DNF - Did not finish
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Book of Orlando (Mortal and Divine #1) by Laura Lascarso
There are so many people who rave about this book. I DNF:ed it at about 70%. That being said, however, I can absolutely see the appeal of the story, and it’s without a doubt very well-written and compelling in a removed kind of way. Synopsis: So this is the story of Orlando, an under privileged kid growing up in Miami. He catches the attention of a supernatural being, a courier of souls, who reveals himself as Henri to Orlando at a young age. When Orlando grows into a beautiful young man, with a superior talent for ballet, the bond between Orlando and Henri grows stronger and despite the severe consequences for…
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Of Secrets and Wolves (Winsford Shifters #1) by Alice Winters
No. Just no. Alice Winters – universally loved apparently – is just not meant for me. I read How to Vex a Vampire, VCR: Vampire Related Crimes (that everybody raves about) and I didn’t like it. But I thought I’d give her a second chance with Of Secrets and Wolves because sources that are (usually) reliable were practically gushing over it. This book is an MM-shifter story. And I usually love those! They’re my no. 1 guilty pleasure. But I just can’t make myself appreciate the writing. To me, this read displays all the exact same characteristics that I found so hard to like with VCR: One main character acts…
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Totally Trucked (The Men of Bear Springs #1) by BJ Blakely
First off, I need to say that this wasn’t my kind of read. At all. When reading the blurb, I thought it sounded interesting, but I quickly discovered where me limits were. But I don’t judge. To each their own and all that. And I’m certain there are tons of people who’d think Totally Trucked is hot as hell. Unfortunately, I didn’t though. So I’m obviously not the target reader of this story. Anyways. This is about Jax the trucker, and Logan the twink who works at a truck stop diner. And these guys meet through a glory-hole in a public restroom. It’s dirty. In every sense of the word.…
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The Ghost Wore Yellow Socks by Josh Lanyon
This is my first Josh Lanyon book I didn’t like, and didn’t finish. The Ghost Wore Yellow Socks is an old school murder mystery, but with the twist of two gay apartment neighbours acting as detectives. And it just didn’t work for me. It was just too much like a game of Clue. A bunch of weird characters, isolated in a spooky old house when people start dropping dead. It had a definite Professor Plum in the kitchen with the candlestick kind of vibe. Which felt, well, dated. It’s not something I’m interested in reading at least. There’s nothing wrong with the writing of course, it’s excellent, this story just…
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The Difference Between by Leta Blake/Blake Moreno
The Difference Between is a dark as hell story. I picked it because I needed something to balance out all the sugar I’ve consumed lately, and also, it came highly recommended. However, I didn’t finish it. At 60% in, I gave up. I won’t waste my time reading stuff I don’t enjoy. Synopsis: The story is about Wade, a young, gay man, who’s kidnapped, tortured and sexually abused by an ex lover. After his rescue, the story goes on describing how a deeply traumatized Wade is trying to take back control of his life. By his side is his boyfriend/partner, Russ, who’s willing to do anything to help the man…
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Dire Warning (Blackwood Pack #1) by Mary Rundle
This is the second book in a row that I didn’t finish. So it’s safe to say that Dire Warning was a disappointment. I was intrigued by the blurb, as the M/M, wolf-shifter fan that I am. But the writing was so poor I couldn’t make myself continue. So, why review a bad read? Well, to warn off others of course. This book has a 4.2 star rating on Amazon, 4.5 stars on Bookbub and 3.9 on Goodreads. And that’s just not right. The storyline as such was alright, the cover pic was fun and hot. But the writing was a total mess. And when I – someone with English…
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Black Balled (Black Balle #1) by Andrea Smith & Eva LeNoir
I decided to give this book a try after it was highly recommended in one of my reader-groups. Usually, I stay clear of books featuring authors as a main character. In my experience, writers writing about a writer is more often than not an indication of one of three things; either the writer in question lacks in imagination, is a really poor writer or has an inflated ego. Sometimes, even all three applies. As I started in on Black Balled, I thought the writing itself was pretty good. No worries on that account. However, one of the main characters, the reviewer called Babu, was such a despicable douchebag I couldn’t…
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Zercy (The Nira Chronicles #2) by Kora Knight
This read had tentacles in it. Sentient tentacles that did unspeakable things. That’s more or less everything you need to know. Read it, don’t read it. Whatever. But if you do, please be prepared for lots of invasive, wiggly action. Technically, there’s nothing wrong with the book or the writing. But really, I just can’t get past all those appendages. 0
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Tell me goodnight by Kelsey Kingsley
This is a shitshow. There’s truly no other word for it. The blurb paints a picture of a grieving, single father to three little girls, who gets a second chance at love when he meets the aspiring author Tess. The father – Jon – is a talented pianist but struggles to make ends meet and Tess who sorely needs inspiration agrees to babysit Jon’s daughters in an attempt to get out of her literary rut. It sounds quite lovely with the potential of some really angsty moments. A tortured artist’s soul and all that. It starts with Jon’s recollection of a typical night with his wife. And then it all…