rjordan19's reviews
943 reviews

Overall: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Readability: 📖📖📖
Feels: 🦋🦋🦋
Emotional Depth: 💔💔💔💔
Sexual Tension: ⚡⚡⚡
Romance: 💞💞💞💞
Sensuality: 💋💋💋
Sex Scene Length: 🍑🍑🍑
Steam Scale (Number of Sex Scenes): 🔥🔥 (1-2ish scenes. I didn’t take notes. There were a few scenes that were short and I wouldn’t count them as a full scene. At least one full scene though!)
Humor: a touch
Perspective: third person mostly from the hero and heroine (there is a bit from a side character’s POV towards the end of the book)
More character focused or plot focused? kind of a mix but probably more character
How did the speed of the story feel? medium
When mains are first on page together: There’s a bit of prologue that’s a jump ahead in the story but they aren’t interacting much – it takes a bit for them to be on page together but not overly long (I didn’t note it specifically, sorry!)
Cliffhanger: No, this ends with a happily ever after for the couple
Epilogue: I think there was a bit of one? Sorry my notes were terrible with this read...the final chapter I think is from
Format: listened to the audiobook from the library (Hoopla)

Should I read in order?
Ideally yes. The series flows together and the story is about the Worth family and you’ll get a better feel for what the family has been through if you’ve read in order, and a stronger sense of their reconciliation.

Basic plot:
Camilla and Adrian are compromised and forced into marriage.

Give this a try if you want:
- Victorian romance – 1867
- compromised heroine
- marriage of necessity (hero gets married at gunpoint)
- finding lost family
- light secret identity from both mains
- working class mains
- lower steam – 1-2 full scenes. I didn’t take good notes. Most scenes were pretty short but there was one that was countable for sure and some kisses.

Ages:
- heroine is 20, didn’t catch hero

My thoughts:
I think one is my best liked of the series so far.

These characters are both individuals you are rooting for – they both have differing obstacles they face and I enjoyed how they really listened to each other and respected each other while trying to resolve their problems.

I remember a reader saying that Milan likes to take tropes and turn them on their heads and I can really see that in this ‘compromised heroine’ trope – it doesn’t go at all like you think it will go. There’s a lot of honesty, vulnerability and self reflection in our mains and they both desperately deserve their HEAs.

I do find myself struggling with this series a bit. Maybe it’s the….heaviness of it? They aren’t necessarily heavy books, but they are very real with real characters with flaws and real obstacles. They face racism and misogyny and insurmountable odds aren’t always overcome – but they do always find happiness.

This series feels not so much romance as it is family love and I am getting a bit attached to the family.

Few random reading stats for this author
# of books read: 7
Average rating: 4 stars
Favorite book: The Governess Affair

Content warnings: These should be taken as a minimum of what to expect. It’s very possible I have missed some.

- racism
- employee abuse
- lost family

Locations of kisses/intimate scenes, safe sex aspects, consent, pregnancy/child in the story:

 
Safe sex: I didn’t take notes! So I’m not sure...I want to say no
Hows the consent? 

  It’s good! 

 
Pregnancy/children in story?  (Please note this is the best to my memory/note taking. If you see something I missed please feel free to message!) 

  No children in the story and I don’t think there’s any planning of children – they want an annulment so they refrain from sex most of the story 

 

Overall: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Readability: 📖📖📖📖
Feels: 🦋🦋🦋
Emotional Depth: 💔 (By itself, it’s quite short and more plot based but read book 1 and you will get to know the characters!)
Sexual Tension: ⚡⚡
Romance: 💞💞💞
Sensuality: 💋💋💋💋
Sex Scene Length: 🍑🍑🍑🍑
Steam Scale (Number of Sex Scenes): 🔥
Humor: Yes
Perspective: first person from the heroine
More character focused or plot focused? plot
How did the speed of the story feel? fast
When mains are first on page together: It takes awhile...about 41% (or chapter 2 of 3 of this short story)
Cliffhanger: No, this ends happily for the couple
Epilogue: No
Format: read an e-book version through kindle unlimited

A small rabbit charm lined with diamonds glittered in the pale moonlight. The band was an elegant string of rose gold that hugged loosely against my ankle. “Oh, it’s so cute!”
“Good.” Fallon ran his fingers along my thighs, teasing them further apart. “I kept going back and forth between that and a necklace – yet whenever I thought about anything else wrapped around your throat, my hands grew terribly jealous.”

Should I read in order?
YES! You should, at minimum, read book 1 of the Mead Mishaps series (That Time I Got Drunk and Saved a Demon) because this feels like an extended epilogue. But the whole series is so fun, so reading the whole thing in order is a great choice.

Basic plot:
Cinnamon and Fallon experience a Samhain festival together.

Give this a try if you want:
- fantasy romance with a historical feel
- Samhain celebration
- short story
- medium steam – 1 full scene that takes up most of the second chapter

Ages:
- They might be mentioned in book 1, didn’t see them listed here

First line:
“Cinnamon, go talk to your husband or I’ll hit you with another pumpkin spice pancake.”

My thoughts:
I really enjoyed this short story! I haven’t read Kimberly Lemming in awhile, and picked up the next book in the series for me (this one) because of the Diverse Baseline Challenge. It made me miss her work so much and now I want to catch up on everything I missed!

This is a short story, and definitely best after reading book 1 because it feels like an epilogue for Cinnamon and Fallon’s story. Fun, with a bit of light spookiness.

Few random reading stats for this author
# of books read: 4
Average rating: 5
Favorite book: That Time I Got Drunk and Saved a Demon

Content warnings: These should be taken as a minimum of what to expect. It’s very possible I have missed some.

- some light scenes of fear/spookiness

Locations of kisses/intimate scenes, safe sex aspects, consent, pregnancy/child in the story:

 
Safe sex: 

  No 

 
Hows the consent? 

  It’s good 

 
Pregnancy/children in story? (Please note this is the best to my memory/note taking. If you see something I missed please feel free to message!) 

  I don’t think there’s any talk of children/trying to get pregnant between the couple? There is unsafe sex but I can’t remember if there’s some other kind of contraceptive mentioned in their prior story (magical birth control, etc) 

 
46% - kisses, oral for her, missionary, choking 

 

Overall: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Readability: 📖📖📖📖
Feels: 🦋🦋🦋
Emotional Depth: 💔💔💔💔
Sexual Tension: ⚡⚡⚡ (I felt like they gave in to each other pretty easily each time and there wasn’t a lot of tension build up)
Romance: 💞💞💞
Sensuality: 💋💋💋💋
Sex Scene Length: 🍑🍑🍑🍑 (hard to tell on audio for me!)
Steam Scale (Number of Sex Scenes): 🔥🔥🔥🔥
Humor: Yes, a bit
Perspective: first person from both the hero and heroine
More character focused or plot focused? character
How did the speed of the story feel? medium
When mains are first on page together: almost immediately in the prologue
Cliffhanger: No, this ends with a happily ever after
Epilogue: No
Format: listened to the audiobook (won in a giveaway from the author – thank you!!!!)

Should I read in order?
This is book 1 of Jenelle’s Willow Creek series.

Basic plot:
Taren finds out her brother sold his half of the business to her enemy and prior high school tormentor...

Give this a try if you want:
- contemporary romance
- small town setting – Willow Creek
- childhood friends
- enemies to lovers
- brother’s best friend
- workplace romance-ish – the hero buys out half her business and they must work together
- second chance
- heroine runs an orchard and makes cider
- celibate heroine
- skinny dipping
- higher steam – 5-ish scenes

Ages:
- heroine is about 33, hero is 35

First line: Taken from audio – probably butchered 😅
He was a praying mantis, all gangly awkward arms and legs and pointing elbows, a lean, supple wolfish shadow of a boy.

My thoughts:
This is my first book by Jenelle and I definitely am eager to try more! I liked the small town romance here and really enjoyed the steamy scenes – they had some great banter and an emotional pull I liked.

But I did have a few issues with this one – I struggled with their initial relationship a bit. They were childhood friends, but then in high school, the hero turns pure jerk. I didn’t really get why he was SO mean to her in high school. It’s kind of addressed and acknowledged, I guess I just wanted to feel the reason more? Because we walk in on the story at this point, I didn’t get the build up for it.

And after our initial set up, I really didn’t understand why he left without telling her. I still feel unsettled about that. It just felt like I was getting a bit of whiplash from the hero in the beginning and it was hard for me to recover from. They were best friends, then he was a jerk in high school, then he loved her, then he left. And when he returns, he works the whole book to prove to her he would do the right thing, but I was just left with this niggling doubt in their relationship that maybe I wouldn’t have forgiven him like she did.

Still, very excited to read more from Jenelle! She definitely has a writing style I like. These tropes weren’t my favorite and that’s just a me thing :)

Few random reading stats for this author
# of books read: This was my first!
Average rating: 4 stars
Favorite book: This is my first by Jenelle, so this one 😄

Content warnings: These should be taken as a minimum of what to expect. It’s very possible I have missed some.

- alzheimers is a plot point for the hero’s grandmother and there are scenes showcasing her symptoms
- fire resulting in death
- parental loss

Author content warnings are given but I didn’t note them.

Locations of kisses/intimate scenes, safe sex aspects, consent, pregnancy/child in the story:

 
Safe sex: 

  condoms used 

 
Hows the consent? 

  It’s good 

 
Pregnancy/children in story? 

  No, no children side characters or main characters and no talk of pregnancy or pregnancy plot that I recall 

 

- chapter 1 - kiss
- chapter 2 - 🔥 dry humping (hero comes in his pants)

(Note that the above two happen in high school and the heroine is 16, hero is 18. They are in high school together. The following scenes are 17 years later)

- chapter 6 – touches and groping that’s interrupted
- chapter 13 - kisses
- chapter 21 – 🔥phone sex
- chapter 22 – 🔥oral for her on the desk
- chapter 26 – 🔥bj, oral for her, sex
- chapter 33 – 🔥sex with crackers in the bed 

 

Overall: ⭐️⭐️⭐️
Readability: 📖📖📖 (Sadly I was able to set this one down repeatedly for long periods of time and told myself to finish it)
Feels: 🦋🦋
Emotional Depth: 💔💔💔
Sexual Tension: ⚡⚡⚡
Romance: 💞💞
Sensuality: 💋💋💋
Sex Scene Length: 🍑🍑🍑
Steam Scale (Number of Sex Scenes): 🔥🔥
Humor: A touch
Perspective: Third person from both the hero and heroine
More character focused or plot focused? character
How did the speed of the story feel? slow to medium
When mains are first on page together: it takes a bit – it’s a good 11% or so until the mains are on page together (chapter 3)
Cliffhanger: No, this ends with a happily ever after and a conclusion to the series long mystery.
Epilogue: Yes, ten months later
Format: voluntarily read an e-book version through NetGalley

Should I read in order?
Ideally yes, if you care about the series mystery. The romance itself stands alone. But the end of the book has a resolution for the mystery and will be best in order.

Basic plot:
Rory is in desperate need of a governess, and lucky for him Genevieve and his daughter make a connection right away...

Give this a try if you want:
- Regency – book 1 takes place in 1814 and this one isn’t too much after it
- English countryside setting
- child in the story – the hero has a daughter he is trying to mend a relationship with
- you’re okay with loss being a big part of the story – the hero lost his wife and infant son before the book starts
- a touch of magic – the 3 books feature a curse that they are trying to break (the curse runs throughout the series and wraps up with this book)
- governess
- bit of a marriage of convenience
- hide and seek
- employer/employee relationship
- low to mid steam – 2 full scenes, a short one I didn’t count as a flame and plenty of kisses (though most is in the second half)

Ages:
- I think both mains are 30

First line:
Lord Emory Lumlee, youngest son of the Duke of Tralee, stood in the small, manicured graveyard behind the chapel at Lilacfall Abbey.

My thoughts:
This series has been pretty fun. I like the idea of the curse and the heroes working on undoing their curse and finding love on the way. But this one was my least favorite of the series.

If I can just be honest, the hero ruined this one for me. This whole series features heroes that have made mistakes and mend the bad karma coming their way in their books. But Rory….I wanted to love him but he was such an idiot and so frustrating I just never did.

He repeatedly makes these choices that are hurtful and cringy and you keep hoping he would get better. But even halfway through the book, the hero is threatening his child with ridiculous threats and when she goes missing doesn’t even think to call her name? I felt like his proposal was lackluster and left a lot to be desired. The way he acted once married, the same. And the ending? Well it didn’t salvage any kind of respect I might have started to have for him.

I loved the heroine and even the relationship with the hero’s child was fun in parts. But I felt like the child really took over the whole plot here and I’m not big on that in my romance generally so I was left wanting more from the mains.

I feel bad because I did enjoy parts of this series a lot, and I like Galen’s writing a lot. But this particular book I didn’t like the hero and I couldn’t enjoy the book because of him. I didn’t believe in their happily ever after and felt like the heroine deserved more by the end.

Few random reading stats for this author
# of books read: 3
Average rating: 3.66 stars
Favorite book: My Fair Katie

Content warnings: These should be taken as a minimum of what to expect. It’s very possible I have missed some.

- death of spouse and child with grief – including grief from child that doesn’t accept parental death
- some minor scenes of cursing and magic
- some mentions of feelings of infidelity between the hero and his dead wife – she’d been in love with another man
- a few scenes of missing child (none are too long and are resolved quickly)
- mention of heroine’s mother recovering from an extended illness
- some talk of heaven/God and death and attempting to get the daughter to accept the loss of her mother

Author content warnings? None

Locations of kisses/intimate scenes, safe sex aspects, consent, pregnancy/child in the story:

 
Safe sex: 

  No 

 
Hows the consent? 

  It’s good 

 
Pregnancy/children in story? (Please note this is the best to my memory/note taking. If you see something I missed please feel free to message!) 

  There is a child in the story (hero’s daughter) and the remembered death of another child (hero’s son). There is talk of having future children, dreams of future children of the couple – no precautions are taken during sex. 

 
38% - kiss
66% - 🔥 fingering/oral for her, missionary
71% - kisses then interrupted
74% - kisses
78% - 🔥kisses, fingering for her, doggy
88% - kisses, sex but it’s pretty vague and short 

 

Overall: 4.5 rounded to ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Readability: 📖📖📖📖📖
Feels: 🦋🦋🦋🦋
Emotional Depth: 💔💔💔💔
Sexual Tension: ⚡⚡⚡⚡
Romance: 💞💞💞💞
Sensuality: 💋💋💋💋
Sex Scene Length: 🍑🍑🍑🍑
Steam Scale (Number of Sex Scenes): 🔥🔥🔥
Humor: A bit
Perspective: third person from the heroine mostly. There’s only a few chapters from Anubis’ point of view
More character focused or plot focused? character
How did the speed of the story feel? slower
When mains are first on page together: it takes awhile for them to be together
Cliffhanger: No, this ends with a happily ever after
Epilogue: Yes, but it felt more like a final chapter to me and not a true epilogue to me (it’s not very far in the future)
Format: voluntarily read an advanced reader copy in e-book form from the author (thank you!)

Should I read in order?
I believe this is a stand alone novel (or at least book 1 of what will be a series?)

Basic plot:
Violet has been longing to go to Egypt as a connection to her mother she has lost. She is unaware how important her inherited bracelet is to someone there, however…

Give this a try if you want:
- historical monster romance
- 1933 time period
- Egypt setting
- bodyguard vibes
- Anubis hero (Egyptian God) and human heroine pairing
- slow burn with great build up
- height difference in his God form
- telepathic connection
- hero is sexually inexperienced
- medium steam – 3 full scenes

Ages:
- Heroine is 25, hero is thousands of years old

First line:
What use is a heart to the god of the dead?

My thoughts:
Oh my goodness, I just loooooooved this book. The cover drew me in! How could I resist the possibility of such a beautiful story with that cover???

And the story delivered for me. Delivered all the things I really enjoy and love in romance. It is a slower burn for sure, and the story itself can feel like it’s moving slowly. But I encourage you to stick with it because when it gets moving, it grabbed my heart sooooo good. In the best way it grabbed and held on and I was so invested in this story. I was dying for Anubis and Violet to give in to each other. Such delicious sexual tension for me!

Ideally I could have used a bit more from Anubis’ POV, and maybe a touch more emotion from him in some of the scenes – he’s very serious and some of his dialogue came across to me as monotone when I wanted him to be close to losing control over Violet. But overall, I just adored this whole story.

This is my first by Blacketer and I immediately signed up for her newsletter and plan on trying more. I really liked her writing style and I’m hoping I love more by her too! I stayed up allll night finishing this

Few random reading stats for this author
# of books read: This is my first
Average rating: 5 stars
Favorite book: This one!

Cock/Hero Stats:

- the hero can shift into smoke, man form, Anubis….
- in his Anubis form, he is 8 feet tall, black skin that is shiny. He has the features of a hound/jackal with gold eyes and pointed ears. Much muscles!
- his claws are retractable
- in his human form, cock is well endowed but normal
- in his God form, cock is at least as long as the heroine’s forearm. He has small ridges and a thick vein underneath with rounded crests. He also knots in this form.

Endearments

The hero calls the heroine ‘little thief’ and ‘little flower’.

Quotes/thoughts: (Any mistakes are my own)

He was sin incarnate. Raven hair lay in waves around his angular face, resting against the collar of his shirt and casting his features in highlight and shadow. Tall for certain. Most definitely strong, she wagered, judging by the fit of his tailored coat.
---
Khalid’s unwavering stoicism remained as he narrowed his eyes. “I have not taken you anywhere against your will, little thief. I saved your life.”
“You saved me?” Violet scoffed. “Have you saved hundreds of women before me?”
“In all of my existence, I have saved no one before,” Khalid said.
---
Inside her mind, memories of her conversation with Khalid replayed, rolling over like gemstones in the light, refracting truth and tempting her to linger.
 

Content warnings: (This should be taken as a minimum because I could have missed some!)

- parental loss and grief over the loss
- some scenes of violence, kidnapping, and harassment
Author given content warnings: none

Locations of kisses/intimate scenes, safe sex, consent, pregnancy/child in the story:

Safe sex: 

  No 

Hows the consent? 

  It’s good 

Pregnancy/children in story? 

  No children in the story. There is some brief thoughts of pregnancy with wondering if it’s possible to procreate between a human and a god. The heroine doesn’t get pregnant on page and no children are mentioned in the future 

54% - 🔥 fingering for her while hidden by Anubis’ shroud in the garden (he is in God form)

He shook his head. “If this is what you truly desire…”
Abubis’s arms wrapped around her, lifting her off the ground and pinning her ot his chest. She squealed at the sudden movement, aware of his muscles and the press of the gold-banded garment around his hips pushing hard into her stomach.
“Then I will do my best to give you what you need.”

68% - kiss with another man
73% - 🔥 oral for her with Anubis in human form, missionary

Violet moaned when his tongue caressed hers.
Khalid tightened his grip on her hips, his fingers digging into her flesh. He backed up, carrying her to the bed. Sinking slowly to the mattress, he settled her on his lap. Knees pressed to the soft bedding, Violet straddled his thighs, cursing the linen and silk keeping her from feeling the heat of his skin on hers.

84% - kiss
91% - 🔥her on top, followed after by a fingering for her (short)

The fabric polled around her waist before she easted it over her hips and down her thighs to lay in a puddle at her feet.
Hunger flashed across his features, and he bared his teeth. It should have been strange, seeing the amalgamation before her – the body of a man hewn from steel and marble with the head of a fierce canine, looking as though he could devour her in a single bite.
 

 

Overall: 4.5 rounded to ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Readability: 📖📖📖📖
Feels: 🦋🦋🦋🦋
Emotional Depth: 💔💔💔💔
Sexual Tension: ⚡⚡⚡
Romance: 💞💞💞💞
Sensuality: 💋💋💋💋
Sex Scene Length: 🍑🍑🍑🍑
Steam Scale (Number of Sex Scenes): 🔥🔥🔥🔥 (I’m not sure how many scenes...I didn’t take notes but I know there were a handful)
Humor: A bit
Perspective: Third person from both hero and heroine
More character focused or plot focused? character
How did the speed of the story feel? medium
When mains are first on page together: Pretty soon in, about chapter 2
Cliffhanger: No, this ends with a happily ever after
Epilogue: Yes
Format: listened to the audiobook from the library (Hoopla)

Should I read in order?
This is the first of Hoang’s The Kiss Quotient.

Basic plot:
Stella hires someone to teach her about sex so she can have a successful relationship.

Give this a try if you want:
- contemporary romance
- fake relationship
- autism rep
- escort hero
- tattooed hero
- economist heroine
- bit of a size difference – hero is 6 inches
- bit of an employer/employee relationship – the heroine hires the hero to teach her about love/sex
- medium steam – there’s quite a few scenes and partial scenes. I don’t have an exact count because I didn’t take notes but I think I remember at least 3-4?

Ages:
- Heroine is 30, didn’t catch hero

First line:
“I know you hate surprises, Stella.”

My thoughts:
I ended up really liking this one! I listened to it while cleaning my house from top to bottom since we were moving and it really helped make it enjoyable!

I know this book was super popular but I actually had no idea what it was about. I somehow avoided everything about it except for seeing the cover frequently. I was actually really surprised by the plot of the hero being a sex escort and loved the idea of their bargain and fake relationship.

I enjoyed the focus on the intimacy and the characters together. We also get to know the hero’s family a bit. This book gave me so much of what I really enjoy in romance. And even though there were elements of instalust with them, I still felt the tension buildup in these scenes. I’d definitely read more from Hoang!

Content warnings: These should be taken as a minimum of what to expect. It’s very possible I have missed some.

- hero’s family has dealt with parental abandonment
- mention of sickness (cancer)

Locations of kisses/intimate scenes:

 
Safe sex: 

  Condoms used and the hero talks about being tested regularly for STDs 

 
Hows the consent? 

  It’s good! I do want to mention the hero is a sex worker and does feel rather stuck in the job due to the expenses he has but the consent itself is very good. 

 
I didn’t take notes, sorry! There’s quite a few partials in the beginning and then full scenes later in the book 

 

Overall: ⭐️⭐️⭐️
Readability: 📖📖📖
Feels: 🦋🦋🦋
Emotional Depth: 💔💔💔💔
Sexual Tension: ⚡⚡⚡
Romance: 💞💞💞
Sensuality: 💋💋💋💋
Sex Scene Length: 🍑🍑🍑🍑
Steam Scale (Number of Sex Scenes): 🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥
Humor: A bit
Perspective: First person from both hero and heroine
More character focused or plot focused? character
How did the speed of the story feel? slow to medium
When mains are first on page together: Not too long in….about 5% or Chapter 3 of the book
Cliffhanger: No, this ends with a happily ever after
Epilogue: Yes, nine years later
Format: bought e-book

Should I read in order?
This is the first in Khabra’s Off the Ice series.

Basic plot:
To complete her research paper, Summer is forced to work with a dreaded hockey player. Aiden must do some college community service by volunteering himself for a research paper after his coach confronts him on a mistake.

Give this a try if you want:
- contemporary romance
- book includes a playlist!
- college setting
- touch of enemies to lovers (more on the heroine’s side – she doesn’t like hockey players)
- hockey player and the psychologist
- hero makes the heroine tea
- plenty of back and forth banter
- higher steam – 5-ish (I was kinda lazy with counting) scenes with some praise

Ages:
- hero is 21, heroine is 20

First line:
She’s holding a gun to my head.

My thoughts:
I am sad I struggled with this book! I wanted to like it but I just couldn’t get into it and I kept setting it down and forcing myself to pick it back up. Like I think I started this in April and am just getting around to finishing my review now (August)...I think I finished a week or two ago.

I did love the steam in this one. The scenes were really great and I loved the hero’s dirty talking. But I never grew to love either main character really.

I’m not the biggest fan of enemies to lovers anymore, so I think this will be a hit with others. I just didn’t feel the tension off their animosity and the heroine refusing to give the hero an inch because of her issues with her father got rather tiring to me. I felt like I was on a hamster wheel repeating and just wanted off. I was ready for this book to be over way before it ended. I think I could really like another book by this author with a different plot though!

Quotes/spoiler-y thoughts: Any mistakes/typos are my own

Soft tendrils frame her face, and I can’t help but notice how pretty she looks. She would look even prettier on her knees, looking up at me with those pink lips in a perfect O.
Jesus, I need a cold shower.
---
“There’s no lifeguard. If you drown, I’m not saving you.”
He feigns offense. “I’m your research; you can’t let me die.”
“A few casualties along the way won’t hurt my application.” He throws me a dark look that pulls a smile from me. “Last one in the pool has to pay for the other’s dinner,” I say before taking off. Just as I’m about to hop off the edge and dive into the pool, Aiden’s arm hooks around my waist, and we spin into the water, his back hitting first. I’m engulfed in chlorine-treated water, and him. When we break through the surface, I’m still trapped against his hard body.
“I don’t lose, Preston,” he whispers against the shell of my ear.
---
When warm fingers reach to lift my chin, my stomach flutters. “Did you mean what you said?”
This is no time to be a coward, Summer.
I swallowed hard. “Yes.”
His tense shoulders relax, and he grins. “Say it again.”
“Hell no.”
“Come on. One more time,” he goads.
I shake my head more seriously now. Aiden shrugs and turns to leave. I fight the urge to roll my eyes when I grab the sleeve of his T-shirt to pull him back to me. He comes easily, not even trying to hid the big smile on his stupidly smug face.
I breathe a dramatic sigh. “I want you to fuck me.”
Aiden’s eyes light like a kid’s on Christmas. “Was that so hard?”
---
“Maybe you have a headache from your hair being in a death grip.”
“That’s how I like it,” she declares.
I raise my brows, making her roll her eyes. “I like it down.”
She snorts. “Good to know. I’ll throw out all my hair ties because Aiden Crawford likes it when girls wear their hair down.”
Wrapping the bandage around her ankle, I glance at her. “Not girls. You.”
---
“If you want it, you’re going to come to me.” He lifts my hair from the shirt, pushing it back. “The next time I have you, it won’t be to prove something or to win some competition. It’s going to be because you know the only guy that can satisfy you is me.”
 

Content warnings: These should be taken as a minimum of what to expect. It’s very possible I have missed some.

- heroine struggles with some parental issues with her dad
- heroine does kiss someone else in the book and it’s after she was intimate with the hero (I would say infidelity because they are not in a relationship...)

Locations of kisses/intimate scenes:

 
Safe sex: 

  Condoms used 

 
Hows the consent? 

  It’s good – the hero asks multiple times 

 
Pregnancy/children? 

  I don’t recall pregnancy being talked about, condoms are used. There are children in the epilogue. 

 
30% - brief kiss
37% - kiss between the hero and heroine (there was a prior kiss between the heroine and a side character), breast play, oral for her
46% - kisses in the truck
49% - 🔥 bj, oral for her, missionary
53% - 🔥 her on top
60% - 🔥 69
65% - 🔥 sex in the bar bathroom
72% - 🔥 fingering for her on the ferris wheel
84% - oral for her but it cuts off and is very short 

 

Overall: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Readability: 📖📖📖📖
Feels: 🦋🦋🦋
Emotional Depth: 💔💔💔
Sexual Tension: ⚡⚡⚡⚡
Romance: 💞💞💞💞
Sensuality: 💋💋💋💋
Sex Scene Length: 🍑🍑🍑🍑
Steam Scale (Number of Sex Scenes): 🔥🔥🔥🔥
Humor: Yes, a bit
Perspective: first person from both hero and heroine
More character focused or plot focused? maybe more plot?
How did the speed of the story feel? medium
When mains are first on page together: almost immediately (chapter 1)
Cliffhanger: No, this ends with a happily ever
Epilogue: Yes
Format: read through kindle unlimited subscription

Should I read in order?
This is the first book of Fated Mates Bar series.

Basic plot:
Jess is brought to a very weird bar by her friend and everything is not as it seems...

Give this a try if you want:
- science fiction romance
- contemporary Earth setting
- alien hero / human heroine
- bartender hero
- heroine works for a library repository as an archivist
- bit of a size difference – hero is about 6’ 7” and heroine comes up to his collarbone
- special equipment! And well endowed hero
- fated mates
- shapeshifter hero
- mid to higher steam – 4 full scenes with plenty of details!

Ages:
- heroine is 31, hero would be 34 in Earth years

First line:
“You can’t wear that.”

My thoughts:
I am so happy one of our members in A Love Less Ordinary dropped this title because it was SO FUN!

I loved the set up for this one. I usually like alien settings in my sci-fi books, but this one was just too cute of a plot to not enjoy. Aliens and wolf shifters have a bar in the middle of nowhere called Fated Mate and are desperately trying to find mates on Earth. The beginning scenes were so cute and fun!

And as we get to know our characters, I just loved both Jess and Gravod. Super protective and sweet hero. A bit of instalove with our fated mates connection, but still enough tension building and I adored. Also, I really loved how other problems were addressed in this novel. The heroine having a toxic ex and his comeuppance was so dang satisfying to read. I loved the way this went – seeing characters give in to toxic behaviors or enable them can really drive me nuts with the experiences I have had and I loved how this heroine stood up for herself immediately and didn’t lose any part of her self in his attempts at destruction.

Definitely eager for more from this author! I also signed up for her newsletters and she has a fun drink recipe inspired by the book. Love (and it meets one of my summer book challenge bingo boxes from my library. So I can’t wait to write Hot Alien Bartender in my square! 😆

Few random reading stats for this author
# of books read: This is my first by this author!
Average rating: 5 stars
Favorite book: This one!

Cock/Hero Stats:

- hero has a very intoxicating scent and something entices the heroine upon meeting him making her super horny…
- hero displays himself initially with short black hair and green eyes but they can camouflage/shapeshift
- the hero’s people are from Vytaris
- the hero has amazing hearing (can hear 20 sets of heartbeats in his bar) and excellent eyesight
- silver eyes, skin is deep burgundy red, small horns,
- hero has ta’laps that are tentacles that can come out of his body and wrap, pull, etc. they have drol on the underneath side, which are raised and rounded grips. As many emerge as needed from any point in his body. They can do hundreds, but a more normal number would be 20.
- hero has a lithis (his tongue) that has a lemony scent and unfolds deeply into the mouth/vagina. It has kind of a numbing aspect? So that it prepares the….hole… for his giant cock 😆
- lydaxians (the hero’s people) can only reproduce with their mates
- their eyes are bright and take in more wavelengths than humans
- they use their lithis for oral sex so the heroine can fully take his cock. They have a ‘seal’ around the base that holds them to the heroine and their cock pumps on its own into her cervix, the seal is red and thick and goes all the way around the base, massaging the clit
- cock is darker red than the rest of him
- hero bites his mate and it creates and unbreakable bond

Endearments

Hero calls the heroine ‘sta’la. (which means my love, my mate)

Quotes/thoughts: (Any mistakes are my own)

“Okay. I need to go to sleep. This will all make sense in the morning.” I stood, and so did Gravod. “Why don’t you come by again tomorrow and we can talk more after I’ve had a chance to process everything.”
“I’m staying here. You’re my mate, and I want to be near you. I’ll sleep in your bed and keep you safe.”
Oh, damn. So wet.
 

Content warnings: (This should be taken as a minimum because I could have missed some!)

- remembrance of a bad relationship including cheating
- heroine has to work with her toxic ex and he exacts power trips and retaliation
- mention of parental death from cancer
- some remembered aspects of colonization from the hero’s people (their history is full on conquests, neighboring planets and beyond, then they started forming alliances with other planets. Now they only shift in order to study species or defend)

Locations of kisses/intimate scenes:

Safe sex: 

  Heroine is on birth control. Hero’s seed isn’t as potent without a bond. Their doctors have eradicated all sexual diseases generations ago. 

Hows the consent? 

  It’s good 

Pregnancy/children in the story? 

  No children in the story. ‘Breeding’ is an aspect as well as talking about creating children and picturing children in the future. Epilogue includes children they have had. 

23% - kiss
33% - 🔥 kisses, tentacle penetration for the heroine, bj for him followed by oral for her, he comes in the sheets

“You are so fucking perfect,” he whispered against my ear.

56% - 🔥 tentacle penetration for her, oral for her, missionary, followed the next morning by tentacle penetration for her and handy for him

“So tight. My sweet mate. You’re going to take all of my big cock, aren’t you?”

84% - 🔥 tentacle penetration for her, bj for him

“I love how you say please, sweet mate.”

94% - 🔥 oral for her, missionary with mating bite

“That’s right, sweet mate. You’re so wet for me. Cover my bed with your scent.” 

 

Overall: ⭐️⭐️⭐️
Readability: 📖📖📖 (I liked the second half a lot more but by 50% I wanted to set it down)
Feels: 🦋🦋
Emotional Depth: 💔💔💔
Sexual Tension: ⚡⚡⚡
Romance: 💞💞💞
Sensuality: 💋💋💋💋
Sex Scene Length: 🍑🍑🍑
Steam Scale (Number of Sex Scenes): 🔥
Humor: Yes, a bit corny
Perspective: first person from both the hero and heroine
More character focused or plot focused? character
How did the speed of the story feel? medium
When mains are first on page together: about 9% for human form
Cliffhanger: The plot, yes – the hero is still a fork and the mystery isn’t solved but is implied it continues in the next book. But the relationship is a happy for now.
Epilogue: Not really – the last chapter is a bit of a wrap up a few weeks later though
Format: read through Kindle Unlimited

Should I read in order?
This is book 1 of the series!

Basic plot:
Mercedes finds herself very attached to a certain fork in her antique silverware set

Give this a try if you want:
- contemporary sentient romance
- Rhode Island setting (with WWII flashbacks)
- fork shifting hero / human heroine
- you’re okay with the mystery of fork shifting not being solved by the end of the book (it will be a series)
- lower steam – 1 full scene plus some kisses/implied scenes

Ages:
- hero is 25, heroine is 24

First line:
Today is the day.

My thoughts:
I know, I know – it’s a fork romance so did I really expect much?? Well, sadly I was hoping I would love this more! I have plenty of sentient romance under my belt now and some I have really, REALLY loved. This one just didn’t do it for me.

I think parts of it were that I just got a bit bored. We were getting flashbacks and backgrounds of the hero, but nothing is solved by the end of the book and that was a bummer to me. There were separations of the characters and I just wanted them together more and more romance. I was excited about a from the past hero, but something about him just felt really modern. He adjusted really well to modern world and maybe it’s because he has already aligned himself with the supernatural with being a super soldier...but being a fork and being in modern times just didn’t seem to phase him at all haha.

I loved some of steam here – the things he said, and the thoughts he said were definitely my jam – but it overall just felt really light here. The one scene you get is really great and thorough….

I didn’t hate it but I wanted to love it more!

Few random reading stats for this author
# of books read: 1
Average rating: 3 stars
Favorite book: This is my only book by her so far, so this one!

Quotes/thoughts: (Any mistakes are my own)

He looms over me and takes one of my hands in his. I’m both terrified and more than a little turned on. “I know your hand.” He runs a thumb across my bottom lip. “I know your mouth. The taste of you. The feel of you. I crave it. Why?”
---
“Yesterday, did you lick the entire length of the fork?”
“No,” I deny automatically even though a memory of doing exactly that comes back to me.
He buries a hand in my hair, pulls me closer, and tips my head back, so I’m forced to meet his gaze. “Don’t lie to me.”
 

Content warnings: (This should be taken as a minimum because I could have missed some!)

- remembrance of war scenes and death
- experimentation, torture and death
- hero is trapped as a fork...
Author given content warnings: 

This novella is about a World War II super soldier, trapped inside a fork, who can only take human form again by being intimate with a woman. It also contains some violence. 

Locations of kisses/intimate scenes:

 
Safe sex: 

  No? No condoms or birth control discussed that I remember, but pregnancy risk is minimal since he only finishes with a bj in this book 

 
Hows the consent? 

first kiss is questionable (she ‘attempts to move away, but he holds her in place’ ) but overall it's decent 

 
16% - kiss
81% - heroine self pleasure with the fork, then him in human form, her on top, sex against a wall, then bj for him 

 

Overall: 4.5 rounded to ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Readability: 📖📖📖📖
Feels: 🦋🦋🦋
Emotional Depth: 💔💔💔
Sexual Tension: ⚡⚡⚡
Romance: 💞💞💞💞
Sensuality: 💋💋💋💋
Sex Scene Length: 🍑🍑🍑🍑
Steam Scale (Number of Sex Scenes): 🔥
Humor: A bit
Perspective: first person from both the hero and heroine
More character focused or plot focused? character
How did the speed of the story feel?
When mains are first on page together: Very soon in – the prologue
Cliffhanger: No, this ends with a happily ever after
Epilogue: Yes, two years later
Format: read through Kindle Unlimited

Should I read in order?
I wouldn’t say it’s necessary – these romances have light character crossover and take place in the same small town but each stands alone and is very character focused on the main couple.

Basic plot:
Austin and Luna spend more time together when she offers to organize his office

Give this a try if you want:
- contemporary romance
- small town setting (Suitor’s Crossing)
- ex-military hero (with scars from war)
- fated mates vibes – this series features couples that get ‘heart sparks’ that mean they are your soul mate
- bar owning hero
- dating app creating heroine
- slower burn
- bit of unrequited longing
- plus size heroine
- celibate hero
- lower steam – one full scene but it’s pretty long and the book is a shorter page count

Ages:
- didn’t see them mentioned

First line:
“How long is this going to take?”

My thoughts:
I really liked this one! These are shorter reads and rely on a lot of feelings of instalust/instalove which isn’t really my thing. But this one, this one focuses on mutual pining and it is a slower burn and takes them a little while to become intimate. I loved that because I felt like I got better tension than the prior books.

This couple is really sweet. Austin struggles with his facial scars and having the confidence to let himself be loved. And Luna’s family is pretty awful so it’s very satisfying watching Austin go from withdrawn to protective.

Few random reading stats for this author (including only the Hallie Bennett pen name and not Jemma Frost)
# of books read: 3
Average rating: 4.66 stars
Favorite book: Probably this one?? I loved so much about it and it had more of a slow burn that I enjoyed….but I loved the steam of book 1 (Protected by the Mountain Man).

Endearments

Hero calls the heroine ‘moonbeam’. 

Content warnings: These should be taken as a minimum of what to expect. It’s very possible I have missed some.

- toxic parent dynamics

Locations of kisses/intimate scenes:

 
Safe sex: 

  They briefly ask if each other are clean, heroine mentions she’s on birth control 

 
Hows the consent? 

Good! 

 
72% - her on top, oral for her, him behind her