is established a hundred times!
Not to mention, the antagonist was anti-climatic. I had different expectations of where this was gonna go. I wanted more suspense directly caused by the antagonist not the aftermath. Then again the aftermath was dragged out for the rest of the book so I was over it.
Like you know how bad it is for me to skim spice scenes just to get the book overwith?? Yikes.
Aly was a smart character but she got annoying once she had to reunite with her extended family. I understand her wariness and distrust of them, but they're literally doing her a favor. She could be detached or her black cat self no need to come in guns blazing at them for breathing. Don't provoke the scary guys doing you a favor cause you messed up. And again, very repetitive stuff here too. I was over her constantly reminding Josh to be safe like he's not a criminal himself π€£π€£
Josh was surprisingly more of a goober than I thought a dark romance MMC would be. So that was entertaining at least.
So yea. Great concept. I did have some fun. But overall? Meh.
π± stalker
π she's his biggest fan but he's even more obsessed with her
πͺ knife play
π€ dark romance
I really liked the concept of this! Lots of stuff I liked but unfortunately equally lots of stuff I didn't like as much.
Aly is a trauma nurse who unwinds by watch her favorite creator's thirst trap content. Who knew one text would've changed everything? Cause now Josh, the person behind the man in the mask online that Aly is obsessed with, has taken Aly up on her "invitation" to break into her home and make her fantasies come true.
This was pretty fun and unhinged over all. I think I liked the first part most because there was this sort of cat and mouse-like game Josh and Aly were engaged in. Josh knows exactly who Aly is because of his hacker skills and stalker tendencies. But Aly doesnβt know who he was despite some theories. So it was fun seeing her try to catch him like he's Santa Claus and try to meet real Josh and reveal his identity but Josh always got around it.
Josh and Aly were pretty solid in their backgrounds. Josh's trauma and fears connected to his serial killer father and Aly's grief/guilt over her mother's death. That was actually interesting to read about.
I did like them together at first because of the banter and chemistry, but then as the story went on it was just sickeningly way too cheesy for me and got annoying. I very much related to a side character that was like "barf" whenever Aly and Josh would be OTT clingy "no babe, yoouuu. I love you. Don't get hurt promise me?" Like get on with it! Yea stay safe but this is time sensitive mission??
The plot as a concept was fun and entertaining. But the execution was meh. The pacing was also dragging a lot here and there. Especially during conversations, for some reason, Aly and Josh always had to do deep dives on society's norms and how they deviate. And then super repetitive thoughts about how depraved their tastes are and how they shouldn't be turned on but they are π we get it. All this is established a hundred times!
Not to mention, the antagonist was anti-climatic. I had different expectations of where this was gonna go. I wanted more suspense directly caused by the antagonist not the aftermath. Then again the aftermath was dragged out for the rest of the book so I was over it.
Like you know how bad it is for me to skim spice scenes just to get the book overwith?? Yikes.
Aly was a smart character but she got annoying once she had to reunite with her extended family. I understand her wariness and distrust of them, but they're literally doing her a favor. She could be detached or her black cat self no need to come in guns blazing at them for breathing. Don't provoke the scary guys doing you a favor cause you messed up. And again, very repetitive stuff here too. I was over her constantly reminding Josh to be safe like he's not a criminal himself π€£π€£
Josh was surprisingly more of a goober than I thought a dark romance MMC would be. So that was entertaining at least.
So yea. Great concept. I did have some fun. But overall? Meh.
Rally by Devney Perry
emotional
lighthearted
fast-paced
4.0
π college football romance
π€° surprise/accidental pregnancy
π€ and they were roommates
π€ small town
Really cute with a side of angst and drama. I really enjoyed this one!
Rush and Faye meet by chance twice with the second time ending with a one night stand. But as luck has it, their one night stand came with a souvenir: a pregnancy! π±
It was really sweet and funny how they came together to have the baby. Of course things were stressful since it was unplanned but also their senior year, Rush plays football, and Faye is living paycheck to paycheck. To sweeten the pot, there was draammaaaa and trauma, which I wasn't expecting too much of.
But really, I adored Rush. He's really sweet and cared a lot for Faye. I lived for his funny awkward moments where he kept messing up. But he's a true provider and just wanted to help Faye find her success and thrive as well. I loved how he slowly broke down her walls and tried to mend all the things she's missed out on in a family.
Rush's need to provide and help though clashed with Faye's personality/habits of only being able to rely on herself. Due to her neglectful and abusive mother issues, Faye's used to being on her own. She was hella hyper-indenpendent but I totally understood and enjoyed watching her slowly put her guard down and accept the help since she's finally got a team and that's Rush π₯Ί
Like if there was a couple that was the definition of "I know you can do it, but I'd like to help," that's them!
Now the drama and angst was much more than I was expecting which brought the rating down for me. As well as the pregnancy: I felt like it was on the back burner due to all the awkwardness (though part of it was warranted ig) and drama Faye and Rush had to deal with. I wanted more funny moments when they deal with pregnancy symptoms or doctors visits or building furniture. But instead they had to deal with Rush's bestie Maverick being the most vile trash human being to Faye (he deserved a punch or two to the face tbh), and Faye's brat sister low key being insensitive to Faye's victimhood of abuse.
Rush's sweet parents were also a highlight and I wish I got to see more on-page bonding of them with Faye. Especially the holidays of them doting on her!!
And yea I loved the little family Faye created. So sweet. With Dusty and Mike and everyone else.
The epilogue and bonus story was soooo cute. I melted!
Overall a good read, just more angsty than expected.
π€° surprise/accidental pregnancy
π€ and they were roommates
π€ small town
Really cute with a side of angst and drama. I really enjoyed this one!
Rush and Faye meet by chance twice with the second time ending with a one night stand. But as luck has it, their one night stand came with a souvenir: a pregnancy! π±
It was really sweet and funny how they came together to have the baby. Of course things were stressful since it was unplanned but also their senior year, Rush plays football, and Faye is living paycheck to paycheck. To sweeten the pot, there was draammaaaa and trauma, which I wasn't expecting too much of.
But really, I adored Rush. He's really sweet and cared a lot for Faye. I lived for his funny awkward moments where he kept messing up. But he's a true provider and just wanted to help Faye find her success and thrive as well. I loved how he slowly broke down her walls and tried to mend all the things she's missed out on in a family.
Rush's need to provide and help though clashed with Faye's personality/habits of only being able to rely on herself. Due to her neglectful and abusive mother issues, Faye's used to being on her own. She was hella hyper-indenpendent but I totally understood and enjoyed watching her slowly put her guard down and accept the help since she's finally got a team and that's Rush π₯Ί
Like if there was a couple that was the definition of "I know you can do it, but I'd like to help," that's them!
Now the drama and angst was much more than I was expecting which brought the rating down for me. As well as the pregnancy: I felt like it was on the back burner due to all the awkwardness (though part of it was warranted ig) and drama Faye and Rush had to deal with. I wanted more funny moments when they deal with pregnancy symptoms or doctors visits or building furniture. But instead they had to deal with Rush's bestie Maverick being the most vile trash human being to Faye (he deserved a punch or two to the face tbh), and Faye's brat sister low key being insensitive to Faye's victimhood of abuse.
Rush's sweet parents were also a highlight and I wish I got to see more on-page bonding of them with Faye. Especially the holidays of them doting on her!!
And yea I loved the little family Faye created. So sweet. With Dusty and Mike and everyone else.
The epilogue and bonus story was soooo cute. I melted!
Overall a good read, just more angsty than expected.
Sinful Hearts by Jagger Cole
3.75
π« mafia romance
π₯ ONS to FWB
π sex clubbing
π€ she's a lawyer and he's (technically) her client
Not my favorite of this series. I enjoyed it overall but couldn't connect too well with Elsa and Hases. There were funny and cute moments. But I felt they were kinda dumb π€£
π₯ ONS to FWB
π sex clubbing
π€ she's a lawyer and he's (technically) her client
Not my favorite of this series. I enjoyed it overall but couldn't connect too well with Elsa and Hases. There were funny and cute moments. But I felt they were kinda dumb π€£
Wisteria by Adalyn Grace
emotional
funny
lighthearted
mysterious
medium-paced
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
5.0
Tempted By The Devil by Michelle Heard
3.75
π« mafia romance
π forced marriage
π₯Ί healing journey
Soooo fluffy and cozy. I liked this fast paced mafia romance!
Vittoria aka Tori, has lived a harsh life since her parents and step-mother died. Her step-brother is in charge of her and he's abusive. She's counting down the days til she's 25 so she can cash out her inheritance and run away from the Cosa Nostra life. Unfortunately for her, she catches the eye of the devil, Angelo Rizzo.
It was heartwarming to see Angelo not only rescue Torri from an abusive situation (though the methods are not exactly sane aka forced marriage), he had to learn how to earn her trust. Torri wasn't the most fiery character but still her arc of gaining a little confidence here and there and getting a loving family was so cute and satisfying.
I loved Angelo's obsession! He would do anything for her. He also just wants Torri to thrive so he advocated for her. He gave her power. π₯Ίππ He's got a temper but he was always responsible for his actions and emotions.
Another thing I enjoyed a lot was Torri and Tiny's friendship! Their bond is soooo cute. I love that they watch romcoms together.
Now, I wasn't too obsessed or mind blown. It was good to pass the time. The writing style gets a bit iffy for me here and there like why is everyone muttering all the time? And I didn't think there was a lot of depth. But I would come back for more from this author when I need a quick and easy weekend read to cozy up to. π₯°
π forced marriage
π₯Ί healing journey
Soooo fluffy and cozy. I liked this fast paced mafia romance!
Vittoria aka Tori, has lived a harsh life since her parents and step-mother died. Her step-brother is in charge of her and he's abusive. She's counting down the days til she's 25 so she can cash out her inheritance and run away from the Cosa Nostra life. Unfortunately for her, she catches the eye of the devil, Angelo Rizzo.
It was heartwarming to see Angelo not only rescue Torri from an abusive situation (though the methods are not exactly sane aka forced marriage), he had to learn how to earn her trust. Torri wasn't the most fiery character but still her arc of gaining a little confidence here and there and getting a loving family was so cute and satisfying.
I loved Angelo's obsession! He would do anything for her. He also just wants Torri to thrive so he advocated for her. He gave her power. π₯Ίππ He's got a temper but he was always responsible for his actions and emotions.
Another thing I enjoyed a lot was Torri and Tiny's friendship! Their bond is soooo cute. I love that they watch romcoms together.
Now, I wasn't too obsessed or mind blown. It was good to pass the time. The writing style gets a bit iffy for me here and there like why is everyone muttering all the time? And I didn't think there was a lot of depth. But I would come back for more from this author when I need a quick and easy weekend read to cozy up to. π₯°
When He Takes by Gabrielle Sands
4.75
Thank you to Gabrielle Sands for the ARC! π₯°
π« Mafia romance
π forced marriage
π₯Ί second chances
π€ she's the grumpy one
This is book 2 of the Fallen God duet! So go and read the first book When He Desires (check tws!) before reading this one.
Blake's whole world has gone up in flames and with danger following, there's no way she can return home to Darkwater Hollow now. To protect her, Nero (who's most definitely not a construction company owner but formerly a consigliere of a powerful mafia family in NY), must make a decision that she will hate to ensure her safety: marriage. π Now thrust into a whole new world that is New York in the super rich and powerful crime family circles, Blake must survive and decide if she wants to leave. Meanwhile Nero is convinced he can save their relationship π₯Ί
π the angst! Ugh it was killing me. I was sooo emotional reading this. It wasn't just the conflicted feelings between the MCs but stuff on the side too.
π₯Ί Nero, the mob puppy (okay he's very dangerous but he's puppy to me). So sweet but don't let your guard down, he gets hella protective and mean if Blake's safety is at risk. He just feels like one big bulletproof hug. He fought for their love a lot and also owned up to his past mistakes.
πββ¬οΈ Blake. I felt for her. Low key frustrated like "accept Nero already!!" But I understood the feels and her line of thinking. She did discover nuance and gray area and boy was it a journey. I loved that she's a fighter in her own way. If she wanted to go, she was plotting her way out, thinking of every avenue she can take. If she wanted to also protect Nero, she made that happen. π€
π€ the side characters! I loved seeing glimpses of Cleo and Rafe! My babies. Give me more! Rafe and Nero just proving they're elite bahaha.
π a new character fave: Alessio from the Ferraro fam. I loved him sooo sooo much! He's psychotic and very unhinged but will be very silly and kinda cutie the next π
β¨οΈ Overall this was a wonderful conclusion to Nero and Blake's story. So so glad it got two books because they're fabulous. I cried, I laughed, I awed, and happy cried more. I'm obsessed and it's an absolute must read.
π« Mafia romance
π forced marriage
π₯Ί second chances
π€ she's the grumpy one
This is book 2 of the Fallen God duet! So go and read the first book When He Desires (check tws!) before reading this one.
Blake's whole world has gone up in flames and with danger following, there's no way she can return home to Darkwater Hollow now. To protect her, Nero (who's most definitely not a construction company owner but formerly a consigliere of a powerful mafia family in NY), must make a decision that she will hate to ensure her safety: marriage. π Now thrust into a whole new world that is New York in the super rich and powerful crime family circles, Blake must survive and decide if she wants to leave. Meanwhile Nero is convinced he can save their relationship π₯Ί
π the angst! Ugh it was killing me. I was sooo emotional reading this. It wasn't just the conflicted feelings between the MCs but stuff on the side too.
π₯Ί Nero, the mob puppy (okay he's very dangerous but he's puppy to me). So sweet but don't let your guard down, he gets hella protective and mean if Blake's safety is at risk. He just feels like one big bulletproof hug. He fought for their love a lot and also owned up to his past mistakes.
πββ¬οΈ Blake. I felt for her. Low key frustrated like "accept Nero already!!" But I understood the feels and her line of thinking. She did discover nuance and gray area and boy was it a journey. I loved that she's a fighter in her own way. If she wanted to go, she was plotting her way out, thinking of every avenue she can take. If she wanted to also protect Nero, she made that happen. π€
π€ the side characters! I loved seeing glimpses of Cleo and Rafe! My babies. Give me more! Rafe and Nero just proving they're elite bahaha.
π a new character fave: Alessio from the Ferraro fam. I loved him sooo sooo much! He's psychotic and very unhinged but will be very silly and kinda cutie the next π
β¨οΈ Overall this was a wonderful conclusion to Nero and Blake's story. So so glad it got two books because they're fabulous. I cried, I laughed, I awed, and happy cried more. I'm obsessed and it's an absolute must read.
Princess and the Player by Ilsa Madden-Mills
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
2.5
π₯ One night stand into more
π sex club meet cute
π€° surprise/accidental pregnancy
I really wanted to like this! I loved the first book so much. And I do love the pregnancy trope.
But this let me down more than not. π I hated both the MCs. I thought this was gonna be a cute and funny book about strangers who experience the ups and downs of pregnancy and co-parenting while falling in love.
Wrong!
The heroine Francesca didn't tell the hero Tuck she's pregnant for most of the book. In fact, when she first found out, she was absolutelty 100% resigned to keep baby a secret because she's "afraid of rejection." And when it came time for shit to hit the fan, she was such a whiney baby after being the one in the wrong.
And Tuck didn't seem like he was that in love/really pined for Francesca considering how he barely rejected or detered advances from other women. He would let them hang on him and kissed a previous fling in front of the heroine (for the kiss, I will say the MCs weren't a thing yet then but still ew to turn around like the next day and be like "I haven't stopped thinking of you and that night. I'm obsessed" Sounds like ya moved back to your life fine, my dude.)
Heck Jasper put in more effort to shoo the previous flings away than Tuck then.
I think the side characters sorta saved the book. I loved Cece, Brogan, Jasper, and even Darden. They were really fun! But there wasn't enough funny shenanigans like the first book. Or cutie bonding moments really.
π sex club meet cute
π€° surprise/accidental pregnancy
I really wanted to like this! I loved the first book so much. And I do love the pregnancy trope.
But this let me down more than not. π I hated both the MCs. I thought this was gonna be a cute and funny book about strangers who experience the ups and downs of pregnancy and co-parenting while falling in love.
Wrong!
The heroine Francesca didn't tell the hero Tuck she's pregnant for most of the book. In fact, when she first found out, she was absolutelty 100% resigned to keep baby a secret because she's "afraid of rejection." And when it came time for shit to hit the fan, she was such a whiney baby after being the one in the wrong.
And Tuck didn't seem like he was that in love/really pined for Francesca considering how he barely rejected or detered advances from other women. He would let them hang on him and kissed a previous fling in front of the heroine (for the kiss, I will say the MCs weren't a thing yet then but still ew to turn around like the next day and be like "I haven't stopped thinking of you and that night. I'm obsessed" Sounds like ya moved back to your life fine, my dude.)
Heck Jasper put in more effort to shoo the previous flings away than Tuck then.
I think the side characters sorta saved the book. I loved Cece, Brogan, Jasper, and even Darden. They were really fun! But there wasn't enough funny shenanigans like the first book. Or cutie bonding moments really.