Category Archives: 4 star reads

Fallen Crest Series – Tijan

Fallen Crest Series
Tijan

Rating: 4 out of 5.

A high school to college soap opera romance series

Fallen Crest High โ€“ Book 1

This is a guilty pleasure read. Itโ€™s a soap opera, a group of characters that Jerry Springer would jump at. The parents in this are terrible! They go from outright abusive to just not there. The teenagers are always having raging parties, setting things on fire, and fighting. Someone is always out to get them. These novels are mostly about catty, backstabbing, jealous people trying to hurt the three main characters โ€“ Sam, Mason, and Logan. Tons of teen angst. Itโ€™s so much drama that I have to forcibly suspend my disbelief and just let the telenovela happen. Embrace the crazy, and it is very amusing. There is a lot of humor in this, most of it coming from Logan.

I do like that Mason is a good guy to Sam. He is a complex character, good to her but can be manipulative and a jerk. But at least he is honest about it.

Samโ€™s character starts off numb. Sam doesnโ€™t care about anything. She seems to take everything in stride, being bored by all the teenage angst and drama around her. She is angry with her parents about their split and says so to both of them, but she doesnโ€™t lash out. She just goes running to escape. I didnโ€™t like that Samโ€™s character changed in the second book. She got weak for a while.

Logan is a slut, but he is also honest about that and so funny that I canโ€™t hate him for it.

This series is complete now and ends in a HEA.

This contains sex scenes, but they arenโ€™t graphic. We know what happened, but itโ€™s not as detailed as I usually see. The C and P words are not used. Instead, it is something like, โ€œHe was in me.โ€ The scenes get a bit more descriptive in the latter books when the characters are in college.

The entire series is in 1st person past tense. The first two books are all from Sam. In the rest of the series, we get some chapters from Mason too. We get a chapter from Logan in Book 5 (University). Logan Kade has chapters from both Logan and Taylor.

There are a ton of errors in the first book including wrong words and missing words. Itโ€™s not often enough to give me headaches but stretching it. The grammar gets better as the series goes on. I also felt that the plots got better as Tijan matured as an author over the series.



Fallen Crest Family โ€“ Book 2

Another soap opera. I didnโ€™t think this was as good as the first. The abuse stuff was brought up out of nowhere, and I didnโ€™t like how Samโ€™s character got weak.

In the second book, Sam is suddenly suffering PTSD from something her mom did when Sam was eleven. It never came up in the first book. It seems like Samโ€™s character was changed to conform to the desired plot. Because she stood up to her mother in the first book. Sam told her mother that their relationship was over, done, that she wished she hadnโ€™t been born to her mother. She also said she would move out as soon as she turned 18. And Sam does have the option of going to live with David, who fought for shared custody. It also seems very strange that Becky and Lydia would have suddenly abandoned Sam in the intervening time period when they had sworn loyalty to her at the end of the last book. Iโ€™m not buying it. Then the stuff about Sam being arrested as a runaway weeks before her 18th birthday and Mason possibly being charged with statutory rape was far from the legal facts. The changes are too stark, and I felt they were done to facilitate the desired plot here.


Fallen Crest Public โ€“ Book 3

The soap opera continues… This story is all about the mean girls and the queen bee going down, just like getting hit by a bus. But again, itโ€™s a guilty pleasure. Very cliche story line about a spurned girl who launches attacks on Sam because she wants Mason.


Favorite Quote:

โ€ฆMalinda. She always had a quick retort for Logan, and when there was a lull in conversation, sheโ€™d grill Mark on his love life. He was mortified when she suggested getting a vibrator for his girl. โ€œMom!โ€ he cried out. She shrugged. โ€œYouโ€™re not a virgin, and Iโ€™m promoting her pleasure as well. The girl will enjoy it a lot more. They donโ€™t always, you know.โ€ She scanned the rest of the table. โ€œIโ€™m sure you two bucks think youโ€™re the stud for all those does,โ€ she remembered me and amended, โ€œwell maybe just you and Logan, but Iโ€™m telling you. Girls fake it eighty percent of the time.โ€
That opened a whole new channel of adoration from Logan. He wanted to know it all.
The rest of the conversation was a question and answer forum from Logan while Mark looked ready to throw up. I even caught Mason listening intently to her. He told me later that heโ€™d be stupid to pass up information like that.


Fallen Fourth Down – Book 4

There would be so much less drama if they communicated with each other. Canโ€™t have that!

I like the screenshot of the texts.

Iโ€™m glad Sam has grown more of a backbone. In Fallen Crest Family, she got too weak for me.

Wow. I know this is a soap opera, but I keep getting shocked when it goes to that level. Hahaha There was a huge error in that near the start, Sam thought, โ€œMaybe it was time I tried drinking. Everyone else seemed to enjoy it.โ€ But she had been drunk so many times in the first three books! This was ridiculous. Alcohol was not new to her!


Fallen Crest University โ€“ Book 5

Mason is keeping secrets from Sam. Sam is keeping secrets from Mason. They are both trying to protect each other. If there arenโ€™t any secrets, there canโ€™t be any drama! ๐Ÿ˜‚


Fallen Crest Christmas

This is a Fallen Crest extra set right after University and before Logan Kade.

It is in 3rd person past tense.


Logan Kade โ€“ Book 5.5

We all know Logan is a slut and sometimes a man-whore, but I read this because of how funny he is! Oh yeah, do you know the difference? Sluts are just promiscuous, lacking respect for their own bodies. Man-whores make the women pay in some way, hurting them. I donโ€™t slut-shame. Iโ€™m not a fan of it, but whatever floats your boat. I just donโ€™t like reading about characters who are so casual about sex because itโ€™s a turn off for me. I really hate man-whores. They are bad people.

This was good, more fun, less of a soap opera. I really liked it until what happened near the end. Then I was disgusted! I have to knock at least a star off for Logan being far too much of a slut / manwhore.

Favorite Quote:

โ€œIโ€™m Logan Motherfucking Kade. Iโ€™d switch classes, too. I mean, shit. If I were a chick? Iโ€™d be all over me. I couldnโ€™t keep myself away from me.โ€ He let out a whistle. โ€œBring out the handcuffs and bullwhips. Weโ€™re going the BDSM route.โ€


Fallen Crest Home โ€“ Book 6

Near the beginning, everyone is worried about Sam and Mason being at a Roussou event, and they are always surrounded by people acting as bodyguards. Then the group lets Mason and Sam walk off alone to leave. It makes no sense that everyone would be worried at the beginning of the night and then let them leave alone. Stupid characters! ๐Ÿ™

Home ends on a cliffhanger that is so soap opera.

Favorite Quotes:

โ€œGood thing Iโ€™m Logan Kade. I mean, come on. If I wasnโ€™t the #sexmachine, I mightโ€™ve felt a little self-conscious.โ€ His eyes grew thoughtful. โ€œIโ€™d never noticed how ripped he is. I think he needs to cut back on some of his training. Heโ€™s lean cuisine now. Does it hurt? When youโ€™re bumping and grinding against him? Do all those hard muscles give you road rash or something?โ€

He smirked. โ€œYouโ€™re calling me the dumbass when youโ€™re the one who needs to be reminded how to eat. Put it in and chewโ€”unless itโ€™s Masonโ€™s dick. Donโ€™t chew then. Please, donโ€™t chew. I donโ€™t want to take my brother to the emergency room for that.โ€


Fallen Crest Forever โ€“ Book 7

The conclusion of the series with a HEA.


Triple Play: A Sports Reverse Harem Romance – Cassie Cole

Triple Play
A Sports Reverse Harem Romance
Cassie Cole

Rating: 4 out of 5.

Baseball reverse harem romance

Natalie is hired on as the assistant pitching coach for a major league baseball team. Raphael and Joel are pitchers. Darryl plays first base and is a star hitter.

I actually like baseball, so this was much more my speed. The many baseball details and the suspense in the game descriptions were terrific. It was a great story about baseball as well as a romance. The sex scenes were hot, and there was a good amount of humor in this.

The only thing I didnโ€™t like was how quickly Natalie fell into bed with Raphael. This happens early on, so itโ€™s not a spoiler. It felt like a cheesy porno set up like the hot guy delivering a pizza and suddenly they are having sex. I wasnโ€™t a fan. I definitely wanted more chemistry in their interactions and getting to know one another before they had sex. But the novel got much better from there!

There is a cute little bonus epilogue chapter online set 15 years later.

SAFE โ€“ no cheating, Other People drama, love triangles, or non or dubious consent.

Graphic sex scenes both one-on-one and group. No touching between the men.

Occasional foul language.

1st person past tense from Natalie and all three guys.

There are some unnecessary dialogue tags, but not so many as to detract from the pacing.

Alright is not a word, itโ€™s all right. Mom/Dad should be capitalized like a proper name. Aside from that, I only found 8 errors, so this is very well edited.

Fostering Hope (Silver Lining Book 1) – Amanda Perry

Fostering Hope
Silver Lining Book 1
Amanda Perry

Rating: 4 out of 5.

New adult clean reverse harem

After shuffling from one bad foster home to another, Parker is finally taken in by a good family. They have seven sons. Five of them are older than Parker.

This was a clean reverse harem romance, which Iโ€™ve never run into before. There is kissing but just that, no more. I really liked it. It was sweet and a fast read. There was no insta-love. Feelings built slowly. It had some good humor in it, especially with the character of Austyn.

1st person present tense from Parker and the guys.

I found 24 errors. A lot of them were weird like the first letter at the start of a sentence not being capitalized. Word should fix that on its own.

There is some foul language in this.

Trick Me Twice: An Enemies to Lovers High School Bully Romance – Becca Steele

Trick Me Twice
An Enemies to Lovers High School Bully Romance
Becca Steele

Rating: 4 out of 5.

Hot British high school bully romance

Carter is a king of the school. Raine is keeping herself hidden away. She seemed weak at first, but she slowly comes out of her shell and becomes strong. I was happy with her by the end. Carter had to mature and get stronger as well. I liked both of these characters because they had flaws and grew as the story progressed. I also liked many of the secondary characters.

The writing was choppy and uncomfortable at first but quickly got better for me. It was a quick read. I wasnโ€™t bored anywhere. I liked it a lot but didnโ€™t love it, so four stars.

This contains three graphic sex scenes, so there is much more story than sex. There is quite a bit of foul language.

1st person past tense from Carter and Raine.

This book is well edited. It is written in British English. Only 8 errors interrupted me.

Kings of Linwood Academy – The Complete Box Set: A Dark High School Romance Series – Callie Rose

Kings of Linwood Academy
The Complete Box Set:
A Dark High School Romance Series
Callie Rose

Rating: 4 out of 5.

Hot reverse harem high school murder mystery

Harlow and her mom move from Arizona to a wealthy east coast town. Her mom is hired to be the live-in Executive Housekeeper for the Black family. Their teenage son Lincoln and his best friends, River, Dax, and Chase hate Harlow immediately. They rule the school and lead her torture there. Then the five of them witness a murder by a man in a mask.

I liked this a lot, but I wouldnโ€™t want to read it again. Murder mysteries have much lower re-readability for me, since Iโ€™m not going to forget who done it. Iโ€™m not a big fan of mystery novels in general, so itโ€™s harder to make me love them. And this is very long. I can see why it was broken into three books, but it felt overly long. The pacing was good for most of this, but I got bored for a while in the third book.

This is definitely teen erotica. If youโ€™re against that, walk away now. Personally, Iโ€™m a fan. I donโ€™t want to do things with teenagers in real life, but I like to imagine myself back as a teenager. And reading about teens having sex doesnโ€™t bother me. When I was 16, everyone I knew was having sex. I havenโ€™t forgotten that just because Iโ€™m older now. Itโ€™s actually quite realistic in that regard. There are many sex scenes in this, some with just one guy and others with two or all of them, but there is a lot more story than sex here. Recreational marijuana use appears a few times here, which also matches my teenage experience.

I liked all the characters. Harlow isnโ€™t timid. Sheโ€™s got a mouth on her and takes the initial abuse well, doesnโ€™t cry and moan about how unfair it all is. She just says how these rich fucks must be bored. I liked that Harlow had a very realistic reaction to seeing someone die. She goes into shock for a bit and then canโ€™t sleep or eat for days. Too many times I see characters handling things like this like it was no big deal, the story on to something else. Iโ€™m glad to see a realistic reaction for once.

I loved that all four of the guys had distinct personalities and werenโ€™t just clones of each other, even the twins. Chase and Dax are almost identical twins but have enough physical differences to be told apart. Their personalities are widely different. All four guys are somewhat possessive and protective, but they donโ€™t smother Harlow. I also loved Harlowโ€™s mom and that someone in this novel has a good parent.

1st person present tense, all from Harlowโ€™s perspective.

This novel is well edited until the end of the third book. I found 3 errors between the first two books. I found 11 errors in the third book alone, mostly subject-verb agreements.


Favorite Quotes:

โ€œDonโ€™t fall in love with any rich boys. Theyโ€™re trouble.โ€

When Harlowโ€™s mom is going on a date: I make her promise to be home by midnight and use protection, because Iโ€™ve gotta give her a little shit while Iโ€™m at it, right?

Having four boyfriends, as amazing as it is, isnโ€™t great for staying clean.

I grit my teeth. โ€œBecause Iโ€™m collecting boyfriends, and I want to raise the average age of my harem.โ€



Misconduct – Penelope Douglas

Misconduct
Penelope Douglas

Rating: 4 out of 5.

Teacher and millionaire with teenage son in New Orleans โ€“ contemporary romance

I live in New Orleans, so it was fun to read a contemporary romance set here. The details of the setting were wonderfully accurate. Iโ€™m just left with one burning question: Do people elsewhere seriously not drink at funerals? Now, I donโ€™t mean during the service. Iโ€™m talking about at the gathering afterwards. A character says New Orleanians drink at all events, even funerals. And I went, โ€œWhat do you mean, even?โ€

There isnโ€™t a funeral in this. Itโ€™s not a tearjerker. It has its drama, but it left me feeling good, optimistic. The characters are complex and believable. There were things I liked about them and things I didnโ€™t, which makes them feel real. Would I want to date Tyler? No, but I wouldnโ€™t be or date Easton either. Neither of them do relationships anyway. They treat sex much too casually for my taste. But many people do, so if that doesnโ€™t turn you off right from the start, then I recommend this. It is a fast, enjoyable read with lots of humor that I have come to expect from Penelope Douglas.

The sex scenes were hot and well written. Tyler could be a little dominant, but Easton could dish it right back, playing with him in an amusing way. There is a possible trigger – she says no when she acts yes. He doesnโ€™t stop, and she doesnโ€™t want him to. This bothers me a little as It is so dangerous. Later he argues that she canโ€™t say no to him, and I went, โ€œBut, actually, she did!โ€ I got past this easily, but I like dark romance. Since this isnโ€™t dark, maybe it bothered me more, because no should mean no, you know?

I liked and enjoyed this but didnโ€™t love it so much that I would read it again, so 4 stars.


1st person past tense with chapters from both Easton and Tyler.

This is very well written and edited. I only caught 6 errors, and thatโ€™s amazing.


Favorite Quotes:

Easton: People didnโ€™t trust signatures so much as they trusted your ability to bullshit while you were drunk.

Easton: Probably midthirties, judging by the faint lines around his eyes. And although that wasnโ€™t old, it was almost outside of my generation at twenty-three. I liked that, too. If his hands were sure, maybe his tongue would be, too. Conversation-wise, I meant.

Easton: It didnโ€™t matter if you were fourteen or twenty-three, a student, a teacher, or a parentโ€”you still got nauseous when the principal called you down.

Tyler: She wouldnโ€™t be easy. In fact, I had a strange feeling it would be like high school, and Iโ€™d feel like Iโ€™d scored if I just got my hand up her shirt.

The Pet Project – Amanda Milo

The Pet Project
Amanda Milo

Rating: 4 out of 5.

Oddball equals interesting, pure SciFi, not romance

This novella is a riff on the thought, โ€œWhat if aliens didnโ€™t recognize humans as sentient and kept them as pets?โ€  

It must be taken at face value. It is not an allegory. I sensed no intention to comment on the history, tragedies, and foibles of humanity. If you canโ€™t put these things aside, you will probably be offended or even disgusted.

I personally found this very easy to imagine as I *know* that my cats are sentient. They control me. I am their slave. You donโ€™t see them going out to work or the grocery store or cleaning my toilet! They understand English but would never stoop to speaking it as they have a much more elegant language comprised of subtle nuances on the basic sound โ€œme-owโ€. Besides, they get their point across to me just fine, know it, and point this out with just a look at me from time to time. I accuse them of โ€œbeing all cute againโ€ and they say, โ€œItโ€™s the treats I train you with. You know you love it.โ€ I do.

The entire novella is 1st person present tense from the alien who is conducting the breeding project. We donโ€™t get the alienโ€™s name until the very end, in an epilogue that is an interview with our scientist. Very little is revealed about the alien species. No gender is given. We donโ€™t even know if these aliens have genders.

There is some forced mating between the experimentโ€™s subjects, but it is clinical rather than violent. These are the scientific notes of the doctor, so that tone removes most of the emotion and trauma we might otherwise feel when reading about these. There is nothing sexual between the aliens and the pets. I viewed it like putting cats or dogs together for mating as that is how the doctor views it. It is clear that the doctor canโ€™t remain an impartial observer and truly cares about the pets, so mistakes made during experimentation are corrected.

Amanda said this wasnโ€™t funny, but I found some very amusing nuggets. Overall, I found it interesting, amusing, and a fast-paced read. I think other animal lovers or anyone who doesnโ€™t view humans as vastly different from other animals will have an easier time accepting the spirit in which this was written and appreciating the cuteness.

There you go Amanda, being all cute again!

Favorite Quotes:

Because of the male inclination towards bellicosity, most males are not fit for household pets.

Distractedly, Iโ€™m aware of how welcome even her intrusions are to me. Her staring is so loud that I often pause whatever Iโ€™m working on to pay her some small attention. If I were wise, I would put a stop to her disruption; it is somewhat rude behavior.
[My cats!]

โ€œNo. You donโ€™t mark the indoor plant. Only outdoor plants.โ€ Then Dr. Xanโ€™-Tay `เฑ turns to me and sighs. โ€œYou see environment enrichment? Male tenders see targets.โ€

Captive of the Horde King (Horde Kings of Dakkar Book 1) – Zoey Draven

Captive of the Horde King
Horde Kings of Dakkar Book 1
Zoey Draven

Rating: 4 out of 5.

Nomadic tribal alien scifi erotic romance

Lunaโ€™s brother brings the wrath of the Dakkari down on their little human village. Luna offers to serve the horde king that comes to punish them in exchange for her brotherโ€™s life. He accepts, and her life is changed forever.

This was a fast paced read with likable characters. Luna was strong, and I liked seeing her emotional growth along the way. The horde king was good and honorable. Lots of details like regularly used alien language and an alien version of horses made for great world-building. We donโ€™t learn much about why humans are living on this planet as refugees, but I enjoyed the snippets of information I did get. The sex scenes were titillating but not scorching. The aliens were similar to humans but had tails and black and yellow eyes with no whites. They have a built-in, vibrating, clitoral stimulator, which had me laughing. Donโ€™t all the best aliens have sex toy equipment?

The Dakkari instantly reminded me of the Dothraki in Game of Thrones. Those names are similar, they are a nomadic alien-horse-riding culture, and the men all have long hair. โ€œKallesโ€ is their word for woman and the first the horde king calls Luna, which is close to khaleesi to me. It isnโ€™t overwhelming, and there are plenty of differences, but I would guess the author is a fan.

I donโ€™t want to give too much away, so how do I say this? The climactic action was too easy to foresee and clichรฉ. But I was very happy that Luna fought for herself and didnโ€™t just wait to be rescued by her man.

First person past tense, all from Luna. No cheating. No OW/OM drama. Several graphic sex scenes. The only foul language I noted was the occasional use of the F word when referring to sex. This is the first in a series of standalone novels. HFN.

Grammar: Error count 15 – wrong, missing, or misspelled words. Missing comma between two independent clauses, but it was consistent so accepted as style. Not terrible.

I enjoyed this and would read more books in the series. I donโ€™t think I would read this one again, so 4 stars.

Beyond the Night (The Heroes of New Vegas Book 1) – Colleen Gleason

Beyond the Night
The Heroes of New Vegas Book 1
Colleen Gleason

Rating: 4 out of 5.

SciFi Mystery Romance

Mystery, action, and romance. Elliot and his friends woke up in a cave they had been exploring to find 50 years had passed and the world as they knew it was gone. This is more SciFi than post-apocalyptic as significant time has passed since the upheaval. Itโ€™s not so much about survival as the mystery of what happened to the world and these men. We donโ€™t get the answer in this first novel, just clues. But itโ€™s not a cliffhanger. Subsequent novels in the series take up the mystery with other couples as the main characters.

The beginning drew me in with a sense of mystery, making me want to understand what was going on. Itโ€™s not an action start but a teaser start – a creepy feeling. We arenโ€™t given a load of backstory at the beginning. The setting and action slowly revealed the state of the world. Great writing with quick pacing kept me reading. Little things like new slang words and names not matching the genders they are currently most often assigned to helped add realism to the future setting.

There were good action scenes, very good descriptions of the environment, good world building, and some humor to relieve the tension. The women are strong and donโ€™t wait for the men to save them. I donโ€™t want to give too much away, so suffice to say I adored Jadeโ€™s action during the climactic action scenes.

3rd close, past tense. Chapters from different characters, most from the mains, but a few from secondary characters. We also get some journal entries written by a secondary character at the beginning of the upheaval. I liked the glimpses of the beginning.

Occasional foul language. Significant violence. There are some graphic sex scenes. A lot of it is described with scatterings of verbs or adjectives in a poetic way.

No cheating, OW/OM drama, or nonconsent.  HFN

Error count: 11 โ€“ Pretty good. These were missing, extra, or misspelled words and missing punctuation marks. Commas are not routinely missing, so I marked where they were for a total of 38 missing commas. Head-hopping occurs in only one chapter.

Overall, I really liked this. I donโ€™t see myself wanting to re-read it, so 4 stars. I am going to read the next in the series.

Dating in the Apocalypse The Complete Series – Christopher John Chater

Dating in the Apocalypse
The Complete Series
Christopher John Chater

Rating: 4 out of 5.

Hilarious Apocalyptic Comedy

Iโ€™ve never seen comedy mixed with an apocalypse before, but it works for me! I smiled, giggled, and laughed out loud in every chapter if not every page.

Tom Collins is a hetero metro badass trying to find the love of his life or at least have a little fun at the end of the world and doing it with style. A virus has killed off most of humanity, and New York City is in chaos. But you canโ€™t let a little thing like an apocalypse get you down or stop you from showing a pretty girl a good time! Comedy, mystery, action, and love, this has it all.

No cliffhanger with the complete series. I found the ending satisfying, especially because Tomโ€™s hair was perfectly styled! I loved the fashion angle and that it continued throughout. The women are all strong characters, and Tomโ€™s mom is the best. They donโ€™t wait around for a man to save them.

1st person past tense all from Tom, OW drama. No graphic sex scenes. Occasional foul language. I usually review romance and initially thought from the title it would be one, but itโ€™s not a classic โ€œromanceโ€. We donโ€™t really get to know the one Tom chooses. Their on-screen time together is limited.

Favorite Quotes:

Grammar: Routinely missing commas between two independent clauses and if, then statements. Filled with unnecessary dialogue tags. A few extremely long sentences and paragraphs. Other than that, the error count is 8 โ€“ not bad!

I received a free ebook in exchange for an honest review.