maydaysc's reviews
47 reviews
Out of the Ashes by Kara Thomas
TWs: assisted suicide. Mentions of death, murder, sexual assault, and drug use.
Sam Newsom returns to her hometown 22 years after the unsolved murder of her family, due to the sudden death of her Uncle Gill. While in town, Sam is contacted by Travis Meacham, a detective with the NY State Police, who recently got a strange confession from a local man. Sam’s sister didn’t die that night, she made it out, and this man saw it happen.
This was an excellent read for me. I loved Sam as a character. While I couldn’t exactly relate to her as a person, I felt empathy for her. She felt natural to me, and book characters often lack that realism. I quickly felt the love she had for Gill and the pain she must have gone through to do what she did. The strained relationship with her family, the need to get out and never come back, all of it was something I felt deep in my soul. I loved how all of a sudden we went from knowing who did it to everyone and anyone could have done it. All of the little twists and turns that were so minor but gave a major impact on figuring out the ultimate whodunit were just incredibly done.
Ultimately there isn’t a lot to put in this category. There were a lot of characters throughout the book, and it felt like a new one was being introduced every few pages. This can get confusing for people that don’t do well with names or keeping up with large groups of people. It didn’t particularly bother me, but it can cause people to find a book difficult to follow. Another thing that probably brings about a lot of controversy here is the fact that Rhodes is a cop, and for half the book, we believe him to be an extremely murderous dirty cop. This is an idea that is just gonna be laced with politics no matter how you put it. The author doesn’t shy away from putting her beliefs in her book, fiction or not. I think it was done well and fairly accurately, but people from different backgrounds or belief systems may find the way some things were portrayed as incorrect or harmful.
There honestly isn’t much that I can complain about. I overall enjoyed the story. The first half of the book was kind of slow, but once it picked up, I stayed hooked. The ending, after we found out who the killer was, was kind of disappointing. I wanted the reconnection and the heart warmth that should have happened when Sam reunited with her sister. I understand the author leaving it the way she did, maybe setting up for a sequel or just wanting us to be left with questions as readers. I understand that Sam has just been through hell, and she didn’t feel like she was mentally in a good place to really meet her sister. This is one time that I wish realism didn’t apply. I wanted a happy ending, damn it.
I thoroughly enjoyed the book. I will be reading the sequel if it ends up having one. I may even look into other books by Kara Thomas. The story kept me intrigued mostly, I found the characters to be ones I enjoyed. Out of the Ashes was a really good read, and I spent 45 minutes ranting to my boyfriend and his sister about it as soon as I was done. If that doesn’t tell you something, I don’t know what else will!
emotional
mysterious
reflective
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.5
OUT OF THE ASHES - KARA THOMAS: A REVIEW
“Memories were a riptide. Innocent enough on the surface, but let your guard down and next thing you know, you’re drowning in four feet of water.”
- Rating: ★★★★
- Read time: 2 Days
- Spicy: 🌶️
TWs: assisted suicide. Mentions of death, murder, sexual assault, and drug use.
A BRIEF SYNOPSIS
Sam Newsom returns to her hometown 22 years after the unsolved murder of her family, due to the sudden death of her Uncle Gill. While in town, Sam is contacted by Travis Meacham, a detective with the NY State Police, who recently got a strange confession from a local man. Sam’s sister didn’t die that night, she made it out, and this man saw it happen.
THINGS I LIKED
This was an excellent read for me. I loved Sam as a character. While I couldn’t exactly relate to her as a person, I felt empathy for her. She felt natural to me, and book characters often lack that realism. I quickly felt the love she had for Gill and the pain she must have gone through to do what she did. The strained relationship with her family, the need to get out and never come back, all of it was something I felt deep in my soul. I loved how all of a sudden we went from knowing who did it to everyone and anyone could have done it. All of the little twists and turns that were so minor but gave a major impact on figuring out the ultimate whodunit were just incredibly done.
THINGS I FELT NEUTRAL ABOUT *SPOILERS*
Ultimately there isn’t a lot to put in this category. There were a lot of characters throughout the book, and it felt like a new one was being introduced every few pages. This can get confusing for people that don’t do well with names or keeping up with large groups of people. It didn’t particularly bother me, but it can cause people to find a book difficult to follow. Another thing that probably brings about a lot of controversy here is the fact that Rhodes is a cop, and for half the book, we believe him to be an extremely murderous dirty cop. This is an idea that is just gonna be laced with politics no matter how you put it. The author doesn’t shy away from putting her beliefs in her book, fiction or not. I think it was done well and fairly accurately, but people from different backgrounds or belief systems may find the way some things were portrayed as incorrect or harmful.
THINGS I DIDN’T LIKE *SPOILERS*
There honestly isn’t much that I can complain about. I overall enjoyed the story. The first half of the book was kind of slow, but once it picked up, I stayed hooked. The ending, after we found out who the killer was, was kind of disappointing. I wanted the reconnection and the heart warmth that should have happened when Sam reunited with her sister. I understand the author leaving it the way she did, maybe setting up for a sequel or just wanting us to be left with questions as readers. I understand that Sam has just been through hell, and she didn’t feel like she was mentally in a good place to really meet her sister. This is one time that I wish realism didn’t apply. I wanted a happy ending, damn it.
CONCLUSION
I thoroughly enjoyed the book. I will be reading the sequel if it ends up having one. I may even look into other books by Kara Thomas. The story kept me intrigued mostly, I found the characters to be ones I enjoyed. Out of the Ashes was a really good read, and I spent 45 minutes ranting to my boyfriend and his sister about it as soon as I was done. If that doesn’t tell you something, I don’t know what else will!
Content Warnings
Moderate: Suicide
Minor: Death, Death of parent, Drug use, Sexual assault, Child death, and Murder
The Trouble With Charlie by Kenneth Preston
dark
emotional
sad
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.5
Enemies With Benefits by Roxie Noir
TWs: Sexual Content.
Violet Tulane is a wedding planner who knows a date gone wrong too well. After getting left at a restaurant by her date with no way to pay, she “rolls up her sleeves” in the kitchen. This is where everything goes downhill. Her childhood nemesis, Eli Loveless, just so happens to be working there as a chef. Eli then gets a job at Violet’s workplace, and competition ensues. As much as they dislike each other, they must answer the long-asked question: What is stronger? Hatred or Attraction?
This was a very cute book. There were a lot of things I liked! Eli seems to be a genuinely good man, regardless of the petty tactics he and Violet have used in the past. The chemistry between the characters was fantastic. Violet is incredibly relatable to me as a person, and I overall really enjoyed the book.
The jobs. The workplace and work environment overall was really neutral ground for me. It was kind of just a placeholder. The characters would leave their jobs and that’s when the fun parts would happen, so I never really cared all that much about their actual careers, and that’s okay! I probably wasn’t meant to. The other Loveless brothers were also really neutral. If I read any of the future books, hopefully, I will find them much more interesting.
There honestly is not much. The pacing for the first half of the book is kind of slow. It felt like it took a while for our main characters to realize their feelings. I wish they would have realized everything a bit earlier so we could have had a little more “in love” time before the book was over!
Ultimately, this was a really cute book! I adored the characters and it had a very good ending. I may read one of the other Loveless Brothers books in the future, always with a little hope that we will get more of our beloved Eli and Violet in them.
funny
lighthearted
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
4.0
ENEMIES WITH BENEFITS - ROXIE NOIR: A REVIEW
“She whispers my name like it’s a prayer and she whispers it like it’s a curse, and I never did know which I prefer.”
- Rating: ★★★★
- Read time: 2 days
- Spicy: 🌶️🌶️🌶️🌶️
- Spotify Playlist: https://rb.gy/ppmi4
TWs: Sexual Content.
A BRIEF SYNOPSIS
Violet Tulane is a wedding planner who knows a date gone wrong too well. After getting left at a restaurant by her date with no way to pay, she “rolls up her sleeves” in the kitchen. This is where everything goes downhill. Her childhood nemesis, Eli Loveless, just so happens to be working there as a chef. Eli then gets a job at Violet’s workplace, and competition ensues. As much as they dislike each other, they must answer the long-asked question: What is stronger? Hatred or Attraction?
THINGS I LIKED
This was a very cute book. There were a lot of things I liked! Eli seems to be a genuinely good man, regardless of the petty tactics he and Violet have used in the past. The chemistry between the characters was fantastic. Violet is incredibly relatable to me as a person, and I overall really enjoyed the book.
THINGS I FELT NEUTRAL ABOUT
The jobs. The workplace and work environment overall was really neutral ground for me. It was kind of just a placeholder. The characters would leave their jobs and that’s when the fun parts would happen, so I never really cared all that much about their actual careers, and that’s okay! I probably wasn’t meant to. The other Loveless brothers were also really neutral. If I read any of the future books, hopefully, I will find them much more interesting.
THINGS I DIDN’T LIKE
There honestly is not much. The pacing for the first half of the book is kind of slow. It felt like it took a while for our main characters to realize their feelings. I wish they would have realized everything a bit earlier so we could have had a little more “in love” time before the book was over!
CONCLUSION
Ultimately, this was a really cute book! I adored the characters and it had a very good ending. I may read one of the other Loveless Brothers books in the future, always with a little hope that we will get more of our beloved Eli and Violet in them.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content
The Shatterproof Heart by Loretta Lost
dark
emotional
sad
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.0
The Shatterproof Heart - Loretta Lost: A Review
“Love isn’t safe, Cole. By definition, love means risking everything.”
- Rating: ★★
- Read time: 1 Day
- Spicy: 🌶️🌶️🌶️
- Spotify Playlist: N/A. I just couldn’t do it.
TWs: GRAPHIC SEXUAL VIOLENCE. Drug use, violence, child sexual abuse, pregnancy loss, mental illness, murder.
A BRIEF SYNOPSIS
Sophie was been abducted by the man who abused her as a child, Benjamin. She wakes up tied to a bed, drugged, with no idea of where she is. Cole, Lucianna, Rodrigez, and Zack all try to save her before it is too late.
THINGS I LIKED
Not much. I say that liberally. What. The. Fuck. Was. This. Book. I like Rodrigez. I like Lucianna. I liked Zack until about 75% completion. I liked that it took me about 3 hours total to read the book, so I would never have to read it again.
THINGS I FELT NEUTRAL ABOUT *SPOILERS*
I don’t even know where to begin. Cole was all of a sudden the grandson of some mafia bosses. I hadn’t mentioned it in my other reviews, but so much of these books felt like old fanfiction I used to read as a 12-year-old. There have been so many tropes in these books, friends to lovers, chosen family, multiple personalities, millionaires, fake family, etc. I just did not think the author would possibly add another. I said to a co-worker while I was reading The Bulletproof Boy that I think the author may just be pulling tropes out of a hat at this point. Absolutely wild.
THINGS I DIDN’T LIKE *SPOILERS*
Most of it. Literally, 75% of it. Get ready for my rant. First of all, Benjamin. This is a what? 75-year-old man? One good kick to the nuts and this guy would be on the floor. The graphic and repulsive scenes in which he is actively raping Sophie made me sick to my stomach. Never, in any book that I have read, have I seen this. Just details beyond what was necessary. If the author was going for shock value, she definitely got it. This book just brought the already lack of realism to a surprising new level. The switching back and forth between chapters in which Sophie is being drugged, raped, and beaten and Cole “my mommy and daddy were in the mafia” Hunter’s cluelessness was just jolting. We would go from something so sickening and cruel to Cole talking to his Family friend about his parents. It just did not make sense to me.
Now, let's talk about Snow. Let's talk about the literal cannibalistic assassin that is Sophie’s alternate personality. This woman BIT OFF A MAN’S PENIS. Yes. You read that right. BIT IT OFF and guess what? ATE IT.
What. In. The. Fuck.
What. In. The. Fuck.
This is when I stopped. Closed the tab on my computer. Took a deep breath. Screamed into my hands. I was done. I didn’t think I could do it anymore. The only reason I continued was for Joy. Only to be disappointed again by the fact that guess what? She’s not real! Zack saving the day was lovely until he basically took her away rather than using his brain and taking Sophie to a HOSPITAL. FOR SOME HELP. The complete lack of realistic behavior at this point just had me going in circles. I just laughed. I couldn’t do anything else. I had to stop attempting to make sense of any of it. It doesn’t make logical sense. My brain can’t handle it. Send help.
CONCLUSION
I am reiterating that I am not usually a picky reader. This just literally blew my absolute mind. I have nothing against Loretta Lost as an author. She wrote her story the way she wanted to write it and she did it well. It’s just not the story for me at this point. I apparently value realism much more than I thought I did. I genuinely do not know if I will be finishing the series. If I do, it won’t be because I actually want to know what happens, It will be because I want to know just how further insane it can get.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Murder, Rape, Sexual content, and Sexual violence
Moderate: Pregnancy
Minor: Drug use
The Bulletproof Boy by Loretta Lost
Sophie and Cole are reunited! After Sophie refused to accept that Cole, her foster brother turned husband turned ex, was dead, she walked for 24 hours across the Nevada desert to prove her point. The two reunited, and begin navigating how they will be together now that Cole is dead and there is a murderer on the loose. Cole also seemed to have tracked down Sophie’s Biological family. Sophie has to figure out how to handle Cole, her ex-boyfriend/bodyguard Zack, her boss at the CIA, and now her biological family.
In my last review, I went on and on about how much I truly loved Cole. I feel like that did carry over into this book as well. We got to hear more about his point of view during different situations. I adored Lucianna with my entire heart. She was the comedy that the book needed. I felt like we got a good taste of everyone in this book, and I’m looking forward to getting even more in the next one.
I was okay with a lot of things. The big reveal(being that Jeremy Brown was the big bad, along with Marco Polo Loco, which still makes me laugh.) about the bad guy wasn’t all that surprising to me. I felt that the part in which he wasn’t angry because of his father’s murder, but rather was just lonely and became a serial killer making puppets was a good place to go with it. My overall opinion of the book is very neutral. I didn’t hate it, but I didn’t love it either. Those cliffhangers still get me every single time though.
This was the part of the review I was deeply dreading.Look, I don’t personally know anyone who has Dissociative identity disorder, and the author never directly states that this is what Sophie has, but the depiction of it here gave me really weird feelings. I adored Cole as a character until we got to the sex. Cole just seemed really, really oblivious to the feelings that Sophie was having throughout most of it. She seemed to be struggling, especially with the pregnancy bomb, and then he says this:
This left me stunned. Like just baffled at the audacity coming out of this man. The woman he loves is crying and this is how he reacts? Where did the sweet Cole that I adored go?He then goes on to have sex with “Snow”, which is one of Sophie’s alternate personalities. The same one that appeared during the fire that killed Professor Brown in book one. The reader discovers that Snow has made these appearances during most of the times Cole has been intimate with Sophie in the past. Cole talks to this personality with a lot of lust and want. The entire chapter just gave me the major ick.
Ultimately, I am not that picky of a reader. After the strange events in the middle of the book, I very much contemplated DNFing this book. I am not a person that DNFs books. It really shocked me that badly. The second half of the book did help a lot in making me want to continue. I just had to take a minute to move past the part that left me confused. The ending of this book left me worried for Sophie’s safety, and Cole’s sanity, and even more curious about if we will get a romance out of our favorite side characters.
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
tense
fast-paced
3.0
THE BULLETPROOF BOY - LORETTA LOST: A REVIEW
“I was inspired by this girl we both know,” Cole tells Zack softly. “She calls herself fireproof. I figure that if she’s willing to walk through the fire for me—the least I can do is try my best to become bulletproof for her.”
- Rating: ★★★
- Read time: 1 day
- Spicy: 🌶️🌶️
- Spotify Playlist: https://rb.gy/sqgd1
TWs: Graphic Violence, Drugs, Sexual Content, Mental Illness, Childhood Trauma, Pregnancy Loss.
A BRIEF SYNOPSIS
Sophie and Cole are reunited! After Sophie refused to accept that Cole, her foster brother turned husband turned ex, was dead, she walked for 24 hours across the Nevada desert to prove her point. The two reunited, and begin navigating how they will be together now that Cole is dead and there is a murderer on the loose. Cole also seemed to have tracked down Sophie’s Biological family. Sophie has to figure out how to handle Cole, her ex-boyfriend/bodyguard Zack, her boss at the CIA, and now her biological family.
THINGS I LIKED
In my last review, I went on and on about how much I truly loved Cole. I feel like that did carry over into this book as well. We got to hear more about his point of view during different situations. I adored Lucianna with my entire heart. She was the comedy that the book needed. I felt like we got a good taste of everyone in this book, and I’m looking forward to getting even more in the next one.
THINGS I FELT NEUTRAL ABOUT *SPOILERS*
I was okay with a lot of things. The big reveal
THINGS I DIDN’T LIKE *SPOILERS*
This was the part of the review I was deeply dreading.
“I’ll fuck your brains out, Scarlett. I’ll fuck you so hard you scream loud enough for this whole desert to hear you. Would you like that? Because I just don’t care anymore. What do we have to lose? We already lost each other. We lost the baby. I lost my fucking job. We lost everything. So let’s make it better. Let’s make a new baby, right here, right now. I dare you. I dare you to do this with me.”
This left me stunned. Like just baffled at the audacity coming out of this man. The woman he loves is crying and this is how he reacts? Where did the sweet Cole that I adored go?
CONCLUSION
Ultimately, I am not that picky of a reader. After the strange events in the middle of the book, I very much contemplated DNFing this book. I am not a person that DNFs books. It really shocked me that badly. The second half of the book did help a lot in making me want to continue. I just had to take a minute to move past the part that left me confused. The ending of this book left me worried for Sophie’s safety, and Cole’s sanity, and even more curious about if we will get a romance out of our favorite side characters.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Violence and Mental illness
Moderate: Sexual content, Pregnancy, and Child abuse
Minor: Drug use
The Fireproof Girl by Loretta Lost
I can confirm… I fell for it. I bought the sequel the second I was done.
When the book starts, we meet Sophie Sheilds. She wakes up with her boyfriend, Zack. She goes to make him a cup of coffee, finds an engagement ring, and everything goes downhill. We learn about Cole, Sophie’s “brother”, and how he writes her letters that suddenly stopped showing up a few months prior. Zack admits to keeping the letters from Sophie, only for her to find out Cole was dead. The whole world falls apart. We hear the present day from Sohpie’s POV and the past from Cole’s POV. The events of their childhoods and life together begin to unravel while Sophie tries to solve his murder.
TWs: Graphic Violence, Abuse, Molestation, Rape, Mental illness, Attempted Suicide. All of which include characters who are minors.
When I began, I was not a very big fan of Sophie’s character. She seemed very cold and unapproachable to me. As I read, I began to understand that she was supposed to seem that way. Cole was very much our golden retriever boy and Sophie was our black cat girl. In contrast, I instantly fell in love with Cole’s character. This was the teenage boy I wish were around when I was that age. He was kind, understanding, and emotional. The polar opposite of Sophie.
It didn’t take long for me to start getting through Sophie’s chapters as fast as I could to get back to Cole. I didn’t hate Sophie, even though she did have a lot of issues, I just wildly preferred Cole. We learn fairly early on that Sophie has been through hell and back.She was raped by her adoptive father, stole the identity of a young girl she befriended, and subsequently watched OD on heroin, only to end up in the home where she met Cole, and continue to get abused.
Cole was a constant for her afterward, no matter how hard she tried to not let him be.The romance between them was quite predictable from the start. It doesn’t take long to figure out that they loved each other very much. Zack is also a very good character in my opinion. He seems very kind and apologetic. He put up with a lot of crazy shit throughout the book. I feel bad for him, because he seems to truly care about Sophie, even tho she is obviously in love with Cole.
When I finished the book, I can only describe my feelings as kind of rushed, and confused, yet longing for more. I found the ending to be very, very fast. We went from one extreme to another fairly quickly.I mean, Cole was dead for 90% of the book, and then all of a sudden, after Sophie goes through a poor health inducted bough of hallucinations and delirium, he is alive! I understand that the book was probably just a build-up to its three successors, but the ending just needed to be spread out more. A lot of it felt kind of Fan-fiction to me, but that is just my personal opinion. I overall enjoyed the book and I found myself determined to get to the end and see what happened.
dark
emotional
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
THE FIREPROOF GIRL - LORETTA LOST: A REVIEW
“She looks up at me, and a tiny smile touches her lips. “I promise that I will live, but just so you know: if it sucks, I’m blaming everything on you.”
- Rating: ★★★
- Read time: 1 day
- Spicy: 🌶️
BEFORE
I got this book for free on Amazon and was very skeptical because of that fact. This was my first "free amazon starter” book. I have seen this happen a few times, where people will put their first book up for free, making completionists like myself want to buy the rest and finish the series.
I can confirm… I fell for it. I bought the sequel the second I was done.
BRIEF SYNOPSIS
When the book starts, we meet Sophie Sheilds. She wakes up with her boyfriend, Zack. She goes to make him a cup of coffee, finds an engagement ring, and everything goes downhill. We learn about Cole, Sophie’s “brother”, and how he writes her letters that suddenly stopped showing up a few months prior. Zack admits to keeping the letters from Sophie, only for her to find out Cole was dead. The whole world falls apart. We hear the present day from Sohpie’s POV and the past from Cole’s POV. The events of their childhoods and life together begin to unravel while Sophie tries to solve his murder.
TWs: Graphic Violence, Abuse, Molestation, Rape, Mental illness, Attempted Suicide. All of which include characters who are minors.
DURING *SPOILERS*
When I began, I was not a very big fan of Sophie’s character. She seemed very cold and unapproachable to me. As I read, I began to understand that she was supposed to seem that way. Cole was very much our golden retriever boy and Sophie was our black cat girl. In contrast, I instantly fell in love with Cole’s character. This was the teenage boy I wish were around when I was that age. He was kind, understanding, and emotional. The polar opposite of Sophie.
It didn’t take long for me to start getting through Sophie’s chapters as fast as I could to get back to Cole. I didn’t hate Sophie, even though she did have a lot of issues, I just wildly preferred Cole. We learn fairly early on that Sophie has been through hell and back.
Cole was a constant for her afterward, no matter how hard she tried to not let him be.
AFTER *SPOILERS*
When I finished the book, I can only describe my feelings as kind of rushed, and confused, yet longing for more. I found the ending to be very, very fast. We went from one extreme to another fairly quickly.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child abuse, Sexual violence, Rape, and Violence
Moderate: Suicide attempt, Suicidal thoughts, and Mental illness