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torilovesheas's reviews
647 reviews
Impromptu Match by Lily Mayne
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.5
I absolutely adore Lily Mayne’s Monstrous Series so I ran circles when I got an arc for this baby. I mean secret underground monster wrestling + sad corporate worker existential crisis is the time I’m here for.
And it’s a SPICY time. It’s a two dorks in love time. It’s a me trying to create future pairings for all the wrestlers in my head time. Seb + Larkin forever and I stand by that. (Iykyk).
Taylor is burnt out from over a decade of boring himself into the “World’s Most Average Corporate Worker” box. And I mean, if anything is going to cure a post office birthday breakdown, it’s a drunken night of general menacing with a hot, mysterious cosplayer that runs a cosplay wrestling ring right? Poor Taylor. He thinks this is just a group of LARPers doing some weird wrestling role play until he figures out there’s actually an entire world of supernatural shenanigans we humans aren’t privy to. But he’s so boring! So normal! Holt, the hot building owner-emotion feeding monster-wrestling league manager, could never want a cubicle square like him!
Except Holt does. Oh he does. These two are fulfilling some very specific kinks (dad! sneaker! kink!) and watching wrestling a la monster WWE and falling in love along the way. The dream, tbh. But they’re so sweet together. If you’re here for an angsty time, this ain’t it. It’s perfectly sweet, delightfully funny (I LOVE A GOOD BALL JOKE OKAY), and spicy enough to singe your eyelashes. Plus there’s a big dash of “I don’t have to be some huge adventurous dare devil. My person likes me as I am and helps bring out the parts of me I shoved aside to blend.” If only corporate drudgery could land us all hot monster partners.
And like….70 ⭐️ added because Cora the Pomeranian stole the show 😌
P.S. Double Docker Shocker delivered.
P.P.S Lemon Cake is the worst cake, confirmed.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Cursing and Sexual content
Mine To Claim by Whit LaVonne
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.25
You know when you read something and think “yeah this is going to be the start of something grand?” This was that. Whit has some phenomenal ideas, a big imagination, and this is going to be a series to watch! Especially knowing how committed to diversity Whit is! Sci-Fi romance *needs* more of that!
Mine to Claim is a short, novella length, fast pace, fast burn novella and it was a delight! It’s not often that I get to read aliens on earth instead of humans on an alien planet and Whit gives us a fascinating background for said alien earth landing. A burning planet? Yep. Aliens in search of human mates to help repopulate said planet after a “controlled burn cycle”? Got it. An alien lycan beta finding a human cinnamon roll fella that’s vacationing in Cancun? You betcha.
It’s creative. It’s unique. It’s got that Ruby Dixon feel with a little extra spicy spice thrown in. And it’s just kind of wholesome and sweet and smutty. Georgie, for all that she was raised in an abusive pack, is so big hearted and launches headfirst into love. And Lance is an absolute softie recovering from a toxic relationship. Insta love doesn’t always work for me but it worked here because it’s just two love bugs banging and being cute.
I will say, at times we do jump around timeline wise so it made the pacing a little wonky, but Whit has something really special with this series and I cannot wait to see what amazing things she does in the following books!
Mine to Claim is a short, novella length, fast pace, fast burn novella and it was a delight! It’s not often that I get to read aliens on earth instead of humans on an alien planet and Whit gives us a fascinating background for said alien earth landing. A burning planet? Yep. Aliens in search of human mates to help repopulate said planet after a “controlled burn cycle”? Got it. An alien lycan beta finding a human cinnamon roll fella that’s vacationing in Cancun? You betcha.
It’s creative. It’s unique. It’s got that Ruby Dixon feel with a little extra spicy spice thrown in. And it’s just kind of wholesome and sweet and smutty. Georgie, for all that she was raised in an abusive pack, is so big hearted and launches headfirst into love. And Lance is an absolute softie recovering from a toxic relationship. Insta love doesn’t always work for me but it worked here because it’s just two love bugs banging and being cute.
I will say, at times we do jump around timeline wise so it made the pacing a little wonky, but Whit has something really special with this series and I cannot wait to see what amazing things she does in the following books!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content
Programmed for Love by Lyonne Riley
Did not finish book. Stopped at 30%.
Did not finish book. Stopped at 30%.
The dialogue felt very immature during sex scenes.
Desire In His Blood by Zoey Draven
emotional
mysterious
slow-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? No
3.75
Fire in His Blood by Ruby Dixon
adventurous
dark
funny
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
3.5 ⭐️
Well. I’m finally doing to dragons. And while this is pretty different than any other Ruby Dixon book, it still had so many of the elements I love to see in her stories: obsessed MMC, humor and levity mixed in with the seriousness, and unique sci-fi worldbuilding that’s equal parts fascinating and easy for my pea brain to understand.
A post apocalyptic earth (which we saw in Icehome!) overrun by dragons that have pretty much destroyed everything isn’t your typical romance set up. But if I love anything, it’s gritty post apocalyptic romance settings. Claudia has pretty much gotten the shit end of the stick with life, even in an absolutely hell hole world, so when she’s sacrificed to a dragon by really god awful military dudes, it’s just one more thing heaped on to her.
Obviously this is RD, so Kael just wants to love her and care for her but between the language barrier and her desperate desire to return for her sister and bestie, Claudia is a bit of a pain in the ass. At least a pain in MY ass. Kael is a smitten kitten, burning cows for her meals and finding her lakes to bathe in like a gent. Plus everytime he calls her Claud-ah, I laughed like a hyena. What a dork.
But Claudia is one of those characters that frustrates me. I understood her desire to return for her sister and best friend to save them but she refuses to use the one weapon in her arsenal the humans can’t destroy: Kael. There’s a good chunk of the book with her lamenting her lot instead of USING this devoted dragon to fuck up the city’s shit.
If this wasn’t an author I love and trust, I probably wouldn’t continue the series, but much like Hannah and Bridget from Icehome and Liz from IPB, I’m going to lump Claudia in with the rest of Ruby’s “lovable pain in the ass crew” and go to the next one, which is Claud-ah’s bestie’s book and I am INTRIGUED.
Well. I’m finally doing to dragons. And while this is pretty different than any other Ruby Dixon book, it still had so many of the elements I love to see in her stories: obsessed MMC, humor and levity mixed in with the seriousness, and unique sci-fi worldbuilding that’s equal parts fascinating and easy for my pea brain to understand.
A post apocalyptic earth (which we saw in Icehome!) overrun by dragons that have pretty much destroyed everything isn’t your typical romance set up. But if I love anything, it’s gritty post apocalyptic romance settings. Claudia has pretty much gotten the shit end of the stick with life, even in an absolutely hell hole world, so when she’s sacrificed to a dragon by really god awful military dudes, it’s just one more thing heaped on to her.
Obviously this is RD, so Kael just wants to love her and care for her but between the language barrier and her desperate desire to return for her sister and bestie, Claudia is a bit of a pain in the ass. At least a pain in MY ass. Kael is a smitten kitten, burning cows for her meals and finding her lakes to bathe in like a gent. Plus everytime he calls her Claud-ah, I laughed like a hyena. What a dork.
But Claudia is one of those characters that frustrates me. I understood her desire to return for her sister and best friend to save them but she refuses to use the one weapon in her arsenal the humans can’t destroy: Kael. There’s a good chunk of the book with her lamenting her lot instead of USING this devoted dragon to fuck up the city’s shit.
If this wasn’t an author I love and trust, I probably wouldn’t continue the series, but much like Hannah and Bridget from Icehome and Liz from IPB, I’m going to lump Claudia in with the rest of Ruby’s “lovable pain in the ass crew” and go to the next one, which is Claud-ah’s bestie’s book and I am INTRIGUED.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal death, Cursing, Death, Gore, Gun violence, Physical abuse, Sexual content, Blood, Kidnapping, Fire/Fire injury, Sexual harassment, and Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Rape, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, and Pregnancy
Before the Dawn by Beverly Jenkins
emotional
mysterious
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? Yes
4.5
My quest to finish Beverly Jenkins backlist continues and this week our entry is a bit of a journey back in time!
Before the Dawn was an ‘01 release and while it was the start of the 21st century, it really has a 90’s romance feel to it. There’s unequal power balance (one of my favorite things to explore in romancelandia). There’s a little dash of the forbidden, since she’s his stepmom, even though they literally just met. And there’s characters that are neither wholly good nor wholly bad.
And all of that is really what made this work for me the most (besides Jenkins’ always phenomenal research and historical accuracy). There’s not a lot of *plot* happening here in any big way. Once Leah arrives in Colorado and all the characters are set up, the battle for her inheritance and the ongoing murder mystery and suspense aren’t the primary focus. It’s the battle of wills between Ryder and Leah that really drives the story. And while they aren’t my favorite Jenkins couple, I think the way they play off each other, combined with their chemistry is phenomenal.
I mean, Ryder is a headstrong, “alpha” character that pretty much gets his way a la 90’s hissy rono dudes and Leah isn’t inclined to give it to him. She goes toe to toe with him and it’s always delightful seeing Ryder get his advances shrugged off time and again. Even better is the fact that Leah’s cool with the banging, but refuses to marry him over and over LOL I loved it.
The best part of this was the connection Ryder and Leah both have as outsiders. Leah was an illegitimate child after her father died at sea and Ryder is the illegitimate son of a Creole father and Cheyenne mother. And I think it’s what draws them together and cements that bond.
Even though I don’t think this is a favorite of mine in Jenkins’ catalogue, it’s still a fantastic read, full of rich history, sizzling chemistry, and a unique cast of characters that dance right off the page.
Highly recommend!
CW: racism, death of a parent, death of a parental figure to cancer (briefly described), discussion of historic massacre of Native peoples, colorism, usage of slurs (towards both MCs by bad characters), murder, attempted murder, Jim Crow law enforcement, sexual content, unequal power balance (he pays off her debt in exchange for her sleeping with him, but she does consent), MMC that can be cruel with his words, grief and loss, description of abortion (historic, off page), bigotry towards Native Indigenous peoples.
Before the Dawn was an ‘01 release and while it was the start of the 21st century, it really has a 90’s romance feel to it. There’s unequal power balance (one of my favorite things to explore in romancelandia). There’s a little dash of the forbidden, since she’s his stepmom, even though they literally just met. And there’s characters that are neither wholly good nor wholly bad.
And all of that is really what made this work for me the most (besides Jenkins’ always phenomenal research and historical accuracy). There’s not a lot of *plot* happening here in any big way. Once Leah arrives in Colorado and all the characters are set up, the battle for her inheritance and the ongoing murder mystery and suspense aren’t the primary focus. It’s the battle of wills between Ryder and Leah that really drives the story. And while they aren’t my favorite Jenkins couple, I think the way they play off each other, combined with their chemistry is phenomenal.
I mean, Ryder is a headstrong, “alpha” character that pretty much gets his way a la 90’s hissy rono dudes and Leah isn’t inclined to give it to him. She goes toe to toe with him and it’s always delightful seeing Ryder get his advances shrugged off time and again. Even better is the fact that Leah’s cool with the banging, but refuses to marry him over and over LOL I loved it.
The best part of this was the connection Ryder and Leah both have as outsiders. Leah was an illegitimate child after her father died at sea and Ryder is the illegitimate son of a Creole father and Cheyenne mother. And I think it’s what draws them together and cements that bond.
Even though I don’t think this is a favorite of mine in Jenkins’ catalogue, it’s still a fantastic read, full of rich history, sizzling chemistry, and a unique cast of characters that dance right off the page.
Highly recommend!
CW: racism, death of a parent, death of a parental figure to cancer (briefly described), discussion of historic massacre of Native peoples, colorism, usage of slurs (towards both MCs by bad characters), murder, attempted murder, Jim Crow law enforcement, sexual content, unequal power balance (he pays off her debt in exchange for her sleeping with him, but she does consent), MMC that can be cruel with his words, grief and loss, description of abortion (historic, off page), bigotry towards Native Indigenous peoples.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Cancer, Cursing, Death, Gun violence, Mental illness, Misogyny, Racial slurs, Racism, Sexual content, Terminal illness, Toxic relationship, Violence, Grief, Death of parent, Murder, Pregnancy, Fire/Fire injury, Alcohol, and Classism
Bound to the Battle God by Ruby Dixon
adventurous
dark
funny
slow-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
4.75
It’s not a secret that epic romantasy is really hard for me to focus on. It’s my least read romance niche, but I figured if anyone was going to get me to enjoy it, it would be Ruby Dixon. How right I was.
I sorta hate comparing an author’s worldbuilding to an established fantasy world, but this was like a Witcher world portal fantasy if Jaskier was a human plunged into a fantasy world and Gerralt was an asshole battle god sent to the mortal realm to learn a lesson. And then they fall in love and bang along the way. Shut up it made sense to me.
I knew Ruby knows how to do some cool worldbuilding stuff but this really cemented just how creative she is. Aron is the god of battle and he’s been sent to the mortal realm, divided into 4 incarnations of himself (“Aspects”) that represent the 4 fatal flaws, and tasked with being the last Aspect standing in order to reascend to the godly plain. But….every aspect needs a mortal anchor to help guide them on their journey. Faith, unfortunately for her, volunteers. As an anchor. To Arrogance Aron. It’s bonkers. It’s dangerous. There’s death and magic and rising zombies and Aaron being a giant arrogant baby dum dum.
And like…war on the horizon but who’s keeping count.
If I’m going to sit through a 650 page fantasy, I want it to be like this. Faith and Aaron bicker and argue and very slowly fall in love while they traipse across this fantasy world trying to defeat the other three Arons. And once they FINALLY cave into their feelings it’s delicious and sweet and possessive. Ugh. I loved them. Plus all of the other gods and goddesses are fascinating and I’m dying for their stories.
I think would made me love this is that’s it’s different enough from RD’s blue dude blueprint because…Aron is really a morally grey character and Faith is the only thing tying him to any sort of humanity. He’d burn the world down for her (and nearly does). What a man what a man what a man what a really good mannnnnn.
I sorta hate comparing an author’s worldbuilding to an established fantasy world, but this was like a Witcher world portal fantasy if Jaskier was a human plunged into a fantasy world and Gerralt was an asshole battle god sent to the mortal realm to learn a lesson. And then they fall in love and bang along the way. Shut up it made sense to me.
I knew Ruby knows how to do some cool worldbuilding stuff but this really cemented just how creative she is. Aron is the god of battle and he’s been sent to the mortal realm, divided into 4 incarnations of himself (“Aspects”) that represent the 4 fatal flaws, and tasked with being the last Aspect standing in order to reascend to the godly plain. But….every aspect needs a mortal anchor to help guide them on their journey. Faith, unfortunately for her, volunteers. As an anchor. To Arrogance Aron. It’s bonkers. It’s dangerous. There’s death and magic and rising zombies and Aaron being a giant arrogant baby dum dum.
And like…war on the horizon but who’s keeping count.
If I’m going to sit through a 650 page fantasy, I want it to be like this. Faith and Aaron bicker and argue and very slowly fall in love while they traipse across this fantasy world trying to defeat the other three Arons. And once they FINALLY cave into their feelings it’s delicious and sweet and possessive. Ugh. I loved them. Plus all of the other gods and goddesses are fascinating and I’m dying for their stories.
I think would made me love this is that’s it’s different enough from RD’s blue dude blueprint because…Aron is really a morally grey character and Faith is the only thing tying him to any sort of humanity. He’d burn the world down for her (and nearly does). What a man what a man what a man what a really good mannnnnn.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Cursing, Death, Gore, Sexism, Sexual content, Slavery, Violence, Blood, Vomit, Alcohol, Sexual harassment, War, and Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Drug use and Rape
Snowed in with the Scoundrel by Kat Sterling
emotional
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? Yes
5.0
2023 has really been the year of phenomenal indie HisRoms and Kat Sterling has quickly climbed to an auto purchase author for me. I jumped at the opportunity to read this absolutely delightful holiday novella. It was EXCELLENT and I’m going to make it everyone’s problem 😌 plus, our friend Floyd is on the cover! Hey Floyd! 🫶🏻
Ex-childhood friends that were always in love with each other stuck together in a snowed in cabin for the holidays? Check. A fantastic divergence from historical England/Scotland with Edwardian Seattle? Check check. A scoundrel falling back in love with an heiress that specializes in photography that sometimes gets a little ✨provocative✨? You got it, baby.
I adore reunited friends and I LOVE when they’re thrown into close proximity and finally *cave* to their mutual emotions and attraction. Know what I love more? FMCs that metaphorically thump the MMC on the forehead and call him out for being a baby. Tommy is like “I’m not good enough for you” and Imogen is like “how about you let me decide that for myself, you menace”. Immaculate.
It’s sweet, it’s SPICY, and it’s based on an iconic American photographer, Imogen Cunningham. Kay’s note in the end is fascinating and sent me on a rabbit hole on Google. Love when the romance is rich in history.
I just love Sterling’s voice. She’s true to the historical aspect while still infusing trail blazing qualities into her characters, which I think is top tier writing.
This one was so fun. The cabin is cozy, the characters are feisty, and the ending is sweet and triumphant. Literally what else could you want.
Thank you so much for an ARC, Kat. I can’t wait to see what you bring in 2024!! 💖
Ex-childhood friends that were always in love with each other stuck together in a snowed in cabin for the holidays? Check. A fantastic divergence from historical England/Scotland with Edwardian Seattle? Check check. A scoundrel falling back in love with an heiress that specializes in photography that sometimes gets a little ✨provocative✨? You got it, baby.
I adore reunited friends and I LOVE when they’re thrown into close proximity and finally *cave* to their mutual emotions and attraction. Know what I love more? FMCs that metaphorically thump the MMC on the forehead and call him out for being a baby. Tommy is like “I’m not good enough for you” and Imogen is like “how about you let me decide that for myself, you menace”. Immaculate.
It’s sweet, it’s SPICY, and it’s based on an iconic American photographer, Imogen Cunningham. Kay’s note in the end is fascinating and sent me on a rabbit hole on Google. Love when the romance is rich in history.
I just love Sterling’s voice. She’s true to the historical aspect while still infusing trail blazing qualities into her characters, which I think is top tier writing.
This one was so fun. The cabin is cozy, the characters are feisty, and the ending is sweet and triumphant. Literally what else could you want.
Thank you so much for an ARC, Kat. I can’t wait to see what you bring in 2024!! 💖
Content Warnings
Graphic: Cursing and Sexual content
Minor: Alcohol and Classism
Take a Hike by Mimi Grace
funny
inspiring
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
4.5
Incredibly sweet, low angst goodness!
Mimi Grace is quickly becoming an author I turn to when I want something sweet and rom-com-ey without angst or heaviness. I mean an astrology girl ball of sunshine inheriting what's supposed to be a grumpy pants McGee's adventure business thanks to an outdated will that wasn't ever fixed? It's Hallmark in a book! The spice is excellent and honestly not much of a focus (if you're wanting something lower on the spicy scale). The characters are lovable, flawed humans that are so easy to root for. And the comedic shenanigans are perfect in that comedy of errors way I love so much.
And while I found myself wishing it had maybe a bit more relationship development, it really was just a warm hug of a book and that's exactly the mood I was in!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content and Alcohol
Minor: Death and Grief