Review: Sins at St. Joseph's Academy by M.V. Ellis

 

Sins at St. Joseph's Academy by M.V. Ellis

Series: The Fallen #1

Publication date: January 29th, 2021

Pages: 282

Spice: 🌶️🌶️

Synopsis:

St. Joseph's Academy

Prestigious. Religious. Rotten as Hell.

As soon as I set foot in that place, my dream ticket turned into my worst nightmare.

I don't know if I can survive, or even make it out alive.

Because of them.

The Fallen

Beautiful. Brutal. Wicked as sin.

Five guys with the power of ten, and a burning desire to take me down.

They rule the school with cast iron fists, and stone cold hearts.

But the more they push me away, the more our destinies intertwine.

We're thrown together by chance, bound by circumstance, and held by desire.

Our story is one of lies, revenge, blackmail, and blood.

The Fallen won't be stopped, but nor will I.

So in the end, will the mighty be fallen?

Sins at St. Joseph's Academy is a full new adult romance with bully/enemies-to-lovers/love-hate themes, any may contain triggers for some readers. It is not a standalone, but the first in a running series. This is a reverse harem novel, meaning the main character has more than one love interest.

Available at:

Review:

I won't lie, I queued up this review to make it a DNF but was pressured by my friend to keep reading. I even flipped a coin to decide whether I should continue on or not. The first quarter of the book was incredibly hard to get through. There was terminology that was fitting for Australian setting but I am really unsure if the setting was meant to be Australian or the author just had a slip. That is another problem I found is that there is either too much detail or not enough. I have no idea what ethnicity any of the characters are nor have a clear image of them in my head. The description of them is very bare bones. It makes me unable to truly involve myself in the story to enjoy it further. On the other hand there was one situation where the FMC stood in the door of the classroom waiting to take a seat for ten full pages. She was too busy describing her life history and the boy she interacted with (which still didn't pain an accurate picture of the guy). I was done after the 24% mark. But, I decided to keep going and I am still not entirely convinced I should have, however there were some intrigue that kept me reading.

I wanted to see how the main characters interacted together at first as they got closer to each other. This was good in some ways but it was hard to really find much redeemable about the male characters. They all just seem to be tools. I don't really think Blake needs any of them. She could probably find someone else who actually is worth her time instead of wasting her time with them. Although I do find Thunder and Tyce to be moderately adorable. So, there were some good points.

Blake was a bit confusing for me. She was shy and demure one minute and then living it up the next. She's crying her eyes out about someone because she was treated like a slut then turns around and sleeps with someone else. I am on the cusp of liking her as I watch her start to come into her own but I hope that she becomes a more firm character and not kind of waffle back and forth.

I plan to read the rest of the series to see how it shapes up and whether I can stick with it but I am worried. 

Review: Bones by Yolanda Olson

Bones by Yolanda Olson

Series: La Douleur Folle #1

Publication date: June 10th, 2021
Pages: 204

Spice: 🌶️🌶️

Synopsis:

Loss is not something I'm accustomed to.

However, it's what I'm faced with now because I can't remember.

I've tried so hard to find what I'm looking for, and while I've done my best, it still eludes me.

The memory comes and goes in glimpses of a faded past and possible future, yet I can't grasp it.

Not yet.

Stay close and don't look back.

This is going to be a hard road, but we'll get through this together.

We have to.

You're the only hope I have left.

Available at:

Review:

Normally when I write my reviews I try to summarize the story before I delve into my review so my readers can get a better picture of what the story is about through my perspective. The issue is that this book was so all over the place and a bit confusing so I don't even know how to summarize it properly. The main male protagonist is a madman. He enjoys killing people and collecting their skulls to admire after the fact. He seems to embrace the fact that he is a psychopath and knows full and well what he needs at any given time in order to feel in control. He frequents an establishment that caters to those who wish to engage in sexual acts that can sometimes result in death. They have people come to them that want to die and they are given to those who wish to kill. Seems like a great match, unless the person who is looking to kill first enjoys convincing their victims that they want to live. 

This story is all over the place. I never got a good feel for the character at all. I knew he was a psychopath and I knew that he was trying to fly under the radar so as not to be caught in his murderous ways, but I didn't really get a sense of where his psychopathy stemmed from. He just simply was one with a medley of other issues. There were macabre scenes where the focus was mainly on the murder and the grotesque methods at which he executed them and very little on any sexual engagement. This didn't read like a splatterpunk book because those are usually a mix of horror and smut. This was not smutty in the least. Nothing about it made me think he was even remotely redeemable like other books would attempt. He simply was who he was and there was no likeable nature to him. 

When there was any sort of sexual undertones to a scene it felt like the author was extremely uncomfortable. Which, who can really blame them? You're basically writing a snuff scene. Anyone would be icked out by it. But the authors that can dip into that darkness without flinching is what gives characters a little more depth. I never felt any sort of connection to the protagonist/antagonist. And the twist at the end just read a little too much like a build your own adventure book from when I was a child. It didn't come across as eerie or cause a spike in anxiety. It only made me wince and "really?" 

Ultimately, this book was not for me. There were too many scenes that I struggled to follow and nothing that made me feel anything even remotely for the characters. I didn't feel anything but disgust for the main scene in the book and couldn't understand the reasoning behind any of it. I would rip apart the characters' motives to the point where none of it was even remotely believable. This took a lot away from any discomfort the author was trying to achieve in the grotesque and twisted story. It just wasn't for me in the slightest.

Review: Leave Me Behind by K.M. Moronova

Leave Me Behind by K.M. Moronova

Publication date: November 6th, 2024

Pages: 351

Spice: 🌶️🌶️🌶️

Synopsis:

Nell Gallows is the sole survivor of an elite dark forces squad, Riøt, after a detrimental attack two years ago. Unsurprisingly, she's being put up as the top candidate for the special ops team: Malum. The squad that goes where no one else will or can. There's only one problem: Malum blames their one casualty from the Patagonia mission on the Riøt squad.

So what is she to do when she finds herself on a plane to California and on her way to a sure death sentence? A one-night stand. At least, that's all it was supposed to be--one last night to be free. Only, she finds out too late that the dark and mysterious man she solely wanted as a fling is not only her new comrade but also the one she dreaded meeting most--her immediate superior and untouchable devil in the field. Bones.

He's hell on earth--cruel and unforgiving, but most of all, he hates her, and he makes sure she knows it. And yet, she finds herself unwilling to leave his side when he's unable to get to the evac point when their mission goes awry.

She stays behind with the devil and the secrets he keeps. They only have one another to trust when no faith is left.

Available at:

Review:

Nell knew that the next mission would likely be her last. After losing her entire squad and the man who trained and loved her, she has no more reasons to be cautious and try to stay alive. She thinks that maybe one last fling before the ultimate end wouldn't be so bad. So when she meets Eren and Bradshaw on the plane over she agrees to go out with them. Little did she know that the more broody of the men was the one who would hold her in a trance the most. He was dangerous and had a killer behind his bright blue eyes. It spoke to the killer inside her and before she knew it she was naked in her hotel room with him. After he left she thought she would meet her new squad and deal with some hazing until she found her new placement. But it seems Malum soldiers don't take kindly to Riøt soldiers if their motto of, 'the only good Riøt soldier is a dead one', is any indication. Little does she know how connected her old squad and her new squad seem to be. As a mission goes sideways she must learn to trust and fight beside the same men who tried to run her off the squad. But the ghosts of her past start to tangle with the ghosts of her most caustic bully, and one-night stand, Bones, and becomes a question of who's team is she on?

When I first started reading this book I was thoroughly into it. A military bully romance with a little bit of espionage in it? Sounds like a winner to me. And it was for the first half. It had intrigue and the characters were growing on me and then it just... stopped its forward momentum. It was like the author was working diligently on the story and then something got them frazzled and they started rushing the project. This book could have easily been the start of a series and it would have been perfect. But towards the end there were three time jumps: three years later, six months after that, and then five years. I can get behind a time skip as a epilogue as a window into what happened with the characters and how did they turn out. Also, the "rescue" was way, way, way too easy. It was alluded to taking three years to put into place but the task they accomplished shouldn't have taken that long of time and there was never any real explanation about any of it. It just felt like the author was completely done with the story and just wanted to tie it up to move on. 

This book had such promise for me that I was thoroughly disappointed in how it turned out. I think if the author chose to go back into the story and change things that they should start at the middle and get rid of the second half, build slowly and give more detail, and flesh out the characters a bit more so the reader can be more invested in their stories. I was more upset over some of the side characters getting hurt or killed than the prospect of the FMC or MMC dying. I just don't feel this book wasn't something I would pick up again but also wasn't frustrating enough to DNF. 

Review: Deathtrap by Alexandra St. Pierre

Deathtrap by Alexandra St. Pierre

Publication date: October 1st, 2024

Pages: 534

Spice: 🌶️🌶️🌶️🌶️🌶️

Synopsis:

Everyone Lilith touches dies. She has lived her entire life running from the grim reaper, who has followed her relentlessly since birth. He watches her from the shadows, and though he seems set on stealing everyone from her life, he refuses to allow her to take her own.

When Lilith gets a job as a bartender at a Voodoo Steakhouse, her shadowy demon companion leaves her in peace for four blissful years. It isn't until one of her colleagues passes away in a horrible accident, that she begins to fear he has returned, and this time, she may not be able to escape him.

*Deathtrap is the first book in a dark romance interconnecting series. This book explores very dark themes and has an extensive list of trigger warnings. If you are not familiar with the dark romance genre, it is recommended that you proceed with caution. This book is not suitable for everyone. 18+*

Available at:

Review:

The depths to which I had hoped to enjoy this book were profound. I started the book at the tail end of 2024 and was hoping I was going to hit it out of the park and start 2025 off with a 5-star read. Unfortunately, this book did not meet my expectations. The premise is good, girl dodging a clingy grim reaper but finds out that she is more than just the play thing for the reaper. However, the execution was not so great. First off, I read a partial review before starting the book that said "over half the book was non-con with heavy degradation and humiliation". I am not one to really shy away from trigger warnings so I didn't really put too much stock into the warning. I kind of wish I had. There is a line between what is dark romance and what is simply abuse. This one, I didn't get the hopeful warm fuzzies thinking that, 'oh well, he did really terrible things to her but throughout it she was just afraid to admit she wanted it!' But there were a lot of scenes where it was obvious that she really didn't want anything with Ramel. She even turned away from him in disgust a few times and yet he still forced her into situations she didn't wish for.

Throughout the book, the abuse became more and more hard to stomach. Especially when they would set her up in an impossible situation just so they could have the privilege of punishing her for it later. I get that eventually she started to enjoy the pain and the punishment but even I was like, "oh baby, that's Stockholm syndrome." Ramel only did most of the things he did because he had no memory of Lilith and was trusting God when he told him that she was coming for his job in Hell. But even when he recovered his memories he did some awful things. I did not like Ramel AT ALL. I would wrinkle my nose anytime he was in a scene which was pretty much the entire book.

The book absolutely dragged on and on and on for pages and pages until I was ready to DNF at 76%. My completionist personality trait was the only reason I decided to finish it and it just got progressively more confusing and as if the author just threw everything but the kitchen sink into the plotline. Making God the enemy was an interesting choice but one that aligned pretty well with dark romance. I have to say though, hinting at God's sexual preference by commenting on how all angels were made male until Lilith gave them a choice when they chose to follow her... that was wild. My innocent thought process: "oh, they have to open their mouths and take God's holy sacrament. Is that like a cracker or...?" NO IT'S NOT A CRACKER! 

Summarizing my chaotic thoughts, I did not enjoy this book. I did not like the fact it dragged on, I didn't like that the non-con scenes were literal rape scenes disguised as romance, I didn't like the polyamory angle (personal preference. I am a reverse harem girlie not a why choose.), and I felt there was so much information in one book that could have been cut back extensively. I did not find any of the characters to be likeable and I have no desire to delve into the next book when it is released. Maybe some of what I said intrigues you and that is perfectly fine. We all have our own preferences and if you do read this book, be prepared to skim over some of the same arguments that are touched on over a dozen times. 

Review: Lips on My Heart by M.J. Marino

Lips on My Heart by M.J. Marino

Series: Mercy Ravens MC #1

Publication date: March 28th, 2020

Pages 346

Spice: 🌶️🌶️🌶️🌶️

Synopsis:

Not all the best decisions in life come from making logical choices. Going off the path most chosen sometimes brings you to where you were always meant to be.

Josephine Holland doesn't veer from the path of least resistance. She may appear fragile like a pixie, but Josephine takes control like a dictator with a Napoleon Complex. An awful ex-boyfriend has left her with a sour taste for any future relationships. Josephine wipes the slate clean for a fresh start in Fort Collins, Colorado. With no time for nonsense, Josephine busies herself with her start-up design company and hopes for the best.

Maceo Tabares, a man who oozes trouble, is only interested in no-strings-attached hookups. The former Navy SEAL's life is dangerous, and a dangerous, and a target is always on his back. A relationship would only complicate things. Tired of the vagabond lifestyle, he chooses Fort Collins as his headquarters for his crew, with plans of expanding his security company. Maceo longs for stability, but having an old lady to share his life with is not in the cards.

So when a chance encounter on a hiking trail has these two conflicting characters running into each other--literally--neither one is interested in anything beyond a stolen moment. What neither of them expected was for a spark to form after that single encounter--a spark that would burn down their defensive walls and throw their clear-cut paths into unfamiliar territory.

Josephine's reaction is to flee while Maceo's is to pursue.

Josephine has no intentions of seeing Maceo again, but fate intervenes. When she meets her new client, Atlas, President of the Mercy Ravens MC, she comes face-to-face with Maceo, and all bets are off.

When a potential stalker puts Josephine in danger, Maceo will stop at nothing to protect the woman who has consumed his life. Several hurdles must be cleared for them to have a fighting chance, but will their love be enough fight off all those that want to do them harm? Will love conquer all for these two headstrong lovers?

Lips On My Heart is the first book in the Mercy Ravens MC series.

Available at:

Review:

Who knew the man that Josephine randomly had a tryst with on a hiking trail after being literally swept off her feet by him would be the new client she was hoping to land to get herself back on top? After she was blackballed from her previous firm after her fiance at the time took credit for her work, she needed to land the multimillion dollar job with the local biker club in hopes of turning a profit and keeping her crew employed. When she walked into the diner to meet with the President of the club she was shocked to find her hiking lover sitting there grinning at her across the way. She has no choice but to keep the job or she would go broke, but when she is put back in Maceo's orbit he will do anything to keep her there. But she has other issues rather than a determined biker President. It seems someone is out to ruin her life and danger is lurking around every corner. Can the Mercy Ravens keep her safe?

Overall, I found this book to be a slog. I struggled to keep myself on track of reading it because I was cringing so hard over certain situations and events in the timeline that just seemed forced.

The romance was incredibly fast pace. They met and were sleeping together within minutes and then living together within days. It only went faster and faster to the point where none of it was believable. You're telling me a biker who had rules and regulations to keep himself detached from females to avoid entanglement just decided on a whim to throw it all away without any trepidation? You're telling me that she would provide zero push back and only a moment's hesitation? None of that fits with the characters personalities that the author presented them as in the beginning and so it felt forced and made me roll my eyes. I couldn't throw myself into their romance because it all felt generic and fake.

Another issue was a pet peeve of mine. This couple's sex life was grotesque. I am not a prude to copious amounts of sex but they were doing nothing but having sex for most of the plot! It was like everything else from the threats to Josephine to Maceo's chaotic life was just afterthoughts to them getting to bang any chance they could. And some of things they were into made me grimace. Like their obsession with scent. Him smelling her arousal and her smelling his manly scent down there. Him incorporating that scent kink into his dirty talk. "I can smell how much you want me". Ew. Just... ew. It was the biggest cringe I have read in a while and it made me put the book down over and over to gag. It was one of the defining moments for me in my overall opinion of the book, it was that bad for me.

And finally, it was just predictable. It was easy to pinpoint who the baddies were and what they were after. While the characters were all scratching their heads I'm wanting to throw my Kindle because they're annoyingly clueless. I found myself skipping over passages when they were trying to puzzle it out and that was the first sign that the book was a goner for me. 

I really wanted to like this book and if there had been less sex, less sniffing each other like dogs looking for the perfect fire hydrant, and more twists and turns in the mystery it might have scored higher with me. I know there are two more books with these characters in mind and another mystery to solve but I don't think I can keep going. I was lucky to have finished this book, I can't face two more of them sniffing and doing nothing but having sex.