Tag: adult books

REVIEW: The Kiss Quotient – Helen Hoang

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36199084._SY475_Title: The Kiss Quotient
Author: Helen Hoang
Rating: ★★★★★

Wow, I really wish I had read this so much sooner. The Kiss Quotient is a book that I had been constantly hearing about, yet it kept getting pushed further down my TBR. Let me just say, however, that this book was worth every bit of hype it has gotten.

The Kiss Quotient was a heartwarming, charming story about a woman named Stella, who hires an escort to help her enjoy sex/intimacy with a partner. I loved that this is an #ownvoices novel featuring a high-functioning autistic woman and diverse characters. Stella was a fantastic protagonist and I resonated so much with her! It was very easy to root for her and her happy ending.

The romance was amazing! When a romance book can give me butterflies as I’m reading it’s a total win. I felt like such a giddy fool reading all the scenes between Stella and Michael. The two of them together were such #couplegoals, I swear.

The Kiss Quotient brought me out of a horrible reading slump because it was that fantastic. This book has so much hype and every single ounce of it is well deserved! This was an utterly charming, romantic story and I absolutely adored it.

 

REVIEW: The Ten Thousand Doors of January – Alix E. Harrow (ARC)

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43521657Title: The Ten Thousand Doors of January
Author: Alix E. Harrow
Rating: ★★★★

ARC provided by the publisher.

“It is my hope that this story is your thread, and at the end of it you find a door.”

The simplest description of this book would be: beautiful. The Ten Thousand Doors of January is the kind of story that reminds the reader of the magic of reading. Underneath this gorgeous cover lies a book about self-discovery, fun adventures, story-telling, and the bonds that form between people.

The writing is extremely compelling. From the first page, Alix E. Harrow knows exactly how to capture the attention of the reader. Once the plot begins to fully unfold, this book becomes impossible to put down. It’s hard to describe the plot without giving away too much, but the basic storyline follows our protagonists, January, as she attempts to find her father who has disappeared and feared to be dead. She finds a strange book called Ten Thousand Doors, which speaks to her on a personal level about the magic of doors that lead to other worlds.

Besides the main plotline, there’s also a smaller storyline told between chapters that left me breathless. Parts of the story evoked some of the same emotions I had while reading Strange the Dreamer: it was dreamy, nostalgic, sad, and hopeful. The way the author constructed these two separate stories and wove them together was absolutely beautiful.

The Ten Thousand Doors of January is an enchanting book that will remind readers about the magic of stories. This is an impressive debut and I highly recommend this to anyone look to get lost in the pages of a spellbinding book.

REVIEW: On the Corner of Love and Hate – Nina Bocci (ARC)

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42587433Title: On the Corner of Love and Hate
Author: Nina Bocci
Rating: ★★★★½

ARC provided by the publisher through NetGalley.

I enjoy the finer things in life and literature: slow-burn romance, hate-to-love romance, a healthy dose of angst. Thankfully, On the Corner of Love and Hate delivered everything I wanted in this fun, witty, charmingly romantic story.

I don’t often comment on book covers in my reviews, but I really think this book is going to fly under the radar undeservingly. I don’t hate the cover and I don’t think it’s terrible, but I really think having a cover that was brighter and more fun would attract the eyes of more readers (think along the lines of Christina Lauren’s The Unhoneymooners or Tessa Bailey’s Fix Her Up).

The crux of this story is a frenemies-to-lovers romance, so obviously I was all onboard. Emma and Cooper have a rocky relationship: they were childhood best friends who had a bit of a falling out later in life, and now work together in the same department. The two of them seem to be constantly bickering and arguing, but it’s still obvious that they care about each other.

I don’t think there was a single thing I didn’t love about this book. I adored the characters, the writing was fantastic, and the plot was super compelling. When a book gives me, the reader, a series case of butterflies during the first kiss scene, that’s when you know it’s done a tremendous job building the tension!

On the Corner of Love and Hate is the perfect summer read. It has a great blend of humor, politics, anst, and romance. I’m so thankful the publicist reached out to me about this title because I absolutely adored it. Nina Bocci has another book coming out this fall and I will definitely be keeping my eye out for it!

Halloween Creatures Tag

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It’s been a while since I’ve done a book tag, and since it’s October I wanted to do a fun Halloween themed one! 

Rules:

  • Answer all prompts.
  • Answer honestly.
  • Tag 1-13 people.
  • Link back to this post. 
  • Remember to credit the creator. (Anthony @ Keep Reading Forward)
  • Have fun!

Witch: A Magical Character or Book.

As completely unoriginal as this answer is going to be, I have to say Harry Potter by J.K. Rowling. I don’t think there’s another series out there with quite as much magic and witches/wizards!

Werewolf: The Perfect Book to Read at Night.

I do a lot of my reading at night before bed, so I don’t have a particular book in mind.  

Frankenstein: A Book that Truly Shocked You.

I’m gonna say A Game of Thrones by George R. R. Martin, because I truly, honestly did not think I was going to enjoy reading it, and went into the book not even expecting to finish it. 

The Devil: A Dark, Evil Character.

Dolores Umbridge from the Harry Potter series is the absolute worst.

Grim Reaper: A Character that Should Never Have Died.

There’s a reason I could never quite bring myself to finish Crooked Kingdom by Leigh Bardugo, and that reason has everything to do with a certain favorite character’s death. 

Zombie: A Book that Made You “Hungry” for More.

When I had finished Strange the Dreamer by Laini Taylor I immediately wanted the sequel. There was so many things I wanted to learn and needed to know – such as Azareen and Eril-Fane’s backstory (which Laini blessed me us with in Muse of Nightmares.)

Gargoyle: A Character that You Would Protect at All Cost.

May I direct you attention, please, to this post. Honestly, I’m not even going to pick just one because all three – Sansa Stark, Chaol Westfall, and Malyen Oretsev – are all equally hated upon by their respective fandoms for no good reason and therefore deserve my equal support. 

Vampire: A Book that Sucked the Life Out of You.

Fifty Shades of Grey by E.L. James. I will never understand this book’s appeal or popularity. It drained the life (and brain cells) out of my body and I ended up basically skimming the thing. 

Ghost: A Book that Still Haunts You.

Sophie’s World by Jostein Gaardner. I had to read this my sophomore year of high school and hated it with the burning passion of a thousand suns. It was a very unpopular choice of reading amongst my classmates. To this day, I still have no idea what the f**k is even happening in that book.

Demon: A Book that Really Scared You.

I read a lot of thrillers, but I don’t think I’ve ever read one that’s really scared me. And I tend to avoid horror books: they’re not my thing.

Skeleton: A Character You Have a Bone to Pick With.

Recently, I had a bone to pick with Audrey Rose as I was reading Escaping From Houdini by Kerri Maniscalco. Girlfriend. What are you doing?!

Mummy: A Book You Would Preserve Throughout Time.

I have quite a few favorite books, but The Book Thief by Markus Zusak is such a treasure. 

Creepy Doll: A Cover too Scary to Look At.

The Replacement by Brenna Yovanoff. I remember buying this book on a whim years ago but then never actually reading it. That cover is extremely eerie.

The Monster Mash: It’s Fun to Be with Friends on Halloween!

This was really fun and I hope you all enjoyed my answers! Since I wasn’t actually tagged to do this, I’m not going to tag anyone specifically and invite you all to do it!