teereadsbooks's reviews
699 reviews

The County Fair Queen by Lance Lansdale

emotional funny lighthearted slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.25

This book was so fun. It's a little silly and ridiculous, but also so sweet with a heavy dose of emotion. It's a great rom-com and a little different from Lance Lansdale's other works. Phillip is an interesting and ridiculous MC, and we only have his POV throughout the book. There's a colorful cast of characters, like Phillip's best friend and unpaid intern, Jordan, who is also very obviously lasting after Phillip's grumpy father, Preston. There's also Aunt Lurlene, who is the epitome of extra, and I love it. Despite Phillip's history with the town of Tallulah, Texas, upon his return, its residents warm up to him and welcome him with open arms. This is a second chance story in many ways, not just where romance is concerned. And of course, we have Rivers Rivera. He's a single dad and the mayor of Tallulah, but also Phillip's childhood crush and supposed arch nemesis for all of a minute. This story is interesting, fun, and a great time. The slow burn was perfect and so satisfying. All in all, this is worth checking out!

I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

Lost in Amber by Maz Maddox

adventurous emotional funny lighthearted 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? It's complicated

4.5

Once again, this series continues to win. I had so much fun with Lance and Yu. Their dynamic was super interesting, and the flashback to when they first met at the very beginning made for a great prologue. There were some intriguing characters in this one. Characters that we previously believed to be evil but are much more complex and not as bad as we believed. I really liked that. Oh, and I was cackling so much when Lance finally revealed his... mighty form. That scene was priceless and my favorite in the whole book. I love how Maz writes the change in thought processing when the shifter characters are in their dino forms. It's super interesting and gives good variation to the writing. All in all, this was so great, and I am so curious about what the next book holds for Montana and Henry.

Evocation by S.T. Gibson

dark emotional reflective medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

I was expecting to like this way more than I did. But I did still thoroughly enjoy it. This book is mostly an analysis of humans, trauma, and relationships. This was super interesting. I was mostly fascinated by the deep platonic relationship between David and Moira. Moira was the most interesting character for me in this book. That said, David and Rhys are both layered and complex characters that are navigating their present after their rather checkered past. This book is enjoyable and interesting, but it didn't live up to the expectations I had going in. I expected more of what I got in A Dowry Of Blood, which I LOVED. This was just different. Not bad, just good.

Head in the Game by Rebecca Rathe

slow-paced

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

2.5

This was..... something. Listen, if you want a book that has no relationship development, just smut, and is riddled with misogyny, then look no further. I am definitely in the minority here. I fully admit I couldn't put this book down, but it was more in the realm of not being able to look away from a bad car accident. This was just above DNF territory. I finished it. I know this seems harsh, but this was just not good, in my opinion. If you had a good time reading it, then good for you. I love that for you, but this was not my jam and felt too problematic for me to rate it highly. I will say the writing is good (which is why I couldn't stop reading it and why it isn't a lower rating than it is), but the content just wasn't for me. I just fell for the hype. I probably won't be continuing with this series. Y'all can go ahead and enjoy it in my stead <3

So This Is Ever After by F.T. Lukens

adventurous emotional funny 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? It's complicated

4.5

Well, this was just so much fun. Arek is so ridiculous. He had me chuckling multiple times throughout this book with his shenanigans and humor. I really loved the friendship and camaraderie amongst Arek, Matt, and the rest of their friend group. They really are a little family of sorts, and I loved that. Despite being a rather fun book, there are some high stakes at play, and that journey was definitely an interesting one. This story really borders on a coming-of-age and New Adult in a lot of ways, which was interesting in a YA story, but also real and relatable for a fantasy. Overall, this is my favorite story from F.T. Lukens so far, coming in just ahead of Otherworldly. It's definitely worth checking out in my opinion.

King and Queen by Maz Maddox

adventurous emotional funny lighthearted 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? N/A

4.5

Another win in this amazing series. I never really thought I would find a series about dinosaur shifters to be so amazing, but here we are. Maz Maddox can not lose, apparently. And I honestly think Royal and Blaise are my favorite so far. Especially Blaise. I was cackling when he dresses Royal, Dalton, and Simon in drag. Dalton, the ADHD ridden utahraptor, really just rolls with the punches. Royal and Blaise's dynamic was so sweet. As much as I loved them, my one qualm here was, what felt like, the sudden leap to soulmates. Gave me a bit of whiplash. That said, I absolutely loved this book, and I look forward to continuing this series!

Love Immortal by Kit Vincent

adventurous dark emotional mysterious slow-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? It's complicated

4.5

This gave similar vibes as The Lost Boys (1987), while serving a new and more queer take on the lore of Dracula. Needless to say, I loved it. Jonathan is an interesting and layered MC through which we experience the story, and Dacian is our dark and mysterious love interest. I love what was done here. The story is pretty mellow for a good chunk of it, but when the climax hits, there's so much action. The mystery was a tad predictable, but I still had a lot of fun reading this. My main critique is that I wish there were more interactions between our two MCs in the first half. I love the slow burn, but it would have been even better to have more to build onto. That said, this was great. And the ending was a little different, but I liked it. Things were wrapped up, but, I think, there is potential for a continuation. But I don't know if that is a plan for Kit Vincent or not. Either way, this is a wonderful story all on its own.

I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

Sink or Swim by Maz Maddox

adventurous emotional funny 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? It's complicated

4.25

This series is just so much fun. I definitely enjoyed Baha and Jackson as a pairing just a *touch* more than Simon and Dalton (but don't worry, I still love them). Baha and Jackson are the epitome of grumpy/sunshine, and I had so much fun with Baha and his orneriness while dealing with Jackson's shenanigans. Baha really gives grumpy old man vibes. The story was interesting, the adventure was fun, and the romance ended up being more sweet than I was expecting. Overall, this is a simply great time.

You're Not Supposed to Die Tonight by Kalynn Bayron

adventurous challenging dark emotional mysterious tense fast-paced

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

5.0

I really loved this so much. The thrill and horror of it made the story intriguing and gripping. There's mystery as well, which may have been a touch predictable, but not every little part of it was. I really enjoyed the way the queer rep was shown in this story. We have Charity as our main protagonist who has a girlfriend, but it's not the main focus of the story. It's just queer people existing, and I loved seeing that for once. This type of horror felt like a callback to 80s and 90s teen horror movies, like Scream, but with more queer rep. So, if you like nostalgia, then this is perfect for you. I really enjoyed this one, and the ending was oh so satisfying. It's definitely worth the read.

Whispers in the Dark by Lily Mayne, Nik Knight

adventurous dark emotional 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? N/A

5.0

This book is equal parts dark and haunting, but also sugary sweet thanks to our lovely dream demon, Nor. This story touches on some rough subjects (parental abuse, homophobia, SA), but both our authors handle them with so much care. I fell in live with this story and its characters so easily. Cody is a relatable MC, and Nor is oddly naive, but so so sweet. He has a creepy insect pet named Gef, which I find adorable, hilarious, and also gross for all sorts of reasons (Cody isn't a fan). The natural progression of Nor and Cody's relationship was amazing to experience. It felt really natural as they went from Nor being the monster under the bed, to friends, to lovers and so much more. I love Lily Mayne,  and this is my first experience with Nikole Knight. Needless to say, I loved this and enjoyed the hell out of it from beginning to end. Be aware of any triggers heading into this, but I definitely recommend it!